:: The Center of Happiness ::

Imagine there is a bank that credits your account each
morning with $86,400. It carries over no balance from day to
day. Every evening deletes whatever part of the balance you
failed to use during the day.

What would you do? Draw out every cent, of course!!!! Each
of us has such a bank. Its name is TIME.

Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every
night it writes off, as lost, whatever of this you have
failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no
balance. It allows no overdraft. Each day it opens a new
account for you. Each night it burns the remains of the day.
If you fail to use the day’s deposits, the loss is yours.

There is no going back. There is no drawing against the
“tomorrow”. You must live in the present on today’s
deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in
health, happiness, and success!

The clock is running. Make the most of today.

To realize the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student who failed
a grade.

To realize the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who gave
birth to a premature baby.

To realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask the editor of a weekly
newspaper. .

To realize the value of ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are
waiting to meet.

To realize the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a person who missed
the train.

To realize the value of ONE SECOND, ask a person who just
avoided an accident.

To realize the value of ONE MILLISECOND, ask the person who
won a silver medal in the Olympics

Treasure every moment that you have! And treasure it more
because you shared it with someone special, special enough
to spend your time. And remember that time waits for no one.

A rich landowner named Carl often rode around his vast estate so he could congratulate himself on his great wealth. One day while riding around his estate on his favorite horse, he saw Hans, an old tenant farmer. Hans was sitting under a tree when Carl rode by.

Hans said, ‘I was just thanking God for my food.’

Carl protested, ‘If that is all I had to eat, I wouldn’t feel like giving thanks.’

Hans replied, ‘God has given me everything I need, and I am thankful for it.’

The old farmer added, ‘It is strange you should come by today because I had a dream last night. In my dream a voice told me, ‘The richest man in the valley will die tonight.’ I don’t know what it means, but I thought I ought to tell you.’

Carl snorted, ‘Dreams are nonsense,’ and galloped away, but he could not forget Hans’ words: ‘The richest man in the valley will die tonight.’ He was obviously the richest man in the valley, so he invited his doctor to his house that evening. Carl told the doctor what Hans had said. After a thorough examination, the doctor told the wealthy landowner, ‘Carl, you are as strong and healthy as a horse. There is no way you are going to die tonight.’

Nevertheless, for assurance, the doctor stayed with Carl, and they played cards through the night. The doctor left the next morning and Carl apologized for becoming so upset over the old man’s dream. At about nine o’clock, a messenger arrived at Carl’s door.

‘What is it?’ Carl demanded.

The messenger explained, ‘It’s about old Hans. He died last night in his sleep.’
A rich landowner named Carl often rode around his vast estate so he could congratulate himself on his great wealth. One day while riding around his estate on his favorite horse, he saw Hans, an old tenant farmer. Hans was sitting under a tree when Carl rode by.

Hans said, ‘I was just thanking God for my food.’

Carl protested, ‘If that is all I had to eat, I wouldn’t feel like giving thanks.’

Hans replied, ‘God has given me everything I need, and I am thankful for it.’

The old farmer added, ‘It is strange you should come by today because I had a dream last night. In my dream a voice told me, ‘The richest man in the valley will die tonight.’ I don’t know what it means, but I thought I ought to tell you.’

Carl snorted, ‘Dreams are nonsense,’ and galloped away, but he could not forget Hans’ words: ‘The richest man in the valley will die tonight.’ He was obviously the richest man in the valley, so he invited his doctor to his house that evening. Carl told the doctor what Hans had said. After a thorough examination, the doctor told the wealthy landowner, ‘Carl, you are as strong and healthy as a horse. There is no way you are going to die tonight.’

Nevertheless, for assurance, the doctor stayed with Carl, and they played cards through the night. The doctor left the next morning and Carl apologized for becoming so upset over the old man’s dream. At about nine o’clock, a messenger arrived at Carl’s door.

‘What is it?’ Carl demanded.

The messenger explained, ‘It’s about old Hans. He died last night in his sleep.’

Imagine a woman who believes it is right and good she is a woman.
A woman who honors her experience and tells her stories.
Who refuses to carry the sins of others within her body and life.

Imagine a woman who trusts and respects herself.
A woman who listens to her needs and desires.
Who meets them with tenderness and grace.

Imagine a woman who acknowledges the past’s influence on the present.
A woman who has walked through her past.
Who has healed into the present.

Imagine a woman who authors her own life.
A woman who exerts, initiates, and moves on her own behalf.
Who refuses to surrender except to her truest self and wisest voice.

Imagine a woman who names her own gods.
A woman who imagines the divine in her image and likeness.
Who designs a personal spirituality to inform her daily life.

Imagine a woman in love with her own body.
A woman who believes her body is enough, just as it is.
Who celebrates its rhythms and cycles as an exquisite resource.

Imagine a woman who honors the body of the Goddess in her changing body.
A woman who celebrates the accumulation of her years and her wisdom.
Who refuses to use her life-energy disguising the changes in her body and life.

Imagine a woman who values the women in her life.
A woman who sits in circles of women.
Who is reminded of the truth about herself when she forgets.

Imagine yourself as this woman.

“Imagine a Woman” © Patricia Lynn Reilly, 1995
Excerpt: Imagine a Woman in Love with Herself (Conari, 1999)
Available in English: Postcard and poster formats.
Available in Spanish: Postcard format.
“Mannequin” © Patricia Lynn Reilly, 2006
http://www.OpenWindowGallery.com

Willing to experience aloneness,
I discover connection everywhere;
Turning to face my fear,
I meet the warrior who lives within;

Opening to my loss,
I am given unimaginable gifts;
Surrendering into emptiness,
I find fullness without end.

Each condition I flee from pursues me.
Each condition I welcome transforms me
And becomes itself transformed
Into its radiant jewel-like essence.

I bow to the one who has made it so,
Who has crafted this Master Game;
To play it is pure delight,
To honor it is true devotion.

— Jennifer Welwood, psychotherapist

I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes.

The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.

Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.

There are two kinds of pedestrians: the quick and the dead.

Life is sexually transmitted.

Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.

The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.

Some people are like Slinkies. Not really good for anything, but you still can’t help but smile when you see one tumble down the stairs.

Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.

Have you noticed since everyone has a camcorder these days people don’t talk about seeing UFOs like they used to?

Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

We could all take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.

In the 60’s, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.

How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?

Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, “I think I’ll squeeze these dangly things and drink whatever comes out?”

Why is there a light in the fridge but not in the freezer?

If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a song about him?

If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?

Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet Soup?

Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog’s face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him on a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?

Does pushing the elevator button more than once make it arrive faster?

Why doesn’t glue stick to the inside of the bottle?

I wish you a moment each day to press the season close
I wish you an explosion of taste, a reassuring texture, a line of poetry to penetrate the carapace of busyness
Until, like the woman who saw her butter dish for the first time after thirty years when the sunlight hit it just right
And the universe is laid bare to the “I am” you always are

– Jennifer Louden
http://www.jenniferlouden.com

BBC NEWS
Path to true happiness ‘revealed’
Experts believe they have found the essential ingredients to make a person’s life happier.

In an unusual three-month experiment, six specialists from a variety of disciplines worked to improve the happiness levels of a typical UK town.

The experts tried and tested 10 simple measures in the quest for happiness.

They found successful strategies included nurturing a plant, smiling at strangers and cutting television viewing by a half.

A four-part observational documentary series, Making Slough Happy, beginning on BBC Two on Tuesday, follows the team and their progress.

We will begin to change the psychological climate of Slough
Dr Richard Stevens, one of the happiness experts

The happiness team includes psychologist Dr Richard Stevens, psychotherapist Brett Kahr, work place specialists Jessica Pryce-Jones and Philippa Chapman, social entrepreneur Andrew Mawson OBE and Richard Reeves, whose expertise spans philosophy, public policy and economics.

During the series, they take 50 volunteers from Slough, with the aim of planting the “seeds of happiness” amongst this core group who will then spread their cheer to others in a ripple effect.

Dr Stevens explained: “The volunteers will take their newfound skills and attitudes out into the community, and in this way we will begin to change the psychological climate of Slough.”

Based on best knowledge and research, the team came up with a 10-point plan for happiness.

The 10 steps to happiness

Plant something and nurture it
Count your blessings - at least five - at the end of each day
Take time to talk - have an hour-long conversation with a loved one each week
Phone a friend whom you have not spoken to for a while and arrange to meet up
Give yourself a treat every day and take the time to really enjoy it
Have a good laugh at least once a day
Get physical - exercise for half an hour three times a week
Smile at and/or say hello to a stranger at least once each day
Cut your TV viewing by half
Spread some kindness - do a good turn for someone every day

The experts measured the happiness levels of the Slough volunteers before, during and after the end of the project to assess if their methods were effective.

Throughout their experiment, the expert team face the challenge of selling their science to a potentially sceptical public, unprepared for their unconventional approach - from dancing in a supermarket aisle, to a spot of graveyard therapy and tree hugging.

Making Slough Happy is broadcast on Tuesdays at 9pm on BBC Two, starting 15 November, 2005.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/health/4436482.stm

Published: 2005/11/15 07:40:07 GMT

© BBC MMV

A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said, “Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.”

The Lord led the holy man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in.

In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew which smelled delicious and made the holy man’s mouth water.

But the people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful, but because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths. The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. The Lord said, ‘You have seen Hell.’

They then went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man’s mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking.

The holy man said, “I don’t understand.”

“It is simple” said the Lord, “In this place the people have learned to feed one another.”

Author Unknown

A Smile costs nothing, but gives much

It enriches those who receive, without making poorer those who give

It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever

None is so rich or mighty that he can get along without it,
and none is so poor, but that he can be made rich by it

A Smile creates happiness in the home, fosters good will in business,
and is the countersign of friendship

It brings rest to the weary, cheer to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad,
and it is nature’s best antidote for trouble.

Yet it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen,
for it is something that is of no value to anyone, until it is given away

Some people are too tired to give you a smile;
Give them one of yours, as none needs a smile so much as he who has no more to give.

I am a BEAUTIFUL WOMAN, with a beauty that doesn’t wash off. I earned it, unearthed it, rescued it like a jewel in the dust, picked it up and made it shine.
For years, I did not see it, though I sensed it was there. Now it dazzles and thrives.
I am healthy, capable, independent, strong yet still so fragile, floored by a sigh. My body is that of a creator—–angles meeting curves, hardness drifting into soft.
I am mother, daughter, sister, lover to myself. Embraceable and brave, I extend my heart.
My body is home, my home a shrine to life, comfortable, warm and rich with treasures. Mine is the scent of hot spices caught in a breeze, mine the laughter that wings through the door. I share myself only with those who honor me as I am and protect myself, my house, and my time from invaders.
I search for my center in the midst of chaos, practice peace as wild dogs clamor in my mind. I use power for the greater good, release rage in neutral settings, with no one innocent in the line of fire.
I am learning how to persist and when to let go, am willing to feel all emotion stop their depths and exaltations, to wake up in every nerve and no longer am afraid of my life.
Both my beauty and strength transcend age, time and perhaps even this lifetime.
Each day I am new, yet more at home in myself. Moment by moment, I create my world.

~Karen Andes
A Women’s Book of Strength; An Empowering Guide to Total Mind/Body Fitness