It doesn't hurt to smile a little...

You know, smiling is only good for us.  But do you know how good it really is?

Every time we smile, endorphins are released into our system, which raises our moods.  It is our body's form of giving us a natural upper.

Something that I do if I get upset or angry, is to make myself smile.  Even if it is fake.  When I do this I notice that my mood gets just a little bit better.  If I add positive thoughts or memories into the mix, there is a noticeable difference.  This certainly doesn't take away my problem, but it helps me look at it more rationally.

Not only is smiling great for ourselves, but it is also good for those around you.  Above everything else, smiling is contagious.  You can put people in good moods just by being happy and smiling.  Then, you just helped release endorphins in their systems, making their day just a little bit better!

Smiling creates a positive atmosphere around you and can influence any one who comes into your presence.  Talk about powerful, and in the most positive of ways!

Everybody appreciates a smile.

A great easy goal to have is to make 5 or 10 people smile every day (obviously adjustable to the amount of time you are not alone).  This is a wonderful way to brighten lot of people's days.

It makes the world around you just a little bit brighter, and as I have said over and over, a ripple makes a wave?

Slow down! You're moving too fast!

As a general rule, I believe that it is safe to say that those of us living in the Global North are in one hell of a rush.

We are always on our way to somewhere or trying to achieve something. From taking care of families to work to school to random activities - point made. We are in so much movement, that we often forget to slow down and experience.

It is unbelievable how much we miss when we speed through life. It makes me wonder how many awesome experiences I have missed because I forgot to slow down. I think that we forget that the important thing in life is to live it! What is the point of being alive if you aren't even "being", just always "doing"?

Last year I walked the Northern Camino in Spain. If there is anything in the world that would make a person slow down, it would be walking 800 kilometers across a country?and watching the rest of the world speed by. There were so many wonderful experiences that I had which the speeding world never even saw coming, before they were already gone.

After the Camino, I made it a point to slow down. That doesn't mean I am not just as active as I was before - I just do it differently. I walk places instead of driving, I actually do stop, and smell the flowers; and they smell really good.

Slowing down your pace doesn't mean slowing down your life, it just means experiencing it. That is something we all deserve!

Why take in an animal if you can't take in the responsibility?

If there is one thing that never ceases to amaze me about people, it is the ability to simply throw away a pet.

We are their protectors, their parents, their friends; and in taking up that position in the beginning of the owner-pet relationship- we are dedicating ourselves for the duration of their life.

And yet, on a very regular basis, I see people simply throw away their pets.  I say this with first hand knowledge.  Our two dogs, cat, and my mother-in-law's cat, our closest friends dog and cats, were all rescued from (no, not the SPCA) the "junk yard" that I call home.

I live in a beautiful community on the outskirts of town.  Far enough away to be able to drop off a no longer loved pet which is then not able to find its way home.  A fair amount of pets where I live are these poor animals.

Back to my point.  Animals have feelings too, and people don't seem to take that into consideration when abandoning them to fate.  Along with the fact that the animal may or may not find a home, or even survive, we cannot forget the issue of overpopulation.  There are already millions and millions of stray animals, and many more on the way.  We do not need more strays!

It is unfair to take in a pet for any reason, if one is not responsible enough and loving enough to take care of it.  Obviously, there are exceptions to every rule and sometimes a pet must change families, but no responsible person would just throw them away.

I think it is something that anybody taking in a new pet needs to be aware of:  Their responsibilities.

A chance meeting made a world of change for this young man.

I have heard this story probably a million times, but each time, it makes me think?Though I know that the story is true, I do not know which version is the correct one, so I will share with you my favorite.

One day, a young man was walking home from school.  On the way, he tripped and dropped the books that he was carrying.  A boy his age came and helped him to pick his books up.  The boys ended up walking home together and in short time, became the best of friends.  Over the years, their relationship continued to blossom.

The boys went to school together up through to their graduation.  At the graduation ceremony, the boy who had tripped so many years earlier was asked to give a speech.  The young man walked up to the stage and began his speech.

He told his class how all of those years ago, on that fateful day that he dropped his books, he had been on his way home, not like every other day, but with a plan.  His plan was to commit suicide.  He felt lonely and had no friends, and felt that he had no reason to live.

When he had dropped his books, and a kind new face came to help him pick them back up and walked home with him, the boy realized that there was good in the world.  By making that new friend, by that simple gesture of kindness, the young man decided not to kill himself.  Thanks to the small action of one young man, entirely, without his knowledge, he had saved a life; the life of his future best friend.

At that graduation ceremony, the young man was finally able to thank his best friend for saving his life all those years ago...