Get Happy :)

Aloha to my beloved readers.  

I guess it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that times are very tough in America and throughout the world.  I just cannot believe what I am hearing and reading about in respect to the economic situation at hand.   Banks are folding, car dealerships are closing, AIG is on the forefront of the newspapers, and the rest.....

I recall so many times during my life that my mother used to say, "Tara you need to be more frugal."  I would laugh at her thinking she was born in the days of the depression.  "Don't you know mom that the depression days are over and done with and besides there are so many safety mechanisms in place so that another depression could never happen again, right? " Well mom, you are getting the last laugh, so to speak.  Although I imagine this is not at all what my mother had in mind.  You see we are all living through something similar to what years ago was called the great depression of the 1930's & 40's.

I am certainly no economic genius nor do I think that I have much of a clue as to what should or could happen next. So everybody- where do we all go from here?  I   guess being that everything goes in cycles- this too shall pass. 

 

Here are some ideas you might use that are free or don't cost much:

#1 Go outside and take a breath of fresh air.  It's amazing how much breathing in deeply for a few minutes will benefit our lives.

#2 Smell, give, or keep some flowers.  Flowers will always brighten up a room.  So surround yourself with them.  Always remember that bringing flowers home works wonders if you want to make a woman smile.  

 

#3 Hang out with people that help you to laugh heartily.  Try to stay away from people who are perennially on a bummer.  

#4 Go see a funny movie.

#5 Write or call a friend you haven't spoken to in a while, let them know your thinking of them.  You never know it might make someone's day.

#6 Go to the park.

#7 Feed a kitten.

#8 Play ball with a dog.

#9 It takes fewer muscles to smile than it takes to frown.  So Always remember to keep smiling, even if you don't feel like it, eventually it will become real. So I beckon you all to keep smiling.  

#10 For those of you who are like me, eat some dark chocolate it has so many good things going for it.  In fact I have written a blog in the past about the benefits of chocolate.  

#11 Dance with a friend, in no particular way.  Let yourself hang loose and be silly, you can if you try.

I wish that I was a fortune teller so that I could be privy to the information we would all like to know.  That is how long this recession/depression will last.  But in so far that I am not a fortune teller, the one thing that I know for sure is that the key to happiness is not found with dollars and cents.  Its found in the simple things of life.  Enjoy your good health, if your lucky enough to have it.  Take a long walk through the park, at the beach, or whatever beautiful place lies close by your home.  

I have included for your reading pleasure the piece of prose called "Desirderada" .  It tends to keep me centered about things that I think matter most.  I think its so inspiring.  

"DESIRDERADA"
"Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without 

surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. 
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. 
Keep interested in your own career, however humble, it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. 
Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labours and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy."