Happiness!

Spring flowers make her feel happy!

Howde Peeps,

Donald and I are still here looking after you for a while. We have popped into her archives and liked her selection of the 'Just' ones, 'be positive', 'smile' and 'be happy'. We have selected the one about happiness as we feel you all need cheering up. This pandemic is not going to get easier anytime soon. We can see how unhappy you peeps are about your jollies being spoilt. We say, 'stay safe, positive and happy'. Enjoy the following.

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Lady M still here and admits that most of the things in her life happen by accident or do they? During the last few weeks she has been moved by the tragedy on Easter Sunday and then disillusioned with our international situation declaring that we are in a third world war. The only way to fight negativity, depression or despair is to fight back with positivity. She realised that she has begun her last two postings with the word 'Just'. She has decided it should be the current theme. Just smile, be positive and now happy.

Happiness does not solve problems anymore than smiling or positivity but combined with those two it makes the day brighter. Each morning, when she wakes she thinks of each day as a holiday and a blessing. To be more precise, she doesn't wake up until mid-morning, brunch or coffee time. She is a night owl and seldom goes to bed before the bewitching hour. She finds it difficult to sleep before two a.m. 

Her father had a phrase which she frequently recalls, "there's always someone worse off than you." You may feel like disagreeing if you are going through hard times, bereavement or some form of distress but if you are reading this then presumably you have either a mobile/cell phone, laptop or computer. What about all of those refugees, homeless or peeps who do not have access or cannot afford it? 

She remembers those good old days of the sixties and her life in Derbyshire. One of the annual events was the Bakewell Show; the family went along. Sometimes her father exhibited livestock  and won many prizes. He was so proud of all the rosettes he acquired over the years. There's one long lasting memory of the year he took her into the flower tent and stood for some considerable time admiring the blooms. He smiled and was particularly moved by the beauty of the chrysanthemums, gladioli,  hydrangeas and nature. He radiated happiness as he said, (I paraphrase because it was a long time ago) "Just look at that beauty, think of how its grown, it makes you think about what is beyond the universe and doesn't it make you glad to be alive."

Different things radiate happiness to different people. If the sun is shining it is easier to feel the warmth and happiness. Still, thinking back to the sixties where Lady M seems to live, the great late Ken Dodd had a hit record Happiness, to quote just a few of his lyrics, got no silver, got no gold, but happiness in my soul; happiness is the greatest gift that I possess; I thank the Lord that I've been blessed with more than my share of happiness.

There are no winners in the game of life so do whatever makes you feel happy and enjoy this short sojourn which we have on the earth. Make time for yourself … walk in the rain, enjoy the beauty of nature, visit the cinema, go to the beach, read a book, take up a hobby... or do whatever puts a smile of your face.

Until next week... be happy, smile and be positive. 

Lady M xxxxx

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Well, you may find it difficult getting into a cinema at the moment, but you get the gist!

All our love, Donald and Sofia  xxxxx

Giving!

 

Hello Everyone,

Hey, we've hit March and, hopefully you've not a victim of either the latest virus and in isolation or of the horrendous floods in the UK! For most of us in the Northern Hemisphere spring is on the way, warmth, ice cream, sunny days and happiness lie ahead of us. If you're in the Southern Hemisphere I'm hoping you will have a mild winter.

After trying to convince you throughout January that the glass is always half full and last month that giving is a blessing and nice thing to do I would like to continue this week with the 'giving' theme.

I started by suggesting that  a book is a gift for life and then moved to the more expensive gift, diamonds. Now, I'm thinking of gifts that are priceless but cost nothing. My personal March gifts to you are on this blog, daffodils, snowdrops and a sunset. 

What can you give that is free? There is a saying that the greatest gift you can ever give is 'time'. Time to listen, time to help, just finding the time to spend with someone, time to give advice, time to pick up the phone or in more modern times text someone to make sure they're okay, time to volunteer... 

Other things which are free are just being nice, smiling, caring, kindness and being happy. These things are infectious.

Something else which you may not even realise you are doing is giving people hope. You never know when you are someone's last hope. Yes, the world is full of scammers but there are also genuine people who need help. They may or may not ask you but if they do you won't know whether you are that last hope. Could you turn them away? 

Another thing that is free to do and help others is with prayer. Okay, you may not be religious but never underestimate the power of prayer. There are numerous examples of peeps who, in despair, have used this method as a kind of last resort only to be amazed at the result. Many years ago, a colleague phoned me one night in floods of tears. She was unemployed, savings were low and those awful bills did not stop arriving. The people at her church had suggested prayer. She left saying she needed practical help not prayer and then came to me. Now, I'm sure those people in church prayed for her. My response was to give her information on how to work in Market Research. She followed it up and was soon employed by Market Research companies. So, why did she choose me that night? She could have gone elsewhere or done nothing! Was it just coincidence? You may think it was but I do not.

I, personally, am always pleased when I see kindness and giving in action. I will never forget the time I was sitting at this computer day-dreaming and for no particular reason looked out of the window at the bridge over the expressway. I gasped in horror as someone climbed over the railing, looked down and was contemplating jumping. Before I could even reach the phone to dial the emergency services several peeps had stopped, moved over towards her and were acting to prevent her from committing suicide. These were ordinary people who were showing kindness and caring for another human being.

Then, there are those people who are always prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice in their chosen professions. In particular, our emergency services...fire, police and ambulance. These humans answer the shouts whatever never knowing what will greet them at the scene. In addition, in our modern society where we are at war with terrorism, there have been numerous heroes with no thought for their own lives have attempted to give and help others at these horrendous scenes. These people are real givers and not takers.

In life there are both givers and takers. From my experience the takers tend to be more selfish often chasing money and getting what they can out of other people. The ones I can think of are unhappy, insecure, discontented  people with miserable, stone faces. Happiness comes from being content with what you have. Givers tend to be happier people with smiling faces and a bright outlook on life.

Be a giver not a taker!

All my love and wishing you happiness, Lady M xxxxx