i love that this family has embraced the fun in life.
—
“life goes by fast. enjoy it. calm down. it’s all funny.”
-joan rivers
Jun17
Tag Archives: happiness
Dec13
wonderland.
stopping by this amazing wonderland of a store
was like stepping right into willie wonka’s factory
all joy and color
sweets of every kind and shape and size
old favorites, new delightful unusual treats
happiest place in town
nothing was impossible.
—
“Mr. Willy Wonka can make marshmallows that taste of violets, and rich caramels that change color every ten seconds as you suck them, and little feathery sweets that melt away deliciously the moment you put them between your lips. He can make chewing-gum that never loses its taste, and sugar balloons that you can blow up to enormous sizes before you pop them with a pin and gobble them up. And, by a most secret method, he can make lovely blue birds’ eggs with black spots on them, and when you put one of these in your mouth, it gradually gets smaller and smaller until suddenly there is nothing left except a tiny little dark red sugary baby bird sitting on the tip of your tongue.”
-Roald Dahl, ‘Charlie And The Chocolate Factory’.
Dec4
cookie, cookie, cookie.
“happiness isn’t a fortune in a cookie. it’s deeper, wider, funnier, and more transporting than that.”
-elvis costello
—
NATIONAL COOKIE DAY – December 4
The English word “cookie” is derived from the Dutch word koekie, meaning “little cake.”
Hard cookie-like wafers have existed for as long as baking has been documented. Not surprisingly, they traveled well, too, though were usually not sweet enough to be considered cookies by modern-day standards.
The origin of the cookie appears to begin in Persia in the 7th century, soon after the use of sugar became common in the region. They then spread to Europe through the Muslim conquest of Spain. Cookies were common at all levels of society throughout Europe by the 14th century, from the royal cuisine to the street vendors.
Cookies arrived in America in the 17th century. Macaroons and gingerbread cookies were among the popular early American cookies. In most English-speaking countries outside of North America, the most common word for cookie is “biscuit.” In some regions, both terms, cookies, and biscuits are used.
HOW TO OBSERVE NationalCookieDay
Pick up some cookies at your local bakery and remember to share them with family and friends. Or – make a list of your favorite cookies to bake and enjoy. Organize your baking tools and start your assembly line. Taste as you go.
NATIONAL COOKIE DAY HISTORY
In 1976, Sesame Street included National Cookie Day on its calendar for the first time. Cookie Monster also proclaimed his own National Cookie Day in the 1980 book The Sesame Street Dictionary. Then in 1987, Matt Nader of the Blue Chip Cookie Company created Cookie Day, celebrating it on December 4th.
Oct2
special delivery.
a very special delivery
going to a very special place:
the fairy house in our school garden.
they will be so happy.
“find happiness by delivering it”
– chris murray
Sep15
there will be bands and dancing.
dear ann arbor family –
see you in the fall
there will be bands & dancing as we reunite eventually.
thank you, roos roost coffee.
i really appreciate you
for filling us with coffee and optimism.
—
“joy weathers any storm: happiness rides the waves.”
-todd stocker
Jul19
shoes.
shoes left behind
no need for these when you find the river.
—
“let your shoes take you to where your happiness grows.”
-anthony t. hincks
Apr28
walk like a dinosaur.
The T-Rex Walking Club parades in Ferndale,MI
The T-Rex Walking Club takes a stroll to bring joy during the coronavirus pandemic. A silly and secret club formed during the pandemic is on a quest to bring smiles to the faces of kids, and a few adults, while under Michigan’s stay home order.
On Friday, when Governor Gretchen Whitmer extended Michigan’s order, there was parade of a pink unicorn, followed by a gentle giraffe, a ferocious bear, a swinging stegosaurus, Scooby-Doo and a shark too, a tall pterodactyl, a trotting triceratops, a black-and-white penguin, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, a friendly T-Rex, another penguin, and a one-eyed Minion.
This motley crew, which calls itself the Ferndale T-Rex Walking Club, takes its unannounced strolls through neighborhoods. There are other characters, too, and a few members have costumes on order. On their next walks, you might see an additional unicorn, more sharks, a polar bear, a gorilla, a Godzilla, an alligator, a hippo, a flamingo, a zebra, and an upside-down clown.
Most members of the club are also members of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.The point of the parade, is to cheer up the community during otherwise gloomy times and get children and adults to smile, said Oscar Renautt, who heads the Elks public relations committee.
The T-Rex club has its own set of rules. You must be invited; have an enclosed, inflatable costume; wear a face mask; and you can never, ever tell anyone where — or when — the group is going to go walking.
The founder, Ms. Ignash, received her pink unicorn costume one Christmas, has had it for years, and she’d occasionally show up somewhere in it for a laugh. Then, she posted the article in Facebook for local residents and they thought it was a good idea. Folks asked her to organize an event, so she did. It was right after the stay-at-home order, and within two hours, close to 200 people were interested.
Ignash decided that it was a totally crazy idea, and irresponsible to create crowds of people during a pandemic, so she canceled the event, and started over. Instead, she created a private group and invited just a couple of friends to join her. They went on a walk in costume, and then another, and another, adding a few friends — and characters — each time.
The costumes are so big that they naturally require the walkers to space out about six-feet apart, a social distancing requirement of the governor’s order. They also don’t want to spread the virus so they wear masks.Visibility inside isn’t so good either, and it can get hot inside the costume. So they don’t walk for too long. “But, it’s fun because kids really freak out,” Ignash said. “They see us coming, or they hear other people talking about us coming, and kids freak out. Its fun, just so much fun.”
—
credits: Frank Witsil- Detroit Free Press, Ferndale Elks Club
—
“a procession is a participants’ journey, while a parade is a performance with an audience.”
– Rebecca Solnit, Wanderlust: A History of Walking
Dec3
true laughter
have you laughed with someone today?
—
“a wonderful thing about true laughter
is that it just destroys any kind of system of dividing people.”
-john cleese
Aug26
extraordinary.
what a surprise and delight
it was to meet peter
(who is known as jonathan when in trouble)
the proprietor of a tiny shop near the beach.
how was i to know
that he was
a visiting nurse
a gentle spirit
a master
of local lore, directions, recommendations
who worries about what will happen to his store
when he is gone
and wonders
if the people who take it over
will be able to make enough money
in spite of some adversity
he was brimming
with happiness and passion
as we spoke at length
about the joys of sea glass
with all of its pits and scratches and imperfections
that only serve to prove
it’s the real thing
having survived
a long and challenging journey
having arrived at last
on a soft and sandy shore
collected by hands
that appreciate it for all of its beauty
exactly as it is
and he was extraordinary.
“for me, the difference between an ‘ordinary’ and an ‘extraordinary’ person
is not the title that person might have,
but what they do to make the world a better place for us all.”
-jody williams
—
wells, maine – august 2019
Aug10
happiness expert.
the following job title popped up on my alumni website
and made me curious to learn just what a ‘happiness expert’ is exactly.
now that I know, I think that my definition is a very different one
though you can never have too much happiness.
Happiness Expert
Full-Time Position
Description
We do more than just provide a software product to our campus partners. We provide a full experience to ensure their happiness and success, and you’ll be right there with them along the way as their own personal expert.
What You’ll Do:
- Develop a lasting rapport with our campus partners, from coordinators to directors, deans to vice presidents, and beyond
- Learn the unique needs and challenges of each campus that you work with and develop strategies that are centered around our solutions to address them
- Manage the orientation process for campuses using our frameworks and learning outcomes, while infusing your own unique experiences
- Help out our Happiness Allies by responding quickly and accurately to inbound conversations from our campus partners to answer their questions, complete with plenty of emojis and GIFs
- Efficiently solve problems that users encounter by recreating them in a test environment
- Ensure the quality and functionality of our software by completing user testing of new features, enhancements, and bug fixes (you’ll be the first to see all of the cool new stuff we’re building!)
- Facilitate customer growth and success by staying up-to-date on current trends in higher education.
- Created with Passion by Former Practitioners – We help student affairs professionals and student leaders on college and university campuses across the world create better communities, campus cultures, and student experiences. As former student affairs professionals and involved student leaders, we have a deep understanding of the industry and its most chronic problems. We’ve lived them! We’re growing fast, and would love your help making it happen!
Qualifications- You just might be our next Happiness Expert, if:
You have:
• Worked on campus as a student leader
• An intimate understanding of, and passion for, our software and the problems it solves
• An affinity for all things technology. You love to be the first to try out shiny new software
• An uncanny ability to develop and maintain relationships with your new best friends (aka our partner institutions)
• The desire and ability to work with all types of people, both on your team and with our campus partners
And you:
• Are a great listener, challenge the industry status quo, and question everything
• Have an open mind — you love trying new things, generating new ideas, and don’t mind failing
• Get excited by meeting and talking to new people, building relationships, and helping out
• Have an exceptional eye for organization in everything that you do
• Regularly self-reflect, practice self-awareness, self-motivation, and setting strategy
• Take joy and pride in setting and exceeding goals
• Are excited to push our growth forward!
—
“some cause happiness wherever they go,
some cause happiness whenever they go.”
-oscar wilde
—
I didn't have my glasses on.... 