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BE A SMILE STARTER
"Smiling is infectious, you catch it like the flu. When someone smiled
at me today, I started smiling too.
I passed around the corner, and someone saw my grin. When he smiled I
realized, I'd passed it to him.
I thought about that smile, then I realized its worth. A single smile
just like mine, could travel the earth.
So, if you feel a smile begin, don't leave it undetected. Let's start
an epidemic quick, and get the world infected!" ------Author Unknown
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Greetings!
December can be a "roller coaster" month. Often we feel there is
so much to do and so little time. We want it to be a joyous month.
Sometimes we have opportunities to get together with family members
and friends. Some years it is impossible to travel great distances
to be with our loved ones. When that happens we can identify with
the song that ends, "I'll be home for Christmas if only in my
dreams." Our feelings about getting together with families and
friends may be mixed because of remembrances of past joys, hurts and
losses. It may help us to do some of the activities presented below
in the article "Identify and learn stories."
This month we will look at tips that can help us handle and
hopefully enjoy the opportunities we have right now. The first tip
is to "be a smile starter." This is a poem a special friend sent to
me several months ago. I do not know the author, but I believe if we
consciously are smile starters in December we can increase the
happiness in our world. When we smile we feel better. Some
researchers have suggested that the act of smiling improves our
immune system!
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HONOR AND CREATE TRADITIONS
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It is fun to learn what is an essential tradition for different
people during the holidays. Some observe Hanukkah or other holy
days. One Christmas there were several families eating together at
my home. Turkey, stuffing, rice, and sweet potato casserole were
included on the menu. My mother asked, "Where are the mashed
potatoes?" Fortunately, there was time to cook and mash potatoes so
everyone was happy!
Some friends shared the following story. Three brothers and
sisters and their families lived near each other. They always got
together (in their pajamas) Christmas morning to open presents.
Then, they went home, changed clothes and returned with their
contribution for the dinner. One December all three families were
battling the flu. Everyone was too sick to do anything about
Christmas dinner. Fortunately, Christmas morning everybody felt
better so they decided to get together and open presents. By noon
they were getting hungry. The only place they could get food was at
a Chinese restaurant. They created a new tradition. Now, every
Christmas after opening their presents they order Chinese food for
dinner!
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SHARE POSITIVE FEELINGS AND THOUGHTS
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Sharing our positive thoughts and feelings about others is a great
gift that we can give to others and to ourselves. Too often we
assume that others know our positive thoughts and gratitude. We
really need to tell others, because they do not know what is in our
minds. Others are often surprised and very appreciative of such
feedback. Even when we are just doing our job we like to know that
others are aware that we are doing a good job. We may not tell our
children how well we think they are doing. We may be so happy they
are not doing something inappropriate that we just keep quiet!
We need to remind ourselves that we are doing well in our lives.
By counting our own blessings, we will be happier. In addition,we
can help keep our immune system in good shape.
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IDENTIFY PICTURES AND LEARN STORIES
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During this month we may have opportunities to identify the people
in family pictures and to learn stories about important events that
have occurred in our families. Too often, we miss opportunities to
ask questions. We can write the names and dates on post- its and
place them on the back of pictures. Some people put pictures in
albums immediately. Some of us put pictures in drawers or in shoe
boxes. If we organize some of our pictures it can be a step toward
getting more areas of our lives organized.
Several months ago I was at a social get-together for a
professional organization. Somebody suggested we could get better
acquainted with each other if we played the following game. A
volunteer tells three stories. Two of the stories are true but one
of the stories is not true. Then, everyone else tries to decide
which story was false and which stories were true. There was not
time enough for everyone to tell three stories but we did get better
acquainted with each other. This same game might be fun to play at
family gatherings especially when new people are joining the
festivities.
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MANAGE OUR TIME SO WE CAN ENJOY LIFE
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We have so many things to do in this busy month and too little time.
We need to concentrate on the most important activities first. If we
make lists, we can prioritize them into A, B, and C categories.
Perhaps some tasks can be moved to tomorrow's list.
In order to enjoy life we need to take care of ourselves, which
includes getting enough sleep (or as much as possible), eating
healthful foods, and taking relaxing baths or showers. Exercise
always makes me feel better and gives me more energy. It is fun to
sing along with our favorite songs on the radio or compact discs. We
can take deep breaths frequently. When possible, we can close our
eyes and take "mini- vacations" by remembering safe, happy times and
imagine we are there.
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REMEMBER THE RAINBOW'S PROMISE
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 The
first week of this month, I was in Hawaii to attend a special
wedding. Riding to Honolulu on the Pali Highway in a rain storm, my
friend, who was driving said, "Turn around and look at the beautiful
rainbow." Immediately, I tried to turn around, but my seat belt and
a high headrest blocked me. I faced forward again saying, "I can't
see it." Then, I glanced in the side-view mirror. Underneath the
rainbow reflected there, I saw lavender sky. Above it, the rainbow
started with a gorgeous purple arc, followed by stripes of
turquoise, yellow, orange and red.
This spectacular rainbow reminded me of the beautiful people and
happenings in God's world. When the situations in our lives seem
dark, remember there are rainbows. We can move forward toward
happier times and anticipate blessings in our futures. Wishing you
joy and peace now and in the coming year, Mary Alice.
Contact us today!www.pilot-your-life.com or maphurd@mail.smu.edu
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