Make Fun Of Life! - Everyday Inspiration

I Hope You Do!

9/6/2022

Picture of a variety of green leafy flowering plants, with blossoms in yellow and white, blue, blue and purplish-maroon, and red.

I Hope You Do!

I hope you woke up this morning with a big smile on your face
I hope the sun is shining just for you
and the birds are singing their very best songs . . .

I hope your coffee is hot and tastes just right
and the cats are purring contentedly, and the mailman waves a
cheery hello and there are no bills in the mailbox . . .

I hope just everything goes your way . . .
I hope everything is well with your world,
a place for everything and everything in its place . . .

I hope you can enjoy all you do and you are
complimented on the way
you look and you can laugh
and talk and share to your heart’s content

I hope you have all you wish for yourself and those dear to you,
and all your dreams come true . . .

At the end of the day
I wish you a perfect moon shining just for you,
a snug and cozy bed with the softest of pillows
and I hope you sleep like a lamb with a smile on your face . . .

I hope you have a perfect end to the perfect day
and I hope that every day is just as wonderful in its own way
I hope your day is . . . filled with love!

by Author Unknown

It Can't Be Done

9/5/2022

Picture of a lake surrounded by green grass and green leafy trees, with partially snow-covered mountains in the distance and a clear blue sky above.

It Can’t Be Done

The ones who miss all the fun
     Are those who say, “It can’t be done.”
In solemn pride they stand aloof
     And greet each venture with reproof.
Had they the power they’d efface
     The history of the human race.
We’d have no radio or motor cars,
     No street lit by electric stars;
No telegraph nor telephone,
     We’d linger in the age of stone.
The world would sleep if things were run
     By those who say, “It can’t be done.”

by Author Unknown

The Goal

9/2/2022

Picture of a crystal clear mountain lake surrounded by evergreen trees, with snow-covered mountains at a distance, and the Sun brightly shining above, in a blue sky with scattered fluffy white clouds.

The Goal

There is one thing nobly worth while,
     Though the parrots chatter and scream,
Though the critics howl and the cynics smile,
     And life seems a mocking dream.

There is one thing that grandly counts,
     In the face of the tempting glare,
In the tempests of doubt on the lonely mounts,
     In the thickets of thorny care.

And that’s to hold the truth!
     To abide with justice and right,
To be a man in genuine sooth*,
     With Heaven’s invincible might.

There are bowers of beauty and love,
     There are trumpets of lordly fame,
There are pleasures below and blessings above
     That flash with a lifting flame.

Let them flaunt their allurements high,
     Let them beckon and call and cajole;
There is only one worth in the Earth and the sky,
     And that is an honest soul.

by Author Unknown

*sooth: truth

There Is a Difference

9/1/2022

Picture of flowering plants with dark purple and lavender blossoms, green leafy trees in the distance, and a blue sky with clouds in hues of white, purple, and lavender above.

There Is a Difference

There is cause for many stings,
     In the way some folks do things,
Some go at it “hammer ‘n’ tongs,”
     Some with curses, some with songs;
But to each some trait belongs,

Some have soured on everything,
     Can’t find aught without a sting,
There are others not so sour,
     Who find on every thorn a flower,
And for good they are a power,

As I’ve traveled life’s pathway,
     I’ve found grumbling doesn’t pay,
Of the kicker folks have tired;
     He’s no longer much admired,
From good company he’s been “fired,”

As I walk along the street,
     I look for the good and sweet,
All the sour ones I pass by,
     And the only reason why -
I couldn’t like them if I’d try,

So, my friend, take my advice,
     Don’t let me have to tell you twice,
If you would ever happy be,
     Don’t be sour with all you see,
But be joyous, happy and free.

by William Henry Dawson

Don’t Quit

8/31/2022

Picture of a crab apple tree branch with bright pink blossoms and a clear blue sky in the background.

Don’t Quit

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
     When the road you’re trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high
     And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
     Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
     As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
     When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow -
     You may succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out -
     The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
     It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit -
     It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.

by Edgar A. Guest

Edgar Albert ‘Eddie’ Guest was born on 20 August 1881 in Birmingham, England. He immigrated with his family to the United States of America in 1891. From his first published work in the “Detroit Free Press” until his passing in 1959, he penned some 11,000 poems that were syndicated in 300 newspapers and collected into more than twenty books. Mr. Guest is reputed to have had a new poem published in a newspaper every day for more than thirty years. He became known as ‘The People’s Poet,’ writing poems that were of a sentimental and optimistic nature. Edgar Albert ‘Eddie’ Guest passed on at 77 years of age on 5 August 1959 in Detroit, Michigan, United States of America.

Words of Lincoln Steffens

8/29/2022

Picture of a desert-like area with exposed red and tan rock and green leafy shrubs and cactuses, and a hazy blue sky above.

Words of Lincoln Steffens

That what is true of business and politics is gloriously true of the professions, the arts and crafts, the sciences, the sports. That the best picture has not yet been painted; the greatest poem is still unsung; the mightiest novel remains to be written; the divinest music has not been conceived even by Bach. In science, probably ninety-nine percent of the knowable has to be discovered. We know only a few streaks about astronomy. We are only beginning to imagine the force and composition of the atom. Physics has not yet found any indivisible matter, or psychology a sensible soul.

by Lincoln Steffens

Lincoln Joseph Steffens, sometimes also shown as Joseph Lincoln Stephens, was born on 6 April 1866 in San Francisco, California, United States of America. He became a New York City reporter, and did several investigations of corruption in municipal governments in American cities. He is known for his series of articles in “McClure’s,” called ‘Tweed Days in St. Louis,’ that would later be published together in a book titled, “The Shame of the Cities” (1904). Lincoln Joseph Steffens passed on at 70 years of age on 9 August 1936 in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, United States of America.

Your Choices Will Determine Your Success

8/9/2022

Picture of water lilies with three white blossoms and green lily pads floating on the surface of water, with tiny yellow water buttercups plants blossoming just above the water’s surface.

Your Choices Will Determine Your Success

Choose to not live a life of mediocrity.

Choose to not argue about trivial things.

Choose to not worry, fret, or cry about small injustices.

Choose to not let others control your destiny.

Choose to never give up.

Choose to guard you integrity.

Choose to be punctual, orderly, and diligent.

Choose to believe in yourself.

Choose to live a life of action, not words.

Choose to practice, drill, and rehearse.

Choose to be a positive person.

Choose to never quit learning.

And by making these choices, you have now chosen to be successful.

by Author Unknown

Be the Best of Whatever You Are

8/8/2022

Picture of a brook running over a bed of stones through a woods with green leafy trees.

Be the Best of Whatever You Are

If you can’t be a pine on the top of the hill
     Be a scrub in the valley - but be
The best little scrub by the side of the rill*;
     Be a bush if you can’t be a tree.

If you can’t be a bush be a bit of the grass,
     And some highway some happier make;
If you can’t be a muskie then just be a bass -
     But the liveliest bass in the lake!

We can’t all be captains, we’ve got to be crew,
     There’s something for all of us here.
There’s big work to do and there’s lesser to do,
     And the task we must do is the near.

If you can’t be a highway then just be a trail,
     If you can’t be the sun be a star;
It isn’t by size that you win or you fail -
     Be the best of whatever you are!

by Douglas Malloch

*rill: a small stream of water, or a shallow erosion channel cut by the erosive action of water as it runs down a hillside.

Douglas Malloch, Senior was born on 5 May 1877 in Muskegon, Michigan, United States of America. He grew up in the midst of logging camps, sawmills, and lumber yards. He became enamored with writing poems and stories about lumbering scenes and eventually became known as the ‘Lumbermen’s Poet.’ He wrote his first poem at 10 years of age, which was published in the “Detroit News.” After leaving school, he took a job on the editorial staff at the “Muskegon Chronicle,” where he remained for 13 years, becoming a reporter and feature writer for the paper. After leaving the “Muskegon Chronicle,” he joined the staff of the “American Lumberman” in 1903 as a syndicated columnist. Mr. Malloch soon became a popular and nationally renowned humorist, lecturer, and radio personality. His column was often written in the form of a poem, and eventually the poems were collected into a series of books, with “In Forest Land” (1906) being his first published book and a national best seller. Douglas Malloch, Senior passed on at 61 years of age on 2 July 1938 in Muskegon, Michigan, United States of America.

True Freedom

8/7/2022

Picture of a blue lake surrounded by flowering plants with pink, lavender, and purple blossoms, and hills and snow-capped mountains in the distance.

True Freedom

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.
To weep is to risk being called sentimental.
To reach out to another is to risk involvement.
To expose feelings is to risk showing your true self.
To place your ideas and your dreams before a crowd is to risk being called naive.

To love is to risk not being loved in return.
To live is to risk dying.
To hope is to risk despair, and to try is to risk failure.
But risks must be taken, because the greatest risk in life is to risk nothing.

The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing, and becomes nothing.
He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn and feel and change and grow and love and live.
Chained by things that are certain, he is a slave.
He has forfeited his freedom.

Only the person who risks is truly free.

by William A. Ward

William Arthur Ward was born on 17 December 1921 in Louisiana, United States of America. He became a Private in the United States Army in 1942 and left the military four years later as a Captain. He then attended McMurry University before eventually receiving a Master’s Degree from Oklahoma State University. William Arthur Ward was the writer of the column “Pertinent Proverbs” in the Fort Worth “Star-Telegram” newspaper, author of the book “Fountains of Faith” (1970), and the writer of more than 100 articles and poems that were published in magazines including “Reader’s Digest,” “The Christian Home,” and “Sunshine.” He was an editor, teacher, public speaker, college administrator, pastor, and served on the board of directors for several nonprofit organizations. He is perhaps best remembered as one of America’s most quoted writers of inspirational maxims. William Arthur Ward passed on at 72 years of age on 30 March 1994.

Desiderata: A Poem for a Way of Life

8/6/2022

Picture of flowering plants and green leafy trees on a hillside overlooking a valley, with mountains on the other side of the valley and a blue sky with fluffy white clouds overhead.

Desiderata: A Poem for a Way of Life

Go placidly among 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 the 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 not this 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 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 labors 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.

by Max Ehrmann (1927)

Max Ehrmann was born on 26 September 1872 in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States of America. Mr. Ehrmann studied law and philosophy at Harvard University. His first book, “A Farrago” (1898), was published while he was still attending Harvard. He earned a degree in philosophy, and returned to Terre Haute in 1898, where he practiced law as a deputy state’s attorney for two years. He later worked in his family’s overalls manufacturing business. At 41 years of age, he put everything aside to become a writer. He wrote more than twenty books, and many poems that were published in newspapers and magazines. At 55 years of age, he wrote “Desiderata: A Poem for a Way of Life” (‘desiderata’ is Latin for ‘desired things’). Max Ehrmann passed on at 72 years of age on 9 September 1945 in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States of America.

A Teddy Bear’s Guide to Life

8/6/2022

Picture of two teddy bears sitting in a meadow of green grass and yellow buttercups flowers, trees with white blossoms behind them, and a clear blue sky overhead.

A Teddy Bear’s Guide to Life

Be quiet and understanding.
Stay soft and warm.
Be there to absorb the tears.
Make life more bearable.
Be charming and irresistible.
Take opportunities to paws and reflect.
Provide a sympathetic ear.
Muzzle your temper.
Stroll barefoot in the park.
Console and comfort others.
Always be ready to play.
Be available to cushion the hard lumps in life.
Provide unconditional love.
Never miss an opportunity to hug.
Love the simple things in life.
Provide a loving atmosphere in your home.
Never betray a confidence.
Curl up with children for a bedtime story.
Be gentle.
Avoid garage sales - you might get sold!
When thing get grizzly, grin and bear it.
Be everyone’s best friend.
Be unbearably cute and cuddly.
Take every opportunity for a nap.
Invite all your friends to a picnic.
Be humble and polite.
Take a honey break daily.
Bear in mind that silence is often the best answer.
Provide warm fuzzies for all.
Fill an empty spot in someone’s heart.
Don’t be overbearing.
Cheer up a lonely person.
Remember, love bears all things.
Always be faithful and true.

by Author Unknown
Continue scrolling down this website page to read more articles, or click or tap on these words to read “Fun and Learning about Teddy Bears” gathered by David Hugh Beaumont.

Dare to Dream!

8/4/2022

Picture of green leafy flowering plants with brightly colored pink, yellow, and white blossoms, an orange, yellow, black, and white butterfly, and a clear blue sky overhead.

Dare to Dream!

Dare to dream.
Let nothing hold you back from
     exploring your wildest fantasies,
     wishes, and aspirations.
Don’t be afraid to dream big
     and to follow your dreams
     wherever they may lead you.
Open your eyes to their beauty;
     open your mind to their magic;
     open your heart to their possibilities.

Dare to dream.
Whether they are in color
     or in black and white,
     whether they are big or small,
     easily attainable
     or almost impossible,
     look to your dreams,
     and make them become reality.
Wishes and hopes are nothing
     until you take the first step
     towards making them something!

Dare to dream,
     because only by dreaming
     will you ever discover
     who you are, what you want,
     and what you can do.
Don’t be afraid to take risks,
     to become involved,
     to make a commitment.
Do whatever it takes to make
     your dreams come true.
Always believe in miracles,
     and always believe in you!

by Julie-Anne Ford

Julie-Anne Ford was born on 10 October 1931 in Sydney, Australia. She was the Australian director of the American Broadcasting Company’s radio drama program from 1985 through 1989. Julie-Anne Ford passed on at 81 years of age on 24 December 2012.

On File

8/3/2022

“On File” by John Kendrick Bangs

On File

If an unkind word appears,
     File the thing away.
If some novelty in jeers,
     File the thing away.

If some clever little bit
     Of a sharp and pointed wit,
Carrying a sting with it
     File the thing away.

If some bit of gossip come,
     File the thing away.
Scandalously spicy crumb,
     File the thing away.

If suspicion comes to you
     That your neighbor isn’t true
Let me tell you what to do
     File the thing away.

Do this for a little while,
     Then go out and burn the file.

by John Kendrick Bangs

John Kendrick Bangs was born on 27 May 1862 in Yonkers, New York, United States of America. He became a writer, a satirist, an editor, and a lecturer. John Kendrick Bangs passed on at 59 years of age on 21 January 1922 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States of America.

Do It Now!

8/2/2022

Picture of a blue sky with fluffy white clouds and the words, ‘Do It Now!’ spelled out with cloud lettering.

Do It Now!

If you’ve got a job to do,
     Do it now!
If it’s one you wish were through,
     Do it now!

If you’re sure the job’s your own,
     Just tackle it alone;
Don’t hem and haw and groan -
     Do it now!

Don’t put off a bit of work,
     Do it now!
It doesn’t pay to shirk,
     Do it now!

If you want to fill a place,
     And be useful to the race,
Just get up and take a brace -
     Do it now!

Don’t linger by the way,
     Do it now!
You’ll lose if you delay,
     Do it now!

If the other fellows wait,
     Or postpone until it’s late,
You hit up a faster gait -
     Do it now!

by Anton Gurski: as published in “Boys’ Life” (February 1929) magazine, page 42

Anton Gurski lived in Sapton, Manitoba, Canada at one time, and was a Lone Scout in the Boy Scouts youth organization.

Opportunity

8/1/2022

Picture of a colorful blue and brown bird perched on the green leafy branch of a tree with a clear blue sky in the background.

Opportunity

With doubt and dismay you are smitten
    You think there’s no chance for you, son?
Why, the best books haven’t been written
     The best race hasn’t been run,
The best score hasn’t been made yet,
     The best song hasn’t been sung,
The best tune hasn’t been played yet,
     Cheer up, for the world is young!

No chance? Why the world is just eager
     For things that you ought to create
Its store of true wealth is still meager
     Its needs are incessant and great,
It yearns for more power and beauty
   More laughter and love and romance,
More loyalty, labor and duty,
     No chance - why there’s nothing but chance!

For the best verse hasn’t been rhymed yet,
     The best house hasn’t been planned,
The highest peak hasn’t been climbed yet,
     The mightiest rivers aren’t spanned,
Don’t worry and fret, faint hearted,
     The chances have just begun,
For the Best jobs haven’t been started,
     The Best work hasn’t been done

by Berton Braley

Berton Braley was born on 29 January 1882 in Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America. He became a local newspaper reporter in Butte, Montana and in New York City, New York. He later worked as an international correspondent in Europe and Asia for several newspapers and magazines. During his lifetime, he was a well-known writer and poet. Berton Braley passed on at 83 years of age on 23 January 1966 in Saint Petersburg, Florida, United States of America.

Our Daily Wish

7/11/2022

Picture of the sea, with waves washing up onto green seaweed covered brown rocks, and a clear blue sky above .

Our Daily Wish

Our daily wish is that we may
     See good in those who pass our way;
Find in each a worthy trait
     That we should gladly cultivate;
See in each one passing by
     The better things that beautify -
A softly spoken word of cheer,
     A kindly face, a smile sincere.

Let’s pray each day that we may view
     The things that warm our hearts anew;
The kindly deeds that can’t be bought -
     That only from the good are wrought,
A burden lightened here and there,
     A brother lifted from despair,
The aged ones freed from distress;
     The lame, the sick, brought happiness.

Grant that before each sun has set
     We’ll witness deeds we can’t forget;
A soothing hand to one in pain
     A sacrifice for love - not gain;
A word to ease the troubled mind
     Of one whom fate has dealt unkind.
So friend, our wish is that we may
     See good in all who pass our way.

by Phil Perkins

Don’t Take It to Heart

7/10/2022

Picture of a wilderness with a rushing river, bordered on both sides by large boulders and evergreen trees, with snow mountains in the distance and a blue sky with white clouds overhead.

Don’t Take It to Heart

There’s many a trouble
     Would break like a bubble,
And into the waters of Lethe* depart,
     Did we not rehearse it,
And tenderly nurse it,
     And give it a permanent place in the heart.

There’s many a sorrow
     Would vanish to-morrow,
Were we but willing to furnish the wings:
     So sadly intruding,
And quietly brooding,
     It hatches all sorts of horrible things.

How welcome the seeming,
     Of looks that are beaming,
Whether one’s wealthy or whether one’s poor;
     Eyes bright as a berry,
Cheeks red as a cherry,
     The groan, and the curse, and the heartache can cure.

Resolve to be merry,
     All worry to ferry,
Across the famed waters that bid us forget.
     And no longer fearful,
But happy and cheerful,
     We feel life has much that’s worth living for yet.

by Georgiana C. Clark

*Lethe is the name of the river of forgetfulness in Greek mythology.

Georgiana Charlotte Clark was an English writer and editor. Georgiana Charlotte Clark passed away on 29 April 1878 in Holloway, London, England.

Things Work Out

7/9/2022

Picture of Fritillaria Meleagris, or Checkered Lilies, flowering plants with bell-shaped two-toned deep purplish-red blossoms.

Fritillaria Meleagris, or Checkered Lilies, flowering plants with bell-shaped, two-toned deep purplish-red blossoms.

Things Work Out

Because it rains when we wish it wouldn’t,
     Because men do what they often shouldn’t,
Because crops fail, and plans go wrong -
     Some of us grumble all day long.
But somehow, in spite of the care and doubt,
     It seems at last that things work out.

Because we lose where we hoped to gain,
     Because we suffer a little pain,
Because we must work when we’d like to play -
     Some of us whimper along life’s way.
But somehow, as day always follows the night,
     Most of our troubles work out all right.

Because we cannot forever smile,
     Because we must trudge in the dust awhile,
Because we think that the way is long -
     Some of us whimper that life’s all wrong.
But somehow we live and our sky grows bright,
     And everything seems to work out all right.

So bend to your trouble and meet your care,
     For the clouds must break, and the sky grow fair.
Let the rain come down, as it must and will,
     But keep on working and hoping still.
For in spite of the grumblers who stand about,
     Somehow, it seems, all things work out.

by Edgar A. Guest

Edgar Albert ‘Eddie’ Guest was born on 20 August 1881 in Birmingham, England. He immigrated with his family to the United States of America in 1891. From his first published work in the “Detroit Free Press” until his passing in 1959, he penned some 11,000 poems that were syndicated in 300 newspapers and collected into more than twenty books. Mr. Guest is reputed to have had a new poem published in a newspaper every day for more than thirty years. He became known as ‘The People’s Poet,’ writing poems that were of a sentimental and optimistic nature. Edgar Albert ‘Eddie’ Guest passed on at 77 years of age on 5 August 1959 in Detroit, Michigan, United States of America.

To Thine Own Self Be True

7/8/2022

Picture of a wilderness area with a river running through a green grassy meadow scattered with evergreen trees, snow-capped mountains in the distance and a clear blue sky overhead.

To Thine Own Self Be True

By thine own soul’s law learn to live,
   And if men thwart thee take no heed,
And if men hate thee have no care;
   Sing thou thy song and do thy deed.
Hope thou thy hope and pray thy prayer,
   And claim no crown they will not give,
Nor bays they grudge thee for thy hair.

Keep thou thy soul-worn steadfast oath,
   And to thy heart be true thy heart;
What thy soul teaches learn to know,
   And play out thine appointed part,
And thou shalt reap as thou shalt sow,
   Nor helped nor hindered in thy growth,
To thy full stature thou shalt grow.

Fix on the future’s goal thy face,
   And let thy feet be lured to stray
Nowhither, but be swift to run,
   And nowhere tarry by the way,
Until at last the end is won
   And thou mayst look back from thy place
And see thy long day’s journey done.

by Pakenham Beatty

Pakenham Thomas Beatty was born on 23 June 1855 in Maranhão, Brazil, as a son of Pakenham William Beatty, a merchant hailing from Mount Pleasant, Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland. He became a poet, and resided with his wife Edith ‘Ida’ Beatty (maiden name Dowling) in Middlesex, England. He is known for three volumes of verse, “To My Lady” (1879), “Three Women of the People” (1881) and “Spretae Carmina Musae” (1893), among other works. Pakenham Thomas Beatty passed at 74 years of age in April 1930 in County Louth, Ireland.

Set Yourself Free

7/7/2022

Picture of the sea viewed through grasses growing at the coastline, with seafoam-capped waves and a clear blue sky overhead.

Set Yourself Free

Set yourself free from anything that might hinder you in becoming the person you want to be. Free yourself from the uncertainties about your abilities or the worth of your dreams, from the fears that you may not be able to achieve them, or that they won’t be what you wanted.

Set yourself free from the past. The good things from yesterday are still yours in memory; the things you want to forget you will, for tomorrow is only a sunrise away. Free yourself from regret or guilt, and promise to live this day as fully as you can.

Set yourself free from the expectations of others, and never feel guilty or embarrassed if you do not live up to their standards. You are most important to yourself; live by what you feel is best and right for you. Others will come to respect your integrity and honesty.

Set yourself free to simply be yourself, and you will soar higher than you’ve ever dreamed.

by Edmund O’Neill

Brown's Vacation

7/6/2022

Picture of a happy smiling man sitting in green grass and leaning against an old wooden fence.

Brown’s Vacation

“I’ve had a vacation,” said Timothy Brown;
     “A fine one, although I have not left the town.
I merely vacated my worries and fears,
     And at once became younger by fairly five years.
I vacated my ruts, and began to enjoy
     My regular, humdrum, but useful employ.
I changed my whole outlook and vision of life,
     And made it a pastime instead of a strife.
I’ve had a vacation, not vacant, a bore,
     But fuller and freer than ever before;
The best of vacations for fat purse or lean, -
     A change of the seeing instead of the scene.”

by Amos R. Wells: “The Collected Poems of Amos R. Wells” (1921)

Amos Russel Wells was born on 23 December 1862 in Glens Falls, Warren County, New York, United States of America. He became a college professor, an editor, a poet, and a writer. Amos Russel Wells passed on at 70 years of age on 6 March 1933 in Newton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States of America.

The Beautiful World

7/5/2022

Picture of a stream running down a slope over large moss-covered rocks in a woods with green leafy trees that are beginning to change to early Autumn colors of yellow, orange, and red.

The Beautiful World

Here’s a song of praise for a beautiful world,
     For the banner of blue that’s above it unfurled,
For the streams that sparkle and sing to the sea,
     For the bloom in the glade and the leaf on the tree;
Here’s a song of praise for a beautiful world.

Here’s a song of praise for the mountain peak,
     Where the wind and the lightning meet and speak,
For the golden star on the soft night’s breast,
     And the silvery moonlight’s path to rest;
Here’s a song of praise for a beautiful world.

Here’s a song of praise for the rippling notes
     That come from a thousand sweet bird throats,
For the ocean wave and the sunset glow,
     And the waving fields where the reapers go;
Here’s a song of praise for a beautiful world.

Here’s a song of praise for the ones so true,
     And the kindly deeds they have done for you;
For the great earth’s heart, when it’s understood,
     Is struggling still toward the pure and good;
Here’s a song of praise for a beautiful world.

Here’s a song of praise for the One who guides,
     For He holds the ships and He holds the tides,
And underneath and around and above.
     The world is lapped in the light of His love;
Here’s a song of praise for a beautiful world.

by W. Lomax Childress

Walter Lomax Childress was born on 26 September 1867 in Roanoke County, Virginia, United States of America. He became a Christian Protestant minister, a writer, a hymnist, and a poet. Walter Lomax Childress passed on at 69 years of age on 4 October 1936 in Singers Glen, Rockingham County, Virginia, United States of America.

Rules for Better Living

7/4/2022

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Rules for Better Living

Always wear sensible shoes.
Watch the sunrise at least once a year.
Be the first to say, “Hello.”
Live beneath your means.
Treat everyone like you want to be treated.
Never give up on anybody.
Miracles happen.
Never deprive someone of hope. It may be all they have.
Pray not for things, but for wisdom and courage.
Don’t forget, a person’s greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.
Keep your promises.
Learn to show cheerfulness, even when you don’t feel like it.
Remember that overnight success usually takes years to attain.
Leave everything better than you found it.
Remember that winners are those who do what losers don’t want to do.
When you arrive at your job in the morning, let the first thing you say brighten everyone’s day.
Don’t rain on other people’s parades.
Never waste an opportunity to tell someone that you love them.
Said hello to a random stranger. Some people might give you a weird look, but you never know when you’re missing out on meeting someone amazing because of words unspoken.

by Author Unknown

Today

7/4/2022

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Today

I’ve shut the door on yesterday -
     Its sorrows and mistakes;
I’ve locked within its gloomy walls
     Past failures and heartaches.
And now I throw the key away
     To seek another room,
And furnish it with hope and smiles,
     And every spring-time bloom.

No thought shall enter this abode
     That has a hint of pain,
And envy, malice, and distrust
     Shall never entrance gain.
I’ve shut the door on yesterday
     And thrown the key away, -
Tomorrow holds no fear for me,
     Since I have found today.

by Vivian Yeiser Laramore: as published in “Leslie’s Weekly” (October 1919)

Vivian Laramore Rader was born as Vivian K. Yeiser on 16 November 1892 in Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America, as the daughter of William Charter Yeiser and Carrie Blaine Yeiser. She took an interest in poetry, and became the editor of her high school’s literary magazine, the “Oracle,” in which she had some of her first poems published. In April 1912, she married Robert Eugene Larimore, and the couple eventually moved to the state of Florida, where Vivian taught poetry writing both at Barry College and to small classes at her home. She was appointed poet laureate of Florida on 13 October 1931 and held the position until she passed on. Her first book of poetry was “Poems” (1924), and others include “Green Acres” (1926), “Flamingo” (1932), and “Ode to Life” (1967). Her husband Robert Eugene Laramore passed on in 1936. In 1946, Vivian married Paul Carlton Rader. Vivian Laramore Rader passed on at 83 years of age on 20 December 1975.

Miss Dix’s Dictates for a Happy Life

7/2/2022

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Miss Dix’s Dictates for a Happy Life

First. Make up your mind to be happy. Happiness is largely a matter of self-hypnotism. You can think yourself happy or you can think yourself miserable. It is up to you. . . learn to find pleasure in simple things. If you can’t go to the opera, you can turn on the radio. Nail on your face the smile that won’t come off, and after a bit you will find that it comes naturally.

Second. Make the best of your lot. Of course, you’re not everything you want and things are not just right. Nobody is that lucky. Even the most fortunate have a lot of crumpled rose leaves under their forty mattresses of ease. There isn’t a single human being who hasn’t plenty to cry over, and the trick is to make the laughs outweigh the tears.

Third. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Don’t think that everything that happens to you is of world-shaking importance and that somehow you should have been protected from the misfortunes that befall other people. When death robs you of one you love, or you lose your job, don’t demand to know of high heaven why this should happen to you and grow rebellious and morbid over your sorrow. We are never happy until we learn to laugh at ourselves.

Fourth. Don’t take other people too seriously. They are not so much, anyway. Don’t let their criticisms worry you. You can’t please everybody, so please yourself. Don’t let your neighbors set your standards for you. Don’t run into debt trying to keep up with the Joneses, or bore yourself to death trying to be as intelligent as the Highbrows. Be yourself and do the things you enjoy doing if you want to be comfortable and happy.

Fifth. Don’t borrow trouble. You have to pay compound interest on that and it will bankrupt you in the end. It is a queer thing, but imaginary troubles are harder to bear than actual ones. There are none of us who have not lain awake at night petrified with dread of some calamity that we feared might befall us and that we felt would shatter our lives if it should occur. Generally it never happened, but if it did, it was not so bad after all and we survived it without serious injury. Enjoy today and let tomorrow take care of itself. There is no sounder adage than that which bids us not to trouble trouble until trouble troubles us. The only good that worrying ever did anyone was make him thin. It is grand for the figure but hard on the disposition.

Sixth. Don’t cherish enmities and grudges. Don’t keep up old quarrels. Don’t remember all the mean things people have done to you. Forget them. Hate is a dreadful chemical that we distill in our own hearts, that poisons our own souls. It takes all the joy out of life and hurts us far worse than it does anyone else. There is nothing so depressing as having a grudge against someone. Nothing makes a home so miserable as for the family not to be on good terms. Meeting someone you don’t speak to will spoil any party. So if you have an enemy, forgive him and kiss on both cheeks, not for his sake but simply because it is to making you unhappy and uncomfortable to be stirred up in wrath against him.

Seventh. Keep in circulation. Go around and meet people. Belong to clubs. Travel as much as you can. Have as many interests as possible. Have hosts of friends. That is the way to keep yourself cheerful and jolly and thinking that this is the best of all possible worlds.

Eighth. Don’t hold post-mortems. Don’t spend your life brooding over the mistakes you have made or the sorrows that have befallen on you. What is done is done and cannot be changed, but you can have your whole future life in which to make good. Not all the tears can bring back those we have lost, but we can make life miserable for ourselves and those about us by our unavailing weeping. Quit beating upon your breast because you haven’t as much money as you used to have. Don’t be one of those who never get over things. Have the courage to take misfortune on the chin and come up smiling.

Ninth. Do something for somebody less fortunate than yourself. Minister to other people’s trouble and you will forget your own. Happiness is a coin that we keep only when we give it away.

Tenth. Keep busy. That is the sovereign remedy for unhappiness. Hard work is a panacea for trouble. You never saw a very busy person who was unhappy.

by Dorothy Dix

Dorothy Dix is a pseudonym of Elizabeth Meriwether Gilmer, who was born on 18 November 1861 in Woodstock, Tennessee, United States of America. She became an advice columnist and a journalist. Elizabeth Meriwether Gilmore passed on at 90 years of age on 16 December 1951 in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America.

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