Feel Good Friday: Man's Best Friend

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A few years ago I wrote a feature on pet therapy in care facilities and saw first-hand how dogs improved the moods and outlooks of the residents. While Zsa Zsa and I still work things out day by day, she does make me laugh and gives me a bit of a purpose. On her end, I keep her out of harm’s way and make sure she has snacks.

This week I saw a video on dogs that are still working through their own issues: abuse, abandonment, stress, fear. But they are becoming less anxious because of a therapy program--for them. Children are reading books to dogs in a shelter, and it is helping the dogs socialize and overcome some of their fears and anxieties. The reading calms them, and the children are non-threatening. Watching this made me Feel so Good I wanted to share it here.

It's a good reminder that kindness and encouragement between any creatures benefits us all. 

  




Feel Good Friday: Have a Beautiful Day

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Yes, it’s Valentine’s Day weekend, but whether you have a honey or not, don’t you know people (friends, family, male or female) who are just plain beautiful? I have friends who seem to glow from within—their energy is of beauty and light.

I saw the first video on Facebook (shocker) when one of my beautiful friends posted it (possibly Jennifer M?) It makes me cry every time I watch these people being told they are beautiful. In most cases, their faces light up, and it changes their whole persona. Since I saw this a few weeks ago, I’ve started looking at the people around me when I’m out and about and, if I see something about them that I genuinely like I let them know. Not in a creepy, stalker way, but I’ll tell them that I like a coat or scarf or hair color or purse. People react in a similar way to the video—they pause and smile, and it makes what they’re wearing all the more attractive.  

The second video is a song just to put you in the mood for the above exercise. I’m not really a 1D fan, but the carpool karaoke with James Cordon is just too good not to post. It will definitely make you smile. And, truly, the complete 13 minute segment is worth watching on YouTube, if you have time. 

It takes only a few seconds to make someone feel better and to make you Feel Good, too. Try telling someone he or she is beautiful this weekend—or that you like his or her shoes—and see even more beauty shine through. 

Feel Good Friday: The world lights up like a Christmas tree

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After a difficult Thursday, I stumbled on a video I'd been looking for all week, and it instantly put a smile on my face. I heard this on a Canadian radio station, and I thought it was really sweet. The boppy beat pushed some of my fears away for a few minutes and made me want to finish decorating the house. I hope you have a great weekend in the Spirit of Christmas. Most of all, "I wish you love."  



Feel Good Friday: I Got the Blues

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It's been an awesome week, but today, thanks to some Facebook friends, I've got the Blues. And I'm giving them to you. These blues make you Feel Good, especially when you crank up the volume a little. 

First up, William Holowka posted this video of kd lang's first appearance on Johnny Carson. Her birthday was Nov. 2. Thanks, Bill! If you want something a bit stronger--as in one of the most powerful videos I've ever experienced--click here for her "Hallelujah."   

Second, Kay Sedgmer posted "Drink You Away" with Justin Timberlake and Chris Stapleton at the CMA Awards show this week. Holy cats, JT can sing! The crowd of industry pros is mesmerized. It's just the thing to get you ready for Happy Hour (to be posted on Instagram later today.) Thanks, Kay! Enjoy and have a GREAT weekend!

Feel Good Friday: Once a Day

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Wow, whatta ride life is lately! I'll be relaying parts of this process in my Glynis Daily blog, but sometimes life is a whirlwind of choices, events and directions. This video caught my eye this week via friend Lila Danielle (author, founder of Beach Dance and free spirit role model--check out her retreats and Beach Dance sessions on Facebook and www.beachdance.com.) 

At any rate, this peppy video has an important message: you don't know what life is going to bring, so show someone you care about them every day. So "rise up," put on some flip-flops--or kick them off--and dance like yourself, just like the happy people in the video. Have a great weekend!


Feel Good Friday: Gimme Three Steps

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Though I wasn't doing anything naughty, Friday sort of snuck up on me. I'm living in a whirlwind right now and could use a little extra time to get my bearings. Some of my thoughts have been about old friends and haunts in Pennsylvania, making me Feel Good and nostalgic. And, in those days, we listened to Lynyrd Skynyrd a LOT. So given that and the fact that this band will be playing about 5 miles away at Jamboree in the Hills this weekend, put your cowboy boots (or running shoes) on, and skedaddle with some old school Skynyrd.  Have a great weekend!

 

Feel Good Friday: Vacation

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Several people I know are on vacation right now. Tis the season. The word “vacation” comes from the Latin vacare, to be unoccupied. While everyone knows what a vacation is, and most people aspire to take one, you may be surprised at some of the statistics:

  • Other countries provide workers with guaranteed paid days off: France and Italy, 31 days; Canada, 19 and Japan, 10. The United States does not guarantee days off, and many Americans take no time off.

  • Even when US workers do have time off, 75% of us don’t take all of it, and the average employee only takes half of his or her eligible time. Sixty percent of US vacationers say they “do some work” on their time off; 25% are contacted by the office while their away. 

Before packing that laptop (or firing it up over the 48-hour weekend,) consider some of the health benefits of really getting away from the office:

  • The noted Framingham Heart Study found that men who didn’t take vacations over several years were 30% more likely to have heart attacks, and women who took two vacations a year were eight times less likely to develop coronary disease than women who only vacationed once every six years or less.

  • A University of Pittsburgh study found that activities like vacations helped decrease stress, blood pressure and weight.

  • When vacationers get back to the workplace, their performance ratings improve according to studies by Ernst & Young and the Boston Consulting Group. 

So take a vacation and enjoy it this year, or at least take time out this weekend to relax. And here’s a retro cruisin' soundtrack to put you in the mood. Happy trails!



Feel Good Friday: Rain

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As I write this, the weather report says more rain is on the way this weekend. (sigh) “What is the BRIGHT side to this?” I ask myself.

Well, just because it SEEMS like we've had endless days of dampness, I checked Weather Underground for the actual statistics. From January 1 to June 24, 2015, we have had 18.91 inches of precipitation, and May and February were quite dry. The average precipitation (for St. Clairsville—it made me use a specific location) is, wait for it, 19.19 inches! Believe it or not, we’re below our average right now. That could change over the next couple of days, but we’re pretty darn close. So that’s good.

The other little gem is that rain is beneficial to one’s health. Moving water, i.e. oceans, rivers, streams, large lakes with waves and RAIN, produces negative ions. These are molecules that interact with the body’s chemistry and make us Feel Good. Numerous studies have shown them to alleviate depression, relieve stress and give you a little zing of energy. They increase blood flow to the brain to make you more alert and clear-headed.

It’s no surprise that positive ions have the opposite effect, making the body feel fatigued, sleepy and even anxious or irritable. Where are positive ions found? Offices and homes. Electronics like computers, televisions, video games, microwaves, etc. all produce positive ions. So even though it’s raining on parades, picnics, weddings and just errand time, it does bring a little sunshine, so to speak, with it to clear the air.

So maybe this is a good time to curl up on the porch with a favorite beverage, listen to Buddy Guy charm the audience, and just breathe. 

Have a great weekend! 

Feel Good Friday: "The Sun is Up, the Sky is Blue..."

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Sometimes we get too involved with what we’re doing. I’ve gotten into a bad habit of taking my phone off of the “airplane” setting before I get out of bed in the morning. It begins dinging, and there are text messages and emails to address straight away. And I’m off and running until, oh, well, it’s 1:15 a.m. now. My column in this Sunday’s paper is about disconnecting from the world-at-large for awhile. I had the opportunity to do that yesterday.

It was a wonderful gift from my friend Carol Borkoski.  I’ve been feeling stuck and rundown from trying to make life decisions and spinning my wheels. She said, “I have this new technique to unblock your energy. It will open everything up. You have to come over.” So I set an appointment, and going through the process was unlike anything I’d done before. I felt much “lighter” inside when I left. (Reach Carol through Facebook or the Angel Gift Center.)

The amazing-ness continued after I left. First, I received four times the money I expected for something. When I got home, someone who made an offer on the house stopped to see if it was okay and wants to put the purchase in motion. After working on a feature due this weekend, I started searching for houses online. I’ve had a wish list in my head, but 90 percent of those that fit the bill are out of my range. Tonight I punched in a zip code expecting zero results and got what appears to be a real contender. I’m calling the realtor today for more information.

When we relax and just “be,” things come to us. We don’t have to be intense all the time. This Beatles song is a favorite and is about Mia Farrow’s sister Prudence, who became obsessed with meditation and locked herself away from everyone. John Lennon was trying to get her to step away from the intensity, appreciate the simple things around her, and just play for awhile.

Truly, just seeing adorable Paul in the video makes me Feel Good already this Friday. And what better time to smile and look around, round, round than a long weekend? Enjoy!  

Feel Good Friday--"Let Your Hair Down & Let Yourself Go"

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This feels like a “bluesy” Friday. At Spirited I loaded up the CD player with blues and jazz tunes for Friday happy hour. People came in to pick up wine and cheese for the weekend, do a little tasting and chill out from their drives from Portland or Seattle. This week’s song was one of my favorites, from Putamayo Music’s “Blues Lounge.” It makes me move and makes me smile.

I talked with my friend Carol this week. She is full of Light energy and makes me feel better, energized. I’ve been muddled about direction and choices for awhile. I think things are beginning to clear, but it was good to get some validation and a perspective outside of my head. THAT, she said, is part of the problem: I’m living in my head rather than my heart.

The gist of her advice was 1. Follow what path makes me happiest; 2. Spread love all along that path; 3. Dance down the path, laughing. I’m passing this along because I know other people whose days rush by after they hit the ground running.

Where is your path taking you? Are you laughing? For today at least, turn up the volume, tap those toes,  and “let your hair down and let yourself go.”  Rev it.