Feel Good Friday: Have a Beautiful Day

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. 

That's Amore

Okay, who doesn’t love love? It’s everywhere, especially this time of year, and since I started the bandwagon with the food and wine blog posts this week, I’ll drive it to “Feel Good Friday.” Speaking of which, I have a couple of “facts” about love: 

• Love and fright create the same responses in the body: pupil dilation, increased heart rate and sweaty palms.

• Kissing the wife good morning adds an extra five years to a husband’s life.

• When ancient Greeks wanted to declare their love, they threw apples at the object of their affection.

And if the food, wine and trivia doesn’t put you in the mood, sing along with these classics. The first is courtesy of friend Larry Piccarreto of Original Bay & Goodman, and the second will, well, most certainly make you Feel Good.

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

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

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: Labor Day Weekend

Hellloooo! I've been away from this site for a little while, but I have PLANS--big plans for it--coming soon. I'm working on it. And speaking of work, this is Labor Day Weekend. Statistics from the US Department of Labor say that in 2014 more than 73 million women and nearly 83 million men were employed in America. That's a lot of production, and we need teamwork and leaders for that. Are you a leader? What can you create today to make the world awesome? The Kid President has a few words to say about that, as well as sporting some smooth dance moves. Keep the toes tapping for Carly Simon's Oscar and Golden Globe-winning "Let the River Run" incorporating clips from the 1988 classic "Working Girl."

Have a great weekend, and be safe.

Feel Good Friday: Once a Day

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

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

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: July 4th!

I’m not a fireworks person, really. Yes, they’re fun to watch—I especially like the ones that explode and dissipate into sparkly diamond glitter. But moving to Cannon Beach changed my mind about them. It was one town on the coast that enforced the “No fireworks” state law on the beach, mainly because part of said beach was a marine and wildlife sanctuary. I hadn’t considered how the noise and debris frightened and harmed the animals, birds and fish. I, personally, won’t be celebrating with them, but they are beautiful, and the video below is a view you’ve probably not seen before: via a drone flying into them.

The big extravaganza in Cannon Beach on July 4th is the parade down Hemlock St. Anyone and EVERYone comes out to watch or participate, and it is a blast. One street does lawn chair drills; people dress themselves, their kids and their pets in red, white and blue; everyone is laughing and saying hello. (These photos are of parades past.) And right there on the main drag every year, the bank is serving up strawberry shortcake, and the library is having a book sale to end all book sales. All-American, all-Americana.

So celebrate our independence in your own way this weekend, whether it’s a picnic with friends and family, taking in part of the local Beast of the East games, watching fireworks at Oglebay Park, or picking up fresh produce at the Ohio Valley Farmers Market in Bellaire. Have a safe and happy weekend!

Feel Good Friday: Rain

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: Dads Day Sunday

New family: my mom, my dad and me.

What else would I post on this Feel Good Friday but good stuff about dads? 

My earliest memories of my father include riding in his Corvair, his allowing me to take a photo with his Kodak Retina, my insistence that he stop holding me up in a swimming pool at Camp Herrick (he did, and I sank like a rock,) and standing on a Florida Gulf Coast beach with him and my grandfather as a lightning storm approached.

Most people thought of my father as a jokester, ready with a funny story or quick line. He was an excellent guitarist and also sang, played mandolin, and played different horns in the Salvation Army band. 

We went on family vacations; we went for ice cream cones and Sunday drives. He liked and appreciated his cars and kept them sparkling clean. When we had boats, my mother would pack a picnic, and we would have dinner on Lake Erie.  

I won’t bore you with my memories. Hopefully you have some funny and good memories of your own. Give your dad a call, stop and see him or send a card to say hello. If you are a dad, have a special weekend.  And enjoy these videos of dads making some memories with their children.  

Feel Good Friday: Joy

I’ve been participating in an Instagram “photo a day” challenge, but this week I had to take a hiatus. The themes for four days were sadness, disgust, anger and fear. I try hard to not focus on negative feelings, let alone seek them out. Right now I’m in the process of clearing out my parents’ house, selling the house, looking for a place to live, and looking for a new job. I have enough going on without looking for something that emphasizes undesirable emotions.

Today the theme is “joy,” so I’ll be back on IG posting an illustration of that, along with a "Friday Happy Hour" post. "Joy" is also appropriate for Feel Good Friday. As it happens, my horoscope for today says, "right now you really need to get back to your happy moments and places and remember what it feels like to just let go." Let the "woo hooo" begin. 

Sometimes the fact that it’s Friday is joy enough, but here are a couple of clips that may bring it to you just in case your Friday needs a little oomph. 

Have a fun weekend!

Feel Good Friday: National Doughnut Day

I'm not a "doughnut" person. Once in a great while I'll pick a doughnut or cinnamon roll up for the next morning's breakfast, but I usually guilt-trip myself out before I open the bag. Empty calories aside, I don't really care for sweet breakfast foods. 

But who could resist celebrating Feel Good Friday with a sweet treat?  Especially when it's for a good cause...

According to the story below, the Day began in support of women who provided food and coffee and sundries to World War I soldiers, and some bakeries still contribute to the Salvation Army out of the day's sales. The article also mentions Hough Bakery, which made the best birthday cakes ever when I was growing up. 

 https://www.yahoo.com/food/where-to-get-free-doughnuts-on-national-doughnut-120694907076.html

I may just stop on the way to the office and pick something out. I'll have the whole weekend to work off the calories, right?

Have a sweet weekend!

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

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: BMS Cutting Class for a Cure

I started the day with a walk, which isn’t unusual for many people. This walk, however, was at Barnesville Middle School and was their annual “Cutting Class for a Cure” event. Students donate either $10 for an all-day wristband or individual period donations to “cut class” to do laps, today, around the school perimeter. Community members are invited to join the Shamrocks in walking or volunteering in recognition or memory of loved ones lost to cancer.  

All proceeds go to the 3Cs Cancer Support Group for services and expenses that aren’t covered by insurance: gasoline and hotel stays for patients and families during treatments, grocery store cards, restaurant gift cards, etc. Last year the school raised just over $13,000, and all of it benefits local patients and families.

I’ve reprinted the advance article from last Saturday’s Times Leader on GlynisDaily.com and interviewed three students whose lives were directly affected by cancer, and they’ve worked hard on this event, including making hundreds of ribbon pins. Their answers brought me to tears.

At the time that I left today, donations were around $8,000. Go ‘Rocks.