Take a Moment...

Take a moment to breathe.
Sometimes, in the hustling and the bustling, I forget to clear the clutter and the clatter from my mind and just breathe. 
Wish someone well. Call someone up. Smile.
Whoever you are and whatever you are going through, there is always someone you know who is a little worse off than you are. Share your smile with them.
It is easy to be anxious or moody in the midst of all this uproar, but I try to be an oasis of peace and tranquility amid all of it... and I was taught to share.
Be kind to one another, not just today and tomorrow, or this week... but always. It's a long boat ride with a lot of people on board... and it is good to share a laugh when the seas are stormy.
Whatever it is that you choose to celebrate or contemplate, may you fare safely and in good spirits.
Be well. I love you all.

Breathe, Smile, Laugh...

Breathe... appreciate the little things... the delightful things... look for those fleeting momentary opportunities to relax those facial muscles and lift one corner of your mouth in kind of a smile... don't resist that... go with it... nurture it... shield it from the bitter winds as you would the faltering flame of a lonely match... let it catch fire to you and grin widely... laugh in spite of yourself, at yourself, with yourself... but, most of all, smile and laugh... it's addicting... and contagious.

The Other 1%

I think there is another 1%...
There is a small (but hopefully growing) subset of the population who are basically happy, and grateful for what they do have and for their friends and family... who do not spread negative press or cause/join needless conflict... who do not think that compassion means weakness or that acceptance means ignorance... who appreciate life, love, peace, and good cheer... who are more amazed and awed at the smallest, most delightful of spiritual things than they are angry and resentful at the largest, most outrageous of material things... who realize that true wealth is there for the asking, if one is willing to give up the fight against nothing.
I belong to this Other 1%.
Who's with me?