Joyful June ~ Action for Happiness calendar

Click to enlarge this image from

Action for Happiness.

I hope following these suggestions

will help us all be more joyful.

Beginning ~ with something incredible

Beginning

Twenty years ago, I woke up, sprang out of bed, got dressed and — halfway through my morning coffee — realised something incredible:  I actually felt good.  Considering that just two months before a doctor had told me I was likely to be in a wheelchair before I turned 40, this first pain-free moment in years qualified as something of a miracle.

Make Life Happier: 23 Practical Ways to Feel Better, Find Meaning and Make a Difference ~ by Dr. Mark Williamson, 2026, meditation, 416 pages

We all want the people we love to be happy — and most of us long to feel more at peace with ourselves.  In this practical and encouraging guide, Dr Mark Williamson, CEO of Action for Happiness, shares 23 proven ways to make life happier for yourself, your loved ones and the wider world.

Drawing on fifteen years of working closely with leading experts in wellbeing — from psychology and neuroscience to timeless human wisdom — Mark offers simple, science-backed steps to help you feel better, strengthen your relationships and create positive ripples in the world around you. Mark isn't a guru; he's a 'happiness engineer' who has road-tested these ideas in real life with thousands of people — and in his own journey from burnout to purpose.

Rather than offering a one-size-fits-all formula, Make Life Happier shows you how to run your own 'happiness experiments' and discover what works best for you — whether that's quieting your inner critic, building healthier habits, becoming a better listener or contributing to your community.

This book is more than a guide to feeling better; it's an invitation to join a growing movement of people choosing to live differently. Because lasting happiness comes not just from caring for ourselves, but from caring for each other. Whatever your situation, you can do something — and you can start today.

(Click to enlarge this image.)

I haven't been posting these monthly calendars lately,

but it's the first day of May and the book above

was written by the Action for Happiness CEO.

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts

Book Beginnings on Fridays.

It's time to get active!

Click on this Active April calendar from Action for Happiness to enlarge it.

My way of being active is to keep walking, walking, walking.  I walk in the hallways of my senior living facility if the weather outside is too hot, too cold, too wet, too icy, too much for an old lady.  Hey, that's pretty much what the calendar above says for April 12th:  "Move as much as possible, even if you're stuck inside."  I'm sure we can all find a way, if we are really motivated.

This is something that makes me happy.  It's one of the trees flowering along our Crown Center fence.  Isn't it beautiful?  And I was able to walk outside yesterday to take this picture.

Week in Review

• For Monday Musing, I wrote about a BIG book, HERE.  (Friday's book is even bigger.)
• On Twosday, I wrote about historical fiction, HERE.
• Wednesday's Words were not what they seem to be, HERE.
• My Thursday Thoughts, HERE, were about April foolishness.
• Book Beginnings on Friday was for a book about a different result on 11/22/63,  which we know as the day JFK was assassinated, HERE.
• On Saturday, I wrote about fun and joy, HERE.
  
  

is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.

Let's all try to be kind

I have not been posting the Action for Happiness calendar every month, as I have done before, but this one for Thursday made me decide to share it on my blog because it's so very important.  As a matter of fact, I think I will post the whole month's calendar now, even though we are in the middle of the month.

Week in Review

• On Monday, I mused about a Celtic unicorn, HERE.
• Wednesday was the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, HERE.
• Thursday's subject was a novel of friendship, food, and books, HERE.
• Friday was Galentine's Day, HERE.
• On Caturday, I wished everyone a purr-fect Valentine's Day, HERE.

is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.

Doing Action for Happiness again ~ Happier January

Click to enlarge the calendar so you can see each day's idea.  Today's says, "Find three things to look forward to this year."  Okay, I'm thinking and putting them here for my Thursday Thoughts.  What do I look forward to?

    1.  I look forward to warm weather again.

    2.  I look forward to making new friends.

    3.  I look forward to making life better for someone.

What we can do in Optimistic October

The folks at Action for Happiness say we'll be happier if we (1) avoid blaming either self or others and (2) find a helpful way forward.  Okay, I'm thinking now.

Let's be optimistic in October

This calendar is from the folks at Action for Happiness.  Click the chart

to enlarge it and see what they suggest we do in October to be optimistic.

Musing and getting outside today

We may be in the middle of July, but I want to share this monthly calendar for Jump Back Up July anyway.  Since my brother just died, I feel a need to "jump back up" and keep on keeping on.  What's today's suggestion?  "Get outside and move to help clear your head."  There is no rain in the forecast, so maybe I can.

It's April again

Although I haven't been posting these monthly calendars in a long time, I'm still receiving the daily Action for Happiness texts on my phone and monthly calendas like this on my computer.  Today, I decided to share it again, so here it is.  Click to enlarge it, so you can read what it suggests we do each day.  You can find previous monthly calendar suggestions by clicking HERE.

Friendly February? Let's do it!

Life is happier when we're connected to others.  When the world feels divided, we can all help by spreading more friendship and togetherness.  Today's thought (above) says, "Ask a friend how they've been feeling recently."  Click to enlarge the calendar, so you can read each day's suggestion.

The Piano Lesson ~ by August Wilson, 1990, drama, 144 pages

In his second Pulitzer Prize-winner, The Piano Lesson, Wilson has fashioned perhaps his most haunting and dramatic work.  At the heart of the play stands the ornately carved upright piano.  It is the Charles family's prized, hard-won possession, which has been gathering dust in the parlor of Berniece Charles's Pittsburgh home.  When Boy Willie, Berniece's exuberant brother, bursts into her life with his dream of buying the same Mississippi land that his family had worked as slaves, he plans to sell their antique piano for the hard cash he needs to stake his future.  But Berniece refuses to sell, clinging to the piano as a reminder of the history that is their family legacy.  This dilemma is the real "piano lesson," reminding us that blacks are often deprived both of the symbols of their past and of opportunity in the present.

Another kind of lesson for us:

DEI may be in the news right now, but what does it mean?  DEI stands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:

• Diversity is all the ways in which people differ.
• Equity is about fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all people.
• Inclusion means that everybody has a say in what happens.

Here's what I have posted this week:

1. On Monday, I was thinking about music, HERE.
2. My subject was advice from two grandmothers on TWOsday, HERE.
3. Wednesday's word was "oomf," posted HERE.
4. On Thursday, I had "no regrets" about reading a book with "regrets" in the title, HERE.
5. Friday's book beginnings was from a book about black equity, HERE.
6. On Satuday, the first day of February, I pointed out that it's Black History Month, HERE.

Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.

A gratitude journal and exercising

Hmm, this is only the fourth time this year I've posted anything about Action for Happiness, which I used to do every month.  But I've been reading each day's suggestions on my iPhone.  They don't match up with what shows up for that day on the monthly calendar.  There are several notices each day, and people make comments on each of them almost immediately.  Recently, they sent us this:

It's easy to take the good things in life for granted, but research suggests that the more we stop to appreciate what we have, the happier and healthier we are.

Within a minute or two, the very first person to comment said "keeping a daily gratitude journal has improved my life!"  So I told myself I should start keeping track of the things in life that I'm grateful for.  Is it enough to note it mentally, or should I write it in a notebook?  Do any of you keep a gratitude journal?

5-Minute Core Exercises for Seniors: Daily Routines to Build Balance and Boost Confidence ~ by Cindy Brehse and Tami Brehse Dzenitis, 2021, exercise and fitness, 158 pages

This book will help by strengthening your core and boosting your confidence.  Having a strong core can improve mobility, reduce aches and pains, prevent falls, and build everyday confidence.  This book has a collection of 40 individual movements and 25 quick routines for strengthening the major core muscles.

This guide to exercise helps seniors:

• Learn the muscle groups that make up your core, the benefits of keeping them strong, the importance of breathing and stretching, and the latest science behind exercise for seniors.
• Discover a range of seated, standing, on-the-mat, and weighted exercises that mimic everyday movement and don't require any special equipment.
• Find how-tos and illustrations for engaging the right muscles and preventing injury, as well as tips to increase or decrease the intensity of each movement to meet your needs.
• Improve strength, balance, and confidence with this detailed introduction to core exercise for seniors.

This book just arrived on Friday, so I'm learning (and remembering from past classes I've taken) these movements for old folks like me.  The pictures help me see how to stand, sit, and move my arms and legs.  So far, so good.

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz

hosts The Sunday Salon.

Joyful June 2024

By appreciating the little good things this month, we can train our brains to be more resilient and bring more joy to others too.  I found this month's calendar on the Action for Happiness web site.  Click on the calendar to enlarge it, so you can read the actions they suggest we do in June.  Today's action:  Decide to look for what's good every day this month.

Meaningful May

Click to enlarge calendar

This Meaningful May Calendar from the Action for Happiness folks has daily actions for May 2024 to help us find ways to be part of something bigger.  

Active April

I haven't posted a calendar from the Action for Happiness folks in a long time.  Having just finished a month of Clean Speech St. Louis, this seems like a good time for me to continue focusing on making our world a better place.  Click on the calendar to enlarge it, and see the words along the bottom that say:  "Happier, Kinder, Together."

Being happier is a great dream

                                   Giving ~ Do kind things for others.

                                   Relating ~ Connect with people.

                                   Exercising ~ Take care of your body.

                                   Awareness ~ Live life mindfully.

                                   Trying Out ~ Keep learning new things.

                                   Direction ~ Have goals to look forward to.

                                   Resilience ~ Find ways to bounce back.

                                   Emotions ~ Look for what's good.

                                   Acceptance ~ Be comfortable with who you are.

                                   Meaning ~ Be part of something bigger.

Oh, wow!  Take a look at the first letter in each box:  G-R-E-A-T is on the top line, and D-R-E-A-M is on the second line.

This Happier January calendar is from the Action for Happiness folks.  Click on it to enlarge it so you can focus on kind actions to bring happiness to the people around you.  Let's all be happier and kinder together.

Let's start over ~ no more "weekly roundup"

Altruistic August

Today (Sunday, August 6th) encourages us to "Smile and be friendly to the people you see today."  Click on the calendar to enlarge it and see each day's suggested activity.

Yoga for Every Body ~ by Paul Harvey, 2001, exercise, 144 pages

From the back:  "Enhance your health!  Discover how simple it is to make yoga part of your life and reap the rewards of better posture, good muscle tone, more flexibility, a calm and relaxed mind, increased energy levels, and improved sleep.  And you won't need to buy special clothes or equipment.  With this comprehensive guide you can start feeling better today."

I saw this book on the counter of the Crown Center library, so I checked it out.  It's divided into eight parts:

1. Yoga in your life
2. Starting practice
3. Moving further
4. Growing in confidence
5. Stronger in mind, body, and breath
6. Yoga in your day
7. Yoga for health, fitness, and wellness
8. Taking yoga further

July 2023 was the hottest month in 120,000 years, according to THIS article.  Records have been kept for only about 100 years, but things like ocean sediments, coral reefs, and air trapped in polar ice cores tell scientists the longer story.  Most of us can vouch for the miserable heat this summer, that's for sure!

Write Now!  That's the title I put on a notebook I found on a top bookshelf since my move.  The label on the spine shows this little yellow pencil wearing sunglasses.  Inside the notebook are copies of stories I wrote and emails from the Daytime Writers group I was a part of in 2008.  Fascinating, especially my notes for a story I entitled "Lilli's Letter" with 1,973 words.  Read this first sentence and tell me if you'd keep reading:

"When she ran the red light, Lilli was trying to remember what else was on her to-do list."

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz

hosts The Sunday Salon.

Musing on a book that I am re-reading

10 Keys to Happier Living: A Practical Science-Based Handbook for Happiness ~ by Vanessa King, 2016, self-help, 336 pages, 9/10

"Happiness is not something ready made.  It comes from your own actions," says the Dalai Lama, patron of Action for Happiness.  Vanessa King has drawn on the latest scientific studies to create a set of evidence-based practical actions.  They will help you connect with people, nurture your relationships, and find purpose.  You'll get ideas for taking care of your body, making the most of what's good, and finding new ways to stimulate your mind.

Here are the ten keys to happier living:  (1) Giving, (2) Relating, (3) Exercising, (4) Awareness, (5) Trying Out, (6) Direction, (7) Resilience, (8) Emotions, (9) Acceptance, and (10) Meaning.

Clawdia makes this a Caturday post on Sunday

"Go exploring around your local area, and notice new things."  That's today's Action for Happiness suggestion.  Clawdia was "exploring" our neighborhood visually when I took this photo in 2020.  I hope to get out there today, but she balks when I try to put a collar and leash on her.  So an open window may have to suffice for Miss Clawdia Cat.

Four Fantastic Surprise Endings for Children 3-5 ~ by Scott Gordon, 2015, children's stories, 176 pages, 3/10

1. Little Chickadee = After months of loneliness, a little chickadee realizes that he misses someone in particular.  He writes constantly and waits for her return, but time slowly trickles by with no end in sight.  There's something he's been meaning to tell her — something very, very special.  Will he get the chance?
2. Who Wants to Be a Robot? = The off-world planet of Infinim, which promises a heavenly and eternal existence for its society of robots, is now taking applications.  Although one of its applicants is older and not quite as quick as he used to be, does he have what it takes to be accepted?  Figure out who he is before the story's end in this clever children's book.
3. Froggy Dearest = One fine day, you come across the frog of your dreams.  Soft spoken and ever courteous, you've never met a creature quite so charming.  But tread carefully, for this frog has quite a secret to share!
4. Eggtastic = Spring is just around the corner and it's time to see what the Easter Bunny is up to.  This year he's enlisted some help, and it's an odd choice at that.  What is that clever rabbit up to, and what is he really planning?  Find out in this humorous picture book.

These books are definitely NOT "for Children 3-5 years old."  Preschoolers would have no clue what you're talking about, for example, in Who Wants to Be a Robot? where the robot talks about sending mail "via intergalactic express mail which moves at the speed of light, or 299,792,458 meters per second" (p. 137).  Then the robot asks for the resulting number when "the letter's mass is converted into energy."  It seems the "applicant" (who desires to be a robot) has "recently awoken from cryogenic sleep."  The next page (p. 146) shows an old man with Einstein's face, followed by e=mc2 and a dedication of the book to Albert Einstein.  Amazon is selling this book for "Reading Age 3-5 years."  How many people have bought it thinking it's for children?  Shame, Amazon!  Look at the actual book, and ignore the stupid title!  "About the Author" (p. 148) says he's "the author of over 100 children's books."  I wonder how many are actually for children.

I do have a favorite quote from Who Wants to Be a Robot?

"...creativity and originality are our greatest assets, and humans have them in abundance" (p. 150). 

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz hosts The Sunday Salon,

and Clawdia makes this (a belated) Caturday post on Sunday.

A very overdue library book and Active April

Have you ever had to pay a library fine for an overdue book?  A book was returned to San Francisco Public Library 100 years after it had been checked out.  The humorous thing about it, though, is the book's title:  Forty Minutes Late.  I was curious, so I googled to find out something about the book.  It's a 1909 collection of short stories written by F. Hopkinson Smith.  I think it's interesting that 1909 is the same year that library was built.  Phoebe Marsh Dickenson Webb was the one who checked the book out, according to Judy Wells, Phoebe's great-granddaughter.  Phoebe died, which is a very good excuse for not returning a library book.  When I discovered the 14-page short story (first story in the book) is now free for Kindle, I downloaded and read it.

The Active April Calendar is from the folks at Action for Happiness, who say:  "Our new Active April calendar is full of great ideas."  Click on this calendar to enlarge it, and see what they suggest each day.  Here's what they suggest we do today:  "Spend as much time as possible outdoors today."

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz

hosts The Sunday Salon.

Self-Care September 2022

This Self-Care September calendar is from the folks at Action for Happiness,  It has daily actions to help us take care of ourselves, by reminding us to be kinder to ourselves (as well as others), especially when things go wrong.  Self-care increases our resilience and helps us get more out of life. It also helps us accept others as they are, too.  (Click on the calendar to enlarge it.)

September 1 ~ Find time for self-care.  It's not selfish; it's essential.

September 2 ~ Notice the things you do well, however small.

September 3 ~ Let go of self-criticism and speak to yourself kindly.

September 4 ~ Plan a fun or relaxing activity and make time for it.

September 5 ~ Forgive yourself when things go wrong.  Everyone makes mistakes.

September 6 ~ Focus on the basics:  eat well, exercise, and go to bed on time.

September 7 ~ Give yourself permission to say "no."

September 8 ~ Be willing to share how you feel, and ask for help when needed.

September 9 ~ Aim to be good enough, rather than perfect.

September 10 ~ When you find things hard, remember it's okay not be be okay.

September 11 ~ Make time to do something you really enjoy.

September 12 ~ Get active outside, and give your mind and body a natural boost.

September 13 ~ Be as kind to yourself as you would to a loved one.

September 14 ~ If you're busy, allow yourself to pause and take a break.

September 15 ~ Find a caring, calming phrase to use when you feel low.

September 16 ~ Leave positive messages for yourself to see regularly.

September 17 ~ No plans day.  Make time to slow down and be kind to yourself.

September 18 ~ Ask a trusted friend to tell you what strengths they see in you.

September 19 ~ Notice what you are feeling without any judgment.

September 20 ~ Enjoy photos from a time with happy memories.

September 21 ~ Don't compare how you feel inside to how others appear outside.

September 22 ~ Take your time.  Make space to just breathe and be still.

September 23 ~ Let go of other people's expectations of you.

September 24 ~ Accept yourself and remember that you are worthy of love.

September 25 ~ Avoid saying "I should" and make time to do nothing.

September 26 ~ Find a new way to use one of your strengths or talents.

September 27 ~ Free up time by cancelling any unnecessary plans.

September 28 ~ Choose to see your mistakes as steps to help you learn.

September 29 ~ Write down three things you appreciate about yourself.

September 30 ~ Remind yourself that you are enough, just as you are.