AMANDA'S BASKETS: BEAUTY, JOY AND WALKING

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

BEAUTY, JOY AND WALKING

A THING OF BEAUTY IS A JOY FOREVER...

Have you ever looked at something so beautiful that tears of joy leaped from your heart. Maybe it was your newborn child, or the wedding of a close friend. Maybe is was a sunrise that gave you hope.

Or, standing on the edge of a mountain looking with awe at the valley below. Maybe it was the expression of a parent who told you that they loved you very much. Or perhaps it was even a stranger who took the time to smile and speak kindly to you.

I always remember the phrase, 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.' As I have gotten older, I have realized the truth to that statement. When I was much younger, beauty was focused on the physical.

Now, I see beauty in things of much more importance...an act of compassion, the ability to be optimistic in the face of pessimism, a promise kept, a deep abiding spirit of joy or even a long serene sunset.

These things and many, many more bring a joy that lasts. I can't remember the folks from my youth whom I thought were beautiful, but I can remember the act of a teacher who helped me understand a particularly difficult mathematics concept.

In college I can't even remember the names of the football team whom I thought were cool, but I can remember a counselor who steered me into the right classes and helped me to discover things about myself that I never realized.

I bet if you consider joys in your own life, you will find more than you can number; and, if you're like me you'll be smiling a lot more. Try it, you'll like it.

By the way, how's you joy tally doing?

ON MY WALK...

JOY TALLY FOR TODAY: Six times of special joy. How's your tally doing?

Thanks for dropping in and checking things out...

See you tomorrow...

CRAFTING IDEAS

I am always looking for a small piece of paper to write down something which will later be disposed of. I decided to use some of the scrap paper of which I have a ton. I mostly use the paper for glueing projects. I decided to cut the paper into a small size. (Six pieces from a piece of copy paper.). But just having them sitting on my desk would get messy without a container. So, using a cardboard box, I cut it down to size and using a hot glue gun I glued the ends together. Using a picture from a magazine cut into pieces and stick craft glue, I glued the pieces to the box inside and out. I also used some decorative tape for the outside edges. And to finish the top corners which were not covered, I used straight pins with colorful tops. Looks nice and works well.

MAGAZINE IDEAS

(New) One article in the Farmer's Almanac 2024 is a list of trends. One I knew about is the trend to downsize in just about every area. Another trend that I was surprised about was called ''The Human Library' which offers people on loan to talk about specific subjects. Finally, more folks are adding pets to their family and as a result, stores are adding more pet food, toys and medication to their offerings. There's also a nice garden article which suggests mixing vegetables and flowers together for success.

RECIPE IDEAS

Have you every made Cherry Dump Cake. It calls for 2 cans of Cherry Pie Filling (21 ounces), a white cake mix, 1/4 -1/2 cup butter, melted & 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans. In a 9 by 13 pan, spread both cans of cherry pie filling. Add the melted butter to the cake mix and break apart the resulting mixture and crumble it evenly over the pie filling. Sprinkle the pecans evenly over the mixture. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 - 45 minutes until the topping is golden brown. Serve with vanilla ice cream. Fast, easy and very delicious.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

What if you want to establish better habits, then decide what habit you want to work on. Again, try an easier one first for that good feeling of success. Let's consider more exercise. Start small. Don't try to run a marathon right away. Set the amount of time, the type of exercise and when to do it to begin making sure that it is within your reach. If it works for you each week add a bit more. Walking is one of the best ways to get good overall movement but there are many exercise videos on YouTube of varying lengths and difficulty to check out. Change your exercise routines to eliminate getting bored. For hardcore exercise with weights, give yourself a day in-between to recover. Even on days you would rather not exercise, do it and see if you feel better. It takes an average of 66 days to establish a habit. Just think 66 days to establish a good habit for a lifetime. Sounds like a good thing to me...how about you?