Monday, February 9, 2015

Keep Smiling, Stay Happy

Pharrell's song "Happy" has always been a favorite among our Best Day volunteers and seniors – it gets sung and hummed along often at our storytelling sessions and volunteer meetings, no surprise there, right ;) ? And since the song won a Grammy yesterday, here are a few stories from our seniors to keep the good vibes rolling. “Here come bad news talking this and that, yeah,” but around here, our choice is to stay relentlessly, courageously happy. Have a great week everyone!

Loretta Dotson
1.29.2015
Pleasant or Grumpy

Okay, are you mostly pleasant or grumpy?
Who has and keeps the most friends?
Why it's pleasant of course, who wants to be around a sour puss with a frown? Not me.
Who has more invitations to affairs?
Again, it’s the pleasant ones. We go to parties, to enjoy ourselves, to laugh, to dance, maybe even to flirt a little.
Who might live longer?
Why it's the pleasant ones of course, remember "laughter is the best medicine."
Who makes the best babysitter?
The pleasant one of course. When the children are happy, the parents are happy.
Who sees their grands more with enjoyment?
Of course it’s the pleasant grand-parents. We like to have our grands surrounded with lots of love, pleasantness and cookies.

Keep smiling, stay happy.

Frances Bryce
1.22.2015
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

During the Christmas Holidays I usually visit our home in California where my son, daughter and her husband live.  I have shortened my time which was usually from the months of November to March; now it is when the school is out for the holiday because I am a Reading Buddy for students in one of the third grades at Greenfield which I enjoy. 

A conversation arose one day during the holiday about the placement of a roll of paper towels.  My daughter noticed that the roll was placed from front to back after her husband had put the roll on.  She thought it was on the wrong way.  He asked me about the paper placement.  I replied that the direction of the roll was an option.  When they left, I replaced it the way she usually has it, so as not to make an issue of such an unimportant thing.  Her husband had stated that he didn’t know there was a right or wrong way.  I reversed the towels later as we talked she said that she had replaced the order of the towel as her husband had placed it. We had a good laugh about pleasing the other person and not getting bogged down in insignificant things.

Joan Bunting
11.13.2014
Happy: The Best Day of My Life So Far Is Today

Have you heard that song, “Happy?” Well, that’s the way I feel today, not saying that I’m not happy everyday but today I feel extra happy.

Maybe it’s because of that long walk I took today. I actually feel exuberant. And it could be because Frances and I were talking and I mentioned that my youngest daughter (who is also the baby of the family) Teresa will be honoring me next month and got all exciting just talking about it. Or could it be that I really enjoyed the beauty of the fall season.

Whatever the reason it’s just good to be alive.

Be Happy!

To cap things off, how about some “Happy” lyrics by Pharrell?

It might seem crazy what I'm about to say
Sunshine she's here, you can take a break
I'm a hot air balloon that could go to space
With the air, like I don't care baby by the way

Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do

Here come bad news talking this and that, yeah,
Well, give me all you got, and don't hold it back, yeah,
Well, I should probably warn you I'll be just fine, yeah,
No offense to you, don't waste your time
Here's why

Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I'm happy
Clap along…