Live Aloha!

In the beautiful paradise known as the Hawaiian Islands, there is a tradition of “Living Aloha.” This one encompasses all of the aforementioned good deeds, which is why it’s the most important of all. In the Hawaiian tradition, “aloha’ stands for the akahai, lokahi, olu`olu, ha`aha`a, and ahonui—in English, these words translate to kindness, bringing unity, politeness, humbled, and enduring. If you live your life with simple acts of goodness every day and follow the tradition of native Hawaiian islanders, you will surely become a good in the world.

We Are Here to Love 24/7

I have seen this excellent exercise put into practice at work, family reunions, and dinner parties. It never fails to bring a group of people closer, and it brings out the best in anyone. It is especially effective among a group of fractious folk, and it calms roiling waters easily. Time your moment well; never at the beginning of a get-together. Whenever there is a lull would be best. Call everyone to attention and say you want to acknowledge your appreciation for the group.

Do so with simple statements.

Examples:

“What I appreciate about Julian is his humility; he is brilliant but never showy.”

“What I appreciate about Leslie is her kindness and generosity. She helped me out when I was in a bad way. I will always be grateful to her for that.”

Offer a positive appreciation for each person and encourage others to do the same. Talk about a “turnaround”—this can turn stormy skies blue in five minutes flat.

Rewire Your Brain To Be More Positive - Happy Summer Solstice!

Neuropsychiatrist David Amen, MD, posits that thoughts carry physical properties and that the properties of negative thoughts can be detrimental to your leading a healthy, happy life. To overturn these negative effects, he prescribes thinking more positively, maintaining that by doing so, you can change the way your brain works and in turn change your life for the better

Dad’s Big Day

On July 19, 1910, the governor of the U.S. state of Washington proclaimed the nation’s first Father’s Day. However, it was not until 1972, 58 years after President Woodrow Wilson made Mother’s Day official, that the day became a nationwide holiday in the United States. Celebrate your father today by making him feel special and loved with a homemade gift or meal. For your friends who may have lost their father, check in with them as this day will be difficult and there are many “rad dads” who are elders with wonderful stories to tell at senior centers.  Head to your local café and grab some yummy pastries, coffee and tea and honor the elders in your community.

Before you purchase plastic, think twice. Is there another option?

Yesterday, I read that 90% of the plastic in oceans of the world comes from rivers in Asia. We can do better by the choices we make every day and here's hoping that China's new attention to the environment will reduce the plastic pollution. Meanwhile, here's what we can all do:

More Ways to Avoid Plastic

• Jars. So many jars. For salads, soups, sauces, juice, opened packages of things. Just jars. Lots of jars.

• Aluminum foil is a great stand-in for plastic wrap and can be easily recycled or saved for reuse.

• Wax paper is great for wrapping sandwiches. So are reusable sandwich pouches you can make or purchase; many close with Velcro and are easy to launder or wipe clean.

• Reuse empty yogurt, sour cream, or cream cheese containers. You’ve already got them and you have to wash them before tossing them into the recycling bin anyway, so you may as well use them again.

• Invest in reusable lunch containers like bento boxes or tiffins to avoid waste when sending off your little one (or yourself) with a bagged lunch.

Making the Most of a Rainy Day

It's about to rain here today so I am excited to have a thirsty rain barrel at the ready:

• Install the rain barrel at least six feet from your house. Locating it near the area you’ll be watering the most makes for convenient use later.

• Ensure that your rain barrel has an overflow at least as large as your inflow—for example, if you have rigged it so that water is collected directly from your eaves’ trough downspout, your overflow valve should be as large as your downspout as well. This will allow your barrel to get rid of excess water as fast as it collects it, which might be necessary if you live in a city with crazy, unpredictable weather like my brother does.

• If you are using the rain barrel to water your garden, consider using a soaker hose. You can attach the hose to the rain barrel and then run it through your garden so that it covers the area you’d like. 

Now, every time you see a rain cloud, you’ll get really excited!

Go one day without complaining

This is really hard right now since the daily news is unstintingly negative. But it is so worth the effort. Go one day without complaining, even better, go a week. If this is hard for you to accomplish, it’s time to make some changes in your life. Think positively, live in the present, and appreciate where you are and who you are. Today is a gift, accept and embrace it. Author Mark Bowen wrote a fantastic book on this very topic which I have turned too when I need a reminder, as all of do now and again. My copy came with a bracelet, a simple way to monitor how often you complain and helps you track your progress toward becoming “complaint Free.” Put the bracelet and every time you complain switch it to the other wrist. The goal is to go 21 consecutive days without complaining or switching the bracelets. It is harder than you might think and I was a bit shocked at what a complainer I turned out to be.  It was a really good exercise for me and I highly recommend it. I benefited enormously and I suspect the people around me did, too!

Can You Stop "Canting?"

Yes, You Can

Remove the word “can’t” from your vocabulary and think about what is actually holding you back—fear, reluctance, pride? Once you stop talking yourself out of taking a risk or making a difficult decision, life will open up for you and so will your mind.

And while you're at it, do something nice and helpful without being asked. Take out the trash, clean the house, and visit a relative. Once you make a habit of these tasks, you won’t need reminding, you will want to do them.