Friday, February 6, 2015

Inspired by Happiness

Thought for the day:  When I was five years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down "happy." They told me I didn't understand the assignment, and I told them they didn't understand life.  [John Lennon}

[wikipedia]
John Lennon certainly couldn't have said the former King of Bhutan didn't understand life. That's the king's quote about Gross National Happiness there to the left. Pretty astounding, isn't it? And in that beautiful Himalayan country, the last Buddhist kingdom in the world, happiness is still the measure of success. Dontcha love it?

I first heard about Bhutan's
 happiness quotient from some amateur radio friends who visited there on a DX-pedition, and then gave numerous presentations about their experiences when they returned to the States. I found the attitude about happiness to be inspirational when they first told us about it, and I still do. How deliciously ironic, then, that a Bhutanese blogger recently gave ME a blogging award... for being inspirational. (He obviously missed some of my posts... HA!) Allow me to introduce you to this fine, obviously discerning (HA!) young man.  Dumcho is a thoughtful, intelligent... and I dare say, happy... physics teacher, and I'll bet he'd love it if y'all would visit his blog and say hello. Again, thank you, Dumcho. I really do appreciate it.

I only have to fulfill a few requirements. Show the award to y'all. (Check!) Notify the person who gave it to me. (Check!) Tell you guys seven things about myself. (Wilco, in just a sec.) And finally, nominate, link, and notify fifteen other bloggers.

Um, I'm gonna stray from the last requirement. I already know how an awful lot of you feel about blogging awards, so I won't put any of you in the position of refusing yet another one. Besides, how in the world could I possibly limit the very inspiring description to only fifteen of you? Impossible! In your own way, each of you inspire me. So let's do it this way. If you're willing to accept this award, and wanta do a post about it, go for it! If you'd rather not, I understand, but waaaait a second: you don't get off that easily. How about telling me at least one new thing about yourself in the comments? Please? (It'd make me happy...)

                                        Almost as happy as this awesomely  happy Bhutan video


Okay, stop tapping your toes now. It's time to learn seven fun facts about me. Ready?


[morguefile]
1.  The poor widdle wasp was helplessly trapped in a mud puddle, alive, but just barely; and his movements, feeble and ineffective. So I did what seemed like a great idea to my 8-year-old mind. Scooped him out of the water, cradled him in the palm of my hand, and gently blew on him to dry his fragile wings. Worked, too. Before he flew away, I'd like to say he thanked me somehow. I'd like to say he did an intricate little butt-wiggling wasp dance just for me, but he actually did exactly what wasps are wont to do. The little ingrate stung me. It didn't make me regret helping him, but it did teach me a valuable lesson: Do whatever good you can in life, but be prepared to receive the occasional sting.


[morguefile]
2. A friend and I broke my parents' bed by jumping on it. She (the chicken!) headed for the back door, and I headed to the basement to find some nails. The monsters I hammered into that bed frame were four inches long or better, and I used a mess of them, too. Fixed that bed but good. At least, that's what I thought. In the middle of the night, a loud KABOOM came from my parents' bedroom. When the cursing started, I didn't exactly wet myself, but I did lay in my bed with eyes wide and heart pounding, saying my we-who-are-to-die prayers. But ...  nothing happened. Even when they discovered those ridiculously over-sized nails, they never ever suspected me. Years later, I finally told them the truth. I was married, had a kid, and figured the statute of limitations should have me in the clear by then. Besides, I was moving seven hundred miles away the next day.

3. For our high school drama class, two friends and I performed You Gotta Get a Gimmick. Once. When we told our teacher what we were planning, he asked us to do our routine for him after school. So our one and only audience was Mr. Adams and a small handful of fellow students. We got an enthusiastic response, but our teacher decided it wasn't appropriate for us to do. Too bad. We were reeeeeally funny. Not familiar with this song? It's from the Broadway musical Gypsy. (I was the gal who "did it with a switch.")

Youtube videos are being difficult, so here's another link:  You Gotta Have a Gimmick...



4. The first time I flew in an airplane was a flight all the way from Baltimore to Chicago to Honolulu. After we left Chicago, the plane got caught in such horrific turbulence, it felt like we were on an airborne roller coaster ride or free-falling elevator. How bad was it? Even one of the stewardesses was barfing. Me? I kept crocheting. Because I had no point of reference, I didn't realize the flight was so awful. Besides, Smarticus had been in Vietnam for nine months at that point, and we were meeting for R&R. Short of the plane falling apart, it was all good to me.










[morguefile]
5.. I used to be an avid bowler, and at one time, bowled on three leagues every week, two handicapped, and one scratch. Best game I ever rolled was a 261, but I blew the game by opening in the tenth frame. Only needed a mediocre score in the third game that night to break my first 600 series, but I didn't do it. Barely managed to break a hundred. That's me ...  Mrs. Consistent. One interesting lesson I gleaned from bowling, though. My average was always higher in the scratch league than it was in the handicapped ones. Perhaps it's human nature to rise to the level of one's competition? Or maybe if we expect more of ourselves, we're more likely to deliver.

6. For my fortieth birthday, a bunch of our fabulous friends pooled their money to treat me to a glamour make-over with Liz Claibourne. Yeah, I know, right? What awesome friends! Anyway, this make-over included a hair cut and style, massage, manicure, facial and make-up, the whole works. Even got a fancy schmancy lunch, complete with a flower and glass of wine. Talk about pampered! When the overhaul was complete, I barely recognized myself. The areas above my eyes and upper lip were blood red and sore as all get-out, thanks to the oh-so-delightful waxing Ms. Claibourne recommended. (Never, never, NEVER again!) Looked like the make-up had been smeared on with a trowel, but hey! It was different! The hairdo was a bit fussier than my usual  run-a-comb-through-it-and-go style, and it was as stiff and hard as a motorcycle helmet. But again, different. Before I left, the people who'd worked so hard on me all day wanted to know where I was going that night to show off my new look. To tell the truth, I'm not sure they believed me, but what can I say? It was bowling night.


[morguefile]
 7.  We went to the horse races once. It was at Timonium, Maryland, and the we was my husband, parents, mother-in-law, aunt, cousin, two sons, and me. Through sheer dumb luck, I won enough cash to cover food and drinks for all of us, with money to spare. I actually picked the first place horses for all three races in the trifecta, too, but didn't know enough to bet them all at once. I made each bet individually. Had I bet them all at the same time, I would've won a ton of money. Because I kept picking winners, my father bet my pick in one of the races. The horse came in dead last.



There ya have it. Not terribly inspiring, I'm afraid, but I hope you enjoyed them, nonetheless. Tell ya what. I'll even throw in a bonus fun fact. (shhhhh) Smarticus had to marry me, because he lost a game of pool with my father. True story. The deal was, the loser had to keep me. (Real flattering, right?)  I can only hope my dear husband, after running the table, intentionally blew his shot on the eight ball...

                                      Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.

NOTE: The header picture, which comes from good ol' Morguefile, depicts some prayer flags found in Bhutan.

The fact that I can plant a seed and it becomes a flower, share a bit of knowledge and it becomes another's, smile at someone and receive a smile in return, are to me continual spiritual exercises. [Leo Buscaglia]

Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud.  [Maya Angelou]

Learn from the mistakes of others. You can never live long enough to make them all yourself.  [Groucho Marx]

[morguefile]


102 comments:

  1. If only more politicians understood the importance of Gross National Happiness.
    Congratulations of your well deserved award.
    Going to visit the donor shortly.
    I master in dullness, so no new facts leap to mind.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Isn't that the truth? Most politicians are more concerned about their OWN happiness and the amount of money in their deep-deep pockets.

      Thank you, ma'am. But I disagree. There is nothing dull about you. Happy weekend!

      Delete
  2. You deserve the award Susan ,and what a lovely video is that, I am feeling happy . Thank's a lot :)

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    1. Thank you. How sweet of you to say.

      I'm glad you watched that video. It's enough to make anyone feel good.

      Delete
  3. That award brought out some very interesting tid-bits of your life. I especially enjoyed the one about nailing the bed frame. There's a definite skill to pounding a nail and I have never learned it. LOL

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    1. Trust me, I did NOT have any nail-pounding skills back then! It still boggles my mind that my parents never suspected me when they saw that bird's nest of mangled over-sized nails under their bed.

      Delete
  4. I think politicians are largely the reason we don't have Gross National Happiness......
    You certainly deserve the award, and perhaps another award for revealing such interesting and amusing unknown facts about yourself.

    My life has been filled with bizarre, unknown facts....and some of them are legal. However, it's early in the morning and I haven't yet had my coffee fix, so my ability to think is seriously impaired.

    One unknown fact does come to mind: I played the cello in college as a second instrument. Heaven knows why. Could you possibly imagine the cowboy maneuvering a cello?

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    1. I think you're right about politicians. You have to admit, they do have that "gross" part down pretty well, though.

      I think it's wonderful that you played the cello. I think it'd be even more wonderful if you still played it. There's nothing as uplifting as creating beauty through music. (And yes, I CAN imagine it, cowboy! I'm sure it was just as lovely as your piano-playing.)

      Delete
  5. These may be the best blog award facts I've ever read. So fun! I loved the story about your parents bed LOL.
    Happy weekend!

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    1. HA! Thanks. My parents laughed when I finally told them about the bed, too.

      Happy weekend to you, too!

      Delete
  6. Congrats on the award and those were terrific facts. Unknown fact about me.....I took guitar lessons (twice) and quit because my finger tips hurt. I'm a wuss.

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    1. Thanks. Glad ya liked 'em.

      Nah, you're not a wuss. Maybe you were working with the wrong guitar. If you ever feel the urge to give it another go, (They say the third time's the charm!) try using nylon strings instead of steel, and either a guitar with a lower bridge, or one with a capo attached. Much easier on the fingertips.

      Delete
  7. Love it! Great learning a bit more about you, and I'm sure hubby lost that game on purpose!!!
    We broke a bed once too, but it was the one we slept in. Me, sis, and little brother. We didn't just nails to put it bake together. we taped the wooden slat and slept very quietly after that. Don't think the parents knew until they moved the bed.

    Oh gosh, what to share. How about the fact that I worked on the Trans Alaskan Pipeline - it was an experience straight from hell. Several years into the building of the line, equal rights groups insisted that the jobs be open to women. I applied, got the job as Assistant Field Engineer, (glorified secretary) but when I got to camp the men weren't happy with the change and as far as they were concerned we were all whores. And now I don't talk about it because everyone still thinks that what's we were. And to be honest for the first few years, the only women who went to the camps were in the sex trade. Which is why the job was horrendous, the first week I cried myself to sleep every night. After getting off the plane we boarded a bus with 'Hustler' pictures plastered all over the inside. Try being the only woman in a bus filled with men and that! It only got worse, but damn, I wasn't going to be defeated so easily. I worked for the inspection group, college educated men who took pity on me and after a few uncomfortable and life threatening incidents became my body guards. But hey I survived and grew up real fast! The job was great, the men all sh.. heads, but the Brooks Range unparalleled in beauty. I hiked the mountains and loved it!
    You so deserve that award, and so many more!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I'm "pretty sure" he threw that game...

      HA! You smarties! I never thought to use tape.

      That's a fantabulous story. It must have been scary at times, but what an experience! (I trust you learned jujitsu, karate and a bunch of other cool words to protect yourself from those scumballs.)

      Happy weekend!

      Delete
    2. I finally read and just posted a review of your wonderful book. My apologies for taking so long, but I loved it! For some reason I saw Pearl as a red head, if that is wrong please tell me, because I just spent an hour trying to prove my thought, and couldn't. Will post to Amazon and Goodreads too! Thanks for such a lovely read!

      Delete
    3. Fabulous! I'm really happy you enjoyed the book.GREAT review! Thank you.

      Nope, she isn't a redhead, but her mother is. Pearl has blonde hair. Again, thank you.You made my day!

      Delete
  8. Chuckling here . . . your dry wit made my day! (My sister and I broke our parents' bed, racing and jumping onto it. We thought the CRASH hysterical. Umm, parents didn't.) Congrats on your award. Have always want to go to Bhutan! Off to visit your friend.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Thanks... and your comment made MY day!

      Yeah, it's funny how parents don't appreciate the humor of busted beds, isn't it...? Although I must admit, I wasn't laughing when I broke the bed. I thought my father was gonna kill me.

      Delete
  9. lol even with the nails they didn't suspect you? You must have hit those suckers in like a pro

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    1. Nope, there was nothing the least bit "professional" about the way I mangled those nails. The thing is, I was ordinarily such a "good girl" the idea of me doing anything that wrong simply never crossed their minds.

      Delete
  10. Happiness Quotient - I love it!! I will have to go over to have a look at your new friend's blog. A little Happy can go a long way - spreads around easily.
    Loved your make-over story. I have a similar one, of an evening with friends for 'glamour shoots'. Needless to say, there was little glamour for me - I felt decidedly clownish. You know, some of the friends actually bought the pictures of themselves all dolled up!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Yeah, isn't that great???

      That's it! I felt more clownish than glamorous, too. I guess some of us are destined for glamour, and some of us are happier in a pair of jeans and a ponytail.

      Delete
  11. Another great post! You're always so entertaining. And I have a strong feeling Smarticus threw the game. ;)

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    1. Thanks! I'm glad you liked it.

      I have a strong feeling you're right. :)

      Delete
  12. This was a fun post, Susan. I enjoyed learning more about you. The video was great. Your spa makeover sounds painful--ouch! We just got new furniture for our living room--and that made me happy to get rid of the old saggy couch and chair we had been using. I'm not sure if knowing that is going to make you happy, but there you go. Haha! :D Have a nice weekend!

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    1. Thanks, Daisy. I'm glad you liked the video, too. Hard not to smile while watching it, isn't it?

      Nah, the only painful part was the waxing. (Why DO people put themselves through that?!) Um, combing the teasing and hairspray out was challenging, too, but mostly the whole experience was a hoot.

      Hey, new furniture is a big deal! Good for you. If you're happy, I'm happy. :)

      You have a super weekend, too!

      Delete
  13. I need some happiness at work today and you gave it to me. I am going to try to smile, even though everyone here is an idiot (my opinion). I admit to leaning toward pessimist tendencies, but I recognize that fact and try to go for the happy. Your examples were great. Thanks for the good read. Have a super (happy) weekend

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    1. You need to hang around with me more, kiddo. I'd try my darnedest to knock those pessimistic tendencies right outta ya. (Not literally.)

      You have a super (happy) weekend, too!

      Delete
  14. That nailing the bed back together story: Who did your parents thing did it????

    I do think it's interesting that when we have to we rise to the occasion. I love your bowling story for that reason (even though I am a horrible bowler). It's an excellent reminder to push ourselves and to not be afraid when we get the occasional boost from behind. Maybe we needed it...

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    1. My parents figured the bed musta "came that way." Nuts. I mean, I did a TERRIBLE job. But I was such a "good little girl" my parents would never have believed me capable of doing such a thing.

      Yeah, I really do think we tend to rise to the occasion. Or at least... we have the capability to excel. Unfortunately, sometimes we fail simply because we doubt our capability, and don't even try.

      Delete
  15. I never would have guessed those facts about yourself--LOVED them!!

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    1. You must love this song:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-diB65scQU

      Delete
    2. Cool. Caught ya by surprise, huh? I'm glad you liked it.

      Yes, I do love that song, and for more than one reason. After our Friday night bowling, a bunch of us from the league sometimes went into the lounge... for karaoke. Smarticus and a very dear friend of ours, now deceased, sang that song. They were both pretty darned inebriated, and their rendition... with dancing, yet!... was once-in-a-lifetime hilarious.

      Delete
  16. This was delightful, Susan. I identified especially with Smarticus's game of pool. For me it was a chess game --one of many I played with Norma's dad-- that ended in a careful draw. He said, "You got something to tell me?"

    I did. He said nothing, stomped off to the garage --then came back in with a bottle of champagne he'd been saving in the fridge out there.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Thanks, dude. I'm glad you liked it.

      And I LOVE the story of the chess game. The fact that Norma's dad brought out a bottle of champagne tells me he was more than happy to welcome you into the family. (No surprise there!)

      Delete
  17. Congrats on a well deserved award, because no matter what you say, your posts are always inspirational. Oh and that wasp story made me choke on my iced doughnut.

    Unknown fact 1. I used to play drums in an all girl rock band. We were called...wait for it...'Girl Band.'

    Unknown fact 2. We sucked.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Thanks. (you liar) I know better. I mean, I have written whole posts about things like flatulence and smoke enemas before...

      HA! With your over-the-top imagination, you couldn't come up with a better name than Girl Band? That's hysterical. I think it's very cool you played in a band, and I bet you made a very joyful noise. (How's that for diplomacy?)

      Delete
  18. GNH as ooposed to GNP. I buy that. That Lennon geezer was onto something, wasn't he? Always the troublemaker. :-) Congrats on your award.

    Greetings from London.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Geezer???

      I'll let that one go. HA! Thanks.

      Greetings back atcha.

      Delete
  19. Susan: It is all about happiness! Thank you for the non-nomination. Many of us are happy.

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    1. It sure it! And rather than being a "goal", I think happiness is something that blossoms while you're in the business of appreciating life.

      You're very welcome, dear sir. You're one of my favorite non-nominees.

      Delete
  20. Fun! You made me happy. And reminded me. I've only ever gambled on horses once. I won, pocketed the money and have never tried again.

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    1. Smart lady! I've never been interested in going back to the horse track again, either. Once was an "experience," and a fun one, but once was enough.

      Delete
  21. You shoulda been allowed to do Gimmick. I know you were great. I love Bernadette Peters. I saw her in Annie Get Your Gun. I wonder if my gimmick could have something to do with grammar.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. I dunno about that. This was back in the the sixties, when our school had strict dress and behavior codes. Let's just say the outfits we were planning to wear weren't exactly standard fare. :)

      Hey, grammar is a swell gimmick! So's spelling.

      Delete
    2. You could have been the Ann-Margret Olsson of your high school. During the Dark Ages when I started college and operated the switchboard in the downtown Topeka Macy's, one of the clerks said she went to high school with Ann-Margret. She said the school had a talent show and Ann-Margret sang, "We're having a heat wave, a tropical heat wave." You get the idea. Ann-Margret wore a sexy dress, and it created quite the scandal. Years later I saw a Biography of Ann-Margret. The show included a bit of her singing that song and the story of the scandalous talent show.

      That shoulda been you. You would be Susan-Margret now.

      Delete
    3. Well, dang! I coulda been a contenda...

      Delete
  22. A lovely award and I love the fun fact but the vid clip we really needed was of you and your friends doing that number. Now that would be a blog stopper. :-)

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    1. Thanks. To tell the truth, I wish I did have a video clip of us doing that number. It'd be a hoot to see us having so much fun together... so young. Now, one of my friends is dead, and the other one has really gotten (shhh) OLD. (I'm exactly the same... HA!)

      Delete
  23. Congratulations on the award! I'll have to check out Dumcho's blog next. Loved the video about Bhutan. About 10 or 11 years ago, my brother traveled in Bhutan for a few weeks - he loved it.

    Unknown fact about me: I'm not big on formal things, so I've never gone for the wedding in the white dress. The first time I got married in Copenhagen, wearing maternity clothes. Ha! The second time I got married in Vegas, wearing any ole dress. When I bought it, the sales person said to me, "Can I help you?" and I responded, "Thanks, I'm fine. I'm just looking for a dress. I'm going to a wedding."

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    1. Thanks!

      Very cool that your brother has been to Bhutan. From what I've seen and heard about it, I can't imagine anyone visiting there and NOT loving it.

      I LOVE your wedding stories. Plus the way you and your hubby casually told your co-workers about it when you went back to work on Monday. That must've been quite a "by the way" conversation!

      Delete
  24. Adore your blog.
    I love your 5 year old self !
    Adore Smarticus throwing the game.
    and I miss bowling but I also miss walking and sitting on the floor too.
    You are a hoot !

    cheers, parsnip

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    1. Thanks... all the way around. I'm glad you enjoyed it. (I miss bowling, too.)

      Cheers back atcha.

      Delete
  25. Congrats on the award, I'll check out that other site.
    New fact about me? My parents were expecting a boy since they already had a girl, so blue clothes were bought or made, boy toys were bought and made. Then I got born and spent my first months in the blue babywear with my favourite toy being a wooden train. Even now I still don't like dolls.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Thanks!

      Interesting. I wonder if you would like dolls if you'd been raised differently? Somehow, I doubt it. It's like the stories about parents who are so anti-gun, they refuse to let their sons have any kind of toy gun... so the boys ends up playing pretend gun with whatever else they can get their hands on. Kids have a way of discovering what they like.

      Now, me? My parents didn't have any preconceived notion as to my gender, but after delivering me, my mother thought I was a boy. Her vision was very bad, and they didn't let her wear her glasses in the delivery room, so afterwards, when my father came in to see her, she told him I had a headful of black curls and a reeeeally long "hoodgie." (Her word, not mine.) Of course, it was actually the umbilical cord she was looking at... and I was as bald as a cue ball. At first, my mother was convinced they'd brought her the wrong baby.

      Delete
  26. I just saw a documentary on "happiness" that was shown on PBS. Bhutan was listed as one of the happiest places to live on the planet. They do not seek wealth nor things, instead, living a good life and finding joy in simple, more lasting pleasures is what is important to them.

    I loved your facts; they were all good stories and shows that you can find fun and laughter in so many things in your life.

    Fact about me: I haven't won many things in life, but for three years in a row, I won a holiday turkey. Two were frozen, one was fresh. I cooked them, shared them with extended family and a good time was had by all,

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    1. Oh, darn. I'm sorry I missed that show. It sounds like something I would have really enjoyed. I find just about anything about Bhutan to be fascinating. Such a fabulous way to look at life! (I think we'd both fit right in there.)

      Wow, a tri-fecta of turkeys! That's pretty cool.

      Delete
  27. Congrats on the award! Loved the post. The quotes are inspiring and the anecdotes relishing.

    Have a good weekend!

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    1. Thanks! I'm glad you liked 'em.

      And a very happy weekend to you, too!

      Delete
  28. Love the broken bed story but you didn't tell us what your parents said when you finally owned up!

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    1. They laughed! They still found it hard to believe, but they got a good laugh out of it. (Trust me, they would NOT have laughed if they'd figured it out back when I broke it!)

      Delete
  29. Susan, I loved reading these facts about you ... first I think it is a great way to get to know someone and second you always make me smile... I do get my eyebrows waxed but I just cannot do the upper lip... the few I have plucked hurt like heck, I could not imagine waxing them all of at once... you would hear me scream from here to where you are... haha

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    1. I don't think I screamed when they ripped that wax off my lip, but I wasn't exactly impressed with the experience, either. It's hard to believe some women put themselves through that kinda torture on a regular basis. And I don't even want to think about bikini waxes...!

      Delete
  30. Fascinating stories. I would've done the same with the bed since I'm a DIY-er, but horrible with nails and hammers. I've definitely been stung after doing something nice. Makeovers...awfully expensive, and I don't believe in looking unlike oneself.

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    1. As for the makeover, it was fun. (Except for that nasty waxing.) It was a one-rime treat to be pampered like that, and it was even more special that my friends had given me such an awesome gift.

      Delete
  31. Fun Facts, Susan, and a well-deserved award. Your blog is indeed an inspiration. No doubt happiness truly is the measure of success. It's unfortunate our culture teaches us we can't be content without things, constantly equating happiness with acquisition.

    I'm curious. What did your parents say when you told them about the bed?

    VR Barkowski

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    1. I don't know if it's our "culture" that teaches us we have to have a bunch of stuff to achieve happiness, but maybe it is. Like that bumper sticker: "He who dies with the most toys wins." (I hope people don't really believe that.)

      When I told my parents about the bed, they were incredulous. Astounded, really. Then they laughed. We all laughed.

      Delete
  32. Fun facts and inspiring. I love the lesson you pointed out on the first fact. With a turbulence like that, I guess I'll have a heart attack even if I have no problems with my heart. But the best fact is the bonus fact :)

    I honestly don't feel happy receiving blog awards with such requirements as "pass to others". I thought they're over, I had refused several awards before, simpky because I knew it was just done to comply to a requirement. How could a blogger know I'm "awesome" if one barely read my blog.

    Anyway, I still think the award fits you and Congratulations! Your posts are really interesting.

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    1. Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed my "fun facts."

      I know what you mean about blogging awards. I turned quite a few of them down, too, but this one sounded like fun. You could say I was "inspired" by it.

      Delete
    2. Have you changed the settings on your blog? For quite a while now, I haven't been able to access it. Instead, I get a page saying your profile isn't available. Private setting, maybe? I just wanted you to know that every time you stop by and leave a comment, I TRY to visit your blog. No luck.

      Delete
    3. No I haven't actually but I kinda suspected that something is wrong 'coz several of my usual visitors aren't coming back.I was just honestly hoping that someone tells me. You just did and Thank you very much for letting me know. I'll try to fix it.

      Delete
  33. An inspiring post, Susan. Thanks for sharing!

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  34. This was great. Awesome facts!

    Regarding #1: I think a better lesson is 'be careful who you help'. A bee and a wasp look similar, but the bee will probably give you a more proper thanks for saving it... (I always help out bees. Wasps... I spray)

    Regarding #7: I went to a friend's birthday party and did the exact same thing - picked the first three winning horses in the trifecta, but no one ever told me I had to bet on them all at once specifically. So I won a decent amount, but could have had a pretty killer payday.

    This is why I don't gamble. Even when I win I still suck at it. :)

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    1. Thanks!

      #! Yeah, I'm more inclined to spray wasps now, too. (Or to be more accurate, Smartacus sprays, and I watch from a safe distance.)

      #7 Cool! Nice to know I'm not the only one who blew the trifecta bet. (Sheesh. Somebody shoulda TOLD us!)

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  35. Dear Susan,
    Thank you so much for writing a post about this award. It was indeed nice to learn that you got inspired by the concept of Gross National Happiness, the developmental philosophy of my small kingdom Bhutan. Thanks to His Majesty the 4th King who abdicated his golden throne to our present handsome and farsighted 5th King who strives to maintain the status quo.
    Well, as you mentioned, I have certainly missed a lot of posts from many bloggers. I am not a full time blogger. More than that, I am busy with the last phase of my postgraduate studies that will be completed by the end of this July. As of now, I am in the process of drafting my thesis. I am so sorry for skipping your posts. Will get into it when I am free from this academic drill. Thank you so much once again for the mention. I am extremely happy that I came to know so many people through blogging now.
    Have a nice day. Trashi Delek (Bhutanese way of saying- Good Luck)

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    1. Dear Dumcho,

      Thank YOU for offering me the award. I think your small kingdom is inspirational to a lot of people.

      I was only teasing you about missing some of my posts. It's just that some of them have been unworthy of being called inspirational. Sometimes, I just like to be silly.

      I'm a part-time blogger, too. Once a week is about all I can handle right now, and I'm not working on a degree like you are. Good luck with your thesis. Or I should say Trashi Delek.

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  36. Loved learning all of these random facts about you, Susan. I am a terrible bowler. MY nephew once beat me in a game - and he was 7 at the time...

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  37. You didn't tell your parents until years later. That's funny. I would never be able to keep a secret like that for so long. I'm a blabber. Not saying what I got them for Christmas is my biggest challenge each year.

    Congrats on the award. Glad you helped the wasp, even if he was an ingrate!

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    1. HA! I'll betcha would have kept your mouth if you didn't want a whupping.

      Thanks. Not sure I'd go out of my way to help another wasp. Too many of them have stung me over the years.

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  38. Hahaha tel them when you are ready to move far away. Yeah I've done that too. No way I was going to admit to certain things as a kid.

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    1. It all works out in the end. Now our grown kids are telling us about things they did years ago. Things I'd rather not know... HA!

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  39. Hooray for happiness! Reading the John Lennon quote I'm thinking there's an original, creative thinker who was destined for success. I enjoyed reading the segments about you, these things are always so good to help us get to know each other better.

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    1. I'll hooray to that!

      Okay, now I'm not sure whether to hum "Imagine" or "Getting to Know You."


      I agree. It's always fun to learn a little more about each other

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  40. These were all great stories! My favorites were how you got away with nailing the bed together, and of course how you were won in a pool game! Ha ha! This stuff could only happen to you, Susan! I hope you include these stories in your new book!

    Julie

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    1. Thanks, Julie! I'm glad you liked them. Oh, I dunno...I'll betcha YOU have quite a few funny stories to tell, too.

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  41. John Lennon penned some excellent words of wisdom in his day. How many people have Imagine spinning around in their head at this prompt. I really enjoyed the inspirational 'happiness' quotes and I really enjoyed learning more about you in your creative way. Just read Yolanda's review on your book. Sounds excellent!

    Denise :-)

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    1. No doubt, Lennon was a brilliant writer.

      Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed it, and WOW! Yolanda wrote such a super review! (I'm STILL smiling...)

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  42. Fun learning all those things about you! Love all the quotes here.

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    1. Thanks! Fun is my middle name. Well, not really; it's actually Katherine, but you know what I mean.

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  43. I loved reading this post. Thanks for sharing!

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  44. Your quotes are awesome. Also your pictures. Had to come over and see what you've been up to while I've been away from blogging. I can't visit as many blogger friends as I used to, but I'm making a list of those I want to keep in touch with. You're on it.

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    1. Hi, Ann. It is soooooo good to hear from you. I hope you and you daughter are both doing well, and thank you for including me on that list. I feel honored.

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  45. Oh my gosh, broken bed frames... my DIL says we're the only family she knows who breaks their beds, I'm glad that's not true, lol! Her husband, our oldest, plopped on theirs...it broke...they got a California King to make sure it doesn't happen again (mm hmm, knock on wood anyway). They came here to visit, the second oldest's bedframe had just broken. They came on a later visit, my daughter's bed had broken (no joke, and she's not even rowdy). Then they came at Christmas the year before last and little man's bottom bunk slats went right through the bottom of his bed when his dad leaned over to tell him goodnight. Crazy, right? Of course we replace the beds... but I hope we get our box springs changed before they show again, I noticed the wood splinters are coming out and dropping shavings on the floor, and the mattress is starting to sag in that particular spot. *sigh* We're not even a particularly rowdy or heavy family, lol. Maybe we just buy cheap beds? I'm looking for steel next go 'round. I'm tired of spending money on beds.

    Your facts are fun. And drat to that ungrateful wasp, lol. Saving him is something I'd have done at 8 too. ;)

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    1. HA! That's a lot of broken beds, lady. (You'd best stay away from water beds...) There's only been one other broken bed in our family, and it was my husband's doing. In our house in Maryland, a bathroom was across the hall from our bedroom. One night, Smarticus came out of the bathroom, yelled, "SUPERMAN!" and dove onto the bed. Um, not such a terrific idea... (But it sure was funny!)

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  46. Congratulations for the award...liked all the fun stories that you shared about yourself....Clearly gives the message for the idea of finding 'happiness quotient' in many such moments of our lives :)

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    1. Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed the stories. Yes, I think happiness is all around us in all kinds of situations; we simply have to open our eyes and hearts to the possibilities.

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  47. Congrats too. I loved the bed story. You were so brave to tell the truth, LOL. Bowling after a makeover, priceless. :)

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    1. Thanks. Brave? No, if I were brave, I would have owned up to breaking the bed the day I did it.

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