Well, I've joined the 21st Century and bought an Android smartphone. I've gone from a simple little cell phone to something that could run the starship Enterprise. Quite the leap! And I'm loving it. I'm still getting familiar with all the things that it can do, other than playing Angry Birds.
I can sync it with my google email and google calendar google photos. Which means it syncs all of my contacts. I can add appointments into it. I can make notes of various sorts, text, photographs, audio, with Evernote. I can find the nearest Starbucks. I can get a weather report. I instantly have access google maps and google earth. And tonnes of other things besides that.
I'm thinking though, that it means that days of my little paper daytimer booklet are numbered. I can keep track of hours worked with Evernote or Google Calendar. I can store all my addresses in the Contacts list. The possibilities are endless.
I can even download and read ebooks from the local library... amazing....
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Remiss
Well, I have started to slack off in my blog postings! Mind you, it is the summer and the warm days and outdoor activities mean that blogging is low down on my priority list. For some time now, I've been searching for a theme for this blog... I've been dabbling in a variety of things and looking for something that "feels right". I've read a variety of other blogs, and the most successful ones seem to be the ones that focus on one area or another. These last couple of years have been an experiment of sorts in feeling my way through different areas and seeing which one, if any, feel right. So far, I haven't really settled on one that works for me.
I think it needs to be true to who I am. I think it needs to be something that I am passionate about. I think it needs to be something that excites me and is fun as well. Now there are several contenders for sure... decluttering, genealogy, photography, scripture, travel. Those are all things that I enjoy writing about... but it's a matter of finding one that resonates for me and sticking with it... Still working on that!
I think it needs to be true to who I am. I think it needs to be something that I am passionate about. I think it needs to be something that excites me and is fun as well. Now there are several contenders for sure... decluttering, genealogy, photography, scripture, travel. Those are all things that I enjoy writing about... but it's a matter of finding one that resonates for me and sticking with it... Still working on that!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Lead vs. Cadmium
So, we all know lead is poisonous, right? And if you've been reading the news lately, you know that Health Canada has pretty strict guidelines on how much lead is OK in products. In this case, we're talking about children's jewelry.
Do manufacturers really care though? Apparently not, because they have just replaced lead with... cadmium. Cadmium which according to the Health Canada website is "known to be more toxic than lead". Hello? Is it just me, or is this just not a little bit strange? Turns out that when Health Canada tightened the noose on lead in children's products, the manufacturer's just started adding more cadmium.
Which makes me wonder, now that Health Canada has banned cadmium in children's jewelry, what are the manufacturer's going to come up with next? Perhaps plutonium or uranium? As for were most of this stuff comes from... China. As for where most of it is sold... Walmart and dollar stores. Of course the cadmium is only really toxic if you lick, suck or bite on your jewelry. Kids don't do that, do they?
On the other side, perhaps Health Canada should do an end run around manufacturer's and ban all toxic materials from products... before the manufacturer's figure out what comes next.
Do manufacturers really care though? Apparently not, because they have just replaced lead with... cadmium. Cadmium which according to the Health Canada website is "known to be more toxic than lead". Hello? Is it just me, or is this just not a little bit strange? Turns out that when Health Canada tightened the noose on lead in children's products, the manufacturer's just started adding more cadmium.
Which makes me wonder, now that Health Canada has banned cadmium in children's jewelry, what are the manufacturer's going to come up with next? Perhaps plutonium or uranium? As for were most of this stuff comes from... China. As for where most of it is sold... Walmart and dollar stores. Of course the cadmium is only really toxic if you lick, suck or bite on your jewelry. Kids don't do that, do they?
On the other side, perhaps Health Canada should do an end run around manufacturer's and ban all toxic materials from products... before the manufacturer's figure out what comes next.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Adventures in Cooking 2
Well... celery root remoulade is... not very delicious. I had such high hopes for it, but when we tried it... well... it's not exactly palatable. Far too much vinegar in the remoulade... I have to admit, the celery root smelled enticing when I was peeling it... a hard to describe fragrance, which hinted at even more delicious tastes to come. But no... it was a flop...
Now the reason I was onto celery root was because my grandfather drooled over seleriesalat (celery salad), which my mother said was made from celery root. So, in the face of the remoulade failure... I went online and searched for German recipes and came across a few. They are very different!! You actually boil the celery root whole, then peel it and slice... and add a simple dressing... I confirmed the recipe with my mother, so we might be doing celery root salad (Take Two!) in a few days!
Now the reason I was onto celery root was because my grandfather drooled over seleriesalat (celery salad), which my mother said was made from celery root. So, in the face of the remoulade failure... I went online and searched for German recipes and came across a few. They are very different!! You actually boil the celery root whole, then peel it and slice... and add a simple dressing... I confirmed the recipe with my mother, so we might be doing celery root salad (Take Two!) in a few days!
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Adventures in Cooking
There was also something which looked very much like celery root and I had a vague memory swirl up of a celery remoulade, a dish that my grandfather actually drooled over... Hmm... I put the fennel/anise back and picked up the celery root... could I cook this???My culinary buttons have been pushed and I am intrigued by these two things... but I decide not to buy them, preferring to go home and research recipes first... And yes, Fennel is Anise... go figure.... Anyhow... I have a little clump of recipes printed off and I'm thinking that I might do some adventures in cooking this weekend. Last year it was artichokes and eggplant.... this year... celery root and fennel!!
Friday, July 15, 2011
A Nomadic Minimalist
I have to admit, I'm strangely attracted to the nomadic minimalist lifestyle. The idea of travelling the world with only a minimal amount of stuff... not being tied down by a house or a car or "stuff".... very appealing in a suprising kind of way.
I came across Raam Dev who left it all and travelled around southeast Asia for 6 months with only a backpack... a backpack of stuff... amazing. His life transformed, and as he says, he become spontaneous and fearless.
There's lots of stuff out there on minimalism... Dave Bruno wrote a book that challenged people to get their possessions down to 100 things (yep, 100). He's written a blog on minimalism as well. There's great advice on how to live with less. Lots of stuff out there... to encourage us to have less stuff!
I came across Raam Dev who left it all and travelled around southeast Asia for 6 months with only a backpack... a backpack of stuff... amazing. His life transformed, and as he says, he become spontaneous and fearless.
There's lots of stuff out there on minimalism... Dave Bruno wrote a book that challenged people to get their possessions down to 100 things (yep, 100). He's written a blog on minimalism as well. There's great advice on how to live with less. Lots of stuff out there... to encourage us to have less stuff!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
The Curse of Cursive
There's lots in the news right now about the death of cursive script... real handwriting. Apparently the Indiana Board of Education has decided that teachers no longer need to teach cursive writing in primary school, but can focus more on keyboard skills. Interesting...
I remember learning cursive script in Grade 3 and having horrible handwriting until Grade 5, when my parents gave me the incentive of $5 for going up a grade in Writing. I went from a C- to an A very quickly! After that, my handwriting was pretty good... and I used it throughout highschool. During my early years in university, I worked for a geotechnical engineer at the department of highways. I helped create a lot of draughting diagrams... by hand! This was before Autocad! So, I learned how to print everything. And after that... well, printing has become my new writing. I find it actually much quicker than cursive writing... as do a lot of other people apparently. Speed is now the key... not elegance or a beautiful script.
There was an editorial recently in the newspaper lamenting the disappearance of cursive script. "How will children, as they grow into adults, surive in the world??" Some of the examples given:
Plus... as long as they continue to teach printing in school, people will still be able to jot things down. As for signing a name... well... cheques are becoming dinosaurs with online banking. Credit cards only need a PIN now... and for those rare moments when you actually need to sign your name... well, there's always the good old-fashioned "X"... (plus a witness!)
I remember learning cursive script in Grade 3 and having horrible handwriting until Grade 5, when my parents gave me the incentive of $5 for going up a grade in Writing. I went from a C- to an A very quickly! After that, my handwriting was pretty good... and I used it throughout highschool. During my early years in university, I worked for a geotechnical engineer at the department of highways. I helped create a lot of draughting diagrams... by hand! This was before Autocad! So, I learned how to print everything. And after that... well, printing has become my new writing. I find it actually much quicker than cursive writing... as do a lot of other people apparently. Speed is now the key... not elegance or a beautiful script.
There was an editorial recently in the newspaper lamenting the disappearance of cursive script. "How will children, as they grow into adults, surive in the world??" Some of the examples given:
- signing legal documens
- scribble notes
- express themselves in writing away from a keyboard
- dash off a shopping list
- write cheques
- send thank-you notes with a personalm message
- write a sympathy/bereavement card
- label something
- take notes in a university lecture
- jot down last minute additions to a speech in the margins of a typed copy
Plus... as long as they continue to teach printing in school, people will still be able to jot things down. As for signing a name... well... cheques are becoming dinosaurs with online banking. Credit cards only need a PIN now... and for those rare moments when you actually need to sign your name... well, there's always the good old-fashioned "X"... (plus a witness!)
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
17. Puzzles
These are your typical jigsaw puzzle, which I usually like to work on during the Christmas holidays or in the winter time. Over the decades, we've had tonnes of puzzles, and gotten rid of them too, once we got tired of them. Over the years, though, I've hung onto a couple of my favourite puzzles, ones that I remember doing as a kid with my mom and sister. There's one of 3 horses in an orchard. It's only 500 pieces, but just looking at it brings back all sorts of memories. Many of the pieces have bends in them, and are pretty worn out... but... that one is one that I'm hanging onto. So, all told, I probably have 10 or 12 puzzles. I got a set of them for Christmas - a boxed set from Costco. There are 6 in there, and I haven't done all of those ones yet. But the other 6... hmmm... are there any that I could get rid of? Well, there is one... maybe... a 1000 piece picture of pumpkins and squash and a wagon in front of autumn-leafed trees and a wooden fence. But it's also the only 1000 piece puzzle that I've kept so.... sigh.... I'm not sure that I can actually get rid of any puzzles this time around! If push comes to shove, I suppose I could let go of the new ones that I've done already... that would be 3 to go out the door. Which seems doable...
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
16. DVDs
Well, this actually includes VHS tapes as well... not just DVDs. We went to Optik TV a while ago and decided to get rid of our VHS recorder, now that we have a PVR. So with no VHS recorder... or player... what's the point of keeping all these VHS tapes? They are certainly bulky... and take up a lot of space. Yes, there are some great movies in there, but surely we can replace them with a DVD version, if we really need to? Or, in getting rid of them, maybe we'll just forget that we ever had them and not even miss them?
But what do you do with old VHS tapes? Well, a bunch of them are going to Value Village - ones that are still relatively new and playable. But the blank ones, or the ones on which we taped TV shows and movies... are all going into the garbage. You'd think that somewhere they would have recycling for outdated technology... like cassette tapes and VHS tapes... and CDs! Technology is changing so fast though, it's hard to know what's out-of-date when!
And then the DVDs... well, we're keeping most of those, mostly because we don't have a lot. There are a few that are going bye-bye... but the VHS tapes are forming the bulk of the lot. Which means that our entertainment cabinet is quite a bit emptier than it was... which means we have more space... which is always nice!
But what do you do with old VHS tapes? Well, a bunch of them are going to Value Village - ones that are still relatively new and playable. But the blank ones, or the ones on which we taped TV shows and movies... are all going into the garbage. You'd think that somewhere they would have recycling for outdated technology... like cassette tapes and VHS tapes... and CDs! Technology is changing so fast though, it's hard to know what's out-of-date when!
And then the DVDs... well, we're keeping most of those, mostly because we don't have a lot. There are a few that are going bye-bye... but the VHS tapes are forming the bulk of the lot. Which means that our entertainment cabinet is quite a bit emptier than it was... which means we have more space... which is always nice!
Monday, July 11, 2011
From Parents to Child
There have been some articles in the news lately which have given me pause to think. Scientists are beginning to see a link between mothers who take anti-depressants during pregnancy, and the presence of autism in their child, when it is born. There is a higher risk of the fetus developing autism if the mother takes anti-depressants... interesting... I think of some of the families I know who have autistic children, and there is a possibility of a link.
The other link that scientists have found is between second-hand smoke and ADHD in children. Children who are exposed to second-hand smoke are more likely to develop ADHD than children not exposed to smoke.
Which makes me wonder... what else is there that we don't know about? We know of the connection between Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in children whose mother's drank during pregnancy. We know what happened when pregant women took Thalidomide to prevent morning sickness. But what else is out there?
What about if mother's are exposed to Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in paint? What effect does that have? What about taking Advil or Aspirin or Tylenol during pregnancy? What effect does that have?
What if the mother is exposed to car exhaust? Or gets food-poisoning while she is pregnant? Or develops a yeast infection? Or gets assaulted while she is pregant?
It's a wonder that any of us turn out even vaguely normal!
The other link that scientists have found is between second-hand smoke and ADHD in children. Children who are exposed to second-hand smoke are more likely to develop ADHD than children not exposed to smoke.
Which makes me wonder... what else is there that we don't know about? We know of the connection between Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in children whose mother's drank during pregnancy. We know what happened when pregant women took Thalidomide to prevent morning sickness. But what else is out there?
What about if mother's are exposed to Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in paint? What effect does that have? What about taking Advil or Aspirin or Tylenol during pregnancy? What effect does that have?
What if the mother is exposed to car exhaust? Or gets food-poisoning while she is pregnant? Or develops a yeast infection? Or gets assaulted while she is pregant?
It's a wonder that any of us turn out even vaguely normal!
Friday, July 8, 2011
Tragic Irony
Does karma catch up with a person? Is there irony in life?
"A bareheaded motorcyclist participating in a ride to protest mandatory helmet laws was killed when he was thrown over the handlebars in Onandaga, New York. The rider hit his brakes, began fishtailing and lost control of his 1983 Harley Davidson. He shot over the handlebars, hit his head on the pavement and was taken to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, New York, where he was pronounced dead.
State police say evidence at the scene plus information from the attending medical expert indicated he would have survived had he been wearing a helmet as required by state law." CNN
This story is tragic... tragic in its irony... tragic in its consequences. A man died. Will his fellow protest riders wear helmets... unlikely according to the article. It is uspeakably sad to read this story and to know that this man's life is extinguished. Can good come of it? Of course... all of us who read the story and weep can learn something...
"A bareheaded motorcyclist participating in a ride to protest mandatory helmet laws was killed when he was thrown over the handlebars in Onandaga, New York. The rider hit his brakes, began fishtailing and lost control of his 1983 Harley Davidson. He shot over the handlebars, hit his head on the pavement and was taken to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, New York, where he was pronounced dead.
State police say evidence at the scene plus information from the attending medical expert indicated he would have survived had he been wearing a helmet as required by state law." CNN
This story is tragic... tragic in its irony... tragic in its consequences. A man died. Will his fellow protest riders wear helmets... unlikely according to the article. It is uspeakably sad to read this story and to know that this man's life is extinguished. Can good come of it? Of course... all of us who read the story and weep can learn something...
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Petiquette
For those who have everything, including a dog or a cat that is part of the family....Yep, they sell them... Their description says:
Satisfying a mutual desire for companionship, this high chair permits your dog or cat to accompany you at the dinner table. The high chair clips securely to tables up to 2" thick and its height adjusts without tools to elevate your pet to near eye level. It has a frame of powder-coated 5/8" steel tubing and its arms are rubber-coated so they will not mar table surfaces. By providing an alternative to sitting on your lap, running disruptively underfoot, or outright banishment, the chair assuages a pet (and its owner's) frustration, and promotes more refined behavior. The chair's 600-denier tan/brown nylon fabric cleans easily. Two tethers on the chair protect your dinner guests against any lapses in etiquette. Folds for convenient storage and travel. For pets up to 10 lbs. 10" H x 12" W x 9 1/2" D. (4 lbs.)
Unfortunately, it's not for sale anymore but... there is another supplier...Would you buy one? Do you know people who would buy one?? Alas, our cats weigh more than 10 lbs so... not an option...
But for those who are interested... only 4 left in stock on Amazon!!!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Music
Music is one of the joys of life, and we've come a long way in the last 100 years. It used to be our access to music was live, through someone who actually played an instrument. Might be a harmonic or a violin or a piano or a guitar. People would pull out their instrument and play something. My mother talks about how in the 1930s at Christmas, her dad would play the violin or her sister would play the piano.
Then we had records - the old fashioned grammophone. And all of a sudden, we didn't need to have musical ability in the room, we could bring it into the space through the magic of a record, usually playing at 78 rpm. Then we had 33 1/3 rpm and then 45 rpm.
Along the way, magnetic tapes got developed and all of a sudden there were reel-to-reel tapes - which could store a lot more music than one record. And they morphed into 8 track cassette tapes and they morphed into regular cassettes.
Then, we had the cd... and we all went out and replaced our favourite tapes and records with cds. And now what... well, now we have mp3 and iPod and wma and everything is digital. Miniaturization is at work.
A collection of records took up a lot of space, and they were heavy!! Cassettes and cds took up space as well... but now... now, I can have 4000 or more songs in a little thing that is the size of two fingers (more or less)... I have a virtual library of music at my finger tips. I can listen to anything and everything, whenever I want. I can listen through my computer, or through my iPod. Or I could get a little box that wirelessly connects to my computer network and then play the music over the speakers in the living room. Or I could get wireless speakers and listen to my music all over the house. The possibilities are endless...
And no need for boxes and boxes of records or cds or cassettes... I let go of my cassettes a long time ago. Most of the records went a few years ago... and now it's time to let go of the cds... a few at a time... a little bit here and there... so it's not too much of a shock!
Then we had records - the old fashioned grammophone. And all of a sudden, we didn't need to have musical ability in the room, we could bring it into the space through the magic of a record, usually playing at 78 rpm. Then we had 33 1/3 rpm and then 45 rpm.
Along the way, magnetic tapes got developed and all of a sudden there were reel-to-reel tapes - which could store a lot more music than one record. And they morphed into 8 track cassette tapes and they morphed into regular cassettes.
Then, we had the cd... and we all went out and replaced our favourite tapes and records with cds. And now what... well, now we have mp3 and iPod and wma and everything is digital. Miniaturization is at work.
A collection of records took up a lot of space, and they were heavy!! Cassettes and cds took up space as well... but now... now, I can have 4000 or more songs in a little thing that is the size of two fingers (more or less)... I have a virtual library of music at my finger tips. I can listen to anything and everything, whenever I want. I can listen through my computer, or through my iPod. Or I could get a little box that wirelessly connects to my computer network and then play the music over the speakers in the living room. Or I could get wireless speakers and listen to my music all over the house. The possibilities are endless...
And no need for boxes and boxes of records or cds or cassettes... I let go of my cassettes a long time ago. Most of the records went a few years ago... and now it's time to let go of the cds... a few at a time... a little bit here and there... so it's not too much of a shock!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
15. TV and Phone cables/cords
So, this is another little clutter spot that resides in our laundry room. We have several boxes full of television cable cords, phone cords, and ethernet cords. Sooo... TV cable cords... we have a variety of lengths and styles. Some are the screw-on variety... some are the push on variety. Do we need them all? Nowadays with Telus Optik TV, they pretty much provide all the cables that you need... so... do we need these or not? Probably not... At least not a dozen cords of various lengths. I'm keeping two smaller cables and getting rid of the rest.
Telephone cords - well, they are always useful. You never know when you might need a huge long extension on the telephone, right? Well... nowadays with cordless phones, that's becoming less of an issue. And some people don't even have landlines and don't use telephone cables! There are also various little doo-dads in there - those internet filters, various connectors to double up phone cords, etc. Those are useful. So maybe it's to reduce the number of phone cables - keep a couple, along with the doo-dads and let the rest go.
And then the ethernet cables. Some are quite long, and quite expensive... Some are shorter, and would be useful for business trips, where you can plug into an ethernet connection in a hotel room. But nowadays, with wirless internet connections, do we need all these cables? Well, yes and no... it depends. Wireless is good, but a wired connection is faster and more stable. So... I think I'll keep these 4 ethernet cables for now... You never know when a need will show up and they represent a significant amount of $ whereas phone and TV cables are pretty cheap.
So, another little area decluttered... and done!
Telephone cords - well, they are always useful. You never know when you might need a huge long extension on the telephone, right? Well... nowadays with cordless phones, that's becoming less of an issue. And some people don't even have landlines and don't use telephone cables! There are also various little doo-dads in there - those internet filters, various connectors to double up phone cords, etc. Those are useful. So maybe it's to reduce the number of phone cables - keep a couple, along with the doo-dads and let the rest go.
And then the ethernet cables. Some are quite long, and quite expensive... Some are shorter, and would be useful for business trips, where you can plug into an ethernet connection in a hotel room. But nowadays, with wirless internet connections, do we need all these cables? Well, yes and no... it depends. Wireless is good, but a wired connection is faster and more stable. So... I think I'll keep these 4 ethernet cables for now... You never know when a need will show up and they represent a significant amount of $ whereas phone and TV cables are pretty cheap.
So, another little area decluttered... and done!
Monday, July 4, 2011
14. Light Bulbs
Light bulbs... these are a tricky thing nowadays. What with LEDs coming in and CFLs being big (that's compact fluorescent lights not canadian football league!), the question is what to do with the old incandescent light bulbs.... We have lots of them because when we moved in, we replaced them all with CFLs... Which leaves me wondering... Pretty soon, you won't be able to buy the regular light bulbs anymore, so should we hang onto these ones? Or should we let them go? They are perfectly good light bulbs, but we have no use for them, other than maybe for the light fixture outside in the back. Hmmm...Then we have some globe light bulbs, like they usedto have on bathroom vanity light fixtures. Big huge dust catchers is what they are. Now, we don't have any of those light fixtures, so why they are in the house, I have no idea... So, they could probably go to Value Village... maybe...
We also have some chandelier light bulbs, those little ones... and we do have a fixture that uses them, so I think we can keep those ones....
Back to the incandescent light bulbs.. Maybe it's time to reduce the number a little bit?? Keep a few and get rid of the rest? Sounds like a plan!
Sunday, July 3, 2011
13. Laundry Room Supplies
Well, this was a fairly easy one, as there isn't a lot of stuff that can accumulate in our laundry room, other than dryer lint! Mind you, I did review all of the laundry soap and bottles that we have. Yep, they are all OK. There is also an old bookshelf in there that stores baskets of rags and bottles of extra cleaning supplies. Those are all OK too.
So, sometimes decluttering a space doesn't take very long at all! Mind you, I did divide the laundry room into a variety of zones because we store other things in there other than laundry supplies. My way of trying to get up to "Declutter 100 Things"!
So, we also have light bulbs in there, along with boxes of phone and cable and ethernet cords... coming up next!
So, sometimes decluttering a space doesn't take very long at all! Mind you, I did divide the laundry room into a variety of zones because we store other things in there other than laundry supplies. My way of trying to get up to "Declutter 100 Things"!
So, we also have light bulbs in there, along with boxes of phone and cable and ethernet cords... coming up next!
Friday, July 1, 2011
Happiness
Today is Canada Day and a suitable day to reflect on happiness, given we live in the best country in the world.
I've been reading a book by Robert Houlden (of The Happiness Project) called Success Intelligence. Essentially the question is, does success bring about happiness? Does going faster, quicker, harder, more... make us successful and/or happy? The answer... not really.
There are essentially three levels of happiness:
1. Happiness comes from out there - in this case happiness depends on something outside of us - on our spouse, our house, our car, our job, our career, our iPhone... whatever it is - our happiness is intrinsically tied up with what we have. If we have a great job, or lots of money, then we think we'll be happy.
2. Happiness is something we create - so through our thinking, our attitude, our compassion, our forgiveness, we can create happiness in our lives.
3. Happiness is something we are - that essentially, at the core of our being, we are beings of joy. If we get under all the neuroses, all of the ego stuff... we are creatures of pure joy. This happiness can't be taken away, can't be altered. No matter what is going on in our lives, this joy is always there.
So the question is... does success create happiness... or does happiness create success. Yep, the second one... The author suggests that we follow our joy, which probably isn't going to be the 80 hour job that takes you away from your family, your home, your life. What is it that you are most joyful doing and being? What is your passion? What is your joy?
I've been reading a book by Robert Houlden (of The Happiness Project) called Success Intelligence. Essentially the question is, does success bring about happiness? Does going faster, quicker, harder, more... make us successful and/or happy? The answer... not really.
There are essentially three levels of happiness:
1. Happiness comes from out there - in this case happiness depends on something outside of us - on our spouse, our house, our car, our job, our career, our iPhone... whatever it is - our happiness is intrinsically tied up with what we have. If we have a great job, or lots of money, then we think we'll be happy.
2. Happiness is something we create - so through our thinking, our attitude, our compassion, our forgiveness, we can create happiness in our lives.
3. Happiness is something we are - that essentially, at the core of our being, we are beings of joy. If we get under all the neuroses, all of the ego stuff... we are creatures of pure joy. This happiness can't be taken away, can't be altered. No matter what is going on in our lives, this joy is always there.
So the question is... does success create happiness... or does happiness create success. Yep, the second one... The author suggests that we follow our joy, which probably isn't going to be the 80 hour job that takes you away from your family, your home, your life. What is it that you are most joyful doing and being? What is your passion? What is your joy?
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