Starlight, star bright. First star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might have this wish I wish tonight.

Wishes are intrinsically tied into hope and ritual. Let’s make many wishes today, shall we? For the good of us and the world.

A person should design the way he makes a living around how he wishes to make a life.
Charlie Byrd

A tough lesson in life that one has to learn is that not everybody wishes you well.
Dan Rather

A wise unselfishness is not a surrender of yourself to the wishes of anyone, but only to the best discoverable course of action.
David Seabury

Agnes Darling, if such should be we never meet again, while firing my last shot, I will gently breathe the name of my wife - Agnes - and with wishes even for my enemies I will make the plunge and try to swim to the other shore.
Wild Bill Hickok

All a man’s affairs become diseased when he wishes to cure evils by evils.
Sophocles

Although one may fail to find happiness in theatrical life, one never wishes to give it up after having once tasted its fruits.
Anna Pavlova

Art is about expressing the true nature of the human spirit in whatever way one wishes to express it. If it is honest, it is beautiful. If it is not honest, it is obvious.
Corin Nemec

Destiny grants us our wishes, but in its own way, in order to give us something beyond our wishes.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Destiny has two ways of crushing us - by refusing our wishes and by fulfilling them.
Henri Frederic Amiel

A cloudy day or a little sunshine have as great an influence on many constitutions as the most recent blessings or misfortunes.

Joseph Addison

A day without sunshine is like, you know, night.
Steve Martin

A good laugh is sunshine in the house.
William Makepeace Thackeray

A light wind swept over the corn, and all nature laughed in the sunshine.
Anne Bronte

Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone, It’s not warm when she’s away, Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone, And she’s always gone too long, Anytime she goes away.
Bill Withers

An easily accessible and transparent database of contract information will bring sunshine into the confusing and sometimes shadowy practice of government contracting.
Tom Coburn

Anyone’s life truly lived consists of work, sunshine, exercise, soap, plenty of fresh air and a happy contented spirit.
Lillie Langtry

Arizona is gorgeous. The sunshine in Arizona is gorgeous red.
Cecilia Bartoli

But friendship is precious, not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life, and thanks to a benevolent arrangement the greater part of life is sunshine.
Thomas Jefferson

Change, like sunshine, can be a friend or a foe, a blessing or a curse, a dawn or a dusk.
William Arthur Ward

Every player should be accorded the privilege of at least one season with the Chicago Cubs. That’s baseball as it should be played - in God’s own sunshine. And that’s really living.
Alvin Dark

Sunshine in a Man - Bill Withers

Fancy your having no sunshine in London yesterday! Here it was glorious, like full summer, and I sat up with the window wide open, listening to the discourse of two amorous thrushes.
Marie Corelli

Perhaps somewhere inside of us, we secretly know this information: the bad economy, while trying and stressful, provides hidden opportunities that make us (shhh…) happy. We expand different sides of ourselves, we re-explore old dreams, we get in contact with what really matters.

Here’s more on this positive news:

Questions about the economy have consumed the world media of the past few years.  We ask, “what is wrong with the economy?” and “How can it be fixed?”  But few people have asked the question we should be asking . .. “What’s the economy for, anyway?”

This is the question that authors John De Graaf and David K. Batker ask in their new book (aptly titled,) “What’s the Economy For Anyway? Why it’s Time to Stop Chasing Growth and Start Pursuing Happiness.”  Throughout the book they question governments’ reliance on economic growth (GDP) as a sole measure of success in spite of the fact that GDP growth is correlated to a variety of negative societal outcomes including crime and prisons, less leisure time and lower quality of life, and overconsumption of natural resources.

Economists and positive psychologists often talk about the “progress paradox” in the U.S. showing that as we have risen in wealth over recent decades we haven’t seemed to be able to convert that wealth into greater happiness for our citizens.  We attribute this paradox to a variety of factors including the relative nature of happiness (we are only happier if we are doing better by comparison, not when everyone is doing better,) the paradox of choice (wealth brings more choices, which leads to greater stress and more regret from all the options we pass up,) and the “hedonic treadmill” (the fact that we quickly adapt to positive changes in our environment and so happiness is elusive and seems to always be just out of reach.)

But there is one seemingly uncontroversial area where economic growth is better for people, and that is our health.  Economic progress has brought with it medical knowledge, technology and innovation that keeps us healthier and living longer.  And yet, the most shocking finding of De Graaf and Batker’s book is that American health has gone up during the recession of recent years, not down.  They cite a report from economist Christopher Ruhm showing that a 1% rise in unemployment during a recession corresponds with a .5% drop in mortality.

Source: The Psychology of Well-Being

Unless you’ve been sleeping under a rock for the last decade, you’ve heard about genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) and how it can wreak havoc in our food, environment and our bodies.

Well, our world is wising up and choosing non-GMO food, one country at a time. Let’s hope we keep this organic ball rolling!

“There is an increasing consensus among consumers that they want safe, local, organic fresh food and that they want the environment and wildlife to be protected,” - Walter Pengue from the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina

In a bid to protect its local food producers, the country has approved a law establishing a moratorium on and production of genetically modified organisms.

Peru’s President Ollanta Humala said the decision was made after hearing “the cries of agricultural organizations and civil society to take this important step in the defense of our biodiversity.”

Earlier this year, the administration of the outgoing Peruvian President slipped in a decree which opened the door for GM seeds. But the subsequent outcry forced not only the resignation of the Agriculture Minister, who had introduced the decree but also a 10-year ban on GMO

Source: Good News

The longer I wrote about positive news - or simply the concept of positivity - the more I realize the importance of gratitude. It can turn just about any situation around. The next time you’re steaming mad about something or someone, take a moment. What is good about your life right now? That person you’re so angry at - how have they contributed to your life? What small, incidental experience occurred today that made you smile inside? Maybe the bloom of a flower or a bird singing a cheerful tune? Maybe a wave from a neighbor that made you feel a little more connected to your community?

Write out your gratitude list. Write out your positive news. I know you may have heard this suggestion time and time again. But there’s a reason why: it works. It shifts your energy from the negative to the positive.

Because guess what? There are tons of things to be grateful for! I’m grateful to write for this blog, for instance. It has changed me on numerous levels.

Whether metaphorically or literally, singing is a beautiful way of expressing yourself. So let your heart sing out or sing your favorite song proudly. Let these quotes inspire you to sing today. Sing like you just don’t care.

My heart is like a singing bird.
Christina Rossetti

I spent many years laughing at Harry Secombe’s singing until somebody told me that it wasn’t a joke.
Spike Milligan

Gardens are not made by singing ‘Oh, how beautiful,’ and sitting in the shade.
Rudyard Kipling

Love, I find, is like singing. Everybody can do enough to satisfy themselves, though it may not impress the neighbors as being very much.
Zora Neale Hurston

My heart is singing for joy this morning! A miracle has happened! The light of understanding has shone upon my little pupil’s mind, and behold, all things are changed!
Anne Sullivan

No; we have been as usual asking the wrong question. It does not matter a hoot what the mockingbird on the chimney is singing. The real and proper question is: Why is it beautiful?
Bertrand Russell

Nothing I have done professionally will top the feeling I got when singing with John Farnham at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
Olivia Newton-John

Singing is the love of my life, but I was ready to give it all up because I couldn’t handle people talking about how fat I was.
Stevie Nicks

Stevie Nicks

Read more: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/singing_2.html#ixzz1nmobtYjx

We love it when a reader of our blog makes a suggestion. It feels great to share our positive news and yours too! Here’s a good example:

I love your site, and because what we are creating is extremely positive I want to share it with you.

(Watch our heartwarming One World, One Heart Beating video - created by 9-year-old Kasper here http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kY9HieCkT9c - and light up your day!)

One part “Playing for Change”, one part “We are the World”, One World, One Heart Beating is a global anthem for peace and understanding sung and played entirely by children from around the world.

It is also an interactive website where educators can find great tools for teaching tolerance, and kids (and grown-ups too!) can explore and share ways of fostering joy, compassion and unity.

Since the project’s Valentine’s Day launch, praise and invitations have been flooding in from teachers, kids, diplomats, film festivals, African based NGOs, the press and even Carnegie Hall!

For the full story please visit  http://oneworldoneheartbeating.com/.

Given that this project is a fundraiser for War Child, whose acclaimed programs assist some of the most vulnerable kids on the globe, any suggestions you have, or anything you might be able to do to help spread the word about our project would be most appreciated!

Warmly,
Oona

Uber Composter

If you’re even somewhat ecologically conscious, you’ve probably heard of composting, the process by which we compile and compost food and other organic products into a usable resource. When you dump food out in the trash, it does nothing in landfills. Sure, it breaks down but the end-product is very little use to anything or anyone.

Now some schools and colleges are using these incredible composters (seen above) that help the environment and teach students about the food cycle:

Sending food waste to landfill is unnecessary, unsustainable and costly. Discussing the problem in an Exmoor pub one night were Richard Gedge – an ex-stockbroker who now runs an award-winning farm for its green credentials – and Dan Welburn, a former formula one engineer. Together, after experimenting with prototypes, they created the Ridan composter.

Capable of composting up to 400 litres of food waste a week, they have helped divert over 1,000 tonnes from landfill in two years, according to the company. They are proving popular with hotels, National Trust sites, prisons and even climbing centres.

Perhaps most importantly, colleges and schools are using them, not only to save money on disposal costs, but to help raise environmental awareness about the food cycle – helping young people to learn to appreciate food and think about prioritising locally sourced food. Food miles are usually considered with the distance from where it is produced to where it is consumed. But perhaps less often does anyone factor in the distance that wasted food travels to be disposed.

The ‘in-vessel’ composter is simple to use say its manufacturers, and it is suitable for all food waste, including cooked and raw, meat and dairy. The Ridan composting process requires no electricity and is carbon negative. Its design led to it being a finalist in the Devon Environmental Business Initiative (DEBI) awards in its first year. It was recognised not only for its sustainable practice in dealing with food waste, but also for savings in emissions. The process saves in combustion emissions through eliminating transportation, as well as reducing the methane from decomposing matter, which occurs in landfill.

“We are proud of what we have achieved so far and are now expanding rapidly. One day it will be standard practice for every catering facility to compost on-site,” says Dan Welburn. And his best moment since their system was launched? “Watching ‘I’ve got a brand new Ridan Composter’ sung by children at an assembly to the tune of Wurzels.”

Source: Positive News

If you’ve visited our site before, you know we’re huge proponents of the simple walk. A walk can break a bad mood in half. A walk can stimulate creativity. A walk is good, old fashioned exercise. A walk connects you with the outdoor world. Here’s what others have to say about something you should do today:

If you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking.  Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk.  ~Raymond Inmon

A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world.  ~Paul Dudley White

I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.  ~John Muir, 1913, in L.M. Wolfe, ed., John Muir, John of the Mountains: The Unpublished Journals of John Muir, 1938

Me thinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow.  ~Henry David Thoreau

Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time.  ~Steven Wright

I have two doctors, my left leg and my right.  ~G.M. Trevelyan

My father considered a walk among the mountains as the equivalent of churchgoing.  ~Aldous Huxley

When you have worn out your shoes, the strength of the shoe leather has passed into the fiber of your body.  I measure your health by the number of shoes and hats and clothes you have worn out.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Perhaps the truth depends on a walk around the lake.  ~Wallace Stevens

After a day’s walk everything has twice its usual value.  ~George Macauley Trevelyan

I dream of hiking into my old age.  ~Marlyn Doan

No city should be too large for a man to walk out of in a morning.  ~Cyril Connolly

Solvitur ambulando, St. Jerome was fond of saying.  To solve a problem, walk around.  ~Gregory McNamee

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.  Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.  The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.  ~John Muir

Thoughts come clearly while one walks.  ~Thomas Mann

In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.  ~John Muir

Above all, do not lose your desire to walk.  Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness.  I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it.  ~Soren Kierkegaard

Walks.  The body advances, while the mind flutters around it like a bird.  ~Jules Renard

Author walking on beach in New Jersey.

Happy New Year, all! Both Nisandeh and I (Beth Mann) want to offer you, our reader, a hearty thanks for the success of this site. It truly has been a positive experience and continues to expand our idea of positivity with every post.

This is a recent post of mine, about the only New Year resolution that ever worked. I hope the sentiment spreads!

To Touch You More

_{My good friend Peter and I}

My New Year’s resolution made over a decade ago was to touch people more. To break that social wall that keeps our hands and bodies a safe distance from one other. To connect more physically.

I’m speaking of the non-sexual variety of contact. We all know when someone is touching us with sexual undertones. That may or may not be welcome. I wanted to offer the kind of touch that wouldn’t be misconstrued.

This was not easy at first. Not because people weren’t receptive; they were. People generally love touch. They bask in it. They appreciate it on a cellular level.

It was a challenge because I wasn’t sure how to do it. My German family is not the touchy-feely sort. Stiff, awkward hugs. Overly firm pats on the back. Touching others freely hadn’t been habituated into me, so it took some training.

But soon, my hands and body reached out to anyone in my world, whether it was via handholding or a quick massage or a touch on the cheek or a full-body hug or a head on a shoulder. Or I’d simply stand closer to people, trying not to invade, but simply enter, their space. I even began kissing some of my closest friends on the lips, which is incredibly sweet and rewarding.

How did people react? Shoulders would drop, breathing would deepen, gentle smiles would appear - people relaxed almost instantly. We so desperately crave human contact, but often aren’t even aware how hungry we are for it. And giving touch is akin to receiving it. I feel touched as well. Cosmic win/win.

Last month, while taking a bus from the Jersey shore to New York City, an older, fragile Indian man sitting across the aisle from me suddenly handed me his cellphone. I accepted it, confused and slightly nervous.

“Um…hello?”

“Hello, my uncle may be having a heart attack. He needs help. He doesn’t speak any English.”

I looked over at the older gentleman and he was grasping his chest and moaning. I went to the bus driver and explained what was happening. As I returned to my seat, the man had fallen to the floor, in the aisle.

The bus pulled over. Emergency help was contacted. Several passengers made suggestions but few had any medical training, myself included. So I resorted to my New Year’s resolution. I placed both of my hands gently on his face and began whispering in his ear, “Calm down. Calm down. Calm down.”

I then unbuttoned his shirt and placed my hands on his chest. He was very agitated and his heartbeat was frighteningly rapid, so it took some time, but finally his breathing resumed to somewhat normal. At one point, he opened his eyes to look at me and they were filled with gratitude. No clumsy words needed.

When the police finally arrived, they instructed everyone off of the bus. (Another was waiting to take us to our destination.) I was afraid if my hands left his body, he would become unwell again. The cop didn’t really want to hear my spiritual take on the situation, so I got up to leave.

Almost immediately, the man’s breathing became erratic and his eyes glazed over and looked filmy. I left the bus feeling a sense of peace regardless. Strangely, I could feel his essence on me for quite some time, like an energetic imprint of some sort.

Fortunately, the man was fine. (His relatives left me a lovely message the next day.) But it was then I realized that touching was something beyond “feel good.” We live for it. I live for it.

So that is my first (and only) working New Year’s resolution - one that would change my life on a level beyond words.