A 42-year old suffering from leukemia apparently has no HIV in his bloodstream and a recent stem cell transplant. The transplant was from a donor who carries a gene mutation that naturally resists the virus that causes AIDS, according to a recent report published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Sometimes it’s comforting to know that people have been experiencing the same feelings since time began. When we’re having a bad day, we tend to feel all alone, like nobody else could possibly understand what we’re going through.
Quotes are a simple way to realize that Shakespeare may have felt just the way you do. Or Mae West. Or Oscar Wilde. Or Dorothy Parker. Or Dr. Seuss. Sometimes simple, well-put words are just enough to nudge you from a stuck place.
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Today’s quote by Dr. Seuss:
- I like nonsense. It wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, It’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do. And that enables you to laugh at life’s realities.
Some think of Valentine’s Day as just another Hallmark holiday, geared to make us feel the need to buy, buy, buy. Others are dreamily in love with that special someone and can’t wait to see what he or she has in store for the big day. And then there’s the last group: the ones who don’t know what the heck to do on this pressure-filled day!
Valentine’s Day actually has a rich history (that doesn’t involve Hallmark) that you can read about here. And while we’ve come a long way since the days of St. Valentine, we can still have mixed feelings about a day dedicated to L-O-V-E.
What if you don’t have a significant other? What if you’re in the process of a break-up or a divorce? What if you’re with someone but you haven’t been so happy as of late? All these what ifs can lead to a lot of confusion.
Perhaps many of our concerns are based on the fact that we just don’t feel complete without a romantic counterpart. We are so used to believing that we’re supposed to be connected with someone, that if we’re not, we feel like a failure…or just plain left out.
Sadly, its a myth that we are repeatedly taught. We ARE whole without another. Sure, we can feel lonely but we can feel love. And truthfully, take a good look around you: you do have love in your life, undoubtedly. If you don’t, or more likely feel like you don’t, then start with a healthy dose of self-love.
Self-love can seem like an illusive concept but it needn’t be. Just imagine this: if you had a special someone in your life, how would you like him or her to treat you? Try, just try, to treat yourself that way for the day. Believe it or not, it has a ripple effect. Love always, always, always starts with you. It’s not bestowed upon you, its within you. Every day of the year.
Once free from the icy pond, the horse slowly stood up.
One of the rescue team members said horses will sometimes exhaust themselves trying to get out, but Pencil remained calm.
“Pencil did real good,” his owner said.
Pencil was placed in a the warm sun and wrapped with blankets, where he’s waiting on an evaluation from a vet. But the prognosis looks good, positive news for this majestic animal.
Watch horse rescue video:
Most of us pay very little mind to the way we speak. We don’t realize that it influences the way people hear our message and interpret our intention. Conversely, we may notice how others speak to us. If someone talks to us in a strident, high-pitched manner, for instance, it may make us nervous. If someone speaks too monotonously, we may “zone out” and not really care about the message they are sending.
A kind, warm and inviting voice helps others around you relax and want to communicate with you. Take a moment today to notice your speaking voice. Can you make some improvements to it? Do you speak clearly and succinctly? Is the back of your throat open when you speak (which creates a richer sound) or is it closed off, constricted?
Your voice is a very direct extension of yourself. When you speak well, you create a positive energy around you. It’s the vocal ripple effect! Today, make some positive changes to the way you speak. You’ll notice it makes others around you feel better as well as giving you more poise and self-confidence.
With a population nearing 3 million, Guayaquil in Southern Equador is home to more than 200 gangs and 60,000 gang youth. But the streets are a little quieter these days and considerably more safer, due to the divine workings of Nelsa Curbelo, a 66-year-old former nun and teacher and a true social reformer.
Unafraid to examine the inner workings of gangs in her neighborhood, for years she spent enmeshed with the gangs, asking questions, trying to understand. And instead of dismissing the kids she was meeting as delinquents, she took the time to find out about the positive aspects of gangs: togetherness, teamwork, camaraderie
“By far the most terrible thing I learned,” says Curbelo, “is that assaulting, harming or killing others is a way to say, ‘I am here. What needs to be enhanced is the power to build life, So Ser Paz [her organization based on peace] offers the local youth a way to “feel present without committing a crime.”
As the crime rate drops in Guayaquil drops substantially because of Curbelo and Ser Paz’s social efforts, she has this to say:
“Love is the greatest power in the universe. Love is more powerful than violence, more powerful than the atomic bomb. Love has the power to transform lives, to change cities and the whole world. Only love has this deep creative power. I am absolutely sure of it.”
After reading reviews about Bruce Springsteen’s performance during last week’s Super Bowl, one can only be impressed. Regardless of what you think about his music, his physicality and presence is still amazingly strong and vibrant. He’s close to 60 years old.
Conversely, there are many of us who at 35 or 40, start talking like this:
“Well, I’m not a kid anymore.”
“I can’t do (fill in the blank) like I used to.”
“My age is really starting to show.”
Now, the point here is not to dismiss the fact that we’re getting older. All of us are! But your attitude surrounding it can make the difference between vibrancy or shoulder slumping defeat.
How much do you excuse because of your age? Perhaps that “aching back” is based on chronic inactivity, not the fact that your 45.
Give up your ideas about age and move toward health. There are tons of examples of people whose creativity, activity, life direction and attitude give them a sense of constant youth, vibrancy and strength.
The current record holder for the youngest non-stop “circumnavigator” is 18 year-old Aussie, Jesse Martin set in October of 1999. But he may be ousted by new up and comer, 16 year-old Michael Perham for Hertfordshire, England.
He will be alone at sea for approximately four months with little to no communication with anyone, except an occasional talk through satellite link-up with his family. Is he concerned?
“I’m a little bit nervous but otherwise really, really excited” says Michael. “It’s just the feeling of being completely in control, relaxed and at one with nature. It’s just fantastic. But you don’t look forward to the fact you are alone for about four months.”
Imagine the strength and courage it takes to undergo such a feat at that young age. I don’t know about you but at 16, I could barely navigate my way through high school!
Age is irrelevant in most pursuits in life. We give it too much power. We allow it to defeat us. How is age or your ideas about age holding you back in life? Remember young men like Michael who are true pioneers. Its just in their blood, regardless of their birthday.
St. Kilda is a remote island off the coast of Scotland. It is also the place that wayward puffins often get lost, heading inland (because of the lights on the island) instead of out to sea.
Well, the National Trust of Scotland has come up with a unique way to help the lost little birds and its pretty simple: cotton rescue bags that any of the citizens can make to help capture the bird in a healthy, non-stressful way. The birds are then released back in the water and guided in the right direction
“St Kilda’s seabirds are so important, so we do everything we can to protect their populations,” says property manager Susan Bain.
What are puffins? Well, they spend most of their life at sea and are great swimmers. They use their wings to fly underwater, similar to penguins. They are sometimes called “Tammie Norries” by people on the islands of Scotland.
For details on the specifics of these cotton bags and how you can make them, contact Susan Bain at the National Trust for Scotland via this form.