Make Me Think Monday Archives - Page 15 of 36

24 06, 2019

Summer Solstice Fun & Facts

By judythemorgan|2019-06-24T06:16:11-05:00June 24th, 2019|Holidays, Make Me Think Monday|1 Comment

Summer officially arrived June 21. Short nights, long days begin.

Kinda of hard to wrap my head around the idea that the Summer Solstice marked the beginning of summer. Around here we’ve been experiencing heat indexes in triple digits for weeks. Where we lived in Colorado, twenty-four inches of snow fell over the weekend.

Me thinks Mother Nature didn’t get the memo.

Still summer solstice has been around since the world begin. Ancient cultures recognized the sun’s path across the sky, the changes in the length of daylight, and the location of the sunrise and sunset.

Stonehenge stands as a testament to their knowledge.

Stones are arranged so that the summer solstice sun rises directly above the heel stone. Access inside the stones is granted every year on the two solstice days-winter and summer.

Winter is considered more important than its summer counterpart because Druids believe it marks the ‘re-birth’ of the sun.

Those ancient cultures weren’t wrong in acknowledging the hours of daylight. Scientists have long suspected a link between the level of happiness and the amount of sunlight in the day.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a syndrome characterized by recurrent depressions related to the amount of light at the same time each year. What studies by psychologists have discovered about SAD is it’s not the absolute amount of daylight but the relative change in that daylight.

In other words, the issue is whether a day is longer or shorter than the day that came before?

When daylight hours increase as the summer solstice approaches people expressed significantly higher positive affect than they did when the days move toward the winter solstice.

Therefore, the summer solstice produces a happiness up-slope for half the year whereas the winter solstice does the opposite.

Next year maybe I’ll try this ancient tradition I uncovered while researching the Summer Solstice:

Place a piece of gold jewelry in the sunlight on the Summer Solstice and let it soak in the sun’s power. When you wear the jewelry later, that power will transfer to your own life in the coming year.

Maybe. Seems to me, the heat might be too much on the skin. At least in Texas.

3 06, 2019

My Zinnias Are Blooming

By judythemorgan|2019-06-01T07:48:40-05:00June 3rd, 2019|A Writer's Life, Make Me Think Monday|2 Comments

I love the bright, daisy-like flower heads of Zinnias. They’re easy to grow, bloom profusely, and provide a great splash of color in a pot or flowerbed.

A primarily warm weather flower, I missed seeing them when we lived in the mountains. The blooms are fun to cut and bring inside to my kitchen table vase. The flowers also attract butterflies.

This year I decided to plant seeds in the large clay pot by our backyard pond and discovered lots of stuff I didn’t know about the flowers I enjoy as I read the seed packets.

Zinnias grow in a variety of shapes – beehive, button, and cactus, and have distinct kind of blooms – single, double, and semi-double. I selected two different seed kinds and planted in the big pot.

Within a week, I had little green seedlings poking through the potting soil. All the rain slowed the blooming process, but once we finally had some sunny days, buds formed then my Zinnias bloomed with a burst of color.

Both seed packets went into the same pot so I’m having fun deciding which blooms are what. What do you think-beehive, button, or cactus?

I can’t decide.

The plant is an annual, so the plants will die off in January or February. I’m thinking next year I’ll plant single varieties in multiple pots.

27 05, 2019

Memorial Day – Pause to Remember

By judythemorgan|2019-05-24T11:22:09-05:00May 27th, 2019|Holidays, Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

Today we stand in awe of those who knew the risks, who accepted the odds, and who marched onward anyway. Those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

6 05, 2019

Busy, Busy Month of May

By judythemorgan|2019-05-02T21:40:39-05:00May 6th, 2019|Holidays, Make Me Think Monday|2 Comments

May signals the beginning of summer. Senior proms and pomp and circumstance graduation celebrations fill the days. End of school parties occupy weekends even before that last bell rings.

The month is also full of military observances. Four to be exact.

May 8 is V-E Day (Victory in Europe)

On this day in 1945 the World War II Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich.

A copy of The New York Times published May 8, 1945, bearing Kennedy’s scoop (AP/Rick Bowmer)

A side note about the day:

The news came to the U.S. via Edward Kennedy— not the late Democratic senator from Massachusetts but a man by the same name who was the chief correspondent in Europe for the AP in 1945 and had watched the signing in person.

Unfortunately, Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Dwight Eisenhower had imposed a news blackout on the surrender, under orders from President Truman. Kennedy defied the order and sent the news out anyway.

His defiance backfired instead of the greatest scoop of his career, it was the scoop from. Allied headquarters stripped away his press credentials, denounced him personally for breaking the rules, and expelled him from liberated France to New York, where the AP promptly fired him. In 2012, he finally won a posthumous apology.

Newsbreak or unethical double cross? That is the question even among news reporters today. In our day of Twitter and Instagram, it’s hard to believe Kennedy was the only reporter in 1945 willing to break the news blackout.

Armed Forces Day on May 19.

The day set aside to show appreciation to all active duty service members. Not to be confused with Veterans Day (November 11) or Memorial Day (May 27 this year). Both of those days commemorate the men and women who died while in the military service.

May 22 is National Maritime Day.

The day set aside to observe the U.S.’s proud maritime heritage and honor the men and women who serve and have served as merchant mariners.

May 27 is Memorial Day.

Originally called Decoration Day, many wear red poppies on Memorial Day which symbolize the red poppies that grew on a battlefield in Belgium during World War I and immortalized by Canadian Lt. Colonel John McCrae’s poem, In Flanders Fields.

Moina Michaels, an American professor, wrote her own poem in 1918.She was also the first to wear a poppy, and sold poppies to her friends and co-workers with the money benefiting servicemen in need. Four years later, the VFW became the first veterans’ organization to sell poppies nationally.

A little side note about this day:

A Memorial Day picnic and poppies play a prominent role in the love story of Green Beret Alex Cabot and Department of Army Civilian Lily Reed, The Pendant’s Promise.

Then there are high school graduations, college graduations, birthday parties, and Mothers’ Day.

Last important day in May, though not nationally celebrated or recognized, is our wedding anniversary on May 30. Fifty-six years and counting—a rarity these days.

29 04, 2019

Debunking an April Proverb

By judythemorgan|2019-04-09T16:15:46-05:00April 29th, 2019|Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

The familiar proverb “April Showers Bring May Flowers” probably originated from the General Prologue of The Canterbury Tales:

“Whan that Aprill, with his shoures soote The droghte of March hath perced to the roote.”

Another version is traced to the 1557 collection of writings by Thomas Tusser, A Hundred Good Points of Husbandry. He wrote:

“Sweet April showers
Do spring May flowers”

Tusser’s rhyme is a couplet, which fits nicely with our thoughts about poetry in National Poetry Month.

But, if you’re like me, you might wonder if April rains truly bring May flowers.

I checked.

Botany and biology research says there is no connection. Instead, flowers’ first appearance relates more to temperature than to rain.

That being true, perhaps, the couplet should be re-written to read

“Warm temperatures in March bring April flowers.”

Doesn’t have the same poetic ring, does it?

22 04, 2019

Poetry Reading Yeah or Nay?

By judythemorgan|2019-04-09T15:27:39-05:00April 22nd, 2019|Holidays, Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

April is National Poetry Month.

According to Cynthia R. Green, poetry is a good way to keep our brains challenged and vibrant because

Poetry engages our minds. “By its very nature, a good poem asks us to delve a bit deeper to best discern its intention.”
Poetry gets creative juices flowing. “Whether we read or even choose to write verse, poetry forces us to think out of our own box or experience.”
Poems fit anyone’s time constraints because they come in all sizes-long, short, and everything in-between.

A study by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) goes a step further saying that reading or writing poetry can be critical to maintaining our mental acuity and potentially reducing our risk for dementia over our lifetimes.

Now I’d say that gives poetry reading a resounding YEAH.

To help you jump-start your poetry reading, here’s one by Shel Silverstein who wrote children’s poetry.

I often used “Listen to the Mustn’ts” from Where the Sidewalk End in my classroom. I love its message about chucking conventionality and negativity, and embracing the power of imagination and possibility. It’s a lesson for everyone.If you want to keep charging your brain, Poets.org will send a Poem-a-Day via email free of charge. You can register here .

Poem graphic taken from Pinterest.

1 04, 2019

Where did April Fools’ Day Come From?

By judythemorgan|2019-03-31T19:45:45-05:00April 1st, 2019|Holidays, Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

Today is officially April Fools’ Day, the day when pranks and pranksters abound.

Playing jokes and tricking people, celebrated in many different cultures, has been around for centuries, but no one knows its origins for sure.

My favorite theory is April Fool’s Day is of French origin and dates back to 1582 when the Council of Trent required the French to switch from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar.

King Charles IX declared New Year’s Day to be April 1 which meant the traditional Boxing Day gift exchange on the first day of the New Year was moved to the new date in April.

Many honored the new date and presented their family and friends with gifts, mainly fish because April 1 falls within Lent, the 40-day period when meat consumption is forbidden.

Those who embraced the new calendar started to mock the reluctant ones, offering false presents and playing tricks on them. Those who are tricked or fooled are called April Fools or Poisson d’avril (April Fish).

Eventually the real fish tradition evolved into the exchange of fish-shaped cakes then paper fish associated with jokes and hoaxes.

School-aged children in France design paper fish to stick on the back of some unsuspecting person. Much like children in the US kick me signs.

April Fools’ Day is a popular, widespread day but not an official public holiday in any of the many countries where it’s recognized. No one seems to want to grant formal recognition to a day that allows attaching paper fish or playing pranks on unsuspecting folks.

Wherever April Fools’ Day originated, it’s a perfect day to enjoy some laughter with family, friends, and coworkers. A few smiles and laughs are important for a balanced life, don’t you think?

18 03, 2019

In Search of An Eraser

By judythemorgan|2019-03-11T16:20:03-05:00March 18th, 2019|Make Me Think Monday|1 Comment

I read recently that Edward Nairne was the inventor of the rubber eraser. Before Nairne accidentally picked up a piece of rubber, bread was an eraser.

Two facts I did not know.

The bread as eraser sent all kinds of scenarios in my head. Made me want to write a Regency novel and use the interesting fact in a story.

It also peeked my curiosity about how we’ve corrected writing mistakes in the past.

I have an 1840s porcelain inkwell that contains a sand shaker. So, at some point in history sand corrected mistakes in writing.

Most often I suspect wadding up the page and starting over was the most common means.

I know, before word processors, I used a ton of paper starting over to get a perfect copy, especially when I wrote with a fountain pen.

I’ve used dry marker erasers for white board writing or a handy Kleenex. I’ve even used fingernail polish when I accidentally used a permanent marker instead of the washable pen.

Back when the typewriter was our professional option, I used correction tape and write out. That was a giant pain lining up the tape and blotting only the incorrect word and not smudging the wrong one.

In drafting, I kept a Pink Pearl nearby along with the shape shields. With those old Leroy Lettering tools, there was no hope of correcting mistakes. You had to start over. Indian ink is very unforgiving.

I used art gum erasers in art classes. I still keep Pink Pearl and art gum erasers handy. Using oils or acrylics, I washed over the canvas with a neutral shade and started again whenever I was unhappy with the results.

Nowadays, I mostly use the delete key or backspace for correcting mistakes. So easy. So fast. So neat and clean.

Sometimes I love technology.

11 03, 2019

St. Patrick – Did You Know?

By judythemorgan|2019-03-11T07:28:17-05:00March 11th, 2019|Holidays, Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

SOURCE: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/deed.en

We celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with parades, dancing, special foods, and a whole lot of green whether you have an Irish heritage or not.

In Ireland the day was a mostly religious celebration. In fact, until the 1970s pubs were closed on March 17. “You just donned your homemade St Patrick’s Day badge or pinned a fistful of muddy shamrock to your lapel and went out to Mass to sing Hail Glorious St Patrick.”

Do you know these other facts about the patron saint of Ireland?

He was not Irish, but British.

He was born in Roman Britain in the fourth century. Kidnapped by Irish raiders as a teen, they took him to Ireland to work as a shepherd. He escaped and returned to Britain. He spent the next 15 or so years in a monastery, preparing for his missionary work. Pope Celestine I consecrated St. Patrick as Bishop of the Irish around 431.

He was never a saint canonized by the Roman Catholic church

During the Church’s first millennium, most saints received their title if they were martyrs or counted to be extraordinarily holy. St. Patrick was the latter. He converted many from paganism and became known as the Apostle of Ireland and made the patron saint of the isle.

His familiarity with the Irish language and culture made the Irish receptive to his teachings because he took familiar Celtic symbols and Christianized them. That led to many legends attributed to St. Patrick.

Celtic cross -St. Patrick combined the Irish pagan symbol of the sun with the Christian cross creating the Celtic cross, the icon of Ireland and Irish faith.

Shamrock -He explained the trinity to the Irish pagans with the three leaves of the shamrock. Though there’s no proof he ever did this, the shamrock metaphor remains strong in Irish Christianity.

Snakes – Allegedly when snakes attacked him during a 40-day fast, he chased them to the sea. Ireland doesn’t have snakes so this is total legend. More likely, he used snakes as a metaphor for the evil Druids and pagans.

Lent Fasting – He’s said to have climbed Croagh Patrick, County Mayo and fasted at the summit for the forty days of Lent. True or not, thousands of pilgrims make the trek to the top of Croagh Patrick yearly. I’ve been to Croagh Patrick, but, not to the summit.

Beannachtí na Feile Pádraig

Happy St Patricks Day

25 02, 2019

What’s a Happiness Habit?

By judythemorgan|2019-02-20T07:31:59-06:00February 25th, 2019|Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

I recently read a blog about happiness and habits. The blog’s conclusion: happiness is an automatic response based on habits you establish.

That got me thinking. What makes people happy?

This 1970s embroidery sampler that hangs in my hallway offers some ideas.

Thanks to University of California professor Sonja Lyubomirsky there’s a list of things happy people have in common.

1. They devote a great amount of time to their family and friends, nurturing and enjoying those relationships.
2. They are comfortable expressing gratitude for all they have.
3. They are often the first to offer helping hands to coworkers and passersby.
4. They practice optimism when imagining their futures.
5. They savor life’s pleasures and try to live in the present moment.
6. They make physical exercise a weekly and even daily habit.
7. They are deeply committed to lifelong goals and ambitions.
8. The happiest people do have stresses, crises, and even tragedies. Their secret weapon is the poise and strength they show in coping in the face of challenge.

Then I wondered can the things on her list become habits.

In a 2014 TIME article, Eric Barker suggests we schedule most of our life – doctor appointments, hair appointments, Sundays for church. Why not schedule happiness?

Specifically, he proposes we should make happy things part of our routine, part of our schedule and our lives.

I decided to test his theory.

Flowers make me happy. I love when spring blooms burst forth like they are beginning to do in our yard these days.

I decided to establish the habit of keeping a vase of fresh flowers on our kitchen table.

After two months, buying a flower bouquet when I did grocery shopping was habit. My vintage celery server on the kitchen table was always filled with flowers.

And, you know what, making those flowers part of my shopping routine was quite easy.

Now when I come through the backdoor and spot perky blooms or sit down for a meal with cheery flowers, I’m happy. I smile.

Developing a happiness habit worked for me, but then I think Ben Franklin already knew it would.

Franklin proposed the same idea long before Eric Barker wrote his article when he said, “In the beginning, man makes the habit. In the end, habits make the man.”

What makes you happy? Can it become a happiness habit for you?

You can read more of Barker’s article for ideas on happiness habits here.