Some days finding one good thing can be hard. You can do it! When you do, your day will go so much better. At least mine always do. Try starting your day with a grateful heart and let me know if the day goes better.
As always, my memes are my gift to you. Use them wherever you want.
Gratitude is contagious. We get it by practicing every day.
We can spread the cycle of generosity and kindness when we repay a good deed to others instead of the original benefactor.
If you’ve read the book Pay It Forward, or even if you haven’t, you’ll probably recognize the expression. The book’s about a young boy who did three good deeds for others in need. All he wanted in return was that the recipients pass on the good deed to three other people and keep the cycle going.
The idea spread and gained movement. Now, April 28 is recognized as international Pay It Forward Day
But, you know what, we don’t have to limit sharing good deeds (or practicing gratitude) to one day. One good deed every day might not seem like much, but if we practiced paying it forward, the difference in attitude, others, and ours could be phenomenal.
As Gandhi has said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”
Need some ideas on how to pay it forward? Here are ten:
What would you add to the list?
A Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara
Last week, actually on Halloween night, we heard a ruckus in the chicken yard. I had just closed them up and it was raining so I was not happy about whatever was causing the commotion. I headed out to find one group of chickens had escaped their coop and were frantically calling at the front of the chicken yard.
My protective instinct kicked in and I hastened back to see what had frightened them.
Nothing was in their coop however I saw movement between the fences. A possum had grabbed the hen that had been living between the fences and was dragging it off. I chased the possum off and began to gather our hens back into their coop.
Rachel heard the racket and came to offer support. I showed her the hen which I assumed was dead. She thought it best to remove the body so the possum did not return to finish the meal.
When I reached through the chain link fence to grab the hen’s leg, it gave a feeble squawk.
Now, according to animal science major Rachel, there was no choice but to retrieve the hen and assess its injuries.
After rinsing it in the bathtub, Rachel was able to bandage the wounds and fix it a nice dry place in a laundry basket in the bathroom. At least it would die in comfort.
The hen survived the night so Rachel named her “Lucky.” We tube fed her and Rachel bought some special antifungal, antibacterial medicine called “Blue Kote” to put on her. After a couple days in intensive care, Lucky was moved out to an isolation run in the chicken yard.
She wasn’t mobile so each night I would lock her in the coop and each morning I would gently move her out near food and water. I would put her near the water and make sure she drank. I watched her eat.
I was hopeful.
However, after three days, despite the best efforts of animal science major Rachel and Chicken Wrangler Sara, Lucky succumbed to her injuries. Perhaps she was not so lucky after all.
Cicero says gratitude is the parent of all virtues. So what is gratitude?
Gratitude is an emotion expressing appreciation for what we have. It’s being thankful and grateful. Gratitude encourages us not only to appreciate gifts but to repay them or pay them forward.
Studies show that when we deliberately cultivate gratitude, we can increase our well-being and happiness. Being grateful—and especially the expression of it to others—increases energy, optimism, and empathy.
So what are you thankful for today?
With so many dictionary resources readily available on-line, it’s easy to believe a hard copy isn’t necessary anymore. It’s my firm belief every home should have at least one realio-trulio paper dictionary readily available.
My love of dictionaries began as a child when I’d spend hours poring through the pages of my grandmother’s eight inches thick Webster’s New International Dictionary (of the English Language).
The ancient leather bound book with its India skin paper had leather alphabet tabs cut in the pages. The illustrations were detailed and the maps gorgeous. There were diagrams, charts, and thousands of words.
It was a fertile resource for a blossoming logophile or, as I prefer to call myself – wordsmith.
I love print dictionaries because all sorts of wonderful magical stuff can happen when you read a dictionary.
You discover a word’s origin and its root. Both can give deeper understanding of the word’s meaning. The lists of synonyms and antonyms given with the meaning provide possibilities for rewriting or a totally new idea.
True, you can get all that in a nano second on-line. But do you scroll down to discover all that? Probably not.
Even if you do, you miss all those other words your finger glides over as it scrolls down the printed page. Words that you might never have seen.
You’d miss things like how “patina” comes after “patient” in the dictionary. When you consider patient describes how to endure time, and patina describes time’s residue, that’s thought-provoking. An on-line dictionary won’t help you discover unique things like that.
Spelling can be a problem no matter what type of dictionary you use. I’m a terrible speller who stumps spell checker 90% of the time. That’s why I have 20,000 WORDS by Louis A. Leslie, a word list of commonly misspelled words. Side-by-side with my dictionary, this little jewel gets me through my writing day.
I love one other dictionary: The King’s English Dictionary. My British antiques business partner gave me a copy when his British accent and my Texas drawl tended to muddle discussions. Further complicating our chats about what to purchase for the shop, the English and American definitions frequently didn’t match. The King’s English Dictionary saved us many times over.
While you may never love dictionaries as I do, I still recommend you have a gigantic paper dictionary handy. You never know what you might learn.
A Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara
I’ve always wanted to be a chicken for Halloween. Well, probably not always -just since we started raising chickens. In any case, I planned it all out this year.
I would get a red rubber glove to wear on my head and some yellow socks for my feet. The wings were a bit of a challenge. I asked the art teacher at school (who happened to have two sets of angel’s wings) if I could borrow a set she wasn’t using. They were perfect!
Rachel loves to crochet and can make just about anything. I asked her if she could make me a chicken hat. She did one better. She made a chicken balaclava and taught me a new word in the process.
A balaclava is, according to Dictionary.com, “a close-fitting, knitted cap that covers the head, neck and tops of the shoulders, worn especially by mountain climbers, soldiers, skiers, etc.” (And sometimes by crazy chicken ladies). Rachel figured the balaclava would allow for a waddle and a comb.
The final effect was quite entertaining for my students.
This winter I can alternate between my hippopotamus hat and my chicken balaclava. If it ever gets cold, that is.
Halloween’s origin dates to The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in Ireland, United Kingdom, and France.
Celts believed the boundary between worlds of the living and the dead became blurred the night before their New Year, which is November 1st.
On October 31st they celebrated the festival of Samhain, lit bonfires, and wore costumes to ward off roaming ghosts.
In the eighth century Pope Gregory III designated November 1st as a time to honor all saints and martyrs and incorporated some Samhain traditions.
October 31st became All Hallows’ Eve and eventually Halloween, the secular, community-based events filled with craved pumpkins and trick-or-treat, that we celebrate today.
But why crave pumpkins?
An Irish myth about an old drunk called “Stingy Jack” is said to be the reason.
Can you guess why he was called stingy? Of course, because he never wanted to pay for his drinks.
Read the full story here or watch to the fun, spooky video below:
The Irish used turnips, rutabagas, gourds, potatoes and beets for their lights to keep Stingy Jack away and ward off evil spirits on All Hallow’s Eve. Pumpkins became the jack-o-lanterns when waves of Irish immigrants came to America to escape the Potato Famine. They quickly discovered that pumpkins were bigger and easier to carve out.
Oh, and one more tidbit of information about jack-o-lanterns. This advice comes from the antique dealer me, not the Irish storyteller. Be careful where you display your cleverly carved jack-o-lanterns. 
The base of a pumpkin can stay moist for days and will rot and stain wood or even marble. Put either foil or a dish with a raised edge under any pumpkins or gourds you display this fall. I’ve stained more than one old piece of furniture decorating for fall with gourds and tiny pumpkins.
A Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara
We had a respiratory illness go through our flock this summer. Several of our chickens succumbed including one of my favorites – Millie, the D’Uccle.
I was very sad. It happened the same week the snails ate my marigolds. It was a bad week.
I’m getting over my losses with the help of the other remaining D’Uccle.
I’ve named her Lily.
She follows me around in the morning when I feed the chickens. It is very sweet. She makes me smile. :)
I agree with Douglas Coupland. Writers are word painters. Words are our supplies.
As the artist uses his brush to bring color to the canvas, our words and word choices bring pictures to the reader’s mind.
Authors want readers. Readers want to connect authors. FB, Twitter, Pinterest, blogs, and other social media platforms can help.
Trouble is using social media can also take time away from writing.
But it doesn’t have to be. By spending a little time on social media consistently, we can make those important connections.
Try these tips to help.
CAVEAT here: Scheduling can sometimes backfire. In our crazy world today, a post, tweet, or blog might appear inappropriate on a scheduled day if something like Las Vegas or a weather event happens. Be sure to monitor what you schedule.
-a hobby or passion you have
-pet pictures or anecdotes
-favorite recipes
-a link to an Amazon review you’ve written for another author
-what you’re reading or what’s on your TBR pile
-participate in day-of-week-hashtags like TBT (Throwback Thursday)
-seasonal pictures or pictures of places you’ve traveled
-vacation photos when you return Another CAVEAT here: I’d never invite burglars by announcing departure dates
It is important to share, but it’s equally important to avoid some topics such as
Negative or derogatory posts. It’s always better to be nice and positive
Political rants (unless you are a political writer or part of an activist group building a following)
Religious attacks
Eeyore-type poor-pitiful-me comments
I’ve only skimmed the tip of the iceberg on using social media. There are a gazillion other ideas. I invite you to share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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