Category Archives: Happiness

Do happy things. Hang around with happy people. Focus on what is good and worthwhile in your life. Here are some tips, places, and things that make Aunty happy.

Tired of Teeth

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Aunty loves to visit Jalna’s photo blog site because it is such a delightful slice of Hawaii local-ness with great photos and links to her photographer friends’ sites.

I know Jalna, kinda, through our mutual pal Fay, so I post comments from time to time.  Like the last time when she had the very funny clip of the Three Stooges on stage doing “NIAGARA FALLS!!!……Sloooowly I turn………Step by Step…….Inch by Inch….” and Aunty had to laugh because I also cannot hear anyone mentioning Niagara Falls and not do the head swivel, stomp, and “NIAGARA FALLS!!!!”…….  Those knuckleheads used to keep me in stitches when I was a young kid, and they still do when I get treated to a clip from the past.  (click on video above to enjoy!)

Recently, Jalna wailed about her ingrown toenail and the very nice and gentle doctor that she went to see.  I could relate, because I was undergoing a root canal, followed up with a new crown and long sits in the dental chair with a mouth full of numbing shots, gizmos, drilling, and suction.  It seemed like it would never end.  For days after, there was a pervading sense of pain from the wounded gums, and Aunty was flat out tired of teeth.  Tired of flossing, tired of brushing, even tired of chewing.

Aunty’s teeth are finally returning to normal.  That means nothing is going wrong with them, so I just take them for granted.

Isn’t it weird, the way our thoughts are wired?  Our attention is focused on the junk stuff and the wonderful everyday miracles are taken for granted.  Why is that?  Please comment below if you have the answer, or better yet, a solution.

Meanwhile, here’s something I found from Kevin Elliott:

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What do you think? Have something else? Please share!

The Dalai Lama

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2013-04-02_16-11-32The Dalai Lama is one of three people Aunty would pick if stranded on an island.  He recently came to speak at the inaugural Pillars of Peace symposium in Honolulu on April 15, 2012.

Aunty delayed purchasing tickets, and they were soon sold out.  Very sad, Aunty was almost resigned to not being able to go, and then good friend Ellie called out of the blue and asked, “Sistah, you like go with me to see the Dalai Lama?”  Of course, of course!  Uncle dropped us off before he went fishing that day.

We sat on the right side of the auditorium and had a fine view of the screen which ran subtitles of whatever was spoken.  This helped a lot since hearing every word was important to Aunty.

The entertainment was very good.  Jerry Santos of Olomana, Willie K (awesome awesome), Amy Hanaiali’i, Jeff Paterson, Henry Kapono together with Michael McDonald (sounded great together) and some video entertainment of Lanai school kids singing a song of peace and Jake Shimabukuro playing an original ukulele piece using only 3 strings.

When the Dalai Lama entered onto the stage as Michael McDonald and Henry Kapono’s last song was ending, there was a collective moment of goosebumps and everyone rose to their feet in applause.

He looked delighted, rather old and so very cute.  With hands clasped together, he greeted us and everyone fell silent and was ready to be enlightened.

To tell the truth, Aunty fell asleep a few times while the Dalai Lama spoke at the podium about “Advancing Peace through the Power of Aloha.”  He is not a dynamic speaker that keeps everyone charged in their seats, but rather a speaker that one strains to hear and understand just because of who he is.  He is a leader of peace, love, and understanding and the way he carries himself is with humility and joy.

He had us entranced with his simple stories.  One of them was about President Bush.  He said he really loved Mr Bush, and when he was presented with the Congressional Gold Medal he held hands with then President Bush on one side, and Nancy Pelosi on the other.  President Bush whispered to him about Nancy, “She always makes a problem for me.”  Which made all of us laugh and whoop.  Being a man of peace, he repeated how he really loved Mr Bush, a very nice man, but he didn’t love his policies (of war).

He spoke about the world in disorder and how difficult it is to find peace and to be able to love others that hate you.  His solution to all of this was to be warm hearted to others.

What a beautiful and simple solution.  Truly, if someone is warm hearted to me, I will be warm hearted to them, and vice versa.

During a question and answer period, most of the questions were from people asking the same thing – how do I deal with people who aren’t willing to forgive, or have hatred, or are negative.  His answer to each was very similar – it begins with ones own self.  Forgiveness is not the same as forgetness.  Allowing the person to be who they are is love.

A question about dealing with anger as an indigenous people who had their land taken from them (this is an issue that Hawaiian people and the Tibetan people have in common) made the Dalai Lama reflect on his own situation.  I do not remember his exact answer but in summary it was that one must move on rather than dwell on the past and its wrongs.

When asked if he always smiled, even when he was alone, his answer was an instant and loud, “Yes!”  He expanded on that and said that he also smiles in the bathroom (much laughter).  However, he said, when when he has a hard time in the bathroom, he is not smiling (big laughter from everyone).  He then turned to his well dressed suited translator and asked him if he also had that problem (explosive laughter!)

After a keiki hula performance and some gift giving, the Dalai Lama waved to the left and waved to the right, left the stage and was whisked away in a security car.  We all then slowly moved to the exits, found our transportation, and went home.

We did not see miracles.  We did not participate in a life changing turnabout rah rah kumbaya experience.  Instead, we were enchanted by a charming warm hearted man in maroon robes, maroon foam visor and red socks who truly walked the path of a man of peace and love.

Aunty had a wonderful day, and with each recall of something the Dalai Lama did or said, a smile and the remembrance of his smile lightens my spirit and recharges my joy.

May your days and life be blessed, and if the Dalai Lama ever comes to town again, Aunty is getting her tickets the very first day.

Ommmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Just for Aunties

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2013-04-01_16-20-38As we get older, it shows.  I really like the wisdom part and the being comfortable in my own skin as I age.  Unfortunately, my skin, face, hair and body seem to be running away from what I used to look like faster and faster.  At some point Aunty will just give up, but for now, Aunty will invest time, effort and money to slow the process down.

Here are a few pointers along the way:

Kapiolani Women’s Center often has classes on beauty and health.  Aunty’s favorite is TaiChi.  I have been in the beginners class for about 3 years now.  I am learning this wonderful exercise VERY slowly.  It has given me very good balance.

Currently, Aunty takes 4 supplements for maintenance of good health.  Two are the must takes.  Intestinal Correctional Formula #1 (I know Wanda, too much information) and Protandim.  Super Food and Strontium are taken when and if I remember.  So far, Aunty feels pretty good and healthy which equals a very wonderful life.

Learn something new.  Eat at different places.  Try a new hair style.  Wear pretty earrings.  Wear lipstick.  Simple things like these make you feel better, and look better.

The PACE exercises (see Exercise tab under Health and Wellness) are good for building lung capacity.  It is good to be able to have strong lungs and endurance.

Currently, Aunty uses NeriumAD every night on her face, arms, and neck.  Because it is so easy to use (spread on clean damp skin at night and rinse off in the morning), Aunty never misses a night of applying it.  The results are really good – or maybe people are really nice when they say that I don’t look my age.  My skin looks nice and my lipstick doesn’t “bleed” outside my lip line anymore!

Dress up. Sometimes Aunty over dresses.  We used to enjoy playing dress up when we were little girls.  Now that we are older “girls”, enjoy and dress up!  You will look faahbulous, dahling.

 

Regina Brett’s 45 Life Lessons

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To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.
It is the most requested column I’ve ever written.

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once
more:

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good

2. When in doubt, just take the next small steps

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Change the way you
think.

4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and
family will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.

8. Release your children when they become adults, its their life now.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.

12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their
journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye

16. Take a deep breath It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is
up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no
for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie.
Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22 Just because you believe you are right, doesn’t mean you are. Keep an
open mind.

23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ‘In five years, will
this matter?’

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. Your job is to love your children, not choose who they should love.

35. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d
grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come…

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield…

45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.