Carpe Diem

Happiness Quotes

I’ve been gaga about “happiness” for awhile now! One of my goals this week was to set up a “Carpe Diem Correspondence Corner” to write cards and letters (the old fashioned way!)

I even splurged on an old-fashioned sealing wax kit since I had one of these when I was a kid.

Even then, sealing wax was considered “old-fashioned” but back then (in the 60’s and 70’s), before email or personal computers, the way we communicated was through good ol’ snail mail! We couldn’t even make out-of-state phone calls without being reminded to “keep it short” because of the long-distance charges.

Now we have such a variety of ways to communicate and I love them all, but it’s fun to do things the old fashioned way sometimes, so one of my goals this year is to send more cards and letters through the mail.

I love that Dollar Tree has such a great variety of cards, stationary supplies, and fun, little doo-dads that make me happy. I found the little book, “Do more of what makes you happy” there and it has a bunch of happiness quotes. This is a perfect little gift for a friend who’s always collecting quotes. But before I send it off, I’ll capture the quotes here:

Savor the moments that are warm and special and giggly. ~ Sammy Davis, Jr.
If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun. ~Katharine Hepburn
All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt. ~Charles M. Schulz
Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself. ~George Bernard Shaw
Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep balance, you must keep moving. ~Albert Einstein
Don’t wait for the perfect moment. Take the moment and make it perfect. ~Zoey Sayward
You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough. ~Mae West
Nothing is impossible. The word itself says “I’m Possible!” ~Audrey Hepburn
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. ~Lao Tzu
Be Silly. Be Honest. Be Kind. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Make each day your masterpiece. ~John Wooden
Impossible is just an opinion. ~Paulo Coelho
Start each day with a positive thought and a grateful heart. ~Roy T. Bennett
A #2 pencil and a dream can take you anywhere. ~Joyce Meyer
Always believe something wonderful is about to happen. ~Author Unknown
One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure. ~William Feather
It’s time to start living the life you’ve imagined. ~Henry James
Be the change that you wish to see in the world. ~Mahatma Gandhi
Do more of what makes you happy. ~Author Unknown
Everything you can imagine is real. ~Pablo Picasso
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. ~Joann Wolfgang von Goethe
What you do today can improve all your tomorrows. ~Ralph Marston
In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity. ~Albert Einstein
Live each day as if it’s your last. ~David Nicholls
The best dreams happen when you’re awake. ~Cherie Gilderbloom
Believe you can and you’re half way there. ~Theodore Roosevelt
Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened. ~Dr. Seuss
Happiness is a warm puppy. ~Charles M. Schulz
The best revenge is massive success. ~Fank Sinatra
It’s kind of fun to do the impossible. ~Walt Disney
Be Yourself; Everyone else is already taken. ~Oscar Wilde
The power of imagination makes us infinite. ~John Muir
Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud. ~Maya Angelou
Light tomorrow with today. ~Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Do small things with great love. ~Mother Teresa
Nothing can dim the light which shines from within. ~Maya Angelou
Be BOLD, Be ITALIC, but never regular! ~Author unknown.
I believe that if one always looked at the skies, one would end up with wings. ~Gustave Flaubert
The flower that blooms in adversity is the rarest and most beautiful of all ~Walt Disney Company

I love these! Do you know of others? What would be YOUR happiness quote?

My Staycation in Beautiful Superior, Colorado

One of the unexpected benefits of the stay-at-home policies is that I’m recognizing how much there is to do and see in my pretty home town of Superior, Colorado.

I’ve been playing the Superior Together Challenge scavenger hunt put on by The Town of Superior, and having so much fun!

The first mission was to write what Superior means to me in three words.

Home Sweet Home – I travel a lot but feel so grateful that my home is in Superior, Colorado, sweetly nestled between cultural Denver and scenic Boulder.

One of the missions that I had trouble with was the one in which we were supposed to find a piece of litter found in Superior and dispose of it properly. It was so hard to find any litter in Superior! This town is unbelievably clean!

Yes, litter is hard to come by, but I have been finding little painted rocks with inspirational messages!

Superior, Colorado inspirational painted rocks — Inspirational messages on painted rocks are found instead of litter in Superior, Colorado

My neighborhood is so beautifully landscaped and litter-free that it’s almost surreal. In a time when there are so many people hurting, I recognize how wonderful it is to live in this community. I’m so grateful to all the people who work hard to keep it so safe and beautiful.

The video I made this week for the isolated seniors (as a volunteer for Seniors With Skills) are pictures I’ve taken as I’ve walked on the trails of Superior.

I’ve been much more observant of my surroundings since the Covid-19 crisis and also more aware of what a privileged life I’ve led. I’m so grateful to live in this community that demonstrates kindness and care for one another.

Since I’ve been walking all the Superior Trails, I’ve been creating my own “scavenger hunt” of things in my community that make me happy! Come join me!

Create a Walking Scavenger Hunt

If you want to have a “Carpe Diem Mindset,” first you might want to figure out things that bring you happiness and joy. For me, three things I love are walking, sunshine, and playing games – like scavenger hunts!

Now that it’s summer and there’s plenty of sunshine, I’m creating my own “scavenger hunt” by walking the trails in my neighborhood and hunting for things that make me happy… and it turns out there are SO many things I’m finding!

To start this adventure, I found a map of my neighborhood at the Town of Superior’s Website that had all the walking trails marked:

Every day, I’m hitting the trails and taking pictures, looking for things that make me smile.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Painted Rocks with Inspirational Messages

“Mutton Mowers” – Goat Grazing to Mitigate Noxious Weed

What things can you find that make you smile?

I’m grateful to the Town of Superior and all the people who make this area such a wonderful place to live.

I also thank Walk2Connect and Walk With a Doc for all their inspirational and motivational encouragement to keep walking!

Happy Carpe Diem Day! (observed)

Loving my back yard at this time of year

Before my kids and friends gifted me with National Carpe Diem Day on my 60th birthday (February 26, 2020), I had planned on making May 30th the date to celebrate National Carpe Diem Day.

As many people have reminded me, every day should be Carpe Diem Day observed, because the whole point of “Carpe Diem” is to seize every day!

But when you register for a “National Day” you need to pick a specific day, and I think May 30th is a wonderful day to have a party because I love, love, love my Colorado home during this time of year. My lilacs smell like the sweetest perfume, my irises are in bloom, too, so purply and pretty, and my lawn is lovely green (thanks (so much!!) to housemate, John!)

Wish I could capture the perfume of these lilacs

Of course, Corona spoiled my plans for a big 60th birthday bash, but birthday fanatic that I am, I had celebrated for 60 weeks, leading up to the big day! How fortuitous! (Also, rain is in the forecast today, so had I planned a big outdoor party, I’d be stressing about the weather.)

One other stroke of luck for me: Another mini-GISH (Greatest International Scavenger Hunt) is scheduled for today! It is gamified goodness! I love it. (I’ll try and write another quick post for those who might want to join me!)

Besides it being a beautiful time of year, the other reason for this being a personal “Carpe Diem Day” for me is that it’s the day my brother died in a car accident in 1997 and my world changed.

I know we are all experiencing a lot of grief, sadness and loss these days. But grief can also make us realize how much we take for granted. It can make us want to make the most out of our lives and to savor the relationships and love we have. I don’t want to waste a minute with negative feelings.

But, of course, part of life is sadness, pain, and grief, and we can’t help but feel sad when people we love are feeling sad.

I learned a great new word this week from the Word Nerd: Saudade.

I’ve been reading a lot about this Portuguese word and there’s not a direct English translation, but I like this description best:

While the aches may be real for who and what have passed through life, the love that remains is what to truly hold onto.

So today here are ways I hope to observe Carpe Diem Day:

I will make an announcement about this new Website (despite my embarrassment at how it’s not really ‘ready’ for prime time).
I will enjoy accomplishing some GISH goals
I will enjoy the feeling of saudade as I watch the slideshows from my 60-Week party
I (am already) enjoying my beautiful surroundings
I’ll say a prayer that our world will be united in fighting the virus, ending social injustice, and finding peace and happiness in each day.
I’ll plan for some new fun adventures (virtual and otherwise) in the months to come!

Carpe Diem!

So long, Sarasota

My lyrics to the tune of “Shallow” – sung by Brian Thulson

My time here in beautiful Sarasota is nearing an end.

Here are some of the good things I’m grateful for during this unexpected lockdown:

My friend, Becky, for sharing her lovely home and life with me
My friend, Brian, for singing Shallow (with my rewritten lyrics!)
The beautiful weather I’ve enjoyed the whole time I’ve been here
The gorgeous beaches, sunsets, trees, birds, moon, water, parks of Sarasota
Hosting a virtual dance party
Taking part in Seniors with Skills video chats
Zoomba!
Long phone calls with friends
Long walks
Making new friends
My family
Getting my Mom on Zoom!
My friends that joined my Carpe Diem GISH Scavenger Hunt Team!
Virtual games
Virtual dates with my new virtual man friend, Gregg
Getting cards and letters in the mail from Jackster, Michael B, Sonja, and Lisa
Creating my CarpeDiemDay Website
Learning iMovie and all the slideshows I made
Getting Gregg’s CD in the mail
Learning Spanish (Conversation Exchange with Jhonny, Conversa, Duolingo, Stella, reading with Becky, Pimsleur)
Netflix (Binging on Unorthodox, Tiger King, After Life)
Online grocery shopping
Chocolate
Book Club and CD Club with Gregg
Reading positive stories about all the people helping others
Adopting a flamingo from Sarasota Jungle Garden
Snuggly little Jack
Arbor Day Tree Slideshow prize of a Blue Spruce
Getting interviewed for a podcast
Helping Sara Dance get introduced to Zoom
Agile coaching with Becky
PacoPita, the Parrot

Carpe Diem Day Music Playlist

So, I put together a sampling of “Carpe Diem” songs today.. you know, songs that make you want to live life fully!

I’m doing a LOT of experimentation these days with WordPress, Music Apps, Playlists, Videos, and a multitude of applications to edit, share, etc.

Here’s my playlist and I’m hoping others will be able to collaboratively add to it, so giving this a try!

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLw_5FdJ4J3SI-93GYWX6a2V51b_EKEgxi

Team Carpe Diem competes in GISH 2020!

Greatest International Scavenger Hunt 2020

Participating in GISH (the Greatest International Scavenger Hunt) is always fun for me. I love the creativity involved and having fun with teammates scattered around the world.

This year, GISH put on a special 1-day “mini-hunt” and I actually like the 1-day version better than the usual week-long version. Given that we’re all spending more time at home, this was a great reminder that we can bond, have fun, and “Seize the Day” even when we’re not physically together.

Happy International Dance Day

Happy National Superhero Day

Hello to Super Carpe Dee!

This video was made as part of the Online Buddy Program for Seniors with Skills.

Here’s how you can help:

Join the Online Buddy ProgramIsolated Seniors:

Do you know anyone who is facing social isolation who might want to join the Online Buddy Program? Please have them contact SWS at volunteering@seniorswithskills.org.

Senior Facilities:

Do you know of a senior facility that houses seniors who would benefit from receiving video chats and might want to be part of the Online Buddy Program. Please have them contact SWS at volunteering@seniorswithskills.org.

Volunteer:

Do you want to volunteer to be an Online Buddy? Fill out this form.

Spread the word

Do you know anyone (news, blog, social media?) who might be interested in featuring this story to raise awareness of this cause, and encourage more seniors living at home who are facing social isolation to join the Online Buddy Program?

Please share this post with your network

Contact volunteering@seniorswithskills.org for a news story or blog post.

Social Media

Follow Seniors WithSkills on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seniorswithskills/
Twitter: @seniorswskills
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seniorswithskills/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/seniorswith-skills/about/

Donate
GoFundMe to help provide iPads to senior facilities.

Help an Isolated Senior

As a tech-geek, I have been quite enamored with this age of social media and collaborative team tools. My mother, on the other hand, and many others in her generation have not been so quick to embrace new technologies.

However, due to our current situation, my mother decided to put aside her resistance and give Zoom a try. The result meant she was able to see all her children and great-grandchildren together for the first time in an extended family Easter party hosted on Zoom.

Jaya Manjunath is helping to make this scenario a reality for seniors everywhere. She’s the founder of Seniors with Skills , a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to ending the social isolation of senior citizens in North America.

Manjunath, a university student with a passion for helping the elderly, founded her nonprofit in 2018 with various programs including those to teach seniors how to use smartphones, computers, and technologies allowing them to be able to communicate with loved ones even when they aren’t physically present.

With the onset of Covid-19 and physical distancing, Manjunath is focusing on the Online Buddy program allowing seniors to engage in video-chats with volunteers.

The organization has had an influx of volunteers and continues to get more people who are eager to help; however, at this point, there are more volunteers than there are seniors who are signed up for the program.

SWS’s Online Buddy program includes any isolated seniors – whether they are in residential facilities or living on their own. We need your help in spreading the word!