BringOnTheJoy

I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school.

His name was Kyle.

 I thought to myself, ‘Why would anyone bring home all
his books on a Friday?

He must really be a nerd.’

I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football
game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders
and went on.

 They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his
arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt.

 He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes

My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him as
he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye.

As I handed him his glasses, I said, ‘Those guys are jerks.’

They really should get lives.

‘ He looked at me and said, ‘Hey thanks!’

 There was a big smile on his face.

It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.

 I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived.

He said he had gone to private school before now.

I would have never hung out with a private school kid before.

 We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books.

He turned out to be a pretty cool kid.

I asked him if he wanted to play a little football
with my friends

He said yes.

Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge
stack of books again.

 I stopped him and said, ‘Boy, you are gonna really
build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!
‘ He just laughed and handed me half the books.

When we were seniors we began to think about college.

Kyle decided on Georgetown and I was going to Duke.

I knew that we would always be friends, that the
miles would never be a problem.

He was going to be a doctor and I was going for
business on a football scholarship..
Kyle was valedictorian of our class.

I teased him all the time about being a nerd.

He had to prepare a speech for graduation.

Graduation day, I saw Kyle.

He looked great.

He was one of those guys that really found himself
during high school.

He filled out and actually looked good in glasses.

He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him.

Boy, sometimes I was jealous!

Today was one of those days

So, I smacked him on the back and said, ‘Hey, big
guy, you’ll be great!’

He looked at me with one of those looks (the really
grateful one) and smiled….

‘ Thanks,’ he said.

As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began

‘Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you
make it through those tough years.

Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a
coach…but mostly your friends….

I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to
someone is the best gift you can give them

I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the
                first day we met.

He had planned to kill himself over the weekend.

He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his
Mom wouldn’t have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home.

He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile.

Thankfully, I was saved.

My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable..’

I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this
handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment.

I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling that
same grateful smile.

With one small gesture you can change a person’s life.

For better or for worse.

God puts us all in each others lives to impact one
another in some way.  Look for God in others.

Here are some foods that I can personally vouch have wonderful skin healing, protecting and enhancing properties.  Nuts and oils are high in calories so watch your portions – about 1 oz.  or 1 tablespoon in the case of olive oil.  But eat all the veggies and fruit you want!

Romaine Lettuce – Vitamin A in abundance and Vitamin K, both responsible for cell turn over and healthy veins.

Strawberries – Vitamin C.Almonds – Vitamin E to help with moisture and glow!

Soy – isoflavones for improved firmness.

Walnuts – alpha-linoleic acids and Omega 3’s for skin lubrication and for suppleness.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil – essential fatty acids, and more added moisture.

Eggs – antioxidants and protection against UV damage.

Tomatoes – lycopene to protect against sunburn (but you still need to use sunscreen!).

Apples – Quercetin, another helpful antioxidant to protect from UVB rays (again, did I mention you have to use sunscreen?).

Dark Chocolate – Who cares?  it tastes so good the fact that it increases circulation and helps soften, hydrate and smooth skin is a bonus!

So eat up and your skin will love you for it!

Next week I will have all new videos on my Bring on the Joy Channel on YouTube covering issues on health, fitness and whatever else pops into  my head.   Join me at:  www.youtube.com/bringonthejoy! Have a Healthy and Happy Day!

Here are some cures you can get right from your kitchen for annoying health issues. Remember, if any of these ailments are chronic, please, consult your physician.

Olive Oil for eczema. Olive oil is moisturizing and anti-inflammatory. Wrap the skin and leave on at least for a few hours.

Salt Soak for Athlete’s Foot. Put about 2 teaspoons of salt into warm water and soak the affected foot for at least 5 -10 minutes

Tonic Water for Restless Leg Syndrome.  The quinine may help with the muscle contractions.

Baking Soda or Apple Cider Vinegar for Urinary Tract Infections. 1/2 tsp of Baking Soda or 1 tblsp of Apple Cider Vinegar in 8 oz of water. This one works like a charm for me!

Have a Healthy and Happy Day!

We all have them, tense, stressful situations and stressful people around us. What do we do? Here are some ideas to keep you on the right track and emotionally healthy.

1) Walk away if you can

2)  Close your eyes

3)  Find some solitude

4)  Go outside

5)  Find a body of water – even a fountain will do!

6)  Breathe deeply

7)  Listen to music.

I hope this helps you to deal with any stresses you may encounter. Even if  you only can do one, I guarantee it will help.

Have a Healthy and Happy Day!

May joy and peace surround you,
contentment latch your door,
and happiness be with you now
and bless you evermore!  Happy St. Patrick’s Day

According to Shape Magazine and Brent Edwards Ph.D. researcher in kinesiology  at the University of Illinois, if you shorten your stride as you run that decreases the force when your foot lands, which lessens the stress on your bones.  You will need to take more steps but is really shouldn’t feel any harder. Run for about a minute and count your strides, then increase them by 10%.  Hopefully this will help with your shin splints, if it doesn’t alleviate them all together.

Have a Healthy and Happy Day!

Did you know that after just 3 to 6 dips of a bitten nacho chip into a bowl of salsa that there are over 1000 bacteria?  YUCK!  How about setting out small bowls so each of your guests can have their own little bowl of salsa?  This will alleviate the possibility that not only will you share a good time at the party, but you may also share the flu, a cold, a cold sore…the list goes on.

Have a Healthy and Happy Day!

Emails are addictive and take up a lot of our time. They can be obsessive, too, and not in a good way, like working out or eating more healthy. They can suck your time and energy and, thanks to my friends at Entrepreneur Magazine, I am condensing an article they wrote recently regarding the pleasures and pitfalls of email:

Turn off the visual and sound alerts that announce email. 

Check email 2-4 times a day MAX – unless you have a business where you have to respond immediately. And in that case, maybe you are responding too quickly and NOTHING is that urgent. Trust me on this one. If it was life or death OR if a family member or close friend was sick or in trouble – would they really send you an email? Text, maybe but email – I don’t think so.

Email has become the default communication devise. Communicating by phone or face -to- face saves time and builds relationships. One phone call can easily prevent 6-10 emails.

Respond immediately to urgent issues – but I say if they ARE really urgent, shouldn’t the person on the other end pick up the phone and call?

Just because a  message can be delivered instantly does not mean you need to reply instantly.

Watch out for that REPLY ALL function.  You may live to wish you hadn’t replied to all.

When you can, put NO REPLY NECESSARY  in the subject line.  No one knows when an e-conversation is over unless given explicit signals.

It really isn’t necessary to respond with an ok or thanks…

If you  are having a major problem resisting email when you should be putting your nose to the grindstone, simply use an automated OUT OF THE OFFICE message; then you can deal with the tasks at hand. Like I mentioned before, if they REALLY need to contact you they will pick up the phone and call. 

Yahoo Mail has this wonderful function at the top left of the mail screen that indicates if you are Available, Busy, Off Line, At lunch, In a Meeting, walking the dog, working out, taking a nap, etc., etc. Use it.

I know with the advent of Blackberries and I Phones, et al, everything is instant but most things don’t need that type of response.

I have discovered if you train people that you are going to respond in a millisecond to their emails and texts, you my have created a monster.

Instant may be good in some instances but not in all instances.

Plus, who wants to be in a heightened sense of alert all the time with this buzzing and that beeping and this chirping and that dinging?

Technology is amazing but not to your own detriment.

Have a Healthy and Happy Day!

If you are writing a book and seeking a publisher who will help you elevate your brand and grow your business, visit:  www.entrepreneurhouseauthors.com