Showing posts with label smiles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label smiles. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Giving Thanks

There is a plethora of things going on in my world. For some of them, I can't talk about in this venue. For others, I don't want to talk about in this venue. Suffice it to say that there are many things grabbing at my attention from different directions.

So, as I was trying to think of what to write as a Thanksgiving message, many of the things listed below just popped into my mind. I was originally thinking of focusing on one topic but I thought, why not share more. Some serious. Some very personal. And some just fun things, like being able to use the word "plethora" in the first sentence of this post.

I hope you enjoy reading this, but if you don't, that is okay. I enjoyed thinking about it and writing it.

1. I am thankful for a loving God who saw fit to give me life. I haven't been perfect but I pray that in total, my life glorifies Him and his son, Jesus Christ.

2. I am thankful for my parents and my family. I love them all very much. Again, as with my life, we are not perfect but that usually keeps things interesting.

3. I am thankful for my friends and co-workers. I guess the best way to describe these people is eclectic. Definitely a wide variety of characters and personalities.

4. I am thankful to live in my country, the United States of America, the greatest nation on the face of the earth. So many things that I probably could have done an individual post just for this. One thing that I wanted to mention as a thought on the current economic condition, this is STILL the land of OPPORTUNITY.

5. This kinda goes with #4. I am thankful for our country's military, especially the United States Marine Corps. When allowed to be, these men and women are most powerful fighting force ever wear a uniform in service of their country.

6. And this one kinda goes with #5. I am thankful for the veterans who served so well in times past. These men and women fought evil as today's military continues the tradition.

7. I am thankful for football. Thanksgiving football with my favorite team, the Dallas Cowboys. They are having a tough year this year but I have stuck with them in the past and will continue to stick with them through thick and thin. And Auburn Tigers football. If you haven't experienced Auburn and Alabama football and their rivalry game, the Iron Bowl, you truly haven't experienced the most intense rivalry in sports. WAR EAGLE! Finally, my Houston Cougars. It is a slow journey but we will be great again.

8. I am thankful for whoever invented cranberry sauce. I love this stuff. Way too much sugar for my system but I will have some one day a year. (And some more now that so many places are creating their own variations and giving out samples. If I am offered a taste, I am not going to say no.)

9. I am thankful for my mom's turkey stuffing. I call it "Yankee White Bread Stuffing", especially to my southern friends who swear by cornbread stuffing. Mom's stuffing is simple but oh, so good!

10. I am thankful for the internet where I have a chance to share the things I am thankful for.

11. Finally, I am thankful for the chance to be thankful.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving all! Be safe. And remember...

Keep Smilin'!!

Eddy

© Eddy Seegers 2010, All Rights Reserved

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Not so Common Courtesy

A recent topic among some friends on Facebook was common courtesy. Unfortunately, the general consensus was that courtesy is no longer common.

Now I have discussed courtesy before so I will not rehash the topic in detail and with examples of discourteous behavior.

This Thursday is Thanksgiving. The holiday season is upon us. Our country is still in an economic downturn. People are under a bunch of pressure.

2 Christmas seasons ago, when things had first taken the big turn for the worse, I noticed that people were much nicer that season. I think that people had that "we are all in this together" attitude and everyone seemed so much nicer and more courteous than is normally found when out and about at Christmastime. I heard less grumbling in the checkout line. I saw less parking lot road rage over parking spots. Fewer people were blocking a parking isle just waiting for a spot to open. People were just nicer based on my observations. The way people should be all year but especially at Christmastime.

Last year, however, it seemed like people had returned to their Scrooge-like ways. The grumbling returned. I saw acts of rudeness almost everytime I stepped into a store. Store clerks were treated poorly but I saw many of them returning the favor. I even witnessed a pleasant looking lady in the 10 items or less checkout line telling her kids that it did not matter that their cart was overflowing, the clerk wouldn't say anything to them and she didn't feel like waiting in one of the other lines. It didn't matter to her that there were about 6 people in line behind her, each with less than 10 items.

In my humble opinion, I think the stress and strain started to get to the population in general last year.

So my first wish of this Holiday Season is this, the return in thought and action of common courtesy. Nothing spectacular. No need to go out of ones way. Just be nice and courteous to others. Show respect. If you don't need to use the handicapped parking don't. Most of us could use the extra exercise anyway. Be aware of others. Have kind words for fellow shoppers and especially store employees where you are shopping. Say thank you, please, and excuse me. It is not that hard. I was taught these things at a very young age and I am sure most of you were also. We have just forgotten our manners.

Try smiling. That is one of my eternal wishes is for people to smile more. Everyone looks better when they smile so lets beautify our nation and the planet by smiling more.

And once again, please be courteous and have a wonderful time of Thanksgiving.

Keep Smilin'!,

Eddy

© Eddy Seegers 2010, All Rights Reserved

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

A Poem

I occasionally dabble with writing some poetry. I was going through one of my "ideas" notebooks and found the following poem. It appears that I wrote it somewhere around October/November of 2007. I must have been feeling the pressure of the daily grind. Let me know what you think.



The long green blades of springtime grass
Performing for no one as they dance in the breeze.
The wild flowers allow the zephyrs to spread their scent
Putting the random and rare visitor at total ease.

The clouds randomly float silently across the vast expanse above
Providing brief moments of relief from the midday sun.
The leaves of the majestic trees rustle their whispers to one another;
Their secrets safe as they are shared with none.

A place of beauty so rich and complete
Where solitude provides replenishment to the empty soul.
Damaged by the trials and troubles found in the daily sojourn,
Pressures of civilization build and take their toll.

Quiet screams from all of nature.
Peace and tranquility can be found here.
God has created a beautiful masterpiece,
So those that seek Him will be drawn near.

© 2009 Eddy Seegers

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Zest

Live the life you've dreamed. ~Henry David Thoreau

It's better... to die alive than to live dead. ~William Markiewicz

I am an observer of people. I watch people everywhere, in stores and restaurants, in traffic, at work, and just everywhere there are folks to watch. And there is one thing that really bothers me, it is people that just seem to go through life. In other words, they are living dead.

I feel like we all have the chance to "live" their life. My problem is that is seems most people tend to go through life in neutral. People seem to just go through the motions of living life. They don't pay attention to what is going on in the world around them. As I heard someone say, it is like singing along with a song but not paying attention to what the words mean.

A few years ago, Jay Leno had a bit on his show where he would do interviews with men and women on the street and ask them questions about current events. Sean Hannity does the same thing on his radio program still today with a more political slant. What made and makes these bits humorous and somewhat disturbing, is how clueless the people are. These are folks that are walking around and don't know who the president or vice president are. Person after person who don't know current events. Rephrasing what I said earlier, funny but sad.

I am not saying this to suggest that everyone is supposed to discover a cure for diseases or create great inventions. But we all have chance to have a zest for life. There is a great big world out there with an almost infinite number of things to do, see, and experience. My problem is that there are so many people without an interest in doing, seeing, or experiencing anything outside of their everyday lives.

Think back to your senior year in high school. Most of us had big dreams and plans for when we got out of school. However, the real world hit us and instead of pushing through to chase our dreams, we settled for the easier path through life. We stopped trying to live the life about which we had dreamed.

The big solution is more than what is suitable for this article. However, I want to challenge everyone who reads this article. Have a zest for life. Look for something new, something challenging, something beautiful, and something fun everyday. Notice people and things. You may not be able to begin right away to live the life that you have dreamed, but you can start dreaming again. And then start on a path to living the life that you have dreamed.

Smile!!

© 2009 Eddy Seegers

Do you need a speaker for a company meeting or seminar? Send me an email to this address: Click_here

Are you interested in making money while helping others and yourself live a healthier life, check out my site at this link. Health_and_Wealth

Sunday, January 18, 2009

A Quick Quote

"I am easily satisfied with the very best." ~Winston Churchill


So very often, we as a society and as individuals have "settled" for what we get in life. I think the best example is to remember the hopes and dreams most of us had when we graduated from high school. There were hopes and dreams. We were going to have the best of everything. We would own and live in a large, comfortable home. We would drive a top of the line automobile, if not two. We would have the job of our dreams and quickly move up the ladder.

Slowly, however, we began to "settle." First, we decided to settle on a slightly lesser degree in college or even with just taking some courses. Then we settle on a less than satisfying job because it paid the bills or met the needs of the moment. Next, we settled on the used, low mileage, run of the mill car. I could go on and on. Very few of us have not "settled", at least on some things.

Most importantly though, we have learned to "settle" for less than the best from ourselves. It is one thing to live a modest life with modest means, if we are giving our best. It is another, for us to live that life because we have not given our best. We cheat ourselves and others if we do not give our best.

As I have mentioned, I love to watch people. Too many people are willing to accept mediocrity. Too many of us are willing to go through the motions as we live our lives. Go to the grocery store sometime and watch people. Just observe and see how people behave. See how many people appear to be robotically moving through their shopping.

My challenge to you and to myself: don't settle. Learn to be satisfied with the best, especially from yourself. Be the best you you can be. Be the best worker, employee, boss, etc., at work. Be the best friend you can be. The best father, mother, son, daughter, husband or wife. In everything, strive to be the best. Accept only the best from yourself. Then you can learn how to to be satisfied with the best in everything else.


Smile!!

© 2009 Eddy Seegers

Do you need a speaker for a company meeting or seminar? Send me an email to this address: Click_here

Are you interested in making money while helping others and yourself live a healthier life, check out my site at this link. Health_and_Wealth

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Smile

This is one of my favorite topics.

Smiling. Smiles. Grinning from ear to ear. Looking happy or like you are in a good mood.

With all of the shortages that we hear about, I feel one of the things that we are missing today is smiles. If you are happy, or feel good, or are excited, or just want to brighten someones day, SMILE!!!!!!! I cannot put enough exclamation points to get my point across. Smile, smile, smile!

I used to work directly with teenagers and one of the oddities of working with people in this age group was the lack of smiles from girls and the over-abundance of smiles from the guys. (Note: this is a point I am making in general. I know there are girls that constantly have bright smiling faces most of the time and there are boys that are brooding and seem to lack the ability to show the visual form of happiness, the smile.) I was often amazed at how many young ladies would walk around looking like they had just left the funeral of their best friend. Guys on the other hand seemed to smile, and yes, laugh, much of the time and often at inappropriate times.

One of my observations in life is how much better looking people are when they smile. I would often counsel young ladies who would complain about their lack of attention from the young men. As gently as possible, I would try to explain how their facial expression was affecting how other people saw them. If any girls or young ladies are reading this, I doubt that there are many guys who are going to be interested in someone that looks like they are angry at the world all of the time. If you always have a frown on your face, people in general are not going to want to be around you.

Look at the people who get all of the attention and who have the most friends. I would be willing to bet most are the ones that have a bubbly personality and who have a constant smile on their face. I know I would rather be with people who look happy.

The problem with these girls is that they grow into adults and carry this frown-a-thon with them into adulthood. And to make matters worse, they seem to bring more and more of the guys over to the dark side with them.

Yes, I know, that with adulthood comes more responsibilities and worries, but it also allows more freedom. If more people just thought about the many blessings that they have, the opportunities that we all have, and the health benefits that come from smiling, smiles would be the order of the day.

Before I finish, I want to issue this challenge to anyone who reads this posting. Tomorrow, don't put it off, do it tomorrow, I want you to try to smile as much as you can. When you wake up, think about the opportunity you have for a new day and smile. When you shower, brush your teeth, eat breakfast, head out into the world, no matter what it is, smile. Smile while you drive or when you get on the bus. Smile as you meet both people you know and don't know. If something doesn't go well or upsets you, smile. I know that last one is tough, but it can be done. I know because I have done it. If you are feeling a little under the weather, smile and position your body as if you felt well and see if just that small adjustment doesn't make you feel better. Again, I bet you it will.

Smile at everyone you can. Go out of your way to smile at people who annoy you. Like I said earlier, this one can be tough, but I have done it before so I know you can. And besides, if they know you don't like them and you are smiling at them so much, it might drive them crazy with worry trying to figure out what is making you so happy.

And finally, when you go to bed, it is time for one last smile. Think back on all the smiling you did during the day. As your head rests on the pillow, and you close your eyes, smile one last time.

To finish, I earlier mentioned to count your blessings. Sometimes we take our many blessings for granted or fail to realize the small things we should be thankful for. This was sent to me via an email an it has made me smile all day long every time I think of it. "There is so much to be thankful for if you only take the time to look... I am currently being extremely thankful that wrinkles don't hurt."

See what I mean. So many little things that we take for granted. :) (A computer smile for all.)

Keep Smilin'!!

Eddy

© 2008 Eddy Seegers

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