Dharma Frog showed up this morning a little ahead of schedule. It seems that he and a group of wise old frog teacher pals are looking into starting A Land of Lily Pad Curling Club and have a meeting scheduled for later this morning. I, for one, would pay big money to watch Dharma and his friends skate on ice while chasing around a "rock" with a broom!
I had to scramble (pardon the pun) to get breakfast on the table and the tea brewed.
As Dharma proceeded to tell me more about his new-found interest in the sport of curling, I noticed he was giggling like a schoolboy. I asked him what was so funny and he simply replied, "Me! Can you even imagine an old frog like me thinking about taking up a sport?" "It does seem kind of silly," I mused as I sipped my tea. I had to admit that the thought of this put a grin on my face "That's exactly my point, Tadpole. The frog who can learn to laugh at himself will live a longer, happier life. It is a silly notion, me wanting to try curling, but why shouldn't I? It's all in good fun, Irwin. And who knows? I might actually be good at it." And with that, our lesson began.
Laughter is good for us, we all know this. Laughter is considered to be the best medicine in the world. But I wasn't too sure about all this "laughing at ourselves" theory of his. I love to laugh but rather than laugh at myself when I screw up, I get kind of embarrassed. I want to hop away and hide! But, in his usual way, Dharma set me straight. He said that laughter is one of life's greatest gifts. It can make our decidedly complex, confusing, and often scary world a lot more tolerable. He reminded me of a quote from Mark Twain, "The human race has only one really effective weapon, and that is laughter." I guess the same holds true for we frogs, as well. "Son," Dharma continued, "Laughter gives us strength, both physically and spiritually. Those of us can learn to laugh at ourselves will live a better and happier life." "Why is that?" I asked.
In a nutshell, here was his response. Laughing at ourselves shows resiliency and mental toughness. When we can laugh about the past, rather than obsess over our mistakes, we become stronger. It's easy to find humor in particular situations but it's another thing to be reflective and be self-aware enough to laugh and learn, from our mistakes. Laughter and tears, my wise teacher explained are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. Sometimes we need to have that good ol' cry, but then we can follow it up with a belly-laugh. Being able to laugh at our own mistakes shows a certain level of maturity. It shows we have acknowledged our shortcomings and accepted them. We can accept our frogginess...or our humanity. We allow ourselves to feel more content.
When we are able to laugh at ourselves we radiate a kind of positivity. This is linked to more optimism and better moods. It shows the world that we okay with who we are. It opens the door for others to laugh at themselves, too. "The world can be a serious place, Irwin. Being able to laugh at ourselves lightens the load. It makes living easier and more enjoyable. Taking ourselves too seriously can be our downfall. After all, Little One, no one is perfect. I know that most everyone sees me as serious, wise, and often stern. And while they are true to a certain extent, I am still able to enjoy my life, doing the things I like without fear of how it might look to others. I will most probably never be an Olympian curler, but the fact is I am willing to try something out of my comfort zone, without the worry of what others might think. It's very freeing."
We finished our repast, polished off the last of the tea. As Dharma hopped off for his curling meeting, I began to think about my own life and my past mistakes. Without realizing what was happening, I found myself chuckling over many of the silly things I've done. And you know what? I immediately felt better; happier, lighter, and more optimistic about my future. Laughter really is the best medicine!
I hope you'll stop by tomorrow when I'll have the March Calendar of Special Days.
​                                           I wish you all peace and a little laughter!

By world standards, The United States isn't very old. In fact, you might even consider it in its teenage years; still growing, evolving, and taking shape. But that being said, there are a few old cities on the continental US. If I asked you which city was the oldest, you might think it's Plymouth, Massachusetts, home to the Mayflower and the Pilgrims. And while it is on the list of oldest cities, it is pretty well at the bottom of that "oldies but goodies" list.
Here are America's oldest cities, ranked in order by settlement date.
1. Saint Augustine, Florida comes in at number one. This is the oldest recorded city, founded on 8 September, 1565, just 11 days after Pedro Menendez de Aviles came ashore on the feast day of Saint Augustine. For 200 years, it was the capital of Spanish Florida. For a few short years, 1763 to 1783 it fell into British hands and was called British East Florida. The Spanish regained control in 1783 and remained in charge until it was ceded by treaty to the United States in 1822.
2.  Next on the list, and the city I guessed as the oldest, is Jamestown, Virginia which is the site of the first permanent English colony in North America. It was founded on 26 April, 1607. It was briefly called James Fort after the English King.  The settlement didn't do well in its first years and was abandoned in 1610. But by 1624, when Virginia became an English royal colony, Jamestown had turned into a small town and served as the colonial capital until 1698. 
3.  Next up is Santa Fe, New Mexico. Yep. If this city caught you by surprise, you're not alone. Founded in 1607, it hold the distinction of being the state capital in the US as well as New Mexico's oldest city. Long before the Spanish arrived in 1607, the area had been inhabited by Native Americans. One Pueblo village was founded around 900 A.D. and was located in what is now downtown modern Santa Fe. Let that sink in...900 A.D. That's old like you find in Europe! Native Americans expelled the Spanish from 1680 to 1692, but the rebellion was finally put down. Santa Fe remained in the hands of the Spanish until Mexico declared its independence in 1810, when it became part of the Republic of Texas, until it pulled away in 1836. 
4. Fourth on our list is Hampton, Virginia. Founded in 1610, it began its life as Point Comfort, an English outpost established by the same group who founded Jamestown. Hampton became a major military outpost after the American Independence.
5.  In fifth place, is Kecoughtan, Virginia. Settled in 1610, the settlers of Jamestown first encountered the region's Native Americans at Kecoughtan where the tribe had a settlement of their own.  That first meeting in 1607 was largely peaceful, but by 1610 English and Native American relations had begun to go sour. The native people had been driven from their home and murdered by the white settlers moving in. In 1690, the settlement of Kecoughtan was incorporated into the larger town of Hampton.
​6.  Newport News, Virginia can trace its history back to the English, just like Hampton. Founded in 1613, it wasn't until the 1880's that this early settlement began to emerge into an important town. The new rail lines brought Appalachian coal to the newly founded shipbuilding industry here. Newport News Shipbuilding remains an important industrial employer in the state, producing aircraft carriers and submarines for the military, 
7.  The seventh spot goes to Albany, New York. Settled in 1614, it is the capital of New York state and its oldest city. It was settled by Dutch traders who built Fort Nassau on the banks of the Hudson River. The English took control of it in 1664, and renamed it to honor the Duke of Albany.  Have you noticed we still haven't come to good ol' Plymouth yet?
8.  Jersey City, New Jersey is our next oldest US city. Present-day Jersey City sits where Dutch traders established New Netherland, in or around 1617. The land was originally occupied by the Lenape tribe. History tells us that even though there was a significant population of white settlers here, this area wasn't formally incorporated until 1820, when it was named City of Jersey.
9. Here we are near the very bottom of our list and the 9th spot (finally) goes to Plymouth, Massachusetts. Plymouth is known, of course, as the place where the Pilgrims landed on 21 December, 1620. It is famous as the site of the first Thanksgiving. The Plymouth Colony made it its capital until they merged with the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691. Located on the southwestern shores of Massachusetts Bay, the area had been occupied by Native Americans for centuries.
And rounding out our top 10, is
Weymouth, Massachusetts. Founded in 1622, Weymouth today is part of the greater Boston metro area. Only two years after arriving, the Pilgrim explorers made Weymouth their second permanent English settlement in Massachusetts. 
And there you have them...the ten oldest US cities. And although you won't find Roman ruins to explore, there's still lots of history here to be explored.
You're all invited back tomorrow for my weekly lesson from Dharma Frog. Until then, I wish you
​                                                                Peace.

​Briney, Amanda. "The 10 Oldest Cities in the United States." ThoughtCo, Nov. 20, 2017, thoughtco.com/oldest-cities-in-the-united-states-4144705.

Once upon a time, in a land far away, there lived a .....
Fairy Tales. This is how many of them start and while we all grew up listening to these fabulous tales, I'm willing to wager that the ones I learned are a little different than yours, But all fairy tales have a central or common theme to them. Usually this theme is about coming of age, transformation (frogs becoming princes, etc.), loyalty vs. disloyalty, or beauty vs, evil. There are other themes, too, but these are some of the most common ones.
February 26th each year is set aside as National Tell A Fairy Tale Day.And since I am a writer of books for children, this is a day that's extra-special to me. 
Fairy tales started off as oral histories, myths, and legends that were told around the fire, usually by traveling storytellers. They have since been standardized, written down, and are now know as fairy tales. Some of the earliest stories were written in a Neapolitan dialect by Giambattista Basile in the early 17th century Italy. The original versions of stories like Rapunzel, Cinderella, and Little Red Riding Hood were far more adult than than the stories of today. The Brothers Grimm of Germany retold these tales, making them more respectable but still the tales favored the adult audience. Charles Perrault of France, around this same time, created his Mother Goose stories that were aimed at young children. But what is it about these stories that makes them relevant even today?
Although often fairly violent, these stories are told in a structured way and they always have the requisite happy ending. Good and evil are completely separate, with no overlapping grey areas. "The appearance of the villain allows the child to freely project his own violent feelings onto these separate and satisfyingly wicked beings. Unable to express anger or hatred directly toward those adults on whom the child depends, he/she can displace this natural aggression and give free reign to it personified by the villain: the step-mother, the wicked wolf or the witch," says one expert, And with good and evil so precisely and "satisfyingly" split, the child can easily identify with the hero or heroine. They can project their feelings of anger or hatred for the despicable beings onto the wicked witch or hungry wolf. Fairy tales give children the opportunity to see themselves as the hero or heroine...battling their way through the forest to save the princess or "magically acquire the carriage, dress, and glass slippers to enchant the handsome prince. At times, in other stories, the reverse can also be true. The child can, through the main character, triumph over the large, and often and dangerous adults that surround him. Here, the child holds real power which, sadly, is often lacking in real life.  
What may be even more important, is that these tales and stories are often told by the very same adults that the child both loves and fears. This makes the fairy tales ever so comforting, again and again...each time the story is told.  There is something soothing and comforting in hearing fairy tales over and over, they nurture the imagination, and help to make childhood fears less intense. Hans Christian Andersen first published written versions of The Princess and the Pea, The Ugly Duckling, The Little Mermaid and many other stories in 1829. While Grimm's tales still were told with a slant towards the adult, Andersen"s version are specifically written with the young child in mind. 
Celebrate today by reading a favorite fairy tale to a young child. Or make up a new story that can be passed on to their children. Fairy tales are so important to kids, even today, and are often the first books and tales they encounter. I have my favorite froggy stories...the ones my mother read to me and to little brother, Quigley. Even though he's getting a bit too old to appreciate them, I am happy that every so often he indulges me by sitting still long enough for me to read to one of the classic fairy tales to him. It does us both good, I suspect.
After you've spent some time reading a story to your favorite little one, don't forget to post it to your social media using #TellAFairyTaleDay.

​Most of you know by now that I wonder about some pretty weird things. For example, just the other day I was pondering about the undergarments worn in medieval times…or did they wear any at all! Natural fabric isn’t known to last more than a couple hundred years at most. So there aren’t any examples of medieval tidy-whiteys in the museum. And it’d be a long, long time before synthetic material was invented so what, if anything, did these folks wear under all that clothing?
In Imperial Rome, it is well-known that both men and women wrapped their bodies with loin clothes made of linen. Women may have also worn a breast garment called a strophium or a mamillare, also made from linen or sometimes leather. There was no universal law covering unmentionables so people then wore whatever was most comfortable…kind of like today…and what was modest.
It’s entirely possible that these same trends in undergarments continued on into medieval times, but there is little evidence to support this theory. And since these good folks didn’t write much about their personal attire, what we know about their underpinnings, historians have pieced together from artwork and the occasional archeological find.  “One such archaeological find took place in an Austrian castle in 2012. A cache of feminine delicates was preserved in a sealed-off vault, and the items included garments very similar to modern-day brassieres and underpants. This exciting find in medieval underwear revealed that such garments were in use as far back as the 15th century. The question remains as to whether they were used in earlier centuries, and if it was only the privileged few who could afford them.”
In additional to loincloths, men also wore other kinds of underpants. These were fairly loose drawers called braies, breeks, or breeches. They varied in length from upper thigh to below the knee and were cinched in at the waist by either a drawstring or a belt, around with the top of the garment would be tucked in. Braies were generally made of linen, most likely in its natural color of off-white. In colder climates, they could have been made from finely-woven wool. It is unclear if women, before the 15th century, wore panties or not. The dresses that medieval women wore so long that it could have been very inconvenient to wear them when answering “nature’s call.” But, on the other hand, a snug fitting undergarment could have come in pretty hand once a month. There isn’t any information one way or the other so we really don’t know for sure.
Both men and women, though, did wear hose or hosen to cover their legs. They might be long, covering the leg and the foot or merely long tubes without a foot, but with straps going under the foot to help keep them from riding up. They were made of wool, cut on the bias to give them some stretch. If the hose did contain feet, there was an extra piece of fabric on the sole. Hose also varied in length from thigh-high to just below the knee. They weren’t however, very well-fitted. Later on, in the Middle Ages, more luxurious fabrics became available and hose soon got much better looking. Men were known to attach their hose to their braies, tying them up to keep them out of the way.  Armored knights wore a sturdier hose, called chausses, that gave them a little more protection from their armor. The hose could also be kept in place with a garter. Common people used a short cord as a garter while the more well-off might have garters made from velvet with ribbon or lace. It is generally believed that women’s hose only went to the knee
Over their hose and any other undergarments, both men and women wore an undertunic, also called a chemise or schert. “These were lightweight linen garments, usually T-shaped, that fell well past the waist for men and at least as far as the ankles for women. Undertunics often had long sleeves, and it was sometimes the style for men's scherts to extend further down than their outer tunics did.” Men who engaged in manual labor often stripped down to their undertunics. Women were required to be more modest and would only tuck their skirts up into a belt, thus revealing their long chemise underneath.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this blog on unmentionables. I thought it was rather enlightening. Whatever you do this weekend for fun, please stay safe. Enjoy your Saturday and Sunday and  I invite you all back here again on Monday.
                                                              Peace.

​Snell, Melissa. "What Underwear Was Like in Medieval Times." ThoughtCo, Feb. 12, 2018, thoughtco.com/medieval-underwear-1788621.

​Lily pad is a pretty awesome place to live. We don’t really have any severe weather and winter, when we do get it, is actually pretty mild by most standards. But every now and again we hear a thunderous “BOOM” in the sky. Having a somewhat scientific mind, I began asking around about the source of the noise. Our local scientist told me that it is a skyquake…a kind of earthquake that happens in the sky.
These BOOMS are extremely loud and would rattle the windows…if we had them. A sonic boom happens when an object, like a jet, breaks the sound barrier, while a skyquake happens for no apparent reason. Are they real? According to the scientists at the University of Lily Pad, they are very real and have been recorded for centuries. “Locations reporting skyquakes include the Ganges river in India, the East Coast and Finger Lakes of the United States, the North Sea of Japan, the Bay of Fundy in Canada, and parts of Australia, Belgium, Scotland, Italy and Ireland. Skyquakes have their own names in various parts of the world:

• In Bangladesh, their are called "Barisal guns" (regerring to the Barisal region of East Bengal).
• Italians have several names for skyquakes, including "balza," "brontidi," "lagoni," and "marine."
• The Japans name the sounds "umimari" (cries from the sea).
• In Belgium and the Netherlands, skyquakes are called "mistpoeffers."
• In Iran and the Philippines, they are "retumbos."
• In the United States, some recurring skyquakes are the "Seneca guns" (near Seneca Lake, New York) and "Moodus noises" in Connecticut.

I wanted to know what caused them and here’s what I learned. Some modern skyquakes can be sonic booms from meteors or large, military aircraft. Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions can be heard far away from their point of origin. Sometimes the noise can come from distant thunder, with the sound focused by the atmosphere, or from clear-sky lightening which occurs near mountain ranges or large open spaces like plains or lakes. Skyquakes can even be produced by coronal mass ejections (CMEs). A CME is a solar radiation storm that can accelerate protons to 40 percent of the speed of light, potentially generating shock waves that break the speed of sound and produce sonic booms. A related explanation is that the Earth's magnetic field produces the sounds, either by accelerating particles or from resonance. Although skyquakes can happen anywhere, they most often occur near a coastline. Some experts have focused their attention on the close proximity of these sounds to water. While scientists can’t all agree on what causes these skyquakes, they do all believe there are several occurrences which are not likely causes of skyquakes. There is no evidence booming sounds are associated with global warming, industrial disasters, tectonic plate shifts, the hole in the ozone layer, or ghosts revisiting past battles.
The booming sound of a skyquake isn't the only incompletely explained atmospheric noise. Strange hums, trumpeting, vibrations, and wailing have also been reported and recorded. Sometimes these phenomena are called skyquakes, although the origin of the boom is likely quite different from that of the other eerie noises.
Whatever the cause, all I know is that they hurt my ears and scare the little tadpoles have to death!
I invite you all back tomorrow and until then, I wish you                                                                                                                                    Peace.

​Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Are Skyquakes Real? Science of the Mystery Boom." ThoughtCo, Feb. 12, 2018, thoughtco.com/science-of-skyquakes-4158737.

The crocus and daffodils are in full bloom along the banks of the Great Swamp. Early spring in Lily Pad is something to behold. I had breakfast all prepared and a beautifully-set table when my wise teacher arrived at my home for my weekly lesson. As he hopped onto my pad, I exclaimed, "Isn't springtime wonderful, Dharma? Just look at the beauty and bounty of nature! It's everywhere!" "That it is, my boy, and I so happy that you can connect to nature this way, because that is what this week's lesson is all about." We sat down to our meal. Sipping the fragrant tea I had brewed Dharma continued, "Tadpole when a frog is connected to nature, even the tiniest creature elicits his awe and respect." I nodded my head in agreement and thought to myself that this was going to be a wonderful lesson.
"When we are connected to nature, Irwin, we can really feel how every living thing is dependent on the others. We cease to feel isolated and begin to feel a part of this great orchestra. Just thinking about the work of a tiny ant, his place in world, gives me a deep respect for him. Do agree, Little One?" "Oh yes, Sir, I do agree! When I am out in nature I can see how every every living thing is part of a bigger picture! It give me a sense of awe and wonderment. Do other things happen, too, when we connect with nature?"
As Dharma explained it, that feeling of awe we get when we experience nature, can make us kinder and more generous. Awe serves a vital function for both humankind as well as for us frogs. By experiencing that sense of being a part of something greater, we diminish the emphasis on the individual self. Awe may encourage people to forgo strict self-interest and, instead, to improve the welfare of others. Connecting to nature can also improve our memory. help us recuperate, and may even improve our sense of smell. Humans have a meaningful right to connect with nature but with that, says Dharma, comes the responsibilities to protect and support her; to be good stewards so that other generations can enjoy this same right. 
Researchers have found that humans from every walk of life and from every culture are hard-wired to not only love but to also need nature. The human's inborn affection for nature may explain why most people want to live with a particular view of the natural world. When people withdraw from nature, they suffer. So much so that Australian professor, Glenn Albrecht, coined the word "solastalgia." Taken from the Latin word "solacium" which means comfort...as in solace...and the Greek root algia (pain) to make his new term. He defines it as, "the pain experienced when there is recognition that the place where one resides and that one loves is under immediate assault.” I know for me that when I don't spend as much time as I'd like experiencing the beauty of nature, I don't feel as well; I get cranky and out-of-sorts.
Nature brings our senses alive. Scientists have found that humans actually have the ability to track by scent alone. Some humans rival bats echolocation or biosonar abilities and tend to be more prevalent with humans who have grown up in either very rural or inner-city surroundings...places where they had to be more conscious of their surroundings. Nature can improve our creativity, as well. Spending as little as one hour in nature can improve memory performance and attention span by as much as 20%. Workplaces that are designed with nature in mind experience more productivity from their employees and have reduced sick days. Hospitals that have patient rooms looking out on a view of nature, even if it's just a tree, say their patients require less pain medication, shorter hospital stays, and have fewer negative comments in their nurse's notes.
Nature can reduce depression and improve psychological well-being. Nature also improves the sense of social bonds when humans interact with animals in the wild. Researchers at the University of Rochester report hat exposure to the natural environment leads people to nurture close relationships with fellow human beings, value community, and to be more generous with money.
"Wow!" I exclaimed when Dharma finished up my lesson. "I always knew that nature was important to us critters...our very lives depend on it, but I sure didn't know that nature could do so much to improve the lives of humans, too!" "Yes, Tadpole, Mother Nature is powerful. She gives us all so much and only asks for respect in return. Unfortunately, these days not everyone is aware of that. Some humans abuse Mother Nature and believe that nothing they do to her will hurt her. They aren't aware that these actions are having a profoundly negative effect on her, some that cannot ever be undone. I hope, my boy, that in your interactions with humans you'll work to spread the message that the mother of all of us needs love and deserves respect." "I will, Sir. I promise!"
Dharma stayed and helped me clear the table. But after he left, I sat and pondered his lesson. I knew that there was much I wanted to do. Perhaps I'll start by writing a book for children, giving them ways in which they can help protect Mother Nature. For they are her future. Children can be a powerful voice for change, as we've recently witnessed. Kids are awesome. And so is nature. Together, they can be unstoppable; giving us all hope for a better, kinder, saner world.
​                                                                  Peace.

I love music, don't you? Music can elicit so many emotions; anger, joy, sadness. It can make us just plain happy. Some humans, frogs too I suspect, get the chills when they listen to music. Have you ever had that happen? if so, your brain may be special.
In a recent study performed by Matthew Sachs, a Harvard undergraduate, brain scans were done on 20 students; 10 who got goosebumps (chills) when listening to music and 10 who did not. What he discovered was that the brain scans of those 10 students who had the physical and emotional connection to music were actually different from the other 10. Sachs' study showed that those 10 who got chills had a denser volume of fibers that connect their auditory cortex and areas that process emotions, meaning that the two can communicate better. Oxford Academic published his findings and the periodical Neuroscience quoted him saying, "The idea being that more fibers and increased efficiency between two regions mean that you have more efficient processing between them." In layman's terms that means if you get chills when listening to music, you are more likely to have stronger and more intense emotions. These sensations can then be associated with memories linked to a certain song which cannot be controlled in a laboratory setting. 
Sachs is doing further research since his first study was small in size. These new work will focus on the brain's activity when listening to songs that register certain reactions. He is hoping to learn more about the neurological causes of these reactions and how to tap into these reactions, through music, as a treatment for certain psychological disorders. Because depression causes an inability to experience the pleasure of everyday things, therapists might be able to use music to help clients explore feelings.
I'd say this is pretty impressive work for an undergraduate! way to go Mr. Sachs!
​                                               "Music is what feelings sound like."​

The Winter Olympics are in full swing, as are the Froglympics here in Lily Pad. Little brother Quigley is quite the swimmer and has hopes of representing the City of Swamp in the next summer games. I'm not much of an athlete myself, but I do find that whenever the Olympics roll around everyone, even non-sports enthusiasts like me, get excited about cheering on their country's teams. Some of the wackiest Olympic games ever played are no longer around and I thought it might be fun to take a look at some of these Olympian oddities. (P.S. Many include animals!)
Skijoring. That's skiing with a dog...or perhaps a horse! Since Nordic countries take skiing very seriously it's no surprise then that they came up with this new and improved version involving their four-legged friends. "Dog skijoring is a competition in which a cross-country skier completes a trail with the help of one to three canines. Skiers are equipped with the usual skis and poles, along with a harness strapped to the body and attached to the leashes of a team of dogs. Equestrian skijoring follows the same idea, except the skier wears only a set of skis and hangs on to a rope as the horse and rider guides the competitor along the course, similar to waterskiing. In France, there have been rider-less competitions involving only the skier and horse." In 1928, skijoring was debuted as a demonstration sport at the winter games that year. The event took place in St. Moritz, on a frozen lake. oddly enough, the Swiss dominated the game. But, sadly, 1928 was the first and last time that skijoring was part of the Olympic experience.
Pigeon-racing. During World War I, trained pigeons in Europe were used to carry out perilous missions like navigating battlefields to deliver urgent messages. This was made possible because years earlier pigeons were trained to race. During the mid-19th century in Belgium, the practice of breeding pigeons for speed, endurance, and their keen ability to find their way home began. Over time, breeders in Western Europe and the United States started to enter their birds in competitions as well, as the sport of pigeon-racing grew in popularity. The sport gained a brief moment of recognition when it was featured in the 1900 Olympic games as an unofficial event.
​Dressage and Vault.  There are many more sports involving horses than just racing them. Take for example equestrian vaulting. Think of this sport as gymnastics on horseback. The gymnast, or vaulter, receives a score for "executing a choreographed routine that includes various dismounts, handstands, and aerial movements such as leaps and tumbling...all while on horseback." Versions of this sport can be seen under the Big Top at circuses around the world.  Individual and team vaulting was part of the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp. But there's an even stranger event known as dressage. The International Equestrian Federation call it "the highest expression of horse training." In dressage, the horse and rider are expected to perform a series of predetermined movements, all from memory.  it's actually a form of "horse dancing."  Dressage has become a staple of the Summer Olympics since 1912!  "Among the dance moves the horse is tested on are piaffe or trotting in place and Pirouette, a horse’s version of the well-known ballet move."
Other unusual Olympic events that are non-animal, include Kabaddi and Hot Air Ballooning.
The Olympics are often criticized for trying to stuff too many events into a couple of short weeks. But, in the spirit of trying to allow talented athletes from all over the world to showcase their talents in "in a broad range of categories," we are learning that what constitutes "sport" has virtually no limits. I'm excited to cheer on my favorite sports and favorite players at this year's Winter Games in Pyeongchange, South Korea. In the spirit of friendly competition and world unity, I salute all the athletes and wish them much success.
And my dear reader I hope you, too, are enjoying these last few days of fun at the 2018 Winter Olympics....whoever you might be rooting for!   

Wikipedia defines a random act of kindness as "a nonpremeditated, inconsistent action designed to offer kindness towards the outside world." The phrase, "practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty" was scribbled on a Sausalito, California restaurant placemat in 1982 by Anne Herbert. It was based on the phrase, "random acts of violence and senseless acts of cruelty." I like her version so much better!
Tomorrow, February 17th is Random Acts of Kindness Day. And this year it couldn't come at a better time.  Occurring just days after the horrific and senseless shooting of 17 students at a Florida high school, Saturday will be the perfect time to offer the world a little comfort and a little kindness. Everyone has the potential to change the world. And tomorrow is a great time to become a RAKtivist (Random Acts of Kindness activist). RAKtivists do little things for others without the expectation of any reward or acknowledgement. They don't do big things, necessarily, but in the eyes of the recipients these acts of kindness are huge. Often the smile or hug you impulsively give to another can alter the course of events in their life. There's even a website dedicated to the idea that little acts of kindness can help make the world a whole lot nicer. www.randomactsofkindness.org.
Listed below are just a few of the many events, acts, and groups dedicated to random acts of kindness.

• The Jewish concept of a mitzvah is used colloquially to mean a good deed or an act of kindness. Judaism teaches that "the world is built on kindness". Kabbalistic teaching sees kindness as emerging from the first of seven Divine emotional attributes; to be effective kindness must be balanced and considered, while mercy is also for the undeserving. The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson told reporters that to bring the Moshiach sooner, people should "add in acts of goodness and kindness".
• Caffè sospeso is a tradition in the working-class cafés of Naples where a person who has experienced good luck financially pays for two coffees, but receives and consumes only one, the second being left until a person enquires later whether a sospeso is available.
• In 1981, NYCPD (New York City Police Officer William Fox talked down a suicidal runaway teenager, 17 year old Michael Buchanan, and later adopted him.
• In 1984, Dobbs Ferry, New York Police Officer Robert Cunningham, split a winning lottery ticket with Sal's Pizzeria waitress Phyllis Penzo, netting Phyllis approx. $3M. A 1994 romantic comedy, "It Could Happen to You" starring Nicolas Cage and Bridget Fonda was made based on this event but moving the movie's location to New York City.
• In 2006, the Free Hugs Campaign was made popular by a music video on YouTube.
• An Australian TV-show called Random Acts of Kindness, on Channel 9, shows hosts Karl Stefanovic, Scott Cam and Simmone Jade Mackinnon giving gifts to people they identify as heroes.
• HelpOthers.org is the home of Smile Cards and a portal of kindness stories, ideas, and online groups. It allows people to send random notes of kindness to others.
• 2012: The Newton Project attempted to quantify the benefits of the Random Act of Kindness concept in order to motivate people to perform additional acts of kindness.
• 14 November 2012 an NYCPD officer, Lawrence DePrimo, was photographed giving socks and a pair of boots he had purchased for a bare-footed homeless man. The photograph later went viral.

• Started in February 2014, the Feed the Deed campaign has inspired over 10,000 random acts of kindness around the world.
• A Chicago man, Ryan Garcia, gained a significant following after doing a different random act of kindness each day of the year in 2012. His 366 random acts have spun off into State of Kind, a mission to do an act of kindness in all 50 states in order to raise awareness for 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.

​Although started in the United States, Randon Acts of Kindness Day has spread throughout the world. This year we need it more than ever. What will you do tomorrow to show kindness to another? There are thousands of ways and most won't even cost you a penny; things like a smile, a hug, or visiting a shut-in. What about when you make your lunch, prepare a little extra and take it to an elderly or handicapped neighbor? There are as many ways to show kindness as there are humans (and frogs, too).
Speaking of frogs, let's not forget the critters! Random acts of kindness can be extended to your animal friends, as well. Adopt a homeless animal, go to the park and feed the squirrels, offer water to a thirty wild animal. Winter is a tough time for them and they need your kindness now, more than ever! And the planet needs your kindness, too! Conserve resources, plant a tree, donate to an environmental group...Be kind to your Mother!
"Remember, there's no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end."  ~ Scott Adams
Diana, Princess of Wales once said, "Carry out a random act of kindness with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you."
Whatever you do this weekend, please be sure to include at least one random act of kindness. You'll be helping to heal a world that can use all the kindness it can get. I invite you all back here on Monday. Until then, I wish you all
​                                                                       Peace

Do you have people in your life that just seem to suck the life right out of you? Perhaps you see them every day at work or at school. Some you might only have to deal with once or twice a year when they come for a visit. I have relatives like that. A day with Aunt Eggberta and Uncle Gomer Gorf can seem like a week! I am exhausted when they leave. To add insult to injury, they have triplets that are turning out to be just like their parents. Poor little froglets! But whether you see these energy-drainers all the time or just once in awhile, it's good to have a strategy to deal with them. Energy-drainers are the folks who talk non-stop about their every ache or pain...usually in far more detail than is necessary. Or maybe they talk down about everyone and everything they don't approve of or understand. I like to call them energy vampires; it doesn't matter what annoying habit they have, they manage to suck the life right out of you. It's easy to know if you're in presence of one of them because you'll develop a mystery headache, or feel unusually tense, physically/emotionally drained, or just plain irritable! And if you are particularly sensitive to the energy of others, then you have an even bigger problem. "Coined by Elaine Aron, Ph.D, the phrase "highly sensitive persons" refers to people who are especially aware of subtleties in their environment and are highly affected by the moods of others. " An empath, a person with the innate ability to sense what's going on in those around them, are particularly vulnerable to these energy-vampires. 
The best way to deal with these folks is to first identify who they are. Ask yourself these four questions. While you can do it mentally, it might be helpful to jot down the answers. They will help you discover those who might be your life and peace-of-mind in an adverse way.
1.  What kinds of qualities in other people do you find emotionally draining or exhausting? What kinds of people do you find it difficult to be around?
​2.   Are there currently any such people in your life with whom you don't feel you have set appropriate boundaries?
3.   What would setting firmer boundaries with these people look like? What would be the benefit of setting such boundaries?
4.   What keeps you from doing this?
Your answers to these questions can help you discover those individuals who might be draining you physically and emotionally. Then choose one energy vampire in your life and commit to setting firmer boundaries with this person. "This means saying no when you would normally say yes." This could mean limiting the amount of time you spend with them or the amount of mental energy you give them. It might also mean telling them which subjects are distressing to you and telling them to please refrain from discussing them...at least in any great length. And as soon as you begin to feel depleted, give yourself permission to leave without feeling any guilt. "Sorry Aunt Eggberta and Uncle Gomer, I gotta run now."

Read more: http://www.oprah.com/inspiration/anna-yusim-protect-yourself-from-energy-vampires#ixzz57BFVpKd0m.