Here we are again, folks! Out with the old! In with the new! Many of us have already reflected a bit about the past year and prepared one or more New Year’s Resolutions. What can we promise ourselves to start or stop doing on the first day of the year, that we’d truly stick with, once decided? (If you’re reading this after day 1 of any new year, you have my permission to start wherever you are!) Often New Year’s resolutions are about kicking a habit or improving our own lives in some way. In my efforts to support and inspire...

A Singing Telegram?  Isn't that when someone dresses up in a silly costume, runs up to a designated person, sings "Happy Birthday" (or something else), and does something embarrassing for the fun of it? Do they still do that? Singing telegrams have been around since 1933. Per Wikipedia, they were first delivered by Western Union, as an attempt to make telegrams more popular and fun than the standard topics of urgent news: (like "Your uncle died. Stop. Funeral in 2 weeks. Stop...." - you get the idea). Telegrams were delivered in person. When telephones became a standard household service in the 1960s, in...

  This poem is an excerpt from David Mezzapelle's new book, 10 Habits of Truly Optimistic People:       __________________________________________  Stay Inspired A poem by Karen Lyons Kalmenson Stay inspired with open heart and eager mind for you will see beauty in everything you find. The world will indeed be a happier place, as you navigate the hills and valleys with a smile upon your face.   _____________________________________________ Paula C Snyder, Staying Inspired blogger, was a published contributor of several articles in the first volume, Contagious Optimism, released in 2013 (pictured below). Visit The Contagious Optimism Book series website for more...

________________________________________ Hmmmmm - What Do I Know About Blogging?   What do I know about blogging? Is it talking? Teaching? Or Flogging? Meaning? Beaming? Or taking chances? (Staring glances into my life for all to see. Does someone care to see?) How do I express these thoughts? Too much? Too little? Without belittling anyone? Maybe something of universal interest will spring lightly from my tongue before this day is done. I’ll give it a try, and don’t mind if I do. I hope I can engage a few of you with my ramblings, and hopes, and dreams (come true?) About creative...