Welcome to Mirth and Motivation!
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Hello world!
“When we are no longer able to change a situation – we are challenged to change ourselves.” Viktor E. Frankl
Hello world: Welcome to Mirth and Motivation!
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Respite Reminder: I’m Taking My Advice. Will check occasionally. Back soon!
Welcome to Mirth and Motivation!
This is a Lifestyle/Motivational blog offering an eclectic mix of mirthful and motivational pieces: Life Tips / Advice, Affirmations/Wellness, Women’s Lives, Food, Travel, Interviews, Inspirational posts, Reviews, Peace, AND Social Media ruminations on people, places, and events that shape our lives. That said, I invite you to stay awhile, read some posts, and share your thoughts with this growing online blog community.
I started this blog 15+ years ago, as a way to help agents/staff at the company I worked for stay motivated. This was my first blog post on this site, hence the dodgy title. After the market crashed and we were downsized, I decided to keep it going. Therefore, the main goal was, and remains, to encourage myself and others to keep moving forward. It has been a long and rewarding journey.
WHAT HAVE I LEARNED?
Over the years, I have learned a lot about blogging, its many positives, and pitfalls, and how important it is to stay focused on our own Why or raison d’être. We can choose to focus on one of the fundamental rules of blogging which is to make connections with others by adding value through our message/content, comments, and social interactions. We can also choose to turn our attention elsewhere. It is entirely up to us.
Nevertheless, one thing I know for sure is that if your heart is invested in what you blog about, you will stay the course. Remember to stay true to who you are and why you blog. It can’t just be about monetization. Add value. Help others. Stay Encouraged.
Another thing I know for sure is that we all want to be heard, appreciated, and respected; I know that empowering messages are far more appealing than incendiary angling for blog attention. If your blogosphere surfing brings you here, relax, kick back, and share a positive tidbit on your worldview.
HOW DO WE STAY MIRTHFUL AND MOTIVATED?
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“Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer of women, causing 1 in 3 deaths each year. It’s a third of our mothers, sisters, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and more. It’s a third of the women we can’t bear to live without.” GoRedForWomen.org
Heart Health: Why Go Red For Women & American Heart Month Matter
Up to 2.4 million Americans alive today have some form of congenital heart defect. This means they were born with heart disease. Of these people, about 1 million are children and 1.4 million are adults. Critical Congenital Heart Disease accounts for 25% of infant deaths. Pulse oximetry screening is a low-cost, effective, and painless test for newborns
Go Red For Women/American Heart Month: This Friday, February 6th, is National Wear Red Day. How is your heart health? Do you know anyone who has had a heart attack or suffers from heart disease? Do you know anyone who suddenly passed away from an attack? I do, and I almost did. Since 1984, more women than men have died from heart disease and stroke. Whether we choose to take care of our health or stay in denial, the fact is that each of us will be affected by heart issues; it could happen to a friend, a family member, or to us. This is one of the fundamental reasons why Go Red For Women & American Heart Month matter. They matter because of the research, tips, and alarm bells they share, and the education they provide to help us save lives. It saved my life!
My Personal Journey: In 1999, my life took an unusual turn I never expected. I was a young mother of 5-year-old twin girls, living in Westchester and teaching at Hunter College in NYC. I had always exercised, had quit smoking many, many years before, plus I was a yoga/meditation enthusiast and a vegetarian. So why was I feeling breathless and out of sorts? Why was I having more irregular heartbeats? Was it anxiety attacks or work stress? Was I imagining all of this? The fact is that I wasn’t experiencing any work-related stress, but I was trying to find answers to help me understand what was going on.
In the United States, 59 percent of Black women over the age of 20 have some form of CVD, compared with 43 percent of Hispanic American women, 43 percent of Asian American women, and 42 percent of White women (Exhibit 4).33 American Indian and Native Alaskan women have a prevalence of type 2 diabetes—up to 72 percent in some communities—that’s three times higher than that of White American women. GoRedForWomen.org
What were the signs? Initially, I ignored the dizzy spells and shortness of breath, putting them down to classroom stress. I needed a reason, but in retrospect, I wasn’t dealing with any stress at work. Over time, I felt tired when walking up the stairs at home, so I visited my doctor and got checked out. The focus was not on my heart, as I did not think I “fit” the typical profile of a candidate for heart failure. Even though there was a family history of heart disease – my dad died suddenly of an attack, and my mom had a massive stroke and never recovered fully- I believed that because I lived a healthy lifestyle, I was not a classic case study for heart failure. The tests didn’t show anything major, but I continued to feel out of sorts. My doctor ordered more tests, and nothing unusual came up. I continued to feel fatigued and, eventually, I was sent to a cardiologist. The cardiologist ran additional tests and finally decided to refer me to another specialist.
By November, I was referred to a children’s heart specialist, and he diagnosed heart failure. I needed open-heart surgery right away. I found out I was born with a congenital heart defect and had a rip/hole in my heart. One of my valves needed replacing, and it was possible that I might need a pacemaker. My surgery was successful. Fortunately for me, I can say … I am a survivor. But many other women we know haven’t been so fortunate. According to research on the subject, 1 in 3 women will die of a heart condition. Don’t become a statistic. An important point I want to address is that not all heart issues are stress-related. Some people are born with undiagnosed heart conditions and, unless you are attentive to how you feel and persist in getting medical help, you might never find out.
READ:
Motivation 2020: Heart to Heart
Heart Matters: 7 Heart-Healthy Tips
Heart Matters: An Interview w/ Dr Gary H Gibbons of NHLBI
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“On this International Day of Education, we are reaffirming a simple yet powerful belief: the belief that young people have a rightful place at the decision-making table – not only as beneficiaries, but also as full-fledged partners.” Khaled El-Enany, UNESCO Director General
International Day of Education: Youth Co-creating Education
January 24 is International Day of Education – This year’s theme is: The power of youth in co-creating education.
What do we know about Education Day?
On December 3, 2018, The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution to proclaim 24 January as International Day of Education, in celebration of the role of education for peace and development. When we think of development, we must think of the future and prepare the next generation to assume responsibility for managing our planet. Educating our youth is key to building a sustainable planet that will thrive beyond my generation. Empowering them to take on leadership roles from an early age helps them build the skills and necessary experience to lead with confidence.
Did you know that, according to a UN/UNESCO report, 251 million children and youth are out of school, 122 million are girls, and 763 million adults are illiterate?
The basic right to education that ultimately benefits every nation is being violated globally. Without an inclusive, equitable, quality education and lifelong opportunities for all, we will not break the cycle of poverty affecting millions of youth, children and adults. Youth empowerment is a vital part of the solution.
With this year’s theme, UNESCO and the UN have set in motion a call to action to motivate nations and communities to engage, encourage and empower youth to step up and learn to take charge. It won’t happen overnight, but we must start the process and mentor young people for future leadership roles.
In celebration of this year’s theme, UNESCO offered the following Recommendations for creating meaningful change with youth:
1. Establish formal mechanisms in legislation or regulations that require youth and student participation in decision-making roles.
2. Ensure that processes inviting participation are meaningful and aligned with principles that guarantee accessible, inclusive, safe, transparent and representative participation.
3. Engage youth and student organizations not only in policy design but also in implementation.
4. Support youth engagement with sufficient curriculum time and resources to develop civic skills and organizational capacity that enable young people to become active, engaged and decision-making citizens.
Are you a parent of young students? How is this playing our in their lives?
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“This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood…” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Wall Quotes
Motivation Mondays: MLK Day – 14 Quotes to Remember
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was a visionary and a powerful orator. 50+ years after he was assassinated, his speeches and quotes remain a powerful reminder of his legacy. His words resonated deeply in our hearts, and his call to action moved many to cross the racial divide and march for an end to segregation; civil rights activists, freedom walkers, families, and people of all races joined the cause, and gradually, things shifted in the US. But have we fully overcome? It depends on who you speak to and their vantage point.
After Dr. King’s death, his fraternity brothers at Alpha Phi Alpha proposed building a Memorial monument in his honor. The idea gathered momentum in 1986, with the support of the King family, and finally opened on August 22, 2011.
Located in West Potomac Park next to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the structure covers four acres and includes the Stone of Hope, a white granite statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. carved by sculptor Lei Yixin. The vision/purpose of the King Memorial is aptly described below by Harry E. Johnson, President/CEO of the Memorial Foundation.
Fourteen of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s top quotes are etched on the National Park Service Memorial Inscription Wall, and I’ve added all 14 quotes to this post. I split them into two groups of seven quotes. In addition to the fourteen quotations on the Inscription Wall, a side of the Stone of Hope includes part of a quote attributed to Dr King. It is taken from the “I Have a Dream” speech: “Out of the Mountain of Despair, a Stone of Hope.” A second quote was removed after much outcry about its abbreviated version. Do you have a favorite Dr. MLK quote from the list of 14? Do you have one you’d like to share?
“The King Memorial is envisioned as a quiet and peaceful space. Yet drawing from Dr. King’s speeches and using his own rich language, the King Memorial will almost certainly change the heart of every person who visits. Against the backdrop of the Lincoln Memorial, with stunning views of the Tidal Basin and the Jefferson Memorial, the Memorial will be a public sanctuary where future generations of Americans, regardless of race, religion, gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation, can come to honor Dr. King” Harry E. Johnson, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Memorial Foundation
The fourteen quotes, split into two sections, are:(Wikipedia)
❤️“We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” (31 March 1968, National Cathedral, Washington, D.C.)
❤️“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” (1963, Strength to Love)
❤️“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.” (10 December 1964, Oslo, Norway)
❤️“Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights. You will make a greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in.” (18 April 1959, Washington, D.C.)
❤️“I oppose the war in Vietnam because I love America. I speak out against it not in anger but with anxiety and sorrow in my heart, and above all with a passionate desire to see our beloved country stand as a moral example of the world.” (25 February 1967, Los Angeles, California)
❤️“If we are to have peace on earth, our loyalties must become ecumenical rather than sectional. Our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class, and our nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective.” (24 December 1967, Atlanta, Georgia)
❤️“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” (16 April 1963, Birmingham, AL)
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