Happy Friday all,
After an exhausting almost three days of HOPPING for HEALTH I finally managed to visit everyone. ALEX HOW DO YOU DO IT?
Thank you all for participating. Some of your really had some UNIQUE ways to stay fit. One blogger friend HULA HOOPS.... Now that's impressive.
Last week Morgan Shamy, a very close blogger friend, tagged me with MY FIVE HAPPY WAYS. I NEVER have time for most memes, but since I am a firm believer in EVERYTHING positive, I needed to post this. PLUS, how could I refuse the MORG.... LOL.
A little about Morgan. She is amazing. Not only does she care for four children, a hubby, a house, friends, and all her blogger friends, she still manages to keep up with all her writing.... Nothing short of MIRACULOUS! Another person I wish I knew HOW they do it! (That exclamation is truly for you Morg).
I am honored and happy to know Morgan because she has graced my life with whimsy, effervescence, old-world-charm and yes, MAGIC... Thanks Morg for selecting me with this meme.
And now for my five happy ways.
First and foremost, I am very happy and appreciative that I have mobility. "What?" You ask. For a very long time, years in fact, I was crippled with arthritis and even bedridden for one of them. This happened to me in my early thirties when most people are at the top of their game. After a decade of pushing myself, I am able to walk again. I may have some limits, but overall, I can accomplish what I need to do. The pain exists, but only as a whisper. I learned to live with it. NEVER take your health or mobility for granted.
Nature, is next. The birds chirping, bright flowers in a meadow basking in the sun, a periwinkle sky with a wisp of a white, fluffy cloud, a rolling sea crashing against a powdery sand, and even skyscraper propelling into space from a quiet shoreline, all make me happy.
Earthly Angels.... Those people that appear in our lives and do something so selfless and expect nothing in return. Thees chosen people are certainly sent to us by God.
The Arts: What would we all do without beautiful music, visually excited sculpture, colorful and expressive paintings, and of course for words woven so poetically into prose .... all can and have brought tears to my eyes.
And finally.... My blogging family. YOU KNEW I would mention you... HOW could I not. SO many, kind, caring, and supportive people. In all my travels through life, I have never met such a wonderful group of people that I have given so much of themselves. They game me TIME... our most treasured commodity...
SO, I would like to share with you some pics you may or may not have seen of me and some of my blogger friends ...
Starting with the most recent .... Nicki Elson and I celebrating our birthdays a few weeks ago...
Nicki and I with Liz Fiscera at her book signing in February...
Marcy Hatch and I at a charming bistro in Winter Park, FL last spring...
Melissa Bradley and I in downtown Chicago, having one of our six hour chat-a-thons ....
PK Hrezo and I at Wolgang Pucks at downtown Disney last summer ....
Here's one from a few years ago when I visited Hart Johnson in Ann Arbor, MI ....
And finally... for those of you who had missed it ..... ANOTHER BLAST from the past .....
Well, the sunglasses at least, vintage Raybans ...well they weren't back then ... LOL ..... Don't laugh too hard .... THIS one is for you MORG....
As for picking five bloggers to pass this onto... Well, I pass it to ALL OF YOU. Be thankful and show us all what makes you HAPPY!!!!
HAVE a great weekend everyone!
After an exhausting almost three days of HOPPING for HEALTH I finally managed to visit everyone. ALEX HOW DO YOU DO IT?
Thank you all for participating. Some of your really had some UNIQUE ways to stay fit. One blogger friend HULA HOOPS.... Now that's impressive.
Last week Morgan Shamy, a very close blogger friend, tagged me with MY FIVE HAPPY WAYS. I NEVER have time for most memes, but since I am a firm believer in EVERYTHING positive, I needed to post this. PLUS, how could I refuse the MORG.... LOL.
A little about Morgan. She is amazing. Not only does she care for four children, a hubby, a house, friends, and all her blogger friends, she still manages to keep up with all her writing.... Nothing short of MIRACULOUS! Another person I wish I knew HOW they do it! (That exclamation is truly for you Morg).
I am honored and happy to know Morgan because she has graced my life with whimsy, effervescence, old-world-charm and yes, MAGIC... Thanks Morg for selecting me with this meme.
And now for my five happy ways.
First and foremost, I am very happy and appreciative that I have mobility. "What?" You ask. For a very long time, years in fact, I was crippled with arthritis and even bedridden for one of them. This happened to me in my early thirties when most people are at the top of their game. After a decade of pushing myself, I am able to walk again. I may have some limits, but overall, I can accomplish what I need to do. The pain exists, but only as a whisper. I learned to live with it. NEVER take your health or mobility for granted.
Nature, is next. The birds chirping, bright flowers in a meadow basking in the sun, a periwinkle sky with a wisp of a white, fluffy cloud, a rolling sea crashing against a powdery sand, and even skyscraper propelling into space from a quiet shoreline, all make me happy.
Earthly Angels.... Those people that appear in our lives and do something so selfless and expect nothing in return. Thees chosen people are certainly sent to us by God.
The Arts: What would we all do without beautiful music, visually excited sculpture, colorful and expressive paintings, and of course for words woven so poetically into prose .... all can and have brought tears to my eyes.
And finally.... My blogging family. YOU KNEW I would mention you... HOW could I not. SO many, kind, caring, and supportive people. In all my travels through life, I have never met such a wonderful group of people that I have given so much of themselves. They game me TIME... our most treasured commodity...
SO, I would like to share with you some pics you may or may not have seen of me and some of my blogger friends ...
Starting with the most recent .... Nicki Elson and I celebrating our birthdays a few weeks ago...
And finally... for those of you who had missed it ..... ANOTHER BLAST from the past .....
Well, the sunglasses at least, vintage Raybans ...well they weren't back then ... LOL ..... Don't laugh too hard .... THIS one is for you MORG....
As for picking five bloggers to pass this onto... Well, I pass it to ALL OF YOU. Be thankful and show us all what makes you HAPPY!!!!
HAVE a great weekend everyone!
36 comments:
It's all in the reflexes, Michael!
You've been able to hang out with some awesome bloggers. We have a great bunch of people here online.
Ah-hahahaha!!!!!! Laughhhing... the 80's sunglasses! Too funny! I've been waiting for those!!!!!
*takes a deep breath*
Nope. Still laughing!!!
Michael, I'm so glad you did this meme--I usually don't do memes either, but we've got to when it's something so positive. I love all of your happy ways---they're so you because you've got such great perspective and you know what's most important. Your crippling story still kills me. I forget that even happened because you don't dwell on the negative. Most people probably don't think you've had real hardships because of the happiness you exude. Really neat.
And thanks SO MUCH for the kind words! Means so much. But the thing is, WE are the lucky ones because we get to know YOU!!!!! Love all the pics!!!
(And LOL to "refusing the MORG..." Funny!) This post made my day! Thank you!!!
Very nice - you certainly get around. . .
Thanks for the photo feast!
I'm impressed with all of your in-person blogger visits! Nature is a huge one for me, which is why I can't leave where I am now.
Wow you've met a lot of your online friends, great pics!
Love hearing that you pushed yourself to get past the arthritis. I live with chronic pain too, and somedays it's hard to just sit at the keyboard. It's always wonderful to get stories like this.
And you are right--the online writing community is fantastic.
I am so glad you've overcome your arthritis. Mobility is something many of us take for granted.
I love Morg! Love that girl! Her positive enthusiasm is contagious.
I LOVE YOU MICHAEL! You live close to me (I live in Wisconsin), so we should meet up sometime. My life is crazy busy, but I MUST meet my bloggy friends in person. You're all so awesome!
Wonderful pics. The huge smiles on your face are all worth to see. I know what it is to lose mobility. Heck, I know. Makes you appreciate a single step when you are able to give it again. Those glasses are...:D Thanks for the smile.
A wonderful happy post and the pictures reflected that.
Yvonne.
Mobility is definitely on the happy list!
You know, when we actually sit down and think about it, there are so many things that make us happy. If we aren't too busy to notice them.
What a wonderful post!
I remember those 80's raybans, they were the craze back then... such memories...
It's great that you've met so many of your blogger/writer buddies! I love the pics! PK is a honey. So is Morgan.
Have a great weekend Michael.
Writer In Transit
Great photos! Loove those glasses -- my hub had a pair.
And I guess I'm on another planet for I thought your fest had been cancelled because of Google problems. *bops self on head*
Oh look! That was me! And you! Wasn't that fun?! And I love the things that make you happy :)
I am still not through the healthy blog list. Maybe a couple more days and I will have it.
Thinking about what I am grateful for does me a lot of good especially when all the bad stuff starts to overwhelm me.
Michael, it's so cool that you've met with so many bloggers!
I'm glad to know you're doing so much better with your arthritis. I didn't know that about you. I understand about mobility-I have back issues. But not to the extent you've experienced. Wow. What a testimony to perseverance! Probably one of the reasons you're such an encouraging person. Big giant kudos to you!
I do remember the good ol' Raybans! So Tom Cruise :D
And what a great to have a happy list. Not matter how busy, stressful or even sad a day can get, we have so many awesome things to get excited about! Like drive through parking spots, jelly babies and good books :)
Hi Michael! It's so great to hear that you were able to overcome adversity the way you did. That's truly inspiring and makes me realize that there are parts of my life that I often take for granted. Thank you for sharing this with us. And I agree with Alex. We have some great bloggers online!!
I think we all need to think about what makes us happy. It's great you have had a chance to meet all those other bloggers in person.
Awesome post!! I LOVED seeing these photos. How fun to go visit blog buddies. And thanks for sharing your memories with us, and also your tips on happiness!
Love the glasses Michael! And your five happy ways were great! Cheers!
Awesome to have met so many wonderful blogging friends. Your happy five are wonderful too, and always share the positive, the world needs more happiness!
Happy Weekend!
Starting with one's diet is a great way to move toward fitness, nobody knows how Alex does it, and Nicki is wonderful!
You chose some wonderful sources of happiness.
You know, mobility really is something I take for granted. I never use it enough.
Love the pictures! I've long ago decided being grateful is the cure to many of life's ills.
Aw. Mobility... I hear you there! At 30 I got hit with ridiculous allergies, so bad I was constantly down with sinus infections. The condition lasted almost 3 years, and working back up to having energy, or even a desire to be active? Whew! It's a trek. Here's to good health, eh?
Great pictures! How cool that you've met so many bloggers in person!
The arts bring me a lot of happiness, too. There are so many creative people in this world.
Have a great Monday!
I always believed you were an amazing person, Michael. Now I know it to be true.
The best things in life ARE free. And most come with good friends along the way, too.
Happy Monday!
Aw, I loved seeing all those photos of you with awesome blogging buddies!
oh, Michael! I had no idea about the arthritis! How terrible! It IS wonderful that you're mobile now. I can't even imagine ((LB hugs))~
I guess you lost our picture--good thing! I looked TERRIBLE in it. We have to do another one next time we're together--get someone to take it for us. LOL! Yaay!!! And yaay for the arts and nature and Earthly angels... <3 <3 <3
What a great post. Love your five Happy Ways. You're an inspiration, Michael. And you're right, health is so, so important. Without health ... well, you know.
Oh, and those photos are awesome! Thank you for sharing.
VR Barkowski
I feel for your pain, at such a young age to have debilitating arthritis, and happy to hear you've overcome the aches and agony. But you must work hard to stay flexible every day. You have wonderful Five Happy Ways, I feel that same.
I recognize so many of those names!!! It's funny seeing them for "real" and not as an out of date avatar.
Aww. Love the list and the pics. (And I'm in awe of Morgan, too. I'd gladly take a 10% of her energy.) Great post! :D
Love your happy list, Michael! I don't know what I'd do without this blogging family - to think I felt like I was talking to no one when I first started blogging!
Hi Michael .. so much happiness .. but it helps keep us going at times - especially through the tough days - and boy have you had those.
I don't know what I'd do without everyone .. I certainly didn't start blogging and expect this - just so lucky to be part of a great community.
I've met two bloggers .. and hope soon to meet a few others -
But living positively, aiming for balance, loving the great outdoors - while appreciating its awesomeness at the same time ..
... and Morgan - oh yes she sets some examples for us all - as you do ..
Cheers for now - and hope those Dementor storms are disappearing to plague another part of the USofA .. as long as another blogger doesn't live there .. is there such a place? Hilary
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