The story is told of a king in Africa who had a close friend with whom he grew up. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive or negative) and remarking, "This is good!"
One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the king. The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off.
Examining the situation, the friend remarked as usual, "This is good!"
To which the king replied, "No, this is NOT good!" and proceeded to send his friend to jail.
About a year later, the king was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of Cannibals captured him and took them to their village. They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake.
As they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone that was less than whole. So untying the king, they sent him on his way.
As he returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend.
"You were right," he said, "it was good that my thumb was blown off." And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened. "And so I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad for me to do this."
"No," his friend replied, "This is good!"
"What do you mean, 'This is good'? How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?"
"If I had NOT been in jail, I would have been with you."
Situations may not always seem pleasant while we experience them, but it depends on the way you see them... the choice is yours!
Your "This is good" friend,
Jacques
Courtesy: my "This Is Good!" friend Christian Godefroy
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
A Test of Friendship
A Friend...
(A)ccepts you as you are
(B)elieves in "you"
(C)alls you just to say "HI"
(D)oesn't give up on you
(E)nvisions the whole of you (even the unfinished parts)
(F)orgives your mistakes
(G)ives unconditionally
(H)elps you
(I)nvites you over
(J)ust to "be" with you
(K)eeps you close at heart
(L)oves you for who you are
(M)akes a difference in your life
(N)ever Judges
(O)ffers support
(P)icks you up
(Q)uiets your fears
(R)aises your spirits
(S)ays nice things about you
(T)ells you the truth when you need to hear it
(U)nderstands you
(V)alues you
(W)alks beside you
(X)-plains thing you don't understand
(Y)ells when you won't listen and
(Z)aps you back to reality
OK: This Is A Test To See How Many Friends You Have!!! Pass It On To Everyone You Consider A Friend Or Would Like To Have As A Friend. See How Many Times You Get It Back!
Courtesy: Christian Godefroy
(A)ccepts you as you are
(B)elieves in "you"
(C)alls you just to say "HI"
(D)oesn't give up on you
(E)nvisions the whole of you (even the unfinished parts)
(F)orgives your mistakes
(G)ives unconditionally
(H)elps you
(I)nvites you over
(J)ust to "be" with you
(K)eeps you close at heart
(L)oves you for who you are
(M)akes a difference in your life
(N)ever Judges
(O)ffers support
(P)icks you up
(Q)uiets your fears
(R)aises your spirits
(S)ays nice things about you
(T)ells you the truth when you need to hear it
(U)nderstands you
(V)alues you
(W)alks beside you
(X)-plains thing you don't understand
(Y)ells when you won't listen and
(Z)aps you back to reality
OK: This Is A Test To See How Many Friends You Have!!! Pass It On To Everyone You Consider A Friend Or Would Like To Have As A Friend. See How Many Times You Get It Back!
Courtesy: Christian Godefroy
Monday, September 6, 2010
Funny quotes on marriage and life
"Sometimes, when I look at my children, I say to myself,
'Lillian, you should have remained a virgin."
- Lillian Carter (mother of Jimmy Carter)
"I had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was
not pleased to read the description in the catalogue: - 'No good in a bed, but fine against a wall."
- Eleanor Roosevelt
"Last week, I stated this woman was the ugliest woman I had ever
seen. I have since been visited by her sister, and now wish to withdraw that statement.. "
- Mark Twain
"The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a
good ending; and to have the two as close together as possible"
- George Burns
"Santa Claus has the right idea. Visit people only once a year."
- Victor Borge
"Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint."
- Mark Twain
"By all means, marry. If you get a good wife, you'll become
happy; if you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher."
- Socrates
"I was married by a judge. I should have asked for a jury."
- Groucho Marx
"My wife has a slight impediment in her speech. Every now and
then she stops to breathe."
- Jimmy Durante
"I have never hated a man enough to give his diamonds back."
- Zsa Zsa Gabor
"Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential
food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat."
- Alex Levine
"My luck is so bad that if I bought a cemetery, people would stop
dying."
- Rodney Dangerfield
"Money can't buy you happiness ... But it does bring you a more
pleasant form of misery."
- Spike Milligan
"Until I was thirteen, I thought my name was SHUT UP."
- Joe Namath
"I don't feel old. I don't feel anything until noon. Then it's
time for my nap."
- Bob Hope
"I never drink water because of the disgusting things that fish
do in it.."
- W. C. Fields
"We could certainly slow the aging process down if it had to work
its way through Congress."
- Will Rogers
"Don't worry about avoiding temptation. As you grow older, it
will avoid you."
- Winston Churchill
"Maybe it's true that life begins at fifty .. But everything else
starts to wear out, fall out, or spread out.."
- Phyllis Diller
"By the time a man is wise enough to watch his step, he's too old
to go anywhere."
- Billy Crystal
And the cardiologist's diet - "If it tastes good spit it out."
'Lillian, you should have remained a virgin."
- Lillian Carter (mother of Jimmy Carter)
"I had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was
not pleased to read the description in the catalogue: - 'No good in a bed, but fine against a wall."
- Eleanor Roosevelt
"Last week, I stated this woman was the ugliest woman I had ever
seen. I have since been visited by her sister, and now wish to withdraw that statement.. "
- Mark Twain
"The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a
good ending; and to have the two as close together as possible"
- George Burns
"Santa Claus has the right idea. Visit people only once a year."
- Victor Borge
"Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint."
- Mark Twain
"By all means, marry. If you get a good wife, you'll become
happy; if you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher."
- Socrates
"I was married by a judge. I should have asked for a jury."
- Groucho Marx
"My wife has a slight impediment in her speech. Every now and
then she stops to breathe."
- Jimmy Durante
"I have never hated a man enough to give his diamonds back."
- Zsa Zsa Gabor
"Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential
food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat."
- Alex Levine
"My luck is so bad that if I bought a cemetery, people would stop
dying."
- Rodney Dangerfield
"Money can't buy you happiness ... But it does bring you a more
pleasant form of misery."
- Spike Milligan
"Until I was thirteen, I thought my name was SHUT UP."
- Joe Namath
"I don't feel old. I don't feel anything until noon. Then it's
time for my nap."
- Bob Hope
"I never drink water because of the disgusting things that fish
do in it.."
- W. C. Fields
"We could certainly slow the aging process down if it had to work
its way through Congress."
- Will Rogers
"Don't worry about avoiding temptation. As you grow older, it
will avoid you."
- Winston Churchill
"Maybe it's true that life begins at fifty .. But everything else
starts to wear out, fall out, or spread out.."
- Phyllis Diller
"By the time a man is wise enough to watch his step, he's too old
to go anywhere."
- Billy Crystal
And the cardiologist's diet - "If it tastes good spit it out."
Saturday, September 4, 2010
5 Powerful Ways to Beat Stress!
By Dr. Stephen Sinatra - a cardiologist with an integrative approach to health and healing.
Dr. Sinatra is also the author of the monthly newsletter Heart, Health & Nutrition, which includes his best advice on heart health, diet and nutrition, exercise, and much more.
Connect with me on
Facebook or Twitter
Dear Friend,
I’ve always had mixed feelings about Labor Day. It’s the “unofficial” end of summer, with pools closing, shorter days, and a return to the busy season. While there’s comfort in going back to more structured days—not to mention the cool, crisp days and beautiful fall foliage here in New England—it’s also the start of what can be a very stressful time for many people.
Not only do we have the stress of more time pressures, and impending holidays just around the corner, the change of season is also a stressful time for your immune system. So, I thought now would be a good time to give you a few stress-busting tips for fall.
1) Fortify Your Body with “Anti-Stress” Vitamins.
B vitamins are often called the “stress vitamins” because they’re quickly depleted from your body during times of stress. That’s because your body needs B vitamins to create the feel-good neurotransmitter serotonin, to boost your immune system, to give you energy, and more.
As a cardiologist, this greatly concerns me, because a deficit of B vitamins can put you on the road to a heart attack. Your body requires niacin (B3) to keep your good HDL cholesterol up, and vitamins B6, B12, and folic acid are essential to neutralize homocysteine, a widely-recognized risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
I recommend taking 250 mg of niacin three times daily and slowly working up to 1-2 grams daily in divided doses (many people notice flushing as they start taking niacin, so don’t be alarmed). I also recommend taking vitamin B6, 40 mg daily; vitamin B12, 500 mcg daily; and folic acid, 200–400 mcg daily.
2) Boost Your Immune System with Vitamin D.
I’ve been writing about the health benefits of the “Big D” for years, long before it became the subject of numerous new studies. At this time of the year especially, I highly recommend supplementing with vitamin D. That’s because beginning in the fall and continuing through winter we get less sunlight, so our bodies manufacture less vitamin D. Plus, the change of season is stressful on your immune system, and your body counts on vitamin D to keep your immunity strong.
Vitamin D works by increasing the activity of your natural killer and T-cells supporting your immune system. In research, people with higher levels of vitamin D were less likely to have poor immune health. There’s also a distinct relationship between vitamin D and the health of your cells. Plus, vitamin D promotes bone health, heart health, normal blood pressure, healthy joints, colon health, and normal blood sugar. It also plays a critical role in brain function.
I recommend taking 2,000 to 4,000 IU of vitamin D3 a day if you’re healthy, and 5,000 to 10,000 IU a day if your immune system is compromised with a chronic illness, or if you have an illness of uncertain cause like fibromyalgia. The best way to get that is through a good vitamin D supplement, and eating foods like vitamin D-fortified milk, salmon, and tuna.
3) Diffuse Your Stress with Exercise.
One of the best antidotes for stress is physical activity. Exercise not only works the stress out of your muscles, it also stimulates your body’s creation of feel-good endorphins. So, grab your walking shoes and take advantage of the crisp fall air to take a brisk walk. If you can, wear leather-soled shoes like moccasins because they help to ground you to the Earth which helps to improve your mood and mental state.
A mile of walking—at any speed—burns as many calories as a mile of running, and I’ve rarely heard of people injuring muscles, ligaments, or joints while walking. I recommend walking every day for a minimum of 20 minutes. Better still, walk for 20 minutes twice a day. If you become bored with that routine, get creative. Go to a park or try hiking through the woods. Or try an activity that incorporates a lot of walking. For example, I’m an avid fly fisherman, and I frequently must walk up and down river banks and through fields to be where the fish are.
4) Look at the Glass as Half Full.
Research has found that optimists are not only happier, they’re also healthier, live longer, and recover from illnesses better than those with less cheery outlooks. Optimists interpret events in a way that gives them hope to keep on trying. Pessimists look at an event with a negative slant.
One way to start each day on the right foot is to think about what you are grateful for. However, don’t just rattle off a list. Really take the time to contemplate your feelings about each thing and internalize how each positive feature makes your life better.
Also, as you encounter frustrations during the course of your day, try to put a positive spin on them, also known as “reframing,” to encourage an optimistic perspective. For example, if you don’t feel like going to work, be thankful that at least you have a job during this time when 10% of Americans don’t have that luxury. If you failed at a task the day before, be grateful if you have the chance to try again. If a relative has irritated you, remember good times you have had together. Reminding yourself of what you are grateful for will promote optimism and hope, even if your life has been difficult lately. You’ll feel serene as opposed to agitated and depressed.
5) Breathe! Proper breathing is one way to reduce stress.
When you find yourself under stress, focus on your breathing. The act of observing your breathing will cause feeling, rather than thought, to take over. Intense feeling activates healing mechanisms.
So, the next time you feel stressed take a deep breath and sigh deeply. Make noise as you exhale. Do this several times, as loud as you can. After several breaths, you should be aware of how much more you need to breathe and how much relief it offers you. If you continue this, you may find that you release strong emotions–sadness, fright, or a sudden desire to cry or burst out laughing. Releasing these feelings will help bring on a feeling of serenity. If they come up, just go with them.
Here’s to an enjoyable, stress-free holiday weekend!
Stephen Sinatra, M.D., F.A.C.C.,
_____
And now, few related quotes from Jacques:
"I really do think that any deep crisis is an opportunity to make your life extraordinary in some way."
- Martha Beck, Author
"When you find yourself stressed, ask yourself one question: Will this matter five years from now? If yes, then do something about the situation. If no, then let it go."
- Catherine Pulsifer, writer
Dr. Sinatra is also the author of the monthly newsletter Heart, Health & Nutrition, which includes his best advice on heart health, diet and nutrition, exercise, and much more.
Connect with me on
Facebook or Twitter
Dear Friend,
I’ve always had mixed feelings about Labor Day. It’s the “unofficial” end of summer, with pools closing, shorter days, and a return to the busy season. While there’s comfort in going back to more structured days—not to mention the cool, crisp days and beautiful fall foliage here in New England—it’s also the start of what can be a very stressful time for many people.
Not only do we have the stress of more time pressures, and impending holidays just around the corner, the change of season is also a stressful time for your immune system. So, I thought now would be a good time to give you a few stress-busting tips for fall.
1) Fortify Your Body with “Anti-Stress” Vitamins.
B vitamins are often called the “stress vitamins” because they’re quickly depleted from your body during times of stress. That’s because your body needs B vitamins to create the feel-good neurotransmitter serotonin, to boost your immune system, to give you energy, and more.
As a cardiologist, this greatly concerns me, because a deficit of B vitamins can put you on the road to a heart attack. Your body requires niacin (B3) to keep your good HDL cholesterol up, and vitamins B6, B12, and folic acid are essential to neutralize homocysteine, a widely-recognized risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
I recommend taking 250 mg of niacin three times daily and slowly working up to 1-2 grams daily in divided doses (many people notice flushing as they start taking niacin, so don’t be alarmed). I also recommend taking vitamin B6, 40 mg daily; vitamin B12, 500 mcg daily; and folic acid, 200–400 mcg daily.
2) Boost Your Immune System with Vitamin D.
I’ve been writing about the health benefits of the “Big D” for years, long before it became the subject of numerous new studies. At this time of the year especially, I highly recommend supplementing with vitamin D. That’s because beginning in the fall and continuing through winter we get less sunlight, so our bodies manufacture less vitamin D. Plus, the change of season is stressful on your immune system, and your body counts on vitamin D to keep your immunity strong.
Vitamin D works by increasing the activity of your natural killer and T-cells supporting your immune system. In research, people with higher levels of vitamin D were less likely to have poor immune health. There’s also a distinct relationship between vitamin D and the health of your cells. Plus, vitamin D promotes bone health, heart health, normal blood pressure, healthy joints, colon health, and normal blood sugar. It also plays a critical role in brain function.
I recommend taking 2,000 to 4,000 IU of vitamin D3 a day if you’re healthy, and 5,000 to 10,000 IU a day if your immune system is compromised with a chronic illness, or if you have an illness of uncertain cause like fibromyalgia. The best way to get that is through a good vitamin D supplement, and eating foods like vitamin D-fortified milk, salmon, and tuna.
3) Diffuse Your Stress with Exercise.
One of the best antidotes for stress is physical activity. Exercise not only works the stress out of your muscles, it also stimulates your body’s creation of feel-good endorphins. So, grab your walking shoes and take advantage of the crisp fall air to take a brisk walk. If you can, wear leather-soled shoes like moccasins because they help to ground you to the Earth which helps to improve your mood and mental state.
A mile of walking—at any speed—burns as many calories as a mile of running, and I’ve rarely heard of people injuring muscles, ligaments, or joints while walking. I recommend walking every day for a minimum of 20 minutes. Better still, walk for 20 minutes twice a day. If you become bored with that routine, get creative. Go to a park or try hiking through the woods. Or try an activity that incorporates a lot of walking. For example, I’m an avid fly fisherman, and I frequently must walk up and down river banks and through fields to be where the fish are.
4) Look at the Glass as Half Full.
Research has found that optimists are not only happier, they’re also healthier, live longer, and recover from illnesses better than those with less cheery outlooks. Optimists interpret events in a way that gives them hope to keep on trying. Pessimists look at an event with a negative slant.
One way to start each day on the right foot is to think about what you are grateful for. However, don’t just rattle off a list. Really take the time to contemplate your feelings about each thing and internalize how each positive feature makes your life better.
Also, as you encounter frustrations during the course of your day, try to put a positive spin on them, also known as “reframing,” to encourage an optimistic perspective. For example, if you don’t feel like going to work, be thankful that at least you have a job during this time when 10% of Americans don’t have that luxury. If you failed at a task the day before, be grateful if you have the chance to try again. If a relative has irritated you, remember good times you have had together. Reminding yourself of what you are grateful for will promote optimism and hope, even if your life has been difficult lately. You’ll feel serene as opposed to agitated and depressed.
5) Breathe! Proper breathing is one way to reduce stress.
When you find yourself under stress, focus on your breathing. The act of observing your breathing will cause feeling, rather than thought, to take over. Intense feeling activates healing mechanisms.
So, the next time you feel stressed take a deep breath and sigh deeply. Make noise as you exhale. Do this several times, as loud as you can. After several breaths, you should be aware of how much more you need to breathe and how much relief it offers you. If you continue this, you may find that you release strong emotions–sadness, fright, or a sudden desire to cry or burst out laughing. Releasing these feelings will help bring on a feeling of serenity. If they come up, just go with them.
Here’s to an enjoyable, stress-free holiday weekend!
Stephen Sinatra, M.D., F.A.C.C.,
_____
And now, few related quotes from Jacques:
"I really do think that any deep crisis is an opportunity to make your life extraordinary in some way."
- Martha Beck, Author
"When you find yourself stressed, ask yourself one question: Will this matter five years from now? If yes, then do something about the situation. If no, then let it go."
- Catherine Pulsifer, writer
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