When we can all empower The One groove, that our global community has been destined to build, we will have fulfilled our human destiny!!The One pulse. Mastery of the heavens will unite us...as foretold by the prophets!! Our satellites are there in "the Gods playground". Groove On Ken Elkind
 
 
 
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Check out this new-age game of tag on HelpOthers.org where you can get your own free smile cards and join in. It's a fun way of paying it forward with a smile you leave behind along with the encouragement to keep it going.

There was a fantastic piece by Sarah Trillin in the Huffington Post just today on this very same subject called Ten Ways to Find Your Children More Likeable (And to Be More Likeable to Your Children). Interestingly, five of the ten suggestions listed involve taking care of YOURSELF. Aspiring Optimist is right that, for some reason, most of us have some feelings of guilt about spending time and energy on self-maintenance, and we need to get past it. Each of us is the greatest asset we have to offer ourselves or anyone else. That asset deserves at least as much attention as, say, mowing the lawn or waxing the car, and your suggestion to "Start the day out right and emPower yourself first" is an excellent one.

What a lovely set of aspirations, as we head into the new year!

I think the first one, in particular, is something that a lot of folks have trouble with. There's some weird misplaced guilt associated with taking that bit of time to tend exclusively to yourself, but it really is a crucial first step, isn't it? When you're at peace with yourself, everything else--from the way you treat others to your perception of the way they're treating you--just tends to fall into place.

I have embarked on a mission to emPower my elderly neighbor (I think I've mentioned Audrey in earlier posts) with the music and images of her youth.

It was actually kind of a group effort. One neighbor diverted her while another who knew where she stored her old family photos snuck into her house and swiped them. I honed the pile of curly black and white photos down to the best 100 and spent yesterday scanning and enhancing them (iPhoto is an amazing program, some of these images were barely recognizable, but the new digital versions look as fresh as new).

Today, I chose the soundtrack. Very important, the soundtrack. Re-living 60-70 year old memories could easily be a terribly sad experience, and the whole idea of this project is to make Audrey smile for all the things she's had rather than cry for all the things she's lost. The choice of music could definitely make or break the whole deal.

Audrey has mentioned that she loves Frank Sinatra and one of my co-conspirators suggested "My Way," but I rejected that one right away, for obvious reasons. Same with "Sentimental Journey," although I know she also loves Glen Miller. What I finally settled on is a piece by The Ink Spots (when we were discussing music awhile back, she was stunned to find that I even knew who The Ink Spots were, and she just adores them). It's still a roll of the dice, everyone has different emotional associations with different music, but I think that the adorably hokey "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire" by the Ink Spots comes as close as possible to ensuring that the impact is a positive one.

I've just finished the disk and tonight, at our weekly block party, I'm hauling my iMac over to surprise Audrey with the slideshow of her life. Again, I know the endeavor is fraught with peril, and it's bound to be a bittersweet experience for her. But, if I've done the job right, the sweet will hugely outweigh the bitter.

Wish me luck!