Bad Poetry Day.

by ►CubaGallery

I love celebrating silly holidays.  Today is bad poetry day.  Since I have always loved silly poems, I had to participate.  Silly rhyming poems that remind me of Dr. Seuss, Shel Silverstein, Kenn Nesbitt and other children’s writers are my favorites.  Here’s  a silly one for fun:

Today was a very good day

In fact it was the best

I only had to go to work

We had no quiz or test

 

The sun was shining all day long

We didn’t have one cloud

The radio played a lively tune

The laughter was good and loud

 

Dinner was a great big feast

Followed by a chocolate treat

Afterward I turned on the TV

Sat back and put up my feet

 

It really is amazing

How easy it can be

To have a really good day

Just by being me

 

Now go have fun and write some bad poetry of your own.  Have a great day!

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Fun with Food

by twm1340

Fun with Food.  Okay, so I was like totally tired, overworked and mentally exhausted at lunch today.  So what did I do?  First I closed my eyes and willed myself to relax and take a few deep breaths.  Then I started eating.  It was kind of boring; a roast beef sandwhich and some grapes.  I had a lot of grapes.  So of course, I started playing with them. 

 

Grape Toss.  First I tried to toss a few and catch them in my mouth.  Man is that hard to do!  I kept missing.  They were bouncing off my cheek and going down my shirt.  It was hilarious.  Then I noticed that I could see my reflection in the candy machine.  I used my reflection to judge distance, but still couldn’t get it right.  Then I practiced moving the in one smooth motion from the container into my mouth.  After a few practice runs, I did it halfway and tossed it the rest of the way.  Success!  I stopped on that high note.  (Well, it was that or have the people passing by in the hallway notice what I was up to.)

 

So next I put a bunch of grapes on my paper towel to see how many letters of the alphabet I could shape them into.  That was fun, but not giggle-worthy like the grape toss.  I squished one in my hand just to see what would happen.  (It just dripped some juice and got a little messy – no squirting across the room or anything.)  Finally I hit upon a great idea.  Grape dodgeball!  Sure – line up 2 sides of players.  Use a slighter bigger grape to be the ball.  Using a man from Team 1, hit it toward a player on Team 2.  If it hits them, that player is eaten!  Keep going until all team members have been taken out.  I accidentally ate the ball and not the player on the first game.  But on game 2, Team 2 was Victorious.  (Which is a good thing, because I think Team 1 won game 1, but I ran out of time to play the tie-breaker game).

 

I think that was one of the most fun lunch times I’ve had in quite a while.  I wonder what suprises tomorrow’s lunch might hold?

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The Funny Thing About Colds.

Funny Girl by Lanamaniac

I’m not in the mood to work.  Today is one of those days.  When you just don’t want to do what it is you have to do. I just got back from vacation on Wednesday.  I only worked a ½ day so I could ease myself back into the work frame of mind.  Good thing too – I couldn’t remember passwords, sign-ons and other important info.  And I was only gone for a week!  (Can you tell I had a relaxing vacation?  I’m really good at leaving work at the office.)

My husband got sick though and I got part of his cold.  I have a partial cough that is just tickling my throat enough to bother me when I want to talk.  I started having coughing fits.  So I said “Work makes me sick!”  Ha-ha-ha.  At least it made me laugh.

Then I was walking through the hall and I was clearing my throat and my boss said “Oh  – you caught me!” She was eating chips and salsa at her desk because she had a full-blown case of the munchies.  She thought I was clearing my throat about her bag full of chips and jar of salsa.  I had to tell her that it wasn’t about her eating habits. I’m glad my cold could provide some good entertainment.

Then I got a major case of the giggles.  I blame it on the after-effects of the cold medicine I took. Because I was laughing about emails.  Work emails.  I emailed a coworker for the status of something, and she sent back 5 emails, my 1^st issue plus 4 other issues.  For some reason that just hit me funny.  I started talking to myself saying “No wonder I don’t like emailing you.  I just want one quick answer and you give me tons of work to do.”  The really funny part is another co-worker thought I was talking to her and started asked me what I said.  Then I really had to chuckle.

Have you ever laughed when someone else had a coughing fit? Sometimes they try to talk and every time they open their mouth it just causes them to cough and cough.  As soon as they stop, they stop coughing.  I guess since I laughed at my husband having that problem, it’s only fair that it happened to me today.

Who knew being sick could be so fun?  I don’t think I would have enjoyed the humor if I felt worse, but it’s nice to know a cold can make you laugh.  Any time laughter can make life easier to bear, it’s a good day.

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The Magic of Laughter.

by Bill Gracey

Today is Global Belly Laugh Day. At 1:24 p.m. on January 24th (1/24) you can stop and have a good deep belly laugh.  Laughing is good for you.  It lightens even the most solemn moods and can even help lower your blood pressure.

With today’s pressures, many of us find it hard to have the lighthearted spirit needed for a really deep belly laugh.  You know, the kind that has you gasping for air and clutching your stomach as you loud ha-ha-ha’s fill the room – or even the entire house.

Make the decision to find time for laughter.  That’s why silly holidays like these can be so important.  Today I was not feeling like laughing, especially at work.  But I saw this holiday listed on my calendar and checked out the web site. As I scrolled down and saw the video for “Can’t stop laughing” I stopped and watched it.

When the best man lost his pants at the wedding, I couldn’t help but giggle.  When the groom continued snickering, I began to laugh a little more, but when the groom, his bride and the crowd all started chuckling, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Of course I shared the video with my coworkers and we all started laughing.  One giggle led to another, and then another, and soon we were all having a great time.  This is the magic of laughter.

If you make time to visit funny web sites, read humorous emails, watch sitcoms, or any other activity that strikes your funny bone, you’ll feel better. It will invigorate your mind and body.  Suddenly you don’t feel quite so tired anymore.

One of my favorite activities is watching children.  It can be in the grocery store, at home, or even on TV.  Ever see a child in a shopping cart making faces at people as their mother shops? Or a 5 year old making clucking sounds to the delight of his baby sister?  Children are full of the enthusiasm that laughter brings.

Here are a few ideas:

• Read the funnies – newspapers comics are still a great source of laughter
• Play with a puppy
• Read a great bit of Giggle Poetry
• Smile at everyone you see
• People watch at your local mall – guaranteed to find you something funny
• Visit You Tube
• Have a Tickle Fight
• Have a Laughter Yoga session and “fake it until you make it”

Have a great Global Belly Laugh day, and discover the magic of laughter for yourself.

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Frankenstein Friday

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays.  I love the chance to be creative and silly for absolutely no reason at all.  And of course all that chocolate and candy doesn’t hurt one bit either.

 

Halloween is only 5 short days away.  This year we get a full weekend celebration.  Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  In anticipation of the big event, this Friday will be Frankenstein Friday.

 

Created in 1997, it celebrates the creation of Frankenstein and all his many incarnations since.  From mama Mary Shelley who wrote the original novel, to papa Boris Karloff who began the classic Frank stein character.

 

How do you celebrate such a day?  Any way you want.  Watch some Frankenstein themed movies with popcorn and dimmed lights –sure to give you the willies.  Get a door hanging and play pin the tail on Frankie.  Draw a picture of the big green guy, or make Frankenstein cupcakes with green frosting and a candy face.

 

You can scare yourself silly by reading Dean Koontz’s version of the modern day Frankenstein – a 4 part series.  Have a good laugh by watching one of my old favorites Young Frankenstein.  Get out some face paint and do your best rendition of the his big mug.

 

Whatever you do have a good time.  Halloween is a time for playfulness and fun, and this year we’ve been blessed with good weather and a long weekend to celebrate.   Enjoy!

 

Picture by bob canada

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Teddy Bear Day!

Originally uploaded by *brynne

Technically Teddy Bear Day was yesterday, on the 9th, but since I didn’t think up this poem until today, I’m calling a Do-Over and celebrating now. So here goes:

National Teddy Bear Day
Teddy bears are always nice, and never –ever rude
They spread love and laughter and a happy attitude

Teddy bears are always humble, they never brag and boast
And they’ll never tell a secret, or steal your piece of toast

Teddy bears and warm and snuggly, they’re dear to our heart
They love to meet all our friends, and I’ve yet to hear one fart

Teddy bears come in every shape and size
And each one is perfect in their owner’s eyes

Better than any warrior, Teddy bears are courageous
Their kind-hearted, joyful nature is a bit contagious

Through every storm in life, they’ll help you get through
And all they ask in return, is a little love from you.

Have you hugged your Teddy Bear today?

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Get Inspired.

Picture by Express Monorail

Where does inspiration come from?  How does one find motivation, stimulation or encouragement when they need it?

Having lately felt very un-inspired and about creative as a block of cement, this was a topic of interest.  So I started with what I already knew – where inspiration isn’t.  It doesn’t come when you’re tired.  You won’t feel excited or motivated when you have a headache or feel distracted by pain or illness.  And inspiration doesn’t show up if you are overwhelmed, or don’t have any room in your schedule to stop and breathe.

Luckily, inspiration is like the sun – even when you can’t see it, it’s not totally gone; it’s just hidden behind the clouds. Ideas, creativity, and innovation come from everywhere.  You can see a red sports car drive by and appreciate the sleek lines and color.  It might inspire a sleek red satin dress design or a manufacturer to produce a shiny red TV.  (Why are TV’s all black or silver anyway?  Wouldn’t a bright blue TV look cool?  What about a yellow color to match your kitchen?  It’d be fun right?)

Inspiration comes when you’re relaxed and comfortable.  During a long hot shower, right before bed, or while cloud-watching lying on the grass.  Creativity is a state of mind. It’s when you relax your point of view enough to allow a new reality to emerge.

A choreographer could see a new dance move in the swaying of tree limbs in the wind, a photographer could see a new vantage point while cart wheeling upside-down with his kids.  It doesn’t matter where you are or what you’re doing – inspiration is all around you.

Some other things that hinder inspiration are:

• Narrow boundaries or thinking.
• Too much noise or interference from the outside world.
• Stiffness in body and mind.
• Looking for only ONE right answer.
• Listening to your critics.  (Or believing that they’re right.)
• A serious frame of mind.

Some things that help inspiration are:

• A light frame of mind.  Open up and be playful with your thoughts.
• Substitution.  Thinking outside of the bos.  (Using a butter knife in place of a screwdriver.)
• Seeing the forest past the trees.  Keeping your possibilities open.  There is more than one path to success.
• A notebook.  You’ll get more useless ideas than good ones, but keeping track of them can help see connections important to making your project work.
• Flow.  Letting your mind drift from one thought to another.  Another word for this is brainstorming.
• Lots of outside stimulation and activity.
• A quiet space to sit and contemplate.  (Whichever works for your purpose.)

Places to find inspiration:

• TV.  Try watching some commercials with the sound off. See if you can figure out what they’re selling.
• Nature.  Look at the sheer variety of creatures.  Birds alone go from small songbirds to majestic eagles and the over-size ostrich.  The colors in a simple leaf can vary from pale yellow to deep green.  Just sitting in your yard can provide hours of contemplation.
• Music.  Let you thoughts roam as you listen to some instrumental music.
• The opposite.  Try thinking of the exact opposite of whatever doing.  See if trying to accomplish the opposite goal gives you insight on how to achieve your true desire.
• Children.  Ask a kid how they would do something.  Even if you can’t use it, it’ll probably open your mind to new ideas.
• Movies.  What advice might Shrek give on this idea?  How about Sherlock Holmes or Chuck Norris?

What are your favorite tips for finding inspiration?  Share your thoughts in the comments section and help others GET INSPIRED!

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