Today is ICE CREAM Day.

Now there's a holiday that deserves celebrating.


adventures in living
Secretly, I'm a happy person. I say 'secretly' because it may not be immediately evident from my usual run of blog entries. But the fact is, I'm starting to think the reason total strangers come up to me on the street is that I'm always smiling, or at least looking pleased, as if life were some grand adventure. Which it is.


If, that is, you tend to view nearly everything as entertaining, educational, or just plain silly.


If you allow yourself to feel mad, bad, sad, or strange when you are; and laugh about it later.


If you refuse to censor your thoughts, but selectively censor your words. (Because telling someone they don't look good after a bad haircut is uselessly hurtful, for example. Save it for just before the next haircut, when it'll do some good.)


If you don't care what anyone thinks of you, because the only people who matter will love you anyway.


If you accept that you are bound to fuck up every once in a while.


If you stand by your good decisions, and actively strive to repair the fallout from the bad ones.


If you avoid people, places, events, and situations you hate... or, in the event of unavoidability, make fun of them in your blog later so you can feel better about it.


It just seems to me that many people think happiness is some distant destination in their far-off future. I think happiness, to a large extent, is just living when and where you are, and loving it. (And laughing it off when you don't!)

TRIVIA QUIZ
What's the difference among Britain, England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom? (I know Amie knows!)


answer to Tuesday's question
I can't believe three of you actually figured out I was really sneaking in a mythology question! Okay, here's why we say "it's raining cats and dogs": In Norse mythology, Odin is not only the All-Father, but a god of war and death; whereas Freya is the goddess of love and fertility. Somewhat strangely, though, they actually divide the souls of slain warriors between them-- half go to Odin's Valhalla, and half go to Freya's halls. Now, since Freya's carriage is pulled by a pair of huge cats (representing fertilizing rain), and Odin is served by canines and lupines of all sorts (The dogs represent wind), the Norse believed that violent storms meant that Freya and Odin were fighting over possession of some notable warrior's soul. Google that, y'all. ;>


Smart puppies and clever kittens: Pauline, Charles, and Ariel