Just a little light humor for a Friday! Enjoy!

Friday Funny - Explanation of Life

On the first day, God created the dog and said: ‘Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years.’

The dog said: ‘That’s a long time to be barking. How about only ten years and I’ll give you back the other ten?’

So God agreed.

On the second day, God created the monkey and said: ‘Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I’ll give you a twenty-year life span.’

The monkey said: ‘Monkey tricks for twenty years? That’s a pretty long time to perform. How about I give you back ten like the Dog did?’

And God agreed.

On the third day, God created the cow and said: ‘You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer’s family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years.’

The cow said: ‘That’s kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. How about twenty and I’ll give back the other forty?’

And God agreed again.

On the fourth day, God created man and said: ‘Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I’ll give you twenty years.’

But man said: ‘Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?’

‘Okay,’ said God, ‘You asked for it.’

So that is why for our first twenty years we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves. For the next forty years we slave in the sun to support our family. For the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren. And for the last ten years we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone.

Life has now been explained to you.

There is no need to thank me for this valuable information. I’m doing it as a public service.

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Evelyn Lim from Attraction Mindmap says:

It’s amazing that you can cope with 5. I have 2 young kids, whom I spent half of my waking hours with.

I like to encourage creativity. Here are some ideas, to add to your list:

1. Stage plays together. Great for dressing up for role playing and building confidence.

2. Paint together. They learn much faster when they can see their parent paint as well.

3. Tell a story together. I will start a story which I will make up on the spur of the moment and my daugther will continue with the remainder.

I cannot resist sharing about my all time favorite activity: snuggling up with them in bed every once in a while. I guess you can’t do this if they are all grown up. Best is to do this while they are still young and cuddly!!

Tim Brownson from A Daring Adventure says:

No matter how tired you are or what went wrong at work make sure that you leave that in the car when you get home from work. That first 4 or 5 minutes is crucial. If your kids ever start to link you getting home from work and being in bad mood, to seeing them, you’re in trouble. Of course after the 5 minutes are up all bets are off and you can be as miserable as sin.

And The 5 Little Things has been showcased in The Carnival of Positive Thinking!

Many thanks to all the great people who are participating! And if you haven’t tried doing a little thing yet, join the fun by participating in The 5 Little Things Challenge.

If you’ve liked The 5 Little Things articles, then make sure you don’t miss any updates on The 5 Little Things Challenge by subscribing to Brucisms now!

Related Posts

• May 15, 2008 -- 5 Little Things - To Make a Difference for Human Rights (5)
• April 22, 2008 -- 5 Little Things - To Help The Environment (17)
• April 11, 2008 -- 5 Little Things - To Connect With Your Kids (8)
• April 6, 2008 -- The 5 Little Things Challenge; 04-06-2008 (5)
• March 25, 2008 -- 5 Little Things (24)

Diane Drinkwater from FreeLittlePigs wrote:

When I was about 16 a friend and I were given a huge amount of flowers by a florist. They were not good enough to be sold, but were still perfectly good flowers. After taking some for my friend’s mum we stood on the high street and handed out free flowers for a couple of hours. People asked how much. People refused. People accepted. People smiled. It was really amazing to do something so spontaneous and fun.

Chris Cade from Spiritual Short Stories wrote:

The story caught my attention - if it’s okay, I’d love to share it with the readers on my site as well.

As for the 5 little things challenge, indeed I’ve been doing these “little” things for a couple of years now and can personally attest to the powerful changes within me. People who knew me even a couple of years ago hardly recognize me in some cases… not because I was “bad” or mean, but just with regards to the depth I now engage the world and the increased sense of peace and compassion I embody.

Here’s a few of the “little” things that I started doing here and there, but I did them enough that now they’ve become a part of the way I live my life (so yes, I’ve done them this week)…

- I always give homeless people at the corners either money or food, without regard to who they are, how they look, or what they do with what I give them. I used to only give food to homeless people because once, I gave a homeless man some money and I watched him go buy alcohol with it.

I’ve since come to realize that I don’t feel it’s my place to judge what others do with my gifts. I give for the sake of giving without any attachment to the outcome.

Last time I did this was a couple of hours ago. I think the guy might have even been a college kid moonlighting on the corner, but either way he thanked me with a smile and appeared genuinely grateful.

- I eat extremely slowly, and by doing so, thoroughly taste and enjoy my food. A few weeks ago, it took me almost an hour to finish a single large muffin.

- Each morning I wake up without an alarm clock. This alone has had profound impacts on my state of being.

- When others ask for my time, I make it a point to stop whatever I’m doing and make time. Occasionally, I may ask for a few minutes to tie up a loose end to what I’m working on, but about 99% of the time I turn my full attention to the person who is before me.

- I ask strangers “How are you?” with genuine caringness and listen for their response. People at the checkout stands seem to enjoy this immensely, because even though I ask them the same question as the person before me asked them, they can feel the difference.

I think the list could go on and on… but it all starts with doing 1 little thing 1 time. Once we feel the impact that it has on us and those around us, that 1 little thing snowballs into 5… and 10… until eventually it’s not a little thing nor a big thing, it’s just a way of being.

And that, I believe, is what you mean when you talk about the outcome of this exercise being change.

Shilpan from Successful Soul wrote:

Bruce,

You are awesome. You won’t believe this but I realized that I had a chance to make a difference yesterday. I was at the check-out counter at the local grocery store. Couple behind me was talking about damage to their home during recent storms. I did not know how much was their grocery bill but I paid $50 to the cashier and ask him to credit to their bill and walked away. After reading your article, I am feeling great about making difference for one starfish.

I have a blog and I will add your story and request stories from others.

Thanks again from the bottom of my heart,
Shilpan

Thanks to everyone who has participated so far - and keep them coming! Together we can make a difference one little thing at a time!

Join The 5 Little Things Challenge and subscribe to Brucisms now!

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• March 25, 2008 -- 5 Little Things (24)
• May 15, 2008 -- 5 Little Things - To Make a Difference for Human Rights (5)
• April 22, 2008 -- 5 Little Things - To Help The Environment (17)
• April 14, 2008 -- Best of The 5 Little Things Challenge; 04-13-2008 (0)
• April 11, 2008 -- 5 Little Things - To Connect With Your Kids (8)
• March 18, 2008 -- The Happiness Project (7)

Recommended Blogs:

Think Simple Now: It seemed fitting though, because that is exactly the simplicity and exuberance that springs from Tina’s writing on her blog Think Simple Now. As her readers know, she is traveling - and I know she is having a great time. But I miss her. My day is always a little richer when I have a new insight from her blog.

Pick The Brain & I Will Change Your Life: Peter from iwillhangeyourlife.com is also the editor of Pick The Brain. His articles are always insightful and well worth reading daily.

Zen Habits: Leo really sets the bar for all personal development / self improvement blogs. Read his story, it really is an inspiration to anyone who wants to live their dream, but just hasn’t “gone for it”.

Skelliewag.org: Skellie is a regular contributer for ProBlogger and also is the founder of Anywired. Her writing is conversational and informative. Quite frankly, you probably wouldn’t be reading this if it weren’t for the excellent advice that I’ve gleaned from her.

Recommended Articles:

Life Lessons from a Cranky Old Man - These days, popular wisdom says to write articles for the “scanners”. But John from John Place Online is a master storyteller. He has a creative way of expressing a personal story from his life, and articulating valuable lessons to take from them. I really think there is a place for this type of artistic storytelling on the internet. We really don’t need to can everything as if it were news.

What Would You Do? - Jason from A Miracle A Day asks an important question. “If you had no responsibilities, no pressures, no need to worry about making money, paying bills, doing chores, or taking care of anyone… what would you do?”

Chasing the Pursuit of Happiness - Tim Brownson has released an excerpt from his new book Don’t Ask Stupid Questions - There Are No Stupid Questions on The Next 45 Years. While I disagree with his underlying analogy (see the comments on the article), he makes the very valid point that sometimes we get too caught up in the stress of pursuing our goals rather than being at peace with the journey.

Playing a Round; Life Lessons from 18 Holes of Golf - Ok, so this one is a self promoting recommendation. But, it is a really good article, and has received a lot of buzz on Stumbleupon.

Enjoy - and Happy Friday!

- Bruce

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Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude.

Denis Waitley

The Happiness Project

The Happiness Project started off as a series of interviews by Alex Shalman, in which he asked people 5 questions about happiness. Alex has invited all bloggers to participate in his project by answering the same questions on their blog. Since Brucisms is focused on the pursuit of happiness, I definitely don’t want to be left out of the fun!

My thanks go out to Robert at www.reason4smile.com who’s article turned me on to Alex and The Happiness Project.

Without further fanfare - here is my interview, enjoy!

1. How do you define happiness?

This is a very thought provoking question, and one which I believe has changed for me throughout stages of my life. I find myself at one of those stages now. In my 30’s I defined happiness primarily through achieving success. I was very driven to advance my career, and tended to measure happiness in a very material way. I climbed my way up the ladder, made an excellent income, had nice cars, great apartment, all the trappings - but I was divorced (again), I had a weekend daddy relationship with my youngest daughter, and a strained relationship with my oldest daughter. Overall I was very busy - but not real happy.

In the past year that chapter of my life closed. I turned 40. I resigned my position as a senior executive. I reconciled with my (ex)wife and moved back home. I am a full time daddy again.

I work a lot less hours, for a lot less money - but, I’m happier. I choose to be happier by focusing on doing the things I love (like this blog) as much as the things that I need to do. I now spend about 30 hours a week consulting, and 70 hours a week blogging, fathering, loving, playing, and living.

2. On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your happiness now, versus when you were a child?

I’d have to say 8 or 9 most days - with the occasional rocky 7 day.

3. What do you do on a daily basis that brings you happiness? (and how consistent is the feeling of happiness throughout your day)

I find that I’m happiest when I let go - when I focus on making a contribution rather than on making a living. When I give up control of the things that I never could control anyway - and just choose to be a happy steward - well, I am!

4. What things take away from your happiness? What can be done to lessen their impact or remove them from your life?

When I allow my moods and attitude to be outward referring, rather than self-referring, I find myself slipping into frustration. It is important for me to remain balanced, to remove my attachment to the things that I desire and let the universe handle the details. We spend way too much time trying to strategically maneuver ourselves to accomplish the things that we desire. It is so much more fun to do what you can each day - and then let it go.

5. What do you plan on doing in the future that will bring you even more happiness?

I am really excited about this blog - and the potential it has to have a positive impact on so many lives. I am also excited about an upcoming project. On May 22 of this year it will be the 10 year anniversary of the death of my seven year old daughter Holly. To honor the impact that her young life had on so many other lives, I am very excited to be launching The Holly’s Hope Project on May 1st. During the month of May I will be sharing stories of her life, opening up a bit more about my life story, dealing with grief, finding perspective, and asking others to share the memories of their loved ones and how they coped with grief.

I will also be adding a donation button to the site for the first time. For the month of May all proceeds from Brucisms.com; including donations, affiliate proceeds, adsense revenue, and sponsorships will be donated to the Children’s Miracle Network in the memory of Holly Linn Kuykendall. After May, the donation button will remain - and for as long as I run the site all donations to the site will continue to be contributed monthly to the Children’s Miracle Network.

This project has been a dream of mine for years - and I am extremely happy to finally have the avenue to make it come true. While I hope that it will raise some money for the Children’s Miracle Network - I believe that the potential for having a safe, warm, community to share such deep emotional experiences can be the greatest miracle of all - and be a fitting way to keep Holly’s memory, charm, and twinkling smile alive.

Thank you Alex for giving me the opportunity to answer these questions. This is a great project!

- Bruce

For another great article on happiness read, What is Happiness? from Peter at iwillchangeyourlife.

Want to share your happiness? Join The Happiness Project, too!

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Firefox

I’ve joined the “Spread Firefox” community. After using Firefox on my Mac for about a year, I’ve been impressed with it’s ease of use. So I’ve added a link in the sidebar to spread the word about this great browser. You can download it yourself from there. While Mozilla does have an affiliate program, I’ve decided that they wouldn’t be an appropriate sponsor for this site - but wanted to share my opinion of this great product with my readers, and provide an easy way to download it.

Graph Paper Press

I recently changed the theme of this site to Monochrome by Graph Paper Press. They have an outstanding selection of themes - and what I believe is the best deal for professional Wordpress themes anywhere. For $99.99 you can have all the themes that they have - and any premium themes that they release for the rest of the year! While these themes are great “out of the box” - I wanted to make modifications to the theme. Thad always responded to every question quickly (usually within minutes), and never made me feel that I was intruding on him in any way. (Again - Graph Paper Press does have an affiliate program - but I have decided that it wouldn’t be appropriate for brucisms.) I highly recommend Thad and Graph Paper Press.

Goals

I’ve also decided to make some goals for the site. To make them real - I’ll share them here.

By 3/31/2008; My goal is:

• 1000 unique visitor/month
• 2500 pageviews/ month
• 100 subscribers

I would really appreciate everyone’s help in reaching these goals - and if you run your own blog - check out Thad’s themes. I know you’ll be in good hands.

And as always - if there is anything I can do to help, just ask!

Please help me reach 100 subscribers by subscribing to Brucisms!

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Daily Inspiration: Henry David Thoreau

Low-Anchored Cloud

Low-anchored cloud,

Newfoundland air,

Fountain-head and source of rivers,

Dew-cloth, dream-drapery,

And napkin spread by fays;

Drifting meadow of the air,

Where bloom the daisied banks and violets,

And in whose fenny labyrinth

The bittern booms and heron wades;

Spirit of lakes and seas and rivers,

Bear only perfumes and the scent

Of healing herbs to just men’s fields!

Henry David Thoreau

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Daily Inspiration: Carl Sandburg

Happiness

I asked the professors who teach the meaning of life to tell me what is happiness.

And I went to famous executives who boss the work of thousands of men.

They all shook their heads and gave me a smile as though I was trying to fool with them

And then one Sunday afternoon I wandered out along the Desplaines river

And I saw a crowd of Hungarians under the trees with their women and children and a keg of beer and an accordion.

Carl Sandburg

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All men dream but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes to make it possible.

T.E. Lawrence

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Photo Gallery: The Art of Matthew Sullivan

I had to share the work of a great photographer that I found on Flickr! I originally came across his work when looking for a picture for an upcoming article. As I looked through the amazing collection of photos that Matthew has on Flickr - I just had to feature a portion of them in a post of their own. Enjoy!

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