Sunday, July 29, 2018

Surprise!

My cat had a nightmare, I think. Our cat usually sleeps through the many noises around her. Despite the blaring television and rattling dishes, she keeps on snoozing. One day during nap time, she jumped up into the scary hunched back position. She stared at us, jumped to the floor, and ambled away as if nothing happened. Maybe she dreamed about an encounter with the neighborhood dog. Cats are full of surprises.   

There are pleasant surprises and downright awful ones. Here’s a surprise this young man didn’t anticipate:  
                                         https://youtu.be/n4mznkHDMGk

Active military soldiers and their families deserve heartwarming surprise reunions, and much more. What sort of surprise would give you joy?  



Modified & reprinted from Nov. 2013

Saturday, July 21, 2018

Walk This Way


Many of our decisions about where to work, shop or attend school depend on how far from home we’re willing to travel. It boils down to choosing between adventure and inconvenience. Some people don’t mind traveling long distances while others prefer quick trips. Regardless of how far you’re willing to travel, would you do this if you couldn’t go by car?
                                         https://youtu.be/5F6VGlLuzKM

The title “America Strong” underscores the student’s determination. Who else would do what he did? Think about the number of times you’ve texted from your bedroom to someone in your kitchen or ignored a ringing phone because you had to walk across the room to answer it. Rather than walking through the mall, I’ve considered leaving the building and driving to a store at the opposite end. Okay, I actually did that. We find the wildest reasons to avoid moving on. When you don’t feel like taking the next step, who or what motivates you to push forward?      

Saturday, July 14, 2018

Life, Camera, Action!


While walking through a department store, I thought I saw a slight movement off to the side. I’m blaming it on tired eyes because it looked like a mannequin moved. It’s not impossible. You’ve seen stores create a buzz by substituting a live model for a mannequin, drawing a crowd as people stop and stare at the store windows. Onlookers stare trying to catch the models moving. They’re watching us, and we’re watching them. With cameras everywhere, it feels like someone’s watching our every move. See what the camera catches:
                                         https://youtu.be/rgDm5Fj5Yeg

There’s always camera footage to back up good and bad behavior. Fortunately, the employee has visual reminders of his little customer. Maybe we’d behave better if we remember that someone’s always watching. You never know when the camera will catch you, and if it does, what do you want it to capture about you?      

Saturday, July 7, 2018

Stinky Situation


Whenever a major holiday coincides with trash pick-up, you know what’s in store. Hoping it doesn’t take too long, you impatiently check the receptacle several times while listening for any signs of the garbage truck. And, if the trash stays at the curb past our deadline, this is our biggest fear: 
                                         https://youtu.be/jUNIB4jCBdU

As the days tick by—and you’re fortunate—your receptacle will hold all the trash you need to stuff in it. A late trash pick-up is like life. We’ll tolerate a trashy situation for a while, but as soon as we’re fed up, we want it to disappear. Once we reach our tipping point, it’s time to act. What stinky situation are you ready to eliminate?