Happy Thanksgiving!

  'Occupy movements nationwide celebrate holiday   'Anti-Wall Street demonstrators in encampments around the country spent Thanksgiving serving turkey, donating time in solidarity with the protest movement and, in some cases, confronting police.' Read more...
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The Health Benefits of Saying Thanks

An "attitude of gratitude" can improve physical and emotional health. Incorporate more thankfulness into your life not just during holidays, but every day.

'We all know exercising and eating a healthy diet are good for our bodies, but how many people realize practicing an attitude of gratitude can improve our health as well?

There’s no doubt that mind and body are connected, and this link is especially apparent when it comes to gratitude. “Research suggests that individuals who are grateful in their daily lives actually report fewer stress-related health symptoms, including headaches, gastrointestinal (stomach) issues, chest pain, muscle aches, and appetite problems,” says Sheela Raja, PhD, an assistant professor and clinical psychologist in the Colleges of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Illinois at Chicago'.

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Do We Dare Keep Our Hearts Open?

'Funny how things evolve in the pursuit of truth. We’re emotional beings. That’s why the matrix makes everything out to be so cold and scientific.

When I watch certain movies or musical presentations or see a touching human moment I get emotional. I can’t help it. People are emotional, I’m emotional, and I feel them.

When we stop feeling we’re through. Empathy is what separates us from the reptilian mindset that is destroying humanity and our planetary home. We must never be like them, consciously or subconsciously.'


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12 Things Happy People Do Differently

“I’d always believed that a life of quality, enjoyment, and wisdom were my human birthright and would be automatically bestowed upon me as time passed.  I never suspected that I would have to learn how to live - that there were specific disciplines and ways of seeing the world I had to master before I could awaken to a simple, happy, uncomplicated life.”
-Dan Millman

'Studies conducted by positivity psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky point to 12 things happy people do differently to increase their levels of happiness.  These are things that we can start doing today to feel the effects of more happiness in our lives.  (Check out her book The How of Happiness.)

I want to honor and discuss each of these 12 points, because no matter what part of life’s path we’re currently traveling on, these ‘happiness habits’ will always be applicable.'

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The Emotional Lives of Animals

'Scientific research shows that many animals are very intelligent and have sensory and motor abilities that dwarf ours. Dogs are able to detect diseases such as cancer and diabetes and warn humans of impending heart attacks and strokes. Elephants, whales, hippopotamuses, giraffes, and alligators use low-frequency sounds to communicate over long distances, often miles; and bats, dolphins, whales, frogs, and various rodents use high-frequency sounds to find food, communicate with others, and navigate.

Many animals also display wide-ranging emotions, including joy, happiness, empathy, compassion, grief, and even resentment and embarrassment. It’s not surprising that animals—especially, but not only, mammals—share many emotions with us because we also share brain structures—located in the limbic system—that are the seat of our emotions. In many ways, human emotions are the gifts of our animal ancestors.'


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Gratitude and Health

'Academics have long theorized that expressions of thanks promote health and happiness and give optimism and energy to the downtrodden. Now, the study of gratitude has become a surprisingly burgeoning field, and research indicates being thankful might help people actually feel better. There's a catch, however: You have to say thanks more than just once a year.

"If you don't do it regularly you're not going to get the benefits," said Sonja Lyubomirsky, a psychology professor at the University of California, Riverside. "It's kind of like if you went to the gym once a year. What would be the good of that?"'

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