April 20, 2009 - Mother Nature Hates Me - Fawlty is Coming to Town - Let Yourself Be Happy
It’s early spring - Monday April 6th to be exact, the day following our 57th wedding anniversary and all is right in the world - but without warning, Mother Nature mocked me.
I could hear her voice in the shingle-ripping wind that buffeted the family homestead - "Ok you old coot -for all those nasty, smart-ass, long distance remarks you made to family and friends as they cuddled by the hearth attempting to find warmth from the worst winter on record while you lounged in the land of palm trees and alligators, I’m going to show you what it was like and teach you a lesson." - and with that the old gal dumped a foot and half of snow over the next three days - Ah, springtime in Central Ontario.
My self-imposed home confinement over this three day period, was fuelled by my determination to wait until outside snow-shovelling help arrived or the sun melted the deep white and wet cover so I could at least see my car that was just a white hump in the driveway - (if the Honda could talk, can you imagine what it would be yelling - in a Japanese accent - "You old sod -what were you thinking? I’m freezing my brakes off out here - lets stay another week she said -but oh no - you want to get home for the 57th and here I am parked in a friggin‘ igloo. "
However, this unexpected winter-in-the-spring detention proved to be extremely positive, productive and profitable - allow me to explain.
On day one, I read an interesting article in a Canadian business magazine that reported on how many retirees were seeking part-time jobs to earn extra retirement income and quoted Terry Greene, a fee-only planner with MSC Financial Services Ltd. in North Vancouver, saying - "if a retiree could get a part-time job paying $20,000 a year that would be what you could reasonably expect a $400,000 investment portfolio to generate in retirement - which would go a long way toward making up for an undersized portfolio."
Not too shabby especially if this part-time job consists of doing work you enjoy.
OK, the goal is to bring in around 384.00 a week - but instead of one part-time job - what about having two, three even ten part-time jobs? Let’s say one of the jobs brings in 50 a week, another 15 another a hundred and so on - and on top of that how about if each job was a "one off" but still continued to bring in cash revenue?
That brings us to my second snowed-in bonanza. I received an Email from a retired buddy who I have been sharing internet experiences with over the past four years and he guided me to an EBook that, I read and reread (thanks mother nature) - it was like attending a brainstorming session - with each read I scribbled ideas in my notebook - finishing with a list of eleven possible money making ideas - three I could finish in about two days - one will take about a month because of research and interviews - the rest somewhere in-between.
Question - what are the majority of people searching the internet look for? OK, Porn but we won’t go there - what they are looking for is INFORMATION everything from how to pluck a chicken to how to make a Victorian chastity belt - I kid you not - while confined to my winter-in-springtime home I researched how people have been working the internet - example - how about - How to build a Chicken coop?
I am waiting to pounce - the number is on speed dial as I hope to score good seats - John Cleese is hosting a Brit comedy night at TO’s Massey Hall in July - part of the Just For laughs Festival.
Cleese is a comedy genius - his Fawlty Towers comedy series - even though only twelve episodes were ever produced in 1975, it placed first in a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000, voted for by industry professionals.
The show is set in a fictional hotel Fawlty Towers in the Devon town of Torquay on the "English Riviera" with Cleese as the owner host along with his wife. This was one of my favourite episodes - Fawlty and the dead guest - a two-part teaser.
And with that in mind - thanks to daughter-in-law Julie for sending me the following video - this gal is funny - here’s Mrs. Hughes.
A new report from Harvard Medical School. "Positive Psychology: Harnessing the power of happiness, personal strength, and mindfulness" says the evidence is unassailable -
Using your personal strengths, savouring the moment, building positive relationships, counting your blessings, and other principles of positive psychology are far more likely to bring satisfaction and fulfillment than accumulating money and material things.
The report reviews the scientific evidence and describes the strategies to help you live longer and healthier - "Single-task. Multitasking is the enemy of savoring. If you're walking the dog on a beautiful path but checking your phone for messages, you're missing the moment. Don't pile on so much stimulation that you dilute your ability to enjoy it.
Celebrate. Don't keep the good moments of life to yourself. Let yourself be happy when you complete a project or when something goes well. Savour your accomplishments.
Slow down. Time affluence--having the time to enjoy your life and participate in the activities you want--predicts happiness better than monetary affluence.
Try to eliminate some of the less enjoyable ways you spend your time, so you can enjoy the pleasurable experiences in your day without rushing.
Simplify. Too many options can actually diminish your pleasure.
Share the moment. Inviting someone else to share an activity can enhance the pleasure. Together you can relish the sunset, symphony, or ski run.
