Take Time Out

How often we find the days produce too many interruptions, too many unanticipated demands. Extra duties and the trivial all too easily crowd out the more important work that should be done. When we feel crowded and pushed and feel that things are running us instead of our running them, that is the time to slow down. That is a warning to stop, to take time to get away from it all and be alone. When we are overworked and tense, we become inefficient and we overtax our strength. At such times much more will actually be accomplished through rest, difficult and impractical as that may seem, than through overwork and overdoing. Nature demands that we now and then take time out to let our souls catch up with our bodies.

--Paul S. McElroy (Moments of Meditation 1961)

Peace & Happiness

BE YOURSELF ... DARE TO DREAM... REMEMBER TO LAUGH - We've all received advice over the years from family, friends, co-workers - even from hairdressers and bartenders. Sometimes we nod our heads in casual agreement, but pay no more attention to the advice than we would to emptying the trash. At other times, good advice arrives just when we need it the most, Our best friends tells us to go on that job interview, and we get the job offer and the happiness and fulfillment we're looking for.
Sometimes, like a thief, happiness sneaks up on us when we least we least expect it - and we are forever changed. We become open to new experiences; we feel that single ray of sunshine on a cold, wintry day; we feel blessed to be alive. At other times, happiness can be not only hard to obtain but also hard to recognize. The search for happiness can be a lifelong process of discovery and trial and error. I hope that I, as a person, can help you discover what you can do to enjoy the peace & satisfaction of a happy life. My goal is to bring peace & happiness to all.
I am always here for you ♥

Penguin- Inspired Advice

Life Is Not Black And White

There are two kinds of penguins: the white ones coming toward you and the black ones going away from you. That probably qualifies as the oldest joke in the Antarctic. It’s not true, of course. There are actually seventeen kinds of penguins, and most have at least a little bit of color. It’s tempting sometimes to see the world in black and white and to take unwavering positions about right and wrong. But things are seldom that simple, and it’s life’s full spectrum – of colors, emotions, philosophies, and ideas – that make it so worth living.

From: Flipping Brilliant-A Penguin’s Guide To A Happy Life

A Toke a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

A Toke a Day Keeps the Doctor Away
posted by Ann Pietrangelo on Care2

Alone in her Birmingham, England home, a woman stirs a half teaspoon of cannabis into her hot tea. By seeking relief from pain and spasms caused by multiple sclerosis in this way she is, in the eyes of the law, a criminal.

She doesn’t take this action lightly and is not out for a recreational high. She simply wants a reprieve from the relentless pain that plagues her and, after sipping her tea, generally experiences about three hours of relief. Only those who live in chronic pain can fully understand her anguish.

Speaking of her predicament she says, “I want politicians to be nice to me… I’m sick.” One cannot put it more simply than that. (You can read the rest of her story and view the heartbreaking video on BBC News.)

Medical marijuana enjoys legal status in many parts of the world, where it is recognized as an effective treatment for chronic pain or nausea caused by conditions like multiple sclerosis, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, arthritis, and cancer. Canada, Chile, and the Netherlands have decriminalized or legalized it, and Australia and Belgium are conducting trials on its benefits.

Patients report that use of medical marijuana provides relief from spasticity, nerve pain, tremors, sleeping disorders, nausea, and depression, greatly improving quality of life.

In the United States and some other countries, social stigma and stereotypes twist the issue into a moral argument rather than a purely medical one.

Ironically, if you watch television for a few hours, you’ll be bombarded with ads for powerful prescription medications with lengthy lists of potential side-effects up to and including death, but they are perfectly legal… and encouraged.

They side-effects associated with cannabis are mild in comparison. Long-term smoking of marijuana has some of the same negative effects as smoking tobacco (a legal substance) and is associated with some short-term cognitive problems. For those living life in chronic pain, it is a fair trade for improved quality of life. It is a very personal decision, one that should not be criminal.

In the U.S., 14 states allow some use of medical marijuana with a doctor’s approval (Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington), and legislation was recently introduced in Maryland.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration insists that legal medical marijuana already exists: “A pharmaceutical product, Marinol, is widely available through prescription. It comes in the form of a pill and is also being studied by researchers for suitability via other delivery methods, such as an inhaler or patch. The active ingredient of Marinol is synthetic THC, which has been found to relieve the nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy for cancer patients and to assist with loss of appetite with AIDS patients.”

According to some patients who have tried Marinol, it is much more expensive than traditional marijuana and does not effectively relieve their symptoms. “If I smoke a joint, the tremors go away most times before the joint is gone,” says one man with multiple sclerosis. “It makes my life a little easier.” Marinol, by contrast, “didn’t really do much of anything for me,” he said.

It is time for the United States let go of antiquated notions of marijuana and recognize its legitimate medical use. Stop penalizing the ill… please sign the petition asking the U.S. Congress to recognize the benefits of medicinal cannabis.