I wrote this column a few years back, but if I know my readers, I’m sure you don’t remember it. I mean, I don’t remember it, and I wrote it! So, I hope you enjoy this “summer repeat” with a new Brain Tease and “Remember When” question.
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Last week I wrote about the three daily habits scientifically proven to make us happier and healthier: gratitude, acts of kindness, and moments of silence. But maybe there is another way to learn how we can be happier, that’s a little less scientific, but just as meaningful. Dave Barry, award-winning humor columnist and book author, surprisingly found a way: observing his “consistently happy” old dog Lucy.
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Dave Barry wrote “Lessons from Lucy: The Simple Joys of an Old Happy Dog” (2019) because, as he’s getting up in years, he felt his constant companion Lucy could teach him a few lessons about being happy.
Below are the seven lessons from Lucy with a quote from the book for each lesson.
First Lesson: Make New Friends. (And Keep the Ones You Have.) “I’m going to think about Lucy — about the trustful, open, unreservedly joyful way she approaches everybody, and the happiness she clearly derives from her many friends.”
Second Lesson: Don’t Stop Having Fun. (And If You Have Stopped, Start Having Fun Again.) “Don’t settle for contentment. Don’t just stand around grinning. Get out there. It’s a wonderful world.” Life is too short not to be a part of something stupid.
Third lesson: Pay Attention to the People You Love (Not Later. Right Now!) “In the end, all that really matters — all you really have — is the people you love. Not your job, not your career, not your awards, not your money, not your stuff. Just your people.”
Fourth Lesson: Let Go of Your Anger, Unless It’s About Something Really Important Which It Almost Never Is. “Lucy definitely gets angry. But not often, and this is the important thing — never for long.”
Fifth Lesson: Try Not to Judge People by Their Looks and Don’t Obsess Over Your Own. “One of the positive aspects of aging is that, as you and your friends get old, you pretty much give up on being hot; you’re just happy just being not dead yet.”
Sixth Lesson: Don’t Let Your Happiness Depend on Things; They Don’t Make You Truly Happy, And You’ll Never Have Enough Anyway. “Lucy needs food and family. That’s all she needs now: that’s all she will ever need.”
Seventh Lesson: Don’t Lie Unless You Have a Really Good Reason Which You Probably Don’t. “Be like Lucy. As the saying goes, if you mess up, fess up. And do not be afraid to say these words: I was wrong. I made a mistake. I’m sorry. I apologize.”
These lessons are not original, but they remind us we can learn how to be happy from all around us — even from Dave Barry’s old dog Lucy. But now the essential question: Are there any lessons I can learn from my cat!?
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If maturity is a condition you want to avoid, check out Dave Barry’s latest book: “Class Clown: The Memoirs of a Professional Wiseass: How I Went 77 Years Without Growing Up.”
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Brain Tease: What do the following words have in common?
Assess, Banana, Dresser, Grammar, Potato, Revive, Uneven, Voodoo
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The name of the movie directed by George Lucas that tells the story of a group of teenagers spending one final night cruising the gut was American Graffiti. And the actress who played the mysterious blonde driving a white 1956 Ford Thunderbird was Suzanne Somers.
As you read this, I will be in Atlanta, hoping to avoid the heat, humidity, and mosquitoes. When I get back to the Gorge, I will catch up and mention everyone who turned in answers for this week’s “Remember When” question.
This finger ring contains a thermochromic element that changes colors based on the temperature of the wearer’s finger. It was introduced in 1975, and by the end of the year, the value of the rings sold reached $20 million.
For this week’s “Remember When” question, what is the name of this type of ring that was called “a real biofeedback tool”? Email your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-980-4645, or send it with an original 1975 ring.
Well, it’s been another week, wishing I could tell what mood my wife was in. Until we meet again, it’s not easy to look intelligent when you have no clue what’s going on.
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“What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult for each other?”
— George Eliot
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Nutritious home-delivered and in-person meals are available at noon Monday through Friday unless otherwise noted.
Seniors of Mosier Valley (541-980-1157) — Wednesdays with music on second and fourth Wednesdays; Mt. Hood Town Hall (541-308-5997) — Tuesdays; Hood River Valley Adult Center (541-386-2060); Sherman County Senior and Community Center (541-565-3191); The Dalles Meals-on-Wheels (541-298-8333).
For meal sites in Washington, call Klickitat County Senior Services: Goldendale office (509-773-3757) or the White Salmon office (509-493-3068), and in Skamania County call Senior Services (509-427-3990).
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