Getting Past What Holds You Back with Baby Boomer Weight Loss Expert Scott 'Q' Marcus
Actually, this is a video called “Dumb Ways to Die” and, to be honest, I’m not sure how this is inspirational – but it’s funny in a public service kind of way. So, what the heck, I wanted to share it.
In reality, it’s an ad from Australia about how to be safe around trains. However, I assure you you’ll be signing it before the day is done.
Spoiler alert: This seemingly negative rant has an upbeat ending. Don’t think I’ve driven off the grumpy cliff until you reach the conclusion.
Last week, I was speaking in Eastern Washington. One evening, my lovely wife and I walked to a restaurant. You know what? We didn’t have to wear a jacket, and no, we weren’t shivering, not a twitch! Nope, just a nice leisurely stroll; holding hands, wearing shorts and donned in short sleeves no less. The temperature was 75, the sky was postcard blue, a light breeze caressed our skin and in the distance, the setting sun was beginning to cast the most beautiful blood-orange red pattern behind marshmallow clouds.
Where I live, even in the spring, so much of the time you cannot go outside at night (let alone during the day) unless you’re wearing a parka, gloves, wool cap, and scarf. (Okay, that’s a slight exaggeration – but not much.) It would be so wonderfully enjoyable to relax on our deck during the evening and not shiver.
And now that I’ve got my cranky pants yanked snug, I’ve also grown tired of people throwing garbage on my property during the wee hours. Many mornings I come outside for the first time (wearing parka, glove, and wool cap) and find discarded on my lawn is someone else’s trash. It could be a fast-food bag or a soda bottle. Once I found soiled diapers. Are you kidding me? I don’t get such self-centered mentality. Are there herds of self-absorbed oblivious garbage automatons who amble the dark hours randomly tossing crap on other people’s property? I mean, how hard is it to walk the extra five feet and put it in our garbage can? I give you my permission. I want my yard to look nice; this isn’t helping – and I get grumpy about it.
Although this is not a theater review, I admit that even though the cast was three weeks out from opening night, my wife and I both truly enjoyed it. The play bounces lightly between humorous and tender moments with an unforced ease and the tight cast of four actors performed well with and up against each other. Never did I check my watch – and that’s rare until itself.
However, the reason I was invited was NOT to provide good reviews (um, which I think I just did…) but because the plot, to a large extent, deals with how our inner dialog determines the quality of the lives we lead. Since you’re reading this column, I assume you understand that is one of the pillars about which I write.
Because of her critical self-talk, she masks her pain with humor and conjures up excuses to avoid becoming involved with a sweet, slightly awkward gentleman who sees her for who she is as a complete person, paying little heed to the superficial level of what she weighs.
The playwright, Jon Lonoff, must have been overweight, as he gives eloquent voice to what so many of us with body image “issues” say to ourselves — and then reflects that internal dialog’s outcome in the quality of our lives.
Don’t misunderstand; I’m not saying — nor is the play — that a woman (nor man) can only be defined by her relationships. However, should we choose to avoid them because we feel unworthy, that’s a pizza with a different topping. [Read more…]
So, why not seek out films that inspire us to greater heights? This article looks at 10 uplifting films to select when looking for the best Blu ray movies to inspire you and your family.
This soccer-themed comedy drama features Parminder Nagra and Kiera Knightly as two teenage would-be athletes. Nagra’s character, Jess, is forbidden from playing the sport by her conservative Sikh family, but she manages to attend matches and win accolades without their knowledge — for a time. The girls battle social pressure and the fallout from a love triangle to reach their dreams of playing soccer at university.
A story of hope blossoming in unlikely places, “The Shawshank Redemption” follows convicted murderer and former banker Andy (played by Tim Robbins) through his double life sentences and longtime friendship with fellow convict Red (Morgan Freeman). Andy wins the trust of the warden, who wants him to help launder money. The friends hatch a plan to use the ill-gotten money for better purposes.
Musical comedies can’t help but be inspirational, and “Singing in the Rain” is one of the best of its time. Part love story, part tale of personal ambition, this light-hearted look at the transition from silent film to “talkies” is a feel-good classic.
![By CBS Television Network. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/The_Wizard_of_Oz_Judy_Garland_1939.jpg)
“The Wizard of Oz” (1939)In order to reach her dream Dorothy has to go on a terrifying journey and kill a wicked witch. It all seems like too much for a little girl from Kansas, but with help from her friends she — and they — triumph. Watch this musical with tissues and the mantra, “there’s no place like home.”
The Spielberg tour-de-force film based on the book by Aussie novelist Thomas Keneally illustrates in black, white and a splash of red just how deeply one man can touch the lives of many others. Schindler, played by Liam Neeson, is a Nazi Party member who uses his factory to keep Jews away from concentration camps. Based on a true story, “Schindler’s List” is an affirmation of human decency worth watching time and again.
August Rush, played by Freddie Highmore, is an orphan — or so he was told. But, born with the ability to hear music everywhere, August believes he will one day be reunited with his family. He never loses hope, even after falling in with a conniving racketeer played by Robin Williams. By the time August meets up with his mum and dad, viewers feel like they’ve had a family reunion of their own. [Read more…]
The world is full of shocking beauty. Seriously, it’s crazy how visually striking some these places are and their unique history.