Thanks to, Susan, a long-time Feed Your Good Dog friend and supporter, for the Fable of the Porcupine to remind us to appreciate the good qualities in others.
Fable of the Porcupine
It was the coldest winter ever.
Many animals died because of the cold.
The porcupines, realizing the situation, decided to group together.
They were covered and protected, but the quills of each wounded the closest companion.
After a while, they decided to distance themselves, and they began to die, alone and frozen.
So they had to make a choice: either accept the quills of their companions or disappear from the Earth.
Wisely, they decided to go back to being together.
They learned to live with the little wounds that were caused by their close relationships because the most important part was the heat that came from the others.
They were able to survive.
The best relationship is not the one that brings together perfect people, but the one that forms when individuals learn to live with the imperfections and admire the good qualities of others.
And, remember…Feed Your Good Dog, so your good dog always wins!
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Thank you, Teresa, for your gift of Norman Vincent Peale’s Positive Thinking Every Day! Dr. Peale influenced the world with his philosophy of positive thinking. The following is an excerpt from the book’s introduction, which he wrote on January 13, 1993:
I think that quotations from great thinkers can profoundly affect one’s life. … The thought struck me so forcefully that it vitally affected my total faith and still does.
The truth of it seemed certain. I believed it. I accepted it. From my personal background I associated personal change with faith and in a flash of insight knew that I could change my life by changing my attitude. I have been advocating that truth about people people ever since. ~Norman Vincent Peale (May 31, 1898 – December 24, 1993).
Winning is a habit. Watch your thoughts, they become your beliefs. Watch your beliefs, they become your words. Watch your words, they become your actions. Watch your actions, they become your habits. Watch your habits, they become your character. ~Vince Lombardi
A Gentle Reminder to say “Thank You”
by a good friend of Feed Your Good Dog!
A Child’s Blessing
Pure Gratitude Simply Stated
Thank you for the food we eat.
Thank you for the world so sweet.
Thank you for the birds that sing.
Thank you God for everything.
Thank you (not “thanks,” that is like saying yeah instead of yes) for reading the following.
A “thank you” is a gift. I feel good about giving one or receiving one. Saying “thank you” is civil, charming and just plain good manners. If you have a dog, observe their behavior, they are always saying “thank you” in their way.
Giving a “thank you” is a positive exchange for the giver and the recipient. The giver of the “thank you” is recognizing what a spirit or person has done for them or how they have helped them. The recipient of a “thank you” receives the benefit of being appreciated for what they have done. We all want to feel appreciated. People notice when a “thank you” is not extended, it can feel painful and sad.
Some people are so used to texting that to exert the physical energy to open their mouth and say “thank you” takes too much effort. Others are too busy with their lives and feel they do not have the time or it is not important to share a sincere “thank you” or write a “thank you” note. Make the time, it is important and will be a positive reflection on you.
Recently, has someone helped you in some way, bought you a gift, extend a kindness? If so, did you thank them properly?
Who did you say “thank you” to today? A “thank you” is uplifting…please feel free to leave a comment and share how you have recently thanked someone.
Thank you!
T.K.
And, remember…Feed Your Good Dog, so your good dog always wins!
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This Wednesday Wide Smile, is shared by Rosalie Majerus, a good friend of Feed Your Good Dog. It is an unbelievably inspirational story from Texas Country Reporter about Diane Rose an amazing quilter who sews entirely by touch. You have got to watch this…it will give you many days of Wide Smiles and inspiration!
And, remember…Feed Your Good Dog, so your good dog always wins!
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To honor the life and work of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968)
I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.” ~ Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Read entire speech here or listen to it on the player below.
Not only did the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. deliver one of the most powerful speeches of all time, in 1964, he became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other non-violent means.
His biography on Nobelprize.org gives good insight into Dr. King’s ideals and level of commitment. It also gives us a good idea of the stamina he must of had to keep up with the incredible amount of work he did as he set out to make this world a better place.
In 1957 he was elected president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization formed to provide new leadership for the now burgeoning civil rights movement. The ideals for this organization he took from Christianity; its operational techniques from Gandhi. In the eleven-year period between 1957 and 1968, King traveled over six million miles and spoke over twenty-five hundred times, appearing wherever there was injustice, protest, and action; and meanwhile he wrote five books as well as numerous articles. In these years, he led a massive protest in Birmingham, Alabama, that caught the attention of the entire world, providing what he called a coalition of conscience. and inspiring his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, a manifesto of the Negro revolution; he planned the drives in Alabama for the registration of Negroes as voters; he directed the peaceful march on Washington, D.C., of 250,000 people to whom he delivered his address, “l Have a Dream”, he conferred with President John F. Kennedy and campaigned for President Lyndon B. Johnson; he was arrested upwards of twenty times and assaulted at least four times; he was awarded five honorary degrees; was named Man of the Year by Time magazine in 1963; and became not only the symbolic leader of American blacks but also a world figure.
By the time of his death in 1968, he had refocused his efforts on ending poverty and opposing the Vietnam War, both from a religious perspective. Dr. King was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and Congressional Gold Medal in 2004.
Why is it that it’s so easy to help others but not accept help from others? Why do we say no when people offer to help us? Why do we refuse generosity from others?
There are many possible reasons that you may struggle with accepting and asking for help, and Dr. French gives some examples in her article.
She goes on to say that regardless of what is getting in the way of not accepting help from others, you can gain more balance in this area by using positive affirmations and behavior modification techniques.
AFFIRMATIONS
Create a statement or mantra that addresses your obstacles to accepting help. For instance: “I deserve help from others.” Or “I will let go of the process and focus on the outcome.”
Try to say your affirmations daily, particularly when you find yourself in need of help.
BEHAVIOR CHANGES
One of the most effective ways to create change in your life is to behave as though the desired change has already happened. In this case, try to behave like a person who asks for and accepts help easily.
You can:
1) Ask for help a few times a week, with the conscious intention that you are doing so to grow.
2) Accept offered help a few times a week, reminding yourself that you are worthy of help and don’t need to control every aspect of a task.
Life energy flows in all directions, and the kindness that you show to others will flow back in your direction. Inviting and accepting that flow of kindness will help you stay happy and healthy, and keep the flow of life unblocked and unhindered!
And, remember…Feed Your Good Dog, so your good dog always wins!
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