You have assumed correctly, yes, I did not win the Powerball last week as I am still writing and newspapering. That said, I had my hopes way up high, positive good luck and fortune would smile heavily upon my tickets.
Alas, t’was not to be. No setting up foundations to help those in need. No anonymous cash gifts to hand out. No paying off the mortgage, car payment and living week to week, paycheck to paycheck.
Rats!
So, I am a little depressed these days.
And, the best cure for depression I think is to go back and look at e-mails from readers, read them and be thankful someone took time out of their day to write. Not all the time do folks write nice things, but a lot of the time they do.
Who out there doesn’t like to get a little note now and then, telling you nice things like you’re appreciated? If you are reading this and have a few seconds to reach out to another person to brighten their day — do it!
Here are a couple in my e-mail inbox.
* * *
Dear Don (May I call you that?), My word for 2016 is “savor”.
One of the techniques for losing weight, which I need to do, is to slow down and be mindful of what you’re eating and drinking. It takes about fifteen minutes for your appestat to register your food so, if you slow down instead of gobbling, you will have consumed less by the time your body realizes it. You’ll be sated by fewer calories.
An added benefit is that you will have actually tasted and enjoyed what you did eat.
Savoring also applies to other life activities. Periods of rest become more important as I age. I should savor rather than fight the act of being still for a while.
I intend to savor: cuddling and outdoor activities with my spouse of 51 years; watching the antics of songbirds and other wildlife; conversations with my children, grandchildren, siblings, friends, and my mother. Mom turns 90 this year; life is precious and should be appreciated. . .savored.
Your new fan, Paulette
Thank you, Paulette. That is an awesome word to adopt. Paulette responded to the call from my column What is your ‘word for 2016? which ran the first week of the year. My word was going to be canoodle, but then I switched to valor.
* * *
Here’s an e-mail from a nurse.
Hello Mr. Rush,
Thank you very much for your thoughtful and compassionate column Kick’em when they’re down this Christmas.
I appreciate your willingness to understand those who may view this time of celebration as very difficult and suggesting practical ways to cope.
This is an excellent effort to address mental and emotional health
Thank you for your time and attention
Sincerely,
Ms. Sharon
* * *
And, here is one from a librarian.
Dear Don,
In response to your request for readers to share their favorites among your 2015 columns, I absolutely loved your ruminations on what you would name a new Rush offspring. (Adrenaline Rush, yeah, that’s the ticket! from Aug. 26, 2015.)
Should little Adrenaline ever come along, I would be honored to have the privilege of issuing him (or her) his or (her) first library card.
I have missed seeing you and your boys in the library on Saturday mornings, but am glad to see from checking the web site that you haven’t taken your no-holds-barred columns to some other part of the country. We need brutally honest voices like yours around here to keep us all in line
Sincerely, Kara
* * *
And finally one from a former Oxford Leader contributor.
Dear Don,
A friend passed a copy of this column to me yesterday at lunch. I put it in my purse and forgot about it until now.
Thank you for reminding me and our community that ‘news is only news because it’s not the norm??
That’s a great comfort.
I guess we should be concerned when mercy and kindness and peaceful dialogue between opposite sides are the dominant news stories.
And thank you for the Longfellow history lesson. He is one of my favorite poets.
Iris
There you go! Don’t be shy, folks. Reach out and touch somebody. Write them a note, send some positive energy. Peace!
Send e-mails to: Don@ShermanPublications.org