Tag: encouraging

why i choose to laugh daily by chris otcasek

Why I Choose To Laugh Daily: Chris’ Journey

By Chris Otcasek (aka Mr. Ohh!) | Featured Contributor


Hello! I have a question for you all. I would like to ask how you grew up? How were you treated? When I grew up, I had asthma, and was not treated well. The thing is…no one was in those times. I would run the 100-meter dash and run out of breath after 25. It wasn’t so bad that the other children told me I ran like a truck, but when the coach did as well it made me feel I wasn’t trying hard enough. Well, I tried harder and got worse.

Some folks find this abuse depressing and are scarred. I grew to fight harder, and when I was laughed at, I learned to laugh at myself as well. It was a sad existence. Bullying is cruel but it must be survived. Friedrich Nietzsche said, “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” It’s a lie that which does not kill us gives us one more thing to avoid. For me, that became everything. And it continued throughout my working life.

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A Blessing poem Barbara Leonhard

A Blessing for You

By Barbara Leonhard | Featured Contributor


Dear Friends, most of us would agree that this past year has been extremely challenging if not tragic. Many of you have documented your pain and grief in poetry, fiction, and essays. St. Patrick’s Day is today and Easter is coming up, so it’s a good time for us to transmute our sorrow and fear into blessings. It’s spring, a time of rebirth as we see the daffodils blooming. Although daffodils are sometimes pelted by one last snowfall, they are resilient. Indeed, spring is full of promise as four-leaf clovers await our search for good health and fortune. The fourth leaf, luck, adds to the trinity, so even if we fail to find the four-leaf clover, we are truly never alone. With love, I offer this blessing…

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Embracing a New Day

Every sunrise gives you
a new beginning
and a new ending.
Let this morning
be a new beginning
to a better relationship
and a new ending
to the bad memories.
It’s an opportunity
to enjoy life,
breathe freely,
think and
love.

-Nortan Juster

Wishing everyone a beautiful start to a new week.
💙