July 20, 2017
Sometimes the most ordinary things could be made extraordinary, simply by doing them with the right people.
Today is going to be an especially good one for me as I am having breakfast with a writer friend and lunch with an actress friend. As my life has become more sedentary I have learned just how important friends are to my continued enjoyment.
I don’t do as much as I use to but many of my friends continue to do great things in their active lives and I enjoy learning of their exploits. Other friends have gained wisdom over the years and getting to see the world through their eyes is a blessing.
Over the years I have visited many places, did some surprisingly good things but nothing has been better than the people I have met and the ones who have become friends. I have found that friends will walk with you during the tough times and cheer with you during good times. Not only that but as reported in the following article, they are good for your health.
Friendships: Enrich your life and improve your health
By Mayo Clinic Staff
Friendships can have a major impact on your health and well-being, but it’s not always easy to build or maintain friendships. Understand the importance of friendships in your life and what you can do to develop and nurture friendships.
What are the benefits of friendships?
Good friends are good for your health. Friends can help you celebrate good times and provide support during bad times. Friends prevent loneliness and give you a chance to offer needed companionship, too. Friends can also:
- Increase your sense of belonging and purpose
- Boost your happiness and reduce your stress
- Improve your self-confidence and self-worth
- Help you cope with traumas, such as divorce, serious illness, job loss or the death of a loved one
- Encourage you to change or avoid unhealthy lifestyle habits, such as excessive drinking or lack of exercise
Friends also play a significant role in promoting your overall health. Adults with strong social support have a reduced risk of many significant health problems, including depression, high blood pressure and an unhealthy body mass index (BMI). Studies have even found that older adults with a rich social life are likely to live longer than their peers with fewer connections.
Why is it sometimes hard to make friends or maintain friendships?
Many adults find it hard to develop new friendships or keep up existing friendships. Friendships may take a back seat to other priorities, such as work or caring for children or aging parents. You and your friends may have grown apart due to changes in your lives or interests. Or maybe you’ve moved to a new community and haven’t yet found a way to meet people.
Developing and maintaining good friendships takes effort. The enjoyment and comfort friendship can provide, however, makes the investment worthwhile.
What’s a healthy number of friends?
Quality counts more than quantity. While it’s good to cultivate a diverse network of friends and acquaintances, you also want to nurture a few truly close friends who will be there for you through thick and thin.
Time decides who you meet in life, your heart decides who you want in your life, and your behavior decides who stays in your life.
Ziad K. Abdelnour
Two women were discussing reincarnation.
One asked the other if her husband believed in it.
The second woman said, “Does my husband believe in life after death? My husband doesn’t even believe in life after dinner!”
Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.
One day a man approached Groucho Marx and he said, “Please insult my wife. My wife loves your work. It would really give her a thrill if you insulted her.”
Groucho turned to the man and said, “Sir, you should be ashamed of yourself: To be married to a woman like that and not be able to think up your own insults!”
The one function TV news performs very well is that when there is no news we give it to you with the same emphasis as if there were.
A young Scottish lad and lassie were sitting on a low stone wall, holding hands, and just gazing out over the loch. For several minutes they sat silently, then finally the girl looked at the boy and said, “A penny for your thoughts, Angus.”
“Well, uh, I was thinkin’. . .perhaps it’s aboot time for a wee kiss.”
The girl blushed, then leaned over and kissed him lightly on the cheek. Then he blushed.
Then the two turned once again to gaze out over the loch. After a while the girl spoke again. “Another penny for your thoughts, Angus.
“The young man knit his brow. “Well, now,” he said, “my thoughts are a bit more serious this time.”
“Really?” said the girl in a whisper, filled with anticipation.
“Aye,” said the lad. “Din’na ye think it’s aboot time ye paid me that first penny?”
Waste your money and you’re only out of money, but waste your time and you’ve lost part of your life.
After they had brought their first baby home from hospital, a young wife suggested to her husband that he try his hand at changing diapers.
“I’m busy”, he said. “I’ll do the next one.”
The next time the baby was wet, she asked if he was now ready to learn how to change diapers.
He looked puzzled. “Oh,” he replied finally. “I didn’t mean the next diaper. I meant the next baby!”
You’ll need coffee shops and sunsets and road trips. Airplanes and passports and new songs and old songs, but people more than anything else. You will need other people and you will need to be that other person to someone else, a living breathing screaming invitation to believe better things.
Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies. The editor is somewhat senile.
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