MAH!

 Feel good Friday (Mom Style)

 Good afternoon Friday Feel Good peeps! As in most things I am a bit behind and would like to honor moms on this weeks TFFG. Things have been especially close for my mom and I since I had her move in and her recent battle with cancer. Fortunately, she's pretty hard to keep down and I really at this point have a hard time getting her to even sit still. (Hi mom!) But I'm so happy to have her close and she's such a great roommate! She's been phutzing in the garden and hanging out with my dog.

 She hurt her knee recently and I'd been trying to get her to relax and stay off it. I finally started pressuring a trip to the doctor since she wouldn't listen to me, her response "I don't wanna go to the doctor because they're probably going to tell me to stay off it"

 MAH!

 The other day I was trying to do the dishes and clean and she kept getting in my way trying to help, I told her to go relax and she still kept at it... I said "you don't listen very well, do you" "no" she said.

 MAH!

 I'm guessing that with any luck most of you have an interesting mom with great influence in your life, or at the very least can make you feel good on a Friday. I'd love to hear about a mom story of yours below, if you wanted to... If not, maybe just call you mom and say hello!

 "When your mother asks, “Do you want a piece of advice?” it’s a mere formality. It doesn't matter if you answer yes or no. You’re going to get it anyway."  -Erma Bombeck

 Here is a blurb from my write up on my mom back in September last year.

 "She's is the most beautiful and wonderful woman I know. I don't say these things as cliche, because she's my mom, I say them because it's true. She's always been there for me, always taken my side and forever has loved me for who I am. My mom has never tried to change me, never been disappointed in who I've become. She has a great sense of humor, a winning personality and a passionate approach to all her family. She embraces life, works hard to be a good mom and grandma and she makes the best scalloped potatoes in the world." 

 And lastly, a video I found which is about a mom and a son. It's an advertisement for an airline by the end but the message is neat and I'll forgive it's ad nature if you'll do the same. Cheers, and HAPPY Friday!

Music, meaning and interaction

This week I wanted to focus a bit on something that is hands down one of the most important aspects of my life, music. It is my belief that, music is the quintessential and definitive intellectual accomplishment of mankind. Music transcends language and time, it heals us when we’re down, and it revitalizes us when we’re tired. Music can be a friend, a reminder or even at times a much needed inspiration. No other art form can find a way to speak in emotion the way that music can. There are so few ubiquitous elements to our lives that we all as people can understand, rhythm is in our bones and in our hearts… perhaps the true way to peace and healing is a symphonic collective celebration.

The following video is very touching, and is the embodiment of what I am talking about.

“It gives me the feeling of LOVE! Romance! I figure right now the world needs to come into music, singing you’ve got beautiful music HERE, beautiful, lovely, I feel the band of LOVE, of dreams.”

Brilliant!! ((someones cutting onions, excuse me)) 

So, you can share below your thoughts or your favorite musical inspiration; I’d love to hear about them. For me, the song that always brings a smile to my face is “Under African Skies” by Paul Simon on the “Graceland” album. That album alone is one of the best of all time in my opinion, but this song for some reason just touches me in that right way. This is an example for me of how music and its original meaning or lyrics don’t necessarily have to align with what you get from them.  For me, the song is just about nostalgia and letting go, traveling and experience. When I look up what the intended meanings for the song might be, or are, it’s much different.

Thanks again Friday Feel Good People, this Friday… let the music have you!

-Matthew

“Without music, life would be a mistake.”

-  Friedrich Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols, Or, How to Philosophize With the Hammer

Greetings Friday Feel Gooders!

"well, I don't know how a 94 year old should feel"

-Olga Kotelko

Getting Old, Running Out Of Time...

One thing that has been on my mind as of late is this massive adherence to schedule and time. Not just on the micro day to day level, but on the macro big picture level, too. I feel a strange sense of urgency in many places of my life where I may have been neglectful or that I have not achieved something that I need to and it leaves me with the feeling of anxiety and even sadness or fear. 

The main thing is, that I feel like I might be running out of time. A friend and I were talking about time at work and we commented a bit on how silly the whole concept of it is. What does it mean, anyhow? Why are we so worried about it, to the point that we live our lives in fear of it. We as people have an understanding that things have an end, and we hate that. We work in such a way that we worry about the conclusion of everything.

So what do I do about not worrying about time anymore? How can I know that I'm going to be ok? Maybe Olga Kotelko can tell me something about age and fulfillment. Olga, is a Canadian track and field athlete who holds hundreds of gold metals and twenty six (Every one available) world records in her age group... of NINETY to NINETY FIVE!

Olga, didn't start her athletic career until she was seventy seven. But that's not really everything there is to say about Olga, she's just simply an amazing spirit. Watch this brief video from her below. 

"The future and the day after is going to be ok, because it's ok today."

I don't foresee anything out of the ordinary happening, and when it does come I'll just have to accept it and go on."

Such an amazing thought! My takeaway? Live in a way where you don't fear tomorrow, because even if something happens you can handle it and move on. Your future is not shrinking, you're NOT getting old, life can begin at 77, start something NEW today. I love this, so much. Thanks Olga! you're an inspiration to us all.

-Matthew

Greetings!

So my “The Friday Feel-good” Distro was getting a little big so I decided to move it to a blog. Currently this is a new thing I am doing, and depending how overwhelming the rest of the world is being in any particular week I will either have a really elaborate or really simple posting, but I’ll always try to have something.

So here is how it works.

Every Friday I’ll post something to the blog that will hopefully be inspiring or make you feel good in some way that is the point. Everyone is welcome to chime in, respond or comment (Remember, though, this is a thread on positivity, so keep it that way!) and even to share the link to someone you think can benefit from or enjoy the post. Let’s keep the positivity running, if you have a good idea for a “The Friday Feel Good” post, email me at mietsko@gmail.com

This is why I am doing it…

As anyone who pays attention to my posts or thoughts on the world knows, I'm rather opinionated, I don't filter what I say and I can even be a bit vitriolic in my tone. Not that I think I need to stop being passionate about my beliefs, but I do need to change my outlook.

One of my main purposes here is to participate in an exercise of character manipulation. I need to force recognition of positive things in the world and the people in my life. I am choosing to become a warmer and happy person in as many was as I can. However, we all know that change is not a decision; it's a long arduous movement, and a commitment to a goal. So, this is part of that journey for me. I need to strike an internal balance of passion, creativity, love and admiration with my intensity, strong will, determinism and secular humanity, all while leaving out the byproduct of anger and frustration before it destroys me, and who I am. 

Thank you to you all! Let my know what you think, anytime in the comments below.

Love,
Matthew