Interesting business card for Dog Walkers.
Not sure what they mean by:
Not just a lipstick visit
I’ve heard of lipstick on a pig, but never on a dog!
Playing dress up with a dog?
As they say, only in America. 😉
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Category Archives: Play
Helping The Elderly
Thought this was an incredibly beautiful photo.
Someone playing ball with an elderly lady in a wheelchair!
Too often, I think we forget or neglect the older, disabled, and disadvantaged population.
These were once the people who cared for us!
As we grow older, life can get so much harder in terms of health, disability, finances, and even loneliness.
It is so important to show compassion, kindness, and care for the people who need us, and not to forget anyone along the journey of life! 😉
Man’s Best Friend
What a cute little dog.
Little fur ball.
Ready to play.
Love for the family.
A companion and friend.
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Toys Non-Digital
Interesting set off toys found in a silver pan tray.
A couple of dogs, some Play-Doh, a crayon, and a fighter plane.
Off to the side (not pictured) are the Legos.
Interesting with what competes with video games and phone apps these days.
(Note: 85% of the world’s toys are now made in China!)
Frankly, there is still a lot to be said for the creative play of yesteryear. 😉
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Monopoly Yerushalmi
I am so excited to play this edition of Monopoly Jerusalem edition.
The properties of obviously from famous places in the Holy City of Jerusalem, such as The Kenneset, Mount Olives, Mount Herzl, Hebrew University, Montefiore Windmill, Mahane Yehuda Market, The Biblical Zoo, The Israel Museum, Tower of David, and of course, The Western Wall, and more.
The cards are in both Hebrew and English so I can continue to improve my Hebrew language skills.
I think this is a perfect topic to be thinking about today, which is Tisha B’Av (the 9th day of the Hebrew month of Av).
This is a perfect Shabbat game for after Shul and Kiddish, and I am looking forward to the family sitting down to play Monopoly Jerusalem style.
I want to also note that Jerusalem along with the Holy Temple (may it be rebuilt speedily in our day) is a perfect topic to be thinking about today, because this is the day on the Hebrew calendar when the Holy Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in both 586 BCE by the Babylonians as well as in 70 CE by the Romans after they had laid siege to the city–the exact same day of the calendar year over 650 years apart–and so this is a day of commemoration, mourning, introspection for the Jewish people. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Ship+ In A Bottle
You ever wonder how they build that big ship in that little bottle.
Someone needs very dexterous hands and a lot of patience to put the pieces through the opening of the bottle and assemble the ship inside.
But this second grader, Dylan Yasseri, upped the game on this whole concept and imagined a whole beach in the bottle.
The sand, ocean, sky, birds, crabs, fish, umbrella, and even the shack (snack?) bar!
This is one reason that kids are so awesome–their purity of heart and their endless imaginations make almost anything possible.
The fantasy becomes the reality.
The colors are magical too here.
If adults could maintain even half the heart and creativity of our children–oh what a world it could be. 😉
(Source: Andy Blumenthal Photo of Dylan’s beautiful painting).
Three Legs of Quality of Life
So this is something that I am learning.
Quality of life means perspective and balance.
When people go to the extreme and focus all their energies on any one area almost to the exclusivity of the others in their life, it usually means they are going wrong.
Some people are “party animals”–life is all about their fun, enjoyment, experiences (and even excessive partying, sleeping around, getting drunk and high), and their very immediate gratification.
Others are all about work–climbing that professional ladder and earning more money, material goods, and more power is the holy grail and also the bane of their existence.
And yet there are some people that are focused on faith, family, and community–they are mothers and fathers, religious students and clergy, community organizers and organizers of charitable events and giving.
The problems is that people need multiple facets of their lives–yes, they need playfulness, interests, activities, hobbies, and fun and joyous times; at the same time, they need intellectual curiosity, professional contribution and achievement, and the wherewithal to be responsible and pay the bills; and very importantly, they need social, spiritual, and emotional fulfillment from family, friends, giving, and faith.
When a person stands on only one of these legs, like many seem to–they are on wobbly ground and are likely to fall hard and fast.
Even on two legs, something is missing in their lives–they are standing tall, but not strong and stable.
On all three legs, a person can be grounded and able to not just stand for themselves, but able to bear weight like on a stool, and they are can play music and sing and smile, knowing that they have a genuine quality of life that few ever really achieve. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
The Games People Play
The title sounds ominous, but I mean it differently.
People like to play games–the type you have fun at.
We learn to play when we are kids.
We get the attention of our parents and friends–and we have fun just being together, acting silly or even competing with each other.
Whether it’s over a game of Life, Monopoly, Risk, or Connect Four, or even these days going online with a game of Minecraft or Crush.
Sports is another type of game–great to play and others like to watch and cheer for their favorite teams or athletes.
This week at work, someone said to come to his meeting because:
“…everyone would have fun.”
Have you ever heard that at work–a fun meeting or for that matter anything being fun in an office setting?
The guy is a genius–people actually showed up in droves at the meeting.
They had to choose between various meetings going on at that time–and low and behold, people chose this one that was going to be fun!
In the meeting, there was a big bowl of candy and chocolate in the center of the conference table.
And the mood was relaxed as we got down to some business.
While we did the business, people felt free to be a little silly and laugh with each other too.
The tone had been set for some fun.
The person who hosted the meeting explained that he wanted people to have a good time coming to the meeting (and to work).
He called it “gamification.”
The idea is why not make things into a type of game and have some fun with it instead of everything being so stuck up and nasty all the time.
Listen, it was still a meeting and work had to get done, but it was nice to see a different lighter perspective put on it.
People want to enjoy what they do–whether it’s time with their family, friends, or why not even their work.
If we can make more things in life into a game of sorts and put “fun” into the equation of what we do–people smile, laugh, and let down their guards a little.
Why shouldn’t adult play games and have fun too? 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Now You See It and Now You Don’t
Took a little hike on Sunday through Sligo Creek.
It was an absolutely gorgeous day.
Walking along the creek, we saw a mother and child wading in the water.
(Not sure that I would do that based on how clean or not it is, but they seemed to be cooling off and having fun).
Then crossing a little footbridge, we came across someone tossing this pretty big bolder over the side and into the same creek.
There was another guy at the bottom who seemed to be looking out for the big splash (or perhaps anyone happening by who would get clobbered by this thing).
Anyway, this was just a stark juxtaposition of people (including children) having fun in the water and the potential hazards from above.
This is life, one minute everything can be sunshine and roses, and the next bing bong!
Got to be grateful for every minute of peace, health, and prosperity-they are truly gifts and nothing is owed to anyone from the Almighty. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Forcing Kids Backfires Big Time
Fascinating article in the Sunday New York Times today on how the stress we are putting on our kids is making them sick.
With testing of High school students showing incredibly alarming rates of mental illness:
– 54% with moderate to severe depression.
– 80%+ with moderate to severe anxiety.
And 94% of college counseling directors “seeing rising numbers of students with severe psychological problems.”
Even pediatricians are reporting 5-, 6-, and 7-year olds coming in for migraines and ulcers!
Another teacher said with all this, “We’re sitting on a ticking time bomb.”
Under the pressure to get into great schools and get a foot in the door in excellent careers and attain high-paying jobs, we are making our kids work longer school days, do more homework, take more Advanced Placement (AP) exams, participate in numerous extracurricular activities, and achieve, achieve, achieve.
We’ve taken away normal play time–the fun out of life growing up–and the imagination, exploration, and discovery away from kids just being kids.
The paradox is that “the pressure cooker is hurting, not helping, our kid’s prospect for success.”
Especially for parents who themselves grew up poor or lacking, maybe they are trying to do the “right thing”and give their kids more than they had and a “better life.”
But maybe even the best intentions to mold children to be what we want them to be, or think they should or could be, is misplaced.
If only we could all take a little (or BIG) chill pill…you can’t force success–with forcing you get the opposite results.
Back off people–instead of pushing and endless disciplining–how about we listen to the children, guide them, show unconditional love, and be excellent examples–show them integrity, a strong work ethic, along with an appreciation for work-life balance, then perhaps we will get not only the success of the next generation that we all need, but also happier, better adjusted, and healthier children. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
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