"A merry heart doeth good like a medicine." Proverbs 17:22
Indeed. The stumbling block, however, may be finding the medicine that will create the merry heart.
And so, I will set this recommendation aside in favor of an entry from the book of Poppins.
Quotes-of-the day from the 2014 Keep Calm & Carry On desk calendar
"The greatest happiness is to transform one's feelings into actions." Germaine de Staël, 18th century Swiss writer
Despite her origins, isn't it traditional to consider Madame de Staël as a French writer?
And how much do you covet that turban?
Bien. Having, by these statements, transformed my feelings into actions, I am surely one gesture nearer to happiness. Though I really don't think Madame could have imagined social media. In this landscape, where every frisson of emotion is parent to an epic rant or rhapsody, there may be greater happiness in merely observing.
Quotes-of-the day from the 2014 Keep Calm & Carry On desk calendar
"To be alive is to be kicking." Studs Terkel, American writer and historian
...so DON'T Keep Calm! Kick it! Kick it good! (well, if Studs said so...)
Quotes-of-the day from the 2014 Keep Calm & Carry On desk calendar
"Thou art made, if thou desir'st to be so." William Shakespeare, English playwright, Twelfth Night
In the actual play from which this is quoted, the line appears in a letter that promises Malvolio that "greatness" awaits him, if only he is bold enough to seize it. As he does desire to be so, he follows the instructions in the letter and utterly humiliates himself. Because the letter is a forgery, and the promise of greatness is false.
Today's quote of the day is part of an elaborate falsehood, designed to destroy a man's life. See what happens when you pull your content from a collection of quotations without checking the original source material? Nice work, calendar editorial team!
Quotes-of-the day from the 2014 Keep Calm & Carry On desk calendar
"Try not to make it worse than it already is." Russell Baker, American writer
Kicking off March with some good common sense from Russell Baker. This is the kind of simple advice that tends to slip through the mental cracks, simply because it's simple.
It's hard to improve on this idea. Bad things happen. No amount of positive thinking or wishful ignorance is going to change that. But when we find ourselves in bad situations, the one thing we can do is our damnedest not to make it any worse than it has to be. This might be as simple as accepting that bad things happen, rather than tying yourself in a knot looking for a "why" that doesn't exist, or blaming yourself for something you could never have avoided or changed. And sometimes it means turning the other cheek, because negative emotions fester; which only hurts you, not the target of your anger.
If you're having a hard time Keeping Calm, it couldn't hurt to remember this one.
Quotes-of-the day from the 2014 Keep Calm & Carry On desk calendar
