One Hundred Reasons to be Glad

(with thanks to Ian Rowland)

A Gift Book by Summersdale Publishing It's hardback and £4.99.
The idea is to read it, look at the pictures, think 'I've never fully appreciated giraffes' and then write your own list... which is bound to be more sensible than mine.

We have attempted to bypass naff and go for gently profound..

It can be pre-ordered on Amazon.co.uk on the link.. or, please go to your local independent bookshop...

One Hundred Reasons to be Glad

fred

 

 

1 The Dalai Lama teaches kindness and we can practise practising it
2 That babies can swim when their mums take them to proper baby swimming classes. This is my friend Lela McTernan's baby at her swimming class in Bristol - aged 4 months. She started swimming at ten weeks. (This class was with www.waterbabies.co.uk but you can find similar classes all over the country if you hunt round on the web)
3 That we can always give ourselves another chance.
4
That Bill Watterson created Calvin and Hobbs.
And coz if you've never seen these books you get to read them for the first time.
5 That sometimes a bus comes along just as you walk up to the bus stop.
6 That Rodin decided to study sculpture.
7 That if you wake up really early you can hear the birds celebrating the arrival of the day.
8 The sea.
9

coloursml

 

TThat our eyes can see colour
10 Unexpected new friends.
11 That Cole Porter and George Gershwin made songs.
12 The smell of freshly cut grass.
13

Mandela. His life choices. And the fact he wrote 'Long Walk to Freedom' so we can read about them.

14 Some people enjoy cooking and making food taste fantastic.
15
tinyseahorse Sea-horses
16 That sometimes people forgive and forget.
17 A glass of water.
18 That Richard Attenborough decided to make a film about Gandhi and kept going for ten years till it was made.
19 Wild poppies.
20
Thich Nhat Hanh and his writings on the practices of Buddhism.
21 Dentists can give you injections before they drill your teeth.
22 That we live after the invention of washing machines.
23 Currant buns.
24 We have a National Health Service and every day doctors save lives.
25 That J.K. Rowling didn't listen when she was told 'You'll never make any money writing children's books.'
26 That spiders build amazing webs and sometimes drops of rain get caught and the sun lights up the picture.
27 Big Ben and the two peace activists that climbed up to ask for peace because they cared enough. littlebigben.jpg
28 The books of Mark Salzman. Especially 'True Notebooks' in which he teaches creative writing to juvenile offenders in a youth detention centre.
29 Friends that phone when they are sad and lost and ask you to support them.
30 That Bach wrote some cello suites.
31 Voluntary Service Overseas. www.vso.org.uk
32 Giraffes.
33 Snowfall.
34 That Martin Luther King had a dream.
35 The still small voice of calm.
36 Morecambe and Wise met each other. M&W
37 There is relative peace in Northern Ireland.
38 Going for long walks is free.
39 That Robin Williams is in SO many films.
40 There are monks and nuns all around the world that pray for us every day and believe that "in some sort of mystical way it makes a difference" (Sister Helen OHP)
41 Sandals - especially Birkenstocks.
42 A teacher helped us learn to read.
43 The right to vote.
44 We can all make the world a better place.
45
Juliet Stevenson became an actress and Minghella wrote 'Truly, Madly, Deeply' for her.
46 It feels so lovely when someone says 'Sorry.'
47 Chocolate chocolatesml.jpg
48 That we live in a multi-cultural society.
49




Gene Kelly was cast in Singing in the Rain.
50 That the moon looks the same as it did the first time we saw it.
51 That trees have blossoms in springtime
52 Labrador dogs chasing balls  
53 Breathing deeply makes you feel good.
54 Re-incarnation may be true.
55 We can always 'Do something different.'
56





That Barbara Hepworth made sculpture.

 

 barbera hepworth
57 That we can send birthday cards to our friends.
58 Cats choose to live with human beings.
59 Digital Cameras. I don't have one yet but maybe one day I will.
60 Push bikes. The best invention ever. Good free transport and fun too. Especially at night with lights.
61 Listening to the radio is cheap.
62 The chance to speak with strangers every day.
strangers
63 Puddles and the right to jump in them.
64 Fountain pens.
65 Lambs. (And the fact that some people don't eat them)
66 All the tunes and all the lyrics in 'My Fair Lady.'
67 School friends that you want to stay in touch with.
68 Old friends that say 'I admire you' (Thank you Nigel) or anyone who says lovely things that they don't need to.
69 Tantric Sex
70 Old fashioned spinning tops that hum.
71 Anybody that ever loved us - even a little.
72 That someone found out that the potato was edible.
73 Tenderness.
74

pillows.jpg New pillows.

75 That we have equal rights for the disabled and more and more ramps for wheelchairs. (A long way but it's coming)
76 Public Libraries.
77 The first person we think of that makes us laugh. (For me that's my daughter.)
78

That Dame Judi Dench decided to make films and more of us could see her extraordinary work.
79 Anyone we know that can play a musical instrument.
80 That they made advertising smoking illegal and for all those who lobbied to make this happen.
81 That we have four seasons and the weather is always changing so we all appreciate a sunny day.
82 Beach huts.
83 Trees - any trees - all trees - from any angle.
84 The internet. And the joy of email that doesn't interrupt people's lives.
85 Shark protection. www.sharktrust.org
86 Our favourite film ever.
87 The choice to stay in when it rains or the choice to go out and get wet.
88 The right to education. (Mandela had to wait 5 years in prison for the right to read a book.)
89 Coloured pencils.
90 A chance to dance.
91 Toast
92 It only takes 30 days to form a new habit.
93 That we live in a time after the invention of the shower.
94 We can go to Speaker's Corner and say whatever we want to.
95 That John Nash decided to study architecture johnnash
96 The smell of freshly ground coffee. Or that you can think of your five most favourite smells.
97 That Mother Teresa looked after the dying and her community is all over the world - especially in Baghdad.
98 Candles. The state of Peace. And any contribution that we can make.
99 That we can swear if we want to.
100 That you can write your own list... xxx isabel

 

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