Happy New Year!

Here in the UK, there are just a few short hours before we shall be bidding farewell to 2010 and welcoming in 2011. For those of us who find the changing of the years depressing, here is what a friend of mine has to say:

The Chinese believe that the "decade" birthdays (i.e. 20, 30, 40 etc) are gateways that set the scene for the next decade. The same can be said for decades, of which people don't believe traditionally start until the 1 (i.e. 1991, 2001, 2011 etc).

So see this year changing as the beginning of a new period in your life. Make your wishes and hold onto them. Stay happy and positive and the next 10 years will be happy and positive. Keep smiling. Keep loving those around you even when they wrong you. Say "I love you". Say "Sorry". Or you could take some advice from the song "Sunscreen":

"Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts, don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long, and in the end, it's only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch. "



Have a very happy and joyful 2011!



(Photo - Christmas 2009)

The Complaints Department is now CLOSED!

A noble person is mindful and thankful for the favors he receives from others. ~ The Buddha

Everybody moans. It's a fact of life. There are times when we just have to get some things off of our chests and air our grievances to another person. But we seem to be living in a world where there are nothing but complaints, where no one thinks of the good, only the bad. They complain because the boss hasn't performed the task they said they would. They moan because of the hours they have to work. They whine because such-and-such in XYZ department isn't doing their job the way the complainer thinks they should. They find fault with the bus company because their bus was late. They moan and fill the world with negative energy, never thinking beyond that little realm.

Perhaps it's time we should take a closer look and be thankful for what does happen. To be thankful for the boss who pulls out the stops so that we can have a safe working environment. To be thankful that, in this climate of unemployment and low pay, we have a job. To be thankful that the person in XYZ department goes above and beyond the call of duty and asks for nothing, not even thanks, in return. To be thankful for the bus driver who stopped when he saw someone collapse and stayed with them until help arrived.

That's all I ask, to take a closer look at your life. To look at the people we work, live, love and exist with and to see the good they're doing in the world today. To go up to them and say "Thank you". It's 2 words, 8 letters, and so easy to say. To stop before we open our mouths and complain and moan and whine. We know that we can never please everyone in this world and we know that we will complain and that we will be at the end of the complaints, but the least we can do is be thankful. Your words, your kindness, your smile, may touch that person's life. We don't know how a person is feeling at any given time and that gesture, no matter how small, may be just what they need to pick them up from a rut. Let's be thankful, let's be happy and let's spread that happiness! In this approaching season of peace and goodwill let's go out there and spread some goodwill!

Be Thankful!

Be Happy!

If you want to be happy, be.  ~Leo Tolstoy

There are now two new ways to connect with Glass Completely Empty. I'd like to introduce myself as the staff as one very demanding office cat...

Office Cat's Facebook page

Office Cat's Blog

Enjoy and take everything he says with a pinch of catnip!

Go On - SMILE!

 It was only a sunny smile, And little it cost in the giving. But like morning light, it scattered the night, And made the day worth living. ~ Anon

Do you know whose life you've touched today? Do you know if it was in a positive or a negative way? I truly hope that it was in a positive way. A smile, a kind word or a hug, even to a complete stranger, could mean the difference between hope and despair. Touching someone's life does not have to be expensive, it does not even have to cost money. The smile you gave the glum looking cashier at the store could have brightened their day. How do we know that they're not struggling with illness or a death in the family? The helping hand we gave as someone's groceries hurled themselves across the floor could have been just the thing they needed. How do we know that they suffer with a painful brittle bone disease or that this was just another in a long line things that had gone wrong that day? It costs nothing to give a smile and it takes less muscles to smile than to frown. Go on, SMILE! You know you want to and you know it makes the world a better place. Heck, even if you're feeling rubbish today, crack a smile. It'll make you feel better! Trust me on that one!

Gratitude...

"If the only prayer you ever say in your life is thank you, it will be enough."

  ~ Meister Eckhart

I believe that we should be grateful for one thing every day. I mean, how hard is it to be thankful and happy for one thing in your life every day? It might be the weather, it might be an unexpected letter or comment, it might even be your health. It doesn't have to be a big thing, just something small, something which perhaps made you smile today, or think, or laugh.

Today I am grateful for my friends, for those who have stood by me through thick and thin. They may not have given me anything of monetary value but they have given me something more; their friendship. They have been there when I've ranted (sometimes at them about themselves), they've been there when I've laughed. They've stood by me while the world seemed to fall apart and now they stand beside me as I make a life for myself. They have been proof-readers, coffee makers, hug givers and care givers. They have been the bringers of smiles and laughter, encouragement and unadulterated love. They have listened and advised and, while we may have had our wobbles, they have come back stronger than before, forever walking beside me. My friends, the family I have picked for myself, have been there through thick and thin, through happiness and sadness, through winters and summers. They were there yesterday and they are here today. My beautiful and wonderful friends, I am thankful for you every day and I hope that tomorrow will be another day with you.

Random Acts of Kindness

It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.  ~Author Unknown

 

Today it was a lady in the waiting room of the dentist, a complete stranger, who held my hand and talked to me, telling me I wouldn't be in pain for much longer.

Today it was a dentist who didn't charge me for the work he did, saying he was happy that I would no longer be in pain.

Tomorrow it could be me, or it could be you. A smile costs nothing and uses less muscles than a frown does and it could make the day of someone who is feeling utterly awful.

Smile, even if you feel awful; it will make you feel better even if you think it won't. Laugh; it really is the best medicine. Be happy, because if you're happy, then the world seems like less of a dark place.