Sometimes The Good Is Tiny

April 16, 2010

Back in 2007, when my friend Marcia posted a photograph and told us to find “only the good” in it, I was skeptical. Marcia said: “The purpose of this exercise is to get people to look at the world in a different way, to acknowledge–if only for the brief time they do this exercise–that there [...]

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A Wild Kid’s Festival in Galveston

April 8, 2010

A festival for children is always fun, but it’s doubly so when I get paid to attend it! That’s my “good” for this Only The Good Friday. Make me tell stories at a festival? As Br’er Rabbit would say, “Please, Br’er Fox, don’t throw me in that brier patch.” Ostensibly I’m heading to Galveston, Texas [...]

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Only The Good On Good Friday

April 1, 2010

It’s really “Good Friday!” And, it’s only the good Friday, as well. Fridays are always about “good” in my book as I battle my natural tendency to see a glass half empty. It’s hard to be a pessimist at holiday time … especially one with decorated eggs. I decided for today that it is time [...]

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Cleaning For A Reason

March 25, 2010

You know as well as I do that cleaning house can be difficult on a good day. The bending, stooping, and reaching can be exhausting. The cleaning products can overwhelm your senses. Imagine how difficult housecleaning can be for a cancer patient! Fortunately, there is an organization that will supply a free professional cleaning service [...]

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The Best Thing About A Carnival

March 19, 2010

Do you ever have a carnival come to town and set up on the parking lot of the mall? I don’t remember them from when I was a kid, because I think my parents didn’t drive near them. They didn’t want their four urchins begging to stop and ride the ferris wheel! Heck, we got [...]

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A Week Of Worthiness

March 12, 2010

Have y’all ever heard a tiny voice in the back of your head whispering negative things to you? “Pssst! You aren’t good enough.” “Hey, you are not worthy.” Most people hear things like that in their minds occasionally … although some people hear it all the time. Except maybe Stephen Colbert, but even Stephen has [...]

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For Arts Sake

March 4, 2010

I don’t feel guilty for my opinions, but I’ll atone for them anyway on this Only The Good Friday. A few days ago, I wrote a somewhat snarky post questioning a man’s artistic ability. He called himself a “folk artist,” and I was skeptical. I didn’t think he was creating “art for art’s sake;” I [...]

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Morning Coffee Is Good

February 25, 2010

No, I’m not talking about real coffee, although that’s pretty special. I’m talking about “Morning Coffee.” That is my contribution to this week’s Only The Good. It’s an application (or add-on) available for your Mozilla Firefox browser. I had no clue that it existed or that I wanted it until I read a post by [...]

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I Want To Drink Your Blood

February 18, 2010

When I finally pried my eyes open this morning, I got to indulge in one of my favorite breakfast treats: a blood orange. Specifically, it was a Moro, with deep red flesh that tastes sweet and mellow. They aren’t available often in my grocery store so when I see them I pounce on them like [...]

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Obligatory Snow Photos

February 12, 2010

Hey you North Texas kids! Get out of bed quick. It’s time to build a snowman! Make a snow angel. Have a snowball fight or make an igloo. Boys, you can … ummm …. “write your name” in the snow (sorry, girls, it’s a guy thing — you aren’t properly equipped). Make snow ice cream [...]

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Seek And Ye Shall Find

February 5, 2010

Some of you know that on this blog I only post good things on Friday. By that, I mean “not negative.” As I told you in the beginning if we look for the good, we are likely to find it. Some days it is harder to find good than on others, but it is necessary [...]

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Optimism Virus to Battle the Cold Virus

January 29, 2010

My “optimism virus” has been outgunned this week by a cold virus. I tell you what, it has been hard to see “Only The Good!” When things are going wrong, it’s probably the best time to practice optimism, eh? Let me try to shoot down that cold virus with some optimism. I’m going to give [...]

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Gimme Shelter

January 21, 2010

It’s not Only The Good Friday, yet, my friends. I know that, but this can’t wait. I bet when you look at the television news you aren’t seeing a lot of good. Images of the suffering in Haiti are overwhelming, aren’t they? I feel helpless. Those people have lost their homes and need shelter now! [...]

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One Million Acts of Kindness — A Lifetime Goal

January 15, 2010

Kindness. Do you think that the trait of kindness is innate, or is it something that we “learn?” I’m not sure that everyone is born with it, but I think that most people can learn to be kind … although it takes practice. By practicing simple acts of kindness, I think we can teach our [...]

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All Warm Inside

January 8, 2010

Is it cold at your house? Around here it is the coldest it’s been in thirteen years! If you live in the north, I know you snicker when we complain about a couple of days of wind chill in the teens, but Texans aren’t always physically or mentally prepared for the Arctic blasts. Last night [...]

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A Different Side of “House”

January 1, 2010

When I watch British comedy, I get the same feeling I have when I eat Fritos dipped in applesauce. I know that it’s odd, and that there’s something “wrong” about liking it, but I do like it and I just can’t explain it. It is an acquired taste. If you are British, please pretend I [...]

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Leavening

December 18, 2009

Have you ever watched bread dough rising? I have. Trust me on this, it’s boring! When my Mamaw baked bread, she always told us kids to be quiet or the bread wouldn’t rise. I don’t know if that’s true … I think she was just making a feeble attempt to shut us up. My cousins [...]

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A Week of Feasting

December 11, 2009

Food has been the focus of my week … not for me (because Lord knows I could stand to slow down on eating a bit — I’m already a member of The Sisterhood of the Grappling Pants), but for others. That is my good for this Only The Good Friday. If you are a new [...]

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Come Heck Or High Water — Or Snow Flurries — Only The Good

December 3, 2009

Have y’all ever noticed that it is easy to put a positive spin on things when life is running along smoothly? When the road gets rocky, being optimistic is much more difficult. However, that’s exactly when we need to practice seeing Only The Good the most. These past few weeks, I am struggling more so [...]

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Helping Others To Dress For Success

November 20, 2009

If I show up for work dressed in an outfit that is a bit wacky, it never raises eyebrows. In fact, people expect that a storyteller would dress in a way that is “out of the norm.” I’m an artist, after all, and I have to meet the expectations of my audience. All I have [...]

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