BE Happy

A few things that make me happy this month...

(1) SOUL, the movie: If you haven’t already seen Soul then do yourself a favor and download the Disney app, pay the monthly $6.99 fee, and watch it. Although, unlike most critics, I did not love the movie (found it a tad unsettling and incomplete)…there were three things about it that truly made me happy. #1- The shoutout to FLOW! The concept of FLOW or being ‘in the zone’ was prominently featured and seeing the characters shown in their 'flow-bubbles' really made me happy! I LOVE being in a state of FLOW, and if you don’t fully understand what it is, this movie will help to explain it. (Or you could go back and read BE in Flow 😉); #2- The overall message, that enjoying the little things in life is what makes life worth living, is spot on! Noticing and appreciating the blue sky and fall leaves; wholly enjoying the taste of food; connecting with everyday people; etc.- in addition to, but not exclusive of -finding your passion and purpose in life, is what living well is all about; And, last but not least... #3- It reminded me that I like jazz music- a lot. I have been rediscovering music lately and Soul made me step up my efforts to add more amazing jazz tunes to my playlist. It’s easy to stick with the genres you love like rock or pop or R&B, but I encourage all of you to expand your musical horizons this month. I truly feel that different types of music feed your soul in different ways. More about that in BE a Go-Go.

(2) BETTY AND BRIAN: Betty White has been making me happy since she played Sue Ann Niven on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Her wit, her adorableness, and her love of animals only make me love her more. But, in January she truly made me happy when she turned 99 and shared what keeps her feeling young. She said she always looks at the bright side of life because "I don’t like the other side". Simply put, but so true! When I was fighting cancer so many people commented, "How can you have such a positive attitude?" and my response was always, "It's the only choice I have!" Betty’s health and longevity are clearly due to her attitude and she should be a role model to us all! And then there’s Brian…as in Monty Python’s: The Life of Brian movie. My family randomly selected the movie off the '100 Bucketlist Movies' scratch-off poster we got for Christmas and it was certainly an interesting watch! As with all things Monty Python touches it was LOL silly, but the best part was the final scene when they sing Always Look at the Bright Side of Life (watch the video below!). It’s visually big on shock value, but if you listen to the lyrics and appreciate that even those poor blokes should look on the bright side…then it’s sure to bring a smile to your face. Thank you Betty and Brian for showing me how to be happy by always looking at the bright side!

*The following 👇 BE Happy item was contributed by my husband Scott.

(3) KENNEDY CENTER HONORS: I have always felt that books are fuel for the mind, sports pull at the heart, and music touches the soul. All are important, but anything that touches the soul is powerful. We lean on music to get us through depressing times, it helps us to celebrate, it gets us dancing, it accompanies us on long car rides, it motivates us to work out, it has an important role in weddings and funerals, and many other things. Music is the perfect partner for our life’s journey and it’s something that makes me very happy.

During COVID-19 as I was looking for music-related things to watch, I discovered a cool series on YouTube on the “Kennedy Centers Honors” where past presidents host and honor musicians who have changed the cultural landscape and contributed so much to society. Each segment

is about 20 minutes per artist and while the musicians do not perform their own music (they sit and watch as others honor them), there are some incredible singers involved. Below are some segments that are, in my opinion, “must watch” and you can just search for these in YouTube:

· Kennedy Centers Honors – Led Zeppelin: By far, the best performance in this whole series is Heart doing “Stairway to Heaven”

· Kennedy Centers Honors – Sting: For those Bruce Springsteen fans, The Boss doing Sting’s “I Hang My Head” is incredible

· Kennedy Centers Honors – Cher: Proving he might be the best singer of his generation, Adam Lambert doing “Believe” is artistic brilliance

· Kennedy Center Honors – Bruce Springsteen: If you want to laugh, Jon Stewart’s introduction of fellow New Jerseyan, Bruce Springsteen is comic genius

There are many others including tributes to The Eagles, Paul McCartney, Earth, Wind & Fire, Aretha Franklin, and so on. Just go on YouTube and search. What you will find will touch your soul and certainly make you happy. Enjoy!

Note: The Life of Brian is not going to win any Oscar's, but this song is a hoot and has a great message. Worth a look...enjoy!