MARBLES
The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it's the quiet 
solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable.
A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the kitchen with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it.
I turned the volume up on my radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning talk show. I heard an older sounding chap with a golden voice. You know the kind, he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business himself.
He was talking about "a thousand marbles" to someone named "Tom." I was intrigued and sat down to listen to what he had to say.
"Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. Too bad you missed your daughter's dance recital."
He continued, "Let me tell you something Tom, something that has helped me keep a good perspective on my own priorities." And that's when he began to explain his theory of a "thousand marbles."
"You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years."
"Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900 which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now stick with me Tom, I'm getting to the important part."
"It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail," he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy."
"So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to get 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside a large, clear plastic container right here in my workshop next to the radio. Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away."
"I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight." "Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure if I make it until next Saturday then God has blessed me with a little extra time to be with my loved ones...... "
It was nice to talk to you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your loved ones, and I hope to meet you again someday. Have a good morning!" You could have heard a pin drop when he finished. Even the show's moderator didn't have anything to say for a few moments. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to do some work that morning, then go to the gym. Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss.
"C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast."
"What brought this on?" she asked with a smile.
"Oh, nothing special," I said. "It has just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. Hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles."
solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable.A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the kitchen with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it.
I turned the volume up on my radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning talk show. I heard an older sounding chap with a golden voice. You know the kind, he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business himself.
He was talking about "a thousand marbles" to someone named "Tom." I was intrigued and sat down to listen to what he had to say.
"Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. Too bad you missed your daughter's dance recital."
He continued, "Let me tell you something Tom, something that has helped me keep a good perspective on my own priorities." And that's when he began to explain his theory of a "thousand marbles."
"You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years."
"Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900 which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now stick with me Tom, I'm getting to the important part."
"It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail," he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy."
"So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to get 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside a large, clear plastic container right here in my workshop next to the radio. Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away."
"I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight." "Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure if I make it until next Saturday then God has blessed me with a little extra time to be with my loved ones...... "
It was nice to talk to you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your loved ones, and I hope to meet you again someday. Have a good morning!" You could have heard a pin drop when he finished. Even the show's moderator didn't have anything to say for a few moments. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to do some work that morning, then go to the gym. Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss.
"C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast."
"What brought this on?" she asked with a smile.
"Oh, nothing special," I said. "It has just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. Hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles."
LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE. SERIOUSLY
A medical res
earch concluded that it is possible for all 400 muscles to work while laughing. A “joyful belly-laugh” can exercise the muscles, nerves, organs, and the main torso. If a person can laugh for one full hour, he/she can lose 500 calories. It can also release “wave of chemicals” throughout the body just like endorphin which is the hormone released from a healthy exercise. This hormone is also a natural pain killer. Hence; laughter can be a substitute for manufactured painkillers. Laughter also boosts your immune system. When you laugh, the immune system produces white “T” cells, commonly known as “happy cells”, which help prevent infection. “T” cells and natural killer cells, which attack viruses, increase while foreign and natural cells decrease. It brings a balance to all components of the immune system. It also helps prevent and treat heart problems. Laughter acts like an energetic massager to the heart. While laughing, the heartbeat quickens and blood pressure rises. After laughing, both heart rate and blood pressure drop to a point that is lower than its initial resting rate. Then, breathing becomes deeper; thus, sending oxygen enriched blood and nutrients all over the body.
In University of Maryland Medical Center, it has been found that people with heart diseases were 40% less likely to laugh in a variety of situations compared to people of the same age without a heart disease. Another interesting finding is that both sides of the brain are stimulated to enhance learning when laughing. It eases psychological stress and muscle tension, which keeps the brain alert and allows people to remember more information. Laughter can also reduce stress levels and elevate moods. In the end, people with humor gain more connection with others and become more interesting to other people.
And so I hope our stories and videos make you laugh and keep you healthy!
- MM Donato, UA&P
I Share Happiness
earch concluded that it is possible for all 400 muscles to work while laughing. A “joyful belly-laugh” can exercise the muscles, nerves, organs, and the main torso. If a person can laugh for one full hour, he/she can lose 500 calories. It can also release “wave of chemicals” throughout the body just like endorphin which is the hormone released from a healthy exercise. This hormone is also a natural pain killer. Hence; laughter can be a substitute for manufactured painkillers. Laughter also boosts your immune system. When you laugh, the immune system produces white “T” cells, commonly known as “happy cells”, which help prevent infection. “T” cells and natural killer cells, which attack viruses, increase while foreign and natural cells decrease. It brings a balance to all components of the immune system. It also helps prevent and treat heart problems. Laughter acts like an energetic massager to the heart. While laughing, the heartbeat quickens and blood pressure rises. After laughing, both heart rate and blood pressure drop to a point that is lower than its initial resting rate. Then, breathing becomes deeper; thus, sending oxygen enriched blood and nutrients all over the body.In University of Maryland Medical Center, it has been found that people with heart diseases were 40% less likely to laugh in a variety of situations compared to people of the same age without a heart disease. Another interesting finding is that both sides of the brain are stimulated to enhance learning when laughing. It eases psychological stress and muscle tension, which keeps the brain alert and allows people to remember more information. Laughter can also reduce stress levels and elevate moods. In the end, people with humor gain more connection with others and become more interesting to other people.
And so I hope our stories and videos make you laugh and keep you healthy!
- MM Donato, UA&P
I Share Happiness
FUN FACTS ABOUT SMILING
* A smile is a universal expression of happiness and recognised as such by all cultures
* A smile is the most frequently used facial expression It takes as few as five pairs of facial muscles and as many as all 53 to smile
* Regardless of the precise number of muscles used, smiling causes far fewer muscles to contract and expand than frowning
* Smiling releases endorphins and makes us feel better
* Even ‘faking’ a smile can lead to feeling happier
* People are born with the ability to smile (They don’t copy the expression, even babies who are born blind, smile)
* Babies reserve special smiles (Duchenne smiles of joy and happiness) for their loved ones
* A newborn shows a preference for a smiling face over a non-smiling face
* Women smile more than men
* Younger people smile more than older American males with high testosterone smile least of all
* There are 18 different kinds of smile used in a variety of social situations
* Human beings can differentiate between the ‘felt’ (Duchenne) smile (of joy and happiness) and the social smile – ‘it’s in the eyes’ (literally)
* A smiling person is judged to be more pleasant, attractive, sincere, sociable, and competent than a non-smiling person
* A person who studies laughter is called a ‘gelotologist’
