Secrets For A Happier Life August 20, 2014

Secrets For A Happier Life: Ideas, Inspiration & Practices   Buzz Thought   Getting squeezed for happiness Michael D Selzer DDS   I would love to hear from you.   561 487-4555   Share your happiness tips and see them in a future newsletter. Email Link Quick Links Joy Coaching  Boca Smile Center Happiness on YouTube Spread The Word Want to live around happier family and friends?    A book I have enjoyed Beyond Perception   by   Miles Sherts      Smile   of the week           Nancy         “The Sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” by Jacques Cousteau  Archive  4-22-2010 Happiness comes in drops 5-13-2010 Thought matches body sensations 6-3-2010 Trigger zone for happiness 6-24-2010 You can have happiness now 7-15-2010 Happiness & Sunshine 24×7 8-05-2010 Start where you are 8-26-2010 Generosity builds happiness 9-16-2010 Happiness a balance of opposites 10-07-2010 Happiness a wave of energy   10-28-2010 Happiness a wave of energy 11-18-2010 Happiness step by step 12-06-2010 Wide eyes for happiness   1-6-2011 Smiling eyes for happiness 1-27-2011 Happiness inside out 2-17-2011 Edges of happiness   3-10-2011 Polishing for happiness    3-31-2011 Gaps of happiness   4-28-2011 Decisions for happiness   5-26-2011 Pivoting for happiness   6-16-2011  Stretch for happiness   7-7-2011 Breathing for happiness   8-4-2011 Pausing for happiness    8-25-2011 Oasis for happiness   9/22/2011 Happiness says me   10-20-2-2011s Silent Smiles   11-17-2011 A story for happiness   12/15/2011 Adventure for happiness 1/12/2012 Fun for happiness   2/21/2012 Sounds for happiness   3/1/ 2012 Salad bar for happiness   4/05/2012 Stretching for happiness   5-03-2012 Starting over for happiness 5-31-2012 Ice water and steam for happiness  7-5-12 Circle back for happiness 8-2-2012 Experience vs interpretation for happiness 10-2-2012 3 seconds of balance for happiness 12-18-2012 Choice for happiness 1-24-2013 Disolving habits for happiness 4-5-2013 Vibration for happiness  4- 10-2013 Letting go for happiness   8-23-2013  Taming your habits for happiness   1-13-14  Grandmothers for happiness   2-11-14  Ice skating for happiness   2-12-2014  From nothing to happiness   3- 12-2014  Walking in the rain for happiness    5-6-2014  Stringing moments for happiness   6-12-2014  Isn’t that interesting for happiness   7-09-2014  Adventure for happiness Growing joy August 20, 2014  Dear Michael,      Rockaway Beach in Queens was just one of the many places that my mom took us.  I don’t know for sure if she did it for us kids or if it was for her and we just came along.  But if I learned some of why I do things from her, it was that she had a wonderful time finding things that could share her joy with us.   The trips to the beach grew a deep love within me of fun, joy and adventure.  Once any deep joy is matured inside it can then be squeezed out and enjoyed like getting orange juice out of a squeezed orange.* I invite you to continue reading below and hope you enjoy this string of moments below. Michael Selzer DDS   Quick Changes I was like a Labrador Retriever when it sees water.  A mad dash and I am in.  The walk from the car could have been one block if we found a rare parking space or five blocks on a bad day.  We had a bunch of stuff to carry and it would get hotter and hotter.  As soon as I saw the water I was off.  Shoes, socks, shirt and a race across the burning sand to salt and crashing waves.  From that point on until we left for home time stood still.  It was one long moment of beach.  Just the word feels good.  It was freedom, no lines, and you could get wet and play with the dirt that was called sand and that just rinsed off and was not like real dirt.  It was one big giant sand box. One of the best parts was riding the waves.  One of my favorite beaches was at 32nd street.  There was a boardwalk and concession stands with food and games mainly for kids.  If it got really hot we would sit under the boardwalk just like the song says and cool off for awhile.  At 32nd  street they also had a rope that went out into the water and had buoys attached to it to keep it on the top of the water. When I was too small or the waves were too big I would hold onto the rope and be able to stand there without the waves knocking me over.  When I got bigger or the waves got smaller I would jump the waves.  This was where I would go out beyond the area where the waves rose up and broke.  The water depth would go up and down with the swell as the waves rolled in and I would jump up with the water when it got to be taller than I was and then settle back down as the water settled until the next wave rolled in.  Then we would try to catch the flow of the wave and body surf it in toward the shore.  Most of the time that ended with the wave cresting and breaking with me right in the middle of the foaming water and getting knock upside down and tossed about. Sometimes with the wind knocked out of me and a big swallow of nasty salty sea water.  This would burn my eyes and throat and I couldn’t wait for the next big wave to knock me over again.  I did this until I was either too cold to do more or too exhausted.  Sometimes the undertow was so strong that I had it was all I could do to hold onto the rope with both hands. Small Moments Of Happiness At the concession stand it was rare for us to buy any food or drinks.  We always brought lots of sandwiches and some ice cold drink in a metal jug with a plaid colored out side.  It usually leaked a bit from the top no matter how much you tried to tighten the cap.  I never really thought about it.   That’s the way it was.  Anyway at the concession stand they had games for one or two pennies.  Athome I would get together about 20 or so pennies some from my glass coin jar and some from the top drawer of the dresser in my parent’s room.  There always seemed to be a supply of pennies in that drawer and I was allowed I think to take some out for ice cream and maybe the beach.  One of the games was a rifle and targets.  I think below the level of vision the metal tip connected to the end of the rifle moved and made contact while the target came into sight.  If you pulled the trigger while contact was made a bell rang.  You could only see the target and somehow for a kid it was magic.  Some of the targets would move and some had animals to shoot at.  There was a fortune card teller machine and skeeball.  You could get coupons for getting a good score and then trade the coupons for prizes. To get to the concession stand you had to walk along the boardwalk.  It was old and weathered in places and it was probably the only bad thing about the beach.  If you were not careful and slid your feet instead of picking them up and placing them down you could get a wooden splinter and they hurt. You had to learn this special way to walk on the boardwalk.  But the splinter episodes were rare and the bleeding and pain would stop and it was only bad when it was really hot.  That was because the wood was too hot to walk slowly on and if you ran you would get a splinter for sure.  What about shoes?  That would defeat the whole purpose of the freedom of the beach and being a kid.  Anyway shoes were for grownups and sissies.  Boy I never wanted to be kid that had to wear shoes on the boardwalk.  I would rather take my chances with burned or splintered feet.  Fun was the operative word and being barefoot was a lot more fun than being comfortable by wearing shoes.  I also battled against suntan oil which aside from not being fun to stand still and have it applied it was gooey and it picked up sand and then it was scratchy and uncomfortable and it never seemed to stop me from getting sun burnt anyway.  A puppy’s perspective                                  My worst sunburn lasted for three days and I got it on a cloudy day with an umbrella.  I was older about 16 and I went to the beach with Lenny and Jane my older step-brother.  We were there for about 5 hours and it was cloudy.  I do remember the umbrella but not anything about suntan lotion.  It felt fine there and did not turn the usual lobster red color which would let me know it was gonna hurt later.  Either that night or the next morning I had unbelievable pain on the chest.     The only thing that stopped the burning and itching was to stand in the shower with the water running on my chest.  This did not let up for 3 days. The it still itched terribly and as soon as I would stop scratching the pain would start again and then only lightly scratching would relieve the pain.     One of the best advances of mankind is sun lotion that not only feels and smells good but that it actually works.        *Like a soda dispenser with many flavors we have a rainbow of emotions residing within us.  I got squeezed by the crashing waves and what came out was fun, adventure and joy; but it could have been fear and pain.  What squeezes you and what comes out when you are squeezed?