by Marty Coleman | Jan 2, 2014 | Marty Coleman, The Napkin's Guide to Happy Living |
Here is your opportunity to see another in my Happy Living Guide, but don’t feel obligated.
Holiday Obligations
Because the holidays are just over, it’s a perfect time to talk about obligations vs opportunities. We do much in November and December out of obligation. And for some, obligation is a word empty of any happiness. We have to clean house, put up decorations, take down decorations, clean house again. We have to plan trips, plan time off from work, plan our return. We have to worry about weather, food, clothing. We have to think about presents for everyone, or no one. And then there is family, family we may not want to visit. But we are obligated so we do it.
Moments of Happy
Remember, I am not talking about ‘a happy life’. I am talking about ‘living happy’. There is a difference. Living happy means you have happy moments. That allows you to live in reality and reality includes moments that aren’t happy. But you can find happy moments in any life. Find enough of them and at the end you will likely be able to say ‘I lived a happy life’. But that will be after the fact. While you live your life you have to find happy moments within it.
Holiday Opportunities
In my experience you find happy moments within obligations when you are able to see past your expectations. When you allow the unexpected to come in. You do that by putting judgment on the shelf and forgetting it until later, and finding something to love in the moment. For example, you go to visit your sister’s family. You know she is going to be judgmental and controlling and nosey about your life. That’s a drag. But her daughters or sons on the other hand, they can be an opportunity for you, finding out about who they are now, not lumping them in with your judgment of your sister. Find that happy moment with them. You may not have a fantastic time at your sister’s house, but you can find happy moments there and you can focus on those when you tell the story of your visit to others. You don’t have to tell the story of your judgmental sister. You can tell the story of your amazing nieces and nephews instead.
And then maybe your next visit you will look like this as you arrive.
It isn’t just over the holidays or with family this idea is important. It’s in your health and fitness, in your job, in your home design, your clothing, your hobbies, everything.
What is an example from your own life?
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Love – The Napkin’s Guide to Happy Living #1
Courage – The Napkin’s Guide to Happy Living #2
Home – The Napkin’s Guide to Happy Living #3
Education – The Napkin’s Guide to Happy Living #4
Transformation – The Napkin’s Guide to Happy Living #5
Judging – The Napkin’s Guide to Happy Living #6
Expression – The Napkin’s Guide to Happy Living #7
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Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman
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by Marty Coleman | Jan 1, 2014 | New Years Resolutions |
I created these at the end of 2012 and am presenting them again at the beginning of 2014 because they are recurring, never ending resolutions that we can all bet better at but can never fully achieve. Click in the image to go to the original posting with commentary.
Kindness
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Patience
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Diligence
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Humility
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Charity
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Drawings and resolutions by Marty Coleman
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by Marty Coleman | Dec 30, 2013 | Illustrated Short Stories |
The Woman With the Cell Phone in Church
She sat in the front row of the balcony with wild burgundy hair and blue eyeshadow, which matched the color of her pants. Many people down below looked up at her. She was in a salmon orange hoodie and had her cell phone in her lap. She was texting. She was proud of her nail polish, which was hot pink and very shiny. It clashed with her hoodie.
The choir sang while she looked at a video of a woman working out. She was jealous of the woman and wanted to have her body. Her father looked over and didn’t say anything. She resented her father for bringing her to stupid church. She never looked up during the sermon until the pastor said the word ‘sex’.
She said she wanted to go to IHOP as they left.
The End
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Drawing and story by Marty Coleman
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by Marty Coleman | Dec 27, 2013 | The 'While Coffee Brews' Exercise Plan |
Lunges
In Place, Forward and Backward
I use lunges as part of my running group’s active warm up before every run. It’s a great way to get your large leg and butt muscles warmed up and ready to go. These are so easy to do wherever you are, in work clothes, pajamas, or naked, and it takes no time at all to get a good bun and thigh burn in, there no excuse to not do them a few times a day.
When I am doing these in my morning workout I do them standing in place, not walking forward. I go forward and back in the same movement, for about 20-40 reps. Then I switch legs and do the other one forward and back as well.
Lunges help build your glutes (your butt) as well as your major thigh muscles, front and back.
Guidelines:
- Keep your back straight and your head level.
- Push your butt forward a bit when you go forward.
- Don’t let your front knee go past your toes.
- Use dumbbells if you have them. Hold them down by your side. Don’t use heavy ones at first.
- Balance aptitude as one of it’s primary goals. Focus on that at first over heavy dumbbell weights.
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Exercise #6 – Lunges
Exercise #5 – Jumping and Laying Down Jacks
Exercise #3 and #4 – Abdominal Crunches and Oblique Crunches
Exercise #2 – Push Ups
Exercise #1 – Glute Kickbacks
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Drawing and guidelines by Marty Coleman, whose butt is in pretty good shape due to these.
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by Marty Coleman | Dec 26, 2013 | Illustrated Short Stories |
The Missionary – A Short Short True Story
Prologue
Our connecting flight was late.
Chapter One
She had been a missionary and now lived in California. She had interesting skin that I liked looking at. She did most of the talking.
Chapter Two
Her husband helped make medical machines. He had been a missionary too, in New York. He was slight of build and smiled nice.
Chapter Three
Her sister was going to be a missionary soon but didn’t know where she was going to go. She was still in college. She looked young.
Epilogue
I drew her after our conversation was over but before we got on the plane.
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Drawing and story by Marty Coleman, who has never been a missionary.
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The End
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