Month: December 2015

Baby Step Resolutions for 2016

Posted on by Dr. Harp Seal

Hi Friends. You can watch this message over Video below. If you prefer, you can read the text version below the Video.

Good evening friends.

Happy New Year everyone. Thank you for stopping by.  Tonight’s message is called “Baby Step Resolutions”  — I think this gives us a practical and realistic shot of keeping our word.

Firstly, let me share some homework I did today. This is literally pointless information but fun to know. I was curious how many times the term “Happy New Year” would be said today. Here’s what I came up with.  There are 6 billion people in the world. Lets say half of them participate in the celebration. Now lets assume each person says “Happy New Year” at least 7 times today.  I think thats reasonable average to assume. I myself have said it 60 times already today.  Ok, here’s the math.  3 billion people, multiplied by 7 Happy New Year’s each.  So today Happy New Year will be said 21 billion times.  Like I said, pointless information.

So now lets go the through the Baby Step Resolutions.

1. When things are going well, sometime well is good enough. We don’t have to keep pressing the gas and doubling down.

2. When things are not going well, we have to change something in order for something to change.

3. This year I am going to make an effort to drop; “Should have, would have and could have from my vocabulary.

4. This year, If I did my best, I’m not taking anything personally.

5. If I am feeling kind of lonely, I am going to try to Not isolate.  I will call someone or go for a walk, but I am not going to isolate.

6. This a great resolution for anyone to have. Bringing a pet into our homes saves lives. And in return, the pets make our lives better.  That’s a win win.

7. I posted this Dr. Harp Seal quote on the platforms today, but I want to pay more attention to this in 2016.  Here’s the quote; ” You Can’t have what you Do want. You Can have what you Don’t Want.  And somewhere in the middle lies Happiness.”  Another words, let go, just be and try to enjoy the ride. Other than ourselves, we are not in control of anything.

8. I would like to go to the gym a minimum of 2 times a week, for a maxim of 30 minutes.

9. I am personally going to try to curb the binge eating.  It has to stop.

10. This is a great resolution for any day of the year; “Just because I was like that, Does Not mean I have to stay like that. Each day I get a new chance to do the right thing.

11. I am going to close on 11 because this is my lucky number. If I can have some of the joy that I had in 2015 in 2016, that will be just fine.

Happy New Year friends. God bless all of you.  Scott Smith for Sammy & Family.

Reflections

Posted on by Dr. Harp Seal

Reflecting on 2015

Good evening friends.

Many a times our pets pick up on our moods and energy. As you can see Sammy is quite reflective here tonight. And it so happens, that is exactly how i feel tonight. It was kind of a quiet day and gave me time to reflect on all that’s happened this year.

You can almost see Sammy saying to himself; “I started out with Scott in NYC, and now I live in Puerto Rico with 5 other dogs”.  I can tell you this friends, Sammy adjusted a lot quicker than I did. As for pets, as long as there’s love and food in the house, geography is low on the totem pole. People are different, it takes us more time.

OK we are closing up shop tonight.  Lets close out with a really nice message.

“If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without you”  — Winnie the Pooh —

Friends with apologies, my count has been off by 4 days the last two weeks or so. I arrived in Puerto Rico on January 11th, 2015.  So today is day 352, not 356. Looks my my math score on the SAT’s still plagues me, lol.

So signing off from Puerto Rico on day 352, Dr. Harp Seal for Sammy & Family.

Jeffrey stepping up this Morning

Posted on by Dr. Harp Seal

 

Jeffrey Steps Up

Good morning friends.

Jeffrey decided to step up this morning and take center stage. This little man has come a long way since I arrived in January of 2015.  He had been with Vanessa & her dad for about a month before I got here. Between the three of us, I believe his security and confidence has been fully restored.

Its very enriching putting lives back together, it gives people a higher sense of purpose. None of us can change everything, but everyone can change something. When I think of it in those terms, all the madness we see around the world seems less overwhelming.  Not less painful but less overwhelming.

OK friends, lets kick this Wednesday off with two Positive notions.

1. “The Future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams”  — Eleanor Roosevelt —

2.  Its none of my business what people think of me. There is a lot of freedom in understanding that. We have as much control over that as we do controlling the weather.  It’s like we’ve said before, if certain people don’t like us, that’s OK, we’ll meet new people and make new friends.

Day 356 here in Puerto Rico. Scott Smith for Sammy & Family.

Family, Pets, Spirituality, Cooking and Gratitude

Posted on by Dr. Harp Seal

Hi friends.  You can listen to the audio directly below, or you can read the post below the audio.

Good evening friends.

Thanks for stopping by. It nice being able to connect with everyone each night. It reminds me of being at dinner table with my family many ions ago, when we would each discuss how our day was.  And there was no taking a “pass” either, you spoke or you didn’t get ice cream.  It was a bulletproof system back then.

OK, so back to the spirit of Poppy Tuesday. As you noticed today, I had Rocky in the Poppy Tuesday story as well. It was a natural fit. If Poppy Tuesday’s are about Hope and Possibilities, how can we not include Rocky. And from this morning’s  post, our great friend Marilyn Miller had a genius idea. She said Scott, “Why don’t you change the name from “Poppy Tuesday”, to “Happy Poppy Rocky Tuesday ?” — Marilyn that was brilliant idea, it was like divine intervention or something. Thank you, that is a keeper.

OK, now back to the dinner table talk. So Mr. Mom, that’s me, took care of our 6 dogs today, spent hours keeping up on our social medial platforms, cleaned the dishes and even made Spaghetti with Ragu Sauce. Friends, had someone told me years ago that making Spaghetti only required boiling water and the Spaghetti, I would have been all over this 30 years ago.  I guess what I’m saying is, it took me 46 years to learn how to cook spaghetti with Ragu sauce.  But its like they say, better late than Never.

So let’s close up with some spirituality.  It was great participating with life on December 29th, 2015. Today was a gift. Even if it was a horrible day, it was a gift.  We know that because many people that were in the world yesterday, are no longer with us anymore. Hang tough friends, life ebbs and flows and somehow we find the coping mechanisms when the tide comes in and when the tide goes out.  We cannot control that, but we can learn to cope with it.  That is another lesson that took me over 30 years to learn. Like I said, I am a slow learner.

That’s a wrap my friends. Signing off from Puerto Rico on day 355, Scott Smith for Sammy & Family.

Poppy Tuesday on December 29th, 2015

Posted on by Dr. Harp Seal

Poppy Tuesday on December 29th, 2015

Good morning friends.

Happy Poppy Tuesday. A day filled with Hope and Possibilities. Remember if the Pops can do it, anyone can. I guess we can also say it’s Rocky Tuesday. The odds were completely stacked against him.  Patrick was getting marked down in a stored for 8 straight months, and Rocky was literally living on the street.

Miracles are going on everyday. If you’re going through a lull, have faith and hang in there.

Remember what Elanor Roosevelt said; “When you feel you’ve come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on longer”

And remember one of Dr. Harp Seal’s quotes; “Everyday you wake up, you are one day closer to whats bother you, Not bothering you anymore”  — Let that momentum help propel you when you feel down and out. Time will take care of it for you. Just hang in there.

OK friends, day 355 here in Puerto Rico, Scott Smith for Sammy & Family.

Calling it a Night on December 28th, 2015

Posted on by Dr. Harp Seal

December 28th, 2015

Good evening friends.

Thank you for dropping by. Its always nice closing out the night with our friends.  Every time I write for ELS, I feel like I’m inside of “Planet Love”, so thank you all for that.

Life was good today on December 28th, 2015.  Thank you life for this Monday. I remember at the beginning of 2015 saying, I really want to turn “The Good News Channel” into something real, not just a concept.  And here we are 30 features later of incredible people doing amazing things all over the world.

I’m not trying to toot my horn, I’m illustrating an example of following through. It’s fascinating to have thoughts in your head, and they actually getting it done and making it a reality.  The bottom line is if you want something bad enough, do the work and you will have what you want. Wishing is nice, but how many featured stories would have landed by wishing for them ?  The answer is zero.

I bring this up tonight because we are closing in on the end of year.  In the new year, ELS has some other things we want to accomplish, and at the end of the 2016, I will be writing to all our friends about how we achieved our goals.

The most important thing is to enjoy the journey. Make sure that when you commit yourself to going after something that it will make you happy.  Don’t just go after something to be right. I did that for years and years. Its a waste of our time and our energy.

Signing off from Puerto Rico, Scott Smith from Sammy & Family.  Ice Cream time……

Beach day with Sammy & Family

Posted on by Dr. Harp Seal

Beach Day on Sunday

Good morning friends.

Sammy decided to take in a little nature at the beach. We love Sunday’s, its such a dreamy kind of day. Its a rare thing to see a 10 pound Pomeranian sitting by the beach reading a book.  If I had not seen this myself I would never have believed it.

The only struggles he has reading his book is when its time to turn the page.  That’s where Vanessa and I come in. We turn the pages for him, lol.  By the way, don’t worry about him getting to hot with all his fur. The lounge chair and sun umbrella takes care of that.

OK, lets go back to basics about what Sunday Funday means. Sundays are a newspaper and coffee kind of morning. Its a very inquisitive kind of day.  On Sunday’s we let imagination in the door and back into our lives. On Sundays, we get to be us again, the people we set out to be from the very beginning.

Day 353 here in Puerto Rico, and day 38 since we rescued Rocky (The literal underdog), Scott Smith for Sammy & Family.

The Hulk

Posted on by Dr. Harp Seal

The Hulk and Sammy

Good morning friends.

As you can see Sammy & The Hulk have two different styles of defense.  Sammy’s Strategy is to kill them with kindness.  The Hulk’s strategy is just to kill them.

Together they have formed a great collaboration. They have put together a two part system.  The first part is when an enemy approaches, Sammy tries to kill them with kindness. If that does Not work, The Hulk steps in.  You can imagine the rest. Let quote the Hulk to give you an idea.  Here’s the quote; “Don’t Make me angry, you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry ”

OK friends, day 352 here in Puerto Rico, and day 37 since we rescued Rocky, Scott Smith for Sammy & Family.