Job Break Benefits
For thousands of years, countless cultures have required holidays. Why? Non-work days are vital to human health. They can, In “The Time Off Work Employees Are Entitled to,” Statista.com reports, Austria leads all countries with 38-day statutory minimum paid leave. plus the public holidays. Spain and France follow with 36 days off for workers. Germany and the UK guarantee 30 and 28 work-free days. Germans also enjoy up to 14 public holidays, potentially upping their holiday allotment to a whopping 44 days. Of the United States, Statista.com adds, “The country is the only advanced economy that doesn’t guarantee paid vacation, leaving employees with only ten guaranteed public holidays. Even though some companies are generous and provide their employees with up to 15 days of paid leave annually … , In neighboring Canada, employees receive ten paid days off per year on top of nine public holidays.” In Old English, the word halig meant, “holy, consecrated, sacred; godly; ecclesiastical.” It’s from Proto-Germanic hailaga (source also of Old Norse heilagr, Danish hellig, Old Old Saxon helag, Middle Dutch helich and more, early European languages. The Oxford English Dictionary says the combination holy + day first meant, a day specially dedicated to religious observance or religious festivities. In the 1400’s, holiday meant, A day on which work, school, and other ordinary activities of a community are suspended, or on which shops, offices, etc., are closed; a day dedicated to leisure or recreation. Later also: a day specially dedicated to recognizing or honouring someone or something. In “9 Reasons Holidays Are Important, villiers-hotel.co.uk asks, Q: Do I really need a holiday?A: Taking regular holidays is important. Allowing yourself to relax and rejuvenate during these breaks helps your body and mind escape the daily routine. Q: Why do people like holidays?A: People enjoy holidays as they offer an escape from their daily routines, which can often be stressful. These special times … allow us to do what we want and relax. Allow more holidays! Succeed and Soar! Sandra Gould FordPresenting arts experiences to encourage, refresh, enrich creative thinking and inspire.
Zen Peace
Classic Movie Dialogue People here are funny. They work so hard at living they forget how to live. Hear Gary Cooper say these words [5 seconds] Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, 1939 These special posts offer a little video, often less than five minutes. Some are selected to inspire. Some to amaze. Some to fascinate, even shock. All are chosen to fulfill Succeed and Soar’s mission: To lift the heart and spirit, our awareness and humanity. This month’s little video presents a precious reminder of how to handle life’s most important moment. This Lovely Lesson begins, Once upon a time in a small village … Click Here to View. 4 minutes, 37 seconds. Wise Ways shares research and meditations on how to make the most of each moment. Some were first presented at the WordPress blog. It still exists. In 2019, these writings were updated and posted at Succeed and Soar, a web site that exists to lift the heart and spirit, awareness and humanity. Encouraging quotes from insightful thinkers like Albert Einstein, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Dalai Lama and Winston Churchill fill the book. The beautifully illustrated essays are shared in the order posted. All books have high-gloss, laminated covers. The 8×10, 60-page books are also sketch journals with guided meditations and inspiring prompts that allow enriching, contemplative experiences. Through midnight EST, May 23, these Wise Ways books are 25% off. 6×9, soft cover Standard color book, 36 pages. Regular $22. This week $15. 50 View. 8×10 Sketch Journal. Soft cover, 60 pages, Standard color. Regular $32. This week $24–. View 8×10 Sketch Journal. Soft cover. Economy color. Regular $19. This week $14. View. Shop All Books
Worth Living For
As long as there must be war, I ask and I must answer: Was I worth dying for? — Eleanor Roosevelt ThoughtCo says the human body is 65% oxygen, 18% carbon, 10% hydrogen and 3% nitrogen. Along with the calcium, phosphorous, rubidium, aluminum, arsenic, lithium and other elements, a person’s ingredients could be purchased for $1. When bodies are valued this way, George Carlin could believe, “War is rich old men protecting their wealth by sending lower and middle-class young men off to die.” What is war? Margaret Atwood said, “War is what happens when language fails.” Stephen King observed, “Fighting for peace, is like f***ing for chastity.” Bertrand Russell offered, “War does not determine who is right – only who is left.” More thoughts. What causes bloodshed? Leslie De Jong believes, “All war originates within as an internal conflict,” which Wellness Mind says can come from: discontent with what is [or is not] happening in someone’s life Intolerance Inability to forgive Low self esteem So, maybe, if battles inside leaders were settled, all that has to die for us are internal clashes. PsychCentral’s six steps include making time for ourselves and getting out into nature. LifeHack’s 40 ways to peace of mind list being kind, avoiding comparisons, getting enough sleep and frolic. BTW, DataGenetics believes the oxygen in human bodies is worth $9.83, the carbon eighteen cents. The 0.25% of us that is potassium is most valuable, $104. All told, they value a body at $160. What are you worth? Each November, readers are invited to support the effort and resources that produce Succeed and Soar. Keep this project going and growing. Invest Here. Thanks! Purchases of my art also help. Succeed and Soar‘s first Zoom Chat touched on the origins of the universe, why its beginnings from the explosion of a very tiny particle [the Big Bang] doesn’t make sense, Critical Race Theory’s Pittsburgh origin, how thought becomes physical matter and more. A fascinating and fun discussion. My goal is to build community that shares uplifting, enlightening conversations each first Thursday, 7pm Pittsburgh [Eastern US] time. Mark your calendar! This Ivan Doig novel tells of an eleven-year-old orphan who sets off for adventure instead of an orphanage. I was charmed by this story and felt hugged by the book.Charming, wise, and slyly funny, Last Bus to Wisdom is a last sweet gift from a writer whose books have bestowed untold pleasure on countless readers Book Browse Let’s discuss during December’s Succeed and Soar chat. Chicago Tribute Review Eleanor’s Wisdoms Succeed and Soar’s “Eleanor’s Insights” series is illustrated with photographs of ‘wild places.’ Art is available as prints, framed and on canvas as well as on journals, greeting cards, weekender bags, shower curtains, puzzles and much more. Shop Here
Peace
We will have to want peace, want it enough to pay for it, before it becomes an accepted rule. Eleanor Roosevelt Eleanor Roosevelt’s words really resonate on this anniversary of the World Trade Center attack, one of so many in human history. Think of Pearl Harbor. Think of Germany’s Gypsy, Homosexual, Jewish Holocaust. Think of the decimation of this hemisphere’s first people. A 100,000 year war waged by our species now leaves us without another. See How Neanderthals and Humans Battled. Also see The Neanderthals War. While wars between humans have been brief by comparison, the longest include: The 781-year-long Christian invasion of the Iberian Peninsula The 681-year-long Greco-Roman vs. Persian [Iran] battles The 675-year-long Byzantine-Bulgarian wars in the Balkans The 602 years, five months, one week and four days of the Christian Crusades Here’s More Whew! Mrs. Roosevelt believed, ”The basis of world peace is the teaching which runs through almost all the great religions of the world. Love thy neighbor as thyself.” And some have also, historically advocated the conquest and killing of those viewed as different. Eleanor Roosevelt asked, “When will our consciences grow so tender that we will act to prevent human misery rather than avenge it?” Personal peace is a start. What if more and more: Resisted guilt. Didn’t compare themselves to others. Challenged their ‘musts’ and converted ‘shoulds’ to ‘coulds.’ Took breaks from the hustle-bustle and visited tranquil places. See More Ways to Find Peace of Mind and Inner Calm. Predator-Prey is Earth’s MO [Modus Operandi, Method of Operating]. All animals and some plants kill other living things to live. That said, here’s a thought [illustrated in part by playing the original Super Mario]: What if Earth’s kill-or-be-killed conditions are a kind of test, a puzzle? What if a blissful after life is the reward for figuring out how to create on Earth all that’s promised in heaven, Eden, Paradise? What if Earth is, as some suggest, Purgatory where failure-flunking requires a re-do? Here’s another question: What price would you pay for more peace? Succeed and Soar! Remember September 11 is also “Make Your Bed Day” September 12 is Grandparents Day September 15 is International Day of Democracy September 17 is National Constitution Day Image by pikepicture Eleanor’s Insights Collection Succeed and Soar’s “Eleanor’s Insights” series is illustrated with photographs of ‘wild places.’ Art is available as prints, framed and on canvas as well as on journals, greeting cards, weekender bags, shower curtains, puzzles and much more. Shop Here