Lise's Ramblings

Have you ever pulled up to a drive-through window only to discover that the person ahead of you paid for your order? For more than a decade, my friend Cindy has picked up her Timmy's tea, bought treats for colleagues at the office and handed over payment for the order belonging to the driver in the car behind hers. Imagine how surprised and pleased that person must be upon finding out there's a freebie waiting, because of a stranger's random act of kindness. Sometimes what starts your day off can be something without monetary value. For example, Maria Popova's Twitter feed consistently starts my day off on the right foot. She curates interesting oddities spanning literature and design to science and culture . I cannot resist following her links, and I'm rewarded not only with a smile, but I also get my mental juices flowing.   Down in California, my cousin and his wickedly cool wife ( I've blogged about them before ) make a playful differenc...

In past years, I've blogged about family literacy and the joys of reading aloud .  Literacy actually extends beyond the ability to read and write.  Consider counting, solving logic puzzles, playing card games and following recipes as activities in your literacy toolkit. Speaking of which, here's a link to an activity book from ABC Life Literacy Canada, the not-for-profit organization responsible for Family Literacy Day, which Canadians celebrated yesterday (January 27). If you're tired of my literacy rants, then let children's author Robert Munsch , the 2013 honourary chair for Family Literacy Day, motivate you through the 30-second video below.   By increasing literacy levels, we improve opportunities for Canadians to succeed at work, at home, and in life as a whole.       AWESOME!

Earlier this week, the term Blue Monday trended across social media channels and garnered traditional media attention. No, New Order hadn't revived its 1980s hit . Instead, the term flooded the Web, because of "news" that the third Monday in January is the year's bleakest day.  While questionable calculations underpin the date, it's easy to see why mid-January blahs overwhelm us. There's an unhealthy combination of extreme weather, holiday debt, slipping resolutions, excessive work demands, Valentine's commercialism, minimal daylight hours, cabin fever, etc.  Warning: Biophilia may cause you to adopt a glass-half-full outlook . Despite those external factors, please don't yield to Blue Monday.  As Dr. Viktor Frankl wrote, "Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way." So without s...

Whether you call them pigtails or ponytails, those tufts of hair tied up with elastics, ribbons or tiny clips are       Ahhhhhhh-some!

Regular readers of my ramblings know how much I adore handwritten letters and postcards . Now, I feel it's time for handmade cards to have a own shout-out of their own.  As much as I laugh when someone sends a greeting card with a witty or perfectly appropriate message, it's another level of joy to receive cards and notes prepared with crayons, markers, glitter glue, stickers, origami, pictures, pencil crayons and loads of love.  Sometimes, those handmade cards are elevated to the status of fridge art .       AWESOME! Thank you, Sarah Jane, Shannon, Makayla, Mackenzie, Rachelle, Allie, Melanie and Beverly.

Offer me a classic novel or its film adaptation, and I’ll choose the book nearly every time. In general, I find a Hollywood film’s storytelling and character development pale compare to the impact of the author’s original text. Source:  Cinemark Theatres on Pinterest However, I make exceptions for musicals. Armed with brilliant casting and musical scores, then the power of song in musicals lends additional depth to characters, builds plot momentum and dishes out compelling entertainment. Screen and stage musicals can also lure audiences into tales we may not otherwise choose to read. I’m sure people have watched The Sound of Music , Les Misérables and My Fair Lady even though they may not be inclined to read about the von Trapp family’s history, pick up a Victor Hugo novel on the aftermath of the French Revolution, or follow a woman’s transformation in George Bernard Shaw play. But, I suspect these performances will move selected audience members and theatregoers enough to...

Let this be the year you set aside triskaidekaphobia to focus on the positive potential of number 13 .    This random rambling lists my 2013 intentions ―some new and the rest annual or daily ones― and is brought to you by the letter H. Hatch new ideas Find humour Hydrate frequently Eat healthily Head off negativity Pursue hobbies Hoof it more often Walk hand-in-hand Huddle for warmth Visit favourite haunts Horse around Kick habits Hum away Show hutzpah Hone skills Orchestrate harmony Honour others and self Be humble Ham it up Savour the hush Heal injuries Pay homage Hula regularly Evoke hilarity Heighten goals Learn from hardships , heartache and history Hurry less Prevent hunger Hold true to own values Recall heartwarming moments Hang art Celebrate happenings Halt gossip Be honest Heave excesses Sidestep hoaxes Halve overtime hours...