Tag: be kind

21st Century hitchhikers

Ian HunterLeave a comment

Hitchhiking was common when I was young

Ran out of money when leaving the pub

Get back home with just a thumb

We did it often as a necessity

Group hitchhiking was more difficult

We put the cute girl at the side of the road

While the rest of us hid in the bushes

I never had a problem hitching a ride

People took pity on poor students

You could hitchhike all over Europe

Meeting interesting people along the way

Somehow hitchhiking became less popular

Maybe it was due to safety concerns

Or the fact that minor roads were replaced with freeways

I suspect the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie is to blame

America responded in typical reactionary fashion

Making it illegal to hitch a ride

Europeans are much more pragmatic

They made public transport more accessible

Low cost student rail passes across Europe

A better and more secure way to travel for students

Fast forward to today and look at the road

There are still young people looking for a ride

But they are holding a smartphone waiting for an Uber

Perhaps all the hitchhikers become Uber drivers

With so much traffic on the roads we need to change

Most cars have just a single occupant

Imagine a new version of hitchhiking

With an App to hitch a free ride

You build up points as a car driver

Picking up folks on the App looking for a free ride

You earn more points by picking up multiple riders

Spend your points by taking a free ride

Less cars on the road and lowers carbon footprint

Somebody probably just invented all this before I reached this line

I might hitch a ride home tomorrow

If you see an aging hippy please pull over

I am not a chainsaw murderer

Hopefully you are not a murdering driver

Cheeky Monkey Hitchhiking rules!

Ten minutes to happiness

Ian HunterLeave a comment

have you ever tried to figure out what makes you happy

we have all come across somebody who we think should be happier

especially those blessed with good health and a loving partner

I wondered if happiness could be achieved simply by changing the way we think

I stumbled upon an interesting book called Ten Minutes to Happiness by Sandi Mann

she explains that happiness is a trait that you can cultivate within yourself 

rather than a feeling that you wait to be washed over you

her book is based on research in the field of gratification journaling

she recommends you spend ten minutes a day keeping a journal

writing down the answers to the same six questions every day

as your journal expands you should also read previous entries

this will help shift you to a more mindful state of being

here are the six questions to ask yourself daily-

1- What experiences, however mundane, gave you pleasure

2- What praise and feedback did you receive 

3- What where the moments of pure good fortune

4- What were your achievements, however small

5- What made you feel grateful

6- How did you express kindness

I found the sixth question the most intriguing

how could being kind to others improve your happiness

donating a sum of money anonymously can be very gratifying 

research suggest this is far more rewarding than spending that money on yourself

the theory behind all this is that bad feelings tend to overshadow everything else

so by reminding yourself of of the good things in your life you get a better balanced perspective

apparently the more you journal, the more your actions can shift towards happier activities

your ship of life will then steer a course to paradise island- lets all meet up there!