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Good morning, Lisa--and the rest of you

Hmmm...let me think about this for a sec..

Misery...long separations from those I love.

Happiness...An excellent book, a good cup of tea, chocolate, a nice garden, and friends.

What I admire...Integrity, kindness, responsibility, honesty

Leisure activity...nature walks, reading

Motto..."You Never Know”

Good Morning All!

Love these little questionnaires, they can be so revealing!

For me the depths of Misery would be watching my child (or anyone’s child) in pain

My idea of earthly happiness is like Cinthia’s..a good book, a garden, lunch with good friends, plus lounging by the beach with a hot romance & a cold daquiri served by an even hotter cabana boy!

Qualities I admire..compassion, integrity, decisiveness, quiet self confidence

Leisure Activities...reading a good book, working in my garden, going on a walk with my beautiful 17 year old daughter who still likes to be with me

Motto: “With everything that has happened, you can either feel sorry for yourself, or treat what has happened as a gift. Everything is either an opportunity to grow or an obstacle to keep you from growing. You get to choose” - Dr. Wayne Dyer

Ms. Kleypas - so thought provoking first thing in the morning!

1. Misery - losing a loved one
2. Happiness - times when no one is demanding my time for something, being able to use that time for whatever I like.
3. Admire - integrity and honesty
4. Leisure - reading with no interruptions
5. Motto - Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover

Good Morning Ladies.  We play a game with our children that involves similiar questions, they throw in some silly ones for good measure.

Misery:  The death of a family member.

Happiness:  Game night with my children, a date with my hubby, a clean house *sigh*

Admire:  Kindness, self-dicipline, joy, empathy, comapassion & honesty.

Leisure Activity:  Reading, Talking with my children, taking a nap with my hubby.

Motto:  Treat others how you want to be treated.

Misery: WAiting for a parent to die
Happiness: Hugs from a loved one
Admire: Fortitude
Leisure: Reading books and walking dogs
Motto: Take ‘er as she comes

Since my darling Lisa was kind enough to blog for me today because I seem to have caught some virulent form of the bubonic plague, I can at least do her survey.

1. Misery: Going to the doctor’s office without any make-up
2. Happiness: A brand new box of Puffs Plus
3. Admire: Well People
4. Leisure activity: Lying on the couch and watching 9 hours of 24
5. Motto: Stay alive (at least until the Puffs Plus run out)

Ooh, love these things! Thanks, Lisa!

1. Misery--losing a child
2. Happiness--a live-in maid, haha.  Just kidding.  Really it’s burying my nose in the crook of one of my children’s necks and inhaling thier sweet smell.  After a bath.
3. Admire--integrity, trustworthiness, loyalty
4. Leisure--a good book on the beach...the cabana boy sounds good, too!
5. Motto--hmmmm...??? Enjoy life.  Go for it!

Teresa,
Hope you feel better!  You’re post has me rolling on the floor laughing.  Funny how what’s important changes each day. Take care of yourself!

1. Misery:  death of a loved one

2. Happiness: cuddles, hugs, loving and being loved, trips to Italy, sunrises at the beach

3. Admire: integrity, compassion, joy of life

4. Leisure activity: reading, long walks with the dogs, baking, photography, rocking on the front porch

5. Motto:  Don’t sweat the small stuff

((((Teresa))))

Hope you feel better soon!

Misery: Having the last chocolate in the box
Happiness: Opening a box of chocolates
Admire: People who buy me chocolates
Leisure activities: Eating chocolates
Motto: You can never have enough chocolate

Guess what I would love some of right now....

1. Misery: death of a loved one
2. Happiness: holding a sleeping baby
3. Admire: kindness, passion, humor, grace, easy-going/laid-back
4. Leisure activity: napping or reading a favorite book
5. Motto: If you can’t be a good example, then you’ll just have to be a horrible warning.  (It’s probably more fun to be the warning.)

I decided to post and then go back to read the rest. 

Misery - real fear someone will take my child away from me.

Happiness - sitting on a porch swing on a big front porch just swinging and listening to the birds in the trees

Admire - Empathy, Intelligence and Honesty

Leisure - reading or just talking to good friends for hours

Motto - Just keep trying - don’t ever give up and by all means think positive!

Teresa,

I had that crud last week.  Went through almost three boxes of those tissues.  Ziacam - that’s all I’m sayin’. 

Hope you feel better soon!

Misery-loss of someone I love, especially a child
Happiness-any time my whole family can get together around the table
Admire-perseverance, honor, humor
Leisure-reading and writing
Motto-This is my HS yearbook quote: The emotions cannot be trusted, yet it is they that tell us the greatest truths.

Misery:helplessness in the face of disaster
Happiness:intimacy
Admire: Humor, kindness, compassion
Leisure: absolute favorite? roller coasters
motto: “I don’t need no stinkin’ motto”

Ooo, very thought-provoking questions, Lisa.  For me--

Misery - The loss of my son or husband. Could not go on. Period.

Happiness - Mornings in bed with the family. Discovering a fun new band. Peel-and-eat shrimp and an ice cold beer on the deck of a beachfront bar.

Admire - Intelligence, tolerance, wicked sense of humor.

Leisure - Being lost in a good book, watching a much loved movie, or walking on an autumn afternooon with my iPod.

Motto - If you really want to be happy, no one can stop you.

humm…

Misery: junior high
Happiness: spending some relaxing time with family
Admire: wit, intelligence, humor, glass is half full type thing…
Leisure: staying in bed when the weather is bad with a book
Motto: “No one ever expects the Spanish Inquistion!” - No… I really don’t know what it is… that just popped into my head.

Misery:  separation from God

Happiness: When I’m imersed in art, a day with no ‘have to’s’

Admire: Honesty, disicplined, people who smile

Leisure: Reading, crafting, or art

Motto: Be thankful

Get well wishes, Teresa!

Misery...Giving a speech

Happiness...a loving family, a warm spring day,

Admire...honesty, patience, kindness, an open-mind

Leisure Activity...reading a good book, listening to my favorite music

Motto..."Trust your instincts.”

Ooh, ooh (waving hand vigorously) I have new ones, based on my day and two cups of coffee since last post--
Happiness: reconnecting with an old friend for a fun weekend even though you have to drive an hour to the airport with three screaming kids to fetch her (and her two sons who will add to the joy of the drive home!)
Motto: Choose joy!
Okay, I’m really off now.  Happy day, everyone! Becca, who truly is happy to be off to the airport.

Misery: the wait between books of my fav authors

Happiness:  getting together with family and good food

Admire:  honesty and humor

Leisure:  READING!

Motto:  Shrug it off and move on

Misery: losing a loved one

Happiness: is spending time with loved ones and friends

Admire: integrity, honesty and humor

Leisure:  reading

Motto:  what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger

Thanks for all the cuddles, guys!  I’m stumbling back to the couch now for another dose of Jack Bauer Power.  (Yes, J Perry, you know what I’m talking about.)

Misery: Death of a loved one, like my children or my husband.  Also becoming fatally ill and dying before my children are all grown up.

Happiness:  Tickling my children, reading with them, or just being silly with them.

Admire: Loyalty, honesty, kindness

Leisure: Reading a good book on my Sleep Number bed.

Motto: I’m a winner see my prize, you’re a loser who sits and cries. (A dorky saying I picked up from SpongeBob...it just reminds me to have a sense of humor)

I just love the Proust questionaire.

1. pain, loneliness and sadness in a childs eyes

2. My niece-Julianna’s laughter

3. Reading

4. Only God can give Justice (I have loved that Motto since I was 9 yrs. old-Count of Monte Cristo)

I love questionnaires. And I love reading the answers here.

misery: When my depression hits
happiness: Having a happy and healthy family. Looking into my son’s sparkly blue eyes that remind me of the ocean on a sunny day.
qualities: courage, honesty, kindness, sense of humor
leisure activity: Taking naps, reading a good book
motto: The only constant is change

Misery--the loss of a child
Happiness--a stack of new books by my favorite authors and a box of Dove Ice Cream Bars
Qualities--sense of humor, intellegence, kindness
Activity--either reading or beading
Motto--I am woman, watch me grow.

misery - suffering post partem depression

happiness - (besides my family) a Coach purse or listening to punk music

qualities - the ability to recognize your shortcomings and having the courage to try to change them.

leisure - spending time with my family, reading, going to flea markets (husband rolls eyes.)

motto - I’ve never seen a U-Haul following a hearst.

i don’t know if I spelled hearst right, i meant as in funeral not Patti.

Misery - loss of a loved one
Earthly Happiness - making love with the one you love
Qualities - Faithfulness, kindness, loving, warm, responsive
Leisure activity - Reading, shopping, playing with my children
Motto - Never give up

I see many of my answers are common to many of the women who posted.  Thank you for sharing.

1. What do you regard as the lowest depths of misery? Losing someone you love without being able to say goodbye
2. What is your idea of earthly happiness? A warm puppy, a cold beer, and a hot book
3. What are the qualities you most admire in a person? a good sense of humor
4. What is your favorite leisure activity? a long walk or bike ride with a good audiobook
5. What is your motto? “Dream as if you’ll live forever, live as though you’ll die today” James Dean

Hope you feel better soon Teresa!

1. What do you regard as the lowest depths of misery?

Learning to let go of something when you’re not ready to let it go yet are forced to.

2. What is your idea of earthly happiness?

Reading a good book or writing on a beautiful, sunny day with a light wind.  (And if Jude Law is in the picture that sure wouldn’t hurt).  *g*

3. What are the qualities you most admire in a person?

Honesty, loyalty, respect, and humor.

4. What is your favorite leisure activity?

Reading, writing, and watching tv/movies.

5. What is your motto?

Treat others how you want to be treated.

Misery:  the loss of my parents

Happiness:  reading a good book with a cat snuggled next to me

Admire:  Integrity and a sense of humor

Leisure activity:  working in the yard and taking the dog for a walk

Motto:  Never let them see you sweat

What thought provoking questions. And what wonderful answers everyone has posted.

1. Misery: The thought of losing my husband or one of my children.

2. Happiness: Having my family around me, without bickering.

3. Admire: Honesty, kindness, forthrightness.

4. Leisure: Time with my family, reading

5. Motto: That is not my problem, I don’t need to worry over it.

I love reading what you all have to say!  I guess it is pretty revealing.

1.  Misery: Watching a loved one go thru tough times. Also, having to wait a whole week for another dose of Jack Bauer Power.

2.  Happiness: Knowing that all is well in my world.  Also, the day before Thanksgiving...because basically every day after that is filled with family, love, and lots of food.

3.  Admire: Really disciplined people.  I should try that one day.  Also, women who look great, seemingly effortlessly.

4.  Leisure: Bubble baths followed by some snuggle time with a good book. Also, just plain daydreaming.

5.  Motto: Its not that poetic, but seriously: Everything will turn out alright in the end.

Teresa said:  “Leisure activity: Lying on the couch and watching 9 hours of 24 “

My heart started hammering as soon as I read that, Teresa.  I’m so thrilled for you despite your terrible plague.  With the aid to your circulation (heightened BP and all), I believe this sickness will be short-lived.

And I had to laugh at you, Lisa, for your addition of the clean house.  There’s nothing so delicious...until the kids start taking out all the toys…

Here are my responses:
Misery:  change (death being the ultimate)

Happiness:  when I focus outward on others instead of inward on me (a bitch of a habit to break, let me add.)

Admire:  KINDNESS

Leisure: Being with/doing fun stuff with the people I love, books, writing, travel, making crafty shice, shopping and cooking.

(Teresa, I would add 24 to “leisure,” but 24 isn’t relaxing--if there was a section on exercise, I’d put it there.  Cardio anyone)

Motto: 

“Love is the way messengers from the mystery tell us things...”

and also

“...If you want to be more alive, love is the truest health”

--Rumi

And Lisa,

Finding Nemo was the deepest movie I ever saw.  I sometimes watch it with the kids with my hair standing up on end.

Dori is a sage--that’s what you get for being totally in the present.

Hi!

1. lowest depths of misery: being lost, alone and afraid
2. happiness: Peace and happiness in the family.
3. qualities admire: compassion, thirst for knowledge, kindness, passion for life
4. leisure activity: reading a good book, of course! =)
5. motto: If you fall, pick yourself up again.

So yes, I guess all these answers are thought-revealing.

1.  Misery:  I’m not really into misery.
2.  Happiness:  Being with my family with free time.
3.  Admire:  Tenacity and definitely intellectual curiousity.
4.  Leisure activity:  Reading.
5.  Motto:  “Oops.”

1. Misery: Having my teeth drilled.
2. Happiness: Spending time with my loved ones.
3. Admire: An Open Mind, Sense of humor
4. Leisure activity: Reading a book.
5. Motto: Question Everything.

Misery: Losing a loved one
2. Happiness: Watching the light in the face of a happy, growing child
3. Admire: compassion, loyalty, intelligence
4. Leisure activity: Reading, talking, just being
5. Motto: The first one I learned at my mother’s knee still works well for me: “Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another.”

And despite what my word veri says, I do NOT “look94.”

Oh, Lisa, very fun!

MISERY: watching something terrible happen and not being able to do anything about it

HAPPINESS: being purely in the moment without thinking about the future or the past.

ADMIRE: integrity

LEISURE ACTIVITY: walking in a new place (city, woods, whatever)

MOTTO: Like Janga, I learned this at my mother’s knee.  “To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”

I always think its a lovely bit of irony that the speaker is Polonius-- seen pretty much as a moron by everyone, including the son he is talking to in this speech and I’ve often wondered if this is Shakespeare’s essential comment on the dynamics of partent-child realtionships: that the pearls of wisdom we drop are lost amidst the years of babbling we’ve done at our kids.

1. Misery:  Worrying about your child when they are out for the evening with friends and driving. (until I hear the key in the door ....I’m a wreck.)
2. Happiness: The whole family squished on the sofa, all entangled, laughing at the TV. (I also like the cabanna boy thing.)
3. Admire: People who stand for their convictions, and can debate them successfully.
4. Leisure activity: Reading, sitting on the rocks at the beach, watching the waves crash.
5. Motto: Tomorrow’s another day!

1.  Misery:  Feeling failure looming over you like a tidal wave, and knowing you can’t get out of the way in time.
2.  Happiness:  Cuddling with my nieces. Sitting on a porch quilting on a warm afternoon. Becoming still and letting that moment give me its joy.
3.  Admire:  Honesty, humor, trustworthiness, intellectual curiosity, kindness, competence, spirituality.
4.  Leisure activity:  Reading, needlework, watching TV (HGTV, crime shows, DVDs of X-Files, Millenium, etc.)
5.  Motto:  Life is a beautiful place to be.

Teresa - Feel better soon! Watching 24 is the right way to go about it. (Yes, I have the first five seasons on DVD)

Misery:  Watching someone else in pain (physical or emotional) and not being able to help.

Happiness:  An unexpected phone call from a friend or family member far away

Admire:  Humor, perserverance, humility

Leisure Activity:  Reading a good book with Dove dark chocolate nearby

Motto:  I’ll Procrastinate Tomorrow

HI All

I hope you’re feeling better soon Teresa! I’ve only read a couple of the posts and they are amazing - thank you Lisa! Hmmm…

1. Misery: being out of control, especially when it comes to watching family members die and being able to do nothing about it.

2. Happiness: having time to just be.

3. Admire: Honesty, integrity, loyalty

4. Leisure activity: reading without a doubt. Oh, and gardening

5. Motto: I have a great one from a Bettina Krahn book, which I now can’t remember, so I’m going to stick with an old favourite - the light at the end of the tunnel is the headlight of the oncoming train

Have a lovely weekend all!

orannia

1. lowest depths of misery: the death of a loved one

2. happiness: a warm fire and a cup of cocoa on a winter night

3. qualities I admire: intelligence, sense of humor, loyalty

4. leisure activity: riding horses

5. motto: I tried my best and that’s all I can ask of myself.

What a joy it is to post before midnight!

Misery: Losing my father (he was too young) and my brother (ditto).

Happiness: A day of doing absolutely nothing - guilt free.

Admire: inner peace and boundless strength of character

Leisure: reading, natch!

Motto: “Reality is for suckers who don’t have an active imagination.”

Gotta buzz!  CCD and choir night!

Misery - My child in pain and not being able to help
Happiness - Spending quality time with my family and friends
Admire - Kindness, humor, integrity
Leisure - Reading, reading and more reading (and maybe eating a really great meal after reading)
Motto - Better to keep your mouth shut and have people assume you are ignorant than open it and prove them right!

oh yay I love these things.
1. Misery: having a big paper to write, double if it’s the day before and haven’t started
2. Happiness: eating a good meal with family and friends
3. Admire: intelligence, honesty, sense of humor, resilience, kindness
4. Leisure: reading a good book or watching a good movie, with a diet coke on the rocks in hand
5. Motto: Be the change you wish to see. I think Ghandi said that.

Misery:  Losing a loved one
Happiness: Having a good time with family and friends
Admire: Anyone who is a good person
Leisure: Reading!!!
Motto:  One day at a time

1.  Misery: losing a loved one or having to watch them suffer without being able to help
2.  Happiness:  being with family and friends
3.  Qualities:  honesty, integrity, kindness, humor, intelligence
4.  Leisure:  reading, of course
5.  Motto:  The choices we make dictate the life we lead.

1. Misery: Enduring depression or seeing anyone endure any form of depression;

2. Happiness: Curling up in big pillows near a crackling fire (fireplace preferred) with a glass of whisky and a great book;

3. Admire: wit; self-discipline; integrity; focused charitable commitment

4. Leisure activity: Lifting weights

5. Motto: Get Over it; get on with it

1. Misery: Infertility

2. Happiness: Snuggling with my husband, hearing his heartbeat, holding a cat and listening to it purr.

3. Admire: Sense of humor

4. Leisure activity: Reading, writing, scrapbooking, shopping, watching the waves crash on the beach

5. Motto: Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.

Lisa, great blog topic! Thanks to everyone for your motivational comments.

((((((Teresa)))))) Get well soon!

Connie said, “I’ve often wondered if this is Shakespeare’s essential comment on the dynamics of partent-child realtionships: that the pearls of wisdom we drop are lost amidst the years of babbling we’ve done at our kids.”

Connie, gosh! What would I ever do without you Squawkers to make me laugh every day?! Hope I never find out.

1. Misery: unending pain without reason
2. Happiness: sun, warmth, ocean, beach, deck chair, time to myself
3. Admire: loyalty, integrity, intelligent curiosity, kindness, generosity, honesty
4. Leisure: reading, corresponding with friends (boards, blogs, e-mail), walking
5. Motto: an attitude of gratitude every minute of every day

Misery: death of a loved one; having your feelings hurt by a loved one.

Happiness:  being with my son and husband; anticipation of reading a good book; Saturday mornings with a good cup of coffee, and no place to have to rush to.

Admire:  people who give of themselves to others; my Mom who raised me by herself; any soldier through out time who walked out on a field knowing he might be killed, but still walked out there.

Leisure: walking on the beach with the wind blowing my hair; sitting on a couch with a good book and a blended mocha; looking for antiques with my husband; family movie night.

Mott:  Never judge anyone until you have walked in their shoes.

Misery - losing a family member
Earthly happiness - Christmas mornings with all my children
Qualities - honesty, loyalty, kindness, intergrity
Leisure activity - reading a good book
Motto - Enjoy the moment

1. What do you regard as the lowest depths of misery?
--Watching a love one die.
2. What is your idea of earthly happiness?
--Peace within one’s soul
3. What are the qualities you most admire in a person?
--strength
4. What is your favorite leisure activity?
--Reading
5. What is your motto?
--Never fear, never quit.

Ok, So I’m a little late on this post, but here it goes:

1. What do you regard as the lowest depths of misery?  Having something painful happen to a member of my family, and not being able to do anything about it.

2. What is your idea of earthly happiness?  Snuggling with my kids and kissing their cheeks.

3. What are the qualities you most admire in a person? Integrity, intellectual curiosity, openness

4. What is your favorite leisure activity?  Reading a good book with a nice cup of tea.

5. What is your motto?  What fun is being cool if you can’t wear a sombrero? (Calvin and Hobbes)