Daydreaming Has So Many Emotional Benefits

 

"For the moment. You're just daydreaming now. Go wherever you want."

"If it were warmer, I'd slide into the river."

"It's as warm as you want it to be. Close your eyes, Dru. Dream a little."

She did as he asked. The music, soft, romantic, was a caress on the air.

Chesapeake Blue

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Giora Eshkol, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Here's How to Reclaim This Childhood Pastime

Mentally drifting away to a better time or place can aid adults during times of stress, new research shows.

MARTHA STEWART

Can people be saved from a terrible childhood?

"But answer this last question.
Do you think that bright, troubled child should be denied a full and
normal life as an adult because he had the bad luck to be conceived by a
heartless, perhaps even evil woman?"
"No." His breath shuddered out. "No, that's not what I think."
"No buts this time? No qualifications? Then I'll tell you that in my
professional opinion, I couldn't agree with you more. He deserves
everything he can grab, everything he can make, and everything we can
give him to show him that he's his own person and not the damaged
product of one vile woman."


Rising Tides

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By Mohamed Haddi [CC BY-SA 3.0  

(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons

US researchers have found early intervention can help prevent
negative experiences in infancy turning into long-term health risks

At bottom there is a revolutionary idea. It’s about moving 
from ‘what’s wrong with you?’ to ‘what happened to you?’

The Guardian

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"He knew them—better than I did. When he died, I figured they'd ship me off,
or I'd have to run off.
I never figured they'd keep me around.
They didn't know me, so what did they care? But they kept their promise to Ray. They changed their lives around for him,  and for me. They made a home—
pretty wild one at first with Cam running it."
For the first time since he'd begun, some of the misery lifted.  Humor slid into his voice.
"He was always blowing something up in the microwave or flooding
the kitchen. Guy didn't have a clue. I pushed at them, gave them—Cam mostly—as much grief as I could dish out. And I could dish out plenty. I kept waiting for them to kick me out, or smack me senseless.
But they stuck with me. They stood up for me, and when Gloria tried to hose them like she'd done with Ray,  they fought for me.
Even before we found out I was Ray's grandson, they'd made me one of them."


Chesapeake Blue

Here’s Why Your Pizza Delivery Person Hates You

"Pizza," he said at the brisk knock on the door.

He snatched his wallet off the workbench and, still shirtless and barefoot, went to the door. "Hey, Mike, how's it going?"

"Hanging loose."

The skinny, pimply-faced teenager handed Seth the pizza box. Then his gaze shifted, and he caught sight of Dru. The way his Adam's apple bobbed, the way surprise, interest and envy sped over his young, bumpy face, warned Dru there would be fresh fruit on the grapevine, and it would have her and Seth clustered together.

"Um, hi. Um. Grandma sent you a bunch of napkins and stuff." He shoved the paper bag into Seth's hands as well.

"Great. Tell her thanks. Here you go, Mike. Keep the change."

"Yeah. Well. Um. See you."

"Looks like Mike's got a little crush on you," Seth commented as he booted the door closed.

"I'd say Mike's double-timing it back to Village Pizza so he can spread the word that the artist and the florist are having hot pizza and hot sex."

"I hope he's right. If we're going to make the first part come true, we'd better dig into this." 

Chesapeake Blue

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By U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate Airman Bo J. Flannigan - This Image was released by the United States Navy with the ID 040814-N-5781F-033

Delivering pizza isn’t the most glamorous job. Most of the time pizza delivery people are high school or college kids just trying to make a few bucks after school, but some may even be trying to make a more substantial living. They sacrifice their evenings and weekends to hand-deliver your dinner so you can cook less and enjoy life more. Here are all the reasons they might secretly hate you — and how to fix them.

CHEAT SHEET

qualities that make a person attractive regardless of their physical appearance

She thought for a moment, then spoke in a lazy Shore accent. "Old Mrs. Wilcox died—would've been eighty-nine come September. Came home from the market and had a stroke right there in the kitchen while she was putting away her canned goods. Too bad she didn't make things up with her sister before it was too late. They haven't spoke word one to each other in twelve years."

"That's good." Amused, Cam propped his chin on his hand. More than looks and brains, he thought.

There was warmth and humor in there, too. Once you tickled it out of her.

Seth was toast.

Chesapeake Blue

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By Quinn Dombrowski - Interlocking, CC BY-SA 2.0,

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35723047

Some of us might believe that only beautiful people are attractive. But actually, we find people attractive based on other factors aside from physical appearance. In fact, the charm and attractiveness of a person are not always determined by their physical appearance. The main thing here is the magic of the attractiveness.

Bright Side put together a list of ten ‘magical’ qualities that the opposite sex finds attractive.

Bright Side

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Interesting-looking woman, though, he decided as he poked around a little. The hair that wasn’t really red, wasn’t really blond, the eyes of absolutely clear and perfect blue. Her nose tilted up a little on the end and sported a dusting of freckles, and a slight overbite made her bottom lip seem particularly full.
Long neck, he thought as he poured the coffee, lanky build with no rack to speak of.
Not beautiful. Not pretty or cute. But . . . interesting, and the few times she’d smiled? Almost
arresting. Almost.


The Search 

french fries

"I'm making the fries right now, aren't I?"
"I thought Grace was going to make them."

Steely-eyed, Anna stared at him over her shoulder. "Are you suggesting that I can't make french fries?"
He was bored and restless enough to be pleased that he'd jabbed her ego. "Well, she makes really good
ones."

Inner Harbor

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Slow-Fried French Fries

There are certain foods that are better when not made at home, like french fries. 

To achieve golden-brown perfection, you have to fry them twice...

SHINE 

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"This might be the end of things between us. Can this relationship be
saved? Quick. French fries or caviar?"
"Really, that's ridiculous. French fries, of course."
"Do you mean it?" As if hope had sprung giddily into his heart, he grabbed her hand in a tight grip.
"You're not just saying that to string me along so you can have your way with me?"
"Caviar is fine on occasion, but it's hardly an essential element of life."

Chesapeake Blue

bud and bloom

"So, the name of the shop. Bud and Bloom. Is that from Whistler?"
Surprise, and speculation, flickered over her face. "As a matter of fact, it is. You're the first to tag it."
"One of my brothers is big on stuff like that. I can't remember the quote exactly. Something about
perfect in its bud as in its bloom."

Chesapeake Blue

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The masterpiece should appear as the flower to the painter.. 

perfect in its bud as in its bloom.. 

with no reason to explain its presence.. 

no mission to fulfill.. 

a joy to the artist, a delusion to the philanthropist.. 

a puzzle to the botanist.. 

an accident of sentiment and alliteration to the literary man.

James McNeill Whistler

_________________

 (the pictures - and roses - are mine)