Cheers!

On this 31st day of December, 2011, it's the perfect time to reflect on the months gone by over this past year, to count our blessings and contemplate what brought us joy. As we think of all our family and friends, we can recall how both the happy - and not so happy - experiences enriched our lives.

As this fresh and bright new year arrives, may you look towards it with optimism for personal growth, excitement for new experiences and friends to be made, and perfect balance.

Cheers to a happy, healthy, prosperous, and sparkling 2012!

A Word (or two) on Buckling Up

The very first Printed Thought blog post debuted in September of 2009. I delayed discussing the following subject because it occurred only a month previous, in early August of last year. At the time, it was a little too raw, (and to be honest - not the most uplifting topic for a first blog post), so I saved it and its important accompanying images for almost exactly one year later.

Just shy of a year ago, my younger sister was in an automobile accident on her way driving to work on a rainy summer morning. Thank the Heavens she didn't even have a scratch after a precautionary visit to the ER, just some resulting back and neck soreness from whiplash, but it was a profound first-hand reminder that seat belts, undoubtedly, save lives.

Seat belts help restrain both driver and passengers to their seats in the event of a collision. When worn correctly, the lap belt (which rests over the pelvis), and the shoulder belt (which extends over the chest), apply most of the stopping force to the rib cage and pelvis, relatively sturdy parts of the body. The power of inertia is humbling; if a car is hurtling down the road at 60 miles per hour, so is its driver...although he or she may just be sitting there seemingly motionless from an interior perspective, with one foot on the gas pedal. Which means, if the vehicle were to suddenly come to an abrupt stop, the contents inside the vehicle would still be moving at 60 mph. In that event, it would be quite noticeable that the inertia of the car's contents are absolutely independent of the car's inertia.

According to a research report from the National Highway and Transit Safety Administration, seatbelts save approximately 13,000 lives in the United States each year. Furthermore, the NHTSA estimates that 7,000 U.S. car accident fatalities would have been avoided if the victims had been wearing belts.

So as a courteous safety reminder, dear readers, please buckle up whenever you get into a moving vehicle (even if it's in a NYC taxi). Remind those around you to follow suit. If you're the driver, it's ultimately your responsibility that your passengers have their seat belts fastened. Not only is it the primary and/or secondary enforcement law in 50/51 states, it's also the simplest action you can take to help ensure that you and your loved ones arrive at any given destination, safely.

The Good of Social Media: Meet Walter.

More often than not, news stations thrive on broadcasting disheartening and depressing stories. Fires. Deaths. Robberies. Natural disasters. (Not exactly your morning picker-uppers over a cup of coffee). BUT, every once in a while, an inspiring snapshot of selfless people doing good in their communities graces our television sets. Individuals who are making a positive impact. Even saving a life.

Such is the story of Walter, a 2-month old Pit Bull-mix who has recently become something of a four-legged celebrity throughout the 5 boroughs of NYC. His story has appeared in local newspapers, blogs, and even on News Channel 7. Badly abused then abandoned by being thrown out of a car in Brooklyn, NY on Easter Sunday, Walter was severely dehydrated, malnourished, his skin burned by chemicals, and he was suffering from a debilitating case of mange. He was then discovered on the street by a young man named Alex, who collectively with his friends took on the endeavor of helping him recover.

Arriving at the Veterinary Emergency Referral Group then sequentially at the HOPE Veterinary Clinic, Walter's diagnosis was deemed curable, though with a long road ahead of him, and he was received into the friendly and caring arms of Veterinarians. However, overnight stays, medications, and intensive care quickly brought on an onslaught of steep medical bills. Unwilling to sacrifice this innocent puppy's life for inability to pay for his care, Alex and friends brilliantly turned to the powers of Social Media. Via setting up a "Help Save Walter" Facebook Page and Blog on Blogspot, they were instantly able to share Walter's story with hundreds of friends, family, and coworkers. Then, within the span of only three weeks through viral communication, Alex and his friends had raised enough money to cover all of Walter's medical bills. Walter's Blogspot now has 160 followers and his Facebook Page - more than 5,000 fans (both of which are growing as I write this!). And now that their monetary goal has been reached to cover Walter's care, any additional funds collected will be generously donated to the ASPCA.

The success of Walter's ongoing recovery is credited not only to the kind hearts of this group of friends from Brooklyn, but by Social Media; the means by which Walter's story could be shared so quickly and efficiently. His Facebook Page and Blog were vehicles for letting his story touch the hearts of thousands; his pictures and videos, enabling fans and followers to feel a personal connection to him.

In the words of Walter's new family, they hope his story will inspire all animal-lovers to donate their money, volunteer their time, condemn animal abuse, and have the heart to adopt neglected, homeless, and abused animals, whether they be in shelters or on the streets. Because all of these innocent creatures like Walter deserve a better life, and are in desperate need of loving families.

Walter's Blog

http://www.helpsavewalter.blogspot.com

Walter's Facebook Page

http://www.facebook.com/pages/HELP-SAVE-WALTER/118164941530998?v=wall

Walter on News Channel 7

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/video?id=7397260

ASPCA

http://www.aspca.org/

Reflections on La Vida

This article, featured in the Times' "Happy Days" blog and written by Todd May, author and professor of philosophy at Clemson University, is a powerful piece. Stunningly beautiful writing that helps put life into perspective. I'm posting the entire article below just in case this link fizzles out:

http://happydays.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/02/happy-ending/?em

So, if you are having a stressful day today, just take it all in stride. This article emphasizes what REALLY matters: living each day of life to the fullest, and not taking a single one for granted. It's something we can so easily forget in this past-paced world.
____________________________

November 2, 2009, 8:25 PM
HAPPY ENDING
By TODD MAY

In the spring of 2004 I took a flight from my home near Greenville, S.C., to New York to visit my dying step-grandmother. We had been close, and it would be one of the last times I would get to see her. As the flight was about to land, it abruptly ascended and headed toward the Empire State Building. The passengers on the plane became quiet; the aura of 9/11 was hanging in the air.

We flew over the Empire State Building (but too close to the antenna for my comfort) and circled back to La Guardia. As it turned out, a small commuter plane had decided to land without taking account of our aircraft, so the pilot had had to make a quick move. But in those moments when it seemed I was aboard another human missile, I revisited my life. I realized, almost to my surprise, that I would not have traded it in for another life. There had been disappointments, to be sure, but my life appeared to me to have been a meaningful one, a life I did not regret. This is not to say that I was not nearly paralyzed with fear. I was. At the same time, strangely, my life appeared to me as worth having lived. There are two lessons here. The first, and most obvious one, is that death is terrifying. Here in the United States, we have the technology to defer death, so we often pretend it will never really happen to us. There is always another procedure, always a cure in sight if not in hand. But in our sober moments we recognize that we will indeed die, and that we have precious little control over when it will happen.

The harm of death goes to the heart of who we are as human beings. We are, in essence, forward-looking creatures. We create our lives prospectively. We build relationships, careers, and projects that are not solely of the moment but that have a future in our vision of them. One of the reasons Eastern philosophies have developed techniques to train us to be in the moment is that that is not our natural state. We are pulled toward the future, and see the meaning of what we do now in its light.

Death extinguishes that light. And because we know that we will die, and yet we don’t know when, the darkness that is ultimately ahead of each of us is with us at every moment. There is, we might say, a tunnel at the end of this light. And since we are creatures of the future, the darkness of death offends us in our very being. We may come to terms with it when we grow old, but unless our lives have become a burden to us coming to terms is the best we can hope for.

The second, less obvious lesson of this moment of facing death is that in order for our lives to have a shape, in order that they not become formless, we need to die. This will strike some as counterintuitive, even a little ridiculous. But in order to recognize its truth, we should reflect a bit on what immortality might mean.

Immortality lasts a long time. It is not for nothing that in his story “The Immortal” Jorge Luis Borges pictures the immortal characters as unconcerned with their lives or their surroundings. Once you’ve followed your passion — playing the saxophone, loving men or women, traveling, writing poetry — for, say, 10,000 years, it will likely begin to lose its grip. There may be more to say or to do than anyone can ever accomplish. But each of us develops particular interests, engages in particular pursuits. When we have been at them long enough, we are likely to find ourselves just filling time. In the case of immortality, an inexhaustible period of time.

And when there is always time for everything, there is no urgency for anything. It may well be that life is not long enough. But it is equally true that a life without limits would lose the beauty of its moments. It would become boring, but more deeply it would become shapeless. Just one damn thing after another.

This is the paradox death imposes upon us: it grants us the possibility of a meaningful life even as it takes it away. It gives us the promise of each moment, even as it threatens to steal that moment, or at least reminds us that some time our moments will be gone. It allows each moment to insist upon itself, because there are only a limited number of them. And none of us knows how many.

I prefer to think that the paradox of death is the source not of despair but instead of the limited hope that is allotted to us as human beings. We cannot live forever, to be sure, but neither would we want to. We ought not to mind the fact that we will die, although we really would rather that it not be today. Probably not tomorrow either. But it is precisely because we cannot control when we will die, and know only that we will, that we can look upon our lives with the seriousness they merit. Death takes away from us no more than it has conferred: lives whose significance lies in the fact they are not always with us.

Our happiness lies in being able to inhabit that fact.

Proud To Be Wearing Pink

October: the season of pumpkins, apple picking, fall foliage, wood-burning fireplaces, trick-or-treating, marathons, and crisp autumn weather. Have you also been seeing shades of pink? It's officially National Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

The NBCAM organization is a partnership of national public service organizations, professional medical associations, and government agencies that work together to promote breast cancer awareness, advocate the importance of early detection, share information on the disease, and provide greater access to screening services. Pretty important stuff, considering current statistics reveal 1 in 8 women in the United States will be diagnosed with the disease in her lifetime. These statistics are real: a few years ago, my Mother found herself in this approximate 13th percentile. Thanks to the amazing advancements in research, medicine, and technology, she is now radiant and cancer-free.

Although leaps and bounds have been made in the fight against breast cancer, (especially within the past decade), there is no cure. This is why October stands as a reminder: there is still a long road ahead and raising funds for research is a top priority.

The most responsible way to support breast cancer research is to make a donation directly to an organization that concentrates more on providing support than they do on administrative costs, marketing, or fund-raising. Susan G. Komen For the Cure, The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Living Beyond Breast Cancer, and the National Breast Cancer Foundation are four venerable organizations that combined, have raised hundreds of millions of dollars in the fight against cancer.

Many manufacturers are also donating a portion of their proceeds to a cure. Below are several companies whose affordable products make noteworthy contributions:

Aveda Hand Relief / $21.00

Animal-cruelty free, super-rich lotion soothes chapped hands and offers incredible aromatherapy. $4.00 from each purchase goes to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Wacoal bras from the Wacoal Awareness Collection.

These specially labeled collection of Wacoal bras is available at major department stores, specialty lingerie shops, and via online retailers. Also be on the lookout for nationwide Fit for the Cure events where Wacoal conducts complimentary fittings and donates $2.00 every time someone gets fitted. For each Awareness product purchased, an additional $2.00 goes to Susan G. Komen.

KitchenAid Stand Mixer Cover / $29.99

Does someone you know own a classic KitchenAid Artisan Series mixer? Here's the perfect gift: an adorable pink Stand Mixer Cover. Purchased and registered, it yields a $3.00 donation to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. That makes baking cookies even sweeter.

Ford's Warriors in Pink 2009 Woven Scarf / $38.00

Help Ford reach its $1 million donation commitment to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. One hundred percent of net proceeds ($30.50) from the sale of this warm and autumn-chic scarf get donated to the cause. Check out Ford's Warriors in Pink website for other great ways to support their contribution.