Sometimes I flaunt in the skins of an intellectual while all the while I’m just repeating the words and sentiment of my much smarter friends.

One of those much smarter friends, Tiff, brought to my attention this amazing article on what makes us happy. It’s worth the read. You may even be able to feign “intellectual” amongst your smarter friends.

In sharing, Tiff punctuated the article with a quote from the lead researcher, Dr. George Vaillant. He says, “Positive emotions make us more vulnerable than negative ones. One reason is that they’re future-oriented. Fear and sadness have immediate payoffs—protecting us from attack or attracting resources at times of distress. Gratitude and joy, over time, will yield better health and deeper connections—but in the short term actually put us at risk. That’s because, while negative emotions tend to be insulating, positive emotions expose us to the common elements of rejection and heartbreak.”

Thank you for sharing, Tiff.

As a little kid my imagination was out of control. Everything meant something
in my little kenniverse of a brain. Funny how some things never change.

With that said, in the kenniverse, Wednesday is actually better known as Kennsday so…
Happy Kennsday, Friends.

“Never regret. If it’s good – it’s wonderful. If it’s bad – it’s experience.”

- Jean Plaidy (under the pseudonym of Victoria Holt)

The other day I put my friend, James, on blast for not following through on his NaNoWriMo commitment BUT he got the humor and point of it all.

In case you didn’t get the chance yet, I think you should check his blog out.

June is celebration of ME month so I’m blogging everyday to share something of importance to me or about me. I hope you’re enjoying the journey.

One of my favorite blogs belongs to Max Reddick of soulbrother. He blogs like nobody’s business and I’m not sure where he finds the time between work and family and that whole life thing. I learn and am entertained every time I visit with him.

In his own words, he is “an African American male with a deep & abiding love & respect for the literature, music, and culture of a people growing out of a historical & on-going struggle for change, but who at this time is not quite sure which direction that change is going and what it even means.”

Check him out daily.

This is the tale of a man named James
A man of good report but then also kind of lame
Not lame as a three-legged dog that would hop
But lame is in – he was to write a novel with me but then he just… stopped

Yeah, that’s right. He stopped cold in the middle of starting like this tale no longer rhymes. He asked me to join him during National Novel Writer’s Month and he even took a week off – a whole week to get a nice head start – to get his head right to craft this great tale that he had been building for 10 years. Yeah, that’s what I said. 10 years. Most beautiful outline of a novel that a man would ever want to see this side of glory. And how many chapters were born of this most perfect outline?

James? Can you tell the people how many chapters you’ve written since November? What’s that? One hundred and huh? One? As in one chapter or…? No way. 10 years and the beautiful outline of a novel that a man would ever want to see this side of glory and all you have written is ONE chapter? James? Really?

My most talented and dear friend, James – the developer who is smarter than a Roomba and can do more tricks than a gang of monkeys on a grapevine. The ever gentle James – the man after God’s own heart who seeks to simplify while growing. The multifaceted and multicultured James – the man who can, in appearance, be mistaken as an Italian, a Mexican, and a Isreali unibomber all on the same driver’s license. Dear James – the procrastinator of all procrastinators. I started a novel with you and because of you and you have but one chapter to show for all of my blood, sweat, and ink tears. James, I salute thee.

This was the tale of a man named James
One of my best friends but then still very lame.