UPBEAT TIMES, INC. • March 2017 • 23 Thoreau-ly Green!


writings when we walked the en- tire circumference of Walden Pond. Our visit included touring all the surrounding homes of the beloved group of transcen- dentalists who lived, wrote and cared deeply about one another. –If you so choose to visit Con- cord someday, it is pleasant to note that the Friends of Walden Pond, who obviously share T oreau’s prescient thoughts about environmental stewardship and social respon- sibility, have


cre-


ated a new Walden Pond Visitor Cen- ter. And there ex- ists T e Farm at Walden Woods as well.


best known books “Walden”


T oreau’s two and “A


Week on the Con- cord and Merri- mack Rivers” did indeed reveal


his


love of wandering and his


infi nitely


close observation of nature. But, his other, extraordinary essays in- fl uenced a lengthy list of famous writers and political leaders—Tol- stoy, Mohandas Gandhi, George Bernard Shaw, Martin Luther


Send Upbeat Photos,


Letters, Quotes Jokes & Stories Here


... continued from page 5


“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”


King, Jr. Such an unexpected im- pact by a man who lived out his chosen solitary life mainly in Con- cord, Massachusetts. In a letter to a


I was suff ering at all.


friend, T oreau wrote “T e doctors all agreed that I am suff ering from want of society. Was nev- er a case like it. First, I did not know that Secondly,


as an Irishman might say, I had thought it was indigestion of the society I got.”


And that leads up to George Ber- nard Shaw, grand Irish playwright and Nobel Prize winner, writing: “My way of jok- ing is to tell the truth. It is the funniest joke in the world.” Hm- mmm.


Aristotle—a


philosopher ad- mired through the centuries— gave us this to


ponder: “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” Here’s to a grand welcome to Spring—sunshine—and all things green! ~Ellie


Send us your upbeat thoughts, jokes & stories in 2017! We are open to all submissions. upbeat@upbeattimes.com


A taxi passenger taps the driver on the shoulder to ask him a question. The driver screams, loses control of the car, nearly hits a bus, goes up on the footpath, and stops centime- ters from a shop window. For a second, everything goes quiet in the cab, then the driver says, “Look mate, don’t ever do that again. You scared the daylights out of me!” The passenger apologizes and says, “I didn’t realize that a little tap would scare you so much.” The driver replies, “Sorry, it’s not really your fault. Today is my fi rst day as a cab driver. I’ve been driv- ing a funeral van for the last 25 years.”


“Let us dance in the sun, wearing wild fl owers in our hair...” ~ Susan Polis Schutz UPBEAT TIMES, INC. • March 2017 • 23


... continued from page 21 returning to Sonoma County,” Stafford


... continued from page 21


Harrison Returns exclaims. Regarding al-


playing at Redwood Cafe, Staf- ford says, “I look forward to seeing Michael again...he


ing, improving, growing into being our better selves, day by day, one day at a time. We’d reached my neighborhood


stop. Wishing each other well, I stepped off the bus, along with the tall Buddhist man. Inspired by Teresa’s good will towards strangers, I looked at him, bowed, said, “Namaste.” He smiled and bowed back: ”Enlighten- ment,” he said, pausing, then asking gently if I might spare some change for a meal? LOL. I handed him my remaining dollar bills, catching a soft, sweet scent in the air as he headed to a taqueria across the road.


In a word, we’re each evolving, -expanding the ability to appreci- ate others, roll out a path to be fully alive, living an upbeat life. . ing deLight, Marcia


Shin-


ways had a smile on his face and a wonderful attitude.” Har- rison Stafford & The Professor Crew will be delighted with the new renovations to the Red- wood Cafe stage and sound system implemented by owner, Michael McCullaugh. This will be the fi rst time this stellar band plays at this venue!


“My past has not defi ned me,


strengthened me.” Steve Maraboli


deterred me, or defeated me; it has only


destroyed me, Weird Facts & Fun Trivia - 3


Five volcanoes make up the island of Hawai`i: Ko- hala, Mauna Kea, Hualalai, Mauna Loa, and Kilauea.


Kilauea volcano, a youthful shield volcano, sitting on the south east fl ank of the massive Mauna Loa shield volcano, is the youngest volcano (on land) of the Hawaiian hot spot and not only the most active vol- cano of Hawaii but at the same time also the world’s active volcano.


Kohola is the oldest volca- no on Hawaii Island at more than one million years old and Kilauea is the young- est at between 300,000 and 600,000 years old.


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