Category Archives: humor and health benefits

We’ve Got Ya Covered

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“Travel is more than the seeing of sights, it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of the living.”   –Miriam Beard

I’ve always had a penchant for covered bridges. I suppose it began during my childhood years when our family spent time on Lake Champlain in Vermont for many summers. Every time we passed by the Shelburne Museum, I saw their covered bridge and loved it.

When I was in college and moved off campus, I had to cross a covered bridge every morning and evening on my way to campus. Sometimes it was by way of foot and sometimes in my old hand-me-down station wagon. The girth of the car took up the entire bridge it was so wide. Only one car at a time could travel through it.

If you are a fan of covered bridges, you’d love Vermont, and you ought to visit the State. Leaf peeping (aka fall foliage) time is the best. Colors of golden yellow,  vibrant orange and firey red from the maple trees are a sight to behold along with the contrast of verdant green in the fields and meadows. From the northern border which touches Canada to the southern part of the State, bordering Massachusetts, vibrant color is everywhere.

Crossing over that covered bridge in Johnson, Vermont every morning and evening gave me warm, fulfilling feelings. As it turned out, this girl who originated from the south of the Mason-Dixon Line had found a place in the North Country that she would call home for three decades.

Covered bridge near Chaffee House

Above: Covered Bridge at Rt 100C, Johnson, Vermont

This image and more wonderful Vermont images can be purchased through www,hansonstudio.com

Johnson State College  http://www.jsc.edu

Below Photos: Shelburne Museum   www.shelburnemuseum.org

shelburne museum1Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vermont.Shelburne_lighthouse1shelburne museum3Shelburne Museum 5

This blog brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected. For information on the memoir, please visit this website

http://amzn.to/1oj1hjW

No Excuses, Play On

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Don’t handicap your children by making their lives easy. ~ Robert A. Heinlein

I remember thinking how lucky one of my girlfriends was because every year Mary Ellen and her sister and parents went to amusement parks  in their motor home for Christmas.

Instead, our family rented chalets and went skiing in the mountains of Vermont. How I wished our family was “normal.” In the 1950s and 1960s few Maryland families traveled great distances. I remember trying to voice my opinion of how much fun it would be to go to amusement parks more often instead of having to work so hard at learning how to ski. Skiing wasn’t easy and I nearly froze my fanny off in the process. Not to even mention toting the all gear – that was very difficult for a young child whose start was so tenuous.

Vintage ski picWhen I whined, my Dad used to tell me carrying the equipment builds muscles and the rope tow WAS an amusement park ride. “Who cares about muscles. ” I thought. For others who watched me fall off  the rope tow, it probably was amusing. Doing face plants every foot up the mountain because I didn’t have the strength to hold onto the rope, and then again as I skied back down the mountain wasn’t exactly my idea of fun!

When I went off to college in the North Country, I was never so grateful for the years my parents spent planting seeds of appreciation in me for the love of the great outdoors and teaching us kids to ski. Those skills came in handy and my enjoyment of the sport grew in gigantic proportions.

There have been other lifelong benefits that came out of my early struggles, too. As an adult I can admit “Dad and Mom knew best.” Here is an article about the health benefits of skiing.http://bit.ly/1unzjDi

This blog brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected. Now available in audio book, paperback and e-book. Psst…..the voice holds the real treasure!http://amzn.to/1orPIRI

Drink in the Outdoors

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“Life’s enchanted cup sparkles near the brim.” ~ Lord Byron

Baltimoreans of my generation will surely remember the Enchanted Forest in Ellicott City, Maryland. A trip to the Enchanted Forest always made me feel as if I had stepped into any one of my favorite fables. Back in the 1950s and 1960s, people didn’t travel great distances. Family day trips to amusement parks were considered special. For a child to see scenes of gumdrop cottages and fairyland castles like those in their favorite nursery rhymes turned boys and girls into princes and princesses for a day.

enchantedforestsign

I liked peering into the windows of the Hansel & Gretel house and climbing on the statue of Old King Cole. Tiptoeing through a field of oversized gingerbread ladies and gents was thrilling to a youngster. You could even take a ride in “Alice in Wonderland” teacup shaped cars through the park. Baltimoreans, if you ever wondered where the Enchanted Forest went, follow this link. http://bit.ly/1nY7nQS.

The ENchanted Forest, Hansel and Gretel's House Baltimore
Our world has changed over the decades and so have the people’s ideas of vacationing.  Tomorrow we will be featuring a new website for outdoors enthusiasts who love to travel. The news wire for this site will be “officially launched” in a few weeks and it will feature inspiring places to see and things to do to enhance your lifetime experience. The great outdoors was created for us to enjoy. Take advantage and drink in all the great outdoors has to offer.

This blog brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of the memoir Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected. Click here for info and ordering.http://amzn.to/1o69dEg. Pssst.. The treasure is in the voice of this author narrated audio book!

 

TV Shows of the 1950s and 1960s

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“Never, ever underestimate the importance of having fun.” ~ Randy Pausch

Let’s keep All Things Fulfilling fun and frivolous for the rest of  the week. Baby boomers do you remember the Lorenzo Stomp and Yakety Saks? I can still recall the catchy tune they’d play on channel WJZ TV in Maryland,  “The Land of Pleasant Living!” My sister and brothers and I loved doing the Lorenzo Stomp – it made us laugh and we all looked as if we’d all gone haywire as we whistled and danced around the room.

Click here and you can read what others remember about the Lorenzo the Tramp Show that originated in Baltimore and later was broadcast in Pennsylvania. http://www.topix.com/forum/city/allentown-pa/T0HNE8P1SAKD5J0J1 As years go by, memories fade. Surely, if you don’t remember Lorenzo the Tramp, you will remember Bozo the Clown. How can you forget this  face? Bozo the Clown After all these years, Bozo has not completely disappeared off the planet. You can still purchase a Bozo the Clown punching bag from http://www.vermontcountrystore.com . What a great gift to give a baby boomer who is celebrating his or her 60th or 65th birthday. Most people who remember Bozo are in that age group.  With aging, life sometimes deals us some punches we aren’t fully prepared to deal with. A gift of a Bozo the Clown punching bag will provide a safe place to vent and bring fulfilling memories of TV yesteryear back. How can this fella not make you smile? bozo clown - available at VT Country Just another fulfilling memory from Sue Batton Leonard, author of  the memoir Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.  Ready for a little nonsense? Watch the video I’ve posted and practice up the Lorenzo Stomp! See you tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling.

Circle of Life

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“There are patterns which emerge in one’s life, circling and returning anew, an endless variation of a theme”  ― Jacqueline Carey

Hoola HoopOn Saturday evening, my husband and I went to a free concert at Howelson Hill in Steamboat. It was just one of several offered throughout the summer.

As I sat and listened to the band and watched the crowd, I was reminded of a 1950s fad. There were a handful of girls and grown women  hula hooping to the music! Those ladies were good! They kept the hoop spinning as it revolved around their necks and waists and then when they dropped down to their knees, in a kneeling position, they kept it going. As they stood again, they keep the hoop revolving around their ankles. Never once touching the plastic circle.

Wow- quite different than the hula hoops skills I had. And talk about a workout and being creative with a simple circle- some of the moves, I can’t even find the words to explain it!

Isn’t it funny how fads, like fashions, come and go and come back around again through the ages? Hula hoops provided many hours of fulfilling fun for me, my sister and our girlfriends.

This is just another bit of nostalgia from the gift we humans are given – a lifetime full of memories!

This blog brought to you by author Sue Batton Leonard. Her publication is now also available in audio book for your reading pleasure. Click on this link for more information on the audio book, the paperback and the e-book.http://amzn.to/1nDmKTu

Holy Humor

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“The solution often turns out more beautiful than the puzzle.” ~ Richard Dawkins

Last week, after I posted a blog called “Towson, Now and Then,” http://bit.ly/1rRHEiX  I received a comment from a blog reader who I do not know. Her comment set off a whole host of memories of an era gone by.

immaculate conception towsonConnie, the blog reader said “she and her sister attended Immaculate Conception School in Towson.” I certainly have a life time memory of the church that school was attached to.

Chris, my childhood friend, used to rope me into going to church with her after school on holy days. The first time she suggested it, oh, how I wanted out of it. I had no interest – but, I’d do anything for her. We loved spending time together.

For Chris, being a good Catholic, not going to church on a holy day was out of the question. Besides, her place of worship, the Immaculate Conception Church, was with within walking distance of our junior high school so there were no good excuses.

During that era (the 1960s) girls and women couldn’t enter a Catholic Church without something covering their heads. The first time I went to Mass with Chris, I was not aware of this policy since I wasn’t Catholic so I didn’t bring a hat. Chris had a solution, so there was no “declining her invitation.” She gave me a clean Kleenex to spread atop my head. So I wouldn’t feel foolish, she left her mantilla in her school bag and topped her brunette hair with a white Kleenex, too. Well, if that wasn’t a source of amusement and laughter for two middle school aged girls, I don’t know what was.For me, trying to hold in my giggles as I sat in the pew looking at Chris with Kleenex on top her head was nearly impossible. I don’t think I heard one word the priest said. So much for being reverent!

Years later, I entered the Immaculate Conception Church in Towson, Maryland, this time in all seriousness, as I stood up for my best friend as a bridesmaid in her wedding.

Isn’t it lovely, how we make connections with people of different faiths throughout our lifetimes? It gives us a chance to experience spirituality from different perspectives.

All churches, not just Catholic churches, have gone through many transitional times since my childhood days. If you have any stories of how your church has changed since “back then,” won’t you share them with us by posting a comment on this site.

We’d love to hear from you! This blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected. Now available in audio book (the treasure is in the voice!), paperback and e-book.

Focus on Simple Pleasures

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There are few things in common between where I grew up, in Towson, Maryland and where I am residing at this moment, Steamboat Springs, Colorado except great peaches and sweet corn.

It is an unexpected gift when you live high up in the magnificent Rocky Mountains to find corn and peaches as good as what’s grown in Maryland.  The produce comes in  from Palisades, Colorado every weekend on a truck.

We are getting into the fresh from the farm season! So, although, I am living many, many miles away from all of our family – today I would like post a reminder to myself.

Peaches

And as gift for my readers on this sunny summer day – here is something you can make that is useful, healthy and delicious.It comes from http://www.OasisAdvancedWellness.com. Visit their website, there’s other fulfilling things they’ve posted for the visitors of their space on the internet.

See you tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling! This blog brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected. NOW AVAILABLE IN AUDIO BOOK, TOO! http://amzn.to/1rDx80a.

Peaches two

 

Chiggers at Vespers

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“Oh, no!” I said out loud to myself, as I finally read my mothers e-mail correspondence from last weekend. My sister has the chiggers.

“Wow, does that ever bring back memories,” I thought. The first time I ever  heard of the chiggers was when my parents sent us twins off to overnight church camp in Virginia. Camp Glenkirk holds many fond memories for me. I recall my mother’s anxiety as she and my dad drove off leaving us girls in someone else’s hands for a week. It was the first time I was away overnight from my parents since my “pioneering” heart surgery.

Although I didn’t completely understand the magnitude of that turning point in my life, I know it was a step toward independence from the watchful eye of my parents. I don’t recall my uneasiness, only that of my mother’s. My anchor, my rock, my twin sister was by my side. And when there were certain strenuous camp activities that I was unable to participate in, my sister sat on the sidelines with me. She never left me behind. What a loyal sister! quotesonprayer

What I  also remember is when we went to evening vespers (evening group prayer), I prayed saying, “Lord a Mercy,” (mimicking Fanny, the stellar character in my memoir), “please don’t let me get the chiggers!” I’d heard from other campers that they itch something awful.God knows, there were plenty of them in the backwoods of  Virginia but, I managed to stay free – I guess someone greater than myself was watching out for me.

Jan – I hope you get rid of those chiggers real quick! Find something to sooth the itch! Be still and know that it is just the chiggers driving you crazy!

Today’s blog is brought to you by author Sue Batton Leonard and that was just another childhood memory  not included in my publication Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.

Hand-Me-Down Memories

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Just living is not enough… one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower. ~Hans Christian Andersen

I don’t think there is a person alive who doesn’t attach memories to the cars they’ve owned. The car my twin sister and I had in college was a hand-me-down from our parents. They thought the Plymouth wagon had seen it’s better days, but we proved them wrong, big time.

Our college friends nicknamed the vehicle the “The Batmobile.” My maiden name is Batton, hence, the moniker made sense! It was one of the most recognizable cars on campus because it was as long and wide as a barge, and our friends could see us coming down the pike from far distances. For me, just seeing over the steering wheel was a challenge.

We carted around as many fellow students as we possibly could, with all their gear, to Stowe http://www.stowe.com and Smugglers Notch Ski Areas http://www.smuggs.com and places way beyond. We’d pack  ’em in like sardines, because seat belts were unheard of in those days. Off we’d head for another day on the slopes. The Batmobile could slurp the gas alright, almost as quickly as it was filled up. And when the fuel gauge finally gave up the ghost we had to keep an emergency gas fund just in case. After all we were only poor college students with limited budgets.

One fall weekend, my twin and I and our girlfriends decided to go hiking on the Long Trail http://www.greenmountaintrail.org (an extension of the Appalachian Trail  www.appalachiantrail.org ). Being typical college students we…. ummmm….sometimes got hair brained ideas. We decided we’d be trail blazers and take the lazy louts approach to hiking. We drove as far as we possibly could up the Long Trail and parked it. The next day when we returned to our car after spending the night on the trail in the cabins, here is a photo of what we were faced with. One of our housemates had gotten wind of our plans, and decided to play a prank. BATMOBILE It was all in good fun, and one of my most dear memories from Johnson State College http://www.jsc.edu. This blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.Click for Info & Ordering

“Serving Children of the World”

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It is Tuesday, June 17.  Today I am scheduled to speak with the Kiwanis Club http://www.kiwanis.org/ of Steamboat Springs, Colorado about my new publication “Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.”

kiwanis 2The mission of Kiwanis is “serving children of the world.” I have dreams of reaching children around the world who have health issues through my story. Sick children and their parents need to hear stories of hope. My memoir will uplift many people. And a little humor has never hurt a soul so anyone can enjoy the book. As one reader said “Gift of Lifetime is indeed that…. a story of how the simplest words can have the most impact on our lives…”

There have been many studies in the medical field, in recent years, about the connection between healing and living with a positive spirit and humor. My memoir presents an example of how one person’s outcome in life was affected by having what I consider to be all the right conditions that are necessary to live a fulfilling life despite a very difficult start.

Thanks to the independent publishing industry and the ability to sell books on the internet, my book will reach readers from all over this country and places around the world who will take away from the story the message that we can learn a lot from people of all faiths, color and creed.

My greatest wishes for the book, is that parents around the world will learn of “Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected” and share the upcoming audio book with their sick children to give them hope, and a little laughter to lift their spirits.

As Eleanor Roosevelt once said “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

Thank you Kiwanis Club of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. It’s great being in your company today and I am grateful I am able to share my thoughts with you!

This blog brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.Sue’s memoir See you tomorrow on http://www.allthingsfulfilling.com.