Tag: Joy

Posted in Encouragement, Throwback Thursday, Neal’s Post from the Past

Neal’s Post from the Past: “Top Ten Happiness Questions”

Posted on by Neal Saye

Here’s an old post from my blog back in 2014, when I was semi-retired, teaching as an adjunct at Savannah College of Art and Design. I recently looked at it as 2022 made its way into our lives. May these questions be an encouragement to you.

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This past fall term at SCAD (the Savannah College of Art and Design), where I teach composition to international students, my course topic was Happiness Studies.

Each week, I introduced a new question, which I told the students had the potential to make them happier–IF they took the time to ask and then answer the question.

Here are the ten questions.  I challenge you to ask them to yourself whenever you need a dose of joy.

Dr. Saye’s Top Ten Happiness Questions

1.  Just how important is it?

2.  Do I realize that I can choose to think a thought that feels better?

3.  Why do I sometimes try to control other people? That’s really not my job.

4.  What do I see RIGHT NOW that is beautiful?

5.  Who has helped me recently?

6.  What is a good holiday memory?

7.  What do I really, really love?

8.  Do I realize that I can take three deep breaths right now and center myself? My breath is my life.

9.  Who can I be a blessing to in the next hour or so? How can I do that? 

10.  Am I paying attention to NOW (and not wasting time regretting the past or worrying about the future)?

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I encourage you to print these questions, put them up some place where you can easily see them, and start asking.

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Posted in Monday Moaning or Monday Marveling?

Monday Moaning or Monday Marveling?

Posted on by Neal Saye

On this Monday after Christmas, I’m still Christmas-ing (and marveling) a bit. Here’s Savannah’s Troup Square near us, all decked out.

Savannah has twenty-two beautifully unique squares in our Historic District, where Robert and I live.

Troup Square is known as “The Jingle Bell Square.”

They even decorate their trash cans.

And benches.

Here’s to Troup!

Posted in Holiday Joy

“Joyful Christmas and Justice for All!”

Posted on by Neal Saye

Robert and I LOVE sending out Christmas Cards! We feel the practice (slowly disappearing?) is a way to pass along a little cordial and heartfelt “Soul of the Season.”

Our card for 2021. Here, we’re sending it to you!

Happiest of Holidays!

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What’s the backstory for this year’s card, you ask? Well, I AM super holiday busy (it IS Christmas Eve you know) but if you absolutely insist, I’ll take the time from singing “The Twelve Days of Christmas” to Robert, and explain.

I get the disturbing impression Robert’s just not that into the song anyway. He hasn’t blinked since the first time I sang the verse about the eight maids a milking—which I keep messing up, so of course have to start over from the beginning.

Anyway, back in September, with the pandemic seeming to ease up a bit, we ventured out on our first you-gotta-get-on-an-airplane-to-get-there trip. We spent a gloriously laidback and uneventful week in the Poconos, then hopped over to Manhattan for another week. (Where were all the people?!)

One day we booked a guided tour of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, led by guide extraordinaire Rob …

What fun we had! And because of Rob, how much we re-appreciated our diverse nation.

When we meandered to the front of Lady Liberty, Rob suddenly threw himself on the ground (!) exclaiming, “I take the best pictures this way.”

And he was right!

Later, walking around Times Square, Robert found Statues of Liberty at every corner.

NOEL! from NEAL & ROBERT

JOYFUL CHRISTMAS 2021 and YES, JUSTICE FOR ALL!

Posted in Five Friday Happy Bringers

Five Friday Happy Bringers

Posted on by Neal Saye

1. Robert’s hasselback potatoes the other night. Yum!

2. Always having enough water. And being aware of always having enough water.

3. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s holiday concert, Christmas with the ASO last night.

The orchestra warming up. I had no idea at this moment about our big surprise honor just ahead.

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Choir, the incredible Morehouse Glee Club and the Gwinnett Young Singers joined the Orchestra to get us all in the holiday mood. Beethoven, Bach, Vivaldi, Tchaikovsky mixing it up with contemporary composers. And “Hallelujah!” special thanks to Handel.

But that’s not all, Blog Fans, I have some Very Exciting News to share with you about last night. News which, if I know you like I think I know you, will make you even prouder of me than you already are. Are you ready? Maybe you should sit down.

Robert and I were SPECIFICALLY INVITED to sing “The First Nowell” (their spelling, not mine) and to be backed up by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra! Seriously. Little us from Savannah. Can you imagine how thrilled I was the moment I realized that Robert and I were being asked to sing?!

[I’ll pause and give you a couple of minutes to try.]

I’ve always thought I had a terrible, adequate, good, stellar voice, but I was just so very humbled yet honored to be asked. I am so glad I wore a sports coat and put a little Suave Professionals Styling Gel in my hair. I tell you my my knees were shaking when we stood up to walk up to the stage and sing. And the performance was, in my unbiased view, nothing short of festively spectacular.

P. S. Robert is insisting that I include this minor and inconsequential (if you ask me) “fact” (according to his definition) from the above concert program …

Well, “we” did get an invitation.

4. Visiting Callanwolde Fine Arts Center in Atlanta. The Gothic-Tudor style mansion was built by Coca-Cola president/zillionaire Charles Howard Candler in the 1920’s as a private home. Each Christmas they have a neat beautifully decorated Christmas extravaganza.

Do you see what I saw on the holiday garland to the left of Robert? Pine cones (HUGE) from my favorite tree, the Longleaf Pine!

I could … bearly contain myself with excitement!

5. Hope and expectation.

A Weekend of Wonder to You!

Posted in Joy, Humor

Happy Anniversary!

Posted on by Neal Saye

So today is my anniversary! Well, not just mine. It’s Robert’s too … our Fifth Wedding Anniversary … December 9th! (We’ve been together longer, but purist Robert didn’t want to get married until we could legally do so in Georgia— back in 2016.)

We’re in Atlanta to celebrate. The Alliance Theatre’s new adaptation of A Christmas Carol last night. So good, with deeper character development than usual. God blessed us everyone! And heading to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Christmas with the ASO tonight. “Culture” is our middle name.

Here’s the very cool anniversary pop-up (or is it pop-out?) card Robert gave me.

Again, always the purist, he likes to find cards that are made Specifically for Gay Folks. (Whereas I just grab one from the Dollar Tree and use white out to get rid of the woman’s hair and … etc. and use a permanent black magic marker to messily but effectively transform “wife” into “husband.”)

Isn’t it cute? I loved it. It’s so pop-uppy, colorful and GAY — in every sense of the word!

TIB (Truth in Blogging): We’re not both black.

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And here’s a little anniversary bouquet we got for our midtown Atlanta rental’s little “dining room” table.

Wait, you need a close-up, don’t you? Let me snap one real quick.

Here you go. Well, Lo and Behold! Look toward the back of the pic above. Santa pants! And we all know from yesterday’s post “Robert and …” #6 EXACTLY what that means: Robert’s nearby!

So I interrupted him fussing around in the kitchen doing who knows what (he’s always throwing it up to me that he went to ”Chef’s School”) and told him to wave at our thousands, hundreds, dozens single-digits of blog fans.

P.S. Google just reminded me that a traditional Fifth Anniversary gift is Wood. (And my phone’s calculator cruelly taunted me that I’ll be 114 on our Fiftieth Diamond Anniversary! I just depowered my phone.) Anyway, on the off chance that you haven’t gotten our Wooden Gift yet, here are a couple of suggestions:

We watched The Queen’s Gambit! And I would like to try that looking-up-at-the-ceiling strategy.

I see nothing.

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This wooden nutcracker would SO come in handy. Remember that big bowl of nuts from yesterday’s post?

“Robert and …” #6

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

Wedding Day, 2016
With daughters Amy and Sarah