Positive Thinking – Page 13

Five Friday Happy Bringers (3/22/13)

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Neal Saye

It’s Friday again, and I’m in New York City with daughter Amy, son-in-law Orte, and grandsons Daniel and Gabriel. That in itself is reason enough to be HAPPY. But here are FIVE more reasons:

1.. Still filled with memories of last weekend’s beautifully fun St. Patrick’s Day.

2.. Finding this cool driftwood-and-found-objects ship sculpture at Habersham Antiques and Collectibles in Savannah.

3.. Realizing that so much about being joyful in life is a result of CHOICE.

4.. Flying to New York with a five- and three-year-old.

5.. It’s freezing here in Manhattan, but here I am last week down on Amelia Island

Have a great weekend and take care of business while I’m away.

A Savannah Saint Patrick’s Day Celebration

Posted on March 17, 2013March 17, 2022 by Neal Saye

Anyone who has been to Savannah on or around March 17 knows that Saint Patrick’s Day is a pretty …

… in this city! From the Greening of the Fountain and Tara Feis onward, Savannah embraces its Irishness, shamrocks growing and showing up everywhere, an already diverse and fesitval-driven city photosynthetically converting excited energy into green Gaelic joy. And since 2013 St. Paddy Day was Sunday, Savannah opted to hold its primary celebration on Saturday with the parade (the nation’s second largest), River Street revelry and other merrymaking events.

Since Yours Truly lives DIRECTLY on the parade route along Abercorn Street, and since some green Irish blood flows through my veins (Saye =”one who lives by the sea”), I decided to host a little parade-viewing party.

Party Prep Notes: For some reason I will never fully grasp, I decided to make Cabbage and Ham in the Crock Pot (or as I call it, Beverly Hillbilly-ishly, “the Slow-Cooking Pot”).

Now cabbage sounds fine, and even a bit Irish, until you understand that my place is a little under 800 square feet, positioned at the front of a beautiful old building completed in the 1800’s. Well, the slow-cooking cabbage produced a Rather Strong Aroma (try not to imagine it), first in my apartment, then wafting across the hall to my next door neighbor and fellow party hostess Audrey’s place, then throughout the entire old building, and probably up and down the parade route and on to the South Carolina border across the river. People were so nice and pretended that the smell made the party more “Irish authentic.” But a bunch of folks had drinks in their hands, so I’m not at all certain their sensory perception was on target. AND I noticed they would get a bowlful of steaming, fragrant cabbage and then quickly run out the door to see the next band or float they “had been waiting on.”

Here’s me helping to set up the area for guests to sit and watch the parade outside my building (my windows have the St. Patty tacky shamrock cutouts and green garlands).

Before the parade started, I made a quick tour of the squares close to me. A few sights:

I met some cool green-clad new friends:

And then quickly back to my place where the crowd had grown during my foray.

I found this pretty lady pirouetting in front of my apt, so of course I had to get my pic with her:

Here’s across-the-hall stylish neighbor Audrey:

And here’s party guest/good buddy Ellie and her brother encouraging the crowd:

I wish I was brave enough to dance in the street!

Hip green-haired son/father duo Ethan and Kevin:

And Kevin with very significant other Olivia:

Former Everyday Creative Writing Student Jaymes stopped by for a while. (He knows what’s rocking in Savannah.)

Buddies Rich and Edward (who brought party-hit basil lemonade):

Cool St. Patty Baby:

Made great new friends with some folks visiting from Maryland and staying in the vacation rentals in my building (so of course they were party guests too)–Kathy and Karen with their husbands. And don’t they look SO Saint Patricky?

Preparing to kiss the parade marching men:

(Public Service Announcement: I think I will rent out my place next year for St. Paddy Day. Is $2000 for the holiday too much? I plan to include a HUGE bowl of frozen-but-on-the-table-in-a-jiffy Authentic Irish Cabbage and Ham.)

New kayaking friend Tom with Edward, Rich and me:

Church buddy Diane with Rich, Edward, Robert, Jaymes and me:

Good friend Zach and brother Josh marching in the parade (marching, that is, before I ran out into the street and made them stop). Their Irish family has been in the parade for something like 1000 years.

What a wonderfully fun Savannah Saint Patrick’s Day Celebration!

But sitting here after the parade, I started to worry: “What if my Crock Pot Cabbage Smell keeps those hundreds of thousands of visitors from coming back to Savannah next year? Can they trace it all back to me?”

Five Friday Happy Bringers

Five Friday Happy Bringers (3/15/13)

Posted on March 15, 2013March 15, 2013 by Neal Saye

Top of the Friday morning, to you. Here are Five Friday Bringers of Happiness:

1. This cool pic of blooming almond trees in California sent by my new buddy Don Simmons. Don is good friends with Rick and Linda, the couple who moved to Savannah from Wisconsin. One fabulous day they gave me the tour of the “Joy in their own back yard”. Here’s what Don said in his accompanying email: “Since you mentioned almonds in one of your post, as something that brings you joy–I wanted to send you one of the great views that I have here in California’s San Joaquin Valley, where most of the world’s almonds are grown–it’s time for our ‘blossom trail’ and the almonds are certainly giving us a beautiful show–as well as the Sierras!”

2. Finishing up a great Winter Quarter at SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design). My two classes:

3. Savannah azaleas (near Forsyth Park):

4. The promise of SPRINGTIME:

5. Fresh pineapple.

Have a Lucky St. Patrick’s Day Weekend!

Five Friday Happy Bringers

Five Friday Happy Bringers (3/8/13)

Posted on March 8, 2013March 8, 2013 by Neal Saye

It’s Friday All Day Long! Here’s what I am happy about:

1. My SCAD ENGL 193 (Composition for International Students) classes and I holding an informal drop-in Visual Essay Exhibition on Wednesday. A rousing success! I was/am SO proud of my students: artists showing off their work!

Here’s the blurb about the exhibition which I printed out on little programs:

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VISUAL ESSAYS:

A Classroom Exhibition Habersham Hall 3/6/13 SCAD

For this project, students in Neal Saye’s ENG 193, Composition for International Students, both think “essay” and forget “essay.” They can do that—they’re smart! How is the project like an essay? Well, they compose, they have a focus and thesis, they have structure, they have support. But it does not evolve in traditional essay format. It births as a sculpture, a collage, a scrapbook, a video, a painting, a mobile, a form, a food, fashion, theatrical presentation, etc.

In The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho presents various themes about life and dream following. After reading the incredible text, students choose a theme, a symbol, a character, an idea, etc. and then create.

The visual essay project, then, is a visual representation of one topic narrowed into a clear thesis/point/perspective/idea. The students’ challenge: how to “show” their thesis.

This exhibition reveals their interpretations.

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And some photos from the exhibition:

And some pics of the visual essays themselves:

2. My iPhone (and sense enough to minimally operate it). Can anybody else remember when a phone was this device you used to call people … and … like, talk?

3. The expectant thought of fresh, fat, orange-red, Vine-Ripened Tomatoes this summer. I nearly cried at lunch yesterday at Panera when this pinkish thing pretending to be a tomato slice fell out of my tuna sandwich. I was so embarrassed I put a napkin over it.

4. Raw almonds

5. Our incredible sense of hearing. It’s so amazing. (Well, except when, for some reason, I came across the band Screeching Weasel’s song “Bark Like a Dog.”)

That does it. I’m going to start a band, Neal and the Bansheeing TurtlePins. I’m working on our first really big hit, “Knead Like Julia, Martha and Paula (Before the Weight Loss).”

Have a Beautiful Weekend. You HEAR me?

Encouragement, Savannah Joy

Y Happiness. Y Happiness? Ask Richard the Joyful-Hearted

Posted on March 5, 2013April 6, 2022 by Neal Saye

Several years ago, after my underground (!) gym (really, it was underneath Broughton Street) closed in the historic district of Savannah where I live, I joined the nearby Habersham YMCA. I had never belonged to a YMCA before–but I had danced to the song.

From the very first day I have been SO impressed with the folks who work at the Habersham Y. They are without exception welcoming, encouraging and fun to see each time I waddle in.

ALWAYS smiling, the MOST encouraging, MOST positive, FRIENDLIEST Habersham employee has to be RICHARD JOHNSON.

I’ve never seen Richard without a smile on his face and a cheerful word to share. He most definitely meets the criteria of a Balcony Person (Balcony Post Link One, Link Two). Balcony people are those folks you come in contact with who encourage you, bless you, inspire you, give of themselves in some way. They climb the steps up into your balcony, so to speak, lean over the railing and yell, “You’re doing fine! Keep going! You look great! You’re almost there!”

So it is with Richard. As he wheels through the busy gym, his voice can be heard above the whir of elliptical machines and the clang of free weights, greeting every person he sees: “Hey, Neal” “How you doing, Carl?” “Come on now, Janice, you can do more than that!” “Alright now!” Richard is the very definition of a Balcony Person. He infuses the Habersham YMCA with encouragement and joy.

I asked Richard a few questions about himself and his views about happiness.

Thanks to Richard and folks like him who help make ho-hum days into Occasions of Happiness.

Five Friday Happy Bringers

Five Friday Happy Bringers (3/1/13)

Posted on February 28, 2013March 1, 2013 by Neal Saye

It’s Friday again! Here are a few Happy Bringers.

1. Samples of some of my SCAD international students’ work turned in this week. The assignment is called the Visual Essay and is based on a book we read, Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist. After reading the book, the students choose a theme, a character, a symbol, an idea, etc, and “make” their essay, using the composition concepts of thesis, structure, organization, support, and detail to get their point across. Here are some completed projects.

2. My obsession with Irish blessings, quotes, and anything Savannah-St. Patrick’s Day-ish:

“May you live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live.”

3. My brand-spanking-new NealEnJoy blog card holder (and cards):

4. A picture that doesn’t make me look too fat:

(Can I wear skinny jeans at my age?)

5. Taking my ENG 193 (Composition for International Students) classes on a really fascinating docent-led tour of the exhibits at the SCAD Museum of Art during the recent DeFINE ART event (which was actually held at three of SCAD’s campuses in Savannah, Atlanta, and Hong Kong).

[More complete blog post on the museum tour to follow soon.]

Have an Artfully Beautiful Weekend!

In Our Own Backyard

88 Reasons to Love the Carters

Posted on February 13, 2013March 10, 2022 by Neal Saye

Last night I drove through the monsoon up to my old stomping ground, Georgia Southern University, to hear former President and First Lady Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter speak.

“An Evening with the Carters: A Conversation with the Former President and First Lady”

Oh. My. Goodness. What an incredibly encouraging evening. Did you know that President Carter is 88 years of age? And going stronger than ever! (I’m just … “39” yet had to detour through Wendy’s drive-thru and grab a #1 with cheese just to get enough energy to calm my rain-soaked nerves and waddle into the Hanner Gym in some measure of consciousness.)

I loved how the Carters were both entertaining and issues-specific on point. They divided the evening into segments of their life journey–with the President talking about their early years before the White House, followed by Mrs. Carter discussing their years in Washington. They then took turns sharing about their work with The Carter Center in Atlanta, dealing with many issues which other organizations don’t touch (eradication of tropical diseases, for example). The packed house interrupted the talk with applause at least a dozen times–and deservedly so. President Carter kept emphasizing the dire need for a return to non-partisan cooperation in our political world, as well as the responsiblity that each of us has to hold our politicians responsible for the decisions they make and the laws they pass.

They seemed SO real, SO logical, SO much in touch with the possibility of changing the world into a better, healthier place.

The coolest part of the evening: how this couple, who have been married over 60 years, kept deferring to one another. Their respect and love for each other came though so very clearly. (“Asking Rosalynn to marry me was the best decision I ever made.”) (“I grieved when Jimmy wasn’t re-elected. I know he would have been a better president than the one who won.”)

I sat next to this friendly, talkative couple, Leon and Morrie Shelkoff. Morrie is a school teacher, and Leon ran Leon’s Menswear in the Statesboro Mall for thirty years. They exuded happiness–look at those smiles!

I drove back down I-16 to Savannah with buoyed spirits and a joyful respect for compassionate leadership.

(P.S. I met then-Governor Carter at a Governor’s Honors Luncheon way back when I was in high school. Even as a teenager, I had great admiration for the man.)

College Teaching

NealNotes on Neal’s KeyNote

Posted on February 10, 2013February 10, 2013 by Neal Saye

I had a great time at Friday’s Student Success in Writing Conference here in Savannah. And I delivered the Keynote Address!

Here’s the blurb from the conference website:

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“Teaching Life: the Heart, the Art”

Dr. Neal Saye. Associate Professor Emeritus of Writing and Linguistics Georgia Southern University. Adjunct Professor, Savannah College of Art & Design

Chair or co-chair of the Student Success conference for much of its 14-year history, Neal was also a key member of its founding committee. He reported on these experiences in “Pearls and Perils of Starting a Conference” (co-presented with Mary Marwitz and Michael Mills) at a Popular Culture Association in the South in Jacksonville, Florida. He brought the same dedication to running this conference as he did to his teaching philosophy. A dedicated blogger, Neal posted to his Facebook and WordPress sites: “My passion in life is learning about/exploring/playing with the subjects of joy and happiness. For the past five years or so, I have used this subject to inform my pedagogy and my day-to-day classroom assignments and activities. What has happened is that teaching about happiness has made me (and I hope my students) happier. Thus my passion spilled over into my teaching, which came rushing back into my life.”

Now an associate professor emeritus after 24 years of teaching writing at Georgia Southern University, Neal has returned to academia as an adjunct professor for the Savannah College of Art & Design. In addition to his well deserved emeritus designation, Neal’s honors and awards include Georgia Southern University Professor of the Year, 2010 and 1993; Dorothy Smith Golden Award for Teaching Excellence, Writing and Linguistics Department, 2003; Georgia Southern University Award for Excellence in Contributions to Instruction, 2001; “Most Approachable Professor” Award, Success-In-U Program, 1994; and “Funniest Professor” Award, Success-In-U Program, 1993. Neal earned his Ed.D. in Curriculum Studies/Cultural Studies in 2002. After earning dual B.S. degrees in English and Biology from Berry College, Neal came to Georgia Southern to earn his M.A. in English Language and Literature.

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Here I am at the podium about two seconds after being introduced:

Kidding. I actually loved all 35 minutes of it! The audience was attentive, fun and laughed and ooohed at all the right places. I used loads of technology with videos, pics and graphics–which all flowed seamlessly. I’ll post the text of the talk a bit later (in case anyone’s interested) when I clean it up a bit for publishing. For now here are some photos.

The conference was held at the beautiful Coastal Georgia Center.

Here’s what I wore. Up to the last minute, I was trying to decide between hip or plain ole.

I know. Probably too much. But I wore a jacket over it. But that eyeball kept looking out at people.

(Armani, borrowed from son-in-law.)

I loved catching up with former Georgia Southern colleagues. Here I am with good buddy Mary Marwitz, who introduced me:

(Isn’t that a cool scarf?) And with Interim Writing and Linguistics Department Chair Phyllis Dallas:

Interim Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences Curtis Ricker (and fellow grandfather):

Chatting with J. Marie Lutz from Continuing Education and fellow GSU retiree Nancy Dessommes:

And trying to listen in, unseen, on private conversations:

Where are all the people? Nobody’s here!

Another fellow retiree Mary Hadley:

GSU Provost Jean Bartels:

Former co-worker and blog commenter Rachel VanHorn Leroy:

Coolest tie at conference:

What a crowd showed up!

Here’s a video I used about teachers dancing behind students:

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And here are a few quotes from the address:

“We find what we’re looking for.”

“Teaching is the greatest act of optimism.”

“Caring for Students 101 should be a required course in all teacher education programs.”

“The student is more important than the subject being taught.”

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A great time!

In Our Own Backyard, Where Happiness Finds You

Mr. Happy Goes to Charleston: A Photo Essay

Posted on January 31, 2013December 1, 2021 by Neal Saye

Some of you may remember Mr. Happy (who is sort of my blog mascot). Technically he is jointly owned by me AND grandson Daniel. He lives in the back seat of my car (Mr. Happy, not Daniel) and helps me pick up Daniel from kindergarten a couple of days a week.

For months now, Mr. Happy has been nagging me for a train ride to Charleston, so early last Saturday morning, we hopped on board the 8:15 Amtrak bound for a one-night stay in the Holy City.

Less than two hours later, we arrived in beautiful Charleston, SC. (sister city of my hometown of Savannah).

From the station, our Charleston taxi driver (who “drove” like a wild New York cabbie) whisked us to our hotel, the Best Western King Charles Inn in the historic district ( a very nice hotel–stay there sometime).

The folks at the hotel treated us like royalty–especially Michael, Rhonda and Richard–and even gave us a beautiful upgrade … with rocking chairs on a balcony:

After reading up on some sites to visit, Mr. Happy and I hit the road walking.

We learned a bucketful of area history from guide extraordinaire Boyd Schuler when we toured the historic Edmondston-Alston House on the Battery overlooking the bay.