Interesting Quotes
Judge each day not by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant.
William A. Ward
My mother always used to say: "The older you get, the better you get, unless you're a banana."
Betty White in "Golden Girls"
“An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.”
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
Just because things hadn't gone the way I had planned didn't necessarily mean they had gone wrong.
Ann Patchett
"Goodness is the only investment that never fails."
HENRY DAVID THOREAU
“Grief is the price we pay for love.”
The late Queen Elizabeth
You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you. (See especially considering the article below on the impact of random acts of kindness.)
John Wooden
The Unexpected Power of Random Acts of Kindness
You probably won’t be able to read this article if you don’t have a subscription to the New York Times, so I’ll summarize the main point. This article summarizes several research studies that in some fascinating ways measured the impact of random acts of kindness and found that just being the recipient of a random act of kindness had a much greater impact on the recipient than we (or the typical initiator) ever expected. So when God prompts you, don’t hesitate to do a random act of kindness. Click here to read full article.
Interesting Facts (most from InterestingFacts.com)
Did you know: Babe Ruth wore a cabbage leaf under his cap to keep him cool and changed it every two innings.
Did you know that there is (or was) a salad named after a Presidential scandal? The Watergate Salad was popular in the 1970s and 80s.
Why did God gave us two arms? According to a recent White House COVID advisor, one arm is for the flu shot and the other is for the COVID vaccine.
8 Amazing Facts About Antarctica: Obviously this has nothing to do with counseling, but did you know the world’s biggest desert is in Antarctica, Antarctica is actually bigger than the U.S., and has a lake that never freezes because it is 10 times more salty than the ocean? For more information see:
Click here to read full article.
Cottage Homeschooling: A Classical, Christian Education
There are many variations of Christian education. One of those is Classical Christian education, which is often done in private school settings, but here is one that is done primarily in homeschools, although it does include some group experiences. If you’d like to see how this combination of Classical Christian education and homeschool works, read this article.
Click here to read full article.
10 Things I Wish I Knew As a Kid With ADHD
Here is a good article by an adult who knew he had ADHD as a child and was very embarrassed about it. If you’re working with a child with ADHD or with their parent(s), this may be a helpful article to share.
Click here to read full article.
How ADHD Guided Me Through a Hurricane
Those with ADHD often have periods when they can hyperfocus, and that ability can make them very effective when facing crises. Here’s one example. And they sometimes can be very effective if they find a career where they often are responsible for handling crises.
Click here to read full article.
Mafia Member Gives God An “Ultimatum” and Wait Until You Hear What Happened Next
Most of us wouldn’t feel comfortable giving God an ultimatum, but perhaps if you’re in the Mafia you’re used to doing things a little differently than most of us are. I’m not sure you would call what this man said an ultimatum, but God did answer him and what He did is quite heartwarming. If interested, you can read the article.
Click here to read full article.
Habitual Alcohol Intake and Risk of Atrial Fibrillation in Young Adults in Korea
This study sampled about one and one-half million young men (age 20 to 39) over four years. Those who had sustained moderate drinking had a 25% higher risk of atrial fibrillation and those with sustained heavy drinking had a 47% increased risk. So if you’re working with young men who are drinking regularly, this could be a motivational factor to encourage them to cut down.
Click here to read full article.
Bipolar Disorder & Identifying Your Stress Triggers
Another excellent article by Julie Fast. While this is an article for bipolar adults about identifying their stress triggers, I think the points could be helpful to anyone who wants to relieve their level of stress.
Click here to read full article.
The Top 10 Manifestations of ADHD in Boys
If you’re working with parents who have just learned their son has ADHD, this would be a good introductory article to share with them.
Click here to read full article.
ADHD Is an Explanation, Not an Excuse
This is another worthwhile article for parents with a child with ADHD. The distinction between using ADHD as an explanation, but not an excuse for misbehavior is an important one.
Click here to read full article.
Boy Saves Mom from Drowning While She Endures Seizure
If you need a “feel-good” story to brighten your day, here is the story of a ten-year-old boy who recognized his mother was having a seizure in their swimming pool and rescued her. And the family dog, recognizing something was wrong, barked to alert the father so he could help with the rescue.
Click here to read full article.
Why Are Conservatives Happier Than Liberals?
An interesting compilation of research. Happiness appeared to be related to several factors. One is marriage (conservatives are more likely to be married than liberals), a second is religious faith, which tends to give purpose to life (and is more frequently affirmed by conservatives). A large contributor to happiness was belief in meritocracy, the idea that if people work hard, their work will be rewarded. Conservatives score lower on neuroticism (anxious, depressed feelings, self-doubt and other negative feelings). Lastly they found that conservatives “expressed greater personal agency, more positive outlook, more transcendent moral beliefs, and a generalized belief in fairness” compared with liberals.
Click here to read full article.
Life Is Too Short for Shame
People (especially adults) with ADHD often live with shame because they are frequently late, often forget things, etc. This article by Edward Hallowell, a well-respected specialist in ADHD, suggests some good ideas for conquering that shame and replacing it with healthier thoughts.
Click here to read full article.
One Million Moms issues ‘urgent warning’ to parents in response to Disney’s FX series ‘Little Demon’
I gave a warning about this a few weeks ago, but I wanted to include another notice because of the seriousness of the danger. Today’s Disney is not the Disney most of us grew up knowing and appreciating.
Click here to read full article.
Edible Cannabis Legalization and Unintentional Poisonings in Children
This study in The New England Journal of Medicine discussed the fact that when marijuana is legalized and marijuana edibles (gummies, chocolates, and baked goods) become available, the frequency of children eating these products and becoming poisoned increases.
Click here to read full article.
Parent Guide to Child Healthy Weight Programs
Occasionally you may counsel a parent who is concerned about his or her child’s weight and wants to know which weight-loss programs are healthiest for the child. Here is a free download from JAMA Pediatrics.
Click here to read full article.
Reconsidering the Goals of Autism Early Behavioral Intervention From a Neurodiversity Perspective
Early intervention programs for children on the autism spectrum have often focused on helping children extinguish some of the behaviors that are different from the behaviors of children not on the spectrum. Since there is a movement in our society to become more accepting of a wide variety of neurodiverse behaviors, this article raises the interesting question of how much early interventions should try to change such behaviors.
Click here to read full article.
Alcohol's Detrimental Impact on the Brain Explained?
Recently we’ve learned that even modest regular amounts of alcohol can produce negative cognitive impacts, and researchers are trying to figure out why. One finding, coming from the study of more than 20,000 men and women, is that modest amounts of alcohol appear to increase the amount of iron found in the brain, and the accumulation of iron in the brain has been linked to the development of both Parkinsonism and Alzheimer’s.
Click here to read full article.
The Mother Teresa Who Wasn’t
29-year-old Johanna Garcia, of North Lauderdale, was sometimes referred to as “Mother Teresa,” allegedly ran a $196 million Ponzi scheme. I hope none of you were victims.
Click here to read full article.
How an ‘Active Coping Style’ Helps New Mothers Deal With Stresses of Parenthood
I think all of us who have observed the experience of new mothers (and especially those who have experienced it themselves) know what a stressful time that can be. Here is some research that compares two coping styles and could provide some helpful information for such mothers and for counselors working with those new mothers.
Click here to read full article.
Jealous Dog Acts Out His Feelings on Kitten
Apparently this Dalmatian was jealous that his owner appeared to give preferential treatment to this kitten rather than him, (e.g., he let the kitten sleep in bed with him but not the Dalmatian) so he acted out his feelings in a not-so-nice way.
Click here to read full article.
Have a wonderful week (or weekend).
Henry Virkler
