Recently, I was watching a travel show on Public Television. The host of the show was passing through a city in Mississippi where he met a woman who was heralded as being an outstanding cook of Southern food.

It’s not uncommon to hear people making excuses about why they didn’t take advantage of the opportunities that life sent their way. You’ll hear them say things like, “I could have done this or that….” Then come the excuses: “…but at the time my kids were little,” or “but we had just bought a new house,” or “but it seemed like too big of a risk” Unfortunately, many of these people continue this pattern of making excuses right into their old age.

One of my daughters sent me a quote that read, “Happy people are those who continuously evaluate and improve themselves. Unhappy people are those who continuously evaluate others.”

I attended a party where one of the guests was intent on bragging about his latest accomplishments. I watched as he moved from group to group trying to get people to listen to his story. As soon as he started talking about himself, one by one, people in the group would excuse themselves and move on.

I grew up during an era where daydreaming was considered loafing or wasting time. The prevailing logic was straightforward: If you were daydreaming, you weren’t working.

My daughter participates in a sunrise yoga class which normally meets in a gym. This particular day, the instructor suggested the meet outside on the pool deck and watch the sun come up against a backdrop of mountains.

A friend shared the following story with me. “I went to a restaurant to pick up a pizza. Both rooms were full of diners, and the phone was ringing nonstop with take-out orders. The employees were running their legs off, and the guy ahead of me was screaming abusively at the woman behind the cash register because his pizza wasn’t ready.

I saw the following list of kind acts that we all can easily do to make the world a better place posted on Facebook:

A friend of mine posted this quote by writer Nikki Banas on Facebook. It’s titled, Impact. I think it presents a very important reason why we all need to be kind.

A wise woman named Cheryl Richardson said the following in her weekly blog at cherylrichardson.com. See if this sounds familiar. “I stood at the kitchen sink rinsing plates and putting them in the dishwasher when I noticed a familiar train of thought laying tracks in my head.