AVERY ISLAND – HOT SAUCE & A COOL JUNGLE GARDEN

I thought we'd try a travelogue for this issue. With today's fuel prices, it's nice to know there are some worthy sights to see just a few hours away. If you're not from Texas (and you have our sympathy, if not), this location is not far from New Orleans and a great side trip if you visit there.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Avery Island is south of Lafayette, Louisiana at the very end of FM 329. It is the birthplace of Tabasco Brand Products including TABASCO® brand pepper sauce, has been owned for over 180 years by the interrelated Marsh, Avery and McIlhenny families. Lush subtropical flora and venerable live oaks draped with wild muscadine and swags of barbe espagnole, or Spanish moss, cover this geological oddity, which is one of five “islands” rising above south Louisiana’s flat coastal marshes.

The 2,200-acre tract sits atop a deposit of solid rock salt thought to be deeper than Mount Everest is high. Geologists believe this deposit is the remnant of a buried ancient seabed, pushed to the surface by the sheer weight of surrounding alluvial sediments. Although covered with a layer of fertile soil, salt springs may have attracted prehistoric settlers to the island as early as 12,000 years ago. Fossils suggest that early inhabitants shared the land with mastodons and mammoths, giant sloths, saber-toothed tigers and three-toed horses.

A salt production industry dates back to about 1000 AD, judging from recovered basket fragments, polished stone implements, and shards of pottery left by American Indians. Although these early dwellers remained on the Island at least as late as the 1600’s, they had mysteriously disappeared by the time white settlers first discovered the briny springs at the end of the next century. After the Civil War, former New Orleans banker E. McIlhenny met a traveler recently arrived from Mexico who gave McIlhenny a handful of pepper pods, advising him to season his meals with them. McIlhenny saved some of the pods and planted them in his in-laws’ garden on Avery Island; he delighted in the peppers’ piquant flavor, which added excitement to the monotonous food of the Reconstruction-era South.

Around 1866 McIlhenny experimented with making a hot sauce from these peppers, hitting upon a formula that called for crushing the reddest, ripest peppers, stirring in Avery Island salt, and aging the concoction he then added French white wine vinegar, hand-stirring it regularly to blend the flavors. After straining, he transferred the sauce to small cologne-type bottles, which he corked and sealed in green wax.

“That Famous Sauce Mr. McIlhenny Makes” proved so popular with family and friends that McIlhenny decided to market it, growing his first commercial crop in 1868. The next year he sent out 658 bottles of sauce at one dollar apiece wholesale to grocers around the Gulf Coast, particularly in New Orleans. The public responded positively and soon McIlhenny had introduced Tabasco sauce to consumers in major markets across the United States. By the end of the 1870’s McIlhenny was exporting Tabasco sauce to Europe. So began the fiery condiment that is now a global cultural and culinary icon.

All Tabasco sauce is bottled on Avery Island but most of the peppers themselves are grown elsewhere such as Mexico and South America. The seeds are still cultivated on the island.

When the peppers are ripe, they are collected and delivered to the masher where they are ground into a mash and stored in white oak wooden barrels. These barrels, incidentally are purchased from the Jack Daniels Whiskey Distillery where whiskey was stored in them. The mash is sealed in the barrels with three holes punched in the top so gas can escape but contaminants cannot get in. After three years, the paste is mixed with a high quality vinegar and stored for another 28 days. At that time, it is bottled and packaged for shipping as the finished sauce.

As fascinating as the Tabasco story is, to me, the real beauty of Avery Island are the jungle gardens featuring a variety of plants and wildlife in a lush tropical environment surrounded on all sides by water.

When Edmund McIlhenny’s son, Ned, created the Jungle Gardens he added another ingredient to Avery Island, one that gardeners and nature lovers enjoy as much as the gourmets who relish the zesty taste that Tabasco sauce adds to the dishes before them.

Ned traveled the world gathering greenery from every continent for the exotic garden he created on a 200-acre section of Avery Island. Roads meander through the Jungle Gardens so you can enjoy them from the comfort of your car. But visitors who follow some of the enticing footpaths get a better view of shallow water plants such as Louisiana irises, and a close up look at flowering shrubs such as hydrangeas, azaleas and camellias. Hikers can also inspect a glass temple that shelters an 800-year-old statue of Buddha. The oriental deity keeps watch over a secluded Chinese garden ringed by seven hills.

White-tailed deer, alligators, and thousands of egrets are among the wildlife you may see in the Jungle gardens.

The birds are descendants of seven young snowy egrets that Ned McIlhenny captured in 1892 and raised in flight cages built over a lagoon, later called Bird City. The birds were on the brink of extinction because their plumes were popular decorations for ladies’ hats. The egrets fly to South America in the winter and return to their Avery Island home every year.

Today, Avery Island remains the home of the Tabasco Factory, as well as Jungle Gardens and its Bird City wildfowl refuge. The Tabasco factory and the gardens are open to the public. Take a tour of our factory, and see how TABASCO® Sauce is bottled and shipped to over 160 countries and territories.

The TABASCO Country Store® on Avery Island, LA offers a wide array of TABASCO® Sauces, condiments, marinades, collectibles, gift boxes, gourmet foods and clothing items such as tee shirts, jerseys, ties, bar accessories, golf items, luggage, backyard, etc., etc. etc.

For tourism information, visit www.TABASCO.com or call 337-365-8173.

The Great Thanksgiving Hoax

This is  not political.  It is a study of comparative economic systems.

It was written in November 20, 1999 by Richard J. Maybury and needs to be read today, more than ever.

 Each year at this time school children all over America are taught the official Thanksgiving story, and newspapers, radio, TV, and magazines devote vast amounts of time and space to it. It is all very colorful and fascinating.

It is also very deceiving. This official story is nothing like what really happened. It is a fairy tale, a whitewashed and sanitized collection of half-truths which divert attention away from Thanksgiving’s real meaning.

The official story has the pilgrims boarding the Mayflower, coming to America and establishing the Plymouth colony in the winter of 1620-21. This first winter is hard, and half the colonists die. But the survivors are hard working and tenacious, and they learn new farming techniques from the Indians. The harvest of 1621 is bountiful. The Pilgrims hold a celebration, and give thanks to God. They are grateful for the wonderful new abundant land He has given them.

The official story then has the Pilgrims living more or less happily ever after, each year repeating the first Thanksgiving. Other early colonies also have hard times at first, but they soon prosper and adopt the annual tradition of giving thanks for this prosperous new land called America.

The problem with this official story is that the harvest of 1621 was not bountiful, nor were the colonists hardworking or tenacious. 1621 was a famine year and many of the colonists were lazy thieves.

In his ‘History of Plymouth Plantation,’ the governor of the colony, William Bradford, reported that the colonists went hungry for years, because they refused to work in the fields. They preferred instead to steal food. He says the colony was riddled with "corruption," and with "confusion and discontent." The crops were small because "much was stolen both by night and day, before it became scarce eatable."

In the harvest feasts of 1621 and 1622, "all had their hungry bellies filled," but only briefly. The prevailing condition during those years was not the abundance the official story claims, it was famine and death. The first "Thanksgiving" was not so much a celebration as it was the last meal of condemned men.

But in subsequent years something changes. The harvest of 1623 was different. Suddenly, "instead of famine now God gave them plenty," Bradford wrote, "and the face of things was changed, to the rejoicing of the hearts of many, for which they blessed God." Thereafter, he wrote, "any general want or famine hath not been amongst them since to this day." In fact, in 1624, so much food was produced that the colonists were able to begin exporting corn.

What happened?

After the poor harvest of 1622, writes Bradford, "they began to think how they might raise as much corn as they could, and obtain a better crop." They began to question their form of economic organization.

This had required that "all profits & benefits that are got by trade, working, fishing, or any other means" were to be placed in the common stock of the colony, and that, "all such persons as are of this colony, are to have their meat, drink, apparel, and all provisions out of the common stock." A person was to put into the common stock all he could, and take out only what he needed.

This "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need" was an early form of socialism, and it is why the Pilgrims were starving. Bradford writes that "young men that are most able and fit for labor and service" complained about being forced to "spend their time and strength to work for other men’s wives and children." Also, "the strong, or man of parts, had no more in division of victuals and clothes, than he that was weak." So the young and strong refused to work and the total amount of food produced was never adequate.

To rectify this situation, in 1623 Bradford abolished socialism. He gave each household a parcel of land and told them they could keep what they produced, or trade it away as they saw fit. In other words, he replaced socialism with a free market, and that was the end of famines.

Many early groups of colonists set up socialist states, all with the same terrible results. At Jamestown, established in 1607, out of every shipload of settlers that arrived, less than half would survive their first twelve months in America. Most of the work was being done by only one-fifth of the men, the other four-fifths choosing to be parasites. In the winter of 1609-10, called "The Starving Time," the population fell from five-hundred to sixty.

Then the Jamestown colony was converted to a free market, and the results were every bit as dramatic as those at Plymouth. In 1614, Colony Secretary Ralph Hamor wrote that after the switch there was "plenty of food, which every man by his own industry may easily and doth procure." He said that when the socialist system had prevailed, "we reaped not so much corn from the labors of thirty men as three men have done for themselves now."

Before these free markets were established, the colonists had nothing for which to be thankful. They were in the same situation as Ethiopians are today, and for the same reasons. But after free markets were established, the resulting abundance was so dramatic that the annual Thanksgiving celebrations became common throughout the colonies, and in 1863, Thanksgiving became a national holiday.

Thus the real reason for Thanksgiving, deleted from the official story, is: Socialism does not work; the one and only source of abundance is free markets, and we thank God we live in a country where we can have them.

                                                                            Happy Thanksgiving,

                                                                                     Gene Rutt

　

Meditation, not Medication

Meditation increases your vitality and strengthens your intelligence; your beauty is enhanced; your mental clarity and health improve. You acquire the patience and fortitude to face any problem in life. So, meditate! Only through meditation will you find the treasure you are seeking. -- Mata Amritanandamayi

Two good old friends were meeting. "How are you and your family?" asks the one. "Oh we're all fine". The other one answers, "We're all healthy and have work to earn our lives. But how 'bout your son?? is he still workless??" "Not at all", the first one answers, "He's doing meditation now." "Meditation? What's this? What is he doing?" "I don't know it exactly," the first one answers again, "But I'm sure it's better than just sitting down and doing nothing!"

Meditation can wipe away the day's stress, bringing with it inner peace. See how you can easily learn to practice meditation whenever you need it most.                                                                                     By Mayo Clinic staff

If stress has you anxious, tense and worried, consider trying meditation. Spending even a few minutes in meditation can restore your calm and inner peace.

Anyone can practice meditation. It's simple and inexpensive, and it doesn't require any special equipment. And you can practice meditation wherever you are -- whether you're out for a walk, riding the bus, waiting at the doctor's office or even in the middle of a difficult business meeting.

Understanding meditation

Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years. Meditation originally was meant to help deepen understanding of the sacred and mystical forces of life. These days, meditation is commonly used for relaxation and stress reduction.

Meditation is considered a type of mind-body complementary medicine. Meditation produces a deep state of relaxation and a tranquil mind. During meditation, you focus your attention and eliminate the stream of jumbled thoughts that may be crowding your mind and causing stress. This process results in enhanced physical and emotional well-being.

Benefits of meditation

Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance that benefits both your emotional well-being and your overall health. And these benefits don't end when your meditation session ends. Meditation can help carry you more calmly through your day and can even improve certain medical conditions.

Meditation and emotional well-being

When you meditate, you clear away the information overload that builds up every day and contributes to your stress.The emotional benefits of meditation include:

Gaining a new perspective on stressful situations
Building skills to manage your stress
Increasing self-awareness
Focusing on the present
Reducing negative emotions

Meditation and illness
Meditation also might be useful if you have a medical condition, especially one that may be worsened by stress. While a growing body of scientific research supports the health benefits of meditation, some researchers believe it's not yet possible to draw conclusions about the possible benefits of meditation.

Some research suggests that meditation may help such conditions as:
Allergies
Anxiety disorders
Asthma
Binge eating
Cancer
Depression
Fatigue
Heart disease
High blood pressure
Pain
Sleep problems
Substance abuse

Be sure to talk to your health care provider about the pros and cons of using meditation if you have any of these conditions or other health problems. In some cases, meditation can worsen symptoms associated with certain mental health conditions. Meditation isn't a replacement for traditional medical treatment. But it may be a useful addition to your other treatment.

The next issue will provide somes techniques for meditation but meanwhile here are some ways you can practice meditation on your own, whenever you choose:

Breathe deeply. This technique is good for beginners because breathing is a natural function. Focus all attention on your breathing. Concentrate on feeling and listening as you inhale and exhale through your nostrils. Breathe deeply and slowly. When your attention wanders, gently return your focus to your breathing.

Scan your body. When using this technique, focus attention on different parts of your body. Become aware of your body's various sensations, whether that's pain, tension, warmth or relaxation. Combine body scanning with breathing exercises and imagine breathing heat or relaxation into and out of different parts of your body.

Repeat a mantra. You can create your own mantra, whether it's religious or secular. Examples of religious mantras include the Jesus Prayer in the Christian tradition, the holy name of God in Judaism, or the om mantra of Hinduism, Buddhism and other Eastern religions.

Enjoy the relaxation and relief that meditation brings you.  Until next time,
                                                                                     Om, Om, Om
                                                                                           Gene Rutt

"It's never too late to start something great."

It's Time To Assess, Address And Suppress Stress

We hear about it and we experience it, but what is it?

Stress has been humorously defined as: The confusion created when one's mind overrides the body's basic desire to choke the living daylights out of some jerk who desperately deserves it.

Unfortunately, it's not humorous, it's a very serious part of modern life (actually ancient life too). Do you know the heart-pounding feeling you experience when a car runs a stop light and you nearly hit it? How about the exasperation you feel when the phone is ringing, the baby is crying, the TV is on too loud, there is someone at the door and you're late to pick up your child at school? What about when the boss comes into your office yelling at you about a late report? These are the feelings that accumulate to constitute what we know as stress.

 An office manager arrives at his department and sees an employee sitting behind his desk totally stressed out. He gives him the advice, "I went home every afternoon for two weeks and made love to my wife. It was fantastic and it really helped, you should try it too!" Two weeks later when the manager arrives at his department he sees the man happy and full of energy at his desk. The faxes are piling up and the computer is running at full speed. "I see you followed my advice?" "I did", answers the employee, "It was great! By the way I didn't know you had such a nice house!"

The physiological response to danger or other external stimuli, entitled the Fight or Flight Response,once protected and aided humans and other animals by discharging hormones, particularly cortisol and adrenalin, into the bloodstream making them temporarily stronger and faster for defense or escape. When we are in physical danger this is a good, positive response. However, contemporary stress primarily stems from psychological stimuli such as those created in the home and work environment, rather than the occasional physical stimuli, so it tends to be more persistent. When we are subjected to these stimuli all day every day, this is known as chronic stress. The continuing higher levels of these hormones in our bodies become detrimental to our physiological systems because they don't have an opportunity to return to normal function. At this point we are considered stressed, stressed out or sometimes just overwhelmed.

Our body experiences distress signals in a variety of ways, often in the form of: irritability, anger, anxiety, depression, fatigue, tension headaches, stomach aches, hypertension, migraines, ulcers, or colitis. Eventually, stress can lead to even more serious diseases including heart disease, stroke, effect on the immune system, gastrointestinal problems, eating disorders, weight gain, diabetes, muscular and joint pain, headaches, sleep disorder, sexual and reproductive dysfunction, memory, concentration, learning disability, allergies, skin disorders, unexplained hair loss, teeth and gums problems and substance abuse. Medical researchers estimate that up to 90% of illness and disease is stress-related and more than 50% of adult Americans suffer adverse health effects due to stress.

That's the bad news. The good news is that stress is manageable, workable, and reversible; though it is a natural occurrence and cannot be eliminated, every effort should be made to manage it!

I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days attack me at once.
                                                                                            ~Jennifer Yane

To keep hormone levels healthy and under control, the body's relaxation response should be activated after the fight or flight response occurs. You can learn to relax your body with various stress management techniques, and you can make lifestyle changes in order to modify your body's reaction to stress in the first place. Try some of these means to reduce stress:

Keep a positive attitude. Try to not let external events affect your well being.

Accept that there are events that you cannot control.

Be assertive instead of aggressive. Assert your feelings, opinions, or beliefs instead of becoming angry, defensive, or passive.

Learn and practice relaxation techniques; try meditation, yoga, tai-chi or soak in hot tub.

Exercise regularly. Your body can fight stress better when it is fit.

Eat healthy, well-balanced meals.

Manage your time more effectively - one way is through Goal Setting and making lists.

Set limits appropriately and say no to requests that create tension in your life.

Make time for hobbies and interests.

Get enough rest and sleep. Your body needs time to recover from stressful events.

Don't rely on alcohol, drugs, or compulsive behaviors to reduce stress.
Seek out social support. Spend enough time with those you love.

Perform a simple act of kindness for someone else.

Consider adding just one or more of these tips to your daily routine to help keep your stress levels down and your positive motivation up. Even if you don't feel like you are being stressed, you probably are. You just haven't been overwhelmed, which is good. These same techniques can help prevent that from happening. If you can't seem to reduce your stress using these self-help methods seek treatment with a psychologist or other mental health professional trained in stress management or biofeedback techniques to learn more healthy ways of dealing with the stress in your environment.

Stress is the trash of modern life - we all generate it but if you don't dispose of it properly, it will pile up and overtake your life.  ~Danzae Pace

We'll get into meditation next time; the benefits and techniques. Meanwhile, chill out!

                                                                                               Gene Rutt

Where Did It Go, P.O. Box 1460, Dickinson, TX 77539, USA

Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid

One thing I really like about this newsletter is that though we may wonder' where our life went,' there is no reason we can't go back and recapture and relive some of the pleasures of our past.

One of those pleasures was Halloween.  Some people say that some holidays are depressing, but Halloween should never be one of those.  It's a time to dress up in costumes, scare the neighborhood kids and even go Trick or Treating unless some spoil sport calls the police.  For me it is one of the most nostalgiac times of the year.  Part of it is the ambiance of fall and the dark coming earlier and it just brings back good memories.

There is no need to not enjoy yourself, set up Treats for the kids or volunteer at a local church or school for a party.  One fun thing is to visit a Halloween Costume Store of which there are thousands around the country.  The new costumes and realistic masks and other scary effects are fun and interesting.  The many Haunted Houses also look like fun though it's been a while since I visited one of those.  From television, it looks like some are pretty darn scary.  I did go to the Texas Renaissance Festival yesterday and enjoyed the colorful, original and oft-time revealing outfits to be seen there and I promise you I will be doing something Halloween-y this evening..

With a history going back to the Celts, almost 2000 years ago, there are a lot of traditions associated with the holiday.  I suggest that you try bobbing for apples as has been a party favorite for many years.  I advise against the Aggies practice of bobbing for french fries.  (Excuse me Aggies but I've always liked that one.)

Remember, if you're feeling down a little, get out there and stir up some fun.  "Alcohol will not solve your problems, but then neither will milk."

                                                                                                    Happy Halloween,

                                                                                                       Gene Rutt

Personal Growth Through Reading

These first few newsletters are designed to give you the means to immediately feel better about yourself, to aspire to greater accomplishments and to provide you the tools to create greater self-confidence to have on hand before you begin this new journey.

"I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, 'Where's the self-help section?' She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose."                                                        ~ Stephen Wright

Many people have never read any self-improvement books or listened to tapes. Many others, like myself, have read and listened to many but don't practice what we've learned in our day-to-day lives, which is a good reason for subscribing to "Where Did It Go?" newsletter. Part of its function is to remind you at least a couple times a week as to what you know you should be doing, sort of like a personal trainer who makes you go to the gym and exercise even when you don't feel like it.

Sometimes the points we touch on here are just a smattering of what is available in some of these books and I'm going to recommend that you try to read at least one per month. I've been averaging about three books a week since I graduated from college in 1963 (seldom had time for outside reading while going to school). I will admit, most of them have been fiction but many have been historical, business, management, economics, political, biographical, scientific, psychological, motivational, instructional and self-improvement.

I've listed many of the personal development items on the Resources section of the website but there have been many more. Most of these are available in public libraries but some of these are the kind you want to own and re-read from time to time. Most of my fiction comes from the library because I can't afford to buy that many books and also drink as much beer as I like to but I also have a personal library which I have committed to re-reading as I launched this newsletter. One that I would suggest starting with as soon as possible and which can probably be found in most libraries (and inexpensive paperback versions) is the following:

How to Win Friends and Influence People Dale Carnegie

It is one of the first bestselling self-help books ever. First published in 1936, it has sold 15 million copies world-wide and the lessons it teaches are as timely now as then.

Twelve Things This Book Will Do For You

1. Get you out of a mental rut, give you new thoughts, new visions, new ambitions.
   
2. Enable you to make friends quickly and easily.
   
3. Increase your popularity.
   
4. Help you to win people to your way of thinking.
   
5. Increase your influence, your prestige, your ability to get things done.
   
6. Enable you to win new clients, new customers.
   
7. Increase your earning power.
   
8. Make you a better salesman, a better executive.
   
9. Help you to handle complaints, avoid arguments, keep your human contacts smooth and pleasant.
   
10. Make you a better speaker, a more entertaining conversationalist.
    
11. Make the principles of psychology easy for you to apply in your daily contacts.
    
12. Help you to arouse enthusiasm among your associates.
    

Now that's promising a lot of results from just one book but it's there and it is written in such way that it's enjoyable to read and learn.

If you don't have ready access to a library or bookstore, you can purchase "How to Win Friends" at this address: SOON TO BE ANNOUNCED

                                                            Here is to Your Personal Growth,

                                                                            Gene Rutt

Kindness is the Key

"The way to change the world is through one Random Act of Kindness at a time."

                                                                                        Morgan Freeman as God in "Evan Almighty"

Whatever your goal in life, kindness should become a natural part of it. As promised, here is a list of ideas which should inspire you and keep you aware of kindness opportunities. Some are totally free, others very inexpensive considering the return on investment:

100 Ideas for Kindness

Courtesy of the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation

http://www.randomactsofkindness.org/

1. Deliver fresh-baked cookies to city workers.
2. Collect goods for a food bank.
3. Bring flowers to work and share them with coworkers.
4. Garden clubs can make floral arrangements for senior centers, nursing homes, hospitals, police stations, or shut-ins.
5. Adopt a student who needs a friend, checking in periodically to see how things are going.
6. Volunteer to be a tutor in a school.
7. Extend a hand to someone in need. Give your full attention and simply listen.
8. Merchants can donate a percentage of receipts for the week to a special cause.
9. Bring coworkers a special treat.
10. Students can clean classrooms for the custodian.
11. Buy a stranger a free pizza.
12. Distribute lollipops to kids.
13. Sing at a nursing home.
14. Offer a couple of hours of baby-sitting to parents.
15. Slip paper hearts that say "It's Random Acts of Kindness Week! Have a great day!" under the windshield wipers of parked cars.
16. Have a charity day at work, with employees bringing nonperishable food items to donate.
17. Serve refreshments to customers.
18. Draw names at school or work, and have people bring a small gift or food treat for their secret pal.
19. Remember the bereaved with phone calls, cards, plants, and food.
20. Treat someone to fresh fruit.
21. Pay a compliment at least once a day.
22. Call or visit a homebound person.
23. Hand out balloons to passersby.
24. Give free sodas to motorists.
25. Be a good neighbor. Take over a baked treat or stop by to say "Hello."
26. Transport someone who can't drive.
27. Mow a neighbor's grass.
28. Say something nice to everyone you meet today.
29. Send a treat to a school or day-care center.
30. Volunteer at an agency that needs help.
31. Wipe rainwater off shopping carts or hold umbrellas for shoppers on the way to their cars.
32. Give the gift of your smile.
33. Send home a note telling parents something their child did well.
34. Adopt a homeless pet from the humane society.
35. Organize a scout troop or service club to help people with packages at the mall or grocery.
36. Host special programs or speakers at libraries or bookstores.
37. Offer to answer the phone for the school secretary for ten minutes.
38. Volunteer to read to students in the classroom.
39. Write notes of appreciation and bring flowers or goodies to teachers or other important people, such as the principal, nurse, custodian, and secretary.
40. Incorporate kindness into the curriculum at area schools, day care centers, or children's classes in faith organizations.
41. Give a hug to a friend.
42. Tell your children why you love them.
43. Write a note to your mother/father and tell them why they are special.
44. Pat someone on the back.
45. Write a thank-you note to someone who has influenced your life in a positive way.
46. Give coffee to people on their way to work in the morning.
47. Donate time at a senior center.
48. Give blood.
49. Visit hospitals with smiles, treats, and friendly conversation for patients.

50. Stop by a nursing home, and visit a resident with no family nearby.
51. Plant flowers in your neighbor's flower box.
52. Give another driver your parking spot.
53. Leave a treat or handmade note of thanks for a delivery person or mail carrier.
54. Give free car washes.
55. Clean graffiti from neighborhood walls and buildings.
56. Tell your boss that you think he/she does a good job.
57. Tell your employees how much you appreciate their work.
58. Let your staff leave work an hour early.
59. Have a clean-up party in the park.
60. Tell a bus or taxi driver how much you appreciate their driving.
61. Have everyone in your office draw the name of a Random Acts of Kindness buddy out of a hat and do a kind act for their buddy that day or week.
62. Give a pair of tickets to a baseball game or concert to a stranger.
63. Leave an extra big tip for the waitperson.
64. Drop off a plant, cookies, or donuts to the police or fire department.
65. Open the door for another person.
66. Pay for the meal of the person behind you in the drive-through.
67. Write a note to the boss of someone who has helped you, praising the employee.
68. Leave a bouquet of flowers on the desk of a colleague at work with whom you don't normally get along.
69. Call an estranged family member.
70. Volunteer to fix up an elderly couple's home.
71. Pay for the person behind you in the movie line.
72. Give flowers to be delivered with meal delivery programs.
73. Give toys to the children at the shelter or safe house.
74. Give friends and family kindness coupons they can redeem for kind favors.
75. Be a friend to a new student or coworker.
76. Renew an old friendship by sending a letter or small gift to someone you haven't talked with in a long time.
77. For one week, act on every single thought of generosity that arises spontaneously in your heart, and notice what happens as a consequence.
78. Offer to return a shopping cart to the store for someone loading a car.
79. Invite someone new over for dinner.
80. Buy a roll of brightly colored stickers and give them to children you meet during the day.
81. Write a card of thanks and leave it with your tip. Be sure to be specific in your thanks.
82. Let the person behind you in the grocery store go ahead of you in line.
83. When drivers try to merge into your lane, let them in with a wave and a smile.
84. Buy cold drinks for the people next to you at a ball game.
85. Distribute kindness bookmarks that you have made.
86. Create a craft project or build a bird house with a child.
87. Give a bag of groceries to a homeless person.
88. Laugh out loud often and share your smile generously.
89. Plant a tree in your neighborhood.
90. Make a list of things to do to bring more kindness into the world, and have a friend make a list. Exchange lists and do one item per day for a month.
91. Use an instant camera to take people's photographs at a party or community event, and give the picture to them.
92. As you go about your day, pick up trash.
93. Send a letter to former teachers, letting them know the difference they made in your life.
94. Send a gift anonymously to a friend.
95. Organize a clothing drive for a shelter.
96. Buy books for a day care or school.
97. Slip a $20 bill to a person who you know is having financial difficulty.
98. Take an acquaintance to dinner.
99. Offer to take a friend's child to ball practice.
100. Waive late fees for the week.

Just browsing through these should give you some good ideas. Pick a few that fit your personality and pocket book and try to do a couple a day. The nice thing is that it benefits you as much as the recipients. Remember, we're striving for an attitude change to make us feel better about ourselves. It's tough to do with a bad or negative attitude.

                                                                                              Until later,

                                                                                                  Gene Rutt

Getting Started

Do you sometimes feel that life has passed you by? That's the question on our website. Well, join the crowd! Most of us feel that to some extent. We're happy to still be kicking and getting along but as Peggy Lee asked,"Is that all there is?"

I assume you signed up for this newsletter out of courtesy, curiosity or wanting to change your life. You may also be facing change through no fault of your own. What ever your reason for changing you want it to be as painless as possible and hepefully in a positive direction. That is the purpose of this newsletter. If you're wanting to change, ask yourself why. What are you experiencing that makes you want to change direction? Are you maybe just a little depressed or feel that life is passing you by? However it may be clothed, our natural instinct is to avoid unhappiness and seek happiness; to be content; and to be satisfied with ourselves. Sounds good but how do we accomplish all that? Fortunately, it lies within our own personal power and you can get started right now! The following quotation gives us a good hint:

"Happiness is not a matter of good fortune or worldly possessions. It's a mental attitude. It comes from appreciating what we have, instead of being miserable about what we don't have. It's so simple, yet so hard for the human mind to comprehend."
                                                                                              Bits and Pieces

The first magic word is "attitude" and the fact that it can so readily be changed. Positive attitude is the power that drives you to success and if you don't have one, you need to get one. The second is "gratitude" and it is instrumental in changing the first one.

"Attitude is the outward expression of how you feel internally and is important because it is the source of enthusiasm and creativity."

So let's take some actual steps that you can start right now to make you feel better about yourself and your life:

• Take time to express gratitude for what you do have rather than frustration at what you don't.
• Make a list of all those positive things in your life and actually say thank you aloud. (Doing so in public or around crowds, however, may draw some curious attention.)
• Think about the people in your life, family, friends and associates, even people you've met recently whose company you enjoy. Your positive interactions with them are what really makes the world go around. Don't ever fail to thank them for whatever joy they may provide for you.
• People appreciate being appreciated and it's an inexpensive way to make other people happy which comes right back to you.
• Develop a habit of gratitude by practicing in small ways daily. Always be thankful for every little thing and more will come your way

OK? Now do it before you read on!

Here's another quotation which along with the one above should start you on your way to a new, happier and more fulfilling life:

              If you want happiness for an hour? take a nap.
              If you want happiness for a day? go fishing.
              If you want happiness for a year? inherit a fortune.
              If you want happiness for a lifetime? help someone else.
                                                                     Chinese Proverb

The easiest way to start this is by showing kindness to those around you and opportunities to do so abound. Performing Random Acts of Kindness will bring a smile to you and to others and will almost instantly improve your attitude while also improving the world around you.

There are lists of suggested kind acts available and I will furnish one at a later time because we need to keep reminding ourselves to do this, but you know what to do. Start by just smiling more; hold the door for people; provide a kind word or compliment; or allow someone into line at a store or in traffic. They'll be both surprised and pleased and you'll find yourself smiling at the good feeling for having done so.

Attitude, gratitude and kindness are the first steps toward a better life. Out of seemingly impossible situations, new opportunities can arise. This forward-thinking outlook can guide our thoughts and deeds at every juncture. Remember, we have this one life to survive and we are entrusted by our creator to do the best we can. I would imagine that the purpose of our existence is to create, not destroy, to uplift, not to put down, and to leave it a better place than where we found it.

How would you like to be recalled when you have passed away? As the old bitter, person that never had a nice thing to say about anyone or anything? Or as the positive, upbeat person, that embraced life and lived it to the fullest, thereby positively impacting everyone with whom you interacted? It's your choice while you're living. (Sorry, but I do not know the source of these last two paragraphs)

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. ~ Aesop

                                                                             Until next time,

                                                              Gene Rutt

Welcome Letter

Letter 1 - Welcome and thanks for signing up with us

Your complimentary eBook, "How to Skin a Cat" (as in "There's More Than One Way") is attached to this message. Remember there's more than one way to do almost anything and some ways are more effective than others. Read it and take it to heart. It might provide you an immediate change of attitude, possibly reduce your stress levels and generally make your day to day life a little easier. We'll be back to visit these topics in more detail later because these and similar subjects are among the keys to success and satisfaction in life.

Someone asked me (probably because I"m a seasoned citizen myself) if this program or journey as I refer to it, is only for senior citizens. The answer is a resounding NO! It is for anyone who is interested in changing the direction of their lives. We'll probably refer to some older people like Colonel Sanders who did restart his life at age 65, because they are good examples that it can be done by anyone at any age but no matter how old you are, the principals still apply. I personally have been fortunate enough to apply them and see them work then ignore them and live to regret it. I can promise that I'm going to be talking the talk and walking the walk along with you, because after a while you run out of time for second chances.

In the next few days your complimentary subscription to the "Where Did It Go?" newsletter will begin. You will receive about two messages a week. Overall we just want to explore life in a different way. Some of it will be about changing careers; some about catching up on your life or starting new things and maybe checking a few items off your 'Bucket List'; some will be about great travel tips and destinations and some will just be fun and funny. We're looking forward to a great ride.

Invite your friends to sign up and join us at: www.wherediditgo.net

We're recruiting a team of experts to help us with a number of subjects such as new careers, starting a business, health and fitness, business opportunities, spiritual awakening, customer service, financial solutions, investments, travel, and generally making a little more of life than perhaps has been done in the past.

---

"Where Did It Go?" Mission Statement

"Our mission is to furnish the resources for our members, many of whom are not totally satisfied with their accomplishments in life; to evaluate their current circumstances and to provide the tools to help them redirect their lives so that it will correlate with their passions and interests while seeking fulfillment.

This includes the ability to lead a healthy, wealthy, and more balanced, blended lifestyle. To create a community where millions of persons from all over the world who wish to accomplish more and attain a greater sense of fulfillment come together in support and celebration of each other."

---

We have two mottos to keep in mind:

"You haven't failed until you quit trying."
&
"Follow your dreams, except that one

where you're naked in church."

Looking forward to the Journey,
Gene Rutt

www.wherediditgo.net

"It's never too late to start something great."

IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO START SOMETHING GREAT

The basis of this blog title is the  adage that inside every older person is a younger person asking, "Where Did It Go?"  Has life passed me by?  Am I happy with what I've done or accomplished?

The objective of the site is to inspire and motivate those of us who want to feel like we've more to dig out of life. If we haven't done it so far, it's time to get going and as this post title says, it's never too late to start something great.

Full disclosure, I already have a website by this name.  It can be found at www.wherediditgo.net.  There is also a newsletter by the same name which you can subscribe to at that address.  I was publishing a community newspaper but I decided to "mass communicate" instead.  However, I haven't figured out how to archive the articles and newsletters so thought perhaps a blog was better set up for that function.  Sometimes all this stuff gets confusing and I have to step out for a cold beer.  I'm quickly approaching that time.

These first few posts, after this one, are the first newsletters I've sent out.  Please visit the website and sign up for the newsletter.  We're going to review some ideas for doing things better in the remaining years of our lives and perhaps add a little adventure with a Bucket List of things we've always wanted to do but never got a "round tuit."  By signing up you also get a free copy of my personal improvement book entitled "How to Skin a Cat," as in there's more than one way.

Thanks for your attention and please come back.

Gene Rutt