Well, it has been a few years since it happened but we are waking to a beautiful (early) Christmas snow! More later…

What if I told you that I was offering you something BETTER than a $5000 bonus? Would you take it? Note! I am NOT talking about a metaphysical “blessing” of some kind. I agree that my salvation is worth much more than any amount of money — but I am speaking about a TANGIBLE gift!

What is this valuable gift? A happy friend! Harvard Medical School professor Nicholas Christakis and  James Fowler, a political-science professor at the University of California, San Diego, reported that happiness is contagious. In this study, the researchers equated happiness with a “satisfying sense of well-being.” According to the Washington Post,

The study of more than 4,700 people who were followed over 20 years found that people who are happy or become happy boost the chances that someone they know will be happy. The power of happiness, moreover, can span another degree of separation, elevating the mood of that person’s husband, wife, brother, sister, friend or next-door neighbor.

Christakis described the effect:

“You would think that your emotional state would depend on your own choices and actions and experience. But it also depends on the choices and actions and experiences of other people, including people to whom you are not directly connected. Happiness is contagious.”

Amazingly, the people who have the most effect upon us are not those we would normally expect (spouses or near relatives.) Fowler reported the likeliness of your becoming happy if those around your are happy: You are 34% more likely to be happy if your next-door neighbor is happy; 25% more likely if a friend living within a mile of you is happy; 14% if a sibling living within a mile of you is happy; And you are 8% more likely to be happy if your co-resident spouse is happy. Read the rest of this entry »

My favorite site for REASONABLY priced video clips is BluefishTV (http://www.bluefishtv.com/). They have very good quality videos and most are priced at $1.99 each! Compare that to about $20 each at other outlets.

Even better, you can download one clip for free!

How to Get Your Free Download

1. Visit www.bluefishtv.com. Select the tab at the top that says “Downloadable Videos,” and search through hundreds of funny, dramatic, and real-life stories.
2. Add the video clips that you like to your cart, and when you are finished shopping, click “Check Out.”
3. Proceed with your order until it brings you to the “Review Options” page where you have the option to enter a coupon code. Enter the code BFP2 and finalize your payment. (If you order more than one download, it will charge the remaining amount to your credit card. Limit one free video per person.)