"Laughter..." 'Bettejo Dux' (Inspiration Wednesday)

Bettejo Dux  one of Kauai's true gems, Today she 

guest-blogs about  the beauty of Laughter...  ;D) Enjoy!

www.bettejodux.com

I love to laugh. I have a big laugh. It annoys some people. It is contagious to others.

I remember year ago, in a greasy spoon in Koloa, sitting with a happy group at a large table. It was a wet, happy feast. Chilled wine. Juicy hot  chicken bites to snack on. Crispy hunks of buttery french bread to crunch.

We were all laughing so hard-I've forgotten about what, me the loudest,-we caught the attention of a grumpy looking pair of blue-eyed pale  faces-obviously touristy types-who frowned and glared and finally called the waitress and sent her to our table complaining about the 'racket'. Feeling in a very affluent mood, I sent a message back telling this pair I'd pay for their dinner if they'd skedaddle. They did.

When they huffed out, everyone at our table got up and applauded. We stood and laughed until the tears ran down. Everyone else in the place did, too. I left the waitress a healthy tip.

Bet they were from the south. Arkansas? Hope they left and never came back.

But I don't want to discuss laughter in the sense of what makes us laugh. This will not be about our sense of humor, but the physical, mental, spiritual-if you like the word-benefits from the laughter process. I've learned that just going through the sound and body-laughter- movements causes an increase in pain resistance, a rise in endorphin levels, and, surprise surprise, also increases the power to undermine authority.

No wonder most religions frown on laughing in church.

It also seems your mind is not aware you are laughing for real or faking it. Like a physical activity-singing or dancing-good chemical changes take place in the body.

As an actress I learned to laugh with my whole body. It isn't just a sound that comes out of your mouth, laughter is a physical activity. Your shoulders, your tummy, your head do their thing. Which means, if the damn dog has eaten your dinner while you were not looking, if you howl with laughter- and shake, shake, shake, señora, shake it all the time- you'll feel better about it.

Beats kicking the dog and throwing a fit.  You can always fix a peanut butter sandwich and share it with the silly bulge-belly canine.

Last Monday, in our favorite Mexican dive in Lihue, my editor, Kimo, and I got in a laughing match that set the entire room off. Diners. Waiters. Cooks. Bartenders. Owner in a bright red blouse. No pale faces here. We were laughing so hard we were crying. Munching. Sipping. Drooling.  Dripping hoots of earth shaking laughter.

All because Kimo was giving me orders- the audacity- as my editor and publisher, about the length of my column that appears once a week-on Classic Wednesday in his blog http://www.dakinetalk.blogspot.com

You talk about resisting authority.

Today doesn't count.

Costco farm and Gardens..." 'James "Kimo" Rosen'

These oranges are great and they don't even say "Sunkist" on them!


Aloha, Check out my opinion article in the (02-22-13) edition of the Kaua'i Garden Island news,"Farmers market or Costco?"
http://thegardenisland.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-for-friday-feb/article_2fc5deac-7cce-11e2-a7da-0019bb2963f4.html

Papayas  are not as easy to come by at the local farmers markets in the winter months, and when you do come across a nice papaya you can pay upwards of $2.00 per papaya whereas in the summertime when they are plentiful you can buy them, 3 for $1.00.

I noticed at the Kapa'a farmers market  that many of the vendors have the same looking medium sized uniformed shaped papaya and others have really nice Pineapples. I ask the vendors did you buy these at Costco? They all respond, "no were not allowed to do that," however when I pointed out a label hanging off one of the Pineapples a woman finally  broke and admitted she bought it at Costco.

I can recognize a Costco papaya and Costco Pineapple a mile away. I have no problem with people making an honest buck, in fact the free enterprise system is what America is all about. I do not want to go  to a farmers market and buy inflated Costco produce, it's not  fair to the  vendors that are actually farmers selling their own products which is what the farmers market is all about. 

A visitor told me she was surprised the local oranges said Sunkist on them, I guess the vendors  tell them that's how they picked them right of the trees.

Now if only Costco had a guy with a machete opening up coconuts and selling them for next to nothing we'd have it all.



http://thegardenisland.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-for-friday-feb/article_2fc5deac-7cce-11e2-a7da-0019bb2963f4.html

Mazol Tov to the Post office!‏ 'James "Kimo" Rosen

Mazol Tov to the US Postal service!
Aloha, check out my opinion article in the (03-02-13) Kaua'i Garden island news, "Mazel tov U.S. Post Office."
http://thegardenisland.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-for-saturday-march/article_526a1250-82f2-11e2-947a-001a4bcf887a.html

This article also lso ran in 02-27-13 edition of Honolulu's Midweek Magazine,"jewish Post Office."
http://www.midweek.com/letters-to-the-editor-56/

Congress will soon be voting on whether  U.S. mail delivery should discontinue on Saturdays.

Many people are for it since it will allegedly save billions of dollars, many are against since it will delay important items from being delivered in a timely manner.

I find it ironic that  the secular world wants to cease mail delivery on Saturday. The Jewish people have always considered Saturday the day of rest and the orthodox ones do not work on the Sabbath.

It looks like the post office has just converted to Judaism!   Mazol Tov!(Congratulations!)

http://thegardenisland.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-for-saturday-march/article_526a1250-82f2-11e2-947a-001a4bcf887a.html

http://www.midweek.com/letters-to-the-editor-56/

" A sign of getting older..." 'Judith Whitehead' (Inspiration Sunday)

"Guest-blogger Judith Whitehead lives in Amherst N.Y. and has worked in the

 ophthalmology field of medicine for over 30 years...
Today she talks about one of the many signs of  geeting older...
   Enjoy...  ;D)

A Sign of Getting Older

Many years ago we built the home we live in now; its a two story with the bedrooms and bathrooms on the second floor, we do have a bathroom on the first floor as well thank goodness.  It never occurred to me how I would feel at the end of a 9-10 hour work day at this age. now that we are in our late 50's, each step up those stairs seems a great effort at the end of the day.  Why didn't I listen to those older than me when building this house?

Each day when we get home from work, we ask each other who is going upstairs first.  Looking at that mountain of 13 stairs is more than an effort to climb with aching knees and backache at the end of the day. 

A word to the wise; think about a ranch when building a home and you are in your 40's because no matter how fit you are, at the end of a long work day....it makes a lot of sense.

"WAR IS HELL !!!" 'Chester "Unc" Lau'

Dakinetalks favorite Uncle (Chester Lau)

Unc talks about an equal opportunity employer, war!

"Unc" is a retired cinematographer currently living 

on the Hawai'ian Island of Oahu.

WAR IS HELL !!!

Combat is no place for men or woman !!! Now The Defense Dept has made it  an equal opportunity for men or women to kill or be killed !!!  I am against wars for profits or empire building like in the GW Bush administration,I don't see the Bush gang volunteer to take up arms for night Infantry patrol in Iraq or Afghanistan that they created !!!

If it is a legitimate war to defend the nation,ALL citizens should participate !!!l'oncle Amusant aka "Unc"

"When in doubt, don't go out..." 'James "Kimo" Rosen'

Kaua'i is known as paradise. There were 3 drownings this past week on Kaua'i.
Safety cannot be stressed enough,  be careful when going to the ocean.
This may sound cliche, "But when in doubt, don't go out..."

Read about the ocean claiming the life of the 5th  person this year on Kaua'i,
http://thegardenisland.com/news/local/ocean-claims-fifth-victim-in/article_aac073bc-7038-11e2-8a15-001a4bcf887a.html


Aloha, check out my opinion article in today's (02-11-13) Kaua'i Garden island news,"When in doubt, don’t go out."
http://thegardenisland.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-for-monday-feb/article_cb064a70-741b-11e2-be9b-0019bb2963f4.html

This past  week  Kaua'i has experienced  the tragic drowning of 3 visitors, this is the fifth ocean drowning to occur so far this year and the year has just begun.

Four  years ago I had a near drowning experience myself, and since then I  only swim in the public pool since I have become gun shy of the powers of mother nature along with other health concerns.

I wish to share a few paragraphs from a blog I wrote 4 years ago, 

I saw dolphins and decided to go in the water, I started swimming parallel with the shore but drifted out, I drifted so far out, on a day I should never had gone in the water, rough surf and white caps everywhere. I figured I could body surf in. I was gaining no ground and waves were covering me making it hard to breathe, I swam on my back and tried to relax but kept getting overpowered and drenched with more waves, this went on for over 20 minutes and I was losing strength and could barely breathe, my thought was I was going to die. I was exhausted and could not handle the situation much longer. I prayed the Jewish signature prayer called the "Shema" and thought this is it.

I know they say swim parallel with the shore, I tried doing that and wedged in a little at a time, no gain,  again I tried body surfing in.  I was getting exhausted and with no lifeguard and only one other person within my eyesight, I thought this was it. I was going to die at my favorite beach, Secret beach.

Miraculously, I gained ground and could feel bottom, but then got sucked out again, finally a large wave rode me in, I managed to walk to shore in exhaustion and fell to the ground thanking the Lord for giving  me yet another chance at this thing we call life.

Mother nature is a powerful source, and life is short and precious. I was one of the blessed and lucky ones. I  felt the need to share this in hopes this may  help save a life. This may sound cliche,"but when in doubt, don't go out."



http://thegardenisland.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-for-monday-feb/article_cb064a70-741b-11e2-be9b-0019bb2963f4.html

" O‘ahu’s farm belt..." 'Bettejo Dux' (Classic Wednesday)

Bettejo Dux  one of Kauai's true gems, Today she 
guest-blogs about a sustainable lifestyle without the burden of politics...

www.bettejodux.com

O‘ahu’s farm belt

Maybe it’s time we all stopped fooling around.

Get beyond sustainable Kaua‘i. Forget politics, political debate and quarreling parties.

If Kaua‘i’s land were put to proper use, we could feed the state; and there may come a time — sooner than you think — when one of the outer islands will have to do that. Why not us?

The outer islands are O‘ahu’s farm belt. We are its fresh organic vegetable bin, its fruit bin, its butcher shop and dairy section.

We need not be, we cannot be, we will not be, its suburbs and high-priced bedroom/hotel/vacation/resort spot.

Some people are tourists, some people are rich, but all us guys gotta eat. Money in it, too. Peace and love.

This blog originally appeared in the Kaua'i Garden Island news, editorial section on August 27, 2009;
http://thegardenisland.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-for-thursday-august/article_b113d693-1916-5b34-87c6-356286ded425.html