Getting Out Of Dodge

The freeway was relatively clear. It was early in the morning as we rushed in south-southwest direction out of town. The lights of the city were still burning brightly at this early hour of the morning, but they became smaller and farther away as we raced off in our chosen direction....to freedom!!

And so it is.

Every once in a while we just need to get out of town. Anyone out there old enough to remember the old T.V. series, "Gunsmoke", would also know the reference of "getting out of Dodge".

The lights of the city are alluring. The necessity of taking up residence is important for us in the occupations and responsibilities and demands of life. We need to eat. We need to live. But sometimes we just need to get out of town. Even if for nothing more than a very short break from the consuming chores and cares of our daily lives.

And a side note: It's more fun to get out of Dodge with someone special. We talk, we read, and we sing together. We curl up with each other and watch the miles passing by. But do it together. The escape to freedom is so much sweeter when you escape with someone you love!

Bob Curtis has been writing articles, short fiction, and poetry for over 30 years. He is currently the managing director of People4People.blogspot.com, and is the president of Nexus Publishing, nexus4u.blogspot.com.

---

Getting To The Root Of Unhappiness

Many people live in clutter, emotionally eat themselves into overweight, live in debt, hate their jobs and otherwise live unhappy lives, unable and seemingly unwilling to change. Why? What do these have in... Read More

Design Psychology: How to Create Happy Homes Using Scents

Our sense of smell elicits strong emotional reactions and trigger powerful memories, whether we're consciously aware of it or not.Scents and FeelingsOur olfactory system sends a chemical message about the scents around us... Read More

Looking In The Eyes Of Happiness

From what you see around you in your daily lives, happiness may appear an illusory state of existence. Do you see true happiness in the lives of those who pass through your world... Read More

Gratitude For Dummies

Yes, it might feel great to win the lottery. Money, houses, travel - these are wonderful, but not enough by themselves. You need the right frame of mind to fully enjoy life. You... Read More

Happiness Versus Pleasure

We are a pleasure seeking society. Most of us spend our energy seeking pleasure and avoiding pain. We hope that by doing this, we will feel happy. Yet deep, abiding happiness and joy... Read More

5 Keys to Understanding Why Your Life (probably) Sucks! #3

The outcome of Reason # 2 is that you become your own worst enemy. That, in turn, leads on to Reason # 3 whereYou place more value on doing than beingIf you are... Read More

Happiness Is In Our Own Hands

Other people can bring tremendous happiness to our lives but we cannot rely on them alone for happiness. Clinging to people because we think our happiness depends on them can have a disastrous... Read More

Happy Buttons

What makes you happy? What are the simple pleasures that bring you great joy? Review the following list slowly, taking time to savor each one and remember the emotions it evokes.What would you... Read More

Love, Uncles, and Etymology

Thwack! . . . Thwack! . . . Thwack! Steven Arthur Mills slapped the marble desk in front of Roseville High School's science class with a yardstick. All eyes suddenly fastened on him.... Read More

Laughter and Your Health

Did you know that according to research, children laugh about 400 times a day while adults only laugh about 15 times a day? Some how we lost the ability to laugh, as we... Read More

Conditions of Happiness: Happy vs. Unhappy - Do We Have A Choice?

Everyone is in the process of seeking greater happiness. We are each involved in the search for feeling good inside our bodies. What may come as a surprise is in the midst of... Read More

The Personal Cost of Shyness

Has someone nearby been sending you emails rather than calling or meeting you face-to-face? When you do get together, does she or he stand back, avoid holding eye contact, or speaking up?While there... Read More

Getting Connected

"The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet." -James OppenheimToday is very special. Besides being your "un-birthday", it's the first day of the rest of your... Read More

What NOT To Do To Feel Good About Yourself - 10 Tips

From the moment we wake in the morning our heads start to fill with all sorts of thoughts. What will you give the kids for breakfast? Will you get the time to iron... Read More

Suffering

Since wisdom is the art of coping with suffering, it starts with a willingness to tackle it head-on:a) Such is the harshness of our condition that we suffer, sometimes greatly or worse, insuperably.b)... Read More

How To Dance With Life

Fortunate, indeed, is the man who takes exactly the right measure of himself,and holds a just balance between what he can acquire and what he can use.~Peter Latham (1789-1875) In the Chinese philosophy... Read More

Sunny Days Are Here To Stay

Yes, this is correct. Sunny Days are here to stay, that is, if you want them to be. What's that mean? Well, let me explain it this way.How do you feel when it's... Read More

It Costs Nothing To Smile

I like to be around positive people, people who tend to be happy, who look on the bright side of life. Far too many people walk around in what seems like a depressed... Read More

Uncovering Your Joy: Using a Personal Journal to Discover a Life Filled with Happiness

Author Tristine Rainer wrote "Happiness within a diary has less to do with the events you encounter in life than with the way you experience the process of living." Because a diary mirrors... Read More

Getting In Touch With Your Inner Feelings

Every disease or ailment, whether it be cancer, diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure or something else, has a series of warning signs. In ever case, when we experience an abnormality, we tend to... Read More

Stop Sickies and Make People Happy At Work

If you're an employer or a manager then work place absence is costing you money, inconvenience, and upsetting your customers. And as we all know, not all days taken off work are due... Read More

Emotional Baggage

We all have them. It has many faces. We carry them around us, We store them in the remotest part of our brain, in the deepest chambers of our hearts.We have them in... Read More

Conversational Negative Self-Talk

Most people don't even know they're doing it. Throughout the course of normal conversation, they bombard themselves with negative self-talk. Even people who are aware of the power of their words seem to... Read More

OBSCURED (Angel)

Being raised in a household without a mother or a father can be traumatic for a young girl. If no one cares enough about you to come into your life to "finish" or... Read More

Happiness Fleeting

"You cannot capture happiness no matter how hard you may chase after it. Happiness is something that follows you." The words of the old sage echoed in the young man's heart, sounding a... Read More

Things To Do To Beat The Blues

As moms we all tend to get the blues, we are always running here and running there. It is very important to take time for you!Being a mom there is so much pressure... Read More

4 Steps to Use Fears as Friends: Don?t be a Thunder Dog!

Imagine humungous, bulbous, billowing alto-cumulus clouds building higher and higher in the sky. They are as black as tar at the bottom and snowy white at the top. It looks as if we're... Read More

Be Happy, Join The Wednesday Worry Club

Of all the people who know me, no one would say I am afflicted with worryitis. They may say other things about me, which may or may not be true, but that's another... Read More

Great Relationship Problem Solving Technique

This is one of my all time favourite problem solving techniques, and I use it on a regular basis with clients who find it hard to get along with other people. But really,... Read More