"Some Ideas for a Happy New Year!"

 

A Visit at Christmas 

2025 is now behind us, and we look forward to a brighter, more positive new year!

Have you made out any new year's resolutions for 2026?

I made out my resolutions a couple of years ago, and I review them almost daily to help me stay on track. I change them as needed.

This year, Greg and I decided that we need to follow the circadian rhythm a lot more. Most specifically, and importantly, we need to turn in earlier at night. We researched, and discovered that people are four different chronotypes. Our type is the wolf. A wolf stays up later at night and likes to get up later in the morning. That's fine, except we stay up too late at night, even for our type. (My parents were both night people, so I come by it honestly!)

We're working on that now, and we're gradually doing a lot better. In a couple of nights, we should reach our time goal. We just need to maintain it.

If you'd like more information about chronotypes, just do an online search. You might even want to take the chronotype quiz to discover what type you are.

Would you like to make some improvements in your life? If so, here are some ideas that you might want to consider, words of wisdom from some experts in their fields-

~"Point your words, your energy, your life in a clear direction, and everything starts to organize around that choice."-Carol Tuttle  https://ct.liveyourtruth.com

~"We cannot let our past destroy the future that God has for us." "2026 is blessed."-Julie Green

https://www.jgminternational.org

~"Don't let 2026 be another year where your desires fade with the holiday excitement, allow it to be the year you see lasting transformation."-Rhonda Byrne, author of "Countdown to Riches."

Greg and I wish you a wonderful 2026. Let this be our best year ever!

(Also, I'll let you know in my February blog post how well Greg and I did on following our chronotype.)

Thanks for visiting! Until around Saturday, February 7, 2026, Becky

"Some More Positive Ideas"

 

Nowadays, it's more important than ever to be positive.

We need to accentuate the positive in our lives, and eliminate the negative.

Here are some positive ideas to help with that-

~Watch positive messages instead of negative ones.

Julie Green, a modern-day prophet, has positive spiritual messages instead of negative ones. www.jgminternational.org

~Also, listening to positive music is very important. What messages are these songs giving us? Also, the frequency of the music is important. Most music is not the right frequency these days. The best songs are on the Hertz frequencies. Several musical artists like the Beatles, Michel Jackson, Whitney Houston, Mozart, Pink Floyd, as well as many others performed songs that were mostly on the Hertz frequencies. No wonder their songs were so popular and harmonious. 

The German handpan expert and teacher Malte Marten on YouTube plays handpans that are tuned to the various Hertz frequencies. One of his YouTube videos is entitled "Positivity Meditation."

The Hertz frequencies are supposed to be healing both physically and emotionally. They can even make you feel more positive! 528 Hz is especially healing since it's supposed to lower your cortisol levels, as well as doing other positive things.

~Reading books that promote positivity by authors such as Rhonda Byrne, Norman Vincent Peale, Carol Tuttle, and Joel Osteen can be very helpful.

~Also, getting out and traveling to different places can be fun and relaxing, and can put you into a positive frame of mind. You don't have to go very far to have a wonderful travel experience. Greg and I enjoy going on day trips, places that are not far from where we live.

We recently went on one of those trips, to Blowing Rock, North Carolina, which is one of the best-kept secrets as a travel destination. The town of Blowing Rock is very attractive-

with great places to enjoy a tasty meal, and to shop for local crafts, etc.

The Blowing Rock itself is a wonderful experience. The view from the rock is really beautiful, and so is the landscaping near the rock, complete with goldfish and turtles.

You can get a snack there, (We had delicious ice cream!) and visit their gift shop, complete with a couple of pretty resident cats. The people at Blowing Rock are very friendly and helpful. This was one of our best trips ever. You might want to visit there yourself, and/or go to another place near where you live. We think day trips are the best!

~Finally, another positive idea is to celebrate!

A couple of our family members have an adorable dog named Lucy Elizabeth, and they recently celebrated her first birthday, complete with a doggie cake-

Today, Saturday, June 14, 2025 is a special day, and many are celebrating this historic day.

Yesterday, Friday, June 13, was also a wonderful day. It's all in how we look at things. Look for the good, and we can find it. There are things to celebrate each and every day if we eliminate the negative, and look at everything in a positive light.

"...today is a gift. That's why they call it the present." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

In July, I'll have a very special blog post featuring my new book about Southern Appalachia, as well as other things. Please stay tuned!

Positive thought- "Sometimes when things are falling apart, they may actually be falling into place." -Unknown 

Thanks for visiting! Until around Saturday, July 5-Tuesday July 8, 2025, Becky

 

"Down Memory Lane"

 

Today I have a blog post that is special to me, and I hope that it will be special for you, too.

My book, "Down Memory Lane A Nostalgic Memoir of Life in the Southern Appalachians," was recently republished by Hoot Books Publishing. This book is about the "joys of growing up and growing older and about the people and pets along the way that inspired (me) and touched (my) life in a positive way."

In this republished version of my book, I added more chapters with more memories, and I also added several personal photographs for the first time. A picture does often seem to be "worth a thousand words," so I believe these photographs do help me tell my story much better. The photos were taken not only by me, but also by my husband, Greg, my brother, Nick, my mother, Jean, and my father, Bill, as well as others.

I tried to include as many wonderful memories of my life in the beautiful Appalachians as I could, but even after I'd finished revising my book, and had sent it in, more memories kept coming to me, and I still have hundreds of photographs that I could have included in my book, but didn't.

So, each time I write my "The Art of Positive Living" blog post, I plan to include a photograph, along with a description, similar to what is in my newly revised book. (However, some, but not all of the memories in my book are accompanied by a photograph.)

~"Down Memory Lane" Feature-

Here is a picture that could have been in my book, but isn't.-

(Since we've just had Valentine's Day, I thought that this photo would be very appropriate for this blog post.)

I attended my brother and sister-in law's wedding when I was lucky enough to catch my new sister-in-law's bridal bouquet. No wonder I caught it, because I remember how high I leapt up into the air (and I'm not that athletic!), determined to catch the bouquet. It paid off, since only three months later, I was married to my sweetheart, Greg!

"Moments come and go, but memories last forever." -Unknown

FYI: 

"Down Memory Lane" by Becky Arnott (For more information about this book, please click the widget above.) 

Cookie from Our Local Food City Bakery

Valentine's Day may be over, but we can still love and cherish our loved ones every day!

Positive thought: "God loves you. I love you. God bless you, and have a wonderful day." -Julie Green (Ditto! -Becky A.)

Thanks for visiting! Until Sunday, February 26, 2023, Becky