A Smile

SMILE!!!!!

She smiled at a sorrowful stranger...

The smile seemed to make him feel better...

He remembered past kindnesses of a friend

And wrote him a thank you letter...

The friend was so pleased with the thank you

That he left a large tip after lunch...

The waitress, surprised by the size of the tip,

Bet the whole thing on a hunch...

The next day she picked up her winnings,

And gave part to a man on the street...

The man on the street was grateful;

For two days he'd had nothing to eat...

After he finished his dinner,

He left for his small dingy room...

He didn't know at that moment

That he might be facing his doom...

On the way he picked up a shivering puppy

And took him home to get warm...

The puppy was very grateful

To be in out of the storm...

That night the house caught on fire...

The puppy barked the alarm...

He barked till he woke the whole household

And saved everybody from harm...

One of the boys that he rescued

Grew up to be President...

All this because of a simple smile

That hadn't cost a cent...

Written by: Barbara Hauck

~Dance Like No One's Watching~

We convince ourselves that life 

will be better after we get married, 

have a baby, then another. 

Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough 

and we'll be more content when they are.

After that we're frustrated that we 

have teenagers to deal with, 

we will certainly be happy 

when they are out of that stage.

We tell ourselves that our life will be complete 

when our spouse gets his or her act together, 

when we get a nicer car, 

are able to go on a nice vacation, 

when we retire. 

The truth is there's no better time 

to be happy than right now. 

If not now, when?

Your life will always be filled with challenges. 

It's best to admit this to yourself 

and decide to be happy anyway. 

One of my favorite quotes comes 

from Alfred D Souza.

He said, "For a long time it had seemed 

to me that life was about to begin -real life. 

But there was always some obstacle in the way, 

something to be gotten through first, 

some unfinished business, 

time still to be served, 

a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. 

At last it dawned on me that these 

obstacles were my life."

This perspective has helped me to see 

that there is no way to happiness. 

Happiness is the way, 

so, treasure every moment that you have. 

And treasure it more because you shared it 

with someone special, 

special enough to spend your time... 

and remember that time waits for no one.

So stop waiting until you finish school, 

until you go back to school, 

until you lose ten pounds, 

until you gain ten pounds, 

until you have kids, 

until your kids leave the house, 

until you start work, 

until you retire, 

until you get married, 

until you get divorced, 

until Friday night, 

until Sunday morning, 

until you get a new car or home, 

until your car or home is paid off, 

until spring, until summer, 

until fall, until winter, 

until you are off welfare, 

until the first or fifteenth, 

until your song comes on, 

until you've had a drink, 

until you've sobered up, 

until you die, until you are born again 

to decide that there is no better time 

than right now to be happy... 

Happiness is a journey, not a destination.

So, Work like you don't need money. 

Love like you've never been hurt and 

Dance Like no one's watching.

The World’s First Talking Robot Launched Into Space

Japan has launched the world's first talking robot into space to serve as companion to astronaut Kochi Wakata who will begin his mission in November.



The android took off from the island of Tanegashima in an unmanned rocket also carrying supplies for crew onboard the International Space Station (ISS).

Measuring 34cm, Kirobo is due to arrive at the ISS on 9 August. It is part of a study to see how machines can lend emotional support to people isolated over long periods.

The launch of the H-2B rocket was broadcast online by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa).




The unmanned rocket is also carrying drinking water, food, clothing and work supplies to the six permanent crew members based at the ISS.

Kirobo with developer Tomotaka Takahashi Tomotaka Takahashi with his creation 'Giant leap' Kirobo's name derives from the Japanese words for "hope" and "robot".

The small android weighs about 1kg (2.2 pounds) and has a wide range of physical motion. Its design was inspired by the legendary animation character Astro Boy.





Kirobo has been programmed to communicate in Japanese and keep records of its conversations with Mr Wakata who will take over as commander of the ISS later this year.

In addition, it is expected to relay messages from the control room to the astronaut.

"Kirobo will remember Mr Wakata's face so it can recognise him when they reunite up in space," the robot's developer, Tomotaka Takahashi said.

"I wish for this robot to function as a mediator between a person and machine, or a person and the Internet, and sometimes even between people."

The biggest challenge was to make the android compatible with space, Mr Takahashi added.



Dozens of tests were carried out over nine months to ensure Kirobo's reliability.

Kirobo has a twin robot on Earth called Mirata, which will monitor any problems its electronic counterpart may experience in space.

"It's one small step for me, a giant leap for robots," Mirata said of the mission last month.

The endeavour is a joint project between Mr Takahashi, car producer Toyota and advertising company Dentsu.