Uncategorized

Do You Feel Lucky?

Today’s episode “Do You Feel Lucky?” is on  iTunes/Apple PodcastsSpotifyOvercastLibsynPocket CastStitcher or anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Well, do you? Insert squinty-eyed cop here. Oh boy! Do you have your seatbelt fastened? Are you ready for the thrills and chills of (drumroll please…..) FRIDAY THE 13th WITH A SIDE OF FULL MOON?? Did you also know that bad luck is (in our opinion) a bunch of claptrap? It’s all in your perspective dear friends, all in your perspective. That said, we’re aware there’s a small group of people worldwide who will never open this article, or hear the episode simply because of Friggatriskaidekaphobia. That makes us sad. Because today’s episode is FUN!

First off, let’s say HELLO AGAIN to “Words With the Mugly Truth” as we stumble over our old friends: Greek Words. So much so, Kris gives up without a fight. Kym, on the other hand, powered through and showed Greek Words who’s boss. Is it any wonder our favorite words to struggle with have to do with phobias? If you don’t know what we’re talking about, you need to download and listen to our episodes Disturbia and Disturbia Short Shot post haste.

We peruse the well written October 2017 article “Friday the 13th” from the fine editors at history.com, and 13 Facts About Friday the 13th at timeanddate.com for some very cool facts about the superstitions surrounding our upcoming fateful Friday of ten+three. From the Last Supper with its 13 guests, to the Code of Hammurabi accidentally omitting numbering its 13th law, coincidences throughout history have spawned all sorts of dodgy mind-games designed make us feel better about life (like going from floor 12 to 14 in a hotel or hospital elevator, or airports not having a 13th gate), and inspired illustrious groups such as the Thirteen Club, books (Thomas William Lawson’s 1907 novel “Friday the Thirteenth) and, yes, allllll those Jason Voorhees movies.

Photo by David Bartus on Pexels.com

Fear not friends. If you want to knock the wind out of ol’ FTT’s sails, just do what the Italians do. Believe 13 is actually a lucky number and then stay in bed on Tuesday the 17th because that’s their bemoaned day of woe. We believe it may be due to a certain lack of tacos on Tuesdays and if they would just give that a shot, things might look up. But that’s our humble opinion and we’re not here to change the world, or global superstitions. So…goodonya Italia (and Greece), you keep doing you.

For other articles cited in the episode:

  • Definitely check out the cool chart at Wikipedia that shows all the Friday the 13ths in the past and future!
  • 13 Superstitions for Friday the 13th with Tad and Polly at Big Frog 104 which list some of the more well-known superstitions that might not have to do with Friday the 13th specifically, but are important to know about, especially if you want to Thirteen Club this thing and put all the bad things in one big art installation and make a statement about the fallacy of human thinking. All you need is a black cat, a ladder, a broken mirror, and a wobbly salt cellar under one big opened umbrella indoors somewhere. Cut your hair for good…bad?…measure and then drop us a line to let us know how your day went. We’re genuinely curious. Also, to undo all that don’t forget to spin around 7 times but you might want to clarify counterclockwise or clockwise…we don’t know the answer to that part. Sorry.
What do YOU see? Something beautiful or a bad omen? Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

As for other points of interest that piqued our curiosity:

For more information about the Code of Hammurabi and the stele that appears in the Louvre, check out this article from (again!) history.com;

Yeah, we asked, who was Kitty Genovese?!? And man, do we need to turn in our true-crime-fan cards and hang our heads in utter shame. We know this incredibly sad story, as many great podcasts that we listen to have covered it. The grisly and brutal murder of Catherine “Kitty” Genovese in New York City in 1964 led to what’s now known as The Bystander Effect, and the implementation of the emergency phone call system of 911 in the United States. There is lots of information out there about this murder (including history.com and biography.com), but this is a pretty good article about this “milestone” murder;

And, finally, oh you, 666. You silly, pesky, not-evil number you. Interested in what all the numbers hubbub is? Do you see 11:11 or other repeating numbers or a certain combination of numbers often? Oh, there’s LOTS of scientific reasons about why we focus on specific numbers that seemingly cross our paths more often than others, but if you think there might be a deeper meaning for you and you’re curious about the spiritual background of what those repeating numbers might mean to you personally, check this article out as a starting point. Beware the rabbit hole though. You’ve been warned and have fun.

And while we might deeply inwardly shudder at the number 666, or jump over cracks in the sidewalk, or believe in ghosts, we also want to be big girls and encourage everyone – along with us – to get over this friggin’ friggatriskaidekaphobia and show Friday, September 13th, 2019 WHO (clap) IS (clap) IN (clap) CHARGE (CLAP)! Let’s combat fear with courage! Fight negative thinking with positive affirmations! Whenever we think something bad is gonna happen because “it’s a bad luck day”, we’re gonna put all our energy into thinking the OPPOSITE and focus on the good things that are happening. Do a little extra…you know, that whole Random Acts of Kindness thing, and put out into the world what we would like to have in return! If we want lots of good luck, good feelz, and good times, let’s put that stuff out there in droves. And, IF something does happen that’s not great, we’re not going to give “bad luck” the power of our thoughts and energy. Instead, we’ll chalk it up to “shite just sometimes happens because LIFE” and move forward. That’s OUR prescription for Friday the 13th. We need to remember that reality is really just our perspective of what’s going on around us. And perspective is a mighty powerful tool for change.

Full disclosure: we DO believe the full moon causes all kinds of weirdness, so…you know…maybe we’ll tuck in early that night??? Does that completely negate our feel good power of positive thinking perspective speech? DANG IT.

So go on and check out our “Do You Feel Lucky?” episode on  iTunes/Apple Podcasts, SpotifyOvercast, Libsyn, Pocket CastStitcher or anywhere you listen to podcasts. Then all you need to do is 1) subscribe 2) download and 3) listen! AND!!! 4) If you enjoy what you hear, please leave a rating and a review (pretty please?). The more subscribers and reviews we get, the more opportunities we get to grow this podcast and bring you richer content.

And don’t forget to follow us here at themuglytruth.com (click that blue WordPress Follow button on the right side of your screen) so you get notifications every time we post an episode blog! You can also follow The Mugly Truth on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

© The Mugly Truth 2019 and © The Mugly Truth Podcast 2019. All rights reserved.
Intro and outro music, “Clever as a Fox”  by Espresso Music through premiumbeats.com.
Featured Dice Photo by fotografierende on
Pexels.com.
Episodes

Random Acts of Kindness

white cup filled by coffee
Photo by Jonas Mohamadi on Pexels.com

Happy Tuesday! Did you know February 17th, 2019 was National Random Acts of Kindness Day? In today’s episode we discuss how to celebrate (you don’t have to wait til next year folks) by making that little bit of extra effort to do a good deed for people you encounter in your daily routine. It can be one or one-hundred acts of unselfishness, and it can be for friends, family, coworkers, and strangers. The lovely part is that kindness is free and (almost) effortless.

Some people are naturally bright, cheerful folk, while others may need to make a conscious decision to turn up the corners of their mouth to show a smile. Obviously, if you’re a grouch, then it’s a bit more of a concerted push to get to the nice side. No matter where you are on the decency spectrum, we think everyone can agree this world needs more “random acts of kindness, and senseless acts of beauty” in it.

According to improvisedlife.com, that phrase was scribbled onto a placemat in a restaurant in Sausalito, CA, back in 1982 by journalist Anne Herbert. At that time Herbert was despairing over escalating violence in her community and elsewhere, and so turned the nightly news aphorism “random acts of violence and senseless acts of cruelty” into a revolutionary new philosophy. She started writing a column to highlight true stories of acts of kindness, encouraging people to shift their focus from cruelty to goodwill. A little over 10 years later, the nonprofit Random Acts of Kindness Foundation (RAK) was started in Denver, Colorado.

Today you can visit the RAK website for all kinds of ideas to celebrate not just one but all 365 days. Visitors to the website can download posters, certificates, tag-you’re-it cards, and other forms of inspiration for their home, school, and workplace.

Being a good human can be expressed in the simplest of acts, from smiling at a stranger to paying for someone’s coffee in the drive-thru. It can be volunteering your time to help others in need. You can drop some change in a vending machine, leave an uplifting note for a stranger on a car window, donate blankets to an animal shelter, or hold the door open for someone (10 extra karma points if you’re in a hurry). Tell the cashier at your grocery store they’re doing a great job. Better yet, tell their boss too.

sunset hands love woman
Photo by Stokpic on Pexels.com

Here’s something else to think about: we are HUGGERS! WE LOVE HUGGING! It’s our go-to greeting because hugging is amazing and so very awesome and we encourage people to do it more. BUT!!! (Always with the buts!) Always ask first. Not everyone likes hugs; some people may have issues with being touched so intimately. Showing concern for someone else’s boundaries and respecting them is a TOTALLY “woke” thing to do and will certainly make your new friend feel comfortable and safe with you.

Now. Don’t feel guilty if you’re NOT that ray of freaking sunshine all the time. No one is asking you to be something you’re not. And don’t forget we KNOW about what traffic does to people. Hell, even perpetual smiley people have bad days. We’re all human. And that’s the point, really. We all just need to practice (again, some more than others) pausing, breathing and shifting perspective every once in awhile. We’re just encouraging everyone (ourselves included) to give it a shot here and there, off and on. You know, try it on, wear it awhile, see how it feels. You might find it…suits you.

But yeah, yeah, but what happens if you meet – UGH – just the BIGGEST jerk in the world? And you want to yell, or physically fight even, or maybe just walk away but curse the a-hole at the top of your lungs in the privacy of your car?! What happens if…you perform the unusual act of kindness by understanding you’re all of a sudden in a 2- maybe 5- or even 10-minute life snapshot of someone you have never met, know absolutely nothing about, and are probably at their verrrry lowest point in that infinitesimal space and time? Seeing beyond the regular stress and frustration of such an encounter could be one of the nicest things you can do. For you, them, and everyone in hearing distance.

Oooof. That is a tall order. Maybe just try smiling and holding doors and leaving dollar bills for people to find for awhile and work your way up to that level of zen? Let’s recap: Start small, try often, pause, breathe, shift. You’ll likely find that tranquility comes into play much more readily than you thought possible.

But wait, there’s more: this is just the tip of the niceberg. (bwahahahahaha!!! THAT’S a good one. Wiping one laugh-induced tear from cheek).

smiling woman looking upright standing against yellow wall
Photo by juan mendez on Pexels.com

The physical ramifications of being a good human are also a terrific reason to (gritting teeth) let that guy merge in front of you on the way home after a super long day: helpfulness releases all sorts of chemicals and hormones in our bodies that help decrease stress and blood pressure and increases other good stuff like oxytocin. D’aw. Since we’re not doctors, read this if you don’t believe us.

To bring a smile to your face, here’s a gallery of some truly wonderful acts of kindness:

adult black and white books boy
Read a book for someone who is unable to do so themselves. Photo by Tookapic on Pexels.com

woman reading book
Leave a dollar bill in a library book. Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

person holding a sticky note
YES YOU ARE! Leave an uplifting note for a loved one, coworker, or a stranger. But be mindful of the message, because you know, even nice notes can be construed as creepy in some circumstances. Photo by Lisa Fotios on Pexels.com

architecture buildings business commerce
Shhhhhh! Drop a few coins in a parking meter “if the local laws allow it”. ((((There is NOTHING to see here. I did NOT put quarters in the not-my-parking-meter))) Photo by Scott Webb on Pexels.com

soldier-military-uniform-american.jpg
We just love this photo…not sure who is being kind to whom, but it’s all sweet. Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

person touching brown puppy
ALL THE FREAKING FEEELZ!!!!! Nobody writing this caption is crying! YOU’RE crying. If you’re getting a new family pet, please consider one from a shelter if at all possible. Fostering pets is also a great way to enjoy giving dogs, cats, and other animals a new lease on life, literally, and helping them find their forever homes. Photo by Helena Lopes on Pexels.com

Rocky the Podcat Meets Sami
This photo is from Rocky the Podcat’s first encounter with her new small hoomans. Rocky was a rescue kitteh and continues to be the best dog-cat in the world. Photo by Kristen Core.

Rocky the Podcat
ALL THE LOVE!! That is one happy, comfy, chill kitten. Recap: FIRST DAY AT FOREVER HOME. It’s like it was meant to be or something. Photo by Kristen Core.

Rocky Arm Wrestles
Pets give so much and expect so little in return so Small Hooman let her win this round of arm wrestling, because adorable kitten. Photo by Kristen Core.

 

Check out our Random Acts of Kindness episode on  iTunes/Apple Podcasts, SpotifyOvercast, Libsyn, Pocket CastStitcher or anywhere you listen to podcasts. Then all you need to do is 1) subscribe 2) download and 3) listen! AND!!! 4) If you enjoy what you hear, please leave a rating and a review (pretty please?). The more subscribers and reviews we get, the more opportunities we get to grow this podcast and bring you richer content.

And don’t forget to follow us here at themuglytruth.com (click that blue WordPress Follow button on the right side of your screen) so you get notifications every time we post an episode blog! You can also follow The Mugly Truth on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Sirius Black
Kris’ beloved Sirius Black, the “goodest boy that ever was.” Rest in peace dear boy, and thank you for your love, companionship, and protection. And for that EPIC day you pulled up stake, raced across camp, and jumped in the lake leash, stake and all to get ducks. Photo by Kristen Core.

© The Mugly Truth 2019 and © The Mugly Truth Podcast 2019. All rights reserved.
Intro and outro music, “Clever as a Fox”  by Espresso Music through premiumbeats.com
Photos courtesy WordPress free library, by Pexels.com, and Kristen Core.