Lately Felittle Bo has been curious about spoons. Yes, spoons. The very kind she uses to eat her Cheerios with every morning. One day Felittle Bo was over at Felittle Roth’s house and he said, “I went to a spoon bending class!” He showed Felittle Bo a spoon that he had twisted into a curly q. “How come you didn’t invite me?” Felittle Bo asked. Felittle Bo wanted to learn to bend spoons too, so she took the class recommended by Felittle Roth. There was a Gong Master and a musical bowls player. The teacher guided the students through a brief meditation and voila spoons were bent. Felittle Yolanda bent hers on the first try, but Felittle Hunter and Felittle Bo needed two tries. Out of the fifteen students, ten people bent spoons, but five were unable to even after many more tries. At the end of class, the teacher revealed something very profound- that when she took her first spoon bending class, she was the only one who didn’t bend a spoon. She was so determined to learn how that she went out and bought as many spoons as she could find and practiced and practiced until she became a pro. And now she teaches a spoon bending class. Felittle Bo learned a lot that day. Sometimes, not being good at something inspires you to try even harder. And more interestingly, things that seem impossible, are actually possible. Felittle Bo was delighted to discover that mediation is indeed a powerful tool and has decided to use it to feel zen and accomplish more feats that she once thought impossible. Yes!
Pay It Forward
Felittle Alyssa experienced the joy of pay it forward when some kind soul fed her parking meter. Without a doubt it made her day. In fact, Felittle Bo can venture to say that it put a felittle skip in her step and launched her desire to pay it forward too. Funny how that works, a felittle bit of kindness breeds a wealth of kindness and countless good vibes get launched into the cosmos to boot. Really, it takes just a second to make someone’s day. Vow to spread a felittle bit of happiness wherever you go. For the pure heck of it, let someone go ahead of you in line even if you got there first; compliment a stranger; acknowledge someone’s effort instead of being offended by his/her unsolicited advice; take the high road even when you know you’re right; tell someone at the market/service station/gym that they are doing a good job; open the door for someone without expecting a “thank you” in return; send a felittle card to serviceman/woman overseas wishing them a safe return home… Make someone smile, feel good. Everybody wins. Word.
Polluters
When posed with the question, “Who is a polluter?” the first thing that may come to a Felittle Person’s mind is a non-Prius driver. Because after all, those people are polluting a little more than necessary. Or perhaps, a polluter could be someone who drops her gum wrapper on the sidewalk, instead of putting it in a trash bin. (Felittle People are big fans of Singapore.) Or worse yet, smokers. These folks are double polluters because they not only clog their lungs with yuk, but their butts clog up perfectly clean streets all around the world.
Recently, Felittle People discovered that a whole different sort of polluters exist. People do not actually have to cause smog or litter to pollute, they can pollute with words.
Word polluters, as it turns out, come in all different forms. There are Yellers, who misuse words in anger and launch their most destructive words into the air, which gain speed and power before landing on perfectly reasonable and often unsuspecting Felittle People. There are Babblers who are completely unaware that they are verbally monopolizing the airspace or holding their audience hostage by their rambling monologues or hypnotizing Felittle People into a foggy word coma. There are the Repeaters, who never seem to be able to say things just once, but need to emphasize the same point ad nauseum, in case the listener didn’t get it the first 150,000 times. And lastly, there are the Filterless, who for some reason weren’t taught, or forgot, that every thought that pops into their head is not worth mentioning.
Of course, word polluters, have no clue that they are indeed causing pollution. In fact, at this very moment, they may be yelling, babbling or re-iterating how everyone needs to be more environmentally aware, all the while oblivious of their own destruction.
In an effort to help make the world a better place, Felittle People highly recommend reducing all forms of pollution. Every little bit helps. Less is more. Peace.
Be Brave!
What does it mean to be brave? Does it mean to wield a sword and enter a duel? Um, not so much. Does it mean to bully other Felittle People for jiving to their own tune? No, as a matter of fact it doesn’t. Does it mean to do daredevil stunts like the people in Jackass movies? Nope. Being brave is something that is very personal. It’s between you and your Felittle self. It’s about challenging yourself to become a better or more open person even if it requires you to do things that lie outside of your comfort zone. For some Felittle people singing in front of others, even at karaoke, is being brave. For some Felittle people speaking up for themselves when they are being mistreated is being brave. For other Felittle people coming out of their shell and telling someone how they feel is being brave. While the act of trying something new or being more truthful may seem scary, it is a surefire path to becoming a better Felittle person. Growing pains are a part of the being brave process. But the good news is, they go away! And once you have a growth spurt, you feel phenomenal and you realize it was worth taking that leap. Then a funny thing happens, you start looking for new ways to be brave. So, if you are really quiet and listen really hard, you can hear all of the bravery triumphs as Felittle People shout “Yay for me!” all over the globe. Outstanding.
The Spider Effect
Felittle People have a special relationship with spiders. Felittle People view them as helpful, gentle and pretty darn fascinating web designers. Often times, spiders wander into Felittle homes by accident to play around or to have fun by scaring Felittle People. The Felittle method for dealing with spiders is to either let them be, or if they happen to be really creepy crawly, Felittle People get a cup, cover the little monster, slide a paper over the opening and take the spider outside to its natural home. Felittle People have noticed that each and every time the spider gets trapped it doesn’t realize its about to be freed. No-sir-ee. It thinks its in danger. It thinks its being attacked. It thinks it’s going to die. Felittle People always reassure their spider friends that they are actually helping, not hurting them. Regardless, time after time, the spiders freak out.
Recently, Felittle Bo had an epiphany that the Spider Effect affects Felittle People too! When things get sticky or jumbled or turned upside down, Felittle People often panic, feel bad or get sad. They think that the unexpected set of circumstances is hurting them. But really, the yuk is actually helping them, they just can’t see it at the moment. Felittle Bo decided that the next time things seem to be troubling, instead of wigging out, she is going to think of the scared spider and trust that somehow, someway she will land in a bed of daisies and everything will be ok. Yay!
Meet Tiki
Felittle friends describe Tiki (Tarkeen) as a big dreamer with a big heart. He easily makes friends with animals and has a pet monkey named Neo (Neapolitan). While Tiki sometimes feels like an outsider and becomes confused by the world around him, his kind, trusting and loving nature helps him to encounter experiences that give him valuable lessons, wisdom and power beyond his wildest dreams.
Felittle Scoop
With all of the friends Felittle People spend time with, they become privy to classified information. This could be by someone telling them secrets, by accidentally stumbling upon knowledge not meant for them or even, by witnessing an undercover operation. Regardless of the method for unintentionally acquiring the insider scoop, Felittle People sometimes find themselves “in the know” without knowing what to do about it.
There are certain scenarios when Felittle People think it’s important to disclose top-secret information- when it regards someone’s relationship, livelihood, safety or well-being. But for the other types of info, Felittle Chai spent some time walking her new puppy, Formosa, while pondering the dilemma of what to do with some new-found wisdom. Should she tell someone? Should she tell everyone? Does revealing the info make her an informer or a gossip? What would others then do with the info, pass it on? Having played the telephone game a lot when she was younger, Chai remembered how quickly stories morphed into new tales upon retelling. If that happened, which indeed it would, she would simultaneously transform from a disseminator into a rumor starter. Not wanting to be the spreader of truths that ultimately changed form and function, she decided to make the strongest possible choice and do nothing. Keeping secrets secret is something Chai felt was the proper course of action. So it turns out that in discovering info about someone else, she ended up learning something about herself- that sometimes it is enough for her to know. Period.
Huh?
Felittle Tiki has noticed that people are asking him a lot of questions lately. They are often disguised as real questions but Tiki, who happens to be a good listener, spots right away that they are in fact, rhetorical. It seems like practically every day, people ask him questions like, “Do you think its weird if I decide to call myself Coach Lou instead of just Lou?” or “Do you think my bailing at the last minute will be a big deal?” or the classic, “Do you think I look fat in this outfit?” Tiki is a bit torn on how to answer these silly questions. If he says “Yes” surely he will hurt the other person’s feelings. If he says, “No” he will be fibbing, something he tries to avoid doing. He wishes people would just stop consulting him. But, of course, the opposite seems to be happening and even more people have started seeking his advice. So the question remains: Do people really want to know what he thinks or are they just airing thoughts in the form of questions? After much pondering on the subject, Tiki decided that the best answer was neither yes nor no. Instead, he now says, “If you have to ask, then you already know the answer.” Simple.
No, thank you!
Felittle Genie has been flying around a lot lately observing, helping and gathering information. Her latest assessment of Felittle People happenings is that she’s noticed many Felittle People have trouble saying no. Felittle People are very much like Jim Carrey in Yes Man, always saying yes to people and opportunities. When asked to do something, they automatically respond affirmatively. Do you want to go to a Red Sox game? “Ok!” Can you take me to the airport? “No problem!” Can you help me put up a clothes bar in my closet? “Of course!” Being kind and helping others is part of being Felittle so when people, things, or opportunities appear, Felittle people are naturally open to them. But what Felittle Genie wants to point out is that saying “no” to what you don’t want is as important as saying “yes” to what you do want. Being able to say no to someone or something because it doesn’t feel right or because it doesn’t have a Felittle vibe, is perfectly ok. Its actually more than ok, its very Felittle! So, when things present themselves and you feel like you should say “yes” but are really feeling “not so much” then the right thing to do is to say “no.” Feeling good about a “no” is important, no guilt allowed. And if Felittle People find themselves torn (which sometimes happens) its always advised to step back and do the most powerful thing of all- nothing. The worst thing possible is to make a decision and not feel good about it… or worse yet, be wishy-washy. Bleh.
Felittle Mantras
Felittle People often get asked, what is your favorite mantra? As you know, Felittle People recite mantras day and night, so to pick just one is quite challenging. Part of the Felittle People’s belief system is that everyone should be kind, loving, friendly and helpful so, mantras like “Everything is happy” just grow out of the Felittle People mindset and serve as reminders to be Felittle. But, sometimes mantras develop out of witnessing non-Felittle behavior.
Like everyone else, Felittle People have play-dates. They meet up to go to the beach, the movies, the park, and other cool places. One day, Felittle Cyan’s friends went to the movies without her even though they knew she wanted to see Finding Nemo. Not only was she not invited, but afterward the “friends” shared with Felittle Cyan how fun the outing was. That is not very Felittle at all. Instead of feeling bad, Felittle Cyan decided her new favorite mantra was “The more the merrier.” This positive outlook inspired her to become Social Chair and now she arranges more fun play-dates than anyone else. Of course, everyone is always welcome to join, even the friends who didn’t invite her. In fact, just yesterday she planned a play-date with Felittle Jim and Felittle Brittany to see Toy Story3 in 3D and really liked how Woody always looks out for his friends. Now her favorite mantra is, “To infinity and beyond!” Buzz.