How are you doing? I don’t know about you but I love the fact that Spring is approaching. Last week, a couple of you emailed me to tell me that we’re supposed to forward the clocks, not back–like I wrote. Well, folks, I stand corrected! Thanks so much for your emails and thank you for reading them until the end! I’m feeling so positive these days that I’m absolutely giddy–maybe that explains my goof up. Our friend Steve on the other hand, was not feeling so well, read on…

Another reason why I’m feeling positive about myself is because I’m available to the people I care about most. I’ve stopped focusing on myself all the time, and when required, I’m there for my friends. Steve had a mini breakdown the other day. He’s been stressed out lately with programming an application. He looked like he hadn’t slept for a couple of days. I think the disappointment with Carole was a bit too much for him to handle. He stopped having a life and poured himself into work. He really liked her. He’s beating himself up for not acting fast enough.

I realized he wasn’t doing that well, so I paid Steve a visit. As usual, his place was a big mess. “What’s up Steve? Have you been out at all these days?” I asked him. “No, I don’t have a reason to get out.” “Why don’t we take a walk in the park for a while? Fresh air will do you some good,” I told him, in the hopes that his mood would change. “Oh, alright. Maybe a change of scenery will help me figure out this software bug. Let’s go.” He got his jacket and we left. We had a nice walk in Prospect Park.

It was one of those bright sunny winter days. You can just feel the promise of Spring in the air. Some snow was still there, and it made the park look a lot brighter. Greenery is just starting to come out. I love those kind of days, I love new beginnings.

Steve spoke very little; I could see what he was going through. It’s something I’d just been through myself. Although I wasn’t the best person to offer some advice, I gave him a piece of my mind anyway, “Steve, look, you can’t go moping around all the time. People come and go, ya know. You’ve gotta move on and meet new people. I mean, who knows, you might’ve already missed someone else by cocooning yourself. You just have to hang out, put yourself out there and meet people,” I tried to say it as logically as possible. Finally he came out of his midweek crisis mode. He agreed that he has to go out and be with others more.

I didn’t know where my extra energy came from. My source of inspiration might be from several sources. After the christening of little Andrew last week, we had a nice chat with the priest. Mrs. Bradley was so thankful for everything. It changed my perspective of things. No matter what state we’re in, the key is to keep going, and not lose faith. She really encouraged me to move on with life because you never know what’s just around the corner.

The vicar invited us to Palm Sunday service. I haven’t attended mass in a while. Mrs. Bradley said she’d be going, so I figured I’d go, too. You can never have enough of goodness in life right?

Another source of my inspiration is the female GI that I’ve been dating. She’s someone who’s trying to create change while working within the system. She told me about people bringing in their pets to visit the wounded vets in hospitals and rehab centers. She suggested that I bring Kong into the hospitals. She told me who to contact and how to set up sessions and stuff. I’m really excited. I bet Kong will enjoy it, too.

I’m excited that I’m going to be getting off my butt and doing something good for a change. Kong is almost done with his training. He’s been a really really good boy. He’s just naturally good with people, I guess. I’m looking forward to meeting new people and helping those in need. I’m pleased with myself that I can do something good to help folks around me.

Instead of our weekly Monday catch-up, we’re planning to play hooky and just hang out! It’s been ages since we heard from Kate and Jeffrey–I really want to know how they’re doing. I have to introduce these guys to the female GI. Adrian has to tell us about his first real stage experience in an off off off Broadway play. I think it’ll be good for Steve to hang out too.

I’m gonna really miss my parents on St. Patrick’s Day. I know it’s not like Father’s Day or Mother’s Day but we really had fun when I was growing up on St. Paddy’s Day. My parents used to dye the milk and eggs green, turn the furniture upside down and tell us that there was a visit from the leprechauns. I used to go nuts! Having leprechauns on St. Paddy’s Day was like our family tradition–it was a bit unusual because it’s not like Christmas and Thanksgiving when everyone does it. For a while, I really believed in leprechauns when I was a kid. I think I believed more in leprechauns than Santa Claus. I loved the mystery and magic that surrounds them. Do you have family traditions for St. Paddy’s Day? Send me an email and share!

For you studs out there, if you’re going all green and hanging out, it helps to know some stuff–one way to impress the ladies is to say you’re Irish. (Hey everybody’s Irish on St. Paddy’s Day!) Say “Slainte Mhath”, it’s pronounced “Slancha Vah” literally meaning “To your good health”.

I can’t wait to watch the NCAA selections either. March Madness folks! I love the excitement of the games. Who are you rooting for? This week’s Zen quote is an Irish blessing, “May you always have walls for the winds, a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire, laughter to cheer you, those you love near you, and all your heart might desire.”

Until next week, Slainte Mhath!