Espero que tengas exito

Debo Blue hit me with this meme:

Compose a new blog post listing the top 5 to 10 things that you do almost every day that help you to be successful. They can be anything at all, but they have to be things that you do at least 4 or 5 times every week. Anything less than that may be a hobby that helps you out, but we are after the real day in and day out habits that help you to be successful.

Hmmm.

There are several areas in my life where I want to reach at least some modicum of success. But, like many others, I'm just someone who wants to reach something(s). Whether or not the following help me "be successful," I guess I'll find out one of these days.

*Putting a banana in my ear. Not literally, of course. This idea has its roots in a dialogue between Ernie and Bert, two of my favorite Sesame Street characters:

Bert: "Hey, you've got a banana in your ear!"
Ernie: "What?"
Bert: "I said, YOU'VE GOT A BANANA IN YOUR EAR!"
Ernie: "What? I can't hear you; I've got a banana in my ear!"

Sometimes you not only learn a lot from doing things out of the ordinary, or from using things for purposes other than what they are normally used for, you have lots of fun, too. This also goes for thinking out of the box. So what if you befuddle or bewilder the people closest to you from time to time when you do this? You learn something new -- maybe they will, too. And get a few laughs out of it. Which leads me to...

*Laughing. I'm glad to say that there's no shortage of sources for this one. I get a good dose regularly from family and friends (and this includes you, you, my much-appreciated online buddies). There's too much crap going on in the world and it's great to find that many of you bring a large amount of levity to this transient (and sometimes sorry) existence.

*Loving. Unless you're a robot, we all pretty much do this on a daily basis. Loving family, friends, pets, someone special -- and life itself! In spite of the headaches and heartaches it can and does bring.

*Breathing. Of course we all do this. But I learned only a short time ago that it's important to be aware of how you breathe, be conscious about how each breath comes in and goes out. I used to pooh-pooh the idea that something as mundane and necessary as breathing can have effects other than the obvious. But hey! It really does. :-)

*Writing. I do this every day. And not just on this blog (because some things just aren't meant for public consumption). Online or offline, I scribble something. What about? Oh, this and that. White horses adorned in gold; piercing and enthralling points of blue; jumping; what the gods of mythology must have looked like as they lay in unconscious repose, bathed in the early morning light; cabbages and kings borne by the wind over the moon. Crap like that. Things that make sense to no one else but me.

I won't be tagging anyone else for this meme. Of course, you can do it if you want to. Especially if you're like some people who claim (rather unsuccessfully) that they don't have anything to write about at the moment. [Just kidding, P. But please tell P. Daddy (that sounds sooo cool) to get the Goddess' consent to send that thing he promised via express courier. A whole country will be sooo grateful.]