Cook Safely

When chopping up potatoes, watch where the knife drops.
For your fingers are tender, and should not wait where the knife stops.
When baking cookies, beware of the hot pan.
For ovens make metal toasty, and burns aren't part of your plan.
When frying foods, look out for the backlash.
For hot oil hurts when your hand it has splashed.
While in the kitchen, you can have lots of fun.
Just remember to cook safely, and your dish will be number one.

Good Moments

1. Your neighbor's flowers make the street more beautiful.
2. The cashier at the store bagged your purchases well.
3. That car with out-of-state plates was nice to let you cross the street.
4. The baby on the bus didn't cry at all.
5. Your mom packed a lunch for you that tasted great.
6. Work went pretty smoothly today.
7. You got a letter from an old friend.
8. All the chores are done, and you have time to relax.
9. You got to spend time with your family.
10. The cat came when you called.

Hope

Hope falls not to those in the best position to defend it, but to those in the most need of it. For those to whom hope is most desired are not those living lives of luxury.
Those to whom all has come easily have the comfort of their familiarity with ease to draw upon.
Those to whom nothing has been given, however, long for even a passing acquaintance with ease.
And to those who long, hope becomes a close friend.
For how can one hope, when one does not know what it is to long for something?
Hope brings comfort where there is none, peace when trials seem insurmountable, and joy even in the midst of heartache.
Hope comes not from knowing everything will be okay, but in the dreaming for a world in which one need not settle for merely "okay".
Hope is a fire that one should never let die. But if one does find it to be but a flickering ember, know that it can always be rekindled by a faithful heart.
Hope is what fills the heart when all seems lost, when one has been forsaken and left alone.
Hope is the baited breath awaiting the doctor's news.
Hope is carried by helpful hands, within the sweet song of a stranger, and through every upturned eye seeking the stars.
Hope never truly dies, so long as one is willing to try.
For hope does not require your best effort, but the you are willing to make an attempt.
Those in the most need will find hope always waiting, ready to defend the one in need of it.
So no matter what comes, you'll aways have hope.

To Get Enough Sleep

1. You'll be more alert.
2. You'll better remember important things.
3. You'll be more cheerful.
4. You'll be able to wake up earlier.
5. You'll have more energy.
6. You'll be able to sleep!
7. You'll be able to exercise, later.
8. You'll be healthier.
9. You'll have a reason not to go to that party.
10. You'll have time to dream.

Karaoke Night

History might remember us as: The Ones Who Failed The Earth; but I prefer our true title: Five Dumb Kids Who Didn't Know Aliens Were Spying On Karaoke Night.
 We were right in the middle of belting out the last chorus of We Are The Champions when suddenly this lime green light filled the room, blinding us.
When we could see again, we weren't in Jason's living room anymore. Because no matter how geeky his folks are, they hadn't yet invested in futuristic biotech walls.
I saw biotech, because there was something fleshy about those chrome walls; namely, all the eyes.
So there we were, freaking out about these eyes in the walls that kept blinking at us, when on of the walls peels away like a ripe banana to let a bunch of alien walrus-roses waddle in.
Have you ever thought about what a walrus and a rose would look like if combined? Don't. It's not pretty.
So, the walroses start barking something at us, with lots of flipper-thorn waving. My friends are freaking out. I'm freaking out. And the wall-eyes are still blinking!
So then Jimmy does something dumb. Really dumb.
He steps forward, stares up at the walrose with the fanciest tusks and petals, and shakily says, "We come in peace."
That throws the walroses into a frenzy, the eyes on the walls start rolling like mad, and the lime green light fills the room again.
We're back in Jason's living room, only the power's gone out.
There's a commotion outside, so we go look.
Guess what? The aliens had a whole fleet of ships, and were attacking the planet.
Turns out, they took us because they misunderstood our karaoke to be a declaration of our status as Earth's Champions, and telling them we come in peace translates to some horribly vile insult toward their entire species and was the absolute best way to start a war, all because they didn't study humankind long enough to actually learn how English and their own language would interact.
It took humankind exactly thirty-seven years to make up for our blunder of a first contact, and my group of friends was banned from ever singing karaoke (and that particular song) ever again.
By the entire galaxy.

For a Routine

1. It makes getting up in the morning somewhat easier, if not enjoyable.
2. You'll know what you're doing at five o'clock.
3. If friends ask what you're doing next Tuesday night, you'll know what to tell them.
4. You'll be able to get work done, even if you don't really feel like it.
5. You'll know how much time you need to make dinner.
6. It'll help you push through your boredom.
7. If you're tired, you'll be better able to run on autopilot than id you didn't have a routine.
8. If there's an emergency, you'll already have a plan of action.
9. It could help kids learn how to prepare for their day.
10. It'll help you to not be late to wherever you need to go to next.

A Proper Name

The very picky parrot refused to speak. His family was known for their wise words, and each one took their name from the first word they spoke.
He wanted a great name. Something majestic, powerful, that perfectly described him.
He would not get stuck with a name like Oopsla, as his sister had. Nor would he settle for something like his Uncle Spectaculore's name, though it was closer to what he desired.
The parrot knew his silence unnerved many of their flock, for all the others from his hatch-year had already spoken and received their names.
Many had taken to calling him Voiceless, which he would not accept as a his name.
For he had a voice, though he had never tried to use it. The first word was too important a thing to just thoughtlessly toss out into the world.
He had to get it right, for there was only one chance.
At that night's roosting, he settled in beside his family on their branch of the great tree, and settled his chosen word into his throat.
This was the moment.
He opened his beak.
But nothing came out.
Closing it, he took a deeper breath, then opened his beak again.
Nothing but air, whooshing silently into the night.
Again and again the parrot tried to get his chosen word to come out. But it seemed to be lodged in his throat, blocking off even those chirps and clacks that gave many foolish birds their names.
By now, his family had noticed something off about his behavior, and were watching him.
Somewhat frantic now, the parrot gave up on his chosen word, and tried another, lesser choice instead.
But it too refused to be voiced.
Fine then, he would try another.
And another.
And a hundred more after that.
All night, the parrot tried to speak out a word, any word.
But when the dawn came, it's harsh light only illuminated his failure.
"Huh," a parrot with the unimaginative name of Buggy chirped, "guess he really is Voiceless after all."
No, the parrot shook his head even as the protest failed to leave his throat. He couldn't be. What about all of his plans? They depended on him amazing all with his great name, with the silken words he'd carefully compiled becoming his stepping stones to leading the flock.
But none of that would be possible without a proper name.
And a proper name could never come to a parrot called Voiceless.
Rising from the branch as quickly as his wings would allow the Nameless (not Voiceless, never that) parrot flew away, determined not to return until he'd found his voice.
No matter how long that took.