My Daily Smile

Life is short - begin every day with a smile!

Courage isn’t the absence of fear (and that’s a good thing)

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Every now and then we see news reports about ordinary people doing heroic things.

Here are just a few recent examples that come to mind:

  • In the heat of a fire-fight, a wounded soldier runs into the path of heavy enemy fire to rescue a wounded comrade.
  • A police officer rushes towards a flaming vehicle and pulls an unconscious accident victim to safety right before her car explodes into pieces.
  • A jogger jumps into a raging flooded river and rescues a child who is holding on to a tree branch for dear life.

When we hear about folks doing heroic things like these it’s natural to assume they’re fearless and have nerves of steel.

But truth be told, that’s rarely the case.

[Read more…]

Time-lapse video: The amazing natural beauty of California

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Most people think of California as an urban state with huge cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco dominating the state from top to bottom, but nothing could be further from the truth.

In actuality, about 95% of California’s land is open space, mountains, farms, forests, and numerous small towns. Yes, the state is home to several densely populated cities, but those urban areas only account for a tiny fraction of California’s total land area.  [Read more…]

How Dolly’s song ‘I Will Always Love You’ went all the way to #1 – three times!

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Image credit: DollyParton.com

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Chances are you’re quite familiar with the hit song “I Will Always Love You”.

What you might not know is that song went to #1 a total of three times, on two different Billboard charts.

This post details the history of that wonderful song and how it eventually made it to the very top of the charts on three different occasions.  [Read more…]

Video: Danny MacAskill rides the famous rooftops of Gran Canaria

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If you’ve been following my posts for a while you’ll probably remember this post showcasing the amazing cycling skills of Scottish daredevil Danny MacAskill.

Well, today’s video is even more incredible…

One of the most-visited of Spain’s Canary Islands, Gran Canaria is famous for its distinctive closely-packed buildings and rooftops.

In this video you’ll see Danny riding the edges of those rooftops and jumping from building to building – without ever dismounting from his bike.  [Read more…]