Tag: beer

Positive stranger

Today I am asked to describe a random encounter with a stranger that stuck out positively to me. I do seem to meet a lot of strangers, and most of them are fairly positive encounters.

For example, earlier this week I stopped off at a bar on my walk home. I stop in at that bar periodically for a beer and to talk to a bartender friend I have there. When he tossed the coaster on the bar, it was fairly close to a brown-haired girl who seemed to have been talking to him for a while.

As I started talking to the bartender, the conversation naturally extended to the stranger. She seemed very positive and friendly to me. I got to know a few things about her. Her name was Kim, and she was only in town for a week on business. She was also a single mom of two kids and lived in Montreal.

The bar there was about to close, but the conversation with her was nice, so I asked her if she wanted to go to another bar. I also asked the bartender if he wanted to go, but he said he wanted to get something to eat, so I suggested a place that serves pizza, and then made him promise to come over after he closed.

As she and I walked over to the bar together, I realized that she just felt very comfortable to be around. We stopped off a couple places on the way because she wanted to take photos, since she had never been to this city before. I took a couple of photos of her on her phone. She seemed very happy.

After a short walk, we got to the other bar and had a couple drinks while my bartender friend finished his pizza. We all then said goodbye and parted ways. I’m sure I will never see her again, which is usually the case with people I meet on business trips or vacation, but she definitely left a positive impression on me. She seemed like my kind of person. I wish I could say that about everyone I know.

Do you meet many strangers? What’s a positive experience you have had with a stranger? Do some people feel like friends upon first meeting? Are there people you wish you had never met? Let me know in the comments, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe!

An unexpected life story.

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My go-to comfort food.

What’s my go-to comfort food? Is beer a food? Just kidding. I think when most people think of comfort food, they envision something loaded with sugar and carbs, but I tend to eat a low carb diet for health reasons. I do occasionally splurge because I love going out to restaurants.

One food I eat that I think increases my comfort is yogurt. Good yogurt contains live probiotic cultures which help keep the gut in good shape. I avoid all yogurt that has added sugar. I also don’t really need any flavoring or fruit added, because I have always liked the taste of yogurt. The kind of yogurt I purchase is Greek yogurt. I like this type because it is high in protein, which I think is pretty important.

The brand I usually buy is called FAGE. They have different versions of their Greek yogurt distinguished by fat percentage from 0% to 5%. I always get the one with 5% fat because it tastes the best to me. It is also labeled gluten free, which is important to me.

Now, why would I say yogurt is a comfort food? The live bacteria in yogurt and other probiotic foods actually help the body to make serotonin. Serotonin is what makes you feel good and leads to happiness. If you didn’t have enough of this, it would probably cause severe depression and a variety of other mental health issues. If you aren’t feeling your happiest today, maybe you should give yogurt a try. After all, nothing is more comforting than happiness.

An estimated 95% of the body’s serotonin is produced in the gut. Beneficial bacteria found in the gut (probiotics) secrete substances used in the creation of serotonin.

Emily Brown, MPH / Verywell Health

I eat yogurt pretty much every day, but I don’t consume a large quantity. It’s usually just a few tablespoons per day. I used to eat it in larger quantities though. It was probably just my imagination, but I remember one time I ate a whole lot of it, and a little while later I had this very interesting feeling come over me. I felt so happy and relaxed, and it almost made me feel giggly inside. I slept so well that night. I’m not sure if the large amount of yogurt triggered a serotonin spike, but the feeling was positively amazing!

What comfort foods do you enjoy? Do you like yogurt and other probiotic foods? What are other ways to make yourself happier? Let me know down below, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe!

The subjects I know best.

I do not consider myself an authority on any subject, but honestly, I wouldn’t blindly accept anyone else’s authority on any subject either. I will always think for myself and make up my own mind. That’s the only reason I can think of that we would have been given individual minds, so we can use them. There are quite a few subjects I know about though. Growing up, I was a very curious person and had a broad range of intellectual pursuits.

I’m also fairly well educated. I graduated summa cum laude with two bachelor’s degrees (double major), one in information systems, and the other in business administration, and I went on to complete a master’s degree in business. This means I’m quite knowledgeable of business, computer science, and information systems.

I also used to read a lot, sometimes over a hundred books a year, and they were mostly non-fiction and classics, so they were knowledge dense. Some of my favorite subjects are philosophy, psychology, business, personal finance, programming, internet, social media, marketing, blogging, spirituality, relationships, lifestyle, and society.

After all this learning, education, observation, experience and contemplation are done, I still feel like the fundamental questions in life have been left unanswered and no one is an authority on them. Going forward, the things I would like to become an authority on are having fun, being happy, making friends, enjoying company, staying healthy, talking much, staying relaxed, and enjoying a cold one. Cheers!

What are you an authority on? Do you think we spend a lot of time gaining our authority? Is it all worth it? Share your thoughts in the comments, and don’t forget to like and subscribe!

What name do you think I look like?

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Objectively beautiful?

Last night I wondered downtown to a local tavern to have a couple of beers. While I was sitting there at the bar top, enjoying my Corona light with lime, a couple of women wondered up and sat down close to where I was sitting. They also had another person with them who was a guy. I’m not sure if they all knew each other or had just met that night.

It wasn’t long before they had struck up a conversation with the bartender and began discussing a variety of interesting topics. I started to join in, but decided not to, even though they offered me a shot. I did take the shot though. It was something called a Rumple shot. It had a very strong minty taste, and I thoroughly regretted that decision shortly afterwards.

Women are objectively beautiful, but you have to get to know a man before you can determine if he is beautiful.

One statement made by one of the ladies that stuck in my head was that women are objectively beautiful, but you have to get to know a man before you can determine if he is beautiful. I’ve heard similar sayings before, but I don’t know how I feel about them. If true, then men really don’t have to be as concerned about appearance as they believe. It seems like this would be unfair if the girl was just endowed with natural beauty. It also seems to indicate that a guy has to constantly work on having the most pleasing personality, while a girl must fixate on her physical beauty.

Do you agree with these ladies’ assessment? Do you think this viewpoint is changing in our society? Had any related experiences? Tell me in the comments, and don’t forget to like and subscribe.