Desert Messenger

DESERT MESSENGER Quartzsite's FREE Community Paper Proud to be a Quartzsite Licensed Business 928-916-4235 O� T��� - E���� T���! Founded by Walt Akin October 1, 2004 P�������� �� P���� R��� P��������� C�. P.O. Box 3185 Quartzsite, AZ 85359 PUBLISHED ONCE/MONTH ON THE 3 RD WEDNESDAY OF EACH MONTH OWNER/EDITOR/PUBLISHER GRAPHIC DESIGN/ AP AR MARKETING EXECUTIVE/CLASSIFIEDS Shanana "Rain" Golden-Bear CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Starr BearCat NAME PLATE DESIGN Paul Winer www.DesertMessenger.com www.DesertMessengerOnline.com E-mail: Editor@DesertMessenger.com 2024 © Copyright All Rights Reserved Copyright 2013 Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Desert Messenger. LIKE US on Facebook.com/ DesertMessengerNews FOLLOW on X (Twitter) @QuartzsiteRain By Shanana "Rain" Golden-Bear QUARTZSITE ROCKS! EDITORIAL LETTERS TO EDITOR POLICY Desert Messenger encourages letters from its readers. Letters should be no longer than 300 words, and may be edited for grammar, content and length. OPINIONS EXPRESSED HEREIN DO NOT NECESSAR- ILY REPRESENT THOSE OF THE DESERT MESSENGER. We invite you to not only see a problem, but search for the solution to share with the community, keeping the benefit of all in mind. Letters considered libelous, in poor taste, on a personal issue, mean spirited or dominated by Scripture quotes will not be published. Third party letters will not be accepted. To avoid confusion over people with com- mon or similar names, writers must provide a full name and indicate the name they are known by. Writers must provide a full street address and phone number. Rvers can provide the location of park/BLM land, etc. Street addresses will not be published. Phone numbers are for verification only and will not be printed. Send letters to: Desert Messenger, P.O. Box 3185, Quartzsite, AZ 85359 or E-mail to: Editor@DesertMessenger.com 928-916-4235 6 DesertMessenger.com May 15, 2024 Actions speak louder than words. A smile says, 'I like you. I am glad to see you.' ~ DALE CARNEGIE Memories are a funky thing, espe- cially for a stroke warrior, like me. I recently had a memory pop up of my mother sharing with me what she learned by taking the Dale Carnegie's course when I was a teen. One day, she and my step-dad were arguing rather intensely and she was obviously very upset. The phone rang right in the middle of their argument. (When all phones were land lines and just rang loudly.) So she stopped, took a deep breath, and smiled before answering. She had a pleasant conversation with her friend, calmly listening to her problems and helped her come up with solutions. Afterwards, I asked her why she wasn't honest with her friend and she said, "My problem is not her problem. She didn't deserve my anger." We then had a wonderful discus- sion about the importance of having compassion and showing kindness to others, even our own emotions could be off-center. She told me about her favorite tip from Carnegie was to smile before answering the phone. I think we could all use a bit of Dale Carnegie's timeless principles these days as tensions rise around the na- tion. Maybe we could benefi t from re- membering why his simple 30 princi- ples have helped so many individuals and businesses succeed over the last 80 years. One of the core ideas in his books is that it is possible to change other people's behavior by changing one's behavior towards them. His book, "How to Win Friends and Infl uence People" is not about "per- suading or infl uencing others," but rather practical suggestions on how to enhance interactions with folks, as well as helping folks become bet- ter human beings. Some of the topics include "Giving honest and sincere appreciation," "Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing others," and "Praise every improvement, no matter how small." The fi rst fi ve principles are 1) Don't criticize, condemn or complain. Imagine if we stopped our inces- sant complaining about "them..." 2) Give honest and sincere apprecia- tion...like tell someone we appreci- ate them. And 3) Understand the other person's desires and arouse an eager want. This means being able to see things from another point of view, maybe even challenge yourself to have compassion for someone you don't understand, like Walk a mile in my moccasins, etc. 4) Become Genuinely Interested In Other People, like fi nd out what make them tick. My favorite, thanks to my mom, is Number 5) SMILE! Dale Carnegie wrote a poem about smiling which is likely to crack a smile even among those who smile the least. It costs nothing, but creates much. It enriches those who receive, without impoverishing those who give. It happens in a fl ash and the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. None are so rich they can get along without it and none so poor but are richer for its benefi ts. It creates happiness in the home, fosters goodwill in a business, and is the countersign of friends. It is rest to the weary, daylight to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad, and nature's best antidote for trouble. Yet it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed or stolen, for it is something that is no earthly good to anyone 'til it is given away. And if in the hurly-burly bustle of today's business world, some of the people you meet should be too tired to give you a smile, may we ask you to leave one of yours? For nobody needs a smile so much as those who have none left to give. Smiling can help you live longer. Ac- cording to Harvard Medical School's Harvard Health Publishing, opti- mism—which is linked to smiling—is associated with a lower risk of early death from cancer and infection. So, go share a smile with someone today! Peace is easier when we smile together!

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