February Quotes and Trivia – Gary’s Monthly Gems

Welcome, February.

The year was 1964, and the hysteria that enveloped February was something called “Beatlemania“.

On February 7th, the Beatles first arrived in America. That same day “I Want to Hold Your Hand” went to Number 1 on the Billboard Chart.

Two days later, February 9th, they performed on The Ed Sullivan Show for the first time.

That historic first TV appearance garnered them an audience of 73,000,000 people, a new record at the time!  

They would make two more appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show that same month, on February 16th and again on February 23rd and for the three performances they would collect the tidy sum of $10,000.00 plus expenses.       

It would take The Beatles seven more months to make their way to the Montreal Forum where, on September 8th, 1964, this eight and a half-year-old found himself sitting in the audience with several thousand other adoring, screaming and insatiable fans.  An image seared into my brain forever and as clear today as it was that day!

I was up all night putting these February GEMS together, which by all standards means they could easily qualify as …. A Hard Day’s Night!

I learned over time that happiness can be easier had by keeping a healthy balance and perspective on life.

Overthinking and obsessing about happiness is precisely what makes us unhappy.

Happiness is a journey, not a destination. If all your focus is on getting ‘there’ you will miss all the lessons that will inevitably lead you to complete your journey.

There are turns not taken and detours that must be.

There are right turns and wrong turns – all of which define not only where our destination is, but what it is.

Since I began this month’s GEMS with “Beatlemania” and because it’s also the month where we recognize love on February 14th (my birthday), I’d like to leave you with this one succinct and beautiful quote from The Beatles song, The End.  

To me, it’s equally applicable to any and all forms of love.

And, in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make – John Lennon & Paul McCartney

Did you miss January’s Gems?