March 2006

“The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.”  ~Mark Twain

“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.” ~ Hans Hofmann

“Simplify, Simplify!” ~Henry David Thoreau

“As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness.”  ~Henry David Thoreau

Just for a few minutes, think about the fix we’ve gotten into (as a generation, not just you and me).  We live life in a fast forward motion.  We eat too much, spend too much, go too much, work too much, and do too much.  Road rage no longer surprises us, we’re much more likely to be taken aback by courtesy rather than rudeness.  If a salesperson is incredibly helpful and friendly, it stands out as “different” to us and leaves an impression.

There was a time when, upon hearing someone say, “I’m stressed” or “I’m depressed,” we’d register a wave of alarm and wonder what we could do to help them.  We’re nearly at a place, now, when we hear the words and think, “Yeah, well who isn’t?” 

As a society, we battle obesity, high blood pressure, heart attacks, diabetes, sleep deprivation, stress, bi-polar disorders, depression, anxieties, dependencies, and sadly the list goes on and is built upon daily.

We’ve gotten to the place where you’ll hear a man say that he hasn’t had a chance to read a newspaper in a week and a woman say she isn’t sure what her child’s favorite juice is - that she’ll have to ask the next time she drops him off at daycare…..and they both say it proudly, as in “Look how busy I am! You’re impressed, right?”

Wrong.  Nothing really impressive about a rat running its race on a treadmill.

All of us, for our own good, as well as for that of the psyches of future generations, need to dial down a little bit on the dial of life.  We need to start enjoying our days more, rather than just working them into the ground.  Yes, work is pretty darned important - freakin’ necessary in fact, but if all we do is work - when do we enjoy its rewards?!  

Have you ever heard a workahaulic say they’re working “for their retirement?”  If they work themselves into heart disease, that day will either never come or it’ll arrive just to be spent going from doctor to doctor.  The money they made will be spent all right, but not how they’d planned.  And it’ll be enjoyed all right - but by cardiologists, not by them!

In a great, mind-awakening book by Elaine St. James, Simplify Your Life : 100 Ways to Slow Down and Enjoy the Things That Really Matter, the following suggestions are made.  A few are radical, I’ll grant you that.  But so is what we’re doing!

1. De-clutter your household.  Simplify your life in every way possible.  Even get rid of your lawn if it’s too much to care for.
2. Move into a smaller house.
3. Simplify your wardrobe.
4. Get out of debt.
5. Re-think your spending habits.
6. Rent rather than own.
7. Stop making the bed. 
8. Clean up your eating habits.
9. Clean up your relationships.
10. Be yourself.
11. Meditate.
12. Toss your Day Runner.
13. Live closer to where you work.
14. Make small changes to simplify your life.
15. Ask yourself what’s important in life.
16. Make changes that make your life easier.

She’s a very, very motivational author who makes you realize that changes need to be made - even if you don’t follow her every lead.  For example, the thought of leaving my bed unmade gives me the hebbie jebbies.  No no no, it has to be made and made well - pillows just so, the lines on the comforter perfectly aligned, the throw at the foot folded symmetrically - otherwise my cat and I will both be out of sorts.

Aside from our idiosyncrasies, this author is one you’ll not only enjoy reading, you’ll better your life by doing so.  She has written several books, each of which would earn 5  stars from the reader on this side of the keyboard.  The main thrust of her teachings is simplification, and therein just may lie the secret to turning things around for our fast-paced, rat-racing society - while there’s still plenty of time for us to enjoy the rewards.

We have to get to the point where we enjoy and treasure the life we have rather than feverishly trying to fashion it into a different, supposedly better one. 

Have an amazing and fun weekend! I hope your team makes it on selection Sunday.  My fingers are crossed for my UK Wildcats and UofL Cardinals.  Crummy years for both of them - neither one ever seemed to get going.  Usually March Madness is an incredibly exciting time here in the Bluegrass, but this year our cats purr rather than roar and our birds can’t get off the ground.

Maybe the baseball gods will be kinder to me and this really will be the St. Louis Cardinal’s year!

Joi

Does your metabolism seem a little sluggish?  There are 10 sure-fire ways you can shake it out of its rut!  You’ll find them, waiting to do their magic,  HERE.

In a related article, you can learn How Aging Affects Metabolism - as well as what can be done to combat the effects.

“Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for ’tis better to be alone than in bad company.” ~George Washington

“When you take charge of your life, there is no longer need to ask permission of other people or society at large. When you ask permission, you give someone veto power over your life.”  ~Geoffery F. Abert

I’ve read about three articles, in the last week alone, about pets and antifreeze.  Apparently, our beloved furry little family members feel compelled to lick spilled antifreeze - off the garage floor, off the driveway, off the sides of the container.  Basically anywhere they see a drop.

As you can imagine, though, it’s deadly for them - making it the most fatal of attractions. It does irreversible damage to their kidneys, leading to an all too sudden (and completely unnecessary) death of a  loved one.

So, be sure to keep all containers put up and away and discard old bottles in a manner they can’t get to…..which if your animals are as persistent as ours, means hauling off the trash immediately!

“If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish.”  ~Sam Walton

“Self pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it, we can never do anything wise in the world.” ~Helen Keller

“Sooner or later, those who win are those who think they can.”  ~Richard Bach

My Favorites:

“Self-pity gets you nowhere. One must have the adventurous daring to accept oneself as a bundle of possibilities and undertake the most interesting game in the world making the most of one’s best.” ~Harry Emerson Fosdick

“Someone’s opinion of you does not have to become your reality.” ~Les Brown

“Someone’s opinion of you does not have to become your reality.” ~Les Brown  - Thought it was worth repeating!

It’s normal to feel insecure from time to time, to doubt your abilities and talents, and even to - on occasion - get down-right dissatisfied with the person in the mirror. Even the most self-confident people in the world feel uncomfortable in their own skin every now and then.

The next time you find yourself feeling down about YOU - change directions and start the climb upwards. The view is so much better!

1. Make a list of your attributes - physical, emotional, spiritual, educational, etc. Are you a good listener? Write it down. Do you make people laugh? That’s far too important not to write down!
2. Write down every compliment you’ve ever received. This alone may just do the trick. I was told not long ago that I look like one of my daughters and I’ve been flying on that one, alone, for months.
3. Write down three things, within reason, that you’d like to accomplish - then set to work on doing just that.
4. Write down 10 things that would make you feel better about yourself.  Then set out to do what you can to bring each about.
5. Write down 10 accomplishments you’ve had - things that you personally were responsible for.  Whether it’s getting a high school degree, getting a B in a college class, writing a bog post that someone enjoyed, cooking a great meal…whatever!  Write them down - and if you need more than 10, go for it!
6. Write down 3 things that you could do right now that would make you happy; going for a walk, going for ice cream, having a cup of coffee, having two cups of coffee (sorry, transposing my wishes on you), grabbing a burger and fries from McDs, getting a neck rub, letting chocolate work its magic on you, etc.
7. I saved the best for last - Go out and do something great for someone else. When you put a smile on someone else’s face, you’ll find that the one on your face will be even bigger.  Go by Starbuck’s and grab a Latte for you and one for someone else, then surprise them at work or at home with it.   You’ll both be smiling about it all day!

If feeling unhappy in your own skin is pretty much the norm rather than the exception for you, you (obviously) fall into the category of having low self esteem. I know you don’t need me to tell you that. Just like you don’t need me to tell you that it can greatly interfere with your life and happiness. You have to really concentrate on taking the above suggestions and running with them. When you begin to feel better, you will, only then, realize what all you’ve been missing out on.
Thanks for taking the time to come by, you’ve made my day by being here!

Joi

Last night’s Oscars were about three steps from boring. But being a fan of Reese Witherspoon, Keira Knightley, Joaquin Phoenix, and George Clooney - I stayed glued. Two out of my four won, so I was reasonably happy. Bored, but happy. The cat gave up and left the room after 15 minutes. Fortunately,though, one of my daughters watched with me, so we had some laughs. (Admitedly, the two of us could laugh through CNN’s Financial News….)

Speaking of laughs, did you catch the Andy Griffith Marathon on TVLand? It played in the background throughout our house all weekend. We joined the channel in paying tribute to Don Knotts by laughing at arguably the funniest series ever made….episode after episode. The man was a comedic genius….and although he doesn’t get the attention he deserves, so was Howard McNear (Floyd). And how can Howard Morris (Ernest T. Bass) not be a houshold name?
Back to Oscar, talk about surprise endings - Crash winning over Brokeback Mountain. Never saw that one coming…apparently neither did any of the winners. Their excitement made us smile, and made us want to see their movie - I don’t know how we managed to miss that one. Too busy walking lines, watching Geishas, stepping into wardrobes, and getting lost in Pride and Prejudice?
My biggest shock was the lack of nominations for Memoirs of a Geisha. It was an amazing movie that the academy pretty much overlooked. I don’t know how it, Pride and Prejudice, and WTL couldn’t have landed in the best movie category. And I’m still bitter that Joaquin didn’t win - I can’t even remember the actor’s name he lost to, to be honest, but I hope he was amazing, because Joaquin was nothing short of brilliant as Johnny Cash.

I also loved Reese’s acceptance speech - very sweet and gracious, just what you’d expect from her. Clooney also copped a great acceptance, as did beautiful Rachel Weisz (though I so wanted Michelle Williams to win) - I can’t say whether the man who accepted Joaquin’s award gave a nice speech or not. Hard to listen when you’re tossing pillows at the screen and hissing through Diet Dr. Pepper.

No wonder the cat left the room.

Joi