July 2007

 Have I got a colorful person for you to meet today!  You may already be somewhat familiar with her, or at least with her work…or maybe I should say play. How about work-play? Ding ding ding, that’s it.

I’m talking about SARK, the author and writer who encourages us to all be more succulent, juicy people.  Not only is she a wonderful writer and not only is she brilliantly artistic, she’s a cat lover.  That pretty much makes her “my kind of people.”

I first became familiar with her work after I lost my mother in 2006.  My mom had an unusual love of books and, like SARK, read one each day.  When Steph (daughter #3 a.k.a. “the baby”) and I were sorting through mom’s hundreds of books, I brought a lot of them home with us and took the rest to the Salvation Army.  One of the ones I adopted was a small book which was so colorful and…. well, happy….that I knew I had to have it.  You know when you go to pick out a puppy, you want the one that runs to you, wagging its tail, wanting to play?  That’s the attitude this little book had, and at that (lowest) point in my life - that’s just what I needed.  Living Juicy came home with me, already named and housebroken.

I sat it on my desk, instead of filing it away on bookshelves like I did the other books.  “The one with the wagging tail” would be the first one I’d read, as soon as the mood to read returned.  After a few weeks, I took the little book to the bathtub with me and I soaked in both the bubbles and the SARKisms.

I found the inside of the book to be so much fun, I didn’t want to step outside of it again.  So, I never did entirely.

Some may think of SARK as over the top - something I’m sure she’d take as a compliment.  To me, she’ll always be the first author I read after losing my mom.  It struck me, then and now, as a sign that it’s okay for life to go on - and it’s more than okay to smile again.

Millions of fans have their own personal reasons for loving SARK’s work - whether it’s a personal story or simply a matter of, “She slaps a smile on my day.”  If you’ve never read her work, do yourself a favor and have at it!  I’m fairly certain you’ll find your own reason to love her….and maybe even join her over the top.  The view?  Amazing.

Below is a link to a great profile on SARK by a writer, Chris Colin, who’s also a fan of her Juicy living.  

On the Job:  Go Ahead and Try to Hate SARK

Within the article is a link to SARK’s website - you’ll pretty much want to check that out, too.

“Often we change jobs, friends, and spouses instead of ourselves.” -Akbarali H. Jetha

I guess it’s easier to change things around us than it is to change ourselves.  Of course, going about it this way only means the cycle will repeat itself.

It reminds me of people who are always looking for THINGS to make them happy.  They’ll buy new clothes, furniture, or even cars…looking for a lasting fix.  Unfortunately these types of material fixes are simply sugar highs - the sort that’ll wear off soon enough, right before the crash.

Or the people who think “the magical answer” lies in a new state.   “I’m not happy.  It must be because I live in ???????? If I move to !!!!!!!, I’ll be happy!“  More likely than not, the problems they have in ???????? will follow them to !!!!!!! - the weather will just be nicer.

I actually heard something in the parking lot yesterday while leaving my favorite grocery store.  It was early but already pretty darned hot.  The man rounding up carts was complaining about the heat to a woman, fanning herself with a circular. He said he’d heard it was going to reach the late 80’s by noon and she said, “I know, I can’t stand summer.  I’m trying to talk my husband into moving to Florida.”  The worker, his carts, me, my bags - we all froze in place.  None of us were aware Florida didn’t have summers.  I even lived there before.  I’m almost certain they had warm weather.

In her haste to pull out a solution, she nearly won my Most Bizarre Statement of the Month award.  Unfortunately for her, I’ve read some Britney Spears’ quotes lately - so she’s retaining a title she has a choke hold on.

We should start looking inward more than outward for our solutions.  All of the answers to all of life’s questions lie inside of us - not outside of us. 

I’ve always heard (but have never tested out for the love of all creatures green and beyond) that if you throw a frog into a pot of boiling water, he’ll jump out.  BUT if you put him in a pot of cold water and slowly bring it to a boil, he’ll sit there and boil to death.  Apparently the change is so gradual, he doesn’t realize one’s even taking place. Sure, it’d be easy to say, “Dumb frog,” but we might want to bite our tongue somewhere between the D- and the -umb.  After all, are we that superior?

How many “slow boils” have consumed us in the past?  How many pretty much own us right now?  How many illnesses creep up on a person as they explain away the symptoms?  How many bad habits and/or undesirable character traits take root in our psyche so gradually that we don’t realize it until it’s too late?  If we were thrown in the middle of the situation all at once, we’d jump out….but the change is so gradual, we don’t realize one’s even taking place, until we’re boiling in it.

An Example From the Home Front:

I recently had bloodwork done and my doctor found that my thyroid medicine was no longer interested in doing its job.  What’s worse, it had been phoning it in for a long time.  But, smart girl that I am, I always attributed the symptoms (and now that I’m feeling better I realize just how strong some were) to something else.  I’d stayed up too late watching a movie…I’d gotten up too early to feed my impatient cats…The headaches?  Sinuses, of course.  Etc… after brilliant etc…  If I’d woke up one morning lacking the energy and feel-goodness that I’d had the day before, I’d have been in the doctor’s office before she got there.  But, like so many things in life, it progressed slllloooowwwllly.

If you have any physical complaints or concerns, see your doctor.  Even if it’s just a matter of feeling more tired than usual, don’t allow yourself to get used to the feeling. More times than not, our bodies are trying to tell us something, if we’d just listen.  A LOT of physical symptoms love to enter our lives via the slow boil - so watch out for them.

More Examples:

I expect that the same thing happens with bad traits.  They sneak up on a person.  What about the sweet-tempered young bride that begins to nag a little.  She doesn’t catch herself, so she nags more.  Before she even realizes that a transformation is taking place, she is nagging more than she isn’t nagging. There would have been a time she’d have been horrified to see herself like this, but over time it has slowly become a way of life for her.  She’s done a slow boil without even realizing it.  Her frog’s boiling.

What about the dad who begins to pick on every single thing his son does.  He plays his music too loud.  His bangs are too long. His top’s too black. He spends too much time working on his car.  He doesn’t get enough hours at work.  He doesn’t like the subjects he’s taking in school.  His girlfriend has three earring holes in one ear (when she’s around, that’s really all poor dad can think about).   The son can barely remember the fun guy Dad used to be - the one who taught him to throw a football like Elway, a baseball like Maddox, and a zinger like Pryor. The son would cry if he could see a video with the relationship the way it was and the way it is side by side.  Dad would cry a lot more.  Dad got accustomed to complaining - it became his identity.  “That’s what I do.  I find things that are wrong.”  His frog’s boiling.

Basically, we all have at least one frog in the pot. Something that has crept up on each of us and woven itself into the fabric that makes up our lives.  Something that, if we had seen coming, we’d have run away from. It’s not too late to run now!

Take a good, honest look at yourself - are you the person you’d have wanted to be 10 years ago?  If you were given a crystal ball THEN and could see yourself NOW, what would you cringe the most about?  More than likely, the cringe-worthy thing(s) came about courtesy of a slow boil.

Remedy?  Get your frog out of the pot and set him safely on the counter.  Then poke him in his haunches with a wooden spoon and watch him hop away.  Good riddance.

There’s a world of difference between saying what you’re going to do and doing what you say you’re going to do.  But, amazingly enough, countless people seem to live by the notion that saying you’re going to do something is as good as having done it.  Well, ’taint! (Kentucky Speak for, “Actually, they couldn’t be further fromt the truth.”)

In the way that trees grow bent in a certain direction, people sometimes seem to be bent in a certain direction.  For example, some are bent toward doing, doing, doing and some are bent toward saying, saying, saying.  Just a thought, of course, but maybe if these well-meaning people would start using their hands more and their mouths less - they’d become dangerous.

Saying you’re going to do something without doing it would be like a dentist saying, “I’ll write you a prescription for pain pills,” then proceeding to sit there staring at you and your pain.  With each passing time that the words came out of his mouth without ink coming out of his pen, we’d be a little closer to kicking him there.  Kicking him where?  Kicking him there!

I really don’t hate dentists, I swear I don’t.

One of the worst things about saying without doing isn’t even the fact that someone is let down.  It isn’t even the fact that you might get kicked.  The worst thing is, it won’t be long before no one believes a word that comes out of your mouth. 

I just came across something that oozes coolness and, of course, I thought of you.

Okay.  So my second oldest daughter - who happens to be my second youngest daughter, how cool’s that? - recently went through a difficult wisdom tooth extraction.  When I say difficult, I mean especially difficult…because to my knowledge none are easy.  Brittany’s been experiencing a lot of pain and swelling, so of course, as a mother, I’ve been on a mission to fix my poor broken baby!

When I called the dentist’s office the next day - to inform them that she was in lots of pain and that it looked like a baby raccoon was hiding in her cheek - they assured me that it was normal, given the position of her tooth and the fact that a nerve was lying right on the tooth (aaarrrghhh).  So, we’ve been doing the whole ice pack, distract the mind, take the medicine and eat softly routine.

Since it’s Saturday and the dentist’s office is closed, I was researching online. I just didn’t feel like the swelling should still be this bad, to say nothing of the pain.  I came across something that put my mind more at ease.  Yahoo! Answers assured this mom that the swelling and pain are to be expected.  I read answers from a great number of people who had been through this sort of thing, as well as what their dentist’s told them, what helped them, and other advice they shared.  One young lady even had worked in an oral surgeon’s office, so her words were of great value.  I won’t tell Britt, but from what I gather, the pain can last for weeks.

The next time you have wisdom to spare or a question to share, keep Yahoo! Answers in mind.

At The Movies Tin Sign
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Three of my favorite young people (two daughters and a boyfriend….Brittany’s, not mine) and I saw Hairspray last night.  I was expecting it to be good - after all, if John Travolta and Queen Latifah are on board - it has to be a fun ride.  What I wasn’t expecting was for it to be great. 

I’d read review after review saying things like, “I smiled through the whole movie…” and I kept thinking, No one smiles through a whole movie - unless it’s my husband and there’s a lot of kicking, shoving, punching, and throwing bodies going on.  Yet, I lost track of the number of times I caught myself smiling ear to ear.

The entire cast is simply perfect - I don’t know when I’ve seen a better job of casting.  John Travolta (Edna) is adorably hilarious as a larger than life mother, Queen Latifah proves that she’s one of the most gifted singers we’ve ever had, and Niki Blonsky (Tracey), Zac Efron (Link), Amanda Bynes (Penny), Elijah Kelly (Seaweed), and James Marsden (Corny) are each mesmerizing.

It’s a wonderfully fun feel great movie and we all know there aren’t nearly enough of those. I’m hoping that it’s such a runaway hit that Hollyood starts shelling them out like they once did Spaghetti westerns.

Go see Hairspray only if you want a toe tapping, fun, feel good, spirit-lifting evening full of smiles.  I honestly didn’t want it to end.

“If things go well and we get married, I’m going to be smart this time and I’m going to have him sign a prenup and if we get divorced, I’ll get half his allowance.” – Paula Abdul on The View, talking about her younger boyfriend

Fridays take themselves so lightly, I didn’t think a heavy quote would be appropriate.  Besides I love this one!  Half his allowance…

Photo Credit:  WireImage - Paula Abdula and TJ Torregiani were at the “Hairspray” New York City Premiere.  My youngest daughters and I will be at the “Hairspray” Owensboro premiere tonight, but I’m not expecting any paparazzi. 

I’m starting a new Category here on the blog tonight.  It’s called Agree or Disagree About — And each one will feature either a quote, claim, or action.  Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to leave a comment stating if you agree or disagree.  If you’re so inclined (and I hope you will be), I’d love for you to tell why you agree or disagree.

I came up with this idea recently after reading a few of the comments left on this blog.  Like most bloggers, I’ve found that people don’t leave a lot of comments anymore.  Unlike most bloggers, though I usually don’t mind.  Sure I like to hear you breathing, so I know you’re there - but, like you, I also know what it’s like to be too busy for my own good. I’m as guilty as anyone of reading posts - getting what I need from them, then moving on to my next stop. I’m actually horrible about it.

But recently I was reading some quotes left on this blog and was both motivated and educated.  Hard to beat that with a tree full of sticks, so I thought I’d prod you a little bit and see what else I can get from you!  I want everyone to benefit from your wit and wisdom, so this is me coaxing it out of you.

I’m starting the ball rolling with a quote by Albert Einstein:

“If A is success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut.”

Do you strongly agree, strongly disagree, or find yourself somewhere in the middle? I guess that the main point of debate would be the part about “keeping your mouth shut” and (obviously) it would largely depend upon the circumstance(s).  But IN GENERAL (overall) do you agree with Einstein on this or not.

Also, can you come up with a more modern equation or do you feel that Einstein’s is timeless?

Okay, let’s have it….get those brain cells popping!

Could I, perhaps, interest you in 10 awesome sounding weight loss tips?  Even if, like me,you’re so flawlessly perfect you scare yourself - it still makes a good read.  We’ll humor the author and read along like we need it, right?

Click here to do just that.

DISCLAIMER:  Where the author says something nonesensical to the effect of skipping Starbucks….ignore that one.  He didn’t actually mean it, it’s just the water talking.  He meant Skip everything else you’re doing and get TO Starbucks.

Can do!

In the July issue of Cosmo,  the “Connecting” section had some pretty cool tips for remembering names:

1. After you meet somebody, repeat their name during the course of your conversation. Be sure you repeat it again when saying your goodbyes.
2. We humans remember faces very well (how many times do we say, “Where do I know that face from?”).  Draw an association between the first letter of their name and a facial attribute… Bridgett with Blue eyes, Dennis with Dimples, Sandra with a Square jaw, etc. 
3. If they have the same name as someone else you know, find a way to bridge the two people physically.  For example, if they wear their hair the same.  If they share a name with a celeb or athlete - use the same system.

The magazine used the following as their source:  Gary Small, MD, Author of The Longevity Bible.

Oh, and the same issue of Cosmo also gave this advice:  You can get Beach Hair without the beach by Filling a spray bottle with 8 ounces of water, then adding 2 Tablespoons of sea salt (it encourages waves, of course).  Finally squirt in a dab of gel for extra hold and sheen.  Shake, spritz on, and air-dry. 

But you already knew that.