August 2007

 The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company… a church… a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you… we are in charge of our Attitudes.  - Charles R. Swindoll

I read an article this morning on Web MD that listed the top steps a person can take to save their life.  There were the expected, but oh so important, admonitions to get regular check-ups and screenings.  We’ll think nothing of paying money for trips, technology, and clothes - but when it comes to seeing a doctor, all of a sudden we want to clamp the checkbook shut.  Yet, there isn’t any shopping to be done ever again if the grim reaper shows up!  No. Shopping. Ever. Again.  I’m not sure more frightening words have ever been strung together.

There were also some really great tips that we can do on our own.

1. Daily Aspirin Therapy.  There seems to be a little controversy over how important this is or isn’t.  Frankly, if there are enough doctors recommending the practice (and there are) and if there aren’t undesirable side effects (and there aren’t) - I think it’s a no-brainer.  Of course, if you’re allergic to aspirin, don’t touch it.  Also, it’s a big fat no no for anyone below 20 who has the flu to take aspirin or aspirin products.
2. Flu Shots.  Speaking of the flu, getting a flu vaccine was another step listed.  This is especially important for those who suffer from other diseases such as diabetes, asthma, etc.  It’s, also, downright crazy for an elderly person to miss his or her flu shot each year.  According to Web MD, 12,000 additional lives would be saved each year by increasing the portion of adults aged 50 and older who got an annual flu vaccination to 90%.
3. Stop Smoking!  If you smoke, you’re flirting with disaster and, what’s worse, you know it. However, it’s like being in a really bad relationship.  You know the breakup is going to be hard….even painful…so, you just keep putting it off.  I don’t think most smokers think they’re going to smoke forever.  They usually say something like, “One day I’ll quit, but I have too much stress at work right now…” Again, like ending a bad relationship - the pain of a few days or weeks will go away (faster than you think), THEN, the ugliness can never hurt you again!  It’ll feel like you’ve been given a new lease on life.  You’ll feel healthier, everyone will be proud of you, you’ll be proud of yourself, you’ll save money that you can then spend at Starbucks, you’ll live longer….

And your breath will smell better, too.  Especially if you take the Starbucks advice.

Self Help Store

It’s a beautiful day out, so a man decides to go for a walk. He chooses some nearby woods and takes a familiar trail. He falls into a hole on the path. He picks himself up, dusts himself off, climbs out of the hole and continues his walk.

The following week, the man decides to take another walk.  He sees the hole up ahead and decides he’ll go around it this time. However, just as he tries to side-step the hole, he accidentally falls in. Again, he picks himself up, dusts himself off, climbs out of the hole and continues his walk.

On his third visit down the same trail, the same man walks a little farther away from the hole, trying to by-pass it altogether. However, he trips over a rock on the path and falls in again! And as before, he picks himself up, dusts himself off, climbs out of the hole and continues his walk.

On the fourth visit to the woods - the same man chooses a DIFFERENT trail and enjoys his walk. The hole isn’t there; he doesn’t fall, there’s no need to climb out, no cause to dust himself off. He simply continues his walk in peace and enjoyment.

Moral of the story?  Choose your paths wisely!  

If you’re like me, you love your pets as much as some people (better than some I’ve had the displeasure of meeting).  You’re also probably just as horrified by the tragedies involving  unsafe pet food.

I’ll always believe that we lost our dog, Wednesday, largely because of tainted food. He was, like, 675 years old, so it would be very tough to prove.  Plus, common sense dictates that the little guy didn’t have much time left. 

However, most of the animals being harmed aren’t 675.  My heart breaks for everyone who has lost a very special friend during these scares.  It’s completely and utterly senseless.

Unfortunately, I read this morning that there’s a new scare.  Chicken Jerky Strips and Chicken Jerky have been pulled from the shelves in Wal-Mart stores after Pet owners reported their dogs getting sick.  The products were made in China - as if the country needed any more bad news.

Read the story for more details:  Melamine Found in Dog Treats

Needless to say, if you know anyone with dogs, tell them about the products so they can toss them out.

 

 

The opportunities of man are limited only by his imagination.  But so few have imagination that there are ten thousand fiddlers to one composer. - Charles F. Kettering

I’ve said it before on this very blog, but I think it’s worth repeating…in fact I know it is. The mind is such a complex and amazing power that we should never underestimate the power its THOUGHTS have over our entire life.

If the brain is the center of us…and it is just that….then, whatever is going on in the control center will manifest itself outwardly.  Which is, of course, why you never see a healthy hypochondriac.

I’m asking you to think about your thought patterns for a minute. What do you think about more than anything else? Does worry for a loved one or loved ones occupy most of your thoughts? If so, you probably neglect yourself a great deal.

For example, how many young mothers BEFORE their pregnancy and birth look like something that stepped out of a catalog? - With jewelry, hot clothes, painted nails, make-up and their hair done, they take pride in their appearance and it shows. Fast forward a year, sometimes even two or three. The same girl can very often be found…IF you recognize her! The problem isn’t the girl, physically - she’s still as beautiful as ever. It’s just that her appearance (and even herself) has taken a backseat. Her thoughts now center primarily around her child - what he/she drinks, wears, laughs at, gurgles at, etc.

Is there anything wrong with that? Of course not! I did it 3 times over - and if God ever developed a mischievous sense of humor and unmatched randomness, I’d do it a 4th time. I fell into the trap deepeer than anyone. When I was in my teens, my fingernails were never NOT pink, my hair was styled each morning, I spent $$$$ on name brand clothes and had more shoes than any shoe store worth its weight. I even smelled like Charlie perfume when I went to bed - after a 30 minute bubble bath. I was a baby diva unlike any you’d ever find.

Then. Came. Babies. My nailpolish bottles caked up, my curling iron packed its cord and ran away from home….. Charlie? I was afraid of having too much perfume around my babies (????), so I started smelling like Baby Powder - after a 3 minute bath (couldn’t be away from my girls longer than that).

So, uh, yeah, my control center was a baby nursery. I stopped my writing, except for writing in baby books or writing letters to family members. It never even hit me until one day when I was looking at old pictures. Pictures of me from the ages of 12 to 18 were so alarmingly different from recent pictures. Of all things to notice, I looked at the fingernails. In all of the old pics, they were beautiful - all done up in a hot pink or red from Avon. Hair just so… Then I looked at the more recent ones: Naked nails, ponytails, sweat pants, and t-shirts. My jaw dropped and I threw away the sweat pants.

Well, you get the point.

Another example would be the man who becomes so consumed with making money that it’s, literally, all he can think about OR talk about. Another bad deal. Work and money become all he thinks about and he begins to lose any sort of fun streak or personality. How many professionals do you meet and think, “Man, he has NO personality whatsover!” The thing is, he probably did once, before his mind became consumed with money rather than life.

Should an individual love their work - heck yes. Should an individual love their children - hell yes! But nothing….not even family…should take up every square inch of your thoughts.

Make a point of watching your thoughts for a while - see where they run off to when unsupervised. They probably have a favorite spot that you weren’t even aware of. Now, take a look at what, if anything, this retreat is costing you. Make an effort to make your thoughts as well-rounded as possible.

There’s more to it than this, though. Once you make sure you don’t put all of your thought eggs into just one basket - you have to, then, make sure that you don’t entertain negative, self-limiting, harmful thoughts.

Not long ago, I was telling my daughters how I want them to always live out loud - and never in a whisper. I want them to see how big and beautiful life is and not EVER let anything or anyone ever fence them in. In order to live life largely, you have to harness your thoughts. Negative thoughts will do as much damage as positive ones.

If you frequently think, “I’m down…” - you’ll soon be down so far you won’t be able to see up.

If you frequently think, “I’ve got to hurry!” - you’ll soon be living at such a fast pace no one will be able to (or even want to) keep up with you. Your health will also suffer greatly.

If you frequently think, “I’m so worried about…” - you guessed it, you’ll become the biggest worry wart to ever carry the title.

If you frequently think of things your mad about or people who make you angry, you’ll soon be a walking/talking temper tantrum waiting to explode. Ugly? You know it.

Let’s flip that all around now.

What would happen if you frequently thought of reasons to be happy?….

What would happen if you frequently thought of ways to show people how much you love them?…

Instead of thinking about the problems, what if you thought of ways to solve them?….

Someone once said, “You are what you eat.” - But I think a more appropriate saying would be, “You become what you think about.” So, if you do one thing today, vow to start taking your thoughts in a positive direction - your life will follow them. Godspeed!

Make each thought count.  For good.

It always strikes me, and it is very peculiar, that when we see the image of indescribable and unutterable desolation - of loneliness, of poverty and misery, the end of all things, or their extreme - then rises in our mind the thought of God.  - Vincent van Gogh

I’ve been thinking this morning (dangerous, I know).  When something goes wrong or just to the right of perfect, the majority of us blame whomever is in charge. I’m as guilty as anyone. For example, the other night my beloved St. Louis Cardinals fell behind early in a game against the Brewers.  Our pitcher threw a few pitches that my arthritic 18 year old cat could have hit.  Did I grumble at the batter(s) for having the audacity to swing?  No.  Did I grumble at Yadier Molina for not giving different signs?  Heck no (my youngest daughter loves him and would have thrown something at me).  Did I call out the pitcher, himself?  Oddly enough, no.  In between bites of popcorn, I went after the head honcho with a “LaRussa!” 

When prices go up or something ugly happens in the world, we blame the individual in the oval office.  Clinton was to blame for all of the world’s problems when he was in office and Bush gets them laid at his feet when he’s in office.  Fair?  No, of course not.  What’s even more out of whack is the number of Republicans who were watching with baited breath for Clinton to mess up and the Democrats who are doing the same with Bush.

However, even worse than the scenarios above is the deal God gets.  Whenever there’s a tornado, hurricane, war, or human suffering of any kind - THEN God’s name comes up.  How could God let this happen! 

It’s sad, when you think about it.  Every minute in the day, there’s a miracle happening somewhere in the world.  Yet, God’s name is rarely mentioned as the source.  But let something bad happen and His is the first name brought up.

We should all be just as quick to praise and applaud as we are to criticize and blame.  Quicker.

Don’t look for God where He is needed most; if you didn’t bring Him there, He isn’t there.  - Mignon McLaughlin

 
Polar Bears in Snow Art Print
Buy at AllPosters.com

The first animals I can remember are two gorgeous collies my grandparents had when I wasn’t much bigger than one of their toys.  From that time to today I’ve had an overwhelming love of all animals.  I absolutely melt in their presence. I couldn’t even begin to count the number of strays I’ve adopted over the years.  My husband quickly learned what my parents always knew - never, ever take me near an animal shelter or pet store.  It’s not because I’ll want one…it’s because I’ll want them all.

It’s pretty much the same at the zoo - but, we do have to draw the line somewhere.

One of my absolute favorite animals is the polar bear. I collect stuffed polar bears, polar bear mugs, etc.  I love these guys to distraction.

They’re the world’s largest terrestrial carnivore.  Polar bears are excellent swimmers and spend most of their life in or around water. However, as a result of global warming, sea ice in the polar bear’s hunting grounds is melting earlier and forming later each year. If present trends continue, this gorgeous and majestic animal could be extinct by the end of this century.

Totally unacceptable.

I’m going to drop some very important links, below, and ask you to see what you can do to help our beautiful friends. Most people sit back and think, “Someone else will take care of this…someone else will take care of that…” - it’s a recipe for disaster….and extinction.

Also, we should all keep in mind that Global Warming, Conservation, and Environmental Protection aren’t political buzz words (or rather they shouldn’t be).  Democrats aren’t the only ones who care about the world around us - and Republicans aren’t card-carrying tree choppers and animal haters.  Something as remarkably important as this shouldn’t be used in political warfare.  Ridiculous.

All politicians should ban together and get on the same side for once.  Frankly, I don’t care what party a politician associates with - I just want to know that they care about the same things we care about.

The Links:

Adopt a Polar Bear! (WWF)

Global Warming Crusade

Global Warming 101

Stop Global Warming

Polar Bears International

Nature’s Kingdom, Polar Bears Art Print
Buy at AllPosters.com

I added a new article this morning to the Articles Section.  It’s by one of my favorite online publishers, Jim Edwards.  It (e-mail) addresses a subject that pokes us all in the side.  See Is E-Mail Ruining Your Life?

Jacob,  age 92, and Rebecca, age 89, living in Florida, are all excited
about  their decision to get married. They go for a stroll to discuss the  
wedding, and on the way they pass a drugstore. Jacob suggests they  go in.

Jacob addresses the man behind the counter: “Are you the  owner?”

The pharmacist answers, “Yes.”

Jacob: “We’re about  to get married. Do you sell heart medication?”

Pharmacist: “Of  course we do.”

Jacob: “How! about medicine for  circulation?”

Pharmacist: “All kinds.”

Jacob: “Medicine  for rheumatism and scoliosis?”

Pharmacist:  ”Definitely.”

Jacob: “How about Viagra?”

Pharmacist: “Of course.”

Jacob:  ”Medicine for memory problems, arthritis, jaundice?”

Pharmacist:  ”Yes, a large variety. The works.”

Jacob: “What about vitamins,  sleeping pills, Geritol, antidotes
for Parkinson’s  disease?”

Pharmacist: “Absolutely.”

Jacob: “You sell  wheelchairs and walkers?”

Pharmacist: “All speeds and  sizes.”

Jacob: “We’d like to use this store as our Bridal  Registry.“