What is the Secret to Handling the Little BIG Things?

I wanted to scream but resorted to talking to myself out loud. Could this day get any worse?

Stress Management. How many articles and books have been written on this subject?  How many medications are taken daily in hopes of managing the stress we experience? What coping mechanisms can we practice?  

Is Your Life a Rose Garden or Does Poop Mess it Up?

There must be a Murphy's Law that says: "When you are dressed to the nines, that is when mishaps/mini disasters/poop happens."

My daughter, her two children, my husband, and I had attended the Celebration of Life service for a dear friend of ours. It was exceptionally hot outside and we were anxious to get home. My husband was in the rear seat of the SUV facing our one-year-old granddaughter in her car seat. Hubby entertained the baby as she giggled having a great time with Papa.  

"Why did you give her chocolate?"  Hubby shouted from the rear of the SUV.

"What chocolate? I didn't give her any chocolate. William, did you give your sister some chocolate?

"MOM, it isn't chocolate.  It's POO!"

During Stressful Times, We Can Be Thankful We Have A Home

Every other year my Christmas shopping would be done by now. Usually, I shop in August and September and wrap gifts in October. By the time Christmas comes around I have forgotten what I purchased for everybody so it is a big surprise for me as well. I get my thrills where I can!

Not sure what happened this year except that it has been incredibly busy. Although I have not been on the road for any speaking tours during this pandemic, every other part of our businesses has soared. 

Angels Took on a New Form

Do You Avoid the Triggers That Remind You of Past Memories?

 

Memories are triggered in many different ways.  Sometimes it is when you smell a fragrance your friend used to wear. Or maybe a bad smell of food (cooked cabbage) that reminds you when your mother MADE you eat it.

Some memories are triggered by sounds  - especially music. I think most of us have vivid memories from our teen years or when we fell in love for the first time.

Each of us has good and bad memories. Hopefully, it is the good ones we hold on to and let the bad ones go. But both types of memories have triggers.

And then there are pictures. Pictures of when we were children. Pictures of our first date, dance, or graduation. Pictures of long lost friends or family members.

Do You Know How to Stay Focused During Trauma

Trauma affects us. Period. How it affects us can be either a negative or positive experience. But, turning a negative into a positive is often easier said than done, isn't it?

Sometimes we do not realize we have "been here before" until it's over. Pain works that way. Pain is just that - PAIN. When we are in the middle of it, it feels like a new experience. Yet, it rarely is.

There are many types of pain that we experience in life. There are times when we are blindsided and experience pain on a level we had not realized we were capable of handling. When we look back at those experiences we often wonder how we made it through -- but we did.  And we are stronger for it.

Pain takes on many forms in your life. Rejection, loss, physical or emotional trauma, abuse, divorce, the list goes on.

4 Funny Tips on How to Create an Awesome Profile Picture

How important is your profile picture? There are many people who post profile pictures that are not pictures of themselves at all. You may choose to do this for various reasons. Some people may be more interested in sharing their brand instead of a photo of themselves. Some may want to post a family picture (which tells a story about who they are). Some may post a picture of their furry friend.

What does someone see when they look at your profile picture? No matter how often we may say that we don't judge a book by the cover, it is human nature to do just that.

Be careful not to judge too quickly

4 Ways to Live Longer and Happier

Almost everyone wants to live longer and we spend a lot of money trying to find the secrets to living a longer life. We buy potions, pills, creams, and exercise equipment - all in an effort to maintain or regain/retain our youth. We spend a great deal of our hard-earned money to look younger. Some of it works, but most of it does not.

Don't Stop

Although longevity runs in my family, I know the reason most of them lived well into their 90s is that they don't stop. As my brother put it, "I'll have time to rest when I die." I  work harder than I did 40 years ago.  I love to be busy which helps me to think younger, act younger, and look younger. And an active brain is much better than the opposite. 

What you feed will grow

AND.....

What you starve will die

Do These Top 10 Worst Pet Peeves Make You Angry?

 Pet Peeves.  We all have them. They make us go GRRRRRR.

The Difference Between... 

What is the difference between things we hate and pet peeves?  An example: I hate to see people smoking in a car with a dog inside. I want to run over and smash their windows.  It is now against the law to smoke with children in the car but not animals. Don't they have rights too?

A peeve leans more toward an annoyance experienced by many people.

We all have things in our lives that drive us nuts but we don't always want to admit it -- it sounds like we are whining.  

It is difficult to put them in order of most annoying to least as pet peeves are usually equally annoying!  

  

Do Manufacturers Actually Believe We Are This Stupid?

 HILARIOUS -- Have you seen these?

Are you a label reader?  If you are, then I am sure you have come across some labels that give your head a shake.  There are labeling laws that are in place to protect the consumer. However, when you read some of these actual labels, it makes you wonder if the industry thinks the human race is stupid, or worse.   On the bottom of McCain's Tiramisu dessert:  "Do NOT turn upside down."  UHhh, a bit late! On Planter's peanuts:  "WARNING:  may contain nuts" I was hoping for nutless peanuts!

Do People Say Nice Things and Really Mean Them?

How do you feel about people who lie to you?  I don't mean the big lies -- just those tiny ones that don't really seem to matter.  Or do they?  Saying things we really do not mean is often more of a habit than an intention to hurt someone.

"I'll be in touch."  If I tell someone I am going to stay in contact with them, I make a note of it right then and there.  Sometimes it means sending them a quick email to see when we can get together or to see what's new in their lives.  Making a friendly gesture is only the first step. Keeping in touch is quite another. 

I have heard those words so often and then wonder why they never call. Did they forget? Do they not care?  It reminds me of the phrase from the second (or first) date "I'll call you."  You know they don't have the slightest intention of calling so WHY waste breath by saying they will? Is it to appease the listener at the moment? It is just as easy to say "Goodbye" as it is to say you will be in touch.

How Do You Remember Things You Need To Do?

How often do you wonder if you locked the front door?  Or turned down the heat?  Or closed the garage door?

If I got a nickel for every time I went back to check if I had done something, I would be a rich woman. I am not sure if it is an "aging" symptom because I believe I have always done this. And my daughter does the same thing.  

Did I unplug the curling iron?  Did I remember my keys?  Did I turn off the coffee pot?

Do You Wish Your Life Had A Restart Button?

 

If given the opportunity would you accept a RESTART button for your life? Would you like to travel back in time and change things? What might your life look like after you did that?  

This is how I would answer that soul-searching question:

1)  I  would not have married the man my parents and family warned me against.  If I had not married him then my life would have been a lot easier after the divorce.  I would not have been gang-raped and left for dead (by his 'friends').  I would not have had my home completely destroyed by a gang of vandals (his friends).  I would not have had an emotional and physical breakdown.  

HOWEVER.....I learned a lot from those experiences and they helped make me the strong woman I am today.

20 Things You Promised You Would Never Do

Be honest.  Have you ever said, "I'll never be like that when I get old?"  All of us have fallen short in some form or another by doing the things we swore we would never do.

Most of us made some hard and fast rules when we became parents.

"I will never yell at my children."  Come on, tell us, have you ever yelled at your kids.

What Do You Think About More? Your Present or Your Past?

It is quite normal to wonder what would have been different if you had made a different decision. Would it have changed the direction your life took?  Hindsight and reflection are the best teachers. In light of the trauma, anxiety, and stress in many of our lives, it is common to think about the What Ifs and If Onlys. 

If you could go back 20 years for one hour and change the rest of your life, what would you change and why?

My life has been a tumultuous one - on every level, in every arena.  Often the storms would come one after the other but many times they would be happening at the same time.  Every year had turbulence and it would be impossible to attempt changing anything - it's done. Complicated.  Exhausting.  

In the light of a cancer diagnosis, loss of a child, being gang-raped and left for dead, total financial ruin, husband falsely imprisoned and more...it is easy to wish things had been different. HOWEVER, who we are today is a result of what happened yesterday. If we dwell on those setbacks and calamities, we can get stuck in self-pity. But, if we look at each situation as a stepping stone to something better and be thankful for what we learned through the crisis, we will not only survive but will thrive.

Is Owning a Dog Better Than Being Married?

I never met a dog I didn't like love.  Give me five minutes with any dog and I will create a life-long bond.  After years of rescuing dogs - over 30 so far - I can't imagine life without at least one furbaby in the house. My daughter has six at the moment - the acorn doesn't fall far....

Dogs make us laugh -- every single day.  When you learn to speak 'dog' they will tell you what you want to hear -- "I love you.  I have always loved you.  I will always love you.  Nothing else matters."

A bachelor friend of ours loves dogs as much as we do and has always maintained it is easier to date a woman and come home to his four-legged furry friend than to to be married. WHAT?

Admit it -- I bet some of you have thought that.  And here are some reasons why.......

1.  The later you come home, the more excited the dog is to see you.  You don't have to have an excuse or an explanation.  Giving a dog a pat on the head and a treat will make them forget you were ever gone at all.

For Better, For Worse -- A Language a Dog Understands

 

When we think of the words "For better, for worse," we usually think of marriage. We say our vows on our wedding day proclaiming that we will never leave our spouse, no matter what happens.

But sometimes we don't follow through with those vows.  Sometimes, our spouse is abusive or falls out of love with us or...vice versa. Those words ring in our ears -- for better, for worse -- but......it may be out of our control.

If Only You Had Not Made That Mistake, Then What?

Has there ever been a time in your life where, in the heat of the moment, you would have literally sold your soul for a different outcome if it was an actual possibility and not just a phrase?

Like the time my doctor told me I had cancer and without a hysterectomy, I would die?  Instead of accepting his diagnosis, I chose to challenge him and refuse treatment.  I wish I did not have to go through all those years of pain but I cured myself and 40 years later am healthier than ever.

 



Like the time my husband decided to throw himself on the mercy of the court and plead guilty to a crime he was innocent in hopes that the judge would realize the only witness we had to prove our case committed suicide before we went to trial?  If only, we had known hubby would go to prison resulting in that bad decision.

10 Reasons Why You Should NOT Have a Dog as a Pet

Do you wonder if you should get a dog? Have you weighed the pros and cons and stress over the extra work and time it will take? 

Hubby and I rescued over 30 dogs and each one of them became a family member quickly. Each one knew they were loved, wanted, and they would no longer be abused. In our current climate of unrest and stress, NOTHING is more calming than the love of a four-legged fur baby. 

Yes, there is deep hurt when you lose your precious furry family member and may not want to ever adopt another. But, there are hundreds of them waiting for a good home. I am convinced that they are completely aware they were rescued and will do anything to protect you and love you with every ounce of their being. 

Here is my list of why we need a dog in our life:

1. You will no longer need an alarm clock. Dogs have internal clocks with alarms that go off right on time. They know when it is time to get up, to eat, to exercise, and a host of other activities.