Do You Have It All? Are You Happy?

If someone were to ask you if you 'have it all'  or "How happy are you?" do you know how you would answer?  Would you answer quickly with "Of course, I'm happy"  or would you think about it for a moment and then say "Yes, I am as happy as I could hope to be."

There are actual Happiness Quizzes you can take online which were developed by psychologists to help you determine your state of mind.  Personally, I don't need to take a quiz to read my happiness thermometer.  

Even when we go through dark times we can focus on the good in our lives; things we are grateful for, and look to better times ahead. The 'attitude of gratitude' buzz on the internet over the past couple years has certainly made more people aware that we need to daily remind ourselves of what is good and positive in our lives.

If You Quit, You'll Never Know if You Would Have Made It

This past month is a blur.  It is hard to believe that less than a week ago, my world shifted on its axis. Has that ever happened to you?  Sometimes our lives change in an instant; it could be a good thing..... or not so good.

I have had more than the allotted amount of difficult times that any one person should have to endure in a lifetime. Yet, almost daily, I am reminded that I am blessed and more fortunate than millions of other people.

There is good stress and bad stress.  Sometimes they are equally difficult to handle.  After years of things going wrong, discouragement after discouragement, shattered dreams and broken promises, I became conditioned to question everything, not trusting; yet never giving up hope that someday, somehow, somewhere, it would be my turn.   Often it would take every ounce of effort I could muster to get up in the morning and make it through another day.

Putting one foot in front of the other seemed a greater feat than I might be able to accomplish.  I had to stay strong.  It was a constant battle.

To Flash or Not to HOT Flash - That is the Question

Hot flashes.  Dry skin.  Night Sweats.  Insomnia.  Mood swings. Hair loss.  Memory loss.   It has been suggested that Baby Boomer's hot flashes are causing Global Warming!

Sound familiar?  There are many posts written about menopause. Most of them are humorous yet packed with information on how to survive the numerous symptoms and body changes. 

I beg you not to roll your eyes at me but when I read and comment on these posts, I feel ostracized as if I am some kind of weirdo or liar.  I am told I am one of the "lucky" ones.  I am acutely aware of the list of symptoms that are common to menopausal women.  I often wondered why we don't find posts about women who have not had to deal with these negatives.  Do some women bypass them or could there be another reason?