An Eclectic 3

Swimming On Land with Seniors

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 01:27:00 +0000

This is very cute. Will bring a laugh, no matter how old you are.

Let Us Bless & Be Blessed

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 12:04:00 +0000

This is beautiful and a meaningful video. It is about five minutes and I urge you to watch it all the way through. No, there are no surprises at the end, but if you are like me, half way through I got the message and wanted to move on. I made myself stay to let the idea really sink in, and I am glad I did. Enjoy.......

In a Rut? Try Something New

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 18:17:00 +0000

Simple...to the point... doable...I dare you...and let us know what you do.

Are You So Nice You Are a Victim?

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 18:55:00 +0000

I do a lot of Internet surfing trying to find different takes on the same old information. Really, there is nothing new, just different perspectives. This article has some fresh ways to look at a familiar problem.

People who consider themselves nice moan, "Why do people use me?" And groan, "Why me?" And whine, "I'll never get what I want because_____." Fill in that blank with, "because I allow myself to be a victim." But this isn't nice! Or satisfying.

Victims blame other people for being unhappy. People pleasers who call themselves nice usually see themselves as victims of people who take advantage of them. They suffer like it's their penance and complain about those who did them wrong. But you don't have to! We all have the choice to accept behavior we don't like, or not accept it. People don't make you a victim. You volunteer.

If you're taught that confronting or changing your response to people who don't treat you right isn't nice, you hold the negative emotions in and allow yourself to be a victim. This is poison! We all deserve happiness! Asking "Why me?" when life isn't good reinforces victimhood. Empowered nice people focus their energy on how to change situations. Many people allow themselves to be a victim of poor treatment as punishment if they believe they're not "being good enough." That destroys self-esteem and isn't nice!

People pleasers are often a victim of their insecurities, such as: "I'm not thin enough so I'd better be agreeable, even if I don't like it." Or "Other people seem better than me at work so I'll do all the grunt work, even though it's not my job." Everyone has their own issues that make them insecure enough to be so "nice" that people walk all over them. Then they blame their unhappiness on how others treat them. But the truth is, your own insecurity makes you a victim. If you feel like a loser in some way, you expect people to treat you like one.

A key to being a nice person who finishes first is to take responsibility for how people treat you. It's your choice to adopt a victim mentality or change your response to what you don't like. Nobody can take advantage of you if you choose not to let them. Someone can't take all your time unless you give it. If you do many favors for friends who never help you, stop giving them your time and energy! Being nice should make you feel good, not like an unhappy victim of people who use and abuse your kindness.

People pleasers who call themselves "nice" give others power over them and their beliefs. "He makes me feel unattractive." It's your choice to feel unattractive! Your response determines whether you're a victim of hurtful words or a powerful person who doesn't accept unfair criticism. Deciding to ditch the victim role and stand up for yourself nicely attracts better treatment and increases self-respect.

People can't consistently do negative things unless you allow them to. Relinquish self-pity and change your situation! Why stay a victim? Taking a stand makes people less likely to take advantage. You control how folks treat you. It's your choice to agree to what you don't want to do. It's your choice to listen when people say hurtful things.

Nicely tell someone who regularly says things you don't like that you'll walk away or hang up the phone if it doesn't stop, and do it! Politely turn down requests you don't want to do. Let your response to people show that you're no longer a victim. Complaining is a cop-out. You don't have to yell at the person or get nasty. Just gently explain that you're doing things differently now and you hope they'll accept it in the spirit you feel. Slowly set stronger boundaries.

Nobody uses someone who won't allow it. Stop receiving unacceptable behavior by changing your response to it. You can be a very nice person, giving when you can, when you take responsibility for how people treat you. That gives you the power to change how people treat you and own your life, instead of others owning you.

via: Huffington Post

Where Is Your Name?

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 19:37:00 +0000

What do I mean, where is your name? Want to find out how many times your name shows up the the towns, streets and rivers of America, or the world for that matter? Go here to Data Pointed.

Below is a screen shot of not where my name, Leah shows up (because the screen shot was a tiff file and Blogger evidently doesn't accept tiff files) but Rosemary's, author of the post where I read about this neat little time waster. Scroll out to get the world view. Have fun!

Via: National Geographic

The Secret of Happiness

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 15:26:00 +0000

Even though Coke is a sponsor, this is a charming video made in Spain. Hang up your cynicism and suspend that judgmental voice in your head. Look at what is right and good in your life and before your eyes. Maybe you will discover a wonderful secret.....

via: brainpickings.org

Alone

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 00:42:00 +0000

Recently I was at a workshop where we spent a day, alone wandering through the streets of a city - in silence. It was a powerful experience. Some of us were very afraid to be by ourselves in a city. What would happen? Would we get mugged or worse? What if we got lost, or forgot where we were to meet up with the group? If we got left behind, would anyone come for us? How would they know where we were? All these thoughts circulating around and around, picking up momentum on each rotation.

But you know what happened? Nothing. None of us had a real experience anything like the ones we made up in our head. Many of us developed an awareness of what it is like to be a street person. I know I did. I was ignored and overlooked, and it was okay and I was okay. I was alone, and I was just fine. And you know, as I was doing this exercise I noticed a lot more life going on around me than I usually did, and I was grateful. This young woman has worked it out too.

Oskope Might Change the Way U Browse - At Least for Some Things

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 14:46:00 +0000

This Oskope is very cool. If you shop on Amazon, Ebay or use images from Flickr or Yahoo, Oskope is worth looking at. I did a search of Zentangles and 72 images popped up. Went to the next page and a bunch more appeared...I didn't realize Zentangling was so popular. Plus, Oskope is free as well as fun.

Can Stereotypes Be Mapped? Looks Like It.

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 14:42:00 +0000

This is from a series of maps by Yanko Tsvetkov and his Mapping Stereotypes project. This one is titled "Europe According to USA". Others in the project are; Europe According to Germany, France, Italy, Gay Man, etc. The maps are totally politically incorrect, but often accurate. What do you think about this one?

Any of Tsvetkov’s clever maps can be bought as prints, mousepads and t-shirts on Zazzle

via - www.brainpickings.org

Creative Time Waster

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 20:34:00 +0000

This is a fun way to pass a minute or so.

BSS | Breakfast Interrupted from Bruton Stroube Studios on Vimeo.

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 14:11:00 +0000

"When we make the choice to look for what's right, a whole new reality emerges."

Debbie Ford via Twitter

It's All In The Numbers

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 13:58:00 +0000

I think you will find this information very useful as you shop for fruits and vegetables. It might not change your purchasing patterns (or it might) but your consciousness will be increased by reading this post from the Dirt Doctor.

How to Identify Genetically Modified Food at the Supermarket

Many consumers don’t realize that the FDA does not require genetically modified food to be labeled. That’s because the FDA has decided that you don’t care if the tomato you are eating has been cross bred with frog genes to render the tomato more resistant to cold weather. Some consumers may not be concerned with eating “Franken Food”, but for those who are, here is how to determine if the fruits and vegetables you’re buying are (GM) genetically modified.

For conventionally grown fruit (grown with chemicals inputs), the PLU code on the sticker consists of four numbers. Organically grown fruit has a five-numeral PLU prefaced by the number 9. Genetically engineered (GM) fruit has a five-numeral PLU prefaced by the number 8.

Example: A conventionally grown banana would be 4011. An organically grown banana would be 94011. A genetically engineered banana would be 84011.

These tips are especially important now that over 80% of all processed foods in the US are genetically modified. Many countries in the European Union have been banning GM products and produce. They include Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary and Luxembourg. However in the US and Canada, food manufacturers are not required to label if their food is genetically modified or not.

How fast thinking can block effective listening, and what you can do about it

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 12:47:00 +0000

Here is a new concept! From Judy Reese over @ X-Ray Listening (first posted 10.10, but I thought it worth repeating).

People can think four or five times faster than they can speak. So when someone thinks they’re listening, what is their mind actually doing?
According to James Borg in his bestseller Persuasion: The Art of Influencing People, the average person speaks at 120 – 150 words per minute, but thinks at 600 – 800 words per minute. So the listener is always ahead of the person doing the talking.
Fast thinking is usually regarded as a good thing – but not when you should be listening! Here, it means that the listener’s mind has time to wander, to make new connections… and to start planning what they will say next.
And so, before the speaker has come close to finishing the point they are making, the “listener” is poised to:

Interrupt
Finish the other person’s sentence
Talk over the other person
Offer advice too soon.

No wonder so many relationships – both personal and at work – break down with the complaint: “You never listen to me!”
Borg says: “Of all aspects of communication, listening is the most important…
“Think about somebody you know who isn’t a good listener. Who, in fact, never seems to listen to anything you say. Frustrating, isn’t it? And how does it make you feel about that person? Chances are they will have a hard time persuading you as you are too busy feeling annoyed because they never listen.
“Powerful persuasion begins with the ability to hear what others are saying…
“When people are accused of being poor listeners, it is usually done behind their backs. So they remain unaware of this major failing, which can lose them friends, work colleagues and business clients.”
If someone is not a good listener, perhaps their best friend should tell them! But I wonder… if they did, would they be heard?
Three quick tips for better listening
Listening – particularly when you’d like to be talking – can take some effort. But it’s well worthwhile. As Wilson Mizner said: “A good listener is not only popular everywhere, but after a while he gets to know something.”
Here are three ways to up your game:

Pay attention! Turn off distractions such as phones, email, the radio or TV, and focus completely on the person who is speaking.
Get curious about the speaker. Every person is amazing: this is your opportunity to discover what’s interesting about this individual, how they think and how they express themselves.
Ignore your own stream of thoughts. Mentally turn down the volume (or dim the picture) of your internal chatterbox (or kaleidoscope). Don’t worry – those thoughts are yours already! But this unique opportunity to listen to someone else will never come round again.

Whoa

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 02:16:00 +0000

While I was reading this piece I noticed I was sitting very much like the guy in the illustration - all ski-hawed, and I do it a lot....but not any more. Take heed, folks, how we sit and how long we sit has a great impact on our health. Read on. If the print is too small click on the link at the bottom.

Via: Medical Billing And Coding

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 13:04:00 +0000

....and you thought you knew how to tie a shoe.

What Do I Want to Leave Behind?

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Tue, 31 May 2011 17:20:00 +0000

This is a question we rarely think about unless we are faced with an illness or death of a loved one or our own illness. We merrily plod along our path waiting for the big question mark (which happens to be our reason for being) to be answered by whatever greater power one believes in. A problem with this plan is that as we wait for the lightening, revealing dream or stroke of luck to occur, we are missing about a million small, but significant clues happening right in front of us. While we wait, our life is on hold and passing us by.

In the piece below Nate Kemp, from Life Beyond Logic gives us some simple and specific things to do to get ourselves back onto the life track.

When I was a kid, my parents encouraged me to learn the piano. But for me, playing the piano was about as interesting as watching a congressional debate on CSPAN.

I didn’t want to spend my afternoons learning “Hot Cross Buns” and “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” I wanted to be outside, making jumps for my bike or learning new tricks on my Rollerblades (believe it or not, that was semi-cool in the late 1980s).

So during the half hour before my weekly lesson, I would try to learn the song my teacher had assigned me. She would show up. And I would then stumble through it until she would cut me off by saying, “you didn’t practice this week. Did you?”

Then something unexpected happened. I was thirteen years old, and I heard a recording of Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald singing, “Don’t Mean a Thing, If You Ain’t Got That Swing.” Listening to that song, I had an instant realization: “I want to be a jazz pianist.”

I told my parents about my musical revelation, and they thought I had gone crazy. I was the kid who hated piano lessons, the kid who stumbled through half-memorized songs at each recital. “I really want this,” I told them. “This is different.”

And it was. I became devoted to playing the piano. Five years later, as a college student, I was earning good money playing piano at Nordstroms, restaurants, and jazz clubs.

What changed? I now had a purpose.

Aristotle was no jazz pianist. But he understood the importance of purpose. He talks about it in the very first line of The Ethics: “Every action and moral choice,” he declares, “aims…at some good.”

Aristotle saw that without a clear sense of purpose, our lives become much like my early childhood piano career – undirected and lacking any central focus. We shift aimlessly from one job, relationship, or location to the next.

So for this week’s experiment, let’s explore finding and living out of our deepest sense of purpose.

This is no easy task. People spend thousands of dollars on self-help books and seminars devoted to this subject.

But here are a few steps that might be useful along the way:

Step 1: Finding Your Purpose

In the philosophical tradition, death is the classic tool for finding your sense of purpose. Philosophers like Socrates, Epicurus, and Montaigne knew that the prospect of death focuses the mind, clearing away all that’s irrelevant. So there’s no need to invest hundreds of dollars in self-help books and seminars. All you need to do is meditate on one simple question: “if I were to die next year, what would I want to leave behind?”

Step 2: Clearing out the Roadblocks

Once you have a sense of what you’re here to do, take a close look at all the things stopping you from doing it. Some of this can’t be changed. Children still need to be picked up from school and bills still need to be paid. But you would be surprised how much of our time is spent devoted to activities that have nothing to do with our life’s purpose. Watching TV, surfing the Internet, and shopping for stuff we don’t need – these are just a few of the ways we distract our selves from our deepest purpose.

Step 3: Living It

You know what you want to do here on earth and you know what’s blocking you from doing it. So here’s the final step – live it. This is way harder than steps 1 and 2. Why? Because it requires discipline and devotion. It requires taking risks, saying “no”, and breaking out of time sucking habits.

Ca..Ca..Changes....

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Mon, 30 May 2011 15:38:00 +0000

I have reworked this blog a bit, and have re-activated my Store (look to the right and you will see a box that will lead you to it.) I love having a store! I am just beginning to stock it with items I have hand picked, like a wish list, which I thought you might like, and also I let Amazon make some choices based on my requests in some categories.

The deal is if you choose to go look around, and even buy something, I will get a tiny amount of money for your efforts, so shop away! Once you are in my store you can go anywhere. For instance, if you aren't interested in learning how to meditate (one of my categories) but want a tool box for a friend, pop over to the tool section and buy what you want. Easy peasy....

My store development is an ongoing process, so if you have any requests or ideas how I can make it more interesting, please feel free to comment.

The Feeding of the Mississippi

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Sun, 29 May 2011 19:53:00 +0000

With all the flooding going on, I thought it might be interesting to see just where all the water that flows into the Mississippi comes from. All I can say is no wonder there is flooding, and it is a miracle it hasn't happened to this extent more often.

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Fri, 27 May 2011 20:26:00 +0000

God stops your life in order to step into it.

Carolyn Myss

Earthquakes Are Happening All the Time!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Tue, 24 May 2011 13:18:00 +0000

With the end of the world such a close call the other day....and the predictions of major earthquakes, I decided to check out what the world wide earthquake situation is. Let me tell you, it is worth a look here. Frightening actually, that so much activity happens without nary a mention on the nightly news. An eye opener.

A Helpful Test

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Mon, 23 May 2011 01:17:00 +0000

If you haven't figured out by now - I like helpful tips on how to live a more successful life. Remember the post on Shackles On, Shackles Off? Martha Beck's helpful tool of questioning a decision by checking inside myself. Well, here is another idea about checking in with your self.

The Before-During-After Test
by Joy Tanksley

For several years, I was a runner. I ran several times each week, participated in many 5Ks, and even completed a 10-miler. I have a handful of truly fond memories from my running days, but mostly, it was a struggle.

Before it was time to complete a run, I would feel a sense of dread. I would often procrastinate, and I had to use all sorts of tricks and bribes to get myself out the door.

During the runs, my body usually hurt. Sometimes it was my knees. Sometimes my hips. Sometimes my chest would ache. There were brief, shining moments when everything would feel good, and the weather was perfect, and the music was right, and I would actually enjoy a run, but usually, I couldn’t wait for it to be over.

After my runs, I sometimes felt an emotional high. I felt proud of myself for following through and relieved that it was over. Other times, I would feel disappointed because my time was so slow, or I hadn’t covered enough distance. Sometimes my body felt good at the end of a run — energized and alive. But most often, my body would ache. And I would be left with pain in my muscles and joints for several days after.

For the most part, I was engaging in an activity that was miserablebefore, miserable during, and miserable after. (I realize this isn’t true for all runners. I know many people who genuinely love to run!)

I now have a little test — a self-coaching tool — that helps me steer toward activities that are aligned with my unique preferences. I call it the Before-During-After Test. I ask myself: 1) Will I look forward to this activity beforehand? 2) Will I enjoy it during? 3) Will I feel good after?

If an activity gets a “yes” to all three questions, it’s a total go. If it gets a “no” to all three, it’s a total no. If the answers are mixed, I dig a little deeper, weigh out the pros and cons, and look for a compromise. It’s really quite powerful. Here are a few examples:

Decision: Should I become a Nia teacher?

Will I enjoy the training? Will I enjoy preparing for my classes? Will I look forward to each class? YES.
Will I enjoy the act of teaching? YES.
Will I feel good after each class? YES.

Final Call? I became a Nia teacher.

Decision: Should I cook a homemade dinner tonight?

Will I enjoy planning and preparing the meal? Probably not. I’ve had a long day and don’t feel the cooking vibe.
Will I enjoy eating the meal? YES.
Will I feel good after? YES.

Final Call? I’ll cook, but I’ll choose something really easy and play super fun music in the kitchen.

I invite you to play around with this simple tool and see what you learn about yourself. I should note that if you find you are answering “no” to pretty much everything, there’s a good chance you’re dealing with a lot of limiting, negative belief systems. When I think back to my running days, I can see that I initially held a lot of limiting beliefs about running that impeded my enjoyment. I thought I had to keep doing more — increasing mileage, going faster. And I compared myself to other runners all the time. However, even after I dissolved those beliefs, and started running on my own terms, I discovered it wasn’t something that delighted my authentic self.

If you use the Before-During-After Test without ever dissolving (or even noticing) your limiting beliefs, it won’t do you much good. You’ll find yourself hopping from one thing to the next, looking for satisfaction but never finding it.

If you can use the test from a truly authentic place — without the mental clutter of limiting beliefs — you will bring deeper awareness to all your choices, both big and small. Just notice. As you become more aware, you’ll find abundant ways to honor your authentic preferences at every stage of the process — before, during, and after.

A Round About Way to Insight

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Mon, 09 May 2011 19:34:00 +0000

As frequently happens, I am posting this from the circuitous route of Internet surfing. My first stop was here, the home base for an online class I am taking called Ordinary Courage. Berne Brown is a Shame Researcher, and the class is geared around creating 'shame resilience'. Frankly, I had not thought much at all about shame - my shame or how I shamed my children through my parenting, so this class is a real eye opener.

If you had any OhOh nudges, when you read the word shame, I encourage you to pick up her book, I Thought it was Just Me. Even if you didn't feel an inkling of emotion, the book is worth reading.

I am a little behind with the classes, and this post is inspired from the April 29th class, which focuses on Self Compassion. Another new concept to me and hopefully to you also, otherwise reading this is going to be a boring and you probably won't stay around long enough to get to the meat of the post which is a list of ways to feel good about yourself.

Kristen Neff is a self-compassion researcher and has a nifty test to see where one falls on their level of self compassion. As you might guess, since I had never heard of self-compassion, I had an eye poppingly low score, but now have lots of new insights where I can improve on how I treat myself.

On Neff's Link Page I found what we are finally getting to - a list, created by Rick Hansen Phd, of 21Ways to Feel Good about Yourself. You can go to the link and read the whole list, but I am going to give you a couple of my favorites. This is not your ordinary list, although you will see suggestions that are not so very new, but the list has an interesting bend, and I like that.

Do the right thing. The bliss of blamelessness. Practice the virtues that are the
foundation of any psychological growth or spiritual practice.

Exercise your capacities. If you have talents lying fallow, start using them. “The
most expensive piece of equipment is the one not making any money.”

Reflect on your accomplishments and good qualities each day. Perhaps take
brief inventory before going to bed each night, answering questions like these: What
did I get better at today? How did I act with good character? What have I gotten
done? In what ways did I help others?

Be fair. You would want to be fair in your judgments of others; why do you,
another human being like them, deserve any less?

Sort criticisms about you into four piles – “not valid,” “valid but to heck with it,
I’m not going to change that one,” “not a moral fault but worth putting in correction
from now on,” and “deserves a healthy wince of remorse” – take maximum
reasonable responsibility for the third and fourth piles, make the appropriate
changes sincerely and diligently (perhaps even specific amendments or expiations
for serious wrongdoings), and move on.

Stick up for yourself within yourself. Talk back to irrational or self-critical
thoughts. Classic examples: Comparing yourself to others (especially unfair
comparisons); equating the worth of who you are with the success of what you do.

How Do We Harness Fear?

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 20:17:00 +0000

Below is an excerpt from guest poster Molly Cantrell-Kraig from Women with Drive. To read the whole post go to Liz Strauss's, Successful Blog site.

Alone. That’s a state of being we must learn to identify, accept - even embrace if we are to move forward as individuals. If you’ve been reading my previous blog entries in this series, my comprehension and interpretation of paradox is a common thread that runs through most of them. In order to be a strong partner; one must be able to function alone......

One must go within to change what is without. Much as a seed has all the genetic wisdom contained within itself to become the mighty tree, you have within yourself everything you need to reach your goals. To reach your goals is hard work. Messy work. Usually painful work. But in order to live the authentic life, it is mandatory work.

We learn about ourselves in number of ways. Our first clue is our surroundings and our friends. We draw unto ourselves that which we believe we deserve; that which reflects who we perceive ourselves to be. Our friends are also an indications of our self esteem - in what relation do we place ourselves with our friends? Are we the ringleader? The learner? Until we can recognize not only where we’ve placed ourselves but our intent in so doing, we’re kinda just floating along, cosmically-wise.....

When it comes to the purifying nature of fear, I don’t know of a better example of a linear, step-by-step explanation of how fear can be harnessed and overcome than the following excerpt from Frank Herbert’s 1965 speculative fiction book, Dune:

“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.” - Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear

So you’ve gone through the fire. You’ve faced your yourself and your fears. Now you can, with a clear-eyed perspective, take responsibility for your life and move forward. What’s neat is how your perspective has shifted. If you’ve been paying attention throughout your journey, you’ll note that your path has incorporated all of the elements you wanted to avoid in your life, but, like the elements of the seed, were necessary to your growth.

“…but Oz never did give nothing to the Tin Man That he didn’t, didn’t already have.” - America

By striking out on your path alone (but still in concert with others), you have developed your individuality. You are stronger than you were before your journey. Just like Dorothy (whose courage was manifested as a lion; bravery as a tin man and heart as a scarecrow), you have within you the keys to your own freedom. The power is within you, and has been all along.

Great for Lots of Laughs

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 20:07:00 +0000

Attitude

noreply@blogger.com (Leah) — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 23:08:00 +0000

I posted this originally in 2008 (hard to believe I have been blogging for that long), and thought it was time for a repost.

There once was a woman who woke up one morning,
looked in the mirror,
and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.
'Well,' she said, 'I think I'll braid my hair today.'
So she did and she had a wonderful day.

The next day she woke up,
looked in the mirror
and saw that she had only two hairs on her head.
'H-M-M,' she said,
'I think I'll part my hair down the middle today.'
So she did and she had a grand day.

The next day she woke up,
looked in the mirror and noticed
that she had only one hair on her head.
'Well,' she said, 'today I'm going
to wear my hair in a pony tail.'
So she did, and she had a fun, fun day.

The next day she woke up,
looked in the mirror and noticed
that there wasn't a single hair on her head.
'YAY!' she exclaimed.
'I don't have to fix my hair today!'

Attitude is everything.

Be kinder than necessary,
for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.
Live simply,

Love generously,
Care deeply,
Speak kindly.......
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...

It's about learning to dance in the rain.