LIFE AS IT HAPPENS – Page 12 – Chasing MY Life WHEREVER it Leads ME

LIVE YOUR DREAM LIFE NOW

I found this great opportunity over at Seaside Simplicity and jumped at the chance to join Martha and Sandy over at Hob Nobbers. Sandy is hosting a great little workshop, Live Your Dream Life Now. I really needed the motivation to start off 2013 right!

I too love things like this, and it came along just at the right time for me. I have been feeling completely stuck lately. My mind has been constantly racing in a big giant circle as to what to do, what choices and changes to make, and how it will affect my life and my family. For those who know me well you probably already know I’m talking mainly about our adventure with VA red tape and my health. The VA paperwork has become all consuming. I’m not enjoying anything about it at all! It’s leaving me with almost zero energy to do any of the things I want to do, or even the things I need to do. Many areas of my life are suffering because of it.

Sandy’s workshop is going to help get me and my mind off this roller coaster ride. I’m still looking for that epiphany I talked about last week. The desire to get all the crap out of my life is overwhelming and I’m more than ready to live a happy and fulfilling life.

What are you waiting for, head over to sign up too!

Live Your Dream Life Now Workshop

We’re just beginning so there’s still time to sign up on the ground floor so to speak.

Have journal ready – raring to go!

The Art of the RSVP

Acceptance of a social invitation is not a legal obligation;

your RSVP just communicates your best intentions to attend.

More and more often I have heard that hosts/hostesses are not receiving firm indications of whether guests plan to attend their parties, even when R.S.V.P. is boldly printed on their invitations. This leaves us with a couple of choices. First it could mean that rudeness is a increasingly growing trend in our society or that people no longer understand what the term R.S.V.P. actually means. I prefer to think positively and assume that ignorance of the term is the case versus rudeness. I know it’s hard to believe ignorance to be good, but better that than rudeness!

R.S.V.P is French for “répondez s’il vous plaît” and is an acronym that loosely translates to Please Reply (one way or the other)! Check your calendar and ask yourself how you truly feel about attending this event. Don’t keep your host in suspense, reply as soon as you are sure one way or another. To be proper, you should reply in writing, by hand. But you may reply in the same format that one was invited; for example, an email invitation can be answered by email, etc… R.S.V.P.’s can sometimes be oral or written, but are always determined and based on the level of formality of the invitation. You wouldn’t just pick up the phone to reply to an invitation from the White House or the Pope now would you? These situations and many others require a written response.

Filling out an RSVP card is a basic and important courtesy. The hostess collect R.S.V.P. cards so that they know how many guests to expect, which will help them to make seating and catering arrangements. Your hostess needs to know how many are coming in order to prepare for the event properly. R.S.V.P.’s are the most important determining factor to help her do that well.
You never need to give a reason for not attending. Just let the host know whether you’re currently planning to be there or not.

Communicate last minute changes immediately to your host. Maybe you become ill or there was an emergency. As soon as you know, you must get in touch with the host (by telephone is fine) to let them know you can’t come, and apologize. Do you remember to communicate your intentions clearly to your hostess?

EPIPHANIES CAN LEAD TO RESOLUTIONS

I too like the idea of having even one epiphany, especially as the New Year begins. Epiphanies can lead to resolutions and one of my resolutions is the follow through it takes to bring those Epiphanies to life. While I don’t make a specific resolution list as I believe that can be a key to failure, I do make lists of the things I need to accomplish as a whole!

Here’s an very incomplete, but great beginning to the list of resolutions/epiphanies/ultimate goals I want to address in 2012:

Make most, if not all of next year’s Christmas gifts by hand and tailored to each person’s likes/dislikes

Get my kitchen in order ~ I used to (before the nightmare of the house came to life) make my menus a month in advance. This was really helpful to our budget also. If a recipe called for half of an onion on Monday, I’d make sure to follow it with a recipe on Tuesday that called for the other half. During that time we tried at least 1 new recipe per week so I could try to empty the shoebox (my husband just reminded me that there 3, not “1” of these) FULL of recipes that I’d cut out from newspapers, magazines and such. That never worked because I always filled it right back up, but now it’s overflowing and desperately needs thinning out!!!!!!

Limit my craft & fabric purchases to ONLY the items I need to make things using mostly materials that I already own and finish ALL the quilts that are already started.

Take a walk daily (weather permitting or not) OR AT LEAST use the treadmill, it’s already here after all!

Force myself to eat breakfast ~ today was a bowl 1/2 Cheerios & 1/2 Special K with bananas.

Continue my volunteering efforts, even if it’s just a home project for something I already support.

Write some freelance newspaper/magazine articles

(Here’s the big scary one I’ve avoided for more years than I care to admit) I will write the novels that have been swirling in my head and doodled on paper for years. I have the plots, characters, synopsis and the settings. I’ve conversed with the characters like they are old friends and family, I’ve developed the towns, supporting characters and walked through the houses and buildings like I built them myself. I know everyone’s likes, dislikes, personality traits and idiosyncrasies. I know all the dogs in town and who rides their bike to work or walks. I know how deep and blue the lakes are and how clear the night sky is so much so that all the stars sparkle bright and appear as if you can reach up and pull them down. All I need to do now is capture it all on the blank pages between the colorfully bound covers that I can see so vividly

Try to sell my screenplay (inquiry letters are written and the 1st couple dozen rejection letters are making for a great book).

Find a publisher for the cookbooks I’ve written.

Try a New Recipe each and every day.

So… I scared myself a little (okay ~ a lot) with this list. But remember, the age-old question truly is:

“How do you eat an elephant?” And the answer will always be ~ “One bite at a time!” Some bites will be smaller than others, but that’s okay too!

Happy New Year, one and all, and may you too see the light to your epiphany!

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you…

I WROTE THIS QUITE A WHILE BACK, BUT CAN’T REMEMBER IF I EVER RAN IT. IT STILL PERTAINS, SO IF I ALREADY RAN IT I APOLOGIZE.

“The cardinal principle of etiquette is thoughtfulness, and the guiding rule of thoughtfulness is the Golden Rule. If you always do unto others as you would have done unto you, it is likely that you will never offend, bore or intrude, and that your actions will be courteous and indeed thoughtful.” ~Emily Post

“Parents who insist that their children practice courtesy and good habits at home are doing them a great service, for these habits then become lifelong and the natural way to do things. It is then unlikely that they will ever embarrass themselves socially or in business, for their unconscious actions will reflect a well mannered person.” ~Emily Post

Need I say more? Evidently yes based on what I see in everyday life. Just this past weekend, I observed at least a dozen occasions where this was NOT being practiced. When I was young I was taught to say please, thank you, I’m sorry, excuse me and a variety of other niceties that tend to make life more pleasant as well as show respect for my elders.

Though the reasons for many things have changed, the act of doing them has not. For example, in Victorian days a man escorting a woman on the street would walk on the street or curb side of the woman to keep her from being splashed by mud. These days, a man still does it, but now more for safety.

Social amenities are still in fashion despite women not being the frail creatures once thought. I know feminists everywhere will hate me, but I LIKE when my husband opens the door for me, stands when I leave the table at a nice restaurant, takes his hat off indoors or walks on the street side. After all these years we have developed an instinct for being courteous to each other.

As a society we have wandered away from many day to day courtesies. We as parents have the responsibility to create the adults of tomorrow and that training begins at home. That is pure fact. I recently overheard a couple of moms out having lunch complaining about how their kids were not learning manners at school or in daycare. HELLO? Once again many feminists world wide will be upset with me, but I truly blame some of this on the parents. It is not up to the schools or daycare to teach the children manners. My highest respect is for the stay at home moms as they have the hardest job in the world. Many common courtesies are no longer practiced by many families and/or enforced by parents, but that stay at home mom is going to expect certain levels of courtesy and be available to see the beginning of bad habits forming.

One of the examples of the need for everyday manners is on public transportation. Awhile back I was on a subway when a young mother carrying a baby got on as did an elderly gentleman with a cane. The car was full and not one man or teenager got up and offered their seat to either of them. I was embarrassed for us as a society!

There are some personal habits that should be addressed, but based on today’s casual acceptance I will only mention and then leave the interpretation to the reader: men removing hats indoors, slouching/posture in general, elbows on the table while eating, chewing with your mouth closed, belching/burping in public, women in dresses sitting in a ladylike manner, disposing of your gum appropriately, smoking in public, being a good neighbor, personal space/crowding and the list goes on and on.

I have seen many well behaved children and truly appreciate the effort their parents put into their training. I just get so disappointed that so many other parents are readily allowing less than acceptable in their lives as well as their children’s. The ME generation does NOT have to be here to stay. Hubby and I went out for a nice leisurely afternoon lunch today at a little restaurant we like to frequent. It is very quaint and scenic. Halfway through our lunch a young family came in (the kids were about 2 and 5). Mom and dad sat at the bar and ordered a drink leaving the kids to wander. HELLO?? The 2 year old wanted something the 5 year old had and when she didn’t get it started a tantrum that the parents were ignoring and the rest of us were enduring. NO ONE said anything! I was beside myself. Normally I would have been pissed, but not said anything. Today was not normal – I had a splitting headache and was just beginning to relax when this all occurred. I calmly walked over to the parents and asked if they wouldn’t mind taking the little girl outside to calm her down. They were quite insulted by MY nerve as they put it. I told them I was insulted by their nerve. They were clueless!! I actually had to spell it out for them that while everyone was trying to endure their little girl’s tantrum, it was not our responsibility to do so. We were all out spending our hard earned money on a relaxing day which did not include providing daycare for them as their children ran around unsupervised.

While there are even more situations we could address because our entire life is full of them (strangers, prejudice, those with handicaps, unexpected visitors, hospitals, church services, etc… the ultimate rule of thumb is and always will be the Golden Rule for ALL situations.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

SORRY I’VE BEEN SO DISTRACTED

By the way my good friend Martha over at Seaside Simplicity introduced me to the newest and greatest thing, PINNING. Have you done it yet? You have to check it out.

I agree with Martha that it can definitely be addicting and yet it is a really great way to find out who you really are! Seriously, after looking at the pin boards I’ve created I said to myself “WOW, you are fun and interesting”. It really was so liberating!

It is a place to put together your own wants, likes, needs, styles and loves all in one place without considering others opinions. Don’t forget to create your own special boards for only those things that you can understand.

Pinterest is a fantastic place to discover yourself. I have so many different likes and styles that I didn’t know which direction to go. Pinterest really helped me to separate and organize the chaos.

Save

RANTS, RAVES, BUTTS, BASKETS, PEDESTRIAN RIGHT OF WAY, COMMON SENSE & RESPONSIBILITY and THE PURSUIT OF THE ICONIC TV 50’S WAY OF LIFE

Life is busy these days, real busy, but there are a few things I still notice. We are all overworked, over stimulated and over tired! I seem to notice less and less quality in everything around me whether it’s sitting down to dinner as a family or the quality of the products that sit on my kitchen counter.

My brother and I had a conversation not too long ago about the pursuit of the iconic TV 50’s way of life – you know, slower and kinder. Now you need to know that my brother and I, at times, are as far apart on the political spectrum as 2 siblings can be. We’re close, but there are many a subject that we have an agreement to agree to disagree on and move on to another topic. He pointed out that the 50’s that many seem to want to return to is nothing but a TV iconic way of life. I beg to disagree though. Now I wasn’t alive in the 50’s, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that life in general was kinder, slower and calmer and MUCH less stressful. This is one of those spots that I would go off on a rant about. You see, I believe that stress is a catalyst of much of what ails us today, specifically cancer. But, that is a story for another post.

If you were to watch say the Donna Reed Show, Father Knows Best, Happy Days or Leave it to Beaver, you would see homemakers vacuuming in high heels and pearls or maybe cleaning the refrigerator. Husbands would be in ties and coats or at least a sport shirt and loafers. Now while I don’t think things need to return to that formal, I do expect guys to pull up their pants. I don’t want to see their butts. In my era, the only butt to see was in a pair of tight jeans – where you had to use your imagination and fantasize. WOW that made me sound old, but I’m not really, just tired of seeing ugly underwear hanging out of over sized pants that are falling off some guy’s butt. Many women aren’t much better though. No one wants to see rolls of fat hanging out of a midriff top and low cut jeans – both of which are things for teen girls, not overweight 20, 30, 40, 50 somethings or even overweight teens. Get the picture here – fat is not something to show off, but something to lose and hide while you’re doing it!

Another thing you saw more of in the past was Common Courtesy. I find this ironic since we seem to need it more now, but it appears to be non-existent many times. Whether it’s driving on the freeway or driving basket at the supermarket, common courtesy seems to always be in the backseat. When I was a kid, I was taught to ‘drive’ my basket at the supermarket the same way you would a car on a 2 lane road – stay to the right, park off the pavement and use your signals. More and more I notice at the supermarket that people leave their baskets in the middle of the aisle while they are roaming up and down looking at various things. While I commend the label reading, how hard is it to park your cart off to the side and out of the way? Interestingly enough, if there is no one around and I go to move the basket aside so I can pass, someone always magically appears and is miffed that “their” basket is being moved. Well excuse me! The sense of entitlement and the self righteous (and unearned I might add) indignation is way too over the top.

On this same subject we all know that pedestrians have the right of way. But don’t they also have a responsibility to NOT just walk willy nilly and blindly out into traffic? What happened to looking both ways before entering a street?

Okay, I will get off my soap box now and return you to your regularly scheduled blog hopping.

COMMON COURTESY

Earlier this week a family member was “hurt” because her grandfather had not acknowledged her high school graduation. She just graduated about 2 weeks ago, quite late and at an unusual time. She did not send out announcements, but made an “announcement” on facebook that most family members never even saw. A niece mentioned to her that it was her responsibility to contact grandpa and that facebook was NOT the place to make that statement and expect recognition from everyone and that she should have sent out announcements or that the very least made personal phone calls. The grand daughter disagreed.

I openly admit that I’m old school. I do expect an announcement and/or invitation to arrive in my mail box for things like high school graduations, weddings, showers and such. I also expect a thank you card for the gifts sent for these events. After all, it is common courtesy and also a good way to stay in touch with family and friends.

EVERYONE loves getting snail mail – especially happy news snail mail!

Ironically, I received a Dear Abby email a few days later that addresses this very subject and is perfect timing for the upcoming holiday season.

DEAR ABBY: At Christmas, “Santa” always fills my children’s stockings with a mix of fun, edible and practical items. A few years ago, when my oldest child was beginning to write, my husband and I started the tradition of tucking packets of thank-you cards into their stockings.

We explained that Santa must have given them the cards so they would have stationery to write thank-you notes to family and friends for the gifts they had received. The cards are a wonderful reminder to my children that they need to express their gratitude to those who have spent time and money to buy and send them a gift. Usually there are cards left over to cover thank-you notes at birthday time as well.

Unfortunately, these days, not enough people — even adults — take the time to write a note of appreciation for presents they are given. I believe parents should encourage children to do this as soon as they are able to understand the concept. I hope my husband and I are instilling a lifelong habit in our children. Abby, can you help get the point across? — THANKFUL MOM IN BRUNSWICK, MAINE

DEAR THANKFUL MOM: Gladly. You are teaching your children an important lesson. It’s a formality that started being ignored decades ago. Then, as years passed, it was a custom that was not just ignored, but many people forgot it existed. The result was that parents who hadn’t been taught the social niceties did not teach them to their children.

When I publish letters about thank-you notes, I invariably receive an avalanche of letters and e-mails from readers complaining that they are hurt and offended because they don’t receive thank-you notes. Some individuals use texts and e-mails to acknowledge gifts. However, for most people a handwritten note is much more memorable. Thanking someone for a gift, an invitation to a party or a kind deed in writing is important.
While composing a letter may always be a chore to some people, there are occasions when the written message is the only proper means of communication. It shows effort, and can become a keepsake. For those people who have difficulty expressing their thoughts, my booklet “How to Write Letters for All Occasions” covers a few basic rules for acknowledging gifts, expressing sympathy and accepting or declining an invitation. It can be ordered by sending your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $6 (U.S. funds), to Dear Abby — Letters Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. Shipping and handling are included in the price. Not everyone can write letters that are literary masterpieces, but for anyone who wonders how to put in writing a brief, charming thank-you note, a letter expressing congratulations, a love letter — or one that announces a broken engagement — my booklet will serve as a guide to those who have put off writing because they didn’t know what to say, how to say it, or even how to begin.

Because the season for exchanging gifts is nearly here, “Thankful Mom,” your letter is an important and timely one.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

ARE YOU LISTENING TO YOURSELF? OTHERS ARE.

I thought I’d stray from the food issues this week a little bit and bring up another subject – etiquette and manners, values and beliefs as well as demeanor.

At the risk of sounding “old fashioned” I have to ask, do you care how you present yourself to the world? Personally I prefer NOT to look like an idiot to the masses. Of course this is just my opinion, but I believe the world can be a kinder, better place. I’m a huge believer in positive attitude and that the positive attitude you have will create a happy life, if only you allow it to.

All families have words and issues sometimes. These are some of my favorite TV families that had issues at times, but presented a cohesive family unit without profanity, sexual innuendo every other word and action or cattiness. They were wholesome and taught their children the value of manners, etiquette, kindness, fairness, right from wrong, respect for their elders and how to live by setting an example.

One of the things that irks me most is that kids today, girls in particular, don’t seem to care how they present themselves to the world. Just a couple of examples would be how they dress. Now, I’m not a prude by any means, but if I were even 5-10 pounds over weight I would not be wearing a skin tight tank top in public allowing the rolls of fat the “hang” out with my bra straps and thong showing. I also know that tattoos are “IN”, but think about it girls, where it is now isn’t where it will be after a kid or two or gravity catches up with you in 20 years. Are you someday going to want to wear that strapless wedding dress? Do you really want that skull and cross bones in your wedding pictures? As for the boys, no one wants to see your boxer shorts, really we don’t. I find nothing funnier than watching you walk down the street constantly pulling your pants up so you don’t trip. They invented belts and buying correct sizes for just for that reason.

Next would be their speech. Hey even I cuss sometimes, we all do in certain instances, usually anger. But, using the “F” word in their everyday conversations in loud voices is just plain vulgar. It doesn’t make them tough, smart or cool looking. Using it in print on social networks is just stupid! Do they not realize what the permanency of looking like an idiot, a gossiper or back stabber on social networking sites can do to them, their families or their futures.

I recently read about a girl who was whining about how she hated her job on facebook. Her superiors read about it too. Then they fired her. Now before you say they didn’t have the right, think about it. What she did was bad PR for her employer in a public forum. Then there are the job candidates who are never even hired because HR researched them on social networks and just didn’t think they would be good representatives of their company based on how they carry themselves in public. I also read a “friends” rants and raves on facebook about a customer and it didn’t take much of an imagination to know who she was “hypothetically” talking about. I remember reading a story about an insurance agent who was fired after discussing a case in an elevator. She didn’t use names, but she did happen to describe the exact symptoms of another passenger on the elevator. That passenger filed a complaint with the insurance company and the agent was let go. There is a sense of privacy that no longer exists in today’s world. We all need to be responsible for our words and expressions, freedom or not to say them or express them.

I’ve also read about potential college candidates whose college applications were declined because of their “my space” pages or “facebook” entries. You can talk about freedom of speech or freedom of expression, but have we as a society taken it a bit too far? I do believe you can get your opinion across without using obscenities every other word. I just did.

I’m all for teaching kids right from wrong, good from bad, how to be independent and think for themselves, but I’m also all about teaching them when they should be kind, thoughtful, generous, helpful and when to hold back a bit and show compassion and understanding.

It’s not always all about us as individuals. In fact, most of the time it isn’t, but much of today’s generation truly seems to be a “ME” group with an inflated sense of entitlement, a serious lack of manners or a sense of etiquette and a lack of compassion. Being conservative in our thoughts and actions is a way to protect what’s right about our families, our life and our communities.

My nephew asked me the other day if I thought I was June Cleaver or something. Now being called June Cleaver does not offend me, I just say thank you and politely walk away. And you know what? My nephew thanked me for that home cooked meal, clean laundry and knowing just how to help him. You know, the “June Cleaver” kind of stuff. LOL

This concludes my soapbox and brings me to my fun news.

Loving others brings great joy!

As for my family, I’m preparing healthier meals and trying to make time and room for more relaxing meals so we have more “quality” time. This weekend I’m preparing a special Valentine’s Breakfast in Bed for hubby and then a picnic on the beach with dinner later at his favorite seafood restaurant, the Sea Chest on Friday night. We don’t go out on Valentine’s Day – too busy, too commercial and way too expensive. We always pick a day right around it and call it our own.

Like Martha (we really feed off of each other – must be those Virgo qualities) I also have a new food blog, Always Eat on the Good China – it’s all about the food, all the time. Come on by!

For my pets, we’re taking longer and more walks each day and getting plenty of play time at the dog park. My fur children are so much fun and so loving it hardly feels like work to take care of them. I’m also taking better care of myself with diet and exercise. When I do that, I’m more able to be the fun loving playful person they need me to be.

Many of you will remember that I’m still in transition until my house sells. We’re staying at the family lake house which in reality is 3 houses. So for others, I’m doing the minor repairs, drain clean outs, spring cleaning, yard clean-up, etc… around those places starting to get ready for the big family Memorial Day blowout.

We’re remote and too far from town right now, but as we get more settled I want to start volunteering for a local food bank and do some habitat for humanity work in a neighboring community.

HANDBOOK FOR 2010

This email was sent to me last week by my nephew and just begged for me to share it with everyone. We need to care not only for our bodies, but also our minds, spirit and attitude.

Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants..
4. Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
5. Make time to pray.
6. Play more games
7. Read more books than you did in 2009 .
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:
11. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don’t have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don’t over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..
18. Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree…

Society:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything..
28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change..
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come..
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

Last but not the least:
40. Please Forward this to everyone you care about, I just did.

My challenge this week is:

inventory your life and see where ELSE you need to apply the health and fitness theme?

As for me I think I’m almost down to 2½ sides of crazy…and I’m FINALLY taking back my life…

I love to cook, read, write, quilt, craft, go antiquing, amateur photography and to learn new things. I’m a Jill of many trades & always have more interests and desires than I have time. LOL I’m still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. I love being a homemaker and keeping my family healthy and happy though I have truly held many interesting jobs from waitress to auto mechanic to copy editor…

As a Christian woman I believe life is all about change and that learning to cope with it as it happens will help you through life. I believe in Murphy’s Law, the Domino Effect, Payback’s a Bitch, and Karma. I also believe that Pay It Forward and living by the Golden Rule go a long way to keep the former from happening to begin with. I believe everything happens for a reason and that life is one big adventure.

I try to see life through rose colored glasses and be as tolerant as possible. My glass is always half full. I am an optimist, extremely positive minded and usually a really upbeat person so anything goes within reason.

I especially love to cook and develop new recipes. I have written a couple of cookbooks for family reunions that I’m working on getting published and have new cook books in the works.

I really love candles and try to always have one burning in the evening for aroma and ambiance.

It’s all about YOUR attitude and perception ~ Practice Random Kindness

Today I thought we’d deter from the physical world to examine our attitudes. It is very easy at this time of year to become sooooooooooo busy that many people also become petty and even mean. I’m here to say that

It really is all about the right attitude and your perception of any given situation. I was raised to believe that if you don’t have something nice to say, then don’t say anything. I was also raised to believe that it is the thought that counts and to always say please and thank you. During the past couple of weeks I have watched, I mean really watched those around me here and as I shop and do my errands and I have begun to realize that I feel like much of the time lately most people are not acting the same way whether they were raised that way or not. Much of what I keep seeing around me is selfish people who truly believe their wants come first and foremost no matter what. I hate to admit I am seeing it in my own FIL, A LOT and it’s so sad! I try very hard to smile and try to help them see that by acting kindly despite their attitude.

In my personal profile I wrote: As a Christian woman I believe life is all about change and that learning to cope with it as it happens will help you through life. I believe in Murphy’s Law, the Domino Effect, Payback’s a Bitch, and Karma. I also believe that Pay It Forward and living by the Golden Rule go a long way to keep the former from happening to begin with. I believe everything happens for a reason and that life is one big adventure. I try to see life through rose colored glasses and be as tolerant as possible. My glass is always half full. I am an optimist, extremely positive minded and usually a really upbeat person so anything goes within reason.
I really believe these things and TRY to live by them. My FIL and I differ on the meaning of the text associated with the Golden rule. He believes that those with the gold rule, which is true to a point, but I prefer to believe that given the opportunity most people will do the right thing. I seem to be so naive, even at my age, but will continue to hope for the best.

In Eastern beliefs, the karmic effects of all deeds are viewed as actively shaping past, present, and future experiences.

The Pay it Forward Foundation, the Random Acts of Kindness Organization and the Pay it Forward Movement offer many opportunities and stories for you to find your good attitude.

But I try to make it a good one at all times.
A good attitude can motivate you more than anything else!
How is your attitude doing this Christmas season?
Do you smile and say excuse me when someone accidentally bumps into you, even if it was their fault?
Do you let a mother with young children go ahead of you in line?
Do you pay for the meal of a soldier in a restaurant?
Do you make a Christmas meal for an elderly couple or help with Meals on Wheels?
Do you drop a quarter or a dollar in the Salvation Army bucket at the grocery store?
Do you collect canned goods for the food drive for the needy or a local food bank?
Do you donate toys to an Angel tree programs?

If you have time check out these 13 positive thoughts. They will make you smile.

The Revival of Common Courtesy & Personal Service

I think it is time to revive “The Revival of Common Courtesy”. I know the world is changing, but I don’t necessarily believe it to be for the better. Let me tell you about a transaction that happened to me recently at the local Coffee House and Cafe, the only coffee house in town, and you be the judge. Let me tell you no matter how much I want a specialty coffee, I will NEVER set foot in there again, which is sad as it was one of the few cleaner places in town, but the lack of health department code enforcement is a different post altogether.

We recently had our big, once a year festival in town for Humungus Fungus. It features mushrooms, city wide rummage and sidewalk sales, a parade and street dance and many other activities. Humungus Fungus is a pretty big deal for this little town. After many hours of rummage saling, we decided to treat ourselves to lunch so we went to The Coffee House & Cafe. Lunch was okay and we left to continue with the rummage sales. Later that afternoon while I was balancing my account I saw that they had triple charged (3 pending transactions for the exact amount at the exact same time) my account. Their credit card machine is in the back room so I can not say what actually happened. I called them up and spoke with the manager/owner and she flat out denied it and said it was ‘my problem’ because she only had 1 transaction slip and didn’t know how to fix it. Here is where the personal service should have kicked in. I would have accepted her telling me that she didn’t know how to fix it, but would look into it and get back to me, BUT to tell me they didn’t do it when it is so blatantly there in black & white and that it’s not their problem when they are the merchant and I get a bit peeved! I called my bank and was told it had to be released by the merchant. So I gave her over the weekend for the issue to be resolved. Late Monday I went in with a print out of the account to speak with her as it had not been resolved. I asked her if she would look into it and she said she didn’t know how. I asked her to call the 800 number on her machine or her bank and she flatly refused. When I asked her how she planned to resolve this issue she told me not to get snotty because this wasn’t her problem and she worked her butt off there for absolutely nothing. I’m sorry, but you don’t get to cause a problem and then play martyr! I have filed a dispute and am writing a letter to the city council as well as the better business bureau, but am afraid it will fall upon deaf ears as so many things do these days. It seems strange to me that so many people are so willing to accept the lack of courtesy being provided by so many businesses. I for one will not and will boycott said business as well as spread the word. As far as I’m concerned businesses like that should be put out of business if they are not willing to provide the most basic of common courtesy. I’m a BIG believer in positive attitude, etiquette and good manners. Attitude is everything and hers SUCKED. You shouldn’t be in business if you are not willing to cater to customers ESPECIALLY when you made the error!

Ironically I recently learned that the business owner who didn’t know who to call or how to fix it worked for a local bank for a long time. Scary isn’t it?

Category: LIFE AS IT HAPPENS