The Superman In All of Us

 
Well "Nothing Is Impossible" is actually the title to Christopher Reeve's 2nd book. By the way check out his site http://www.christopherreeve.org/ ! I'm reading his first book "Still Me" right now (among others!) I received the following quotes in my email today & thought I would journal a bit on this concept of something or anything being "impossible".

By asking for the impossible we obtain the possible.  -- Italian Proverb 

The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.  -- Arthur C. Clarke

Is anything impossible? Hmmm! They thought the world was flat first & one would literally fall off the edge. Then it was round, and possible to travel around it...now they are saying it is more egg shaped. A few weeks ago I watched a PBS show on the common wood frog with my older niece. This frog freezes solid in the winter & then in the spring it defrosts in perfect order for its organ survival & then mates. You can watch a video clip of it here: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/video/3209/i05.html This has shocked scientists!

    
In Christopher Reeve's book "Nothing Is Impossible" he has many inspiring quotes. Look for some more journals on them as I read his book this summer. One on the inside of the cover is:

So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable. If we can conquer outer space, we can conquer inner space, too.

I'm not sure if this is his statement? It seems I've heard this before but he doesn't give an author to it?

I'll also add that Michael J. Fox is another Superman! Check out his website: http://www.michaeljfox.org/ I have read his book "Lucky Man" and it is AWESOME! You can read an excerpt here: http://www.michaeljfox.org/news/article.php?id=5 At the very end of this excerpt in fact he talks about a man who has many tree saplings growing in a house. One in particular is in a dark, tight space with no air yet as he says it is not only surviving but thriving when it should not!

How many times do people think something is impossible?  Especially when it comes to something someone else wants to do! Ha! Seems more often than not we think things are certainly possible when we want to do something but when others want to do something "Oh No!" Hopefully we don't start listening to others & it becomes that "little critic" I journaled about already. I have found, from the little living I have done thus far, that the biggest determinant for achieving what others believe is impossible, is your own belief that it is possible! In fact, just tell me "NO" and it is a good way to get me to do something. I will "prove you wrong!" ;-) Shhh...don't tell everyone that, they will be purposely using it then! Well, I think some are already! Ha! I don't take "no" very well, whether it is having a cold (can't do what I want),or someone who wants to define me a certain way and discriminate against me & say I can't do something someone else can. I equally do not like it when I see others being treated in this manner.  As far as I can remember I have always been this way. A great deal of this comes from my parents. I don't really remember them ever telling me I really couldn't achieve something if I really wanted it. Now the opposite may very well be true...if I don't want something or to do something then it will be difficult for you to get me to do it.

I've always found it fascinating why some people will be motivated more by defeat or being told "no" and others will just submissively accept it. I remember playing softball (16 inch) in my grammar school in 4th grade. The teams were mixed with 4th-8th graders. The first year I struck out every single time I was up to bat. The captain of my team (these would be 8th grade girls) use to tell me to get closer to the plate...I'd be useful that way...get hit by the ball! And as you all know kids can be very mean...especially girls! Ha! BTW if you have not read about Girls Relational Aggression look at Niki Crick's research on the web! Despite this, amazingly I didn't quit! Again I think it was the "I'll show you!" attitude and by 8th grade I was a captain and had the most homeruns in the league. Someone beat me in Grand Slams by 1!!! I still remember who it was! Ha! Of course I did have a bit of help by puberty kicking in early! Ha! Girls usually hate it early & boys wish it was early because it brings strength & endurance. I loved it! You know Michael Jordan's quote comes to mind here... "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take!" I guess I just want to always take one more shot at it! You never know the next time you could achieve! It is also interesting to me to learn about people who are very motivated and achieve what others define as "impossible." Certainly Chris Reeve, Michael J. Fox, Oprah, etc. I believe people have sooooo much more potential than what we see on a daily basis and I'm not just talking about big contributions to the world. I think this is just in their daily interactions with people, on the job and at home with people we love. I do understand however it is very difficult to maintain optimism, an attitude of "possible" when so many around you are pessimistic, believing everything is "impossible." That negative energy is like the "Dark Force" (Nope haven't seen the new one yet!). It is a force to reckon with but a force that can be reckoned! I try to have compassion for those who have "crossed over" though. Some people are like the line in "Pretty Woman" - "The bad stuff is just easier to believe." Hmmm! Is easier always better? Maybe it is easier to just accept defeat on your own terms? If you know you just accepted defeat it is not actually defeat. I mean you know in the back of your mind you might still be able to do it, you just haven't tried and that is better than knowing for sure you can't do it. HMMMM! I'd rather know & then move on! Ha! But I'm not sure I would accept it? If it was important to me then I would just continue to work at it. There are things I can't do but they are not important to me. Last time I tried I couldn't do Calculus or Trig but doesn't seem to bother me too much! HA!

Well, what do you think? What have you achieved that others thought impossible?

DayMakers

Are you a DayMaker? What is a DayMaker? Well, according to David Wagner it is "a person who performs acts of kindness with the intention of making the world a better place." http://www.consciousone.com/wisdomflash/WFView.cfm?PID=173  Performing these acts of kindness will result in incredible soulful smiles for both the receiver & giver. The way I describe the smile is "when every cell of your body smiles" or when you can see one "smile with their eyes" as oppose to their mouth. If you have exeperienced this you will understand this perfectly. It is one of those smiles where you can't stop smiling & you think people must think you are weird. One where you can be talking to someone or doing somthing & your mind just drifts to the event again & you smile just as deeply again. People ask you why you are smiling & you might tell them but if you say "nothing" they don't believe you & you just laugh a bit. There is almost nothing,  short of a catastrophe, which could take that smile away. Oh but if only we could experience these more often & longer!
     

Now what can be used as a DayMaker? Almost anything! It can be big or something quite small. Even a simple "Hello" or smile itself can really make a 180 degree difference in someone's day! Certainly a hug or a kiss. No I'm not suggesting to grab someone on the street & kiss them...Ha!...but it is amazing how we slowly hug & kiss our loved ones less & less over time. I mean take the person you love the most, when is the last time you kissed them like you did when you were first going out? What are your hugs like? Remember how kids sometimes complain how much we hug or how long & hard? I had a grandpa who was extremely strong! The problem was he didn't know his own strength! He grew up on the farms & even did some prize fighting when he was young. He would hug you & you'd think he'd busted a rib! I always think of him when I watch "The Quiet Man" with John Wayne! Remember the bar scene where he shakes the brother of the womenhe loves (Maureen O'Hara! I'm reading her biography now). He has no blood left in that hand! Ha! I figure, if you are going to even bother to hug or kiss you might as well make it a good one right! :-) Unfortunately, many times it is the people we love who we treat the worst. You'll see people all chirpy and fun with strangers, open the doors for them and be polite but then two seconds later they are letting the door hit their family member! (Shake head!) It is hard for everyone, I mean they are the ones who cause us the most frustration too so...it is easy to be nice to people who we aren't frustrated with. The true test is to be nice to those who are not always nice to us right. What else could we do? Maybe take out the trash if we don't normally do it? Maybe send them a note in their lunch, treat them to a day by themselves or just walking on the outside of them to protect them from traffic. I'm sure you can be more creative than I am even. And we make a big deal on Mother's & Father's Day etc! Why more appreciation on one day? We should appreciate them 100% everyday! The lovely flowers on one's anniversary...well it is almost expected then..you would really be in the "dog-house" if you didn't that day...how about other days when they are not expected? I'm not saying you shouldn't treat your anniversary special but then it is over & you say "ok, now I have to wait another year to feel loved & appreciated?" Not good! I love when I see 80 year old men still calling their wife "my bride" or "my girlfriend" Hmmm how lovely! When was the last time you held hands walking with someone? Your partner or your children? Maybe shopping or walking into your relative's home for a party even? It is a two way street! I think what happens is it slowly creaps on one and you can't even remember who stopped first but the result is people just stop.
  
Now what about others? Well, Oprah always talks about "Random Acts of Kindness" like the paying for the toll behind you and that is good, I would not say that is bad but really how much is that? Well ok, our tolls have gone up recently but people would probably say sure I could do that..then that may be a sign that it isn't enough? I know we all wish people would even do just this, but could you offer to pay for the car behind you in the fast food line, especially not knowing yet how much it is??? Maybe it is mowing your neighbor's yard without asking, or raking their leaves. Maybe it is paying for a table of police officers dinners! They are never thanked enough! Maybe it is just opening your window when you are stopped across from one at the light & saying "thank you!" When was the last time you thanked your child's teacher for helping them learn? No, not just on Christmas or Teacher Day! That is what always gets me...Christmas everyone is nice, ok not everyone but more people, and the day after everyone is back to "normal". I remember one person saying "I can't wait for the holidays to be over!" UGH!!!! How about just buying a small rose plant & putting it on someone's desk before anyone gets to work. Maybe even someone who you don't know very well, someone who you think needs it the most. Just watch & see what happens.

Well I'm sure you have many more ideas than I have! What have you done in the past? What was the result? What new ideas do you have? Post them here for all of us to try out! If you try something, come back & let us know what happened! If you have had your Day Made by someone else tell us too!

Here's Wishing you a Body/Spirit Smile! :-)

Pet Names

  
Now My "Big Boy!" 2000

Well this is Dakota aka "Dusty". He just celebrated his 15th birthday this year & runs around like he is still a kitten! You see a flash in your peripheral, over furniture etc! I can't even move that fast & when I think of how old he is with "cat years" man! I would be so lucky to be a Senior like him! He inspires me. How did he get his name(s) well Dusty was my first pet as an adult. I had been looking for a grey kitty with blue eyes. Not sure why? Just thought that is what I wanted. I never had a cat before. Our family had dogs (see below) so I was a bit worried but now I love them. I had been to the pet store & found a kitten which was shiny brown with black tips on each hair. I was with my mom & just held this kitten & played with it for over an hour & still was not sure. My mom & I left the pet store with no kitty. In the parking lot my mom said, "What would you have named it anyway?" I quickly said "Luscious". Well that would have been an interesting name if it was a "he". I don't know what it was. Well that was it...she should have never asked me to give "it" a name. I was hooked. I ended up calling the pet store a few days later telling them to hold the kitten for me that I would come pick it up. I could not stop thinking about it. I called my mom & she said "that is funny they were going to sell it to me today...I was in there to see if it was still there." When I went to pick the kitten up they would not sell it to me. They had it in the back & said it was sick & they didn't know why. I ask them to show me & it really did look very sick, not at all like the kitten I had seen. Then I noticed this grey kitten in the cage. I said, "Where did he come from?" They told me he was returned the night before because the daughter was allergic. I picked him up & that was it...he was purring & made his way in my heart! Now you tell me...could you leave this cute kitty in a cage? :-)
 
As a Kitty Born 3/4/90 

Now Dakota is my favorite name! I'd probably name my first child it...which will be like an Indiana Jones thing..."That was the cat's name!" Ha! I had a roommate at the time & she was frustrated I did not have a name after a week. She said, I'm calling him "Velcro" because he would cling to her nylons with his nails. I said, "No Way" so one day when he went between the refridgerator & the wall to get his ball & came out all dusty I figured I had found a name! You could not tell what was dust & what was his own fur! So officially on papers for showing he is "Dakota" but we just call him "Dusty". Yes, by the way I did show him his first 2 years! The judges at the time did not know what he was but loved him & awarded him many 1st place ribbons! It is only recently that I have learned he is most likely a breed which began around the time he was born called Nebelung !
  
I've only seen 2 other cats like him so far! If you have a Nebelung or one that looks like him, post a comment! I'd especially like to know longevity & health issues! This breed is just now entering older adulthood! Dusty has been the perfect first cat! Up until recently Dusty has NEVER been sick...well he ate a bee once & reacted! Then there was the time he got stuck in the fireplace when my parents closed the flumes! Then he alerted my mom there was a raccoon in her house! The best was when I was working on my PhD at MSU. This was a big move for us. He certainly earned his keep there! I remember the first day I saw it! GOOD LORD...if there was ever a reason I'd get married just to have a guy to take care of  "icky bugs" this would be the reason! I want in my vows he will kill all Flying Tree Roaches! I saw this thing & freaked!Then when I got my gym shoe to kill it & it FLEW that was it! I lost it completely! Now, the only other time I saw one was when Dusty was at my door making this cackling sound I have never hear before. I opened the door & there was another! Dusty is now conditioned to run when he sees me with my gym shoe in my hand! Ha! I have NEVER heard Dusty make that sound again! Poor Dusty...he probably just wanted to play with him! BTW...Dontae Jones, drafted to the NBA, was a student of mine & he was friends with Erik Dampier also an NBA player!  I'm going to write a book on Dusty..."The Adventures of Dusty Dakota" ...sounds better reversed! :-) In the last 2 years the vet caught him just into renal failure and having pancytopenia, where one's white & red blood count is low. I brought him to UofI & 2 bone marrow draws found nothing! We are thinking it may be the norm of this breed?! We changed his food & he is now doing great! He & I have "an understanding!" He is to win the Guiness Book of World Records for the "Oldest Living - Healthy - Cat" and a record that will NEVER be beat! :-) I don't know what I'd do without him! I mean how do you not love a man who kisses your nose at night! :-) Oh& your eyebrows! Did you know that is marking "their terriority!" How special is that!  
 
  
Ok..then there is... "Country" (shake head!) - my youngest brother's cat who I was asked to adopt about 5 years ago due to his allergies. He was named for my brother's love of country music. Country is an attention hound & really should be an only cat! He really would rather Dusty leave! Well Dusty has been my spoiled baby for soooo long! Country has been fondly nicknamed by my friends as"Osma Bin Laden" because he will terrorize Dusty! They will play too, but Country has a habit of attacking Dusty when he is sleeping. Of course this does get my attention - but it is hard to ignore him when hethinks he is auditioning for the "WWE!" I've tried to modify his behavior but he has just managed to modify my behavior. He has conditioned me to pet him when he takes both paws & grabs my arm while I type at the computer! I tell you! Country is also a Bulimic! I need to get him into a Cat Support Group! I don't know if he has some trauma from "kittenhood"? Maybe he wasn't fed for days because there are times when  he sees food & acts like "Bluto" (for those old enough to remember!) in the "Animal House's" Cafeteria! Country also has Bluto's great love for the ladies...well I'm not sure....he "loves" this HUGE squeaky rat! Well, I think you'll get the picture if I just say I have to put the rat up on top of the refrigerator! ;-) I think I need to put him on  "Double Secret Probation!" Now Country can move fast when running after Dusty but like many fast cats in the wild, he doesn't last very long! Two jumps for a hanging cat toy & he is lying down huffing & puffing! Ha! I try to exercise him as much as I can. Country has Dusty by about 4 lbs! Dusty is more quiet & wise than Country. Country is just "Mr. Goofy!"

Now I have quite a Zoo! I have 4 Bettas  - purple ones are usually called "Passion"...but I haven't been naming them lately. I have 3 hermit crabs. I will tell you why I have them...interesting. It was while I was down at MSU that I first saw them. I was at a town fair and I saw these beautiful shells & THEY MOVED! I thought how cool! Well if you look at the Hermit Crab themselves they are not really that cute! Quite frankly one might say they are rather ugly...but this was interesting to me...the combination of beauty with them & how one should look at the whole rather than a part! :-) You have to find the beauty! So I have had a fondness for hermit crabs ever since! I've only once heard them talking to each other! They cackle too...and quite loudly! I heard it in the other room!

I also have 2 Red-Eye Sliders named "Sam" & "Ella"! I know...you can moan...not very creative! I'll get some pictures of them up soon! I've had them now for 4 years this July! I'm quite surprised I haven't killed them! I was in Myrtle Beach & well every gift shop had these cute guys...that is another point..."Ella" ...I think I have 2 males so I just tell him he has a French name! Ha! I had 2 turtles like these in college & well the pet store didn't tell me about having a heat light or they will hibernate!  I thought they were dead & threw them down the trash...now I'm not too sure they were dead! I'm just sick about it! Sam & Ella are HUGE now! My summer task is to find them a 75 or 90 gallon tank! They are so much fun to watch though! I hand feed them Super Worms! Nope, I don't mind worms! I will put them on my hook to fish...I haven't been fishing since I was a teen & I really miss it! Well considering I'm a Pisces it makes perfect sense I guess that I would like these turtles since they are both land & water!  They live like 80 years! Ugh! I told my nieces I would leave Sam & Ella to them! HA!

I have a separate entry now on Sam & Ella if you would like to see some pix!

Well there is one last "sweetie" I can't forget to mention! This is "my dog!" Well you see my cousin won 2 puppies at a carnival when I was 12 yrs old. We were moving to a new house & my mom was sooo cool! Well I'm not sure, I'll have to ask her if she did this purposely! My cousin offered us the male & kept the female. We put this adorable puppy in "the old station wagon" (remember the yellow one with the paneling?) with us 4 kids and headed to ask my dad if we could keep him. My dad was all tired & sweaty working on the land our new house would be on. Mom got out & asked my dad and based upon his expression we all thought he said "no" and we all started to bawl our eyes out! My dad looked at the 4 of us & said "What????" We just sobbed "Why can't we keep him?" He said, "Who said you couldn't?" Quite frankly I'm not sure my dad even got to reply! Ha! My folks had had a toy poodle when they first got married by had to sell it after a few of us kids were born since he started to pee on our toys out of jealousy. I'm sure glad they didn't decide to get rid of us! Ha! We had had fish, gerbils & a rabbit after that but no dog. My older brother thought his fish were thirsty one day & gave them a glass of milk! Ha! I still remember the day my dad came running down the stairs in his boxers because I screamed so loud! It must have been very hard to explain to a little girl why a mother gerbil would eat her babies. What memories! Well when we got our new puppy home, my dad said we would take a "family vote" to name him. I still remember being in our parlor, my dad with the Enclycopedia looking up British names...not quite sure but thinking he was some type of labrador I guess. He was a mix. Then dad made up little strips of paper to make it anonymous! Parents can be so wonderful! I still remember voting for Dryden! No one else did...now that I think of it...not that great of a name I guess. "And the survey said".... "Rugby"! It was kinda perfect because we called him "Rug's" for short & when we first brought him into the house he ran from the front door to the back door & grabbed the colored string door rug & threw his head side to side with it! Ugh! Rugby was a runner though! Open the door & he was gone for hours! He'd come home sinking of his adventure through the creek, full of burrs, which I would have to pull out & many times bringing home his trophy bird head! One day my Uncle came to our house & excitedly announced he had caught Rugby. We turned our head looking at Rugby lying on the chair sleeping peacefully & said, "Ah...Rugby is here! Who do you have?" We all had a laugh & still joke about it at family parties! Rugby visited the principals office at my grammar school (hid under her desk!) and even went to McDonalds! Ha! He would let any stranger in the house and was the biggest wimp when it came to thunder, but no squirrel or chipmunk ever could get past him! In fact, they knew just how far his chain outside would go! Ha! Unfortunately Rugby died about a month after I got Dusty. This was very hard for me since I was the oldest & took care of him the most. Sometimes I think my grandpa sent me (from Heaven) Dusty to deal with Rugby's passing. My grandpa took care of Rugby when I left for college, though Rugby could have came with me the way he took care of him! Ha! He would share his beer with him! Ha! Actually come to think of it, grandpa would have had a blast at college! Ha! You see Dusty was born on my grandpa's birthday. Well maybe someday I'll know! I miss you Rugby! You were awesome!

Look at that Module Swivel Rocker from the '70s! :-)

Big Kids Play Group!

I received an email today which was all about how "we survived" (those of us about 35 yrs & older!) doing all the "bad things" in life like drinking water from a hose & not a bottle,  and eating cupcakes, white bread, real butter & drinking pop & we didn't gain weight because we played outside all day! Do you remember the summers? Mom had to call you in so many times to come in for dinner & then you'd eat dinner real fast to go back out & play again. You'd play until it was already dark. You couldn't see your friends even sometimes! Ha! My brothers making ramps for their bikes to be Evil Kievel and we nor our parents didn't worry about being banged up a bit! Heck I chipped one of my front teeth playing on a tire which for some reason was at the end of our property in the winter (man that was frozen!). Someone had left it there, not my folks!  My mom still remembers my neighbor's grandma who lived 2 houses down coming to our backdoor to WARN my mother that I was hanging upside down from our Jungle Gym. My mom was AWESOME! She told the lady, "Shhhh..she might fall if you are too loud!"Nike didn't create "No Fear" we did! :-) One day mom had like 30 kids in our backyard and never ran out of Kool-Aid or ice sticks (as I hear a lawn mower outside...AHHH! Previous journal!)

I remember looking for Frogs in the window wells & going to "the swamp" across the street & at the end of the block & knee deep in the muck looking for tadpoles to bring home in a bucket & watch them change into frongs. I'm not sure if I was looking for a prince already then but... :-) All those frogs & no prince yet I tell ya! We played physically with our whole bodies and with real sticks not just a finger on a "joystick" for a Nintendo or XBox!! In fact, just this weekend when my little niece was over I got her to play outside! Grandpa had the decks for the sliding doors redone. She was up there & decided she was a princess coming out from her castle & waving to her subjects! We all laughed! Then she found a stick & was doing magic! YES!!!! To bad she can't find a spell for a prince for me! Ha!

Man such times of "planning" things we would do & then the "anxiety" of doing it and then the "laughter" afterwards when it didn't turn out just as you planned. Some of us have stories which have stuck with us over the years from these "Adventures!" :-) We "walked" to our friends house...blocks!!!!! We rode bikes all day! Today kids are out of breath to run a short distance. You couldn't run away from your "arch enemy", many times kids who were older than you, even if you wanted to. The good thing is your "arch enemy" may not even be able to run to catch you anyway!  Remember Ralphie in the Christmas Story & the "bullies!" BB guns...I know today they have real guns! Man things are just so whacked today!


And everyone in the neighborhood knew each other (or most!) Parents looked out for each other's kids! You didn't have to worry about your neighbor because you actually knew them! You talked over the fence, offered them dinner off the grill or a drink! Heck you might even just mow their lawn while you were doing yours....amazing! Parents didn't even worry that much if they didn't see their kids. They knew they were playing at the home of a child of someone they knew and would be "taken care of!" Today we actually have to get involved in community groups to find out who our next door neighbor even is!

Oh & reading! Now I know the younger kids read but I think they stop much earlier today! Remember the movie "On Golden Pond"? Norman gets Billy to read "Treasure Island" when he learns he has never read it! And we acted out these stories then! If you haven't seen this movie...you need to! Just the music is relaxing!

There is something interesting here though....we grew up this way, so these are our kids who are not doing this! Who do we have to blame? Think about it? Is the Nintendo industry like the Tobacco & Fast Food industry? They just want our money...they hypnotized us to buy! :-)

The other point is again "youth is wasted on the young!" When did we stop playing like kids? We just have to start some "Big Kids Play Groups"!! Like Tom Hanks in Big, and when Tim Allen brings the games of their youth in the 2nd Santa Claus movie! "Rock Em Sock Em", Toy Soldiers ETC! The toy industry is missing  a potential market! You know one day I was so exhausted, I just wanted a hot relaxing bath. My niece still had her toys in the tub. I was too exhausted to take them out. I didn't care! I got in with them. I felt weird! WHY??!! Then I felt weird because I thought I couldn't play with them. When did this happen? I forced myself to play with them. I swear next birthday gifts I'm giving toys from our youth. I'm going to give gift baskets of tub toys for adults! Maybe I should start this whole thing marketing wise! :-)  Who wants to start a group? Email me! (boy that says it right there...email me! Ha!) Remember kids coming to the back door & asking your mom "Can Tommy come out & play?" When is the last time you heard that? They just IM each other! 6 kids...all on IM! My older niece does it now! I HAVE TO SAVE HER! :-) Ok, so I better get off the computer & go outside or do something with more than just my fingers myself! :-)

Ranting is Good Therapy!

Just opened an email from Cheryl Richardson - http://www.cherylrichardson.com - and she explains a therapeutic technique called "the 2 minute rant rule." This technique allows one to rant & rave about anything for 2 minutes but at the end of the 2 minutes you have to put into action a plan to resolve the problem, humor is encouraged as part of the plan. She says that Ranting is Good Therapy! YAAA! I have that therapy method down pat then! Ha! You can view the newsletter here - http://www.cherylrichardson.com/newsletter/05-week21.html

She gave a variety of ranting examples such as why the grass having to be cut at 7am! I totally agree! I mean I love the grass being cut - it is one of my most relaxing sounds & smells of summer! Others are small planes (from lying on the grass during the summer as a kid with not a care in the world & watching the clouds), smell of grills AHHHHH...hey I haven't finished talking about this Ranting Therapy & I'm relaxing...maybe I should just make a tape of these sounds! :-) Ok...back to where I was...I love the sound & smell of the grass being cut but at 7am when I'm still sleeping I can't enjoy it! Either I'm asleep or it is waking me from some awesome dream & that is not great! I certainly can't smell it, so that doesn't help! Cut the grass later in the day when I can enjoy it! Ha! :-)

Now here is my "2 minute rant" for the moment. I'm heading to bed as soon as I finish this but my digital cable tv has been going on & off for the past 2 hours! Once my cable internet disconnected also. I call "my provider" and they say, "Is your internet on now?" I tell them yes & they say well I can't do anything about it now! They don't offer to give me some credit & he says he can't even connect me to the cable tv department that I will have to call back and select that dept...this is the number I already waited 10 min or more on the line forsomeone to answer!!! UGHHHH! Ok, was that 2 minutes? Maybe less? I decided to email them so I can have less stress & go to sleep! Ha!

Related to my previous journal...maybe the cable doing on & off  is God having fun with me! Ha! Maybe he is trying to get me to go to sleep? Then again....maybe I have a Poltergeist situation? Do I hear "Carol Anne"? :-) "They're Here!!!" For those of you not as old as I am, take a look here - http://www.spielbergfilms.com/poltergeisthome.html - it's a creepy one...grab a guy with a strong chest to sink your head into while you watch! :-) Oh...BTW...I think that is Genetic! My little niece did it to my brother during Shrek II when Puss N Boots clawed Shrek! Ha! I just looked at him & laughed...he said, "What do you women train them right away when they are babies?" I said, "It's Genetic!" I couldn't stop laughing! I'm laughing now! Ha!

Well I better go to bed before I buy this Lakota Pain relieve stuff they are trying hard to sell me on tv! :-) Obvsiously my cable is back on...for how long is anyone's guess!

That Little Voice (Critic)

I received these in my email today! Quite thought-provoking!

What inspires you?

“It is never about how good your voice is; it is only about feeling the urge to sing, and then having the courage to do it with the voice you are given.”

-- Katie in ‘True to Form’ by Elizabeth Berg

How often have you allowed fear and your inner critic to stop you from doing something you were inspired to do?

"Life is either a grand adventure or nothing.” When we allow fear and criticism to stop us in our tracks, we give up that grand adventure. What a waste! Helen Keller

“Be an all-out, not a hold-out.”

-- Norman Vincent Peale

It is amazing how much that inner critic voice wants to be heard! It always amazes me when this "inner critic" begins to speak! I have discussed with others how little kids don't seem to have this! You know when they are starting to crawl or walk they don't say "what if I fall & hurt myself?", "what if people laugh at me?", "what will others think of me?"...all those "what ifs!

Kids are so great to observe! You can learn so much from them. Things we have forgotten. What is the saying, "youth is wasted on the young"! I agree! Now the test is do we take what we hopefully learn from childhood & keep with with us in adulthood. It is like the book "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten", by Robert Fulghum - http://www.robertfulghum.com/ - but how many really do take those lessons and use them? I know I'm guilty of not using them. Maybe this is why God has us have kids around, whether it is our own, nieces & nephews, grandchildren, or just being in the mall! To observe them & possible modify our behavior around them as a reminder that we should behave that way all the time!

It is funny, when we are a kid we can't wait to grow up & when we are "grown ups" we want to be a kid! Life is just one joke after another isn't it! Thereis a song by Depeche Mode called "Blasphemous Rumors" and the refrain is:

I don’t want to start any blasphemous rumours
But I think that god’s got a sick sense of humor
And when I die I expect to find him laughing

I think God is laughing sometimes! Ha! Maybe he (or as someone once told me "she") is laughing just at me! Probably one of those head shaking laughs!  

Define Your Moment

I received the quotes below in my email & really liked them! This really goes along with my previous journal on "Decisions".

"We cannot tell what may happen to us in the strange medley of life. But we can decide what happens in us -- how we can take it, what we do with it -- and that is what really counts in the end."

-- Joseph Fort Newton

"When a defining moment comes along, you can do one of two things. Define the moment, or let the moment define you."

-- Tin Cup (the movie)

"If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice."

-- Neil Peart

I love the 2nd quote being from "Tin Cup"! I love Costner's character's tenaciousness! I would do the same thing! HA! And sooo true how years from then they would not remember who won but they will remember him & that shot!

The last quote is quite meaningful as well! I was raised "If you are not a part of the solution, you are a part of the problem!" Deciding not to do something is like a sin to me! Very few times I have not tried to help when I thought I should. Those few times are close to something I regret. I say close because I have to believe God did not want me to or I would have. Perhaps it was a test for me to remember for later, or perhaps it was for someone else to help. Anything I really wanted in my life I have always attempted. I really do not understand why people do not take the chance & TRY? I've always said to others, "tell me why other people can have what you want & not you? What do they have that allows them to have it & not you?" Maybe it is attempting a career or maybe it is asking someone out! I mean if you try, maybe the answer will be "NO!" but at least you now know & will not always wonder. You have everything to gain & nothing to really lose!  Taking risks in life is what life is all about! It really defines the person! To have courage & the inner strength in your spirit to dare to be wrong, or hurt, or not realize your dream, is what defining your moment or LIFE is all about! :-)

Decisions, Decisions?

Man, life is just one decision after another isn't it! But then again, I don't think I would want people making all my decisions for me now so.....

Today I got these quotes in my email & found them very thought provoking!

Struggling With A Decision?

"You can conquer almost any fear if you will only make up your mind to do so. For remember, fear doesn't exist anywhere except in the mind."

-- Dale Carnegie

My anxiety level spiked the other day as I wrestled with whether to choose option A or option B. I was so afraid of making the wrong choice!

And then I remembered, with deep gratitude, Susan Jeffers’ sage advice: There are no wrong decisions! Whatever we might choose in life will bring valuable experiences if we are open to receive them.

“Lighten up! Whatever happens as a result of your decision, you’ll handle it!”

-- Susan Jeffers

These are sooo true! The last one is really "Everything happens for a reason" Hard to take when it is very sad or horrible circumstances. It is only in hindsight that we can understand why. There is also a saying "If God Takes You To It, He'll Get You Through It" I find that interesting?!

It is always amazing to me how people want to tell you how you made the wrong decision. For who? Why do they presume the decision they would make for themselves should be for you? Would they want you to make decisions for them? So then why do they feel they have to for you? Then again perhaps it is just because they love & care for you & don't want to see you hurt...like parents? But then I say I can use the same defense to make decisions for them sooo....

Now don't take any of this to mean that it is ok to make careless decisions. Not thinking about the possible consquences etc is not what this is about! And certainly some people don't handle things as well as others. Some do have drastic consequences but ideally if you work through it & learn from it, you will benefit. As Richard Gere's character "Ike" says in"Runaway Bride" - "I'm a work in progress!" :-)

Love Actually

Speaking of great movies...Love Actually is also wonderful! http://www.loveactually.com/ and also has wonderful theme music! The background music is so heart-warming! That little adorable boy! Can you imagine him later as a man?! Not afraid to be daring & tell a woman he likes her, much less loves her! To not be afraid to ask a girl out knowing THAT is what life is about...the risks! Like in Grumpy Old Men the line "the only thing in life you regret is the risks you don't take!" Hmmm!

I love the character of Natalie! The best part is when she doesn't care how prime & proper the prime minister should be & runs & jumps on him in the airport! Too bad people don't do this all the time when we see people we love! :-) I know my niece still does! She will open the door & be yelling my name and "I'm here!" When she was little she'd watch for me in the window & even when I drove into the driveway with my music on, windows closed & house windows closed on the house I could hear her yelling in excitement. If only we were like that all the time! :-) To give that kind of love & to receive it...what little it takes!

Of course it wasn't hard to look at Colin Firth! Woof! http://www.firth.com/  So tall! ;-) and he is so interesting...even in Bridget Jone's Diaries he can be so quiet & hard to approach but when he smiles & when he does let you in...wow! Of course there is Rodrigo Santoro! Double Woof! I can't believe they don't have him on the website for the movie! Man! http://www.rodrigo-santoro.tk/ Those shoulders! Hmmm!

So is Love Actually All Around Us? Take a look! :-)

I just thought about another movie! Good Will Hunting...when Robin Williams character says he had tickets to the ball game & he gives up his ticket & says "Gotta see about a girl!" Ahhh! And just recently I watched a movie where the female says she wants a man who is willing to make a fool of himself for her or over her. It has been driving me crazy for weeks..I can't remember what movie it was. Anyone know? Email me! Ugh!

All I Need

I love this song from "Something's Gotta Give" http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/somethingsgottagive/ by Maroon 5

"That may be all I need
In darkness she is all I see
Come and rest your bones with me
Driving slow on sunday morning
And I never want to leave...."

Full lyrics: http://www.lyrics007.com/Maroon%205%20Lyrics/Sunday%20Morning%20Lyrics.html

Man is it every great to "move to". ;-) It is really doing wonders for my mood today listening to it!

Love the movie too! Life is so funny isn't it! ;-) Now hmm young thing like Keanu or Jack? Well Keanu is 1 year older than me so...Too bad you can't pick both! ;-) I mean they do each have wonderful qualities! ;-) Then again, did you catch Paul Michael Glaser...man he still looks great! Full of the devil himself!

Remember the scene in the movie with the white & black rocks? Cool!

Life Is Short - Wear Your Party Pants!

Man do I love Gretchen Wilson! ;-) Too bad more of life can't be a party! Or rather maybe too bad more people can't realize it should be a party. Well more than it is. I suppose it can't be all the time but man if more people just had "mini parties" throughout their day society would be so much happier! How much did you laugh today? Hmmm! Watch tomorrow & try to add one extra laugh a day!

Loretta LaRoche just cracks me up! This is the title of her newest book & I love it! If you want to listen to her you can go to the link below every Friday from 1-2 PST! I love her video "Humor Your Stress".

Radio Show: http://www.hayhouseradio.com/show_details.php?show_id=16

Her Website: http://www.lorettalaroche.com/

I love watching MASH (on 3 times!) to laugh! And if I'm up really late the GSN has on the old Match Game& there are some good laughs there.