So It Is Written

Throughout the decades, as life has changed, so has handwriting. We all know the flowery look of The Declaration Of Independence, but has anyone really noticed the changes from 1920 until now? As a test, I lined up some greeting cards that were sent to me from my parents, sister and children. You can clearly see how the patterns have shifted. In the 1930, cursive (or script) was painstakingly taught in elementary school. The "r"'s had just a bit of a scroll on the top. So did most of the capital letters. Printing was never used in any type of formal letter writing. If we stop to think about it, most of our parents have never used print to write a letter or sign a greeting card. Then came the 1960's, when I went to school. An equal importance was placed on print and script. When my generation writes a letter, we mix the two writing styles, so there is a more bold look. Sort of print-script. Now we come to my children's generation. The 1980's. By then, it seemed that the education system had almost given up. I am not even sure if my children or their friends even know how to write in script, as no one ever does. Most of them only print. Today, computers do our writing. The beauty of the written word has vanished.

Good Enough

I am a high achiever, by nature.When I have a project to do, I research it out to it's fullest extent. I used to think that being that way, was best for me. As I get older, I am rethinking that theory. I seem to be the only one that has such high expectations for myself. When I do a project and there is a flaw, I am the only person that notices it. No one's eye will find the problem. As I get older, I am getting tired. I am slowly learning that nothing is perfect. Sometimes good enough is great. I am also learning not to expect too much of other people. If you have low expectations you will always be delighted with the results. Bad is better than nothing, ok is better than bad, good enough is a plus and good is nirvana.

The Roundabout Way

I always try to be diplomatic. I find the best way to approach a subject. The other day, I had to put this to the test. For the past few months, a woman has been walking her dog up and down my block. She allows him to "go" on the front strip of everyone's lawn. The grass on my front strip now has yellow polka dots on it from the burn marks of the acid. This is inconsiderate. I pay a gardener to keep my lawn green and beautiful and I do not appreciate this woman's dog ruining it. So, here was my dilemma. How do you approach a stranger and reprimand her, for destroying your property? This is what I did. The other day I stalked her. When she got to the front of my house, I walked outside to "throw out my garbage". I told her that I was on the lookout for her. I introduced myself and told her that her dog was so cute. I then added that my gardener was going to put poison on the lawn and I was concerned that her puppy might hurt his tiny paws if he walked on it. Even worse, he might eat a bit of poisoned grass and become ill. She was so thankful that I told her this and she said that she would never have her dog walk on my lawn again. I patted the little puppy on his head and went inside. The next day I stood at the window when she walked by. She raced past my house and would not let her dog stop for a moment. I took care of the problem in a roundabout way and she was none the wiser.

Solicitors

I dislike solicitors. The unwanted people who call you at all hours of the day and night. I had my telephone number on the "no call list". For some reason, lately, I am getting calls again. I think I need to update. Yesterday, in work, I get a call from a solicitor. As usual, the number comes in as Private, on the caller ID. He sounded like a young man, maybe in his late twenties. He asked me if I was "the person he spoke to on Friday, about the copy machine toner". I said that I had never spoken to him and that we do not order toner. He then said that he was going to send out a toner via UPS. I told him he better not send any product to me, that I did not order. He demanded to speak to the manager. I informed him that I was the manager. He then said "no you are not, and I think you need to mind your own business"! Then he slammed the phone down. I stood there and laughed. I waited for him to call back, but he did not. I do not think that this young man will get very far with is attitude. How can I mind my own business, if he called me?

Re Gifting

We have all done it, at one point in our lives. We have re-gifted. Sometimes you get a gift and although it is nice, you just do not need it. If you do not have the receipt, you cannot take it back to the store, so you hold onto it, until there is an occasion to re-gift. When I got engaged, I received a package from UPS. It was a gift from a distant relative. When I took the tray out of the box, I saw a beautiful greeting card. It said "Dear Ellen and Steven, Congratulations on your wedding". The only problem was that I am neither Ellen nor Steven. This was re-gifting at it's worst. If you re gift you have to be careful. The best re-gift was from my mother in law. When I gave birth to my first son, she came to the hospital with a lovely night gown. It was beautiful and in the best of taste. I know this, because I bought it for her, for Mother's Day, the previous year. Again, re-gifting at it's worst. If you plan on becoming a re-gifter, get a log book and do it right.

The Novelty

I am always the first one in my family to buy new products. I remember buying my first portable telephone. I took it outside and made a phone call to see how far I could walk with it. Of course, those were the pre cell phone days. It was so cool to be able to walk outside with the phone and call people, without being attached to a wire. I could walk as far as my next door neighbor's house. My family said, "why do you need to be talking outside"? A month later they bought portable phones. Next came the answering machine. After I got it, I asked people to call me just to hear my message. My family said, "why do you need an answering machine? If you are not home, people will call back". A month later, they bought answering machines. Next was the microwave. After I bought it, I could not wait to make popcorn, in 2 minutes. My family said "why do you need popcorn in 2 minutes? Are you that busy"? A month later, they had microwaves. Next was the cell phone. Who can forget repeating "can you hear me now"? My family asked "who is so important, that they cannot wait until you get home, to talk to you"? A month later, they bought cell phones. I love being the trend setter, especially when my family follows me.

Not Guilty?

I have a problem with people pleading "not guilty" to a crime that we all know they did. Just this week, a man stole a car in a neighboring town, led the police on a chase, drove the car into an elementary school, got out and tried to run into the school, while carrying a 9mm gun. The police apprehended him and took him to jail. The following day, the court system allowed him to plead "not guilty". Huh? Not guilty? We all saw you do the crime. What kind of nonsense is pleading not guilty? Is our judicial system that dumb? He should have been made to plead guilty and then have a trial to see why he did the crime, so the court can determine the proper punishment. Our court system has limited itself by not having enough options. We need the options of "guilty", "not guilty", "no contest" and "you all saw me do it". I am big on efficiency. Let's cut to the chase. If we saw you do it, let's bypass the trial. I have no time for coddling criminals.

Who They Used To Be

A few weeks ago, I visited my parents, in a senior citizen community. By definition, I fall into the senior category. Over 55, is the benchmark for most senior discounts. I have my trusty AARP card in my wallet at all times, just in case I come across a good discount. I always joke, that if I am hit by a car, the headline would start off "An elderly woman...". This morning, I was eating breakfast in a local diner. I looked around the room and saw that I was the youngest one there, by at least 20 years. The women were all dressed up wearing very stylish jewelry and matching accessories. The men looked well dressed, too. For most of them, their day will revolve around eating, talking with friends and possibly a show. The rest of the week will be like ground hogs day. Same old, same old. Maybe a doctors appointment or a blood test, just to mix things up a bit. When I looked at their faces, I imagined what they looked like, when they were my age. I tried to look through the wrinkles and gray hair. Some of them must have been stunning. I then tried to imagine what they did in their youth. Was he a doctor? Was she a teacher?. At their age, the playing field is leveled. Each one, on par with the next. The only thing that separates them, is their health. I overheard one couple talking about an event that they had been to. The woman said "the meeting was interesting, but the people there were old". This woman had to have been a minimum of eighty years old. I guess as we grow older, our image of ourselves stays the same. Only the people around us age.

ESL

About the time I entered high school, a new course was added to the curriculum. It was called ESL. English as a Second Language. It was designed to help foreign students acclimate themselves into a school system that was only taught in English. Years down the line the term ESL has a new meaning to me. I refer to it as, English IS a second language. When I call a large company, I have the option to listen to the call in Spanish. More recently, I have had the choice to listen in Spanish, Russian, Japanese and Chinese. No joking. All of these languages were offered. I am all for the melting pot theory, but somehow the melting pot has led to evaporation. The English language is slowly fading away, as the main language of the United States. Signs are in many languages. So are instructions. When my family came over from Russia, they had one choice of language. English. No one was coddled. If you did not speak English, you had to learn it. If you didn't learn it, you never advanced. If we do not value our own language, how can we value anything else in America?

The Stone Age

It is amazing how far we have come and how many skills we have lost on the journey. I was in the Verizon store and their system "went down". It was down all morning. There were about 10 workers there and they looked so lost. As I was talking to a representative, a man walked in and wanted to purchase a cell phone case. He took out his credit card, in order to pay. The guy behind the counter got a terrified look in his eyes. Since he could not swipe the card into his computer, he had no idea how to handle this transaction. After having a brief caucus with his co-workers, someone decided to get the manual credit card machine. The old kind, that you put carbon copy slips into and run the metal bar over the card, to make an impression. The sales reps all gathered around to learn this unique skill. The manager had to show them a few times, as it took manual dexterity to move the metal bar. After the carbon copy was made, there was a discussion of where to list the item on the sales slip. I was one step away from jumping over the counter and showing them. After they tackled that challenge, the most difficult part reared it's ugly head. Sales tax. No one knew what Nassau County sales tax was. The leader of the pack, said it was 8.63%. Even though I knew it was 8.625%, I did not feel the need to correct them. Obviously the customer did not know either, or he would have said something. Ten minutes later, the transaction was done. As the customer left the store, one salesperson said, "Wow, that is what it must have been like, living in the Stone Age".

GASping At the Pump

When I went to work yesterday morning, the gas pump said $3.99/9. When I returned home yesterday afternoon, it said $4.03/9. What happened in those 6 hours that made the price jump? The answer is ...nothing. We are being taken advantage by the Middle Eastern oil prices and an ignorant government. The price of oil in the Middle East is about 25 cents a gallon. Oil is abundant. The other day, I was watching our President make a speech, which in my opinion was geared more towards his election, than America's well being. He said that there is a way to get oil prices down to $2.50 a gallon. He said the Republicans are pushing to do it, but it means we need to ...and he said this, with the most arrogant tone.... dig, dig, dig. Ok, why aren't we digging, then. We have the resources, we have the man power and we have the oil on American property. Why in the world aren't we digging? He made it sound like a sin, to dig for your own oil. If the people that we purchase oil from, dig for it, why won't we? The Republicans will dig. The Democrats want us to dig, but only into our pockets, to find the money to pay the inflated oil prices at the pumps.

The Insurance Debacle

The health insurance world is tough to navigate. It can be frustrating and overwhelming. Just this past week a perfect example of this happened to me. I was visiting my parents and saw some explaination of benefits on their table. They were for lab claims that were denied due to no prior authorization. The funny thing was, that the pre- authorization letter was sent to my parents a month back. They made a few calls to their insurance company and got very discouraged, so they just gave up and left it on their desk. That is where I came in. The day I arrived at their house, I decided to call the lab and the insurance company. We had a three way conference call. After two hours, we came to the conclusion that the claims were denied erroneously and would be reprocessed. By the time the call was done, I was sweating and my bladder was bursting. This call was not for the faint of heart. The next time I need to make this type of call, I will be prepared with a good meal and a bed pan next to me.

On The Shelf

I am sure that we have all lived this scenario. We need an item in the store and go to the aisle that has it. We look on the shelf, in the place where it should be and we do not see it. I have a theory that if you stand there long enough, it will magically appear. This might sound silly, but it usually does. I have been known to stand in front of a shelf for over five minutes waiting for the item to "step up" and show itself to me. I am persistent. I was recently in a store with a friend and put this theory to use. The item was not there. No where to be found. Anyone else would have walked away. I said "just stay here few more minutes". After waiting a bit longer, we pushed a few more items to the side....and there it was. The item we came in for. My friend was very surprised. How could something just appear, when it was not there before? Try this for yourself. You will be pleasantly surprised.

Trading Stamps

Last week, I was driving with my son and we passed the gas station. I looked at how high the prices were and commented that years ago when you went to fill up your car, you would say "five dollars or fill it up". Most times the fill up came before the five dollars. Then I told him that not only did we get gas, but we also got drinking glasses and S&H stamps.He looked at me like I was weird. Why would they give out stamps? I explained what S&H stamps were. The practice started in the 1890s, at first given only to customers who paid for purchases in cash, to reward those who did not purchase on credit. Credit, in those days, meant that you put you had a running tab with the shopkeeper and paid it off monthly. Giving stamps grew with the spread of chain gas stations, in the early 1910s and the new industry of chain supermarkets, in the 1920s. Merchants then found it better to award stamps to all customers. Trading stamps were most popular from the 1930s through the 1960s. An example of the value of trading stamps, would be during the 1970s and 1980s when one stamp was for given for 10¢ of merchandise that was purchased. A typical book took approximately 1200 stamps to fill, or the equivalent of $120.00 in purchases. When you filled up your book of stamps, you would browse through a catalog, and pick out the items you wanted. You then went to the redemption center and traded in the stamp books, for the gifts. That is how most families were able to afford the simple luxuries like toasters and pots and pans. Then, I joked with him, that he would never have the pleasure of experiencing a glue coated tongue.

Who Is Watching Who

The other day, some of my friends were talking about jobs that have too many workers. Someone mentioned road workers. These are almost always either government jobs or government contracted jobs. No matter what state you live in, the scenario will be the same. There is a job that needs to be done. Six workers are dispatched. One holds the orange flag, one sits in the truck, one digs and three others watch and talk. That means that 50% of the work force is idle. Seventy percent if we count the man sitting in the truck, talking on his cell phone. I have seen this happen throughout the many east coast states that I have traveled. Coincidentally, the next day, some road work was being done at my office. This is the g-ds honest truth. Five men were there. One man was digging a hole. One was holding a blue tarp. Three were circled around the man digging, just watching him. After fifteen minutes, the digging man stopped. The tarp man laid out the tarp and cut it in half, while the other four watched. Then one of the "fab four" fished a wire into the hole, while the new foursome watched. At no time during those three hours was any more than one person working. My thought was, is there a digging specialist, a tarp specialist and a fishing expert? Or maybe, just maybe, too many men, were on the payroll.

The Tone Setter

We all have one. We have one in work. We have one in our family. We have one with our friends. The Tone Setter. The person that sets the tone for the day. If they get up happy, the people that surround them, will have a pleasant day. If they get up grumpy, the day will not run so well. If they get up nasty, watch out and head for the hills. I was never a tone setter. I am a tone absorber and after many years, it is getting annoying. I no longer want to have my day set by someone else's moods. I have a consistent temperament. I wish other would,too Years ago, I worked for a moody doctor. As a routine test, my cardiologist had me wear a heart monitor for 24 hours, just to see the heart rate fluctuations. A week after I returned the monitor, the doctor called with the results. He asked me what I was doing between 8am and 12:30 pm. I said I was at work. He told me that approximately every 1/2 hour my heart rate would increase for a few minutes and then go back to normal. I thought about it. The doctor came into work at 8am and would come into the front office between patients, which was approximately a half hour time span. He was a moody man and I guess his aura set off my heart rate. He was the tone setter and that day, he must have been setting a bad tone. I would like to see all of the tone setters in my life, put into a room, together. That would be music to my ears.

Security

As I was waiting to go through security at the airport last week, I noticed a sign that said "this airport has enhanced security scans". I did not think much about it, as I was only concerned with getting home. I did the usual taking off my shoes, taking off my coat and putting my carry on bag onto the belt. Instead of walking through the security doorway, I was asked to go into a semi enclosed pass through. I went in and was asked to put my hands over my head and stay still for one minute. I was waiting for them to asked me to turn my head to the left and cough. I stood there and they said I was Ok to move on. As I walked out of the pass through, a security guard talked into her radio and said "female two". She then asked me to put out my hands. She looked at my charm bracelet and turned it around to see all of the charms. She then told me I was good to go. My sister followed the same procedure. After the pass through the guard called in "female three". and began to pat her down. As she was patting down the front of her body, the guard, who was a female, commented on how exquisite my sisters' sweater was. The three of us continued to have a pleasant conversation about clothes. I guess this whole procedure, was what the airport called "enhanced security". It took five minutes. I then realized that this was what people have been complaining very vocally about. The words "invasion of privacy, embarrassment and humiliation" have been bandied around. To me, it was five minutes out of my life, that could have potentially saved my life, had there been a terrorist flying that day. I think everyone should pipe down, go with the flow and have a safe flight.

The Glove

I saw something strange yesterday morning while, I was driving to work. When I looked at the car next to me, I saw a young girl smoking a cigarette, with her hand out the window. The strange part was, that she was wearing a plastic, see through glove. The kind that deli workers use when slicing meat. As I sat at the light, I was trying to figure out why she had the glove on. Was she trying to keep her fingers smelling clean, instead of like smoke. If that was the reason, why wasn't she wearing a bag over her head. What good is a clean smelling hand, if your face smells smokey? I pulled up a bit closer to see her other hand. No glove. So now, I am surmising that we do not have an OCD issue, going on here. Then I noticed her talking on her cell phone with the other hand. Was she driving with her knees? Now, this was getting a bit disturbing. I was glad when the light turned green and I was able to turn onto the street where I work. I can't take such mental pressure before the work day even begins.

Great Interest

I received a bank statement today and laughed. The interest posted was 1 cent. It cost the bank 45 additional cents to mail me the statement. How ludicrous. I remember when interest was 18%. That was in the 1980's. When you walked into the banks, there would be a table stacked high with gifts, that they hoped would give you the incentive, to lock away your money, for 5 years. In those days, checking accounts got a "paltry" 5%. I remember turning my nose up at that amount. The gifts on the table, ranged from color televisions, VCR's and microwaves, to Corning Ware, toaster ovens and heating blankets. We all had to think about if we really wanted to put our money into a 5 year certificate of deposit, for 18%, PER YEAR! People tried to break up their money into as many accounts as they could to reap the benefits of receiving as many gifts as possible. Some people would ask for more than one gift per account, if they has  a sizable amount of money to deposit. "Give me a color TV and throw in the 20 piece Corning Ware". If we only knew what the future of banking would be, we would locked away as much as we could for as long as we could. I still can't believe 1 cent!

Truly Blessed

I am truly blessed. Today is my mothers' birthday. She is 88. She still looks beautiful and dresses like a fashionista. She has the energy of a 30 year old, but with some aches and pains. There is not a person that meets her, that does not like her. She does not have a bad bone in her body. Even though I am 56, if I have a problem, I can still call "Mommy" and cry about it, like a big baby. She will always hear me out, never judge and give the correct advice. She makes me laugh. When I call her and she has to leave the phone to get something, she will hum a song and say "please hold on, your call is very important to me". That routine never gets old, as far as I am concerned. She is very fair with my sister and me. If she gives one of us something, she makes sure the other one gets the equivalent. She loves candy and cake and her face lights up when she eats anything sweet. Just like a kid. I just came home from visiting her, because my sister and I would never miss her birthday weekend. We will continue to do so, for the next 25 years.

Homeward Bound

Time really does fly when you are having fun. It is 6am and I have not slept all night. This morning, I am flying home. The flight is an early one and unknowingly, we booked it on the day that the clocks are set ahead one hour. Hence, the sleepless night. There is no alarm clock in the house, so I set my cell phone alarm. I had never done this before and being the controlling person I am, I could not trust it. I need to do a dry run with everything in my life, so I could not relax, just winging it. I am glad to say that the cell phone alarm passed muster. Had I known this, I might have slept. I always like to leave on a high note and this trip is no exception. We had a great time and laughed a lot. We had the pleasure of seeing Tony Orlando, last night, at the "Famous Palace Theater". He was as good as he was in the 70's. It was worth staying up late for. So now, I will make my lunch for the airplane and get ready for a tearful goodbye. Hopefully I will not be frisked at the airport. I am too tired for that.

The Scale

I have traveled through most of the United States. Even though we are one country, there are many differences, from state to state. The one that amuses me the most, is in Florida. There is a large supermarket chain named Publix. The one thing that they have, that I have not seen anywhere else, is "The Scale". At the entrance of each Publix, is a large scale. Not for fruits or vegetables. For people. As each person enters the store, no matter how many times a week that they go shopping, they jump onto the scale. If they are alone, they "weigh and go". If they are with someone, after they have all stood on the scale, they discuss their weight. Each one says that the scale at home, or in the gym, is not the same as the one in Publix. They always say that the scale that reflects the lowest weight, is the correct one.Sometimes people wait until no one is next to them, to do the clandestine weigh in. I do not know why this matters, but it is amusing to watch. I do not know the rationale behind why the scale is there. Is it to have you buy more food or less food? All I know, is that when I am in Florida, I "do as the Romans do" and jump onto the scale, too.

Food For Thought

 Everyone loves to eat. Food is necessary for survival. Food is also a social activity. I am still in Florida, visiting my parents. As soon as we see their friends, the first question is, "where are you eating dinner tonight"? Everyone runs through the list of which places are good and which are not. The list changes seasonally. Places that were the best ones last year, are now on the "worst" list. Senior citizens can shut down a business within a month. A cold cup of soup or an aloof waitress could lead to disaster. To displease one, is to displease all. They are the toughest audience that I have ever met. Years ago, I worked in a large hospital. The drug reps had to visit the doctors weekly, just to keep their products in good standing. A new rep came in one day, to try and sell a new type of anesthetic. Although there were at least 15 doctors in the room, everyone ignored him. Week after week, for about two months, I watched, as this young man tried so hard to be heard. Then he got smart. One day he brought in bagels, cream cheese and lox. In one instant, he went from being the invisible man to the bell of the ball. After that day, be brought in bagels and lox, once a week. After a month, the hospital switched to his new product. Patients did not know that the anesthesia they were being given, was decided upon, because the doctors loved bagels. That is food for thought.

Pink Cloud Of Happiness

Last night I went out to dinner with my parents and sister. We went to a popular buffet type restaurant called The Golden Corral. They serve American foods that include salads, various unhealthy fried foods, heavy starches and salty meats. In other words, a really good, tasty meal, at a reasonable price. I piled my plate high with a melange of unrelated foods and sat down to eat. That is when I saw it....a pink cloud of happiness. Cotton candy. I instantly became mesmerized. I had a front row seat to the best show on earth. A woman wrapping strands of hair like sugar onto a long paper cone, that would form this delicious puff of delight. From that point on, I became a child. I raced through my meal, eating just enough food so my parents would not scold me. I pushed the remainder of food into a small pile on the side of the plate to give the appearance that I had eaten my full meal. Even though my family had just begun to eat their main meal, I excused myself from the table and made a bee-line to the cotton candy stand. I pulled my "cloud of happiness" out of the stand and began to eat it on the walk back to the table. I had not had cotton candy for about 25 years, but it was as good as I remembered it. It melted in my mouth and left my hands all sticky. My sister took a picture of me eating it , to chronicle the event. I never looked happier. Fifty six years old with pink sugar stuck to the corners of my mouth. Does life get better than this?

A Body At Rest

The Law of Physics states that "A body at rest, will stay at rest, until acted upon by an outside force". From today, until Sunday, I will be that body at rest. This morning I am on my way to Florida. Every March, my sister and I go there, to be with my parents, for my mother's birthday. These are the only five days in the year that I get to rest. Not rest my body. Rest my brain. As soon as I leave my house, my sister's brain takes over. I just follow along, mindless. Once, she made a sign and hung it around my neck, that said, "My mind is on vacation. If you have any questions, please speak to my sister". I actually have a picture of me wearing this at the airport. When I am at home, my mind never rests. I think for the people in my house and I think for the people in my office. Even though five days is not a lot, it makes a world of difference. From this moment on, a body at rest..........

Hard Copy Girl

We live in an "e" world. E-mail. E-Insurance. E-Bill pay. I am not an "E" person. Maybe that is because I am a type A person. I still pay my bills via old fashioned paper checks and send them through the US mail. I still review my insurance policies when they arrive in the mail. I am sure that I have missed an important message that was sent through email, because I did not know who sent it and I hit delete. I know of people that have missed parties by doing that. I still believe in an old fashioned thank you note. Not a mass email with 100 other cc's. That is just plain cold. I like hard copies. When I read a book, I want to have the tactile feeling of turning a page. When I buy a new appliance, I want the manual. I do not want to go online and read about it. I want to look up the problem in the index and flip through the pages. I do not want to scroll at the computer and walk back and forth to the broken item. If I need to make a telephone call about an incorrect bill, I want to have that piece of paper in front of me so I can make notations for my records. Maybe I just don't like taking the E-asy way out.

The Coasters

Many words in the English language have dual meanings. Some have three. Usually the first two meanings are related to either a thing or a person. When it comes to the third meaning, it is usually derived from a situation. Let me explain.....The term "coasters" means a set of discs that we place under a glass, to avoid a wet ring on a table. The name "The Coasters", is a 1950's singing group, most popular for it's hit songs, "Yakety Yak", "Charlie Brown" and "Poison Ivy". Now we come to the third definition of the word "coaster". This term refers to what most people, in their late 50's, hoped to be. They put in their dues and worked hard for 40 years and truly believed that at this point in their life, they would be "coasting" into retirement. Unfortunately, in this economy, this is not the case, for the majority of that age group. Some have lost their jobs and are living off of unemployment benefits and savings. Some, that did find jobs, are working long hard hours. Some that are lucky enough to remain in their long standing jobs, are being asked to assume more responsibilities, have worse work schedules and be trained for additional duties. The people that thought that they would be coasting through life at this point, still are. The sad part is, that they are doing so, on a roller coaster.

No Cutting Corners

Almost a year ago, I decided to test my endurance and write this blog. My goal was to write an entry every day for one year. So far, I have kept that commitment. I have written on a day when my father was rushed to the hospital. I have written on my son's wedding day. I have written via battery power, when there was a black out. That is how important my commitment to myself was. I was asked the other day, whether or not I ever "cut and paste" into this blog. Absolutely not. That is not what my commitment was all about. Every misspelled word, every misplaced comma, every thought that my readers may or may not agree with, have come solely from me. If you cut corners on a commitment to yourself, you have disappointed the person that it means the most to. Yourself. Since I was a child, I have had the ability to soak up knowledge, just by hearing something once. My father is like that. So is my younger son. I can tell you a hundred useless bits of information. For some reason, I could tell you how to do an emergency tracheotomy, using a straw. I must have heard this item of information, somewhere in my travels. So, if bits of this blog sound informational, it is my information and mine alone. That is why I am so proud of "Shelby's Perfect World".

What Would You Do?

In the last year, I went back to school and became a Certified Life Coach. I am now lecturing and teaching motivational groups. This is something I always wanted to do. It took a lot of hard work. Nothing comes easy in life, because life is not easy. That is one of the things I teach. Part of my lectures have to do with the technicalities of why people do not excel. I just put it in terms that push a button in someone and opens their eyes to how they can do better. It is thought provoking. So now, I will ask you the question I ask my groups. "If you knew you could not fail, what would you really, really want to do in life"? I have the class write it down, in large print and hold it up for the others to see. Then they read it out loud. My follow up question is "Why aren't you doing it"? That is when I get the "head nod". Each person then tells me what they feel is holding them back. Most of the time, it is only themselves. Life is short and time goes by in a blink of the eye. To spend it doing something that you do not love, even if it has to be a hobby, is sad. I have them take the written paper home and look at it daily.

Little Bud

As I was walking in my backyard a few minutes ago, I glanced over at the flower bed. It has been barren since November. Just a patch of dirt. This morning it looked different. I saw two tiny violet colored flowers. They were only 1/2 inch in size but they made a big difference in the yard. They are the buds of my Hosta plants. These plants will grow to be over two feet high and sprout leaves of at least one foot, if not more. The tiny flowers were telling me that spring is on it's way. My real instinct is that the flowers are totally confused, as we are having such a mild winter. In fact, most people I talk to are confused. For some reason, since the weather has been so mild, people are in a happier frame of mind. They are not having any of the usual "winter doldrums". Maybe that is why people in California have a more relaxed way of life. They are never gearing up for snow and ice and shoveling and hazardous driving. They coast along, weather wise. One of my co workers has already printed out her boarding passes for a cruise she will be taking in the end of April. Now, that is positive thinking!

Eight Important Letters

Relationships are not always easy. That is why we say we have to "work" on them. Whether it is with work, friends or family, the road might not always be a smooth one. Sometimes people do not mean what they say. Other times people do not say what they mean. That is when we need to communicate most. Staying silent or shutting someone down is never the answer. An open forum for discussion is the only way to clear the air and settle matters. There are eight letters in the alphabet, that when put together, can start the road to mending fences. Those letters form the words "I Love You" and "I Am Sorry".