The Wife

The new doctor has flipped her lid. Unfortunately, she did it to me. I do not take anyone's crap. She thinks that since she is a doctor she is a higher stature, but to me a good plumber beats a doctor if my pipes are leaking. She made the fatal error of talking to me in a disrespectful tone. I do not accept that. I morphed from 'Sweet Susan" into "Richie's wife" in 5 seconds. Sweet Sue is the kind office manager that speaks softly and is nice to everyone. Richie's wife doesn't let you get away with any sh*t. She can even be mean. When the doctor started to reprimand me for a receptionist coming in late, I lost my cool and said what was on my mind. She stood there, smelling like moth balls, as usual, and looked stunned. I guess no one ever did that to her. I then informed my real boss that I will no longer do any work for "Dr Psychotic". She can fend for herself. I also told my boss that the situation in her office is becoming workplace harassment and employee abuse and if we wanted to we could file a complaint. It will not come to that, but I just said it for the record. Never wake a sleeping lion because you will not know when she will pounce. I am woman hear me roar.

Vowels

When you really think of it, the only sounds that are needed in the English language are the vowels. If you spent the entire day only saying a vowel instead of a sentence, you could not go wrong. There would be no offensive statements that other people could be angry with you for. There would be no dumb opinions. By using only a vowel, you would share emotions and reactions. Isn't that all we need? Below is the "Vowel Key". If you use it as a guide today, I am sure your day will be pleasant:
A= Use this sound and shake your head up and down if you agree with someone.
E= Open your eyes very wide while saying the "E" to show fear.
I= Squint your eyes as if you are questioning why the other person is blaming you for something.
O= Keep your mouth open even after the "O" sound comes out to act surprised.
U= Have a mean look on your face as you accuse someone of wrong doing.
the Y is an additional option if you need to clarify a situation.
See, that is all you need to get your point across.

Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day. It is raining out so the town parade may not go on. Every year my town has a parade at 10am. Years ago I went to it and really enjoyed it. I watched as the school kids paraded by. I watched the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts march proudly. I saw the WWII, Korean War and Vietnam War veterans drive past in vintage cars. For the past few years I have not gone. I no longer have school age children. The older veterans are no longer with us. I have no one that I know walking to wait for and cheer for. Life has moved on and with it has gone the parade excitement. I feel bad that I no longer have that spirit.

Brainstorming

I never stop thinking. My mind is like a set of gears that are constantly moving. One thought leads to another and another. Then there are the offshoot thoughts. It is like a circulatory system that has the arteries leading to the veins and then the capillaries. I had an idea that I consider the artery. It is a bracelet with a saying in it. Then it led to another version which is a bracelet with a child's information in it. That is the vein. Now I have to make it age appropriate so I am at the capillary stage. Sometime the gears move so much that they make my head hurt. I guess it is better than having them stop running and getting rusty.

Movies

Every Saturday morning I go online and reserve a movie for my husband to watch later that night. We use the Red Box machines. He gives me a choice of three movies and I rent one to be picked up during the day. As I was going through the movie choices, I realized that I am not a movie person. I have no interest in made up stories about the apocalypse, or super heroes or bank heists that have gone bad. When I see the same handful of actors playing a new role every six months, it all seems so fake. One day Matt Damon is a banker, then a lawyer, then a freedom fighter. All I see is the same guy wearing different clothes. I am a literal person and even though I have a great imagination, I just do not enjoy actor's role playing. Maybe that is why I like reality TV.

Demeanor

Some people have a nice demeanor, some do not. They might be wonderful, kind and caring people, but the way they deliver their message falls short. After fourteen years, my main receptionist's demeanor has caught up with her. Since the big "shake up" in work, my boss' eyes have opened and she can no longer tolerate the abrasive way that my receptionist presents herself. Now we have a dilemma. For fourteen years she has been the most loyal, hard working employee and those qualities made up for her nasty tone. That can no longer be. How do we handle this? My boss wanted to give her a one month leave of absence at half pay, but I said that would not be good for many reasons. If she left for a month, she might not return and she is the main person responsible for time sheets, schedules, bookkeeping and payroll. I told my boss that I would not assume any of those responsibilities. We came up with a plan that hopefully will be the one that is the least hurtful. We can move her desk to the other side of the room so she has no direct patient contact and ban her from answering phones. She will also be told to keep her mouth shut around the doctors and not boss them around as if they are children.  I know there will be a lot of tears when she is told this, but she has a pension involved and a smart person would just accept the terms of the new position.

Goals

We all set goals for ourselves.The important part of goal setting is trying hard to finish them. Years ago when I became a life coach, I wanted to do lectures. I wrote to many schools and organizations until a few responded. I went on to lecture for the NY Public Library, CW Post and a few other high schools. I still lecture for them on an as needed basis. That goal was completed. A few months ago, I started to make bracelets. They are colorful and contain inspirational sayings. My goal was to sell them in a store. Yesterday that goal was completed. I had a meeting with a store owner that has 6 locations in malls. He loved the bracelets and took all of my samples to test how they will sell in his busiest mall location. I used to stand outside that store, looking in the window and thinking that maybe one day my jewelry would sell there. Whether or not is sells is not as important to me as the fact that I was able to get it in the store. I set a goal and completed it.

Seeing It

Seeing is believing. There is an expression that says, "If you don't see it, I can't explain it". It means that sometimes you just need to see things for yourself or you will not truly be aware of the situation. The more someone else tries to explain it to you, the worse they look. They become a complainer. I saw that theory work yesterday in my office. I have been telling my boss that her newest worker is not a team player and although she agrees, she never saw it for herself. Yesterday, she did. As soon as she realized it, she "got it". No explanation was needed.

Just Be Honest

Three of my doctors are leaving the practice because they are moving out of the area. We have to assign their patients to new doctors but since we are so short staffed we have no open slots. We hired a new doctor to start on June 1st and she will need at least a week to see how we work. Patients have been calling and the doctors are afraid to call back and say that for the next few weeks there will be no therapy sessions. Considering that they are doctors, they should have the skills to explain this to the people that are calling. Yesterday an irate patient called and I happened to pick up the phone. She was yelling that no one has called her back. Instead of making up excuses or glossing over the problem, I just told her the truth. We are short staffed and have no idea who will be her new doctor, but by the second week of June she will have one. I told her that we are upset that this has happened but we are in a mess and have to dig out of it. I told the plain truth. After I told her, she said that she understood and would be glad to wait. She did not know why she was not told this two weeks ago as she would have been fine with it. What she was not fine with was having her calls ignored. I agreed with her and told her that I would have been angry too. We ended the conversation laughing. Things are simpler when you tell the truth.

Newsday

Yesterday I received the Fun Book from Newsday. I opened it and knew that I had to make a phone call to question it. My coworker, who was sitting next to me, also had the same problem so she called first. It seems that we were not paying for it, as requested,  but the delivery person puts it with all papers. Now came the other problem. It seems that she is paying $34 every eight weeks but I have been paying $47. Hmmm, why is that? I called Newsday and got a woman who gave me a "bubba meinser" about rates and coupons and promotions. I said I want $34. She said it cannot be done. I asked for a supervisor. She also said it cannot be done and she cannot review my coworker's rates. That is when my friend piped up on speaker phone to add to the argument. The woman said that there was nothing she could do. I said that I was going to go from door to door on my block, jot down rates and then call "Seven on your side" to open up a can o'worms. All of a sudden she could adjust my bill to $39. I guess that is the going rate to keep worms in a can.

The Walk

This morning I am getting ready to do "a walk". The concept of a walk has been around for many years but I never went to one. Since my husband volunteers in a local children's hospital, he signed us up to participate. We will go to the beach, meet up with other healthcare workers and walk a few miles. All of the walkers made a donation to the charity. It is a beautiful, cool, sunny day so the walk should be very enjoyable.

The Difference of a Day

What a difference a day makes. This is an expression that we have all heard many times. Yesterday it was 92 degrees and I was sweating. This morning I woke up to 58 degrees and I was a bit chilled. Overnight things changed. This is a good analogy for our lives. A situation that seems unsolvable one day, will be resolved the next. The aches and pains we have one day can ease up the next day. Life is a series of adjustments. There will be ups and downs. We just have to realize that if we are patient and wait things out, they will turn around.

Who Is The Liar?

I think that most people would rather know the truth and deal with it than be lied to and never know. That is what happened at my office the other day. Someone went into the computer system and changed a default, locking other people out. They thought that no one would notice. Too bad for them that I did. There were only two possible suspects. One was the new doctor and the other, her old assistant. Her assistant is now considered an employee of my office, so my boss is also her boss. Now the plot thickens. When I told my boss about the computer situation, she questioned the doctor, who swore that she did not do it. She claimed that she is not a computer person and would have no idea how to change things. My boss then questioned the assistant who also claimed that she would have had no idea how to do it. This girl is a computer wiz and already told me that she knows how to work the new system. So now we have two suspects, each one claiming innocence. My boss is angry because she is being lied to. By Monday, she wants an answer and for someone to undo what they did.

Picture Perfect

I received my Mother's Day gift in the mail yesterday. I opened the Priority box and found two framed pictures. One was of my both granddaughters, dressed in matching outfits. The older sister was sitting and the younger one was standing next to her. They were holding hands and had their arms around each other. The other picture was in a pink sepia tone. The baby was looking down as if she was intently listening to something. Her big sister was leaning in, whispering in her ear. It was a beautiful pose that should be titled "Sisterly Secrets". It was not only a picture, it was a connection between two young sisters that will last their entire lives.

Purpose Of Life

I get up every day with a happy frame of mind. I have hope that it will carry through the entire day. It really depends on me to do it. I have to ignore what other people say or do, if it is not directly related to my life or not true. I have the ability to keep myself in a positive mind frame. This morning I read a quote from the Dali Lama that I want to pass on. It said, "I believe the purpose of life is to be happy. From the moment of birth, every human being wants happiness not suffering. Neither social conditioning nor education nor ideology affect this. From the very core of our being, we desire contentment. Therefore, it’s important to discover what will bring about the greatest degree of happiness".

Respect

There are many feelings that you can have for another person. One of the most important one is respect. It is earned and can easily be lost. Once it is lost, it is not easy to earn back. Sometimes it never is. I was talking to one of my doctors who is the second highest in authority and she asked why the office morale was so low. After thinking for a minute, it hit me. We have all lost respect for our boss. We have seen a strong woman beat down to the point where she is almost a hostage. She lost her power and her authority in a business that she owns. We have been telling her that she needs to stand up for herself and that she has no backbone, but she has lost the will to fight. By doing that, she has lost the respect of her employees. Maybe she needs to hit rock bottom before she sees why things are continuing to plummet. I no longer care. I cannot spend one moment caring about a person that I have no respect for.

All Together

Yesterday most of my family was together. Thanks to technology, my parents got to see four of their five great grandchildren. Two were live and two were virtual. Just as everyone was leaving my sister's house, my son called and told us to Face Time with him. We immediately got the computer and dialed his number. In an instant my two granddaughter's appeared. My parents got to see their smiling faces and even saw my oldest granddaughter show us some of her "moves" which is her way of saying dances. We all crowded around the dining room table, all talking at the same time. No one heard a word anyone was saying but all we really needed was to see those adorable faces.

Happy Mother's

Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's out there. No matter how old are our children are, a mother is still a mother. We worry about our children and their children. Today I will be going to my sister's annual Mother's Day party. To be able to spend it with my mother is a real blessing. There will be good food and conversation. There will be four generations together enjoying the day. What could be nicer?

Elephants

The circus is in town. This week the circus is making it's final appearance. After over a hundred years the circus it ending. The show will not go on anymore. Times have changed. No one is amazed at a lion standing on two legs. Clowns in a car are no longer funny. We have become technologically advanced to the point that nothing amuses us anymore. The no longer is a Greatest Show on Earth.

Too Many Emails

I have too many email accounts. Somehow I have accrued at least 7 accounts that need to be opened daily. Some of them are for work, others are private and the rest are a combination of both. On the weekdays I open them from work and it takes five minutes. On the weekends I open them from home and it takes forever. This is because my husband has ruined the computer. He looks at so many ebay items that the computer must be filled with a ton of nonsense files. I try to delete them but some of them hide within other programs. The first part of my morning is closing out his email. I have told him many times to sign out when he is done but he just does not listen. From now on, if I find his email open, I will delete any new ones, just for fun. I have been sitting here for 44 minutes trying to do 6 minutes of work.

Self Firing

Yesterday an employee that I was going to fire this morning fired herself. I was informed by my boss that she no longer wanted to pay for an extra receptionist that was not pulling her weight. The only problem was that she had keys to the office. I could not be sure that she would return them and changing the locks would be expensive so I had to think of a plan. Since I was not there when she arrived, I had another receptionist tell her that she forgot her keys and needed to borrow the other girl's. She realized that something was fishy so she gave back the keys and walked out. She then called me to inform me that she was not coming back. I apologized for the situation because she was a very nice girl and I still felt terrible. It is not easy being a manager.

Stars Aligned

Some days things just go well. We picked up our parents exactly on time. We found a cell phone waiting area that was easy to park in. At the airport, the car transport company called to say that my father's car was ready for delivery. When we arrived at their house 1 hour later, it was waiting for them. My sister and I unpacked the car so my father did not have to . The phone service was turned on again as we entered the house. We had a nice dinner out and left them with smiles on their faces. All in all, a great day.

Return of the Kidz

Today my parents are returning from Florida. We call them the kidz, with a "z". They will arrive about 3pm and we will be waiting at the airport for them. This will be a stressful day for them. Traveling is not easy and traveling at 93 years old is even harder. I can't wait to see their smiling faces and settle them into their new routine. 

One Bottle Off

I am Pills. My sister is Bills. We each have a job that we handle for our parents. Sometimes it flows, other times it does not. This morning I had a "does not" moment. Medicine needs to be refilled but the pharmacy said it is too soon. There is a 30 day discrepancy. Somewhere there are 2 bottles of missing medication floating around. Worst case scenario the local pharmacy will take over. Now I have to explain it to my parents who are already nervous about their trip home. Nothing goes easily.

Bagels and Goodbyes

This morning we woke up to sunshine. At the end of the day yesterday the sun finally came out so that the small children could  take turns at hitting a Pinata. Each child swung the bat a few times and then my son gave the last swing to break it open so the candy could fly out. The kids were screaming with happiness as they ran all over scooping the goodies into their bags. The party was great. The room was filled with pleasant people and lots of good food. There was enough food for twenty more people. I spent my time with the grandchildren, trying to soak up every ounce of their sweetness so it could carry me over until I see them again. I will leave New England with a peaceful feeling knowing that all went well and all is well.

My Heart

Last night I had dinner with my family. All of the people that I love the most were at the table. Since we live in different states this is not a usual occurrence. I sat next to my younger granddaughter and grandson. My older granddaughter sat across from me. After a few minutes, my youngest granddaughter recognized my face from Skype. I sat there with a huge smile on my face. The dinner was priceless.

On The Road

I am just about to leave the house, on my way to New England. It is my youngest granddaughter's birthday tomorrow, so the New York family is driving up to attend the party. I can't wait to see "my girls". Tonight will be a family dinner and tomorrow the party. I am hoping that the rain will stop and the sun will come out so we can have a beautiful drive up.

The Zen Gen

Every generation has a nickname. I have decided that people in their 80's and 90's are called the Zen Gen. Their attitude in life has changed from being one of worry to one of zen. Their catch phrases are "relax", "don't worry", "it will be fine", and "who cares". My parents joined the Zen Gen a few years ago. Nothing seems to phase them. My sister and I frantically worry about situations in their lives and they tell us to relax. Time and time again, they are right. The situation resolves itself in a positive manner. They are still calm and we have worried over nothing. As much as we try we cannot become zen like them. Maybe you have to be over 80 to be allowed into that club.

37

Today is my 37th anniversary. Where did the time go? I am married longer than I was single. The family has multiplied with 7 additional members. I remember the milestones but not the details. I have snapshots of 37 years floating in my head. We will go out to dinner tonight at a local restaurant. We no longer exchange gifts as there is nothing more to give. We decided that eBay purchases will count as my husband's gifts and 6 losing lottery scratch offs are mine.

Food For Thought

This afternoon we are having a luncheon from a drug rep. He feeds us and we listen to him talk about his product. It is a win win situation. He will be bringing in Mediterranean food so we will be extra attentive. This rep is discussing an interesting topic. It seems that through genetic testing you can find out which drugs work best for you. Some people can be on a medication for years when genetically it is the wrong medication for them. This company does a cheek swab and runs it for compatibility for a large group of medications. If the one you take is not the one for you, it will give the better options. This meeting would be worthwhile even without the food, but somehow gyros and hummus make it even better.

Millions

I was walking in a shopping center yesterday and passed a woman who was speaking on the telephone. As I passed her, I overheard her saying that she had 14 million more places to go that day. Wow, 14 million places is a lot. How long could she stay at each place if she had to fit it all into one day? We all use numbers to emphasize the enormity of our lives. We have all said we have a million things to do or we have told someone to do something a thousand times. I guess it makes us sound busier or more needed. The effect would be totally different if that woman would have said she had 3 more places to go. Then the other person could possible ask for her to go to a fourth. But since she had 14 million places left, no one would add on one more.