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".