Actors and Actresses

I watch a lot of movies. It is one of the excellent therapies I use for my depression, and it also serves as a wonderful relaxation for me which enables me to recharge my introvert self.

While I watch these movies and TV shows, I can’t help but zero in more so, at times, at the actors/actresses portraying the characters in the show. I watch carefully their facial expressions, body language, the tone of their dialog, etc., and I am in complete awe at their performances. I truly marvel at their talent, ability, and gift....and I respectively applaud them.

Try it....you might just LOVE it !!

Bella Swan and Edward Cullen

Vegetarian vampires, good werewolves, a 17 year old girl, tender romantic love, bonding friendships.....what more can you ask for in a "hold your breath, can't put it down" series of books by new author, Stephenie Meyer. Her website is:

http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/

The "Twilight" saga of 4 books will keep you obsessed with them. You won't get any work done and you will not get enough sleep because you will stay up half the night reading. I am into the last book, and it is the best of them all.

On November 21, the movie "Twilight" will premiere. It is based on the first book. Click on the following link to view some trailers:

http://twilightseriestheories.com/movie/trailers/

The following link will take you to another site to learn more about the books and their story, video clips of the movie, movie cast, cast bios, photo gallery, etc.:

http://www.twilightfreak.com/

Birds of a feather, flock together

We have all heard that old saying, haven’t we? But have we really pondered the words and the meaning of it?

My thoughts about it are: we feel comfortable with others who think and feel as we do; like-minded people seem to be drawn to each other; birds have wings and fly so maybe we too can successfully soar when encouraged by others in “our group”; a flock is many who are headed in the same direction; we feel safe, protected, and strong within our so-called flock.

There are all types of friends

There is the friend who, after 6 months or more, finally cares enough to give you a call.

Then there is the friend who can’t find their other closer friends to go do something with, and so they will call you.

How about the friend who calls you only when they want something from you.

And what about the treasured true friend who calls you often just because they care about you enough to want to see how you are doing and maybe wants to get together for lunch or a movie or whatever, and then they make a definite date with you to do it.

All kind of friends...and which kind of friend are YOU?

Lonely

It is tremendously hard to lose a spouse to death. Time somewhat softens the pain...but the loneliness still remains, ever reminding me that I am alone even in a crowd.

Teach children how to be a good future husband or wife

Being a good spouse in a marriage does not come to us instinctively. One has to learn and understand the basic elements of kindness, patience, love, unselfishness, service, compassion, tenderness, good communication, being a good listener, and much more.

Some of these qualities do seem to come naturally to some people, as if they were born with a gift. Some are qualities we CAN learn and develop. But they are all so very important to the happiness and success of a marriage.

It is never too late to teach children these things…to nurture and instill within them these qualities. Then, when they are old enough for marriage, they will be ready…and they will be able to be a good husband or wife.

Aging

There are many laughs and jokes about the aging process. It seems like we can compare notes pretty good with others who are in the same cycle of life, all of which helps us to feel like we are not alone in the things we physically experience and feel.

Aging is a season of life that we can’t escape, unless called back to our heavenly home much earlier. I have dreaded the aging process way before I arrived at it, perhaps compounding the obvious somewhat difficulty of it. But it is part of the plan of life for us all, even though we don’t welcome its intrusion. We can’t hide or run from it. We can only do our best, as we ride the waves of aging.

Individual critique

The dictionary shows the word critique as meaning: a critical review; the art of criticism.

Ok, with that said, my focus will now be turned to movies. I absolutely love to sit and get lost in watching movies. Movies help my depression times and they also help me relax, unwind, and recharge myself because I have an introvert personality.

I have a membership with Netflix, the online movie rental company, and a lot of times I read the member reviews for a certain movie to see what their comments are. Many times their feelings about a certain movie matches mine, but there is always the one or two individuals who are very negative and picky. Other times I find most of the reviews for a certain movie to be very different than mine..very negative. Maybe that is what a movie review is suppose to be about…critical critiquing.

Most movies that I watch, I do enjoy. I am not a harsh movie critic...I watch to be entertained, not to tear a movie to shreds with criticism.

Life's trials...a way to help others

We all suffer through life’s trials and tests. Some of us struggle and suffer more than others and some of us learn great lessons from it.

My personal feeling is that we grow and learn from the things we suffer, and the knowledge we gained through our trial offers us the ability to help others who are going through the same thing.

Liking yourself and feeling comfortable in your own skin

(the above illustration is from the following website):
http://www.joethegeek.info/samples.html

We human creatures have so many different personalities from one another. Some of us are introverts. Some are extroverts. And within each of these two categories are a myriad of other types of personalities and behavior. Maybe that is what makes the world such an interesting place.

No matter what personality we each have, it is important to like our self and who we are. Personally, I am an introvert…and just a few months ago discovered that fact. Before I learned the characteristics of being introvert, I thought I was a very odd duck. Once I learned about introverts and that I was one, it made all the difference in the world to me as far as liking and accepting myself for who and what I was. I felt that I was “ok” and not an odd person at all. I am feeling more comfortable in my skin, now.

America's old Route 66 highway

I was a teenager in the 50’s. During those years growing up, it was a carefree fun time for me. My eye view of life and America was different back then...life was slower, safer, easier. If you don’t believe me, just Google the popular songs back then, or the type of movies that were produced.

A highlight of my late teenage years was a road trip along Route 66, from Chicago to L.A. Known now as the Mother Road or the Great American Highway, that old path still exists today but is no longer a U.S. highway nor found on our current maps.

I remember how exciting it was for me to have the opportunity to travel through parts of eight states. Seeing so many states and viewing the people and landscape scenery was pretty awesome for a teenager who was mostly a home person.

2006 marked the 80th birthday of Route 66 and several movies came out celebrating this time. When the animated movie “CARS” came out in 2006, it rekindled old thoughts and feelings from my experience as a youth. I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful fun movie as I understand most of it included characters, cars, places, and even the plot itself was based on real people and places along Route 66.

Another movie which came out in 2006 was:

“Cars on Route 66” .. To mark the 80th birthday of America’s famed Route 66, author Michael Wallis hits the road from the Midwest to the West Coast in search of both unique and antique classic cars, talking to the often eccentric personalities who collect them. Stops along the 2,000 mile journey include the Abraham Lincoln Museum in Springfield, Illinois, the Route 66 Casino in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the Historic Route 66 Museum in Kingman, Arizona.

I recently discovered two fun websites about the old Route 66 highway that has photos and wonderful history. You might enjoy them also:

http://www.theroadwanderer.net/route66.htm

http://www.historic66.com

Our idiosyncrasies

During a conversation with someone lately, I shared some deep concern I had for some personal behavioral feelings I was having. I was surprised to learn that this person had some of the same feelings that I had.

It is amazing to me how much alike we may be to others, especially when we think that we are totally alone and distinct “in our idiosyncrasies”.

Are we too soft?

As I sat, thinking back 200 years ago and the life styles and ways they had of doing/accomplishing things, I personally am ever so grateful for those who invented “a better way”.

Life back then was naturally harder and more difficult than we are accustomed to today. In my mind, those people were strong, resilient and resourceful. I suppose we are the same sort of people today….but in some ways have we become too soft?

Having faith and hope when times are rough

With the uncertain economic conditions and natural disasters all around us, it is hard not to feel uneasy and yes, scared. But striving hard to exercise faith, hope, and trust in God can bring us the strength, guidance and sought for inner peace that we so desperately need and crave to get us through these times.

If we are prepared...

With the economy the way it is and the “signs of the times” upon us, it is more pressing than ever to brace our self by making preparations for what may come. We should not be like the little pig who built his house out of straw. Think ahead and plan and do. It is better to be over-prepared than under.

Heeding promptings

I have recently learned a painful, sorrowful lesson on ignoring mental promptings. For quite a few weeks now, I have had promptings to backup the files on my computer. I did not heed those repeated thoughts, hence the hard drive on my computer went out a few days ago. Now I am in nervous anticipation to hear back from the computer technicians on whether or not they can find and save ALL my files.

A lesson well learned, I am afraid.

Romantic Roses

I just got back home from a trip to Colorado where I had shared in the joy of one of my granddaughters weddings. It was a beautiful, wonderful wedding.

The center where the reception took place was decorated very elegantly with tall, very slender crystal vases on each table. Each vase had a flower arrangement created with red silk roses and greenery that draped down from the top of the vase. Rose petals were sprinkled around the base of the vase.

The seven tier wedding cake was decorated with bouquets of real red roses atop each tier. The brides bouquet was real red roses and white lilies; The four brides maids bouquets were all done in real red roses. Parents and grandparents had boutonnières and corsages of real red roses.

Roses are a most divine, delicate, beautiful, fragrant flower....the most romantic of all the flowers.

Mitch Albom's books

These are two books written by Mitch Albom, that have been made into movies. I have not read the books yet, but I thought the movies are very special and give you a lot to think about in your own life.


“Tuesdays with Morrie”, published in 1997

The true story of Morrie Schwartz and his relationship with his student, Mitch Albom. Both the film and the book chronicle the lessons about life that Mitch learns from his professor, who is dying from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.



“The Five People You Meet in Heaven” , published in 2003

On his 83rd birthday, Eddie, a war vet and a maintenance worker at the Ruby Pier amusement park, dies while trying to save a girl who is sitting under a falling ride. When he awakens in the afterlife, he encounters five people with ties to his corporeal existence who help him understand the meaning of his life.

Looking back in time

It is rather interesting for me to remember back into my youth and young adult years and analyze the sort of person I was then. What my values, hopes, dreams, ideas, and opinions were then, compared to now. It is amazing how life can change a lot of things through the years.

Writing...anyone can do it

Some people seem to think that to be a writer requires special talents and abilities. But I feel anyone can do it. The words that form our writings come from our mind, heart, and feelings. We all have those. True, some people have more creativity with the use of their words, but that should not stop us.

Writing is just putting those words onto paper. It is describing how we feel and think about something. It is expressing our self....in the same sense when we verbally speak to someone. I feel it is important to leave some of our “writings” behind.....something that we can share with our family and others that will always show a part of us....our inner mysterious self.

Mend the broken bridge

Families are so precious and important in the scheme and plan of our life. We may be to the point where we have not fully appreciated or understood that valuable insight yet.

As we mature and have experiences that make us realize how greatly we are linked and bonded to family members, then we begin to see the larger picture of what the word FAMILY really means.

One of the greatest tragedies in a family is to have someone within it, that has alienated them self from everyone....for whatever reason. And there are many reasons: being misunderstood; having hurt feelings; being judged too harshly; living a different lifestyle; etc.

Whatever reason is keeping family members from being a part of the family circle, it is very important to begin now to mend the broken bridge back into the family. It may not be easy...but it is NOT impossible!! Families are yearning for loved ones to return to them again. If such a person would begin today to turn their heart and minds towards their family again, they would discover the healing balm waiting for them in the open arms of their loved ones.

Watching kids at play

My daughter has a children’s day-care in her home. I live here too, and help her. The children she cares for range in ages from 5 months to 5 years.

It is so interesting to quietly stand back and observe the children at play. They can be so comical and creative, at times. They have wonderful imaginations and are also very good at mimicking adults while they play. They are just hilarious to watch and listen to.

Being a people person

I know that it is important and an ideal trait to be able to be a people person. But I feel that not everyone CAN be. It is evident that it takes a special gifted person with the qualities and abilities that are needed to be and feel that comfortable around lots of people all the time...and want to be.

A people person has to have that special personality and desire to want to meet and be involved with people and their life....to be able to interact easily and freely with others a lot. A people person needs to have the desire to want to know about many other people and to enjoy doing lots of things with them and to thrive on a very social life.

Too bad that is not me.

What is the purpose to Life!

The Good Samaritan

Someone made the above statement to me the other day. They were frustrated, perplexed and genuine in their comment. They were almost overwhelmed by life.

Maybe the answers to that statement, "what is the purpose to life", depends on several things, such as: Spirituality, Inner Wisdom, and The Test and Trials of Life. My feelings are:

SPIRITUALITY.......certainly our life long religious beliefs and church affiliation can help to answer some of the purposes to life. Also, sincere and deep prayer asking to know those truths that will answer our pondering.

INNER WISDOM......whatever years we have lived certainly have taught us things. The light of a higher power within us can guide us to the answers to the purpose to life. What does our softened, humble, and yearning heart speak to us, on this matter?

THE TEST AND TRIALS OF LIFE.......all of us have to endure the refiners fire of life. If we meekly allow it, that is how we grow and progress to be a better person each day and are then able to reach out to others in need, because we have been through it and gained experience and strength. Some of our trials and tests in life can be so hard and heavy, that it almost bring us to our knees in pain and sorrow...but then a loving Deity helps us to rise to our feet and then we are able to be an instrument in His hands, to reach out to others and help them through their similar difficulties, so that they too can once again rise up on their feet, being stronger and wiser and refined, because of their tribulation. Then this cycle is lovingly passed on to others in need. Isn’t this in itself, a wonderful purpose to life?

Liking your own company

I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t like my own company. Most of the time I do things by myself.....movies, lunch, classes, plays, meetings, sitting in the park, etc.

I have been doing things with only myself for a long time and I enjoy and feel comfortable doing it. There are advantages for doing things alone....I can pick any old time I want to go do something and not have to PLAN it with another person; I don’t have to worry about not being able to do something because I can’t find someone to do it with.

I am very good company, I am dependable, and I have fun being by myself because I can do a lot of thinking and meditating about things.

The wonderful talent of others, and how they share it

His name is Michael Israel, a unique artist. He has a very different, creative, and entertaining way of painting. Click on the link below to watch him:

http://www.youtube.com/v/QZFkZiwMLZ4

Yard sales

After recently preparing and hosting our yard sale, I have definitely come to the conclusion that it is the work best suited for the younger generation.

I have always LOVED to travel and browse other people’s yard sales and find wonderful treasures...and when I was younger I did not mind all that much having a sale of my own. But like I said...hosting a yard sale is for younger bodies that don’t feel stiff and achy from head to toe afterwards.

Refreshing RAIN

I don’t think when I was a youth and young adult that I appreciated the rain very much. It was more of a hindrance or a nuisance to me, back then.

Now, as a much older adult, I have come to enjoy the rain very much. I am one who also thoroughly enjoys fragrances....natural fragrances. There is nothing that quite compares to the fresh clean fragrance of the outdoor air after a good rain.

I also love to feel the rain on my face...it is very refreshing AND moisturizing. So that is a good thing, too!!

Besides the great aid and benefit rain is to Mother Earth, it also benefits and aids ME in providing and adding to my pure enjoyment and delight in the wonderful wet stuff.

What determines our "favorites" ?

Have you noticed how many people have differing opinions on what they classify to be their "favorite”, for anything? If you think about it...almost everything under the sun can be a candidate for someone’s favorite. A to Z.... you name it. Think about foods, sports, places, pets, colors, hobbies, movies, TV, etc. The list is endless.

Ok...we all have our favorites. So, what makes them our favorites?

I for one have my very own favorite male actors (of our modern day era). MY choices are based upon several things that I deem important to me. A few of them are: ability, style, talent, looks, (and this next one is VERY important and impressive to me, and always wins my vote, as far as I am concerned)....and that is, the extreme amount of time and work involved by the actor to thoroughly learn about his character enough to uniquely portray them. The films, “Walk the Line” (excellent in that regard), “Tootsie”, “Rain Man” and “Mrs. Doubtfire” are just a few that come to mind. I realize there are many, many movies like these.

Of course my favorite movies are not necessarily your favorites because I mostly lean towards love stories. And you may also look for different qualities in an actor, than I do.

Our choices are unique to us, individually. Take colors for instance. My favorite color is baby blue. Why do I LOVE that color so much? It is a warm, soft color. Blue compliments my skin color, eyes and hair. So I am drawn to the color blue.

Think about ALL of YOUR varied favorites. Mentally ponder the reasons you chose each favorite. It can be very interesting and it can teach you something about yourself.

Ok...so I know you are dying to know my favorite actors: Johnny Depp, Patrick Dempsey, Dustin Hoffman, Robin Williams, and Nicolas Cage.

Our personalities

photo from: http://www.petswithpersonality.co.uk/

We all come with distinct personalities....so many different types that it is hard to imagine. Are we born with our personalities or do we develop it as we grow and mature? Is it possible to change our personalities, if we desire to?

Sometimes I do not like parts of my personality. I feel like it gets me into trouble occasionally....and can cause others to want to distance themselves from me. I have this playful sense of humor, sometimes, that I think others don’t appreciate! Is it possible to consciously change my personality?

I went online and did some research and one site made the statement that: “studies done around Temperament suggest that we are each born with our temperaments intact”.

May I share more?

It was interesting to read about one persons studies and observations. He created the theory of temperament associated with types. He developed his own descriptions for the four temperament categories and the sixteen personality types that fit into one of the four temperament categories.

In case you are interested....I will continue.

I will now list his descriptions of the four temperaments, and below each one is the individual personality types that go with it.

“The Guardians” ...(security seeking)

* The Supervisors
* The Inspectors
* The Providers
* The Protectors

“The Artisans” ...(sensation seeking)
* The Promoters
* The Crafters
* The Performers
* The Composers

“The Rationals” ...(knowledge seeking)
* The Field marshals
* The Masterminds
* The Inventors
* The Architects

“The Idealists” ...(identity seeking)
* The Teachers
* The Counselors
* The Champions
* The Healers


If you want to learn more, click on the following link:

http://personalitypage.com/four-temps.html

Learning the hard way

We have all heard that expression. To me it means that when we continually take chances, have near misses, and don’t learn from our mistakes right off the bat.....then one day we are FORCED to learn the lesson through a hard, painful and uncomfortable way.

When that forced lesson comes upon us, we regret (or not) that we didn’t choose to learn it sooner. Life’s lessons are for a purpose...that we might grow and progress to be the very best we can be.

With our learned experience, we can in turn, help others learn. Obedience to laws....whether nature’s, man’s, or God’s....temper us that we may be molded and refined into wonderful beings.

Genealogy....are you doing it?

Genealogy.. is the search for information on our ancestors. It is compiling a list of our ancestors and their descendants and discovering where WE fit into the pedigree line. It is learning more about a certain ancestor...what kind of person they were and what they did in their life. It is coming to truly KNOW and understand the family we came from. In order to know and understand ourselves better....we need to know WHO we came from.

I have two blogs that I devote to Genealogy....one of which is writing about your life story. In order for our descendants...our posterity... to know about us way in the future....we need to leave something about ourselves in the here and now.

Click on the following links to learn how to begin doing your Genealogy and how to start writing your life story.


http://stepatatimegenealogy.blogspot.com/

http://wwwyourlifestory.blogspot.com/

Learning patience

They say that “patience is a virtue”.

The word virtue means any admirable quality or merit that is of excellence.

The word patience means the quality of enduring without complaint; the exercise of sustained perseverance; forbearance toward the faults or infirmities of others.

The word patient (in this sense) means possessing quiet, uncomplaining endurance under distress; tolerant and forbearing; capable of tranquilly awaiting events; persevering.

So.....with all these definitions of “patience is a virtue”......where do we individually stand? How easily is patience learned?

To really and completely and fully learn patience and all that it entails......IS truly a virtue.

What is a home?

A home can be many things to many people.

A home can be a place where our precious family abides. A home can be a place of refuge, safety and protection from the world and the elements. A home can be a large debt that weighs us down. A home can be a place filled with love, peace, happiness, and God. A home can be a place where we store all the accumulated “stuff”, or items, we have collected all our life. A home can be a fancy showplace with expensive furnishings and such. A home can be a place of learning and growth. A home can be a haven for a friend in need. A home can be a “heaven on earth” for all who dwell therein.

The word "Happiness"

(see the January 18th post)

HAPPINESS is....enjoying; marked by great pleasure. (according to the dictionary).

How many of the things in life do we thoroughly enjoy? What value do we give to each of these things that we enjoy? I am using the word things in a very broad sense. Do we feel that these things bring us happiness? And what level of happiness do they bring....momentary, for a day or week or a month, or longer.. say years? And here is the big test of happiness....will it bring Eternal joy and happiness? What could possibly bring us this Eternal (forever.. without end) joy and happiness? I will let you think about that and ponder and meditate on it.

Maybe you could make a list of all the things that bring you joy and happiness...then rate each one on a scale of 1-10. Ten being the most happiness. I expect “family” to be on your list!

Valentine's Day has come and gone

I had a friend ask me this last Tuesday... “Well, are you ready for single’s awareness day?” I am sure I had a puzzled look on my face as I said, “I have never heard of that.” She said, “you know...Thursday...Valentine’s Day...the day we are made very aware of our single status if we DON'T have a husband or a boyfriend?”.

I wish she hadn’t have told me that, because ALL DAY on Valentine’s Day I was sad because of MY status.

Hmmmmmmm.....maybe I should have posted this article on my depression blog..... http://upsy-downsysblog.blogspot.com/

Grieving

We have all lost someone we love through the process of death. And we all know how hard and difficult that time is for us.

Yesterday I attended the funeral of a family member. It was a very special, uplifting service. One of the speakers made the following comment, that I would like to share. I am not sure I have the wording exact. He said, “The only way to get rid of the pain of grieving, is to get rid of the love in life”. Pretty profound, I thought.

What is a legacy?

Webster says it is “something left by will; a bequest; something handed down or derived from an ancestor or earlier time”.

Do we have any legacies left by any of our ancestors? Their journal, diary, or life story? If we do, we know the great value and treasure these things are to us. These legacies left, help us to know about that ancestor.

What if we did not have anything left by any ancestor? What if they never wrote anything about themselves? What a tragedy. How would we be able to know them?...To know the kind of person they were, their feelings, thoughts, the kind of life they lived, what they did and accomplished. Honestly....how would we feel?

Would we want OUR posterity, in time, to feel that way about us? Would we want to be a great big question mark in the mind of our descendants? Think about it. Down through the generations of our family...no one would have a clue about US...because we did not take the time to write about our self and leave it as a legacy (a gift of ourself) for our posterity. Our life story...what we are all about...will have been buried with us. What a tragedy that CAN be. But it doesn’t HAVE to be.

Let’s begin today. Let’s start writing our life story for our future generations of family. We do not want to be forgotten or unknown to them, do we?

So what do we do....how do we begin to write our life story?

Near the top of this blog home page, on the right hand side is a section titled “visit my 4 other blogs”. Click on my blog titled “Writing Your Life Story...one memory jog at a time”. Here I give you step by step instructions for getting started, some tips, and a multitude of questions that will help to jog your memory of happenings and incidents in YOUR life. These are the things you write about. These are the things your family would want to know about you.

So begin right now. It will be fun and extremely rewarding to you....AND a priceless possession in the hands of your family. It will be your gift of love to them.

Whimp?....not me!

On one of my other blogs, “The Mountain and Desert Beauty of...” (see the top of this blog for links to my other 4 blogs), I talk about walking around the school track near our house and what a beautiful day it was for walking. I choose to do my walking exercise outdoors because I love to feel the sun on my skin and to breathe deeply of the fresh air. It is easy to walk when the weather is so nice. But what about when the weather is NOT nice? Do I still go for walks?

When I was living in northern Utah the winters could get sometimes down to around 10 to 20 below zero a lot of nights. I used to get up just before sunrise and begin my walks. I remember walking on crunchy slippery roads in the early morning when it was that cold and even still snowing. I would just put lots of layers of clothing on....sweaters, jackets, coats, hats and hoods, a couple of pairs of socks, two pair of gloves and my nice warm lined snow boots. I would bring the tie strings of the hood of my jacket up higher on my face and tie them on my chin so that most of my cheeks and chin were covered. I KEPT TOASTY WARM.

Is that dedication, or what? I don’t even let rain stop me from my beloved walks. I just take my umbrella along with me. Remember that old Gene Kelly song: “Walking in the Rain”? (Or was it "Singing in the Rain")? It is actually fun, refreshing, and pleasant. Try it....you might just like it.

My daughter said to me this morning as I was getting bundled up to go over to the track.. “you going walking....it is so cold and windy and has been raining”? The sky was black...you couldn’t even make out any cloud formations. There were just a few rain drops coming down. “No big deal”, I said to her. “If it rains I guess I will just get wet”. I didn’t even take my umbrella with me. It never did seriously rain...the wind was strong, temperature was about 50 degrees....but I kept toasty warm and so much enjoyed my walk. IS THAT DEDICATION, OR WHAT?

While walking today, I noticed our close, looming Pine Valley Mountain just off in the distance (actually it looks as if it is only a mile away from us), was not viewable today, as it was under dense dark storm clouds. It’s snowing up there!!!! It snows in the higher elevations....but all we get down here is rain. No snow....we are too warm in the winters to get snow down here.

I hear many people comment that they didn’t go for their walks because it was too cold, or it was raining, or too windy. But I am “miss tough gal”......undaunted by the coldness or wetness of the outdoors.

I guess my many years of previous living in extreme cold winters has conditioned me to COLD...even though I do not like cold weather. Same thing goes for enduring the HEAT of summers. Once when I went to Sea World down in San Antonio, Texas, I stayed in the sun and heat to long and got heat exhaustion (or something). After that I could not tolerate the heat in the least degree.....UNTIL I bought a personal steam spa unit for my home and began sitting in it’s 110 degree temperature. In no time at all, I found that I was conditioned to be able to endure and handle extreme heat from then on. Our summers here are around 110.

Nope....not me...you will NEVER hear me using those excuses for not going on my walks. No one can ever call me a whimp for not walking in ANY type of weather!

The word "wellness"

(see the January 18th post)


WELLNESS is..... being well; feeling good; in good health; not sick; keeping healthy; getting exercise; eating better; and a host of other things.

When we are feeling well, we go about our busy daily life and almost take for granted that we DO feel well. When we fall ill, then we surely do sit up and take notice of that fact and have a greater sense of appreciation for the days that we feel good.

I have noticed that when I am ill, I don’t like it and I find myself making plans to try harder to do the right things to keep me healthier so that I might not fall ill again.

Wellness is an earned gift for the hard work, time, and consistent effort we put into a health program that will keep us fit.

So....what does the word WELLNESS mean to you?

A single little word

Recently while viewing other blogs, I came across an idea from the blogger, Ali Edwards,

http://www.lifeartmedia.com/newsletter11.html

She talks about slowly incorporating small single words into our life...words that can help us to become a better person. Words that you can focus on, meditate on, and reflect upon as you go about your daily life. The word should also be something you want to bring into your life in a more tangible way.

For instance, take the word PLAY and what it means to you. She says, “Try to incorporate it more into your everyday and on your adventures out in the crazy world. Maybe it is a lot about living without fear – about being more open to experiences with an attitude of playfulness”.

I think this is a great idea to help me analyze words and their meaning in my life. The words can be a thought, feeling or an emotion....as long as they have personal meaning for me.

Always be Our Own True Self

I have noticed something in a few of the people that I know very well. When they are around me they act one way...when another person comes by or phones, they act totally different with them. Their voice and manner changes. They are like two people.

Why does that happen? What causes them to change the way they are when around different people? I don’t understand why or how people can suddenly change like that.

When my spouse and I were dating he told me once: “One of the things I like about you so much is that you are always yourself”.

What is to be gained by people changing their demeanor when they are with different people? Why can’t everyone just always be their own true self?

What I value and treasure most in my life

I have never desired tons of money....only to have sufficient for my needs (and a few “wants”). I have never coveted those large fancy homes (can’t even keep clean the very small place I have now)....or the shiny new cars (I don’t like payments).

I have never been out of the United States...never craved to. And I have only been to maybe less than a dozen states (either because I lived there or near there or my children live there).

Thought only briefly about taking a cruise a few times....but only very briefly. I would sooner visit the rest of the U.S. first.

I have been fortunate that I have not had to work most of my life (just a stay at home mommy)...so I have no “career path” that is driving me.

My interests are very simple and basic....I am more of a homebody and not even a “party-type” person. I am sure I sound very dull and un-interesting. But everyone is different in their needs, desires, wants, abilities, personalities, and interests.

So, ruling out all of the above as far as what I value and treasure in life....what IS it then that is so terribly important, precious and valuable to me? What brings contentment to my soul? What is it that I deem as my greatest treasures in my life?

My family...My faith...My Church...My belief and trust in God

That’s it in a nutshell....very simple, basic, down to earth, and extremely rewarding, peaceful, and fulfilling above anything else that I can ever imagine, or desire, for myself and my life.

New Beginnings

“Today is the Beginning of the Rest of Your Life”

For many, many years I could not figure out what that statement meant. Maybe I did not ponder it hard and long enough. Then a few years ago it hit me!! I understood its meaning very clearly.

To me, it means that TODAY... or any new day...I can begin to make good and right changes in my life. These new changes, if held steadfastly to, can in effect be the beginning of a new life for me and carry through for the rest of my life. In essence, it is putting away the old and heralding in the new.