Daylight saving time and sunshine were my gifts for trying to stay healthy another year. Every dreary Winter, I make the proclamation that healthy habits will be part of my life if I am just blessed with one more Spring and Summer. This may not be the most worthy goal to try to achieve but for me, it is one of the most valuable things I could be given.
Slow, leisurely walks with Mya, my dog, birds dart diving into the bird feeder to make the water splash, the sounds of lawnmowers in the distant, people walking, weeding, sunning and just celebrating a great day to be outside, are just a few of the many things to smile about.
I open my closets and anything I have that looks like a lot of maintenance is put into the recycle pile for anyone wanting to take the time to keep the garment intact. I check for my easy, pull on shorts, shirts, jeans, baggy dresses and sandals, tennis shoes and flip flops. Anything with an elastic waistband stays in my closet. It may seem like a waste to some but I always make sure somewhere else has the opportunity to wear anything I deem salvageable. Life is getting to where there is no time for clutter and my wardrobe is simplified enough that when I pass from this world, no one has to wade through all my things to see what to do with them.
The first buds of flowers are opening and how majestic is the feeling of new life popping out of the ground. Nature has blessed me with a garden that is actually going to produce some vegetables this year.
Little things in life should now be looked at, loved and appreciated. With no promises of another year, stop, take a deep breath and wow yourself with just what is serenity around you. If you have to put on rose color glasses to see the beauty, then do it. You only have this one time chance of a full life and it's up to you to make whatever and wherever you are in your life, work to YOUR advantage.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Friday, January 27, 2012
"AND THE BEAT GOES ON!!"
My sister's birthday is coming soon and since she won't accept gifts, I figured out the perfect thing to give her. I called my son and asked if I made a list of all the things I heard her say that she wanted done in the house, would he be willing to do them? He does excellent work and does not charge family members.....yet.
When he said yes, I made a list of things I was sure would please her....my second mistake. The first was when I got my son involved.
Her Internet always runs slow so why not upgrade the modem. A little time in the attic, a few changed receptacles and within a few hours, better Internet service. I did not realize the withdrawal from the Internet would cause such chaos. As she stood blocking her computer, nailing up the door to the attic and rewiring, taking the old modem and hiding it for future use, Maybe that should have been an indication she wasn't happy.
As my son is trying to get around her, making another trip to the hardware store, gets aggravated and tell her that because of not letting him do it the easy way, he was out $75.00 more. This, of course, was not a smart move on his part as now he has gone from THAT person who has invaded her space, to THAT MAN that yelled at her.
Many hours later, everyone is back on the Internet, everything moving along at a better pace. She is now happy and cannot understand why everyone around her is agitated.
The second project was taking the nails from the wall that a mirror had hung from by a chain. He put a new latch on the back, removed the chain, made sure it was done correctly and lo and behold....how were we to know she loved that chain. She retrieved it and probably will put more nails in the wall and hang it.
New windows put in the front, new security lights in the trees,
porch being redone. She has now hid his ladder, hid all the light bulbs and said too much light would show everything.
A new faucet is going into the kitchen. She was asked as to which one she preferred. Her reply, "the old one". I explained that this was the identical model but that it just didn't leak. She called us disposable people with no care of quality things.
My son said that he would give her anything she wanted if he could just not have to do anything that required changing anything around her. So tomorrow, I'm sure the old modem will be back, the chain will be back and the satisfaction that she won a pissing contest with a man will make her birthday a very happy one.
..and the beat goes on.
When he said yes, I made a list of things I was sure would please her....my second mistake. The first was when I got my son involved.
Her Internet always runs slow so why not upgrade the modem. A little time in the attic, a few changed receptacles and within a few hours, better Internet service. I did not realize the withdrawal from the Internet would cause such chaos. As she stood blocking her computer, nailing up the door to the attic and rewiring, taking the old modem and hiding it for future use, Maybe that should have been an indication she wasn't happy.
As my son is trying to get around her, making another trip to the hardware store, gets aggravated and tell her that because of not letting him do it the easy way, he was out $75.00 more. This, of course, was not a smart move on his part as now he has gone from THAT person who has invaded her space, to THAT MAN that yelled at her.
Many hours later, everyone is back on the Internet, everything moving along at a better pace. She is now happy and cannot understand why everyone around her is agitated.
The second project was taking the nails from the wall that a mirror had hung from by a chain. He put a new latch on the back, removed the chain, made sure it was done correctly and lo and behold....how were we to know she loved that chain. She retrieved it and probably will put more nails in the wall and hang it.
New windows put in the front, new security lights in the trees,
porch being redone. She has now hid his ladder, hid all the light bulbs and said too much light would show everything.
A new faucet is going into the kitchen. She was asked as to which one she preferred. Her reply, "the old one". I explained that this was the identical model but that it just didn't leak. She called us disposable people with no care of quality things.
My son said that he would give her anything she wanted if he could just not have to do anything that required changing anything around her. So tomorrow, I'm sure the old modem will be back, the chain will be back and the satisfaction that she won a pissing contest with a man will make her birthday a very happy one.
..and the beat goes on.
Monday, December 26, 2011
BEING POLITICALLY CORRECT OR FREEDOM OF SPEECH?
Being politically correct is going to be my biggest challenge in this world of today. I grew up in the era of having freedom of speech and sometimes it's hard for me to remember that everyone can be offended by a harmless remark if it's their day to be defensive.
Working around young people keeps me on my toes and I tend to want to mentor and adopt all of them. I just realized you can no longer be friendly with the younger ones because if you call them young man or little girl, you are talking down to them. WHAT??
If you work around a sensitive man, and you lament to someone that you are so glad to be free of men in your life, you will offend the man because you included a disparaging remark about men. WHAT??? I have always used the routine of joking about my exes and their cheating ways. Now, 25 years later, I'm still telling the same tired jokes but they are now considered offensive.
I'm all for not offending people and I realize that in this modern age that we think is so advanced, it is not acceptable of statements we could have made in time past. Personally, if a comment is made and not meant to be harmful, then what happened to just having a conversation?
Watching my mouth will make me not be the total person I am, but I guess as long as I am politically correct, my freedom of speech will have to be put aside.
Working around young people keeps me on my toes and I tend to want to mentor and adopt all of them. I just realized you can no longer be friendly with the younger ones because if you call them young man or little girl, you are talking down to them. WHAT??
If you work around a sensitive man, and you lament to someone that you are so glad to be free of men in your life, you will offend the man because you included a disparaging remark about men. WHAT??? I have always used the routine of joking about my exes and their cheating ways. Now, 25 years later, I'm still telling the same tired jokes but they are now considered offensive.
I'm all for not offending people and I realize that in this modern age that we think is so advanced, it is not acceptable of statements we could have made in time past. Personally, if a comment is made and not meant to be harmful, then what happened to just having a conversation?
Watching my mouth will make me not be the total person I am, but I guess as long as I am politically correct, my freedom of speech will have to be put aside.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
SMILE, SELL AND SUCCEED!!
One week in and I am learning new things everyday. I have now entered the world of retail again. Customer service is an attribute that I take very personally and this is my forte of excellence to offer my company.
Dealing with the public can be very taxing because each human is so totally different. Sometime the most aggravating customer or employee is the one that needs the attention the most. I'm sure many times I have walked away from a customer, exhaled and thought,"wow!"
If my job only entailed just the customers, it would be a great thing but one of the things inherited with my job is dealing with employees. I'm lucky that most of the employees really care about their job. I also know that new employees coming into a Management job is never going to be met with open arms. Hopefully, thick skin has been developed after all these years.
It's hard to understand how someone can hire people that just don't fit the job description and really come in only to want to become the manager. What I would love to have are some workers. There are enough Managers to supervise 100 more employees.
This new adventure is not going to be a lifetime one. I am just in the job to help train one of the staff that want it to have enough sense to do it. I've had my fifteen minutes of fame and if I could have free range for a little while, production would go way up. Of course, a few employees might fall by the wayside.
One day at a time, one customer at a time, one sale at a time and hopefully the individual time spent will bring much more time of gainful employment.
Dealing with the public can be very taxing because each human is so totally different. Sometime the most aggravating customer or employee is the one that needs the attention the most. I'm sure many times I have walked away from a customer, exhaled and thought,"wow!"
If my job only entailed just the customers, it would be a great thing but one of the things inherited with my job is dealing with employees. I'm lucky that most of the employees really care about their job. I also know that new employees coming into a Management job is never going to be met with open arms. Hopefully, thick skin has been developed after all these years.
It's hard to understand how someone can hire people that just don't fit the job description and really come in only to want to become the manager. What I would love to have are some workers. There are enough Managers to supervise 100 more employees.
This new adventure is not going to be a lifetime one. I am just in the job to help train one of the staff that want it to have enough sense to do it. I've had my fifteen minutes of fame and if I could have free range for a little while, production would go way up. Of course, a few employees might fall by the wayside.
One day at a time, one customer at a time, one sale at a time and hopefully the individual time spent will bring much more time of gainful employment.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
PISSING CONTEST WITH A POLE CAT!!!
"Two or more parties simply attempting to out-do one another, not for the sake of truly believing in their cause, but just to win in order to gain some kind of power, honor, or reward of some kind."
Thanks to the dictionary for finally giving me the knowledge of the actual meaning of a "'Pissing Contest" as used when two or more people are trying to one up each other.
Lyndon Johnson always said something to the effect of not getting into a pissing contest with a polecat even though he didn't always follow his own advice.
How sad it is when adults striving for the same results have to have a power struggle about the way to get to the finished job.
Is it jealousy, the loss of a lifestyle, drinking, or the horrible green monster not wanting to accept that perhaps what they use to do, they can do no more?
The knowing that someone can do a job as well or better than you does not mean that you can't do the job. It just means that there is help if needed and should graciously be accepted.
The delay of having to prove the equality or the importance of a contributing partner, not only waste time but causes so much hostility that everyone gives up on the task and nothing gets accomplished. How much easier to swallow pride and note that perhaps something could be learned.
Stressing the point of your accomplishments, of how you would do it takes away from the end result. A new approach might be to take notice of how someone else does something and maybe use it when you need to do something different than the way you have always done it.
Working together does not always have to be competitive. Wanted a job well done is the end goal and no matter how it is reached and by whom, this is the way it should be approached.
Reach out your hand to someone who wants to help without thinking it is the start of a competition. No one is judging and at least when you can look at the finished product and think it's a job well done, you have the satisfaction of knowing that you let the right people do the job.
In the 'pissing contest' of life, at least you'll be a fair competitor.
Thanks to the dictionary for finally giving me the knowledge of the actual meaning of a "'Pissing Contest" as used when two or more people are trying to one up each other.
Lyndon Johnson always said something to the effect of not getting into a pissing contest with a polecat even though he didn't always follow his own advice.
How sad it is when adults striving for the same results have to have a power struggle about the way to get to the finished job.
Is it jealousy, the loss of a lifestyle, drinking, or the horrible green monster not wanting to accept that perhaps what they use to do, they can do no more?
The knowing that someone can do a job as well or better than you does not mean that you can't do the job. It just means that there is help if needed and should graciously be accepted.
The delay of having to prove the equality or the importance of a contributing partner, not only waste time but causes so much hostility that everyone gives up on the task and nothing gets accomplished. How much easier to swallow pride and note that perhaps something could be learned.
Stressing the point of your accomplishments, of how you would do it takes away from the end result. A new approach might be to take notice of how someone else does something and maybe use it when you need to do something different than the way you have always done it.
Working together does not always have to be competitive. Wanted a job well done is the end goal and no matter how it is reached and by whom, this is the way it should be approached.
Reach out your hand to someone who wants to help without thinking it is the start of a competition. No one is judging and at least when you can look at the finished product and think it's a job well done, you have the satisfaction of knowing that you let the right people do the job.
In the 'pissing contest' of life, at least you'll be a fair competitor.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
TEXTING FOR SENIOR CITIZENS!!
Thank you for this fun e-mail I received:
ATD: | At The Doctor's |
BFF: | Best Friend Fainted |
BTW: | Bring The Wheelchair |
BYOT: | Bring Your Own Teeth |
CBM: | Covered By Medicare |
CGU: | Can't get up |
CUATSC: | See You At The Senior Center |
DWI: | Driving While Incontinent |
FWB: | Friend With Beta Blockers |
FWIW: | Forgot Where I Was |
FYI: | Found Your Insulin |
GGPBL: | Gotta Go Pacemaker Battery Low! |
GHA: | Got Heartburn Again |
HGBM: | Had Good Bowel Movement |
IMHO: | Is My Hearing-Aid On? |
LMDO: | Laughing My Dentures Out |
LOL: | Living On Lipitor |
LWO: | Lawrence Welk's On |
OMMR: | On My Massage Recliner |
OMSG: | Oh My! Sorry Gas. |
ROFL... CGU: | Rolling On The Floor Laughing... And Can't Get Up |
TTYL: | Talk To You Louder |
WAITT: | Who Am I Talking To? |
WTFA: | Wet The Furniture Again |
WTP: | Where's The Prunes? |
WWNO: | Walker Wheels Need Oil |
GGLKI: | (Gotta Go Laxative Kicking In) |
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Mary Beth's Things I know: THIS MARRIAGE SUCKS, TOO!!!!
Mary Beth's Things I know: THIS MARRIAGE SUCKS, TOO!!!!: You, with your promises of good times, new experiences, visiting old friends and making new ones, have now broken my heart. I left my spac...
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