Just for fun...

We are in an incredibly exciting time in our country's history right now with the presidential race consisting of an ex-POW, a woman and an African-American. May the best black ma....I mean, may the best ma...person win!

At least this year we have some possibilities to chose from. But what if it wasn't so? What if the pickins were slim, again, this time? What if you could pick both major candidates for the presidential race, which two people would you pick?

My choices would be:

My first would be Danny DeVito. With enough Limoncello he could do, at least, as good a job as what we have now! That, plus he's short enough to sneak in and out of important places and maybe glean some "real" intelligence!

The second candidate I would pick is Sam Walton (of Walmart fame) because his company is going to run the world soon anyway. Oh wait a minute...he's dead...well no problem...he could have China help in his absence.

Good or Bad?

Do you ever have one of those days when things just never go right? The day usually starts out with something going wrong, like the dog peed in your shoe or you dropped your toothbrush in the litter box and then escalates from there not stopping until you lay your exhausted head on the pillow to, thankfully, sleep.
Well, yesterday, I had just the opposite. Here are all the things that went RIGHT for me today…
--Mike, our contractor, got to the house right on time and finished all his projects so we could go look for flooring together.
--Mike, who knows all the right questions to ask, got us a great price on new flooring for our upstairs. We would NEVER even have thought of the things he asked.
--Toyota called me to tell me that my car was finished and they even GUARANTEED I wouldn’t have trouble with my heat seat again. They even called me with enough time for Scott to come with me to get it.
--We called to speak to Courtney and, surprisingly, she was there and picked up the phone. We were so happy to hear her voice. It gave us a peaceful feeling.
--We called to speak to Steven and he told us he has passed the class he was having trouble in. Another peaceful and thankful feeling.
--We went to Border’s Books where I picked a bunch of books I have been wanting and only had to pay $20 because I had umpteen gift cards. Thanks to all who gave them to us!
--Got a message from my sister, Marie, telling me that all the plans to meet Steven and pick up his dog so he can go off to an animal preserve in Albany, GA to finish this semester are in place. This took the pressure off me to get that done. We are so blessed to have those “Sisters of the Apocalypse!”
--While I was in the bookstore, my good friend, Gina, called to ask me if she wanted me to pick up pizza hut and bring it to me since I would be home alone tonight. I had dinner already planned for myself but wasn’t that thoughtful?
--My gas light came on just as I neared the house. Now I will have plenty of gas to get to the gas station today and I didn’t have to stop yesterday which would have made Scott late for his poker game.
--When I checked my computer I had this quote in an email from Joel Osteen (he doesn’t write just to me but I do get his daily inspirations…they are great!):

“YOUR LIFE WILL GO IN THE DIRECTION OF YOUR MOST DOMINANT THOUGHTS”

So my question for today is…
Do we bring about our own good or bad luck by attracting it with our thoughts, or is it random that we have days when nothing goes right or everything goes right, or does God wake up and say, “I’m gonna freak Vicki’s freak out and bless the hell out of her today” or, “She’s pissed me off so NO GOOD THINGS FOR HER TODAY!”?

2/29/08 Essential vs. social...

I got this idea from a book called “Finding Your Own North Star” by life coach, Martha Beck, who also is a regular column writer for O: The Oprah Magazine. She describes having a phone interview with Melvin from IBM (of all places) who she suspected was clinically depressed. In the interview she asked Melvin regular “get-to-know-you” questions like what was his name, age, marital status, job history, etc. The answers to these questions revealed, what Martha called, Melvin’s “social self.” These are what Melvin had learned to value …the same things that were valued by the people around him. Then she threw him a curve ball by asking him these questions:

Is there anything you do regularly that makes you forget what time it is?
Do you ever look up from something you’re doing to find that hours have passed by?
Do you laugh more in some situations than in others?
What was the best meal you have ever had in your life?

Martha Beck calls answers to questions like these the“essential self.” She states that Melvin had lost the path to his “essential self” by getting bogged down with his “social self” and putting too much emphasis on the values set by those around him or by his “status” in life. He was not being true to what made him happy and content in life.

So my question to ponder today is:
What are some of your “essential self” values and have you lost them or are they still part of what makes you who you are?

Here are my answers to Martha’s questions:
I lose track of time when I read or stamp and write things. The only one of those I’m not consistent in doing is stamping. I think it’s a confidence thing or maybe because my stamping room is a mess again!
Sometimes when Scott and I go to bed we talk and talk about anything and everything and laugh like crazy while we lie there in the dark. Before we know it it’s 1 am or later. Where did that time go? I never want to stop doing that.
I laugh the most when I’m in my own home. I think it has something to do with being totally comfortable. I love my home. It makes me feel really good when I'm there!
The best meal I ever had in my life was the first “Little Christmas” I celebrated with the kids and Scott. We only had spaghetti and meat sauce so what made it great was not the food. Each of them opened one last present and then we read a lovely Christmas story. We really enjoyed each other. It was perfectly tender!

I guess, in reflection, I have to say I’m pretty true to my essential self as I am mostly a home body and often put that ahead of other obligations or invitations. If I was unable to spend time enjoying my home with family and friends I would not be a happy girl. I usually make time to do the things that fill me up and make me feel good about what makes me me. Although I do have the luxury of being at home a lot. I wonder how it would be if I had to go out to work at IBM like Melvin??? Hmmmm!

Behaviors

"Learning and then practicing new behaviors regarding our relationships with others can be exciting and very hopeful.
Any struggle we may be having at work or home requires that we do something differently. We may not be totally at fault, of course, but we cannot change someone else's behavior or way of thinking. Fortuantely, we can change our own.
That's the good news. It takes away a burden we don't need. Taking even a moment before responding to someone else's drama can change everything about the experience.
An idea as simple as smiling at anyone even before saying a word can make an experience far more productive and peaceful, and far less dramatic."

"It's Up to You -- A Practice to Change Your Life by Changing Your Mind" -

Karen Casey

I read this last night after having had an aggravating experience dealing with an employee at Comcast earlier in the day. I did smile at the woman when I saw her and, I thought, calmly and nicely explained that the cable box was going to push me over the edge if I didn't get it changed. Now, I'm not sure if it was my droll sense of humor or what, but my dealings with this woman went way down hill after that. So when I came across this reading I wondered if it was not really she who had the problem or if it was some vibe coming off of me. I wish I had read this before meeting her so I could have really tested it out. Next time I'll be ready!

Today or tomorrow if you should come across someone who is just not being nice or treating you unfairly, try out Karen Casey's suggestion from "It's Up to You" and see what happens. See if changing your behavior will make them change theirs. Let us know how it worked.