Question of the Week

What kind of winter fun are you having where you live?


I did make a snowman.  Unfortunately, Mr. Snowman was blind, mute and had no arms.  :-(

Sleds have been out at the worksite, but I've not been able to indulge.
Fact is, outside 'winter fun' has been pretty much 'off limits' because of my physical limitations right now.  And even if it were allowed, I'm not a fan of subzero weather.  Love the snow, I don't even mind trudging through it in the cold.  -50 wind chill isn't my idea of a fun time....

BUT--I've managed to clear out cupboards, clear out closets, get rid of 'stuff' that just doesn't get used or worn.  (yep--some of that's fun)
And I've started redoing the coffee nook.  Only I've not been able to finish because of travel not being advised on the weekends.  I want to pick up a couple things for the wall so I can finish that off.  I've delved into a few good books I've been wanting to read for the worksite.
I've snuck off to take photos on a regular basis--staying off roads that I know are treacherous this time of year.
We've done a couple puzzles together and I've managed to make a card or two.  This month it's sending a card/letter off every day and that's been good fun.
Oh......And I've snuck into a few antique stores to rummage through stuff--which is always great fun even if I don't leave with anything.

Today's Reading

Worrying about what's going to happen is a negative contribution to our future. Living in the here and now is ultimately the best thing we can do, not only for today, but also for tomorrow. It helps our relationships, our career, our recovery, and our life.

Things will work out, if we let them. If we must focus on the future other than to plan, all we need to do is affirm that it will be good.

I pray for faith that my future will be good if I live today well, and in peace. I will remember that staying in the present is the best thing I can do for my future. I will focus on what's happening now instead of what's going to happen tomorrow.

Takes a bit...but the fog DOES lift

TFTD

Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now. --Goethe

Here is a simple way to get in touch with your priorities. Imagine that you have an incurable illness and are given six months to live. As the doctors inform you of their findings, see yourself accepting your imminent mortality with the resolve, "I am going to spend the last months of my life living to the fullest, doing those things that are truly important to me." 

Then imagine yourself living out those six months in the manner in which you have decided.  Afterwards, note your experience. During your remaining days, what did you do, who did you see, and where did you go? What do these choices say about what is really important to you - your values and priorities? Are you living them today?

Confront your fears and pursue what brings you happiness and joy.  There is no better time than now.

There's nothing more special...

More Fairy Stuff

The gift of love means this: I want to share with you whatever I have that is good.

--John Powell, S.J.

How loving are we, really? Do we keep score when we do favors for a friend, keeping in mind that we're owed one? Do we hoard rather than share a favorite treat, hoping to prolong our own feast? And the good mood, when it's ours, do we use it to help another raise her spirits or do we secretly gloat because we're "in a better place"?

The opportunity to respond with love visits us throughout each day. A smile, a kind gesture, including someone in a conversation, noticing a job well done, are acts of love, acts that connect our hearts, at least for a moment.

Go directly to jail....do not pass Go...

Progressing to Friday

Yup...wooohooo for Friday.
Especially for THIS Friday cuz the renovation is moving ahead so nicely that some of the staff can actually move back into their offices.
The floors look lovely in them now that they're done correctly.  Mr. Installer and I have come to an amicable agreement....I tell him what I want, he says'yes ma'am', and then he tells his fellas....and they get 'er done.
It took a bit to get there, but he finally came to understand that I really am 'the head man in charge', even if I don't have a penis.
Oh but he has a wonderful group of workers who are just a hoot!  And since they've been the visible, ever present ones DOING the wonderful work, that's what matters.
Oh, and they adore the cook who bring them cinnamon rolls and cookies for treats.  That might have something to do with the quality of the job, too.
She's a really AWESOME baker.

Daily Reading

Next year I'm going to be better than I am now, but today I'm the best I can be.

It is quite possible to waste a lot of time and energy trying to make impossible changes. Many of us, inspired by the dynamics of the wanting to change and driven more by enthusiasm than prudence, strike out on missions that cannot be accomplished - missions we cannot win and should never undertake.

Turning back the clock is one of these. It can't be done. Controlling someone else's behavior is another. We can set the stage for the desired behavior, encourage it, and improve the odds by getting out of the way, but we don't have it in our bag of tricks to make people think, feel, or do any one thing.

We need to address the art of the possible. The only options we have are the options that are available to us. If someone doesn't want to reconcile with us, that's not an available option. Healthy relationships are not possible if we haven't yet learned how to have a healthy relationship. Instead, we will focus on acquiring these people skills by building to our own possibilities.

Question of the Week

What do you do when you're really angry?


Easy peasy.  At work I have a safety plan that's worn on my zippy thing with my work badge.

I work with kiddos that sometimes have anger issues.  And boy, howdy is it understandable that they have anger issues.  

It's pretty important the kiddos see that the adults have plans to use when they get angry, so we all wear our plans. It helps the kiddos get okay with having their own plans--and really, whether anyone wears a plan or not we all have 'plans' for when we're angry.  Sometimes the plan is to tear someone's head off and spit down their throat.....but it's a plan none the less.   LOL

When I get angry I use my plan.
If I'm rip roaring pissed off beyond recognition, I'm leaving for the great outdoors and walking around the building.  Pretty good plan for me cuz I cry when I'm at that level....and spending some of that energy and getting the heck away from other living things is a seriously good plan. *sigh*  I have a mouth and I'm not afraid to use it.  I just don't like cleaning up the mess after I do.

Day to day angry stuff--
I practice a little tai chi.  
k.......MY brand of tai chi.....I toss my arms out, put my feet shoulder width apart, take some deep breaths and pretend I'm a tree.  What kinda tree I am changes--mostly I'm calmer by the time I'm a willow tree waving around in the wind.  LOL  Yes, I look silly and the kiddos try not to laugh as they tell me to "Breathe Ms. Mel.....just breathe and wave your little branches". (you'd be surprised how many kiddos imitate me and use that one with great joy, lemme tell ya!)

Oh.  And there's always the secretary's office.
Yes, the secretary.  She doesn't ask questions.
She's learned to walk around me and just keep doing what she's doing when I come in and stretch out on her floor to stare at the ceiling.  
There are a lot of adults who still live today cuz of that woman.  :-/

Rural Route

TFTD

Be patient with the faults of others; they have to be patient with yours.

--Our Daily Bread

How do we feel when someone we know makes a mistake? What happens when the boss makes an error and we have to work overtime to straighten it out? How do we feel when a cashier overcharges us, the post office loses our package, or the mechanic doesn't fix a problem?

Most of us become angry. Since we have been brought up from childhood to believe we are victims, it seems only natural in adult life to feel the same way. We imagine all those people had it in for us; they were all in league somehow to make us suffer.

But everybody makes mistakes. Who among us is perfect? We have made many mistakes in our lives that have probably brought inconveniences to others. If we can learn to treat the faults of others with patience and understanding instead of anger and resentment, we may find others treating us accordingly.

G(b)rrrrrr....

Yup...another one......

Are you overwhelmed by all the things you need to do? Then stop needing to do all of them and start actually doing one of them.

The best response to being overwhelmed is not to impress yourself or others with how overwhelmed you feel. The best response is disciplined, focused action.

Don’t be stopped, or even slowed down, by the fact that you can’t imagine getting it all done. Let go of your thoughts about what’s still left to do, and give all your attention to what you are doing, right here and now.

In fact, it’s a good thing you have so much to do. So gratefully accept that blessing and get going on the first task, and then the next, and the next.

You have a continuing stream of opportunities to make a difference. Keep yourself busy transforming those opportunities, one by one, into real value.

When there’s much that must be done, pick the most important thing and get busy. Get on the path to achievement, and keep going.

Pink Frosting

Things that make me happy....

....smell good dried things that sit by the desktop.  :-)

....the 'colour me' Valentine for the Bug.

....hauling toys from my toy box into the worksite.  (more space for more toys!  hahaha)

....himself pulling up a chair to do a jig saw with me.

....walking in the snow.

....being on the downhill slide with the physical therapy.

....sunshine through the window after too many cloudy days.

....oh!! And cool postage stamps!  :-)

Fairy Wisdom

There’s nothing to be gained from merely being busy. There are all sorts of wonderful things to be achieved by being purposeful.

So very many demands are placed on you by the world and all its systems and all its technology. That makes it more important than ever to make your own choice as to what really matters.

Just because something is urgent doesn’t mean it makes a difference. Just because something is colorful, exciting, trendy and enticing doesn’t mean it will add value to your life.

Step back from the glittery commotion and remind yourself of who you are. Remind yourself of what you truly love, of what really matters to you.

Plenty of things that seem important at first glance will quickly turn out not to be, so let them go. All the while, hold steady to what truly matters

And folks thought I lost 'em.....

Fairy Reading for the Day

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

What good qualities lie within us? How do we choose to use them today? These simple questions point our way. Yet, on some days it seems so easy to get swept along with thoughts of future pain. And when we are not worrying about the future, we may fall into regrets about the past. Either way, we are distracted from our only opportunity to make a real difference - to be the kind of person we want to be in this moment, to learn from today's experiment in living.

TFTD

We must look around at the people in our lives today, and know that we have something special to offer each of them, and they to us. We do travel separate paths together. 

We may need to learn tolerance; perhaps a friend's behavior pushes us to be more tolerant. 

Impatience may be our nemesis, and everywhere we turn are lines, slow cash registers, traffic jams. Our experiences with others aren't chance. Fellow travelers are carefully selected by the inner self, the spiritual guide who understands our needs in this life.

We are both the teachers and the pupils. We need both our friends and those we may label our enemies for what they can help us learn.