Here's my mantra!

I read this today and immediately thought, “This is so me! This is what I do!” Sometimes it’s to a fault, so I’m still working on figuring out how it works for the best results…

 

If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.

-Unknown

Wow, what a great blog entry!

I just read this and it amused me so much that I want to post it on my blog for others to see. So visit this site for fabulous advice on how to make friends. I plan to follow this advice post-haste!

http://blog.beliefnet.com/beyondblue/2007/10/12-ways-to-make-friends.html

I’m getting sick. I’ve been getting sick for the last three weeks. I hate when this happens because when I do finally get sick, it’s REALLY bad because I’ve been worn down for ages beforehand. And then I might as well be dead for the amount of energy I don’t have. Alex has a cold-slash-allergies. One of these days I will take him to the doctor and remember to ask if I should be concerned that my two year old snores louder than my husband. And then maybe we will discover that Alex’s runny nose and sneezing at certain times of the year is a result of allergies. Until then, Benadryl works well to get him to fall asleep and not worry about the runny nose. J

Lots of people in my life have/had laryngitis too, and seeing as how my latest self-induced challenge is to see how much I can talk in an 80-minute period (that’s how long I have a group of students at any given time during a school day), not having a voice would be terribly inconvenient.

I am in the process of reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. It is a goldmine! It’s so powerful (like The DaVinci Code also was for me) that I can do nothing but read and consider the adjustments I need to make (and even those I don’t need to make) within my life. It makes me think!

***I just realized I have started three sentences in a row with the word “it,” and I think that perhaps my writing is being negatively affected by the oversimplification of speech that happens at my house so that Alex can learn to speak English . I mean, what I typed just a few sentences ago is how I think these days. It is ----. It is -----. I am ---. You are ----. Once again, I am humbled by the far-reaching, life-changing effects of motherhood.

Lyndsey Lovelace-Jarvis, if you read this will you please send me a note so I know that you, Dan, and the girls are okay? I heard from a San Diego friend that Oceanside was not affected by the fires, but I will feel better and not worry about you when I hear from you. Thanks! J

Stuff I think is cool

I’m on a blog-posting roll today. It just occurred to me that I can keep track of all the ideas I want to save by posting them on my blog! Not only will I have everything in one place, someone else might benefit from what I think is awesome…

Disposable panties- awesome idea that means I can throw out my period panties!! http://www.wearonce.com/

Batteries that recharge in your USB ports! http://www.usbcell.com/

Brownie pan that has more crusty edges: http://www.fredflare.com/

Laptop/computer privacy filter: 3MPrivacyFilter.com

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Great quote…comes on a necklace in the Acacia catalog (http://www.acaciacatalog.com/): “Keep the peace within yourself, then…bring the peace to others.” Expressed by German theologian Thomas a Kempis (1379-1471)

Another thought on peace, also found in the Acacia catalog: “Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.”

A reminder: Bidden or Not Bidden God is Present

Here’s a book I need to read: A Perfect Mess: The Hidden Benefits of Disorder by Eric Abrahamson and David H. Freedman

Awesome website! http://360travelguide.com/ Lots of panoramic views.

A To Don’t List:

1. Don’t overanalyze or overcomplicate things. Commit to taking the easy way.

2. Don’t become consumed by negative possibilities. Assume a positive outcome.

3. Don’t insist on perfection.

4. Don’t do it alone.

5. Don’t become angry or upset when things don’t go according to plan. Roll with it.

Steps to Forgiveness

Most people have great difficulty forgiving someone, especially if they feel wronged. It isn’t easy to forgive a person who has hurt you and made you feel pain; it’s never a quick fix or an instant happening. But here are four steps to help you learn how to forgive and remove the many layers of pain you have experienced in your life.

1. Accept it. Take responsibility for the happening but feel no guilt or self-judgment. It’s a human response oftentimes to either judge the other person or place self-judgment upon yourself. Instead, realize this experience has a lesson in it for you and your life that will help you grow.
2. Feel it. Feel the emotions of the experience. What are you feeling? Actually name them without censoring them in any way. This makes it real and realness is the only place in which you can lovingly make changes. Once it’s real to you, you can shift the energy into something positive.
3. Surrender it. Drop the need to be right. Understand there is a definite reason for this experience and there is perfection in it. It’s really a prayerful surrender in which you release all judgments and allow humility. There is no right or wrong in this place.
4. Choose peace and harmony. Everything in your life involves a choice, either one you voluntarily make or one that someone else makes for you. So you have the power to choose how you will respond. Understand that God is in the other person just as God is in you, and that they are coming from their truth. Don’t get into the dance with them so that they pull you down. This will happen if you become defensive, add blame, or feel like a victim. If you dance with them into the place of unforgiveness, you create negative experiences for yourself. You could even try putting yourself in their shoes for a brief moment; you might be surprised how you see things differently.