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My daughter is off to school 

I am caring for aging parents, buried an uncle a short time ago and another this week, my step-sister is dying and in the midst of this commotion, I find myself reflecting on next chapter. I have been so busy working as the sole bread-winner (with a 2-4 hour commute each day) and caring for others that I have had not made time to connect or reach out to my friends or be involved in the community. I got to thinking what is important? Is it things? Riches? How you touch others? How you leave the world?

I think it is how you touch others and how you leave the world. So now, I have two goals: to be a collector and to make a positive difference. I want to collect friends and be a friend. I want to leave this place, my little corner, better off for being here. We never know how what we do touches others, but if you act with integrity and compassion you can do a whole lot.

Charles Shultz had a quiz something like this

Can you name the five wealthiest people in the world, the last few Heisman trophy winners, the winners of the Miss America pageant, ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize, Academy Award winners or a decade's worth of World Series winners?

Probably not.  But I bet you can name or remember a teacher who aided your journey through school, friends who have helped you through a difficult time, people who have taught you something worthwhile, people who have made you feel appreciated and special and people you enjoy spending time with.

The point is, none of us remembers yesterdays headlines

These are no second-rate achievers.

They are the best in their fields.

But the applause dies...

Awards tarnish..

Achievements are forgotten.

Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

The people who make a difference in your life and the lives of others are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money...or the most awards.

They simply are the ones who reach out and care the most. I want to be one of those people

Shultz had it right - he got it. I hope that it inspires us to do the same

 

Perspectives

I get up in the morning. I think that is a good start. It means that I am alive and I have another chance to do something. Hopefully good. Some people don't have that chance. They are either too ill or in the middle of a crisis. So the fact that I am able and willing to get up and work is a good thing.

Do you have a daily list of Yahoos?! A gratitude list? Of things big or small that put a smile on your face? I challenge you to write down 5 things each day that make you smile or that make you feel lucky. Put a Yeah! after each one. My list: My house is warm Yeah! The sun is shining Yeah! My daughter is happy and healthy Yeah! The robins are back Yeah! My crocuses and hyacinth are up Yeah! I have change in my pocket Yeah! Put it in a notebook and carry it with you. Read daily

So simple - it makes you feel good. Read your list out loud. It might seem silly at first but it will make you smile. So go ahead and put a grin on your face. I dare you.

Are You "Shaloming"?

I am all for health because I love to see people at their best -  happy and enjoying life.
I want people to celebrate  - celebrate everyday miracles: life, family, friends, sunrises, nature, their own creativity...

But they cannot experience or appreciate the everyday miracles that surround them without health in all its forms
     physical health
     emotional health
     spiritual health
     financial health
     a sense of community
     and be surrounded by beauty and a healthy environment

I want to create a world and start a movement to encourage people to take action for balance and wellness in all things so that their health is not a distraction but a gift and the miracle it is. it would be great if you joined me by starting to take care of yourself in all of these forms. It could be contagious and maybe together we could heal the world one person at a tmie.

I learned yesterday that the Hebrew word Shalom means to be at peace and in balance with all I have mentioned (total health in body, spirit, financial, relationships..) so I want to ask you if you are Shaloming? (new word I made up) to mean are you taking care of yourself in all aspects of your life so you can be happy and share your greatness with others? I hope so.

Rocktober Is Over

My recovery is still in process. I can breath and move a bit better. My skin is not peeling as much and I have more energy. There is still a long way to go to really live again. When you are not well it is as if your life is wasted. If any of you have faced a challenge, keep moving forward and don't give up. Thank you for sharing my journey. I will keep posting but will be off the grid for a few days do to wifi availability.

Connections

Been working in an emergency clinic 2 hours from home for the last 2 days. (Which is why I worote about deer whistles - commuting through deer country) Thank goodness for Panera's and McDonald's wifi. I like the ER work, the patients are nice folks. I see a lot of work injuries. Most happen because people are in a hurry or taking a shortcut or just tired. I stress to people to take their time doing things, even if they are late because that is when you make mistakes, some can be worse than others, some even fatal. Where in the last 50 years did we lose sight of people? When did we start treating people like machines and commodities, totally alienating or communities? I see unrealistic demands placed on people (including those in health care where some clinics limit you to 10-15 min/patient), 12-16 hour days. Days that take people away from their families and a healthy life, both at home and with the community. I remember having to report a + stimulant screen to an employer and they said "I am surprised he is one of our best workers".I thought how do you think your employees and work 4-5, 12-16 hour days a week without becoming sick or exhausted - why do you think they turned to the stimulant? Not that I am condoning them. Things seemed much simpler 45 -50 years ago when people actually took time with each other.

There is a great book by David Plowden "Vanishing Point - 50 Years of Photography" that is a tribute to the iniquity of the human spirit. what is more interesting than the pictures themselves is the story behind the pictures, painstaking and delightfully obtained by the photographer when he took the time to learn about what made things happen. In every instance it was the connection he had with the individual and the individual's passion and artistry for what they were doing. You can hear the replay on ThisIsTheStory.org. How cool to actually take time to learn about someone else and connect.

Deer Whistles

Deer Whistles. My old car had deer whistles on the bumper. Wild life became statuesque when you approached, freeze-framed in the moment. I loved that car, 12 years old and 220,000 miles on it. Had replaced almost everything under the hood, but my mechanic said I should part with it while it was still worth something. "Blue" my CRV. They don't make them like that anymore.

We are down to a one car family and the car I am driving doesn't have a bumper. It has a sleek smooth design, but where to put the deer whistles? Thinking that air flow was all they needed, I put them subtly in the grill and drove on (there were no instructions with the new pair of I purchased). I guessed wrong. Driving back from Alabama, after dropping my daughter off at school, I came face to face with the most beautiful 6 point buck I had ever seen (it was also the first one I had ever seen). August, not mating season, mid evening in southern Virginia. There was little or no shoulder on this stretch of highway and the thickets and woods were close and heavy. He popped up 8 feet in front of me in the woods. I hoped he would stay put. Our eyes locked and not wanting to see anything, I closed mine at 70 mph. Then BUMP. Darn, couldn't he have stayed there?  Only a dent in my front bumper. I hope he got away OK. I could drive, there was minimal damage and in my heart of hearts I hoped he got up. But it I could not tell and I could not stop as cars behind approached.

Weeks later, I found an old (more than 20 years old) set of deer whistles, still in their original package at my parents house when I was cleaning it out. I had bought them a set many years ago and they sat in a top drawer until that day (so much for practical gifts). These were different. They had INSTRUCTIONS. 2 pages of instructions. I never knew you could learn so much about deer whistles. The most important instruction they stressed was NEVER PLACE THEM IN THE GRILL. Put them as far forward of the car as possible - if your bumper was not flat you could mount them on the hood, or even upside down under the bumper, but as far forward as possible. They had a diagram for every possible car configuration and bumper, so even non mechanicals like me could unlock and use the secret of their mystery. So now I have 2 sets of deer whistles on the car. If it was just my car I would have put them on the hood, but alas, it is a shared mode of transport, so the whistles unobtrusively have their residence under the bumper, leading the way down the road because they are as far forward as I could get them. Have yet to see freeze frames, but I am on the lookout to see if they work.

Keep On Keeping On

Roctober is almost over and I am not even close to "Rockin". I must admit that I did not exercise every day - some days I seemed too tired to even move. But if I got out 3 days a week, it was a start. I managed to use the nutrients 5-6 days a week. Healthy habits take time to build into your schedule. Don't give up! My skin is healing (not 100%, more like 50%), my eyes are no longer painful and I am a bit more flexible. This is a process. It was more than 2 years of neglect and abuse that took my body on a downward turn. It will take more than a few weeks to build it up and every step forward is a step in the right direction. I had a massage and I really think it helped me turn the corner. It was quite painful at the time, but I felt so much better the next day. I could move joints that seemed frozen before. Massage helps break down muscle tension and it invigorates the lymph system which helps cleanse your body. If you are in a recovery like mine, treat yourself to one at least every other week. It will do you a world of good. No pain, no gain.