Stepping Back From Toxicity

December 31, 2007

Loving Presence

Surround Yourself With Love

In our everyday life we are surrounded by a variety of people. Some of the people we deal with on a daily basis are a joy to be with, and their loving presence nurtures and encourages us. Others may have the opposite effect, draining us of our energy, making us feel tired and exhausted. Our well-being can be easily influenced by those around us, and if we can keep this in mind, we will have greater insights into the quality of our social interactions and their energetic effect on us.

Once we think more deeply about the people we interact with, it becomes easier for us to work toward filling our lives with people who help us cultivate healthy and positive relationships. Even though it might not always seem like we have much control over who we are with, we do. The power to step back from toxicity lies within us. All we have to do is take a few moments to reflect on how another person makes you feel. Assessing the people we spend the most time with allows us to see if they add something constructive to, or subtract from, our lives. Should a friend sap our strength, for example, we can simply set the intention to tell them how we feel or simply spend less time with them. We will find that the moment we are honest with ourselves about our own feelings, the more candid we can be with others about how they make us feel. While this may involve some drastic changes to our social life it can bring about a personal transformation that will truly empower us, since the decision to live our truth will infuse our lives with greater happiness.

When we surround ourselves with positive people, we clear away the negativity that exists around us and create more room to welcome nurturing energy. Doing this not only enriches our lives but also envelopes us in a supportive and healing space that fosters greater growth, understanding, and love of ourselves as well as those we care about.

Catching up on JJ

Spoke to my niece, Jules, just before Christmas, and told her I stopped blogging about JJ because he drives me nuts. Lives right next door and drops in at least every other day and at 25 years of age has all the arrogance and inexperience of youth. She pointed out that given that, he provides interesting material in a blog. She's probably right.

JJ has broken up with Tish at least ten times since the last time I wrote about them. She's the beautiful stripper he met while DJ-ing at a strip club where she's the virtual star stripper among a lot of scrawny strippers that do nothing for the audience of mostly men who drink too much and spend a lot of money tipping the girls for their pole dances or private audiences in side rooms where they allegedly do everything except provide sex. The club is called Lollipops and he tells me most of the dancers there have children but are single, and really need the money either for drugs or to support their children, or both. Tish is very tall, has hair down to her butt, and doesn't do any drugs except for pot, and has a little boy who's half black. As far as that particular club goes, she's the star dancer who the guys wait for whilst buying ridiculously overpriced drinks and getting snockered. When she finally appears, she can make around $300-400 per night in tips just for teasing the guys.

So now he's been seeing her for a few months with several breakups in between. He's seen other girls who are not strippers, and she's slept with other guys who mean nothing to her just 'cause that's the way it is. She's 21 and JJ is 25.

For some time he couldn't deal with her son being half black, but then all of a sudden he'd stop by and tell us how great she was for taking her pole dancing so seriously that she'd even spent money on DVD's that taught her specific dancing skills that would get her bigger tips, and apparently it worked. Suddenly he was praising her for taking her "work" seriously. I've always been blatantly honest with JJ, and asked him if he thought she was his dream woman, and as far as sexual desire, she was.

They broke up a zillion times because one or the other had sex with someone else, but eventually he said they'd gotten to a point in their relationship where they'd had deep feelings for one another and didn't know what to do with those feelings. It was obvious to me that he was falling in love with her and could no longer find fault with anything she did. Even her son, who he couldn't deal with for so long, was becoming acceptable and he was pointing out her virtues as a mother. I knew at that point that he was a lost cause.

They worked through those times and made some sort of commitment where they'd both stop sleeping with other people and remain true to only each other. I had to listen to his trumpeting of her sexual skills which I didnt' want to hear, and his frequent comments about women in general who he seemed to respect very little.

At this point he's done his usual schtick with her and gotten her to give up stripping and get a job in the Wing House where the waitresses (servers) wear short shorts and get great tips. He's gone through a thing with his dad who completely opposed his seeing a woman with a mixed-race child, and decided to forge ahead anyway. Tish bought a three-bedroom house in Clearwater apparently with money she was able to save as a stripper (which didn't take long) and we haven't seen him for weeks. I asked him if he would be moving in with her and he said that would never happen, although I'm not sure why he's still paying rent next door unless it's sort of a "safe house" for him when it doesn't work out with her.

Her son, Kai, is a beautiful little boy with no apparent social skills since he spends no time around any other children. He cries the minute she walks out the door and never quits until he falls asleep, unless he's with JJ who he's now gotten used to.

JJ bought Tish a diamond ring for Christmas which he says is definitely NOT an engagement ring. He also once said that he felt that a good sexual relationship was at least eighty percent of what was needed for things to work out, and I told him he was nuts. I tried to explain, with Steve in agreement, that sex was just a small part of any relationship's success, but that patience, understanding, communication and self-love were the greatest factors in the success of any relationship. He just plain didn't accept that.

He convinced Tish to give up stripping and he gave up his job at an exclusive high-end strip club in Tampa as some demonstration of their feelings for one another. I told him it reminded me of the show on Broadway called "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" and it wouldn't work. He did the same thing with his previous girlfriend who ended up having so many issues in her past that they crept up on her and blew up the situation. Tish, like most women who turn to stripping to earn money, has issues in her past that haven't reared their ugly head yet, but I'm certain they will.

Another Reason Aging Sucks

Looking in the shopping mall for a cotton nightgown, I decided to try my luck in a store that was known for its hot lingerie. Well, to my delight, I found just what I was looking for.

Waiting in the queue to pay, out the corner of my eye I notice a young lady behind me, holding exactly the same nightgown I had picked.

Naturally, this confirmed what I had suspected all along: despite being the wrong side of 50, I still have a very 'with it' attitude.

"I see we have the same taste," I said proudly to the 20-something behind me.

"Yes," she replied. "I'm getting this for my grandmother."

Need some new comments?

1. Thank you - we're all refreshed and challenged by your unique point of view.

2. The fact that no one understands you doesn't mean you're an artist.

3. I don't know what your problem is, but I'll bet it's hard to pronounce.

4. Any connection between your reality and mine is purely coincidental.

5. I have plenty of talent and vision; I just don't care.

6. I like you. You remind me of when I was young and inexperienced.

7. What am I - flypaper for freaks!?

8. I'm not being rude. You're just insignificant.

9. I'm already visualizing the duct tape over your mouth.

10. I will always cherish the initial misconceptions I had about you.

11. It's a thankless job, but I've got a lot of Karma to burn off.

12. Yes, he is an agent of Satan, but his duties are largely ceremonial.

13. No, my powers can only be used for good.

14. How about never? Is never good for you?

15. I'm really easy to get along with once you people learn to worship me.

16. Your idea seems reasonable... Time to up my medication.

17. I'll try being nicer if you'll try being smarter.

18. I'm out of my mind, but feel free to leave a message...

19. I don't work here. I'm a consultant.

20. Who me? I just wander from room to room.

21. My toys! My toys! I can't do this job without my toys!

22. It might look like I'm doing nothing, but at the cellular level I'm really quite busy.

23. At least I have a positive attitude about my destructive habits.

24. You are validating my inherent mistrust of strangers.

25. I see you've set aside this special time to humiliate yourself in public.

26. Someday, we'll look back on this, laugh nervously, and change the subject.

Always Break Your Resolutions?

Are you sick of making the same resolutions year after year that you never keep? Why not promise to do something you can actually accomplish? Here are some resolutions that you can use as a starting point:

1. Gain weight. At least 30 pounds.
2. Stop exercising. Waste of time.
3. Read less. Makes you think.
4. Watch more TV. I've been missing some good stuff.
5. Procrastinate more. Starting tomorrow.
6. Not date any of the Baywatch cast.
7. Spend more time at work, surfing with the T1.
8. Take a vacation to someplace important: like, to see the largest ball of twine.
9. Not jump off a cliff just because everyone else did.
10. Stop bringing lunch from home: I should eat out more.
11. Not have eight children at once.
12. Get in a whole NEW rut!
13. Start being superstitious.
14. Personal goal: bring back disco.
15. Not wrestle with Jesse Ventura.
16. Buy an '83 Eldorado and invest in a really loud stereo system.
17. Get the car windows tinted. Buy some fur for the dash.
18. Speak in a monotone voice and only use monosyllabic words.
19. Only wear jeans that are 2 sizes too small and use a chain or rope for a belt.
20. Spend my summer vacation in Cyberspace.
21. Not eat cloned meat.
22. Create loose ends.
23. Get more toys.
24. Get further in debt.
25. Not believe politicians.
26. Break at least one traffic law.
27. Not drive a motorized vehicle across thin ice.
28. Avoid transmission of inter-species diseases.
29. Avoid airplanes that spontaneously drop 1000 feet.
30. Not swim with pirhanas or sharks.
31. Associate with even worse business clients.
32. Spread out priorities beyond my ability to keep track of them.
33. Wait around for opportunity.
34. Focus on the faults of others.
35. Mope about my faults.
36. Never make New Year's resolutions again.

Mind Over Matter

December 28, 2007

Culling Out The Weeds

Mind Over Matter

The power of the mind is a curious thing, because it is so powerful yet so difficult to control sometimes. We find ourselves thinking a certain way, knowing that this thought may be creating trouble for us yet we find it difficult to stop. For example, many people have the experience of getting sick at the same time every year or every time they go on a plane. They may even be aware that their beliefs impact their experiences, so continue to think they will get sick and then they do.

Sometimes we need to get sick in order to process something or move something through our bodies. But often we get sick, or feel exhausted, because we don�t make the effort to galvanize the power of our minds in the service of our physical health, which is one of its most important functions. We really can use it to communicate to our bodies, yet we often regard the two as separate entities that have little to do with one another.

Knowing this, we have the power to create physical health and mental health, simply by paying attention to the tapes running in our minds. Once we hear ourselves, we have the option to let that tape keep running or to make a new recording. We harness the power of the mind in our defense when we choose supportive, healing words that foster good health and high spirits. All we need to do is remember to tend the field of our mind with the attentive and loving hand of a master gardener tending her flower beds, culling out the weeds so that the blossoms may come to fruition.

Got Duct Tape?

The next time you really need something to do and you happen to have duct tape, paper towels, a scissor and a cardboard box, you can make yourself a new purse! Think of the money you'll save! Who really needs a $300 Coach bag anyway? Check it out!

http://www.jfsdaily.com/2007/12/how_to_make_a_purse_out_of_ele.htm

That's the way they all became...

TV show creator Sherwood Schwartz originally intended the title of "The Brady Bunch" series to be "Yours and Mine." Gene Hackman was the first choice to play Mike Brady, but Paramount turned him down as an unknown television actor.

For the life of me, I can't picture Gene Hackman as Mike Brady, even though I hated the show, and it probably wouldn't have made any difference anyway. The only person I liked on the show was Alice, their housekeeper. But then I'm no authority on old family TV shows -- I once had a huge crush on Bud of "Father Knows Best". Don't even ask me why now 'cause I can't remember.

I also had a crush on Tony Dow who played The Beaver's brother -- don't know why that was the case either! The biggest heartthrob was Paul Peterson on "The Donna Reed Show" and I DO remember why -- he was so cute and cute was very important back then. I still watch reruns of "Leave It To Beaver" sometimes when I'm depressed. I wanted to be part of the Cleaver family because they always had such sweet and totally unrealistic ways of solving all their problems as a family. And the boys were always saying "Gee Dad" and Mother Cleaver was always worried about the Beaver.

I read that the guy who played Eddy Haskell on that show became a cop somewhere around Los Angeles, and the actor who played Lumpy has a license plate on his car with that name -- cool!

British Trivia

The London Ambulance Service has put a special vehicle on the streets to help treat people who may have had too much to drink at their Christmas office parties.

The vehicle, which can hold up to five "celebrants," is referred to as the "Booze Bus" or "Vomit Comet."

Seasonal Trivia

Here's your totally useless fact of the day:

Long before it was used as a "kiss encourager" during the Christmas season, mistletoe had long been considered to have magic powers by Celtic and Teutonic peoples. It was said to have the ability to heal wounds and increase fertility. Celts hung mistletoe in their homes in order to bring themselves good luck and ward off evil spirits.

Wish I'd known that before I went to the Wound Care Center!

Tragic Newsflash

Green beans are being recalled because of a risk of botulism! What'll I do? What'll I eat? Is it possible to have botulism for a couple of days, or just long enough to lose 50 pounds? Now, for THAT I'd eat tarnished green beans, for ONLY for that!

Cool Website

Got this via e-mail today, and I remember paying five bucks to get this at a state fair once! It's kinda fun.

http://www.jfsdaily.com/2007/12/the_year_you_were_born.htm

Pitiful Statistic

Here's your totally useless fact of the day:

Per the results of a three-year Christmas study performed by the Center for Lifestyle Management, an average of 10 hours are spent the last week of December arguing and bickering with family members about holiday-related activities.

Yeah, I believe it...

Can't Help Myself

What do you call a bunch of grandmasters of chess bragging about their games in a hotel lobby?

Chess nuts boasting in an open foyer.

Sleep Positions I Miss

I've always gone to sleep on my belly with Roly Poly Ole leaning against my head whilst I scratch her belly. Since my knee surgery I haven't been able to lay on my stomach until last night. My kneecap has to be perfectly placed before it can happen, and it only lasts for about two hours before it starts to throb, but that's a form of progress as far as I'm concerned. Can't sleep on my left side 'cause they must've snipped some muscle next to my knee that won't allow it, so for a full month I slept only on my right side. I never woke up because I was done sleeping, but because my right hip was getting tired of supporting my ultra-petite body -- not!

I can even walk without the cane sometimes now, although there's still somewhat of a limp, and I'd never try it in public 'cause I still don't trust that leg. The surgical wound is all healed except for being a little pinkish!

Called my doctor today to see when she wanted me to have my blood drawn for the blood thinner I'm still on. She told me to come and see her at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow --I responded, "Are you crazy? That's the middle of the night for me!" She wasn't very sympathetic. She's leaving for Peru on Saturday to see her family so I don't have much choice. She's one of the nicest and most concerned physicians I've ever had, and she also enjoys me as a patient. She probably has a lot of hillbilly-type patients in this county so it's probably a great thrill to see a person who can actually read!

Birds on the Brain

There was an egret across the river again today just wandering in the mud at low tide. He appeared to be a little taller than yesterday's bird, and I'm wondering now if they live in gangs, sort of like the meerkats on "Meerkat Manor" where they also all look alike but are able to tell each other apart. What I don't get is why it's always just one bird, and not a few. Perhaps they like to leave the gang once in awhile and meditate in the mud or something. Or perhaps I need to cut back even more on my Vicodin!

I thought today's egret would look great with a red festive ribbon around its' neck, but that would be as challenging as trying to put a ribbon on a cat!

Did you know...

... that today is Dogsled Mail Day? In 1928, the first international dogsled mail left Minot, Maine, for Montreal, Quebec. A regular 8' mushing sled weighing 200 lbs. was pulled by 6 blackhead Eskimo dogs, averaging 9 mph. The mail pouch
contained 385 letters. The sled returned on February 2nd, passing through 4 states and provinces and 118 cities, covering 600 miles.

It's important for me to keep you up to date on these important factoids.

From My Friend Karen

Christmas Eating Tips

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. Like fine single- malt scotch, it's rare. In fact, it's even rarer than single-malt scotch. You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-aholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes.
Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or, if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Reread tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.

Nuts We Love Besides Relatives

Here's your totally useless fact of the day:

The cashew is part of a fruit called a "cashew apple" that grows in
tropical regions. After harvesting, the cashew apple keeps for only
24 hours before the soft fruit deteriorates. The cashew apple is not
commercially important since it spoils quickly, but local people love
the fruit. To harvest the nut, the ripe apple is allowed to fall to
the ground where natives easily gather it. The apple and nut are
separated.

Who knew?

On Government Mostly

"Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress.... But then I repeat myself." Tom Underwood

"I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle."
- Winston Churchill

"A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul."
- George Bernard Shaw

"A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man, which debt he proposes to pay off with your money." - G. Gordon Liddy

"Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner." - James Bovard, Civil Libertarian (1994)

"Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries." - Douglas Casey, Classmate of Bill Clinton at Georgetown University

"Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys."
- P.J. O'Rourke, Civil Libertarian

"Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else."
- Frederic Bastiat, French Economist (1801-1850)

"Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.”
- Ronald Reagan (1986)

"I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts."
- Will Rogers

"If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's free!"
- P.J. O'Rourke

"In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other."
- Voltaire (1764)

"Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you!
- Pericles (430 B.C.)

"No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session.
- Mark Twain (1866)

"The government is like a baby's alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other." - Ronald Reagan

"The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of the blessings. The inherent blessing of socialism is the equal sharing of misery." - Winston Churchill

"The only difference between a tax man and a taxidermist is that the taxidermist leaves the skin."
- Mark Twain

"The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools."
- Herbert Spencer, English Philosopher (1820-1903)

"There is no distinctly Native American criminal class...save Congress." - Mark Twain

"What this country needs are more unemployed politicians.” - Edward Langley, Artist (1928 - 1995)

"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have."-Thomas Jefferson

"Talk is cheap...except when Congress does it."
- Thomas G Underwood

Curves and Control

December 18, 2007

Letting The Curves Take You

Control

Trying to maintain control in this life is a bit like trying to maintain control on a roller coaster. The ride has its own logic and is going to go its own way, regardless of how tightly you grip the bar. There is a thrill and a power in simply surrendering to the ride and fully feeling the ups and downs of it, letting the curves take you rather than fighting them. When you fight the ride, resisting what’s happening at every turn, your whole being becomes tense and anxiety is your close companion. When you go with the ride, accepting what you cannot control, freedom and joy will inevitably arise.

As with so many seemingly simple things in life, it is not always easy to let go, even of the things we know we can’t control. Most of us feel a great discomfort with the givens of this life, one of which is the fact that much of the time we have no control over what happens. Sometimes this awareness comes only when we have a stark encounter with this fact, and all our attempts to be in control are revealed to be unnecessary burdens. We can also cultivate this awareness in ourselves gently, by simply making surrender a daily practice. At the end of our meditation, we might bow, saying, “I surrender to this life.” This simple mantra can be repeated as necessary throughout the day, when we find ourselves metaphorically gripping the safety bar.

We can give in to our fear and anxiety, or we can surrender to this great mystery with courage. When we see people on a roller coaster, we see that there are those with their faces tight with fear and then there are those that smile broadly, with their hands in the air, carried through the ride on a wave of freedom and joy. This powerful image reminds us that often the only control we have is choosing how we are going to respond to the ride.

Shaving Tip?

Here's your totally useless fact of the day:

Amish men shave until they marry; then they grow a beard.

Wonder what marriage and facial hair have in common...

Guys -- Keep Those Razors Sharp!

Here's your totally useless fact of the day:

Beards are the fastest growing hairs on the human body. If the
average man never trimmed his beard, it would grow to nearly
30 feet long in his lifetime.

My Egret Research Continues

The tide of the river is low again, and there's an egret wading in the mud, but in a slightly different location than before. Either he/she has gotten more adventurous, or it's a different bird whose GPS isn't working too well. It's an ongoing quandry...

Every Breath I Take

Today's research finding on Fox News says that overweight people are at a higher risk for having bad breath. I think I already knew this subconsciously 'cause I always carry Tic Tacs in my purse...

Talk to the Animals???

One legend from Europe is that at midnight, as Christmas Eve turns into
Christmas Day, animals can speak for one hour. However, animals may not
choose to speak to people and the legend warns that people might not
always want to hear what the animals have to say!

I wonder if they swear as much as their people...

Something to Believe In

I have this theory that chocolate slows down the aging process.... It may not be true, but do I dare take the chance?

Unknown

Regarding Kindness

Kindness Quotes

Posted: 12 Dec 2007 12:40 PM CST

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.
~ The Dalai Lama

In the practice of tolerance, one’s enemy is the best teacher.
~ The Dalai Lama

It is difficult to make a man miserable while he feels worthy of himself and claims kindred to the great God who made him
~ Abraham Lincoln

“Kind words, kind looks, kind acts and warm handshakes, these are means of grace when men in trouble are fighting their unseen battles.”
~ John Hall

It’s your unlimited power to care and to love that can make the biggest difference in the quality of your life.
~ Anthony Robbins

Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.
~ Mother Teresa

Kind words do not cost much. Yet they accomplish much.
~ Blaise Pascal

Running Away from Home

Had to get out today just for the sake of getting out, so we went to Walgreen's to pick up stocking stuffers for each other. Using a shopping cart as a walker, I did pretty well for someone who just got a new knee one month ago today. By the time I managed to get up the steps back home I was sweating like a marathon runner! It really felt good to get out though, and we bought lots of wonderful silly things for each other. We wrapped stuff in opposite bedrooms with no peeking allowed.

It's obvious that Mom gets out a lot more than me lately -- well, not out of her building, but out and about nonetheless. Tried to call her twice yesterday and got no answer -- she was at various social or church events, and today she was helping her vision-impaired neighbor, Irene, write Christmas cards to family members. Irene sent checks to relatives -- Mom would write out the checks and Irene would sign them. Told Mom that if she were a truly evil person, she could've spent Christmas in the Bahamas!!!

My nurse, Deanna, is coming for the last time tomorrow and will then discharge me from home care. She's been doing my weekly blood tests for me and faxing them to my doctor to adjust Coumadin (blood thinner) levels for me. Deanna has a son in Iraq and we've talked about that a lot -- she's a nice person and a very good and caring nurse and I'll miss her.

A Different Take on Boredom

December 12, 2007

Fanning The Creative Flames

Boredom

The human mind thrives on novelty. What was once a source of pleasure can become tedious after a time. Though our lives are full, boredom lurks around every corner because we innately long for new experiences. Yet boredom by its very nature is passive. In this idle state of mind, we may feel frustrated at our inability to channel our mental energy into productive or engaging tasks. We may even attempt to lose ourselves in purposeless or self-destructive pursuits. While this can be a sign of depression, it can also be an invitation issued from your mind, asking you to challenge yourself. Boredom can become the motivation that drives you to learn, explore the exotic, experiment, and harness the boundless creative energy within.

In Hindu and Buddhist traditions, boredom is perceived as a pathway to self-awareness. Boredom itself is not detrimental to the soul—it is the manner in which we respond to it that determines whether it becomes a positive or a negative influence in our lives. When you respond by actively filling the emptiness you feel lurking in yourself, you cultivate creativity and innovation. If, when in the grip of boredom, you have difficulty acknowledging the merits of any activities you might otherwise enjoy, generate your own inspiration. Before you find yourself beset by boredom, create a list of tasks you can consult when it feels like there is simply nothing to do. Referring to a list of topics you want to learn more about, projects you’ve yet to begin, or even pending chores can spark your creative energy and reawaken your zest for life.

When we are troubled by boredom, it is not that there is nothing to do but rather that we are not stimulated by the options before us. A bored mind can be the canvas upon which innovation is painted and the womb in which novelty is nourished. When you identify boredom as a signal that you need to test your boundaries, it can be the force that presses you to strive for opportunities you thought were beyond your reach and to indulge your desire for adventure.

More than you wanted to know about Tea

Here's your totally useless fact of the day:

Tea was discovered in China more than 5,000 years ago. Tea is the most
popular drink beverage in the world – next to water. The tea that graces
tables in virtually every country around the globe comes from the same
plant: Camellia sinensis, a member of the evergreen family. From the
leaves of this one plant spring three basic types of tea: black, green,
and oolong, and more than 3,000 varieties.

Christmas Factoids

The average American takes six months to pay off holiday credit-card bills.

Pogonophobia: the fear of beards.

There are currently 78 people named S. Claus living in the U.S. -- and one Kriss Kringle.

December is the most popular month for nose jobs.

Weight of Santa's sleigh loaded with one Beanie Baby for every kid on earth: 333,333 tons.

Number of reindeer required to pull a 333,333-ton sleigh: 214,206 -- plus Rudolph.

Average wage of a mall Santa: $11 an hour. With real beard: $20.

To deliver his gifts in one night, Santa would have to make 822.6 visits per second, sleighing at 3,000 times the speed of sound. At that speed, Santa and his reindeer would burst into flame instantaneously.

Low Tide Phenomena

When I'm sitting in front of my computer, I have a clear view of the river flowing in from the Gulf of Mexico past our building. When the tide is low I've noticed a white egret wading in the mud on the other side of the river pecking at unknown things on the ground. For awhile I thought it was the same egret who just had a penchant for that particular spot on the riverbank, but now I'm wondering if perhaps it's a different egret every day. Do they have meetings where they vote for the egret who gets to wade in the mud that day? It's a quandry because they really all do look alike -- is that racist?

Holiday Trivia

Just in time for the Holiday Season, I found this little useless fact:

According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, while both male
and female reindeer grow antlers in the summer each year, male reindeer
drop their antlers at the beginning of winter, usually late November
to mid-December. Female reindeer retain their antlers until after they
give birth in the spring.

Therefore, according to EVERY historical rendition depicting Santa's
reindeer, EVERY single one of them, from Rudolph to Blitzen, had to
be a girl.

Food for Thought

Sending Yourself Sunshine

Good Thoughts For The Day

When things go wrong, it is easy to get into a bad mood, and that bad mood has a way of spiraling out and affecting our life for days to come. In the same way, when we feel badly about ourselves, we tend to act in ways that have repercussions, again creating a negative vibe that can negatively influence the next several days. While it is important that we allow ourselves to feel what we feel, and to be genuine, we do not have to completely surrender to a dark mood or feelings of self-doubt. In fact, the more we simply allow and accept our darkness as one part of the picture, the more easily we can also allow and accept our light. In this vein, we can temper our grey moods with an injection of sunshine in the form of sending good wishes to ourselves for the next 24 hours.

If you feel a bad mood coming on or find yourself plagued with negative feelings, take a moment to acknowledge that. At the same time, recognize that things can and will change, and that you can still have a good day, or a good week, especially if you take the time to visualize that for yourself. This is a great way to support yourself when you are working through tough times and hard feelings. When you visualize good things for yourself, you are sending yourself love and warmth, as well as encouraging yourself to keep going.

Before you even get out of bed in the morning, you can take the time to send good wishes to yourself all the way through to the next morning. As you picture your day, take the time to fill in the details where you are going, who you will see, what you will do and send love and good wishes ahead to yourself, as well as everyone you encounter. It will be like arriving in a new place and finding that an old friend has sent a bouquet of flowers from back home to welcome you and remind you that you are loved.

By the way, I didn't write it, but it says a lot.

Back in the Human Race

Bad Steve has gone back into his pod, and good Steve has come out, thankfully. If you ever want to truly test your relationship, one of you should be nearly totally helpless and need everything done by the other person, and neither one of you should be allowed to go out for a full week. Not only will you have cabin fever, you'll start to detest the sight of one another. We survived it and are back to whatever normal is for us.

It hasn't even been a month since my surgery and I'm already walking with a cane! So I'm not terribly steady with it, but it's coming along. I have to do icky leg exercises three times a day or more, but it really makes a difference in terms of range of motion.

My very limited Chrismas shopping is all being accomplished via the internet this year, and it's been kind of fun. By the time stuff comes in the mail, I don't remember what I ordered!

Drivel

Here's your totally useless fact of the day:

Dating back to the 1600s, thermometers were filled with brandy instead of mercury.