Category Archives: Fresh Start

Monday Gets Writer’s Block

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I think I have writer’s block today….Wikipedia defines it as “a condition, primarily associated with writing as a profession” (hmmmm…questionable though because this really isn’t my profession), “in which an author loses the ability to produce new work”.  It goes on to indicate “the degree this “disease” can escalate to “some ‘blocked’ writers have been unable to work for years and some have even abandoned their careers.”  Can you imagine just not been able to write anything that made half-way sense for YEARS??

It seems I’m in good company though….F. Scott Fitzgerald struggled with the affliction as did the amazing Charles M. Schulz.  Maybe I should just ‘go with this’ and just consider myself among the famous writers.  You know…kind of like a prestigious club member.

The scientific theory is that “under stress, a human brain will shift control from the cerebral cortex to the limbic system.  The limbic system is associated with the instinctual processes, such as fight or flight response.  Because the person is primarily thinking in instinctual (learned) behaviors, creative processes are hindered.”  Guess that makes sense.  Guess scientists don’t consider that a person is really tired….or maybe just lazy sometimes.

I think it’s funny how we have all the perfect words put together to say sometimes.  We rehearse them over and over before we’re ready to present them on our “chosen life stage”…..and then when the moment arrives….all those perfectly rehearsed words are just lost in space somewhere.  We all have this super brain that is capable to doing so much more than what we use it for in our daily lives….but most really don’t.  In fact, some people seem like they leave theirs at home sometimes.  My Dad use to say that some people just use that container where the brain is for a place to hang their hat!  I’m sure you’ve met a few people like that, huh?

Did you know that the statement we only use 10% of our brain is a myth?  If it were true, then surgeons could remove more than half our brain and nothing would be affected….not the case….something is ALWAYS affected…speech, walking, talking.  What is true, however,  is that most of us only reach the potential of 10% of our brain capacity.  That’s right….we all have the potential of becoming great inventors or scientist or even great writers or whatever we might want to pursue.  If we want to do that….we have to push ourselves…and our brain to work harder, longer, with more accuracy every single day.  I always bought into the myth of 10% brainpower, but now I’m thinking that I’ve just been wasting time.  Like now….in the same time that I’m “declaring” that I have writer’s block, I could have written the first few pages of a best-selling novel.  Right?!!

What masterpiece will you create today by using ALL YOUR brain?!!

You could be a famous painter or maybe you could discover a cure for some of the horrible diseases that one of your friends or family are suffering with right now.

A brand new symphony would be nice.  Or maybe a new Broadway play.

Whatever “masterpiece” you have in mind, don’t be afraid to, at least, TRY to start to create it. Everyone has SOMETHING that they have said at some point that they “wish” they could do.

How will you ever know if you can do something, if you don’t at least try to do it?!!

Start now….start today.  It’s Monday….a good day to begin.

Well, guess I better get busy.  I’ve got a masterpiece to produce.

Smiles,

Nancy

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Monday Gets Political—or Not

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There are so many things happening in our country that seem to tax one’s political side to the max.  The Presidential Election!  Wow!  There’s a lot to take into consideration.  It would be great if we had two really outstanding candidates; but unfortunately, it just seems we are voting for the lesser of two evils.  I know that just “raised the hair on the back of your neck” for some; but I just think everyone is trying to rationalize and stretch the positive points.

What happened to the truth in politics….or was that ever a possibility?   Why does everyone have to skirt the issues?  Why can’t they just ‘say it like it is’?!!

MONDAY GETS POLITICAL….or NOT

Don’t you think it would be wonderful to have someone stand up in front of the nation and say….”Hey, I’m not perfect and I don’t have all the answers, but I am going to try my very best to get the job done.  I’ve got a great team behind me and if I don’t know something, you can be assured my staff is going to work to find all the details to inform me about the issue so I can make the very best decision.”  And…then actually do that!!  Instead…they skirt the issues, lie when they feel it might slip by and rarely just say “I don’t know!”

There’s so much diversity in all areas in our country right now.  There are people who will fight to the end to honor and protect our country….and there are those who find it appropriate to picket a funeral of a family who have just lost a son or husband fighting for our nation.  There is complete destruction on the East Coast from Hurricane Sandy and then there are areas that seem almost immune to anything except blue skies and balmy breezes today.  Gas prices dropping by at least a dollar a gallon in California….and little gas available in New York/New Jersey.  But, everyone, no matter what their circumstances, is looking for some balance, some certainty, some kept promises…..some hope.  Wouldn’t it be great if tomorrow’s election provided that?!!

Some people that read this Blog aren’t from the United States.  I wonder what they think about all the debates that have gone on between the candidates.  I wonder if it seems very appropriate and common or rather sounds like a bunch of whining kids who are trying to get their way!!

I guess it could always be worse.  We could have no freedom, no choices, no right to vote.  We could be living in war zones and fearing for our lives every moment of the day.  I just think we sometimes take what we have for granted and some take advantage of the freedoms we are given.

So for this new reign of the elected officials of our country….whomever it might be….

I wish for some forward movement of resolving some of the issues of healthcare and national debt and unemployment and an overall struggling nation.

I wish for the citizens of this country to be able to feel they are being represented and supported by candidates who are sincere in their efforts and follow through on all their promises.

I wish the candidates that are elected are true to their word and can see the struggles of many and fight to make changes, so some of the suffering can end.

And….I wish for this Monday to indeed be the start of something new and exciting.  Wouldn’t it be nice to get back that American spirit and everyone be able to feel proud to be an American.  I think we have lost a little of that.

So remember to vote tomorrow

and choose your candidates wisely.

Let’s hope brighter days and good times are just around the corner.

Onward and Forward!

Smiles,  Nancy

Monday Gets Happy

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Did you ever wake up some mornings and just say “Hello World, It’s going to be a great day!”?  It just seems that everything is brighter, all the colors around you look more intense and vibrant and even your sense of smell is acute, and you are overwhelmed with multiple fragrances at every turn.  Well, It has been one of those days for me.

Monday Gets Happy

I’m really not sure why it has turned into such a good day.  I didn’t get much sleep last night and I have to do laundry today (ugh!) AND there’s a big stack of dishes in my sink! (double ugh!)  I think it’s because I recently had to have a good talk with myself about my attitude.  It was one of those “is my cup half full or half empty” type of discussions.  Life is a bit of a struggle for me right now, but I can choose to make things better…..or I can just choose to continue to complain about all the obstacles that seem to be in my way or decisions that are frustrating to me.  The anxiety that comes with struggles of life is some times paralyzing.  We keep spinning our wheels and feel that there is no way out of the current situation.  The truth is that it’s actually easier to do something about it.  But, often, we don’t see the path of least resistance.  We get in our comfort zone and when things change, we just keep resisting to make that change.

I think the people who are most successful and happy in life don’t have any preconceptions about themselves.  They just move forward not thinking that it might be difficult or not on their “life itinerary”.  They are constantly reinventing themselves and are always open to new adventures or new paths to take on their journey.  My grandmother was like that.  You could say to her “Do you want to go with me?”  She ALWAYS answered  “Yes!”  Each time, you could remind her that you didn’t tell her where we were going, but her response was always the same… “It doesn’t really matter!”  And…she was very sincere about that answer…AND she was always smiling and happy.  Her children would sometimes get messages from her that she was in another state…or even several states away.  All because someone had posed that question to her….”Do you want to go?”  She changed her “path”…and away she would go!

I guess it is a healthy thing to do too.  My grandmother lived to the ‘ripe ole age’ of 96 and lived on her own for most of that time.  I sure hope I have half the ‘spunk’ she did when I reach her matured age.

Life is an adventure and it can be an exciting and rewarding one or it can be filled with lots of struggles…..sometimes self-imposed….sometimes just ones thrown at us that make us take a better look at the whole picture of the journey we might be on.  Today….I am choosing to look at my ‘glass of life’ differently.  I am going to make it a great day…no matter what direction it takes me.  I am saying “Yes” to the question “Do you want to go?”

So, how about you?  Do you need a kick start?

What obstacles seem to be keeping you from moving forward?

Are there really obstacles…or are YOU the obstacle?

Change your attitude, Change your path, Change your day!!

I hope you enjoy your new chosen itinerary.

I hope you find some exciting adventures.

But most of all…I hope your Monday Gets Happy too!

Smiles,

Nancy

Monday Gets on the Scale

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OK….I have a question.  If you have a driver’s license that lists your weight and height, are they accurate?  If not, are they off by 10%, 20%, Yikes! 30% or more???  If so, join the club.  Supposedly, most women lie about their weight and men lie about their height.  Not all states require the weight part, but I wonder why we have such an important document that we feel the need to avoid the truth?!!  Do you think that when other people look at our license that they check the weight or height and then snicker to themselves?  Obviously, it’s not important to DMV because I’ve never had to “weigh in” for them.  Have you?  Oh the horror, right?!!

What I find interesting about the weight part is that we know we need to lose weight, but feel the need to avoid dealing with it even when it comes to being a responsible and honest, license-carrying citizen.  I wonder if we had to weigh in at the DMV when we renewed our license if we would even avoid renewing it….kind of like we do when we need to go to the doctor.  How many of you have tried to make great effort to lose a pound or more the week or two before your doctor’s appointment?  I’m raising my hand because I’ve sure been there.  I even try to find the very lightest weight clothing sometimes….no heavy jeans or boots are on my body when I step on that scale!!  Let’s get honest…..

Monday Gets on the Scale

I went through years of professing my weight (the one of my choosing) to DMV or anyone else that asked, knowing that it was a huge exaggeration.  I knew I needed to lose weight and get healthy, but I continued to live in the fiction world.  Why did I wait so long to do anything about it??  I still can’t answer that question.   I guess we all have to “hit that wall” that makes us “look in the mirror” to make changes in our lives.  I am very thankful that I found info about the Paleo lifestyle this year.  I can say honestly that I am finally at the weight that I have proclaimed for years and less than I have weighed in at least 15 years or more.  What ‘clicked’ I wonder?  What makes us throw those bad habits out the window?

It is really intriguing to me to see someone seem to change, literally, overnight.  They do all the things that are wrong for them and then suddenly, one day, all the “lessons” they have been given miraculously make sense.  I wonder if it is something cosmic-like…..if all the stars are aligned in a certain manner and we “receive” information…that info suddenly will get absorbed??!!   Any scientist out there that can answer that question?  I have a bunch of other issues to work on too, so maybe I could start planning for that cosmic-alignment moment now.

What would you like to change about yourself?

How close are you to your DMV weight?

And, yes, what do you have on your “list” that you have not ever checked off?

I wonder what is going to have to happen in your life to get you to “look in the mirror” and see the reality.

Are you ready to change?

Well, whatever you would like to happen, be sure to stop saying:  “Oh, I could never give that up”, or “I just don’t have time” or even “I’ll work on that next year.”

How about changing your mantra to “I Matter” or “I care about myself” or even “I love myself”.  It is amazing to me to talk to people who are not able to say this to themselves…..AND they don’t know that others care about them either.

So today…..I’m saying it for you.  I’m going to tell you the truth because I care.

YOU MATTER…..YOU ARE A GOOD PERSON…..YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE BY BEING THE BEST PERSON YOU CAN BE!!

Did you hear me???!!

Are you ready to start?  Repeat after me….

I Matter.  I Matter.  I Matter.

Now, take the next step and make changes.  What do you see in the mirror?

Pretend the planets are in alignment and you can

do anything you want to do…..starting today…now!!

You can do it.

Smiles,

Nancy

Monday Gets A Bucket List

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I was recently posting on a fellow blogger’s post Y and Z ~~ or the end of another challenge http://onthehomefrontandbeyond.wordpress.com/   I was congratulating her on her initiative to challenge herself to writing a book.  I made the comment that I have always wanted to do that in my life…..Just one of those casual, off-hand comments that you sometimes make in friendly replies.  Her response:  “why not I ask with all seriousness.”

It kind of sparked something in me that made me realize that unless we continuously challenge ourselves in our lives, we never really grow much.  It IS very important to make that Bucket List, otherwise, we will never push ourselves to new heights and new adventures.  We often fall into a rut that keeps us on the same path and doing things that we not only have become comfortable in our own skins doing, but also in what others have grown accustomed to for us as well.  So today, I’m doing it….

Monday Gets A Bucket List

Should I start big???  I would love to try sky diving….but I did promise my son that I will wait until I am well into my 80s to attempt that…..I’ll put that near the end of my list.  I’ll definitely put the book writing on my list.  I would love to write a screenplay too.  Oh heck!  Why don’t I just plan to write an epic novel that turns into an epic screenplay while I’m at it!!  Think Big Bucket, right?  I think I would like to re-visit the South of France too.  I had a wonderful experience there a few years back and would love to return some day.  I have a really good friend who retired recently and decided she wanted to learn to paint….and she did!  I would love to know that every day of my life was filled with time to do some kind of art…painting, pottery or maybe photography.  The three P’s sound good to me.  And speaking of retiring, I think it would be great to have a little camper/RV type vehicle that would allow me to pack up minimal belongings and take off to travel the good ole USA with my ole dog, Tramp.

Home Sweet Home

Just stopping along the way to visit friends and seeing the beauty of this country. The national and state park services have part time/temporary jobs that you can do at various places.  They provide some housing and meals and give you a decent salary too.  Maybe just work a season and then move on to somewhere else.  I could combine the art with the experience too.  Okay….I’m ready to start packing!

So really, the bucket list is about dreams too.  And, if we believe that dreams come true, then  the next few years are already planned for me.  I’m looking forward to the adventure.

So what’s on your bucket list?  What kind of dream would you like to come true?  I know you’re probably sick of my list suggestions by now, but this is a really important one!

Sit down, close your eyes and dream big!!

Write your bucket list….and then commit to making it happen.

I NEVER thought I would be blogging…..but just a little challenge from others and it happened! And the best part is that I not only did I never envision myself sharing my writing with others, I NEVER thought I would love it so much.  Amazing what happens when we challenge ourselves a bit.

Well, I better get busy….Epics take a bit of work.

Chapter One…..

Smiles, Nancy

Monday Gets Taken Away by Calgon

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“Calgon Take Me Away”  is an old commercial slogan that has been “on the air” and repeated over and over since the early 1980s and it still rings true today for me!  I’m Ready for a little R&R!!  How about you?  I’m not sure just having a bathtub filled with bubbles is going to do it for me.  I’m just a bit tired today and need something special to happen.

I can’t imagine what it might be like for some of you who have several kids or maybe you’re juggling a couple of jobs AND a single parent. Add furry, four-legged pets to the equation and your chore list just doubled.  Having older parents who you care for can also add to a drain on your energy.  Maintaining a house you creates a constant list of things to do.  And just cooking three meals a day and other mundane daily chores can create multiple hours of things we need to day EVERY DAY!  No wonder we’re tired.  We need a break!

We push ourselves beyond a normal limit sometimes.  We don’t take time for ourselves to rest.  We keep saying we’re going to take a break, but fail to “put ourselves on the calendar” and schedule it.  We keep doing for others and neglect our own needs.  We say we’ll do it next week…next month…..and THEN Holy Cow!  It’s already next year!!  Yikes!  What happens to the time?!

Are you ready?  I’m giving you a “get out of jail free” card today.  Admit it….you need a break.  So today……

MONDAY GETS TAKEN AWAY BY CALGON

We have to take care of ourselves, if nothing else, so we can keep taking care of others.  We always seem to put ourselves last in line for nurturing and allowing ourselves to feel that “We Matter”.  It seems easy to do nice things for others, but we can’t seem to stop the process of being last on the list.  If we would start taking care of “Me”, then we could likely do a lot more for others.  Would that motivate you to take the time to be taken away by Calgon today?

Okay.  Here’s the fun part….if you could do anything you wanted to do today, what would it be?  Maybe stay in bed ALL day.  Or perhaps, read a book you started months ago.  What about having a super duper spa day?!!  Wow!  What an amazing thought!  Maybe just find a nice shady spot, bring a picnic lunch and stare into space for several hours would be a relaxing day for you.  I think I would like to go somewhere to look at the water.  I love the smell of the ocean breeze and the sound of the waves hitting the shoreline.  Maybe I’ll stop for a nice icy smoothie afterwards and then take a long afternoon nap.  That sure sounds like a relaxing day.

I don’t want to hold you up any longer…..you’ve got some planning to do.  If you can’t make today a Calgon kind of day, then at least take the time today to make plans for what you will do within the next week.

Make it something fun and just about you.

Remember to whisper to yourself throughout the day….

I Matter!  I Matter!  I Matter!

If we don’t take care of ourselves, then we limit

ourselves every day in what we can accomplish.

Make today a super, super day

Got to run…..the ocean breeze is calling my name.

Smiles,

Nancy

Monday Gets Moving

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One of the things I think I hate most in the world is moving and that’s what I have been doing for the past few days and will be doing all day today.  We’re moving out of our current office location.  I will be so glad to get it behind me.  There seems to be so many emotions attached to moving….sadness, excitement, nostalgia, many ‘why in the world have I been holding onto this?’ and “OMG, I’ve been looking for this for months”, a few !%&!!?# (busted fingers or broken nails) and even dizziness as you walk around in circles sometimes trying to decide what to do next.  So…today we’re moving on and…..

Monday Gets Moving

I think what I’m realizing most from all this is that we just hang onto a lot of STUFF!!  Why do we seem to have so much need for material things?!! Do we really need 5,000 pens of various colors and shapes in our desk drawer?  How many post-it notes can you really create in one week?  Are our ‘Organizers’ really organizing us…..or just adding to the clutter?  No wonder our landfills are becoming such a problem.  Downsize, Downsize, Downsize…that’s what we all need to do…quickly!!

But, I guess the good thing about Moving is that it makes us look at some of our issues and realize it is time to make changes.  We can be better at everything we do and moving is an opportunity to throw out some of our bad habits…..a fresh start.

So today is Monday a good day to Move On.  Awww! Life is full of irony!

JuststartwithMonday is my mantra for the day.

Big and better things are on the horizon and I need to “clean up my act”

so I can be ready for whatever comes my way.

I hope you’ll join me and find a project for yourself to get you to a better place.  Did you just open the closet and something fell on your head?

Perhaps, you opened a drawer but couldn’t close it again because it is overflowing….how many pens do you have in your desk drawer?!!

Your Fairy Godmother is not going to do a “Poof” here for you as she doesn’t like cleaning and organizing either!!

You know you will feel so much better if you tackle the project head on and get it done now!

So Good Luck.  I hope you will be working right along with me today.

I’ll be cheering you on and we can be weary together by sundown tonight….but Oh!!….we will be feeling so good about what we have accomplished!!

Have a Great Monday.

You Matter!

Smiles,

Nancy

Monday Gets Bogged Down

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Okay….last week, Monday Got Lazy and now it seems I am ‘bogged down’ in so many things to do that my head is spinning and my List is a mile long.  I guess I should admit, however, there might have been another day or so along the way this week that I felt I needed to pull out my lazy card!!…..Oh the price we pay sometimes for doing things that seem to come so natural and easy!!

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just post our lists on a community bulletin board somewhere and have help in completing the tasks that we are not very good at being able to complete.  Kind of a barter system….you do the laundry and I’ll fold it and put it away.  I’ll do the dishes….if you’ll do the cooking today.  Guess that’s the way it use to be when multiple generations lived together all in the same house.  Of course, I’m sure Woody Allen would be able to create a pretty authentic picture of what the real scene might be when that happens!  Be careful what you ask for, right?  Let’s address the issue….

Monday Gets Bogged Down

I wonder how some people are able to get so much accomplished in a very short time without procrastinating along the way.  I can’t even make a list without running off the edge of the paper and continuing to add to it before I even get a few items checked off AND actually losing the list several times before it’s completed.  I know I’m not considered to be a lazy person and most people think I’m above average in the organizational skill set.  Perhaps, I need to learn to delegate…….Hmmmm. Just asked Tramp to take out the trash and he looked at me and ran to the kitchen.  I was sure he was headed to get the garbage, but instead he just checked his food bowl to see if there were any scraps or extra dog biscuits!!  Guess I need to rethink this delegating thing….Choose your Delegate wisely, right?

I think this happens not only in just daily grind stuff, but just in life in general.  Even the fun stuff gets either over-completed OR gets pushed to the bottom of the list.  Life needs to be a balance, right?  Unfortunately, I think we often struggle to determine where the line gets drawn.  So, how do we get out of the ‘mess’ we’re in right now.  Let’s figure this out, so that perhaps we can work on this phenomenon together.

Are you in this space too?  Too much to do and too little time to do it.  What happened along the way?  For me, I think it is a cross between procrastination and distractions.  I might start cleaning the kitchen, but then take out the garbage and find myself out picking tomatoes off my plants in my garden.  Next thing I know, I am researching a good recipe to make with the tomatoes which leads somehow unexplainable to restaurants that I might want to dine at soon.  By the time I re-enter the kitchen, hours have passed, the kitchen is only half completed AND now I’m hungry (from ooo-ing over the recipes I’ve discovered) and struggle to find a clean spot to make some lunch.

Is anyone relating here??!!!  Please tell me that I’m not alone or unique in this horrible syndrome!!   Do you think there are any research studies going that I can join to find my cause and cure?  Perhaps, there might be a support group that will help me feel there is hope.

 Help!  Help!  Help!

Well, this is the point in my Blog post that I usual offer some suggestions or support to get beyond the current issue…..I’ve got nothing!!    Here’s what I thought I would do.  After you read this, post in the comment section at the top of the post, a description of a recent situation of your Bogged Down-itis.  Don’t be shy.  Even life’s problems can make us smile sometimes. Let’s see who could qualify for King/Queen of Bogged Down Monday.

Hopefully, what we’ll find is that we’re really not alone in this world and when we feel we are the ONLY human being dealing with something difficult, that we just need to open our eyes and look around us.

When life seems the most difficult, I’m sure there is always someone dealing with a worst situation.

And maybe too…..that we’ll understand that we need to reach out to others in time of need and get the support we need and offer the same to them.  We really don’t have to carry the whole burden alone.  Sometimes, the opportunity to make a difference is right in front of our face.

Have a Great Monday.

Make it a great day.  Reach out to others.

You Matter!

Smiles,

Nancy

Monday Gets Challenged to ‘Pay It Forward’

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I have received many, many really sweet messages here on WordPress from bloggers who appreciated hearing even just a few little sincere words about their thought-provoking or interesting posts.  It makes me realize more and more how important it is to take the time out of each day to express what one often feels but doesn’t always take the time to express to others.  We rush through our day trying to check off things on our own lists; but don’t take the moment to think how important it is to realize we need to look beyond ourselves.  So today…….

Monday Gets Challenged to ‘Pay It Forward’

How many times have you been in an elevator with other people and find yourself looking at the ground?  Or maybe walking out of your house and don’t acknowledge your neighbor coming out at the same time?  Did you ever think that someone that is right there in front of you might need a sincere smile or a ‘how are you doing?’  Perhaps, a neighbor or friend has done something really nice for you and you keep thinking you will also do something nice for them.  But…what happens?  It keeps getting pushed further and further down on the priority list.  Soon, it is so low that you’re now embarrassed that you have not done something to return the favor.  Ever walked past someone on the street who is ‘down and out’ and you try to erase them from not only your view; but also from your mind?  The attitude of not acknowledging that they exist helps us to not feel guilty that we might have a much better life than some others.  We seem to “choose” who we want to share with and are not good at ‘on the spot’ giving.

The ironic truth is that when we do, in fact, take the time to help others, we feel so great about our deed.  It makes us feel, in a small but effective way, we have made a difference in someone else’s life.  We may even ‘swear’ that it’s going to become a habit and we’ll continue on our path of goodness for a long time.  But….something often gets in the way of continuing on this path; and we yet again, find ourselves back in our little cocoon.   We forget quickly how awesome it felt to not just think of ourselves and to give back.

So….this Monday’s request is going to be a very enjoyable moment for you.  I promise you will feel especially good at the end of the day….and so will others!  With all the social media outlets, voice mail, text messages and even here on WordPress, this task should be a fairly simple one for you.  I challenge you to “Pay It Forward”.  Make a list of five people that you know that deserves to hear some kind words from you.  Send them some kind of message or better yet give them a call or tell them in person.  Tell them how much you appreciate them and how they have made a difference during difficult moments in your life.  Your mind is already working, right?  I bet you already have number 1 and 2 ready to add to your list.

After you have accomplished this and if you feel you’ve just gotten warmed up, make another list of five people that you can do something special for them.  It doesn’t have to be a spectacular moment.  Just something simple will work just fine!  Maybe you have some extra fruit that you just bought and you could offer part of it to your neighbor.  Maybe someone at work has a huge project to complete and you could offer to help or pick up lunch for them while they are so bogged down.  How about walking someone’s dog for them that has not been feeling very good?  Maybe even give the ole pooch a nice brushing before you return them.  It’s not about the huge drama of the task, it’s about the simple spirit of giving.

Today is YOUR day to help Monday Get Challenged to ‘Pay It Forward’!!!!

You are going to go to bed tonight with a smile on your face knowing that you have made a difference in this, sometimes, crazy and hectic world.

And…..here’s high hopes that you wake up tomorrow wanting to continue with your recent good feeling and start Tuesday with the same plan.

A fellow blogger told me that it takes 21 days to change a habit…..Can you IMAGINE what this world would be like if everyone took the 21 day challenge to ‘Pay It Forward’ !!!!

Are you ready to be a part of that possibility?!!

I’d love to hear what was on your list….or maybe how you’re feeling at the end of today.

Oh yeah….don’t forget your four-legged friends too.  Pets give lots of love and don’t ask much in return.

I’ve made MY list…….I’ve got to get busy.

You Matter!

Smiles,  Nancy

Monday Gets Put on Trial

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The news has been exploding with some monumental legal cases ending with the verdicts of “Guilty”.  The victims in some of these cases are such innocent human beings and are subjected to such abuse by not only the crime itself, but by the media that drags every little detail into a sometimes very skewed exposure of what they believe to be the facts.

Sometimes innocent people are blamed and even punished for a crime that they didn’t even commit. They are “punished” over and over and made to feel they are the guilty ones.  I wish we could exercise our freedom of speech in a much more respectful and protective way.

I wonder how many people have been blamed for a wrong doing when they were, in fact, the victim?!!  We are sometimes quick to judge a situation without knowing all the facts or truly seeing the whole picture.  We create the “story” and fill in the details with hearsay evidence that makes perfect sense at the time.  What happened to our democratic rights that say we are innocent until proven guilty?

In fact, speaking of “Guilty”, how the heck did poor “Monday” get such a bad rep?!!  Years of persecution just because it is the first day of the week.   And is it really the guilty one or actually the victim?  I’d like to present its case to you today…..

Monday Gets Put on Trial.

Fact #1:  Monday’s story began around the 12th century and means Moon Day.  Greeks and Romans considered the Moon a God to worship.  So, nothing wrong with its beginnings….in fact, a sacred beginning that should deserve some respect on those grounds alone.

Fact #2:  Monday has become known as the first day of the week.  However, most calendars show the beginning of the week on either Saturday or Sunday.  So, in fact, Monday is actually the second or third day of the week.  Did someone forget how to count?  Monday is NOT number one.

Fact #3:  Monday is the first day of the work week.  That is a fact….but only for some people.  I know there are many businesses that are closed on Monday (probably out of respect for Monday), some work weekends and have Monday and Tuesday off and some people work seven days a week and it would be difficult to determine what is their “first” day of work.  So, true that it is the first day for some, it doesn’t apply to everyone; so think Monday shouldn’t bear the whole burden of being the ONLY first day of the work week.  Tuesday and Wednesday are witnesses that should accept some of the responsibility for their contribution and stop remaining silent.

Fact #4:  Blue Monday title comes from the 3rd Monday in January being known as the most depressing day of the year.  It is a time that we have those post-partum realization pains of Christmas excitement being over, the credit card bills start arriving with testaments to our holiday overspending and often the weather is pretty crummy in most parts of the country.  But even the mathematical formula that was created to prove this pseudoscience by Cliff Arnall falls short of proven this theory.  One of those crimes that made poor Monday suffer yet again as an innocent victim.

Fact #5:  Diet or exercise programs are often started on Monday.  We eat like a bunch of piglets and laz around on the weekend prior to our goal setting day and choose Monday to start our new plan…..probably because we are so sick from over-indulging that we have no other choice.  Someone, in this case Monday, has to step in and put the brakes on our out of control behavior.  Hero in my book.

So there you have it.  For centuries, Poor Monday has been an innocent victim of abuse.  Over and over, taking the punishment from many without ever getting some kind of break from its persecution.  Well, I’m here to protect the poor sweet thing.  I am a witness in its behalf who is standing up proud to align myself with what I think we should hail as a hero.

Headline reads:  Monday Gets Put on Trial….but found innocent of all charges!!

Here’s to you, Monday!!

You’re a brave individual and a good friend to me.

I will make you proud by trying to do my best to make Monday known as the best day of the week!  I will make a difference.

Do I have any followers out there?  Anyone want to join my crusade to “free” Monday from years of neglect and wrongdoing?

Let’s make a difference and turn a victim into a hero.

You Matter, Monday!

Smiles,

Nancy