Bucket List

Do you have a Bucket List?

 

Tonight, I was reading an article in the paper written by a Chiropractor (Dr. Paul Bizjak) about having a bucket list.  I have never met Dr. Bizjak, but I always enjoy his weekly articles, as they are always encouraging to live life to the fullest.  This latest article was certainly no different.  He encouraged everyone to write a bucket list and to start fulfilling it now, rather than later when you are no longer physically able.

 

Since I love serendipitous events, I have to share this ironic timing with you.  While I was reading the article, (and immediately knew I wanted to blog about it), I was watching my favorite Wednesday night line up of TV shows.  At the same time that I am reading this article, the TV show Suburgatory came on and it started with an elderly man talking with a younger man in the steam room.  He was talking about his bucket list and all of the stuff that he wanted to do now that he was retired; stuff that he had looked forward to doing his entire life.  Well you know what happened next; he was carted out of the steam room on a stretcher; he had passed away.

 

Both the show and the article was all about living life to the fullest now.  Enjoy what you can now; don't put it off!  (And I got a kick out of the fact that I chose that minute to read that article as the show started.) 

 

This made me think about my bucket list...or more so the fact that I don't have one!  Why don't I have a bucket list?  Do a lot of people have them?  Or very few people?  I could pretty much guess and say that I don't have one because I have a full time job and three kids and who has time for anything else...but I am no longer ok with that excuse.  After thinking about it tonight (and reading about it and watching it on TV), I am going to work on mine!  Everyone is allowed to dream and work toward those dreams!!  And if you don't have a bucket list, then you need to get on it!  Dr. Bizjak encourages people to write down all their bucket lists in a journal by their bed and read it every night, making adjustments as necessary.  I liked how he encouraged everyone to write down all their dreams and wishes, no matter how big or seemingly impossible.  If you write it down, it is more likely to happen.  It also gives you additional motivation to work towards your goals.

 

Dr. Bizjak said it best as he finished his article: "We have no idea what our lives will look like tomorrow, or if we will even be here tomorrow...This is your life.  What are you waiting for?"

 

Damn straight!  This is our life!  Right here, right now.  We don't get a do over (well, unless you believe in reincarnation, and then perhaps you do get a do over.).  I am going to work on my bucket list!  I really have no idea what I will have on it, but the dreaming and imagining sound like a fun exercise.  It fits right into my blog about "What If". 

Let the dreaming begin!

 

Lost in Imagination,
Me

 

Motivational Moment:

1. Some people drift through their entire life. They do it one day at a time, one week at a time, one month at a time. It happens so gradually they are unaware of how their lives are slipping away until it's too late.  ~Mary Kay Ash

2.  You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. ~Wayne Gretzky

3.  Don't be afraid your life will end; be afraid that it will never begin. ~Grace Hansen

4.  Every now and then, bite off more than you can chew. ~Kobi Yamada

     Those above quotes are from the following site, which I found to be beautiful and inspirational: http://likemylife.homestead.com/ 

5.  I intend to live forever. Or at the least die trying. ~Taylor E. Bennet

6.  In the end, it's not going to matter how many breaths you took, but how many moments took your breath away. ~shing xiong

7.  I never want to arrive. I love the ride. ~Coco J. Ginger

8.  All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

9.  If you obey all the rules, you'll miss all the fun. ~ Katherine Hepburn

10.  Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the things you did. ~ Mark Twain  (http://www.positivethinking-toolbox.com/best-life-quotes.html)

And perhaps the most fitting quote for getting out there and living your bucket list:

Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.  ~James Dean

Birthday Party Prowess

This past weekend my inner Domestic Goddess came out.  I made it through my twin 11 year old's birthday sleepover party!  I am happy to say that everyone had a good time and I am even more happy to say that there was no stomach flu going around (which, unfortunately, is something we have experienced in the past at this birthday because of the time of the year it is).  My kids had a great time and that, after all, is what it is all about.    

A week or two before the party, I started googling images of jungle-themed birthday cakes.  And let's just say that I am no 'cake boss', so there was not a chance that I could reproduce the professional images I was seeing.  (I must say there was one I thought was a great idea - had I looked into it earlier than I had - as it was a really cool, edible decoration you could order and have them put your child's name on it.  But since I didn't have time to order that, I decided to get creative and make this a family adventure.)  I asked my three daughters to draw a picture of how they would decorate a jungle cake (I, of course, joined them on this artistic venture).    It was really cute because they were all excited to be a part of this art experience as well as possibly design the cake.  And I actually did get my idea for the cake from their drawings (pic below).



Jungle Cake Ideas







With the drawings complete, I was now fully on my mission to make this cake.  I bought cake mix and white frosting, as well as a package of food coloring (I did say I was no Betty Crocker, so of course I would not be making this cake from scratch!).  Then we looked for jungle animals to put on the cake.  I thought it would be easy to find a package of inexpensive, jungle animals at the store; however, this ended up not being the case.  So I decided to look around our house (amongst the over-abundance of toys that is my life since I have had kids) for some small jungle animals.  In addition to the figurines we found in the house, one of my daughters had the good idea of using animal crackers to add to the scene.  My daughters all helped frost and decorate the cake. (I love these fun, creative, family-bonding moments because I know all to well how fast kids grow up!).  The adventure of doing this cake ourselves was a fun one and we were happy with the outcome.



Jungle Themed Cake




 

Jungle-themed decor









Next on the party planning agenda, was deciding on the activities the group would do.  Ironically, we just went to my niece's 5th birthday party and she had a scavenger hunt (and the end of the search led to the gift bags for the kids).  My soon-to-be 11 year olds loved the scavenger hunt and decided they really wanted to do this at their party.  They got busy writing out the clues and planning the hunt (all of the spots had jungle stuffed-animals hiding with the next clue).  The party guests loved running around doing this and they also loved the 'find' at the end.

I am very happy to say that, after the girls were all rowdy and crazy from their scavenger hunt, my daughters asked the group what they wanted to do next, and they chose a quiet craft.  This is now my favorite party craft for kids.  It is called perler beads (http://www.eksuccessbrands.com/perlerbeads/), and it involves the kids placing tiny plastic pieces onto a shape and then ironing it to create a plastic piece of art.  This requires creativity and extreme patience as the pieces are very small and get knocked off the pegs very easily!  Their creations are below.





The house was very peaceful during this craft and it kept them constructively busy for almost two hours and they did it again the next morning when they first woke up.  It inspires creativity; in fact, I was impressed with the designs they came up with.  And all it required from me was about one minute of ironing for each one.  (Parents - this one is a big winner in my book for a party craft that interested the kids and kept the house calm!)    :)

Now, if only that calm could stay the whole time!  There is apparently quite the rage going on right now about a song called the 'cup song' .  If you, like me, have never heard of this, all you have to do is google it on YouTube and you will have plenty of examples to find out what it is all about (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oqsc6ahHVI&NR=1&feature=endscreen).  Now, once you watch that, you may find it catchy or even cute.  But let me tell you, once you have heard that song (and cup being banged around) for 45 minutes by 5 girls, well...let's just say the 'cuteness' wears off.

The evening eventually came to an end (although later than I had planned) and I had 7 girls camped out on the family room floor.  One girl had to leave at 9am, so my husband and I came downstairs a little after 8am and all the girls were completely sound asleep.  We started making breakfast and very slowly the group woke up.  They were a tired group of girls! 

Sleepover Breakfast of Champions!



Breakfast consisted of delicious cinnamon rolls, with fresh fruit as well as bacon (hey - they needed some protein in there!).

After breakfast, the girls resumed their perler beads craft until their parents came at 10am.

Overall, a successful sleepover party with happy birthday girls!

Creatively Yours,

Me

Motivational Moment:

“Every child is an artist, the problem is staying an artist when you grow up” – Pablo Picasso

“Curiosity about life in all of its aspects, I think, is still the secret of great creative people” – Leo Burnett

“Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try” – Dr. Seuss

“Don’t think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It’s self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can’t try to do things. You simply must do things” – Ray Bradbury

"Anxiety is part of creativity, the need to get something out, the need to be rid of something or to get in touch with something within."  - David Duchovny

"Creativity takes courage."  - Henry Matisse

“Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one.”  - Stella Adler

“There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.”  - Sophia Loren

Life's Turning Points

I came across a blog today (the-serenity-space.com) and I absolutely love it.  The author, Jenn, is very open about her life; honest about who she is; and incredibly motivational.  She is a deep thinker; I connect with a lot of what she writes.  She had one blog where she said: “Enjoy the social experiment that is what we call living as a human here on earth”.  I couldn't agree with her more.  We all have our own, individual time here on earth and even though there are billions of us and we are so different, it comes down to the fact that we are all humans and in that we share an innate similarity.  Reading Jenn's openly honest blog about her life, specifically the fact that she is coming out of a dark period, inspired me to write my recent history, due to the incredible journey that it has been thus far.



Sunset

  
I will start with the fact that I had a pretty decent career for 14 years at one company.  The company experienced tremendous growth during this time period.  While the first 11 years were very good ones for me, both professionally and personally, the last three years were what I can only describe as toxic stress.  Due to being a highly sensitive individual (I love Jenn's comments about this topic!), I absorbed the stress around me rather than letting it bounce off me.  This started to seriously kill me.  Horrid headaches and stomach pain were more the norm than the rarity.  Anxiety became extremely prevalent, in fact, my panic attacks returned after being gone for 15 years.  I was experiencing irregular heart beats constantly, I even left work once via ambulance due to being in tachycardia. One would think that being rushed to the hospital would have given me the final push I needed to get out of what was a very bad situation for me, but it wasn't. 


My point of no return came with the onset of joint pain.  All of a sudden, I woke up one day and my pointer finger and thumb were so swollen I literally could not bend them.  It affected one hand first, lasted about a week or two and then the other hand would swell up.  Then I started having pain in my elbows, knees, and hips.  I was referred to a rheumatologist and told I had rheumatoid arthritis.  And THIS was my breaking point.  As I look back while I am writing this, I really can't believe it wasn't either:

1. the panic attacks returning after being gone for 15 years; or

2. being rushed to the hospital with my heart in a crazy fast rhythm in which I thought I was surely going to die.

But my turning point, the part of my life that gave me the strength to drastically make a dramatic change, was the thought that all of my toxic stress (which one could argue that I put on myself; I would argue that it is the highly sensitive person that I am - caring about those around me; attuned to those around me) had brought on a horrible auto-immune disorder.  That was my final breaking point!  That was the final push I needed to leave a lucrative, stable career and walk away with nothing lined up, against the wishes of the majority of those around me, particularly my family.  They said I would be stupid to walk away without having another job lined up in this economy.  They said outright, No, I couldn't do it.  I thankfully found the strength; it was no longer an option to not do it.  And a good friend (who had left the same company years earlier) was a major cheerleader for me; she came back into my life right when I needed it.  Ironically, I didn't feel like a strong person at the time; I felt like a fearful person, running away.  The fear of dying, thinking it was walk away from this job or have a heart attack, was my motivator.  I was ashamed that I didn't have what it takes to "stick it out", I felt like I was walking away with my tail between my legs.  Instead of leaving with my head held high, I quietly left.  No big farewell parties for a 14 year amazing career with many people whom I had thought were good friends after working side by side in stress for many years. 

Fast forward two years.  I look back on that decision as one of the best of my life.  I wish I had done it two years earlier.  I wish I had looked on it then as I do now: I made a wonderful, positive, healthy change for me and because of that, for my children.  I want to be here for them.  I want to be a positive influence in their life and support them; rather then be the stressed out misery that I had become. 

Now I am working on me.  Now I am working on over-turning years of toxic stress; trying to turn off auto-immune markers that I have turned on from years of being overly stressed out.  I have significant joint pain in my elbows and my knees; my hands and feet have bad arthritic pain.  Walking, on some days, is painful with every step (and that is wearing only these ugly, unattractive, big, flat shoes - without which I wouldn't be able to walk.)  Gone are the days of wearing gorgeous heals, which are so sexy, but so stupid to wear (this is a perfect topic for another blog; how - for years and years - women wear shoes that are completely unnatural and harmful for our feet.  Have you ever seen the comparison, by x-ray, of a bare foot and one crammed into a pointy high heel??  Stupid.  Let's see men walk in these!!).  A Rheumatologist told me I had intermittent rheumatoid arthritis and that it would turn into full RA and I needed to start a toxic med.  My primary care then told me he didn't believe I had RA; he did believe I had an over-active immune and recommended that I go on an additive-free diet.  At the time, I was highly annoyed with that answer.  I said I am the mother of three; I work full time; I don't have a personal chef.  How on earth could I stopped eating processed foods?!  Impossible.

Serendipity.  Meeting someone who went to a holistic doc at my new job.  Going to said doc and having everything checked out.  I am very early in this process, but I am going gluten free and am working on eliminating processed foods from my diet and slowly getting my family to eat healthier as well.  It is challenging and there is a huge learning curve I need to overcome, as well as overcoming the fears of taking vitamins and supplements.

I am overwhelmed by all the information but I am hopeful.  I am hopeful that if I stop eating foods that are bad for me, that are causing inflammatory reactions in my body, my body will settle down and feel better.  People may roll their eyes at this.  They may call me stupid and say that I should just take the drugs.  We will see where this leads, but this is my path right now and I am hopeful.

Always Learning,
Me


Motivational Moment:

Hawaiian Volcano Flower


I am not sure how this gorgeous flowering plant grows out of this rock, but I love it.  It makes me think of beauty coming out of hardship; or of beauty found in the most unexpected places. 


1. The positive side of being highly sensitive:

The down sides of being highly sensitive are well known (such as taking things personally, being stressed out, being overly sensitive to pain); the upside, however, is beautiful!  It is being deeply touched by beauty in any form (including photography and artwork), music, movies, books, people, and their stories.  I love that music can affect me so strongly, whether it be a sad, contemplative mood; an excited, happy mood; motivate me to work or dance; be in love, moved, touched; music enhances the feeling - whatever it is.  I love being swept away by a movie or a book, completely forgetting about my life and becoming part of what I am watching or reading.  I love being so affected by others' life story that I get goosebumps or cry; I offer comfort and support because I care so deeply.  I like being highly sensitive to all of the beauty that life has to offer.

2.  The power of being inspired by others:

   - A big thank you being sent out to my friend, Pam, who was such a powerful cheerleader for me at a time when I needed it the most.

   - Being inspired by complete strangers who live across the world from the simplistic power of words.

   - Being inspired by true life stories of people who have overcome great odds to succeed and make something of themselves.

   - Being inspired by those who dedicate their lives to helping others.

May you find inspiration in simple things; may you change your life for the positive if it is needed; may we all continue to learn and improve ourselves every day that we live.

"Feels like the first time"...Really??!!

I had the pleasure of going to see the play called "Spank! The Fifty Shades Parody" last night.  It is advertised as a 'naughty and hilarious' show.  Our group consisted of 5 guys and 4 girls.  Little did we know when we bought the tickets that it was advertised as a 'great girls night out'.  When the men in our group found this out (which happened to be at dinner before the play) they were none too happy.  In fact, they felt they were being led to a male revue which would consist of an entire audience of screaming women; however, I assured them the book did not contain any male revue scenes...

The play, apparently, had a different idea, as indeed, there were a couple of male revue-type scenes.  And as I was sitting there cringing (as well as laughing), I was wondering if the men in our group were going to kill me.  I am happy to say that they took the scenes in stride.  My one male friend leaned over and said, "the girl better be doing that next!".  Let's just say he was not disappointed.  I am also happy to report that there were plenty of men in our audience (another fact that saved my hide!).  Overall, our group was pleased with the performance and I, personally, had many moments of exuberant laughter.  The experience in our group was such that, if you had read the book, you were able to understand and thus enjoy the play more so than those that had not read the book.

There were many topics brought up in this play that I thought were apt for real life and yet presented in such a hilarious manner, I couldn't help but laugh out loud.  One such topic was the impatience that we book lovers have to deal with when it comes to living real life.  When I am in the middle of a particularly engaging novel, the last thing I want to do is put that book down!  I want to devour it as fast as I can.  Beware to the fool who tries to stop me from my delicious task (aka husband and kids) as they are maliciously attacked for sucking me back into reality!  ;)  At one point in the play, the narrator was all sing-songy and happy when writing her book, but when she had to take a call from her husband, she was short and crabby.  I died laughing!  Such an excellent depiction of what all of us book lovers go through!  How dare us have to deal with the mundane (and sometimes irritating) aspects of life.  Hmmmph!

Another life topic that was hilariously depicted was the 'first time'.  This would be another good survey to put out there - asking for a description of each person's first experience with sex.  I can't imagine any woman saying her first time was wonderful.  In fact, that is one part of romance novels that makes me roll my eyes.  They always describe the female character's first time as painful at first and then it becomes wonderful and amazing, even magical.  Oh please!  Maybe for men!  But I would imagine, that even for men, the first time is not all that spectacular due to them being nervous.  Of course, there is a big difference between the pain females experience versus the slight (if at all) nerves that men feel; however my point is that no one's first time is amazing! 

And yet, there are so many references, such as in books, movies, and songs, falsely promoting how fabulous the first time is.  Some songs that come to mind: "Feels like the first time..." (Foreigner), "Tonight's the night..." (Rod Stewart), "Like a virgin, touched for the very first time" (Madonna).  Ouch! Who are these people kidding?!  It wasn't a fun time, to be re-lived over and over.  What a misleading bunch of crap!  Are these writers trying to create a fairy tale or fantasy around their experience to make themselves feel better?  Are they trying to encourage it?  I find it interesting that it is written with such reverence; that it is hailed as such a wonderful experience.  And yet, as I sit here writing this, it comes to me.  The reason it inspires such prose is because it can only happen once in your life.  You really don't get much more of a momentous occasion than that.  All of us are virgins until, well, we aren't.  There are no take backs or do-overs.  So perhaps that is why so many write about it.  They realize how special this once in a lifetime event is, and they want you to realize it to, before it's gone.  Good for them I say.


Realistically (yet also Romantically) Yours,

Me



Motivational Moment:

I thought it would be appropriate to list some quotes about pleasure for this blog's motivational moment.  Enjoy!

1.  “If the world were merely seductive, that would be easy. If it were merely challenging, that would be no problem. But I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.”  E.B. White

2.  “Face your life, its pain, its pleasure, leave no path untaken.”  Neil Gaiman, The Graveyard Book

3.  "I adore simple pleasures. They are the last refuge of the complex.”  Oscar Wilde

4.  “My God, a moment of bliss. Why, isn't that enough for a whole lifetime?”  Fyodor Dostoevsky, White Nights

5.  “I finally figured out the only reason to be alive is to enjoy it.”  Rita Mae Brown

6.  "If I didn't care for fun and such, I'd probably amount to much. But I shall stay the way I am, Because I do not give a damn.”  Dorothy Parker, Enough Rope

Long live romance novels!  May you enjoy a fabulous escape from reality with whatever type of novel that suits your passion!

For The Love of Massage!

Well I figure since my last blog was a complaint (aka rant) about new appliances, this one should have a positive spin to it.  Yin and Yang.  Now my world is balanced.  (Ha!  If only it were that simple.) 

I had the pleasure of having a massage today.  I LOVE massages!  I adore them!  I wish I could have one every day.  As I was laying there in complete bliss, I was inspired to write.  How fabulous to be able to indulge in a luxury such as a massage.  It had been awhile since I had the opportunity to enjoy a massage because I had the dubious luck of coming down with the flu that is currently sweeping across the nation.  Add having the flu to it being holiday time and boy was I overdue for some serious relaxation!

It never fails to amaze me at how wonderfully I can escape with a massage.  I can be hurried, stressed, upset, sad, exhausted, frustrated, etc. and when I walk into that room and hear the soothing, relaxing music and smell the calming aromatherapy, it is like walking into another world; it is an escape from reality.  It has now become a Pavlovian response; after years of getting massages and experiencing complete relaxation, as soon as I am in the environment, the stress immediately starts disintegrating.  And then the massage starts.  The body relaxes, the mind calms, the breathing slows.  You are taken away from all your worries and stresses.  Your body melts.  There is only you, the music, and the wonderful masseuse who is giving you one of the best gifts one person can give another: relaxation.  (Thank you Debbie, Anthony, and Mike!)

Now I know not all people enjoy massages; some people are not comfortable having someone else rub their body, for whatever reason.  My wish for you is that you have something in your life that provides you with blissful relaxation.

This Serenity Goddess's ultimate luxuries: A fabulous, relaxing massage, delicious chocolate, and an enticing romance novel.  Mmmmmm!  We must all enjoy times of bliss during our life's journey!


Indulgently Yours,

Me


Motivational Moment:

1. When I was signing on to write this blog, I came across another blog that I thought was inspiring.  It is: menopausegoddessblog.  What I loved about this blog is that it refers to the authors as goddesses and then calls each one a Venus (such as Lynette-Venus).  Gotta love it!  Now mind you, the topic is a little scary for those of us who are not there yet but are well on our way!!  But nonetheless, their humor and attitude are refreshing for something that is not all that fun to experience but must be experienced nonetheless.  Good for them for making the best of it and helping others do the same.  You go Menopause Goddesses!

2. Quote: “If we never experience the chill of a dark winter, it is very unlikely that we will ever cherish the warmth of a bright summer’s day. Nothing stimulates our appetite for the simple joys of life more than the starvation caused by sadness or desperation. In order to complete our amazing life journey successfully, it is vital that we turn each and every dark tear into a pearl of wisdom, and find the blessing in every curse.”   Anthon St. Maarten, Divine Living: The Essential Guide to Your True Destiny

I was thinking about this the other day.  This whole thought that if you didn't experience rough times, you wouldn't enjoy the calm ones as much; or if I didn't experience stress, I wouldn't get anywhere near the blissful relaxation that I get from massages.  Now that I think about it, that is probably the reason my husband can take or leave massages.  He tends not to have the level of stress that I put on myself (yes...I do realize this.  It's one of my acclaimed character flaws).

 

May you find more joys for yourself and experience them more often than not!

Technological Advancements or Disappointments?

We recently bought a new washer, dryer, and dishwasher. Being able to buy new things are typically happy occasions (once you get past the research, the decision making process, price negotiating, etc.).  The purchase and installations went well enough (that is a whole other blog topic...).  We couldn't wait to have them delivered and start using them.  Well let me tell you - fast forward 6 months down the road, and well, we are not so excited any more.  The thrill of the new, shiny appliances has faded and in its place, disappointment reigns.  If only we knew then what we know now.

Let me start with the dishwasher.  During the first couple weeks of our dishwasher usage, some type of plastic black stuff fell out of the bottom of the door.  Not sure what that was, but it's not leaking water when it runs - so that's good.  My husband was going to call the company, but such is life that you don't get around to the things that aren't screaming at you.  Then, for some reason, our cat saw something moving at the bottom of the door when it was running and decided to pull all the lining out of the door.  Ahhhh...the joys of pet ownership!  Another new development with our new dishwasher is that it no longer can clean chocolate off of the dishes.  If the slightest bit of hot chocolate or chocolate ice cream is on a dish when it goes into the dishwasher, worry not, because it will still be there for you to enjoy when it comes out of the dishwasher.  Another joyful fact I noticed was that the dishes were coming out cloudy.  After calls to the manufacturer as well as researching on-line (not to mention completely replacing a new dishwasher x 2), apparently there was a mandatory removal of phosphates from dishwashing soap that is the cause of this residue (cheap tip: put a little of unsweetened koolaid lemonade packets in your dishwasher to eliminate this residue).  Couldn't they simply have told us this was going to happen, and to not worry that it is your appliance, when in actuality it is your soap!!!

Now let me move on to the clothes washing machine. All I have to say is whomever created these 'water-conserving' machines, must not have EVER washed a full load of clothes in them!!  I mean it.  The research and development was quite sub-par.  I am not sure how they became so main stream with how poorly they clean clothes.  I seriously HATE it!  I have listed the main reasons below:

1. One Big Knot.  With the old agitator washing machines, my clothes would be easy to remove from the washer and put into the dryer.  This is NOT the case with the NEW and IMPROVED washer!  Now when I go to pull out the clothes, I can grab one item and the ENTIRE load comes out with it.  I am not exaggerating.  I can pull out the entire load by grabbing ONE item because they are all entwined together in one giant knot.  Seriously - that is ridiculous!

2.  Bring Out the Iron.  Because of the fabulous knot-tying capabilities of this new washer, I now have to iron almost every shirt that comes out of it.  With my old (wonderful) washer, I had perfected the technique of pulling clothes out of the dryer when they are damp and immediately hanging them up, which prevented wrinkles.  I never had to iron and everything was wrinkle-free (well almost everything).  Due to the fact that this new washer wrinkles everything to the point of no return, there is no chance for the shirts to come out wrinkle free.  I now have a stack of clean clothes that need ironing before I can wear them.  Yay me!! 

3. Forget Delicate Clothing.  Due to the fact that this wonderful, water-conserving machine ties everything in knots, don't even get me started on what it does to underwire bras...

4.  Not Clean.  I pulled out a black cami from my washer today, and there was still white deodorant on the underarm of it.  That NEVER happened with my old agitator washer.  It actually CLEANED clothes.

5.  Mold.  Today I went to rinse out the fabric softener holder and found that the sides of it were all moldy!  This washer is only 6 months old!  UGH!!

These new washers need to come with the following advertisement (aka warning): This new washer will not only conserve water, thus saving the environment, it will give you the added pleasure of spending hours ironing (since you have nothing but time on your hands and were desperately looking for a way to fill your days) as well as give you the joy of walking around in clothes that do not appear to be clean (as evident by all your stains, deodorant, etc.).  Enjoy your new - very expensive - purchase!!

Speaking of washing clothes, I need to digress for a moment.  Have any women out there noticed that men's clothes come out of the dryer wrinkle-free (well - when you used an older washing machine that is)?  My husband and I both have "wrinkle-free" shirts and pants.  And his come out of the dryer - completely wrinkle free!!  All of my "wrinkle-free" clothes come out of the dryer a wrinkled mess.  That is total, unfair crap!!!  Alas, it is still a man's world.  Lucky men!

The moral of this story is - you don't realize how good you have it until it's gone.  *SIGH*  I miss my clean dishes and my clean, wrinkle-free clothes!!

Disgruntle-ly Yours,
Me

Motivational Moment:

1.  All great changes are preceded by chaos.” -Deepak Chopra
     - particularly the chaos of dirty, wrinkly clothes and dirty dishes!

2.  I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying. ~Michael Jordan
     - and I can't accept failing appliances...keep trying inventors!!!

3.  Change is inevitable. Progress is optional.” ~ Tony Robbins
      - I love this quote for this subject.  Because while I agree that water and energy conservation are so important for the sustainability of our planet, I disagree that these new appliances are an improvement, when they do not meet their main function - which is cleaning.  I am urging for more progress that leads to energy-efficient appliances that actually clean very well while still using little water.  I have confidence that we will get there!

4.  We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.” ~ Randy Pausch
     - And apparently this means that my new hand is to get really good at - as well as enjoy - ironing!

Go forth and produce good, positive change!

Damaged Souls

Damaged Souls.  Two words.  It always amazes me how simple words can inspire deep thoughts.  I heard these two words in a description for a movie and immediately knew I had to blog about them.

Isn't it true?  Aren't we all damaged souls in one way or another.  We either feel our childhood wronged us, or our adulthood has disappointed us or damaged us.  Along the way there are so many things (illnesses, deaths, injuries, heartbreaks, losses, etc. ) that can make us feel like damaged souls. These life experiences taint us, jade us, so to speak.

I have had the dis-pleasure of having the flu the past two weeks...and I still feel like crap!  I will be the first to admit that I do not handle being sick well.  If you knew me, you would think this was an understatement.  That old adage about men being babies when they are sick...well HA!  I don't think any man is a bigger baby than me.  I HATE being sick.  The quintessential worrier in me is always worried what the next step is...a higher fever, worse congestion, strep throat, etc  My flu started with the typical body aches and tiredness. I was able to function ok for a couple of days, and then the higher fever hit and I was bed bound for 3 days (right before Christmas of course) and then was just plain exhausted, and finally this nasty chest cough that is still plaguing me after 2 weeks.  (For the record, I was actually tested for the flu and it came back that I had both flu's.  Type A AND type B.  The doctor said she never sees someone have both at the same time; typically people just catch one.  Lucky me.)  Anyways, when I am feeling sick, I am always worried about getting worse.  I am sure I am heading towards pneumonia.  And then the worry feeds on itself.  What if I get something else while I am sick with this?  What if it had not been holiday time and I was missing all these work days (days that I don't even have available).  It terrifies me how much can go wrong.

And then the whole pity party starts.  My holidays were ruined.  I missed out on a lot of parties (work parties, my daughter's school party, a friend's holiday party) waaaaa...waaaa...waaaa.   So this is my version of a damaged soul.  The consummate worrier. I hate being sick, worried that it will lead to something horrible - requiring hospitalization and horrific meds.  I wish I could be one of those people who seem to have no fear; but that is not the right way to think either.  Isn't everyone always saying you need to embrace who you are; love yourself for the unique person you are?

And then when I think of the holidays being over and going back to full work-weeks for another year, I find it incredibly depressing.  And therein lies the second part of my damaged soul...not feeling passionate about my work.  I want to LOVE what I do everyday; I don't want it to be drudgery.  I want to look forward to every day and be excited about what I do.  Doesn't everyone feel this way?  Do other people love what they do; or do they not care that they don't; they do what they have to do to support themselves?

This is yet another one of those times I would love to interview all kinds of people.  What is the percentage of people who actually LOVE what they do and love going to work?  Is it 5%, 10%, 15%?  From the amount of people I know, I think the percentage is low for those who truly love what they do.  The majority of us feel work is drudgery.   We have to drag ourselves to work and drag through our days.  And what a complete waste of our life.  How depressing.  This is no way to live.

We are damaged, deluded, disappointed, distraught, devastated; overwhelmed; worried; unhappy.  Is it our faults?  Is it merely an attitude?  A way to look at your life and appreciate what you have?  Think of all of those who have it so much worse?  I don't know.  I wish it was a simple answer and a simple fix.  No one likes complainers; no one likes miserable people.  But is it realistic to think everyone is happy and carefree in this life?  I don't think so; there are just too many things that can bring you down.  Thinking about those that have it so much worse would only cause me worry that I will get to that same situation, whatever it might be.

Ahhh life.  What a journey.  And it is uniquely our own.

Damaged-ly Yours,

Me


Motivational Moment:

For this entry's motivational moment, I wanted to think of some happy things; brainstorm some life affirming moments after talking about life's damaging moments.

Pleasant surprises.  Elation.  Laughter.  Good Family.  Good Friends.  Good Times.  Good Food.

Enjoying the journey/the ride as much as the destination.

Seizing the moment.

Butterflies, kittens, puppies, new life, baby's full-bodied laughter, spring time, flowers.

The perfect gift, the perfect moment, the best vacation.

Enjoyment, fulfillment, contentment.  Staying forever young at heart.

And finally - the perfect piece of chocolate!!  Yum!  :)