Arctic Cold and the Winter Blues

Okay – I have to say it.  I’m sick of this brutally cold weather.  Enough already.  And it’s not even February!!  Ugh!  It has only been one week since my post about the Art of Survival and…well…let’s just say I haven’t conquered that Art yet.  I’m crabby.  I’m cold.  I’m not motivated.  There is something not quite right with the world when Ohio is colder than Alaska!  Right now it is 2˚ with a wind chill of -22˚in Ohio; Alaska’s temperature for today was a high of 45˚ and a low of 34˚.  Seriously?!  That is CRAZY!

Besides the brutal cold weather and the gray days, this is also the worst time of the year for the respiratory flu and the stomach 'flu' (as I lamented about in last weekend's blog).  Here is a short story from this past Saturday night:

I was sleeping in my bed with my 8 year old daughter (it was the weekend and she likes the occasional treat of sleeping with mom…and mom feels bad for her because she feels left out from her twin sisters).  At 11:30pm, I hear her cough and swallow a bunch of times.  Then I hear “THE” cough…the cough that is the start of the vomit flowing.  I start yelling for her to get up and run to the bathroom.  She gets up and proceeds to puke all over the carpet. I yell for her to run to the toilet.  She runs in the bathroom and slips and falls on her puke.  I run after her, help her up, inadvertently stepping in her puke with my bare feet.  I have her go to the toilet.  I don’t want to walk with the puke all over my feet…until I realize she is standing up straight at the toilet, puking everywhere but in the toilet…on the walls, on the carpet, etc.  I go to her, hold her puke-soaked hair back, lean her over and tell her to puke IN the toilet. 

When I look at the damage surrounding us, I feel like Eddie Murphy in the movie Daddy Day Care with the bathroom scene.  (On an aside – I bow down to all single parents or parents in which the other does not help with these matters, because I could not imagine having to clean up that mess by myself.  My husband scrubbed the bedroom carpet while I cleaned the bathroom floor and the kid!  This is definitely one of the realities of parenthood that you NEVER think about when you decide you want to have a baby.)

This morning, I thought we were safe from the stomach flu spreading through our family…until my neighbor texted me saying that the remaining 3 members of her family came down with it yesterday (two days after her first daughter had it).  So, of course, the panicky freak that I am, immediately comes to the conclusion that this is obviously one horridly contagious flu, not to mention horribly painful, and that it is going to go through the rest of my family.  Woohoo.

As the famous saying goes, one way or another, “this too shall pass”!!  

Ready for Spring,

Me

P.S. As I was getting ready to post this blog at midnight, my husband made the comment that we are done with this flu and we are not going to get it.  Literally 10 seconds later, daughter # 2 walks down the stairs and starts puking (in the toilet, thank you very much).  And then there were 3!  Let the games begin.

Motivational Moment:

I believe in spoiling yourself with little luxuries whenever you are able.  And it is known that I adore chocolate.  I recently checked out Seattle Chocolates website and fell in love with the Manifesto of the company (listed below).  Owner and CEO Jean Thompson has my utmost respect due to her love of chocolate as well as her understanding that it is “one of life’s fabulous little pleasures”.  J

Here is Seattle Chocolates Manifesto (as found here (link) on their website):

• We believe in surrounding yourself with things you love.
• We believe in licking the spoon.
• We believe in colorful moments and daydreams.
• We believe that looks DO matter.  (SG: Don’t even get me started on going gray naturally…)
• We believe a little bit of indulgence every day is the way to go.
• We believe that truffles help people live in the moment.
• We believe laughter is life’s best accessory – makes you sexy and goes with every single thing in your closet.
• We believe giving something beautiful makes you feel all that!

Jean and Seattle Chocolates – thank you for your outlook on life as well as your love of chocolate!

Wishing all of you plenty of luxuries and pleasures that help you get through this cold (and flu-ridden) winter!  SG

The Art of Survival

The Art of Survival.  This phrase is said near the end of the movie American Hustle and I find it to be an apt representation of life.  Isn’t this what the majority of us do, day in and day out – survive?  And the “Art” of that survival is what makes us interesting and unique; it defines our time here on earth.

At this time of year, I particularly feel like our goal is to survive the flu season.  Everywhere on the news (as well as from those around you), you hear about the flu spreading at alarming levels.  Being the anxiety freak that I am, it reminds me of the mantra: “Lions, and Tigers, and Bears, Oh My!”, except my mantra is: “Stomach Flu, Respiratory Flu, and Strep Throat, ACK!”.  But here’s the thing, the flu season happens every year.  Every. Single. Year.  It takes away a lot of the fear and panic, knowing that we survive this every year and it does not mean the end of civilization as we know it (despite all the scare in the media).

Seasonal illnesses aside, we all have very serious challenges to face at some point in our journey; no one gets through this life free of trials and tragedies.  It boggles my mind when I think of how many hardships people have to survive throughout their lives, such as: deaths, divorce, job loss, money hardships, serious illnesses, as well as addictions.  And the older you get, the more of a survivor you are, the more loss you have endured or witnessed.  It is a shame that the elderly are not held in higher regard in this country; they should be honored and have amazing privileges (the least of which should be excellent health care coverage) for being the survivors that they are! 

There are many diverse survival tactics that get people through their individual life’s journey.  Everyone knows people who have healthy ways of surviving as well as those who have unhealthy ways.  Those struggling with addictions to drugs and alcohol have a very difficult survival; whereas those with healthier tactics, such as a passion for something they love (exercising, reading, cooking, etc.), have an easier survival.  But no matter what your tools are, life can sometimes feel like you are merely surviving the daily drudgeries.  This is where I struggle.  Life isn’t all about good times and having fun.  There are many times when life seems to be endless days of work, housework, raising kids, dealing with illnesses, and being tired.  Apparently those with a strong life’s purpose struggle a lot less.  I wish I could simply buy a ‘life’s purpose’ somewhere; that it was just that easy to find one.  From what I have read, it seems like people who have a strong religious or spiritual belief, have strong life purposes and feel very satisfied with their life’s journey.

One Art of Survival that we all share is Love.  It amazes me just how strong of a motivator this is in human beings.  And it is evident how powerful it is for all of us, by how much it is used as a theme, in everything, from songs, to advertisements, to television shows, movies, and books.  It is all around us, ever present in our everyday life.  Think about how many items are purchased for loved ones; love drives the economy.   And everyone needs love to flourish; we need that connection, that human interaction to thrive.  When people first meet a new love interest, they are literally on a high as if they are on a drug.  They are giddy with happiness and energetic and they see the world through rose-colored glasses.  And isn’t that amazing?  Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone could maintain that happy high?  What a friendlier world it would be!  And outside of romantic love, there is the powerful love between family, such as between a parent and child, as well as between close friends.  It makes us more compassionate and kind towards others.  Love truly makes the world a better place for our survival of our time here.

May your survival tools contain love and laughter; may you have a strong passion; may you have a strong life’s purpose.

Surviving the Drudgeries,

Searching for a Purpose,

Me

Motivational Moment:

Today’s Moment is dedicated to my husband, Doug, who is an awesome dad to our three daughters. 

I came across this blog from a very cool, down-to-earth dad, Doyin Richards, via The Huffington Post.  Doyin posted a picture of him doing his daughter’s hair, which went viral.  Check out his inspiring response to all of the positive and negative feedback he received: Doyin Richards Blog

Happy New Year!!

I figured it would be bad MoJo if I ended 2013 with a blog on ‘Loss’; hence, here is an appropriate blog for ending the year right.

I typically wax philosophic at the end of the year, reminiscing about the year that was (the good and the bad/the joys and the sorrows) and thinking about all the possibilities of the year to come.  But I figured there are so many blogs and articles that already do that at this time of year, so I decided to keep this one short and sweet!

Here is my sage advice for the New Year:

Say Good Bye to things that are bad for you (habits, food, people, etc.) and say Hello to things that are good for you (habits, food, people, etc.).  J

I, personally, am going to try to enjoy my existence more with more laughter, more chocolate, and more sex!  Life is short people; seize the day!

No matter what the New Year brings, I wish you all peace with your individual life’s journey and many moments of pure joy.

Cheers to 2014!

Me

Motivational Moment:

I thought I would end the year with a link to some of the world’s most beautiful places from one of my favorite websites - The Huffington Post.  Dream Big!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/10/worlds-most-beautiful-places_n_4072545.html

Loss

Death is a natural part of life.  As a child, it seems like a far off entity that does not much affect our daily lives.  The older we get, the more death hits closer to home with the people we love.

I debated on whether or not to post a blog, with this content, during the holidays.  But death does not care what time of year it is.  And for some reason, I felt compelled to post the video in today’s Motivational Moment now, since some people have a hard time during the holidays.  On a lighter note, my friend told me today was Festivus, which includes an "Airing of Grievances" and "Feats of Strength"; I knew it was serendipitous that I post today (even though Festivus is a Seinfeld creation), since this post fits both the "Airing of Grievances" as well as "Feats of Strengths").  

Ten days ago, I received a call from my friend, but I was not able to answer the phone at the time.  When I listened to the message a little while later, I was brought to my knees with what I heard.  It turns out the call was not from my friend; it was from her mom.  She was calling all of the contacts on my friend’s phone to let them know that she had passed away two days earlier.  I did not see this coming.  I knew she had horrible joint pain and leg pain, but I never realized she was close to death.  I was not aware that her diabetes had become out of control and would end up being her final battle on earth.

This woman was full of strength, despite her physical pain and was one of the funniest women I have ever known (which is impressive considering the pain she was in).  I am fortunate that I happened to tell her this past Thanksgiving (which ended up being less than two weeks before her death), how appreciative I was that our paths crossed at our last place of employment.  It was truly a pleasure knowing her.

The celebration of her life was beautiful and the strength of her mom was nothing short of amazing.  She has now buried three out of her four children and yet she is at peace with this world and said to me that “God is good”.  I was humbled, as well as honored, by being invited to attend this celebration of my friend’s life.

DeeLish – Thank you for all the laughs and good food!  I know that you love soaring with the angels now that you are free from your worldly pain.

Missing You and Cherishing the Memories,

Me

Motivational Moment:

My sister forwarded THIS link to me a couple of weeks ago and I really found it encouraging.  The speaker in this video, Jane McGonigal, is mesmerizing to listen to and her personal story is truly inspirational.  We all need to take heed with the regrets from those on their death bed and make sure we are living a life true to ourselves.

At the dawn of a new year, I wish you all a life with no regrets, which is true to yourself and true to your dreams.  Peace, my friends.

Be Nice!

We are ‘supposed’ to celebrate the differences in people.  Viva La Différence.  Variety is the Spice of Life.  And I get it; the differences between people are what keeps the world going and makes life exciting.  If we were all clones, life would be incredibly dull.  But what I will never understand is unfriendly people and I downright dislike nasty, mean people.  The ‘experts’ say that you are supposed to be your own oasis and not let others get to you; however, as a friendly, outgoing person, I do feel slighted or hurt by others’ unfriendly actions. 

Let me paint a picture for you and you tell me if it is normal, human behavior. You are walking down a hallway at work (mind you, this is at a relatively small business office with ~ 50 people) and you come face to face with someone, to which you automatically greet the person with a “Good Morning”.  The other person merely looks down and keeps on walking, with no acknowledgement whatsoever. 

Now I could understand having the point of view of not wanting to be friendly to strangers, if you are out in public.  And I know that people will fight for the introverts here, saying only the extroverts are outwardly friendly.  But in a small office work setting…where you are every weekday…with a relatively small group of people…seriously?  I will truly never get it.  In fact, I can honestly say that I have had friendlier encounters when passing a stranger out in public. 

I often wonder how these people get along in life.  Maybe they are able operate by just depending on themselves, being centered within themselves, not needing or caring about others.  But I have problems with this theory.  For one reason, the majority of these people have families: parents, significant others, some even have children; in other words, they do have interactions with loved ones.  And even if they did not have any family, they would still have to interact with people for all facets of their life (grocery stores, doctors, etc.).  So all I can conclude is that they are just unfriendly people, for whatever reason.  The other reason I have a problem with this whole ‘you are your own island, your only concern is yourself,’ theory, is that the resulting world would be a very cold place to live.  Caring about others, and feeling connected to others, is what helps you get through this life.  It makes the hard times more bearable and the good times more enjoyable.

 Well, I for one, choose to be nice.  And have no doubt, it is a choice. 

Addendum: I had just finished writing this entry when I found out that a good friend of mine has ovarian cancer and has to have a complete hysterectomy in two days.  (Even more worrisome regarding this news is that she had breast cancer 3 years ago.)  This only reinforces my message:

Life is short.  Be nice.

Passionately and Compassionately Yours,

Me

Motivational Moment:

Today’s Moment is another of Life’s Little LaughablesTM:

We celebrated Thanksgiving with my husband’s family last weekend.  And one of our traditions is to have everyone name at least one thing for which they are thankful.  I like starting with the kids because it is nice to hear their thoughts.  We had the older kids (ages 8 – 13) go first so that they younger kids would have a clue as to what to do.  The older kids have been through this and knew the ‘routine’, hence they quickly mumbled the typical “friends, family, food” type of responses.  My 5 year-old niece went next and said (in her sweet little voice), “I am thankful for butterflies and friends and family.”  It was absolutely precious.   I love the sweet innocence of youth!

May you all have many things for which you are thankful. 

Perfectionism...or Not

I have a new favorite website: Huffington Post's The Third Metric: Redefining Success Beyond Money & Power.

Today, there were three article's on their Third Metric page that were blog-spirational for me (I was so excited to think I just came up with a new word; however, when I googled it, there were many other "blog-spired" entries before me). 

The first article that caught my eye was the one on Perfectionists, since I have recently discovered I may have some perfectionist tendencies.  If you asked me a couple of years ago, I would have told you that I was not a perfectionist, but that my younger sister was absolutely one.  She HAD to have straight A's, whereas I just liked having straight A's.  She went on to become a lawyer whereas I am still undecided as to what I want to be when I grow up.  So, if you had asked me, I would have told you that I was NOT a perfectionist...that is, until I read THIS article.

Now mind you - most of the 14 items in the article are not really a good fit for me (so perhaps my perfectionist status is debatable); however a few are dead on.  For example, # 8: I take everything personally; # 9: I get really defensive when criticized; # 10: I am not quite "there yet" (hell - I don't even know where "there" is!); and # 14: I have a guilty soul (I always thought this had to do with being raised Catholic).  There were also some other comments in there about having anxiety and existential crises which perhaps I could identify with...

The ones that do not fit my personality:
# 2: "You know your drive to perfection is hurting you, but you consider it the price you pay for success."  This one mentions a 'no pain, no gain' mentality (yea...I hate pain); it also says perfectionists are not ok being average (I am fine being average - I just wish I was rich!). 
# 6: "You have a hard time opening up to other people."  Hmmm...well...not so much.  I am pretty much a tell-all, open book. 
# 12: "You take pleasure in someone else’s failure, even though it has nothing to do with you." I absolutely do not enjoy other's failures, although I am super jealous of big successes (but I think that is more an immaturity issue rather than a perfectionist issue);
# 13: "You get secretly nostalgic for your school days."  Uhhh - hell no!  I hated being in school!  All I did was study and stress myself out over getting A's!  My older sister, on the other hand, SHE is nostalgic for her college days, but that has nothing to do with academics.

The other two articles I enjoyed from today's Third Metric were: 10 Decisions Happy People Make (link) (ironically, most of these coincide with the perfectionist article - and what not to do) and 11 Reasons You Should Be Having More Orgasms (link) (you won't hear any arguments from me).  See - is this "Third Metric" a feel good website or what?!  I love it!  I could have a lot of fun commenting on (and assesing myself from) these two articles as well, but I'll save that for a rainy day.

Loving the Inspiration,
Me

Motivational Moment:

Today's Moment is another of Life’s Little LaughablesTM :

1.     Talking with Lola again at work.  This chic says classic lines on a daily basis.  We were talking about the shenanigans of some 20-somethings and she said: “They are the young and the restless; we are the old and the weary.”  True…so very true.

2.    Talking with a 20-something Engineer about gluten-free diets.  He said: “I know several females who are gluten-free, but no males.  You women really are the weaker sex.”  This comment came only a couple days after I was speaking with another male co-worker who said: “You women are a wreck!”  Ahhhh, the never ending saga of Venus versus Mars.

Today, my friends, I wish you laughter and smiles, whether that be from something you read, see, feel, or discuss.   

 

For the Love of Lip Balm!

I recently introduced a friend at work to my blog.  I loved it when he said I should blog about one of our recent conversations (about only trying to change the things at work that we had control over).  I immediately thought of what I would write; so with a smile on my face, I told him I would blog about him (just not for the reason he thought).

Today's blog is dedicated to CB.  I would have named it "Chapstick Porn", but the eternal worrier in me didn't want to offend anyone.

So, as stated above, CB is a male - a male who is in love with his lip balm.  He basically makes love to it when he puts it on.  I told him that it is just not right how he applies it; he really should only apply his lip balm in private.  But no, he loves his lip balm and is proud of it.  He happily puts it on wherever he is, even in the middle of the production floor.

In fact, the other day, we were out at a run on the floor, and he dropped his lip balm while applying it.  It rolled across the shop floor.  He picked it up, wiped off the tip, and immediately re-applied it.

Of course, any of you who know me for the germ-a-phobe that I am, knew I was horrified at witnessing his action.  I told him it should have been immediately thrown away.  At the very least, the entire plastic holder needed to be disinfected, so that the next time he twisted up the lip balm, it wouldn't go through a bacteria fiesta.  But alas, he did not listen.  I told him he might as well have just kissed the entire production floor.  Blech!!

CB - thanks for being blog-worthy.  :)

Germ-A-Phobically Yours,
Me

Motivational Moment:

This quick little moment goes to two other friends from work.  I am now calling these Life’s Little LaughablesTM:

1. My friend made a comment about my grays starting to show.  And I said: "Yep. I am done putting that toxic crap on my head."  She grabbed my shoulder, looked me in the eye, and said: "Friends don't let friends go gray!".  *sigh*  My never ending battle (as evident in several different blogs) with aging gracefully.

2. I was lamenting to another friend, saying my bohemian personality just doesn't fit in at work.  Which led us to having a discussion of our wish lists of our perfect jobs.  She then said to me: "I have come to realize that there is no perfect job, just like there is no perfect man."  True words.  None of us are perfect; I am as flawed as they come; however, may we continue to search for the job that fits our personality the best and that we can enjoy the most.  Life is too short to be miserable over things that are within our control to change.

May all of you have friends who make you laugh during your day; after all, laughter is the best medicine!

And finally - a shout out to a good friend: Happy Bday B!!  Glad you were born!  :)