To My Nephew on his 18th Birthday!

My nephew recently turned 18 and as I searched for ideas for his present, I decided that I wanted to give some advice to a promising young man as he enters this next phase of his life and continues into adulthood.  As a woman and a mother to daughters, this is advice I wish I could instill in all young men entering adulthood.

Life advice to my nephew on his 18th birthday

For the college years

1. College is an awesome experience.  You get to attend classes with a schedule that you choose; you have much more freedom with your days then you have had in school thus far.  It is a very cool environment where you dictate what you do with your time every day.  It delays being in the “real world” that entails working full time.  Don’t screw it up.
2. Have fun yet be serious about your school work so that you can successfully graduate and get your degree.
3. Take pride in where you live and keep it neat; it will help you with your studies as well as with your friends.

For professional business life after college

4. Take your professional job seriously; however, be sure to laugh and make the day enjoyable for you and your co-workers.  Everyone who works full time, spends most of their day at work; if the environment is enjoyable, it will also be more productive; humans require connection and laughter is good for the soul.
5. Respect your co-workers and communicate nicely with them; no one likes working with a jerk.
6. If you are not happy in a job or in a career, then change it.  Life constantly evolves and so will you.

For life

7. Be Kind.
8. Respect Women always and in all things.
9. Don’t Ever Drink and Drive.
10. Stay True to Yourself.
11. Follow your passion.  There is a famous quote by Confucius: “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
12. Love and Respect your parents, for they are the reason you exist.
13. Be Humble.  No one knows it all and no one likes anyone who acts like they do.
14. Be money smart; never spend more than you make.
15. Be Inquisitive.  Learning is an aspect of life that never ends.
16. Work Hard; Play Hard.
17. You only have one body; treat it well.
18. Be Happy.  You only get one life; live it well and enjoy it.

For the record, along with the 18 pieces of advice, I also provided gifts to my nephew, as I'm not that un-cool of an aunt.

With Best Wishes for a Wonderful Future to my Nephew,

Me


Motivational Moment:

I came across this article today on the wonderfully positive "MindBodyGreen" website: LINK.  The article is about "The 4th Trimester Bodies Project" which is a beautiful "documentary photo project" about what women look like after giving birth.  I think the project and the pictures are beautiful.

May you all be comfortable in the skin you are in.

Peace and hugs,
SG

Family Game Night

Today's blog is one of my Life’s Little LaughablesTM

When my daughters were babies, I heard a co-worker describe his family game night with his children.  It sounded so idyllic to me; a family having a weekly game night where they eat pizza and bond with laughter and good times over games.  I couldn't wait for my kids to be old enough to be able to play board games and for us to have a fun family game night.

Fast forward several years and I excitedly dived into our first evening of fun!  I quickly learned however, that reality did not quite match my idealistic expectations.  What was meant to be an evening of joviality ended up being an evening of frustration and short tempers.  I tried many different games over the course of the last several years, all having the same outcome.  That is, until my daughter's latest birthday a couple of weeks ago.  I am happy to say, we have a new favorite family game...one that we actually enjoy playing together: Telestrations.

The game is for 4 - 6 players.  Each player has a notepad.  They choose a subject from the card they have, write the name on the first page and pass it to the next player, who then has to draw the object on the next page.  The third person then gets the pad and has to guess what the image is and write it on the next page.  The best part of this game is the reveal at the end.  We love seeing how far from the original word the picture ends up being.  (Telestrations is kind of like the game 'Telephone' and Pictionary combined).  I have added a "Best Fails" sheet to the game box so that we can enjoy looking back at what previously caused us great laughter.  Here was one of our "Best Fails" from our last game:

The first person writes the word.

The second person does their best job at drawing the word.

The third person then has to guess the drawing. (I was the guesser for this one...I couldn't figure out what the 'mom' had on her head, but I sure noticed the mean face...perhaps my answer stemmed from a guilty conscience that I have been too crabby lately.)

The fourth person draws the previous word.  This depiction made me laugh out loud.  Now THAT is one ferocious momma!!

The fifth person guesses the previous drawing.  How my 9 year old got a dinosaur-like creature from a drawing of a person, REALLY had us all laughing out loud.

Enjoying the laughter and positive family bonding,

Me

Motivational Moment:

Today's Moment is dedicated to the newest member of my family...our 6 month old kitten:

May you always have new, intriguing adventures.

May you view the ordinary with a new perspective.

May you have a best bud you can simply hang with during your day.

May you always enjoy fabulous, restorative sleep!

Sweet dreams; sleep well.

SG

Embracing Life's Imperfections

This is an x-ray of my 12 year-old daughter's spine.  The only reason I can now appreciate the beauty in this imperfection, is that the pediatric orthopedic told me she is fine (no surgery required) and that she will live a completely normal life with this slight curve.  When I first saw the x-ray, I was absolutely terrified.  It came as a total shock for me as I had no idea anything was amiss.  I have since learned that the majority of scoliosis cases are discovered in females, in puberty, for that is when they experience the biggest growth spurt and this anomaly becomes noticeable.

Because I appreciate humor, I have to add that the doctor made me laugh by walking into the room and immediately upon seeing the x-ray said, "That's not impressive.  And believe me, you want to have an orthopedic surgeon say they are NOT impressed with your x-ray!"  I wanted to jump up and hug the woman!  She was very cool and pretty much made my day!

It is amazing what we take for granted in life.  We assume our children will be born healthy, have no health crises during infancy and childhood, and that they will make it safely into adulthood, living long, healthy lives.  This way of thinking may sound like I am living in a fairy tale, but then again, I really don't think anyone undertakes the journey of having children thinking of all the possible horrors life can throw at you.  In fact, NOT thinking about all that can go wrong, is probably the only way we should raise our kids, which is optimistically.  And, of course, there are no guarantees for a healthy life, but all we can do is take one day at a time and deal with whatever comes our way the best we can, with love and acceptance being our guides.

I have three daughters who have their imperfections (thankfully they are minor ones), but they are also three, very smart girls and each bring their own personalities and talents to this world.  I am blessed to have the privilege to raise these precious souls.  My job is to nurture them and love them with all my heart so that they can grow into their full potential for their life's journey.

Embracing My Journey One Discovery at a Time,

Me

Motivational Moment:

Today's Moment is one of my Life’s Little LaughablesTM:

We were ordering food at a drive-thru for lunch the other day and the parking lot is right by an intersection.  I was busy with ordering and was only paying attention to the drive-thru.  My 9 year-old all of a sudden asked the question: "Hey, aren't they L-walking??" I had no idea what she was talking about.  And then my 12 year-old said: "You mean Jaywalking?"  It made me laugh out loud because I certainly missed the connection to the appropriate saying.  When I looked, there indeed was a family walking across the street, far away from the cross-walk.  And after all, "J" is only two letters away from "L"; she was close to naming the occurrence correctly, so who can blame the kid?  ;-)

May you experience many laughs today!

Hugs and Love, SG

A Moment of Kindness Makes a Difference

This past Friday at work was a particularly stressful day.  One of my projects is at a critical juncture and people are feeling the pressure.  Unfortunately, instead of cool heads prevailing, there are many short-tempered, hot heads dominating the communication exchanges.  Most of the day was spent with people heatedly arguing with each other.  I truly wish I had a magic spell that could make everyone get along and communicate peacefully, but unfortunately I haven't figured that one out yet.  However, in the midst of the storm, I was able to experience a rainbow - even if it wasn't realized until a day later.

A friend of mine was particularly frustrated and was starting to send many heated emails to the team. I was worried that if I said anything to him, it would make matters worse.  However, at one point, I just felt the need to immediately go see him.  I wasn't really sure what I was going to say; however, I just KNEW that I had to go right then.  When I got to his desk, he was typing an email.  I did not see what he was typing, I merely put my hand on his shoulder and said that I was coming to him as a friend.  I asked that he shut off his email for the rest of the afternoon and not respond to anyone.  I suggested he go take a walk and cool down; get some space; take a moment for him.

He did not seem to take my words well, as his responses were curt.  He said he just left for lunch and that he was fine.  I left his desk feeling disappointed that I could not reach him.  It actually bummed me out for the rest of the day.

Here is where the beautiful part comes in.  It turns out, when I went up to him, he was about to send out a very negative email that would have been particularly damaging to him.  He said that I did reach him and that I most likely saved him his job, for which he is grateful.  Here are his exact words: "My family will never know what you did for them!  I hope you can appreciate how powerful your words became at that moment.  I can't explain it, but your voice was all I heard, telling me to walk it off."  When I told him I thought my words did nothing for him, he said: "You could not be more wrong.  Your words changed everything.  I cannot even find the depth of words to convey my gratitude."

His words brought tears to my eyes.  He is always saying to me that things happen for a reason.  Was it his angel that sent me over there?  Fate?  Serendipity?  I honestly don't know what it was - but I absolutely LOVE the phenomenon.  I love that I was compelled to go see him at a defining moment and that my words reached him and made a difference.

I guess the entire point of this blog was to share, what I feel, was a truly beautiful, fateful moment.  And to always encourage you to reach out to others when you feel they need it, as you will never know the impact that your moment of kindness will bring to their lives.

Spread kindness and sunshine.

Lovingly,

Me


Motivational Moment:

Today's moment is dedicated to the many people who have left this life recently.  For some odd reason, it seems like there have been many deaths in the past two months (at least for my family and friends).  As stated in a previous blog, my friend lost her life to ALS at the end of November.  Then my uncle passed away in late December.  Two weeks later, my cousin lost her mother and two coworkers lost close loved ones (one lost his father and the other lost her girlfriend).  I went to two wakes, one day apart last week, and both of these wakes contained this Irish Blessing:

May the road rise to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back,

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

The rains fall soft upon your fields and,

Until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

I just love the warmth that this blessing brings to people.  And while talking about death may not seem appropriate for a motivational moment, I whole-heartedly disagree.  All the wakes I went to were filled with love and laughter and wonderful family bonding.  And as we get older, we are going to experience even more loss to those close to us.  However, this is the cycle of life.  This is what it is.  We must embrace it and love it and see the beauty in our journey; it would be foolish to spend our time here in any other way.

Peace and hugs,
SG

Spontaneous Happiness

I came across this YouTube video the other day and immediately fell in love with it (along with many others, as it has gone viral).  Watching this cop singing and dancing to Taylor Swift's Shake It Off song, as he is driving around town, is pure joy.  Anyone who can watch this and not laugh, or at the very least smile, needs to learn that life is short and is meant to be enjoyed.

For those of you who have not yet seen it, here it is: LINK.  Enjoy!!

I want to thank the Dover Police Department for sharing this with the world; I especially thank and admire the cop in the video, who is enjoying life to the fullest.  I love laughing out loud as it is truly a spontaneously happy event and as such, it is a wonderful gift to give to others.

Be true to yourselves people, as that is where happiness lies.  Don't be afraid to do what you enjoy for fear of ridicule by others.  We are born as beautiful individuals and we shine the best when we are living a life true to ourselves.

Laughing and Enjoying the Moment,

Me

Motivational Moment:

I recently came across the website of Shannon Kaiser, aptly called "Play with the World": LINK.  Shannon has a very motivational story of her life and an excellent attitude about life.  I highly recommend Shannon as a source of inspiration.

Peace, Love, and Hugs, SG

Happy 2015!

Well folks, here we are ... a new year is upon us!  I am very happy to say that I am in a much better frame of my mind at the start of this new year than I was last year.  And that is not to say that the same depressing realities aren't going on (ie. illness, deaths, etc.), because those are definitely occurring.  I figure I must be getting old.  But I like to think of it in a better light...I am maturing mentally and thus aging gracefully.  This is a VERY good thing if you ask me.  It is accepting and embracing the essence of life.

I have a new favorite website which is extremely motivational: www.soulseeds.com.  They stated aging so eloquently in this blog (LINK): "Don't regret growing older.  It's a privilege denied to many.  Embrace it.  Appreciate its unique gifts.  Live it fully!"  They even titled it fabulously: "Ageing As Adventure, Not Affliction."  Well said Soulseeds!

Last year at this time, I was overwhelmed with the realities of life.  I had unexpectedly lost a good friend on December 11th (as discussed in THIS blog), I was not speaking with a very close friend, and I was simply overwhelmed, as I typically am during the holiday season.  (Ironically, last January proved to be even rougher than December with brutally cold temperatures and having my asthma child get pneumonia, as chronicled in my family calendar.  By the way, I love the year end ritual of filling out the new calendar with birth dates and anniversary dates of loved ones, as it gives me an opportunity to reminisce about the entire previous year.  However, I digress...)

As I sit here writing this on January 1st, I am coming off of a month that dealt with the death of a friend to ALS and then 2 days later the first of my three daughters came down with the respiratory flu, including two additional weeks of complications with my asthma kid.

I am not writing this to complain or lament.  I am writing this to let you know that I am no longer living a life of fear and dread (which is huge considering that panic and anxiety have been a big part of who I am for as long as I can remember).  I now accept life's imperfections.  I am glad to be healthy and alive.  For the first time in a long time, I am looking forward to the new year.  Yes, I know it will contain illnesses and losses and frustrations, but it will also contain many new experiences, many new opportunities for love and laughter.  We are alive and here for the ride, we might as well enjoy our journey.

I, for one, am extremely happy that I am in this place of acceptance and love for life.  I know I have difficult things to get through, however, I also look forward to what new adventures await me.  And mostly, if I am not happy with something in my current reality, it is in my hands to change it and make it for the better.


Filled with Hope for the New Year,

Me


Motivational Moment:

I was talking with daughter B an hour ago and telling her that I want to make goals for this year and not simply drift along as I have been doing.  One of the goals is to create something.  And this total sweetheart of a daughter of mine said simply and quietly: "I will be the first one to buy it mom."  My heart swelled with love at the big heart that is this child.

My wish for you is a New Year filled with tons of love and laughter that help you get through the realities that life will throw at you.

Hugs and Love,
SG

Sick Happens!

"Famous Last Words" have bit me on the ass again!  Here is the conversation I had last Thursday, while at the pediatric dentist with my three daughters:

Dentist: How has the girls' health been?

Me: Great! In fact, this has been our healthiest school year ever!

(It is noted here, that the dental hygienists and the dentist all immediately looked at me and said "Knock on wood!!"... to which I did, of course!"

Dentist: Did the girls get the flu shot?

Me: Just my asthma girl.

Dentist: I just heard yesterday that this year's flu shot is not working.

At this point, I am thinking back to how my youngest daughter was unusually crabby after school, and how she was saying that her body was achey.  Since she didn't have a fever, I just figured she was tired and didn't want to go to the dentist ...

Fast forward 5 days ... and all three of my girls are home sick with the respiratory flu.  In case any of you are wondering, I can tell you how this year's flu virus runs its course...you have 2 to 3 days of a fever (how high the fever goes depends on the child, my children's fevers ranged from highs of 102 to 104); after the fever, the child is weak for another day or two and a cough starts.  And that is the stage I am currently at - day 5.  What started with one kid spread to the other two kids three days later.

What began as our healthiest school year ever, ironically changed to become the first time in 12 years that I have had all 3 kids home at the same time, due to the same illness.

On the bright side, I no longer have to be dreading the flu hitting my household for the rest of this season!

Here's wishing you all a healthy and happy holiday season!

Me


Motivational Moment:

Today's Moment is dedicated to my friend who passed away last week from ALS.

I was debating on whether or not I should change today's "Motivational Moment" Title to say "In Memoriam"; however, as I thought about it, I realized that this woman was indeed motivational.  She faced a horrific, cruel disease with such courage and faith, that it can only be looked upon as inspirational.  I am in awe of her character and fortitude.  She is no longer a prisoner in her body to that devastating disease.  I send her and her family love.  She was truly a beautiful soul on the inside and out.