ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE

"You've got to accentuate the positive

Eliminate the negative

And latch on to the affirmative

Don't mess with Mister In-Between"

These are some of the words to the song penned by Mr. Johnny Mercer, a prolific lyricist, composer and singer with whom some of us grew up.

Regardless of how bad my previous day may have been, the first thing I do with my first conscious waking breath of each new day is to say "Thank You" to GOD for giving me another day.  For as the old people say, "He didn't have to do it".

I have a friend who says that GOD did not wake us up to be failures.  So being successful has to be a deliberate conscious decision.  How successful we are (or how close we come to success), depends upon how many times we chose to get back up and try again.  When we decide not to get up, we will never know if this would have been the day...the day for whatever; the day a lost child comes back home, the day someone we love says "I love you" back, the day we lose the first pound on that diet we have been meaning to start.

While Johnny Mercer passed in 1976, the words to his song can become a mantra for each of us - accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative.  While we may not be able to completely eliminate the negative, let's try not to focus so much on the negative.  Think about the example of flying in an airplane.  When we are flying through a storm, as the plane gains altitude, the storm clouds are left behind.  Let's always remember that even if we can only see clouds today, the sun is still up there.  It's just behind the clouds.  Some days we just have to put on our x-ray glasses (or bi-focals) and focus a little harder in order to see it.  We can't just simply give up on the days we don't see the sun because the sun may come out the next day or we may have to hold on a l-i-t-t-l-e longer because it may come out the next day or even the day after that.  But, the sun will come back out.  Trouble doesn't last always.  This too shall pass.  If you don't feel that you can hold on until tomorrow, try holding on at least through the night or maybe through the evening.  GOD will send someone to give us an encouraging word.  He always does.  And, just as GOD always sends someone to give us an encouraging word, we may sometimes be that encouraging word to someone else who is struggling to hold on.  Be quick to give a kind word.  Let it become second nature to be encouraging and uplifting to others.

A compliment is free, but priceless to someone who is on the edge or who is discouraged.  People are fragile.  I know I am.

Peace

Michele



FAMILY HEALTH DAY

Recently, my family suffered the deaths of two of its beloved members;  my niece, Nella, who was 41 at the time of her passing and my sister-in-law, Sue, who was 54 years old.  Both were relatively young.  Both succumbed to maladies which may not have been fatal if treatment had been sought early on.  As is too well known, we as women are nurturers and caregivers…nurturers and caregivers of others, first, oftentimes to our own detriment.  How frequently do we know of caregivers who give out before the ones they are taking care of? 

In honor of my niece and sister-in-law our family is planning a family health day on Saturday, April 28, 2012.  The format is an educational forum.  We have chosen 12 health topics to profile and talk about.  Family members, in advance of family health day, will choose one of the 12 topics - research it, gather printed material to hand out and give a 3 – 5 minute presentation on that subject.  The 12 topics we have chosen to highlight are:  hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol, exercise, heart disease, glaucoma, contraceptives/sexually transmitted diseases, obesity, healthy eating, prostate cancer, medical tests recommended for each age group and depression.  We are asking each presenter to be deliberate and thorough in his research and creative in his delivery.  We will also have someone present to take blood pressure. 

The caveat of this family health day is that each family member is asked to partner up with another family member to make the commitment together to be responsible for making sure his or her partner schedules and follows up to get a complete physical examination.  The partner is also responsible for researching and listing the medical tests recommended for his partner based upon his partner’s medical history and age.  The next responsibility is to follow through to make sure one’s partner gets all of the recommended medical tests.  The results of the physical and medical tests do not necessarily have to be divulged to one’s partner, but the hope is that once armed with information we can fore go any more premature demises. 

The deadline to have all of the physicals and medical tests completed is December of this year.  This time frame will allow for everyone’s medical plan to cover examinations and tests based upon when they were last conducted.

The event is scheduled to be held at my mother-in-law’s house.  Weather permitting; we will top off the event with a cook-out, highlighting some healthy food choices.  

My partner for family health day is my husband.  I can already see that he is going to be a problem.  He is currently nursing a sore thumb that he has no idea why it is swollen and sore.  My husband is a veteran and gets free medical care, but knowing him he is going to wait until his thumb falls off before seeking treatment.  I hope his thumb heals before our family health day or I am going to look pretty stupid walking in with a partner who is missing an appendage.  He makes me sick!  I hope he is not contagious because I need my thumbs.  How can I type without my thumbs?? 

Think of planning a health day for your family.  We tend to be too busy to take the time to schedule and do the important things.  Sometimes we need to stop and focus.  We shouldn’t only stop and focus at funerals.

Peace,

Michele

I THOUGHT SHE WAS DEAD!

This weekend I overheard a conversation between two of my sisters-in-law.  One asked the other had she seen or heard from a friend of theirs.  The response to the question was "I didn't know she was still living.  I thought she was dead."  W-o-w.  That is really deep!!  It got me thinking that I really would not want someone to respond like that to an inquiry about me.  But, it did get me thinking about what I am doing to make sure that people know I am still alive.

What are you doing to make sure that people know you are still alive?  When people ask about you, will they respond "I didn't know she was still living.  I thought she was dead."  Or will they say,..."oh I just saw her a couple of weeks ago.  She works at the food kitchen every other Tuesday."  Or will they say,..."I heard that she just ran a marathon in support of cancer awareness."  Or,..."my elderly neighbor told me that she sits with her one evening a week and also runs her errands."

What difference are you making so that someone knows you are still alive?  Do you mentor a young person?  Do you volunteer in an after school program in your neighborhood?  Have you thought about running for public office?  I did. I ran twice.  That's probably why I'm writing this blog.

What about starting a foundation to support a passion of yours or reading to the blind on the radio?  How about volunteering with a literacy program?  Statistics released by the U.S. Education of Department the week of January 10, 2009 show that some 32 million U.S. adults lack basic prose literacy skills.  That means they can't read a newspaper or the instructions on a bottle of pills.

What are you doing to make sure people know that you are still alive?

One of my nieces organized a school supply give away prior to the start of the school year.  She got the businesses in her community to also donate money and materials.  It was an all-day event.  In addition to giving away school supplies, they fed the community all day and topped it off with snowballs.  There were also games for the kids.  All of it provided free to the community.  It was an absolutely great day for everyone.

Make a difference.  Don't die a premature death.  Don't let people wonder if  you are still living or whether you died and they just missed seeing your obituary!

Peace

Michele

THE BRIGHTEST BULB

There is a saying that if you are the brightest bulb in your group, then you need to change groups.  The mind-set behind this thought is that we are shaped and driven by our peers.  If those we consider our peers aren't doing anything, the probability is high that we aren't doing anything either.  Complacency is comfortable, but growth only comes from s-t-r-e-c-h-i-n-g.

I think once we get to a certain age (whatever that age is in our minds) we begin to believe that we have done all that we are going to do or were meant to do.  But, if that is true, why even bother to get up each day?

In May of 2007, a 95 year old lady graduated from Fort Hays State University in Kansas.  She obtained a degree in History.  It's not really important what she got her degree in.  What is important is that at 95 years old she was still pressing, still reaching.  Life is a press.  A press to get up.  A press to go to work.  A press to do the banal.  Why can't we press with a goal in mind?  A fresh goal?  What if the 95 year old lady never took that leap of faith or pressed on when she was 91?  What if she did not set herself the goal?  Four years still would have come and gone whether she earned a college degree or not.  And, in her case, four years did go by but at the end of those four years, she had obtained a college degree.

What are some of your goals?  Do you even set any more goals at your age?  If you don't, why not??  If you are blessed enough to live a whole bunch more years, where do you want  to be at the end of those years?  Where do you want to be at the end of next year?  Two years from now?  Four years from now?  The years will come and go on their own and the knowledge of how many we have doesn't belong to us, but what we do with those years does belong to us.

If you are the brightest bulb in your group, change groups.  I can exchange the words "brightest bulb" for "most energetic" or "goal setter" or "adventurer" or "most inquisitive"...you can even chose your own words.  If you are the "MOST" in your group...change groups.  We are driven by our peers.  If our peers are not doing anything on a day to day basis, we will eventually settle for the mind set of our group.

I have several good friends who are 20 - 30 years younger than me.  I am constantly asking them what they are up to and what are their plans, because at their ages they still make plans, they still set goals.  My young friends don't believe their lives are over yet.  Hanging out and talking with them, energizes me.  Hanging out with them reminds me that my life is not over and they also keep me setting goals. 

Life is still good, but is only as good as we make it.  Strive to make your life absolutely great!!  Stop settling.  It really is not too late.  Set some new goals.  Heck, just set one goal and work towards it. 

What would you do if you knew that you could not fail??

If you are the brightest bulb in your group...CHANGE GROUPS!!

Peace

Michele


I ain't settling for just getting by
I've had enough so so, for the rest of my life
Tired of shooting too low, so raise the bar high
"Just enough" ain't enough this time
I ain't settling for anything less than everything

Sugarland
                                  

FOCUS ON WHAT YOU CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT

Oftentimes, at this stage in our lives, we look back in an effort to determine why we are where we are; why we aren't more successful because certainly we had loftier goals for our lives when we started out.  In the whirlwind of our lives - daily, weekly, monthly and over the years, we lose sight of our goals.  If truly any were set.  And we don't step back on a regular enough basis to access where we are and where we are trying to go.

It's never too late, to access and take stock of our lives.  Every so often, it's good, it's necessary to stop, reflect and access.  Life is like a road trip.  Did we have a map before we started out on our journey or did we just look up and discover we were here?  Just like a road trip, we need to make sure that if we didn't start out with a road map, that at least somewhere along the way, we take the time to get one.  Or just like a road trip without the use of a map, we may find that we end up in San Francisco instead of San Diego.  While both cities are in California, one is a northern city and one southern.  One city is characterized by summits while the other offers valleys and a short trip to the Mexico border.

What did you initially want out of life, if you even gave it any thought?  What do you still want out of life?  It's never too late in life to make goals.  It's never too late, until you are no longer on this side of the grass.  The important thing is to identify the important things - those things that we can do something about that will make an impact on how we want to live our lives.

I cannot do anything about how my neighbors and co-workers choose to live.  I cannot do anything about how my friends spend their money.  I cannot do anything about a crazy spouse who decides to run off with someone half his age who also was only half as good looking.  I cannot ultimately do anything about grown children brought up with the proper training who make poor life decisions.

I can do something about my own weight.  I can do something about my decision to eat wisely.  I can do something to improve my education and skill set.  I can volunteer at a literacy program in my community.  I can do something about my financial situation.  I can choose to say a kind word to someone or keep my mouth shut when I really want to say something negative.  I can choose not to carry gossip.

There's a saying - "I have six months to tend to my business and six months to leave yours alone".

That doesn't leave me much time to tell you what to do, does it??

Identify those things which you can do something about which will make an impact on your own life.

Peace

Michele