Your Story is Important

The scripts people hand you in life are never as good as the ones you write for yourself. This gives us a great chance to talk about how life might be different if we decide to pick up the pen (or keyboard) and write our own. n figuring out your script, let's start with the story of you. Have you done this lately (or ever)? Want an easy way to start?

* My name is ______. I was raised in ______ , a place known for ________. When I was growing up, I never quite felt ______. I used to think that I'd grow up to _____ , but that's not how it turned out. Instead, I __________.

* Over the last few years, I've felt challenged by ______ . It always seems like people around me ________, but not me. In my world, I find myself ________ instead.

* Thinking about the next several months, I want to make a change. I want to think more about ________ . I might not want to forget about _________, but I'll try and turn it around and focus on _________ a bit more than the other stuff.

* Lastly, when I look back on how things went in six or eight months, I hope I can say that I _______ . I want one of the most special people in my life, _______ , to say this about me: _____________. That's when I'd feel really good about things, no matter what else happens.



Courtesy of ChrisBrogan.com

Sledding on a Saucer


I'm heading north to my NC mountain cabin this Christmas weekend. This 50 year old mother who thinks she's much younger, has invested in a couple of saucer sleds. I've mentioned it to a few friends and all remember their saucer sled from a few years back. Will the thrill be the same? Without a doubt! In fact, when I was a kid, my saucer was pretty banged up from repeated clashes with bumps in the path. And when the going got tough, even a cookie sheet or roasting pan made for one awesome slide down the hill!

45 Life Lessons

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful,
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written."

Pesky Bugs

As much as I enjoy the peace and ambiance of my North Carolina mountain cabin, the bugs and spiders seem larger than my chihuahuas. I guess I will have to get used to it! Today in my gardening and pruning, I did run across lots of Daddy Longlegs, but those didn't bother me nearly as much as the 3 pound hornet that bit my 6 pound chihuahua, or the fat ugly hairy spider that was 5 inches in diameter, crawling up the side of my house, of the fat ugly spider that repelled off my living room ceiling and decided to pay me a visit.

I love my cabin, my garden, my yard, the mountains; I love it all. But take the bugs, PLEASE!