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Sunday, October 23, 2011
Everybody gets so
much information all day long that they lose their common sense.
Gertrude Stein
8:39 pm edt
Kim -- Day 296Most people have a love/hate relationship
with technology, at least I do. I love that it can provide information in an instant and also hate that I am always connected
to, well everyone and everything, even when I ought to be disconnected. I get pings when there is a new email and my bulging
calendar is a constant reminder of how much is scheduled and what needs to be done. But just like money, technology can be
used for good or bad. I saw a 60 Minutes tonight on how the iPad is giving a voice to autistic children who have been unable
to verbalize their thoughts and feelings. So those devices that can make us crazy at times also have the ability to relieve
the frustration of so many children. It is true that there are ways to use all of the gifts we have in life for something
good if we are mindful of how we use them.
8:38 pm edt
Sunday, October 23, 2011
12:07 am edt
Kim - Day 295Beyond tired after another day of chores.
At least it ended with a very nice dinner and drive to see the thousands of Jack-O-Lanterns. Tomorrow, the day of rest
will be just that for me as I try to fend of the cold that is putting up a good fight. It starts now with a good night’s
sleep. The busy week ahead will not wait for me to be back to 100%.
12:06 am edt
Friday, October 21, 2011
Think positively about yourself.... ask
God who made you to keep on remaking you. ~Norman Vincent Peale
9:59 pm edt
Kim - Day 294I think I just heard my favorite line from
a movie EVER. It’s from Eat, Pray, Love. I bet you are getting ready for something profound about how we find true selves.
Nope. It is a line that Julia Roberts says while she and her friend are devouring the most amazing looking pizza in a Naples
café. She says, “I have no interest in being obese, but today we are going to eat and enjoy, go watch a soccer
game and then tomorrow we are going to take ourselves shopping and buy some bigger jeans – ones that don’t mind
a muffin top.” So maybe that was one of the profound parts of the movie. Enjoy and be okay with it.
9:58 pm edt
Thursday, October 20, 2011
“We can let circumstances rule
us, or we can take charge and rule our lives from within.” – Earl Nightengale
9:35 pm edt
Kim - Day 293It was a very productive
evening and I can’t believe what a difference in stress levels it makes to cross off the list a bunch of little things
that were hanging over my head. It helps too to have organized the space in which I needed to do the work first. A clean and
clutter free space leads to a clutter free mind. I am hoping that it will spill over into work tomorrow and the weekend ahead.
It really is within our own control to take control and change the course of the day.
9:34 pm edt
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
A healthy outside
starts from the inside.
– Robert Urich
7:22 pm edt
Kim - Day 292I learned my lesson. I was bragging (sort
of) about how I never really get sick, and now I’m sick. I am now thinking that I’m never sick for very long,
so I hope this time I am not jinxing myself again. I have taken my vitamins, had lots to drink and now I am going to bed very
early in hopes that all this plus a good long sleep will fight off anything virus that dares attack. I won’t be taking
good health and energy for granted any time soon.
7:20 pm edt
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
10:17 pm edt
Kim - Day 291The best ideas are often
left dormant because we are afraid to share them. Not all ideas are great by themselves, but when shared have the potential
to spark another idea that may spark the perfect solution or more creative option – an option that may have never been
considered had it not been inspired by another’s willingness to let go of one idea so it could reach its full potential.
10:16 pm edt
Monday, October 17, 2011
Come what may, all
bad fortune is to be conquered by endurance. -- Virgil
10:45 pm edt
Kim - Day 290When we think of the word endurance, we often
think of the athlete able to run a marathon. There is the short distance sprinter who may be able to get ahead in the short
run, but those with endurance will win the race that continues day in and day out. In the words of Buddha,
“Endurance is one of the most
difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes.” Anything worth having is worth the hard work and
endurance it takes to achieve it.
10:44 pm edt
Sunday, October 16, 2011
“If you confront the universe with good intentions in
your heart, it will reflect that and reward your intent.” J . Michael Straczynski
10:12 pm edt
Kim -- Day 289Even when your heart
is in the right place, it is sometimes better to step back and let others deal with the consequences of their own actions
instead of trying to help out. I made the mistake today of trying to correct something that was wrong, when it would have
been fine – in fact better – had I just let the situation play itself out. Good intentions are not always good
and certainly not always the best. Gut instinct isn’t usually wrong, but I learned that you should only follow your
gut when it relates to your own gut and not someone else.
10:11 pm edt
Saturday, October 15, 2011
“In quiet
moments when you think about it, you recognize what is critically important in life and what isn't. Be wise and don't let
good things crowd out those that are essential.” – Elder Richard G. Scott
11:01 pm edt
Kim -- Day 288I
don’t often enough have or take the time to simply sit and think. Most of the time, I drive with the radio off so I
can multi-task and get to where I need to be and think at the same time. This isn’t nearly as effective as totally removing
yourself from your daily cares and concerns and thinking about that which is most important or even essential. Tonight I had
some time for that kind of removal from everyday busy thought. So whether you meditate, pray, talk a walk alone in the woods,
find a place and a method to go someplace far away from your outward commotion.
11:00 pm edt
Saturday, October 15, 2011
“I have
found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.” -- Maya Angelou
Kim -- Day 287I saw a news segment
tonight that was all about a man who immigrated to the US about 10 years ago. He was living the American Dream by owning a
business, a home in the suburbs and had a beautiful wife and two kids. It was all about how he gave back. He gave to more
than 100 local community fundraising events and even hosted a fundraiser for a young widow whose husband died in the line
of duty as a police office in their town. It made me think about how we don’t have to make a grand gesture of giving
to give back. We may not be able to change the world, but we can change one person’s world in a way that will make an
impact far beyond that person’s life.
12:24 am edt
Thursday, October 13, 2011
“Three Rules
of Work: Out of clutter find simplicity; From discord find harmony; In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” –
Albert Einstein
9:43 pm edt
Kim -- Day 286It’s gotten to
that point again where I have lists everywhere on scraps of paper, backs of printouts, that piece of paper on the end of a
post-it note pad and even my right palm! Time to get them compiled into one master list and start checking off the items one
by one. And this is just the office list. At home, there are similar lists floating around by the phone,
on the kitchen island, the desk and the night stand. At what point do we say enough is enough. I wonder if there was ever
a simpler time in the history of man when we could remember everything without having to write it everywhere. I’m guessing
it dates back to that day when we also used to actually know someone’s phone number and not just how to speak their
name into the little box in our hand.
9:42 pm edt
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Could we change
our attitude, we should not only see life differently, but life itself would come to be different. ~Katherine Mansfield
9:34 pm edt
Kim - Day 285I belong to a Facebook
group for widows and widowers and someone made a post tonight about how the group has grown so much – whether or not
that is a good or bad thing is a matter of perspective. It is good that there is a place for people to go where others can
really empathize with what we are experiencing, but bad because it means there are more broken hearts. Because the group has
grown, someone suggested we reintroduce ourselves and the circumstances that turned us into widows or widowers. As I read
through the stories, it is easy to see that there are those who have it worse and those who have it easier. Either way it
is easy to see that there are those who have chosen an attitude of thanksgiving for the time they had with their loved ones
and for the support they have in raising young families alone or facing retirement without the companionship they thought
they would have. It is true with any heartbreak we face. Attitude is half the battle.
9:33 pm edt
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Obstacles are those
frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal. ~Henry Ford
9:50 pm edt
Kim - Day 284In
all my school days, I don’t remember even once having my parents ask me about homework, let alone having to sit with
me while I did it. I was a slightly above average student and took homework seriously enough that I knew I needed to do it.
I guess I had the same expectations for my children, so when one of them needs that extra attention, it can be frustrating
to me. I already graduated from high school! So while I’d rather be watching TV or reading a book, instead I sit and
ask probing questions designed to make a reluctant student think critically and articulate that into some sort of passable
essay. Is it worth it? I believe so, but at some point in everyone’s life, no matter how much prodding they need, everyone
has to decide for themselves if they want it bad enough to work for it without someone telling them they have to. Are you
like the homework-resistant child or have you found your own drive?
9:49 pm edt
Monday, October 10, 2011
In
all our contacts it is probably the sense of being really needed and wanted which gives us the greatest satisfaction and creates
the most lasting bond. – Eleanor Roosevelt
8:31 pm edt
Kim - Day 283Deep down inside of
everyone I believe is a need to feel needed. As young mothers we may feel we wish no one would need us for even 15 minutes.
Later in life we may feel that our being needed is all used up and no one wants what you have to offer. Somewhere in between
we hopefully find that balance between feeling worn out from giving and feeling pride in the knowing that our contribution
to life is appreciated in a way that we know what we do matters. The reality is that everyone has something to contribute
throughout every stage of life. They need only to recognize it in themselves and others need to learn the value of another
human being is always great.
8:30 pm edt
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Progress always
involves risks. You can't steal second base and keep your foot on first. ~Frederick B. Wilcox
7:48 pm edt
Kim - Day 282I watched the movie
Secretariat again today. It reminded me of many messages that I think would help anyone get far in this life. First is to
take chances and never underestimate where you can go when you do take a chance. It also reminded me that
if you believe in something, don’t back down on your beliefs because of what others might tell you you ought to do.
The combination of taking changes while going for whatever you truly believe in will never leave you wondering, “what
if…”
7:48 pm edt
Saturday, October 8, 2011
“Resolve and thou art free” – Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow
10:03 pm edt
Kim - Day 281I
have discovered that it doesn’t take much to shift a mood, an attitude or even a life. It can sometimes come from the
simple pleasure of a sunny autumn day – warm enough to drive with the top down or maybe it was the songs on the radio
or the freedom to leisurely run errands with no real restrictions on when I had to be at each place or home again. What was
a frazzled week was undone by a shift in weather, surroundings, disposition and, thanks to Cheryl, mode of transportation
for the day.
10:01 pm edt
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Age considers;
youth ventures. –
Rabindranath Tagore
Kim - Day 280Another week flew by
without the chance to slow down for even a minute. I can’t even grasp sometimes how one minute it is Monday morning
and the next it is Friday night. It make me think of something Grandma Francey said to me shortly before she passed away.
She said when we are young we are so busy we don’t have time to sit and just think and when we are old we have nothing
but time to think and feel lonely. There must be a way to achieve that balance throughout life to have time for thoughtful
reflection when we are young enough to do something with what we have contemplated and find something to keep our minds occupied
and free from empty solitude when we are older. There should be no age restrictions on slowing down or keeping going.
12:37 am edt
Thursday, October 6, 2011
If you want something
done, ask a busy person to do it. The more things you do, the more you can do. – Lucille Ball
10:18 pm edt
Kim -- Day 279As
much as I claim to hate the stress of a hectic day, I do appreciate that on busier days I seem to get more done. I am pretty
sure this is true because on the busiest of days I am forced to make lists, stay on track, and plan ahead in order to accomplish
it all. There is a satisfaction in knowing too that you made the most of the day. No time was wasted on anything unnecessary.
Goals where achieved. Progress was made. It may take more effort, but at the end of the day you can know you did the most
you could do and be satisfied in your accomplishments.
10:17 pm edt
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Chaos
in the world brings uneasiness, but it also allows the opportunity for creativity and growth. – Tom Barrett
9:44 pm edt
Kim -- Day 278If
someone told me that 10 years ago, I would miss the time in my life that I was in at that moment, I would have told them they
were crazy. Why on earth would I miss having a brood of little children asking me for drinks and to help them in the bathroom
or to lay on the bed until they fell asleep? I couldn’t wait for the day they were in high school and independent and
coming and going without needing me for every little thing. That day seemed to come the very next day as if no real time had
passed at all. Now that I am in the thick of the teenage years with the crazy schedules of school work, homework, soccer games
and social engagements, I can’t seem to wait for the day when I only have my own schedule, own laundry, and own messes
to clean up. I’m sure, just a few short years from now, I will lament about how I miss the noise and chaos, the cacophony
of it all. But at this very moment, I just want my racing thoughts to pull over into the nearest rest stop!
9:41 pm edt
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Always
bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other. – Abraham Lincoln
11:15 pm edt
Kim - Day 277It
is interesting to me about what motivates different people to be successful. Some are driven by money, others by fame which
is often accompanied by money. Still others are inspired by extreme athletic ability or how many gold records hang on the
wall. It doesn’t really matter as long as somewhere within or from those we observe we find the inspiration to strive
to be the best we can be and achieve our own personal form of success.
11:14 pm edt
Monday, October 3, 2011
Innovation is creativity
with a job to do.
– John Emmerling
9:15 pm edt
Kim - Day 276Technology
is truly amazing. I have always thought of myself as pretty tech-savvy. I did after all set up my own home network complete
with wireless Internet and X box. So I’m not sure why today I got so tickled by the fact that I hooked up my own webcam
and downloaded and worked my group video conferencing myself. I installed the headsets and software needed and then had a
great “face-to-face” with a co-worker in Chicago and another in Denmark. I am sure that the innovations that we
see in the next few years can’t even be imagined right now.
9:14 pm edt
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Being
busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends there
must be forethought, system, planning, intelligence, and honest purpose, as well as perspiration. Seeming to do is not doing.
– Thomas A. Edison
9:43 pm edt
Kim - Day 275A very short weekend
is coming to an end and gearing up for the school and work week ahead. There are soccer games to attend, work deadlines to
meet, bills to pay, homework projects to complete, trips to airport, trips to the store and trips to the basement for laundry.
I heard from an old friend a couple of days ago about another friend who spent 6 months on a meditation retreat. I’d
like to spend 6 minutes there! Even with all the activity and chaos, I wouldn’t give it up for the world – maybe
for 6 minutes of peace, but never forever.
9:42 pm edt
Saturday, October 1, 2011
“The future is not a result of choices among alternative paths
offered by the present, but a place that is created—created first in the mind and will, created next in activity.
The future is not some place we are going to, but one we are creating. The paths are not to be found, but made, and the
activity of making them, changes both the maker and the destination.” John Schaar
9:44 pm edt
Cheryl ~ Day 273Have you ever thought that by not making a choice you wouldn’t be accountable?
Let someone else decide, and then if it doesn’t work out nobody can blame me. The fact is
by not speaking up you made a choice, a choice to not be heard, to not have a voice. It is funny how many
people criticize others for their choices, yet never really take a stand or make a choice on their own. The
most difficult thing about choices is you own the responsibility of the outcome of the choice. The sooner
you recognize this the sooner you can create a new outcome from your new choice.
9:43 pm edt
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