Best and Nicest

Stop. Think. What was the best thing that happened to you today?  What was the nicest thing you did for someone else today?  What was the nicest thing you did for yourself today?  Are you smiling?  Good.
Take care,
Sylvia

Catalog Warnings

It tickles me when I get catalogs in the mail that have this warning highlighted across the front cover: This may be your last catalog!  I guess this is supposed to prompt me to stop whatever I'm doing, review the catalog, and place an order, right away. Sometimes these warnings are on catalogs I haven't even requested, so why would I care if I no longer receive them? The funniest part is when I keep on getting the catalogs from the same companies, with the same warning, for years.  Well, whenever they do drop me from their mailing lists, at least I can't say they didn't warn me.
Smiles,
Sylvia

Planning Ahead

Lately, we've been getting calls from a local cemetery.  They want us to come in for a consultation. Maybe they have sales/discounts for funeral plots and services.  I have not yet made a commitment to meet with the cemetery people, and I don't know why I'm dragging my feet.  Maybe because it's something people really don't want to think about, even though it's probably practical to have this taken care of.  This reminds me of the preacher's words: Everybody wants to go to heaven. They just don't want to go right now.
Smiles,
Sylvia

Shopping Couples

This is so cute!  During the recent shopping season and again today, I saw approximately 4 elderly couples on separate occasions.  They were shopping together and they bickered continuously.  At first, just listening to their conversations (which were all loud, by the way) I thought they were angry and having arguments.  But when they turned into the store aisle where I was, I saw that  they had pleasant facial expressions. The various remarks went something like this:
SHE:  "I didn't tell you to get that color shirt.  Put that back; our grandson hates red."
HE:  "I'm ready to go.  How long are you gonna stay in this store?"
SHE:  "Stop telling me that same story.  I heard it a million times already."
HE:  "That costs too much.  Put it back."
HE: "I'm going to get the car."
SHE:  "Don't get those cakes, we already have some at  the house, and you don't even eat them."
These elderly couples seemed to have an easy comfort and real caring.  Whatever the words said between them in the store, each couple belonged together. I guess that's just the way they roll.
Smiles,
Sylvia

Talk

There's an old saying: Talk what you know.  Unfortunately, some people talk as if they have all the facts or are experts on a topic, but you later find out they are not.  This does not upset me, but I tend to remember those who talk only what they know.
There's another old saying: You can take that to the bank.  Back in the day, when a person said that to you, they guaranteed the validity of the fact they told you.  Mind you, this is not about gossip.  It's about requests for helpful information.  What do you say when you don't have the answer to an inquiry?  Who is one person you know that you can say talks what he or she knows?  Is it you?
Smiles,
Sylvia

Tasks

When faced with several tasks, do you start with the most challenging task, or do you tackle the easiest tasks first? Do you start with the task that takes the longest amount of time to complete?  Do you chunk your time-consuming tasks and do sections of these tasks over a period of days? Are you a person who does not chunk tasks because once you begin a task, you must see it through to the end on that very day?
I tend to tackle my most challenging tasks first, when my mind is the freshest.  As a writer, I have had to learn to chunk tasks; I cannot always finish a chapter in one sitting.  I am sure there is some personal styles inventory that analyzes why we attack our necessary tasks the way we do.  The most important thing is that we get the tasks done in a way that works best for us.  Right now, I am going downstairs to wash the dinner dishes.
Smiles,
Sylvia

2012

Welcome to the year 2012!   It is truly a blessing to be at the opening of a brand new year.  It seems like 2012 arrived so fast.  Remember all the hoopla when we went from 1999 to the year 2000?  Some folks were panicky about the year's date changing on some master clock, others planned to stock water, food, and alternative energy sources.  We humans are interesting.  The thing is: we are bound by time, but God is not bound by time. I am thankful for the lessons learned in 2011, the warm memories of joyous events in 2011, and the healing from the 2011 events that were not joyous, but were bearable, by grace.  As we turn the page of a new year, I wish us all the best as we continue to become our best, by grace.
Keep the faith,
Sylvia