I Become Breathless And Unable To Speak

As the years pass, it is amazing how priorities, attitudes and desires shift. With my impending birthday this month, I've been thinking a lot about my life.

What do I want to accomplish in the next two, ten, twenty, thirty years or as long as I live on this planet?

Where do I want to live?

What places do I still want to visit and explore?

Is there anything else I want to learn how to do?

What do I really want out of the rest of my life?

I don't want lots of jewelery, a mansion, my own airplane, extravagant clothes, hundreds of pairs of shoes, or a myriad of other material possessions. I become more minimalistic as each day passes.

It doesn't really take a lot to make me happy.

For about the past month all I have wanted was Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. Of course, I want Krispy Kreme Doughnuts every day. I don't eat them every day, but I fantasize about them. Basically, if you give me a doughnut, I'm all yours, but you already knew that about me.

To my great surprise, Alyssa walked in with a box of piping hot Krispy Kreme Doughnuts today. I almost couldn't speak or move and my mouth began to immediately salivate. I became breathless and unable to speak. I am so silly over Krispy Kreme Doughnuts.

Since I don't eat chocolate iced, I saw five gorgeous glazed Krispy Kreme Doughnuts waiting and ready for immediate consumption.





This is perfection.





I took my first bite.





The thin glaze of sugar on top of the soft doughnut cracked and crumbled a bit.





Some of the sugar stuck to my fingers.





Little, if any of the sugar fell back into the box.





Each bite of the doughnut made me feel more euphoric than the last bite.





Krispy Kreme Doughnuts are my obsession.

I love the way they look, feel and taste.

There isn't anything negative about them.

Even the fact that they are extremely fattening isn't negative. Some foods have to be fattening and it might as well be doughnuts.





While eating my fourth doughnut, I noticed that I had dropped a bit of sugar on top of Alyssa's remaining chocolate glazed doughnuts. Even the broken piece of sugar looked beautiful don't ya' think? It kind of looks like the shape of an upside down house.





The last doughnut was so delicious and I couldn't believe that I had eaten so many, so quickly.





By this time, I was already on a sugar high. Once that sugar touches my tongue...it's sugar ecstasy and I even feel like playing with my food.

Oops, my finger is in the way, but look at sugar on my finger.





Well, I moved my finger. Is that a better photograph through the hole of the doughnut?





How about this photograph of the doughnut itself with all the crumbly sugar glaze and a view of a blurry chocolate doughnut through the hole?





Then the doughnuts were gone and all that was left was the sugar on my fingers. As messy as it appears, I think it is a beautiful sight. Tiny flecks of thin sugar scattered and stuck to fingertips.





Not to have any go to waste, I licked it all off.





It was such a delightful experience that I wasn't even sad looking into the box that was now void of the regular glazed Krispy Kreme Doughnuts.





Thank you Alyssa, my dear child, for the sweet treat today. I will still think fondly of eating all those Krispy Kreme Doughnuts when I have to do double the exercises tomorrow.

It really doesn't take a lot to make me happy.

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How To Be Happy - Act Like A Cow

Happiness seems to be an elusive dream for many people, but I believe it is much easier to be happy than we seem to make it. After my excursion to Grave's Mountain , I gleaned a few important pointers from cows. Yeah, I said c-o-w...cow. You know, the weirdly shaped animal that just stands and stares straight through you while chewing continuously on what appears to be a huge wad of gum.

Cows have a few traits I think are worth emulating. I'm sure that if you are a city slicker, this post may be "utterly" ridiculous, but by the end of it, I hope that you will be "mo-o-o-oved" into action.


A herd of cattle huddle together under a tree on a hot summer day. They do not fight for the spot closest to the trunk of the tree or the spot that gets the best breeze. No, cows do not fight with each other. Cows do not call the police because they do not beat or hit each other. These large domesticated ungulates are very peaceful creatures.

While grazing in the same pasture eating the grass here and there, not once have I ever seen one of cows shout out, "This is my dandelion! Go away!" Sounds preposterous because cows share food, water and shelter without a peep of discontent with one another. It would be more reasonable to imagine one cow saying to the other, "Oh honey, I know you are starving. Eat this grass over here. It is so succulent."


When all the cows have eaten and their eyelids start screaming for a nap, the herd stretches out together for a snooze. The cows know that sometimes it is necessary to just stop everything. I think Americans are among the worst at exerting themselves beyond a reasonable physical limit and then ignoring all signs of needed pampering for the body, mind and soul. Maybe I'm wrong. One day the boss will walk into your office, notice that you appear especially tired and suggest that you take a nap for about an hour. Ummm...I highly doubt it.

Last, but surely not least, cows are not jealous because their spots are not as big or small as another cow's spots or their eyes are not as brown as another cow's eyes. Really, they don't care if their utters are not as big as another cow's utters or that the bull "visits" one cow more than another. Cows just don't care because they are quite satisfied with their lives. The physical attributes and circumstances of one cow compared to another are not envied by any of the herd.


I have found that humans are often extremely jealous and covetous. These emotions have been the downfall of many people, but cows are not plagued with them. Cows are happy with who they are, how they look and the opportunities they enjoy.

Don't be like my mom and dad who told me that "Cows are just dumb animals". Cows can teach us how to be happy if we emulate some of their characteristics:

• Be kind to one another.
• Don't argue and fight.
• Never hit each other.
• Rejuvenate your mind, body and soul by paying attention to all their signals.
• Love yourself. No apologies or excuses necessary.
• Recognize what you have and be satisfied and appreciative.

I don't suggest that you start grazing in your backyard, but a few basic changes in life can make a dramatic difference. Happiness will be the consequence for the right and purposeful change.

One last piece of advice...If your handsome bull starts impregnating all the neighbors, it may be time to give your sweet milk to someone else.






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Life Is Dirty

Nobody has the perfect life. Often we look at famous people and think that if we just had their money, house, wife, husband, children, etc. etc. etc. etc. THEN we would be happy.

Well, that isn't the reality of living.

First of all, you are you for a reason. There is only one of you which makes being you pretty special. Maybe you aren't liking you or your life. Well, I guarantee that you are not the only one feeling that way.

Life is filled with experiences that do not come with an instruction manual on how to make it through them with a big smile on your face or even to succeed. Trials and tribulations abound at every turn and often create tension, stress and unhappiness. There is no escape. The only way to get through is to dig in and live...one way or another. Your choices may not always be the best and you will make mistakes, but just keep trying.

There are some people who must endure more hardships than others. It may be inequitable, but it is just a fact of existing. An ancient Chinese proverb states:

"A gem cannot be polished without friction,
nor a man perfected without trials."
Maybe you're like me and think, I do not want to be polished or perfected! High Five to you my friend. I think the whole experience of getting dirty in the mire is not only a drag, but way too hard for wimps and I'm the Queen of Wimps. While trying to make my own self feel better this evening, I read:

"What seems to us as bitter trials
are often blessings in disguise."~Oscar Wilde~
I've had so many trials during the last few years that I couldn't make them all fit in a giant dump truck and I know that I'm not alone in the hardships. If bitter trials are blessings, then I'm going to end up with one HUMONGOUS blessing in life. Right?

Wrong.

I have many blessings already and just recently God granted my daughter a longer life on this planet with me. Should I be satisfied and just smile all the time since I'm loaded with blessings?

Hmmmm...probably, but I don't think that is human nature and I haven't progressed to that point either. Each day, however, we need to make a concerted effort to recognize the good in our lives and ourselves no matter how hard it may be to do. We also need to express our thanks to those people in our lives who love us and sacrifice for us. A more thankful heart will become tolerant of those around us because the knowledge that everyone has tough times will remain prevalent in our minds.

While I struggle through my trials here and you struggle with your trials there, we can find peace knowing that...

We ARE special.

God DOES love us.

This WILL pass.

Life IS dirty, but we have the tools, big machines and the power to move the dirt.



Sincerely,

Your friend in the mud,

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How To Be Happy

Being rich, famous and beautiful?

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, happiness is enjoying or having a feeling of well-being, satisfaction, or contentment. There is also the chemical aspects of happiness which includes the pleasure chemical in the brain (dopamine) being released. What I find even more interesting was research that indicated 50% of our happiness is a result of our genes (Britain's Proceedings of the Royal Society B - Founded in 1660 and is the oldest and leading scientific society in the world). The breakdown is like this:

• 10%-15% socioeconomic status, health, marital status, income
• 40% actions taken in the effort to find happiness

How do you see yourself? Is the glass half empty or half full? I have come to accept that I cannot always "make" changes happen and that no one else can "make" me happy. THAT was a VERY hard lesson for me to learn. I can, however, change me. I'm the only person that I can actually control. Control freaks, if you didn't know that, you can now freak out. I'm right there with you. There are a few things that I have found that will build confidence and thus boost your "comfortableness" with yourself and this will elevate your happiness level:

• Develop a positive attitude


• I create a motivational thought that I circulate at work to "motivate" my peers and brighten their day with a happy thought. This isn't required of me, but it also helps to uplift my attitude for the day too. If being happy isn't easy for you, then step out of the box and do something to help other people have a happy experience or moment.
  
• Every time you have a negative thought, tell yourself you must now say three positive things about yourself. You can't repeat the same positive in a day, so this will help you break the negative thinking cycle pretty fast.
  
  
• Surround yourself with positive people who care about you


• The old adage of "If you lay down with pigs all you get is dirty" really is true. Miserable people want other people to be miserable too.
  
• Caring people have positive things to discuss and say nice things to you and about you.

• Smile


• Whether you realize it or not, smiling will change your mood and attitude.
  
• Smiling signals to others that you are pleasant and draws them in.
  
• Having a smile boosts your confidence!
  

• Let go of the past and your "bumps" in the road


• We are not perfect! Don't be so hard on yourself! The past is THE PAST! Look to the future with a sense of adventure.
  
• Forgive yourself and others. It takes a lot more energy to hold on to anger and grief than it does to cultivate foregiveness and a positive attitude.
  
• Find activities that reduce your stress
  
  

  • I hate to say it and I hate to do it, but exercise really does reduce your stress. I can just hear my family as they read that line...laughing hysterically. Exercise includes more than just going to the gym - when you are not alone, park at the back of the parking lot, go up and down the stairs at work or home more than necessary, walk and walk some more.
    
  • Read. Get lost in a book and forget about your own problems.
    
  • Watch a good movie.
    
  • Get involved in a hobby.
    

If 40% of our actions taken are geared towards finding our own happiness, fill your life with all the things that make you feel great about yourself and the future. Keep looking up and forward. Invigorate your mind and your relationships. Happiness is based on positive action.

In the words of Aristotle, "Happiness depends upon ourselves."

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