In an attempt to further clear my mind of clutter and superfluous thoughts I decided to clean out my email accounts. It seems that everyday there are more and more companies that add me to their email lists. My "Inbox", therefore, was becoming a swampland of unwanted ads and promotions. Easy enough to take cure.
I took two days to unsubscribe to every email that I didn't absolutely long to read. Now, instead of 20 plus emails twice a day I receive one to three of the little darlings. Every one of them is a welcome guest. I did, however, have to go through a day or two of emails telling me that I had been unsubscribed from various emails. My favorite was a notification that came from the local university. I had taken a workshop there a couple of years ago on dementia and aging and as usual, provided my email address as part of the registration form. When their last email came telling me of another workshop on the elderly I went to the bottom of the page and clicked on the unsubscribe button.
The next day I received one of the most exciting bits of news in my Inbox. The message read, "You have been unsubscribed from 'aging'." I can imagine all of my friends asking - "How does she manage to look so young?" I'll never tell.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Read Any Good Books Lately?
I recently posted that I've begun a mind diet of inspirational books in order to buoy me up and keep myself focused on my goals. But, you may ask, where does a person begin to select what to read with the thousands of books available. Why not start with a book about the books that are out there.
I happily stumbled upon 50 Self-Help Classics by Tom Butler-Bowdon. Although I found a used copy to purchase I did look into the local library system and found that they have five copies of the book. That's the good news. The challenging news is that all of the copies are out and there are 8 holds. However, it will be worth the wait because Mr Butler-Bowdon gives a nice synopsis of each book telling the reader what they can expect to find between the pages.
Most of the books reviewed are from the 20th Century, but there are a few from antiquity, such as, Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. In the case of this book Butler-Bowdon is nice enough to recommend a translation that he found especially accessible. Thank you, Tom.
Some of the recommended books are already on my shelf and waiting for me. Others that sound interesting but iffy are books that I'll probably get from the library and look through before I commit to making them a part of my collection.
I'd love to hear from you if you have any recommendations about books that have impacted your life. Always on the lookout for good books.
I happily stumbled upon 50 Self-Help Classics by Tom Butler-Bowdon. Although I found a used copy to purchase I did look into the local library system and found that they have five copies of the book. That's the good news. The challenging news is that all of the copies are out and there are 8 holds. However, it will be worth the wait because Mr Butler-Bowdon gives a nice synopsis of each book telling the reader what they can expect to find between the pages.
Most of the books reviewed are from the 20th Century, but there are a few from antiquity, such as, Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. In the case of this book Butler-Bowdon is nice enough to recommend a translation that he found especially accessible. Thank you, Tom.
Some of the recommended books are already on my shelf and waiting for me. Others that sound interesting but iffy are books that I'll probably get from the library and look through before I commit to making them a part of my collection.
I'd love to hear from you if you have any recommendations about books that have impacted your life. Always on the lookout for good books.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Mind Food
A while back I confessed that my New Year's resolution was to never say a bad word about anybody. Whew! What was I thinking. Actually, my mind monitor has been faithfully on the job and I'm enjoying my brighter, more optimistic world. Not a perfect world, but a better world.
I have another confession to make. I discovered a great support system that's shoring me up in so many wonderful ways. I decided to feed my mind lots of positive thoughts (you know how nature abhors a vacuum) and what to my wondering eyes should appear but a website that allows me to purchase used, audio books.
The site is half.com and is a great place to buy and sell books, movies, and audio books. So now, instead of listening to news about "The Economy" or the latest Hollywood/political scandal, I have audio books in my car and kitchen CD players. My collection includes titles such as The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch and Undivided Life by Parker J. Palmer. I've got a bunch more which I'll be sharing with you as I get into them.
Would also love to hear from you about books that have impacted your life in wild and wonderful ways.
"If we always helped one another no one would need luck." Sophocles
I have another confession to make. I discovered a great support system that's shoring me up in so many wonderful ways. I decided to feed my mind lots of positive thoughts (you know how nature abhors a vacuum) and what to my wondering eyes should appear but a website that allows me to purchase used, audio books.
The site is half.com and is a great place to buy and sell books, movies, and audio books. So now, instead of listening to news about "The Economy" or the latest Hollywood/political scandal, I have audio books in my car and kitchen CD players. My collection includes titles such as The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch and Undivided Life by Parker J. Palmer. I've got a bunch more which I'll be sharing with you as I get into them.
Would also love to hear from you about books that have impacted your life in wild and wonderful ways.
"If we always helped one another no one would need luck." Sophocles
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Beet Salad
No, this is not one of those recipes where you chop up apples and cooked beets and slather on a container of Cool Whip - don't forget the can of pineapple tidbits. Time to put on your big boy and big girl pants and stop having dessert for every course at a meal. Sugar is nasty stuff and does a body no good! Ask me how I feel.
This is a simple, healthy, and versatile little recipe that's a great topping for a bowl of delicious raw veggies.
Ingredients:
3 large raw beets, washed and peeled
Juice from one lemon
2T olive oil
Grate the beets and toss together with the lemon juice and olive oil. Place in covered container and refrigerate until ready to use.
Time for true confession. I have a Vita-Mix, that super blender with a two horse power motor on it. It grates up those beets for me in about a minute. Also, I really don't measure the amount of lemon juice and olive oil. Sometimes I'm in the mood for a little more tang and put the juice of two lemons into the mix. And, truth be told, I oftentimes pour on an extra splash of oil just before I eat a serving of this salad.
Variations, which I've come to know and love.
This is the salad that I use as a topper for my raw veggie salads, which contain all sorts of good things. Sometimes I press or finely chop 3 or 4 cloves of garlic and mix it in with about a third of a cup of the beet salad. A great way to get raw garlic into your diet.
Another thing I add to the beet salad are sliced olives. Yummy!
Enjoy!
This is a simple, healthy, and versatile little recipe that's a great topping for a bowl of delicious raw veggies.
Ingredients:
3 large raw beets, washed and peeled
Juice from one lemon
2T olive oil
Grate the beets and toss together with the lemon juice and olive oil. Place in covered container and refrigerate until ready to use.
Time for true confession. I have a Vita-Mix, that super blender with a two horse power motor on it. It grates up those beets for me in about a minute. Also, I really don't measure the amount of lemon juice and olive oil. Sometimes I'm in the mood for a little more tang and put the juice of two lemons into the mix. And, truth be told, I oftentimes pour on an extra splash of oil just before I eat a serving of this salad.
Variations, which I've come to know and love.
This is the salad that I use as a topper for my raw veggie salads, which contain all sorts of good things. Sometimes I press or finely chop 3 or 4 cloves of garlic and mix it in with about a third of a cup of the beet salad. A great way to get raw garlic into your diet.
Another thing I add to the beet salad are sliced olives. Yummy!
Enjoy!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Queen of Announcements
In a past life, which every now and then rears its ugly little head, I was the Queen of Announcements. These were announcements such as, "I had a salad for lunch!" or "Garlic is good for the heart so I put some into this spaghetti sauce!" Every announcement was, naturally, made as an exclamatory statement. They were, in reality, permission slips that I'd give myself.
Whenever I'd announce, for example, that I had a salad for lunch, I was letting everyone know that I now had a right to pig out for dinner, with an apology to pigs for using them in such a derogatory manner. The garlic in the sauce, which was generally one clove, made it OK, in my feeble mind, to consume an extra piece of dessert because my heart was protected by that smidgen of garlic.
Truth is, if eating a salad is an event rather than a daily habit, it's just not enough. And as for the garlic thing, I now consume 6 to 8 cloves of raw garlic every day. And, no, I don't have people backing off whenever I speak. The garlic cloves go through a press and are mixed into all sorts of tasty foods, one of which is my favorite raw beet salad, which shall appear as a recipe on this blog tomorrow.
Bottom line - good eating is best when it's a daily habit and not an event or a permission slip. I hope that I don't have to eat these words!
Whenever I'd announce, for example, that I had a salad for lunch, I was letting everyone know that I now had a right to pig out for dinner, with an apology to pigs for using them in such a derogatory manner. The garlic in the sauce, which was generally one clove, made it OK, in my feeble mind, to consume an extra piece of dessert because my heart was protected by that smidgen of garlic.
Truth is, if eating a salad is an event rather than a daily habit, it's just not enough. And as for the garlic thing, I now consume 6 to 8 cloves of raw garlic every day. And, no, I don't have people backing off whenever I speak. The garlic cloves go through a press and are mixed into all sorts of tasty foods, one of which is my favorite raw beet salad, which shall appear as a recipe on this blog tomorrow.
Bottom line - good eating is best when it's a daily habit and not an event or a permission slip. I hope that I don't have to eat these words!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
The Question of Exercise
I recently gave a presentation where I jokingly suggested an exercise regime entitled, "Clean Your House for Fitness." The idea behind this off-the-wall thought rests with the definition of exercise, which has to do with movement. So why not, I asked, set a timer for 20 minutes and deep clean in a room of your choice. Wouldn't that be considered a session of exercise?
And what to my wondering eyes should appear on one of my favorite Internet sites, TED.com, but a presentation by Dan Buettner entitled, How to Live to be 100+. For those of you unfamiliar with TED it's a site that has a boatload of video presentation, each about 20 minutes long, on any number of topics. Great stuff to check out.
At any rate, according to a study conducted by National Geographic and the National Institute on Aging, which sought out populations known for longevity and then looked for common denominators among these populations, exercise was examined. And what did these auspicious institutes find? The envelope, please. None of these populations exercised! Well, at least not in the way that we define exercise. But before you get too crazy and call all of your friends with memberships in health clubs, consider the rest of the story.
All of these people lived lives that constantly nudged them into intentional physical activity that they enjoyed. Those were things like walking and water skiing and chopping wood and gardening. There's a few more things that people can do to insure a longer healthier life. Check out the talk on TED and find out. You'll find Dan Buettner in the list of speakers. That would be a fun start in getting to know the TED site.
Enjoy!
And what to my wondering eyes should appear on one of my favorite Internet sites, TED.com, but a presentation by Dan Buettner entitled, How to Live to be 100+. For those of you unfamiliar with TED it's a site that has a boatload of video presentation, each about 20 minutes long, on any number of topics. Great stuff to check out.
At any rate, according to a study conducted by National Geographic and the National Institute on Aging, which sought out populations known for longevity and then looked for common denominators among these populations, exercise was examined. And what did these auspicious institutes find? The envelope, please. None of these populations exercised! Well, at least not in the way that we define exercise. But before you get too crazy and call all of your friends with memberships in health clubs, consider the rest of the story.
All of these people lived lives that constantly nudged them into intentional physical activity that they enjoyed. Those were things like walking and water skiing and chopping wood and gardening. There's a few more things that people can do to insure a longer healthier life. Check out the talk on TED and find out. You'll find Dan Buettner in the list of speakers. That would be a fun start in getting to know the TED site.
Enjoy!
Monday, February 8, 2010
Roasted Tofu
Before you get your undies in a bundle let me assure you that this is one of the most delightful taste treats you will encounter in the line of soy products. It's something I generally have on hand for myself or when I know there's going to be a vegetarian in the midst of a social gathering. It's also a big hit with the grandchildren as well as with my husband, who's expressed concern lest "the guys" find out that he eats and likes tofu.
Ingredients:
1 package firm or extra firm tofu - the kind in the liquid. It generally has a peel-back plastic top on the container
1/2 cup tamari or soy sauce
1/2 cup olive oil
Drain the tofu and cut it into 8 slices. Save the container. Place the slices between towels or between a couple layers of paper toweling. Press to get the tofu slices as dry as possible without squishing them.
Whisk together the olive oil and tamari or soy sauce. Place the tofu slices back into their container, standing them on edge, and pour the olive oil and tamari mixture over them. They should be completely covered with the liquid. If not, splash in a little more tamari.
Allow the tofu to marinate for 20 minutes. Turn the slices over and allow them to marinate another 20 minutes.
Drain and place the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Turn the slices over and bake for another 20 minutes. At this point I generally turn them over one more time and do another 20 minutes, but this is optional.
The roasted tofu is delicious cut into strips and added to a veggie stir fry. Also a tasty treat when chilled and cut into strips to top a salad.
Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 package firm or extra firm tofu - the kind in the liquid. It generally has a peel-back plastic top on the container
1/2 cup tamari or soy sauce
1/2 cup olive oil
Drain the tofu and cut it into 8 slices. Save the container. Place the slices between towels or between a couple layers of paper toweling. Press to get the tofu slices as dry as possible without squishing them.
Whisk together the olive oil and tamari or soy sauce. Place the tofu slices back into their container, standing them on edge, and pour the olive oil and tamari mixture over them. They should be completely covered with the liquid. If not, splash in a little more tamari.
Allow the tofu to marinate for 20 minutes. Turn the slices over and allow them to marinate another 20 minutes.
Drain and place the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Turn the slices over and bake for another 20 minutes. At this point I generally turn them over one more time and do another 20 minutes, but this is optional.
The roasted tofu is delicious cut into strips and added to a veggie stir fry. Also a tasty treat when chilled and cut into strips to top a salad.
Enjoy!
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Smocks
In my shopping list I recommend Dick Blick acrylic paint for projects - the Blickrylic. The good news is that this paint is formulated for use with school children so I trust its safety. Blickrylic paint also washes quite easily off of hands. On the challenging side this paint does not wash out of clothing unless you straightaway remove the garment from the person and run to a sink where soap and water is immediately available. Not always possible to do.The solution! I made a trip to the local thrift store and purchased a stack of dress shirts in various sizes. Next, using the aforementioned paint, each person in the group stenciled designs on a shirt of their choice and created a protective smock. Pockets and yokes, backs and collars, were artistically decorated, as you can see in the picture on the left. These are just a few of the creations that will be worn from now on for our weekly creativity groups. If additional paint is dripped or inadvertently dabbed onto the smock it will simply become part of the design.
Aren't we a clever bunch!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Shopping List
Second Childhood Creations is all about creativity with ease, and as mentioned in "About Me", I work with the senior population. That means we're also concerned about toxicity, safety, and other little things that can lead to delight or disaster. So let's keep all of those things in mind and talk about products. Actually, I'm doing the talking.
Whenever I present to a group of activity professionals about "Easy Projects on the Cheap," I supply a shopping list. (The actual name of the workshop is, "Six Creative Projects, the Supply Closet Workshop). This shopping list is what I consider the basics that you add to all those other things you've got sitting around, like wallpaper sample books, fabric scraps, magazines and greeting cards, cotton swabs, boxes, yarn, and various types of paper. Out of this blend comes wonderful projects, which will appear with amazing regularity on this blog. Whew!
So here's the SHOPPING LIST with a bit of details for the various products, such as why I use them, love them, promote them, and get nothing in return from the manufacturers. In fact, they probably don't even know that I'm promoting their wares.
Item # 1 is acrylic paint. I use Blickrylic from Dick Blick, which you can Google and then look at all of their products. I like the Blickrylic because it has good coverage*, lovely colors, dries quickly, and has been formulated for use with school children. If it's safe for the kids it's probably safe for their grandmas and grandpas. I generally recommend purchasing a pint of the brown, red, yellow, florescent green, blue and green. I also recommend a half-gallon of the white. We use a lot of white and mix it with red to get pink, with dark blue to get a lovely baby blue... You get the idea. We use a lot of white.
*A note on the florescent green, which is something you'd eventually find out anyway so I'm just going to confess right up front. The florescent green is a bit translucent and needs a number of coats for really good coverage, but if you add just a bit of white it becomes wonderfully opaque and is one of the favorite colors of our "artists".
One other paint to add to your list for a touch of bling is a bottle of gold metallic paint by Prang, also available from Dick Blick. It looks great over almost any color and gives it a metallic shine. Note: the metallic paint is entirely optional, but like good undergarments, who would want to do without!
For brushes I use the Charles Leanard Brushes that I purchase on the Sam's site. Last price check (Oct 2009) they were 10 for $6.88. They have nice sized handles for easy gripping. We prefer the flat bristles to the round.
When it comes to sticking things together we use two different products. The first is Glue Dots, which is heaven's answer to the glue gun. I am a safety disaster in the kitchen so you can imagine what I can do to my body with hot glue! We purchase the Glue Dots on sheets of twelve. You simply tear off a square and place a circle of sticky wherever you want to add an embellishment. We use them to attach silk flowers or buttons and bows. About half of the residents become quite proficient with the Glue Dots given time and encouragement. For the rest we apply the circle of sticky and say, "Right there. You can put the flower right there. Good job! Now press it in place. Good! It looks wonderful!" Don't forget the praise, encouragement, and conversation. Some days people's lives are just so devoid of these nice human touches. You can make all the difference. Good job!
Back to work. The other adhesive we use isn't manufactured to be an adhesive, but it's wonderful when used as one. It gloss gel, which is actually made so that when an artist wants to express some artistic emotion they mix it in with their paints and can make their paints form peaks and valleys and other emotional type things. (Are you following this? I think I just lost myself!) At any rate, gloss gel is wonderful for adhering paper to paper or for sticking larger objects together with a nice, tight weld. Liquitex makes a great gloss gel and Golden makes the Cadillac of gloss gels. Please note, these are only my opinions, so of course, I think they're accurate.
Finally, get yourself a roll of painter's tape, specifically the 3M 2080. It comes in various widths and can be used to tape over painted objects, which are then painted with a second color so that the object can have strips or squares and look absolutely lovely. It's always a kick when we take off the tape after a resident applies a second color and they see how incredible the object looks with its two-color pattern.
So in a nut shell, my recommended shopping list includes:
Blickrylic Paint - brown, red, yellow, florescent green, blue, green and white
Prang Metallic Paint - gold for sure and maybe silver, which is great over blue
Charles Leonard Brushes
Glue Dots
Gloss Gel
Painter's Tape - 3M2080
Some of the Creative Activities, which will appear on this blog , will use some of these very items! Life just keeps getting better and better!
Whenever I present to a group of activity professionals about "Easy Projects on the Cheap," I supply a shopping list. (The actual name of the workshop is, "Six Creative Projects, the Supply Closet Workshop). This shopping list is what I consider the basics that you add to all those other things you've got sitting around, like wallpaper sample books, fabric scraps, magazines and greeting cards, cotton swabs, boxes, yarn, and various types of paper. Out of this blend comes wonderful projects, which will appear with amazing regularity on this blog. Whew!
So here's the SHOPPING LIST with a bit of details for the various products, such as why I use them, love them, promote them, and get nothing in return from the manufacturers. In fact, they probably don't even know that I'm promoting their wares.
Item # 1 is acrylic paint. I use Blickrylic from Dick Blick, which you can Google and then look at all of their products. I like the Blickrylic because it has good coverage*, lovely colors, dries quickly, and has been formulated for use with school children. If it's safe for the kids it's probably safe for their grandmas and grandpas. I generally recommend purchasing a pint of the brown, red, yellow, florescent green, blue and green. I also recommend a half-gallon of the white. We use a lot of white and mix it with red to get pink, with dark blue to get a lovely baby blue... You get the idea. We use a lot of white.
*A note on the florescent green, which is something you'd eventually find out anyway so I'm just going to confess right up front. The florescent green is a bit translucent and needs a number of coats for really good coverage, but if you add just a bit of white it becomes wonderfully opaque and is one of the favorite colors of our "artists".
One other paint to add to your list for a touch of bling is a bottle of gold metallic paint by Prang, also available from Dick Blick. It looks great over almost any color and gives it a metallic shine. Note: the metallic paint is entirely optional, but like good undergarments, who would want to do without!
For brushes I use the Charles Leanard Brushes that I purchase on the Sam's site. Last price check (Oct 2009) they were 10 for $6.88. They have nice sized handles for easy gripping. We prefer the flat bristles to the round.
When it comes to sticking things together we use two different products. The first is Glue Dots, which is heaven's answer to the glue gun. I am a safety disaster in the kitchen so you can imagine what I can do to my body with hot glue! We purchase the Glue Dots on sheets of twelve. You simply tear off a square and place a circle of sticky wherever you want to add an embellishment. We use them to attach silk flowers or buttons and bows. About half of the residents become quite proficient with the Glue Dots given time and encouragement. For the rest we apply the circle of sticky and say, "Right there. You can put the flower right there. Good job! Now press it in place. Good! It looks wonderful!" Don't forget the praise, encouragement, and conversation. Some days people's lives are just so devoid of these nice human touches. You can make all the difference. Good job!
Back to work. The other adhesive we use isn't manufactured to be an adhesive, but it's wonderful when used as one. It gloss gel, which is actually made so that when an artist wants to express some artistic emotion they mix it in with their paints and can make their paints form peaks and valleys and other emotional type things. (Are you following this? I think I just lost myself!) At any rate, gloss gel is wonderful for adhering paper to paper or for sticking larger objects together with a nice, tight weld. Liquitex makes a great gloss gel and Golden makes the Cadillac of gloss gels. Please note, these are only my opinions, so of course, I think they're accurate.
Finally, get yourself a roll of painter's tape, specifically the 3M 2080. It comes in various widths and can be used to tape over painted objects, which are then painted with a second color so that the object can have strips or squares and look absolutely lovely. It's always a kick when we take off the tape after a resident applies a second color and they see how incredible the object looks with its two-color pattern.
So in a nut shell, my recommended shopping list includes:
Blickrylic Paint - brown, red, yellow, florescent green, blue, green and white
Prang Metallic Paint - gold for sure and maybe silver, which is great over blue
Charles Leonard Brushes
Glue Dots
Gloss Gel
Painter's Tape - 3M2080
Some of the Creative Activities, which will appear on this blog , will use some of these very items! Life just keeps getting better and better!
Veggies With Peanut Sauce
Love this dish because it's easy and versatile! You can choose your favorite veggies and make the peanut sauce plain or spicy. It can be served with pasta stirred right in (my favorite is soba noodles) or you can serve it over rice, quinoa or some other interesting grain.
Ingredients:
Veggies - Some of my favorites to use include onions, baby bella mushrooms, celery, carrots cut into match sticks, zucchini, and fennel. Use any or all, as well as some of your own favorites.
Tamari
Veggie broth
Peanut butter
One lime (optional)
Thai curry paste (optional)
Cooked pasta, rice, or quinoa (optional)
Slice the veggies into bite sized pieces. In a large, non-stick, covered pan cook the veggies over medium heat with just a small splash of veggie broth and tamari. Place the veggies that take the longest on the bottom. I usually like the onions on the bottom and let them go for a while so they get a bit of color. If I'm adding zucchini that goes in for just the last 5 minutes or so.
When the veggies are just about done I make a space in the center of the pan and spoon in some peanut butter along with another splash of veggie broth and tamari. This is also decision making time. You could stir in 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of Thai curry paste and/or a squeeze of lime juice. Thai curry paste will make the dish spicy and a squeeze of lime juice makes the dish limey, of course.
This is also the time when you could stir in some cooked pasta. You could also leave out the pasta and serve the veggies over brown rice or quinoa. And though it's not listed in the ingredients, this dish is also great with added chunks of chicken. Don't you just love choices!
Enjoy!
Ingredients:
Veggies - Some of my favorites to use include onions, baby bella mushrooms, celery, carrots cut into match sticks, zucchini, and fennel. Use any or all, as well as some of your own favorites.
Tamari
Veggie broth
Peanut butter
One lime (optional)
Thai curry paste (optional)
Cooked pasta, rice, or quinoa (optional)
Slice the veggies into bite sized pieces. In a large, non-stick, covered pan cook the veggies over medium heat with just a small splash of veggie broth and tamari. Place the veggies that take the longest on the bottom. I usually like the onions on the bottom and let them go for a while so they get a bit of color. If I'm adding zucchini that goes in for just the last 5 minutes or so.
When the veggies are just about done I make a space in the center of the pan and spoon in some peanut butter along with another splash of veggie broth and tamari. This is also decision making time. You could stir in 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of Thai curry paste and/or a squeeze of lime juice. Thai curry paste will make the dish spicy and a squeeze of lime juice makes the dish limey, of course.
This is also the time when you could stir in some cooked pasta. You could also leave out the pasta and serve the veggies over brown rice or quinoa. And though it's not listed in the ingredients, this dish is also great with added chunks of chicken. Don't you just love choices!
Enjoy!
New Year's Resolution
Seems like February might not be the exact time to make a New Year's resolution, but what the heck, it's never too late to jump in.
My own resolution came about quite by accident. I was talking with one of the young women who cleans at the facility where my dad lives. It was just before the holidays and she was telling me how much she missed her sister who was killed in a boating accident a number of years back. Then she said, "My sister was my hero. She never said a bad word about anybody." As she said these words her face lit up and it was obvious that her sister was someone that anybody would love to have for a friend.
My own reaction was that someday I would like to have someone speak about me in such terms and have their face light up at my memory. Bad news. I sometimes let slip unkind or judgmental talk. So here was an obvious resolution for me to make. I resolved to never say a bad word about anyone.
So how's it going, you might ask. Pretty good. Just having the thought that unkind and judgmental words are no longer acceptable has made me aware of the words that come out of my mouth and the words that are racing their way towards my lips. I have the ability to not speak or to do a U-turn mid sentence. This has turned out to be Good Care for my mind. My days are more peaceful and my heart is a bit happier.
And finally, when I'm in the company of someone who is talking about someone in a less than charitable manner, I share with them my resolution and tell them that what they're saying makes me uncomfortable. The truth is that it does. "It's me," I say to them, asking for their indulgence and understanding.
Finally, through this resolution I've come to understand a little bit more about taking Good Care of myself. Too often I'd think about Good Care in terms of only my body. I've found that caring for my mind and my thoughts and my words are as important for my body as the eating and exercising part of caring. It also seems to be a lot easier.
My own resolution came about quite by accident. I was talking with one of the young women who cleans at the facility where my dad lives. It was just before the holidays and she was telling me how much she missed her sister who was killed in a boating accident a number of years back. Then she said, "My sister was my hero. She never said a bad word about anybody." As she said these words her face lit up and it was obvious that her sister was someone that anybody would love to have for a friend.
My own reaction was that someday I would like to have someone speak about me in such terms and have their face light up at my memory. Bad news. I sometimes let slip unkind or judgmental talk. So here was an obvious resolution for me to make. I resolved to never say a bad word about anyone.
So how's it going, you might ask. Pretty good. Just having the thought that unkind and judgmental words are no longer acceptable has made me aware of the words that come out of my mouth and the words that are racing their way towards my lips. I have the ability to not speak or to do a U-turn mid sentence. This has turned out to be Good Care for my mind. My days are more peaceful and my heart is a bit happier.
And finally, when I'm in the company of someone who is talking about someone in a less than charitable manner, I share with them my resolution and tell them that what they're saying makes me uncomfortable. The truth is that it does. "It's me," I say to them, asking for their indulgence and understanding.
Finally, through this resolution I've come to understand a little bit more about taking Good Care of myself. Too often I'd think about Good Care in terms of only my body. I've found that caring for my mind and my thoughts and my words are as important for my body as the eating and exercising part of caring. It also seems to be a lot easier.
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