DO YOU VALUE YOUR LIFE? CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 131

When we are young we take our lives for granted, and we think we will live forever. If we are unfortunate and lose a parent, sibling or good friend we start to think more about the value of life.  We hear tragic news daily about young gang members being killed in drive-by shootings or another person who was just in the wrong place at the wrong time being killed.  Yesterday a 17-year old high school football player died of a stroke, and the number of people losing their lives due to hit-and-run car accidents is unbelievable.

Why am I starting the week off on a somewhat "down" subject?  I suppose for two reasons.  The first is that last week I lost a very dear, old friend to cancer.  He loved his life, his family, and he fought valiantly to keep living.  The second reason is this morning I had an early-morning appointment at the hospital lab to have some blood work done.  As I looked around at all the people waiting for various tests it was evident that many of them are very ill.  I was reminded to be thankful for not only my life but the lives of the people I love.  I am a cancer survivor, and I am very thankful for every single day I have.

I hope you will make the most of each day and never waste one because

LIFE IS PRECIOUS!

IS THERE LOVE IN YOUR LIFE? CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 130

These things are casting a pall over our everyday lives:

• The political childishness and incompetence in our government, 
• the racial and financial divisiveness being fueled by politicians,
• the rage of many citizens resulting in harm to others and even murder,
• the abdication of responsibility by many parents,
• their children seeking to belong to a family joining gangs,
• the horrific gang violence, the youth mobs attacking people,
• the outrageous lies being told by politicians and the main stream media,
• the lack of resolution to any of the huge problems we have faced for 5+ years,
• the ill-informed or uninformed people having no clue about what is really happening,
• the sweeping under the rug of scandal after scandal,
• the financial problems and unemployment millions are facing,
• the dreadful dumbing down of our schools,
• the poor academic performance of our children,
• and the fear of what our children and grandchildren will face in their lifetimes.

We receive daily doses of bad news relating to all of these things, and sometimes we must wonder if there is still anything good left in our country or the world.  The answer is there are millions of good people and many wonderful things still happening despite the ugliness of the daily news.

Love abounds if we give it and if we accept it.  So many kinds of love are available to us......parental love; love between siblings, friends, colleagues; puppy love, first love, love of your life, marital love, physical love; spiritual love, love of family, love of country, and love of pets.  

Be sure you are open to love, and it will make life so enjoyable despite all the trouble in the world.  If you give love, you will get love.  It's out there.  Go get it!

LOVE ABOUNDS!

HOW DO YOU SPEND YOUR SATURDAYS? CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 129

Are your weekends filled with to-do lists, household chores, chauffeuring children to various activities, going to your office to catch up, or trying to get a jump on your to-do list for the week ahead?  Do you find yourself thinking always about the future (or the past)?

I used to be that way, and I worked practically 24/7 after my children grew up.  The only thing that did for me was ruin my health in many ways.  So I advise my children to work hard but not 24/7.  Instead of worrying about the future or regretting anything in the past I tell them to live in the now.  Today is the only day we may have so be in it.

BE PRESENT!

HOW LONG WILL YOU TRY? CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 128

Are you a great starter?  Are you a great finisher?  I tend to be a great starter but not so much a great finisher.  I am the person with the closet full of UFOs (unfinished objects).  There are so many things I like to do or want to learn to do, but I get easily bored and easily sidetracked.  However, this trait is only as it relates to me.  I always finish anything I promise to others.  In my working life I was always on top of things and always met deadlines.

Why would I do that for others but not for myself? It is because I know that sooner or later I will finish those things that are currently resting in the closet.  Delays are okay as long as you are not harming anyone else by not finishing what you start.

I know that sooner or later

I'LL GET THERE!

ARE YOU EASILY UPSET? CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 127

When I was young having butterflies in my stomach was a common occurrence.  If something happy was going to be happening like a special holiday, a birthday, or a dance I had butterflies.  If I had a major test I had butterflies that day.  When I was grown up if I worked for a cranky boss I had butterflies, if my husband and I had a disagreement I had butterflies, if one of my children became ill I had butterflies, and the night before I had any of my many surgeries I had butterflies.  Of course, the butterflies were just another word for anxiety.

While all of us have anxiety at times, if it happens too often then it is not a healthy situation.  Anxiety can cause or exacerbate stress, and we already live in a world with enough stress for all of us.  I have a friend who became an alcoholic at a young age, but he has now been sober for 30 years.  He said one of the things that helped him get over the anxiety that propelled him into drinking too much was the Serenity Prayer which he learned while attending AA meetings.  If you are not familiar with it, the words are:

                               God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
                               the courage to change the things I can,
                               and the wisdom to know the difference.

Even if you are not a believer, the philosophy of those words can help relieve your anxiety and keep you from becoming easily upset.  If you think about what is causing you to be anxious or upset, ask yourself if there is anything you can do about it.  If there is, then do it.  If there is not, then let it go, and it will either resolve itself or it will not.   Remember to breathe (we all have a tendency to hold our breaths when we are struggling with problems), and take deep breaths which will help lower your level of anxiety.

The best thing you can do is:

STAY CALM

DO YOU SOMETIMES FEEL WEAK? CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 126

There are times when almost all people feel bereft of courage when trying to face a difficult time in life. Whether it be serious illness, relationships, loss of a loved one, angry boss, financial problems, or just fear of the unknown at times we can feel very weak which is a dreadful feeling.  The best advice I ever got was that I should take life one day at a time because that is how it is going to come.  Just try to get through each day the best you can.  There is a Scripture verse that says, "Don't worry about tomorrow for today has enough trouble of its own."  That does not mean each day is going to be a bad one for you but rather that we should focus on the present day.

Having courage does not mean having no fear but rather doing what you must in spite of feeling weak or fearful.  You can do it.  I know you can.

HAVE COURAGE!

DON'T WASTE EVEN ONE DAY - CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 125

Last night as I was watching Dancing With The Stars I was sorry to learn that one of the contestants Bill Nye had suffered a severe injury.  I was surprised when he decided to dance anyway despite what the doctor told him.  When asked why he opted to do it he said something like , "People don't regret what they do but what they don't do."

While we all have or will have regrets for some of the things we say or do in our lives, I think he was correct.  At the end of the day we will regret things left undone, opportunities not taken, words not spoken, kindness not extended, rifts not mended, and never doing the things that we always have wanted to do.  Time is fleeting and life is short.

Today's message is:

BE HAPPY NOW!