They are only little for a short time

As a grandparent you already know how fast children grow up. You know that it is a very short time that they Will want to hang out with you. You can only tell parents that although times seem rough when they are little it is the best years of being a parent. Before you know it they grow up and friends are the only ones they want to hang out with. That is why grandparents can't wait to become granparents. So they can once again enjoy the innocence of a young child that only last a short time before they grow up. Don't miss it because before you know it they will be too busy to hang out with you. Mine are still little enough to think grandma and grandpa are their best friends. Although they are spoiled it is only because we had to wait a long time in between when our own children were little and they grew up to be parents.

It only takes a second

It only takes a second to get a flu shot. It only takes a second to be exposed to the flu virus to get the flu. One second makes a world of difference. Throughout life a brief encounter can change everything. Make every second you have be a moment you won't regret. Keep in mind in life that there are no do overs. What is done is done. You need to think through things for more than a second to make sure you make the right decision. A decision you make in a second could make you spend a lifetime regretting it. Instant gratification only last a second.

It may be funny now but...

As my one year old grandson hid behind the chair hiding what he was holding, he really thought he was invisible. Even though he was squeezing a squeaky dog toy that made him giggle. I knew he couldn't hurt himself with it so I jokingly said you bring that to grandma, which made him merely squish further against the chair as if he would not be seen. Then once again you could hear the squeaking noise followed by laughter. The sound of a child laughing is precious. I would again jokingly tell him to bring it to me. About the third time my grandaughter came over and said he isn't listening to you and he is hiding from you. She knew if the older ones didn't do what I said they would get in trouble. She didn't understand why he wasn't being made to bring it to me. I explained to her that he was a baby and I didn't really care about him hiding it was funny to me that he thought he was truly invisible and that the sound he was making couldn't be heard either. She looked at me all confused about it.  I sure hope she doesn't run and hide when I tell her to come here next time expecting me to think it's funny. It may be funny when a one year old does it but when you are older you really know you aren't going to be invisible.

If you let it in you can expect an avalanche

Our mind has an endless amount of thoughts stored away. Many of them you will never know that they are even there. Some are not a part of the endless stream that pops up in your mind trying to grab your attention. Be careful which ones you choose as they stream by that you allow to grab your attention. Because giving it your attention allows it in and it brings an avalanche of other thoughts with it. If it's a good thought that is all right but if it is a negative thought it can be dangerous. At a quick glance of a negative thought you got to quickly JUST FLUSH IT out of your mind before it can do any damage to you. Reliving a bad memory allows it to hurt you again. You can't choose nor can you stop the stream of thoughts but you can choose whether you let it grab your attention or not. Grab on to the good thoughts and FLUSH the bad ones at a quick glance.

There is a limit to how many you can juggle

In our busy lives we have to juggle many things at the same time. There is work, family, bills, household jobs, as well as many other obligations. Then there are unexpected things that pop up out of nowhere that you will need to do. Squeezing in things for yourself can be nearly impossible considering how busy you are juggling everything else. But time for yourself is just as important as any of the things you have to do. I am not saying take all the time you want for yourself but you need to devote a little time for yourself to be able to juggle everything else. Keep in mind that there will be times when someone close to you may ask for your help but you will have to say sorry I just don't have the time to help you. You can't be everything to everyone because you just can't. You only have so much time and energy and you can only juggle so many things at the same time. It's not only OK to say NO but it is necessary to say NO when you already are juggling all that you can handle.

The only way to do it right is to do whatever it takes to do it the right way

Taking shortcuts doesn't always turn out right. Sometimes the steps you missed can be necessities in the end. If you want to have everything you will need when you get there then you will have to do everything along the way to have them. You have to accept that it may be harder than you thought. But if it's worth doing then it's worth taking the time to do it right. Sometimes just when you finish one thing you realize that there is something else that has to be done that you hadn't planned on.

You can be your biggest cheerleader or your worst enemy

When you are faced with trying times you analyze what has just happened. Sometimes you realize that you may have contributed to it. At this point you can either constantly obsess over your role in it or acknowledge it, learn from it and make sure you don't repeat it. Like the church sign said that inspired me, "It's OK to sit on your pity-potty every now and again just be sure to FLUSH when you are done." Keeping it fresh on your mind allows it to keep hurting you making you your own worst enemy. You can choose to acknowledge it and learn from it then JUST FLUSH IT out of your mind. The cheerleader side of you will always be there to encourage you to keep moving.

What a difference 24 hours can make

Throughout your lifetime you will have good times and bad times. That is the scary rollercoaster called life. There are turns and twist that you will have to bend like a pretzel to navigate through them. They can come out of nowhere at any time with no warning. At these times you need to regroup and come up with a plan in an instant. Everything happens for a reason in life. The next thing you know your choice sends the rollercoaster called life up. What you choose to do on the downward flows in life will determine how long you stay down. You would be surprised at the difference 24 hours can make in turning around a downward moment. Just hold on tight and see where it takes you by telling yourself everything happens for a reason even when you can't see any good reason why it would. One day you will be able to look back and have to say had it not been for that time in your life you wouldn't have found the path you needed to take to get you where you are today.

What message are you sending?

Your actions send a message loud and clear. Your words send a message loud and clear. The look on your face sends a loud and clear message. Even what you choose to ignore sends a message loud and clear. You may think that others clearly see you as someone who passes on positive messages to others, but do you? What messages are you passing on? If you do it or say it out of anger then loud and clearly your message will be heard.

The sight and sound of it will distract you to relax you

There was a time back in the "old days" when you found aquariums in most businesses and doctors office. They wanted you to relax while you were in the waiting room until you were called. You were so mesmerized watching the fish swim round and around distracting you from realizing just how long you had actually been there waiting. Nowadays in the awkard silence in a crowded waiting room you have nothing to distract you from growing frustrated as you agonizingly watch the minutes drag on as you wait and wait. The nurses and doctors can feel the tension in the air from the moment you enter the room. Which leads me to wander why they can't see that they too would benefit from investing in an aquarium so we all can have a relaxing day.

Loyalty is everything

If someone is loyal to you then you know that you can count on them through thick and thin. A fair weather friend is worse than having no friend at all. They are there to enjoy your good times but when the fun stops they blow with the wind to find someone else who they can join in on their fun with. So you may meet someone who is fun to hang out with but don't let them destroy your relationship with those who are loyal to you. Because when the fun is gone so are they. Keep in mind that in the end loyalty means everything.

What you thought was way off

In life there are things that you thought was what you wanted but when you got them you were thrown off your course. They ended up making things more complicated for you. You have to adjust so many things that you had spent your lifetime adjusting to make things work for you. When you start shoving a puzzle piece in that doesn't fit into your complicated life it makes your life more complicated. Rather than immediately start cutting pieces around it to make it fit you need to STOP and look at the whole picture of your life to decide if what you thought you wanted is worth losing what you know works for you. The pieces in your life you have now took a lifetime of adjustments to make work for you. If you have ever done a puzzle you know if a piece don't fit, it just don't fit.

The winter freeze is keeping us bundled up

The winter freeze is here for the coming weeks. The grandkids peeled off layer after layer of clothing they had to put on to stay warm. They hadn't been able to play outside to burn off their energy because it was just too cold outside to play. Their voices were louder than normal and their patience shorter being couped up inside. They ate some grilled cheese sandwiches and warm soup to warm themselves from the inside out. We all grabbed a warm blanket and settled in for a movie. Unfortunately Christmas break from school is over and they return to school tomorrow morning. They will have to bundle up because the hard freeze we are having will be here for a while. Remember the thinner the layers are you put on to keep warm the more flexible you will be to still move your arms like you need to and be warm. While you are making your family warm meals for their belly you also at the same time are warming your house from all the cooking.

Start the New Year out right

Happy New Year to everyone. A fresh start is just what we need. A fresh outlook on the possibilities waiting for us to explore. Renewed hope that anything is possible in the next 365 days. The freedom to live life and enjoy the adventures. I have decided to accomplish at least one goal each month making a dozen ways that 2018 will be a great year. A new year means the old things stay in the past.