I thought a vacation was a time that you could relax

Aren't you supposed to get rest on your vacation? I was looking forward to my vacation to finally get some much needed rest. But here it is the last evening of vacation and I am exhausted. I am more exhausted then I was before my vacation. Now I have to get back in the swing of things and catch up on the things I didn't do because I was on vacation. That wasn't really a vacation at all, it was a lot of work. It will take me days to catch up and get back on track. Next time I will tell myself that it isn't a vacation it is sick days and I have to stay home and rest. No trips, no company, and no wearing myself out. When your mind and body are begging for a break, you have to take a break or your going to have a breakdown. Instead of buying clothes to wear out of town I am going to buy me a robe and a new set of sheets for my bed. After all a vacation should be me getting comfortable and relaxed.

Even if you get a good night's rest you can still feel exhausted

Being physically exhausted and emotionally exhausted go hand and hand together. No matter how much rest you get if you are emotionally stressed out you can feel like you still need more rest. If something weighs heavily on your mind it weighs you down physically as well. Everyone knows how important exercise and healthy eating is to maintain good health. But it's not only what you eat but what is eating you that determines your overall well being. Just like you flush the toxins out of your body by drinking water, you got to take the painful experiences from your past and JUST FLUSH IT out of your mind. And remember a good belly laugh is a FLUSH for your mind, body and soul. When is the last time you had a good belly laugh? They say laughter is the best medicine, so make someone laugh to help them feel better.

Not exactly homemade but .....

My granddaughter had to write a paper for class on her favorite place. When it was my house that she said was her favorite place,  I just couldn't help but feel loved. The first thing she mentioned about why it was her favorite was funny but ... Not what I expected. She said I made the best Pop tarts and chocolate milk. Obviously I can't take credit for being a great Baker, because Kellogg made them. She mentioned many other things that made my heart fill with love but I can't stop laughing about the Pop tarts. It just goes to show it is the little things that mean the most to people. Not just children but to everyone no matter what age, what gender you are, nor what country you live in. Every person will appreciate the little things just as much as the few and far between big things. You may think that it was no big deal but to them it might be a big deal. Although I thought my homemade lasagna was her favorite apparently I was wrong. Thank you Kellogg for making me the best chef ever in my granddaughters eyes.

If the shoe fits then wear it

You never truly know what someone is going through unless you walk a mile in their shoes. Even then you would have no idea all of the circumstances they have to face. You may think you know everything about them including their shoes size. But they are who they are because of a lifetime of reasons. Even your siblings that grew up together don't have a clue to how the other ones feel. Ten people can experience the same exact thing yet they all describe experiencing something different. Their point of view is the only thing they saw. Like the fortune cookie I got said, "Every person is the creation of himself, the image of his own thinking and believing." Your thoughts determine your reality. Peter Pan learned that he could only fly if he thought of happy thoughts. When you are with someone facing a negative situation make sure you help them see a positive part of it so they are more likely to have a positive outcome. You can only find what you are looking for. Remember anyone can make a mountain out of a mole hill if they keep adding dirt.

Why do it if it doesn't seem to matter?

In life you find yourself at times,  wandering if what you are doing or could do will really matter in the end. It may not seem to matter but it for sure won't matter if you don't. For instance you may run across someone who's circumstances have devastated them and they need more help then you can give them. Although you can only help them a little bit, it will matter to them. You can't solve all their problems but you can make things a little better. You may not think it matters if you just pick up a piece of trash as you walk by it at a park and put it in a trash can. It doesn't sound like much but if everyone else would pick up one piece of trash while at the park, it would keep it clean. Everything you do matters to someone even if it only matters to you. Now when you have more to do on your "to-do list" then you can do that's when if it doesn't matter then don't do it. Because not stressing over things that don't matter in those circumstances is what matters most.

Can anyone feel it?

You may have a lot of love in your heart but can anyone feel it? You may have good intentions but will you do what you had intended to do? You may be able to and know what you could do, but will you do it? If you want to make a difference you will have to actually do something that will make a difference. Those around you can only feel your love if you spend time with them so they can feel it. Your wisdom may help someone but only if you say it will it help anyone. So just do it unless you want to be saying a bunch of would'ves, could'ves, and should'ves later in life. Remember choosing to do nothing is still a choice you make.

The sky looked deep dark blue as if a Bermuda triangle was forming

I was on my way to the grocery store when the sky in the distance was dark blue. So dark blue that it looked like a Bermuda triangle was forming. As I drove towards the store, the thought crossed my mind that I should just turn around and get back home before the storm hits. But I decided to go go to the store but get less stuff, so I can quickly get in and out of the store before the storm hits. A storm can look far away but you never know how fast it is moving. So I raced through the store grabbing the bare necessities. Then as I am walking to my car in a rush to beat the rain, I see the sun shining and hear the birds chirping. I looked all around in the sky and all I could see as far as I could see was beautiful light blue sunny skies. I got home and was putting away the groceries when I could hear thunder in the distance. Literally five minutes later it was pouring buckets of rain outside. When I looked out the window the sky was deep dark blue and the thunder and lighting was shaking the ground. All I could think about was how on Earth could it have been hidden while I was loading my groceries and driving home and unloading my car. Where was it? How is that even possible? Hurricane season just started and that was an eye opener of how fast it can be upon you. Definitely need to get all my hurricane supplies. Although no storms were reported to hit us that day, out of no where one did. Our neighbors across the street had a tree uprooted and we had large branches break off our trees. You never know when, where, why, or even how it can pop in and out of no where. I felt like Chicken Little did when he kept telling them the sky was falling, but no one would believe him, until the aliens invaded them. No one believes me either that the black sky hid from me when I came out of the store then out of no where it was suddenly over my house.

Are you going to make some lemonade?

The roller coaster of life is full of ups and downs and there are many twists and turns. You can choose whether you ride a roller coaster at a theme park. But in life you don't get to choose, it is what it is and life is a roller coaster. You may not like it but like it or not, life will be hard at times. Sometimes you will have to bend like a pretzel. I am sure you have heard the phrase, when life gives you lemons you will have to make lemonade. We all know someone who seems to face tremendous obstacles in life, yet they are happy. You can't help but admire them for keeping a positive attitude despite their circumstances. When you are feeling discouraged just remember that there are many people who have it worse than you. It will remind you to be thankful your situation isn't worse. You may not like lemonade but you can make it and then trade it for something you do like. Or you can sit on your pity-potty and let your lemons rot, then you will be there stuck with rotten lemons. You may not get everything you want in life but you can still enjoy what you have. Your glass may only be half full but it will still quench your thirst. But if you refuse to drink it until it is completely full then you will die of thirst. It's not what you got but what you do with what you got.

The minute you give up was one minute too soon

In this fast paced world we live in we are always looking for instant gratification. But things don't always happen in an instant. You can't reach your goals if you give up on them because they don't happen fast enough. Just when you are almost there is not the time to loose patience. Quit expecting it to happen in an instant and you will have the patience you need to wait for it. If you tell yourself it may take a while then you will not expect it in an instant. How you look at it will determine the outcome. The time it will take is worth your wait but only if you will wait for it will you have it to enjoy it. You won't get very far if you keep turning around half way there.

It's not always easy but as long as it is doable then you can do it

When you find yourself dwelling on what has happened, remind yourself it could have been worse. It may not be easy but as long as it is doable you have to be thankful that it wasn't worse. It's like being thankful your roof is leaking because some people don't have a home. It is what it is but how you react to it will determine how it will affect you. I am sure you have heard the old saying "Anyone can make a mountain out of a mole hill if they keep adding dirt." It's all in how you look at it. Once it has happened, ask yourself, what positive outcome could there possibly be? Keep searching for all the positive that could possibly result from it and you just might one day say I am glad that happened or I would not be where I am nor who I am today. It may at times throughout your life feel like a tornado when negative situations hit you all at once. But sometimes it takes a tornado to get you where you need to be because you weren't going to get there any other way. Seasons come and seasons go in our lives just like it does in nature. There are reasons for the seasons and everything happens for a reason. What you see will be determined by what you are looking for.

Getting ready for company gets things done that you had put off

My uncle visits once a year and it motivates me to go through the stuff that had slowly piled up throughout the year. It's amazing how much you accumulate. To prepare for his visit it all gets put up making room for company as well as room for the stuff I will accumulate throughout the year. I straighten up the house for my family to gather but it is easy to tuck things in another room out of sight. But when my uncle comes to visit for nine days I know I can't hide anything. Spring cleaning happens to prepare for his visit even though it isn't spring. I am thankful he makes me spring into action because I know my house will get organized at least once a year. When he is here each year we go to a certain restraunt twice during his visit. The rest of the year even though we could go there anytime. We only go when he is in town so it will be something we look forward to all year long as we wait for his return. The conversations we have throughout the year on the phone are nice. But in person, you can have a lot more chances to have "small talk" that neither of you will forget. You can listen to each other without any distractions and really understand what each other is really saying and feeling. You have time for "small talk" when you talk for hours that you can't say in a ten minute phone call. You can't do it in a text or two either, so no chance of "small talk" there. Memories that are tucked away in our minds have a chance to get relived the more "small talk" you have. It's hard to pass something on if no one stops long enough to listen. And for sure you can't pass anything on if you dont stop long enough to talk. In this fast paced world we live in we are in too big of a hurry to get together to just talk. And the closest some of us get to a real hug is a text or a poke from cyberspace. Stay connected to your human side.

To enjoy the simple things in life you got to keep things simple

The more complicated you make it the more complicated it will be. Keep things simple so you can simply do it. Like your car may simply need washed not a new paint job. Don't schedule more things than you can possibly do. There is a difference between what you need to do and what you would like to do. Making a to-do list of both your needs and wants will be overwhelming if you feel like it all has to get done. Making goals that are unreachable will simply set you up for failures. Be realistic about what you can do. It's okay to dream big but realistically it may never come true. Allow yourself to enjoy all your "small dreams" along the way that you accomplish. If you are going to enjoy life you have to enjoy it while you are living it. You will never have everything you want but you can enjoy everything you got. Keep it simple so you won't be too busy and you can enjoy the simple things in life.