Don't CHOOSE to Carry SANDBAGS

     When you have something WEIGHING HEAVY on your MIND it can make the WEIGHT you have to CARRY..... TOO HEAVY TO CARRY.

     LEARN from it what you NEED to then..... JUST FLUSH IT out of your MIND to LIGHTEN YOUR LOAD 

     Keeping it FRESH ON YOUR MIND is like CHOOSING to carry SAND BAGS everywhere you go on your LIFE'S JOURNEY.

   Which OBVIOUSLY will only make your JOURNEY HARDER than it has to be.

     You may not have CHOSEN what happened in YOUR PAST but you can CHOOSE whether you let it WEIGH HEAVY on YOUR MIND TODAY.

     Take the NEGATIVE EXPERIENCES from your PAST and LEARN from it what you need to then.....JUST FLUSH IT out of your MIND.

    If you want PEACE OF MIND you have to JUST FLUSH IT so PEACE OF MIND will have ROOM to GET IN.

     PEACE OF MIND is JUST a FLUSH AWAY.... so ..... JUST FLUSH IT so you can LIGHTEN YOUR LOAD and ENJOY YOUR JOURNEY.

    

    

     

SEASONS CHANGE and everything CHANGES

      You can never get TOO COMFORTABLE in LIFE because LIFE is always CHANGING.

      But LIFE would get BORING if things never CHANGED.

      NEW INVENTIONS would not be POSSIBLE if someone didn't CHANGE THINGS UP and the RESULT is the CREATIVE POSITIVE CHANGES for us all.

       Our UNIQUENESS is what INSPIRES UNIQUE CHANGES that we never knew was even POSSIBLE to ACHIEVE.

     So when a YOUNG person says they are going to CONQUER THE IMPOSSIBLE when they GROW UP you have to ENCOURAGE THEM to be able to be CREATIVE SO THEY CAN ACHIEVE the IMPOSSIBLE DREAMS they have.

     EMBRACE YOUR UNIQUENESS instead of FEELING WEIRD because you THINK DIFFERENTLY then other people do.

    Because the TRUTH is that ONE DAY the WORLD WILL BENEFIT in a POSITIVE WAY from YOUR WEIRD DREAMS that are now a REALITY. 

     If you DREAM OF GOING TO MARS then get CREATIVE and BUILD A ROCKET that can TAKE YOU TO MARS.

       Your DREAMS CAN'T COME TRUE if you DON'T HAVE DREAMS then FOCUS ON MAKING YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE.

I can FEEL the HOLLY JOLLY as soon as I see all the CHRISTMAS ON DISPLAY

     It's been awhile since I have seen the TWINKLE IN THE EYES of OTHERS everywhere I go. 

     Although we are all facing many challenges these days and don't SMILE as much, the CHRISTMAS CHEER is OFFICIALLY on DISPLAY to make US SMILE.

     I couldn't help myself when I walked in the store I had to buy a new CHRISTMAS item to DISPLAY at HOME so I could bring some HOLLY JOLLY HOME with me to ENJOY.

    This YEAR I decided I will buy more CHRISTMAS to DISPLAY then NORMAL because the more HOLLY JOLLY the BETTER and....  

    I know I can't decorate as NORMAL because we have a new PUPPY and...... well if you have EVER  had a PUPPY YOU KNOW WHY.

     So I will buy cheaper CHRISTMAS TO DISPLAY and keep the TREASURED CHRISTMAS ITEMS safely tucked away this year so he can't eat my TREASURED CHRISTMAS ITEMS this year.

     To bring a SMILE TO OUR FACES and to get a little EXERCISE we should all go AS OFTEN as we can to ENJOY the CHRISTMAS they have on DISPLAY as we WALK around the store.

    As I am ENJOYING the HALLOWEEN MONTH OF MOVIES I also get to ENJOY some HOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS CHEER TOO!

     

    

    

    

Well I know you don't want to hear the words.....THINGS JUST HAPPEN but....

      There is NO way to GIVE an HONEST ANSWER to EVERYTHING because there are some things that there just ISN'T AN ANSWER TO, NOT EVEN on GOOGLE.

     And if it is something that has HURT YOU.....there is JUST NO ANSWER that can TAKE AWAY YOUR PAIN.

      I know it DOESN'T sound COMFORTING when someone says.... IT'S JUST LIFE....BUT the TRUTH is... things JUST HAPPEN IN LIFE.

      It WOULD BE NICE if I could tell my CHILDREN and my GRANDCHILDREN that LIFE IS ALWAYS EASY, because the TRUTH is that LIFE ISN'T ALWAYS EASY.

      I have to be HONEST with them so they can be PREPARED to put in the HARD WORK to ENJOY LIFE on the GOOD DAYS AND THE BAD DAYS.

       BECAUSE.... WE only HAVE the TIME WE HAVE....SO WE have to ENJOY EVERY MOMENT THAT WE HAVE.

      Like the plaque on my wall says ...

I asked God for ALL THINGS that I might ENJOY LIFE. HE GAVE ME LIFE that I might ENJOY ALL THINGS.

     

      

     

     

What did they say?

     Ten people can HEAR IT yet WHAT THEY HEARD can be TOTALLY DIFFERENT.

     YOU may have been CONFUSED by WHAT YOU HEARD because HOW YOU INTERPRETED what YOU HEARD....DETERMINES WHAT YOU THOUGHT YOU HEARD.

     SO..... DON'T REACT to WHAT YOU THOUGHT YOU HEARD.

    WAIT to  REACT until you LEARN WHAT THEY MEANT FOR YOU TO INTERPRET BY WHAT THEY SAID for YOU TO HEAR.

    BECAUSE...... ONCE YOU REACT..... YOU CAN'T TAKE IT BACK.... YOU WILL HAVE TO FACE THE CONSEQUENCES for HOW YOU REACTED.

     Keep in mind that a FORTUNE COOKIE MESSAGE has a DIFFERENT MEANING to EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US.

    TRY IT.  Sometime by when you GATHER in a Group, READ A FORTUNE COOKIE MESSAGE OUT LOUD and have EACH PERSON write down what the MESSAGE MEANS TO THEM.

    You will SEE HOW EACH PERSON INTERPRETED it DIFFERENTLY.

     Goes to SHOW YOU that HOW YOU  FEEL ABOUT LIFE is HOW YOU LOOK AT IT.

     Are you the TYPE OF PERSON that SEES the GLASS HALF FULL....OR HALF EMPTY?

    

    

What YOU SEE depends on what YOU LOOK FOR

     If YOU ONLY LOOK for the NEGATIVE EXPERIENCES you have had then.... YOU CAN ONLY FEEL NEGATIVELY.

    FOR INSTANCE....

     Although YOU may have had a FLAT TIRE while you were out driving on the road TODAY.... YOU CAN still be THANKFUL that YOU DIDN'T have a WRECK TODAY.

    After YOU SPEND FIVE MINUTES changing YOUR TIRE, YOU COULD get a FEW MILES down the road.... about a FIVE MINUTE DRIVE.....and come upon a terrible WRECK.

    YOU have to CONSIDER that YOU were POSSIBLY LUCKY that YOU WERE DELAYED by FIVE MINUTES or that could have POSSIBLY been YOU that was in A WRECK.

     YOU can EITHER FEEL LUCKY OR YOU CAN BE ANGRY about having a FLAT TIRE....the CHOICE IS YOURS HOW YOU CHOOSE to SEE IT.

     Just like YOU can CHOOSE to SEE the GLASS HALF FULL and TAKE A DRINK AND QUENCH YOUR THIRST OR...

    YOU COULD DIE OF THIRST because YOU REFUSE TO TAKE A DRINK because YOUR GLASS is HALF EMPTY.

     IT'S UP TO YOU to LOOK for the POSITIVITY in EVERY SITUATION so YOU CAN SEE HOW YOU can have a POSITIVE OUTCOME to EVERY SITUATION YOU MUST FACE.

     YOUR LIFE'S JOURNEY will be full of CHALLENGES.

    BUT the BIGGEST CHALLENGE YOU WILL EVER FACE is CHALLENGING YOURSELF to FIND the POSITIVE in EVERY SITUATION that YOU WILL HAVE TO FACE.

    YOU CAN either be YOUR BIGGEST ENEMY OR YOUR BIGGEST CHEERLEADER on YOUR LIFE'S JOURNEY. 

    CHEERS 🥂 TO POSITIVE THINKING!

OBVIOUSLY If YOU DON'T Try then ....

   Obviously YOU CAN'T possibly succeed if YOU DON'T get up and try to DO IT.

    Obviously YOU CAN'T HONESTLY say it is IMPOSSIBLE TO DO IT if YOU NEVER EVEN TRIED TO DO IT.

    Obviously YOU CAN'T understand the TRUTH if YOU DON'T get ALL THE FACTS so YOU KNOW THE TRUTH.

     Obviously YOU CAN'T take care of YOURSELF if you are always putting OTHERS FIRST and YOU ARE TOO TIRED to take care of YOURSELF.

     Obviously YOU CAN'T make a POSITIVE DIFFERENCE in the world UNLESS YOU DO SOMETHING that will have a POSITIVE IMPACT ON OTHERS.

     OBVIOUSLY YOU MAY have a LOT OF LOVE in YOUR HEART but.... CAN ANYONE FEEL IT?

     OBVIOUSLY YOU HAVE TO BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF if YOU have ANY CHANCE to be the BEST YOU that YOU CAN BE.

    

Where did the birds go during the HURRICANE?

    As we walk around our yard after Hurricane Milton to survey it to see if there was any damage, we noticed A LOT OF FROGS jumping around.

    The FROGS were enjoying HOPPING from PUDDLE TO PUDDLE as they SPLASHED water into the air.

    Although many small branches had fallen down from the TREES there were MANY BIRDS CHIRPING joyfully.

    All the BIRDS were enjoying the abundance of WORMS that were forced out of the ground after their UNDERGROUND HOMES WERE FLOODED.

    The FLOWERS were beginning to DRY OFF and STAND UP and OPEN THEIR PETALS as the SUN SHINED on them now that the STORM had passed.

    The BUTTERFLIES AND BEES came out to ENJOY the POLLEN that somehow REMAINED even after ENDURING HURRICANE WINDS AND RAIN pounding down on them.

    Where did the BIRDS GO to WAIT OUT THE HURRICANE?

    Where did the FROGS GO to WAIT OUT THE HURRICANE?

    Where did the BUTTERFLIES AND BEES GO to WAIT OUT THE HURRICANE?

    You may NEVER KNOW WHERE NATURE IS HIDING during A HURRICANE IN YOUR BACKYARD, but AFTER THE STORM PASSES you can ENJOY EVERYTHING that is in your BACK YARD FOR YOU TO ENJOY!

All you can do is get PREPARED and HUNKER DOWN

    As we RECOVER from Hurricane Helene we also have to PREPARE for Hurricane Milton then HUNKER DOWN and WAIT. 

     LUCKILY the STORES had RESTOCKED their shelves and GAS STATIONS had PLENTY OF GAS to FILL UP our tanks.

    UNFORTUNATELY with JUST HOURS BEFORE HURRICANE MILTON ARRIVES we find out our GENERATOR won't FIRE UP after sitting in the SHED since LAST YEAR'S HURRICANE SEASON.

    It's TOO LATE to go out and SEARCH for another one so here WE GO waiting to see if we will LOSE OUR ELECTRICITY.

    It's HARD to PREPARE for WHATEVER THE STORM will bring......all you can do is PRAY that you are PREPARED ENOUGH for WHATEVER THE STORM will bring.

    STAY SAFE EVERYONE because PREPARED OR NOT here comes HURRICANE MILTON.

    

We ALL have a REASON but that DOESN'T mean you have an EXCUSE

    We ALL have had a PLACE to PLACE BLAME ON but that DOESN'T MEAN you have ANYONE BUT YOURSELF TO BLAME.

    YOU ALONE are RESPONSIBLE for YOUR ACTIONS..... REGARDLESS of the SITUATIONS that YOU have had to FACE.

    IT'S NOT the CIRCUMSTANCES that you are IN that will DETERMINE the OUTCOME it is HOW YOU REACT to the CIRCUMSTANCES that you MUST FACE that WILL DETERMINE THE OUTCOME.

    YOU ALONE DECIDE whether YOU ARE AN HONEST PERSON OR NOT...... REGARDLESS of whether ANYONE AROUND YOU IS HONEST OR NOT.

     JUST because SOMEONE ELSE is DOING IT DOESN'T MEAN it is the RIGHT THING TO DO..... IT'S UP TO YOU TO DO THE RIGHT THING.

      You can BLAME IT ON THE MOON but YOU KNOW THAT YOU HONESTLY HAVE NO ONE but YOURSELF TO BLAME.

       JUST BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF AND YOU WILL BE AN HONEST PERSON.

HUMANITY is A SHINING LIGHT during a very DARK TIME for the victims in Hurricane Helene's PATH OF DESTRUCTION

      The MAGNITUDE of the DESTRUCTION in Hurricane Helene's PATH will not be TRULY KNOWN for weeks.

      The PAINFUL SUFFERING that TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE have ENDURED and will CONTINUE TO ENDURE in their FUTURE is IMPOSSIBLE TO IMAGINE.

      The LOVE and HUMANITY that has been SHOWN, FELT AND SEEN of NEIGHBORS HELPING NEIGHBORS and HUMANS HELPING HUMANS is the TRUE AMERICAN WAY!

      UNITED WE STAND UP TOGETHER IN UNITY to SUPPORT EACH OTHER because that's what HUMANS DO.

      We DON'T HAVE TO AGREE to be A HUMAN, BUT we DO HAVE TO AGREE TO DISAGREE to STAND UNITED.

      SPREAD SEEDS OF HUMANITY AND HUMANITY WILL SPREAD AND REPLACE THE INSANITY WE SEE.

     The GRASSROOTS HEROES ARE COMING FROM EVERYWHERE TO HELP THEIR NEIGHBORS!

      

Keep your EARS and EYES WIDE OPEN OR ......

    You can't PRETEND that there ISN'T a GIANT BOULDER that is BLOCKING your PATHWAY, because it will BLOCK YOUR PATH unless you ACKNOWLEDGE IT AND GO AROUND IT. 

   You can't IGNORE BAD BEHAVIOR because that will make it become ACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR....... THEN you will have to EXPECT IT to HAPPEN TO YOU or SOMEONE YOU LOVE.... so DON'T LET IT HAPPEN TO ANYONE.

   You can't PRETEND like you DIDN'T SEE IT because ONCE YOU SEE IT ..... YOU CAN'T UNSEE IT.

    You can't IGNORE what they SAID .... because they SAID IT LOUD AND CLEAR.

    You can't PUT YOUR HEAD IN THE SAND and THINK IT WILL GO AWAY.... because IT WON'T GO AWAY.

     It may be HARD TO BELIEVE but.....

     It may be HARD TO UNDERSTAND but ...

     It may be HARD TO DO but ....

     It may be TRUE that the TRUTH MAY HURT YOU but......

     It IS WHAT IT IS..... UNTIL YOU ARE HONEST WITH YOURSELF AND SEE THAT IT AIN'T WHAT YOU THOUGHT IT WAS......

     KEEP YOUR MIND OPEN TO THE HONEST TRUTH that is RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU.

     

     

      

     

There are many EVERYDAY HEROES helping people who were devastated by Hurricane Helene

    The HEARTBREAKING STORIES and IMAGES of the DAMAGES from Hurricane Helene are HEARTBREAKING.

    There are also many HEARTWARMING stories of NEIGHBORS HELPING NEIGHBORS, even NEIGHBORS HELPING who LIVE STATES AWAY are REACHING OUT TO HELP.

    There are times when we CAN'T IMAGINE what we can even do to HELP THEM but we CAN'T IMAGINE NOT HELPING however WE CAN.

    There are many EVERYDAY HEROES that are coming from ALL AROUND to give them a HELPING HAND.

    It's IMPOSSIBLE to FULLY UNDERSTAND what STRUGGLES those in Hurricane Helene's PATH OF DESTRUCTION have ALREADY ENDURED.

    NOR CAN WE POSSIBLY IMAGINE or even KNOW what STRUGGLES they will have to ENDURE for possibly YEARS to come.

    There is ONE THING for sure that WE ALL CAN DO, which is SEND THEM OUR PRAYERS.

    

     

   

    

Stay INSPIRED and be FLEXIBLE

     You don't have to SUCCEED the FIRST TIME you do it, you just have to KNOW that as long as you DON'T GIVE UP ....you will eventually SUCCEED.

      It might take more than you THOUGHT but REMEMBER that you KNOW that you can FIGURE OUT what you will have TO DO to be able to ACHIEVE IT.

     Always STAY INSPIRED to STAY FLEXIBLE because LIKE IT or NOT..... Things are always CHANGING and you have to GO WITH THE FLOW to KEEP MOVING.

    You may be COMFORTABLE and NOT want things to CHANGE but you can't get TOO COMFORTABLE in LIFE because LIFE is ALWAYS CHANGING.

    But REMEMBER THIS......  YOU WON'T BE COMFORTABLE IN THE SKIN YOU ARE IN.... UNLESS YOU ARE COMFORTABLE WITH WHAT YOU ARE DOING IN THE SKIN YOU ARE IN!

    

    

    

RELAX by letting NATURE distract you so you can RELAX

     As you are feeling STRESSED OUT you should take a break OUTSIDE and let NATURE distract you so you can feel RELAXED.

    When you HEAR a bird CHIRPING you can easily be DISTRACTED while you LOOK around to SEE the Bird who is CHIRPING.

    It is especially exciting when you HEAR a WOODPECKER and instantly find his bright RED HEAD in a nearby tree.

    As you WATCH a YELLOW BUTTERFLY go from one FLOWER to the next FLOWER you feel RELAXED.

   Even the BEES are RELAXING to WATCH them as they gather POLLEN on their JOURNEY through your YARD.

    As you take a WALK around your YARD to get FRESH AIR and some EXERCISE you would be surprised at how RELAXING EXERCISE in NATURE can be.

    The next time you are FEELING STRESSED OUT .... just go OUTSIDE AND RELAX so you can FEEL LESS STRESSFUL. 

    

    

I DEDICATE this blog to JUSTIN BIEBER

    JUSTIN ......God has CHOSEN YOU to SPREAD HIS LOVE to the WORLD. 

    If YOU ever have ANY DOUBT about that just LOOK IN THE MIRROR and READ THE TATTOO on your belly because you are A SON OF GOD.

   WORLD PEACE is POSSIBLE by bringing PEACE OF MIND to ONE PERSON AT A TIME.

   GOD LOVES YOU, THE WORLD LOVES YOU AND YOU DESERVE TO LOVE YOURSELF!

    Unfortunately YOUR PAIN was necessary to FULFILL GOD'S PLANS FOR YOU.

    You are NOT ALONE so DON'T FEEL LONELY and YOU CAN ALWAYS CALL ME if you need to TALK so YOU CAN MAKE ROOM FOR PEACE OF MIND if you EVER get CLOGGED UP.

    

    

ONE THOUGHT at a time

     Have you ever ASKED YOURSELF why your mind FELT all CLOGGED UP?

    Have you ever FELT like you were having trouble ORGANIZING your thoughts so you could MAKE UP your mind?

    Have you ever had so MUCH NOISE in your head from TOO MANY THOUGHTS that you couldn't THINK CLEARLY?

    Our MINDS have an ENDLESS STREAM of THOUGHTS running through it trying to GRAB OUR ATTENTION.

    If you want PEACE OF MIND so YOU can THINK CLEARLY you will have to MAKE ROOM for PEACE OF MIND to GET IN.

    

    

   

Your PERSONALITY is what DETERMINES HOW YOU SEE THINGS

    Someone who is USE TO always being RIGHT can feel USELESS if things DON'T GO EXACTLY RIGHT.

    Someone who is USE TO always having to STRUGGLE IN LIFE can be HOPEFUL even during STRUGGLING TIMES.

     So WHO will SUCCEED is NOT SO OBVIOUS because in LIFE you never know WHAT LIFE has IN STORE for anyone.

    The FASTEST ONE does not always WIN THE RACE.

    Do you REMEMBER the RACE between the TORTOISE AND THE HARE?

    The FASTEST ONE DIDN'T WIN because he WASN'T FOCUSED on WHAT HIS PATH to VICTORY was.

    In LIFE YOU have to FOCUS ON WHERE you WANT TO GO and STAY FOCUSED AND STAY ON THE RIGHT PATH if you are going to GET THERE.

    In LIFE YOU have to GO WITH THE FLOW to KEEP MOVING.

   In LIFE YOU have to be WILLING TO TWIST LIKE A PRETZEL AT TIMES.

    When LIFE GIVES YOU nothing but LEMON'S you have to MAKE LEMONADE OUT OF THEM.

     In LIFE YOU can't get TOO COMFORTABLE because LIFE IS ALWAYS CHANGING, THAT'S JUST LIFE.

      DON'T GIVE UP when the GOING GETS TOUGH.... JUST TOUGHEN UP and you will get through the TOUGH TIMES.

      No one said LIFE WAS GOING TO BE EASY but that DOESN'T MEAN that YOU CAN'T ENJOY YOUR LIFE'S JOURNEY even though it may be TOUGH.

    

    

   

REALIZE that you AREN'T SELFISH just because you PUT YOURSELF FIRST

     Giving OTHERS a HELPING HAND..... WHEN YOU CAN.... MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD because YOU HELPED SOMEONE.

    BUT....THAT DOESN'T MEAN that YOU should GIVE.... EVEN IF IT WILL HURT YOU.... because YOU have to TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF FIRST.

    YOU have to REALIZE that you AREN'T being SELFISH... YOU ARE BEING SMART.

    Because YOU have to TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF if YOU want to be ABLE to HELP ANYONE ELSE.

     KEEP IN MIND that NO MATTER what YOU DO for someone....YOU CAN'T SAVE ANYONE IF THEY DON'T WANT TO SAVE THEMSELVES. 

    BUT.....UNFORTUNATELY there are THOSE that will TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR KINDNESS because THEY ARE SELFISH.

     SOMETIMES......To STAY HEALTHY..... YOU HAVE to PUT YOURSELF FIRST.

     That makes YOU SMART.... and YOUR SMART ENOUGH to KNOW that YOUR NOT BEING SELFISH.

A SIMPLE QUESTION can LEAD to IMPORTANT LIFE LESSONS

     Do YOU and YOUR FAMILY sit down at the dinner table EACH EVENING and talk about your day?

    If YOU DO...... then YOU KNOW that a SIMPLE QUESTION can LEAD to LEARNING WHAT IS IMPORTANT to EACH INDIVIDUAL FAMILY MEMBER.

    IF YOU DO...... then YOU KNOW that as you eat dinner you CONNECT ON A PERSONAL LEVEL with EVERY BITE YOU TAKE.

    In the GOOD OLD DAYS......WE ATE DINNER TOGETHER EVERY NIGHT... and WE ENJOYED EACH OTHER'S COMPANY.

    There was NO ELECTRONIC DEVICES IN EVERY PERSON'S HAND that DISTRACTED THEM from CONNECTING AS A FAMILY UNIT.

    There was NO UNHEALTHY PROCESSED FOOD or FAST FOOD that We ATE in SEPARATE ROOMS WITHOUT EVEN ACKNOWLEDGING EACH OTHER'S PRESENCE AT ALL.

    If I could PASS ON ANYTHING to a YOUNG FAMILY TODAY....I WOULD tell them from the day they START THEIR FAMILY they should MAKE FAMILY DINNERS A TRADITION.

    MAKE IT A FAMILY TRADITION OF NO ELECTRONICS AT DINNER TIME.

     MAKE IT A FAMILY TRADITION that there are NO ELECTRONICS ALLOWED AT ANY FAMILY HOLIDAYS.

     IT'S YOUR FAMILY and it's YOUR CHOICE what FAMILY TRADITIONS YOU WANT TO HAVE IN YOUR FAMILY 

     EVERY GENERATION CAN START FAMILY TRADITIONS IN THEIR FAMILY that they had DREAMED OF HAVING IN THEIR FAMILY.

     KIDS LEARN FROM THEIR PARENTS AND CARRY ON THE FAMILY TRADITIONS THAT THEIR PARENTS RAISED THEM WITH.

    PASS ON THE FAMILY TRADITIONS that YOU WANT TO PASS ON TO YOUR CHILDREN AND YOUR GRANDCHILDREN.

    SPREAD POSITIVITY and POSITIVITY WILL SPREAD....PASS IT ON!

TALK to YOURSELF

     TALKING to YOURSELF may sound CRAZY but... actually you would be CRAZY NOT TO.

     You could ask TEN people to get THEIR OPINION and get TEN DIFFERENT OPINIONS.

     They might even KNOW YOU very well but.....no one KNOWS YOU BETTER THAN YOU KNOW YOURSELF.

    SINCE You ALONE will have to LIVE with the CONSEQUENCES of EVERY DECISION that you will MAKE.....YOU ALONE should DECIDE what is BEST FOR YOU TO DO.

    Remember that what WORKS for SOMEONE ELSE may NOT WORK FOR YOU.

    What is IMPORTANT to SOMEONE ELSE may not be IMPORTANT TO YOU.

    We are all UNIQUE and what EACH OF US will NEED is UNIQUELY DIFFERENT.

    Since you KNOW YOU BEST then YOU WILL KNOW WHAT IS BEST FOR YOU.

    Although you may make a WRONG DECISION from time to time throughout your LIFE'S JOURNEY....... that DECISION was PART OF YOUR JOURNEY to be the BEST YOU THAT YOU CAN BE.

    

    

    

     

     

  

You will have to CLEAR YOUR MIND to be able to THINK CLEARLY

     It's HARD to THINK ABOUT ANYTHING if YOUR MIND IS SO CLOGGED UP you CAN'T THINK.

     It's HARD to THINK CLEARLY in order to be able to FIGURE OUT what you SHOULD DO if YOUR MIND is CLOGGED UP.

     It's HARD to THINK when the NOISE from ALL THE THOUGHTS in YOUR MIND makes it IMPOSSIBLE TO THINK ABOUT ANYTHING AT ALL. 

     To MAKE SENSIBLE DECISIONS you have to be able to MAKE SENSE of what you NEED TO MAKE SENSE OF by REALIZING WHAT THE CONSEQUENCES YOUR DECISIONS will have on you.

    COMMON SENSE is ONLY POSSIBLE if you MAKE ROOM IN YOUR MIND so YOU CAN THINK CLEARLY so you can MAKE SENSE OF IT ALL.

     If you want PEACE OF MIND so YOU CAN THINK you will have to MAKE ROOM for PEACE OF MIND to GET IN.

    Our MINDS have an ENDLESS STREAM of THOUGHTS trying to GRAB OUR ATTENTION but you DON'T HAVE to LET IT DISTRACT YOU.

   ONE THOUGHT AT A TIME you can JUST FLUSH IT out of YOUR MIND so PEACE OF MIND will have ROOM to GET IN.

     

If YOU KNOW that they are truly someone YOU CAN TRUST then......

    It takes a SPECIAL BOND with someone to KNOW IN YOUR HEART that they HAVE YOUR BEST INTEREST at HEART.

    It takes a SPECIAL BOND with someone to KNOW that they will ALWAYS BE HONEST WITH YOU even though the TRUTH MIGHT HURT you .

    Because to TRULY LOVE someone means that even though they WONT LIKE IT you LOVE THEM ENOUGH TO SAY IT if it will SAVE THEM.

    There is a BIG DIFFERENCE between a FLY BY NIGHT FRIEND and TRUE FRIEND that will be your LIFETIME FRIEND 

   We all SHOULD be THANKFUL for our TRUE FRIENDS and make sure we LET THEM KNOW THAT THEY ARE LOVED AND APPRECIATED. 

   Make PLANS to TAKE THEM OUT TO LUNCH so YOU can ENJOY LUNCH WITH A FRIEND.

   You will KNOW HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE in your LIFETIME and would be LUCKY if you have THREE TRUE FRIENDS.

   REMEMBER....It's NOT the QUANTITY..... it's the QUALITY THAT COUNTS. 

    

    

You CAN'T HELP THEM they have to WANT TO HELP THEMSELVES

     Have you ever heard the phrase... You can LEAD a horse to WATER but You CAN'T MAKE THEM DRINK the WATER?

     IT'S The SAME for wanting a HUMAN TO DO what you KNOW is Best for them.

     If they DON'T SEE THAT IT'S WHAT THEY SHOULD DO, then THEY WON'T DO IT. 

     It's HARD to WARN someone that you LOVE to SAVE THEM from getting HURT, but THEY DO IT ANYWAY and get HURT.

     BUT....it WOULD BE MUCH HARDER to NOT HAVE WARNED THEM and then THEY GET HURT.

     Keep in mind that even though they may NOT HEED YOUR WARNING......HOW YOU SAY IT to them CAN DECIDE whether they OPEN THEIR EARS TO HEAR IT.

    BUT the TRUTH is that IF THEY DON'T WANT TO SAVE THEMSELVES then NOTHING YOU CAN SAY CAN SAVE THEM.

    You will NEVER REGRET TRYING to SAVE THEM but..... you WILL FOREVER REGRET IT IF YOU DIDN'T TELL THEM to POSSIBLY HAVE SAVED THEM and they GET HURT.

   

To ENJOY the FRUITS OF YOUR LABOR you have to DO THE LABOR OF WORKING to get any fruits

     You have to PUT IN THE WORK to EARN YOUR MONEY because MONEY DOESN'T GROW ON TREES it requires EFFORT.

    If you WANT ANYTHING EXTRA than you will have to EARN EXTRA MONEY to GET IT.

   YOU will have to STICK TO YOUR BUDGET on how to SPEND THE MONEY YOU EARN if you EXPECT to have the MONEY to PAY YOUR BILLS.

   At the END OF the WEEK when you get your PAYCHECK you should be PROUD OF YOUR HARD WORK and the LONG HOURS it TOOK YOU to EARN that PAYCHECK.

    AND with the HIGH INFLATION every DOLLAR YOU EARN has to GO A LONG WAY just to BARELY GET BY. 

    It's HARD TO SAVE MONEY when you BARELY have the MONEY TO MAKE ENDS MEET.

    But we all NEED TO SAVE FOR A RAINY DAY because it's GOING TO RAIN AT TIMES.

    LUCKILY I had LEARNED by accident because I had to STICK TO MY BUDGET, that most of the time the "OFF BRANDS" taste EXACTLY LIKE the "NAME BRANDS".

   Then recently I HEARD on the NEWS that MANY STORE BRANDS are ACTUALLY MADE by the SAME COMPANIES just PACKAGED DIFFERENTLY.

    SO even though I DON'T HAVE MONEY TO SAVE now I KNOW that I am SAVING MONEY NOW AND IN THE FUTURE because I will CONTINUE TO SAVE BY BUYING "STORE BRANDS".

   Life is full of CHALLENGES but when YOU LEARN AS YOU GO you will LEARN LESSONS that Will HELP you for your LIFETIME.

   DON'T PUT ALL YOUR "EGGS" IN ONE BASKET because it takes "EGGS AND TOAST" to MAKE IT A "COMPLETE MEAL".

   To SAVE FOR A RAINY DAY won't KEEP YOU FROM GETTING WET but ...it will KEEP YOU WARM IF YOU HAPPEN TO GET WET.

    

When you DON'T REACT it makes them WANDER WHY YOU DIDN'T REACT

     Your FIRST REACTION to ANYTHING OR ANYONE that HURTS YOU is GUARANTEED to be a NEGATIVE REACTION.

    And YOUR NEGATIVE REACTION will DETERMINE WHETHER you are GUARANTEED to have a NEGATIVE OUTCOME OR NOT.

    You NEED TO STOP AND THINK about what YOUR ACTIONS WILL BRING BEFORE YOU REACT AT ALL 

    The CIRCUMSTANCES that you FACE DOESN'T DETERMINE the OUTCOME....It is HOW YOU REACT to the CIRCUMSTANCES that will DETERMINE the OUTCOME you will have.

    NEGATIVE Things HAPPEN in LIFE through NO FAULT OF YOUR OWN but HOW YOU REACT to the THINGS THAT HAPPEN in YOUR LIFE is PURELY UP TO YOU.

     When you CHOOSE NOT TO REACT to a NEGATIVE SITUATION until you can THINK ABOUT HOW YOU SHOULD REACT........ you are CHOOSING TO THINK ABOUT IT SO YOU CAN HAVE A POSITIVE OUTLOOK so you can have a POSITIVE OUTCOME.

   REMEMBER TO STOP AND THINK ABOUT IT BEFORE YOU REACT because ONCE you REACT YOU CAN'T TAKE it BACK.

    It makes me THINK about the Elvis song lyrics....STOP....LOOK .. AND LISTEN... THAT'S MY PHILOSOPHY.

    ADOPT THE PHILOSOPHY to STOP AND THINK ABOUT what your ACTIONS WILL BRING.... BEFORE YOU REACT so you can have the BEST POSITIVE OUTCOME YOU POSSIBLY CAN.

    

   

Give them HOPE and HOPEFULLY they will have HOPE for a BRIGHTER TOMORROW

    You can't deny that we all have seen that EVERYONE has had TIMES on their LIFE'S JOURNEY that are CLOUDED with WORRISOME CIRCUMSTANCES.

    But there are some people who seem to be CONSTANTLY having to FACE one PROBLEM after another.

   Even though you don't have a MAGIC WAND to make ALL of their PROBLEMS go away, you can still give them HOPE that THEIR TOMORROW'S WILL BE BRIGHTER.

    Although YOU CAN'T and THEY DON'T EXPECT you to FIX ALL THEIR PROBLEMS, they are HOPING that YOU will give them a moment of YOUR time to LISTEN to THEM.

    Just by LISTENING TO THEM it will HELP them by allowing them to TALK ABOUT IT so they can then JUST FLUSH IT out of THEIR MIND. 

    For anyone to have PEACE OF MIND they have to be able to take their PAINFUL EXPERIENCES and JUST FLUSH IT out of their MIND so PEACE OF MIND will have ROOM to GET IN.

    You DON'T have to have the SOLUTION to THEIR PROBLEMS but by giving them HOPE you will have HOPEFULLY HELPED them make ROOM for PEACE OF MIND.

    World PEACE is POSSIBLE by bringing PEACE OF MIND to ONE PERSON AT A TIME.

    

    

 

A GOOD RELATIONSHIP means way more than a materialistic item

     A NEW CAR is nice but a NICE CONVERSATION with someone you love is A LOT NICER 

    LIVING in A BIG MANSION may be NICE but it is lonely.....  LIVING in a SMALL BUT LOVING HOME is a LOT NICER. 

    Being surrounded by a LARGE COMMUNITY OF FAKE FRIENDS is LONELY but being part of a small group of LOVING FAMILY MEMBERS feels COMFORTING.

    If you have to CHOOSE then CHOOSE WISELY because your CHOICES make up the REALITY That you will LIVE.

   FAMILY and LOYAL FRIENDS will STAND STRONG WITH YOU BUT.... FAIR WEATHER FRIENDS will BLOW AWAY IN THE WIND.

   TREASURED MEMORIES are PRICELESS MOMENTS that you will TREASURE.

   HAPPINESS isn't something that you can buy.... it's something that you have while SPENDING TIME with those YOU LOVE.

    

STICK to what you KNOW

     If you KNOW that you SHOULDN'T DO IT..... then DON'T DO IT.

    If you KNOW then YOU KNOW that you SHOULD STICK to what YOU KNOW.

    If you KNOW that you have to be the BEST YOU that YOU CAN BE in order to DO YOUR BEST, then YOU KNOW you have to STICK to what YOU KNOW so that you can be the BEST YOU that YOU CAN BE.

    If you KNOW that YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW then YOU KNOW how IMPORTANT it is to PLANT SEEDS that will make the WORLD A BETTER PLACE for EVERYONE.

    If you KNOW that it will take HARD WORK then you KNOW that you will have to WORK HARD.

    If YOU KNOW..... YOU KNOW..... YOU HAVE TO STICK to what YOU KNOW to GET 'R DONE.

   The WORLD won't get BETTER ON IT'S OWN and no matter WHAT STATE or WHAT COUNTRY you LIVE IN WE ALL must DO OUR PART.

   I KNOW that WORLD PEACE is POSSIBLE by bringing PEACE OF MIND to ONE PERSON AT A TIME.

    

We can MEET in the MIDDLE

    If you NEED to PARTNER UP with ANYONE it will REQUIRE YOU to SIT DOWN AND DISCUSS WHAT EACH of YOU NEED.

    It will REQUIRE YOU to LOOK at it from THEIR POINT OF VIEW and SUCCESSFULLY EXPLAIN what YOUR POINT OF VIEW IS.

   ONCE YOU LEARN about WHAT EACH OF YOU NEED then YOU WILL KNOW whether YOU WOULD MAKE GOOD PARTNERS.

    ONE THING is for sure......YOU WILL BOTH HAVE TO MEET IN THE MIDDLE so that BOTH of YOU CAN GET WHAT YOU NEED.

   Whether it is a BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP or a PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP... the ONLY WAY that IT WILL WORK is to MEET IN THE MIDDLE.

    If YOU BUILD A BRIDGE ONLY HALFWAY... then YOU CAN ONLY GET HALFWAY to WHERE YOU WANT TO BE. 

   

    

LEARN FROM IT so you can LEARN HOW

     DON'T be so HARD on yourself because You weren't born KNOWING EVERYTHING about EVERYTHING.

     If you will LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES you will AT LEAST LEARN WHAT NOT TO DO.

    IF at FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED.......JUST TRY AND TRY AGAIN... until you LEARN WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO SUCCEED.

    DON'T GIVE UP when the going gets TOUGH... JUST LEARN AS YOU GO AND KEEP ON GOING.

    Too many people EXPECT INSTANT GRATIFICATION and GIVE UP WHEN IT DOESN'T HAPPEN INSTANTLY.

    If it is IMPORTANT TO DO then it is IMPORTANT TO DO WHATEVER IT TAKES.

    If you WANT IT then........ JUST DO IT.....PUT IN THE HARD WORK and..... JUST DO IT.

    A LIFE WORTH LIVING TAKES DEDICATION AND HARD WORK.... PERIOD.

Do you have a CONTENTED MIND?

    Even though you MAY have MANY CHAOTIC things you are going through, you can still have a CONTENTED MIND.

    If you CHOOSE to think about the positive things that you are THANKFUL for, you will have a CONTENTED MIND.

   If you CHOOSE to think about all the things that you are GRATEFUL for, you will have a CONTENTED MIND.

    It's all in whether you CHOOSE to SEE the GLASS HALF FULL or HALF EMPTY.

    You could DIE OF THIRST with YOUR HALF FULL GLASS OF WATER if you REFUSE to TAKE A DRINK because it isn't a FULL GLASS.

    Being CONTENT with WHAT YOU DO HAVE is ALL that is NECESSARY to have a CONTENTED MIND.

    When you are DEALING with a TORNADO OF TROUBLE IN YOUR LIFE, you can still have PEACE OF MIND by FOCUSING on the POSITIVE THINGS in YOUR LIFE.

    PEACE OF MIND is a STATE OF MIND no matter what STATE or what COUNTRY YOU LIVE IN.

   You can EITHER SEE the GLASS as HALF FULL or HALF EMPTY, IT IS UP TO YOU!

   Be GRATEFUL for WHAT YOU DO HAVE instead of filling YOUR MIND with THOUGHTS of WHAT YOU DON'T HAVE.

   YOU CAN''T be GRATEFUL for WHAT YOU DO HAVE if you don't APPRECIATE WHAT YOU DO HAVE.

   Do YOU SEE the GLASS HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY?

   You DON'T have to have EVERYTHING that you EVER WANTED to have a CONTENTED MIND.

  You can HAVE a CONTENTED MIND because you have EVERYTHING THAT YOU NEED.

    

GOOD THINGS come to those who do GOOD THINGS

    It's not always EASY but it's EASY to SEE that two WRONGS don't make a RIGHT.

   Just because OTHER PEOPLE are DOING IT DOESN'T mean that it is the RIGHT THING for ANYONE TO DO.

   Just because it's HARD doesn't mean you can't do it, it just means that it is going to be HARDER than you THOUGHT.

   Which SIMPLY MEANS that YOU will have to WORK HARDER than YOU THOUGHT YOU WOULD have TO WORK.

    EVERY NEW INVENTION was ACCOMPLISHED through the UPS AND DOWNS BY someone who was DETERMINED ENOUGH to do the HARD WORK no matter HOW HARD it got.

    LIFE is HARD AT TIMES but your HARD WORK will BRING you the PEACE OF MIND you DESIRE throughout your LIFE'S JOURNEY.

    Remember those that HURT YOU are PEOPLE WHO ARE HURTING and by SHOWING them LOVE AND KINDNESS you can BRING them PEACE OF MIND.

   PEACE ON EARTH IS POSSIBLE by BRINGING PEACE OF MIND TO ONE PERSON AT A TIME.

   ONE thing LEADS to ANOTHER so BE KIND TO EVERYONE and PASS IT ON.

   

  

You don't have to be the BEST to be GOOD at what you do

    As long as you put YOUR BEST EFFORT into DOING IT then you will be PROUD that you put in the EFFORT you NEEDED to get DONE what you WANTED TO DO.

   You may not be able to SEW an ENTIRE NEW OUTFIT but you can still SEW up a SIMPLE TEAR in the fabric to FIX IT so you can WEAR IT.

   You may not be able to PARALLEL PARK but luckily you don't have to because you can still PARK in a PARKING SPOT in the PARKING LOT to go inside the store.

   You may not be a FIVE STAR CHEF but you can still COOK SOME GOOD TASTING FOOD that you can ENJOY EATING.

   You may not be an OLYMPIC GOLD STAR ATHLETE but you can still be GOOD at PLAYING SPORTS.

   You may not have an amazing VOICE and be able to SING in a FAMOUS BAND but you can still ENJOY SINGING KARAOKE.

   No one is PERFECT so just DO YOUR BEST and ACCEPT that although it won't be PERFECT it WILL BE PERFECTLY FINE.

   ALLOW YOURSELF to BE HAPPY with the OUTCOME REGARDLESS of the OUTCOME KNOWING that YOU did YOUR BEST.

   At the END of the DAY all that matters is that you are PROUD OF YOURSELF because you KNOW that you DID THE BEST YOU COULD DO.

  

Life begins in a GARDEN

    I recently bought a small outdoor LAWN FIGURE of a FROG riding a bike with a LARGE SEED as the  front wheel and a SMALL SEED as the back wheel.

   Although I love FROGS it was the WORDS written on the FRONT WHEEL that captured my FULL ATTENTION.

   It said... LIFE BEGINS IN A GARDEN.

   Just like a FORTUNE COOKIE message it made me STOP TO PONDER what was the MESSAGE that it was saying to me.

   INSTANTLY lots of different WAYS that I had personally PLANTED SEEDS throughout my LIFE'S JOURNEY popped up in my MIND.

   I definitely bought it to sit it INSIDE my home so everyone that READS it will be able to RELAX for a moment while THEY PONDER what it means to them.

   I have MANY little messages on refrigerator magnets and small decor throughout my home to PLANT SEEDS of MESSAGES to distract myself to RELAX as I PONDER them.

  What MESSAGE does "LIFE BEGINS IN A GARDEN" SAY TO YOU? 

  And to give you something else for you to PONDER .....What KINDS of SEEDS are you PLANTING?

   

You have CHOICES to MAKE, CHOOSE WISELY

     You CAN'T FIND IT unless you take the time to LOOK FOR IT.

    It could be RIGHT IN FRONT of your FACE yet you DON'T SEE IT because you CHOOSE TO IGNORE IT.

    If you want to KNOW THE ANSWER to YOUR QUESTIONS you will have to ASK THE QUESTIONS.

   If you want to FIND ANYTHING ...you have to LOOK FOR IT if you HAVE ANY CHANCE of FINDING IT.

   If you want to be HEALTHY you will have to live a HEALTHY LIFESTYLE.

   If you want to have PEACE OF MIND you have to take all the NEGATIVITY and JUST FLUSH IT out of your mind to MAKE ROOM for PEACE OF MIND to GET IN.

   If you want to be KNOWN as an HONEST PERSON than BE HONEST.

   If you want to ENCOURAGE others then you have to say something ENCOURAGING TO THEM.

   If you want to SPREAD POSITIVITY into the WORLD then you have to plant SEEDS OF POSITIVITY so POSITIVITY will SPREAD.

   As you can SEE the WORLD won't get BETTER ON IT'S OWN... WE ALL MUST DO OUR PART.

   IT'S TRUE YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW.

   You have NO CHANCE of ENJOYING any TOMATOES from your GARDEN if you ONLY PLANT PEPPERS in YOUR GARDEN.

   

   

   

   

What would those around you tell you?

    Do you THINK that those around you would BRING A SMILE to your face when you didn't think there was anything to SMILE ABOUT?

    Do you THINK that those around you would GUIDE you into LOOKING for a POSITIVE OUTLOOK to your SITUATIONS?

   OR are those that are around you KEEPING NEGATIVE THOUGHTS FRESH ON YOUR MIND and PREVENT you from SEEING A POSSIBILITY Of a POSITIVE OUTCOME?

    Who YOU SURROUND YOURSELF WITH will make all the DIFFERENCE in YOUR REALITY by INFLUENCING YOUR THOUGHTS either NEGATIVELY OR POSITIVELY.

    I hope you CHOOSE to LOOK for the POSITIVE in EVERY SITUATION AND...... ONLY SURROUND YOURSELF WITH POSITIVE THINKING PEOPLE.

   HAPPINESS is just a STATE OF MIND.

   Remember Peter Pan could ONLY FLY if he THOUGHT OF HAPPY THOUGHTS.

   SURROUND YOURSELF WITH POSITIVE THINKING PEOPLE TO THINK POSITIVE THOUGHTS.

  

At one time it sounded like a good idea....

     Sometimes you realize that what you THOUGHT was a GOOD IDEA...... ISN'T.

    Sometimes you realize that what you THOUGHT WOULD WORK.... DOESN'T WORK.

   Sometimes you realize that what was IMPORTANT TO YOU BEFORE.... ISN'T IMPORTANT TO YOU ANYMORE.

   Sometimes you realize that you didn't have ALL THE FACTS... WHICH CHANGES EVERYTHING when you CONSIDER ALL THE FACTS.

    CIRCUMSTANCES CHANGE.

    YOUR OPINION CHANGES.

    YOUR WANTS AND NEEDS CHANGE.

    YOU CAN'T GET TOO COMFORTABLE IN LIFE... because LIFE IS ALWAYS CHANGING.

     What USED TO WORK.... JUST DOESN'T WORK ANYMORE.

     BUT one thing that HASN'T CHANGED IS IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE....IT ISN'T TRUE.

     KEEP YOUR MIND OPEN TO ACCEPTING THAT IT IS WHAT IT IS....NOT WHAT YOU THOUGHT IT COULD BE.

    THINGS are HAPPENING that I never THOUGHT WOULD HAPPEN....BUT LIKE IT OR NOT..... IT'S HAPPENING....SO I  HAVE TO ADJUST if I PLAN to KEEP MOVING FORWARD..... PERIOD.

   IT IS WHAT IT IS.... THAT'S JUST LIFE AND LIFE IS A ROLLERCOASTER FULL OF UPS AND DOWNS AS WELL AS TWISTS AND TURNS.

    WE ONLY HAVE the TIME WE HAVE AND WE NEED TO ADJUST AS WE GO TO BE ABLE TO ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF THE TIME WE HAVE.

    Some of our MOST TREASURED MEMORIES are from the MEMORIES OF the TOUGH TIMES WE EXPERIENCED AND HOW WE POWERED THROUGH THEM.

    

    

ONE STEP at a time you will be ONE STEP CLOSER

    You won't get where you want to be if you don't get up and take a STEP to GET THERE.

    It may be true that you take TWO STEPS FORWARD but you FALL ONE STEP BACK.

    That STILL means that you are ONE STEP CLOSER to where you want to be.

    It may take LONGER than you THOUGHT it would TAKE but if you want to get there you'll have to ACCEPT that YOUR JOURNEY will take LONGER than you THOUGHT.

    Don't WASTE YOUR TIME AND ENERGY looking for a SHORTCUT to AVOID the HARD WORK.

    Just ACCEPT that it WILL TAKE HARD WORK to get where you want TO GO and you will NEED YOUR TIME AND ENERGY TO DO the HARD WORK if YOU EXPECT to GET there.

    You don't always KNOW what EXACTLY you will have TO DO but you know WITHOUT A DOUBT that if YOU WANT IT you will have to do WHATEVER IT TAKES TO GET IT.

   LIFE can be HARD AT TIMES but when TIMES GET TOUGH the TOUGH GET UP AND GET GOING.

   YOU CAN DO IT...YES YOU CAN.

TO DISTRACT yourself Just LOOK UP T-shirts with CATCHY STATEMENTS

    When you NEED to DISTRACT NEGATIVE THOUGHTS. . THINK about ANYTHING ELSE to PUSH IN NEW THOUGHTS to DISTRACT YOURSELF.

    For example to DISTRACT YOURSELF just GOOGLE T-shirts with CATCHY STATEMENTS.

    There you will FIND LOTS OF COLORFUL ART with CATCHY SILLY THOUGHTS to PONDER to DISTRACT YOURSELF.

    Don't KEEP a NEGATIVE THOUGHT FRESH on your mind or an AVALANCHE OF NEGATIVE THOUGHTS will CLOG YOU UP AND STINK.

    YOU can GO FOR A WALK to SEE many THINGS TO DISTRACT YOU.

    YOU can go OUT TO LUNCH with your friend to have FUN while you HANG OUT and RELAX to DISTRACT YOURSELF.

   YOU can WATCH A MOVIE that you have WANTED TO WATCH for a while to DISTRACT YOURSELF.

   YOU can CALL and TALK to someone you LOVE to DISTRACT YOURSELF.

    If YOU WANT PEACE OF MIND you have to take some of those NEGATIVE THOUGHTS and JUST FLUSH IT out of your mind to MAKE ROOM for PEACE OF MIND to GET IN.

     JUST FLUSH IT ONE THOUGHT AT A TIME, ONE DISTRACTION AFTER ANOTHER.

    

DON'T keep it FRESH on your MIND!

     Don't let a NEGATIVE CIRCUMSTANCE from your PAST stay FRESH ON YOUR MIND allowing it any chance to STINK UP your TODAY'S. 

    Take the NEGATIVE EXPERIENCES from your PAST and JUST FLUSH IT out of your mind so PEACE OF MIND will have ROOM to GET IN.

   There will be CHALLENGES on YOUR LIFE'S JOURNEY that will CHALLENGE YOU.

    There will be HARDSHIPS on YOUR LIFE'S JOURNEY that will be HARD but the POSITIVE OUTCOME that YOUR HARD WORK will BRING will be WORTH IT.

    You may have not been able to PREVENT IT from happening but YOU CAN PREVENT IT from staying FRESH ON YOUR MIND HURTING YOU over and over again as you KEEP RELIVING IT over and over again.

   When it POPS UP trying to GRAB YOUR ATTENTION..... JUST FLUSH IT.....out of YOUR MIND.

   YOU can't have a FEELING without FIRST having a THOUGHT.

    If YOU want to have HAPPY THOUGHTS then....THINK of things that MAKE YOU FEEL HAPPY.

  If YOU want to FEEL HAPPY then...THINK of HAPPY THOUGHTS. 

   

   

    

TOUGH TIMES are TEST

     It's EASY to be kind and courteous when everything is EASY GOING.

    BUT... how will YOU BEHAVE during the TOUGH TIMES?

    YOUR TRUE CHARACTER will be SEEN by OTHERS by how YOU REACT during the TOUGH TIMES.

   Don't do anything that YOU SHOULDN'T DO to get through the TOUGH TIMES because you will have to LIVE with the CONSEQUENCES for EVERYTHING that YOU do for your LIFETIME.

    Don't let YOUR FRUSTRATION control YOUR BEHAVIOR because YOU will be FRUSTRATED with YOURSELF at the END OF THE DAY.

    DON'T turn a TEMPORARY SETBACK into a SETBACK that will SET YOU BACK for a LIFETIME.

    You may not have EXPECTED IT but you have to ACCEPT IT because LIFE is a rollercoaster and you will have GOOD DAYS and BAD DAYS, that's just LIFE.

   BEFORE YOU REACT Just STOP and THINK about what YOUR ACTIONS will BRING because once YOU REACT YOU can't take it back.

   The OUTCOME isn't determined by the CHALLENGES that you face it is determined by HOW YOU REACT to the CHALLENGES that you face.

    

   

     

Will YOU do what makes you HAPPY?

     If YOU want to have the RIGHT TO DO what YOU want TO DO then YOU have to let OTHERS have the RIGHT TO DO what THEY want TO DO.

    What WORKS for SOMEONE ELSE may not WORK FOR EVERYONE but EVERYONE should have the RIGHT TO DO what WORKS FOR THEM.

    If it MAKES YOU HAPPY then YOU WILL BE HAPPY DOING IT.... so JUST DO IT and BE HAPPY.

   It's a FACT that YOU can't PLEASE EVERYONE but YOU CAN and YOU should PLEASE YOURSELF.

   As long as it DOESN'T HURT ANYONE ELSE and it MAKES YOU HAPPY then DON'T WORRY about what ANYONE ELSE thinks.

    DON'T WORRY...... BE HAPPY.

    

You can FEEL the THUNDER SHAKE the GROUND

     As we were watching the TV together out of nowhere came a RUMBLE that was impossible to ignore.

    We knew they were PREDICTING RAIN but we were caught off guard when the RUMBLE FROM THE THUNDER SHOOK the couch we were sitting on.

    It was not RAINING yet but you knew the RAIN WAS ON IT'S WAY because we could FEEL THE RUMBLE.

    When we LOOKED OUTSIDE we could SEE THE DARKNESS in THE SKY HEADING OUR WAY.

    We decided to SIT ON THE PORCH to WATCH THE CLOUDS as they ROLLED IN.

     The dogs came outside to LAY DOWN on the PORCH with us. 

     All of a sudden in the middle of a sentence WE WERE SILENCED by a LIGHTNING STRIKE that LANDED EXTREMELY CLOSE to the PORCH.

      WE KNEW a STORM WAS COMING. We KNEW YET it STARTLED US sending OUR HEARTS POUNDING.

      Obviously we ALL RACED TO THE DOOR to get INSIDE to BE SAFE FROM being STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.

       THE DOGS were the FIRST ONES IN they SURE didn't think about PROTECTING US.

     All they Thought about was PROTECTING THEMSELVES from the LIGHTNING.

     The LOOK THEY GAVE ME when we got INSIDE was a LOOK OF FRUSTRATION that WE WOULD EVEN HAVE TOOK THEM OUTSIDE in the MIDDLE OF A STORM.

      As the THUNDER AND LIGHTNING ROARED OUTSIDE we could FEEL IT SHAKING THE EARTH.

     ALTHOUGH it only lasted for about a HALF HOUR FOR THE ENTIRE THIRTY MINUTES IT FELT LIKE A WAR WAS RAGING ALL AROUND US.

     LATER when the RAIN HAD PASSED we went back out on the PORCH but our DOGS decided that WE COULD GO OUTSIDE BY OURSELVES this time and they would just STAY INSIDE.

    We could HEAR THE BIRDS out CHIRPING as they waited for the WORMS to COME UP to the surface as the RAIN HAD JUST FLOODED THEIR HOLES UNDERGROUND.

    WE could HEAR THE FROGS CROAKING as they CAME OUT OF HIDING to PLAY IN THE WATER PUDDLES.

     As the cars drove down the road you could HEAR THE SPLASHING as THEIR TIRES ROLLED through the WET ROADWAYS.

   As the RAINWATER SPLASHED DOWN off the ROOFTOP you could HEAR THE PATTERN OF SOUND OF THE WATER AS IT WAS DRIPPING DOWN.

     A THUNDERSTORM REMINDS US that MOTHER NATURE IS UNDENIABLY A POWERHOUSE.

   AND SHE OCCASIONALLY SHOWS US THAT IN JUST THE BLINK OF AN EYE HER POWER can SHAKE THE EARTH.

     

    

     

Will you GET UP AND STAND STRONG or GET PUSHED DOWN and STAY DOWN?

     If YOU want to STAND STRONG then YOU WILL HAVE TO STAND UP for WHAT'S RIGHT!

    If YOU want to BE SAFE then YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE IS SAFE!

   If YOU WOULDN'T want it to HAPPEN TO YOU OR SOMEONE YOU LOVE.....THEN DON'T LET IT HAPPEN TO ANYONE!

    The WORLD won't get BETTER ON IT'S OWN...WE ALL MUST DO OUR PART.

    WORLD PEACE is POSSIBLE by EVERYONE EVERYWHERE BRINGING PEACE OF MIND to ONE PERSON AT A TIME!

    WITHOUT even saying a word you can make a POSITIVE DIFFERENCE because A SMILE SAYS PEACE IN ANY LANGUAGE!

    HAPPINESS is a STATE OF MIND no matter WHAT STATE OR WHAT COUNTRY YOU LIVE IN!

     YOU may have a lot of LOVE IN YOUR HEART but can ANYONE SEE IT OR FEEL IT? 

    Even if YOU are not able to HELP them you DEFINITELY can HELP THEM by making sure YOU DON'T make it WORSE FOR THEM!

    BE KIND TO EVERYONE YOU MEET because you have no idea what they may be facing.

Have you ever wished that YOU HAD NOT SAID what YOU SAID?

     After a hectic situation after you have had a moment to think about it...have you ever said.... 

     I SHOULDN'T HAVE SAID THAT?

    Or I WISH I WOULDN'T HAVE DONE THAT?

     We all have FELT SOMETHING and SAID THINGS during a HEATED MOMENT IN LIFE that we wish WE HAD NOT SAID.

   We have all REACTED to a NEGATIVE CIRCUMSTANCE in such a NEGATIVE way that we wish we COULD TAKE BACK how we REACTED. 

    UNFORTUNATELY once you SAY IT you can't change what PEOPLE HEARD.

    UNFORTUNATELY once you DO IT it BECOMES a FACT something that YOU DID that you are HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR because YOU DID DO IT.

    LUCKILY you can be FORGIVEN if you ASK FOR FORGIVENESS from those who you had hurt, but CAN you FORGIVE YOURSELF?

    We tend to EASILY FORGIVE OTHERS yet we JUDGE OURSELVES so harshly that we have trouble FORGIVING OURSELVES.

     Remember that NO ONE IS PERFECT so accept that NO ONE is PERFECT INCLUDING YOURSELF.

   We ARE ALL JUST HUMAN AND HUMANS ARE NOT PERFECT, BUT....... REMEMBER BEFORE YOU REACT.....STOP and THINK about what YOUR ACTIONS WILL BRING because ONCE YOU REACT YOU CAN'T TAKE IT BACK.

   AND like your MOM TOLD YOU....IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANYTHING NICE TO SAY.....THEN YOU SHOULDN'T SAY ANYTHING AT ALL.

     

     

    

Don't MISS IT because you didn't LOOK for IT

    You can't wait for it to FALL IN YOUR LAP because IT WON'T just FALL IN YOUR LAP.

    Just because you DESERVE IT doesn't mean you WILL GET WHAT YOU DESERVE.

    You will have to LOOK FOR IT if you have ANY CHANCE of FINDING IT.

    You have to FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO AND HOW TO DO IT so you KNOW WHAT TO DO if you want to SUCCESSFULLY DO IT.

     When you are a child you THINK THAT ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING is EASILY POSSIBLE but when you are an adult you REALIZE that some things are GOING TO BE HARDER than you THOUGHT.

    IF it is IMPORTANT TO YOU then YOU WILL HAVE TO LOOK for a WAY TO DO IT and DO WHATEVER IT TAKES to DO IT.

   The ANSWER is not always EASY TO FIND but if YOU LOOK FOR IT, YOU WILL FIND IT, if YOU DON'T LOOK FOR IT then you WILL NEVER FIND IT.

   It may take HARD WORK but IF YOU PUT IN the HARD WORK you can get the RESULTS you want.

    IF YOU DON'T PUT IN THE WORK then you WON'T GET the RESULTS you WANT, it's that SIMPLE.

  The RESULTS YOU will GET AFTER YOU PUT IN all the HARD WORK you will CLEARLY SEE that IT WAS WORTH YOUR HARD WORK.

   LIFE is not ALWAYS EASY but it's EASY to SEE that if you WANT IT then you will have to put in the HARD WORK to get it.

   So..... JUST DO IT.

    

    

What kind of VIBES are you BRINGING?

     As you INTERACT with someone what kind of VIBES are YOU sending them?

    Did you know that without SAYING A WORD how you FEEL is CLEARLY KNOWN by the LOOK ON YOUR FACE?

    From the MOMENT an ANGRY PERSON enters the ROOM everyone can SUDDENLY FEEL THE TENSION growing in the room.

    Have you ever EXPERIENCED that kind of MOMENT?

    Could you IMAGINE what the LOOK ON YOUR FACE would LOOK LIKE if you would LOOK IN THE MIRROR when YOU ARE ANGRY?

     I THINK EVERYONE SHOULD GO LOOK IN THE MIRROR the Next time they are ANGRY to SEE WHAT EXACTLY other people would SEE.

     And TRUST me you will CLEARLY SEE at a glance it ISN'T A GOOD LOOK.

   From the MOMENT a HAPPY GO LUCKY INDIVIDUAL walks in the ROOM everyone can SUDDENLY FEEL a SENSE OF CALMNESS around them.

    Have you ever wandered what KIND of VIBES are YOU SENDING when YOU ENTER the ROOM?

    Have you ever Asked YOURSELF what KIND OF VIBES DO YOU WANT TO BE SENDING?

    If YOU WANT TO SEND OUT GOOD VIBRATIONS ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS START SHARING A SMILE WITH EVERYONE YOU MEET.

   A SMILE SPREADS PEACE EVERYWHERE because a SMILE SAYS PEACE IN ANY LANGUAGE.

  PEACE ON EARTH IS POSSIBLE BY BRINGING PEACE OF MIND TO ONE PERSON AT A TIME.

     

     

    

    

    

    

One thing leads to ANOTHER to GET what you NEED you HAVE TO PUT IN THE WORK

    Not EVERY DAY will be EASY but EVERY DAY you  WAKE UP is a DAY you should be GRATEFUL to have.

    As long as YOU ACCEPT that you won't get EVERYTHING you could EVER WANT you will be able to be GRATEFUL that you have EVERYTHING that you need.

     HOW YOU FEEL will be determined by WHAT YOU SEE which is determined by HOW YOU LOOK AT IT.

     You may not like getting WET when you get caught out in a RAINSTORM but you can still be THANKFUL it's RAINING because you know we NEED THE RAIN.

     Driving through the CONSTRUCTION while they work on the ROAD is ANNOYING but you will APPRECIATE the IMPROVEMENT to the ROADS when the CONSTRUCTION is completed.

    It is a lot of HARD WORK to PLANT THE FLOWERS but it SURE brings a SMILE to your face EVERY TIME you GET TO ENJOY the FLOWERS BLOOMING.

    IF YOU PUT in the WORK YOU WILL BE ABLE TO ENJOY the FRUITS OF YOUR LABOR.

   IT'S TRUE YOU WILL REAP WHAT YOU SOW. 

    If you want to ENJOY the VEGETABLES from your GARDEN it is ONLY POSSIBLE if you PLANT A GARDEN.

Keep your EYES WIDE OPEN so you will SEE WHAT IS BEST

    You may not AGREE with them on EVERYTHING but you can STILL RESPECT them if they are a GOOD PERSON.

    A GOOD TEAMMATE may be a VEGETARIAN and you are a MEAT lover but TOGETHER you can still make a GOOD TEAM.

    And you can still ENJOY going OUT TO DINNER WITH THEM. 

     YOU can ENJOY your BEEF BURGER and THEY can ENJOY their VEGGIE BURGER while you BOTH SHARE SOME FRIES.

    You NEED to KEEP your EYES WIDE OPEN to SEE the POSITIVE in EVERY SITUATION AND IN EVERY PERSON so you SEE WHAT PARTS you NEED TO KEEP.

     NO ONE is PERFECT so QUIT EXPECTING ANYONE but ESPECIALLY YOURSELF to BE PERFECT.

    We are ALL DIFFERENT and it is OUR DIFFERENCES that MAKES US EACH UNIQUE.

    If we were all the SAME there wouldn't be anything NEW to TALK ABOUT.

     DON'T LET ANYONE OR ANYTHING CHANGE WHO YOU ARE because YOUR UNIQUENESS IS WHAT MAKES YOU UNIQUE.

    

   

If you TELL SOMEONE that YOU WILL then YOU WILL DO IT

     If YOU TELL SOMEONE that YOU WILL be there at 10, YOU GET THERE AT 10.

   If YOU TELL SOMEONE that YOU WILL HELP them, YOU GET UP AND HELP them.

   If YOU TELL SOMEONE that YOU WILL DO IT, YOU JUST DO IT.

    BUT..  have YOU NOTICED that if YOU SAY YOU WILL DO IT for YOURSELF YOU PUT OFF DOING IT?

    If YOU SAY YOU WILL DO IT because YOU NEED TO DO IT for YOURSELF, GET UP AND DO WHAT YOU SAID YOU WOULD DO.

   A PERSON IS ONLY AS GOOD AS THEIR WORD...  SO STICK TO YOUR WORDS... INCLUDING WHAT YOU SAY YOU WILL DO FOR YOURSELF.

    

Be PROACTIVE to make sure you have what YOU NEED in YOUR FUTURE

    Spend some time with the ELDERS in your family and you will see what you will be doing when you are the ELDERS OF YOUR FAMILY.

    You WILL SEE the NEED to STAY HEALTHY when YOU ARE YOUNG so you will be HEALTHY when YOU ARE OLDER.

    You WILL SEE that what THEY CHOSE TO DO when THEY WERE YOUNG has DETERMINED WHO THEY ARE AND WHERE THEY ARE NOW THAT THEY ARE OLDER.

    You WILL SEE that we all ONLY HAVE THE TIME WE HAVE and we NEED TO ENJOY EVERY MOMENT WE HAVE. 

    You WILL SEE that NOTHING IS MORE IMPORTANT than the TIME WE get to SPEND TOGETHER with OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY.

    You WILL SEE that it WILL TAKE HARD WORK to get where you WANT TO BE but it WILL BE WORTH THE HARD WORK.

   You WILL SEE that you may own several homes during your LIFETIME but you might WANT a HOME WITH NO STAIRS that you WOULD HAVE TO CLIMB as YOUR LAST FOREVER HOME.

    You WILL SEE that for YOUR OVERALL WELL BEING you WON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE in the SKIN YOU ARE IN UNLESS YOU ARE COMFORTABLE with WHAT YOU DO IN THE SKIN YOU ARE IN.

     IT'S THE CIRCLE OF LIFE, ONE DAY YOU ARE BORN AND ONE DAY YOU WILL BE THE ELDER.

   

   

    

   

Either YOU WILL or YOU WON'T

     Whether someone LEARNS from THEIR MISTAKES is BASED on whether they will ADMIT THEIR MISTAKES.

    Whether someone is HONEST OR NOT is determined by whether THEY CHOOSE TO BE HONEST OR NOT.

    Whether someone HEARS what IS SAID OR NOT depends on whether THEY LISTEN to what IS SAID OR NOT.

    To be the BEST YOU that YOU CAN BE REQUIRES YOU to DO YOUR BEST.

    Every CHOICE YOU MAKE MATTERS and it is UP TO YOU to CHOOSE WISELY.

    REMEMBER just because other people are DOING IT DOESN'T mean that it is the RIGHT THING for YOU TO DO.

    CHOOSING to do NOTHING is still a CHOICE YOU MAKE, SO CHOOSE WISELY not only what YOU DO but WHAT YOU WON'T DO.

    Sometimes it takes a TORNADO in YOUR PERSONAL LIFE to GET YOU WHERE YOU NEEDED TO BE and it was the ONLY WAY TO GET YOU THERE.

    EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASONS. 

    Even YOUR MISTAKES are A NECESSARY PART of  YOUR JOURNEY to get you where YOU ARE MEANT TO BE.

    Since YOU ALONE will live with the CONSEQUENCES for EVERY CHOICE YOU MAKE, YOU ALONE SHOULD DECIDE so CHOOSE WISELY.

    

What are you looking for?

    When you are on an EASTER EGG HUNT, you have to LOOK for EASTER EGGS if you want to FIND EASTER EGGS.

    When you are looking for a BARGAIN you will have to LOOK at the PRICES to FIND A BARGAIN.

    When you want to SEE the POSITIVE in EVERY SITUATION all you have to do is LOOK for the POSITIVE in EVERY SITUATION.

    If you ONLY LOOK at the NEGATIVES in EVERY SITUATION then you will ONLY SEE THE NEGATIVES in EVERY SITUATION.

    If you SEE TROUBLE COMING then you can GET OUT OF THE WAY so you can AVOID GETTING HIT HEAD ON by the TROUBLE.

    Once I started LOOKING for BUTTERFLIES I started SEEING BUTTERFLIES EVERYWHERE I WENT.

    Once I started THINKING about MY GOAL I started SEEING the PATH I had to TAKE FOR ME TO REACH MY GOAL.

    WHAT YOU WILL FIND WILL BE DETERMINED BY WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR?

    What are you LOOKING FOR?

    

    

     

A THOUGHT is a THOUGHT not a FACT

    You may THINK you KNOW but without getting the FACTS, it is SIMPLY a THOUGHT you were THINKING.

    Someone can TELL you THEIR OPINION but that doesn't mean it is a FACT, it is JUST THEIR OPINION.

    I am sure that on your LIFE'S JOURNEY there was a time when what you THOUGHT was TRUE, you REALIZED LATER in LIFE to be FAR FROM THE TRUTH.

    If you DON'T GET the FACTS then you will make UNEDUCATED DECISIONS based on WHAT?

     DON'T GET BRAINWASHED by someone's OPINIONS that are simply THEIR OPINIONS.

     If you are going to make an IMPORTANT DECISION then it is in YOUR BEST INTEREST to GET THE FACTS to base your DECISION ON.

    REMEMBER Just because you THINK that you KNOW EVERYTHING doesn't mean that you REALLY KNOW EVERYTHING.

    If you want to make an INFORMED DECISION then GET ALL THE FACTS so YOU CAN make an INFORMED DECISION.

It may seem like it is an INAPPROPRIATE time to LAUGH but.....

    When someone you are with TRIPS AND FALLS it makes you LAUGH, that doesn't mean that you DON'T HAVE ANY SYMPATHY that they fell.

    It was just a NATURAL REACTION TO LAUGH.

    Have you ever LAUGHED AT YOURSELF when you realized that you did something STUPID?

    It was just a NATURAL REACTION TO LAUGH.

    I was sharing a MEMORY with my friend about an Unfortunate NEGATIVE SITUATION I had endured and I couldn't STOP myself from LAUGHING.

   Obviously I wasn't LAUGHING because I ENJOYED the NEGATIVE SITUATION but LOOKING BACK at it now as I DESCRIBED it to her it MADE ME LAUGH.

     It was just MY NATURAL REACTION TO LAUGH.

    A GOOD BELLY LAUGH is HEALTHY for your MIND, BODY AND SOUL.

     Even if the LAUGHTER is at yourself over something silly that OUT OF EMBARRASSMENT you wouldn't SHARE it with anyone.

    When was the last time you had a GOOD BELLY LAUGH?

    

     

   

Surely you know it ISN'T SAFE to DRIVE while you are ONLY LOOKING IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR

     If you want to know what is in FRONT OF YOU it will REQUIRE YOU to LOOK FORWARD.

     You CAN'T DRIVE SAFELY while you are ONLY LOOKING IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR.

     If you want to AVOID TROUBLE COMING you can ONLY GET OUT OF THE WAY if you SEE TROUBLE COMING YOUR WAY.

    If you want to KNOW what you NEED TO KNOW it will REQUIRE YOU to LEARN what YOU NEED TO KNOW.

    It could be RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU but you WON'T SEE IT unless you LOOK FOR IT.

    KEEP YOUR EYES WIDE OPEN as you go on your LIFE'S JOURNEY so you can SEE WHAT YOU NEED TO SEE.

    Remember that the REARVIEW MIRROR is made to SEE WHERE YOU HAVE BEEN and how FAR YOU HAVE COME.

    The FRONT WINDSHIELD is made so you can SEE WHAT IS IN FRONT OF YOU SO YOU CAN NAVIGATE SAFELY while you are on your LIFE'S JOURNEY.

    Leave the PAST IN THE PAST so you can FOCUS ON THE PRESENT MOMENT YOU ARE IN and ENJOY IT.

TRY an EXPERIMENT to SEE what a difference WHAT YOU DO Makes

    What do you think the DIFFERENCE would be between them If you add PLANT FOOD to ONE of your PLANTS but NOT to the OTHER ONE?

   During a DROUGHT SEASON YOU will have to WATER YOUR GRASS if you want to have HEALTHY GREEN GRASS.

   If you want to REAP THE REWARDS for the HARD WORK, you will have TO DO THE HARD WORK it will take.

   Be REALISTIC that Things WILL TAKE TIME, they just don't happen in an INSTANT.

  SO STOP EXPECTING INSTANT GRATIFICATION SO you can STOP getting ANGRY when you don't get INSTANT GRATIFICATION.

   During tough times to keep MOVING just Remind yourself that WHAT YOU PUT INTO IT will DETERMINE WHAT YOU GET OUT OF IT.

   Because it's TRUE that you REAP WHAT YOU SOW.

    LIFE LESSONS come from the LESSONS you LEARN on your LIFE'S JOURNEY.

   

   

   

   

   

    

IT is what it is until....one day IT ISN'T

     What USED to WORK may NOT WORK ANYMORE, THAT'S JUST LIFE.

    What USED to be POPULAR at one time CAN one day be a MEMORY from the PAST.

    What USED to be your FAVORITE thing TO DO CHANGES with TIME.

   What USED to be FOUND everywhere can one day be HARD TO FIND.

   YOU CAN'T get too COMFORTABLE in LIFE because LIFE IS ALWAYS CHANGING.

   Remember IT IS what IT IS until....one day IT ISN'T, THAT'S JUST LIFE.

   YOU may NOT KNOW what the FUTURE HOLDS but REMEMBER that everything will be OKAY as long as YOU ADJUST to the CHANGES AS YOU GO.

   

   

With CREATIVITY you will CREATE A SOLUTION

    There will be CIRCUMSTANCES that you will have to face on your LIFE'S JOURNEY and you will have to get CREATIVE to get through them.

   Things will CHANGE on your LIFE'S JOURNEY from TIME TO TIME and you will have to get  CREATIVE to make the necessary CHANGES to NAVIGATE through them.

   With the PRICE of EVERYTHING going UP you will have to get CREATIVE to STRETCH YOUR MONEY to get what you need.

   Make sure that you don't do anything to get through a TEMPORARY SETBACK that will CREATE a PROBLEM that will affect you NEGATIVELY for YOUR LIFETIME.

   AS LONG AS you get CREATIVE AND ALWAYS STICK to the STANDARDS YOU SET for YOURSELF on your LIFE'S JOURNEY you can get THROUGH ANYTHING.

Conversation between people let's everyone FEEL HEARD

      If YOU don't MAKE the TIME to LISTEN then YOU will have NO IDEA HOW THEY FEEL.

   If YOU don't TAKE the TIME to sit down and TALK ABOUT IT then THEY will have NO IDEA HOW YOU FEEL. 

   WHEN you UNDERSTAND how EACH of YOU FEEL then YOU BOTH can WORK THINGS OUT and YOU BOTH CAN BE HAPPY.

   Sometimes when YOU NEED to TALK to someone in a BUSINESS to WORK THINGS OUT you can't get past the ROBOT to TALK TO A HUMAN.

   Sometimes in Life when it comes to a BUSINESS YOU NEVER FEEL HEARD because the HUMAN that OWNS the BUSINESS DOESN'T CARE HOW YOU FEEL.

   BEFORE the Pandemic there were MANY MOM AND POP STORES that were OPEN who CARED ABOUT how you FELT so YOU would be their REGULAR CUSTOMER.

  UNFORTUNATELY the LESS COMPETITION a BUSINESS has the LESS they CARE how YOU FEEL because you have NO CHOICE but to SHOP THERE because they are the ONLY TYPE OF STORE AVAILABLE TO SHOP AT.

   If YOU want STORES TO COMPETE for your BUSINESS then SUPPORT YOUR MOM AND POP STORES so there will be COMPETITION TO PLEASE THE CUSTOMER.

   If YOU want to have OPTIONS then keep your OPTIONS OPEN.

It's a HOME NOT A STORAGE UNIT

     You can make it FEEL LIKE HOME without SPENDING a fortune.

    You can FEEL COMFORTABLE in YOUR HOME without SPENDING a fortune.

    You can RELAX in YOUR HOME by NOT HAVING TO WORK EXTRA to PAY FOR THINGS TO FILL IT that you DON'T EVEN NEED.

   You DON'T have to KEEP UP WITH THE JONES'S and fill your HOME with THINGS THAT YOU CAN'T AFFORD.

    REMEMBER it is YOUR HOME.... NOT A STORAGE UNIT to store THINGS THAT YOU DON'T NEED while you MAKE PAYMENTS ON THEM.

   HOME SWEET HOME is SIMPLY THE FEELING OF BEING COMFORTABLE HAVING EVERYTHING YOU NEED in YOUR HOME, EVEN THOUGH YOU DON'T HAVE EVERYTHING YOU EVER DREAMED OF HAVING.

   To APPRECIATE WHAT YOU HAVE, it will REQUIRE YOU TO  BE THANKFUL for WHAT YOU DO HAVE.

   

    

    

SUNNY DAYS are awesome but you have to remember What COMES WITH the SUN.

    When you LOOK OUTSIDE and see that it is a beautiful SUNNY DAY it makes you SMILE FROM EAR TO EAR as you ENJOY the VIEW.

   I could see the Butterflies and the Bees OUTSIDE JUST flying all around our flowers gathering the pollen.

   I DECIDED to take my coffee and go sit OUTSIDE on my porch to ENJOY the beautiful SUNNY DAY we were having today.

   It started out RELAXING JUST SITTING OUTSIDE PEACEFULLY ENJOYING NATURE but before I knew it a BEE decided the HAIRSPRAY I was wearing was A GOLD MINE OF POLLEN.

   I finally got the BEE to RETURN TO THE FLOWERS but now I am wore out after all that WAVING AROUND to SHOO AWAY THAT BEE I had to do.

   I tried to GET BACK TO JUST RELAXING OUTSIDE and ENJOY the SUNNY DAY but then I started THINKING about how UNCOMFORTABLY HOT I was because I was SITTING OUTSIDE on a HOT SUNNY DAY.

   THEN.... that BEE DECIDED to MAKE SURE he ANNOYED ME ENOUGH to make me GO BACK INSIDE THE HOUSE so he and all the OTHER INSECTS could ENJOY THE SUNNY DAY.

   So IN THE END ME AND THE BEE AGREED that I would ENJOY IT FROM THE AIR CONDITIONED INSIDE of my house DURING the HOTTEST PARTS OF THE DAY.... OUTSIDE WAS ALL THEIRS TO ENJOY.

   It might be your FAVORITE KIND OF Weather but that doesn't mean you will LOVE EVERYTHING THAT COMES ALONG WITH YOUR FAVORITE WEATHER.

   

   

Find the QUIETNESS in a NOISY PLACE by FOCUSING on LOOKING for the QUIETNESS

    Sometimes YOU NEED a QUIET PLACE so YOU CAN RELAX and have a QUIET MOMENT to RELAX.

   In the FAST PACED WORLD we live in it's hard to remember to STOP every now and again and just RELAX and "SMELL THE ROSES." 

   As you find yourself RUNNING AROUND with TOO MANY THINGS TO DO remember to STOP and take a MOMENT throughout your day to RELAX.

   YOU won't be able to ENJOY the FLOWERS when they BLOOM unless YOU STOP long enough to ENJOY them while they are BLOOMING.

   You may have to FOCUS HARD on the SOUNDS OF THE BIRDS SINGING to HEAR them over the SOUNDS OF THE TRAFFIC, but if you FOCUS YOU CAN.

   YOU may have to FLUSH OUT all the OTHER NOISES around you to CHOOSE WHAT YOU WANT TO BE ABLE TO HEAR.

   ALL THE NOISES around YOU are just NOTHING BUT NOISES that can ONLY DISTRACT YOU if YOU LET IT.

You can ONLY LEARN what TO DO by DOING IT!

    If YOU DON'T TRY then YOU will never know if it will WORK OR NOT.

   Some LESSONS can ONLY be LEARNED by LEARNING what DOESN'T WORK FIRST.

   The FIRST TIME you got on a BICYCLE did you think you would AUTOMATICALLY KNOW HOW TO RIDE A BIKE?

   OF COURSE NOT, because YOU KNOW THAT YOU will start off all WOBBLY AND FALL a FEW TIMES.

   But YOU DON'T GIVE UP just because you FALL a FEW TIMES.

   IF YOU DID then you will NOT LEARN how to RIDE A BIKE.

    YOU JUST GET UP and GET BACK on that bike because YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO RIDE A BIKE.

   LIFE LESSONS are LEARNED by LEARNING AS YOU GO. 

   SOMETIMES YOU CAN ONLY LEARN the HARD WAY.

   If YOU PUT IN THE WORK then everything will WORK OUT OKAY.

REGROUP to continue moving forward

    When you get KNOCKED DOWN on your LIFE'S JOURNEY, you got to GET BACK UP in order to KEEP MOVING FORWARD.

    Although it may be true that you take TWO STEPS FORWARD and fall ONE STEP BACK, you are still ONE STEP CLOSER to where YOU want to go.

    On your LIFE'S JOURNEY you will face CHALLENGES along the way and you will have to ADJUST to SUCCESSFULLY meet the CHALLENGES.

    When you get THROWN A CURVE BALL on your LIFE'S JOURNEY you will have to REGROUP to go AROUND THE CURVE to KEEP MOVING FORWARD.

    LIFE IS A ROLLERCOASTER and THERE will be UPS AND DOWNS as well as TWISTS AND TURNS, you JUST have to GO WITH THE FLOW to KEEP MOVING FORWARD.

    We only have the TIME we have so we have to ADJUST, REGROUP, and at times we may even have to BEND LIKE A PRETZEL to ENJOY THE TIME WE HAVE.

    If YOU SEE TROUBLE COMING then GET OUT OF THE WAY.

   

A TEXT from time to time doesn't allow any CHANCE for SIMPLE "SMALL TALK"

    You would be surprised at what you COULD LEARN that could help you in your FUTURE by just sitting around together, IN PERSON, and just SIMPLY TALK.

    "SMALL TALK" is TALKING about NOTHING IN PARTICULAR just ODDS AND ENDS of STORIES about NOTHING BUT it's ENTERTAINING AND.. It just might help you one day.

   TO ME ...That is what MY BLOGS ARE, just "SMALL TALK" about NOTHING but IT JUST Might HELP DISTRACT you while you PONDER each BLOG.

    "SMALL TALK" ALLOWS FOR AT LEAST A CHANCE that SMALL CONVERSATIONS might TEACH you things that you DIDN'T KNOW THAT YOU WOULD NEED TO KNOW.

    You LEARN how to RELAX by STOPPING LONG ENOUGH to have time for "SMALL TALK" and just RELAX and take a deep breath of FRESH OXYGEN.

   IF YOU want to really have a BOND with someone it takes stopping long enough to BOND with them, not just send them a TEXT from time to time.

   A physical HUG 🤗 is not the same as a FACEBOOK POKE.

   TO STAY CONNECTED TO YOUR HUMAN SIDE you got to INTERACT PHYSICALLY WITH REAL HUMANS. 

    

There is NO HURRY so ....

     If you are TRAVELING OUT OF TOWN to ENJOY MEMORIAL DAY with OTHERS...  There is NO HURRY so SLOW DOWN and DRIVE SAFELY.

    As long as YOU ARRIVE SAFELY then it DOESN'T MATTER if you ARRIVE LATER THAN YOU HAD PLANNED.

    AS WE ARE REMEMBERING those that are no longer with us on MEMORIAL DAY we also NEED TO REMIND OURSELVES TO CHERISH our LOVED ONES that are AROUND US EVERY DAY.

    We are REMINDED that EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US ONLY HAVE THE TIME WE HAVE SO DON'T WASTE A MOMENT OF THE TIME YOU HAVE.

    TODAY IS THE ONLY DAY YOU CAN ENJOY because YESTERDAY IS ALREADY GONE, TOMORROW MAY NEVER COME, but TODAY IS YOURS TO ENJOY.

   If YOU want to ENJOY LIFE YOU have to ENJOY IT WHILE YOU ARE LIVING IT, BOTH ON THE GOOD DAYS AND THE BAD DAYS. 

   LIFE IS A ROLLERCOASTER and THERE WILL BE UPS AND DOWNS, as well as TWISTS AND TURNS, THAT'S JUST LIFE.

    

    

Take care of YOURSELF..!!

    You ALONE decide WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO EAT, no matter how many times someone has told you how UNHEALTHY IT IS FOR YOU.

    You ALONE decide WHETHER YOU WILL EXERCISE TO MAINTAIN YOUR HEALTH, no matter how many times you have been told that REGULAR EXERCISE is NECESSARY to maintain your OVERALL WELL BEING.

    You ALONE decide WHETHER YOU WILL BE AN HONEST PERSON OR NOT, the CHOICE OF WHO YOU WILL BE is UP TO YOU.

    You ALONE SET THE STANDARDS you will LIVE BY NO MATTER HOW CHALLENGING LIFE CAN BE they are STANDARDS YOU WILL NOT CROSS 

    You can BLAME IT ON THE MOON OR JOE BLOW but the TRUTH is THAT YOU ALONE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT YOU DO.

    DON'T DO ANYTHING to get through a TEMPORARY SETBACK that YOU will PERMANENTLY PAY THE CONSEQUENCES for.

    Your REPUTATION is WHAT people THINK THEY KNOW ABOUT YOU but YOUR ACTIONS DECIDE the TRUE CHARACTER THAT PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT YOU.

What You HEARD can have MANY MEANINGS

     YOU MAY have HEARD yet you COMPLETELY MISUNDERSTOOD what you HEARD.

    It's like FIVE PEOPLE can Read the same FORTUNE COOKIE and HEAR A TOTALLY DIFFERENT MESSAGE.

   I Love getting a FORTUNE COOKIE knowing I am going to be TAKEN ON A short JOURNEY to PONDER THE MESSAGE and HOW I INTERPRET IT will determine WHERE the MESSAGE TAKES ME.

    Go on a JOURNEY the NEXT TIME you GET TOGETHER to have some CHINESE DINNER with your FRIENDS.

    WHILE you are all sitting around the table letting the FOOD DIGEST, READ YOUR fortune Cookie messages out loud.

   GO on A JOURNEY in the DIRECTION TO WHEREVER THE FORTUNE COOKIE MESSAGES LEAD each of YOU AS YOU PONDER WHAT IT WAS SAYING TO EACH OF YOU. 

   IT will do ALL OF YOU some GOOD to PUT DOWN YOUR PHONES long enough to take a JOURNEY AND USE YOUR MIND TO PONDER YOUR THOUGHTS.

   

    

IF GIVEN A CHANCE WOULD they TAKE IT?

      If no one GIVES them A CHANCE then they DON'T HAVE A CHANCE.

      Someone has to GIVE THEM A CHANCE so they can HAVE A CHANCE. 

     It is the only way YOU can SEE if GIVEN A CHANCE WOULD THEY TAKE IT.

     We all know someone who is facing tough times and they just NEED to CATCH A BREAK.

     Sometimes it may be because they BLEW A CHANCE they HAD in the PAST BUT.... today if they were GIVEN A CHANCE THEY WOULD DEFINITELY TAKE IT.

    If YOU have A CHANCE to GIVE SOMEONE A CHANCE WOULD YOU?

   They may not take ADVANTAGE OF THE CHANCE but YOU will FEEL GOOD that YOU at least GAVE THEM A CHANCE.

     IF GIVEN A CHANCE TO HELP SOMEONE I HOPE YOU WILL TAKE THAT CHANCE.

    

     

Choose wisely

     ALL THROUGHOUT YOUR LIFE you must PICK and CHOOSE what BATTLES are WORTH FIGHTING FOR.

    A war is comprised of MANY MANY small BATTLES that makes CHOOSING which BATTLES are WORTH FIGHTING FOR very important.

     Whether it is a WAR at WORK, A WAR IN your RELATIONSHIPS, there is a WAR to be WON in MANY AREAS on YOUR LIFE'S JOURNEY.

     AND you won't WIN EVERY BATTLE so SAVE YOUR TIME AND ENERGY for the MOST IMPORTANT BATTLES.

    If it doesn't really matter then OBVIOUSLY it IS NOT a BATTLE THAT YOU NEED TO WASTE your TIME and ENERGY ON.

    WHAT is MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU is the MOST IMPORTANT BATTLE TO WIN.

     OUR new puppy has made us CHOOSE to let him GET AWAY with a LOT BUT....some THINGS he could be DESTRUCTIVE WITH we are WINNING THE BATTLE WITH. 

    SINCE NAPKINS AND SOCKS are CHEAP to REPLACE.....THOSE BATTLES WE LET HIM WIN.

    YOU DON'T have to WIN EVERY BATTLE to WIN THE WAR you just have to WIN THE MOST IMPORTANT ONES. 

     When you COMPRISE with OTHERS then EVERYONE CAN BE A WINNER.

    

You KNOW YOU BEST so what do YOU THINK YOU should do?

    At times it's HELPFUL to ASK SOMEONE THEIR OPINION, Because getting SUGGESTIONS on what YOU should do will give YOU A DIFFERENT VIEW to CONSIDER.

    EVERYONE has their OWN OPINIONS but at the end of the day the ONLY OPINION THAT MATTERS MOST IS YOURS.

    THE FACT IS that YOU KNOW YOU BEST so YOUR DECISIONS should be made BASED ON WHAT YOU KNOW is BEST FOR YOU.

    Sometimes on YOUR LIFE'S JOURNEY YOU might make a WRONG DECISION but OUR MISTAKES in LIFE are sometimes A NECESSARY PART of OUR JOURNEY. 

     As long as YOU Did what you thought was BEST FOR YOU at the end of the day YOU WILL BE PROUD OF YOURSELF.

    EVERY DECISION YOU make MATTERS so CHOOSE WISELY because YOU WILL HAVE TO LIVE WITH the CONSEQUENCES for EVERY DECISION that YOU MAKE.

     KEEP IN MIND that Just because other people are doing it doesn't mean that it is the RIGHT THING for YOU TO DO.

    

    

    

    

WITHOUT EVEN SAYING a WORD

    Have you ever heard the phrase...A PICTURE is worth a THOUSAND WORDS?

    Have you ever heard the phrase.... ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER than WORDS?

    YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY A WORD for people to HEAR YOU LOUD AND CLEARLY.

    When you walk in a room THE LOOK ON YOUR FACE let's everyone KNOW WHAT kind of MOOD YOU ARE IN. 

   When you LOOK IN THE MIRROR you can SEE WHAT OTHERS SEE.

   And TRUST ME WHEN YOU ARE ANGRY YOU DON'T LOOK GOOD.

   NO ONE WILL BELIEVE what YOU SAY AS YOU ARE DOING THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT YOU SAY THEY SHOULD DO.

   AND REMEMBER the phrase in the song...THAT IF YOU ARE HAPPY YOUR FACE WILL TRULY SHOW IT.

   WITHOUT SAYING A WORD THE LOOK ON YOUR FACE and YOUR ACTIONS SPEAKS VOLUMES.

   

A CHANGE is sometimes NECESSARY

    You may have spent a LIFETIME working TOWARDS A GOAL then SUDDENLY ONE DAY YOU REALIZE that TODAY your GOAL HAS CHANGED.

   It doesn't mean that you WASTED YOUR TIME working TOWARDS the GOAL YOU ONCE HAD, it just means your GOALS HAVE CHANGED.

   What you WANT when you are a TEENAGER CHANGES with TIME.

   What you THINK IS MOST IMPORTANT when you are MIDDLE-AGED CHANGES after DECADES OF LIVING.

   When you are OLD you realize that there isn't DECADES for you to WORK ON REACHING NEW GOALS 

    SO you LEARN TO MAKE THE MOST OF WHAT YOU DO HAVE and MAKE GOALS THAT WORK FOR YOU WHERE THINGS ARE FOR YOU TODAY.

    YOU DON'T HAVE TO STICK TO THE PLANS you MADE before you EXPERIENCED LIFE BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO LIVE LIFE TO LEARN WHAT is the BEST PLAN FOR YOU IN THE LONG RUN.

Just because SOMEONE or SOMETHING has ANGERED YOU is NO EXCUSE

    When you are ANGRY DON'T SPEW YOUR ANGER onto OTHERS.

    I AM SURE YOU KNOW THAT SPEWING YOUR ANGER ONTO OTHERS WON'T MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER. 

   BUT IT SURE DOES HURT those that YOU SPEW YOUR ANGER ON.

   ANGER IS GUARANTEED TO MAKE YOU SICK.

  YOU WOULDN'T SPREAD THE FLU TO OTHERS because you know it will MAKE INNOCENT PEOPLE SICK.

   Which IS WHY YOU SHOULDN'T SPEW YOUR ANGER ONTO OTHERS BECAUSE IT WILL MAKE THEM SICK.

   When you are ANGRY take WHATEVER ANGERED YOU and JUST FLUSH IT OUT OF YOUR MIND so IT CAN'T KEEP YOU SICK, NOR MAKE OTHERS SICK EITHER.

   On your LIFE'S JOURNEY you CAN'T PREVENT that there will be PEOPLE AND SITUATIONS THAT ANGER YOU.

    BUT YOU CAN PREVENT IT FROM DESTROYING YOU OR HURTING OTHERS by JUST FLUSHING IT OUT OF YOUR MIND.

   

   

   

There is a SMALL WINDOW OF TIME

     YOU CAN'T COMPLAIN THAT YOU TRIED but you COULDN'T DO IT when you ACTUALLY WAITED UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE to TRY.

   YOU CAN'T HONESTLY say that YOU DID YOUR BEST if you DIDN'T DO EVERYTHING THAT YOU COULD HAVE DONE 

   IF THE DEADLINE to have it DONE is at 12 NOON you CAN'T SHOW UP AT 3:00 PM and EXPECT THAT THE DEADLINE was for EVERYONE ELSE but YOU.

   YOU may have the most EXPERIENCE but when you are considered to POSSIBLY JOIN THEIR TEAM they are looking for a TEAM PLAYER.

    IF you DON'T SHOW UP ON TIME TO BE A TEAM PLAYER you SHOW THEM that you will not be a GOOD TEAMMATE.

   You get a lot more done with FIVE AVERAGE WORKERS who SHOW UP ON TIME EVERY DAY then you will with a GOOD LEADER THAT RARELY SHOWS UP TO LEAD THE TEAM.

   Although EXPERIENCE MATTERS, CONSISTENCY AND STAYING FOCUSED IS WAY MORE IMPORTANT TO HAVE A POSITIVE OUTCOME.

They might not remember WHEN, WHERE OR FROM WHOM they LEARNED it

    You might LEARN IT but you might not know WHERE YOU LEARNED it.

   You might have LEARNED IT from someone but not remember WHO YOU LEARNED IT FROM.

   PERHAPS you need to LEARN the FACTS about it because you never know if WHERE YOU LEARNED IT OR FROM WHOM YOU LEARNED IT FROM really knew the FACTS or was it just THEIR OPINION.

   I recently was reminiscing with someone about WHAT I LEARNED FROM THEM when I was YOUNGER.

   I proudly TOLD THEM HOW IT HAD INFLUENCED ME.

   Then with WIDE EYES THEY GASPED and told me I COMPLETELY TOOK WHAT THEY SAID THE WRONG WAY.

  They ACTUALLY MEANT THE TOTAL OPPOSITE OF WHAT I THOUGHT THEY MEANT.

   You may have HEARD IT BUT YOU MAY NOT HAVE TRULY UNDERSTOOD WHAT YOU THOUGHT YOU HEARD.

   JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE SAYS IT DOESN'T MAKE IT A FACT, IT'S THEIR OPINION.

   JUST BECAUSE YOU HEARD IT DOESN'T MEAN YOU HEARD IT CORRECTLY.

   I began to think about all the CHOICES AND DIRECTIONS I CHOSE IN MY LIFE based on what I THOUGHT was ACCURATE FACTS I HAD LEARNED FROM THEM.

   ALTHOUGH IT'S TOO LATE NOW to CHANGE HOW IT INFLUENCED ME IN THE PAST, I CAN MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS BASED ON THE ACTUAL FACTS.

   I CAN CLEARLY SEE NOW HOW I WOULD HAVE DONE SOME THINGS DIFFERENTLY.

You can't ENJOY the BENEFITS OF LAUGHTER if you DON'T LAUGH

    LAUGHTER is the BEST MEDICINE WITHOUT ANY NEGATIVE SIDE EFFECTS.

   LAUGHTER is the BEST MEDICINE and you can give it away for FREE.

   LAUGHTER is the BEST MEDICINE and you can GIVE IT AWAY WITHOUT A DEGREE.

   LAUGHTER ACTIVATES your ORGANS to WORK PROPERLY.

   LAUGHTER HELPS you make ROOM for PEACE OF MIND to get in.

   When you CAN'T LAUGH because you are NOT ALLOWED TO LAUGH, THERE IS A PROBLEM.

   A GOOD BELLY LAUGH is GOOD FOR YOUR MIND, BODY AND YOUR SOUL.

   WHEN WAS the last time that you had a GOOD BELLY LAUGH over something SILLY?

   HAVE you ever had TO SURPRESS YOUR LAUGHTER because you were AFRAID that you would be JUDGED HARSHLY for LAUGHING?

   WE CAN ALL BENEFIT PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY FROM A GOOD BELLY LAUGH.

   MAKE SOMEONE LAUGH TODAY to HELP them FLUSH AWAY A BAD DAY.

How long could you go WITHOUT LOOKING AT YOUR PHONE?

    There are VERY VERY VERY FEW PEOPLE who DON'T OWN A SMARTPHONE.

    MOST PEOPLE carry their SMARTPHONE with them EVERYWHERE they go.

    Not ONLY when they LEAVE FROM PLACE TO PLACE, they carry their SMARTPHONE from ROOM TO ROOM.

   Have you ever thought about HOW MUCH TIME YOU spend LOOKING AT YOUR SMARTPHONE?

   I just watched a sitcom that showed EVERY MEMBER OF THEIR FAMILY sitting SIDE BY SIDE EACH OTHER LOOKING AT THEIR SMARTPHONES.

   They were ALL LOOKING AT DIFFERENT THINGS on their SMARTPHONES, NOT even INTERACTING WITH EACH OTHER.

   IF YOU are going to SPEND TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS YOU have to TURN OFF YOUR SMARTPHONES so YOU CAN INTERACT WITH THEM.

   There ARE TIMES AND THERE ARE PLACES WHERE YOU NEED TO PUT DOWN YOUR SMARTPHONES to STAY CONNECTED TO YOUR HUMAN SIDE.

   

  

Don't let ANYONE decide HOW YOU FEEL

    Have you ever known someone who ALWAYS has a NEGATIVE ATTITUDE about EVERYTHING?

    You know the MOMENT they SAY ANYTHING they will ZAP YOUR JOY and PEACEFUL ENERGY leaving you FEELING EXHAUSTED.

    UNFORTUNATELY you can't ALWAYS AVOID getting close enough to them to PREVENT them from having ANY CHANCE TO SUCK THE JOY OUT OF YOU.

   But ANYONE AND ANYTHING that you can AVOID that will EVOKE NEGATIVE THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS...... AVOID THEM.

    Who you SURROUND YOURSELF WITH has A LOT TO DO WITH HOW YOU WILL FEEL.

    IF YOU want to keep a POSITIVE PEACEFUL ATTITUDE then AVOID giving a NEGATIVE PERSON A SECOND of YOUR TIME To AFFECT YOU NEGATIVELY.

    IT'S LIKE SEEING A SHARK IN THE WATER, YOU WOULDN'T GO SWIMMING IN THAT WATER because YOU KNOW YOU WILL BE ATTACKED.

    IF YOU SEE TROUBLE coming GET OUT OF THE WAY.

If YOU NEVER HEAR about it then HOW ARE YOU GOING TO KNOW about it?

     If YOU NEVER HEAR anything about it then YOU will NEVER KNOW it ever EXISTED.

    It's EASY to NOT LEARN from what has HAPPENED if YOU NEVER HEAR that it EVER HAPPENED.

    If YOU TEACH YOUR CHILDREN to APPRECIATE what they do have then they will LEARN TO APPRECIATE what they have.

   If YOU TEACH YOUR CHILDREN to RESPECT THEIR ELDERS then they will LEARN TO HAVE RESPECT FOR THEIR ELDERS.

   If YOU LET YOUR CHILDREN BE DISRESPECTFUL to OTHERS then they will be DISRESPECTFUL TO OTHERS.

   EVERY HOME IS A CLASSROOM AND EVERY PARENT IS A TEACHER.

   I didn't THINK it would be POSSIBLE to convince my children that SANTA CLAUSE WAS REAL but I DID and they ENJOYED THE MAGIC of believing in SANTA CLAUSE.

   If YOU ONLY HEAR ONE SIDE OF A STORY then to YOU it IS A FACT even though the FACT IS there is always TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY.

    WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT YOUR CHOICES ARE YOU CAN'T CHOOSE WHAT IS BEST FOR YOU.

   YOU can't ASSUME THAT just because YOU HEAR IT... IT'S TRUE.... HEARING SOMEONE ELSE'S OPINION DOESN'T MEAN IT'S TRUE.

   

   

DON'T EXPECT anyone to make THEIR DECISIONS based on YOUR FACTS

   The FACT is that YOUR OPINIONS are based ONLY ON what YOU THINK.

   YOUR THOUGHTS will determine the REALITY that YOU WILL LIVE whether it is the TRUE REALITY OR NOT.

   If YOU BELIEVE it IS TRUE then to YOU it is TRUE even though YOU might have a DIFFERENT OPINION if YOU KNEW the TRUE FACTS.

   Before YOU FORM YOUR OPINION get ALL THE FACTS so that YOU CAN have an INFORMED OPINION NOT BASE YOUR  OPINION ON AN UNEDUCATED GUESS that you might REGRET.

   Have YOU ever DREADED going to an event because IN YOUR OPINION YOU THOUGHT it was a WASTE OF YOUR TIME?

    BEFORE YOU REACT.... STOP...  and Get ALL THE FACTS BEFORE YOU FORM YOUR OPINION, so YOU CAN MAKE THE BEST DECISIONS for YOURSELF.

    There are a lot of WOLVES IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING but if YOU LOOK CLOSELY YOU will be ABLE TO SEE if YOU NEED TO RUN from the WOLF OR NOT.

   KEEP YOUR EYES WIDE OPEN so YOU CAN SEE where YOU SHOULD GO to GET WHERE YOU WANT TO GO.

You should ASK YOURSELF if IT will REALLY MATTER A YEAR FROM NOW?

    You may THINK it is something that you SHOULD DO but ACTUALLY YOU SHOULDN'T, IF it is UNNECESSARY and WON'T MATTER "NEXT YEAR."

   DON'T WASTE your TIME AND ENERGY on ANYONE OR ANYTHING that in a YEAR FROM NOW it WON'T MATTER TO YOU at all.

   There will be MANY FLY BY NIGHT FRIENDS and TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE SITUATIONS that will come ROLLING IN AND OUT during your LIFE'S JOURNEY.

   I often wander what makes someone on the show THE WALL decide whether they SHOULD OR SHOULD NOT sign the contract to get the guaranteed amount of prize money.

    Perhaps they have HEARD the phrase that ONE BIRD in the HAND is better than TWO BIRDS IN A BUSH.

   It's okay to DREAM ABOUT WINNING THE LOTTERY but BE HONEST with yourself that your CHANCES ARE SLIM TO NONE.

   No matter what you THINK IS GUARANTEED in LIFE the HONEST TRUTH is NOTHING IN LIFE IS GUARANTEED.

   YESTERDAY is already GONE and TOMORROW may NEVER COME but TODAY IS YOURS TO ENJOY.

    THE SPECIAL BONDS that YOU BUILD with Your FAMILY AND FRIENDS are what will BE MOST IMPORTANT.

   Your REPUTATION THAT YOU WORK TO BUILD will be what will be MOST IMPORTANT.

    But if YOU REALIZE that it DOESN'T MATTER THEN it's a NO BRAINIER......SPEND YOUR TIME AND ENERGY ON WHAT DOES MATTER.

   

    

Don't forget that AT THE END OF THE DAY you will REAP WHAT YOU HAVE SOWN TODAY

    There are CONSEQUENCES for EVERY CHOICE YOU MAKE.

     Remember that EVEN choosing to DO NOTHING is a CHOICE YOU MAKE.

   At the END OF THE DAY you should ASK YOURSELF are YOU PROUD OF EVERYTHING THAT YOU DID TODAY?

    As long as YOU DID what YOU THOUGHT WAS BEST then YOU SHOULD BE PROUD OF YOURSELF for DOING WHAT YOU THOUGHT WAS BEST regardless of the OUTCOME.

   YOU won't have any REGRETS if at the END OF THE DAY YOU DID YOUR BEST.

    AT THE END OF THE DAY it DOESN'T MATTER what ANYONE ELSE DOES, THINKS OR SAYS, ALL that matters is that YOU DID what YOU thought was BEST FOR YOU.

    When TIMES ARE TOUGH TEMPORARILY... DON'T DO ANYTHING that you WILL REGRET ... because YOU WILL LIVE WITH THE CONSEQUENCES PERMANENTLY FOR YOUR LIFETIME.

    AT THE END OF THE DAY ALL THAT MATTERS is that YOU ARE PROUD OF YOURSELF.

    

It's that time of year for the COUNTY FAIR, are you going to go to the FAIR this year?

    TIME FLIES and it's that time of year for our COUNTY FAIR.

    What IS your favorite thing you look forward to doing at the FAIR?

     When you are VERY YOUNG you hope you are finally TALL enough to RIDE the BIG RIDES.

    When you are a TEENAGER you look forward to meeting up with your FRIENDS to HANGOUT at the FAIR.

    When you are PARENTS you look forward to seeing the JOY on your CHILDREN'S FACES as you make plans to spend a day at the FAIR.

    No matter how many YEARS or even DECADES you go to the FAIR at EVERY AGE you look forward to your favorite FAIR FOOD.

    MY friend used to go to the FAIR every year with her grown son and ONLY play their favorite GAME and eat a FUNNEL CAKE and then LEAVE.

    She said it was only an hour together but it was a YEARLY TRADITION that they ENJOYED TOGETHER.

     I always ENJOYED the PIG RACE. And after all the DECADES of PIG RACES I am surprised that they still have PIGS NAMED THE SAME.

     We might be a SMALL TOWN but we get some BIG NAME ENTERTAINERS that always come to OUR SMALL COUNTY FAIR to PERFORM.

     What do you look forward to at the FAIR?

      

    

If YOU don't TRY then obviously YOU won't ACCOMPLISH IT

     You have to GO AFTER what YOU want if YOU will have ANY CHANCE of getting what YOU want.

     You have to TRY TO DO IT if YOU will have ANY CHANCE of DOING IT.

    YOU have to ASK THE QUESTION if YOU want an ANSWER to YOUR questions.

    If YOU want things to be DIFFERENT YOU will have to do things DIFFERENTLY.

    If YOU want to be the BEST YOU can be then you will have do the BEST that YOU can do.

     If YOU want to LEARN from YOUR MISTAKES YOU will have to ADMIT that YOU MADE A MISTAKE.

     If YOU DON'T LIKE the DIRECTION YOU are HEADED then TURN AROUND and go a DIFFERENT DIRECTION.

    Life is full of CHALLENGES and YOU will have to ACCEPT that YOU will have CHALLENGES because that's JUST LIFE.

    All YOU have to DO is DO the BEST that YOU can DO to have the BEST OUTCOME that YOU can have.

    It's up to YOU so JUST DO WHAT YOU NEED TO DO.

    

The ECLIPSE is NATURE'S way to remind us WHO'S IN CONTROL

    Were you able to be in the TOTAL ECLIPSE path to see it for yourself?

    For weeks we have all gotten to hear from people who described the FEELING they had EXPERIENCED in watching a TOTAL ECLIPSE DECADES AGO.

    There were those that planned their VACATIONS around being in the path of the TOTAL ECLIPSE because of WANTING to EXPERIENCE that FEELING AGAIN.

    Then there were those that after HEARING about the EXPERIENCE WANTED to EXPERIENCE it for themselves.

   When you go from DAYLIGHT to DARKNESS it is  like a LIGHT SWITCH was being SWITCHED TO THE OFF position.

    You can't help but wonder WHO TURNED OFF THE LIGHT?

    When you EXPERIENCE a EARTHQUAKE that makes THE GROUND RUMBLE, you have to wonder WHO COULD have SHOOK THE EARTH so violently?

   As you see the HOT LAVA SPEW OUT of a VOLCANO flowing ALL over the TOWNS around it, you have to wonder WHERE did that SCOLDING HOT LAVA come from?

   As you EXPERIENCE a SEVERE THUNDERSTORM and you can FEEL THE POWER of the THUNDER AND LIGHTNING, you can't help but be REMINDED how POWERFUL NATURE is.