Definition Of A Friend

What is the defintion of a friend? Personally I think there are many levels of friends. Sometimes we need a friend to drop everything they are doing to help us in a bind. I think at times we need a friend to share our thoughts with in an open and honest way. Sometimes we need someone from our past to sit and reminisce with us about those good old days. Sometimes you find that very special person who shares the same values as you and there is just a connection. Sometimes we just need support and insight on a problem or situation from anothers point of view. Sometimes we need that one person who will not pull punches and tell us the truth not necessarily the words we feel we need to hear. Sometimes we just need someone as a sounding board and once we get through venting and using them as a punching bag we see things more clearly. We may disagree with our friends but they remain loyal. We may have totally different troubles but have no problem listening to each other. We may have completely different lives but still have a bond. If we are lucky enough to find one person with all of these qualities we should rejoice and be lucky. Im blessed as my best friend, my husband, has every one. That is very rare. I have friends that may have a few of the qualities. I have even met strangers on line that I can call friends having never met them who understand me. The main thing Im learning about friends is people we hang out with affect our lives so Im learning to avoid complicated people. I try to spend my time wisely and no longer just communicate with people for lack of anything else to do. Your quality of life changes simply by who you are spending your time with. So, rest assured, if I am talking to you, visiting you, writing to you, responding to you, or any or all of the above your my friend or I would not be wasting the time.

I Dont Have To Be Busy Every Second Of My Day

Im finally realizing that every second of my day does not have to include something to do. Life gets so overwhelming and sometimes despite my best efforts to stick to my to do list my mind wonders in a million other directions and Im starting five projects at one time and finishing none. I find I overload and stress myself and finally said this must stop. I am working hard on writing down two or three projects for a day and sticking to them. After those chores are completed I do my best to carve some time for me. During this time I go online, write or read blogs and emails, I read, I work on my crocheting, watch television...whatever I choose. Im so tired of having magazine subscriptions that are being thrown in the trash unread as I just did not have the time to look at them. When rested you actually perform your tasks in a healthier and more productive way. Start today...carve out a little time each day for yourself. It isnt easy to do it but once you manage it you will feel so much better.

Never Give UP

From day to day we are challenged many times. So many times we feel like we cannot go on. Our dreams, wants and goals are thrown to the side and we feel like we are in a blizzard of discouragement. Dont feel like you are fighting that losing battle. Dont give up ever!! Discipline yourself that just like you can put negative thoughts in your mind you can replace them with positive ones. It is not easy to do I will admit. Sometimes we are faced with "blizzards" during the course of the day that we can never escape from. Hang on to the dream. It is ok to take a break once in a while but dont stay down long. Without tests and challenges we will never grow. Explore ways to reach this goal, ask friends or relatives for advice. Negativity makes you sick and just causes more bad thoughts. Positive thoughts will bring a smile to your face. Your a winner just because you are giving each day your best effort. No matter how bad things seem, or how overwhelming days get dont give up!. You can do it. The day will be over soon and there will be a fresh tomorrow. NEVER GIVE UP!!!!

Sometimes We Need To Give To The Less Fortunate

I think it is great to have garage sales and try to make some money for things we can no longer use. I have done this on many occasions when my son was younger and it can bring in some extra cash. Every now and then though I think it would be a generous gesture to bag it and give it to people that are less fortunate. There are so many people out of work and struggling today that could use these things. Let us all try to go through our closets and prune back on the stuff we are no longer using. Let us try to be generous and send them away versus holding on to them to sell. It will help the person receiving them enormously, it will clear out the clutter in your home but most importantly it will be a huge gift from your heart.

Take Good Care Of Yourself

I am a big believer in working out a few days a week and trying to eat sensibly. I try to go to the doctors once a year. I wasnt always this way I must admit. Thankfully our health insurance made it mandatory last year for everyone to go for a physical or the deductibles were going up. My husband said he paid way too much already and was not paying another dime because I was to fearful to go for a physical. Fearful I most definately was. But I faced the fear and went and all was well. That gave me the confidence to go again this year. Of course I panicked when I had my mamogram and my doctor recomended a sonogram also be done for fear of what they would find but went and all was fine. We cannot let the fear stop us from taking care of ourselves. We cannot let the stresses of life and all the demands on us stop us from taking time for us. We must stay healthy in order to be good to anyone else. That is physical health as well as mental and emotional health. We must find time to ourselves in this crazy world we are living in. It isnt easy but I refuse to get sick and neglect myself while taking care of everyone else. I am as important as everyone I am doing things for. Rejoice good health. We put so much effort into fixing the broken things when we do get sick....lets use all that emphasis and keep things healthy and happy so they dont break in the first place.

Respecting Each Others Privacy

I sometimes think we forget that everyone needs a little alone time. Of course we have to meet the demands of our daily responsibilities as well as family obligations but from time to time we need to shut a door and just have time alone. I sometimes think we feel guilty if we leave our aging parents home or get a baby sitter for our children and go out for a lunch or movie separately from them. It is very important however that we respect ourselves enough to do it. I think that the people we are leaving may just be happy to have their private time also. We feel we all have to be together all of the time but I think everyone of us tires and needs that few hours with nobody around. Lets try to respect our childrens privacy as well. Of course we have to ask questions and know where they are when they are young but if they want to be alone in their rooms for a while that is fine. They too tire and need space. Lets all respect that in each other. A little time apart can freshen everyone.

I LOVE books

Books, books, books and more books...I absolutely LOVE books...My happiest moment is first thing in the morning, nobody is up yet but me, my huge mug of coffee and my shittzu beside me and my book. HEAVEN!!!! I love inspiraiton...it gets me going to start my day positively. I have quite a collection...they mean as much to me as my journals and my photo albums. I am learning to go to the library for novels and books of that nature. There is only so much storage place for my books and those can always be taken out again if I really enjoyed the read. I also have a love for cookbooks and I am slowly trying to give some of them away as Im finding some of the recipes I can obtain on line and again storage does become an issue. I do however have my favorites of those as well...the ones with the stains are my keepsakes to one day pass on.. I hope to leave behind the memories of good meals and fun times together. Grab a good book whenever you get the chance. We should never stop learning and there is so much joy a book can bring. You dont have to spend a lot of money with the hobby of books. You can borrow them. You can share yours with others. I LOVE books!!!!!