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!!!!!

A Few Of My Favorite Things Bread Pasta and Pizza

I live in Queens New York. I dont know if anyone realizes it but as far as Im concerned we have the BEST pizza in the world. Dont give me any of the fast food pizza....We also in New York City have the best bread in the world. It must have something to do with our water because even my family in Long Island beg us to bring city bread every time we visit. I however was diagnosed with very high cholesterol.....so my favorite thing..pizza with all the cheese has to be a treat and I can eat the bread but its no fun without butter.....What fun is pasta without the melted cheese too!!!....Whatever will I do? Well I suppose I will be grateful it is not a more serious illness to start with. I suppose I will be grateful that I can eat fresh fruits, vegetgables and that I live in a place that I can get them in abundance versus others who would love to have what I take for granted. When we put things into perspective and step away from the emotion we realize this really is not that big a deal. My real favorite thing is wanting to live a long and healthy life. I can still occasionally stop in my bakery and the pizza store next to it and have a fun day. From time to time I can even buy a delicious Italian pastry....we have such abundance here in New York City. It is all about control and discipline and knowing treats are something we have to look forward to.

Words Can Hurt As Well As Heal

Whoever came up with the line sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me was wrong. I think it is great to think this way.I wish we all could shrug off people that may say something mean or hurtful. It is not easy to do. I believe words can most definately heal us as well as hurt us. There are power in words. Let us all try to select our words carefully. A compliment can go a long way in helping someone. Lets start today to user nicer words when speaking to each other.

Chew Your Food 10 Times Before Swallowing

I was eating dinner the other night and Mom said to me, my goodness Donna, you sure do eat too fast. Your going to have problems with your stomach one day. After she brought this to my attention I realized I do eat fast. I dont know why I eat fast. Maybe its because I just want to get the kitchen cleaned up and finally rest as dinner is the end of the day. Since she mentioned it I do try to be more aware and chew longer and slower before swallowing but I must admit I really do forget. Old habits are hard to break I suppose. I always joke and say I eat to survive. Im not one of these people that necessarily find enjoyment in eating. Mom is correct though. It really is very bad for digestion when we swallow larger pieces of food. How does one stop this? I guess I will just have to eat more soups and things that dont require chewing. My point in the blog, it is crazy what people notice. I am 50 years old and this is the first time in my life I was told I eat too fast.Ive been told I talk loud and too much a million times but eating fast was never mentioned. See, you learn something new every day. I guess Im in a hurry to eat so I can talk more lol..

Appreciate Quality

It is so easy to compain when service is bad or the check out lines are long and moving slowly but for some reason we have a problem appreciating when things are going rght. We have every right to comment if we purchase something and did not get the quality we paid for. Companies would not know how to improve if we never made them aware. Money is tight and we should get the quality we deserve. There however are so many people and services that provide quality treatment. Lets try to remember the teachers, the nurses, the mail carriers, the garbage collectors, the receptionists in offices, the waiters/waitresses, the gas station attendant. My list could go on and on and on. When someone smiles and does their job well compliment them. Many of the people serving us dont make a whole lot of money. We would have a major problem if we never received mail, or if our garbage never was picked up. Lets thank these people and be grateful they chose the jobs they did to serve us. Try to keep your eyes open and look for all the quality service you are receiving today. Good help is hard to find....when you do care for and appreciate it!!