The Little Things

Sometimes you just have to keep your life in the right kind of perspective.  Remembering what really is important to you and those you love.  There is sort of a double meaning to "the little things."  First let's talk about allowing the little things that annoy you and can take over your day.  You went to work with mismatched socks or even shoes (yes, I did it and I actually know others who have done the same thing).  You realized there was no milk after you poured your cereal in the bowl.  You were late for an appointment, yet you would not make it if you did not take time to stop for gas.  The list goes on and on and on.  It can set you up for having a bad day if you let it.  And yes, you do have a choice.  You may need to stop and take a few deep breaths and remind yourself that it is not something that you need to worry about and let a frown take over your face, much less your whole day.  After all, it takes many more muscles to frown than to smile.  Keep it all in perspective.  And if necessary, think of someone who really does have more than "little things" going through their minds and in their lives. Is your problem(s) so big in the long run?

Let's talk about the other meaning of "the little things."  Truly it is the "little things" that you do for one another that matter.  When all of these good little things are added up together, a big, huge happy picture is placed before you.  For example little notes left around the house and in unsuspecting places to be found and read put smiles on faces.  A special treat in a lunch box or in a brief case can make someone's day very special.  Having someone make your coffee, especially when that person does not even drink coffee.  Telling someone how special they are to you and how much you love them daily and even multiple times in a day. (gasp - do you think this could really happen?) This can be done in person, on the phone, in a note or e mail............ it is just a little reaching out to say what is in your heart through words, a smile, a hug....your choice!  Be creative!

So ask yourself this.....what kind of "little things" are you going to allow to influence your day?

The English Language vs. The English Language

Before I met and married a Brit, I never really thought about the language barrier.  OK....so that might be a bit strong because we both do speak the English language.  However, there are some words that are the same and pronounced so differently, that they become a new language.  And then there also is a totally different vocabulary to learn.  Even after 15 years, every once in a while one of us will say a word or phrase that we never have used before and it is still surprising to us both.

Let me just give you some examples:

At the grocery store, which is what I call a Kroger, a Piggly Wiggly, etc. it would be more of a store like a little corner market that sells bits of this and that and some food.  It is the super market that a Kroger would be in the UK.  On with my story.... when I went to the grocery my husband asked me to pick up some al - u' - min- em.  Pronounced with a long u.   Not seeing it written down on paper, I did not know what he meant until he described foil.  Other items that we have had to learn when shopping at the grocery are:                       mince          -        ground beef

                                                                    biscuits        -        cookies

                                                                    crisps           -        potato chips

                                                                    chips            -        french fries

                                                                    aubergine     -        zucchini

                                                                    bangers        -        sausage

                                                                    rash              -        bacon

                                                                    

We have become used to words such as carpark for parking lot, feeling peckish for feeling a bit lightheaded because you are hungry, turn signals instead of blinker lights and going to the loo instead of going to the bathroom.

When I am working out, I am asked if I have my good trainers on. (sneakers)  If I get hurt, I am asked if I will need a plaster which is a bandaid.  

At a restaurant the waitress always looks confused when she is asked for a serviette (napkin) or if she can bring us some tomato sauce (ketchup.)  Sometimes, I am told that unless we have enough dosh to pay for the meal, then we will be charging it.  (cash)  Some people are totally gobsmacked (shocked) at the differences in the two languages.  

A couple of other words that are spelled the same, yet pronounced differently would be gair'  -  ag   instead of garage, con  - trov'  - e  - sy   instead of controversy.

 More vocabulary differences:    clicker                         -          remote

                                                    wrong                          -          dodgey

                                                    delicious                      -          scrummey

                                                    bachelorette party        -          hen party

                                                    gas                               -          petrol

                                                    eraser                           -          rubber

                                                    resume                         -          CV  (curriculum vitae)

                                                    commercial                  -          advert

                                                    big mistake                   -         cock up (nothing lewd)

Lastly, there are expressions, one that is from the UK, "Bob's your uncle" meaning "You got it!"

And these last two, which I admit are mainly known for in the South, "I am 'fixin' to go to the store." I would even confuse people I lived around in the northern part of the US when I said that.  Then, I had to teach my husband the difference of when you say, "Bless her heart."  It is all in the intonation of how it is said as to if it a truly meaningful bless her heart or if it is more of a sarcastic bless her heart. 

There are numerous other words and phrases...............maybe enough for another blog in the future.  If there is something that you have heard or that I did not mention, please feel free to add a comment for me to take note of and I will be sure to include it for a future blog.  

Road Trips

Road trips can be as exciting or as boring as you want to make them to be. Whether it is yourself traveling alone or as a couple on a romantic adventure or with a whole family, there is a way to make it full of stimulating and astonishing fun for all.

There does have to be a little preparation to set it all up for all who are in the car. The mood can be set and changed with the music chosen.  The technology today is amazing so your iPod can be used or whatever you have on your smart phone such as Pandora, Spotify, or the many other music choices.  And yes, you can have some good choices of CD's to play if this is your technology that is available.  Depending on the radio is not always the best choice, based on where you are traveling.  Once my daughter and husband were traumatized listening to me loudly twanging out every country song that the radio stations played where we were traveling.  And country was the ONLY choice.  I really had no idea that I knew that many country lyrics, but apparently I was wrong.

Road food is the next major preparation to deal with.  When you travel on the highways and interstates, there can be long stretches of no choices of food places and even when there are choices, depending on where you are there is a decision that has to be made based on the cleanliness of the place. On the road is not ever the place where you want to get food poisoning because the next obstacle to overcome is the timing of restroom breaks.  Most all of the interstates have very clean (or as close to clean as you are going to find) restrooms.  Gas stations...........questionable most all of the time, as are some of the fast food restaurants.  So, be prepared to do some wiggling and dancing in the car if you can't go in a dingy and dirty restroom and you want to hold out for a cleaner one or a place on the side of the road where you can pull over and walk off the path to behind trees and bushes.  Don't laugh!  I am pretty sure that I am not the only one who has been "forced" to go this route.

With children in the car, be prepared to help them with games, coloring, writing,  singing, and one of the best inventions in the world for road trips with children is the good old car DVD player and movies.  Entertainment at their fingertips and you will not hear nearly as often the famous question that all kids ask, "Are we there yet?"  Actually, another way that you can slow down how many times you are asked this question is for you to set up two clocks or two watches that show what time it is for real as the minutes tick away and what time you are expected to get to your destination. (Just pull the stem out and let the time stay stuck on the time you should arrive.  That way, when they ask, then they need to explain it to you.

Traveling shorter distances is a little easier than longer, for obvious reasons.  And traveling when it is off season for snow is much easier.  Actually, being on Route 66 in December taking my children and my mother to a ski lodge in Colorado was probably my most challenging road trip. Getting there was just very long and I had to keep coming up with different ideas to entertain everyone.  Naps helped.  And I must admit when it was my turn to choose the music, I would choose soft classical music, of which my children at their ages had not quite 'taken to' yet and it would put them to sleep in minutes.  (My mom, also)

As we drove there, we did not have any snowstorm to hit.  It already had snowed so climbing the mountains which were two lanes, not very wide with no railing was a bit challenging with the snow and the ice.  It made it a little more challenging when my mother woke up and saw what was happening.  Remember that I said you needed to pack for your trip and be prepared for anything. Well, I did.  I brought my mom's favorite wine, pulled the car over when we could and let her sit in the back seat with her grandchildren making sure that her cup stayed full.  No..... never would I get my own mother looped..... just happy!  And this was just for the last hour of the trip.  I was quite nervous enough driving in those conditions without hearing screams of fear that we all were going to die.

Road trips are still one of my favorites.  In fact, I am usually the one driving.  It is invigorating to be at the wheel.  One thing that I must admit that I must have is a handy navigator.  This navigator really should be human, helping to be sure that the GPS system is taking us the shortest, best route possible. There are times they do not and having another pair of eyes to check it out is important.

As you prepare for the upcoming summer trips, enjoy and go prepared to be ON THE ROAD AGAIN .  

Rules of Etiquette

Well, well.......... somehow, all those things that your mother told you as you were growing up actually did sink in your head now and then.  I remember when she talked to me about the etiquette rule of never, ever talking about religion or politics with general company.  It did not matter if it was at a business meeting, school, the dinner table or the beauty/barbershop.  It was a complete no-no. Even within a single family household, there were times that you just let things go and you agreed to disagree.

Little did I know that way back in the 1800's this etiquette rule came to be and then in 1961 in the Peanuts comic strip, Linus made the astute statement that went something like this:  "There are three things that I have learned never to discuss with people; religion, politics and the Great Pumpkin."

These things are talked about not only out in public, but where I find it more disturbing is on social medias such as Facebook.  Just some downright ugliness and bitterness going on that does not need to be aired in a public place with friends.  Some friends have stated that they have had friends 'defriend' them because of what they stated about a political candidate or a religion or culture.  Wouldn't the newspaper editorial page be a better sounding board for such banter?

For me, there is a time and a place.  And, I must say that I am thankful that there are others who feel the same way.  If someone feels so strongly about something, then all the talking in the world is not going to change that person.  And do you really want to?  Everyone has the right to believe in what they believe in.  (Let's throw out terrorists and other such people and such events).  Let's just stick to political candidates, which is so prevalent right now due to the election which seems like it has been going on for an eternity and still is months and months away.

JUST LET IT BE!    

Magical Moments

We all want to experience magical moments.  We all inwardly understand that the way to do this is to allow ourselves to appreciate and revel in the magic of each moment.  Yet that's a tricky challenge to rise to when it seems that we are bogged down with too many problems.  The more we focus on those problems, the less magical our moments seem.  So, is the solution really as simple as reaching for inspiration and an enlightened perspective? Do we just need to strive somehow for that?

Actually.....................  YES!

Perspectives of Age

Be truthful...don't you feel wonderful, marvelous and so much more energetic (if only for a short lived moment) when someone says to you that there is no way that you could be a certain age.  You look years younger than that!  I will be the first in line with my hand waving.  It feels so rejuvenating. And yes, I love it.  Secretly hoping that they are 'not just saying that to be complimentary for a hidden reason.'  If it is a salesperson, then I must say, I take it as it is.

While we are on this part of my blog, I must say that there is also a way to age gracefully.  There are times that I cringe when I hear the words that in order to age gracefully, go ahead and accept every gray hair and every wrinkle as a part of your wisdom that you have earned in life.  NOT!  At least that is not the way that I see it.  And I applaud those who love their grayness and wrinkles. (Plus, there are some men and women who have beautifully colored gray hair or salt and pepper) There is a way to have a happy medium.  Too much botox and plastic surgery can make freaky old people.  That is for sure.  On the other hand, there is nothing wrong with a little helpful touch here and there, or a magic cream ......and a wonderful hairdresser!  (Thank you, Shannon!)

With that aside, truly, any adult over a certain age loves to be considered more youthful.  And it does flatter most people.  Ah..... we all need to be a little wary because being young at heart should not necessarily mean young at mind.  There is a huge difference.

If our own perspectives of the world and the people who are in this world have not changed and grown, widened and deepened, then we have wasted very precious years of our lives.  Please don't get me wrong....I adored my younger years; once more, I adore even more so what I have learned from them.  Did I pick up on every lesson put before me?  No!  Did I learn from each failure the first time? Most definitely not!

The very fact that I can, as we all can, look back and gather what we have learned and recognize that our experiences now make up a wiser  person, at the very least, a more informed one. The School of Hard Knocks teaches us every day living lessons that is not taught in high schools nor universities.

Muhammad Ali is credited with saying, "The man who views the world at fifty the same as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life."  Just don't go around repeating that to anyone younger than thirty.  They need time to take life in and learn.            

Inspirations

Today seemed to be a day that I was struggling some with inspiration.  So I looked over our beach pictures because that certainly is one thing that inspires me.  Then I thought that I would make my Friday blog a list of things that inspire me.  The list is quite a list and one that I came up with in less than 5 minutes.  No thinking involved........ just inspirations pouring out from my brain.  What I am trying to tell you is that if I had taken time, the list would probably have 500 more items added on it. In that respect, I know that I am a very lucky person.  Lots of people, places and things inspire me to be the best at being me. Sometimes, I just need a reminder or a swift kick in the rear!

INSPIRATIONS

the Love of my life SGM                     our children and grandchildren                     family

friends                                                  babies                                                             music

roses                                                    daisies                                                             sunflowers

laughing                                               shoes                                                               cooking

reading                                                 Texas                                                              writing

bacon                                                    books                                                              journals

smiles                                                   yeast rolls                                                       Oprah

meditation                                            new notebooks and pens                                humming birds

colored printer paper                           Downton Abbey                                             yoga

people watching                                  sharp pencils                                                   travel

Mexican or Italian cuisine                   the beach                                                        gelato

Sunday Crossword Puzzle                   Google                                                            Sudoku

jewelry                                                 Sephora                                                           coupons

cherry blossoms                                   dogs                                                                shopping

cats                                                       IPhone                                                            cuppa tea

Angel perfume                                     hats                                                                 fairies

luxuriously high thread count cotton sheets                                                               fluffy filled duvet

Here is a list of 50 just off the top of my head.  I could explain them.  Some, I am sure need no explanation, as I am sure some of my list may be on others' inspiring lists, too. Ans those that are not?Well that is what makes the world go round............. we are all different in our own unique ways.  Ain't that grand?  Make the most of your upcoming weekend!