Monday Ramblings

It’s a quiet Monday morning. Peaceful.

It was a bit nippy this morning when I rode bikes with the Littles to their Summer Adventure Camp. But it’s nice getting out that early. I got my garden & flower bed watered. Eldest & his friend are still snoozing. At least that’s what I’m assuming- I haven’t heard any noise come from the room yet. The dog hasn’t even woke up yet. So it’s just me. And after a crazy week or so of work crap & the start of summer vacation- I like some just me time.

I think I’m going to take my nook outside & sit at the free patio set our neighbor gave us this weekend. Read for a bit before it’s time to be a responsible grownup again. Yep- dishes, laundry, shower, dress clothes & such are all gonna have to wait.

Expenses up, Income down. Sigh.

 

So it looks like I have to tighten the ship around here. The financial one that is. Pirates have been spotted on the horizon and they’re after my gold.

In plain english- my hubs called with some unsettling news. He only gets to work 2 days next week. He’s our main source of income. That is going to be a big blow to our budget. I do work, but my part-time job is supposed to be for extras like home improvement, adding to our savings, paying down debt & maybe a little bit of fun every now & then. It’s not enough to even come close to making up for what he’ll lose in his next paycheck.

And of course this news comes AFTER I squeezed out the money for Eldest to take driver’s training. (Not a cheap decision.) And right after I get an estimate for how much the rest of Eldest’s dental care is going to cost. (Oral surgery is not cheap.) And this is in addition to the cost of the orthodontist’s costs. Oh- and our “rent” is going up next month too.

It seems everything is on the rise & adding up- gas, food, expenses, bills- except our income! I know in my heart we’ll manage & make it through, but it doesn’t stop the worry, the stress & the bit of panic from welling up inside me. I’m going to have to combat it with smarts & frugality. The budget I started, but didn’t completely finish? That’s going to be trimmed & tightened even more and put into effect immediately. Any place I can drop stuff I’m going to have to. The only problem is- that’s hard to do when you don’t have much extra to start with!

Well- enough complaining about finance for today. I should spend some of my time & energy with my finance binder to get a good idea of how this is going to affect us and what I can do to minimize the damage. I think some chocolate might help this be more bearable………….

Another angel for Heaven

 

It’s with tears in my eyes and a heavy heart that I type this. I’ve sat here most of the day feeling sad and wishing there was a way I could make things better for others. Sometimes I can't understand why life has to be so hard. A friend of ours lost his son yesterday. I still don’t understand how such a healthy, vibrant young man could be gone so quickly. We were all worried when we heard that he was found unconscious as he was walking to a friends house and the doctor’s couldn’t find out what was wrong. Our thoughts & prayers were with him & his family as we awaited news. Nothing conclusive ever came. Never in our thoughts did we imagine he wouldn’t make it, that they wouldn’t “fix” him- he was to young, to good of a kid, to full of LIFE. So it was an even greater shock when we heard the news when we got home last night. In the space of a week he went from bowling awesome in a tournament to his family having to make the decision to let him go because they son they knew & loved wasn’t here anymore.

I can’t begin to imagine how his parents feel. How his brothers that he was so close to feel. What’s making it hit home even harder is he was friends with my oldest. He was about the age of my boy. I look at Eldest and I can’t even imagine my life without him. It’s just crazy to even contemplate. Yet that’s the reality a family has to face now.

He was such a great kid. I remember before they moved the brothers would always stop at the house and talk and hang out. Everyone loved him & his brothers. Why does things like this have to happen to such good people?

This has made me appreciate every moment I have with my boys & makes me want to hug them close every chance I can get. I don’t know how I would survive without them.

All my love, prayers, thoughts & everything I have go out to the Sparh & Herman family and to all his friends. God Bless you Owyn- Heaven is lucky to have gained such an angel as you.

Rediscovering the "Giver's High"

I think my favorite thing about doing RAOK's is the look of absolute happy surprise on the recipient's face. When you RAOK a stranger at first they are always wary of you- they don't know you, why are you walking up to them, why are are trying to talk to them. You know in their mind what they're thinking is "What does she want? I don't have time for this- I'm not buying anything." It's always with reluctance that they give you their attention. And to watch the suspicion on their face be replaced with pure shock & joy when they realize that you are giving them something simply out of kindness- wanting nothing in return is one of the best moments to experience ever. I wish everyone could feel the inner joy you get from doing RAOK's. It's like being on a natural buzz- a "Giver's High" that just lights you up from inside and you can't help but smile and spend the rest of the day in a great mood.

I rediscovered this awesome feeling Thursday thanks to a simple kindness suggestions posted on Facebook from Help Others. When I was checking my FB in the morning I seen "Give a candy bar to a school crossing guard this morning, He stands at the corner everday with a smile. :) ---smileswithhope"   And I realized- I can do that. It was such a small, simple thing and would only take me a moment's time. I actually had the candy bars since my Tank is selling some to earn money for his State Bowling Tournament and where we live now there are 2 crossing guards I see every morning. We were running late & I had to work that morning- but I just felt that need to do it. So I grabbed 2 candy bars, a highlighter & some tape before I herded my Lil' Man to the van. I quickly scribbled a message with a smiley face on it made from the highlighter on 2 scrap papers and taped them to the candy bars. On my way to dropping my boy off at the bus stop (hoping we weren't going to miss it) I stopped at the first corner & rolled my window down motioning to the first crossing guard, He approached my van & I handed him the candy simply telling him to have a good day before continuing on. I did the same for the second guard- pulling up beside his vehicle. Seeing both their faces alight with smiles just made me feel so good inside. And I carried that feeling with me into work and for the rest of the day. It cost me only $2 and a few moments of my time to brighten someone elses day and my own as well. There's no pictures of it- no proof to share- because I did it for me & for the simple act of kindness- not for my blog.

I want that feeling- that inner happiness from giving- that knowledge that I made someone smile for no reason- more often. I let the excuses that life has gotten so crazy, that I've been so busy with kids & work & the new house, that we don't have any extra change to spare stop me from experiencing that feeling. And that's all they are-- excuses. They're not real valid reasons.- there's nothing physically stopping me. I just need to make the time, budget the change & make the effort to go out of my way to do extra kind things. And I'm going to start doing that more. When I read a simple RAOK idea- I'm going to DO it, not just save the idea for sometime when I have more time. And if I have time- I'll blog about it. I'd love to start posting a RAOK Idea to challenge everyone every day- whether it''s my own idea or one I discovered through one of my kindness blogs. But I'm not going to worry about it if I don't. Because it's passing on the kindness & making the world a better place that is most important, blogging about it is secondary.  :o)

Computer Problems

Sorry for the absence in blogging- it is due to a computer malfunction. :o/

Unfortunately my main desktop pc that houses all my life within it has decided it needs a break. Hopefully I'll have it fixed or get a replacement soon. Till then the blogging will only be done sporadically on my Mini Dell. (Boy do I miss my big pc & Windows Live Writer!)

BTW- I still have been daily thinking & doing my gratitude challenge even if I haven't been able to post them.  :o) 

I’m on simmer this morning

I know this is a nice blog about good & happy & creative things. So feel free to skip this post where I’m going to rant & come back later when I’m feeling more my normal cheerful & crafty self.  :o)

Let me preface this by saying I love my job. I work part-time at a video store and while it can be chaotic & stressful at times- I really love it. I’m a people person and it suits me perfectly. I also love my co-workers for the most part. We occasionally irritate each other with some of our work-habits (like leaving things unfinished at the end of a shift or no notes explain what this or that pile of movies is)- but that’s just normal human interaction. It’s little things we work through & deal with.

However- it’s becoming increasingly too frequent that I’m expected to be at beck & call on my days off. We’re short-staffed, so I understand that there’s times when there’s more work than one person can handle and a little help is greatly appreciated. I’ve been there myself (more often than not I’ve just dealt with it though and then stayed later than my shift to finish things b/c I respect people’s days off.)  I don’t mind sometimes going in to help out. Heck- I’ve quite often covered people’s shifts when they were unable to work them due to schedule conflict or sickness. I’ve come in to work on short notice, I’ve worked a longer shift when asked, I’ve even voluntarily worked off-clock a little bit to finish projects I was in the middle of at work & didn’t want to throw our labor hours off by not clocking out when it was time for me to leave.

I give a lot to a part-time job. So much so that it’s started to irk me when I’m sent “SOS” texts on my day off. That when I (and others) write request days off on the calendar he repeatedly forgets to look at it when making the schedule and often we are supposed to work on those days and then have to scramble to find coverage for shifts or forgo whatever plans we had. Granted- when he scheduled me to work a short 5-9pm shift this past Monday on Halloween and I told him I couldn’t work it he said they’d manage without me. (But I was the second back-up person and technically it wasn’t him that was shorted- it was my co-worker that was working that night.)

My boss is not a bad guy- I generally like him a lot. But the little things are adding up. Stuff like him leaving stacks of damaged movies unfinished, not doing inventories when he opens, leaving huge lists we’re expected to do, calling/texting on days off requesting us to work and such. Last night was kind of like the final straw. He called and left a message saying I needed to call him or my co-worker T ASAP. I figured I knew what he wanted- me to come in & work till close. I know this b/c he didn’t look at the calendar/availability when making the schedule for this week and put my co-worker L working when she needed it off. I didn’t want to work it- figured it was his mess & he should cover it. And besides- I had my own stuff to do (like go to my son’s Cub Scout meeting to help out for the first time since I wasn’t working for once on a Tues night!)- it wasn’t like I was sitting at home twiddling my thumbs! Well about 8pm I guess he called again and left another message. Which pissed me off when I heard it:

“Hi J, this is R again. I need you to call me as soon as you get this- it doesn’t matter how late it is. If not, we’re going to have to have a meeting- like you and me. So- hope to hear from you soon.”

That bold part is what set me off. EXCUSE ME?!?!?!? If I don’t call you on my day off when I’m NOT scheduled to work then you’re implying I’m going to get in trouble? How in the HELL do you think that works? You dare threaten me with a “meeting” because I’m not sitting at home by the phone on my freaking day off because maybe, just maybe I might get a call from work and have to rush in to save the day again?!?!  I was hot to say the least. That was an instant tick me off- wrong thing to say to this girl who doesn’t get angry often. It was the match to the powder keg of things that had been building up for a few weeks now.

I’m a d*mn good employee who works her shifts, does my share of the work (and then some), doesn’t call off even when I’m sick, often comes in on my days off to help out & covers other’s shifts often when needed. When he went out of town 2 weekends in a row for weddings I worked those 2solid weekends with long hours (11 hour day one day!), closed one night & turned around and opened the next. I was running on fumes- having only maybe 5 hours sleep. I also have the highest sales in my store just about every week- Heck I had the highest in my district just last week!

*Breathe…….1,2,3……….Breathe*

Sorry- this is still bubbling inside me b/c I haven’t been able to release it on the person who deserves it yet. Because I refused to call him last night for 2 reasons- 1) You don’t threaten me with anything. EVER. NOT the way to get results with me. 2) I figured if I called him last night I’d say things I’d regret- like to F off.  I thought some sleep would help calm me down- but it didn’t work. I’m still pissed off. And when I called him this morning to wake his butt up (b/c unlike this mom who no matter if I work till close & don’t get to sleep till midnight at the earliest still has to get up first thing in the morning with kids he sleeps till who knows when)- I only got his voicemail. So I’m waiting for him to call back. And he probably won’t be any happier with me than I am with him b/c I didn’t leave a very welcoming pleasant toned message. He’s going to know I’m not happy before he even calls and he better have his pucker lips on when he does. :o)

 

Ok- Rant over. I feel a bit better for at least completely venting somewhere. Now to get busy and get stuff done that puts me back in a good mood.   :o)

Being a little more Grateful

I’m going to ignore the fact that it’s been 7 months since I last blogged and just continue on in the haphazard way that is me.  :o)  Ok? Ok!

What prompted this writing is a blog post from My Creative Stirrings- she posted a Gratitude Challenge and I think it’s just what I need to try and do in my already-crazy-busy life. ;o)  Actually- it really is. I’m really good at thanking everyone for the little day-to-day things they do for me. But I’m really bad about thanking the people I love for the larger things they do- like putting up with my non existent emails, phone calls & visits. I rarely remember to take the time to relax with my besties & family b/c I get so absorbed in my own life events. And it’s one of the biggest regrets I have, but I can’t seem to find a way around it. It’s on my “must work on to become a better person” list.  :o)

Anyways- I’m somehow going to try and fit a special thank you into each and every day of this month. If I can squeeze the time out to blog about it I will- but I’ve learned that I shouldn’t make promises about that b/c in my life there’s no guarantees.  :o)

I hope if anyone’s reading this that you make an effort to be a little more thankful for the people around you and good things you have- even if it’s only a couple times this month.

Rambling randomness about nothing really

It’s amazing that I get anything done some days. So many different thoughts pass through my mind in such a short period of time that I’m more often than not to spend all my time thinking instead of doing. If someone was able to record for a few minutes the thoughts floating through my head it would go something like this:

What’s for dinner tonight? I really need to start making a weekly menu again. Today’s Tuesday- I need an easy meal since it’s Scout night. What are we doing tonight at Scouts? Oh, yeah- making thank you cards. I should prefold cardstock. The cards will work towards an elective. What other elective can we do? We got a bunch of electives done, but we can’t get the beads till our Tiger Badge is done. All we need to get it is for each Tiger to see a sporting event. Oh, yeah- I told them at the last meeting I’d type up a reminder of that with the progress report for each scout tonight. Oh shoot- I got Port-a-pit chicken tickets to sell- that have sat in my bag since last meeting. I need to do that. Maybe we can set up a table at my work. I need to get my schedule for next week yet. I’m glad I don’t have to work today. Shoot- I gotta work tomorrow though and the auditor’s going to be there. Better make sure to wear something nicer than normal. Most of my work clothes are dirty. Actually- most everyone’s clothes are dirty. I gotta go to the laundry mat today. Should go to the bank too. But I better go grocery shopping first. I need to figure out what we’re eating this week & tonight first. The dog’s barking again. *looks out the window* Dang- it’s so gloomy outside. Where’s the sun? I need the sun! I want sunlight & brightness. Maybe I can make something colorful for inside to make it cheerful. Like a rainbow. with a pot of gold. Thursday’s St. Patty’s day after all. I should do something fun for the kids!  Gotta find the recipe for those shamrock shakes again. Green milk again for breakfast. And green food for dinner. Crap- dinner! What am I doing for dinner tonight? Maybe I’ll just see what’s at the store. I could stop at the consignment store while I’m up there. I need a new shirt. I’m bored with my wardrobe- I need a splash of something different. Maybe I can find something cute to wear State Weekend. Shoot-  I really need to find my wallet because that has my license in it and I’ll need it when we go in case I get carded. Hope I don’t have to get a new license. Because if I do I’ll find my wallet right after.  The dog’s howling- she hates sirens. *Looks towards the main road* There goes the fire truck. I need to get the dog food for her from the back of the van. *Sees someone leaving the gas station across the street carrying a gallon of milk*  We need milk. And OJ. Better make a grocery list.

Then I glace at the computer clock and notice almost an hour has passed and I have not done a single thing that I thought about. And then what do I do instead of starting to make a menu, a grocery list, getting laundry around, working on Scout stuff and the 3 million other things that need completed? I write a blog post about my inability to get things done. Totally, completely logical……..right?

Finding me, my path & some blogging thoughts

I have a friend with a blog. A good, dear awesome friend. Her posts have been really making me think lately. Reflect on my life. What I want, who I want to be, where I want to go with this life. I know who I am- somewhat. But I need to cultivate my person more. I need to define who I am beyond a mother & a wife. I’ve fallen back into my “comfort zone.” I need to be more in charge of my life and the path I’m traveling, instead of just letting life carry me along. I’ve started that by finding a part time job. And while that’s been (and still is) quite an adjustment & struggle at times- I enjoy it greatly. But that’s just a tiny first step- I need more. I want to be more independent. Not in the “I don’t need you” kind of way. But in the “I’m confident in my abilities” way. I know I can be a better partner to my husband if I was more self-assured of myself. And I’ll be a much better mother as well. I am very happy, content and proud to be a mom & wife.. But while those are extremely important and vital parts of me- I can not center my life completely around those two aspects of my life. I want to have an accomplishment that I can be proud of that- I want to be able to say that I have DONE something with my life. I want to have more declarations that start with “I’ve DONE”, “I’ve TRIED" and “I AM” than “I want”, “I wish” and “Someday….” statements.

So I decided a few weeks ago to do something I always said I should & wished I would, but never did. I’m going back to school. I officially enrolled in the community college 2011 fall semester. Now- I haven’t a real clue as to what I’m going to do- but that’s ok. That’s part of the whole “finding myself” thing I’ve got to work on. I’m thinking of some sort of business or education degree. Or maybe both- who knows. The important thing is- I’m finally going to DO it instead of just talking about it.  :o)

Another part of this whole finding me thing is I need to rediscover what makes me me. I want to get back in touch with things I enjoy- such as creating. I love to create in any medium. Be it with a pen & paper, glue & paint, colored pencils & a sketch pad or cake & frosting. I’m an artsy-craftsy person. It’s an integral part of me. And I haven’t been fulfilling that within myself. So- I’m going to aim to try and do at least one crafty thing a week. Even if there’s dishes piled in the sink, the hamper’s overflowing and instead of cleaning my craft area I have to shove the 2 ft high pile of crap that’s there into a plastic tub just to find my craft desk. I will find the simple joy of creation again. Oh- and reading. I need to do that again. I honestly can’t remember the last book I read or when. Yeah- that’s gotta start happening again too.

No- as for the blogging thoughts. My friend I spoke of above? Yeah- she is what inspired this whole posting. And I love her. And I admire her blogging style- she just writes what she thinks & feels and posts whatever & whenever she wants. Her blog is kind of random & I love it. When I read one of her posts it’s like I’m actually talking to her- it’s a true reflection of herself. I love it. And I need to learn from it and her.

I think one of the reasons I haven’t blogged is because I feel pressure to make sure every post is perfect and interesting and just right. I type & retype & spend a couple hours on just one post. And since I’ve added a job to my crazy life- I simply haven’t had that much time to spend on blogging. So instead of settling for an imperfect impromptu post, I simply haven’t blogged. That’s one of my “flaws” I need to work on- perfection. Everything I create- be it blogging, writing, crafting, drawing, cake decorating or whatnot- does NOT have to be revised & redone over & over again. I need to embrace the fact that every thing I do doesn’t have to be done to the best of my ability. Now- that seems like a strange statement considering that I always tell my kids to “Do you best.” But for me I always want to do things better- everything can always be improved and I strive so hard for that “betterness” that I don’t have time to do more than one thing. That’s not strengthening my abilities- that’s limiting myself. Because I often will not start something because I know I won’t have time to finish it. I need to learn to accept less to get better. And maybe I can start to learn that lesson with this blog. Perhaps. It’s worth a shot anyways.  :o)

BTW- If I totally lost you in this post- that’s ok. :o)

Feeling Grateful

I’m sitting here reflecting on my life and all the wonderful people I have in it. In the last few months it’s become apparent that I have some really, really fantastic friends. I mean, I already knew that they were awesome friends to begin with, but then they went above & beyond what I expected in a friendship. They each individually surprised me with gift. They deeply touched me & made me feel so very special. I’m not used to someone taking the time to think of me & going out of their way to surprise me like that for no reason. And then to have not one, but FOUR of my friends do that for me- it totally blew me away. It humbled me to realize how blessed I was to have such caring & thoughtful people in my world. It makes me feel so very loved every time I think about it. I am so extremely grateful for my friends. I am beyond lucky to have such a great group of ladies that support me, that really *know* me, that think & care about me so much. I’m honored to have them in my life. I don’t think they know how much that one act each of them did meant to me, nor can they possibly realize how important they each are to me, and that’s something I mean to correct- starting today.  :o)

Thank  You Becca! Thank You Chrissy! Thank You Alicia! Thank You Missy!

(I even made it rhyme!  LOL)

Also, Thank You to everyone who reads this. I’m glad you are in my life- whether you are a close & awesome friend IRL or someone who just reads my blog and I’ve never met. You are all part of my universe in some way and that makes my life a better place.  :o)

I’m still here :o)

No- I haven’t fallen of the face of the earth. Yes- Life has gotten hectic and I let myself become so immersed in the craziness that I haven’t blogged in two weeks. I’m working on that whole “balance” thing in my life and obviously it still needs some adjustment! With the school season in full swing all the activities that come with it are going now too and my obligations have gone up, while my free time has gone down. I simply forgot how much more work being “The Mom” was at this time of year. I’m spending a lot of time doing kid related things- volunteering between 3 schools, multiple after-school activities, kid’s bowling leagues, helping lead Cub Scouts, making Halloween costumes and operating “Mom’s Taxi Service.”  To add to the crazy mix we put our house up for sale two weeks ago and are hoping to move sometime soon, so I have the pressure of trying to super-deep-clean my home and get things packed up.

So there’s my reasons for neglecting my blog and readers. Sorry I abandoned you all for a bit- life grabbed me unawares & took off running and I’ve just been stumbling to keep up. Hopefully I can find a more steady pace here soon and can start blogging regularly again. :o)   I do have a few kindness things I wanted to share from during my absence- I’ll do my best to get them up this week and get caught up on all the comments left.

Sitting Here Remembering…….

I still remember turning on the TV for some random reason that day, though I rarely watch TV during the daytime. I remember wondering why the news was on so early in the day and standing there in confusion trying to figure out what was going on. I remember being in shock once I realized what was happening. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, what I was hearing. How could this be happening?!?!?  It was so unimaginable to think, but all to real to watch.

There are a lot of songs about 9/11 but “Where Were You” by Alan Jackson is the one that really makes me stop and think about that day. Even to this day, every time I hear it my eyes still fill up with tears and I feel an overwhelming sadness within me as I remember.

That day and those following were dark days for our country. So many were taken from us, so many families were torn apart, so many brave souls lost. But out of the tragedy and darkness came a uniting in our nation and an outpouring of support that still amazes me. A reinforced pride was forged that made our country stronger. I don’t want all that goodness that was born from the pain to be lost. I haven’t forgotten and I will do my best to make sure those around me haven’t either.

I send out a prayer to all that was affected by the 9/11 tragedy 9 years ago. And I pray that everyone remembers and pays honor to the individuals that sacrificed so much that day.

America- Stay Strong, Stay United, Don’t Ever Forget, but Carry On With Your Head Held High.

To everyone that reads this- please take a moment and go HERE to read a really touching post Thrifty Decor Chick wrote about 9/11. She has pictures from the Ground Zero Museum that everyone (like me) who hasn’t been there needs to see. This one really touched my heart:

Pollyanna Principle

My life goal is simple: Be Happy. Generally happy with my life at all times. I don't mean putting on a fake smile for others either. I understand that everyone has times of sorrow and I won’t deny myself the chance to acknowledge such feelings. Emotions like anger, disappointment, sadness and frustration are a necessity in life, for they make us stronger and give us a better appreciation for the good things in our lives. But I will not allow myself to wallow in negativity either. For every sad moment I experience, I want to create a hundred more happy ones. I want to build a well of gladness and peace inside me so that I may draw from it during times of discontent.

When I am faced with a difficult situation I want to be able to find some good, happy thing to take from it. I want to be a person who can find a reason to smile & laugh at any time, no matter what's going on inside my head. I want to be a person who doesn't complain and whine about the misfortunes in my life, but instead comments on what a beautiful rainy day it is. I want to love my life at any given moment, to cherish not only the good things, but the bad as well. For it all makes me the woman I am today and will be tomorrow.

When you think about it- it's not such an easy goal to accomplish as it would seem. Life has lots of ups & downs, twists & turns and black tunnels it takes you through. Sure- it's easy to be happy when you're at the top and life's all sunshine & rainbows, but what about when you find out you're standing on a trap door & you unexpectedly plummet to the bottom? What about when you look up and the rays of the sun can't reach you because of the suffocating shadows surrounding you? What about when you realize that you've fallen so far down you can't see a way out and all you want to do is cry? What then?

It would be easy to shut your eyes and succumb to the dark pit of despair and not fight to live anymore. It would be easy to let your weeping heart close itself off, giving up on your dream. It would be easy to forget how to laugh in such bleak times. It would be easy to let your wounded soul lash out in frightened fury and vow never again to trust.

It is much harder to believe in the light when you're shrouded in blackness. It is much harder to open yourself up and have faith that you will escape the dark clutches that hold you so tight. It is much harder to remember to keep love in your heart when you are being smothered by shadows. It is much harder to have hope when there is none to be seen. But these are all key components to finding true contentment and happiness within yourself.

So the question is- will you take the easy route and let life beat you down, complain about your misfortunes and only see the bad things? Or will you take the hard route and keep a smile & laughter handy, share the things your thankful for and find the silver lining in the dark clouds?

I know what my choice is- I’m choosing to be a better, stronger person by not letting things keep me down and I’ll make the best of any situation I’m faced with. I’m going to live my life with what I call the Pollyanna Principle- an optimistic, positive & grateful outlook on life. With such a sunshiny perspective I know I’ll accomplish my life goal of being happy.