"Grown-ups never understand anything for themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them." ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupuery
From: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Main_Page (what a FUN site!)
Never, never, never grow up. There is absolutely no point in it at all!
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Making a Difference
With all the negativity and ugliness in the news, a story like this deserves attention...but will likely not get as much as the article next to it about U.S. interrogation at Gitmo. So I thought I'd post it here.
I often rant about people who have near unlimited resources doing very little to help the world around them. I have seen first-hand what just a few caring and generous people can do in a small community and I know the benefit to the world could be exponential if everyone would take a cue from the individuals discussed in the following article. We don't need more cars, gold grillz on our teeth, shoes and purses that cost as much as new car, or ten million dollar houses on every continent. We need to think about humanity and the future of the world we will leave to our children. Every little bit helps. It really does. And that is what makes these people great...and what makes every person who gives of themselves a true hero.
From Newsweek: 15 People Who Make America Great
With this issue, we launch our "Giving Back Awards" in recognition of people who, through bravery or generosity, genius or passion, devote themselves to helping others. From hundreds of nominations, these folks were chosen for imaginative approaches to difficult problems. We hope they remind you of someone -- maybe yourself.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/13530551/site/newsweek/from/ET/
I often rant about people who have near unlimited resources doing very little to help the world around them. I have seen first-hand what just a few caring and generous people can do in a small community and I know the benefit to the world could be exponential if everyone would take a cue from the individuals discussed in the following article. We don't need more cars, gold grillz on our teeth, shoes and purses that cost as much as new car, or ten million dollar houses on every continent. We need to think about humanity and the future of the world we will leave to our children. Every little bit helps. It really does. And that is what makes these people great...and what makes every person who gives of themselves a true hero.
From Newsweek: 15 People Who Make America Great
With this issue, we launch our "Giving Back Awards" in recognition of people who, through bravery or generosity, genius or passion, devote themselves to helping others. From hundreds of nominations, these folks were chosen for imaginative approaches to difficult problems. We hope they remind you of someone -- maybe yourself.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/13530551/site/newsweek/from/ET/
Friday, June 23, 2006
Keeping Kids Safe
As I prepare my lesson for the annual Planned Parenthood Nobody's Fool event in July, I find myself in need of adding a new topic that doesn't seem to fit with the goal of comprehensive sex education. However, it is essential to keeping today's kids safe and helping them make good decisions. The topic is internet safety and I think we can not have enough attention and media coverage dedicated to what has become a very dangerous phenomenon. Anyway...before I get all the way up on my soap box, here is blog I came across today. It has some great points about who is responsible for keeping kids safe.
Latest post from: When kids get hurt, who's to blame? ( http://redtape.msnbc.com/2006/06/when_kids_get_h.html)
Latest post from: When kids get hurt, who's to blame? ( http://redtape.msnbc.com/2006/06/when_kids_get_h.html)
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
The Goddess of Happiness on Perfection: Why It’s Really Overrated
by Debbie Gisonni for iVillage
When I was a girl, I wanted the perfect nose - one of those small, indistinctive noses that blends into the background of the model's face on a magazine cover. My Italian genetics, however, gave me another type of nose: a little long, a little bumpy, not terribly unpleasant, but definitely ethnic. I've thought about fixing it many times, particularly when I started appearing on TV. (We all know the camera adds five pounds, and noses are no exception.) So far I've resisted the temptation partly because my nose is an integral part of who I am that I don't want to lose, and partly because there's a rebel inside of me who hates to conform to what society says is perfect.
I once read that when Sofia Loren was trying to get into the movies, she was told that everything about her was too big (nose, eyes, lips, body), but she didn't give up. She believed in her unique features, which has made her an undeniable goddess throughout her life. Even today, she continues to exude inner and outer beauty.
Women in particular seem to be conditioned to spend their entire lives chasing someone else's definition of perfection. The perfect face without wrinkles or prominent features, and a body without one dimple of cellulite! Have you ever met anyone like this? The perfect entertaining skills, where you gather the twigs and leaves you'll be gluing together for the table centerpiece prior to preparing a dinner from scratch for 12. Do you even own a glue gun? The perfect man who treats you like a queen, loves your mother and never leaves his dirty socks on the floor. Are you sure he's straight? C'mon, women - what 1950s sitcom are you living in? None of these scenarios resemble real life.
Think of perfection as the carrot on the end of a stick mounted to your head. You keep thinking you can grab it if you run hard enough, and sometimes you can get a little taste of it, but it's never enough. You want the whole thing, and even if you get that, right around the corner is another carrot waiting to be chased. You'll grow old and angry chasing perfection. So why bother? Wouldn't you rather spend time playing with your kids instead of mopping the kitchen floor? Wouldn't you rather look unique instead of like a mannequin? Wouldn't you rather be happy instead of perfect? I know I would, because when you're happy, everything is perfect.
Here, then, are three ways to stop chasing perfection:
· Redefine reality from what you see in the media to what you see around you in real life.
· Love your unique traits; they make you interesting to others.
· Be perfectly happy by enjoying everything you are and everything you have... every day.
Here is a link to the article:
http://lifestyle.msn.com/MindBodyandSoul/PersonalGrowth/Articleiv2.aspx?cp-documentid=517290
When I was a girl, I wanted the perfect nose - one of those small, indistinctive noses that blends into the background of the model's face on a magazine cover. My Italian genetics, however, gave me another type of nose: a little long, a little bumpy, not terribly unpleasant, but definitely ethnic. I've thought about fixing it many times, particularly when I started appearing on TV. (We all know the camera adds five pounds, and noses are no exception.) So far I've resisted the temptation partly because my nose is an integral part of who I am that I don't want to lose, and partly because there's a rebel inside of me who hates to conform to what society says is perfect.
I once read that when Sofia Loren was trying to get into the movies, she was told that everything about her was too big (nose, eyes, lips, body), but she didn't give up. She believed in her unique features, which has made her an undeniable goddess throughout her life. Even today, she continues to exude inner and outer beauty.
Women in particular seem to be conditioned to spend their entire lives chasing someone else's definition of perfection. The perfect face without wrinkles or prominent features, and a body without one dimple of cellulite! Have you ever met anyone like this? The perfect entertaining skills, where you gather the twigs and leaves you'll be gluing together for the table centerpiece prior to preparing a dinner from scratch for 12. Do you even own a glue gun? The perfect man who treats you like a queen, loves your mother and never leaves his dirty socks on the floor. Are you sure he's straight? C'mon, women - what 1950s sitcom are you living in? None of these scenarios resemble real life.
Think of perfection as the carrot on the end of a stick mounted to your head. You keep thinking you can grab it if you run hard enough, and sometimes you can get a little taste of it, but it's never enough. You want the whole thing, and even if you get that, right around the corner is another carrot waiting to be chased. You'll grow old and angry chasing perfection. So why bother? Wouldn't you rather spend time playing with your kids instead of mopping the kitchen floor? Wouldn't you rather look unique instead of like a mannequin? Wouldn't you rather be happy instead of perfect? I know I would, because when you're happy, everything is perfect.
Here, then, are three ways to stop chasing perfection:
· Redefine reality from what you see in the media to what you see around you in real life.
· Love your unique traits; they make you interesting to others.
· Be perfectly happy by enjoying everything you are and everything you have... every day.
Here is a link to the article:
http://lifestyle.msn.com/MindBodyandSoul/PersonalGrowth/Articleiv2.aspx?cp-documentid=517290
Monday, June 12, 2006
At Blackwater Pond, by Mary Oliver
At Blackwater Pond the tossed waters
have settled after a night of rain.
I dip my cupped hands.
I drink a long time.
It tastes like stone, leaves, fire.
It falls cold into my body, waking the bones.
I hear them deep inside me, whispering
oh what is that beautiful thing that just happened?
have settled after a night of rain.
I dip my cupped hands.
I drink a long time.
It tastes like stone, leaves, fire.
It falls cold into my body, waking the bones.
I hear them deep inside me, whispering
oh what is that beautiful thing that just happened?
Friday, June 09, 2006
Re: Yesterday's Post
Apparently I am not the only one who noticed.
Check out this article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13212323/
Check out this article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13212323/
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Necessary?
I understand that killing the al Qaeda leader al-Zarqawi is news. Regardless of what side of the political, ethical, and moral fence you are on, it is news. I do my best to stay current on the major happenings in the world and this is certainly something I count as news-worthy. However, is it really necessary to splash pictures of him covered in blood all over the main page of every major news website?! Regardless of whether or not this man was a monster, a martyr or a lunatic, it is still death and it is still sad and ugly and not to be glorified. In the picture on the CNN website of the press conference this morning they even went so far as to put the picture in a gold frame with a matte. At least that picture was cleaned up a little -- the one on ABCnews.com showed bloody and disfigured face. I don’t care who he was or what he did, I do not want to see a picture of him dead and I feel it is disrespectful. Some would argue that he deserves no respect. Maybe that is true. But I still can not find it in myself to celebrate his death.
I want to hate him, but I can't. He believed he was fighting for a just and honorable cause and was willing to die for it. True, I believe any cause that requires that thousands of innocent people be killed can not truly be "just"...but aren't we, as a nation, doing the same thing? As we see him, they see us. The only thing that allows us to feel superior and justified that we did not go in with the intent to kill thousands of unsuspecting innocent people simply because of their ethnicity (or did we?). Sure, we knew that could happen, but only under the definition of "collateral damage". Right? Then I hear that some of our Marine's slaughtered Iraqi civilians in a fit of rage over the death of one of their own. Do I believe it happened? Yes, I do. Was it justified? No. Is it forgivable? Thank God, I do not have to make that decision. Is it somehow, in the farthest depths of my mind, understandable? Maybe. I can not fathom the mental, emotional, physical and psychological strain that these men and women are facing. They are not trained for "counter-insurgency" they are trained for war. Perhaps the only ones who could truly relate are the veterans who came back from Vietnam labeled as "baby killers"; the ones who cracked under the same kind of extreme mental anguish of not knowing who to fight, who to trust and how to deal with blood running through the streets you walk in. All I know is that I can not judge any of these people because I do not know what I would do if my home and family were threatened on a daily basis, if all I had seen my entire life was killing, or if I had seen good man after good man fall to an invisible enemy.
We must allow ourselves to see BOTH sides of this ugly and bloody coin that has been flipped. Heads or tails...no one wins. When it comes down to it, in the perspective of eternity, al- Zarqawi is just as important to God as I am. So is the Iraqi woman that died when hit by stray gunfire, the baby born in Africa that did not even live through the day, the 18-year-old Marine who has learned to kill in retribution, the pastor from the church downtown, the pedophile serving time in an American jail for molesting a four-year-old, the President, the Prime Minister and every person drawing breath at this very moment. We are all the same and covered in the same grace that none of us deserves. Unfortunately I do not have hope that we will ever be able to see that.
I want to hate him, but I can't. He believed he was fighting for a just and honorable cause and was willing to die for it. True, I believe any cause that requires that thousands of innocent people be killed can not truly be "just"...but aren't we, as a nation, doing the same thing? As we see him, they see us. The only thing that allows us to feel superior and justified that we did not go in with the intent to kill thousands of unsuspecting innocent people simply because of their ethnicity (or did we?). Sure, we knew that could happen, but only under the definition of "collateral damage". Right? Then I hear that some of our Marine's slaughtered Iraqi civilians in a fit of rage over the death of one of their own. Do I believe it happened? Yes, I do. Was it justified? No. Is it forgivable? Thank God, I do not have to make that decision. Is it somehow, in the farthest depths of my mind, understandable? Maybe. I can not fathom the mental, emotional, physical and psychological strain that these men and women are facing. They are not trained for "counter-insurgency" they are trained for war. Perhaps the only ones who could truly relate are the veterans who came back from Vietnam labeled as "baby killers"; the ones who cracked under the same kind of extreme mental anguish of not knowing who to fight, who to trust and how to deal with blood running through the streets you walk in. All I know is that I can not judge any of these people because I do not know what I would do if my home and family were threatened on a daily basis, if all I had seen my entire life was killing, or if I had seen good man after good man fall to an invisible enemy.
We must allow ourselves to see BOTH sides of this ugly and bloody coin that has been flipped. Heads or tails...no one wins. When it comes down to it, in the perspective of eternity, al- Zarqawi is just as important to God as I am. So is the Iraqi woman that died when hit by stray gunfire, the baby born in Africa that did not even live through the day, the 18-year-old Marine who has learned to kill in retribution, the pastor from the church downtown, the pedophile serving time in an American jail for molesting a four-year-old, the President, the Prime Minister and every person drawing breath at this very moment. We are all the same and covered in the same grace that none of us deserves. Unfortunately I do not have hope that we will ever be able to see that.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Random Rant on Tuesday
Get ready…it is just another rant… not worth reading.
It is just one of those days. True, I seem to be having a lot of them lately, but that doesn’t make it any less difficult to get through. It seems that the issue of time has been pressing in on me for the past several weeks and I can not seem to shake it. Time. The one thing there never seems to be enough of in my life. I know, I know, that is not really a “problem” compared to what the majority of the word endures on a daily basis and I would never purport that my life is somehow actually difficult. But I am going to complain anyway. I can’t seem to get going at work today. I want to be somewhere else…anywhere but here would do. It is not that it is terrible here or that I do not like my job. It is a great job and couldn’t ask for better (except for being paid to stay home…but I am not sure that job exists). Maybe I need a vacation. I have taken days off, but usually it is just a day to catch up on all the stuff that is left undone on a regular basis during the week (i.e. cleaning, laundry, pulling weeds, etc.). So I never really feel rested after one of those days. There are just so many other things I want to be doing with my time!! I want to read, learn new things, cook more, do yoga regularly, take care of my dogs, be healthier, volunteer, work in the garden, go see friends, visit family, start a family…the list goes on and on. Huh. Funny that “work every friggin day” didn’t make that list. It is not that I am opposed to work. I am just opposed to having to be held prisoner here every day from 8 to 5. Every single thing I have to do today could be done from home. I would not have to get dressed up, fix my hair & makeup, drive in to town, eat bad food for lunch, mainline Diet Coke to stay awake, etc. It would be beautiful. Ugh. It just seems like there is never enough time to do the things that are really important. That brings up another question. What IS truly important in this life? When we were created, what was our intended purpose? And shouldn’t we be doing that?
What if the Hokey Pokey is really what its all about?
It is just one of those days. True, I seem to be having a lot of them lately, but that doesn’t make it any less difficult to get through. It seems that the issue of time has been pressing in on me for the past several weeks and I can not seem to shake it. Time. The one thing there never seems to be enough of in my life. I know, I know, that is not really a “problem” compared to what the majority of the word endures on a daily basis and I would never purport that my life is somehow actually difficult. But I am going to complain anyway. I can’t seem to get going at work today. I want to be somewhere else…anywhere but here would do. It is not that it is terrible here or that I do not like my job. It is a great job and couldn’t ask for better (except for being paid to stay home…but I am not sure that job exists). Maybe I need a vacation. I have taken days off, but usually it is just a day to catch up on all the stuff that is left undone on a regular basis during the week (i.e. cleaning, laundry, pulling weeds, etc.). So I never really feel rested after one of those days. There are just so many other things I want to be doing with my time!! I want to read, learn new things, cook more, do yoga regularly, take care of my dogs, be healthier, volunteer, work in the garden, go see friends, visit family, start a family…the list goes on and on. Huh. Funny that “work every friggin day” didn’t make that list. It is not that I am opposed to work. I am just opposed to having to be held prisoner here every day from 8 to 5. Every single thing I have to do today could be done from home. I would not have to get dressed up, fix my hair & makeup, drive in to town, eat bad food for lunch, mainline Diet Coke to stay awake, etc. It would be beautiful. Ugh. It just seems like there is never enough time to do the things that are really important. That brings up another question. What IS truly important in this life? When we were created, what was our intended purpose? And shouldn’t we be doing that?
What if the Hokey Pokey is really what its all about?
OK, the rant is over.
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