Sunday is Mother's Day here in the US. Personally, I think it's a ploy from the retail shops to drum up some extra business. I could participate in stimulating the economy by taking advantage of the lovely items available in nearly every kind of gift shop or department store. Or, I might grace mom with a handmade gift, or something else that helps her enjoy life. Taking her out for a nice meal, or making a donation in her name are other thoughtful ideas. But, I prefer to tell my mom (and mother in law) that I think they're special more often than once a year on a made-up holiday. And, I told my husband that I want to stay home and just relax! And not to spend money on a card, because he can tell me in person what a great mom I am to our child! He was fine with that (ha ha).
My mother is one of the reasons I'm a decent person. Her kind, loving way of raising me (and my 2 sisters) resulted in my growing into a thoughtful, considerate, and loving mother to my own child. Her lessons were many, and she fostered (and still does) a sense of peace, security, and togetherness in our family. It's difficult for me to be living so far away and not having her close at hand. The telephone doesn't quite cut it for me, so we visit a few times a year and that tides me over, most of the time.
My mother in law raised a loving, happy man who became my husband (and he's still happy!!). The lessons he learned from her, to be fair, honest, responsible, and to work hard have made him a successful person in his career, and a loving and upbeat father.
Our mothers are crucial to our well-being. Studies with young children, and young animals demonstrate how necessary maternal bonding is from the moment of birth. A youngster who has not received adequate bonding from a loving, caring presence will not have a sense of security, a clear sense of self, and will have problems with attachment later on.
If your mother is a positive presence in your life, consider yourself fortunate indeed. If you had issues with your mother, figure out what good she contributed to your life, and how her behavior helped you become the person you are today.
On another note, I came across this information in today's Dear Abby and want to share it with you: heart disease kills more women than the other top 3 causes combined. Women's symptoms are not the same as men's. It is important for women, and the ones who care about them, to know and understand the symptoms in order to receive proper and timely lifesaving care. You can request a Heart Health Kit by going to www.pueblo.gsa.gov, or call 888-878-3256, or write to Heart Health Kit, Pueblo, CO 81009.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Being Truthful
I have to laugh at all the hypocrisy that exists in the world today. Holier-than-thou environmentalists are attempting to control the world. In their arrogance, they believe their world view is the only world-view that should exist. What difference does it make that their solutions are expensive, unproven and impractical?
Consider this: from the moment you wake up in the morning until you go to sleep each night, every single thing you touch or ingest is the result of some creative idea that came to fruition, and involved some sort of energy input to manufacture and transport, hence some sort of fossil fuel or other resource was used to bring that item into your hands. The bed you sleep in has sheets and pillows and blankets on it. The bathroom you use has a sink, toilet, shower, etc. that were manufactured. The water you use came from somewhere, and is treated so that it is safe for human consumption. The food you eat came from another place, and was somehow processed and packaged and transported so that you could procure it.
Where does the cup and plate and eating utensil come from? How did it get to you? What about the table you are sitting at? How about the cell phone or computer that you use to check your mail, order flowers, or make a reservation? Where did the plastic and all the insides come from? All the things we call conveniences and take for granted represent some technological advance and demand for some form of petrochemical or other resource to manufacture and bring to your fingertips. It also represents the end result of some person working at his or her job to bring that product to market.
If you were truly "green" you would be living in the woods like Thoreau, or a caveman. You would be living off the land, building a house from the resources at hand (mud, tree branches, stone, etc). You would be the steward of your food and clothing: raising sheep for the wool, raising chickens for their eggs, planting a garden, etc. You would have to make a cart and find a horse if you needed to get anywhere faster than walking. You would have to make provisions for potable water and getting rid of waste.
But, since we are all creatures of the 21st century and most of us do not live off the land, we do have choices to conserve our resources so that they last longer. We should conserve, reduce, reuse, recycle because it helps us be better stewards of the resources that we are fortunate enough to enjoy. We shouldn't take these resources for granted, for they are not endless (though it seems so!). There is no reason to make a big deal out of this, it should just be a part of our every day life. It should be a part of our thinking, just as commonplace as thinking about the things we need to accomplish on any given day. We live in a very prosperous, creative country that is very fortunate to have all it has. Most people aren't so lucky. We need to show more gratitude and more responsibility for what we have, and one way to do that is to think about our impact on the world around us. It's not something to get all high and mighty about, but if everyone does his or her own part to make less of an impact and use resources more thoughtfully, we will be better off.
If you drink water out of one of those ubiquitous plastic bottles, what about getting a water filter for your faucet and using a reusable plastic or stainless bottle to transport it? If you drink coffee from a disposable cup, bring a real coffee cup with you, and wash it out. If you buy lunch, get it packaged with as little packaging as possible. Use net bags for your groceries. Join a freecycle on-line community to procure needed items, and pass yours on. There are so many ways we can reduce our impact on the environment that cost us little to nothing, other than being creative in our thought processes, and being a little more proactive.
I don't need some government agency telling me what car to drive, what tv I can watch, and how to live my life. I'm intelligent and really can think for myself in order to make a good choice. I'm not ready to become a non-thinking robot that goes along with whatever "Big Daddy" thinks is right for me. When I put something in my mouth, I make the choice and understand all the ramifications of ingesting that morsel. When I go to the store, I make the choice to spend my money, keep the economy going, and truly know whether or not I need that particular item in my possession. When I decide what car I want to drive, I'm going to choose something that suits my needs as far as comfort, size, price, etc.
The United States is an incredible place to live. But, I find the arrogance of those who think they know best how to live, to be deplorable. Who are we to think that our little country can impact the universe? Who are we to think that our measuring equipment is the be-all and end-all of everyone else's, and can possibly know all the answers there are to know? The Chicken Little media makes us think that our world is ending. The planet has been around for billions of years, and will continue, with our without our input. It's way bigger than we are! How do we know if anything we are doing affects climate change? We are poised to control every aspect of our lives with more and more costly regulations that will disempower us, dumb us down, and destroy our creative free market.
What happened to doing the right thing, because it's the right thing to do, not because someone tells us we have to?
Consider this: from the moment you wake up in the morning until you go to sleep each night, every single thing you touch or ingest is the result of some creative idea that came to fruition, and involved some sort of energy input to manufacture and transport, hence some sort of fossil fuel or other resource was used to bring that item into your hands. The bed you sleep in has sheets and pillows and blankets on it. The bathroom you use has a sink, toilet, shower, etc. that were manufactured. The water you use came from somewhere, and is treated so that it is safe for human consumption. The food you eat came from another place, and was somehow processed and packaged and transported so that you could procure it.
Where does the cup and plate and eating utensil come from? How did it get to you? What about the table you are sitting at? How about the cell phone or computer that you use to check your mail, order flowers, or make a reservation? Where did the plastic and all the insides come from? All the things we call conveniences and take for granted represent some technological advance and demand for some form of petrochemical or other resource to manufacture and bring to your fingertips. It also represents the end result of some person working at his or her job to bring that product to market.
If you were truly "green" you would be living in the woods like Thoreau, or a caveman. You would be living off the land, building a house from the resources at hand (mud, tree branches, stone, etc). You would be the steward of your food and clothing: raising sheep for the wool, raising chickens for their eggs, planting a garden, etc. You would have to make a cart and find a horse if you needed to get anywhere faster than walking. You would have to make provisions for potable water and getting rid of waste.
But, since we are all creatures of the 21st century and most of us do not live off the land, we do have choices to conserve our resources so that they last longer. We should conserve, reduce, reuse, recycle because it helps us be better stewards of the resources that we are fortunate enough to enjoy. We shouldn't take these resources for granted, for they are not endless (though it seems so!). There is no reason to make a big deal out of this, it should just be a part of our every day life. It should be a part of our thinking, just as commonplace as thinking about the things we need to accomplish on any given day. We live in a very prosperous, creative country that is very fortunate to have all it has. Most people aren't so lucky. We need to show more gratitude and more responsibility for what we have, and one way to do that is to think about our impact on the world around us. It's not something to get all high and mighty about, but if everyone does his or her own part to make less of an impact and use resources more thoughtfully, we will be better off.
If you drink water out of one of those ubiquitous plastic bottles, what about getting a water filter for your faucet and using a reusable plastic or stainless bottle to transport it? If you drink coffee from a disposable cup, bring a real coffee cup with you, and wash it out. If you buy lunch, get it packaged with as little packaging as possible. Use net bags for your groceries. Join a freecycle on-line community to procure needed items, and pass yours on. There are so many ways we can reduce our impact on the environment that cost us little to nothing, other than being creative in our thought processes, and being a little more proactive.
I don't need some government agency telling me what car to drive, what tv I can watch, and how to live my life. I'm intelligent and really can think for myself in order to make a good choice. I'm not ready to become a non-thinking robot that goes along with whatever "Big Daddy" thinks is right for me. When I put something in my mouth, I make the choice and understand all the ramifications of ingesting that morsel. When I go to the store, I make the choice to spend my money, keep the economy going, and truly know whether or not I need that particular item in my possession. When I decide what car I want to drive, I'm going to choose something that suits my needs as far as comfort, size, price, etc.
The United States is an incredible place to live. But, I find the arrogance of those who think they know best how to live, to be deplorable. Who are we to think that our little country can impact the universe? Who are we to think that our measuring equipment is the be-all and end-all of everyone else's, and can possibly know all the answers there are to know? The Chicken Little media makes us think that our world is ending. The planet has been around for billions of years, and will continue, with our without our input. It's way bigger than we are! How do we know if anything we are doing affects climate change? We are poised to control every aspect of our lives with more and more costly regulations that will disempower us, dumb us down, and destroy our creative free market.
What happened to doing the right thing, because it's the right thing to do, not because someone tells us we have to?
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
What Lies Within the Suffering?
What lies hidden in the current suffering of our world?
So much corruption, deceit, irresponsiblity, and a lack of human decency mark our interactions with each other. We don't realize or care how our actions might harm each other. The Right Way is unclear to many of us. We are splintered and polarized. All sides believe they are right and everyone else is wrong. The thing is, that statement is true--each side has a right answer, but they also have plenty of wrong answers, too.
How we can all come together to listen to each side, and really hear what everyone has to contribute? That also demands that each side stay open to hearing what is getting in the way of moving forward, as we all offer up satisfactory compromises. How do we spread a spirit of cooperation and bring a sense of caring back into our world? There is too much harmful power and control being carelessly tossed around at the expense of our humanity. People's vision is clouded, and many are making deleterious decisions that will affect each and every one of us.
I read a depressing article about the Ten Most Depressed Cities in the US. ( http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.phpsid=58657910775&h=tssCi&u=H9aoZ). Causes are difficult to pinpoint, as there are many issues affecting people these days. Being elderly, being unemployed, or having greater access to firearms, were some of the reasons given that may have contributed to a higher suicide rate and more reports of depressive feelings.
One thing that has struck me these last several weeks is that the economic and employment news is always dire. But, if only 10% of people are unemployed, that means 90% of us are working! We're focusing on the wrong side of the equation. We need to get past the doom and gloom thinking that the media and our elected officials want us to believe in. We need to find the optimism that is hidden in the suffering. Instead of focusing on the "what's in it for me" victim mentality, we need to gather our strengths and abilities, and use them for the good. We need to empower ourselves to focus on what makes us strong and act accordingly.
So much corruption, deceit, irresponsiblity, and a lack of human decency mark our interactions with each other. We don't realize or care how our actions might harm each other. The Right Way is unclear to many of us. We are splintered and polarized. All sides believe they are right and everyone else is wrong. The thing is, that statement is true--each side has a right answer, but they also have plenty of wrong answers, too.
How we can all come together to listen to each side, and really hear what everyone has to contribute? That also demands that each side stay open to hearing what is getting in the way of moving forward, as we all offer up satisfactory compromises. How do we spread a spirit of cooperation and bring a sense of caring back into our world? There is too much harmful power and control being carelessly tossed around at the expense of our humanity. People's vision is clouded, and many are making deleterious decisions that will affect each and every one of us.
I read a depressing article about the Ten Most Depressed Cities in the US. ( http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.phpsid=58657910775&h=tssCi&u=H9aoZ). Causes are difficult to pinpoint, as there are many issues affecting people these days. Being elderly, being unemployed, or having greater access to firearms, were some of the reasons given that may have contributed to a higher suicide rate and more reports of depressive feelings.
One thing that has struck me these last several weeks is that the economic and employment news is always dire. But, if only 10% of people are unemployed, that means 90% of us are working! We're focusing on the wrong side of the equation. We need to get past the doom and gloom thinking that the media and our elected officials want us to believe in. We need to find the optimism that is hidden in the suffering. Instead of focusing on the "what's in it for me" victim mentality, we need to gather our strengths and abilities, and use them for the good. We need to empower ourselves to focus on what makes us strong and act accordingly.
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