Reader's Poll

So tonight I was watching a show about stress and how it ages your body--inside and out. It wasn't pretty.

One of the suggestions they mentioned to relieve stress was to practice yoga. I don't know much about yoga, but I'm intrigued. I'm not a patient person so the biggest draw for me was "instant results".

Awhile back I bought a DVD about Pilates but it looked to hard and I never did it. Can anyone offer any advice about yoga?

Thought For The Day

Why am I having such a hard time staying focused on my own life and my own goals? It sounds so incredibly simple, but this is not coming to me easily. I've been doing a good job taking care of myself, but I can't seem to stay there very long. I can't seem to stop obsessing about other people's behavior. I just can't turn it off!


I will try harder tomorrow.

Catchy Phrases Decoded

"Live and Let Live"

is a Twelve Step program slogan.

It's so very easy to blame our problems on others. But after we've detached and taken our grip off the people around us, what's left? Each of us is left with ourselves.

Melody Beattie writes "The surest way to make ourselves crazy is to get involved in other people's business, and the quickest way to become sane and happy is to tend to our own affairs".

I love that thought. I really, really do.

"It's all about me" isn't a bad thing. Learn to live your own life. Live and Let Live.

It's All About Me

Look, we all know I have problems with anxiety. No secret. I honestly could not count the times I have visited a medical doctor for some type of physical condition and been told this condition was directly related to stress. The first time I recall this happening was during my first marriage. That's when I got my first prescription for Xanax. The next time I recall was after my divorce when I went through a nasty breakup with someone I was dating. All ten of my fingers went numb. I was sure I had Multiple Sclerosis. The doctor diagnosed it as stress. Later I went through a bout of my hair falling out. Seriously falling out. Once again; stress. Next it was a series of digestive problems. This one actually turned out to be a combination of stress and a failing gall bladder. Next was a series of migraines. Next, chest pains. I was sure I was gearing up for a heart attack. All stress related.

Yesterday I had a lengthy visit with a neurologist to discuss the latest round of physical ailments I've been having. My ears ring constantly; quite loudly. I've been having balance problems. I flake out and forget things. I have blurred vision. The top of my head and both my temples go numb and tingle. My eye twitches. I have strange headaches. Due to my mother's history with brain aneurysms the doctor is running some tests on me for good measure, but feels confident these are a form of migraines, you guessed it....brought on by stress.

Don't get my wrong; I'm not saying these problems are something I made up, or something in my head. They are true physical ailments triggered by anxiety and stress.

I've been true to my recent pledge to review my checklist and concentrate more on myself but I'm fixin' to step it up a notch. I can't control the factors that cause me stress. They are too numerous to name, but the ones causing me the most stress lately have been work related. I'm going to work at being proactive instead of reactive. During my upcoming week's vacation I may even get a massage. I'm about to kick my healthier eating and exercise up a notch, and I'm going to abstain from alcohol for a month. I may even speak my mind about a few pesky things I've been bottling. I just need to cleanse my body and my mind.

So for the next four weeks, that's exactly what I'm going to do.

Art Imitates Life

I love all the Desperate Housewives, but my favorite has always been Bree.

Bree is very much a modern day Mary Bailey. She’s perfect in every way. Her house is always perfect, her meals are always perfect, her appearance is always perfect. When someone in her family has a crisis, Bree does whatever it takes to “fix” the problem. Of course Bree’s family crises are usually much more scandalous than Mary Bailey’s, but hey…it’s 2009.

Like all the characters on the show, Bree has had her share of drama, dysfunction, and even addiction. That, mixed with her strong need to be perfect makes for a delicious recipe of controlling, codependent behavior.

So how funny it was on Sunday night’s episode when Bree’s husband Orson explains his kleptomania to his therapist. For the past few episodes, Orson has been taking little odds and ends things from people’s homes. Bree found out about it and was livid. Of course she felt it was her responsibility to fix the problem by returning all of the stolen items to the proper owners. She then advised Orson this behavior must cease. Of course he agreed it would. Well, it didn’t. Orson got caught stealing something else from a neighbor so Bree carted him off to see a therapist.

When the session opened, Bree would not let Orson say a word to the therapist. She spoke for him every time, answering all questions. She then exited the session, instructing the therapist to “just fix him”!!!

After she left the room the therapist asked Orson why he was stealing. His response? (I said the first part out loud at the exact same time as Orson), “Because it’s the one thing she can’t control…and I LOVE it.”

Isn't it great when art imitates life?

This Inspired Me

Lil Rounds is a talented young woman with a beautiful voice, and a contestant on this season of American Idol. I hope she'll go far in the competition.

In Feb, 2008 Lil's home was destroyed by a tornado that ripped through Memphis, TN. She and her husband were forced to move their three children into an extended stay hotel.

On Tuesday night's episode Lil made a comment that has stuck with me all week.

"People saw I had one child, then two, and then three.

They said 'what are you talkin about, being a singer,

being away from your children?

You can just really, really let it go',

But the day you let go of your dreams is the day you let go of your life."

Thanks for the inspiration Lil. I've fully accepted the fact that it's time for me to move on career wise. If I'm patient enough I know the right opportunity will come along. There's something new and exciting out there for me; I'm just not positive I know what it is. I'm trusting I will know when the time is right. I won't let go.

A Sick Reward?

This morning Sally and I were having coffee chat in my office and we started talking about lying and cheating. I mentioned some doozie lies I'd been told over the years and we discussed how this has affected me forever. I've thought alot about that throughout the day today.

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned in a journal entry that I recently joined Facebook. I can't decide if I love it or hate it; it's a fine line. Anyway, early on I was forwarded an idea to write "25 Random Things About Me" which I did. One of the things I just had to include on my list was that I hate it when someone thinks I'm too stupid to figure out they have lied to me or are trying to pull something over on me.

Make no mistake... I'm often forgetful; particularly when it comes to my schedule. I've been known to double book or completely forget an appointment. Just tonight I had to reschedule my parent/teacher conference at Sylvan because I forgot about it and had made plans to meet Scarlett for coffee (the coffee date sounded alot more fun!).

So obviously I've had a lot of coffee today, but I have decided that one benefit to having a lying, cheating husband is that you develop a keen sense of when you are being lied to. Believe me when I say I've honed that skill to a fine art and can almost always tell when someone is "bending the truth" or out and out lying to me.

I guess there should be some kind of reward for all my suffering....?