Change your Behavior, Change your Life

I just finished the book Influencers. It was a great book that teaches you how to be an influencer in your life. How to make positive change occur. Now the book was one of those books that you don't just read through and put down. It was one that you read a chapter, take notes, go back to your notes and then reread - so I will not be doing it justice in today's post by any means.

What I do want to discuss today is a little nugget I took from it about behavior. The book states that if you want to change something (for example, your eating habits or work environment) first you have to make a behavior change. Behavior changes are those little things we do that can impact us in a big way. Here is an example - if you want to lose weight - a behavior change for you could be to immediately brush your teeth after a meal. This helps with snacking after you are already full. See - by adding the behavior to brush your teeth after you eat, you lower your risk of unnecessary calories therefore taking in less calories resulting in weight loss. I am not saying that is all it takes to lose weight, but it is a simple and effective behavior that will help.

I write about this today because as I was preparing to take my walk with the dogs this morning I had forgotten to bring a bag to pick up trash along the route the last several times I took the walk. It wasn't that I didn't care about helping make my neighborhood beautiful and trash free, it was that I just kept forgetting to bring a bag with me when I went. So today I used the nugget from the Influencer book and decided to make a behavior change. My behavior change was to keep a pile of bags for trash pickup next to the dogs leashes. Now, when I go to get their leashes I will now be reminded to grab a bag - therefore being able to pick up trash on the walk - resulting in less trash in the neighborhood. See how easy that is?

What is one behavior you could do to make a change for something you have in your heart to change? I would love to hear about it.

Know What's Worse Than Not Owning a Car??

Having no computer. Yes folks, today my computer crashed. First day back in Denver. No car, no computer. Here is what is the worst about all of this - I back up my computer monthly (read into this people - this is obviously not my first computer crash). So I have plans to wake up Sunday morning, take out my zip drive and save all my files, pictures, presentations, etc. to my zip so that I can feel protected.

NOT TO BE DONE. I turn on my computer and all I get is a blank screen and a very loud beeping noise. I try everything to figure it out, no luck. So I end up taking my church time to head to Best Buy to figure it out with the Geek Squad. Looks like the motherboard is fried.

I am so sad for so many reasons. First I have been in Florida (as I have mentioned a thousand times already) for 3 weeks which means I have missed 2 Sundays of church. I love my church and my friends there, so I was bummed to miss them (hi church friends - see you Thursday). Second, I work from home on my computer. All my emails and documents are on that computer. Also, I have 3 separate email accounts that all merge into one Outlook account which is now gone also. No worries though friends, for $150 I am getting it all that backed up in 3 - 4 days. Lucky me.

What's worse, I woke up at 6 this morning to get all organized after being gone for so long. I figured I could do all the things I need to do (take a walk with the dogs, ride my bike to Safeway and get breakfast so that Rich and I could eat together before I head off to church, do some yard work). Well, the dishwasher broke (or so I thought), the dogs were a total wreck on the walk, the hot water heater was off so I took a cold shower and I had to scarf down breakfast in order to get out of the door on time. Also, I had a wedding shower to go to after church for a friend getting married in 40 some days and I had to cut that short so I could go buy another computer.

So - here comes the honest to goodness truth I promised ya'll when writing this. I literally had an emotional brake down and cried to Rich on the phone in the Best Buy parking lot. I was crying so hard that I had a headache for about 3 hours later.

Geez, what does a girl need to do to have a wonderful, church filled, girls shower Sunday??????? If anyone knows, please share.

My hope and dream - each of you had a wonderful Sunday, filled with only good friends, good family and good times. Good night.

Heading back to Denver

Rich and I have been in Florida for about 3 weeks. I love Florida for all of the obvious reasons (pool in the back yard, walk to the beach, etc. etc. etc.) The other reason is that I have a full time car here. In Denver I don't. This stinks.

Here is the conversation Rich and I had yesterday over dinner.

Me - We head back to Denver tomorrow.
Rich - I know.
Me - I don't have a car in Denver.
Rich - I know.
Me - I want a Mercedes convertible.
Rich - No
Me - Why
Ric - Because you said you wanted to experience not owning a car for 4 months.
Me - I know. Darn it.

So, there you have it. Me trying to snake out of this whole thing for the pure pleasure of leather, Navigation and a hard top. So weak is the soul sometimes.

Thank God for Rich keeping me on track. I love that man.

Vanity Takes a Seat in the Back

I was saddened to hear of the loss of a college friend/sorority sister this week - Paige Pruett Butler. I haven't seen or spoken to Paige or her husband (our friend Jeff) for many years, but I remember them as wonderful friends who were always up for a good time.

As I was running today (I swear - that is NOT all I do, it just seems that way) I was somber as I thought of friends we have had in the past but lost. Lost in many ways - because we fell out of touch or because they have passed on to be with the Lord. My friend Liz from high school who was so distraught she took her own life (I was not in her life anymore either, so I have no idea why she was so distraught - shame on me). My friend Michelle who died while on vacation with me in Italy (I was only 1 mile ahead of her and didn't go back to see her before they took her by helicopter to the hospital where she was pronounced dead - shame on me).

My "uncle" John who died of a massive heart attack early this year. He was so kind to me, always stopping in to say hi to Rich and I when he was in Colorado. I wish I had told him how much he meant to me while he was here (shame on me).

My mothers best friend and good friend of mine Susan who lost her 10 year battle with cancer this year. I kept saying I was going to coordinate one more girls trip with all of us but never got around to it (shame on me).

Do you see a pattern? I do. I understand the cycle of life and that everyone has a time to live and a time to die. My head gets that, but I wish someone would tell my heart. I also believe that times like this make me reflect on the people still in my life and what I need to be doing for them. How I need to be there for them. So much more than I am doing right now. I think today I will make a list of people I want to reach out to. To thank, to ask if they need help, to just say hi and I love you.

Sure does make my luxury car vanity issues seem silly - DOESN'T IT???

Death of a Bird

Today Rich walked into the house from the pool and said he was sad. I didn't think I heard him correctly so I asked him to repeat himself. He said "I am sad today." I wasn't sure why - I mean I had yet to make him made today, so what was there to be sad about. "What's wrong honey" I asked him. He replied "I found one of the birds I like dead in our yard."

We have these ugly, penguin, flying looking birds that hang in our neighbors tree just above our pool. There are a few of them that hang out there and they are the weirdest looking birds I have ever seen. Picture a hairy slim penguin with a big awkward beak and you pretty much have a picture of that bird in your head.

We noticed them last year, nesting in the neighbors tree and Rich has been talking to them and pointing them out to all of our guests ever since. This morning one was dead in our yard and he had to dispose of the body. The good news is he didn't feel the need to hold a funeral for it, so at least the deed was done quickly and without fan fare. I have a huge to do list today and ATTEND UGLY BIRD FUNERAL is not on it. Though he is still sad, and I get it, those ugly things were growing on us.

Anytime something changes for people (death of a loved one, job change, a move to a different state) it can be hard for us. I think by nature we are creatures of habit (just like those birds nesting each year in the tree above our pool). Even people who like constant motion and variety still understand that there is comfort in consistency. That is why it is so hard for many of us to fully grasp when something changes and we had virtually no control over whether it happened or not.

I think the best we can do is pick ourselves up and learn to grow into the change. Look for opportunity in the new versus mourning the old. It is only then that we can truly live the life we have today. For yesterday is already gone and tomorrow is not promised. All we can do today is say bye bye birdie and hope that he had a great life while here. I know that is what I plan to say as I eulogize that bird this evening.

My Mission is Morphing

My mission is morphing. I started out analyzing vanity around driving a luxury car. I moved onto reflections on myself, my habits and my surroundings. It seems now I am examining my thoughts and feelings about being GREEN. I didn't realize that by limiting my driving I would become more aware of my carbon footprint. Everything I do, from not driving to recycling, makes a difference for our environment. I am starting to make a little life game out of being more responsible. Here are a few things I now do to help our environment:

1. I use the other side of printed paper. No one sees the stuff I print anyways, so who cares what is on the other side. Even more - I don't print unless I ABSOLUTELY have to.
2. I run, walk, bike and bus where ever I can.
3. I bring my tumbler to Starbucks.
4. I drink water from the tap versus using bottled water.
5. I use reusable grocery bags (and use the plastic I do have as trash bags and doggy potty bags)

These are only a few examples that I feel are really starting me on the path to being more green. What are you doing?

Sea Shells by the Seashore

This morning my niece Taylor and I got up early and spent some girl time finding sea shells together. It was a great time.

If you have ever looked for sea shells on the beach you know that it actually takes a lot of concentration. Especially when your 10 year old niece really wants to find a sand dollar. We found many pieces of sand dollars - but not a whole one - which was disappointing to her (don't worry folks, I took her to Starbucks afterwards and she got the iced lemon pound cake and she is all happy now. I am not, though, because I have still yet to receive endorsement money from Starbucks).

It got me thinking about how the waves come in and deposit some of the shells onto the beach while some of the sea shells gently roll back to where they came from, with no wear and tear to mention. The ones that stay on the beach get lumped into two categories. The ones that break and the ones that don't. The ones that break usually end up untouched, left to break even more until they are just part of the sand. The ones that remain intact end up being picked up by little girls and boys, bragged about to friends and displayed proudly on little bedroom shelves or in glass vases.

Kind of like us humans, aren't they. Some of us roll gently through life, barely untouched by the world. Living in a place that is comfortable and safe. Some of us are deposited onto unfamiliar shores, but our bodies or minds remain intact and we move on to different happy and fulfilled lives. Unfortunately, many of us are like the shells that are broken on the shore. Broken physically, mentally or emotionally. Living in a world that might not be comfortable and safe.

Sorry to sound a little down today. I am on vacation and not down at all - but I oftentimes feel so grateful for being safe and comfortable that I like to point out that others are not so that I can hopefully bring attention to the needs of this world. And as I have said many times before, if we know what the needs of others are we are more likely to be able to impact them positively.

What are the needs of those around you? Are you in need? Reach out, help someone or ask for help for yourself. There are many unbroken shells around just waiting to take you home.