Saying No Is Like Butter Fat

Gearing up for our 1 year anniversary trip to southern California. I could not be more ready to get away and enjoy some time relaxing. It has been a hectic couple of months and, as it usually goes in times like these, balance desperately needs to be restored. Nothing quite like a get-away to kick start the restoration.

In the past I've used this forum to declare my renewed dedication to health & wellness. Have to admit both the health and the wellness have recently taken a backseat to stress. Working long hours, poor food choices, restless sleep and sporadic exercise has taken its toll. It's just not worth it. Sometimes I wonder what drives me to get into these situations, but a need to please and take on too much is definitely at the top of the list. Learning to say no can be a challenge but one that has many rewards. By placing self-imposed limitations, things become pretty darn clear and priorities tend to rise to the top like butter fat separating from milk. Mmmmmmm ... butter fat. You know what they do with butter fat, don't you? They put it in ice cream. Yep. Deliciously tempting, decadently rich and sweet, ice cream. I'm not talking about the cheap, imitation stuff either. This would be the good stuff. The ice cream that coats the inside of your mouth and tongue with a uniquely satisfying velvety feel of buttery goodness. Ice cream. Another thing I need to say NO to. No. No. No.

So, every time you get a request to take on another project, volunteer for yet ANOTHER fund raising event at your kids' school, work on the weekend, take a trip with your third cousin (twice removed), sign up for that store credit card so you can get the 15% off your purchase THAT DAY, help your neighbor overhaul his transmission . . . just ask yourself two questions 1) What is your intention in taking on this activity/task/request? In other words, why are you saying "yes"? 2) Assuming your motives are positive and not stemming from a sense of guilt or burden, ask yourself what you, personally, will get out of the experience? Will it help you grow? Develop yourself in someway? Enrich your spirit? Bring joy to your life? If the answer is no, then I think you should say NO. Is this selfish? Is it wrong? Maybe. I think saying "no" more often, might just be the most unselfish thing you can do. Imagine the time you would have left over to give your loved ones? Your kids? Your spouse? Time for yourself to renew and recharge?

Saying no doesn't mean you don't care about people and their needs. It doesn't mean you are a lazy slacker. Quite often, it can simply mean, you are putting yourself, or the needs of those closest to you, first.

What do you think? Is saying "No" more often a good thing or no?

Now, I will leave you with these questions and this . . .

Updated picture of little Ozy. His eyes are open but look a little glazed and hazy. I'm sure the world is one big blur to him. As each day passes, we are even more excited to get him home!



Could you say 'no' to a face like this? I don't think so.

Birth Announcement

Pictures of the new Boston Terrier pup -- Ozymandias Osborne -- otherwise known as Ozy. Yes, Ozy Osborne! Lil Ozy was born on Monday, April 6. Happy belated birthday puppy! We are so excited to bring you home on May 22nd! This weekend will definitely include some puppy prep work. Need to get a crate, bed, food & water dishes and toys, right??

Hopefully we'll get occasional picture updates, so keep checking back to be overwhelmed by the adorable cuteness.

Forcing Spring To Show Itself

You wouldn't know it was Spring by looking outside my window this morning. There was snow on the ground. Yes, snow . . . snow in April. Oh, it's been known to happen around these parts. So sad. I decided that if Spring wasn't going to come to MN, then I would just find Spring and bring it to me, by force if necessary. First things first, a little Spring cleaning. Sweeping, dusting, scrubbing. While to the untrained eye my cleaning tactics may have resembled a usual set of household chores, it was, indeed, Spring cleaning. Why? Because I labeled it as Spring Cleaning and once you slap a label on something it just IS. Harumph.

Next, I hauled myself over to the local market and picked up some sunny, bright, colorful and Spring-tastic tulips.




For me, tulips are a tried and true sign of Spring. Once you see their lovely green shoots poking through the still semi-frozen ground, you know Spring has sprung.

Now the next activity may not sit right with everyone out there. But, I feel full disclosure is in order. It is MY truth dammit and let the chips fall where they may, I say. So desperate for warmth and sunlight, I took my pasty and pallid self to Catch-A-Tan and nabbed a little artificial sunshine. Ok, Ok, before you start sending me comments about the health risks of UV rays, just know that I don't hit the tanning beds on a regular basis AND I only exposed myself to a mere 6 minutes of the evil death rays. These 6 minutes were glorious and hot. And, while I lay baking under the artificial light I let my mind drift to images and hopes of a real Spring . . . the kind that doesn't involve grocery store tulips and fake sun. Sigh.

April Fool's Horoscope

A long time ago, in a weak moment, I must have signed up for a daily horoscope service. Ever since, I've gotten an email each day foretelling how I should think, act and feel in that 24 hour period. Mostly I ignore these messages and delete without opening. There is just so much junk mail a person can handle in a single sitting. Delete is my friend. Plus, I like to roll the dice. Livin la vida loca, baby. But, once in a while I play a little game with myself. I see the horoscope flashing brightly in my inbox but choose not to read it UNTIL the next day. That's right . . . I throw caution to the wind, live my life and THEN read about what I SHOULD have done. Thumbing my nose at the Fates, I blindly choose free will over, well, cheesy predictions.

Here was my horoscope for yesterday:

Your horoscope for April 1, 2009 Friends, neighbors and relatives could be feeling especially stressed out and explosive today, so this is not a good day to initiate intense communications with them. Keep your conversations with others light and inconsequential. This is a great day to stay home and read, especially since your mind is particularly receptive to unusual ideas. The Internet, as well as videos and TV documentaries could be most informative.

Whew. Good think I did not initiate any intense communications yesterday, right? I wonder if this horoscope meant to say "You could be feeling especially stressed out and explosive today?" Cuz I was all angst-ridden and crab-a-licious yesterday. Unfortunately, I did not watch any videos or TV documentaries which, apparently, could have helped me regain my calm composure. Videos and the World Wide Web (Ted Stevens says it's a series of tubes, ahem) might have sparked "unusual thoughts." Hmmmmm. Would these unusual thoughts been happy thoughts or angry, depressing thoughts? The vague use of the word "unusual" seems to be a huge ass cop out on the part of the horoscope writer. "Unusual" could be good or bad, no? I wonder if watching a documentary about government endorsed torture programs or global warming or serial killers would have calmed the apparent stress eminating from the friends, family and neighbors surrounding me?

Also, I think this horoscope needs to be a little more specific when it endorses videos. I mean, I could have hopped online and watched the Chocolate Rain dude on YouTube over and over again. Would my horoscope knowingly recommend such activities? Not if my horoscope really cared about me, it wouldn't.