Through the eyes of a child...

I am always delighted by the innocense of my grandson Andrew. Here he is sitting on his daddy's shoulders, and life could not be greater.

Wouldn't the world be a different place if we could all see it again through the eyes of a child? Without the prejudices that we develop over time that are probably just due to an unfortunate misunderstanding with someone who is different from us. That doesn't mean that everyone from that region of the country, world, religion is the same as the person we had the ugly situation with.

If we all looked at the world through a childs eyes, there would be no politics, wars, or hurtful gossiping. They look at all new people as friends. Children are not jaded by bad experiences. As parents we feel it a responsibility to train them to be wary of strangers.

I have always worked with the public, and sometimes have encountered very demanding, and sometimes ugly tempered people. I try not to let it color my feelings for the next person, or take it personally. Maybe they do not like my midwest accent, the color of skin, or my accent. In the midwest, we let the civil war go long ago, but I have come to realize in the South it is still a great part of the culture. The outward facade often hides deeply hidden resentments. But think of this... we cannot undo history, and the majority of people living today had nothing to do with the past injustices. America is truly a melting pot. People here tracing their roots are from everywhere, and when they arrived, they were treated in a nasty and unwelcome manner. It is not a new phenomonom. America mistreated the japanese, italians, polish, jewish, mexican, indians and just about evry other nationality you can think of. Now if you are from the middle east, you are looked at with skeptism.

I must admit, that I have my prejudices, just as all do. They come from unfortunate dealings with people. But I am trying to step back and learn from my grandson, that everyone can be my friend, if I am just open to it.

Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what eheir journey is all about.

"We are so much more..."

Today I was talking to a friend who confessed to me that she is so embarrassed by the fact that she had lost her previous job, one with prestige and good pay as well as perks, and was now in a position that was similar to where she started in her career. I can so relate to that, because I as well as so many other people have been affected by the economy. And not only does it hurt our pocketbooks, but it affects our egos. That is because we are judged by ' what we do'. How many times at a cocktail party has the conversation started out with "And what do you do for a living?" It is just natural.

She confided that she saw someone she had considered to be a friend who said "You work here now?" In my opinion, that shows what a small person the supposed friend is.

Theophrastus said " True friends visit us in prosperity only when invited, but in adversity they come without an invitation."

We are all so much more than our occupations. I am a mother, sister, daughter & wife. I am also a fabulous designer and gardener. Those are my passions. I love to read, cook and entertain. Traveling to new places and architecture are things I love to see with my husband.

A true friend is someone that you can share your triumphs and failures with, without fear of judgement. You are bonded together by past experiences, shares interests and history. One should never be embarrassed by lifes challenges. Those are the things that mold our personalities. Sometimes life can humble us, and maybe we need it to be so. But please remember, that whatever you do to make a living, does not define the person you are. And feel sorry for those that think it should. They must live very shallow and unfulfilled lives.

Set the scene for a great beginning

Does your day seem chaotic from the very moment you set your feet on the floor in the morning? It doesn't need to be that way, but it does take a bit of planning and maybe a change of lifestyle.

If you wake to an alarm clock, just set it to music instead, and put the lights on a timer so it will seem sunny when you awake. Wouldn't that be better than an annoying clanging in the dark? You can also set the coffee maker on a timer, so that wonderful aroma of freshly brewed coffee awaits you.. Who wants to wait and go out to Starbucks when you can have it at home?

Maybe the night before, you can decide what you will wear today. Will you have a busy day, appts all over town..then you might want to consider layers, because you will most likely encounter different temps, and dress codes during the day. That should save you the trouble of discovering that you forgot to pick up your favorite jacket from the cleaners! More stress avoided.

By living the boy scout motto of always being prepared, your mornings will be a joyful beginning to the day. And won't you feel a little above all the other stressed-out people you encounter during the day. I like to remember an old swedish proverb."worry often gives a small ting a big shadow."

I hope every day is a good as it can be for you, Donna