Growing Older Can Be Fun!

I Thought this was cute.

George Carlin's View on Aging

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to
get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so
excited about aging that you think in fractions.

"How old are you?" "I'm four and a half!" You're never thirty-six and
a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key.

You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to
the next number, or even a few ahead.

"How old are you?" "I'm gonna be 16!" You could be 13, but hey, you're
gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life . . . You become 21.
Even the words sound like a ceremony . . YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound
like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now,
you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the
brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50

And your dreams are gone.

But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!

So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.

You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a
day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!

You get into your 80's and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch;
you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there. Into the
90's, you start going backwards; "I Was JUST 92."

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a
little kid again. "I'm 100 and a half!"

May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

NATURAL HIGHS

NATURAL HIGHS

Think about these one at a time before going on to the next one...
IT DOES MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD.


1. Being in love.

2. Laughing so hard your tummy hurts.

3. A hot shower.

4. No queues at the supermarket.

5. Taking a drive on a pretty road.

6. Hearing your favourite song on the radio.

7. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside.

8. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer.

9. Chocolate milkshake ... (or vanilla ... or strawberry!)

10. A bubble bath.

11. Giggling.

12. A good conversation.

13. Finding a $20 note in your coat from last winter.

14. Running through sprinklers.

15. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all.

16. Having someone tell you that you're beautiful.

17. Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you.

18. Waking up and realising you still have a few hours left to sleep.

19. Making new friends or spending time with old ones.

20. Having someone play with your hair.

21. Sweet dreams.

22. Making eye contact with and smiling at a stranger.

23. Holding hands with someone you care about.

24. Running into an old friend and realising that some things (good or bad) never change.

25. Watching the expression on someone's face as they open a much-desired present from you.

26. Getting out of bed every morning and being grateful for another beautiful day.

27. Knowing that somebody misses you.

28. Getting a hug from someone you care about deeply.

29. Knowing you've done the right thing, no matter what other people think

Loving Your Kids Enough Not To Fight

When we fight in front of our kids it is exposing them to Domestic Violence and as such is now considered abuse. It harms them emotionally. I know there are degrees of fighting, but kids hate it even when we are just sniping at each other let alone really letting fly. I guess it ties in with my recent thoughts on love. Do I love my kids enough to put my emotional needs on hold or aside until they are not present. I have to tell you this is a huge challenge for me. I haven't really exercised self control in this area, rather our "degree" of fighting has decreased to the less harmful level of sniping with occasional outbursts. My teenagers assure me this is still horribly unpleasant for them to witness. I remember growing up with parents who fought constantly and I cannot express my hatred of that or the harm it did to me and my beautiful sisters. We grew up in a home that was fraught with tension and fear.

I love Dr Phil's perspective on this;

Stop Fighting In Front of the Kids;

Fighting in front of your kids, says Dr. Phil, is nothing short of abuse. Read on before you make the decision to ever do it again.

Children learn what they live. Stop and think about what you're teaching them. What goes through your mind when you do it? How do you justify doing this? Why do you think you're entitled to fight in front of your kids? You've got to look at this and say, "This ain't workin!" Stop justifying it. The kids are picking up the tab. You have a choice: either vent your impulse or love your children. Those are mutually exclusive. When you fight in front of your kids, you are putting your need to explode ahead of your kids' best interest and peace of mind. What are you fighting about? What's your goal when you call each other names? Is it worth trashing your children's harmony? Can you even remember what was so important last week that you were willing to trample over your children? What "victory" were you looking for? Is it worth it? Do you think your kids think it's worth it? There are important issues in every marriage that need to be discussed. Turn the volume down to deal with them. Stop being a "right-fighter." The kids don't care who's right. "They want you to shut up," says Dr. Phil. Don't say you can't control your anger. That's not true. It's that you don't control your anger. Have you had fights at your boss's house? At church? At a restaurant with friends? You don't do it when you can't. The only person you control is you. Choose to control your impulses.