Sorry

I apologize for not keeping up with this as promised BUT I got the sty from hell in my left eye and I was not able to do any activity that required my left eye staying open for any appreciable length of time.   The sty stopped bothering me last week but by then I was smack dab in the middle of the Christmas hustle and bustle.  Now things have settled down I'll be back on this blog.  Maybe not daily but at least a few times a week.  Really I do want to retry the gratefulness challenge and start at the beginning so you may see me daily for 21 days in a row.

While on blog hiatus I recorded a special on Public TV about ADD and it was interesting.  If it comes on your PBS station I encourage you to watch it.  If you have a DVR record it so you can fast forward through the pledge breaks.  It's really insightful and presents the information with a great sense of humor.  I always prefer to learn through humor.  

That's a good segue into what I'm grateful for today:
1.  Humor, laughter, giggles, smiles, in all shapes and sizes.
2.  Living in the USA
3.  Freedom
4.  Even though I have all information at my fingertips the good, the bad and the ugly, I am grateful for the ability to sift through it all and the common sense to delete the bad and the ugly.
5.  New things to learn.

Plus the 7 daily items I'm thankful for...

Later...

The Nutcracker

I grew up taking ballet lessons and every Christmas season I try to watch the Nutcracker.  I love to watch the men dance.  They leap soooooo high.  Michael Jordan had nothing on Edward Valella so far as hang time is concerned.  Edward V was my favorite male ballet dancer in the 70's.  I still believe that he was much better than anything the Russians could produce.  Edward V made ballet very masculine.  Nureyev and Barishnikov were sissy's by comparison.

Anyway, I digress.  Christmas comes with family and personal traditions.  The Nutcracker is my personal tradition.  I hope to see it live one day.  I continue to speak about family traditions tomorrow.

So for today I'm grateful for:
1.  Dance
2.  Edward Valella
3.  Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire
4.  Christmas traditions
5.  Christmas decorations

Plus the daily 7.

Till Tomorrow...

Smells

OK, first I'm gonna ignore the fact that I missed yesterday's entry, I went Christmas shopping with my husband and didn't get home until after midnight.  Now I'll move on to smells and how much power they have in our lives. If food didn't smell we wouldn't be able to fully enjoy the taste.  Smells can conjure up memories.  There is a drawer in a piece of furniture that used to be in my grandmother's home which smells like my grandfather.  All I have to do is open it, take a big whiff and I'm transported back to 1965.  If I close my eyes I can see my grandmother's living room and my grandfather sitting in his white leather chair next to the fireplace lighting his pipe.

The reason I'm writing about the sense of smell is that I just purchased a couple jar candles that smell like Christmas trees.  This is important why?  We have a fake tree and I really need to SMELL Christmas to get into the Christmas spirit.  Jar candles can be a bit pricey but they're definitely worth it at this time of year.  Our homes are closed up because of the temperatures outside (I live in Illinois and this time of year is cold) and closed up homes can begin to smell funky, especially if you have animals and men living with you.  OK men can be animals as well.  But you get my meaning.  Scented candles can really make a difference.

Soooo today I'm thankful for:
1.  Scented Candles
2.  The smells of Christmas
3.  Family Christmas Memories
4.  Christmas Trees
5.  Christmas Decorations

Plus the other 7 things I'm normally grateful for.

Till Tomorrow...

Night time

I love the quiet solitude before bed time.  The house is quiet and my brain is not competing with any other noise to get my attention.  I can be lost in thought, reading a book, playing a video game, cruisin' the net, lost in prayer (a very nice place to be) or just chillin' to the quiet.  No demands on me, just my dog curled up beside me on the bed.  My husband in the next room watching late night TV (he keeps the volume turned down real low).  I turn out the light and drift off to sleep in a world whitened by a recent snow fall.  Have you ever noticed how snow makes the world even quieter?

So today I'm thankful for:
1.  Snow
2.  Quiet
3.  Warmth
4.  Prayer
5.  Christmas

Plus the 7 everyday things I'm grateful for.

Till Tomorrow.

Music and the NFL

OK music has nothing to do with the NFL and vice versa.  But they are both things I love.  Right now the Bears are winning and I'm looking to download some more Christmas music into my iTunes to load onto my iPod.  I just love where I'm at right now.  I don't even mind the fact that I have to continue to do laundry.  Oh! there IS a connection between the NFL and music - the Bears have a fight song:  "Bear Down Chicago Bears."  

I really have nothing else to say today.  Sooo for today I'm grateful for:
1.  The Chicago Bears
2.  Music and it's ability to make me happy.
3.  The YouTube videos of Handel's Hallelujah Chorus being sung in stores and food courts.
4.  My friend Wendy, she doesn't realize how much she means to me.
5.  My mom's crazy dog, who washes her face in the snow.

Plus the 7 everyday items I'm always thankful for.

Till Tomorrow...

The Internet

I remember working with computers in 1985 and the VA had an intranet where we could e-mail each other within the agency.  It was real hush hush and people who were computer savvy and had the old Commodor 64's in their homes were trying to get on "bulletin boards" to communicate with people with similar interests.  By 1993 the Internet was pretty much common knowledge but still pretty much a mystery.  I was told that I couldn't use it at work even though I needed it to research some stuff for my job.  I am amazed at how much of a community it has become.  All the social networking sites that are available boggles the mind.  Now instead of going outside our door for company we can simply turn on a computer and "connect" with each other in cyber space.

But... is that a real connection?  I still find that talking on the telephone, or, better yet, meeting for coffee IN PERSON (yikes!) is more satisfying.  I get to hear and see the emotion in their voice and determine the real meaning.  I mean, I'm writing here but do you really get what I'm trying to say?  I like the commercial for Coleman camping products that says the company originated social networking.  That's so true.

My hope for this Christmas Season is that people would get off their computers and make REAL connections.  Have coffee and a real conversation.  I know that can be scary for some people but I guarantee that if you try it you may become addicted to it.  And that's a good addiction to have.

So for today I'm thankful for:
1.  Live conversation, kind of like going to a concert where you're one of the musicians.
2.  People in general.
3.  Snow
4.  Watching my dog jump and play in the snow
5.  My husband plowing the snow so we can get out of the driveway.

Plus the 7 everyday gratefulness items.

Till Tomorrow...

OH NO!!!!

I missed yesterday!  What did I say about people with ADD being consistent?  So, now, do I start the 21 days all over with today and the last week minus yesterday was just an exercise or do I forgive myself one day and keep on keepin' on?  I don't know so I'll figure it out later.  If any of you who are reading this wish to chime in with an opinion, please do so.
Today I went out to lunch with my mother.  Something we do at least once a week.  I didn't really want to go because I had been struggling with emotions all week and was really tired but I forced myself to get up and go trusting that I would feel better once I got out of the house.  You want to know something?  It worked.  By the time we were 1/2 mile down the road I was no longer an emotional wreck and I was looking forward to running around with my mom.  Now I just have to push myself more often.

So today I'm grateful for:
1.  My Mom
2.  Getting out of the house
3.  Culver's Restaurants
4.  Hallmark Stores
5.  The Midwest landscape.

Plus the normal 7 items I'm thankful for.

Till Tomorrow...

December

Happy month of Christmas everyone!  Where has the year gone?  I'm worried that time is marching on a little bit too fast lately.  It feels as though time is getting away from me.  I remember when summers used to last forever.  I was in grade and high school then.  Now I'm on an extended vacation of sorts and time just flies by.  I thought that if you were bored time would feel slower, but not so when you're past your teens.  I am fortunately not bored.
Boredom is deadly for someone with ADD.  That's when they get into trouble.  Fortunately for me I have books and other activities that prevent boredom.  One of the keys for controlling ADD symptoms is to find ways to keep boredom at bay.  Make sure you surround yourself with activities that interest you.  There is only one activity I would like to surround myself with that I haven't due to how expensive it is and that's pottery.  I could throw clay all day and not notice the passage of time.  Someday I will have a pottery studio, one that will support itself through sales of my pottery...  Nice thing about life is that you can always dream....

So today I'm thankful for:
1.  Dreams
2.  Hope
3.  Goals
4.  A supportive Family
5.  Left over Pizza.

Plus the everyday 7 things I'm grateful for...

Till Tomorrow...