Wednesday’s Word: Service

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better.  It’s not.
(Dr. Seuss)

Do not let what you cannot do
interfere with what you can do.
(John Wooden)

Wednesday’s Word is service.  What do you think of when you hear the word service? Sadly, most of us think of people who serve us such as those who work in restaurants or other establishments where we purchase items or services. What if when hearing the word service, our initial thought was serving someone in our home, the community or even the world?

Is it truly “service” if you are doing something, but secretly you are bitter and the “critical monster” is dancing in your head? (Let us be honest, we have all had mental visits by Bitter Betty and the Critical Cassandra!) If this is occurring, your motivation for service might be the issue and/or you could be over committed. Service, Rest and  Peace all live together; in fact they do their best work, working together.

Is one of the keys to a fulfilling life service?  How do you serve others? How do you serve your family? Why is it important to serve beyond the walls of your own home? Is giving money to important causes distinctly different from service? Can you do one or the other and have a fulfilling life?

How do you serve? During the next week, would you be willing to look for simple ways to serve others without any self-motivation?

Service (July 21, 2010)
Peace (July 21, 2010)
Rest (July 14, 2010)
Veggies – Twisted Salsa Recipe (July 7, 2010)
Counting Calories (June 30, 2010)

B R E A T H E  (March 17, 2010)

Living Life MORE MORE: Rest

He that can take rest is greater than he that can take cities.  (Benjamin Franklin)

Wednesday’s word is REST. Is there a rhythm of rest and work that is a secret key to living life fully, being productive and enjoying life more? Could it be possible to get six to eight hours of sleep and not be rested? If you made rest a weekly priority and included small daily periods of rest, would the quality of your life improve?

In many countries around the world, an afternoon nap is part of their daily rhythm. In fact, I was amused to discover that some workplaces provide napping areas in the workplace. Sadly, most Americans refuse to make time for naps or even allow short periods of rest in their day. Do we as individuals assume we are so important that the world would stop, if we paused for a few moments each day or is it possible that we are afraid of silence and stillness?

For one week, could you try to incorporate a few moments of rest in your day? What would be restful for you and what might a restful pause in your day look like? Could restful pauses become part of your daily rhythm of life?

Wednesday’s words:
Rest (July 14, 2010)
Veggies – Twisted Salsa Recipe (July 7, 2010)
Counting Calories (June 30, 2010)

Cyber Monday Tips

It’s Cyber Monday and here I am on my computer surfing the internet. Here’s a few quick tips for internet shopping that could save you a lot of pain and suffering:

Everyone is receiving emails from our favorite retailers about discounts on cyber Monday, I get them all. Here’s the important tip, read the email then go and type in the website for the retailer and shop from there! Why? Because scammers are now creating emails with all the links that look like your favorite retailer, you click on their link and off you go to their site or activate some malicious software or spyware. By not using the email links and typing in the retailers website address you are positive you are at the correct retailer’s website.
Watch out bad spellers out there. There’s a new type of scamming called “Cyber Squatting”, these scammer create shopping websites that look exactly like your favorite retailer except for a slight misspelling, like dropping off the last letter or leaving off the .com. You go to their website, do all your shopping then are left wondering why the Christmas presents aren’t showing up at your doorstep.

Last by not least, it’s not a good idea to shop while at at a WiFi location. You, like me, didn’t really read the disclaimer that states the connection is not a secure connection. You run the risk of people getting your credit information at an unsecure location, to just looking over your shoulder while you type. Most retailers allow your shopping carts to sit for a period of time. Do your shopping, put it all in your cart, then check out when you have a secure connection.

Finally a fun tip. There are coupons and promotions everywhere. Make it a point to do a quick google search with your retailer name and the word coupon (electrichut+coupon) and make sure there isn’t a coupon sitting out there for free shipping or a percentage off before you check out.

Or better yet, shop locally! Hit some of the retailers advertised in Forsyth Woman and Forsyth Family for great gifts that keep you from waiting at the mailbox and you support local businesses! Happy Shopping!

November is National Novel Writer’s Month

I’m sitting and staring at a blinking cursor on my screen. I joined the National Novel Writers Month challenge to write a novel of 50,000 words in the month of November. November 1 rolls around and as everyone on the nanowrimo.org website kick off their novels with flair, I’m still staring at the blinking cursor.

I have the story floating around in my head. I can see the entire movie version of it, I can see me explaining to Oprah how this phenomenon of Kelly Melang started with a simple novel that was part of the National Novel Writing Month. The hardest part of this idea is starting. By starting, I’m comitting and that’s what’s scaring me as I make up a song in my head to go with the beat of the blinking cursor. 50,000 words in one month, if I do 2,000 words a day then I can take a day off here and there during this.

The cursor is still blinking, I swear it’s cursing at me. Do you have that dream? That thing that sits in your mind waiting for you to have the courage to start, then the guts to finish? The hardest part about reaching a goal is starting. Every doubt you’ve ever thought of in your life now plays through your mind as you pull deep inside your soul for the courage to start. Go ahead, listen to all those voices that tell you that there’s no way you’re going to reach that dream. Then tell them to shut up and get started.

Hey, is that my fingers moving across the keyboard?

Wanna track my writing project and that of others during National Novel Writing Month? http://www.nanowrimo.org/ It’s only November 2nd, you still have plenty of time, wanna join us?

Getting lost in the phone system

Imagine this with that lovely robotic voice from all the times you’ve called automated services….

“Hello, and welcome to the lost phone call answering service. Let’s get started by getting some basic information. Are you alive or dead? 

Alive.

I’m sorry I couldn’t hear you, are you alive or dead?

 Alive.

I’m sorry, did you say you were alive? 

Alive!

Great, what do you want to do?  Say something like:  I want to wait forever on the phone, or I don’t have a life that’s why I’m calling, or I’m having a heart attack. 

I want to spend the rest of my life on the phone.

I’m sorry did you say you wanted to spend the rest of your life on the phone?

Yes.

Great, then let’s get started.  If you want to spend the rest of your life on the phone then we need to schedule a appointment.  Do you want to schedule an appointment?

Yes,

I’m sorry, I didn’t get that.  Did you want to schedule an appointment?

Yes,

I’m sorry, I didn’t get that, did you want schedule an appointment?

YYYYYYEEEEEESSSSSS!!

OK, great.  Then let’s transfer you to appointments.  Click, elevator music, click, more elevator music.

Welcome to the elevator music from hell, you’re wait time is……..

16 days, 4 hours and 3 minutes………

Any experiences ladies?  Do you have to sound like Conan The Barbarian with those automated systems?

Hello my name is Kelly and I’m addicted to Facebook…

Hello my name is Kelly and I’m addicted to Facebook

The website’s tag line is “Facebook helps your connect and share with the people in your life.”

Facebook is a great way to connect with friends and family.  We’ve angered the college students as all of us old folks  take over this internet application.  The benefit  is that I’ve connected with family in different states, to different countries AND found all of my old classmates from gradeschool through college, even that old boyfriend (I made sure all my pictures looked good).

Facebook allows you to touch people easily.  You can read everyone’s status updates and comment without the hassle of picking up the phone, or writing that long email.  If you’re like me and really don’t like spending a lot of time of the phone, Facebook keeps you in touch with everyone easily.

Some people argue that Facebook is a place for stalkers.  Most internet sites could contain stalkers, it’s how you manage your profile.  My profile is setup so friends and family I approve can view it, I don’t make it known to the world, and I don’t accept friend requests from people I don’t know and we don’t have any friends in common.  My only advice is to watch what you do post because employers now check Facebook pages on potential employees, so if you have college students that only post partying stuff, they may want to think twice about it for the job market.

Facebook is my way to show the creative side of myself, to showcase my writing with friends and family.  When the friend request came in from some guy sitting shirtless in front of a typewriter,  I politely ignored because I had no idea who he was…stalker.

Do you Facebook?  Are you a fan of the Forsyth Woman fan page?  Are you obsessed?  What’s the favorite status update you’ve seen?