HANDBOOK 2010

My Aunt Angela (I love her too) sent me this fantastic email. I bolded the goals I am really going to strive to improve on this year. I printed this list off and hung it in my kitchen where I will see it every day. I loved it. I think it's a great list.

Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants..
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
5. Make time to pray.
6. Play more games
7. Read more books than you did in 2009 .
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minute walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:
11. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don't overdo. Keep your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree...

Society:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything..
28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change..
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come..
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

On a positive note their are some things on this list that I have already been practicing and they are blessing my life. Last week I spent a morning with each of my grandmothers, individually. While Braxton was in preschool I decided to visit my grandma Mary on Wednesday and my Gramy on Monday. It was so wonderful. They are both so wise and have so much to offer me and my children. It was wonderful for Adelle, Emmett, and I to just sit and visit. They spoil us when we come over and I can tell it means so much to them. I can't imagine being a widow, as they both are, and I am happy at the joy we are able to bring when we stop by to visit them unexpectedly. I always feel welcome at Grandma's house.

Games have also re-appeared on our agenda. We are good about playing games with our kids but some of those games can really make you crazy. When Jeff's family visited they taught us some new card games and we spend a lot of time playing games with them. We invited my parents over Sunday night to play games with us and our kids, it slightly broke up the monotony. Also, Jeff and I have started our own poker night. Just the two of us in our living room. It's a real kick.