|
|
| Positive Attitude Tips & Information |
|
||
|
|
The View From Nana and Papas
I'm a working mother with a preschooler, worrying about Mom and Dad, who are approaching their eighties. See, I'm part of the growing number of Americans who are caring for aging parents (or wringing their hands in anticipation of it) and raising a child simultaneously. When we visited last November, we found that Dad had converted my old bedroom into storage space for his fishing equipment. I sang the cowboy song at bedtime as usual, and when I got to the part where it fondly describes New England winters and the wonder of blueberry pie, I paused to pay attention to the droplet of sweat making its way down my back. The house isn't air conditioned, despite the tropical climate. While my child slept, I quietly opened my laptop. As an anthropology major, I tend to think that child development has more to do with what is learned than what is natural or instinctive (if I recall correctly, human beings don't have many instincts at all--most of what we display on a daily basis is learned behavior). From that viewpoint, exposure to grandparents can be fabulous for children's development, and seems so much healthier and socially connected than having only their photographs, a parent's recollections and an occasional telephone call through which to try to know them. We (or more accurately, Dad) built this house during twelve weeks in 1971. My sister and I were in first and third grade, respectively, at St. Christopher's Girls School. We were a hit on the playground there, mainly for our skill in jumping Double Dutch. There's open pasture to the east, and somebody's vegetable garden to the west. As a little kid, I cared only cared about running with our sheep, and riding them like the horses I wished they were, when Dad wasn't looking. And so I was truly surprised when the butcher, a family friend, visited us in his professional capacity. That was thirty-one years ago. The incredibly blue ocean is still visible from the living room, but the eye can no longer rest without the interruption of clotheslines, galvanized rooftops, satellite dishes, and lately, the construction of condos. What was once quiet is now punctuated by the messy sounds of people going about their lives. St. Christopher's Girls still stands, but when we saw it last year, it looked empty. It was sad that the place where I spent part of my childhood seemed no more than a memory. Nonetheless, emboldened by the jar of Herbes de Provence I brought along, I promised to do all of the cooking. The gas man was to bring more propane, and the ice-cream truck announced his bi-weekly visits by playing, much too loudly, a tinny-sounding "Home on the Range." copyright little-turnips.com 2003-2005 - All rights reserved. Tricia Wellington is the mother of one toddler. little-turnips.com
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Strength Within For the twelve hundred hostages, most especially Timur Kasumova. To Compete or Co-create? - That is the Question! As a financial economist my motivation has long been to understand a simple academic koan: "why is there scarcity in an abundant world?" A koan is a question in the history and lore of Chan (Zen) Buddhism, to which the answer is inaccessible to rational understanding, yet may with great effort be obtained through accessing our higher collective mind. The motivational force driving my financial studies and research rests in the little known fact that the planet earth and this universe have such great abundance that no living being need lack anything! How to Stay Motivated Despite Negative People Getting motivated is sometimes easy enough to do, at least for short periods of time, but staying motivated can be a lot harder to do. When Things Go Wrong As They Sometimes Will... Dont Get Your Knickers In A Twist! In frustration it's easy to jump to false conclusions that life is out to get you. Wrong assumptions will invariably lead you to wrong conclusions. And, it is ridiculous to think that our limited experiences are reflective of life in general. When the struggles begin, it's time for a reality check. 3 Ways to Change Roadblocks into Valuable Tools Our initial reaction when hitting a setback or a "roadblock, whether it be during an important project or even just trying to finish a task, is usually one of frustration or the thoughts of "Why does this always happen to me?" or "why doesn't anything ever work for me?". Roadblocks can be valuable though. Here's how: White Sun: How to Cultivate Ones Body Drinking damages the soul; being lustful damages the vitality; greed damages the virtues; anger damages the liver; smoking damages the spirit. These are the five poisons between Heaven and Earth. The world is polluted with these five filthy elements. Heaven has the spirit of the five fundamental elements and Earth has the characters of the five fundamental elements. 5 Proven Ways to Safely Make Positive Life Changes One of the most important aspects of living a healthy and prosperous life is understanding "risk." By this I mean knowing how to understand and analyze situations in life that affect health. Being able to accurately weigh benefits and risks when making health decisions is very important! Too often decisions are based on incomplete or inaccurate information and this is a huge mistake with significant consequences! Life, The Greatest Ride of All Life is the greatest roller coaster ride we will ever take. The ups and downs, the unexpected changes, the twists and turns, are all a part of living. The roller coaster ride of life can be miserable and uncomfortable or exciting and rewarding. Our states of mind and body are key factors in how we handle these changes. The problems of life do not go away magically. We have to consciously work on making our lives more positive and joyful. Find Your Inner Strength to Tackle Any Challenge Everyone faces challenges during their life, from suffering the death of a loved one to being laid off from a job. But the challenges themselves aren't holding you back; rather, it's how you react to the challenges that determine your ultimate success and happiness. New Attitudes-New Possibilities I AM SO GRATEFUL for meeting challenges head-on. We see mistakes as learning experiences in disguise, And reach turning points in times of crisis, We find serenity in the midst of turmoil-- It's not what happens to us, but what we make of it that counts. Get Out of Your Way! We hear a lot these days about accepting responsibility for our actions and it is about time we did. Time is out for casting blame and pointing righteous fingers at others to cover up for our own shortcomings and acting out behaviors. We have got to "nip it, nip it, nip it in the bud" if for no other reason than our own mental health. Growth From Discontent: Lifes Way Of Giving You A Little Push That strange, gut-wrenching feeling you have is not the sushi you had for lunch. It's your soul trying to give you a nudge to do something. A word for that feeling is "discontent." Discontent is a state of not being satisfied or fulfilled in your current situation. Creating an Emotional Retreat Emotions have the tendency to take over our actions and reactions, despite the fact we prefer to claim otherwise. Society often sees emotions as a sign of weakness, so we became used to putting them away and try to focus on the logical aspects more and more. But no matter how strict and rational you desire to be, you will always be a human being, instead of a robot, and so you will always have feelings. Beginners Programming 101 Recently a great idea popped into my head about creating a software program. Now, if the truth be told, I know absolutely nothing about computer programming. But the thought of creating this software was very persistent, so I went to the book store and purchased a few books for beginning programming. What Do You Believe? "If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning." --Mahatma Gandhi (1869 ? 1948) Its Okay to Be Negative Sometimes! Lately, I've been hearing that it's not okay to have negative thoughts. Feeling Grouchy? Heres What to Do I woke up this morning feeling sour. Positive Self Talk - What Should You Say? How do you explain things to yourself? With positive self talk or negative? What we say to ourselves radically affects the quality of our lives, and our ability to do things effectively. How useful is it to always tell yourself "impossible," "more problems," "never," and "I can't?" It Is All About Attitude! Why do we really need the experiences that we have to deal with in our day-to-day life? Does anyone know who can answer my question? Somehow, at heart I do know and understand the answer to this question. However, I have no discipline to do something about it in respect of applying the principle in dealing with my own life experiences. Mind Power - Fact or Fiction? Prove It For Yourself In The Next 7 Minutes - Truly Awesome! Who are you?
|
