Rutts or Routines?

Ever feel like the movie "Ground Hog," repeating the same events in your life that you'd rather forget over and over again. We both get a chuckle out of that film everytime we see it rerun on TV usually around groundhog day. It's easy to get in RUTTS and end up repeating the same old ineffective self defeating behaviors when we'd rather do things differently.

How do we break out of these comfortable patterns and try something new? Terri Tiffany on her blog the other day discussed always asking God "WHY is this happening to me?" rather than "NOW WHAT?" or "How should I handle this situation?" IF you have a ROUTINE or habit that is working positively for you, that's OK (i.e. reading something inspirational each day, reaching out to meet newcomers, etc.), and not a RUTT.

There are certain necessary STEPS I believe to change RUTTS into STEPPING STONES:

1. RECOGNIZE you are in a RUTT. Take stock, make a list of changes you'll like to make. (i.e. cut back on work hours, budget better, forgive an offender, be more patient, etc.) Next...

2. Feel REMORSE-Decide to stop your negative behavior and try something else NEW. (Ask a higher power for help.)

3. Be open to SERENDIPITY and CREATIVITY in your reactions to what life presents to you.

4. CELEBRATE your progress. We all make MISTAKES, but haven't failed unless we've stopped trying. Recommit to staying on track.

4. Develop an ATTITUDE of GRATITUDE whatever your situation.

Tell us about any RUTTS you are in now and how you can change them or have overcome them in the past.

It's my BIRTHDAY

Oh no, not another birthday!

I just had one and you know

what that means...another year

older and wiser or whatever.

Guess it depends on me, what

another year brings. Right now

I'm focused on seeing less of me.

Pound wise and I'm succeeding.

But it is hard work, takes lots

of self control to eat less,

eat smarter and exercise lots,

but it's well worth the effort.

The future of "me" is up to me

only me. I can become smarter,

thinner, more compassionate

or the opposite by my choices.

So I choose life, liberty and

the pursuit of happiness in my

empty nest or retirement years,

more fun and new adventures.

Well, 62 years later here I am with a lovely bouquet of my favorite flowers-daisies from my hubby for my birthday. The card he gave me had a dog on the cover with a rose in his mouth, inside it said: "Special delivery from the neighbor's garden. Happy Birthday with Love!" I love you! Allen." Quite a lovely surprise, then we went out to dinner to Olive Garden and enjoyed their soup, salad and breadsticks all you can eat and a lovely "no sugar added" chocolate torta with vanilla sauce and fresh strawberries-a lovely birthday cake for me. Later we'll go to see the movie "Up." We celebrated my birthday on Saturday since it falls on Sunday this year.

Some Questions

Found this on a new blogger friend's post. So I took the challenge to answer some questions.

1. I didn't know how to swim until graduation from jr. college when we had to pass a test or take a swim class-I took the class and got a C grade. Now I love water aerobics.

2. I don't like coloring my hair, and am contemplating letting it grow out then just highlight it. Tried gray before but didn't like it because I looked too old, now I am old. (Oops got it redone today for my b-day tomorrow!)

3. I am scared of bears and don't ever want to camp or hike or live where they are around.

4. Even though I said I wouldn't, I watched all of the MJ memorial and quite enjoyed it. Impressed by his creativity and talent but saddened by his life style.

5. I like my water aerobics class.

6. I can not watch movies that are scary with any violence in them.

7. I have a stash of sugar free chocolates and eat one a day without guilt.

8. I do not like to scrub showers or toilets. Yuck!

9. I like/love writing daily and have kept journals forever of my life. Also love to teach classes on just about anything to adults.

10. I'm still trying to figure out how to use Photoshop to make borders around my photos and collages.

11. I haven't figured out how to make an index of posts on my blog. Help someone!

Now you try to answer these questions in your comments or on your blog. Thanks!

Article #62 Penmanship Lessons

My grandparents' wedding announcements were pain-stakingly handwritten in beautiful cursive writing by a talented neighbor. It seems to me we have lost the art of penmanship in our day. Why take time today to carefully craft a hand lettered document when a computer program with a printer can reproduce documents faster and perfectly without any messy mistakes?

Some of us still remember penmanship classes in elementary school where you practiced loops and swirls to make your letters in cursive look like the textbook illustration. I recall how difficult capital letters like D, F and Z were, not to mention X. I worked long and hard to try to make my awkward left handed writing look exactly like the samples. There was a letter grade for penmanship on our report cards. All essays and assignments that we turned in were to be handwritten. I guess the teacher wanted to be able to read them, so students were encouraged to write legibly and neatly. Few people used typewriters for schoolwork, and computers hadn’t been invented yet.

In my grandparents’ time, school desks had a round hole cut in the upper right desk corner to hold a bottle of black ink for each student’s use during penmanship lessons. An old fashioned pen with a nib was dipped into the black ink bottle, then the student carefully made a few letters, and the process was repeated. The invention of the fountain pen, and later the ballpoint pen with its ability to store ink inside, greatly facilitated this process of cursive writing.

My grandfather, who was a typical mischievous school boy, told me how he liked to tease the girl in front of him by dipping the end of one of her long braids in his inkwell. I’m sure that got him into big trouble with his teacher and probably with the girl too. Grandpa had beautiful penmanship and kept accounting reports for his job as a section foreman on the Union Pacific railroad. He prided himself on his legible handwriting.

I raised four sons and they all disliked cursive writing. From an early age, they decided to print all their assignments despite my encouragement that cursive was faster. It wasn’t for them! Later when they gained computer skills, many of their assignments were typed instead of written. Check out your family, I bet you’ll find few younger members with admirable handwriting––it’s not a priority anymore.

Travel Then and Now

We travel so easily and quickly in air conditioned comfort,

but those early pioneers came by open wagons drawn by oxen

to settle these lands. Homesteaders carrying with them

farm implements, a few household furnishings and dreams

of a humble little log cabin with a fire to cook their meals.

Hard physical labor filled their days as their numbers grew

everyone worked to survive, to feed and clothe the family.

We forget those simple beginnings as freeways beckon us.

Passing by historical signs that credit their contributions,

we have no time to stop, to reflect how they came to be here.

Montana/Idaho Scenes

There was a variety of scenery as we traveled from Canada south across Montana's vastness by Kalisbell and the Flathead Lake into Idaho's farmland with its lack of trees.

Stopping in Twins Falls we passed over the Snake River which winds though the flat land cutting a huge gorge. The river continues its twisting path until it joins up with the Columbia River then flows down into the mighty Pacific Ocean. A source of water that is carefully used to irrigate crops in this thristy land, this is the home of the tasty fattening Idaho potato.

Next we entered Nevada's barren deserts continuing our trip home to Southern Utah.

Stormy Weather

Rain in the desolate Nevada desert

A welcome relief to summer’s heat

Cloud bursts let loose hailstones

Lightning strikes signal danger ahead

Flash floods can unleash swift waters

Sweeping away arid ground and roads

Temperatures quickly drop 38 degrees

A summer storm comes suddenly

Surprising all caught in its fury.

The desert turns green as wildflowers bloom

Unexpected beauty in such a desolate area

A welcome though furious respite