Search Results for: gifts

We Early Risers

Backstory

As a writer, I’m used to working alone. The early morning hours seem to be my best time to explore big ideas and dissect everyday happenings to look at them a different way. Watching the sun issue in a new day is exhilarating.

I was thinking about how other people find their most productive time to work. When is yours?

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We Early Risers – #606

What time do you get up in the morning?

I’m an early riser – 5 a.m. for the most part. Love to see the sun lighten the sky and insist on a new day as it grows bright.

That’s my best time to think. It’s when these Consider This shows are written.

It’s quiet and personal and the day’s responsibilities can be held at bay long enough for thoughts of love and gratitude and joy to be celebrated first.

I find myself smiling, in front of the computer screen in those early hours.

I never pay bills at that hour, or plan a budget or open the mail. Save those for the afternoon, when energy is waning and mundane things can be done.

Early mornings are meant for thinking . . . planning . . . being mesmerized by the consideration of things that are and dare to be.

It’s not a time for Facebook or websites that present other people’s thoughts and ideas. In early morning, I want to feel my own thoughts; take them out, explore them, see if they stand up to early morning scrutiny.

Sometimes they don’t. And a show half written crumbles away like a lyric by Adele. Concepts that do not deserve your ear are burned at the stake and you never hear them.

How do you spend your early mornings? Please come to our online blog and post your response. If you have no early morning rituals, tell when you do contemplate or meditate or evaluate thoughts and ideas. I would so like to hear.

P.S.

During the days of self-quarantine, many people found new ways to concentrate, connect and reach their inner selves. Makes you wonder what the long-term result will be of our experiences with an overabundance of togetherness for some, loneliness for others. Blessed are those who managed to achieve balance between the two.

[Show #606]

Salute to Young Moms

Backstory

With the added duties of sudden home-schooling and the need for daily creative eat-ins, moms have a right to be harried this year. Take time though, to celebrate the magic of motherhood. You have the ability to make it all better. And you do. Thanks for all that.

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Salute to Young Moms- #292

It’s so difficult to be a young mother today. There are so many restraints that require concern and worry. The media’s emphasis on negative happenings can convince you there’s a boogie man around every corner.

How do you teach children to be open and sociable and yet wary of strangers at the same time? Outside forces are influencing your children and they seem to get exposed to less gentle things so very early.

Yet in most families here in the country there is a loving young mother doing her best to counteract the downsides: to make life safe and sweet and secure.; to assure that her children know that they are loved and the benefits of being good, obedient, and respectful.

It’s hard to know how much of an impression you are making. But you know what, don’t stop. Kids learn the lessons you are teaching. They learn from the examples you set by what you do and say. It will serve them well in the years ahead when they have hard choices to make. You are setting their moral compass, and that’s never easy.

To those young mothers, accept this salute for the fine job you are doing as you juggle home, job, volunteering, and most of all caring for your children in helping them to grow and prosper, meeting each day’s challenge.

Thanks for all you do young moms. Never give up. We are counting on you.

P.S.

Young mothers often don’t recognize that there is help available if they are overwhelmed. Moms groups, adoptive grandparents, girls and boys clubs, scouts, church groups, local parks & rec activities and social agencies are worth looking into. They could provide what is needed to get you to the next step.

[Show #292]

Moms and the Calamity

Backstory

This tribute to moms was first written in 2014. The enthusiastic response to this story made it a favorite, often featured in May. This year, the ode to motherly magic is more relevant and deserved than ever. Kudos to the biological moms, the grandmothers acting as moms and all the women accepting maternal duties and privileges, for whatever reason. This tribute is for you.

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Moms and the Calamity- #287

This show is for the mothers whose priceless art collections are hanging on their refrigerator doors . . . and for all the mom who froze their buns on metal bleachers at football or soccer games so they could SHARE that magic moment with their kids.

This is for the mothers who yell at their kids in the grocery store, and for those who count to ten instead. It’s for the moms who go hungry, so their children can eat. For those who read “Goodnight, Moon” twice a night for a year . . . and then read it again, “Just one more time.”

This is for all the mothers who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they started school . . . . and for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead. This show celebrates the moms who teach their sons to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot. This for the mothers who gave birth to babies they’ll never see . . . .and the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes.

This is for every mother whose head turns automatically when a little voice calls “Mom” in a crowd, even though they know their own kids are at home …. or away at college . . . . or have their own families.

Mom is the one who provides a soft landing – no matter how old her children are. Thank goodness moms come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Thank goodness moms are there.

P.S.

By now, moms are tired. They have comforted, encouraged, entertained and sympathized with disappointment for weeks now. Your efforts are helping every family member to make it through, Mom. It may not seem appreciated now, but in the future, when they look back at this time, they will remember your courage, determination and resilience. Even when things get tense, you manage to regroup and endure. You are awesome.

[Show #287]

Job Hopping

Backstory

Seems that every time friends talk about their grown children, they have a new job. What is all this job hopping about? I decided to look into it.

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Job Hopping – #620

Millennials have a reputation for job hopping. Some say it’s because they don’t get an immediate fancy title or big promotion. The truth is, they usually move on when they have stopped growing or don’t feel appreciated.

Regardless of their responsibilities, everyone wants to feel that they count; that their work makes a difference. They want to feel significant.

The boss feels significant, looking out at the big picture. Most employees, however, do not have this overview. They only know the things they do daily, over and over.

Leaders who keep millennials thriving on the job help them connect the dots and see how their work contributes to the success of the organization. It must be presented in terms that employees can understand and appreciate.

People who don’t feel appreciated are often the first to burn out or jump ship. Successful leaders actively find ways to show others that their value is appreciated.

You see it happen on the TV show, “Under Cover Boss.” Posing as someone else, the boss goes on the line and hands-on discovers those who go above and beyond the call of duty.

Even if you can’t go undercover, you can pay more attention to find out what’s really going on in your business and who deserves credit.

Remember – show appreciation, show how and why each person is significant and reward those who go the extra mile.

P.S.

At home too, words kindness and recognition are appreciated. Be sure grandma knows how much her true home cooking is treasured. Thank the kids for setting the table or discarding their phone before they sit down for dinner. Compliments and happy thoughts are easy to come by – and they are free

[Show #620]

One Word

Backstory

The words you choose define you. But what if you were only allowed one word to describe someone. How would you choose just one?

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One Word – #614

At my surprise birthday party, they did something you might want to consider if you are arranging a celebration. It’s appropriate for a birthday, wedding, any special occasion where dozens of people are gathered.

Guests were advised, in advance, that at the party, they would be asked to say one word that describes the honoree. No speeches; just one word.

With 70 people at my party, there were a lot of words. It was delightful, funny and sometimes slightly embarrassing to hear the word each person chose. It was also extremely personal, conjuring up a special connection with each person.

My daughter and her daughter jotted them all down. I thought that was nice because I’d have the words on paper too. But my granddaughter had something else in mind.

She input all the words to the computer and used her digital skills to create a graphic using each of the words that had been spoken by the guests.

What a precious memento Krista created. The framed graphic sits on my bookcase where I see it often and smile. And on a rainy day, or when I’m feeling inadequate, I read those words and feel lifted by the love they convey.

Thanks to every person who has ever spoken or written a kind or gentle word to someone else. You have given a gift far greater than you can imagine, especially when it’s remembered on a rainy day.

P.S.

Sharing a happy thought, giving a complement, gifting someone with a smile. It only takes a moment to execute and it can make someone else’s day. That would be nice.

[Show #614]

Measuring Success

Backstory

I recently read, “Happiness is the new rich. Inner peace is the new success. Health is the new wealth. Kindness is the new cool.” Here is my take on that.

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Measuring Success – #610

Success – It’s a very ethereal thing. The question today is – How do YOU measure success?

Some measure it by the material proof – big house, lots of money, executive position or one of authority.

Another metric is how much you helped to make the world a better place. Some folks find success on the job, some by raising a family, some try to have the best of both worlds.

Many folks today measure success by your level of contentment; whether you are doing what you love to do.

A grandmother celebrating more than seven decades on earth told me,

“Success is when you look back at your life and the memories make you smile.” Let me add that she had a wide grin on her face as she spoke.

Has your idea of success changed over time? What’s your definition today? Have our times and culture changed your idea of success?

Are you there? If not, how do you plan to get there? Can we really lay a plan to reach success or are we at the mercy of the Universe and the time and place into which we are dropped upon birth? Is it all dumb luck?

Come and share your concept of success, and how you’ll know when you found it. You should enjoy the exploration.

P.S.

If you woke up this morning in a warm bed, and you have someone to love today, that may just be all the success you need. It sure is for me.

[Show #610]

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