Charles Schultz Philosophy

The   following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the creator of the ‘Peanuts’ comic strip.
You don’t have to actually answer the questions.

Just ponder on them. Just read the e-mail straight through, and you’ll get the point.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
   2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
   3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.
   4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
   5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
   6. Name the last decade’s worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?
The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday.
These are no second-rate achievers.
They are the best in their fields.
But the applause dies.
Awards tarnish …
Achievements are forgotten.
Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here’s another quiz. See how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Easier?
The   lesson:
The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money … or the most awards. They simply are the ones who care the most.

Pass this on to those people whom you keep close in your heart.
“Don’t worry about the world coming to an end today. It’s already tomorrow in Australia!”

“Be Yourself.  Everyone Else Is Taken!”

• Sent to me by a dear friend.

Food for Thought

The Writing Cooperative

I’ve told you several times that I’m really trying to eat right. This quest is not only to lose the lard, but also to improve my husband’s and my health.

It’s easy to Google things like, “Increasing your fiber,” or “foods that clean your arteries,” or “low carb foods”, etc.

My newest pet peeve is that a food that is on ONE list is not on another. (An example would be foods to increase your fiber may be really high in carbs.)

I have several issues for which I’m trying to eat the right foods. My husband has another list, including foods NOT to eat since he is a Type II diabetic.

I’m trying to make 2 master lists:

• Foods for us to include in our diet as much as possible
• Foods for both of us to avoid

The foods to avoid is easier, but you might be surprised at how hard it is to find foods that meet all of our needs. It seems that the PAPER the food comes in might be a better bet than the food IN the container or bag.

I’ve now printed several lists from the net and am in the process of comparing them to see if there are any foods on ALL (or most) of them for my master INCLUDE list.

THEN there is the whole issue that the two new frozen food places in town we love that provide real food with no preservatives that TASTE good, help us with portion control, and are actually good for us, include foods we are supposed to be avoiding for one reason or another. ARRRGH!

In my next life, I will be a nutritionist specializing in creating custom food lists to address health problems or issues about which people care.

Worrying and Waiting

Charles Schulz – Peanuts – LoveThis Pic,com

I’ve spent much of my life waiting. Waiting for Christmas morning. Waiting for school to get out for the summer. Waiting for my husband-to-be to get out of the Marines and come home. Waiting for school to be finished so I could start teaching. Waiting to get my Master’s degree so I could run my own reading clinic. Waiting for babies to be born. Waiting. And while I waited, I wasn’t really in the moment.

When the worrying gene was passed out, I got my share and then spent a lot of time nurturing and polishing it. I lost sleep. I didn’t eat, couldn’t eat, then over-ate in an effort to exert control over things not up to me. 99% of things about which I worried didn’t happen. This fact, plus the fact that I KNEW in my head I had no control, didn’t stop me from worrying. And while I worried, I wasn’t really in the moment.

It has taken me a long time, but I am finally living in the moment. I still wait, but I LIVE while I’m waiting. I may worry, but I LIVE while I’m worrying. I take the time to not only notice things, but really appreciate the beauty around me – how beautiful the weather is; I’ve come to treasure each time my 95 pound yellow lab, Amber, gets her top half in my lap while I’m trying to type a blog post, licking my face, making me laugh. I stop by my husband’s chair in the living room on the way to or from – or both – taking the time to kiss him on the head, hug him, and make him smile. I take time to play in my art room, smiling like a kid with fingerpaint, trying something new and having FUN whether I do something reasonable or just make a mess. :0) I can insulate myself from much going on in our world today, doing the little I can to help a bit – trying to protect those I love from the bad consequences (about which I worry) and ignore what I can.

If I live another hundred years or so, I may have this!

imgur.com

Stop!

iqsfs.com

iqsfs.com

AzISeeIt-cracked.com

rd.com

Even Longer

A. A. Milne – Winnie the Pooh – DreamsQuote

Do It.

Sanjay Daya

Listen

Shel Silverstein via Reader’s Digest

Art

Seth Godin via LIKESUCCESS.com via 2 STAR art

Shingles Protection

shutterstock.com

If you have had Shingles – or have tried to help someone who has it, you’re already cringing.

Shingles varies for everyone. Some people have a light case, and others a much more serious outbreak. My husband had a BAD case in around 2005 and we both cringe even THINKING of what he went through. In his case, it covered his whole left side and continuing around to his belly. His pain was excruciating and nothing seemed to help. He was in pain about 6 weeks and then STILL hurt when he laughed, sneezed or coughed for months afterward.

We jumped on it when the first vaccine was announced. It was hyped as a one-shot thing that would protect us for life. We both got the injection. THEN, when a new vaccine, Shingrix came out, we discovered that our ‘protection’ was really only for 5 years, and that we had been unprotected since 2009!

We tried to get on a list to receive the new vaccine, Shingrix, 50 mcg injection. (It’s a 2-shot deal with 2 to 6 months between shot #1 and shot #2.) We got the okay from our primary doctor and called Walgreen’s, only to be told there is a shortage of vaccine. They would put us on their list, but it would be awhile before we could get it. (They can only get 10 shots/month and the line is long.) AND, as makes sense, they’re trying to get shot #2 for the good folks who have already gotten shot #1 and need shot #2 before the six month time limit is up. We called the other pharmacies in Greenwood and Fort Smith and got the same information.

THEN, a new pharmacy opened its doors in Greenwood. We had been with them formerly, but they shut down and we had to go elsewhere. We were delighted to hear they were back! I called and she told me she COULD get the vaccine! We went and filled out the paperwork. When she called it into our healthcare provider, Humana, she reported to us that the cost for each shot would be $140 – and we needed FOUR shots! We put the whole idea on hold, hoping that the beginning of the year might bring better news as to costs.

I called Humana yesterday, finding to my delight that our cost would be $47 per shot – a much more reasonable cost. I called the pharmacy. She still had our paperwork and resubmitted it, calling us back later to confirm the cost.

We got our shot #1 today, and we’re on the calendar to receive shot #2 mid-March.

I don’t know what the difference is between sources, or why other pharmacies have so much trouble getting the vaccines. I’m just glad that our new pharmacist had no trouble and could get us started on being fully protected. The protection is for 5 years;  so – if we’re still alive and kicking by then – we’ll go in and get protected again.

I write this to urge YOU – if you are 50 or older – to seriously consider getting this protection. I can tell you that you DON’T want anything to do with getting Shingles. You don’t need the pain, and you can get it over and over again. Please research what the situation and costs are for you wherever you are and make the decision to protect yourself, if possible.

It’ll be interesting to see when and if Walgreen’s will ever call us back that they finally have the first shot for us…

Starfish Story

http://www.cityyear.org

My sister-in-law, Mary Lou, emailed me the Starfish Story. It is definitely food for thought, so I’m happy to post it here –

A young girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a terrible storm. When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up, and throw it back into the ocean. People watched her with amusement.

She had been doing this for some time when a man approached her and said, “Little girl, why are you doing this? Look at this beach! You can’t save all these starfish. You can’t begin to make a difference!”

The girl seemed crushed, suddenly deflated. But after a few moments, she bent down, picked up another starfish, and hurled it as far as she could into the ocean. Then she looked up at the man and replied, “Well, I made a difference to that one!”

The old man looked at the girl inquisitively and thought about what she had done and said. Inspired, he joined the little girl in throwing starfish back into the sea. Soon others joined, and all the starfish were saved.

— Adapted from The Star Thrower
by Loren C. Eiseley

Roy Beck’s Explanation of Immigration – Interesting

Immigration, World Poverty and Gumballs – NumbersUSA.com

 

“Immigration – Global humanitarian reasons for current U.S. immigration are tested in this updated version of immigration author and journalist Roy Beck’s colorful presentation of data from the World Bank and U.S. Census Bureau. The 1996 version of this immigration gumballs presentation.”

My friend, Marsha, sent this to me. I thought this was a very clear, effective, short presentation that made me look at things in a different way. I hope you find it worth your time.

If the link above doesn’t work for you, here is the url to paste into your browser –

https://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=LPjzfGChGlE&feature=player_embedded