DECEMBER BEAUTY

Here's some true December beauty for you.

This photo really creates a longing in my heart.

I once had a horse named Sundance.

I loved him with my whole heart.

SELF ACCEPTANCE

"He who trims himself to suit everyone will soon whittle himself away."
~ Raymond Hull

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Be true to yourself and who you really are . Stop trying to please everyone around you. It gets very tiring to have to try to please this person and that person all the time by compromising what you really feel according to what's inside of you. Each one of us wants to receive approval and acceptance from others , I know.
I suppose compromising what we really feel vs gaining others approval is okay once
in a while , but if you find you are doing it too much, then I would re-evaluate what was going on . I believe we learn this as we get older of course !!

Accept who you are without any regrets. When you do things that are not genuine or a reflection of the real fundamental you, you will not be happy with yourself. In this world today, do we really need something else to make us unhappy ? The path ahead , for each one of us, must first start with self- acceptance...being true to yourself. Being true to yourself does not mean that you are inconsiderate or disrespectful of others. It means that you will not let others define you or make decisions for you that you should make for yourself.

It's a lot easier to make the journey down the road of life day by day..if we accept who we are .
Don't you agree ??

Overcoming Pessimism ! ! Oh Boy !!

The following is an excerpt from a blog on EverydayHealth.Com.....a great website for all kinds of health research and info .

Here is a link to the entire article--> Positive Thinking Can Increase Your Longevity
http://www.everydayhealth.com/blog/grossman-a-healthy-longevity/positive-thinking-can-increase-your-longevity/

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THREE SIMPLE STEPS FOR DEALING WITH PESSIMISM

There are several simple things you can do to overcome pessimism and to develop a more positive outlook on life. When confronted with a danger such as an approaching train, we learned in school to stop, look and listen. The same three simple steps can help you overcome pessimism.

1. Stop – Accept and confront the reality that you are being pessimistic. Just as an alcoholic must first acknowledge that they have a problem with drinking before they can get better, you need to begin by acknowledging that you are being pessimistic.

2.Look – Look to see if you can view the stressors in your life from a different point of view. You may find that a more positive outlook is possible or you may realize that you need to change some of the circumstances in your life.

3. Listen – Try to get an outside or objective view of your situation. Talk about your problems with someone whose judgment you trust – a close friend, spouse, or health professional.
It is not always easy to have a positive outlook, but taking steps to overcome negative emotions will not only make your life more fulfilling and satisfying – it can also help you live longer.

Happy anti-aging!
Terry Grossman, M.D.

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I really liked the way Dr Grossman put this into perspective as I am one of those individuals that tends to think negative before I think positive. Been working on this for many years now...trying to think positive...trying to be more optimistic about everything. I have certainly learned that being anxious and worrying all the time are no good for me. So I say ....Step back from emotions like worry, self-doubt, anger, self-pity and all the others that sabotage your happiness.

Have you discovered that yourself ?


For more information about longevity medicine visit Dr. Grossman’s Web sitehttp://www.grossmanwellness.com/
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GOOD QUESTION...what would YOU do ??

Here's a good question from @mikeeadams on Twitter today--->If you knew you would die tomorrow, what would you do today?
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Well, that is certainly a loaded question if ever there was one. I am still thinking over several ideas in my poor old brain about this. What do YOU think?? What would YOU do.?

IMPORTANCE OF STAYING CREATIVE !

This is part of a good article I just read on Age & Creativity


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Staying Creative
The secret of life is staying creative. Keep your creative juices flowing and you will stay ahead of the pack.
Do different things.
The best way of staving off creative ossification is to keep doing different things. Read different books and papers. Go to different places for your holidays. Talk to different people. Listen to them and seek to synergize and synthesize. Take every opportunity to regenerate your generative powers.

The not-so geriatric effect
But what about the effects of aging. We are born with a fixed number of brain cells and they increasingly die off* after the age of 50, and even faster beyond 70.
This may be true, but, barring mental illness, the effect is miniscule in comparison with the habitual ossification effect. People who have stayed creative through their lives are way above others, not only people on the final lap but also those much younger than them. With practice, you can get better at creativity, which puts a creatively active 60 year old streets ahead of a stultified 30 year old.

Creativity even affects longevity. It has been proven that people who stay mentally active live longer even than those who stay physically active. If you go to the mental gym every day, then your alertness will keep you going longer.


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So....I should try learning to play the cello shouldn't I ? Even if I try it for a few lessons..
I will open up my mind to something totally brand new.
I will create a few new dendrites in my aging brain.
I will give delight to myself for just trying !!

OKAY....What things have you done to help yourself stay creative folks ?

JUST AN OBSERVATION

It seems that most individuals who have a blog are not retired ...not in that
age group..but much younger. Marketing execs...internet specialists of all kinds, and networking whizzes. I am not in that category....not young and not technically savy by any means.
This is a crazy world . Oh yeah it is !
I 'm just thankful there is this venue here on a computer where I can express myself whenever I want to. Where I can learn more about this world and what makes people tick. Perhaps .
I love learning new things. Some things are much too complex for me...and somethings I can wade my way through ..coming out the other side with some bit of knowledge or some new fact that I didn 't know before. Keeping the brain cells firing ...that's very important when you are older. We want to use that brain ...to keep it working as long as we can.

Wisdom From Hubert Humphrey

"The moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; those who are in the shadows of life; the sick, the needy and the handicapped."
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Thank you, Mr. Humphrey....
This statement should be on a giant sign in the foyer of Congress as the members enter the building every day.

WALK TALL

"In this land called Paradise you must walk in many men's shoes .

Bigotry & hatred are enemies to us all..
Grace , mercy and forgiveness help a man walk tall. "

---- from Walk Tall ----by John Mellencamp

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So....can you honestly tell me those words aren't words we should live by ??
Can you imagine a world with much MORE grace, mercy and forgiveness ?

Natvie Voices Radio

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Every Sunday morning ...Native Voices Radio can be heard at

http://www.alternativevoices.org/

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QUOTES TO PONDER...

SOME GREAT QUOTES THAT I LOVE....what do you think ???

1. When you chase happiness it can be frustratingly elusive. Once you arrive at where you thought it would be, it has sped off to somewhere else. ( Parade Magazine )

2. " Focus on what you are moving toward rather than what you are leaving behind. "
Alan Cohen

3. Kindness is more important than wisdom, and the recognition of this is the beginning of wisdom.~~~~~ Theodore Issac Rubin

4. Amazing how the right person at the right time can just show up in our lives, be a blessing and then leave.

5. "Live so that when your children think of fairness and integrity, They think of you."~ H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

6. " We grow old by deserting our ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul."!! ~~~~Samuel Ullman

7. Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in getting up every time we do. ~Confucius~

8. I feel the capacity to care is the thing which gives life its deepest significance. ~` Pablo Casals
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IS THERE ONE OF THESE QUOTES THAT YOU FIND PARTICULARY MEANINGFUL ???

INTEGRITY

Integrity – When you think of someone with integrity you think of someone who always does the right thing in the right way. You can trust them because when they give you their word, they keep it. They will share the truth with you, even when the truth hurts. They look at a situation and do what is right, not what is easy or popular. Our culture today has redefined integrity and, unfortunately, now people will say someone has integrity when that person does what they want them to do, not when they do what is right! People with integrity care about what is right, not WHO is right.


Thanks to.....
http://tomziglar.com/2009/06/26/ziglar-tea-party/
Philosophy of Today's World
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OUR LOVELY ROSE...

WE'VE had this awesome rose bush for 20 years and every June we wait patiently to see its first blooms. It's a creamy creamy off white with the dark pink.
I just love it so much. It has never failed to bring me joy...such a simple thing as a rose.

WHAT WE LEAVE BEHIND

Complements of @TheMidasMan on Twitter.com....

“What we leave behind is not engraved in stone monuments ,but woven into the lives of others."

WOW....isn't that so very very true ? The people we loved, who are now gone, are indeed woven into our hearts and thus...into our lives.
I know when I think about my beloved mother, that she is SO ingrained into who I have become, and the way I turned out...so much of HER is there in the person that I am.

CUTE PUPPY PHOTO FROM TWITTER

I was on Twitter.com just a few minutes ago and

somebody posted this cute photo of their puppy .

I'm just a sucker for cute adorable dog photos you know. And certainly this little sleeping guy qualifies for cute and adorable..doesn't he ??

GOOD QUOTE

"Anybody who preserves the ability to recognize beauty will never get old." ~~~Franz Kafka

Sometimes it seems that the younger generation totally doesn't even see those of us who are over 50. It's as if we are by some magic...invisible to them. Invisible . How does that happen ?

One day, they are gonna look in the mirror and see an OLDER face looking back at them. Yes...it will happen. They just don't know it yet !

DOGS

I hope there's a photo above of this great looking Pointer taking a dip in what may be somebody's swimming pool ! HA. Love it.

Actually, there are lots of great photos of dogs on the Internet. All kinds of dogs of course. ..and cute, cute puppies. How can you select just one to put at the top of your simple blog ?? AH...what a dilemna.

Dogs are...... or they can be I should say, another soulmate for you. Some dogs can see right into your soul. I truly believe that statement. Think about what that means.

Not every dog can...but some can. If you have many dogs over your lifetime, you will come to realize that . Hopefully, you will encounter, at least one dog who can see into your soul.

And because of that ability on its part, that dog can be a healer for you in dark times or lonely times or just those times when you feel like you want to shut out the world.
That dog, the one who sees into your soul ,who feels what you feel....will be there for you .

I cannot be without a dog in my life .

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE

It's summer again and that means the return of So You Think You Can Dance on the Fox network.

I don't watch American Idol....never have.....can't really say why.

But this dance program grabbed me a few years ago one night when I was turning the channels .
Incredible young people...ages about 18 - 28 roughly...who have had some dance training and have auditioned for weeks get a chance to compete with 19 other young dancers for the win. Each week now, another young and hopeful good dancer will get "voted off'. Til we get to the final week and see who the last one standing is !!

I think they get a part in a Broadway or Vegas musical if they win..plus they do get some money ..like maybe $ 100,000.

I just watch it cause the dancers are almost ALWAYS so inspiring .
Their energy , their performances of many different styles of dance is at times quite mesmerizing to me. And there is outstanding choreography done by professional choeographers. I never knew there were so many talented choreographers around til I saw this show. What a job that would be !!

As a young girl I always thought it would be wonderful to be an accomplished dancer. But no talent in that area for me. Yet all my life I have continuted to envy anyone who could really dance well . I especially like it when the dance actually tells a story and the dancers are the interpreters to the story .

Some of these dance routines just come right out and touch your heart...making you F E E L.

PINE RIDGE SIOUX

These girls are on the Student Council in Red Cloud High School which is on the Pine Ridge Sioux Reservation in South Dakota.
They live in the POOREST COUNTY in the USA.
Highest suicide rate and highest alcoholism rate in the USA .
But look at the smiles on their faces. With the hope of the future.

I was searching in the Yahoo search box for Native American Blogs...and there were
several links that didn't really work...but I persevered .
Don't know how , exactly I came across this blog...but I found one for
PINE RIDGE REFLECTIONS...and I can access that blog right from here.
What a nice surprise for me.

To be able to read what some of the employees and volunteers on the rez have to say.....heartwarming things going on......reaching out to people in need.
Reaching out to forgotten Americans...the First Americans.

Here is a small piece from an activity director's goodbye after working with
the Sioux ( High School ) on Pine Ridge for 2 years.

>>Ah, to be entering another temporary world- I look forward to life at Princeton, I really do, but I know I will miss everything about this place and these people. My heart was reborn here, in a sense, and I'm leaving bits of my heart all over the place here! So, here's to anyone from my life at Pine Ridge who might be reading this- I will always love you, and I will always cherish the bits of my heart which I now leave behind.>>

http://pineridgereflections.blogspot.com/2009/05/saying-goodbye.html

Life is all about the choices we make.

Depend on your inner wisdom....listen to any red flags that go up , too.

To reach a point in your life when you think you have acquired wisdom.

Oh dear, once in a while ...you find out you haven't.

What a surprise !

According to Yahoo News today....

Happiness Is ... Being Old, Male and Republican !! !

WOW ! !!

no comment !!!

OPTIMISM..... that's a great word.

Why is it sometimes we just have a hard time

being optimistic about things ??


I am going to try try try to be more optimistic.

Thats a worthwhile goal...and it doesn't involve

counting any damn calories either !!!
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April 28...For Several Days Now....

How about 24 hours with NO mention of the Swine Flu ????

CHASING HAPPINESS ????

"People rise out of the ashes because , at some point, they are invested with a belief in the possibility of triumph over seemingly impossible odds. "

" I used to be convinced that HAPPINESS was the goal...yet all those years I was chasing after it....I was unhappy in the pursuit. Maybe the goal really should be.....a life that values honor, duty, good work, friends and family.
Maybe that's it. "

Robert Downey Jr.

Parade Magazine interview

***Somehow....this reminds me of me.



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Massacre in Binghamton, NY

What is going on in this country ? Everyone just grabs a gun or an assault weapon when they’re fed up and then they find someplace to massacre as many people as they can.

CHOICES AND CHARACTER

Choices and Character

Choose Your Thoughts, for they become Words
Choose Your Words, for they become Actions•
Choose Your Actions, for they become Habits•
Choose Your Habits, for they become Character•
Choose Your Character, for it becomes Your Destiny


Not composed by me....but I like it a lot !!

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Today is April First !!!

It's April everybody !!!

THE FLORIDA PANTHER...highly endangered

Conservation status: THE FLORIDA PANTHER

The number of living FLORIDA panthers is estimated to be between 80 and 100.

Recovery efforts are currently underway in Florida to conserve the state's remaining population of native panthers. This is a difficult task, as the panther requires large contiguous areas of habitat — each breeding unit, consisting of one male and two to five females, requires about 200 square miles of habitat. A population of 240 panthers would require 8,000 to 12,000 square miles of habitat and sufficient genetic diversity in order to avoid inbreeding as a result of small population size.

The introduction of eight female cougars from a closely related Texas population has apparently been successful in mitigating inbreeding problems.
Southern Florida is a fast-developing area, and declining habitat threatens this species. The two highest causes of mortality for the Florida panthers are automobile injuries and aggression between panthers for territory. The primary threats to the population as a whole include habitat loss, habitat degradation, and habitat fragmentation.

The Future Is.....

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There is no mystery about what the future holds.
Your actions today determine your consequences tomorrow.
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I just love this quote and cannot recall where on the web I found it.

Some of us spend a lot of time contemplating our futures..but alas, perhaps we

do that too much. I am guilty of that . Have to think more of the right

here in the moment..this is the future ..today..it's here and it's now.

This is Not Your Father's Country Anymore...Jack Cafferty

I really like Jack Cafferty on CNN....he does special commentary.
Here is a blurb from his short piece called " This is not your father's country anymore ".
When you get a minute you should click the link and read the rest of his comments. It is not a lengthy piece.
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The American dream was a job, a house, a car. A modest, affordable house and a car that was most likely a Chevrolet, Ford or Plymouth.
People weren't in debt buying things they couldn't afford, and neither was the government.
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Here's the short remainder of what he said...
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/24/cafferty.america/index.html

Think About This Fact

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Every day we should be reminded that Obama "inherited " 1.8 TRILLION dollars in debt thanks to the Bush years !!!

Think about it.
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Market Rebound ...When ???

R E B O U N D.
That's a great word.

"Past performance is no guarantee of future results". This is what my financial planner keeps sending out in his memos to his clients. I'm tired of hearing that once a month now.

In particular , with regard to the stock market ...when you are looking at all you have lost these last few months.

Why whine then you say ???

Hmm.....I could tell you that every penny I earned was hard earned. and oh yes, it was.

But to what avail NOW ?
So many in the same boat.
So very many of us.

Another Shot of Yellowstone in March

Caught some Buffalo grazing at Old Faithful today.,,complements of the Yellowstone Webcam.

Here's a Quote I Really Like...

“We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.”

Frederick Keonig

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SO ,Who was this guy, Keonig. ??? Okay I found out.

Friedrich Gottlob Koenig ( 1774 – 1833) was a German inventor best-known for his high-speed printing press.

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THOSE SINFUL AIG BONUSES

Just watching MSNBC tonight 615 PM
Listening to Senator Jon Tester from Montana. I like this guy.
He's a Democrat from Montana...that's almost unheard of .

SOME AIG BONUS facts to ponder if you will..........
On Friday, March 13th 2009 the insurance giant AIG handed out
165 million dollars in bonuses. This is after the millions of dollars
in taxpayer money given to them a few months ago...our money !!
MSNBC says that 73 AIG employees were given a bonus of ONE MILLION DOLLARS or more.!!!!
Again....this is our money they are getting and putting in their pockets....while you and I worry about how high our heating bills are and the cost of food keeps going up and up....you get the picture.

It's greed in its most BLATANT form......right in front of our eyes !!!

Obama wants to do something ..to maybe get these bonuses back....or perhaps to tax 90 percent of these huge sinful bonuses.....SOMETHING.

Are we all hoping something will be done ??
You bet we are !!!

Anderson Says He's Going Back to New Orleans

Just saw a headline on Twitter that Anderson Cooper is going back to New Orleans to find out what happened to all that money that found its way there after Katrina. Money that was supposed to be used to REBUILD parks and schools and little shops ...etc.
A LOT of money.

Not sure when this will be available on CNN ....maybe he's going there next week ??? BUT oh my GOD....he is somebody who cared about those people who were affected.. from day one. You could tell by his reporting how deeply he was touched by what he saw.

That's when I first saw Anderson Cooper...during those Katrina reports . Said to myself..."Wow...who IS this guy ? He cares.

So many Americans, I'm sure have long forgotten the victims of that devastating hurricane. Yet , for a while...I was positive we could never hear the mere word Katrina again.

Now....I'm not so sure. I think a lot of Americans have just moved on...back to complacency as usual. So Bravo to you Anderson. Bravo.

And no, I'm not tired of your reporting . Keep it up.