For a month (you know I have a hard time with writing commitments), each Friday I will spill five things/secrets that I think are relative - to me, of course. Most will probably be silly but, perhaps, one may help someone, somewhere, out there.
- Figure out what makes you happy. For me, a half a pot of coffee and the latest copies of Marie Claire, Glamour and In Style take me to my happy place. I read them cover-to-cover and rip out pages with great type, funny antidotes or clever quotes. I make a book each year with a compilation of all my torn pages.
- What soothes your soul? I love jazz and red wine. There are no jazz stations left on the radio so I am subject to what Pandora has to offer or the “jazz-esque” MC stations from Comcast. When I am faced with a daunting task such as cleaning the upstairs portion of my house from the hurricane of what was a very hectic week I pour myself a nice glass of Cab and switch on Pandora. There is something sexy about the combo that makes the overwhelming task much more bearable.
- Focus on the positive. I have never really been a fan of fake it ‘til you make it mentality so I had to figure out how to not fake it and find positivity in even the most negative of situations. For me, my formula is fairly simple … journal it (because once you get it all out on paper the situation seems much less devastating) and run it by a trusted friend. This sounding board should be a trusted confidante not someone who will wallow in your self-pity but will be honest, motivating and encouraging.
- Have an ear-to-ear grin memory. Whether stuck in traffic or in a dreadful board meeting have a memory that once it pops into your brain you cannot help but smile from ear to ear. In traffic this will instantly calm your raging vocabulary. In a board meeting it will leave your coworkers wondering just what inspired such a gratified emotion.
- Please, don’t categorize all us Christians as freaks. Despite what movies and television shows portray us to be we are not all that bad, abnormal or crazy (The image of Annelle from Steel Magnolias always pops into mind). Everyone needs a source of peace. For us, it is faith. You may not agree or like it but if you get to know us we are not half bad and, typically, most of us do not try to shove our beliefs or the Bible down your throat. We are a fairly gentle breed that stand strong in our belief. I mean, if Jason Kennedy can be one of us how bad can we, really, be?