Keep your energy clean

Posted by random olio

Since I’m from Indiana I always get the normal terms for sweep and vaccum mixed up. We said ‘sweep’ or ‘sweeper’ when we were referring to pulling out the Hoover and cleaning the rug, as in: “Go sweep your bedroom.” My husband has tried to train me that sweeping is with a broom and a hard floor (aka no carpet), but I guess you can take the girl out of Indiana, but you cannot take the Indiana out of the girl.

In any case, Friday’s Daily Om on January 20, 2012 (an email newsletter I referred to here), discussed sweeping as a way to look ahead. I am going to focus on this idea this week in my life. I had a great call with a friend on Friday about where we are at in our life, in work and relationships and I am at a crossroads. I can make the choice to go forward with what is or has been comfortable or I can try something new and go on an adventure! Either choice can have its scary or fearful parts.

I especially love this specific quote from the Daily Om: “Sweeping each morning prepares the ground for the new day at the same time as it deepens our awareness of the importance of letting go of the past to welcome the present. As we clear the energy of our space, we clear our own energy systems. In addition, we create a space that feels clean, clear, and open to all who enter. Be sure to think welcoming thoughts as you sweep, manifesting what you need for the day. Making sweeping part of our daily ritual tunes us into the continuing cycle of releasing the old and welcoming the new that is the hallmark of a healthy energy system.”

I am going to approach each day this week, letting go of my past and welcoming the present. For those of you who are not necessarily at a crossroads, you too can clean the energy of your space by starting fresh each day on the project you are working on, in a relationship, or with your kids.

Remember you are responsible for the energy you bring to each situation, your home, work, car, etc.

My brother-in-law letting go in Kauai.

Keep your energy clean today! (New bumper sticker?)

You know when the men are gone

Posted by random olio

I am addicted to my husband. So one can understand that while I love having some “me” time while he travels for work, I still hate that he travels for work. I have always been in awe of my mother-in-law who spent much time away from my father-in-law while he served for 30+ years in the Air Force. I really do not know how she did it.

So it was an honor to read: “You know when the men are gone” by Siobhan Fallon, I was in awe for what our Armed Forces go through, not just in the line of battle, but for what their families experience while they are home and away. This book is a quick read, but shares a variety of experiences from the perspective of the soldier who is away, or the soldier who comes home and finds his wife has found someone else, to the wife from abroad that was brought back to the US and has to learn to cope. Each story was heartfelt and made me appreciate what I think I could never make it through – the trials and tribulations of the lives of our military and their families.

My father in Turkey while in the Air Force

Thank you to all the men and women in the Armed Forces for all that you do to defend our country and to keep us safe and free.

Riley and Pink Toys

Posted by random olio

A thank you to a few Facebook friends for sharing a few interesting links yesterday. It is not a coincidence to me that they are all from different folks, yet the theme is all so similar.

First off, I was a Barbie girl growing up. I wanted the next best and greatest Barbie. I was known to cut their hair (a horrible idea if you ever want to ever have them not look freaky). Their hair grows in rows, so when you cut it, all you have left is 3 or 4 rows of hair sticking up. I loved dressing them, brushing their hair, and yes even having them have sex to the only cassette I had at the time: Daryl Hall and John Oates. At the time, I was a ‘pink’ girl. I loved putting on the eye shadow my grandma had in her cabinet, a bright blue color that looked hideous on me, but she still let me leave the house looking horrible. I wonder why she never wore it?!

Later in college, I ranged from the other end of the spectrum. I had a shaved head, did not wear make-up (I guess the blue eye shadow got it out of my system). I guess being a ‘pink’ girl did not stay with me.

So when I watched this video of Riley, well she just made my day. I wish every little girl could have such passion, eagerness and questioning conviction for their toys! We need more discussions with children about how completely okay it is for boys to play with dolls and pink things and girls to play with space ships and super heros. It allows girls to learn qualities of strength and adventure, and boys to learn to nurture and enjoy beauty. Riley ROCKS!

If only our lives were all so balanced later in life! What led me as a little girl towards Barbies? Hall & Oates/Barbies/Sex? Blue Eye Shadow? How do we learn these things? Which leads me to the next article I read by Lisa Bloom, it is a bit older going back to last June, but it is still just as important today. Lisa Bloom’s new book is going on my reading list! I love how she describes how she talked to Maya about her mind instead of her pretty face or dress. I will definitely be trying doing that when encountering little ones in the future.

On sidewalk in Amsterdam

Close up of sticker

In honor of this from Lisa’s article: “You go on with your bad self, Maya.”

I am going to take my bad self and dive into the next book I am reading.

david baldacci // donate your books

Posted by random olio

My life would not be the same without books. As a young child, I remember participating in the summer reading club and hiding under the covers after my bedtime with a flashlight so I could finish whatever good book I was reading. Was it Encyclopedia Brown or the Babysitters Club? Who knows. We escape into the lives and adventures of others, learn new skills, and hear true stories through memoirs and biographies, and so much more. Life without reading would be drab.

My mother-in-law told me I would enjoy reading David Baldacci’s book: One Summer. David is known in Virginia and has a home on Smith Mountain Lake where my in-laws live. In addition to writing a multitude of books, he also started the Wish You Well Foundation. I love what they are trying to do and it made things start to spin in my head. If I start a my own business, I want to set it up so that some of my profits/proceeds go to a foundation that supports literacy. Books have been one of the most important aspects of my life. As a child, and now as an adult.

Smith Mountain Lake

I also love the trickle effect of a good idea. I told my sister about this foundation and my earnest desire to support literacy. Later I found out that David’s foundation sparked the idea for her company to do a book drive for children’s books over the Christmas holiday. Within just a few weeks, they collected over 200 books for children to donate to the Children’s Book Bank.

For more details about what you can do nationally, you can contact the Wish You Well Foundation.

You can also do an Internet search for how you can donate new or used children’s books. Donations are usually tax deductible.

Mr. Yuk + Finance

Posted by random olio

Do you remember the Mr. Yuk stickers? At an early age, we were taught not to touch bottles or anything that had the Mr. Yuk sticker. I can also remember the campaigns for: Stop, Drop, and Roll, D.A.R.E., and MADD. Yet, what I do not remember was ever learning about personal finance. I was set for poison, drugs, drinking and driving, and fires. However, I never learned the basics for spending and saving money in my everyday life.

Over the past few years I have become a Suze Orman fan. I like her sassy style and her direct and to-the-point message. I was not always so interested in money advice and information (just in collecting Mr. Yuk stickers). I learned much of what I now know because I was put in situations where I had to learn quickly or the hard way. Now I like to try to learn and understand things before I am put in such situations. What I’ve always wondered though, is why money is such a taboo topic. Discussions about money are met with discomfort by others. We do not discuss our personal salary, our adjusted gross income, our interest income, or total household wealth. Now, I am not encouraging you to go out and do so. What I am hoping, is that personal finance is something that is more prevalent in our everyday discussions.

When you find a great sale or an amazing find, you tell your friends and family, right? Do you do the same when you learn about an excellent ETF (Exchange Traded Fund)? I’ve always been baffled that I was taught how to cook in Home Economics, but I was never taught how to balance a checkbook, what an APR on a credit card meant, and how important a credit score was on purchasing a house, a car, and now even finding a job.

If we do not teach the ramifications of avoiding our bills, or what happens when we default on a credit card, then how can we live in society and be responsible for our obligations? Yet, we are taught early on how to sew and make chocolate chip cookies (or depending on the school how to saw wood, or hammer a nail). These types of money discussions should be happening with children early on in life. Children should understand that charging items on a credit card means that at the end of the month they should be able to pay for their purchase.

Maybe this is all a factor in why our nation is in such the mess it is in? Is more education needed for both adults and youth about the importance of money conversations in our lives? I know I can benefit from continuing to learn about personal finance and how I can better set up my retirement. Should we all proceed with more caution and resolve to be more open and honest with ourselves and others about finance? No eye protection or Mr. Yuk stickers required.