Second Day of 2011

Well on the second day of this brand new year, things are looking pretty much the same as the first day of the new year. The weather is warm, but not too warm and there's a gentler breeze than we had yesterday.

Yesterday the wind was quite strong. I prefer days like today where the few clouds in the sky drift past overhead, and the branches are waving slowly with the wind. Yesterday I was feeling a little sneezy too, but not today. I'm grateful for that.

I'm lucky that I don't suffer much from hay fever, unlike some other people in my family, including my mother and my husband. I've seen their suffering, and I remember times when I've been a sufferer too, and I hope I can keep that affliction at bay.

All right, so today is a lovely day. I've done my exercise for the day, nearly up to the half and hour one of my medical advisers said I should be doing. Not, they didn't use the word 'should' - that's a nasty word - they recommended I aim for thirty minutes a day, for the best results.

'Should' is a blaming kind of word and is not at all useful to a person, it just makes them feel worse about not doing things. 'It would be good if...' is a much more empowering way of saying something, whether to yourself or to others. It's these kind of things that can break us or make us.

Now, a little about the day happeneing where I am right now - our male pharaoh hound, Lah De is finally quiet - he's been whingeing  near our schnauzer Nena for days now - Nena is in season and from the way she's been acting and he's been reacting, she's very close to or just past ovulation. She been acting like a tart  and he's been acting like a wannabee stud.

Of course, as responsible dog owners, we're keeping her locked up where he can only sit near and whine. It can be annoying when Nature intrudes on a quiet home life, but that's the thing about having dogs - they are sooo close to Nature, they can't help but show what they're feeling!

I think the whole thing is silly, but hubby has got a little annoyed with the poor dog. I figure poor Lah De can't help himself and we, as the superior species, should remain calm and loving to the dogs. Of course, Lah De has been a little confused and looked with intent at his sister Missy, who isn't in season. She showed her brother her teeth and yelled at him. He's leaving her alone now.

That's it for now. If you have any thoughts about my crazy dogs, please, leave a comment. I love to connect with others!

Happy 2011!

If you thought 2010 was a crock of crap, I hope this new year is going to be a better one for you. But really, if you look back at the year now gone, was it truly that bad? Or was the problem, in part, the way you looked at things?

I had a mixed year, last year. My father died in November, my son ran his car into a wall and wrecked it, one of my 'employers' decided they no longer wanted me, I failed to complete my study even though I should have got my certificate late in the year and I was diagnosed with a chronic illness.It didn't happen in that order, that's just the order I remembered things.

Throughout all of this, I maintained a positive attitude. I can look back at the year that was and see it as a year when I stepped up to the mark, learned things about myself and others, found inner strengths in myself and others I didn't know were there and learned how to do things I thought I could never do.

I don't look at bad things as things I can never get over, things that will haunt me and drag me down. I look at the bad things that happen to me as learning experiences. I learn the lessons, apply my learning to my life, and I feel stronger and stronger all of the time.

I may be physically weaker than I was before I became ill, but I feel stronger in my spirit, and I feel ready to take on whatever life hands to me. I'm lucky to have wonderful family and friends to help me on my journey, and I thank them all for being there for me.

I'm not the most perfect person in the world, but I feel I am getting closer to being a good person. Being the best person I possibly can be is my aim for 2011. I wish you a Happy New Year and hope you can achieve the very best things possible for yourself!