GFC 5...a big wave

Ok, this Good Force Challenge is easy! This next week make sure you wave to someone everyday. Maybe it's your neighbor you have always meant to talk to or the guy on the freeway who cut you off (I do mean wave, no obscene gestures) either way a friendly wave always makes people feel better.

Your life....to music

Here's a little weekend activity I think will be fun.
Make a playlist of your favorite songs. It can be as long or short as you want it just has to have your favorites.
Make a list of your favorite places you go to regularly.
One weekend, take a musical tour of your life. See if your life set to music is what you expect, or better. Take some time to enjoy what you do everyday without the stresses and requirements that accompany it. Aren't all things better with a musical soundtrack? I think so.

Seriously

I've spent some time reading the news everyday. It's something that I believe is important for everyone to do and I truly believe not enough people do. It's been an exercise in self education for a while now. I don't know why but for the past few days especially, the news seems to me to be not a tool of education and understanding but a growing outlet for the negative, disgusting and frivolous things that take place (according to many news outlets) everyday. I do not believe, I can't, that the world is as dismal a place as many would have me believe. Yes, I understand fully that bad things happen all the time to many. I'm not airing grievance about others who do not share my views I'm simply tired. Fatigued not by the act of reading but depleted by what I've read. I believe I will have to find ways to educated myself that will balance description of current events both positive and negative. There has to be someone out there who can still see a silver lining and encourage people to act for good when so many aren't. I'll keep looking.

Something to Laugh At

One day a policeman stopped a motorist who had just gone through a four way stop sign and was about to give him a ticket when the motorist said. "Officer you can't give me a ticket for that!' "Why not" said the officer. "Because although I did not stop I slowed right down and its almost the same." "But you did not stop" replied the officer, "and the sign says STOP." "But the way was clear and it was safe" replied the motorist. The officer then pulls out his batton and starts hitting the motorist. "What are you doing!" yells the motorist in surprise. "Do you want me to slow down or stop" says the officer.

(Eric's clean jokes)

Thought for the day

Should vegetarians eat animal crackers?

GFC 4

After a horrific experience at Walmart tonight I had a thought for the next Good Force Challenge. Here it is. Instead of writing a letter of complaint or verbalizing a complaint to someone, send a note of thanks for something good. Even better, say it in person. Without going into a lot of detail, it will suffice to say that I was treated with rudeness and impatience at my local Walmart this evening. Even the manager on duty was curt and abrupt. It was my first reaction to tell him how I had been treated by his employees but when even his manner was cold I assumed it wasn't worth my energy. It was then I decided to contact the local Sears to ask about the same item I was searching for at Walmart, an experience that was in stark contrast with the other. The employee at Sears was courteous, kind and above all, patient. He went above and beyond physically seeking out my item. I felt compelled to express my thanks and explained to him that it was because of his treatment of me that I would purchase from Sears.

So there's the challenge and my story. Hope you all make an effort to make someones day a little brighter.

Stop That!

As a mother, I have come to wonder how many times I will have to repeat that phrase. Seriously, it has to be the most repeated phrase in the history of the world. I'm assuming Eve said it to Cain on more that one occasion and probably even Abel at times. I think that today alone I've said it twenty times. It got me thinking, would saying it in another language be more effective? It might at least get their attention. So here is the translation of "Stop that" in three languages and for those moms who think this might be a fun experiment, here's "pick that up" too.

"Stop that"
arretez-le (French)
pare esto (Spanish)
horen sie das auf (German)

"Pick that up"
Ramassez-le
recoja esto
nehmen Sie das auf

A couple of those have accentuation marks that I can't put in with this program but really, are they gonna know?

And for those moments when they actually do what we ask,

"I love you"
Je vous aime
Le amo
Ich leibe dich

Guten Tag!