I have been sick for about a week now.  Not the flu, but a bad cold and cough which has now developed into bronchitis in my right lung.  I went to Urgent Care yesterday, got my diagnosis, a breathing treatment, lots of meds, and instructions to stay home from work for a day or two.

I haven’t had the healthiest year, so on top of physically feeling poorly, my mental state wasn’t filled with its usual positivity.  I woke up this morning with a groggy “woe is me” attitude.

Then, I walked out of my bedroom and saw this:

Wow!  A perfect November sunrise over my frost-covered backyard.  As soon as I saw it, I felt better.  The colors, the calmness, the hope of a new day all made me realize that while I may not feel great today, there is a fresh start each day.  I will feel better tomorrow.

Focusing on the beauty of the sunrise helped me stop thinking about how poorly I was feeling.  Seeing the natural beauty right outside my back porch reminded me of how lucky I am.

Being fully present to the world around me, instead of just me and my needs, immediately changed my attitude.  The next time you are starting to feel sorry for yourself, take a look around.

The world is full of beauty and possibilities.  We are lucky to be part of it.

No, that’s not a typo!  It’s Movember (Mustache + November).  The month when a lot of men will be growing mustaches, sharing information, and collecting contributions to support two great men’s health charity organizations:

–> The Prostate Cancer Foundation will use the money raised by Movember to fund research to find better treatments and a cure for prostate cancer. 

–> The Lance Armstrong Foundation will use the money raised by Movember to fund the LIVESTRONG Young Adult Alliance program which has the goal of improving survival rates and quality of life for young adults with cancer between the ages of 15 and 40, and research initiatives to further understand the biology of adolescent and young adult cancers.

The Movember idea was launched in 2003 in Melbourne, Australia.  It has since spread worldwide, raising $47 million, making it the world’s largest charity event for men.  Related events and end of month mustache galas help raise awareness about men’s health issues, with a specific focus on prostate and testicular cancers.

For more information, visit the Movember USA website here (source of the above information).  For more details on men’s health issues, beneficiaries, research and programs, you can also visit the Movember Foundation website here.

Women’s health got a lot of attention in October with Breast Cancer Awareness month.  Let’s turn to men’s health in this new month.  If you are a man and want to participate either individually or as part of a team, click here for more information.  If a man in your life is participating in Movember, support his efforts and help spread the word.

Contribute directly to the Movember cause here.

Hope your day is filled with treats!

My daughter and son-in-law were visiting from Florida this past weekend.  On Saturday, our son also came over to visit.  We all enjoyed the Buckeye win and a fun “bar food” buffet, courtesy of yours truly.  We had a long break between the Buckeye game at noon and the Yankee game at 8:00 p.m. (later rained out.)  What to do to pass the time?

Resurrect family game night, of course!  Out came the Scrabble game, first.  All four of us use words as part of our jobs; reading and analyzing them, or writing them – lots of writing!  So, it was a pretty competitive game.  When was the last time you saw the word “zanier” and “schmoozer” in the same game?  That was 98 points just for those two words.  The competition was on!

After a couple games of Scrabble, we moved on to Phase Ten.  Who knew it could be that difficult to get two sets of four?  I certainly found out, having been stuck in that phase for four rounds!  After a time, my son had to leave and my husband joined in.  As we all got closer to the tenth phase, strategy kicked in.  “Skip” cards were played fast & furious, trying to block the player closest to winning.

We had so much fun! 

If you have young children, I hope that you play lots of board games with them. Not computer games, not Play Station, not Wii; real old-fashioned board games.  Scrabble can help with spelling and reading.  Monopoly helps with math and money.  Trouble helps with counting.  Old Maid helps with matching skills.  And Memory, well, that helps memory skills, of course!  Doesn’t this list bring back memories?

If you have older children, like we do, when was the last time you gathered ’round the kitchen table for family game night?  If you have to think about it, it’s time to do it again!  Bring the family together for good fun and good conversation.

In between the rolls of dice or shuffle of cards, odds are you’re creating new memories and strengthening your family relationships.

Imagine the possibilities!

Malcolm Gladwell’s newest book, “What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures,” is a collection of the author’s writings that have been published in The New Yorker over the last ten years.  His previous efforts include “The Tipping Point,” “Blink,” and “Outliers.”

When Gladwell speaks about writing, authors listen.

“Good writing,” Gladwell says in his preface, “does not succeed or fail on the strength of its ability to persuade. It succeeds or fails on the strength of its ability to engage you, to make you think, to give you a glimpse into someone else’s head.”

Great advice to authors.  The point is not to convince the reader that the author’s viewpoint is the ”right” viewpoint.  An author wants to take her/his reader along on a journey, help him see the world another way, inspire her to think. 

Words can introduce possibilities and possibilities can change the world.

Image from www.gladwell.com/dog/index.html

This week, I came across a great article published by Marie Claire magazine online, spotlighting charities that focus on benefitting women and girls.  With the recent release of The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Changes Everything, I thought a focus on these charities was most timely.

Click here for the full article in Marie Claire for a summary of each charity’s work.  Below are links to the charities mentioned in the article.

1. AmeriCares is an organization providing disaster relief and humanitarian support around the world.  An astounding 99% of funding goes to programs. 

2. VDAY.org is a global movement to end violence against women and children.  93% of donations goes to programs in 81 countries.  The 2010 focus is to end the widespread rapes in Democratic Republic of Congo.

3. Save the Children sends 90% of donations to programs working to save the lives of the ten million children under 5 years who die each year.

4. The Polaris Project works to combat human trafficking in the U.S. and around the world. 90% of donations are used to support a world without slavery is their goal.

5. The Breast Cancer Research Foundation provides research grants to fund research efforts relating to breast cancer research and treatment. 90% of funding goes to research programs.

6. The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative uses 88% of donations to support vaccine research.  They also fund education programs to help women understand that they can take control of their health.

7. National Partnership for Women and Families fights for legislation to protect women and families’ rights in the workplace. 88% of donations are used to help fund national programs as well as providing resources for individuals facing related challenges.

8. Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network is the nation’s largest anti-sexual assault organization.  Among other programs, 85% of donations help fund the national sexual assault hotline.

9. The Women’s Funding Network commits 85% of donations to its collection of various foundations around the world, supporting women’s and girls’ organizations.

10. The White House Project deploys 76% of funding to programs raising political awareness of women, with the goal of increasing voter registration and putting more women in leadership positions around the country.

To read the full article in Marie Claire, click here.

Be fully present to feeling a tug on your heart and choose to give to that charity.

Passion unleashed, unity revealed, joy rising.

Can you imagine that feeling? 

Those words were used to describe participating in a huge outdoor dance party on Oprah’s season opener.  ”Jeff” in Oprah’s audience yesterday participated in the dance.  He became emotional talking about it, saying it was life-changing.  He said he doesn’t know what heaven will be like, but he imagines it would be like the dance; passion unleashed, unity revealed, joy rising.  I love that description!

What caused that reaction?  The Black Eyed Peas sang their fabulous, upbeat song, “I Gotta Feeling,” and 20,000 people surprised Oprah with a wonderful dance, choreographed by award-winning director Michael Gracey.  He describd he experience this way:

“There’s something really special when you take an audience and instead of just being passive and watching, you invite them to participate,” he says. “That’s why it was so magical for both parties. Two groups of people came together to create something that neither of them could have done alone.”

It wasn’t just the song.  It wasn’t just the audience.  It wasn’t just Oprah’s reaction.  What caused the joy to rise was all participants being fully engaged, dare I say fully present, together creating something wonderful.  Think about when you have been fully present in a life celebration with family or friends.  How did you feel?

Another audience member said that if people all around the world could experience that feeling, and hold on to it, there would be no more war.  Imagine the possibilities!

Watch the event here and feel the passion unleashed, unity revealed and joy rising!

In the Bible, John 8:31-32 states:

^“Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

While the last phrase is often quoted, it’s important to read it in context.  The truth will not set you free; you must know the truth first, and knowing the truth is what will set you free.

The word “know” can even be translated as to mean “believe,” so the verse could actually mean that you must believe the truth, not just know the truth, and that will set your free.

It is tempting to use individual quotes from the Bible as justification for a certain line of thought.  Nearly every moral stand, on both sides of the proverbial aisle, can be justified by selective use of the biblical text.  Hence, the great political divide among the most devout Christians.

Taking political and religious zeal out of the mix, I invite you to consider:

 Does knowing the truth really set you free, or can it also be a burden that enslaves you?

Last September, Matthew Yglesias wrote:

There’s I guess a convention in America that it’s impolite to talk about politics. That’s a convention that, I think, ultimately grows the level of ignorance in the country and advantages those who would take advantage of the public’s ignorance.

People who are well-informed ought to discuss the issues with friends, family, and colleagues who may not be so well-positioned.

In his blog post, Yglesias was referring to the healthcare discussion.  To me, his words ring true across many topics.

We have had a vigorous family email discussion over the last two days.  It touched on ignorance of current events facts, cultural discrimination, gaps in factual knowledge, and clear disagreement on personal opinion.   The details of the topic are not important, but in the end, some people decided that affirmation of being “right” was not as important – even precious – as family harmony.  While researching conflict resolution within the family structure, I came across the above quote.

What are your experiences?  Have you had to step back from your personal passion or personal integrity and accept ”what is?”  Is the family relationship more important than being “right?”  And, is it even important to be “right” when you know the truth? 

Or, does not educating individuals who may not be as well-informed allow ignorance to spread and the uninformed to be taken advantage of, as Yglesias believes?  Are we doing a disservice by accepting the “what is?”  Are we really not set free by the truth, but instead given an obligation to declare it at every opportunity?

Please, add a comment and share your thoughts.

Photo from www.downtownmesa.com

This week’s service opportunity may be as close as the person sitting next to you at work.

I was inspired Friday by one of the people I work with.  She found out that one of her team members is going through a very difficult time right now, caring for her ill daughter and her two grandchilden.  My co-worker, exhibiting genuine compassion, came to me wanting to know what we could do to help her.  Before you know it, we had plans to collect cash donations, and to solicit discounted diapers from our business partners.  There’s also talk of a winter clothing drive or a food collection.

All it takes to make a difference is someone saying, “What can I do?” and then doing it.

What opportunities are there in your neighborhood?

Do you have any senior citizens nearby?  Maybe they could use a hand raking leaves.  Perhaps clearing gutters of fallen leaves before the winter snow and ice come.  Maybe you could offer to pull out the remnants of summer flowers or the vegetable garden and prepare it for winter.  Ask if he needs a ride to their next doctor’s appointment.  Tell her not to worry about shoveling the sidewalks in the winter, you’ll do it for her (and, if you have children, encourage them to help you; start community service early.)

Do you have any young families struggling with a recent layoff?  Offer to babysit for free, so Mom and Dad can get away for a few hours.  Maybe you can even buy them movie tickets or a dinner out.  Could they use some food supplies, diapers, formula or perhaps some help with the upcoming holidays?

Is there a military family in your child’s school?  Invite the kids out for a fun day.  Encourage the spouse to come along for some company or to stay home and enjoy some quiet time, whatever he or she prefers.  Round up the neighborhood kids and write letters, draw pictures and put together a care package.

What opportunities are there in your larger community?  Many local utility companies set up emergency funds to help those who can’t afford heat in the winter.  Here in Ohio, the AEP Neighbor To Neighbor program will match donations dollar for dollar up to $1 million.  Community groups determine eligibility for those emergency funds.

Perhaps there are homeless shelters that could use your help. Collect extra canned goods or boxed foods.  The shelters can often use help serving meals – don’t wait for the holidays; they have plenty of volunteers then.  Collect blankets, gloves and hats and deliver them to organizations that help the homeless.  There are Coalitions for the  Homeless is many communities.  Here is the link to the one in Central Ohio.

There are many ways to serve.  Be fully present to the opportunities around you.

I got an email today from someone who wanted to thank me for meeting with him.  He was struggling with some issues relating to a recent injury he had suffered, and felt he could come talk to me about it.

Physically, he was recovering, healing nicely.  Emotionally, he was struggling a little bit with the trauma of the accident and, I think, with his self image and how this accident would change that.  We spent about half an hour talking about his situation and how he was feeling.

I spent a lot of time listening.

He emailed me today to let me know that our conversation had helped him get on the track to recovery.  After speaking to me, he was able to open up to others about how he was feeling.  After a while, the “bigness” of the situation went away, he adjusted to the change and moved on.

He also shared with me in today’s email that he recently realized that when he physically doesn’t feel well, his emotional state is impacted.  That is what he was experiencing after the injury.  He has grown in his own emotional intelligence, and has come to recognize how his physical well-being impacts his emotional well-being.

Why am I sharing this story?

Because the conversation he and I had took place in August, 2008.  Fourteen months ago.  After all this time, he was still impacted by our conversation and kind enough to take the time to thank me.

You just never know.

If you have the opportunity to listen to someone who is struggling, offer him or her not only your ears, but also your heart.  Listen with compassion.  Be fully present.  Offer the possibility of peace.  You never know what impact just a few minutes of your time, and a little bit of you, can have.