Affirmation of the Month:
For it is not joy that makes us grateful, it is gratitude that makes us joyful. -Brene Brown
Joke of the Month:
I recently picked a new primary care physician. After two visits and exhaustive lab tests, he said I was doing "fairly well" for my age.
A little concerned about that comment, I couldn't resist asking him," Do you think I'll live to be 80?"
He asked, "Do you smoke tobacco or drink beer or wine?" "Oh no," I replied. "I'm not doing drugs, either." Then he asked, "Do you eat rib-eye steaks and barbecued ribs?" I said, "No, my other Doctor said that all red meat is very unhealthy."
"Do you spend a lot of time in the sun, like playing golf, sailing, hiking, or bicycling?" "No, I don't," I said.
He asked, "Do you gamble, drive fast cars, or have a lot of sex?" "No," I said. "I don't do any of those things."
He looked at me and said, "Then why do you want to live to 80."
Declutter Your Home
10 ways to downsize or just clean up.
1. Wedding Dress-If no one is going to wear it again, make some nice pillows out of it. Or clip a piece a fabric and display in a frame with a photo of your wedding day.
2. Love Letters-Keep them if they are yours. If they are your parents letters, burn them ceremoniously and send love back into the universe.
3. Boxes of photos-Throw out landscape shots. Pick three with people in them from each vacation or holiday. Send the keepers to an online scanning service to make albums.
4. China Set-If you like it, use it. If you don't sell it through Ebay.
5. Antiques-Take high end antiques to a local antiques dealer, who can take them to an auction house.
6. Greeting Cards-The job is to greet you over the holidays. They did that. Now throw them away or put them in the recycle bin.
7. Old applicances-Like a yard sale online, Craigslist is the right venue for usable appliances.
8. Your kids stuff-It's not your job to save everything from your child's lives. Box up what belongs to the kids and send it to them. Or tell them to claim it now-with the date you plan to have the house cleared out.
9. Books-If you are going to read it, or it just feels too much like family, put it on your bookshelf. If not give it away.
10. Luggage-If it is in decent shape, sell it at your own neighborhood garage sale and tell stories of where it has been. If not, donate it to a women's homeless shelter.
