Bargaining with God

On the first day, God created the dog and said, "Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years."The dog said, "That's a long time to be barking. How about only ten years and I'll give you back the other ten?"So God agreed.

On the second day, God created the monkey and said, "Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I'll give you a twenty-year life span."The monkey said, "Monkey tricks for twenty years? That's a pretty long time to perform. How about I give you back ten like the dog did?"And God agreed.

On the third day, God created the cow and said, "You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer's family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years."The cow said, "That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. How about twenty and I'll give back the other forty?"And God agreed again.

On the fourth day, God created humans and said, "Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I'll give you twenty years."But the human said, "Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?""Okay, but remember you asked for it" said God.

So that is why for our first twenty years, we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves. For the next forty years, we slave in the sun to support our family. For the next ten years, we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren. And for the last ten years, we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone.

I'm still wondering what the deal was cats got, they've got 9 lives instead of one!

What I've Learned From Life

I've learned that, no matter what happens, how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.

I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles four things:a rainy day, the elderly, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as making a 'life...

'I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.

I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands.You nee d to be able to throw something back sometimes.

I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you but, if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.

I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.

I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.

I've learned that every day, you should reach out and touch someone.

I've learned that people love that human touch -- holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.

I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.

A Storm Cloud For Every Parade!

I have a vintage/antique shop online where I share the wonderful pieces of the past with those who, like me, love the things of days gone by. It takes a lot of time to find the pieces and even more time to research each piece so I can share a little of the history on each piece as well. It's a labor of love you could say as I certainly won't become a millionaire with this hobby. I spend just as much time and energy in making sure each piece is packaged and sent out with the utmost care so they'll arrive safe and sound at their new homes as I do in locating the pieces. I've even went so far as to purchase packaging to safeguard the pieces which cost me over and above the shipping charges on the piece, I know crazy you may say but it's a labor of love.

You never know what kind of shopper you'll have wandering through your shop looking for items and it's always fun to see which pieces are selected and bought by different buyers. I love to visit their profiles and see other purchases they've made in other shops as well. Sometimes I'll see that the purchase was the first of it's kind for the buyer, other times I'll see that the buyer basically always buys vintage and antique pieces. I believe they, like me, have just as much fun in the hunt for the items as they have in holding a memory from the past.

You would think there's nothing that could rain on such a fun and fulfilling hobby as this one right? Wrong! To each sunny cloud there's a storm cloud waiting to rain on your parade every time I guess. My storm cloud arrived as a recent buyer who purchased jelly glasses from me. I was so pleased someone had found happiness in these simple little glasses that are no longer easily found or common. No insurance was purchased by the buyer, always a smart thing to do if you're dealing with glass, and I was concerned her purchases wouldn't arrive safely if I anything less than extremely careful in the packaging of the order. I located a box used for shipping glass medicinal vials and was thrilled to see it has 3" of Styrofoam completely lining the inside of the box on all sides, perfect for glasses!! I put each glass in the box wrapped in bubble wrap and then placed a layer of popcorn Styrofoam balls on top to a depth of 3", placed the 3" Styrofoam lid on the box and closed the cardboard flaps over that feeling assured everything would arrive safely. I was already well past the charge for shipping she'd paid on the order but was happy in knowing they were packaged safely and took them to the post office to start their journey.

Back in my shop I gave a glowing reference on the buyer's purchase and never thought a thing more of it. The purchase had been made in August and I never gave it another thought at all until to my shock in October I received negative feedback from her! What was even more shocking than the feedback was that she'd lied and said she'd requested separate shipping of each piece! My mind was literally numb as I reviewed all my careful precautions to be sure the order arrived safely, why hadn't she emailed me immediately so I could have pursued reimbursement through the shipper, how in the world had they been broken with all the Styrofoam around and between them, was this just a last ditch effort to get a refund AND the glasses?? I emailed the person as soon as I saw her negative feedback about a 'kiss and makeup' but still have gotten no response, some clouds just like to pour on your parade and you never know why!

48 Ways to Have a Happy Day

1. Take a few deep breaths throughout the day. It not only calms you but re-invigorates you.

2. Get busy living. Don't sit around waiting for life to happen. And don't sit around wallowing in the grief of yesterday. Life is too short for long pity parties.

3. If you're feeling overwhelmed or burned out, just remember ... for fast-acting relief, try slowing down. Put some recreational fun in your day by taking a 'walking' break with a friend or coworker.

4. Look for the humor in everyday situations. For example, if you show me a man that has both feet firmly planted on the ground, I'll show you a man who can't get his pants off.

5. Look for the craziness in everyday platitudes. As they say, "Give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he'll eat for a lifetime." But in reality, sometimes you teach a man to fish, he will sit in a boat all day long.

6. Don't watch life from the sidelines. Get involved and make the most of it ... starting now.

7. Grow up without growing old.

8. Always remember, no one is in charge of your happiness except you, so keep your emotional life in check.

9. Lighten up. Most of the things you worry about aren't going to happen anyway.

10. Don't go through life; grow through life.

11. Dismiss discouragement. Every great achievement was once impossible.

12. Remember, it's always darkest just before the dawn. So if you're going to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it...JUST KIDDING!

13. Practice patience. A watched pot never boils.

14. It's never too late to have a happy childhood and the second one is up to you and no one else.

15. Be thankful for your problems. If you threw all your problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, you'd grab yours back.

16. Enthusiasm is contagious. Start an epidemic.

17. Speak kindly and nurture your social connections through charitable words and acts.

18. Multiply your happiness by dividing it.

19. Tell the truth; then you won't have to worry about remembering anything.

20. Remember, there's always someone who cares about you. In fact, if you think nobody cares if you're alive or dead, try missing a couple of car payments.

21. Don't miss a good chance to shut up. Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your lips are moving.

22. Beware of gossip. Letting the cat out of the bag is a whole lot easier than putting it back in again.

23. If you want to G-E-T, you have to A-S-K.

24. Guard your tongue. You cannot unsay a cruel word.

25. Choose your friends carefully. When you wallow with pigs, you're going to get dirty.

26. Strive to make people feel good. After all, people will forget what you said, and people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

27. Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

28. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

29. Even if you have pains, you don't have to be one.

30. Forgive your enemies and friends will forgive your short comings.

31. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

31. Approach your occupation with wisdom. Don't be irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted.

32. Don't corner anyone meaner than you.

33. The harder you work, the luckier you get.

34. Remember ... life isn't fair. Some days you're the bug, and some days you're the windshield. Deal with it.

35. When you're pursuing what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

36. Never dismiss the value of a mistake. Make the mistakes of yesterday your lesson for today.

37. It's true that good can come out of bad. After all, good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of those experiences come from bad judgment.

37. If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging.

38. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

39. Never test the depth of the water with both feet.

40. Use common sense. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.

41. Keep on learning by being humble and teachable.

42. Keep your ego in check. Tap into your spiritual side instead.

43. Don't count the days; make the days count.

44. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply.

45. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time.

46. Don't go through life with a 'gimme' attitude, real happiness comes from giving not receiving.

47. Don't forget ... every path has a few puddles.

48. Do what is right and you won't have to worry about the consequences.

My Pet Peeve!

Okay it's Monday morning and I'm already on a rant about something that just bugs the snot out of me! Photographs of an object that only let you see part of the item being photographed! I know, I know some say, "Well that's so you'll be drawn into looking at all the photos." Yea, well Etsy gives us 5 photos to show the angles, size, color, construction etc. of an item, but when I can't see, in any of those 5 photos, at least one shot of the whole piece ....I'm not buying it! Let me illustrate this for you so you can feel my frustration!

You're happily going your way into Etsy to find a nice, sturdy, colorful mug rack, you know the artistic crafters on Etsy will surely fill the bill nicely. You type "mug rack" into the search engine and up pops a shop with a listing! The description for the piece says it's a marvelous mug rack, all the mugs sit nicely stacked one on top of the other, it comes with 6 mugs all in different glorious colors, it's made of sturdy stainless steel to safely hold, and nicely organize, all the mugs for you, last but not least it only takes up a small area of space since the mugs stack inside of each other straight up!

You're finger is just a itching to click the "purchase now" button as your eyes move back up to view all the photos. The first photo you see is the one I've given you here, the second one shows part of a mug brim, the third shows the handle of a mug, the fourth shows you something that looks to be one mug sitting inside another but since you are only given a 3"x3" view of them you can't really tell what it is and the fifth photo is a sliver of the whole mug rack allowing you to finally see all 6 colors of the mug but not enough to show their size or the racks construction. Now don't you want to buy one?! Of course you don't, you can't see the dang thing!

*The mug rack was just an example, I wasn't really looking for a mug rack, But, what I was looking for fit the examples I gave you using the mug rack...grrr!

Through Hell and Back

If you don't believe there's a silver lining to every cloud then let me recommend you read a couple of books which prove it without a doubt! The authors of both books literally lived through hell for many years, survived and proved to be truly amazing women with strength and courage to spare. Both authors admit to having gained a wealth of knowledge and wisdom they'd neither one have if not for the experiences in their lives that helped mold them into the women they are today.

The first book was, "High On Arrival" by Mackenzie Phillips. Mackenzie has the courage to 'pull back the covers' so to speak, and shows what life with her famous father was like from her earliest childhood years, right through to where she is today. When others might have been left bitter, angry, and justified in blaming their actions on others, Mackenzie takes responsibility for her actions and even offers forgiveness to those who've hurt her the most. Mackenzie is truly an amazing woman and her book was so many things rolled into one, but most of all inspiring!

The second book is, "Getting it Through My Thick Skull" by Mary Jo Buttafuoco. Mary Jo is just as well known as Mackenzie Phillips but not because she chose to be in the limelight. Mary Jo was forced into the limelight by other peoples choices and actions which she had no control over, and because of that Mary Jo carried a heavier burden as she's struggled to survive and ultimately overcome. From 1977 on Mary Jo spills the beans on just what she lived through with Joey in her life. Mary Jo dispels any notions anyone might have that life with Joey had turned out to be anything but an ongoing roller coaster ride of tragedy, sorrow and disastrous endings.

So dust off your tablelamp, find your glasses and a comfy spot to curlup in, and take a journey into the lives of these two women. I promise you'll find a siilver lining in both ladies stories!

This Day

"There is a danger in the word someday when what it means is “not this day.” “Someday I will repent.” “Someday I will forgive him.” “Someday I will speak to my friend about the Church.” “Someday I will start to pay tithing.” “Someday I will return to the temple.” “Someday."
--Henry B. Eyring, "This Day", Ensign, May 2007, 89–91

Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Do What Is Right, Hymn #237