A Fight all by ourselves

Why is it that so often when we get annoyed with someone, we stew on it until they are driving us crazy, only we later find out that they had no idea that we were even annoyed, let alone that it was THEM annoying us? I don’t think I am the only girl to have found herself in this situation. Admit it. The thing is, if it’s serious enough of an issue that it is bothering us that much, why don’t we just bring it up with the person with whom we are being annoyed? It would be so much easier and less stressful to do that! Most likely, they had no idea that they were driving you crazy, and if they were, you can work through that too.

And, if it’s not a big enough of deal to bring it up, just let it go. Okay, don’t judge me, but quoting Paul on the show Gator Boys on the Discovery Channel, “Life’s too short to fight.” (I know, I am probably one of only a few that have ever watched that show, and the ONLY one to quote it, but I watch it because my husband loves watching it lately.) What he said was such a simple phrase, but it struck me as being so true. Why do I waste my time stewing like that when I could just say it, get it figured out, and be over it, and spend the rest of the time being in a good mood?

One of the reasons is probably because we are naturally selfish beings and don’t want to give up our pride in that moment…or day…or week, or however long we hold that grudge for. But, surprise! The only thing we, quite possibly, are accomplishing by doing that is driving ourselves crazy and driving a wedge in the middle of that relationship for no good reason. Let’s change this. Let’s stop wasting our time brooding, deal with the situation, and continue living.

Outside of ourselves

I’m learning that it is so important to build into our communities.  A community used to take care of each other and though it may not be like that anymore, what’s stopping us individually?  Maybe it starts with you and me.  Life is so much more than being just about me.  Do you ever wonder why you get such a good feeling when you help someone else?  Maybe we were made to live this way.  There are so many non-profit organizations right now that doing just this and are really helping so many people.  Let’s do our part.

I want to give a shout out to a few organizations that I really dig.  They are doing great things.  Check them out!

CrowdCause – www.crowdcause.org – It’s like Groupon or AmazonLocal, but the money that you spend for your deal goes to charities.  How awesome is that!

Team Red White & Blue – www.teamrwb.com – Their vision is to transform the way wounded veterans are reintegrated into society when they return from combat and exit their position.  You can become an Advocate and team up with a Wounded Warrior and build into their life, using  physical activity to help them recover.  You can be an Athlete and run races, raising money to help Wounded Warriors, or you can Concerned Citizen and spread the word about Team Red White & Blue to your local companies and organizations to sponsor.

One Cup Project – www.onecup.org – Award-winning coffee company Silver Cup Coffee owners teamed up with World Vision to make a way for your normal every-day cup of coffee to benefit those in need around the world.  You have purchasing power.  With the help of grants, every dollar that you spend on your pound of coffee goes to World Vision, directly helping those in need.  I say, why NOT help people in need with something as simple as switching the brand of your cup of coffee?

Do you have any other great organizations to share?  I want to know about them!

Getting’ in shape

Isn’t it interesting that our culture is so into working out and joining gyms and trying the newest fitness DVD to get into shape…just so we can eat and do whatever we want later? And we struggle, and we dread the workout, and we torture ourselves constantly.  Why don’t we just find something active that we like to do and stick with that?  Or join a friend?  There are so many options:  walking, biking, hiking, swimming, dancing.  It’s a mindset really.  It doesn’t have to be a chore.  Think of it as “me” time – time to have some fun!

Just another on the band wagon?

Ok.  I have to admit.  I believe I have jumped on the bandwagon of eating organically.  Just a silly fad, you say?  For the longest time, I would have agreed with you.  For years until now, I had read blurbs about all of the pesticides and junk that is in most of the food we grab off the grocery store shelves, I watched part of the video Super-Size Me directed by Morgan Spurlock (and got grossed out by fast food joints), yet still I just saw the “organic craze” as being just that – a silly fad of our society and continued to eat whatever.  .  Recently, though, I was looking into another popular way of eating called “clean eating,” (basically eating natural, God-made foods and not eating man-made, altered foods) and it suddenly hit me.  Why am I willing to put all of this stuff in my body that I can’t even pronounce let alone know what it is?  Why do I not even care about what I am putting into my body when it comes to foods, the chemicals that are used to process them, etc., but would think someone was crazy if they offered me some random prescription, an illegal drug, or even a smoke?  It has taken me years to realize that I have been the silly one with the double standard.

Now I am not saying we need to throw out everything right now and head to Trader Joe’s!  I am just saying, let’s take a look at what is in the food that we eat.  Maybe all the preservatives and junk do cause or contribute to cancer, maybe it doesn’t.  I don’t know.  It does seem that health problems are more prevalent than in the past, and I do know that even just a couple generations before us, they didn’t have food with the shelf-life like we do now or fast food.  Why not look into it at least.

“It’s too expensive!” you may say, or “I don’t have that kind of time to cook.”  I say maybe it’s worth changing our ideas about what is more important for our time, money, and health.

Check out some of these blogs that I found when looking into Clean Eating.  They were very helpful:

http://www.heandsheeatclean.com

http://www.eatcleandiet.com/what_is_the_eat-clean_diet.aspx