Friday's Odds and Ends

A recent article in the Dallas Morning News about taking on too much responsibility by Jonathan Look made me stop and think about the difference between responsibility and "response-ability." He wrote, "If we have the trappings of success, but through our lack of 'response-ability' have eliminated the time to enjoy them, has this pressure made us any happier?"

I'm sure many of you feel the same way I do at times. That we have too many things to do to stop and take moments for ourselves. After reading his article, I'm starting to rethink some of the things I do, or don't do, and make sure that I am not overloading myself. I don't have to say "yes" to every request. "No" is a perfectly reasonable response. Jonathan concluded his article with, "We only get one shot at life. Wouldn't it be great if we too the time to enjoy it."

Wise words.

I think this kitty has mastered the art of relaxing. :-)

Saw this picture on Facebook and thought it was such a nice thing to do for our Fur Friends and our environment.

And now for a little fun. A woman went to the doctor's office where she was seen by one of  the younger doctors. After about four minutes in the examination  room, she burst out screaming and ran down the hall.

An older doctor stopped her and asked what the problem was, and she told him her story.

After listening, he had her sit down and relax in another room.

The older doctor marched down the hallway back to where the young doctor was writing on his clipboard.

"What's the matter with you?" the older doctor demanded."Mrs.Terry is 71 years old, has four grown children and seven grandchildren, and you told her she was pregnant?"

The younger doctor continued writing and without looking up said, "Does she still have the hiccups?"

Here's some more fun to set you off on your weekend. This is one of the performances by Robin Williams that most people are not familiar with, but it is so clever and funny. Enjoy....



Hope everyone has a wonderful, relaxing weekend. And if, perchance, you need to buy a gift for a young reader in your life, my YA book for Tweens, Friends Forever, has a new look and a new publisher. The official release date is September 16, but it can be preordered for Kindle and in paperback.

Doing the Right Thing

One time when I was riding in the car with my father late at night, he stopped at a red light and waited until it turned green even though there was no traffic coming the other way. We were way out in the country and had not seen another car for an hour. I asked him why he didn't just go through the light, and he said "because I shouldn't."

Perhaps that was a little silly.  Who, besides me, was going to know that he stopped or didn't stop. But it was important to him to do the right thing, even when it may seem silly.  That was just part of his makeup. Do the right thing even when nobody is looking.

Personal responsibility.

In today's world it seems like there is less personal responsibility and more reliance on laws to protect our well-being.  Every time there is a catastrophe, we turn  to the government to fix it. Pass a law to regulate tobacco. Pass a law to regulate the amount of fat in food. Pass a law to make people wear seat belts. 

Wouldn't it be nice if people took more responsibility for their well-being, and the government could then focus on what government should be doing? What do you think?

Responsibility Isn't Everything

Sometimes you just have to do it. Forget the alarm clock. Sleep in. Waste time, and otherwise be somewhat irresponsible.

So that's what I did this morning.

All last week I forced myself to try to get up at something close to my normal time so I could stay on my usual schedule, but this morning I decided to say the hell with it. I don't use a regular alarm clock; haven't in years. I set a mental alarm clock and can usually wake up at the time I decide the night before. Since we have lived out in the country these past eight years, my wake-up call is the sun rising and sending morning rays through our bedroom window.

This morning I told the sun to forget it, pulled a blanket over my head so I couldn't see the light. Sent a silent apology to my animals for making them wait for their breakfast, and went back to sleep.

When I got up I quickly got all the animals fed and had a sense of urgency to start my day in my office, but it was such a pretty morning, and the dog wanted to play ball, and one of the cats wanted to play, too, so I "wasted" a half hour with them.

But do I care? Not really.

What about you? When was the last time you threw your schedule out the window and just had some fun? You don't have to 'fess up if it was on company time and you don't want your boss to find out. I'm lucky in that I'm my own boss.