It REALLY is my thyroid!!!

I am hard pressed not to roll my eyes when I hear excuses.  Let me rephrase that:  "what I perceive to be excuses".  And some of the ones most used tend to be health related.  You would be surprised what I have heard as a "reason" why some folks can't do the simplest things.

One time I was working with a group of women on how to give a firm handshake and make strong eye contact.  It's important in the business world (and when you meet anyone, as far as I am concerned) to come across as confident and self-assured.  As I walked around shaking each woman's hand, I would give a critic.  Despite knowing what I was looking for, one woman timidly palmed my hand.  I smiled at her and said "Let's try that again and put a little grip into it this time".   She then spent several minutes telling me why she didn't like to give a firm handshake.  Remember, I said "firm" not "bone-breaking" and now I know it was about what she didn't like to do (I wonder if she figured that out).  You can't teach people what they don't want to know.

Then there is the bad back.  This sounds heartless and somewhat jaded, but know that this comes from years of being around too many who would try to manipulate the system by playing this card.  I am sure there are people out there who really suffer from a bad back (without parentheses) but they are already stigmatized by those that abuse the term,  I have even been "down in the back" before - and I almost didn't believe myself.  And it even happened when no one was asking for help in moving.

So I guess it is only fitting that after a lifetime of shaking my head in disbelief (only to myself) when I would hear the term "I wouldn't be so heavy, but my thyroid quit working", that I would be challenged with this ordeal.  Fun facts about having your thyroid fail you - not only do you gain a few pounds, you have no energy, foot cramps are the norm, and I finally have the explanation for my raspy voice.  WHO KNEW!!!!

That's okay - the good news is - medication is available and it just has to be adjusted until it works for me.  The bad news is - if this is how it's going to be, look for me to sport a mustache soon since I thought that was secretly hysterical also.

Until next time,
#nowaxingyet,

your pal,
Kari

Some days my life sings like a country song

Ever have one of THOSE days?  I know we all do.  Karen Carpenter wrote about one of mine this week ....you know the one, "Rainy days and Mondays"...The only difference was, I refused to let it get me down.  And believe me, it was trying to go down hill fast!

You know you are facing a challenge anyway when you have a dental appointment scheduled at 7:30 am to replace two fillings.  My reaction to those numbing shots usually lasts until noon at least.  They did not disappoint me this time.  Since the fillings in question were both on the upper left, you all can imagine how my face looked; like it was frozen on just the one side.  Delightful.  But that was the least of my worries.

I was just settling in with the pre-numbing gel when I got the first text from Madi.  "Do you know where Dad's car keys are?"  Side note:  Madi needed the car, so she would be taking her dad to work after a quick Dr. appointment.  And great news - I did know where those keys were.  IN MY PURSE!

Sigh.  Madi replied.  "Dad is really mad".

Yes.  I imagine he was.  But I came up with a quick solution.  Since Tyler was there, I thought Terry could use his truck to run Madi to Dr. and then head on to work.  I would then drive my car to his work, leave it there, drive Tyler's truck back to the house and give Madi the missing car key.  She could then take me to work and everyone would be back in business.  Problem solved.

Not so fast there, Missy.  Apparently something got lost in the translation so it ended up that Tyler ended up on this little joyride also.

While I was enjoying the "all you should feel is the slight vibrations" of the dental experience my phone was receiving the slight vibrations of more incoming messages.

As I was leaving, I looked down to see a few missed messages and now an incoming call.  Uh-Oh.

Madi now reported that as they were all leaving the doctor's office and heading to Mr. French's office, Tyler's truck had a blow-out.  Did I mention yet that it was raining?  Hard?  Madi suggested that I make my way over to the highway where they were parked and pick up Mr. Unhappy (er) and get him to work posthaste.

When I picked him up, I went for the cheerful, "hi, I'm here" approach.  Sigh.  Apparently, with all the rain, that ship had sailed.  And only half my face was doing the cheerful look anyway.

That was one.long.quiet.ride to the office.

Total damages for the day were $1,000 for Tyler's tires (two were ruined so he just replaced all), Based on Terry's mood, the day had to be a total loss for those working with/for him, and I didn't get to work until almost 10:00 a.m.

HOWEVER - since we don't know what harm we were protected from by having all those things go awry, and my smile was fully intact by noon (1pm at the latest) and Madi and I secretly were laughing about it (even as I half-smiled and drove away with Mr. Unhappy) - we will call it a blessed day!

Until next time,
#allsmiles

your pal,
Kari

 

What a fool believes, he sees - sing it

Eyes Wide Open

When I read something that resonates with me, I make a note of it.  Unfortunately, I don't always write the reference so while I can't claim this next little gem, I also can't give credit where it is due.  However, this does not detract from the importance of the statement.

 "You can't just open your eyes a little bit if you want to see the truth, you have to open them all the way".  Think about this for a minute.

How many times do we react to the headlines we read?  The two minute story reported on the news?  The email forwarded to our inbox?  Do we stop for one minute to question the validity of the news we are hearing?  Or...is this the news we want, need, expect to hear so we buy it at face value and forward it on, proclaim it as truth, hop on the band wagon of indignation?  Have we become so gullible that the media can now sell us whatever story they are peddling at any given moment?

IMHO (for those of you not savvy to the acronyms tossed loosely about these days, that stands for "In my humble opinion") I would say that a VERY large percentage of Americans are guilty of "buying" whatever is put out for human consumption on a daily basis...depending on where their bias falls.  I have been guilty of it myself in a past closer to the present than I care to think about.  But only on those things that I wanted to believe.  .

And isn't that how we all are?  Since I have become aware of what a slippery slope we can slide down when we play that game of  "storytelling" I have become hypersensitive to watching- not just what the media is putting out there - but the adults that I had previously perceived as being among my more intelligent colleagues, friends..dare I say family, who persist in forwarding articles with half- truths, analogies with less than stellar comparisons to the articles in question which clearly show their preference, etc.  I think you get the drift.  We have become a country that hops on board the train that makes the most noise. And let's face it, the best lies all contain a piece of the truth.

It's interesting to me that we say we live in a country where every person is afforded the opportunity of a fair trial.  Yes, I know of many instances where our justice system has failed and it will continue to be less than perfect.  But when we call for justice, and then we don't like the answer the justice system gives us (and I am not citing any specific case...there have been so many), we all are CERTAIN that justice has not been served.  Now, if we like the answer, then it has been a good day.  
We act as if we are privy to ALL the facts, in every instance that is reported in the media.  Folks, this is simply not true.  Everything that is reported (whether it is far to the left, right or smack down the middle) has a bias.  Just like we do.  And everything reported will reflect that bias.  We will never know everything about any given circumstance UNLESS WE ARE INTIMATELY INVOLVED.

Yet we continue to allow ourselves to be caught up in a frenzy and led like lambs to the slaughter on so many issues that if we would just take a minute and do our own research (and that involves more than headline reaction) we might be able to make an informed opinion and go from there.

So, my commitment going forward is to Open My Eyes....ALL THE WAY before I state anything as gospel.  And while I don't know everything about everything, I do recall that Freedom of Speech allows for all of us to have an opinion.  There are no stipulations that it must be the POPULAR or even the politically correct opinion.

Until next time,
#Iseeyou
#eyeswideopen

your pal,
Kari

How can you hurt something that isn't real?

When I think of something as "real", I think of it as being tangible.  Maybe something I can see or touch, taste or even smell.  But is that true?  One definition for real is:  not imaginary - existing as fact, rather than as a product of dreams or the imagination.  Existing would imply having physical existence but it is not clearly stated.  Another definition is:  not artificial-genuine and original.  Or how about verifiable?  Meaning as an actual fact - legally or scientifically.

So....are feelings real?  Or True?  Because feelings are somebody's emotional susceptibilities.  And everyone's are different.  Certainly not grounded in fact although they CAN be a genuine reaction to fact  Some can be verifiable.  When my kids were little and throwing a temper tantrum, I could verify that they were "feeling" very angry at that moment in time.

Was "tangible" then the right word for me to think of when I thought of "real"? The dictionary says "tangible" is able to be realized: capable of being given a physical existence (those temper tantrums were certainly physical).  Another definition:  capable of being understood and evaluated, and therefore regarded as real.  AHHHAH.  The word "real" just showed up in the definition.  Still going with my temper tantrum example since most times (for small children anyway) they can be understood.  And when you are standing in the middle of the grocery store with a "louder than life" child...it gets real.

Yet, as my kids have gotten older I have persisted in telling them "just because you feel something, does not mean that it is truth, or real".  I have also shared that wisdom with folks who want to make decisions in the heat of "a moment".  Why, you ask?  Because feelings are not based in fact.  They change.  We hold the power to choose the way we feel.

Depending on how "we feel" on any given day, our reactions to any given situation can be drastically different.  We are all emotional timebombs with the fuse reset daily. What a treat for our loved ones!

And we get to claim the "injury" when no one can possibly know where our dial is set on any given day.  It's a wonder any of us have healthy relationships.  

Because relationships start with a bunch of jumbled feelings that for those of us who are lucky, get sorted out into some type of sustaining lifeline that endures. Wires get crossed and sparks still fly. We suffer an occasional burn, but we continue blest by our ties that bind.

Here's what I know:  while I have had my wires crossed in the past in relationships that didn't last, they weren't meant to.  I have been holding hands for the past twenty years with the guy who keeps me out of trouble (generally speaking). 

Here's to finding your "hand" to hold.

Until next time,

#neversettle

#inHistime

Your pal,

Kari