Category Archives: Reality

Have you done it yet?

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Welcome to the end of the first week of January.  Last week you started the month and the year with high-hopes and lofty resolutions.  Now that things are settling down to normal and the kids are headed back to school, it’s time to solidify those resolutions into goals that you can work toward accomplishing in the next 358 days.

With clear and realistic thinking, sit down and write your goals for 2013.  You’ve heard that the journey of 1,000 miles begins with the first step; writing your goal down is the first step.  Your goal becomes real when you see it staring back at you from the page.  It becomes your destination and map for a new journey this year.  Then take the second step and write under the goal the first five action items to accomplishing your goal.

For example, one of my goals is to read at least 12 books this year and at least two of them need to be new authors and genres for me.  So under the goal I number lines one through twelve.  Now I just go to work filling in the blanks.  I know a book a month doesn’t seem like much, but realistically I have little time in my day to read, so I know it’s attainable given my work and family obligations.  Last year, I would have read more, but one of the books I chose was painfully slow.  But I finished it and am glad I stuck with it.

Can’t think of anything you would like to accomplish this year?  Ask yourself a couple of questions:  if I could do one thing to improve my situation, financially, physically, mentally or emotionally, what would it be?  What do you need to do to accomplish this?

If it helps and you want someone to hold you accountable, share your goals with a trusted friend and give them permission to ask you throughout the year about how you are doing toward your goal.  Having gone through this exercise every year for the past 20 plus years, setting goals has become a part of my psyche, I’m pretty good at holding myself accountable; ok except for exercise goals, these I stink at.

One thing is true, if you write nothing down; set no goals, you are likely to be the exact same physically, mentally or emotionally as you are right this minute.  Even if you don’t fully accomplish the goal you write down, any effort toward that goal is better than no effort at all.  In the end, you will celebrate all the steps of your journey even if you didn’t reach your destination.  That’s what 2014 will be about.

Let me know how it’s going,

KK

January 1st

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new yearI’m pretty sure that January first is the most optimistic day of the year. For most it’s a holiday; a day without a schedule. One person wrote that it was their first “stress-free” day of the year. Unlike starting a new page on the calendar, we start a new calendar, 365 days free from all the obligations that will come with the reality of tomorrow.

Today, many will make resolutions and set goals; some of which will stick and they will be better for it. No one ever resolves to take up a bad habit or sets a goal to gain 10 pounds. The resolutions and goals are positive changes of general self-improvement.

Today we look forward with hope with tunnel vision toward the good that coming days will bring. Will all of the days be as “stress-free” as today? Not a chance. But today there is hope for more good days than bad; more successes than failures and wisdom enough to appreciate both.

Happy new 365 days.

All the best,
KK

Oh please, parents take responsibility

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This link (http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/05/18/health-experts-attack-mcdonalds-but-can-they-bite-into-its-bot/?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk2%7C64222) is to an article regarding McDonald’s and the health risks on children who eat their food.   Seriously, how many people can we blame for our own bad habits and laziness.  It should not come as any surprise to a customer at McDonald’s that their foods are high in fats, sodium and calories.  If children aren’t eating healthy, it is because of the choices their parents are making.  It’s not McDonald’s fault.  They are merely the biggest of their kind.  Let me challenge you to look at the nutritional value of frozen dinners,or other restaurants.

These health experts are accusing McDonald’s of predatory marketing.  They could line up the companies who market to children.  Just watch cable networks for kids.  It is the parents’ responsibility to be the filter for what children see or hear and what is good for them and healthy.  Besides, aren’t we supposed to be teaching our children to think for themselves?

It is the parents’ responsibility to teach their children how to eat foods that will build them up and help keep them healthy.  No child has suggested going out for fast food without some adult at some point taking them there.

Here’s your slack, sometimes life dictates food in a hurry.  If it happens too often, I would ask who is planning your time?  When you do drive through, what’s wrong with a salad or baked potato?

It is time to take responsibility for our actions, health choices and the children in our lives.  We are continually learning about the foods we eat, what’s good for us and what isn’t.  Make the good choice and teach your children to do the same.

A Guy and his dog

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A couple of weeks ago I was driving on I-64E near the Gene Snyder.  When I describe to you what I saw remember I was traveling 65 miles an hour (or so) and was trying to not miss my exit.  As I made my approach to the exit there was a hitchhiker with a small dog.  The man had a beard and a full size pack as if he had everything he owned in the pack or was just prepared for a long journey.  Ok, so we’ve all seen hitchhikers or backpackers, but what struck me as unusual was the small dog he had on a leash with him.

Then just today I was the exit at I-64 and Hurstbourne lane.  A man was there with a red and black back pack and a dog on a leash.  It was not the same man or the same dog.  While waiting for the light to change I observed a woman in an SUV stop.  That’s right, she didn’t just hand him some odd change or a dollar, she pulled off the road, got out of her car and asked him if his dog had been fed.  She then proceeded to open the back of her car and pull out a opened bag of dog food and bowl.  She poured some food in.  While the dog was wagging its tail, it didn’t seem too hungry; even when she pulled out the milk bones.  She gave him some extra dog food for later.

Our light turned green and we had to leave the scene.  It just made me wonder about the man and his dog and even the woman.   Driving past them, I couldn’t help but remember the other man I’d seen.   Two men probably homeless each with a companion, a dog.  I wondered about the woman who stopped to help one of the dogs.

Tonight as we said our bedtime prayer, we prayed for these people who God created for a purpose and that He would take care of them.

What are your thoughts?

All the best,

KK

Are you wearing that?

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Apparently, people have forgotten how to dress appropriately.  We were raised that you dress for the occasion.  For example, going out to dinner a play, the orchestra or fine dining restaurant meant a dress or skirt, blouse or sweater and dress shoes.  Going to church meant dressing up, because in the words of my mother, “if you can’t dress up for God, who can you?”  Holidays at a relative’s house meant wearing our dress cloths as well.  After college when I began interviewing for jobs there were very specific rules for what to wear to a first interview, second interview.  As well, there were rules about what NOT to wear.

Dressing appropriately does not mean you have to be uncomfortable, it simply means you need to dress for the occasion in an appropriate way according to what you will be doing and the people with whom you will be.  Failure to teach our children this is as atrocious as not teaching them table manners or to respect authority.

What happened to taking pride in how we look?  What happened to taking time to plan our outfit for a special occasion or outing?

Recently, on a Saturday evening we went to the ballet at the Kentucky Center for the Arts.  My husband wore slacks, collared shirt and jacket.  I wore black dress slacks and a dressy sweater.   There was a group of girls sitting two rows in front of us all dressed in skirts and sweaters.  It was obvious that their ballet instructor had brought them and had “coached” them on behavior and what they should expect.  In contrast, I saw a woman with her two daughters wearing dingy sneakers, Capri pants and t-shirts.

Before you call me a snob for pointing out that the mother and daughters were not dressed appropriately, read on.  Do you think they were comfortable among others who were dressed up?  It does not take a lot of money to dress up a little more than Capri pants and sneakers — even to put them in Walmart brand dress cloths.

I’ve heard preachers explain from the pulpit while wearing cargo pants and sandals that “ties just weren’t them.”   That’s fine, but could you at least wear long pants and a collared shirt?  You want to present yourself as a credible source of information.  I’m not sure I can take someone in cut-offs seriously when he is trying to lead me to salvation.  Tell the congregation (especially those checking church out for the first time) that you are a believable.  Isn’t worship time our gift of ourselves to God?  Why wouldn’t we want to look our best?

Ok, while I’m on the subject let’s talk about the “baggy pant syndrome” that so many of our teens are lost in.  We were in the park watching some kids play ball while on the other basketball court older boys were playing a shirts and skins pick-up game.  The whole time he was playing this one guy was struggling to run, be ready for the ball, shoot and hold his pants up.  I was scared that I was going to learn more about this boy than I needed to know.  Besides how fun was that for him to not just be able to run and enjoy the game? 

Let me encourage you to take a look at yourself.  You are a precious child of God, a special person.  Take pride in looking your best and presenting yourself appropriately.  If you are a parent, teach your children what it means to dress and present themselves with pride and confidence.  How we wear our cloths says a lot about how we feel about ourselves.

What do you think?

All the best,

KK

P.S. — I also believe appropriate dress for a day off at home or running errands is sweats, no make-up and hair in a pony tail. 

Just go ahead and embrace it…

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Someone once said that there are only two things you can count on:  death and taxes.  Well, I am here to tell you that there is one thing grossly missing from this list – change.  The last two years have more than proven to me that death and taxes happen far less than change.

As one of those individuals who loves a good checklist, and never lets the first week of January end before my goals are written, change didn’t come smoothly.  Changes in our lives can be good but even good can be stressful.

Don’t get me wrong, I am all about personal growth and improving ourselves.  But sometimes external forces bring us situations that cause change in our path, attitude or situation – all of which can be embraced and really used as a life learning opportunity.  Easier said than done, but let me encourage you to take a look at where you are in life and consider what the last five years have brought. 

Did life happen and did you struggle through?   Having done this little exercise, I can tell you that I made some mistakes, and a lot of things changed in my world that weren’t on any list or in any of my goals.  I’ve learned more about myself and what I want in this world and my purpose in this world.

What better way to embrace change than to take advantage of the opportunity to check ourselves and ride the wave of change.  Fighting it may get you caught in the undertow.  If that happens, just stand up, the water may not be that deep.

Think about it.

 All the best,
KK