Be the View Now; Don't Find it 10 Years Later

I’ve been budgeting my time poorly this week – tisk, tisk, tisk on me! I have a huge event coming up this week and I want to do EVERYTHING.  Yet……it ALL can’t happen. 

What I’m looking forward to most at this event is spending some time with my grandmother and I plan on sitting right next to her and probably somewhere near my friend, Sue. 

Sue is my friend and my writing partner, she came over Wednesday for our weekly writing/editing session. However, we spent the ENTIRE time cutting and pasting for MY personal project.

We worked for two hours and chatted; she also told me a story that made us both cry.  The story involves the ways in which we choose to remember our loved ones: spritzing perfume, saving socks or a shirt, saving a voice mail. Some people like to pull out a photo.

But some photos come in very special cases. Does anybody remember the cone shaped key chains that magnify photos? They were big in the 60's 70's and 80's. You could find them at Splish Splash or any amusement park and especially on cruise ships.  They are square (four sides) with a glass hole for the picture in the middle.  They have a tab on outer side with a hole for a beaded tab - that's what allows you to use these "photo viewers" as key chains.

My friend Sue found out they are called photo viewers and even shared two photos with me. The first is a plain photo of the basic blue photo viewer. The second is of her Grandparents IN the photo viewer.  

Sue told me that when she misses her loved one, she takes out her viewfinder and looks and sees them there and it’s almost like they’re standing next to her. 

When I was a kid my Grandma would vacation on some sun-soaked island and bring back a bag full of stuff for my sister and I to keep: shampoos, conditioners, lotions and sprays - extras from luxury hotels but mostly printed with the words, “Hilton”; colorful necklaces with seashells or parrots, screen-printed tee-shirts, maybe a magnet or a keychain.  We EACH got one of those swag bags.

What we were forced to “split” was the “viewfinder”. Lots of “It’s my turn” could be heard on the car ride back from Franklin Square as tiny fingers grabbed.  The little head would dart in “this” and “that” direction as blinking lashes hit the eyehole, trying to get as close as possible to the image. 

Before Sue came for our session, I was on a mission which ended up being a complete waste…but not completely.

I strolled into one of Sayville’s Spiritual healing shops and I decide that I need a to breath in the patchouli-laden air. I walked through a sea of crystals of every color including two of my favorites moonstone, tiger’s eye. There were beautiful rosequartz shaped hearts, raw jagged amethyst, chunks of garnet and lapis lazuli.

 Then I neared a garden of little white-painted budha.  I thought of giving one to my grandma on Saturday because she LOVES BUDHA.   I picked him up and saw the price - $16.95 which is I believe is not what I wanted to spend on that item. 

I saw a necklace hanging it was red with an orange/yellow tint. I forget the name of the stone but I know that it’s a stone of protection.  It had two charms on it, a little white elephant and a silver knot. Aside from the main color scheme there are also a few  white then a foursome of multi-colored beads – I’m told those are all for protection and strength.

I plan to give this little gift to my grandma when I see her on Saturday.  Since I don’t have any more of my “viewfinders” I’m going to ask my grandmother for a couple of them. 

I’ve thought about it, when you are shutting your eyes and your mind and concentrating on just that little tiny photo in front of you I’ll bet that it feels like the person inside that viewfinder is right next to you.

Once again I’m reminded that I am very lucky that I don’t need a viewfinder to feel like my grandmother is here.  I plan to give her the necklace and have a great day.  The necklace will give her protection and strength for when she gets home. 

Easter Bunny Fun

This Was the first year Annabella was able to really appreciate who the Easter Bunny is and what gifts he/she comes with.  She was really excited (I think pre-school was hyping her up).  My mom ordered about a dozen books about Easter two weeks before Easter Sunday and we read a book whenever we got a chance.  Annabella pretty much likes a unique story from Mommy to go to sleep to every night so we would read an Easter book and then its back to Mommy's story about "cupcakes" and "Abby".
I wanted to give everyone a look at Annabella's Easter Basket and the process of doing the eggs.  We just bought the little packets from the store.  Lots of fun!!

Detroit Man who walks 8-hours draws comparisons to LIers who face similar transportation issues

This morning I was struck by the story of James Robertson – a 56-year-old Detroit man who walks nearly eight hours a day to get to his job at a factory 23 miles from home.  Mr Robertson has been without a car for nearly decade, making his dedication as admirable as his stamina.  He only accepts a ride when the weather is bad.

But what happens to people like Mr Robertson when the bad weather has cleared and all that remains are piles and piles of snow covered in ice? The same exact thing that happens to Long Islanders without vehicles: they are forced to climb mountains and dodge bullets.

Not literally – but still just as dramatic.

To understand what I mean, check out your neighborhood after a storm (we just had one so you have plenty of material to work with right now). Look at the sidewalks on major roadways and the sidewalks on residential blocks and don’t forget the sidewalks that lead to elementary, middle and high schools. (After all, our school-aged children account for a big chunk of the Island’s car-less).

What do these pathways have in common? They no longer exist.  These pathways are now covered in snow and ice. 

Now imagine navigating through that mess of un-shoveled sidewalks. You look ahead at the snow beneath you and it’s marked with the deep footprints of the people before you who walked from sidewalk to street to sidewalk again in an effort to find the least dangerous route. You choose to take a path of your own and your feet sink into the snow so you raise your knees to your gut with each step. Pair that confusion with speeding cars and the knowledge that at any minute one of those cars could lose control on a patch of black ice and ram right into you and there’s no car to protect you from the hit.

Many people, including Mr Robertson rely on their feet as well as public transportation to get where they need to go. So for that matter, take a look at our bus stops.  The few bus stops that have been paved of snow are also boxed in by snow, forcing riders to maneuver over hills that are often a foot or two high in order to get inside of the bus once it has stopped. For an able-bodied person this can be done rather easily, albeit with annoyance.  But how do the elderly make their way over these hills?  Or people with disabilities? In truth, it’s really not safe for anyone.

There are many Long Islanders like Mr Robertson who will find any way to get where they need to go. We need to make that journey safer for them.

If people shovel the walkways in front of their homes a lot of the issues with navigation can be solved.  The same goes for un-shoveled businesses. Municipalities who aren’t doing their share of the shoveling need to get with the program because there are too many people who rely on you – you need to take that seriously. 

We can work together to make Long Island a better place for everyone. 

5 People CHALLENGE

A good friend recently shared with me the motto that we are "the average of the five people we spend the most time with". Businessman Jim Rohn coined the motivational phrase in the 1970's and used it to inspire speaker Tony Robbins and Jack Canfield (creator of Chicken Soup for the Soul) just to name a couple of his early disciples.
Rohn is telling us to pursue the people that inspire us! Surround ourselves with the people that have what we want! If we do, maybe a little bit will rub off on us.
He's also warning us against the people that bring us down. 
For me - I've had GREAT friends in this life and I've had friends that have brought me WAY DOWN lower than I even knew was possible. I've also learned so much from the people that have inspired me from afar Malala Yousafzai and Michelle Obama (just to name two) while I've had to turn my back on celebrities like Lindsay Lohan that don't seem to be doing the right thing. 
Since this motto was created the world has gotten much smaller - the internet is in all (or most) of our homes and the people we identify as having a large role in our life has changed as well.  We are now both an average of the people in our everyday lives (our friends and family) AND of the community at large. I challenge anyone that reads this BLOG POST  to e-mail this post to 5 people that are positive in their life or inspire them to be the BEST "Average" them they can be.  They can be a regular person or a celebrity. 

Comfort Movies: 10 movies that never get old

Instead of grabbing for comfort food when you're down like mac n cheese or doritos, try a comfort movie.  its the same idea as comfort food - reminds you of a better time takes away your despair - except with alot less calories (especially if you skip the extra butter popcorn and Reeses Piece's).

Here are my 10 ultimate comfort movies

1 Braveheart
Everyman dies not everyman really lives

2 Shawshank Redemption
Brooks was here

3 Goodfellas
Do I amuse you?

4) Home Alone
Buzz, your girlfriend.  Woof!

5 Happy Gilmore
The price is wrong

6 Fargo
You went and married Norm Son-of-a-gunnders

7 The Hangover
She has my grandmas Holocaust ring

8 Scarface
Say hello to my little friend

9 Forrest Gump
Life is like a box of chocolates you never know what you are going to grt

10 The Godfather

Insert your own favorite quotes as you read and remember just how many times you've seen these movies and laughed, cried and pressed rewind over and over.

New Year Superstitions: which one is for you!

I've heard some pretty crazy New Year's superstitions. 
Have you heard the superstition that says not to do the wash on New Years Day, because then a relative will be washed away within a few months (in other words die)?
You must know the superstition that says the first person who walks into your home after the stroke of midnight on New Years will be the most influential person of that year to you!  Or perhaps my favorite: the superstition that tells us to open all of the windows and doors in our homes to let the old year out.
Perhaps some of you will be sage brushing at the stroke of midnight.  Sage brushing is burning the sage plant to smoke out bad spirits from a room or area.  I know that many of you will kiss your lover to guarantee another year together.  Reality is it is very superstitiously important to spend time on the eve and day of the New Year with your most loved people.  On the other hand, superstition also tells us to carve out some time for work on New Years Day, as it guarentees prosperity for the New Year. 
My friend Xavier says that every year at the stroke of midnight he takes all of the cash in his pocket and gives it a big wet kiss!  According to Xavier, every year since doing this routine, he's become more prosperous.  He's aquired more property and gotten more job opportunities.  His superstition has worked for him. 
Have your superstitions worked for you?  If you don't have a superstition already then get one!! Try it out - what could go wrong?  Just dont break a mirror!

Get Some Gratitude with Trista Sutter's Happily Ever After

We first met Trista Rehn a decade ago when she was a contestant on ABC's then-newest reality show - the Bachelor. Unfortunately, the Bachelor (Alex Michel) did not give Trista that final red rose and she left the show in tears. "I had gone to LA for an adventure and ended up with a broken heart" she writes of the experience.
Though, fate would have much greater things in store for her. She received a phone call from the show's producers pitching her a spinoff show - with her as the Bachelorette, handing out red roses to men vying for her love.
One of those contestants was Ryan Sutter, a similarly down-to-earth firefighter from Colorodo. Trista felt an instant connection with Ryan and eventually gave him the final rose. Trista and Ryan famously tied the knot on TV and the rest is history.
Still married (and now a Sutter) and a mom of two young children, Trista offers inspiration and insight to readers through her book, "Happily Ever After: the life-changing power of a greatful heart."
Trista writes the book like a friend giving a girls-night-out night-worth of great advice. Just as friends do, Trista gets personal with readers including stories about her problems with infertility and backstabbing co-workers (who seem to be extra ruthless in the entertainment business).
Throughout the book, Trista sprinkles quotes from some very inspiring people, including Ghandi, Mother Teresa and even DJ Run DMC. Trista tells readers she keeps a journal of her favorite quotes and when a new quote crosses  her path she jots it down in the book.
When Trista announced she was writing the book to her family and friends they embraced the idea and gave her tons of insight into thier reasons for gratitude and appreciation. One particularly touching annecdote tells of her friend who goes into her son's room each night at bedtime and counts thier blessings using the glow in the dark stars on the ceiling (one blessing to be said on each star).
Even after celebrity and fame, Trista has remained down to earth. She has the same hopes fears and desires as readers. She reminds readers to tell loved ones, "I appreciate you". She shares her beliefs on the universe offering us possibilities and destiny.
This is a wonderful book of advice and for getting to know Trista Sutter and ger family a little more. I would say definitely pick up a copy and send Trista a message telling her your #favpartofday on Twitter. Read the book and you will understand!