What is your real age? I think mine is still pretty young. Of course I don't go out like I did when I was younger but does that mean I'm getting old? NO!!! It means that I have figured out what makes me tick. It isn't the social scene because I realized that I like myself and spending time with myself is not a bad thing. I do what I want when I'm alone and not what everyone else wants. I'm not being drug from one bar to the next and I'm not being forced to talk to someone I don't have anything in common with. It isn't that I don't like to be with others, it's just that I do that all day at work. Then I'm on someone else's time. After work, it's my time. What is wrong with that?



I think that if most people were to learn what makes them tick and what makes them content earlier in life, they would have a much more satisfying personal life. I still think as young as I was at 18. I just don't feel I have as much to prove. Maybe only to myself. That's ok too. It means I'm still challenging myself to be better. Right now the focus is on school. I raised the kids and lost one to cancer. After the serious depression with that I came out with an attitude that tells me anything is possible. I was always getting by either financially or emotionally. With the education, I'll be able to improve both. It will allow me to travel where I want and have more personal time for myself. Both of those things have been lacking in my life so far.



I guess the lesson everyone should take is this: Learn to like yourself and you will enjoy the things in life that make you happy.

I would like to know how our gas prices got so high. No, really. I watched a few minutes of the Senate hearings when they were grilling the oil company bigwigs and I am just flabbergasted. How can someone justify a $12 million dollar bonus on top of what is likely an exhorbitant salary? What I don't understand is that they aren't just screwing with the general public, they are ripping food right out of their own employee's mouths. There is no way they give all their employees breaks on the gas they have to buy to go work for them. I realize it isn't cheap to get from the crude to the gas form, but why do they get to make a fortune in one year while the rest of us can't afford health care? What about the kids out there that need food or clothing?





I'm not saying we should not let people get rich in this country, but when there is such a discrepancy between the classes, there should be some accountability to these extremely rich people not helping more than they are. I can barely pay my taxes every year between the federal, state and local and I do without a lot of things because of it. I can't visit my family now because there isn't any money and with gas prices as high as they are, I can't even think about it. I'm not asking for myself. I realize there are a lot of people worse off than me. But that means there are very hard-working people out there that don't even have as much as I do. That's scary. Somebody should sit up and take notice and do something.

What does it take to make someone's day? It's relatively simple. Just smile at them. I mean a real smile. How hard is that to do? Apparently, it can be very difficult as I was reminded today.

I was leaving the grocery store and almost ran into someone. I smiled at her and said excuse me even though she was coming in the exit. I didn't think anything about that. Her response was this, "At least you smiled. The other lady just frowned at me." How many of us have gone in the wrong door? Iknow I have. What's the big deal? And why do we have to make the other person feel bad about it?

Think about how it makes you feel when someone smiles at you. I know it makes me feel better no matter what kind of day I'm having. It means someone noticed me. I made enough of an impression for someone to appreciate seeing me. I know that may sound corny, but think about the cashier you notice is having a bad day. I've done this and it works. I smile at her and she smiles back. It gets you into a conversation with her and she seems to perk right up. How many people had been rude or inconsiderate to her that day? What does your smile do for her? It gets her out the funk she may have been in most of the day. If not for the rest of the day, but at least for a while. How hard was that to do? Not very.

Remember everyone needs a pick-me-up once in a while. Why not make it a great part of your day, and make it happen.

Today I was reminded that I have a friend outide of my family. That's really cool. He's having a bad time these days, but he took the time to listen to me and let me know he's there for me. Once in a while you need to have someone like that to give you the emotional boost that gets you through the day.