Monday, April 06, 2009

LEARNING LIFE'S LESSONS?

Many people would say that we learn life's lessons from going to school and reading books. To me going to school and reading books teaches us school and book's lessons.
Life's lessons are taught to us by life itself. The more that we experience Life, the more of life's lessons we learn. However, many of life lessons are learned when we experience life along with an "instruction book" in our hand.

This was brought home to me quite vividly over this past week-end when my husband was trying to fix our answering machine. Daughter had called last week to tell us that she had called earlier in the week and tried to leave a message but the answering machine never clicked on. Strange, we said.

Without thinking about why it was not working, my husband; who can fix most electronic things effortlessly (if we are not talking computer) recorded a new message. Then I used my cell phone to call and make sure it came on. This procedure was done three times and still no message came on.

Then "the man" actually went and got the instruction book for the answering machine and read one simple line. "Press ON/OFF to manually turn the system off or on. When the answering machine is ON, the light inside the button will glow steadily." There was no light glowing; so he pressed the ON/OFF button. All I heard him say was, "Don't tell me it can be that simple!"

Then I remembered that in a speedy cleaning effort to prepare for company, I had noticed that the answering machine base unit was quite dusty and rather greasy as it is in the kitchen area and we have a gas stove. (I know, I know, if you clean it more often it doesn't get that gunky!) As I was degreasing the unit, I inadvertently pushed a variety of buttons. One of which was the Turn Answering Machine On/Off button.

When we stopped laughing, we talked about how true that experience was of most of life's lessons. Many of those lessons are really quite simple if you experience life fully and are armed with an instruction book!

Monday, March 09, 2009

25 Easily Overlooked Tax Deductions

This is not one of our most favorite topics, TAXES; but, as we have heard before, they are inevitable. The following tax deductions that are easily overlooked might make the tax preparation a little less daunting. You should know these deductions, whether you do your taxes yourself or take them to an Income Tax Preparer.

25 Easily Overlooked Tax Deductions

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Thursday, March 05, 2009

The Brain and Fitness Training

One of the things that I love about the Internet: the time I spend each morning doing what I call my "Surfing and Searching"! I am surfing the Web and Searching Google looking for information that might be of interest to the readers of our blog. This morning was one of those lucky mining days for me. Lot of gems were discovered; but this is one I wanted to share here with all of you.

I have written before about the need for anyone who is aging, oops! I guess that would be everyone, to ensure that they are doing what they can to exercise their brain with mental fitness exercises. My body was most happy with thinking that it would be let off the hook for awhile. Take your brain for a fitness walk.

13 MENTAL FITNESS EXERCISES to KEEP YOU SHARP!
Post by Eric HELP!
Source: http://helptutorservices.com/blog/13-mental-fitness-exercises-to-keep-you-sharp/

You already know the importance of staying physically fit, but did you know it’s just as important to stay mentally fit? Exercising your brain on a regular basis keeps you mentally sharp. More importantly, it can help fight off memory loss and other mental ailments. People of all ages can benefit from following these mental fitness exercises.

1. Use Your Other Hand- Whenever basic tasks become second nature (requiring no concentration,) our brains fail to get any exercise. One way to give your brain a workout is to use your other hand for common tasks. If you’re right handed, try eating with your left hand. Brush your teeth with your other hand too. This might sound easy enough, but you’ll find yourself actually focusing on accomplishing these simple tasks. As a result, your mind gets a good workout.

2. Shop without a List- Sometimes, we make things a little too easy on ourselves. Shopping with a list of everything you need means you can mindlessly coast through the supermarket without lifting a mental muscle. Instead, why don’t you try hitting the store without that list in hand? At the very least, hide the list in a pocket and see how much of it you can remember.

3. Engage in Conversations Each Day- Between social networking and text messaging, does anyone actually have conversations anymore? It’s good to chat it up with friends because it causes you to focus on what others are saying and to instantly think of your response. This exercise works best when you get past meaningless conversation and into deep, insightful discussions.

4. Read New Books- If you usually read fiction, try reading a history book. If you usually read magazines, try picking up the business section of your newspaper. Reading new things expands your mind, giving you a great mental workout.

5. Exercise Your Body-
Physical exercise doesn’t just make you big and strong; it also keeps your brain active. Studies show that regular exercise fights depression, reduces stress, and improves self-confidence. All of these things help your mind operate more efficiently.

6. Change Your Daily Routine-
Remember what I said earlier about when things become second nature, your brain stops working? Keep your mind working by constantly shaking up your daily routine. Maybe you can take a different route to work. Or instead of coming home to relax every day after school, maybe you can join a club that meets weekly. Change it up!

7. Start a Project- Working on a project is good for a couple of reasons: a) It gives you a sense of purpose as you do something productive; b) More importantly, it forces you to focus on completing a large task over a long period of time. Whether you want to build a model car or write a book, a long-term project is essential for mental fitness.

8. Use Your Other Senses- The ultimate goal of mental fitness exercises is to stimulate all of your senses. There are several ways you can do this. For example, as you enjoy your meal, try identifying all of the ingredients as you chew. Or, try eating with your eyes closed without making a mess. If your senses are sharp, your mind will be too.

9. Expand Your Vocabulary- Learning new words doesn’t just make you sound smart in social settings, it keeps your mind fit as well. Try learning a new word every day.

10. Pay Attention to the Tiny Details- When you walk into a room, take notice of the little items that decorate the space. Likewise, when you meet someone, take note of their complete outfit down to the tiniest details. This constant attention to detail means your mind will always be working.

11. Ditch the Calculator- Again, stop making things so easy on yourself. Put your math skills to the test by ditching the calculator. Better yet, get rid of the pencil and paper too. Try solving complex math problems in your head with no help.

12. Play a Game- Who said video games rot your brain? Strategy based games, like Halo, can actually be highly effective at exercising your problem solving skills. Same thing goes for board games. Remember, mental fitness can be fun!

13. Try Multitasking- If you’ve seen the game show Distraction, you know how difficult it can be to perform the simplest tasks when there are other things pulling at your attention. Multitasking is like a full body workout for your brain.

Monday, March 02, 2009

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DR. SEUSS!

Today is the birthday of Theodore Geisel (AKA: Dr. Seuss). He would be 105 today and although he died in 1991, he still lives on in his books and our memories. My guess is that today there are more people singing Happy Birthday to Dr. Seuss than to any other person.

I found this video of some adorable children singing Happy Birthday to You to Dr. Seuss. Won't you please join them and sing along in tribute to this great man who gave all of us (no matter how young or old a child we are) such wonderful stories and ways of looking at our world.

After you sing Happy Birthday, check out this site and see if you don't learn something about Dr. Seuss that you didn't know. Share a comment about what you learned.
The ABCs of Dr. Seuss

Sunday, February 15, 2009

The Boomer File - Boomer Timeline

The Boomer File - Boomer Timeline
Video sent by boomerfile

I came across this video just today; a little into 2009; but I just had to share the Boomer Timeline. Great recap of what has influenced Boomers.

Happy 2009 Boomers! You know, the election of Barack Obama last year added a new milestone to the Baby Boomer Timeline. And that got me thinking of all the wonderful and terrifying things that have shaped the world in our lifetime. Here's a quick run down. And stay tuned to The Boomer File, because we've got a lot in store for 2009! And remember, you can watch all episodes of The Boomer File in HD at http://www.boomerfile.tv!

Monday, February 02, 2009

RETIRED AND READY TO MAKE RESOLUTIONS -- OR NOT

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Feliz Navidad and a Blessed Chinese New Year to all of you. Oops, it has been long enough since my last visit and talk with you that I need also to say Happy New Year-hope yours is not only happy but also healthful and helpful. And also I need to wish you a Happy Groundhog Day--hope that for all of you in the SNOW, the groundhog does not see his shadow. Whew, but at least I got in before I had to deal with Valentine's Day.

I was planning on doing a post on making resolutions for the new year; but most of the ones that were made are already broken or at lease a little battered. Many people have taken to not making any resolutions at all so they don't have to feel guilty about breaking them later. I even created a Squidoo lens about the debate on whether to make resolutions or not. Go check it out and weigh in with your opinion.
Make New Years Resolutions or Not?

Then I discovered this blog

http://simpleliving-blogasaurus.blogspot.com/
and the post he made on December 29th---couldn't have said it better myself.



2009 WHAT EVER

It's tempting at this time of the year to get all wrapped up in what will be or what was. I thought about using that as my topic today but then I thought, Why? What is, is. What was, was. What will be, will be. LIVE IN THE PRESENT.

Life goes by fast enough when you pay attention to it. When you get wrapped up in worries about what if, it slides by without our even being aware of it. Life is short, enjoy it.

Tommorrow the sun will rise, greet it with joy in your heart. It is a new day, who knows what adventure it will bring?