The Last Splash

Good Wednesday morning!

The Gallery Pics are totally unrelated. The first is a new flag my friend, Lana, gave me last week. It flew proudly on Mikie's birthday. It's quite festive, isn't it? I see no problem at all with the flag except perhaps it's lack of a Pooh Bear. (But Pooh Bear or not, I still love it!)

The second photo is of Josh's new football cleats. Is it just me, or are these things HUGE? That's my foot beside the shoe, and let it be known, I have a pretty substantial foot. I remember 14 years ago when Josh's shoe of choice was a Spiderman Velcro number... but things are in a constant state of change around here and this is the new number one choice!

RANDOMNESS - It would appear my "hot flash" was a false alarm. From what I have gathered, most hot flashes last from 30 seconds to two minutes. (Mine lasted four hours and 32 minutes.) This makes one of three theories much more plausible... (1) Mikie has pulled an "Al Gore" and started setting the thermostat on 82 degrees after I go to sleep in order to save an extra buck or two; (2) I had a raging fever for four hours and 32 minutes; or (3) it was a combination of (1) AND (2).

Whichever scenario you pick, I was pretty cranky all day... another symptom of Menopause, having a fever, being way too hot, etc. Self-diagnosis is very difficult sometimes.

I'm thinking I probably need another "supplement" to add to my ever growing collection of fish oil, Vitamin D, calcium and fiber. If you need me today, you can find me in the vitamin section of Wal-Mart reading vitamin supplement labels. I'll let you know what I decide to add to my collection!

TOPIC OF THE WEEK - FAULTY FOCUS

Yesterday I mentioned Chapter Seven of the book I'm currently (slowly) reading, Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow. While many of the chapters have caused thought-provoking stress, I LOVED Chapter Seven, and I wanted to share a little with you throughout the week.

This chapter was all about preparing a personal life purpose statement. (Read yesterday's post.) The author used four women as examples, and all four used a different method to prepare their statement. I was drawn to the first woman, Phyllis, because it seems we think alike.

She wrote, "When I had children, I remember thinking, 'Are my children now my purpose?' I realized that my children were my platform, not my purpose. My purpose for life is continually in progress. I began with a verse, and years later God gave me four words that clarified my purpose." Her four words were "purposely," "faithfully," "creatively" and "paradoxically."

Right off the bat, I loved her first word because I USE THAT WORD, TOO! Her third word has been used by others to describe me, but since I consider myself a "copycat," I have never agreed with that one. I had no idea what her last word meant, but I was anxious to find out.

After she had her four words, she wrote a paragraph describing what the word meant to her and her life purpose. I'll share two of them with you this morning.

"I want to live my life very purposely, regularly reviewing and praying over my purpose in life, love God intensely, cherishing and inspiring my husband, praying for and keeping connected spiritually with my children, loving women and seeking to lay spiritual foundations in their lives.

"I want to live paradoxically. I want to go against my selfish nature, against our culture, giving a little bit more than I feel like giving, going the second mile, being like Jesus."

Again, these are not vague in the least. They are very, very thoughtful and concrete in nature.

Now, I am in the process of finding my four or five words. With all due respect to Phyllis, I am going to use "purposely," too. After all, I've definitely mentioned it before!

I know I want to use the word "balance," because I strive for that daily. God, family, others.

I also wanted to use a synonym for "not too busy," because I try very hard not to fill my life with a lot of little "busy" things. Too many "busy" things keep me from the task at hand which in my mind is "balance."

When I tried to find the perfect word for "not too busy," the examples which popped up on the computer were less than complimentary. Here are a few for your perusal... asleep on the job, careless, delinquent, derelict, dilatory, disregardful, dormant, dull, easy-going, idle, inactive, inattentive, indolent, inert, lackadaisical, lax, lethargic, neglectful, permissive, regardless, remiss, slothful, slow, slow-moving, sluggish, stagnant or tardy.

NOTE - I'll be the first to admit these words describe me very well after a four hour and 32 minute hot flash, but I do not want them to be inscribed on my tombstone... so I'm throwing them out!

I'll keep thinkin' and lookin' for my last two words. I'll let you know when (and if) I find them.

Wednesday Wisdom - Since we're in the midst of football mania in the Faulkner household, I wanted to share some football quotes with you. Lou Holtz was on the Rick and Bubba Show last week, and he was so inspiring. I looked up some of his quotes, and there are too many to use, but here are a few to get ya going today!

"Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it."

"It's not the load that breaks you down. It's the way you carry it."

"The man who complains about the way the ball bounces is likely the one who dropped it."

"If what you did yesterday seems big, you haven't done anything today." (I REALLY like this one!)

"If you're bored with life, you don't get up every morning with a burning desire to do things. You don't have enough goals." (I cannot wait to hear one of my kids say "I'm bored!" I'm going to "Lou Holtz" them so fast it will make their heads spin!)

I'll have to use some more of Mr. Holtz' quotes this fall when football really gets cranked up, but for today, this will have to do!

The Last Splash

The following ideas and thoughts came from the website www.poollifemag.com. The person interviewed, Jennifer Trainer-Thompson, has some very specific ideas about family traditions. (I like her. I like her a lot!) Although the traditions described are for the end of the summer season, they do need some planning, so I wanted to go ahead and share the ideas so you would have plenty of time to prepare!

In an increasingly busy world, traditions are extremely important. "Family traditions really help ground us," Thompson says. "We’re all connected in our 24/7 world, but we’re often disconnected from what’s immediately around us. Traditions are a way to reconnect, to build histories and create memories." (I changed my mind. I LOVE her!)

Traditions don’t have to be momentous occasions. "People tend to think of traditions as monumental events, like Thanksgiving, Christmas or Hanukkah," Thompson points out. "But it’s often the littlest, quirkiest traditions that are the most meaningful."

For that reason, pool owners are especially lucky. After all, swimming pools are full of opportunities to create great memories.

1. Host a back-to-school soiree. For your kids, the biggest bummer about summer’s end isn’t the shorter or colder days. It’s school. In order to ease the transition, Thompson suggests hosting an annual back-to-school party for your children and their friends. "On the eve of school starting, invite the neighbors and their kids over for a ‘last splash’ and a cookout," she says. Like your annual trip for school supplies and clothes, a "last splash" will give your kids something to look forward to every year before they hit the books.

2. Have a family swim meet. Of course, you don’t need to host a party in order to have a tradition. If you want to privately and quietly commemorate back-to-school season with your children, Thompson suggests a family swim, followed by a poolside dinner and an annual family meeting. At the meeting, discuss your family’s goals for the coming year. Maybe you want your kids to get better grades. Maybe you want to take a family vacation somewhere. Maybe you want to finish your basement. Whatever it is, having a set time every year for planning and reflection will help your family bond.

If you don't have a pool (which we do not), plan an afternoon at the lake at the end of the summer season (boating, swimming, fishing, cooking out, etc.). Give it a name ("The Last Splash" is fine), talk it up, and make sure it is an annual event the kids (and you) can look forward to each season. You can do it with your own family, or you can include other families as well.

It's never too late to start a tradition. Start this one the end of Summer 2010!

Have a lovely Wednesday. I hope you are somewhere cool and refreshing today. (I hope I am somewhere cool and refreshing today, too!) Thursday is Blog Linkage day AND I'll have a date or two for these hot summer days and nights on A Simple Life. I have a little more wisdom from my favorite chapter of Calm My Anxious Heart to share. I also have the new number of gifts Mikie has received to date. I know you're tossing and turning all night wondering about that one!

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda