10 DAYS!

Roller Coaster.

Letting Go By Donating!

Life Enhancement #17: Donate 4 Full bags to the Salvation Army/Goodwill (Completed!)

Isn't it funny what we hold on to?   After spending the last several weeks of doing allot of "Spring Cleaning",  I am amazed what I have held onto.  Clothes that I will never fit back into or will ever be in style again.  Computer monitors, laptops, and VHSs  that I probably will never use because technology or iTunes has replaced.  Chairs that will never be moved from here to a new house but have been donated to someone who will use them.   And paper!  Pieces after pieces of paper.  Receipts that are long expired, work printouts that have been long forgotten, and notes of what I had thought to be important by realize after eight are mute.  Pictures, actually prints, layered in between the sheets of papers.  Pictures of my life in random stages.  From one year old to thirty years old.   Some of discoveries helped me realize where I am compared to where I was.  Evidence of  my failures and my successes.  I have gained new ideas and been enlightened on possible directions to move me forward.   And even though I have not finished my cleaning, I have set a date to finish, that way I will not spend to much time thinking.   Who knows what you will discover about yourself as you start purging and letting go of items which will eventually set you free!  Three more bags donated!

Spring Cheer!

The temperature is warming up and my neighbors are already mowing their lawns.  I hope to do mine this weekend.  And even though my allergies and asthma are triggered by the smells of spring, I still inhale a big whiff!    But what I love the most about spring, are the flowers.  And what flower is the timeless symbol of spring? Tulips.  Tulips are known to have the meaning of pure love. I love their simple shape and variety of colors of Tulips. You would think my favorite flower would be the Daffodil since it too is synonymous with spring and sounds like a little bit like my name. Daffodils do hold a special place in my heart.  Daffodils remind me of my grandma stirring her home made tapioca pudding that she was making just for her "little Daffodil" (that was her nickname for me).   And even though I am much taller than my mom, she occasionally carries on the tradition by calling me her "little Daffodil".
Being in the Spring mood, I decided to share my spring cheer by sending Tulips.  I called a local nursing home, asked them to give me three names of residents that didn't get many visitors.  Those who may be in need of some "spring"!  I think that they thought I was crazy, but I told them about what I planned to do and ensured them  I would keep everything confidential.  I then called a local florist and ordered four arrangements of tulips.  I sent three arrangements to the nursing home with a note on each that said "From someone who wanted to say Happy Spring!- Have A Great Day".  The fourth arrangement I sent to my mom, which only had "From your little Daffodil".  I have to tell you, it was the best money I have ever spent in a long time.  So go on and spread your own Spring Cheer!

My Little Bird of Hope?

Have you ever had those weeks that you are swallowed by your own self pity?  Days where you just want to get in the car and travel some where different?  Be someone different? Feeling lost and hopeless? Well, you might have guessed that I am in one of those weeks. My life has gone through huge changes recently.  I have tried to "reboot myself" several times without any success. Hope for some kind of normal!
I  believe Hope is always present, you just have to give it time to reveal itself.  Recently Hope flew right by me and hit me on the head in the form of a bird. This little bird who had found its night time lodging underneath my backdoor awning.  Every night when the cold winds blew there it was huddled in corner of the awning.  At first, it flew immediately away when I came home. I think it knew the dog was next to exit the house. But as soon as I shut off the outside light and closed the door, it returned to its post.  Sleepless and lonely nights, I would look out the door, and there it would be. Hope that I wasn't alone.  
I love animals.  Maybe that is why hope seems to reveal itself in a form of an animal for me.  For years, I associated rabbits with my father, who has since past away.  I don't know why rabbits.  Maybe it is because one of my favorite books is "Watership Down" or the fact that when I was growing up we had rabbits in the back yard. The first year after my dad's death was the hardest sinced I missed him terribly.  That was the year I saw many rabbits.  I would stare out the window and see a rabbit sitting there, looking at me. The stare was familiar and sweet, just like my dad's was.  I hoped and wanted to believe that rabbits were my dad because that meant he was now healthy and happy.

And now this bird has come to visit me.   I am not sure if it female or male.  But the bird is unafraid when I enter and exit the house.  I even leave a piece of bread here and there. This little bird is my new sign of hope. May spring bring you a rabbit or bird for hope when you need it the most!

"March"ing On.

Hello.  It has been awhile.  Thirty days to be exact.  I was planning to post on another subject for my return post, but I received a phone call today.  My sister n law's father painful life ended this morning. My kindred spirit and thoughts went to her, her mother and brother.  I know that this day would be one of her worst days of her 42 years.  And as the day ticked into the night, I thought more about her and about the month of March.  It hit me that her father's death marked the seventh death in March which I had a personal connection to.
In the beginning of March,  it had been one year since my dear friend not only lost her father, but also her grandmother with in two day of each other.   March 5th was the day I lost a childhood friend to AIDS twenty-two years ago.  On March 24th, it will be nine years since my own father past away.  March 28th will be sixteen years since my great aunt past away. And ending the month, on March 29th, eleven years ago, my uncle past away. Each one of these people had indirectly or directly touched my life.
March has given me and example of how we are forced to move on.  Even on those days where something so painful as losing someone you love will force you to "reboot" yourself time after time.  Pushed to eventually "March" on.  It doesn't mean that the memory of them is no longer there.  I recall the memory of each person as if it were yesterday.   Take it from me, Don't be afraid to "reboot" as many times as needed and always remember to "March"on!

My Bloody Valentine!

Life Enhancement #32: Donate blood 4 times.


Happy Valentine's Day!  When I hear these words I think of "My Bloody Valentine".  My Bloody Valentine happens to be an alternative rock band from Dublin, Ireland who were popular in the early eighties. So, with that said,  I thought why not show my love for all people by giving blood on Valentine's Day!  I must admit that this may sound a little demented.  But did you know that  there is a huge need for blood donors?  Plus donating blood isn't that terrible.  You get cookies and juice.  You get the opportunity to meet nice people.  And for me,  I had a good feeling knowing that just maybe my gift may just save someone else's Valentine!  So, Happy Bloody Valentine's Day!

Interested in donating? http://www.redcrossblood.org/indianaohio

Book Club: Feb: "Minding Frankie"

Life Enhancement #5: Join a book club

"Minding Frankie" by  Maeve Binchy. (Release Date: 12/27/2011)

Book Description from publisher:
A tale of joy, heartbreak and hope, about a motherless girl collectively raised by a close-knit Dublin community.

I have 2 weeks to read this book and be able to discuss.  Have you read this book?  If you did, did you like it?  Let me know!  I have to confess I am more of non-fiction reader. I have this belief that if you read, you might as well learn something that has have fact behind them. So with that being said,  I hope to get some new facts on reading fiction.

Look for my Book Club review  in a few weeks!

Comment On Comment Card #1

Life Enhancement Goal #41:  Fill out 4 comment cards

Such a simple thing to do while waiting for the bill. 

Hello, Denver, Colorado!

Life Enhancement #20: Visit 4 States: State #1> Colorado

Who could be in a bad mood at this altitude

That clears your head and sets your spirit straight?

The Rockies stand like sentinels

Keeping watch over us animals both small and great.

Maybe pick a wild flower in a sunny field

Or catch a can o'corn at Coors field?

Hello Denver, Colorado.

Your mountain air makes me feel like I can fly

Hello Denver, Colorado.

Your green hills and your blue sky

keep me coming around, round round round....

-The Denver Song- Jewel

“Yeah-Boo-Aha"!!!!

Life Enhancement # 44: Finish writing the book that I have been working on for 14 years.

Did you ever have a moment  where life is at a all time high?  Then in an instant the moment plummets to its lowest?  And just when you think all is lost, another instant themoment seems to even itself out?   I call these moments “Yeah-Boo-Aha” moments.
Here is an example.  The  moment started  afterspending a good four hours setting up lights, battling shadows, checking angles, capturing 38 minutes of raw video, sharing laughs and stories.  I was feeling pretty, pretty good! Yeah! I started the upload of all the video fromthe camera to the Mac.   With a few trials and errors, all the videoswere uploaded  (I will confess I am not really a Mac user) I thought.  I took one final checkof the camera!  The discovery sent panic.  No sight or sound of the videos in the camera’smemory! I looked for the videos on thecomputer.  Folder was empty.   No evidence of the hours spent.  Gone.  BOO! Stunned and scared, my mindraced for plan B.  How could I be so arrogantto think I had the expertise?  Did I mention I am not much of a Mac user? Why didthis happen? How could this have happened? What am I to do?  We would have to redo all that work.  Time that was  filled with moments now simply erased between the transferfrom the camera to the computer. My co-partner on the project laughed, but I wanted to cry.  But then the changing instance came  as a voice inmy head.  “Look here!” it said.   And I did!  I looked in one more folder on the computer. There was the 38 minutes, lined up in little segments.  Aha!   How silly I was to doubt myself.  In those quick moments, taking only mere seconds,  Lifetaught me a lesson which is to never give up! 

There has beenmany reasons that it has taken 14 years to finish a novel that I have in my head.  A novel which resides in spiral notebooks and on several computers.  So over the last several days, I started to get excited.  I  tried to take these 14 years of ideas and transfer them to one central location.  I was still even excited about the concept.   But then things got  little foggy.  I realized that my life was so different when I was in my thirties.  Where was I going with this characters? What was the story line? Where was the ending? I became very frustrated.  I started to second guess why I would commit to finishing this book.  A novel that probably no one would  read let alone even care about.  And then, an ad popped up on my monitor:  Aha!

I got it, the moment where there was this sign.  A sign (ad)  that anyone can write a novel and win! Aha!  Now every night, I write 5pages.  I know I won’t be able to submitmy novel this year, but I can tell you that I am going to enter it nextyear. And really what is another year?

Maybe you have a novel that you have written and is just sitting there in a box or in a folder on your computer.  Take the chance and submit it.  You may just find that you have a “Yeah-Boo-Ahh” moment! And if you do, let me know, because if you do I will promise I care and I will read it.

Click here to find out more about the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award

Loose 5, Give 15!

Life Enhancement #17: Donate 4 Full bags to the Salvation Army/Goodwill.

Things seem to be moving in the right direction.  I have lost 5 lbs.  I am now in the double digits of the lbs I want to loose out of 104 lbs.  I will admit it hasn't been easy, but 2 weeks in and I am starting to adapt. Diet foods can be a bit cruel for someone like me with major plumbing problems. Most diets consist of whole foods: fruits & vegetables, grains and nuts.  These food groups give me nothing but pain.  But I am trying an experiment.  I am trying to toughen up my muscles by eating these foods (except for the nuts) in moderation and at night.  I want to see if my body will adapt. So far, so good.

And  to celebrate my little loss!  I decided to start on one of my "44 Life Enhancements-#17: Donate 4 Full bags to the Salvation Army or Goodwill".  I dropped off 1 large 15 lb. bag  of clothes to the Goodwill store today!  One bag delivered three more to go!

"Before giving, the mind of the giver is happy;

while giving, the mind of the giver is made peaceful;

and haven given, the mind of the giver is uplifted."

-Buddha-

Life Enhancement Goals

I am doing a dance!  It is Friday!  I hope you are as well! Work has been pretty busy with the start of the new year and training a new hire.  The weekend will be a welcomed break.
I am looking forward in completing  a few of my "44 Life Enhancements" (Link to the list) over the weekend.  Excitement has already begun to get this reboot really started!  And I believe that I have mapped out my course with signing up for classes, filling out volunteer forms, and securing dates.  I look forward in going down this new road. One that I hope is much different than the last.

I keep repeating to myself the words from the poet Robert Frost:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference."

from the poem "The Road Not Taken"- Robert Frost

link to the entire poem

Starting the Reboot!

Goodbye  2012.  Hello  2013.  I don’t know about you, but I am glad 2013 is here.  For me, I hit my lowest in2012.  I won’t bore you with the detail snow.  I am sure they will surface sooner or later.  2012 has driven me to make2013 the year of  the “REBOOT 44”.  

REBOOT: the process of restarting a computer or electronic device to recover from an error or to re-initialize.  44: the number of years that I am about to be alive.  So, in a nut shell, I am rebooting my life in my 44th year!  So welcome to the blog named, REBOOT44. 

For the next year I plan to do the following: perform 44 ACTS OF KINDNESS, ENHANCE LIFE in 44 ways, and to become 104 lbs lighter.  And I am going to document it all in the hope that others use some of the ideas, encourage others to contribute ideas and for my own accountability.  It is a small world we live in.  Our lives are short.   Help this struggling soul save her life and improve some others.