"What you give is what you get..."

Yes, you reap what you sow.... It's also in the Beatles song, 'and in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you send.' I wish I would have really thought about this when I was younger. My grandmother used to say, "Good intentions pave the road to hell," and how true that is... I always know the right thing to do, and then I don't plan well or I'm tired or something happens and I'm never quite able to give like I would like to. You can really see this on 'Birthday people.' Those are the folks that make a huge effort for other people's birthdays and then on their birthday, it does come back to them. I had a relative that didn't invest in anyone, and in the end, he didn't have any friends. He didn't give and he didn't get. My mother used to say, 'You have to be a friend to have a friend,' and she had lots of them. She invested time with them, they had lunches and called each other, and had lots of laughs.

This is where I get very frustrated. It seems my whole adult life that I have been trying to keep my head above water. And in whatever free time I do have, I want and need to invest in my children. There just isn't much time left... My mother never worked, so she actually had the time to do things with friends and be involved in clubs. But if I manage my time better, then I can do the giving to the areas of my choice, and then I'll enjoy the benefits. It's always about time management with me. And energy... I'm just not a high energy person. My mind is all about burning the candle at both ends, but my body says no!

Anyway, it's just one of the laws of this planet - what you give is what you get.

Learn it - Live it - Love it

Another Texan with a 'stach'...

"Perception is reality..."

Yes, it really is.... There used to be a man who's name was Archie Leach, who was shy and from lower middle class. He decided to move to Hollywood, change his name, wear expensive suits, and start acting debonair and VOILA, Cary Grant was invented. His perception became reality. And this was who he was for the rest of his life.

In the seventies, there was a best seller book called, "Dress for Success." The theory was that if you dressed for success in the interview, you were more likely to get the job offer. There IS a uniform for all different types of groups - bikers, doctors, gangs, country club set, Nascar groupies, Mafia, nerds - you name it. And if you dress the part, you're more likely to be invited in the group you want to be in. The perception will become the reality. If you've ever done any acting, you know that once you put the costume on, the lines become more real and it's easier to transform into your character.

A friend of mine used to have terrible depression. I used to tell him to fake it. Smile and laugh and fake your body out. No one wants to be around someone who is depressed all the time. Family will stay because they love you no matter what, but everyone else will seek out the happy people. But if you can laugh and pretend to be happy, then the perception will become reality.

You are the master of your own destiny. You write your personal story. Life is what you make it. You have a lot more control than what you think...

And another good 'stach'.......

"Practice random acts of kindness..."

On Thursdays I go to a networking group of business people for a luncheon. The members are pillars in our community and are real givers. Each week, we have an education segment, and recently we were asked to think about giving to someone randomly - an act of kindness. It had just happened to me the day before. In my car in the Starbucks line, I got up to the booth and they handed me my coffee and said I didn't owe anything. The car in front of mine had paid for it. I didn't know them! And it's not like I'm in my twenties anymore. It was a kind person practicing a random act of kindness and it made my day!
These kinds of things don't happen to me often, but today I got an email from a very good friend that practiced a HUGE random act of kindness. They had called the three places that I owed the most money to, and paid them in full! It's like manna from heaven! All I could say is WOW! (Well, my first thought was, are they committing suicide? They are in the same financial boat as me.) But they were trying to reduce my stress level, and it is such a huge load lifted. (And I can repay with my tax refund...)
A few years ago, I heard that we, as God's children, are supposed to be His arms and legs since He's a spirit. And when we are, WE get the blessing. It feels good. It's a win/win situation.
So, try it. Practice a random act of kindness. And some day, YOU'LL be the recipient...
And to my friend... THANK YOU and BLESS YOU... I will never forget this. You're a gem.

"You may all go to hell and I will go to Texas." -- Davy Crockett

Ok, I try not to get political on my blog, although it is a huge topic of interest to me. Hmmm... what do they say? Never discuss religion or politics (unless you want to argue?) But today is Texas' Independence Day! And voting day! I mean, you can't complain unless you're going to vote, RIGHT?? And, I'm proud to be a Texan. Both sides of my family go back generations here. My mother's side of the family fought in Texas' 'Come and Take It' Battle in Gonzales (Texas) and my great grandfather was best friends with Sam Houston (if you're reading this, and not from Texas, he's like the Father of Texas.)

Anyway, our great state is fairing much better than the rest of the country, and one of the main reasons is because of our great governor, Rick Perry. And even though he's an Aggie and I'm a Longhorn, my love of Texas surpasses my school loyalty. He's running against Kay Bailey Hutchison (oddly a Longhorn...) who, although seems like a pretty nice gal, I can't see replacing a perfectly good governor who has done a fabulous job, (especially in this country's current Depression) with a soft spoken gal who keeps dissing Perry... and who has voted fairly liberally for a self-described conservative. I mean, as we say in Texas, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it.' So get out and vote!

And Don't Mess with TEXAS!!

And the winner is........

Well...... Jake chose Vienna, just like the internet said... It's just so vintage guys.... they always choose the ditzy blonde that makes them feel smart...Poor Tenley... She's the good girl with the strong morals, and she's dumped in the end. And then there's Vienna, who married some guy quickly, and when he was shipped to Iraq, she drained his bank account, got a boob job and left him... the ex-Hooter's waitress... Let this be a lesson to all women... Men are predictable and have been since the beginning of time. It ALWAYS goes back to the exterior. Period.