PARKING

Sometimes you may need to park for a very short time... maybe even just a moment or two.   Well, that's actually called standing. But parking,  real parking,  could end up being anywhere from 5 or 10 minutes to hours or possibly even days, or weeks.

The places that you park, vary.
Maybe you park at the train station when you go to work downtown for the day. Maybe just for an hour in a grocery store parking lot.  There's  Parking/ Tail gaiting at a Bears game or NASCAR event. And even trying to fit into a space in the city while all the crazy traffic is zipping by you. 

Many times people are concerned or fearful of leaving their car in a parking lot or using a parking garage.   Quite often one doesn't know if your car will still be there in good condition when they get back and in the other case people especially women are fearful of parking garages that are often not well lit or patrolled.

There is also ANOTHER kind of parking that comes to mind for me.
That is the kind of parking that is mindlessly done so often, in our lives , to the point that we are unaware that we are even doing it.   
Maybe it is because there does not seem to be a fee or charge to pay for this kind of parking,
but in reality this is the most expensive parking human beings do.

This parking cost more than money, and does not even involve your car.

This parking will cost you your life.

Explaining:
The Huron street parking garage is connected to Northwestern Memorial Hospital. The people who own and run and work at this garage are exceptional.
The garage not only is clean,
but well lit and patrolled with friendly security people who maintain the place like you were family.

Compassionately  there is also a  discounted rate given through the hospital to those who park there while visiting their loved ones. 

This half rate is especially vital for people who are losing income due to illness and can not afford much extra outside of they're normal bills and living expenses.

THIS IS A GREAT PLACE TO PARK.
It is a great choice!

But what about some of the places that we park our Lives?
Home
Work
Relationships
Or you name  in your head, where you feel you may have parked a bit to long.....

Kind of dimly lit?
Difficult to see what is ahead for you?
Dirty, Dingy, and Disrespected environment and surroundings?
A lack of concern or compassion for those who are parked there?

Yeppers!  The cost can be high. Too High when it comes to it costing you your life to park there.

Just like you don't usually take a trip without planning, ....when did we stop planning for the trip  that is called
our life?

When did we learn to settle for less and less and less and still think we were in a good spot.

Today's challenge is to call things what they truly are.

Assess our ability to make things better in the place we currently have parked our life.

Total up the real cost.
And decide if it's time,
and if there is a way for us
to hit the open road again.

Try driving with the "top down" in a sense, on the next good weather day.

Give the front windshield a quick cleaning and take a good long look at where you're heading on the road ahead of you.

And for a second,  only a quick second take a look into the rearview mirror and remember where you have been parked.

Ask yourself if there are any new adventures and experiences that would make your life and your bank account healthier and more satisfying.

Remember that you have a Licence, NOT just a permit....
and Remember who is in the Driver's seat of your life.

Love and peace of mind
Delight and clarity of purpose,
to you and those you love,
JOY

BEND OVER

What do you think when you hear the words bend over.

As a child I learned to be very afraid of those words. Whatever I had done prior to hearing the words, bend over was usually the very thing that I was about to receive either a whipping with my dads belt, or a whole bunch of very painful whacks with the solid oak wooden fraternity paddle which  my mom had from College.

Either way...this wasn't looking good.

That was then. This is now...

BEND OVER has a whole new meaning for me now...and I LOVE it!

I recently bent over in a very special way.

Sitting in a chair,  I bent over...to tie my shoes.      And not only leaning forward was I still able to breath...but able to carry on a brief conversation at the same time.   

Then I said to my friend...LOOK!  I can put both of the palms of my hands flat on the floor.

The stress weight I have been carrying  on my stomach is beginning to burn off

I have gotten rid of 4 pounds this week.

I have eaten  only GOOD fuel and drank only vitamin water.

All of my URGES for Fast Food are gone.

And I will awaken alert and ready for my day at 7:30 a.m.

So...breathing is great, but bending over...forwards and backwards...
BOTH....are making me much more flexible.
Like I used to be!

Love and peace of mind
delight. and clarity of purpose
to you  and those You Love,
Joy

VARIETY

Only the most recent are  "LONG-ASS" Posts.  They are my offering  to a place I have loved helping to build and to the amazing , brilliant, funny, caring people I have had the privilege of sharing life with over almost 14 years.

There is MUCH MORE variety and humor in past posts available in archive list.    :  )

Please feel free to subscribe here
and also go to:
www.PlayfulPutOns.com
to keep in touch.   

GREATNESS

TODAY I shook the hand that shook the hand of someone historically significant in Argentina.   

I've worked with this wonderful woman for years, but never ate lunch with her, or got the chance to share our lives much. 
TODAY,  when asked by this dear lady if I am doing o.k. ......
I busted out SINGING  the first line of the tune:
"DON'T CRY FOR ME ARGENTINA!"....

Well ...I was floored that something this simple could bring up a topic of who's famous hand she shook.....
Ask her....
she's in the  housewares department or hard home as its called.  

She is lovely and hard working and honest, and like everyone else on the planet...has a 30 second story that would amaze you.

No one is expendable in the history of this planet.

And this simple comment reminded me that  people go to a job,
and wear a uniform of sorts,
and chug down their list of  requirements,  coupons and such
while someone's monitoring, devaluing and critiquing  their performance...

...all the while requiring them to become less interactive and  less human.

Glad for a chance to hear this 20  to 30 second event... a seriously cool event  in this woman's life.

Its these life experiences that make for a better sales associate interaction with customers...but wait...that was when  we used to do clientele and customer service at its best.  

Developing a RELATIONSHIP with the customer was the PRIORITY that brought REAL customers back to shop again & again.

You and I understand
that having a brief conversation
with the women who offers up to you that THIS...a trip to OUR store...
was her FIRST outing
AFTER 6 months of CHEMO.
Is NOT being " chatty".

Really. ....

Well ...with 10 people in line behind her and 3 of us ringing and 2 managers drinking coffee somewhere....you can BET I am going to
effectively take care of her transaction.REMOVE ALL of  her SENSORS......serve her with a smile...
AND INTERACT with her like the brave,  beautiful, human being that she is.  

Tell me not to get so " Chatty"
Tell me to move through the line quicker.
Tell me to focus on getting
someone to open a credit card.

Y'all can try doing a 2 hour shift alone, or a 15 person line by yourself, with the customers laughing and pleasant while waiting.... tell me then, that your associates don't have "skills" that most of You never even bother to see.

Take a class
from your dock guys
and tracks ladies
and door greeters who are like the life blood of the store circulating throughout the departments.

They see and know, and are part of
how much is handled all day long ...often without any MOD assistance by your ordinary associate...

There is a family
a team of people
who have each others backs
AND each others hearts
and leap right in to help each other.
All day,
Every day.

I like to call them...
HEROS.
Cleverly Disguised as Store Associates
and a couple of managers as well....
Who Save the ASS of your store
More times per day
Than you will ever take the time
To care to know about.

ROCK THE SPACE YOU'RE IN HEROES.
You always do!

Love and Peace of Mind
Delight and CLARITY of Purpose,
To you and those you love,
JOY

Bordering On Magnificent HONORS

I LOVE when people are HONORED.
So often people WAIT to HONOR someone until they are too feeble of body and mind to realize what's being said. Or they actually wait till the person has DIED and " honor" them  in their casket.

In a Work environment, people are honored for Certain things.  Usually only for things that bring a company more obvious $$$$$, but not understanding & recognizing the day to day value they add even when not being watched.

My favorite HONOR of late is a dear young woman, wife, mom, human being who is working hard at the challenge of becoming a nurse.  

She is kind  brilliant hard working compassionate and so much more...who has chosen to further her life work, and become a nurse...and yet that positive step was not honored and encouraged by some, but seen more as an inconvenience.  

Well...Today she is actually HONORED and HONORING herself.  
She made HONORS in her current schooling.  
I LOVE that word.  HONOR.
EVERYONE should be HONORED.

Way to go Sweetie!

You ARE Rocking The Space You're In!
Proud of you.
Happy for you.
Believe in You!
Inspired by you.

News flash...you have inspired me to go back to school as well.
Thank you!

Love and peace of mind
Delight and clarity of purpose
to You and those you love,
JOY

Bordering On Magnificent AWAKE

I'm awake , and if you're reading this, you are awake too.

With only five hours of sleep and no alarm clock to wake me...my body was up , and moving, and excited about the day ahead.

There is a list, and a plan, and a purpose for this day , and my body is already in excited agreement with my mind, ready to take on the next 24.

There have been times in the past,  that my body and especially my mind, were not able to conceive that starting my day was a good thing.

My hand would involuntarily reach over and hit the snooze button multiple times in an effort to convince my mind that staying in bed was preferable to whatever lie ahead.

Today however,  as yesterday, ... 
"was a whole new roll of sushi"

I have always had a gift for making anything an adventure .

Most often I could do this effortlessly, because of my ability to see things in a fun twisted meaningful way, and because I genuinely have a heart for people.

I was often able to encourage others and also keep myself from  "going to the buffet for a second plate of crazy."

I have always been able to
Rock the space I'm in no matter what that space looked like, or where it was.

Over the past years and months, my environment, and MY allowing it to negatively affect and change who I am, began to become more noticeable and debilitating and unacceptable.

This past 48 hours, there has been no trying, no struggling, no fear, and no hesitation.

There has been only a wide open road ahead of me that apparently my whole being is ready, willing, and more than able to explore. 

So...you and I are AWAKE.
WE are Up and Moving.
We BOTH have 24 hours.

Let's ROCK THE SPACE WE'RE IN
TODAY... by choosing ONE thing on our bucket list, and taking action on it.

Big or small, even if that one thing is just to  NOT allow the people or circumstances or challenges in our environment today, impact, and negatively change the person we are inside ..........
That will be a day well spent!

YOU have a PURPOSE on this planet,...
in this...YOUR ONLY LIFETIME.

So do your day, Your way, and let the chips fall where they may.  

"High five" Tom from housewares,
Give Manny a whistle for me, and let Matt know his good heart and hard work and respect for others is admired and so appreciated.

I'm heading out to create a LIFE that won't make me want to hit the snooze button or go to the buffet for a second place of crazy.

Please try in your own way today
to rock the space you're in,
speak good things to each other,
and HONOR what an awesome person of integrity passion and brilliance you truly are.

Love And Peace of Mind
Delight and Clarity of Purpose,
To YOU, and those you love.

JOY

P.S.  click subscribe if you want to stay in touch.  Or just meet me back here to let me know How YOU Rocked YOUR day!!!!   <3

FLIP FLOPS

Is that Really Me in those Sparkly flip flops today??????

Yep.   Sure is.

And I'm wearing a cute pink floral top and a pink hoodie that says PRINCESS in sparkles on the arm, and has a sparkly tiara logo on the chest.

Yes. I'm dealing with the pain and illness of a loved one...yes I am on an adventure of life currently being funded ONLY by the love and Passion and DELIGHT that I've always had in "believing in the invisible".   

I have a Father, who just "happens" to be GOD.   My dad died when I was just 24 but my FATHER is God, and He created and loves and accepts and PROVIDES for me.   I may have gotten so caught up in my past LOVE of my life at the "day job", that I didn't have faith to leap into a new future without a net.

Well, My Babies....That ship has sailed, and I am TRULY EXCITED to be trusting my Father to whisper to me each step of the way.  

He is Faithful...

and although I didn't spend my time on the clock "preaching" about my Savior and Lord...in spite of my human-ness and random grumblings and especially
in spite of my frequent tardiness..
( which I realize was thoughtless)...

I hope you know what your friendship and teamwork and sharing of your lives has meant to me for 13 and a half years.   

Stay in touch, and I always HOPE to encourage, appreciate and validate just how AMAZING and BORDERING ON MAGNIFICENT you really are.

Love and DELIGHT,
Peace of Mind
and Clarity of Purpose,
to you, and those you love,
JOY