Bordering On Magnificent No Regrets

Regrets are heavy things.


I've lifted and carried some heavy things in life,
around my house, on the job, on my mind and in my heart.

I've helped move a car, a piano, lifted people, boxes and clothing at work.
I've moved furniture,
(Amy and I used to move furniture on a rug
and LOUDLY sing the "magic carpet song"
from the Disney movie Aladdin
as we pulled the piece across the floor.)

I've carried the weight of too many bills and not enough income,
I've carried the heaviness of being misunderstood by those I loved.
I've carried the pain of others and the confidences of many,
I have carried 2 children in my body
and these 2 and many more in my heart.

But the HEAVIEST suckers
I have ever carried... were REGRETS!

Regrets are absolutely crippling!

Regrets are the slipperiest suckers to get a grip on.

They obstructed my view of all of the enjoyable things
in my present moments and in my path ahead.

AND They Would Never stay where I put them,
Nope,...just kept rolling around in my head
at random times,
like when I was trying to sleep,
or focus on something good,
or plan a better tomorrow.

I found out a long time ago that
The Best I can do...
is the best I Can do.
....Today.
At this moment.

Regrets TAKE Time.

They take up SOOOOOOOOO much of life.

I stopped having time for them years ago.

I KNOW that I am doing my best
each day and each moment.

I know what my strengths are
and the areas I want to grow stronger in.

When something dressed up as a regret approaches,
I tend to say,
"Dude... I know that I kinda sucked at that,
but I did the best I knew how to do at the time."

I make choices now, not planning or willing to have regrets.
I always have the ability
to take the Great Thing from the experience
and move on into the new path.

This also leaves little tolerance for those
who want to judge me or others
by what they think they know about them,
or who rate others and their future by their past.

The good news is, this way,
I actually like the people I spend time with.

SOOOOOO......ROCK THE SPACE YOU'RE IN! ! !

NAME your next regret "DUDE"
Have a very brief conversation with it,
and then move FORWARD.....JoyFULLY.
(and tell me about it.)

Love and Peace of Mind,
Delight and Clarity of Purpose,
to you and those you love,
Joy

Bordering On Magnificent Another Day

Was Today a new day for you ? ? ?

How about Tomorrow ? ? ?

Every day is new but sometimes it can seem
like every day is just the "same old same old" .

Do you have many things that you do daily...
routine things???

What do you think you'd like to be doing
10 minutes from now?...
10 months from now?
10 years from now?

Do you want to be doing the same "daily" things years from now?

If not. . . read the book 10-10-10- by Suzy Welch.

Are there any priorities that we can add to our day today
that may increase the enjoyment of our lives tomorrow ? ? ?

One of mine is to be planning my day the night before.

Another priority I've added is to be
taking care of how I look and feel each day.

I've stopped living by default and want to encourage
everyone else to as well.

Rock the space you're in ! ! !

That's how we can possibly make the space we are in tomorrow
even better !

Love and Peace of Mind,
Delight and Clarity of Purpose,
to you and those you love,
Joy

BORDERING ON MAGNIFICENT

Do I Do My Best ? ? ?

Do You Do Your Best ? ? ?

Do I Believe that people really are doing the best they can at a given moment

in spite of all the variables in their day?

I believe that Lauren and her team at Hot Rods
the Hamburger place we ate at today, did her very best.

The tables were set up for the 10 of us before we even arrived.

Our big group was welcomed warmly and treated with genuine kindness and patience
as we settled in and placed our orders, even
with the groups many questions about "pricing specials"
and some joking as well.
Coleslaw made fresh for us...
and frosty Mugs of great root beer...

but then the soup came after the hamburgers...O.M.G.

To order soup and a burger and and stuff
and then have the soup come later than the burger. . .
is this really a problem?

I didn't think so, and I still don't.
Maybe slightly out of the usual order it was wanted,
maybe ordering more food than some were hungry for,
but a problem?. . No.

Lauren, YOU WERE AWESOME !
Thank you for a great meal!

So for the next 48 hours...
Let's all ROCK THE SPACE WE'RE IN with:
APPRECIATION and UNDERSTANDING and PATIENCE
for those who are trying their best to serve and assist us.

Love and Peace of Mind,
Delight and Clarity of Purpose,
to you and those you love,
Joy

BORDERING ON MAGNIFICENT NICK

.

Nick and I were on the same SOUTHWEST AIRLINES flight to San Diego .

We only talked for a moment when I asked him for the name of the HUGE book he was reading.

It is called The First Tycoon. I will probably need Cliff Notes to understand it...

but the fact that this guy Nick thought it was worth bringing on the flight to read

somehow made it intriguing to consider reading it myself.

Who did You see or talk to today that INTRIGUED You???

Did YOU encounter anyone who made you want to try something difficult,
or just beyond your personal skill set???

Just Think...
MAYBE YOU WERE THAT PERSON TO SOMEONE ELSE TODAY
......AND DIDN'T KNOW IT.

Rock The Space You're In ! ! !

Love and Peace of Mind,
Delight and Clarity of Purpose,
to you and those you love,
Joy

Bordering On Magnificent BETTY WHITE

Sat down and watched a few minutes of the show My Wife and Kids.

BETTY WHITE is on it playing a house keeper for the family.

In the past month I heard she has been on S.N.L.and other shows as well as in some upcoming movies.

Now.. . . . .Did you ever see someone who you thought was dead, but then found out that they were still alive?????

BETTY WHITE is still alive and kickin' and
rocking the space where she is...and lately she is ALL OVER THE PLACE !

Do you feel like parts of your life are dead zones?

Do you find yourself feeling like you are at an ending. . . .
of something...or of anything?

MAYBE YOU ARE JUST AT A BEGINNING OF SOMETHING.

Betty White has not re-invented her self,
she is just putting who she has always been
out there and we are still loving her.!!!

TODAY I am
putting myself OUT THERE once again.
Who knows what new thing, or beginning
will happen today!

How about you???
Are you READY to RECEIVE a new start??

ROCK THE SPACE YOU'RE IN ! ! !

Love and Peace of Mind,
Delight and Clarity of Purpose,
to you and those you love,
Joy

Bordering On Magnificent VACATION

Before reading...check out my launch video ! Joy

It's on youtube as: Bordering on Magnificent


Yep, I am back from San Diego and people are saying they almost didn't recognize me.
A real vacation will do that to you. But even when we stay home or have no time off from the day job, we can still have a mental change of pace and location in our head and in our perspective.

Shopping in San Diego included stops at 2 stores,
The GOODWILL resale store in Point Loma CA , and The CLOSET in the Westfield Mall in downtown San Diego CA .

My look and feel is Bordering On Magnificent... For almost no cash.
The HUGE thing was shopping with my 22 year old Daughter Amy.
Being with someone who is as edgy or freed up as you feel or want to feel...
can help move us out of what ever rut we may be in, mentally or wardrobe wise.

Saturday. . . Amy and I spent the afternoon with my mom and her friends and about 150 women who were all dressed in VICTORIAN clothing and accessories for a beautiful Victorian tea at the San Diego Woman's Club.
Again. . . a great experience of doing something totally "out of the box"

Monday... We went to see Sex and the City 2 with my mom (77) and 4 other Senior Friends including ONE lone male. The 6 of us made quite a harem for Jeff.

My mom and her life long best friend Shirley are both BORDERING ON MAGNIFICENT !
And they are like day and night .. . but they are so good together.

I believe that SAMENESS is highly overrated !
Oil and vinegar do not mix, but you can make one hell of a salad dressing with them
and a few spices.

Sometimes changing or as I prefer. . . ADDING new and different people,
personalities and activities to your world will be a gift to yourself
and to those in your space as well.

Although we are seemingly like day and night, my co-worker Liri at the day job and I had a Mini Moment a few months ago where she taught me the importance of Family, friendship, and spending time connecting with those who are far away.

Thanks to Liri being openly sad and astonished at the lack of connection I have with family,
I made time to spend this past week in San Diego with my mom and daughter, and am now working on a visit to my sister who I haven't seen in 17 years. Hugs Liri!
You Rocked the Space you're in, and enhanced our family's world!

Who do you think you already know? Who is someone you have seemingly little in common with? Try putting on a pair of huge or dangley earrings... or put on a skirt perhaps if you only wear pants...and Take a mini vacation this week.

PRETEND that you are a tourist, dress differently or add an accessory you wouldn't normally wear or feel comfortable with (Check out Goodwill)..possibly strike up a conversation with someone different than your self, even if you know, live or work with them every day, Let's suspend our usual judgements of others and see what we create, or receive.

Rock the Space You're In ! ! !

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

Joy

BorderingOnMagnificent Sushi

SUSHI. . . .

O.K. . . . First 5 seconds.... what are you thinking?

Mentally running through a list of your favorite sushi spots, favorite rolls, or possibly revisiting really good times with loved ones or business associates over a great meal?

Possibly the first thoughts were...I've had that...and it wasn't my thing.

Or even...YUK!!!! RAW FISH!!! EEEEWWWWW!!!! NO WAY I"D EVER TRY THAT!

Three years ago I disliked fish and did not even eat tuna salad or filet o fish from "Micky D's"" golden arches. If you asked me, I'd say...I don't like fish. It tastes too...well.. you know. . . ..Fishy! But upon further thought I'd realize that I LOVED Shrimp and Crab legs. Sushi. . No. RAW fish ...No.

Did I mention that three years ago, I was also carrying 74 extra pounds on my body???

I was eating mindlessly and frequenting places multiple times a day where "Everybody knew my name" and made me feel at HOME. The only liquid I consumed for years was Diet Coke and in a way that "BRAND" WAS "ME".

It felt good to be holding a can of Diet Coke in my hand or pulling through the drive through to get my Super Size Diet Coke and a smile from my friends on Lagrange Road.

Dropping 74 pounds and keeping 60 of it off for over a year and a half didn't come by counting and can'ts and by carefulness... It came off because I started to CARE about MYSELF and CREATE ways of DELIGHTING myself, and TREATING myself instead of living in fearfulness and stress and JoyLessNess.

I KEPT EATING ALL OF THE CRAP AND DRINKING DIET COKE ! !

BUT ...... I ATE IT WITH CHOP STICKS ! ! !

Eating "regular" foods like french fries and chicken tenders with chopsticks was a big part of shaking up the usual patterns in my head and in my day. I would eat outside or in the center court in the mall and passers by would SMILE at me or strike up a conversation about how unusual and fun it was to see someone use chopsticks.

Something as simple as learning to juggle my food with a couple of sticks was not only making ME healthier ( I felt fuller faster...and actually TASTED my food.) but also creating a "mini moment" with random strangers! ! !

ALONG WITH USING CHOPSTICKS... I ADDED FOOD! Lots of it! I added good foods like eating at Schoops at the mall, every day. ( The Food AND the People who work there are BORDERING ON MAGNIFICENT !!!) I Added DARK chocolate every day, Edemame from Trader Joes! (healthy filling, and fun to eat!) ONLY ADDING FOOD...NO DEPRIVATION...NO RULES!

Using chopsticks, learning to play chess...Taking a belly dancing class for a couple weeks...eating outside...trying Sushi...or painting your fingernails black ( or dark teenager blue)for a couple weeks can RESET what you think you know about yourself, your possibilities and your purpose for being on the planet.

Can You Think For Yourself???? Can You Decide For Yourself?

Can You Make Changes that feel good rather than "Trying" to change, because you "Should"?

We are all better than we think we are,

but we only feel as magnificent as we give ourselves permission to be.

For The Next 2 Weeks...Add Or Try Something NEW or renew a forgotten pleasure.

Grab some extra chopsticks from Panda Or your local chinese takeout and carry them like you do a pen. USE THEM RANDOMLY.. at home and in public...DON'T WAIT to get good at it !!! It is NOT about what you look like or using them with skill...It Is About Learning and Enjoying and having Fun NOT BEING PERFECT!

Let me hear about your experiences!

ROCK THE SPACE YOU'RE IN !!!

Love and Peace of Mind,

Delight and Clarity of Purpose,

to you and those you love,

Joy

Bordering On Magnificent Creating Smiles

If you are one of my beloved customers at "the day job".. . . (Yes...I really DO care about and enjoy you!) . . . you already know of my intentions to open a coffee/martini bar on the open counter space next to my FAVORITE register by the mall doors.

I recently informed my store manager Dave who I respect and admire.. . . ..about my plans for this beverage venue. I told him that I've found it easier to ask for forgiveness rather than permission but wanted to give him a "heads up".He smiled. .. ( I like to make him smile )

I still have not given up on my year long quest to create

AND fill the the job of "Bed Mannequin " in our store.

I feel I would excel in this position and could enhance the atmosphere of the store by being the "Go-To Girl" for information about merchandise as well as the location of essentials such as the washrooms, elevators, concert ticket sales area and shopping carts,...all while making the sheets, covers and pillows look absolutely yummy and irresistible.

DO YOU FEEL STUCK ?

For the next three days. . .Take what you "do" and make it exceptional, quirky, or delightfully fun. . . for yourself and for those around you!

And tell me about it.

ROCK THE SPACE YOU'RE IN!

Love and Peace of Mind, Delight and Clarity of Purpose

to you and those you love,

Joy

Bordering On Magnificent THE TAJ MAHAL

GREAT day with MyMom andMyDaughter in SanDiego

You will hear about that tomorrow... ( or see it on the news???)

I heard this story years ago and asked mom for a re-telling to share with you.

Mom had been on her own in Chicago since my dad kidnapped my sister and I in 1963 and left for Las Vegas with moms best friend and her daughter.

No worries ! We 3 kids were fine and mom started building a new life including getting a job that same week.

Eventually ( in 1980) this life led her to Burbank California, working retail security for the Broadway Department stores. During these years, her love of travel continued and she planned a trip to Nepal. It was an amazing trip...but then again, mom can make a trip to Target an adventure.

Somehow, due to unforseen circumstances she was not able to see the Taj Mahal before arriving at the airport to depart for home. A fellow traveler Anuk was horrified that she had come all that way and missed seeing " His TAJ " Yes... he actually said " Joan, you must stay and see My TaJ. Mom insisted that she couldnt as she had no hotel and was expected back at work and "couldn't afford " to lose her job. Anuk insisted that his sister and brother in law would allow her to stay at their home and be her guide to the Taj Mahal and see her off from the airport.

Anuk was an influencial man, a reporter for the Delhi Times Paper, and even offered to cable or

phone from his office to speak with moms boss about the change in plans.

BUT. . . being a loyal employee AND needing her job she reluctantly declined the offer and flew home. Upon her return to work the co-workers were abuzz with questions about her trip. Especially. . .How Was The Taj Mahal ? ? ? Silence . . . my mom explained that she had missed it due to having to return to work. Her manager said incredulously...HOW COULD YOU GO ALL THAT WAY AND NOT SEE THE TAJ MAHAL????????You should have stayed!!!

Mom said- yes, you are saying that now but if I had it would have been a different story. I was afraid I would lose my job!

Well... My mom stopped being afraid of nearly anything that day... She looked at me after telling that story to me years ago and said...

"KID,. . . NEVER MISS THE "TAJ MAHALS" IN YOUR LIFE..
. . . .FOR ANYTHING ! "

Rock the space you're in!

What will you, or did you do today

to not miss a Taj Mahal moment in your own life?

Let me know.

Love and Delight, Peace of Mind and Clarity of Purpose

to you and those you love,

Joy

Flying On Southwest Airlines Customer Service 101

There is a menu of "sips" or available beverages on a card in the seat back on this flight.

I study it and decide on a diet coke (free) and a Chardonnay by Coastal Ridge for $5.00

After the selection of snacks (take as many as you'd like) are passed...here come the beverages.

I attempt to hand my $5.00 bill to the flight attendant, and she says with a smile

" Oh, The first one is on me."

What? The price was clearly marked...$5.00, but she is offering me a free one first? No jumping through hoops? No frequent flyers coupon required? No dicking around???

(It turns out . . . after I offered her the $5.00 for a second glass of wine later in the flight that Southwest only takes credit cards, but this lovely woman only mentioned that AFTER giving me the second one "on her")

Her smile, kindness and demeanor never changed...and what could have been an embarrassing moment or one which was voiced for all to hear was handled graciously and with class.

WOW! Southwest Airlines associates who are TRUSTED and freed up to offer GENUINE customer service without fear of losing their job!

Southwest Airlines Respecting and Trusting that the people that THEY interviewed and hired, WILL make the BEST decision for the customer AND the company.

Gotta LUV Southwest Airlines !

FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS......

TRUST worthy people who are trust WORTHY

( including yourself )

and share your story with me !

ROCK THE SPACE YOU'RE IN !

Love and Delight, Peace of Mind and Clarity of Purpose

to you and those you love,

Joy