Yelling at Referees!

A few nights ago, I found myself giving the referees at my son's basketball game a hard time. For those of you who have ever attended a sporting event with me, this probably isn't going to come as a surprise. My supportive father tends to be entertained, my kids might be a tad embarrassed and my husband gently lets me know on the ride home that I might have been a bit out of line. I suppose this behavior is typical of me. Yikes!

Now that a few days have passed, whatever I was hassling the referees about is hard to recall. On one hand, I was in the moment. I like to be in the moment. But, hello! I wasn't in the game. I was on the sidelines, frustrated but with absolutely NO control over what was happening on the court. And odds are good that I was probably more worked up than the players. Maybe I need to get a grip?!?

Funny thing about the above is that it can apply to how we live our lives. How often do we find ourselves really frustrated about something we can't control? How many times have we been so "in the moment" that we lose all perspective on the big picture? How many times have we reacted in a negative way? I support my kids playing sports because I believe that it helps create physically and mentally healthy individuals. I believe that winning & losing builds character, and their ability to deal with the ups and downs of it all will serve them well in future life situations. It seems yelling at referees isn't really a part of that BIG picture...

My challenge in the days ahead (please feel free to join me!) is to stay focused on the BIG picture. To remember that some aspects of life are out of my control and it's okay to thoughtfully spectate. As to the things I can control, I will remind myself daily to take actions that serve a positive purpose for those around me (this means not yelling at referees!). Please know, I'll be taking this challenge one day at a time, and if you happen to be sitting by me at an upcoming competitive event and see me falter, please feel free to hit me in the back of the head with chocolate or popcorn so I can correct my behavior. My family, friends and the referees will thank you!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy New Year! I hope your holidays were wonderful, filled with family, friends, laughter and fun. I also hope that you found a little time to relax and enjoy the days away from work and the daily routine. It's nice to get a break, even if it is centered around the hustle and bustle of the celebration.

And now it's January 2011. The beginning of a year that has the potential to be our best yet! A new year, like a new day that brings an opportunity to make choices that allow us to be the best we can be. It could be an opportunity to exercise a bit more, eat a bit less, be more positive to those around us or just relax and enjoy the moment. Whatever choices you make, I hope you'll cherish the ability. It's a beautiful thing to have choices...what choices will you make today that build a strong foundation for your tomorrows in 2011?

Stay tuned, there's more to come....
Photo Credit: dryicons.com

It's Scary out there!

Halloween is the "scary" holiday. Skeletons & ghosts, black cats, scary masks, carved pumpkin faces that flicker with shadow and light and screeching noises startle us along our path. Of course, Halloween also brings all sorts of costumes on sweet children ringing our doorbell and saying "trick or treat". They smile as they fill their bags with candy, somehow managing to return home with more than mom and dad were able to hand out in the same period of time. It's one of the amazing laws of Halloween!

Have you ever considered that life can be a little like Halloween? It can be scary and sometimes filled with shadows and light. It can be startling and yet, like the "scare", can be exhilarating and fun too. Like our trick-or-treaters, life can be filled with things that look intimidating but are really very sweet inside. And like the Halloween candy that we'll give out, life can give back in abundance as well.

I hope your Halloween is filled with scary, sweet and exhilarating experiences. And, I hope your life is too.

Happy Halloween!

Love & Friendship

"Through love , through friendship, a heart lives more than one life."
-Anais Nin

Life can be full of love and friendship or it can be isolated and lonely. What can you do to today to let the love and friendship in? How can you increase the love and friendship in your life? How can you share it with others?

Here's to an amazing weekend filled with love & friendship for you!

The Heart of Life....

If you pass me driving down the road, odds are pretty darn good that you'll find me belting out the lyrics to whatever song is on the radio. Sometimes I know all the words and if not, I almost always have a teenager handy to correct me. As you know, sometimes these lyrics make sense and sometimes I've just got to scratch my head and wonder, what the writers were smokin' when they wrote that stuff?

But sometimes if you stop and listen carefully, you can hear some really good things that will make you think.

John Mayer in the The Heart of Life:

"Pain throws your heart to the ground,
Love turns the whole thing around
Fear is a friend who's misunderstood
I know the heart of life is good"

And it's true, isn't it? Pain happens and love can make it better. And fear can help us, it can protect us, and it can push us beyond where we think we can go. And oftentimes the outcome makes life better than we ever dreamed it could be.

I hope today you can ponder just how good your life is, with all the experiences that have brought you to where you are today.

The heart of life is good, enjoy it!

Life's Isn't Fair!

Growing up I remember my Dad telling me repeatedly that life isn't fair. Sadly, here's a crystal clear example of him being right.

This is a picture of Robbie Hummel, last year's starting forward for the Purdue Men's Basketball Team. Led by Hummel, then a Junior, and Senior Chris Kramer, last year's team enjoyed win after win and top 10 rankings heading into the NCAA tournament. Then on February 24, Robbie Hummel came down awkwardly on his right leg tearing his ACL and ending his 2009-2010 season. Purdue Basketball fans mourned this loss and while other players stepped up in his absence to finish the season, the Boilers fell short of their NCAA tournament hopes.

Fast forward to the 2010-2011 season where the Boilermakers found themselves with a pre-season ranking of #2 the nation. High hopes surrounding this team and the return of Robbie Hummel, now a Senior with high school teammates E'Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson. That is, until the news broke, on an ESPN scrolling message during a college football game...in the 2nd practice of the season, after blocking a teammates shot, Hummel again came down on the right leg, tearing his ACL for the second time in 8 months.

Whether you are fortunate enough to be a Purdue Boilermaker alumni, fan or follower or even if you've just heard of them through this blog today, the sadness and disappointment for Robbie Hummel alone is tremendous. Why do bad things happen to good people!? Isn't one torn ACL in a lifetime enough? Of course we've all heard or lived similar stories of friends, family and acquaintances whose situations cause us to ask, "How can life be so unfair?" And we all wish we had the answer, as well as a way to make it better.

What we do know is that fair or not, life does go on, and we choose to make it whatever we want it to be. Will we choose to be better or bitter? USA Today reports that Robbie Hummel is attending classes, meeting with study groups and planning for surgery around Thanksgiving so as not to derail his education. Additionally, all Purdue Basketball fans hope that next year Grad School is an option for Robbie with a medical red shirt applied to this year. While none of this is ideal, it IS what it is. And my guess is that somehow, someway, Robbie Hummel will choose to be better. Better as a person, a student and an athlete because of this experience.

Today, whether you pause to appreciate your many blessings, become better due to unfair circumstances and go forward in a healthy way or help others to do the same, I hope you'll be the best YOU that you can be!

Happy Monday!

It's Monday, the beginning of a brand new week! Is your schedule a busy one, filled with appointments, events and commitments?

Hans Christian Anderson said, "Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower."

What can you do this week, as your go through your days to enjoy living just a little bit more? How can you share sunshine, enjoy freedom and experience every little flower along your path?

I hope YOU will make it an amazing week. You and those around you deserve it!