More from Charlie

So last night I had my last class of the year. Yee ha! I have a glorious 3 weeks off....I haven't had anytime off from school since it started a year and a half ago...well I've had one week off but 3 whole weeks!! I don't know that I'll know what to do with myself if I'm not squeezing in homework or reading. Woo hoo...merry christmas to me!

So I got home last night and read my new book again - The Travler by Daren Simkin. It's probably one of the best gifts I ever got. It's a fast read and the last two pages really give me pause....that little Charlie sure has some good thoughts that I can relate to.

"And as Charlie spent his final itsy-bitsy seconds on his friend, he was loved.

It may not have been perfect...but he was happy."

That is such a powerful statement! He was happy. Is it really just that easy?

How the heck did Charlie do that?

Mistletoe....it's misunderstood

What is mistletoe anyway and how did it get to be a Christmas tradition. Why can't you find it anymore either? Whenever I hear mistletoe I get a girlish school girl giggle (I can giggle like a school girl!) and think of kissing someone....hee hee...now it's making me blush!!!

So I of course googled it - The word "Mistletoe" is derived from the Old English words, "mistel" (dung) and "tan" (twig). The plant is thought to be named after bird droppings on a branch.

Um.....dung twigs? That doesn't make me want to kiss anything!! Hmm, I have to do some further digging on this one.

Mistletoe is also said to be a sexual symbol, because of the consistency and color of the berry juice as well as the belief that it is an aphrodisiac, the “soul” of the oak from which it grows. Okay, now I'm getting on bored with this whole mistletoe thing. However, I never thought of it as a sexual symbol. Interesting. I might have to ponder this more.

The origin of the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe is vague. However, the tradition may have stemmed from either the Viking association of the plant with Frigga (the goddess of love) or from the ancient belief that mistletoe was related to fertility. Umm, you had me at sexual symbol...but let's continue to investigate.

The correct mistletoe etiquette is for the man to remove one berry when he kisses a woman. When all the berries are gone, there's no more kissing permitted underneath that plant. Woo hoo, I have got to find a plant with ALOT of berries!

One legend states that a couple who kisses underneath mistletoe will have good luck, but a couple neglecting to perform the ritual will have bad luck. Specifically, it is believed that a couple kissing under the mistletoe ensure themselves of marriage and a long, happy life, while an unmarried woman not kissed under the mistletoe will remain single for another year. Freakin' A are you kidding me? Why is the single girl always on the outs! Dang it...where is the positive for the single girl? Is life really just about finding a mate? Jesh! Let's continue!

Maidens may place a sprig of the plant under their pillow at night in the same manner a child places his or her lost tooth in anticipation of a visit from the Tooth Fairy. Umm, what will visit us? Tee hee. Maybe I've been going about things all wrong? Instead of exchanging teeth for money, however, the sprig of Mistletoe allows women to dream of their Prince Charming. Oh...never mind. Burning a mistletoe plant is also thought to foretell a woman’s marital bliss, or lack thereof. A mistletoe that burns steadily prophesies a healthy marriage, while fickle flames may doom a woman to an ill-suited partner. Got a match?

Well....myth solved. Apparently mistletoe is more complex than I imagined. I just like the thought of it in it's simplest form....a kissing prompting device. Who doesn't enjoy kissing? It's not a bad way to spend some time.....with someone you have a connection with, what's wrong with a good old kiss? Sometimes you just gotta pucker up and take one for the team!

Bring on the mistletoe!

My new favorite book

I got a early Christmas present....it's a book called The Traveler - I shall quote from it today. It's amazing!

There once was a boy named Charlie, who had a nice life - but it
wasn't quite perfect. he had to spend too much of his time doing things he didn't want to do. So one day he packed up all his time in a suitcase, locked it up and set off to find a better way to spend it. Charlie traveled the world looking for the perfect thing to make him happy. In the meantime, unbeknownst to him, his itsy-bitsy seconds and silky, smooth hours raggedy days ticked away so that when Charlie stopped traveling and realized what he truly wanted out of life, it was almost too late.

Almost.

Can we really pack up our silky smooth hours? Do we want to? It's the sweetest book I have ever read and it clearly has a message that says to don't waste your time, your silky smooth hours or your itsy-bitsy seconds looking for something better. Be happy where you are at. Be glad with what you have and laugh with your friends.

I have a lot to learn from Charlie.

Comfortable

There is something to be said for our own comfort level. Comfortable shoes, pants, people, food even relationships....comfortable. Sometimes comfort can be misleading. It leads us to a false security that we become familiar with and grow to expect. It then becomes harder every time to find that same level of comfort. I want to be comfortable.

It's like you have the most comfortable pair of shoes. The fit perfectly and are like walking on clouds all day.....but they get ruined and now you expect to find another pair that is just as comfortable - you have this unrealistic expectation of comfort that you may never find again. Same with relationships...that's why we are draw to certain people.....that's why we stay connected with them because it feels comfortable, safe, easy....you know what to expect. What has to happen for us to realize that comfortable isn't always the way to stay? Do we have to break outside out own comfort level and try new things to be able to get rid of the old? Do we really have to get rid of the old or do we learn to deal with the way things change?

I've said it before.....it's hard being an adult. I'm sitting in the comfort of my house listening to the wind howl and thankful I'm home safe. The weather outside is frightful.....I was out haningm out with old friends today. These are people I don't get to see a lot but used to spend a lot of time with. As life moves on we've stayed connected but we definitely don't get to hang out as much as we like to but these are safe, warm, trusted comfortable friends who really know me. We have history, lots of history and it's so nice to be with people who just get you. I like that I don't have to define myself with them. I can just be me and they are fine with that....no judging, no explaining...just laughing,having fun, catching up and sharing life stories.

Then there are new friends you meet. Sometimes you meet someone and you immediately feel a level of comfort with them and there is an instant connection. I like them, I like spending time with them and I think they like spending time with me....it's a new comfort.

I wonder if the Universe has put them in your life to help with transitioning of old comforts to new comforts? Can one comfortable thing replace another?

Creating the brand that is you

I am almost done with school...just barely 6 months and I'm getting scared. Scared that in 6 months from that I'll be doing the same thing wondering why I spent a crap load of money on an education I am not using so I thought I better start doing something about this now.

I expressed my concerns to a co-worker who gave me some good advice. She talked about creating a brand for yourself. Interesting - isn't that kind of like trying to figure out who you really are? Isn't that what we are all struggling to do? How is personal brand different? So I did some searching....here's what I've discovered.

Creating a personal brand is a way for each of us to distinguish ourselves in the marketplace of work. It all starts with this one question: What makes you unique? What do you offer to an employer or client that no one else can offer?

I means that we have to really think about ourselves in a very different way, we almost become a commodity. Brand holds power for companies it only holds true that it should hold power for us as well. I think it does. If I really think about it there are a few people I know that really have a personal brand. You just know exactly what they will say or do in any given situation. You can count on them and you know when they are involved, things get done.

Does that make them predictable? Oh no...if I create a personal brand will I be predictable, stagnate....boring? Why does this scare me? Is my freind Sarah right? Am I scared of succeeding? Oh my god, am I scared of succeeding?! That's crazy.....right?

Back to the whole personal branding thing....companies usually have a image around their brand. I need an image....I also think I need a theme song but I better work on my personal brand then image then song. The fact is that everyone of us are special in some way and we have unique skills, life experiences, and personal characteristics that define us and for the right employer, given the right situation, that combination adds up to a very special value. I thought I offered that now but if I did a survey I bet I'd be surprised to see the results. I want my personal brand to be one of hard work, dedication all while enjoying the ride. I want to be known as the person you want on your team because she will always get the job done but with flair, fun, and not in the usual way. Is that a brand? Is that possible?

The other advice my coworker gave me was even if you don't know what the next step is keep moving, just forge ahead because as you keep moving it will become clearer. It's the stopping or the standing still that gets you lost.

Your personal brand is what gives you value in the work place, it's not a job title. I guess it still comes down to the fact that you have to figure out who you are.

Who am I anyway?

What me cynical?

Someone today called me cynical. Am I a cynical person? I had to think about that. I mean we all can be a bit cynical at times...right? I am cynical about some things for sure....like love or when people tell me something I don't believe, hmmm maybe I am cynical.

Oscar Wilde said that a cynic knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. Do I know the value of nothing? Does nothing even have a value?

The dictionary defines cynical as - having or showing the attitude or temper of a cynic: as a: contemptuously distrustful of human nature and motives b: based on or reflecting a belief that human conduct is motivated primarily by self-interest.

I wonder, do I distrust? I think on some level I do. But who do I really distrust? Is it others or is it myself? Can you not trust yourself? I sometimes think of my distrust as my own oddities but if I really think about it maybe it's my cynical side. Like whenever I get a coffee I have to test the lid (and straighten it, I hate it when it doesn't line up with the logo and the cup holder thingy) to be sure it's on tight. Wait....maybe I'm just more anal retentive then I thought I was....maybe it's not being cynical as much as it's being bossy.....yes...that's got to be it. I'm fine with that...I'm fine with being bossy but cynical...that's not OK.

I would say my dad is a cynical person, he wasn't always....or wait...was he? Man it's hard to separate reality from what we've created for ourselves as our reality isn't it? I mean my reality is what I've created, it's what I've lived, or think I've lived. Maybe I am crazy...or cynical. Now I am doubting not only my sanity but my cynicism.

Do we really become our parents as we age? Do we turn into them at some point because that is what we know? What we've witnessed? I'm worried. I see myself doing or saying things that instantly take me back to my father....why does it have to be my father...why can't it be my mother..wait she's crazy too. Anyway, I say things that make me kind of cringe because that is SO something my dad would have said...but I don't want to be like him. There were some parts of my dad that I did admire though...he was a great gift giver...I'd like to think I can accept the good things. It's bad enough I have to look like him but man, can't I develop my own personality that isn't him?

How do we create a new outlook for ourselves? Can we change that?

14 days until Christmas.....then this year is almost over. I can't believe it's gone....it's amazing how fast time goes when you look back on it. Looking forward to something seems to drag time but when you look back on time it seems to have flown. So much to process before the new year starts, not even sure where to begin.

Cynical....please!!

Happy?

Seems like everyone is struggling to "find themselves" or their path or even to be happy. I talked with a woman yesterday who said she watched some movie with Gweneth Paltrow...can't remember what it's called...I think she said it's called Sliding Doors?? maybe...anyway she made a comment that went something like this....

Life always works out like it's suppose to. You always end up
where your suppose to be no matter what path you have chosen to take because you are where you are suppose to be.

Interesting isn't it....no matter what, you are where you are suppose to be. I'm not sure I really want to believe that....but I guess I will have to go find that movie to see what it tells me.

Then on the radio this morning the DJ's were talking about being happy and that due to the economy or whatever, people in general are not happy. They posed this questions "If money didn't matter, what would you be doing?" the idea is to then incorporate a little of that into your life and it will increase your happiness level. Not to totally quit and walk away from what you are doing but to add little bits of what gives you great joy and that will slowly increase your happiness. I buy that...to an extent but honestly....money does matter....because what I'd be doing right now if money didn't matter was to be laying on a beach in Mexico with a fruity drink. That takes money.....that would make me really really happy too. Ahh...but I get the message in the whole bigger picture kind of a way. Little moments make us happier....overall.

I love Christmas music...I could listen to it year around - especially the older stuff...makes me feel all warm and fuzzy and the magic of Christmas seems to exist again for a little bit. I miss the magic of a Christmas morning. When you wake up to the lit up Christmas tree, presents spilling out from under the tree and the sound of paper tearing as you wonder what is in the package. I miss that part of Christmas....once you lose that can you ever get that feeling back?

I don't mind the winter, I don't even mind the snow what I do mind is how stupid people seem to get in this weather. Honestly....if you CHOOSE to live in Minnesota...it's gonna snow and if you CHOOSE to own a car you are going to have to drive in it....it's not rocket science. Good lord.

I've managed to avoid the winter cold bug that everyone seems to be sharing until Sunday. I awoke to a stuffed head that has progressively gotten worse over the last few days. I'm hoping today is the height of it and going forward it's going to get a little bit better everyday because I do not have the energy or time for feeling crappy. Ugh. I went to bed at 8pm last night. I took a big old swig of NyQuil and settled in to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas as I drifted off to la la land. It was not the right Charlie Brown Christmas show....it was a really annoying one and frankly who wrote it...it was mean and kinda whiny...what the hell? Christmas isn't mean or whiny....I need to see the good Christmas shows...when do they start?

Okay, well despite everything, I am going to be happy....I am going to focus on the good and move forward...bring on 2009 I'm ready.