Quote of the Day: “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Eleanor Roosevelt
Tomorrow I am going to start my journey of no processed sugar, no candy, desserts etc. from now until January 1. If I put it in my blog, it will make me stick to my goal. I hate how sugar makes me feel and these are the hardest months for sweets coming up. So there you go, I’ll let you know the impact on my energy level and how it affects my running which I will be able to resume in a week and a half!
So I was thinking about friendship and levels of friendship and low and behold a card comes in the mail from Carol Skeen. It says “Friends. Whose faith in you can lift you right you out of yourself; and then “We all let people into our lives, but you will find that really good friends let you into your own”. Either way, I think the point is that friends really enhance our living- they give us the confidence to persevere. Here are two examples of how friends enhanced my life this week.
#1 I talked to Laurie on the phone this week and she mentioned how writing each day helps develop your writing skills. I hadn’t really thought of my own skills developing through blog writing but when you spend some time each day in writing, which for me really makes me process how I feel about a certain topic or incident, and put it into words, your bound to get better at it. I told my students for years that “You really don’t know what you think until you write it down” and it’s true. The writing process feels like the cogs of my brain are moving. Perhaps I have traded hair preparation time for blog writing time- which seems like a good trade. All I know is that it is very therapeutic and if the words can’t come out and in that process be more clearly understood, then all those thoughts are mulling around in my head driving me crazy. Thanks, Laurie, for your example of finding yourself creatively!
#2 Sue O. put together “Joanie’s Girls” and we did a walk on Saturday at Wheeler Farm to benefit cancer. 1 1/2 years ago, Connor O’Leary, a 19 year old world-class cyclist, was diagnosed with cancer and he went through all the treatments and is now doing so well. His parents, Julie and Dave, are amazing and they put together this fun day of cycling and running, or walking a 5K. In addition, they orchestrated an amazing silent auction with items donated from stores, individuals. They had autographed jerseys from Lance Armstrong and other famous cyclists. I watched them busily set up the auction and then they stayed there all day, way past 3 P.M. when the auction was called. There is this human want to get a “deal” and Dave reminded everyone that all the proceeds are going to cancer research and basically not to be so stingy- my words, not his. When I came home and looked at the baskets we had auctioned for, I couldn’t help but feel guilty for coming away with items when really I should just want to donate. It has made me consider really what my actions mean. I am definitely going to donate more to this cause. But, I’m happy to announce that “Joanie’s Girls” included 2 Joes, really, Joe Daily and Joe Thomas. The “girls” are Cokie, Donna, Mary, Mikeleen, and of course, Sue O. We walked around Wheeler Farm and had a great time talking. I loved the morning! Thanks to Sue who continues to make this disease more tolerable!
From left to right, back row- Cokie, Donna, Mary, Joe D., Joe Thomas, front row- Sue, Joanie, Mikeleen
You’re the cutest one of the bunch!