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45 Life Lessons and 5 to Grow On

Jan 13th, 2012
by Marilyn.
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One of my favorite sayings is, “Life’s good … and I’m paying attention.” This is my New Year’s Resolution … Remembering that life IS good and not letting the days just slip by – one after another. Each day is special and I want to pay attention.

Regina Brett is a columnist for my hometown newspaper, The Cleveland Plain Dealer. I recently ran across her article from May 28, 2006 titled Brett’s 45 life lessons and 5 to grow on.” I’m posting it here to share with all my readers. But, I’m also posting it so I can read it often throughout the year.

Regina Brett

Following is Regina Brett’s column written on May 28, 2006 …

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.

It is the most-requested column I’ve ever written. My odometer rolls over to 50 this week, so here’s an update:

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.

8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.

12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.

16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.

17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.

18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.

19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: “In five years, will this matter?”

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.

35. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.

36. Growing old beats the alternative – dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.

38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.

41. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

42. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.

43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

45. The best is yet to come.

46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

48. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.

49. Yield.

50. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.

From now on, every time I say “Have a good day” I’m going to mean it. How about you? Leave a comment with your favorite life lesson.

Marilyn Kvasnok

Motel New Yorker

Nov 14th, 2011
by Marilyn.
2 comments

I’m from Ohio. I call it home and always will. But, there were three years in the mid 60′s that took me to Miami, Florida. Dad decided we should pack up all our worldly possessions and drive 1,100 miles south, right behind hurricane Cleo.

1961 Chrysler NewportWe had a big, old Chrysler and a station wagon, pulling a trailer. This was actually our second trip. The first time, we drove down the Treasure Coast to Miami to find a motel to buy. Mom and dad had pretty much decided on one along US 1 in Miami. When we stopped for gas, dad asked the guy pumping the gas if he knew a good place to stay.  (Remember when the gas station attendant pumped the gas?) His answer: “The Motel New Yorker.” That was the motel they were about to buy! That stretch of Biscayne Boulevard was one motel after another. Why did he pick that one? There must have been something special about it. That sealed the deal for dad.

Sure they were making the right choice, they bought the motel. We moved into the manager’s apartment behind the office, plus the next 2 motel rooms. It was crowded, but it was temporary. After a year, we moved to a home in North Miami.

The motel did well, especially during “the season.” Those were the winter months. Vacationers stayed for several days or a week. But, some people stayed all winter. Dad said they were business owners. Either they were retired or they were able to leave their business in the hands of their employees.

Originally, the motel looked like this in 1953 when it was built:

Motel New Yorker

I got to thinking about the motel and all the changes thru the years. The neighborhood was good when we were there in the 60′s. The motel was named the New Yorker to attract visitors from New York. Miami was a popular destination for them. After mom and dad sold it, the neighborhood deteriorated and so did the motel. There were a couple of name changes that I’m aware of. The Motel New Yorker became the Motel Quebec. I’m guessing demographics changed and more visitors were coming from Canada. Or maybe the motel was bought by Canadians. And it was also called Davis Motel for a while.

But, I heard there was a restoration project along Biscayne Boulevard. Curiosity got the best of me and I googled MOTEL NEW YORKER MIAMI. To my surprise, the Motel New Yorker has been renovated and there is even a website to explore: www.HotelNewYorkerMiami.com . The owners, Walter and Shirley Figueroa, have done a great job restoring the motel with a retro look. Visit their site for more information and a photo gallery. 

Today, the Motel New Yorker looks like this:

Motel New Yorker Renovated      Motel New Yorker Renovated

Photos compliments of www.TheBorrowedAbode.com

If you’ve ever stayed at the Motel New Yorker in Miami – Or if you know the area and have seen the transformation, add a comment with your memories.

Marilyn Kvasnok

Industrial Pollution Begins in the Womb

Jun 23rd, 2011
by Marilyn.
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Are you ready to stop using toxic chemicals to clean your home? There are many safe, green products that work well. My choice is Shaklee’s Get Clean products. I’ve used them for over 6 years, since I became a distributor. They work as well or better than the name brand, chemical cleaners I used to use.



Telemarketing Robocalls

May 19th, 2011
by Marilyn.
3 comments

The other day, I got 11 telemarketing calls.  I’m on the Do Not Call list, but that doesn’t seem to matter.  They call my home phone, then my 800 number.  The calls are recordings, urging me to join their program to make “legitimate” & “automated” calls with the promise of earning thousands of dollars a week.  What makes them think I would buy their system when they make me pay for their commercial?   Because I have an 800 number, it’s free for others to call me, but I pay for every minute.

So, what are they selling?  I think most of them are selling the program that makes these robocalls.  They’re more than annoying.  They’re frustrating!  There’s no way to avoid them.  And there’s no way to stop them.  I’ve checked with Vonage, my land line phone company and my toll free company.

When I posted this on my Facebook wall, it started a discussion of what these calls really are and what we can do about them.  I learned about LeadNetPro, an online program that you can buy for $397, plus a monthly charge.  I watched a LeadNetPro video.  With a few mouse clicks, they can choose a company and narrow it by country, state or city.  The program scrapes the Internet and extracts phone numbers, addresses and email addresses.  Then, the program robocalls each number and plays a prerecorded message.  Now that I know how they’re compiling their lists, I don’t think pressing 9 will help.  It’s too easy to just generate another list.

National Do Not Call RegistryI shouldn’t be getting these calls.  I’m on the Federal Trade Commission‘s (FTC) Do Not Call list.  According to their site:  “The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) amended the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) to give consumers a choice about whether they want to receive most telemarketing calls. As of October 1, 2003, it is illegal for most telemarketers or sellers to call a number listed on the National Do Not Call Registry.”  Telemarketers and sellers are required to register with the FTC and search the Do Not Call Registry every 31 days.  They must “drop from their call lists the phone numbers of consumers who have registered.”  “Violators could be fined up to $16,000 per incident.”

My Facebook friend, Jennifer Fisher, has taken a proactive approach and shared her system with me.  According to Jennifer . . .

I actually listen to the message now, where as I used to just press 9 and hang up.  Every second that recorded message plays, they are paying an additional charge.   If you’re going to use the system then pay for the privilege of annoying me.

Some of them give a website so I go to that website.

If there is a contact email address down at the bottom, it is usually going to be directed to the owners of the program, not the voice spammer.  Sometimes I have to dig through the Terms of Service to find it, but if I do, I send the owners an email suggesting they stop their voice spammer from calling me… give the name of the person, their phone number, time they called, etc…

And I also let them know if they do not STOP the person from abusing our phone numbers, I will report them to the FTC and their Attorney General’s office.

In most cases, what these people are doing is in violation of their contract, they just don’t take the time to read it.  And because we don’t take a stand, they just keep doing it and doing it.

If it’s an email spammer, and they’re hocking a Network Marketing Company, I’m forwarding the email to that company with the same message.   I don’t know this person, didn’t ask for information… They’re scraping email addresses and phone numbers off the internet. Stop them NOW !

I agree with Jennifer and I’m going to follow her advice.  I’ll explain what I’m doing in the next post.

Related posts:
• Do Not Call Registry
• Phishing Scam

 

SoleMates Socks – A Testimonial

Mar 23rd, 2011
by Marilyn.
3 comments

GardeningI love gardening!  But as I got older and my feet got drier, all the cracks in my heels were embedded with dirt.  I would scrub and scrape and put on lotion and it would look good temporarily, but it always went back to dry skin and cracks.  After a while, the cracks were becoming so deep they actually hurt.  As I researched this, I found I wasn’t alone.

Diabetics, folks with weight problems, and the elderly, all have major health concerns related to cracks on the sole and heel becoming infected.  I read in a 2010 podiatric journal that podiatrists are so stymied as to successfully treating this problem, they actually glue the cracks together.  They also recommend wearing plastic bags on your feet to conserve moisture.  I tried it once.  It actually works, but it felt like my feet were in two miniature saunas.  I believed there just had to be a better way!

I was in a nursery looking at gloves when I had the “AHA!” moment.  If garden gloves kept the drying effect of dirt off my hands, then a glove for my foot would do the same thing.  I used the already proven track record of nitrile coated garden gloves and morphed it into a sock.  After a lot of medical advice and testing, it became a sock that created a moisture conserving chamber for the foot, keeping the foot soft, moist and crack free.  It also kept dirt outside the sock.

After testing the prototype, my heel cracks disappeared, and have never returned.  That was 5 years ago.  These socks are not magic.  If I don’t routinely wear them a couple of days a week, my skin begins to dry out naturally.  But if I do wear them, my heels are baby soft all the time with no effort other than wearing a comfortable sock.

SoleMates Socks

Bernadette Butz

About Bernadette Butz

I never intended to become an entrepreneur at 67, but I am determined to bring this product to people who have the same problems I did, necessity being the mother of SoleMates.

Connect with Bernadette on Facebook and Twitter.

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