Things aren't always as they seem!

We don't watch TV that often anymore. I know that seems weird in today's society, but the truth is...we like it this way. It doesn't mean it never comes on, there are exceptions to the rules, like on Saturday if Jeff and Lee want to watch a Football, Basketball or Baseball game, but that is about it.
  One of the reason that we turned off our TV was because of all the negativity it had on it. Another big factor that lead to that decision was...the amount of filth that was coming into our home through the TV. I saw a commercial a few years ago where it made a piece of gum act like a person,and then do a strip tease with the jingle of the commercial. I was thinking "wow, what a sad world we live in, where everything ( almost everything ) is sexual or made to at least look that way.
   I am very big on protecting my home, this should be one place we feel safe and happy. By turning off the TV, we are keeping a lot of that junk out of our home, and that feels good. It really has made a difference. I am sure by now you are wondering what this has to do with my Christmas story? Well, it is a funny story tonight but it is so true. We tend judge things a certain way, when in the end... they are really not like that at all. Much like the news, it seems like all it is reporting is murders, theft, infidelity or drugs. Yet, I know that isn't true, but because we hear it day in and day out, we begin to believe it. There are a lot of wonderful stories out there, a lot of wonderful people out there making real contributions in the world, but we just don't hear about them that often. Wonder why kindness doesn't sell? It really should.
   Anyway, enjoy this cute story and remember...things aren't always as they seem!

How They Forecast a Cold Winter

One day in early September the chief of a Native American tribe was asked by his tribal elders if the winter of 2009/10 was going to be cold or mild.  The chief asked his medicine man, but he too had lost touch with the reading signs from the natural world around the Great Lakes.

In truth, neither of them had idea about how to predict the coming winter.  However, the chief decided to take a modern approach, and the chief rang the National Weather Service in Gaylord Michigan.

'Yes, it is going to be a cold winter,' the meteorological officer told the chief.  Consequently, he went back to his tribe and told the men to collect plenty of firewood.

A fortnight later the chief called the Weather Service and asked for an update. 'Are you still forecasting a cold winter?' he asked.

'Yes, very cold', the weather officer told him.

As a result of this brief conversation the chief went back to the tribe and told his people to collect every bit of wood they could find.

A month later the chief called the National Weather Service once more and asked about the coming winter. 'Yes,' he was told, 'it is going to be one of the coldest winters ever.'

'How can you be so sure?' the chief asked.

The weatherman replied: 'Because the Native Americans of the Great Lakes are collecting wood like crazy.'

http://www.guy-sports.com/humor/christmas/christmas_stories_funny.htm

Do I want to be "happy" or "right"?

In the many years that I have been counseling or been counseled, I have read many self help books. One that a counselor encouraged me to read is called...YOU CAN BE HAPPY NO MATTER WHAT  by Richard Carlson, Ph.D. I purchased it and then purchased another one because I thought it had so many wonderful things in it, that I wanted to have an extra one to loan out. I was reading it again today and came upon a part that I had underlined, this is what it said..."DO I WANT TO BE "HAPPY" OR "RIGHT"? 

If the most important element in our personal relationships is the feeling that exists between us and our partner, then being right isn't relevant, not if it diminishes the love we feel toward another person. When we understand the way in which our belief systems encourage us to validate our own rough interpretations of life, we learn that the same is true for everyone else. If we already know this we won't have to argue or to be upset over our differences.

As happy feeling between people increase, the issue of right or wrong seems less significant. We still can maintain our opinions or preferences, but know that these opinions stem from our thoughts, not from eternal truth. Our positive feeling becomes more important than our opinions. As our appreciation of happiness in relationship increases, we take the notice of the things that tend to take us away from this feeling. One major catalyst taking us away is the need to be right.

The need to be right stems from an unhealthy relationship to your own thoughts. Do you believe that your thoughts are representative of reality and need to be defended, or do you realize that realities are different as seen through different eyes?  Your answer to this question will determine, to a large extent, your ability to remain in a positive feeling state.

Everyone I know who has put positive feeling above being right on their priority list, has come to see that differences in opinion will take care of themselves. A more positive feeling state allows  us to see other positions, to listen with a finer ear, and to express our own beliefs in a more compassionate and caring way. (We might even learn something!") It allows us the luxury of not caring so much if it turns out that we can't agree.

To sum it up is, we all  see through different glasses, through the experiences that we have had throughout out whole life, that is how we see the world. Is it a good pair of glasses to look through or do we need to go get another prescription?  I guess, it is a good reminder to me, that I need to watch my  thoughts and how often I feel the need to be right?  I need to pay attention to my willingness to change and to let others have their opinions and views without being offended. Just some food for thought!

Good night dear friends!

"Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend." ~ Albert Camus