Monthly Archives: May 2012

Moment by Moment

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                                          Photo courtesy of Elisa Choi of Harmony Thoughts

Fabulous morning to you all. I ran across this wisdom from Dr. Benjamin Mays and thought I would share it with you to help you start your morning. For those of you across the globe who are already on the daily grind hopefully this will give you a  boost to get through the day!

The whole point of Eat My Dessert First is to help us to live and enjoy the life we are living. It’s to guide us in the process of taking time to enjoy every moment of our lives and to not worry about the things we can’t control. When I read the following piece I was reminded that all we really have IS the present moment and how we choose to spend our time in this moment is creating the live we will live. I hope this will resonate with you as much as it did with me and get you to think about the choices we make in every moment of our lives! #EMDF

Leisa

Each of our lives is essentially lived moment by moment. All any of us ever have is the eternal present. We may spend a lot of time thinking about the past and the future, but the only time you actually have to live is right now!

What is the best utilization of my time right now is a question that I force myself to ask over and over. I have dreams of an amazing future and want to make sure that the activities that I am working on at any given time are activities that support the creation of the future I desire.

As for the past, all we can do is learn from it. Focusing on what we haven’t accomplished and what we don’t have can’t and never will serve us because there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. All we can do is to make sure that we accept the gift that is the present moment. We accept this gift by doing the right things with it.

What is the best utilization of your time right now? Answer the question and then make that happen!!”

A.R.I.S.E
All Reach In Search of Excellence

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Get energized!

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                                               Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/erikreis

Hey desserters, check out these 21 ways to boost your energy level! I don’t know about you but I could definitely use some additional energy right now. If those don’t do it for you here are 10 more!  I hope that you all are taking care of your health and exercising and making sure to get plenty of rest as these are proven ways to help keep you energized and healthy! Chat with you soon! #EMDF

Magnificent Memorial Day Monday

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Magnificent Monday to you all! Today we honor and celebrate the men and women who have served our country and given the ultimate sacrifice of their lives. Thank you!

The tragedy of life

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A few days ago I came across this quote from Dr. Benjamin Mays and I was reminded that when the student is ready the teacher shows up!  I hope that you all will choose to focus not on the goals that have gone unmet but on the goals that you have chosen to set. I hope that you will dream vivid dreams and know that no star is too far for you to reach. I hope that you will always Eat Your Dessert First and enjoy all that life has to offer you! Have a great Tuesday! 


“The tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach. It isn’t a calamity to die with dreams unfilled, but it is a calamity not to dream. It isn’t a disgrace not to reach the stars, but it is a disgrace to have no stars to reach for.”
  ~Benjamin Mays~

That’s my Assemblywoman! My blessing in disguise.

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Yesterday evening, after leaving class,  I was involved in a three cars crash that turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I was sitting at a stop light waiting to make a right turn and two cars traveling east/westbound collided when the Westbound car turned left in front of the Eastbound car. The Eastbound car, after hitting the westbound car, continued right into my car.  Two of us are OK but one driver eventually had to be taken away by paramedics. While I was sitting there waiting for the officer to arrive I asked myself what this experience had come to show me. Instead of focusing on the negatives of the accident ( I missed and endorsement interview) I decided to anticipate the good that surely was to emerge. I decided to apply my philosophy of Eating My Dessert First! 
One of the drivers (the one taken away by paramedics) was a beautiful middle aged Hispanic woman who clearly was scared and shaking. Her name is Amalia.  She came over to me and in Spanish asked me if i was OK. Here she was, the one who had suffered the most damage to her car and to herself, asking me if I was alright. In what little Spanish I know I told her that I was OK and could see the distress in her face. Emotionally she was not OK and it turned out that she was not OK physically either. I put my arms around her and told her that everything was going to be OK. She held onto me until the officer arrived. 

The investigating officer was awesome and somehow made being in an accident not so bad. He was extremely professional but expressed concern as well.He was very gentle with Amalia and didn’t flinch when she told him that she didn’t have a licence. he took good care of her. 
 After being at the scene for nearly two hours I managed to strike up a conversation with him while he finished his report. He talked about his daughter who has Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and his sister who was addicted to crack cocaine and who died of AIDS in prison and how each of these life experiences made him a compassionate person which was clear in his demeanor. We talked about the Metro Police officers’ retirement benefits and how even after 21 years on the force he has to work another 10 to get his full retirement benefits which I think sucks.

He finished up the report and gave me my copy and I asked him for his card and gave him my candidate card. He looked at it and asked me where Assembly district 13 was. I told him and he and I both were thrilled to find out that he lives in my district. He committed to voting for me and also helping our neighbors with the burglary issues that some of our developments have experienced which I have been working on with some of the residents. He told me which Watch Commander to contact regarding the burglary issues and said that if I needed him for anything else I could call him. I shook his hand and turned to leave when he announced to the other officers that were on the scene “that’s my Assemblywoman!” 

When crisis arrive, and they surely will, I encourage you to shift your focus from the crisis to the blessing within the crisis because just as surely as the crisis is there the blessing is as well. We must anticipate it and even expect it.