September 19, 2005 Issue #19

IN THIS ISSUE...

1) Welcome!
2) My Playground
3) Check it Out
4) Giggles & Guffaws
5) Ways to Play Today!
6) Random Musings
7) Something to ponder
8) Shameless Promotional Plug

A playful welcome to my new subscribers!
This *free* monthly newsletter is written with the intention to help you live life with more passion and purpose and less stress and worry. With informative articles, humorous insights and great resources, "Lighten Up!" is guaranteed to provide you a motivational kick in the butt while giving you a giggle or two along the way.

"Let us just be side by side, helping, respecting and understanding each other, in common effort to serve humankind." ~Dalai Lama

It's been three weeks since Hurricane Katrina unleashed its fury on the Gulf Coast. We were reminded again what a powerful force nature can be and this time she struck much closer to home. In the wake of a tragedy such as this, it's easy to start pointing fingers and placing blame. The more logical and compassionate thing we can do is make a much better use of our hands by reaching out and helping those in need. I'm sure it will be debated for a very long time how we could have been better prepared and what the government could have done differently to avoid the loss of so many lives. Trust me, I have a lot of strong opinions on this topic, but it doesn't inspire me (nor would I suspect it would inspire you) to discuss my disgust for all things political surrounding this terrible disaster.

Honestly, I think we're all to be held accountable for contributing what we can to help anyone who has been affected by the Hurricane. It is all our responsibility to take care of our fellow human beings. If we were held accountable for taking care of one another not just in times of dire need, but in daily doses, what a different world we would be living in right now. Maybe you don't have extra money or clothes you can donate to the hurricane victims, but I know you have a smile and a voice that could make a difference in so many lives if you would share it more often. No matter where you live in the United States or abroad, you can impact our world right now more by what you do than what you say. It will take years to rebuild the communities that were devastated by this catastrophe. A sense of normalcy will be very slow in coming to those who lost family members and friends, jobs and homes. It's never too late to give what you can to help those less fortunate than you. Read on to be inspired by a story that will make you believe it's never too late to do anything. What are you waiting for? It is your life, but it's also others. The time is now.

My Playground
The article, the message, the thing to make you go hmmm...

~It's Never Too Late~

My 81 year-old grandmother got remarried this summer. Much to the surprise of my family, she made this decision in what many of us would consider "record-breaking time". Her first husband, my grandfather passed away in June 2004 so when she said in May that she would be getting married three weeks later, it caught many of us off-guard. Some of my family had strong reservations and questioned her decision while others celebrated her new love with enthusiasm and curiosity. We all wondered who this mystery man was and whether we'd get the chance to meet him before they said, "I do." Even though we didn't get that opportunity and only a few of us were able to attend their wedding, we did get to hear how happy my grandmother was and personally, that's all I needed to hear to give my two thumbs up.

How wonderful it is for my grandmother (and for Tom too) to find each other and fall in love. How wonderful it must be for two people who have lost their long-time spouse (Tom's wife passed away about the same time my grandfather did) to rediscover joy and happiness with another. At an age where many people are content to sit in their rocking chair and let time slip on by, my grandmother and her new husband are grabbing life by the horns and taking it for a sweet ride. It doesn't appear to me that they're worried about how short that ride might be. What is apparent is how incredibly happy they are together. I suspect that when they realized how they felt about each other, they never questioned it was too late for them to fall in love.

My grandmother and her new husband, Tom.

I don't mean to sound morbid, none of us know how much time we have left. If we knew when our time here was up, I'd venture to guess a lot of us would be living our lives quite differently. So I ask you, dear reader, is there something or someone you've given up on? Is there something in your life you've resigned yourself to never having? If your answer is yes to either or both of those questions, read what I'm going to say next very slowly and if necessary, read it again and again until you GET it. It's never too late. It's never too late to have whatever it is you want for yourself. Whatever "IT" is, it's not going to arrive on a silver platter delivered to your front door by Federal Express. It's going to take intention, direction and action on your part in order to change the thought of "It's never gonna happen" to "It's never too late for". Anything is possible, but you have to BELIEVE in what you want before you can have it. Here are a few things to start believing in.

5 Absolutely, Positively "It's Never Too Late For" Things

1) Telling someone you love him or her
Truly, the three words people most long to hear are, "I love you". There are many different forms of love, but there is only one distinction you need to get clear on. You're either a person who says "I love you" or you're not. If you fall into the latter category, it's never too late to start telling those you love that you do. Every time you utter those words, your world and another's will change exponentially.

2) Saying you're sorry
Forgiveness may occur when you say these words to someone else, but it really only happens when you forgive yourself. It doesn't matter if you feel it should be up to someone else to do the apologizing, there are usually at least two people involved and you're one of them. Take responsibility for what you need to own up to, but also remember to be gentle with yourself.

3) Going after a big dream
Whatever your idea is of BIG, don't let the size or magnitude of what you want stop you from going after it. One thing to remember is to be both patient and persistent. Sometimes a big dream may take a little longer to come to fruition, but know that it will WHEN (and that's the key word here) you're putting consistent effort into making it a reality.

4) Asking for help
Speaking from personal experience, this can be a challenging thing to do if you've been used to doing most things on your own. It's not a sign of weakness to admit you need or want support. Giving others an opportunity to contribute to you can be as much a gift to them than if it were you helping them out. It's never too late to speak up and let people know you need them.

5) Expressing your gratitude
They're two simple, yet very powerful words. They don't have to be followed by an explanation. They can just stand on their own. Saying "thank you" is by far the best compliment you could give someone. It's never too late to tell someone what a difference they've made in your life. Acknowledgment and appreciation will always be welcomed.

It's never too late to live your life EXACTLY the way you want to live it. Ask yourself what you're willing to regret at the end of your life. Chances are you won't want to regret a damn thing you did or didn't do. Now ask yourself what you're willing to rejoice in today. Whatever it is, find it and follow it and never give up on it. If new love can be found and followed in one's ninth decade of living, your excuse of "I'm too old" just isn't going to cut it anymore. And while you're at it, take a good look at all the other justifications you've been using to prevent yourself from having what you want. It's also never too late to give up those excuses of yours.

Check it Out
Personal Recommendations for books, music, websites and all resources fun!

Great Day This website is a mecca of inspirational messages written by a man named Ralph Marston. Ralph may not be as well-known as Oprah, but he's been dishing out positive advice almost as long as she has. This guy has written something he calls "The Daily Motivator" (a 200 word motivational missive) every day for the last nine years without ever taking missing a day. What really caught my attention and got the hankies out was watching the four flash movies he's created. You'll find them advertised on the right-hand side of his website. They're all quite lovely to read (although I'll admit the tunes playing in the background border on sappy elevator music) but of the four, I recommend you click on his "Even Now" presentation and take a few moments to remember there IS peace in this world despite what's going on right now.

"Gifts of the Heart" by Michael Paige
My friend, Michael Paige is a talented photographer and musician with a big heart. A couple of years ago, he gave me a beautiful c.d. after I told him I had always wanted to learn to play the piano. The seven piano pieces that comprise the c.d. are truly lovely to listen to. Michael currently lives in Portland, Oregon, but spent several years living in several places along the Gulf Coast and still considers New Orleans home. He has many family members and friends who have been affected by the hurricane and will be going back to Louisiana as soon as he can to aid in the rebuilding process. While he's in New Orleans, he will be documenting the damage and recovery effort via photographs and personal stories that he will share in a multi-media presentation upon his return to Oregon. He has already held a fundraiser and will have another one in Portland, Saturday, October 15th. Michael wanted me to mention that the most important thing is to continue to give what you can to the major relief organizations that are spearheading the recovery efforts. If you're inspired to contribute a donation or attend the fundraiser next month that Michael is organizing, he will send you his c.d. and provide you additional information about his efforts and the upcoming fundraising event. You can reach Michael by emailing him at Michael Paige

Giggles & Guffaws
An amusing story, joke, anecdote or picture to tickle your funnybone

THINGS TO PONDER
In this section last month I borrowed a few things to ponder from a joke website such as this question, "Is it good if a vacuum really sucks?" They inspired me to come up with a few of my own. Let me know if there are some questions you've been scratching your head over lately. I'd love to share them with readers next month. Better yet, if you have answers to these questions, I'm all-ears.

1. Where does the other sock go that didn't come out of the dryer?
Two in, two out. The dryer gets an F in math from me.

2. Why do hotdogs come 10 per package and buns only come in packs of eight?
This reducing-your-carbs-craze has really gotten out of hand.

3. Why do cats love paper bags, tin-foil balls and any other miscellaneous household item, but hate store-bought cat toys?
I'm sure there are many people who are counting the coins they could have saved if they'd only known this sooner.

4. Why do people think they can sing better when doing Karoke?
Give some people a microphone and a stage and they become knock-kneed and nervous. Give those same items to Karoke-singers and they think they're the next American Idols. It truly is an amazing phenomenon.

5. Why are coupons the hardest thing to find in the paper?
By the time I find the damn things, their dates have expired.

6. Why do we forget our phone number sometimes when we're asked?
Maybe it's because many of us have enough conversations going on in our own heads that we simply don't have enough space to remember seven more digits.

7. Isn't a smart donkey and a wise ass pretty much the same thing?
Yeah, my boss didn't thing so either.

8. Why do we say "no" when we really mean "yes"?
Now that's a darn good question.

Ways to Play Today!

Why not...have a lemonade stand or car wash and donate the proceeds?

Not all of us have the inclination to have our own business, but being an entrepreneur for a day can be pretty darn exciting. It's likely this one-day event won't lead you to your new career as a beverage distributor or car detailer, but there's a good chance you'll earn a few bucks in a couple hours and feel really good about donating them to a worthwhile cause. Perhaps you were in grade school the last time you braved the neighborhood streets and yelled out your intentions to all those who walked or drove by. No matter how much time has passed since then, those attention-getting skills of yours are still there and now's the time to put them to good use.

Why not...start an exercise program NOW instead of waiting until the New Year?

If you wanted to get in shape this summer and it didn't happen, don't start blaming the weather. If you've been avoiding making positive changes in your health, listen up. You're going to look and feel the same way you do now come January, if you don't get off your butt and start moving it THIS season not next. Yes, you could be like millions of other people and join a fabulous health club with reduced rates come January 1, but why not beat the crowds and greet 2006 with a fit and firm body rather than a less than your ideal one? Think of the next four months as the BEST time to get in shape and make a concerted effort to be the pillar of health you want to be. And yes, now would also be a good time to give up any nasty habit of yours that contributes to your lack of well-being.

Random Musings
Miscellaneous thoughts of mine with hints of truth and wisdom

It's not about how much time something is going to take. It's about taking the time to give something.

A new season is upon us: Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Don't let the beauty of autumn escape you. Stop shopping and get outside.

Don't be afraid of all you can do. Greater fear lies in what you don't do.

Something to Ponder
Questions designed to stimulate your thinking AND encourage you to take action towards what you want.

What have you given up on?
What do you need in order to believe in it again?

Care to share what these questions stir up in you? Need some support around REALLY believing what you want will come true?
Send me an e-mail. I welcome your thoughts and will respond to all e-mails received.

Shameless Promotional Plug

It's what's NOT going on at Playful Spirit these days that has me grinning from ear to ear and doing cartwheels. Even though I've been a coach for six years, my website and business name, Playful Spirit has only been in existence for the last two. As I've changed and grown over the last 720 days, so have my ideas on what kind of impact I want to have in the world and what it looks like from a business perspective. About two months ago, I became very clear about my purpose regarding my work and have been asking myself this question ever since then, "What are you waiting for?" Well, I'm very excited to tell you that in next month's newsletter I will be unveiling my new business and website name, personal blog and a few other surprises. Playful Spirit and this newsletter will continue on so don't change the channel just yet. I'm getting ready to play much bigger in this game we call life. Are you? Stay tuned to see what happens next and as always, thank you so much for reading Lighten Up each month and sharing it with others. It's people like you who inspire me to do what I do and be who I be. HeeHee.

If you want to find out more about the work I do as a coach, facilitator and writer check out Playful Spirit Make sure you come back and visit again as more resources and fun stuff will be added to the website every month.

Thanks for reading this issue of Lighten Up! If you enjoyed it, please pass it along to your friends, your family, your co-workers...You get the idea. See you on October 17th! Until that time, be well, be happy and play more.

May you take a good look within this month and then look out and see where you can make a difference. Remember it's never too late to make a change that serves you and others best.
Lisa

It's not too late to catch a summer sunset!