Begin The New Year with Something You LoveMany people make New Years promises, as I call them, only to find them failed by the next few months. I don't do those for one reason. Many promises begin with the promise to fail. I started learning that you have to find something you love in order to make it with joy.
Read Informational SignsWhen you pull up to the gas station, there are all sorts of signs posted. Do you stop and take a moment to read them?
Increase your VocabularyI'll have to admit that reading has never been my favorite thing to do and I regret it. Growing up in the country on a farm, I have always loved being outside. Now that I am retired and getting older, I have slowed down quite a bit. Resting my back is a must so I have started checking out books at the library. I have read quite a few this year.
A Plea For The AnimalsWho are you? Some ancient accounts would place us 'a little lower than the angels'. Those same sources tell us we are to have dominion over all animals. That position sounds rather impressive, but it can play havoc with an unrestrained ego. Remember, this same source condoned slavery.
Use of the ApostropheThere is much confusion about the proper use of the apostrophe. There is even a movement to get rid of it in some countries. The apostrophe is correctly used to show possession, as part of a contraction to replace missing letters, and to pluralize in odd cases such as pluralizing a lower case letter.
Never Too Late to Continue Your EducationI spent a good part of my life working a job I did not enjoy. I did enjoy it when I was hired, but the duty I did was phased out to contractors. By that time, I had 20 years in and needed 30 to retire, so I did another 10 years and stuck it out.
Gratitude Journal from DatebookA student gave me this lovely datebook for Christmas. Since it has so much space to write, I decided to use it as this year's gratitude journal. The mind can be trained to think positively or negatively. Every day we are on Earth is a celebration, don't you think?
Walking for TransportationWalking for transportation is probably the most cost effective, healthy, and environmentally friendly way to get around. At times walking could even be the more practical way, depending on where you live. Ideally, everything you would need would be within a two mile radius of your home.
Service Trips with TeensIt's always good to do service for the less fortunate, and a fun twist is a service trip!
10 Unique New Year's ResolutionsResolutions don't need to be painful promises we won't really keep! This year, I've got a few new ideas to add to the mix. Feel free to personalize to your interests.
Try This ExerciseHow smart is your right foot or how weird is your brain? While sitting at your computer, turn around in your chair and lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles.
Cell Phone EtiquetteIf you are with one person, or group of people, it's rude to stay on your phone (talking, texting or checking FB) for extended periods of time. Enjoy the people you are with and have conversations with your other friends when you're alone.
Keeping New Year's ResolutionsMy tip for keeping my resolutions is to keep them realistic. Like losing weight, the resolution is to slowly and healthily lose some weight.
Make Adjustments Instead Of ResolutionsEveryone knows the situation. At the beginning of each year, we make resolutions that may rapidly become obsolete or slowly wane as days and months pass.
Surviving on the Blind SideI've noticed more than one of my TF family is experiencing vision loss. This article is for you.
Observations from the Blind SideBlindness ain't for sissies! Apologies to late actress Helen Hayes who originally said "getting old ain't for sissies", but this is true. It takes a special sort of mental, emotional and spiritual toughness to deal with suddenly being blind.
Keeping a JournalMy solution for sanity, organizing, and shuffling through the many thoughts that go on in my mind is using my journal. I have very close friends who journal all the time. Until last year, I had never really given it a chance.
Have Fun When JournalingDo you love to journal? Me too. Here are some tips for your journaling.
Library For Blind and Print-Challenged BookwormsDo you love to read but have trouble with standard print? Do you have physical problems that make holding a standard or larger book difficult or impossible? This library is for you.
Grammar Tip: "Advice" vs "Advise"Do you get the spellings and meanings of "advice" and "advise" confused? Here's an easy memory trick. "Advise" is SPOKEN advice. If you're SPEAKING, you're ADVISING someone. Otherwise, use ADVICE with a C. It's that simple!
Volunteer Places You Can Get Free TrainingThis tip is for adults, who may wish you had additional training or schooling, but can not afford it. Consider volunteering for an organization that works along the lines of what you would like training in.
Maintain A Positive AttitudeIf ever you feel like the World is on your shoulders and everyone is against you, remember one thing. Maintaining a positive attitude will see you through your situations. Sarcasm, when spoken in the identical tone as praise is acknowledged as praise.
Grammar Tip: "It's" vs "Its"Inspired by a grammar tip, I wanted to share another. It's the use of "it's and its". Most people love to put an apostrophe to show ownership or possession. While this is usually true, in the case of "it", it's always means "it is".
Grammar Tip: "Affect" vs "Effect"You're going to get tired of hearing this, but it remains true: speaking and writing well makes you more marketable in today's tough job market. Potential employers like to see "strong English skills" on a resume or application.
Grammar Tip: "Stationary" vs "Stationery"To know whether to use "stationary" or "stationery" in a sentence, use
this simple mnemonic: STATIONERY is PAPER. The "er" ending is in both. That means the other one, STATIONARY, means you or some object isn't moving.
Expand Your Vocabulary With Dictionary SitesIn newsletter I just read, a reader told about her word of the day project for her kids. But, why stop with the kids, I have for several years gotten newsletters from two sites that provide a word-of-the-day, with pronunciation, definition and example of its use.
Monthly ResolutionsStatistically, most people don't succeed with their New Year's resolutions. If you are one of those people, try starting smaller, with weekly or monthly resolutions. If you are trying to cut down on fast food, commit yourself to not eating out for a month.
New Year's Resolution: Simple, Small Goals Every DayNew Year's Resolution: Simple, Small Goals Every Day. Have you ever found yourself overwhelmed with things to do around the house? Feeling guilty about not getting everything done in one day? Have things that you "keep meaning to get around to"? Need a New Year's resolution? I have just the thing. I only started doing this two days ago, but it's easy, and it gives me a sense of accomplishment every single day, and I see myself sticking to it.
Your Basic Do It Yourself Reference...Even though we now have the information highway with information literally at our finger tips, it is still essential that we have a small reference library that we can call on when we need information. These eight books will get you through a whole lot of problems.
Drink Lots of WaterWith Summer not far away, I'd like to stress the importance of drinking enough water so you don't get dehydrated. A few years ago, had my husband have taken this advice, he'd have not had an emergency Dr's. appointment. But he got overheated at work, nearly passed out and had to be rushed to the Doctor.
Stand Up For YourselfI used to think after the fact, about all of the intelligent answers I could have used when people were impolite or ignorant to me. I never had a problem being there for someone else though.
Make Your Self Feel GoodMake it a point to say kind words!
