MUST STAND ON OUR OWN FEET

By Olivene Godfrey

Most persons are lovers of familiar things. They love the routine of living, the security of knowing what is going to happen at a certain hour on a certain day. Oh, sometimes they complain that life continues in the same rut. And, perhaps they dream of how things might have been,"IF ONLY".... and even make resolutions to strive for certain goals.

But it's safe and convenient and comfortable in their own groove. And, perhaps they are happier than if they actively pursued a goal because often to get out of a rut involves a certain amount of risk. What is it that inhibits so many of us? Often it's fear of one's own ignorance, fear of the bugaboos we think lurk somewhere, even if we aren't sure where. There are always compromises in life. But it's important to recognize a compromise, to know that you are only being adaptable until the real thing comes along.

Inertia is the danger-- telling ourselves that we really do have what we want, and that we have all that we deserve.
In our country we grow up hearing about freedom of belief without really bothering to think much about what it means.
We are free to disagree with our fellow-citizens and with our leaders. But, how many of us are free to know who we are and to live our lives accordingly? Perhaps you prefer to be a follower, to remain in your familiar routine, not to rock your boat. You prefer to let others make the difficult decisions and you are free to live that kind of life.

It takes some of us a long time to realize we are adults. Our life is our own. It isn't any longer our parents life. We are no longer teenagers trying to be exactly like our peers. We fought for economic and social Interdependence. And as adults sometimes we have to fight for our independence of mind. Freedom is to be an individual with the right to make even the small decisions a precious possession. Of course, we can't be independent of others. We need people to exist. And others inspire us and give us reasons to be better. But, there is danger in becoming too dependant upon others, just as there is danger in keeping another in bondage to us.

No matter how understanding, kind, and tolerant of others may be, for most of us there comes a time when we can't ask,nor expect to receive help. And, we have to stand on our own feet and search for our own beliefs. Two of the most important words for the basis of every action is, "personal responsibility".

See you next time.

DID YOU TELL THREE LIES TODAY?

By Olivene Godfrey

Years ago, I read that the average person does tell three lies a day --or more than a 1,000 a year. The article didn't say if some of those lies were, "little white" lies." I wonder if that survey would still be true today. I learned early in life that while some people I knew could lie convincingly., I could not. The only time I ever tried to lie to my mother convinced me that I was a total failure as a liar. After I finished my Big Lie, which I thought at the time was a rather clever spiel, Mother calmly said, "Now let's have the truth."

Ever since Eve, people have been prone to telling lies. But, only in recent years have psychiatrists, psychologists, and physiologist teamed upto learn what makes a liar tick.
I've read that the tendency to lie varies greatly from person to person. High on the list of generally truthful people are scientists, laboratory workers, architects and engineers-- individuals who work with precise measurements in which a millimeter can't be evaded or denied.

On the other hand, actors, politicians, press agents, artists, sculptors, authors and musicians rate considerably lower, due, perhaps to their heightened imaginations. Professional criminals are in a class by themselves and many of them are psychotic, and inveterate lying is a symptom of their mental abberations. Only extensive psychiatric treatment can help the pathological liar.

Lying can make your life complicated. The liar needs a good memory. And usually when you tell one lie you have to go on lying to cover the original lie. Then, telling a lie involves real work for the body. Your metabolism, pulse rate, blood pressure, and respiration speed up --and your eyes do tend to get shifty.

Fortunately, we have it in our power to keep lying to a minimum in our children. Researchers have found that the single most powerful incentive to truth-telling is a home in which all the family members speak their minds. Too many children lie to cover up errors. When they realize their parents can err, too, the incentive to fib is diminished.

See you next time.

DOC'S ORDER: "NO MORE RED MEAT" FOR ME!

By Olivene Godfrey

When I saw my doctor last week, she gave me an order--"No more red meat for you." She doesn't want me to eat much pork either.
I can eat chicken, turkey and fish. Fortunately, I like all of those foods. But, no beef will be harder for me to follow.
When my late husband, Ralph, and I were married in 1947, we couldn't afford red meat. But, as soon as we could, we started a tradition that lasted until he became ill,and that was to have steaks every weekend. We had never heard of cholesterol until about 20 years ago when we had lab work. Ralph was a lucky one as his cholesterol was always normal. But, mine was very high and I started taking Lipitor. Later, I started eating oatmeal for breakfast every day and my cholesterol was perfect.
I cut down some on the beef and then my Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) became worse. I began to suspect that beef triggered an IBS attack. When Barry and I discussed my recent lab work the doctor gave me the lab report which I didn't fully understand.
My low priced hearing aid doesn't help a lot when I am talking to a soft-voice person. I did hear that she was increasing my Lipitor dosage, I thought she said my cholesterol was a little high but Barry told me later that my cholesterol was still fine. He looked up the info on the lab work and it was highly technical. But, we did hear doctor say there was an inflammation which could be caused by my IBS or allergies. I am taking the Lipitor increased dosage and am giving up beef and I return to doctor's office in two months for more lab work. I hope and pray I will get a clean bill of health then. And, I hope that the no beef order will also stop my IBS pain.

As I write this, we are having a cold spell which Barry and I believe is Blackberry winter although the berries have nearly finished blooming. Here in Northwest Georgia we have various names for the spring cold snaps that only last a couple or so days. Before this cold spell hit us, we had several heavy down pours of rainfall. We are hoping we continue to have rainy days all summer. The raincoat Barry ordered from Amazon for my Mother's day gift arrived last week. And it is exactly what I wanted and has a hood. The fabric is water proof and is maroon with black trim. So, I am all set for rainy days.

See you next time.

THE RAINS CAME & A HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY & ROOF REPAIR & DOCTOR VISIT REPORT

By Olivene Godfrey

Following several years of drought, Northwest Georgia has had rain galore, almost ending our high rain deficit for the year.
And all of the scenery is beautiful now with its greenest green of trees, foliage and lawns and lovely flowers blooming. Barry and I marveled at the beauty when we drove to Dalton recently and compared it to the brownish drought stricken area of this time last year. We hope we'll continue to have normal rainfall the rest of the year.

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Son Barry and I had a happy Mother's day last Sunday. We ate a delicious lunch at Western Sizzlin in Dalton and then we shopped for a light weight raincoat for my gift from Barry.
We didn't find what I wanted. But, when we returned home, Barry checked with the Internet's Amazon and found what we had been looking for. Barry ordered the coat with a hood and it should be here n a few days. He is a regular, satisfied Amazon customer.

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Barry discovered we had a bad leak on the roof of our front porch. With the assistance of our good friend and neighbor, Genevelyn, we found a roofer who came out and did a good job of patching up the roofs leak. But, he had bad news. The entire roof needs to be replaced before winter arrives. As Barry says,"When you own a house, there is always something that needs repairing." True.

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Barry drove us to my primary care doctor's office yesterday afternoon for a mini-check up and to discuss my recent lab work. The lab work was fine except my cholesterol was a little high.
Barry informed the doctor that I hadn't been staying on my diet which prompted a gentle but firm scolding by my doctor. Well, it was fun eating what I pleased for a while.Anyway, the doctor increased the dosage of my Lipitor prescription. Also, my blood pressure was a little high and she also increased the dosage of one of the three medicines I take for that ailment.
I go back in two months and I think I had better have a good report or I will get a more firm lecture.

See you next time.

GOOD MANNERS REQUIRE TACT

by OLIVENE GODFREY

Often I've said and written that to me good manners is simply being kind. And, I'm constantly amazed by people who haven't learned the art of giving and receiving kindness. Now there is a certain style to giving and receiving kindnesses. Most of us carefully wrap a package in lovely paper and ribbons. But, how much thought do we give to the gift itself. Remember how much you appreciate the thoughtful person who takes the time and uses his or her imagination to select a gift that is special to you.

Then, sometimes all of us are guilty of being tactless without meaning to cause another person embarrassment. But, when you approach a person you haven't seen for years, or perhaps a person whom you've only met once, it's wise to give your name first, rather than saying, "You don't remember me, do you?' Since that has happened to me often, and many times I don't remember the person, to my embarrassment. I introduce myself to people whom I may have once known quite well, but haven't seen in many years.

Now, whenever I think of good manners and kindnesses, I think of "personal questions". There are people who seem to have been born tactful. Then, there are others who no matter what they are told, or how often, they continue to offend consciously or unconsciously by asking a stream of too personal questions to the discomfort of all those with whom they come into contact.
Personal questions can be upsetting and embarrassing unless you are able to develop enough sophistication to handle such situations gracefully . I remember reading about the author who was asked by a person who obviously intended to wound: "Who wrote your book for you?" The author replied, "Who read it to you?"

But, most of us are probably better off to play it safe by pretending that no offense was intended. And, often the person who is asking questions is just tactless, and doesn't mean to be cruel. Often it seems that the warmest, most lovable, people have an innate feeling of what is right toward others.But, we should all remember Emerson's words: "Good manners. The happy way of doing things."

See you next time.