Facebook Reunites

When I first joined Facebook, I really didn't think about connecting with anyone from my past. I was actually just socializing with people I already knew and family.

Then came the games my friends got me hooked on. I can not believe how addicting they can be. I find myself playing 4 different games daily. geez...

Well, this last week, I have reconnected with most of my childhood friends. People I knew from when I was six years old until 18. I can't tell you the memories that came flooding back. The happy times at eachothers houses. Life really was simple back then, wasn't it?

Wiffle ball, hide and go seek, bicycle riding, tag, kickball, pool parties and even collecting lighting bugs!

One of those friends had a great idea and put us all on a email group list. Now we can write to eachother and catch up. Most everyone has written an email. It has been really nice to catch up on our lives...what has transpired since we were all about 18years old.

Has anyone else experienced such a nice happening while using Facebook? I know social sites can cause damage to relationships and I have been hearing that alot lately. It even touched my own life in that way recently, but that's a whole other story...

I'd Like to Resign from Adulthood

I received this from a bulletin on myspace from a friend, and it was so great to read this, so whoever the author is, I totally congradulate you for this.


I am hereby officially tendering my resignation as an adult. I have decided I would like to accept the responsibilities of an 8 year-old again.

I want to go to McDonald's and think that it's a four star restaurant.

I want to sail sticks across a fresh mud puddle and make a sidewalk with rocks.

I want to think M&Ms are better than money because you can eat them.

I want to lie under a big oak tree and run a lemonade stand with my friends on a hot summer's day.

I want to return to a time when life was simple, when all you knew were colors, multiplication tables, and nursery rhymes, but that didn't bother you, because you didn't know what you didn't know and you didn't care. All you knew was to be happy because you were blissfully unaware of all the things that should make you worried or upset.

I want to think the world is fair. That everyone is honest and good.

I want to believe that anything is possible.

I want to be oblivious to the complexities of life and be overly excited by the little things again.

I want to live simple again.

I don't want my day to consist of computer crashes, mountains of paperwork, depressing news, how to survive more days in the month than there is money in the bank, doctor bills, gossip, illness, and loss of loved ones.

I want to believe in the power of smiles, hugs, a kind word,
truth, justice, peace, dreams, the imagination, mankind, and making angels in the snow.

So . . here's my checkbook and my car keys, my credit card bills and my 401K statements. I am officially resigning from adulthood.

How many of us feel this way from time to time?

A Smile For You

This morning when I was out doing some errands, I returned home with a feeling of contentment. I'm not sure what came over me, but all of a sudden I felt comfort. Maybe it was the smell of fall in the air... the leaves on the ground gave off a warm, sweet scent. It even brought back a memory of childhood when my father and I would rack all the leaves in a pile. He'd then give me that smile...the one I understood...it was okay for me to jump in the pile of leaves.

Have you ever just felt a sudden feeling that everything in your world is going the way it should, feeling contentment and comforted? If so, was there a memory attached to this feeling?

I pass along a smile to you
God's way of saying "SMILE"...

Do You Believe in Wives Tales?

The other day at work while a few of us were discussing a project, my left palm started to itch. I blurted out...ohhh, I'm going to get some money!

While a couple people looked at me like I was crazy, one person knew what I was referring to when I explained about my palm itching. An old wives tale...

I heard so many while growing up. Our conversation then turned to the tales we've heard. We are all from different backgrounds, lived in different states as kids and it was interesting and fun to hear the different tales we've heard from our parents. We laughed alot at some of the tales we were sharing...

Here's Some:

Drop a spoon off the table and you'll have a visitor

If you Knock over the salt shaker, you have to throw some salt over your left shoulder to ward off bad luck

If your Right palm itches, you'll have a visitor

If your Left palm itches, you'll receive money

If your nose itches, you'll get into a fight

When you hear ringing in your ear, someone is talking about you


What is a Wives Tale?

An old wives tale is said to be much like an urban legend. These tales are generally passed down from generation to generation. Such 'tales' usually consist of superstition, folklore or unverified claims with exaggerated and/or untrue details.

Most old wives' tales are false and are used to discourage unwanted behavior, usually in children.

Here are some tales from Wikipedia that parents might have used on their children. Have you heard any of these?

Handling a baby bird will cause it to be rejected by its parents. False. Most birds have such a limited sense of smell, they can't detect the scent of a human

Habitual knuckle-cracking causes arthritis. False.

Eating faster will make you fat. False

Chewing gum, if swallowed, remains inside your body for seven years. False. Chewing gum is excreted like any other undigested piece of food or stray object swallowed

If you make a face and the wind changes direction, your face will stay that way. False

If you touch a toad, you'll get warts. False

If you have a stye, you must have read or watched pornographic materials. False.

If you sneeze with your eyelids open, your eyes will pop out of their sockets. False

I have to admit, as silly as some of those are, my mom used a few of them on me.

While the subject of wives tales can be superstitious to some, others believe a few they've heard. Coincidence or not, I do really get money after my palm itches!

Well, this subject made us laugh and brought back some memories of our parents and growing up as a child. I hope you experienced the same.

Why don't you share some old wives tales you've heard while growing up. Please leave a comment...

Teenagers Who Bully

I have trouble comprehending the ways some of our children are behaving. We've been hearing alot about and seeing youtube videos of kids bullying others.

What is happening to the minds of our youth? What posses them to do this to one another?

Just this morning I heard about the teenager being charged with the death of another due to the taunting caused by way of a fake myspace page. The accused set up this fake 'boy' myspace page and repeatedly contacted the girl and bullied her...literally to death.

The accused caused so much pain to this other teenager. It boggles my mind that the accused actually carefully thought out and planned this torture. The other girl was under such pressure, was depressed and was experiencing emotional harm...in the end, she hung herself! I can't fathom this... Now children are dealing with cyber-bullying too?

Think of the families...not only for the family who lost their young child, but the family of the accused.

It is said that one student in 10 is bullied at least once a week. Bullying can either be physical, verbal or emotional (shunning, spreading nasty gossip). It is deliberate and hurtful behavior to another.

If you are a parent with young children, please read below the warning signs that a child is being bullied, according to About.com,

* Comes home with torn, damaged, or missing pieces of clothing, books, or other belongings
* Has unexplained cuts, bruises, and scratches
* Has few, if any friends, with whom he or she spends time with
* Seems afraid of going to school, walking to and from school, riding the school bus, or taking part in organized activities with peers (such as clubs)
* Takes a long, “illogical” route when walking to or from school
* Has lost interest in school work or suddenly begins to do poorly in school
* Appears sad, moody, teary, or depressed when he or she comes home
* Complains frequently of headaches, stomachaches, or other physical ailments
* Has trouble sleeping or has frequent bad dreams
* Experiences a loss of appetite
* Appears anxious and/or suffers from low self-esteem

Bullying should not be a normal part of growing up...

The Sweet Smell of Childhood

It is amazing how the sense of smell can bring back so many memories. You catch a scent of something….perfume, cologne, food, clothes just washed and hung out to dry…it takes you back to a time in your life…hopefully a happy time, but it could even stir up an unpleasant memory.

I recalled a memory this morning that kept with me the entire day. Luckily for me, this was a pleasant memory. We even had problems in the office today, but since I had such a feel good memory on my mind, I was able to just breeze thru any issues that arose.

As a child, my family would visit my aunt, uncle and cousins who lived by the beach every Sunday. A tradition that went on for many years. Our family is Italian and there’d be a house full of people…more aunts, uncles and cousins… eating macaroni and gravy (yes, gravy! And of course homemade macaroni), meatballs/sausage, braciole, salad and then of course there would be many deserts to choose from.

They lived on the bay side and allowed us kids to walk down to the dock. There, we would fish or watch the other fishermen, look for shells, watch the boats, be lazy watching the small waves rock to the shore.. We’d walk around for hours, thought how lucky we were when one of the fishermen asked us to help them. And, what a prize we had, when we were given a minnow for our pail.

I distinctly remember the smells at the bay: the salty air, the seaweed, the fish (that’s probably why I don’t eat fish now!) the railroad ties that lined the dock. When the sun beat down, you were able to smell the tar on the railroad ties.

I passed construction taking place on a bridge as I drove into work this morning. I caught a whiff of that very same scent: tar on a railroad tie! Instantly, I was brought back to being a child at the bay, hanging out on the docks. What a great time! Carefree, with skinned knees, laughing with my cousins and remembering when we got back home to my aunts, we’d all have to wash our feet. We never had shoes on. While I drove, I had a smile on my face while in my mind playing the movie of the days at the beach…I remember it just like it was yesterday.

Even now as I am recalling this to you, the smile returns….