03May 2012 by CJ

Feeling emotionally down can sometimes be rectified with a brisk walk

Life & Living
There are two things you can do when you’re feeling emotionally down – you can either succumb to the feeling while sitting on the couch in a vegetative state or you can try to build up some positive energy with a little light exercise. Today, I was feeling emotionally down and facing such a decision. Feeling pretty low, I reviewed the above choices and was leaning towards the vegetative state. But deep down I knew I needed to get out and try to make something of the day. So, I grabbed my iPod and went for a stroll around town. It wasn’t a particularly sunny day – mainly cloudy and cold, which didn’t help me feeling emotionally down. I had no planned route in my head. I just went wherever…
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30Apr 2012 by CJ

Do-it-yourself projects are fine but know when to cut your losses

Information & Education, Life & Living
When I was younger, my grandfather and my father provided me with invaluable knowledge about home ownership – most notably the endless array of do-it-yourself projects. I consider myself fairly handy and willing to try just about any do-it-yourself projects, within reason, before picking up the phone to call the professionals. I’ll admit there’s a certain feeling of gratification in knowing you’ve successfully completed a project and thus saved yourself a little cash is the process. But there are just some things I should not attempt and that’s plumbing work. You’d think I’d have learned my lesson by now, especially given the fact that last year it took me two days to replace the faucet on my bathroom sink. But pride often prevents us from stepping back and looking at…
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19Apr 2012 by CJ

Doing nothing is sometimes the break you need in life

Life & Living, Love & Relationships
Lori Deschene of the wonderfully inspirational website “Tiny Buddha” recently provided her readers with the following message about doing nothing. “We are more than we produce. Even if we feel we have a lot to do, sometimes doing nothing is the healthiest choice of all. We owe it to ourselves to be patient with ourselves. Even if we feel we should be doing more, we’re doing the best we can. We can only grow from right where we stand, but first we have to accept it.” It’s strange how somewhere along the line we’ve been conditioned to believe that taking some time to recharge and gather our thoughts is a bad thing – that it’s nothing more than a waste of time. I’ll admit I’m an offender. At any given…
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10Apr 2012 by CJ

The past is no excuse for who you are – change is possible

Life & Living
In the book, “If Only I Knew…Gentle Reminders to Help You Treasure the People in Your Life” by Lance Wubbels he states the following about how the past is no excuse. “If only I knew that my past is no excuse for who I am now, that truth could have set me free to change.” While we all have character traits which remain with us throughout our lives, the way in which we behave and interact with others should evolve and mature as we age. So many times we hear “this is how I am” from those who refuse to simply grow up. But behaviors can be changed to not only better your life but the life of those around you. The only thing that’s required is a little effort…
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29Mar 2012 by CJ

Earth hour is a time to help the environment and turn off all the distractions

Life & Living
Earth Hour is March 31st at around 8:30 in the evening. I’ll be sitting home in the dark with a single candle illuminating the blackness. Why you might ask? Well it’s not because I forgot to pay my electric bill. For those of you who might be questioning my motivation (and perhaps my sanity), I’ll be one of millions of other environmentally conscious individuals on the planet who will participate in this year’s Earth Hour. From their website: Hundreds of millions of people, businesses and governments around the world unite each year to support the largest environmental event in history – Earth Hour. More than 5,200 cities and towns in 135 countries worldwide switched off their lights for Earth Hour 2011 alone, sending a powerful message for action on climate…
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