Home is...

I am an avid reader of the magazine called "Real Simple" and this month's feature question was:"What does home mean to you?"
There were an amazing array of answers from "the sound of a husband's key in the lock at the end of the day" to "total acceptance".

These answers led me to think about it for myself and here is a list of things that mean home to me:  
1.  Acceptance
2. Leaving the world at all its stressors at the door
3. Finding refuge in the arms of the man who knows ALL of me...and loves me anyway
4. My favorite ratty sleepshirt5. Sleeping in

6. A place to be myself; happy or sad, mad or glad
7. My sweet 16 year old Jack Russell, snuggled up to nap with Mommy
8. A cold Mountain Dew presented to me in bed
9. Dancing with my love, -creating moment when all is right with my world.
10. The smell that is my mom's perfume, there is no smell like it and no matter where I am, that smell reminds me of home.
Well, those are some of mine...

What things mean home to you? 

We all need a hug

I happened upon a website today: http://www.gagirl.com/hugs/hug.html and the passage below hit me in the heart, so I am sharing it with you:
"Hugging is good medicine. It transfers energy, and gives the person hugged an emotional boost. You need four hugs a day for survival, eight for maintenance, and twelve for growth. A hug makes you feel good. The skin is the largest organ we have and it needs a great deal of care. A hug can cover a lot of skin and gives the message that you care. It is also a form of communication. It can say things you don't have words for. The nicest thing about a hug is that you usually can't give one without getting one." (Author Unknown )

There have actually been studies done that prove that hugs make you grow. Seriously, Duke University did a study showing that premature babies who were hugged instead of left in the incubators had a consistenly higher growth rate that those who were missing that physical contact. Of course, most parents know this already, but sadly it seems that as we grow into adulthood, some people seem to "outgrow" their hugging tendency.  Some people are more "touchy-feely" than others, but we can all use a hug!
Who have you hugged today? :)

Perception breeds Tolerance guest post

OMG ! I did it! My VERY FIRST own GUEST post was posted on Worlds Strongest Librarian. Check it out. I am so excited...Gotta "do a little dance, .....get down tonight..."Can you hear the music now? Ok -maybe its just my euphoria setting in.

If you can't get to the post via the link after my title, here it is again:

http://worldsstrongestlibrarian.com/3752/perception-breeds-tolerance-guest-post-by-stephanie-smith/

Can't wait for your comments! Whoo-hooo! I'm so excited and I just can't hide it!!!!! Ok Ok-no more lyrics, promise! :)

The lens you view the world through

There is a Zen saying that goes like this: "To her lover a beautiful woman is a delight/ To a monk she is a distraction/ To a mosquito, she is a good meal." The point being: how we see things or people depends on the lens through which we view them. That lens or filter, is made up of our perceptions, our past experiences, our travels and our education. Both education (not just school, but life's teachings) and travel broaden a person's perspectives. The broader your perceptions, the better tolerance you have, which in turn leads to acceptance and resilience.
Every one's reality is different because it is filtered through the lens of our life experiences.

Let's do...NOTHING!

Idle hands....why is being idle such a BAD thing? I read a quote the other day that said something to the effect that there was nothing more satisfying than getting all you wanted accomplished done by the days' end. Well...perhaps you might feel accomplished after such a day, but personally I can have a very satisfying day doing nothing. OMG -yes- I said it: NOTHING!

Ok-perhaps I am being a bit melodramatic, but idleness does have a place in our lives. Why do you think so many creative ideas come to people at night or in the wee hours? Maybe it's because your brain has had some some to relax and noe it is ready to shoot out some ideas that were buried behind everything we try to fit into a day.

The biggest oppostision to idleness is guilt. STOP FEELING GUILTY. It's ok to let go and just BE- look at the clouds, doodle, eat chocolate, read a book, take a nap. You deserve it. I am not advocationg abandoning your resposibilities, but the sky isn't going to fall because you failed to mop the floor this weekend!

For more on this subject, check out a magazine called "The Idler" by Tom Hodgkinson. He has essentially made a career out of telling people how to be idle.

I am interested in your thoughts: are you for or against the "idler"mindset?