Freedom of Simplicity

by Bo Sanchez

Happiness is not found outside of you. It doesn't come from cars,

Clothes,cash, or Caribbean cruises. Happiness is found within.

But how can you find it if you don't have the simplicity of time

And space to discover the most important things in your life?

How can you search the depths of your soul if you are too busy

Impressing others, acquiring wealth, protecting your properties, and

Paying your debts?

Simplicity is not about the external either: living in a doghouse,

Eating in Hepatitis joints, wearing rags.

Let me define what it is: Simplicity is living from the core of your being.

A TREASURE MAP OF HAPPINESS

Simplicity will point to you where and what and who the gold is in your life.

Let me share with you the seven powerful lessons I've learned on simple living:

1. LIVE ON LESS, AND DELIGHT IN THEM MORE

Some take their pleasure dining in classy restaurants, trips to Europe,

And owning the latest home theatre-equipment. I've chosen the simple path:

If I can simply be with my wife, or take a quiet stroll under a canopy of stars,

Or play with a child, or read a good book in my home, or laugh with friends

Over a pizza, I consider myself richly blessed.

Focus on what you have and not on what you don't have.

2. STOP RUNNING AND WALK INSTEAD

Here's the truth: The person who has covered the greatest distance does

NOT win, but the one who has most enjoyed the journey does. Stop

Running around chasing your own tail!

Get off your hurried pace and learn to breathe. Replace doing with

Being. Learn to say no to invitations, appointments, and commitments,

Activities and events that will rob you of your focus. Learn to say

"yes" to rest, to tranquility, to quietness.

3. YOU ARE MORE THAN YOUR WEALTH

I own very few things today. Because I am more than the brand of my

Watch,the logo of my shoes, the name of my car. I believe that if in my soul

I deeply respect and value myself, people around me will sense that, and they too,

Will value and respect me-whether I'm wearing Armani or not.

You are more than your wealth.

4. AVOID BUYING ON CREDIT

I don't believe in borrowing from credit cards. (For convenience, I use one card

But I pay the whole amount at the end of each month.) If I need something really bad,

I save up for it. Sometimes, at midpoint, I realize I don't really need the darn thing

And give up the whole idea. The only exception I feel we should enter into a

Credit is when buying a non-depreciating item, such as housing or land.

I believe we should always live within our earning capacity.

Proverbs 22:7 says, "Those who borrow are slaves of moneylenders."

5. GIVE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN

If I content myself with SAR25 shirt instead of SAR400 Lacoste, I can help others more.

Trust me, there is immense pleasure! You will find that the empty thrill of owning a

Diamond ring on your finger pales in comparison to the joy of handling a

Piece of bread to an orphan child.

"And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times,

Having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." (2 Corinthians 9:8)

The Old Testament of tithing, or giving 10% of your income is a good guideline to follow.

The New Testament challenges us to give with a cheerful heart. (When you're cheerful,

You may give more than 10%!) Make it a habit.

6. SAVE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN

Saving is essential to being good stewards of the money that God "lends" to us.

Saving is an important way of providing for our future-both for our needs and

To be generous to others. I recommend that you save at least 10% of your income.

I can almost hear you now: "Bo, that's impossible!" Oh yeah? Well, how did you

Live three years back when your salary was one-half its present amount?"

Sacrifice. Many of our needs are actually wants. Is cable TV a need? Will you

Suddenly die if you can't watch CNN or HBO? Are those new golf clubs essential

To your existence? Invest in time deposits, long-term stocks and housing.

7. BUDGET, BUDGET, BUDGET

Make a list of all your monthly expenses, according to categories. Make also a list

Of irregular expenses-those that don't come monthly. Set up another savings account

For these expenses and put in a little money each month. To differentiate this from

the savings account, we call ours "freedom account" because it frees us from worrying

about them when they suddenly attack. And stick to your budget!

ONE LAST WORD BEFORE WE CLOSE

Balance.

Don't take living simply to the extremes! Living simply doesn't mean living in deprivation.

There are special days when my wife and I eat in a fancy restaurant. Or, when we splurge into a

vacation. Very rare, yes, but my point is that you take living simply NOT as a rigid goal-

but as a happy process towards the goals of generosity, inner peace and holiness.

Have a nice day! God Bless.

14 Ways to Convert Your Sedentary lifestyle

by Dumb Little Man

Sedentary Lifestyle

• It is characterized by sitting or remaining inactive for most of the day (for example, in an office), with little or no exercise.
• It is believed to be a factor in obesity, and, as such, may contribute to other diseases, such as type II diabetes, heart disease, depression and even hemorrhoids.
• Lack of exercise causes muscle atrophy, i.e. shrinking and weakening of the muscles, which in turn increases susceptibility to physical injury.
• Additionally, Physical fitness is correlated with immune system function; a reduction in physical fitness is generally accompanied by a weakening of the immune system.

Here are how to:

1. Park far away: Instinctively, almost all of us look for a spot as close to our destination as possible. Instead get into the habit of parking a block away, or parking at the farthest parking spot. If you are grocery shopping, park in the store's lot but choose the back row. Clearly you wouldn't want to be caught pushing a shopping cart down the street trying to get to your car.
2. Take the stairs instead of elevators: If it is one or two floors, always take the stairs. If you need to go up/down several floors then take the stairs to two floors above/below and then take the elevator. As you get used to it, increase the number of floors you use the stairs for. If you park in a level parking lot, always park in one of the higher levels and walk down.
3. If possible, walk or bike to work: This is not possible for everyone, but if you live in a place where the pollution is less and your workplace is relatively close by, then choose to walk or bike instead of driving.
4. Skip the stop: If your city has a subway or bus system, skip your stop and get off at the one after (or before) and then walk from there. You'll get to enjoy the air and neighborhood a little while increasing your heart rate.
5. Maximize the benefits from your grocery trip: When you go to the grocery store, make it a habit to walk the entire store. Go through every aisle and every nook and corner. Avoid the aisles that could tempt you to pick up junk food though, since that can completely obliterate any benefits of walking a few extra steps! NOTE: if you have a spending problem don't do this.
6. Take a short walk-break at work: Again this one depends on your work location, but ours is located outside the city and is on large private grounds. Every afternoon a couple of us go for a short walk (~1 mile round trip) which takes roughly 15-20 minutes. It is very invigorating and a nice break from the afternoon routine.
7. Do your own yard work: This is a good one for summer time when the lawn starts to grow and you need to keep it trimmed. Instead of hiring someone to do it for you, do it yourself. You will not only get some exercise, but save some money too!
8. Play with your kids: Kids these days seem to play more video games than outdoor games like we did when we were younger. So take your kids out to the park and throw the ball around, play tag, etc.
9. Put on your favorite music and dance: This is not only exercise, but also a great way to unwind at the end of a busy day. And a good trip down the memory lane for those of us who have not done it in a long time! While watching TV, pace or stretch: Instead of switching channels during the ad break get up and walk about the house.
10. Do some lunges or some simple stretching exercises: If you have stairs in your house, walk up and down the stairs a few times, during each ad break for at least one show every day.
11. Choose to walk down instead of call or email: When you have a question for a colleague, instead of picking up the phone or shooting an email, walk over to their cube. This will not only provide some exercise but a short break for a quick recharge.
12. Walk while you talk on the phone: If your job involves talking on the phone a lot, then instead of doing this sitting at your desk, get into the habit of pacing while you talk. Motion creates emotion so you may even become a better speaker by doing this.
13. Choose active entertainment over passive entertainment: Instead of going for a movie, choose to go play tennis with some friends (or at least bowling). Instead of playing regular video games, play with a Wii. Instead of meeting friends for a cup of coffee, catch up over a sunset walk.
14. Choose active vacations: While planning vacations, pick something that involves some walking and hiking. While taking in a new city, do it by walk, instead of driving around. If golfing, skip the cart. If staying at a resort, make use of their pool and the exercise facility. Try skiing and white water rafting.

14 Simple Ways to Convert Your Sedentary Lifestyle

from dumblittleman.com

Sedentary lifestyle is a medical neologism used to denote a type of lifestyle most commonly found in modern (particularly Western) cultures. It is characterized by sitting or remaining inactive for most of the day (for example, in an office), with little or no exercise. It is believed to be a factor in obesity, and, as such, may contribute to other diseases, such as type II diabetes, heart disease, depression and even hemorrhoids. Lack of exercise causes muscle atrophy, i.e. shrinking and weakening of the muscles, which in turn increases susceptibility to physical injury. Additionally, Physical fitness is correlated with immune system function; a reduction in physical fitness is generally accompanied by a weakening of the immune system.

1. Park far away: Instinctively, almost all of us look for a spot as close to our destination as possible. Instead get into the habit of parking a block away, or parking at the farthest parking spot. If you are grocery shopping, park in the store's lot but choose the back row. Clearly you wouldn't want to be caught pushing a shopping cart down the street trying to get to your car.

2. Take the stairs instead of elevators: If it is one or two floors, always take the stairs. If you need to go up/down several floors then take the stairs to two floors above/below and then take the elevator. As you get used to it, increase the number of floors you use the stairs for. If you park in a level parking lot, always park in one of the higher levels and walk down.

3. If possible, walk or bike to work: This is not possible for everyone, but if you live in a place where the pollution is less and your workplace is relatively close by, then choose to walk or bike instead of driving.

4. Skip the stop: If your city has a subway or bus system, skip your stop and get off at the one after (or before) and then walk from there. You'll get to enjoy the air and neighborhood a little while increasing your heart rate.

5. Maximize the benefits from your grocery trip: When you go to the grocery store, make it a habit to walk the entire store. Go through every aisle and every nook and corner. Avoid the aisles that could tempt you to pick up junk food though, since that can completely obliterate any benefits of walking a few extra steps! NOTE: if you have a spending problem don't do this.

6. Take a short walk-break at work: Again this one depends on your work location, but ours is located outside the city and is on large private grounds. Every afternoon a couple of us go for a short walk (~1 mile round trip) which takes roughly 15-20 minutes. It is very invigorating and a nice break from the afternoon routine.

7. Do your own yard work: This is a good one for summer time when the lawn starts to grow and you need to keep it trimmed. Instead of hiring someone to do it for you, do it yourself. You will not only get some exercise, but save some money too!

8. Play with your kids: Kids these days seem to play more video games than outdoor games like we did when we were younger. So take your kids out to the park and throw the ball around, play tag, etc.

9. Put on your favorite music and dance: This is not only exercise, but also a great way to unwind at the end of a busy day. And a good trip down the memory lane for those of us who have not done it in a long time!

10. While watching TV, pace or stretch: Instead of switching channels during the ad break get up and walk about the house. Do some lunges or some simple stretching exercises. If you have stairs in your house, walk up and down the stairs a few times, during each ad break for at least one show every day.

11. Choose to walk down instead of call or email: When you have a question for a colleague, instead of picking up the phone or shooting an email, walk over to their cube. This will not only provide some exercise but a short break for a quick recharge.

12. Walk while you talk on the phone: If your job involves talking on the phone a lot, then instead of doing this sitting at your desk, get into the habit of pacing while you talk. Motion creates emotion so you may even become a better speaker by doing this.

13. Choose active entertainment over passive entertainment: Instead of going for a movie, choose to go play tennis with some friends (or at least bowling). Instead of playing regular video games, play with a Wii. Instead of meeting friends for a cup of coffee, catch up over a sunset walk.

14. Choose active vacations: While planning vacations, pick something that involves some walking and hiking. While taking in a new city, do it by walk, instead of driving around. If golfing, skip the cart. If staying at a resort, make use of their pool and the exercise facility. Try skiing and white water rafting.

The Powerful Gift

from tasgreetings.com

The passengers on the bus watched sympathetically as the attractive young woman with the white cane made her way carefully up the steps. She paid the driver and, using her hands to feel the location of the seats, walked down the aisle and found the seat he'd told her was empty. Then she settled in, placed her briefcase on her lap and rested her cane against her leg.

It had been a year since Susan, 34, became blind. Due to a medical misdiagnosis she had been rendered sightless, and she was suddenly thrown into a world of darkness, anger, frustration and self pity. And all she had to cling to was her husband, Mark.

Mark was an Air Force officer and he loved Susan with all his heart. When she first lost her sight, he watched her sink into despair and was determined to help his wife gain the strength and confidence she needed to become independent again.

Finally, Susan felt ready to return to her job, but how would she get there? She used to take the bus, but was now too frightened to get around the city by herself. Mark volunteered to drive her to work each day, even though they worked at opposite ends of the city.

At first, this comforted Susan, and fulfilled Mark's need to protect his sightless wife who was so insecure about performing the slightest task. Soon, however, Mark realized the arrangement wasn't working. Susan is going to have to start taking the bus again, he admitted to himself. But she was still so fragile, so angry - how would she react?

Just as he predicted, Susan was horrified at the idea of taking the bus again. "I'm blind!", she responded bitterly. "How am I supposed to know where I am going? I feel like you're abandoning me."

Mark's heart broke to hear these words, but he knew what had to be done. He
promised Susan that each morning and evening he would ride the bus with her, for as long as it took, until she got the hang of it.

And that is exactly what happened. For two solid weeks, Mark, military uniform and all, accompanied Susan to and from work each day. He taught her how to rely on her other senses, specifically her hearing, to determine where she was and how to adapt her new environment. He helped her befriend the bus drivers who could watch out for her, and save her a seat.

Finally, Susan decided that she was ready to try the trip on her own. Monday morning arrived, and before she left, she threw her arms around Mark, her temporary bus riding companion, her husband, and her best friend. Her eyes filled with tears of gratitude for his loyalty, his patience, and his love. She said good-bye, and for the first time, they went their separate ways.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday... Each day on her own went perfectly, and Susan had never felt better. She was doing it! She was going to work all by herself.

On Friday morning, Susan took the bus to work as usual. As she was paying the fare to exit the bus, the driver said, "Boy, I sure do envy you."

Susan wasn't sure if the driver was speaking to her or not. After all, who on earth would ever envy a blind woman who had struggled just to find the courage to live for the past year? Curious, she asked the driver, "Why do you say that you envy me?"

The driver responded, "It must feel good to be taken care of and protected like you are."

Susan had no idea what the driver was talking about, and again asked, "What do you mean?"

The driver answered, "You know, every morning for the past week, a fine looking gentleman in a military uniform has been standing across the corner watching you as you get off the bus. He makes sure you cross the street safely and he watches until you enter your office building. Then he blows you a kiss, gives you a little salute and walks away. You are one lucky lady."

Tears of happiness poured down Susan's cheeks. For although she couldn't physically see him, she had always felt Mark's presence. She was lucky, so lucky, for he had given her a gift more powerful than sight, a gift she didn't need to see to believe - the gift of love that can bring light where there is darkness.

Stress Reduction Techniques

from tasgreetings.com

That we live in an extremely stressful environment is abundantly evident. However, stress is nothing new - it's been around since the beginning. Robert Louis Stevenson made these suggestions over 100 years ago:

1. Make up your mind to be happy - learn to find pleasure in simple things.

2. Make the best of circumstances. No one has everything and everyone has something of sorrow.

3. Don't take yourself too seriously.

4. Don't let criticism worry you - you can't please everybody.

5. Don't let your neighbors set your standards - be yourself.

6. Do things you enjoy doing but stay out of debt.

7. Don't borrow trouble. Imaginary things are harder to bear than actual ones.

8. Since hate poisons the soul, don't cherish enmities and grudges. Avoid people who make you unhappy.

9. Have many interests. If you can't travel, read about places.

10. Don't hold post-mortems or spend time brooding over sorrows and mistakes.

11. Don't be the one who never gets over things.

12. Keep busy at something. A very busy person never has time to be unhappy.

Times haven't changed - relax:-))

I Love You Enough

by Erma Bombeck

Some day when my children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates a parent, I will tell them:

I loved you enough to ask where you were going, with whom, and what time you would be home.

I loved you enough to insist that you save your money and buy a bike for yourself even though we could afford to buy one for you.

I loved you enough to be silent and let you discover that your new best friend was a creep.

I loved you enough to make you take a Milky Way back to the drugstore (with a bite out of it) and tell the clerk, "I stole this yesterday and want to pay for it."

I loved you enough to stand over you for two hours while you cleaned your room, a job that would have taken 15 minutes.

I loved you enough to let you see anger, disappointment and tears in my eyes. Children must learn that their parents aren't perfect.

I loved you enough to let you assume the responsibility for your actions even when the penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart.

But most of all, I loved you enough to say NO when I knew you would hate me for it. Those were the most difficult battles of all. I'm glad I won them, because in the end you won, too.

Stevie - the Best Little Worker

from tasgreetings.com

I try not to be biased, but I had my doubts about hiring Stevie. His placement counselor assured me that he would be a good, reliable busboy, but.. I had never had a mentally handicapped employee and wasn't sure I wanted one.

I wasn't sure how my customers would react to Stevie. He was short, a little dumpy, with the smooth facial features and thick - tongued speech of down syndrome. I wasn't worried about most of my trucker customers, because truckers don't generally care who buses tables as long as the meatloaf platter is good and the pies are homemade.

The four-wheeler drivers were the ones who concerned me; the mouthy college kids traveling to school; the yuppie snobs who secretly polish their silverware with their napkins for fear of catching some dreaded "truckstop germ;" the pairs of white shirted business men on expense accounts who think every truckstop waitress wants to be flirted with. I knew those people would be uncomfortable around Stevie, so I closely watched him for the first few weeks.

I shouldn't have worried. After the first week, Stevie had my staff wrapped around his stubby little finger, and within a month my truck regulars had adopted him as their official truckstop mascot. After that I really didn't care what the rest of the customers thought of him. He was like a 21 year old in blue jeans and Nikes, eager to laugh and eager to please, but fierce in his attention to his duties.

Every salt and pepper shaker was exactly in it's place, not a bread crumb or coffee spill was visible, when Stevie got done with the table. Our only problem was convincing him to wait to clean a table until after the customers were finished. He would hover in the background, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, scanning the dining room until a table was empty. Then he would scurry to the empty table and carefully bus the dishes and glasses onto cart and meticulously wipe the table up with a practiced flourish of his rag. If he thought a customer was watching , his brow would pucker with added concentration. He took pride in doing his job exactly right, and you had to love how hard he tried to please each and every person he met.

Over time, we learned that he lived with his mother, a widow who was disabled after repeated surgeries for cancer. They lived on their Social Security benefits in public housing two miles from the tuckstop. Their social worker, who stopped to check on him every so often, admitted they had fallen between the cracks. Money was tight, and what I paid him was the probably the difference between them being able to live together and Stevie being sent to a group home.

That's why the restaurant was a gloomy place that morning last August, the first morning in three years that Stevie missed work. He was at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester getting a new valve or something put in his heart. His social worker said that people with Down's syndrome often had heart problems at a early age, so this wasn't unexpected, and there was a good chance he would come through the surgery in good shape and be back at work in a few months.

A ripple of excitement ran through the staff later that morning when word came that he was out of surgery, in recovery and doing fine. Frannie, my head waitress, let out a war hoop and did a little dance the aisle when she heard the good news. Belle Ringer, one of our regular trucker customers, stared at the sight of the 50 year old grandmother of four doing a victory shimmy beside his table. Frannie blushed, smoothed her apron and shot belle Ringer a withering look.

He grinned."OK, Frannie, what was that all about?" he asked.
"We just got word that Stevie is out of surgery and going to be okay"
"I was wondering where he was. I had a new joke to tell him. What was the surgery about?"
Frannie quickly told Belle Ringer and the other two drivers sitting at his booth about Stevies surgery, then sighed.
"Yeah, I'm glad he is going to be ok," she said," but I don't know how he and his mom are going to handle all the bills. From what I hear, they're barely getting by as it is.
Belle Ringer nodded thoughtfully, and Frannie hurried off to wait on the rest of her tables. Since I hadn't had time to round up a busboy to replace Stevie , and really didn't want to replace him, the girls were busing their own tables that day til we decided what to do.
After the morning rush, Frannie walked into my office. She had a couple of paper napkins in her hand a funny look on her face. "What's up?" I asked.

"I didn't get that table where Belle Ringer and his friends were sitting cleared off after they left, and Pony Pete and TonyTipper were sitting there when I got back to clean it off," she said," This was folded and tucked under a coffee cup."
She handed the napkin to me, and three $20 fell onto my desk when I opened it. On the outside, in big, bold letters, was printed "Something For Stevie"
"Pony Pete asked me what that was all about," she said, " so I told him about Stevie and his mom and everything, and Pete looked at Tony and Tony looked at Pete, and they ended up giving me this."
She handed me another paper napkin that had "Something For Stevie" scrawled on it's outside. Two $50 bills were tucked within it's folds. Frannie looked at me with wet, shiny eyes, shook her head and said simply"truckers".

That was three months ago. Today is Thanksgiving, the first day Stevie is supposed to be back to work. His placement worker said he's been counting the days until the doctor said he could work, and it didn't matter at all that it was a holiday. He called 10 times in the past week, making sure we knew he was coming, fearful that we had forgotten him or that his job was in jeopardy.
I arranged to have his mother bring him to work, met them in the parking lot and invited them both to celebrate his day back.

Stevie was thinner and paler, but couldn't stop grinning as he pushed through the doors and headed for the back room where his apron and busing cart were waiting.
"Hold up there, Stevie, not so fast," I said. I took him and his mother by their arms. "Work can wait for a minute. To celebrate you coming back, breakfast for you and your mother is on me."

I led them toward a large corner booth at the rear of the room. I could feel and hear the rest of the staff following behind as we marched through the dining room. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw booth after booth of grinning truckers empty and join the possession.

We stopped in front of the big table. Its surface was covered with coffee cups, saucers and dinner plates, all sitting slightly crooked on dozens of folded paper napkins.
" First thing you have to do, Stevie, is clean up this mess," I said. I tried to sound stern.
Stevie looked at me, and then at his mother, then pulled out one of the napkins. It had "Something For Stevie printed on the outside. As he picked it up, two &10 bills fell onto the table. Stevie stared at the money, then at all the napkins peeking from beneath the tableware, each with his name printed or scrawled on it.

I turned to his mother." There's more than $10,000 in cash and checks on that table, all from truckers and trucking companies that heard about your problems. Happy Thanksgiving."
Well, it got real noisy about that time, with everybody hollering and shouting, and there were a few tears, as well... but you know what's funny????

While everybody else was busy shaking hands and hugging each other, Stevie, with a big, big smile on his face, was busy clearing all the cups and dishes from the table...
Best worker I ever hired......