My friends often mock me for being a Pollyanna. And truthfully, I can't disagree with them. If you look up Pollyanna on Wikipedia you'll read "Research indicates that, at the unconscious level, our minds have a tendency to focus on the optimistic while, at the conscious level, we have a tendency to focus on the negative. This unconscious bias towards the positive is often described as the Pollyanna principle." I, on the other hand, quite consciously focus on the optimistic side. When something bad happens I always look for the good in it. And if I can't find the good right away, I tell myself that everything happens for a reason and I'll just have to wait to find out why.
I am always glad that I have this kind of attitude because I can't stand hearing about people wallowing in misery and seeking pity. Yes, of course, horrible things happen that are next to impossible to find any good in. And thankfully I have never had to suffer some sort of unspeakable tragedy that has unhinged me enough to shed my Pollyanna ways. In fact, I consider myself a very lucky person. Sure, I never win raffles, my name has never been picked from the thousands of tickets I leave at Trader Joes for bringing my own shopping bags and I don't even bother buying lottery tickets anymore. But I have a wonderful husband, two amazing children, a beautiful house and awesome pets. I even love my old car. I'm very lucky indeed!
I believe that keeping an optimistic, glass three-quarters full attitude actually keeps bad things from happening. And today I believe it even more. Today, my husband got into a car accident with a semi-truck on a snowy road far from home. Thankfully my husband is a great driver, and thankfully he made some evasive moves that definitely kept this accident from becoming tragic. And although his car suffered some serious damage, he is very lucky that he walked away unscathed. Basically there were three options for him today: 1. get completely crushed/wiped out by the jack-knifing semi-truck, 2. get pushed over the guardrail and straight down the side of a cliff, or 3. manage to position his car perfectly between the guardrail and the out of control semi-truck so that only the side of his car was damaged. Thankfully my husband scored that third option! So when he called to tell me what happened, I immediately saw the good in all this and told him he was sooooo lucky.
I sleep well every night knowing that my life really is awesome. All I wish is for everyone to share this same kind of optimistic attitude with me. Pollyanna was a young girl with infectious optimism, and I for one am okay with being called a Pollyanna.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
My Rockin' Hot Boss
I work for a lady with a rockin' hot body. She's a mom in her mid-30s but she's one of those rare breeds that can happily wear the shortest of short-shorts and not look silly. Yeah, her boobs are fake, her tan is fake, her nails are fake, her hair color is fake, even half the hair on her head is fake. Plus she wears more makeup in one day than I wear in a year. But still, she's got a rockin' hot body. Her legs and butt are awesome and to the best of my knowledge those are real. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that she used to be a lingerie model? Yup, she was. And I get to work next to her.
Sometimes having a person with brains (she owns her own successful business), beauty (see above description) and tons of money (her husband also owns his own successful business) around you on a regular basis can become a motivational tool. Or, in my case, it can just be a drag. No matter how hard I try, I will never look like her. I realize that's because I am waaaay too lazy to go the extra mile that she has gone. I am not going to get a boob job. I am not going put in hair extensions. And I am not going to get a fake tan (those spray booths really freak me out!) Of course it's important to note that I keep my hair super short because I am far too lazy to style it. And I only break out the eyeliner and mascara for weddings and funerals. So clearly I am nowhere near her league of visual reconstruction. However, I'm okay with that.
I seriously thought that if I worked out I could get the legs and ass that she has, but that's just not happening. What was I thinking? I would go to my little exercise classes a couple times a weeks and presto, hot body? Yup, that is exactly what I was thinking. Sadly, I didn't even have her legs and ass even when I was super thin back in high school. I had cellulite (something I've been told can be covered up with a fake tan) and jiggly thighs even then. I barely weighed 115 lbs and still had a sqooshie tooshie. I looked in to liposuction once, but decided it was totally out of the question when I heard that the fat comes back, but in a different location. I do not need ass fat on my arms! I am not okay with that.
I remind myself that I eat well and exercise to stay healthy, not to look hot. Should consider buying some under-eye concealer, or maybe some of that body lotion that makes you look tanner after a couple weeks? Probably. But I also remind myself that I'm too lazy to actually use it longer than a couple days. And so, I am left with my pale skin and naturally curvy body and manly haircut. On most days I'm okay with that.
It's important to note that I really do like my boss. Once you get past the fake blond hair and the big fake boobs, she's a really fun lady with a wicked snarky sense of humor. And I'm totally okay with that!
Sometimes having a person with brains (she owns her own successful business), beauty (see above description) and tons of money (her husband also owns his own successful business) around you on a regular basis can become a motivational tool. Or, in my case, it can just be a drag. No matter how hard I try, I will never look like her. I realize that's because I am waaaay too lazy to go the extra mile that she has gone. I am not going to get a boob job. I am not going put in hair extensions. And I am not going to get a fake tan (those spray booths really freak me out!) Of course it's important to note that I keep my hair super short because I am far too lazy to style it. And I only break out the eyeliner and mascara for weddings and funerals. So clearly I am nowhere near her league of visual reconstruction. However, I'm okay with that.
I seriously thought that if I worked out I could get the legs and ass that she has, but that's just not happening. What was I thinking? I would go to my little exercise classes a couple times a weeks and presto, hot body? Yup, that is exactly what I was thinking. Sadly, I didn't even have her legs and ass even when I was super thin back in high school. I had cellulite (something I've been told can be covered up with a fake tan) and jiggly thighs even then. I barely weighed 115 lbs and still had a sqooshie tooshie. I looked in to liposuction once, but decided it was totally out of the question when I heard that the fat comes back, but in a different location. I do not need ass fat on my arms! I am not okay with that.
I remind myself that I eat well and exercise to stay healthy, not to look hot. Should consider buying some under-eye concealer, or maybe some of that body lotion that makes you look tanner after a couple weeks? Probably. But I also remind myself that I'm too lazy to actually use it longer than a couple days. And so, I am left with my pale skin and naturally curvy body and manly haircut. On most days I'm okay with that.
It's important to note that I really do like my boss. Once you get past the fake blond hair and the big fake boobs, she's a really fun lady with a wicked snarky sense of humor. And I'm totally okay with that!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Let me introduce myself
Let me introduce myself - I am Minja, the midlife ninja. I am sneaking up on Midlife and attempting to kick it square in the ass. Although most women seem to dread getting older, I've embraced it. With age comes wisdom. And patience. And attitude.
I am just on the other side of 40 years old and I couldn't be happier. Somehow, strangely, my life took a turn for the better after that momentous birthday. Everything on the outside stayed the same - same husband, same kids, same home and same car - but the person on the inside changed drastically. It all started when one day I decided that I no longer had to say yes to everyone. When my friends or family had asked me to do something for them that I really didn't want to do, like pick them up at the airport during rush hour, I would have always said yes. No, I really didn't want to go to the airport, and no, I really didn't want to come water your plants everyday while you were on vacation, but I still agreed to do it. Why? Because that was the kind of person I am. Nice.
But then I turned 40, and all of a sudden I realized that if I didn't say yes all the time I wouldn't have to do all those annoying things. More importantly, I realized that even though I refused go with you to see that new chick flick, you still liked me as a friend. This was a big deal for me. I was not one to say no before, and I found a certain sense of power every time I said it. I didn't know it then, but this small change was the beginning of the transformation to becoming the new me.
Of course I still say yes to friends and family for some stupid requests, but that's because I'm nice. But now I pick and choose what nice thing I am going to do. And I don't feel bad when I say no. The airport at rush hour is out of the question. If you want your plants watered you can hire my son for $25 a week. However I will go to the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie with you. But you have to drive.
I am just on the other side of 40 years old and I couldn't be happier. Somehow, strangely, my life took a turn for the better after that momentous birthday. Everything on the outside stayed the same - same husband, same kids, same home and same car - but the person on the inside changed drastically. It all started when one day I decided that I no longer had to say yes to everyone. When my friends or family had asked me to do something for them that I really didn't want to do, like pick them up at the airport during rush hour, I would have always said yes. No, I really didn't want to go to the airport, and no, I really didn't want to come water your plants everyday while you were on vacation, but I still agreed to do it. Why? Because that was the kind of person I am. Nice.
But then I turned 40, and all of a sudden I realized that if I didn't say yes all the time I wouldn't have to do all those annoying things. More importantly, I realized that even though I refused go with you to see that new chick flick, you still liked me as a friend. This was a big deal for me. I was not one to say no before, and I found a certain sense of power every time I said it. I didn't know it then, but this small change was the beginning of the transformation to becoming the new me.
Of course I still say yes to friends and family for some stupid requests, but that's because I'm nice. But now I pick and choose what nice thing I am going to do. And I don't feel bad when I say no. The airport at rush hour is out of the question. If you want your plants watered you can hire my son for $25 a week. However I will go to the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie with you. But you have to drive.
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