Christmas Do's and Don'ts

Okay, here's what you're supposed to do, and try not to be a SCROOGE!!!
Send this to a bunch of folks you know. Change all the answers so that they apply to you. 'tis the Season to be NICE!

At Christmas... Do you:

1. Use Wrapping paper or gift bags?

2. Real tree or Artificial?

3. When do you put up the tree?

4. When do you take the tree down?

5. Do you like eggnog?

6. Favorite gift received as a child?

7. Hardest person to buy for?

8. Easiest person to buy for?

9. Do you have a nativity scene?

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?

13 When do you start shopping for Christmas?

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?

16. Lights on the tree?

17. Favorite Christmas song?

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?

23.Favorite ornament theme or color?

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner?

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?

26. Who is most likely to respond to this?

27. Who is least likely to respond to this?

I'll share my answers if you insist... or just keep em deep inside where they can do no harm

Love, Peace and Blessings to All

Sue Adkins, Playwright/Songwriter
P.O. Box 940572
Plano, Texas 75094
Phone: 972.423.7899
website: www.successunlimited1.ws
" Order Children's Music by Sue at: www.cdbaby.com/cd/sueadkins "
" Order Kwanzaa Music by Sue at: www.cdbaby.com/cd/sueladkins "

De-Clutter

Can you have too many purses? Too much stuff? Got gobs of clutter and noise in your life? Save the mind probe. Relax. I'm talkin bout me. Things do break down, wear out and get shabby. Patchin' won't help. And more mindless spending is taboo. You scan the place and see... It's time for some major reinin in. ...gotta fix the cracks, replace, re-do, paint... The rug, floor, furniture, the sink, and even the light fixtures look jacked. No money to vacate till it's all done. You get to stay an see the whole thing through. First hand. Remember that Chevy Chase/Shelly Long House Redo movie? (Sigh) So you get started. Shift things aroun'. Push and drag all that stuff to one side of the room. Now fix up that empty space. Then you push all that stuff back, work the other side of th room... and do the same in all six other rooms. Might take a year. You got it? Right. Ooo-wee! You got clutter like you never thought... more than all those folks and yr family you useta shake your head at and squint, condemmed and made fun of. Now you got the problem. Gobs of junk and stuff you gotta get rid of... Nowhere to put it. But it's gotta go. Junky junk's weighin' you down. Got no workspace, no where to sit, eat, or put anything. So don't even try to justify! Look at it for what it is: Gobs, piles, and stacks of stuff. You gotta move through a trail to get from point A to B and beyond. Unnecessary! Okay... maybe it was fun, silly, with a heapin dash of greed that let you rack up those treasures. Now you gotta think 'balance. Naw... you don't expect things to be perfect and in order all the time. The life-scale's not always even. Gets tipped back and forth. But get control, pull back, refocus. That's what I'm doin. Those stacks and stacks of magazines...? I'm lettin' em go. To the VA Hospital for somebody else to read and enjoy. All those shoes... I don't, can't, and must not ever wear again... purses; some I must have bought "when the moon was in the seventh house..." they take up shelf space in three different rooms. All those pants, dresses, sweatshirts that don't fit no matter how many days I lay off the chocolates and orange juice... All go to resale. De-clutter... the closets, home, and my mind. You try it too. Don't want to do it all by myself. Think! Let's bring peace, satisfaction and a little more breathing and elbow room to our surroundings. So get started with me. And... fingers crossed... we just may lose a little blubber in the process. Join me. ...appreciate the company. Sue

V.O.T.E.

V. O. T. E.

Eligible ones plan to and go vote.

Things gettin spirited, rough, and exciting. Wow! Wee! My decision years ago that helped pull me into the good citizen category... watch the conventions, and debates, vote and work the poll when dragged into it by some needy friend, sister/cousin, you know the ones who sign up to do their civic duty and take their political captain job serious, and always need help at the last minute; so they call in old debts, and strong arm ya... in a loving nudgin' kinda' way (uh huh) to pay up, and come on over and help work the polls. Your excuses: I'm just gettin' back in town (true); I'm tired (true again) Don't have a way to get over there. Of course the site's 38 miles back in the neighborhood at my ole elementary school. Yeah... it's still standing,... bricks shifted and leaning ever so sightly to one side now. She volunteers to come and get you. She'll take care of all the details, anything to get you there. Food... Lively conversation and laughs... more food. So you say yes and try not get too worked up and rabid, or question why you accept her past acts of kindness you now have to repay. And you resist the urge to conjure up schemes of revenge. Now... I can get passionate when I need to. Oh yeah! A calm exterior... but a potential storm lays dormant inside. Bad thing is... that can be toxic, gets you twisted, bitter and leave a bad taste in your mouth, mangle your intestines, and even leave frown lines. That a fate worse than... you know. And nobody wants the dreaded... eek! "Winkles!"

Can't get rid of 'em. Maybe cover 'em over, zap 'em... but you can only go expressionless for so long. Be real. Newsflash! Go into your meditative state... lose the bitter stacado... BREATHE! RELAX! Close your eyes... only if you're not driving... Continue... stay with it... until things smooth out. Feel the tightness in your face release and relax... give a great big sigh. Awwww... Feel the energy work its way down your neck, shoulders... (Knead and plumb) Your breathing's less labored and quiet, limbs less tense, hanging loose, fingers relaxed, tummy, buttocks smooth, not taunt; legs sturdy but soft, fingers, toes relaxed. That exercise saved me so many days on my cancer journey, and now too... when things get shaky, uncertain and crazy. Stuff comes at ya, and it's hard to deflect it all. Gotta' use the armour you've got. For me it's prayer, not always a long labor intensive narrative. Most times it's only a few unintelligible, choppy sincere utterances that only The Supreme One understands. There's no formular, no code. Whatever's on your heart... let it flow. Speak it or just think it. Any way you do it will get it through... is okay. So-o-o... whatever the election results. Know you did your part... life goes on, and you can make it through whatever comes. Keep breathing and don't forget to vote. In love. Sue

Blame it on the State Fair of Texas

Got something new to add to my mile high list of need to's. More good and best foods to eat; what we need to drink; activities we need to do... Good stuff in and bad stuff out. I know, I know... I do get on my tower of righteousness and maybe I mighta' gon a little too far at times. Sure... I can do the salmon, the green tea, the ground flax seed... and even the exercising, though I admit befor' the Supreme One, and Country that I get off course... and... well... I can jus go hog wild at times. Like I been doin' for the last three weeks... There! I said it! But you gotta' understand... The Fair's in town. I mean... THE STATE FAIR...! ...OF TEXAS! And anybody who's from here knows what that means. Newspapers write about it, TV news and bemused shows talk and hawk it. No! Not Football! Although that's big too... Real big! Let's see... There's Grambling and PV. This yr they played the second week of the fair; and Texas - Oklahoma the third week. That's "Huge." We still need a game for that first week... Anybody? And then there's the food... no... not just food... there's a fried wonderland of delicacies... every day and night, and you jes gotta' try 'em. If you don't sample somethin' well-l-l... that's crazy... sad... unheard of... and un-american. So for now... diet, healthy eatin', prudence be darn. And so... even though I keep my ears tuned and open for whatever healthy info I can capture, and I feel guilty 'bout not exercising (walking, stretchin', palates, etc.) like I should and find every excuse not to do it. I know I need it, and that I need to eat right. So even though I'm not exactly on course right now I'll pass these tidbits on with the promise that I'll join you in the circle as soon as the fair's over. In the mean time... add these food to your diet: Beets: eat 'em raw. They fight inflamation. Swiss Chard - can help reduce the incidence of lung cancer. Ground flax Seed - reduces symptoms of menopause. Increases brain function. (Ooo... I know I need some 'a that) Cinnamon - helps with diabetes. Acai Berry - in paste. An antioxident. I'll be back on board soon... but fa' now I gotta' try this homemade cashew brittle. (Crunch!!!)

Just Do It

I took Oprah and her guests up on their call for all viewers, friends, relatives and acquaintances to get busy and do something that can affect lives big time. "Make a Vision Board." Yes. That's right. "A Vision Board. Okay... it sounds kinda' like something everybody oughta know about and just been putting off. But for those like me, I'll explain. Sounds nice and all... but I thought up all kinds of excuses. "They gotta' be kiddin'. More work! Not this girl! No time. I'm already too busy. That stuffs not for me; and too many thumbs down to bore you with. Then I thought, couldn't do any harm, but I still didn't do it. Bet most of the folks watchin' didn't either. Put it out of my mind after that, just like others did. Lots of folks watch Oprah don't admit it, but always chime in talk about something that happened or was talked about on the show, and they get called on it and claim somebody told them about it. Well I watch and my hubby too. He's got time and beats me to the most comfortable chair in the house. Comes in loaded down with snacks, and sits with the remote... ready. Yeah... I looked at it that first time but didn't act and my life went on along it's mediocre path, with a few quirky turns, that got crazy. Some things wound up bad and mangled; other stuff fell off the radar. Hey... I was hanging on. (sniff) I went a few places, met some good people, did my work, managed, with my husband's major help to eat right most times. Made most of my appointments; though not doing much exercising, unless I can count discount shopping and loading up on the best stuff I can find for the cheapest price. Then I saw a re-run of that Oprah show. This time I got serious and paid attentionI was gonna do it. ...started that next day. Got me a couple of boards, and pulled out all those magazines been stacked up everywhere for years, I'm never gon' look at again. I found scissors, and glue; and I made myself sit down, spread all that stuff out on my bed, and get started right then. Hey.. I was serious. ...took me back to the days of paper dolls. And I stuck with it. I cut out everything I thought could apply to me and what I'm doing. Can't even tell you how many magazines I mangled. It took me a couple of long days, but I did it. I finished my board. And I'm planning on doing another and maybe even a few more. I don't know how many I'll end up with. It was work. I'm not gon lie. But it was something I needed to do. It made me think about what I really needed and wanted. I asked myself some deep, for real questions. What's important. what's a want and what's a need. Who's important in my life. How do I get to where I want to go. Where do I want to go? And it helped me think deeper about everything I was going to put on that board. It was the closest I have examined myself in years, maybe ever. I recommend it.

Been to New York

I been talking about getting away from home and taking a trip, and seeing some of the world we live in. Bet you thought I was just talkin'? Didn't think I'd do it, huh? Thought I was dreamin' and gabbin' didn't you? I was sorta was at first. But... Well-l-l... Ha! Ha! I did it! Yes! Me! And it almost didn't happen. A week and a half before my insistent girlfriend convinced me to go with her, I got sick. I mean really sick. Don't think I was subconsciously tryin' to get out of it. I believe I got careless with my diet; plus I wasn't exercising, or getting enough sleep, and maybe worrying about something trivial. But anyway... It got so bad I couldn't get outta' bed without help. Thought I might be headed back to the hospital. Didn't want that... so I fought it. I got on the grains, fresh fruit,drank water, and more water. Stayed off the salt, sugars, fruit juices; ate stalks and stalks of celery, apples, granola... I got regular, and I read (the good stuff) Emerson, Wayne Dyer..., no newspapers, no tv news. I meditated, prayed and collected all the positive energy I could. That plus the heating pad pulled me through. It wasn't easy, don't think it was. But I made it just in time. I had to see NY. And it was worth it. I only had three days and two nights to do it. In that time I saw a broadway show, "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." More about that later. Went to Grand Central Station, even sang with one of the resident entertainers we stop to see in switching trains. That's also another story for later. Went to China town. So fun! I gotta' go back. So much I didn't do and see. Can't wait for my next adventure. I recommend it. I was energized And now I'm ready to go again. Philly here I come! Sue

Starting Simple

Not plannin on doin or making any dramatic moves, changes, or proclamations. Not now. My pledge is to start off slow and easy... no sudden shifts. I'm putting a check on any outrageous and wild ideas that are sure to crop up and tease me. Not tryin' to impress. That was never my intention. I'm saving and controlling all wild thoughts and impulses up to a point, for later; maybe till about the close the year. Who knows. But I have great hope for a wonderful year, and plan to give something positive and real. I've lost some wonderful friends, some I met at the latter stage of their cancer, some who had gone through chemo, baldness, mastectomy, reconstruct, the whole nine; and were back on the scene with smiles of hope, and encouraging others. Most were younger than me, and all shared their love and prayers when I was diagnosed. We didn't talk much on the phone, hang out, or visit each other. Most were sisters from my church. They are an industrious bunch of spiritual women who have full lives, and were encircled by the winds of change and turned to face this humongous obstacle with grace and lots of prayer. Oooh...! ...the courage they showed, the warmth, love and eagerness to share their thoughts and feelings has been such a blessing, though it was hard to open up and share my feelings sometimes for somebody like me who can be a solitary sort, though I don't come across that way to others. But I'll never forget their love, and I so appreciate the time, care, openness, and warmth they gave and keep showing me everytime we meet. My love and appreciation to their families. I want to share some of what I've learned and hope it will in some small way help somebody else. But like I said... I haven't given much thought to what lays ahead for me this year. I am planning a book, to include some early writings, thoughts,poems; and some of my experiences, thoughts, adventures, and a focus on some of the people I've met in my cancer battle and on the journey. I'll let you know how it's coming. Right now I keep busy working on my book projects,plays, songs. Got roped into directing a new play I wrote with original songs and working with the pre-teen chorus group at church. They want to present the play in April. Yeah. Right. We'll see. Anyway... But for those on the cancer journey, I want you to know that my prayers and thoughts are with you and your family, friends, and associates experiencing all that the diagnosis brings. Share this blog with all you know who might need it. I welcome your thought, comments, and ideas. Love. Sue