YOUR LIFE A-Z: OVER

THIS IS A GOOD HANG-OVER

OVER

“OVER” is used in many ways in the English language. Come OVER, is a casual invitation for you to join friend at his/her home?  Get OVER here is a command to a person or a pet to move in your direction right now.  OVER is often understood by the inflection in one’s voice.  Get OVER it is often used in a dismissive voice to yourself or other’s, basically saying, “I am tired of hearing it, so get OVER it already.”  In a work environment bosses are OVER employees.  That means the boss has the final say OVER any of your opinions or ideas.  OVER is an easy transition word marking the end of a game or conversation.  This is OVER, meaning finished.  OVER has another way of defining a place or object that you are referencing.  The book is OVER there.  Or, the book is OVER-rated.  That sentence implies that the reviews were hyped up about a book that did not add up in your eyes as being all that great.  Many people feel OVER-weight.  If you are one of those people that feel that way then take big steps to change that. OVER weight is dangerous to your health.  OVER is used in so many ways in the English language that it would be hard to communicate to each other without this important word, OVER.  Do not OVER cook the steak or do not OVER estimate the job are important reminders to keep us paying attention.  OVER and out.

YOUR LIFE A-Z: GRATITUDE

WHAT A WONDERFUL WAY TO START THE MONTH

GRATITUDE

I bet you were wondering when this “G” word was going to show-up?  Here it is and it is a very important word because without Gratitude, our lives become brittle; or we can become entitled selfish humans.  I believe as Americans we have a hard time with feeling entitled, somehow owed privileges that we really need to earn rather than just expect we deserve.  Being grateful or even keeping a gratitude journal where each evening you write down five things that you are grateful for during the last twenty -four hours will lift your attitude, energy and your self-esteem.  Gratitude helps us understand that life could be worse.  Gratitude helps us feel thankful for being alive.  Gratitude helps us respect our health, money, home, and other daily gifts that we so quickly take for granite.  Gratitude makes us happier people to be around and it also helps us like ourselves better.  Gratitude teaches us humility and acceptance.  Gratitude is a simple act of saying “thank-you” for another day.  Gratitude is saying thank-you to the server at the restraint that is hurried and distracted by their personal life.  Gratitude is a way of being gentle on this earth and taking our lives seriously.  Gratitude is living with a giving heart.  Today, I challenge you to name twenty-five things that you are grateful for.  Do not stop until you get to twenty-five.  Start with being grateful that you can see and read and that you have some electronic device that delivered this to your mail box.  Be specific, be deliberate, and be grateful. 

Learning to be Grateful- Reflections from a Vacation

Today I got up, dressed, bought a Pike’s Place Market Starbucks in Waikiki and pretended to walk at a clip on the beach walk. It was about 5:30 a.m. and I soon noticed the homeless people asleep on water front benches. With some embarrassment my first thought was, “Wow, what a wonderful view and peaceful sounds to awaken you in the early morning.” I immediately checked myself and said, “Dilley, what are you thinking. You slept in a comfortable bed and you will have a warm shower, an indoor toilet, and gastronomical delights throughout this trip. They on the other hand will most likely wake up stiff and sore, wonder where their food will come from today and search the beach for a public restroom at best. Homeless people have always intrigued me. I know there are many sides of the debate. Maybe they did not make the best choices. Perhaps, they were raped, beaten, tortured as children and grew up to survive as society’s outcast; those you look away from. How long would I last if my life went belly up and I had nowhere to turn and no way to make a living? Look at all the things that I have to be thankful for in this simple paragraph:

I woke up. I was able to move. I was able to see, dress myself in comfortable clothes and walk in comfortable clothes. I had money to buy Starbucks, eyes to see, ears to hear, and hands to hold my cup. I have taste buds and can enjoy the aroma and miracle of the sensation of coffee filling up my mouth and awakening my tired body and mind. Yes, I am still of sound mind. I have fingers to type and a spell check to help me out with typo’s and words too difficult to remember. I will return to a loving partner, a viable psychotherapy practice, and more comforts than many people in America.

Other people woke up today. Some of them on the cliffs of Santa Monica and others awakened in the slums of India. Some did not wake up today. Many woke up in hospital rooms other’s awakened to the anxiety of their friend or family who are sick or injured in hospital rooms. What to do with the dilemmas of inequity is the question?

The answer, notice and be grateful. It will make your day a better day.

Dr. Robin Dilley, PhD
Psychotherapist, Author and Speaker

"In A Moment's Notice"


"may you awaken those parts of you that have fallen
the parts of you that are thirsty, and discover anew the magic of growing."