I love a Rose’ wine in the summer. It is cool, crisp and uncomplicated. A refreshing foil for a hot, sultry day. It’s all about relaxing & being lazy.

It’s seems like we are really and truly into the “Dog Days” of summer.

According to Wikipedia, the “Dog Days” of summer go back in tradition all the way to the Ancient Egyptian, Romans & Greeks.

In Ancient Rome, the Dog Days extended from July 24 through August 24. The dates vary a little across the cultures, but all represent the hottest, sultriest days of summer. It’s a time of year when many of us just feel downright lazy.

“Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.“  ~Sam Keen

Wow! How about that. What if being lazy really could be respectable! What would that give you permission to do? What if you could say, without any guilt, “I’m going to sit on my patio & sip Rose’” instead of doing the dishes? What if being lazy was really GOOD for you?

I’m here to argue that it really is. Allowing yourself to be lazy is truly good for you! We have become so ingrained with the expectation that we have to be busy all the time, that most of us don’t think we are being effective if we don’t have at least 3 things on the go at once! We feel like we are not pulling our weight if we aren’t running around with like a chicken with our head cut off. So, when do you rest? Revitalize? Re-energize your batteries? Many of us feel the pull of laziness, but resist!

I think that if the ancient peoples recognized the pull to be lazy in mid-summer, and we still feel that pull today, maybe we should take heed! Maybe that is confirmation of the truth that we all need some down time to make our UP time more productive.

What would you do if you allowed yourself to be lazy? Would you read a book? Listen to the bees in the garden? Take a nap?

I challenge you to find some time in the next month to celebrate the “Dog Days” of summer! Let go of routine. Set an un-goal to revel in the experience of being lazy. Give yourself permission to NOT do.

“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.” John Lubbock

I’m going for the Rose’ right now! What about you?

The following story was posted on the Coactive Coaching Network this morning, and I found it particularly inspiring.

Exactly, what does it take to live a long, strong, fulfilling life? Read on…..

Getting to Know the 94-Year-Old Dr. Marion Downs…

Marion P. Downs, DHS, DSc (Hon.)

How do some people, as they grow older, continue to lead happy, vigorous, event-filled lives, while others don’t? Meet Dr. Marion Downs. In her 94 years, she has…

Participated in a mini-triathlon (running, swimming and biking) at age 89.

Won Senior Olympics gold medals in tennis.

Achieved mandated hearing tests for more than 90% of US newborns when she was an audiologist in her 50s.

Retired — often.

Here’s what she has to say…

It’s fun to be old. I can do almost anything I want to do. Nobody cares! But one thing I know — to continue, I must take care of myself physically and mentally.

My “old age” got off to a great start. The day I turned 51, I stood at the top of a hill wearing ski gear that my kids had left in a closet, scared to barrel down that first slope. I turned to the instructor and said, “I can’t do this! It’s too steep. What should I do?” He said, “Shut up and ski! You know how.” I did? Yes, even though it was my first time, somehow I did. So I went.

Now, whenever life gets strange and I don’t know what to do next, I tell myself, “Shut up and live! You know how.”

Most of us are living longer than our parents did, with no guidelines to see us through those critical years. “Girls” in their 80s and younger claim I’m their role model and ask for my longevity secrets.

A few years ago, I noticed that youngsters in their 50s and 60s dared to write books about how to live to a ripe old age. Why not me? I know how! So I wrote a book, too.

MY PRIORITIES

My three children, 11 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren are 38 great reasons to stick around. But only I can take care of myself. And I do.

I believe in taking full responsibility for one’s own life. Stop blaming Grandpa. According to a report on aging from Harvard, our genes account for only about 25% to 35% of our longevity and 30% of our physiological changes. My parents died at 72. Not me.

Maintaining a vigorous old age requires determination. My number one priority: Daily exercise.

Every morning I stretch for 15 to 20 minutes. Back stretches keep me free of pain from a serious back problem decades ago. Neck and shoulder stretches keep my head high, shoulders back. Daily leg stretches prevent the old folks’ shuffle, caused by short, weak leg muscles. Striding is better.

At home, I do an hour of strengthening exercises (with weights, stretchy exercise bands, on a large balance ball and with a soccer ball) three times a week and one to two hours of aerobics (mostly running, but I love my three-wheel bicycle, too) four times a week. My trainer, whom I call the Marquis de Sade, protects me from harm but keeps me hopping. I see him periodically for consultations about increasing the number of repetitions of an exercise, trying a new exercise regimen or device and general advice and help.

Exercise is play, too. Tennis has been my game since I retired from full-time work at 68. I prefer it over golf because it involves more activity. I play two hours three times a week in a league with changing partners.

MY SO-CALLED DIET

I’m no dietitian. But I look pretty good for a nonagenarian, and people ask for my nutritional secrets.

What I eat: Foods high in protein and low in carbohydrates. Lots of fruit and as many veggies as I can swallow.

That regimen keeps me lean, clean, healthy and strong.

Another essential food group: Each morning I put a milk chocolate turtle on the kitchen counter. I admire it all day and eat it at night.

MY FAVORITE DISEASES

I’ve had them all, done research and come up with some answers…

Osteoarthritis. This age-related degenerative joint disease is the most common condition of older people. Deal with it, forget it and get on with your life.

Keep your joints moving. Exercise is the best long-term remedy. Recommended: If you injure yourself at all, have a sports medicine orthopedist oversee your exercise program. While a torn rotator cuff in my shoulder was healing, my doctor let me play tennis as long as I didn’t raise my arm high while serving.

Bursitis. At one point, hip pain shut down my tennis game. Unacceptable! Acupuncture helped only one side. Cortisone shots worked, but can’t be repeated indefinitely. Vioxx helped, but was taken off the market four years later because it raised heart attack risk. By then, though, it had let me exercise all my joints and subdue the pain for a long time.

Sleeping on my side with a hard pillow between my knees has kept my hip bursitis away. Bonus: This position helps to prevent back trouble. Double bonus: Lying on my left side prevents acid reflux, the surging up of stomach acid that plagued me for years.

Lung disease. Many oldies, including me, pay the price of having smoked in youth. I smoked two packs a day (except during pregnancy and breastfeeding) from ages 18 to 58. At 80, I developed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). My breathing is impaired, but I live with it under treatment by a pulmonary specialist. Drugs such as bronchodilators can help. If I weren’t a lifelong exercise fiend, I would be on oxygen.

Vertigo. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is very common in older people. With older age, especially if we have had migraines, the little calcium stones floating inside our ears that help us balance can cut loose and drift into the wrong spaces.

My BPPV started one morning about 10 years ago when I got up and fell right back. I was taken, in a wheelchair, to a vestibular (inner-ear-regulated balance) expert, who maneuvered my head for 30 seconds and sent the rocks back where they belong. Fortunately, the problem hasn’t returned.

Hearing loss. I’ve worn hearing aids since age 80. People who refuse them despite increasing deafness miss a lot. Those who resist (typically, men) may not only lose contact with the world but also ruin their marital relationship. First step: See an ear specialist to make sure the cause isn’t a medical problem.

Skin cancer. Four doctors called my two-inch sore a spider bite. My son-in-law suggested a wound clinic, where a biopsy was done. Diagnosis: Squamous cell carcinoma, one step short of melanoma.

A terrific specialist removed it. Tip of the century: Find the right doctor. Persevere until you do. Get second and third opinions…ask everyone you know for recommendations to specialists… do real research.

Alzheimer’s disease. I haven’t had this one. But both of my husbands did, one older than I and one younger, for a total of 20 years. Was it rough? Oh, yes.

My bridge games, doing crosswords in pen — who knows if they help my brain stay healthy? I keep active and hope for the best.

MY KIND OF FUN

When I turned 90, I decided to try skydiving. My family tried to stop me. Ha!

Strapped to an instructor, I did a 3,000-foot free fall at 120 miles per hour.

The landing was nice. We glided in. I sat down on a sand pile.

For my 95th, next January, I’m doing it again.

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Bottom Line/Retirement interviewed audiologist Marion P. Downs, DHS, DSc (Hon.), a pioneer in universal hearing screening for newborns and the namesake of two hearing centers at the University of Colorado, where she taught for more than 40 years. She is author of Shut Up and Live! (You Know How): A 93-Year-Old’s Guide to Living to a Ripe Old Age (Avery/Penguin).

I was watching America’s Got Talent on TV last night. I normally don’t like reality type TV shows, and don’t watch a lot of TV as it is. But, I thought I would take a look because of the amazing stuff I’ve seen on YouTube from Britain’s Got Talent.

And, you know, I really got hooked! I laughed a lot. There were some pretty stupid performances (if you can call them that!), and some pretty horrific ones. I cried - some were so inspiring and sweet. I was awed! That little kids can have such amazing talent. That a young mother could have such a powerful voice after surviving cancer. That a 75 year old grandmother could get up in front of the crowd with a stand up comedy routine that had the crowd in stitches!

“Grandma Lee” summed it all up when she told the judges “You’ve gotta live your dream!”

And, I am so totally in awe of the courage of those everyday folk that put it all out there for everyone to see as they took action to live their dream. I’m not sure I could be that brave.

I’m not usually a fan of chain emails. You know the kind you receive everyday with the admonishment to pass it on “or else”. And, sometimes they carry a wonderful message. The one below is one of those. It really makes you think about life, and the choices we make.

And, I’d like to add my own message: What would happen if we all claimed RESPONSIBILITY for our choices? If we really owned that in every situation, we do have a choice? And, it’s ours to make? Read on….

“Read  this

LET  IT REALLY SINK  IN……

THEN  CHOOSE .

John  is the kind of guy you love to hate.    He is always in a good mood and always has  something positive to say.  When someone  would ask him how he was doing, he would reply,  ‘If I were any better, I would be  twins!’

He  was a natural motivator.

If  an employee was having a bad day, John was there  telling the employee how to look on the positive  side of the situation.

Seeing  this style really made me curious, so one day I  went up and asked him, ‘I don’t get  it!’

‘You  can’t be a positive person all of the time.   How do you do it?’

He  replied, ‘Each morning I wake up and say to  myself, you have two  choices today.  You can choose to be in a  good mood or…you can choose to be in a  bad mood

I  choose to be in a good mood.’

Each  time something bad happens, I can choose to be a  victim or…I can choose to learn from it.  I  choose to learn from it.

Every  time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose  to accept their complaining or…I can point out  the positive side of life.  I choose the  positive side of life.

‘Yeah,  right, it’s not that easy,’ I  protested.

‘Yes,  it is,’ he said.  ‘Life is all about  choices.  When you cut away all the junk,  every situation is a choice.  You choose how  you react to situations.  You choose how  people affect your mood.

You  choose to be in a good mood or bad mood.  The  bottom line:  It’s your choice how you live  your life.’

I  reflected on what he said.  Soon hereafter, I  left the Tower Industry to start my own  business.  We lost touch, but I often thought  about him when I made a choice about life instead  of reacting to it.

Several  years later, I heard that he was involved in a  serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a  communications tower.

After  18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care,  he was released from the hospital with rods placed  in his back.

I  saw him about six months after the  accident.

When  I asked him how he was, he replied, ‘If I were any  better, I’d be twins…Wanna see my  scars?’

I  declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what  had gone through his mind as the accident took  place.

‘The  first thing that went through my mind was the  well-being of my soon-to- be born daughter,’ he  replied.  ‘Then, as I lay on the ground, I  remembered that I had two choices:  I could  choose to live or…I could choose to die.  I  chose to live.’

‘Weren’t  you scared?  Did you lose  consciousness?’  I asked.

He  continued, ‘…the paramedics were  great.

They  kept telling me I was going to be fine.  But  when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the  expressions on the faces of the doctors and  nurses, I got really scared.  In their eyes,  I read ‘he’s a dead man’.  I knew I needed to  take action.’

‘What  did you do?’ I asked.

‘Well,  there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at  me,’ said John.  ‘She asked if I was allergic  to anything ‘Yes, I replied.’  The doctors  and nurses stopped working as they waited for my  reply.  I took a deep breath and yelled,  ‘Gravity”

Over  their laughter, I told them, ‘I am choosing to  live.  Operate on me as if I am alive, not  dead.’

He  lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but  also because of his amazing attitude…I learned  from him that every day we have the choice to live  fully.

Attitude,  after all, is everything .

Therefore  do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will  worry about itself.  Each day has enough  trouble of its own.

After  all today is the tomorrow you worried about  yesterday.

You  have two choices now:

01.   Delete this

02.   Forward it to the people you care  about.

You  know the choice I made…… Pass it on!!

You pop the cork. Pour a stream of crimson fluid into your glass. Inhale deeply the aromas it offers up. Taste the richness and notice the complexity. Feel how it glides over your tongue towards your throat. Hold your glass to your ear. And, listen. Just listen.

This wine has a message for you.

I was contemplating wine the other day (ya think?). And, I was wondering what messages it might have to impart to us. What does the wine have to say to you and me?

I think it says: Stop. Pay attention. Savour the experience. Really tune into the moments in your life.

I think it says: Celebrate! Life is good. Enjoy what you have and rejoice in the small successes that are offered up every day.

I think the message is: Take care. Take care of yourself. Take care of the place you live. Be careful to nourish your body and soul. After all, what is wine without the soil, water and sun?

I think it says: revel in diversity. Enjoy the differences. Just as wines come in different colours and flavors, so do people. Appreciate the variety of the human race.

And, I hear something about changing, and growing. And, the process. Creating something beautiful.

I hear: Cheers! The importance of family and friends, being in good company. Choosing to be “cheer”ful and bring cheer to others.

Am I hearing things? Maybe I need another glass!

Isn’t it wonderful that wine is getting such good press lately? We’ve seen that moderate (ie: 1 or 2 glasses per day) improves heart health, reduces arthritis, fights fat…. And, now researchers at the University of California - San Diego have found that a glass of wine a day can help fight a dangerous liver disease!

Seems funny to me that we’ve always been told that alcohol harms the liver, but apparently a glass a day is beneficial for liver health.

So I guess those of us that aren’t usually satisfied with just one glass are  not necessarily going to benefit But, it’s good to hear anyways!

Happy Groundhog Day! And, welcome to another 6 weeks of winter.

It’s official, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, got frightened and ran back into his den, and we get another 6 weeks of winter.

I’m thinking that we are a lot like that groundhog. How many things to do we run and hide from, only to have them persist for much longer than if we had dealt with it at the beginning?

What about when we are frightened by how big a shadow our presence casts? If we acknowlege our own bigness, and recognize that our shadow brings value, how much better off would the world be if we didn’t run and hide?

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.” This is a wonderful quote from Marianne Williamson that is often attributed to Nelson Mandela. I think there is a lot of truth in it.

It’s been ahwile since I last posted. My husband, Mike and I loaded up the 5th wheel and started our journey South just over a week ago.

The first few days went well - cold, clear and dry. Ideal driving conditions. We made good time and got over the last pass into California just before a series of winter storms set in.

All was going according to plan. Funny that. When it happens, you just gotta know that something is going to come along to derail you, right? Now this isn’t “negative” thinking, but more about how life never seems to go in a straight line.

Well, that 4th day, my husband started complaining about increasing pain in his left shoulder. It had been bothering him for a few days, but nothing serious until now. The pain got worse, and he began to feel light headed. He pulled to the side of the freeway, and we called 911.

To make a long story short, we spent another four days holed up in a motel and various hospital emergency rooms where it was determined that there was no serious underlying cause (ie: heart) and that the problem was probably due to an inflamed disc/ pinched nerve.

Mike is still trying to balance the debilitating “wooziness” that the medications cause with the debilitating pain. We don’t know if we will be able to continue our trip. We don’t know for sure, what the problem really is.

Some observations:

“Home” feels really good! Once we had arranged to get the 5th wheel moved to a park and got out of the motel and into our own space, we immediately felt better. More optimistic.

Expect the unexpected. Things will not go according to plan.

People are wonderful! From the friendly, helpful emergency response team, to the RV guy who moved our trailer, to the retired doctor back home who gave us advise when we couldn’t reach our own doctor. Everyone has been friendly, helpful and sympathetic.

I believe there is a reason or a gift in every situation. Not sure what that is yet……… but it will come!

“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called “Opportunity” and its first chapter is New Year’s Day. ” Edith Lovejoy Pierce

I didn’t make any resolutions on New Year’s day. I hadn’t had time, during the Christmas rush, to really, deeply consider what I wanted for myself in 2008.

It’s sort of simmering and stewing. I have this clean slate and I have the opportunity to fill it however I choose. And, I want to choose something powerful and meaningful. I can feel that there is something below the surface wanting to come out.

I have some practical, specific goals that are easy to define, but there is something that is eluding me.

Today is the first full week of January, and time to put our plans into action. So, my first action step will be to spend time each day contemplating the question “what do I really want?” until I have the answer.

What do I really want?

What do you really want?

How are we going to fill our pages?

I wanted to wish you Merry Christmas by saying something profound. But, it’s sometimes hard to find the right words. Especially when it seems like it’s all been said before.

So, instead, I have chosen a few quotes that express what I feel about Christmas, and my wishes for you, me and our world.

Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days; that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth; that can transport the sailor and the traveller, thousands of miles away, back to his own fire-side and his quiet home!  ~Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers, 1836

Christmas is forever, not for just one day,
for loving, sharing, giving, are not to put away
like bells and lights and tinsel, in some box upon a shelf.
The good you do for others is good you do yourself…
~Norman Wesley Brooks, “Let Every Day Be Christmas,” 1976

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.  ~Norman Vincent Peale

What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace.
Agnes M. Pharo

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.
Dr. Seuss

May your Christmas be full of meaning!

Cheers!