Kindness in the Car

In some places, driving has become a competitive sport of sorts involving much tension, aggression, and anxiety - even in places where traffic is not a problem.  Perhaps tapping into some primeval instinct to be first, to conquer, many people don't even want another car to get in front of them.
   If you want to become a nicer person, start with your driving.  Let people in ahead of you (not so many though that the drivers behind you become angry), quash the aggression that causes you to go faster and faster and feel that you must be first. 
   When you need to get into the next lane, don't speed up and try to get in front of the car that is already 2 lengths ahead of you.  Get behind that car.  (I don't know why people always try to speed ahead here in D.C. to get into the next lane when there's plenty of space behind the car).

   If you can be a gracious driver, it will improve your day!

Want your flowers to show up beautifully in any setting? Just add a mirror! If you have flowers on your coffee table, a mirror underneath doubles their impact and beauty. And it's easy to find inexpensive flat mirrors for a few dollars at a Michael's or any other craft store. For a tall vase of flowers, there's no better environment for them than in front of a long mirror over a mantel or an entryway chest or your dresser.

Mirrored trays are wonderful for so many other things as well as displaying flowers.

Flowers on the mantel are a classic!

My husband did a wonderful thing for Mother's Day. He sent me flowers and a box of candy from our two cats, Cluny and Cuervo, with a "thank you" for all I do for them. It was very special since it was very unexpected and something that I didn't even think he thought about. By the way, the flowers are still here, but the chocolates are gone! 

Send something special and very unexpected to someone special in your life. The feeling it will give that person is tremendous!

Saying "I Love You"

Have you said "I love you" today to anyone that you do truly love?  If you don't feel like picking up the phone, send an e-mail. It's unobtrusive, you get the point across, and the recipient reads at his or her leisure. It's a small gesture that takes little time and one that will give someone a smile and a good feeling.

Do You Want To Cure Procrastination Problems?

The greatest thief of time is procrastination; it steals away the time you need for important things and in return gives you time that you don't really enjoy because you know you should be doing something else.

I am a procrastinator, and like most procrastinators, I had excuses, such as, "I work better under pressure."  Of course, I really did believe this for a while, but it simply isn't true.  Most of us work better when we have time to take time and do a job correctly - and that may mean time to redo.

I've left the excuses behind, but I still have to fight an almost daily battle against procrastination in many areas of my life (not work, thank goodness!).

Here are some coping strategies:

• If you procrastinate about cleaning, try to reduce clutter and clean as you go; never put dishes in the sink, they go straight to the dishwasher, clothes go straight into the hamper, or even into the washer, magazines go into the trash right after you've finished reading (or clipping, if you do that).

• If you procrastinate about bill-paying, do it online.  I used to dread those monthly sessions, opening bills packed full of advertising that filled a trash can, writing checks, addressing envelopes, and making sure I had stamps.  Save time and pay bills online by either going to each site individually and paying (my preferred method for credit card payments) and paying utilities online through your checking account.  The time saved is considerable, plus if you go paper-free, you save a mountain of trees in paper!

• Do you procrastinate at work?  Get a work buddy if possible and keep tabs on each other about finishing work.  If your work is solitary, look at what is interfering - do you spend too much time talking and visiting, flirting with the cute guy in Accounting, planning lunch, or doing personal business (or games) online? Either go in early and do work before others get there or stay to yourself. Plan tomorrow's lunch the afternoon before after you've done your tasks for the day. If you do personal business online, remember that with most companies or institutions, nothing that you do on your office computer is actually personal; it can all be traced.  If you have games on your computer, have them taken off!

Just changing one of these can get you started on a more disciplined path that can result in actually having more time to have fun!

Here Come the Holidays!

Do you use your sterling silver and silverplated flatware and decorative pieces for the holidays?  If they are tarnished and you are rushed for time,  try polishing your silver this easy way.

Line your kitchen sink with aluminum foil and add a scoop of Arm and Hammer clothes detergent.  Let the silver stay in this mixture for about 5 minutes.  When you take it out, wipe it, then rinse it and dry: you have newly polished silver!