M IS FOR MICHAEL DI GESU

My theme for A to Z this year is a wildly different, but very exciting, HERE'S TO YOU all month long. 26 posts to be precise. The most difficult part was narrowing down the 26. All of you deserve your own post. What you will find here is a post by the featured blogger, with traveling music chosen by me that complements said post, and two links. One will link back to the original post and the other to the main page. This year's A to Z is all about making new friends!

I met Michael at ...Michael Di Gesu... ... ... In Time.... over a cup of coffee. Well, not exactly "met," but coffee did bring us together. Did you know that coffee is actually the tie that binds? It's not? Hmm. Maybe I heard that wrong. Anyway, Michael made a trip to Colombia and brought back Grade-A Colombian coffee and then gave some of it away to blogger buddies. And I won some coffee. Yeah, I know that is old news, but it still warms my... tongue.

Moving on... Michael and I began emailing and I discovered what a warm, generous, and caring person he truly is. I feel very blessed that we connected through coffee. He is spending his A to Z time this year helping authors get the word out about their novels. Like I said... very thoughtful.

Cue the traveling music:



COPING WITH THE STRESS AND ANXIETY OF A NEW YEAR... WEIGHT GAIN... AND RESOLUTIONS by Michael Di Gesu (excerpted)
1/8/14
 
Now that we have all survived the past few months, we may feel like the air has been let out of our tires.

From Halloween we gear up for the holidays. Those of us with children begin to weave tales of witches, ghosts, pumpkins, goblins, and such. Sugary sweets in all forms enter the house but usually leave in only one way ... through our mouths.

Our weather chills and bulky clothes are added to cover any bumps and bulges we may have attained. This, my friends, is just the beginning ... as we all know.

Thankfully we still manage to get a run in or go to the gym, but time is fleeting. Thanksgiving is just around the corner. We begin shopping and planning menus. So exercise takes a back seat. For some, baking comes into full blast. But as the holidays approach, more stress is added, and Christmas is just a blink away.

You see where I'm heading with this, so I will spare you the fattening details.

The bottom line ... A new year.

But with it, we drag in last's years' baggage. How many of you are sad, depressed, anxious? Feel out of sorts? Not yourself?

You are NOT ALONE! MANY, MANY, people experience a major let down after the holidays. It usually starts when the credit card bills come rolling in. By this point the happiness buying gifts for loved ones has long worn off, especially when your kids are no longer playing with their new X-box or other high end toys.

SO, what do we do to pull ourselves out of this mess? Keep beating ourselves up? Lock ourselves in and not resurface until spring? Plan unrealistic and totally unattainable resolutions?

NO. NO. NO.

First, BREATHE. That's right. Stand up. Roll your shoulders. Inhale. LONG and deep. Hold it for a few seconds, and let it out SLOWLY. Do this at least five times and several times a day. It's a great stress reliever.

Next. Try NOT TO LOOK at all of your situations at once. FOCUS only on ONE thing at a time. Choose the easiest. Tackle something that will give you the confidence to move on to a more difficult challenge.

Let's start with your health. Yes, this is hardly an easy one, but, believe it or not, it doesn't take much to get on the right track to feel better. Once you feel physically better, you will feel mentally better, too. Then the rest should fall into place.

I know there are still holiday goodies lurking around your house. They can be anywhere. Not just in the kitchen. It's time to CLEAN HOUSE.

Believe it or not, I am still baking... LOL. Yesterday I was a day late baking King's Cake. An amazing confection to celebrate the arrival of the THREE KINGS. The official end of the Christmas season. I had never made it before and wanted to try. I found a wonderful recipe. After several steps and hours, out pops two HUGE danish-like cakes, filled with caramelized pecans, fresh pears, raisins, and figs. Now I usually have amazing resistance when it comes to my baking. I have baked TONS, during these past few weeks and just nibbled a bit here and there. Well... after breathing in the intoxicating perfume all afternoon, I attacked. BAD MICHAEL!!!!!

I literally inhaled two pieces. Not just slivers either.... What did I do? Well, I Yelled at myself for about thirty seconds and then planned my counter attack.  Quickly I wrapped them up in plastic. Stuffed them into freezer bags. Then hid them in the freezer along with about a dozen other things I had baked. LOL. Out of sight ... out of mind.

Then I went to the gym. Yes, even in sub below temps, I trekked through a foot of snow for a half mile. Okay. You may say I'm insane. But there are certainly warmer alternatives. Many of us have treadmills, workout cds, or even stairs. MOVEMENT is the key. Do something for at least a half an hour and you will not feel guilty and you body will thank you.

As for the other goodies. GET RID OF THEM. And, I don't mean by eating them. Seriously. So many of us have no will power and while we are in this fragile state, it's even harder.

Finally I'd like to touch on resolutions. DON'T torture yourself this way. Goals are a much smarter way to approach the new year. Again, start small. Then build from there. Whose to say you can't add more goals throughout the year. Give yourself a break.

And never forget this last bit of advise ...

BE KIND TO YOURSELF.


Do you feel inspired? I do. Michael is gifted with his ability to bring us all back down to earth and remind us just to breathe. And, seriously, be kind to yourself.... go visit his blog!

L IS FOR LIFE BY CHOCOLATE

My theme for A to Z this year is a wildly different, but very exciting, HERE'S TO YOU all month long. 26 posts to be precise. The most difficult part was narrowing down the 26. All of you deserve your own post. What you will find here is a post by the featured blogger, with traveling music chosen by me that complements said post, and two links. One will link back to the original post and the other to the main page. This year's A to Z is all about making new friends!

Life By Chocolate: Robyn Alana Engel's Blog is often a rollicking good time. She delights in all things chocolate, as you would expect. In fact, I found this little graphic a while back and immediately thought of her:

However, her blog touches on much more than chocolate. She has incredible interviews with famous people. Macauley Culkin is a regular over there. Of course, given his downward career spiral, any publicity is good publicity. But still... Macauley Culkin!  Of course, all of those bits are humorous, like so many things Robyn posts. Her funny bone is intact and firing on all cylinders. She is also kind, warm, and thoughtful. Just an all-around wonderful person. It has been my pleasure getting to know her!

Cue the traveling music, Macauley:



The Day I Became a Woman by Robyn Alana Engel
11/12/13

June 2, 1979

I know, look how tiny and little and flat-chested and blurry, white stone-faced I was and still am--minus the flat-chested factor. Yet this is the day on which I became a Jewish woman. My Bat Mitzvah! The last post inspired this repost from 2010. My ceremony fell a couple of weeks short of my 13th birthday, a number of years short of puberty, and -well- I'll spare mention of other time frames.

The Bar/Bat Mitzvah involves leading a service, chanting from the Torah, and - the worst part (er, greatest honor)- holding the darn thing. Should said "new Jewish adult" drop the Torah, oy gevalt! The entire congregation, in fact, must fast for 30 days. Can you imagine? Minor slippage amounts to sentencing your beloved spiritual network to a month-long fast. You can surely forget the huge stash of cash you did all this for. Let me stress that we're talking about a large group of Jews (those very people who've sacrificed everything, mind you, so you could make it to this glorious point in your otherwise meaningless existence, and "By the way, why aren't you married yet?") not being able to eat for a month because of you. Not a pretty concept. Not pretty at all. One hurdle left, and the pressure was on. Not only did I have to hold it, I had to hold it for a long ass, I mean a righteously sacred tuchas* duration. 

With my little but tenacious arms wrapped around that Baby, the two of us were doing just fine. The audience and I were silent. Intensity pervaded the synagogue's 250 mile radius. All eyes glared anxiously at that Torah. Folks who had never prayed before began bargaining with the Almighty, Moses, Allah, Jesus, and Mr. Kotter. Family members started waging bets on the amount of time before the crash. Everyone held their breath. Their faces turned red. They crossed their fingers and toes, running out to nibble at their last bites of food for a month! But I was doing just fine, holding tight. Still, I needed to play it safe. One does not take chances when it comes to Jews and food. That in mind, I gave the Torah just a wee little boost with my little right knee. At that moment, a loud burst of laughter filled the sanctuary. Apparently, they found this considerate, devout and well calculated maneuver rather humorous. Bastards! I mean, I shall not blame my beloved spiritual hungry community. The tension was lifted, as I boosted that Baby another half inch, still holding on for dear life. 

We made it through to the end, and we got to eat. Mazel Tov!

*Yiddish for derriere, butt, rear-end, or ass.

I am still chuckling. Are you? Robyn's blog is always so much fun and provides a much-needed boost for the spirit. Someone said, "Laughter is the best medicine." If so, you will get plenty of medicine over on Robyn's blog. Enjoy! 

K IS FOR KLAHANIE

My theme for A to Z this year is a wildly different, but very exciting, HERE'S TO YOU all month long. 26 posts to be precise. The most difficult part was narrowing down the 26. All of you deserve your own post. What you will find here is a post by the featured blogger, with traveling music chosen by me that complements said post, and two links. One will link back to the original post and the other to the main page. This year's A to Z is all about making new friends!

You don't know who klahanie is? Really? AKA Gary and his steadfast pal, Penny, The Jack Russell Dog and Modest Internet Superstar, are world famous. They're not? Okay, maybe they are just famous TO ME. Penny is Pawsitively daring with the stuff she posts on the blog when Gary leaves the house. But she is a superstar and you know how they horse  cat dog a person with their tenacity. Gary is NOT participating in the A to Z this year, or any year, because he abhors a blog hop. But that doesn't stop me from featuring him right here!

This is Gary:

And this is Penny:

Not surprising that Penny appears to be hiding. That is what superstars are forced to do when folks come by trying to snap their photo.


And now for the traveling music:



You Have Been Here For Me And I Am Here For You. by klahanie
12/23/13

The wind chimes.  The music of nature muffled by the cold night air.  And yet, the chimes do ring of the hope I sense for the world.  There is a warmth in the cold night air.  There is a warmth I sense from you.

I was online most of last Christmas Day.  This year, I'm going to be here again to reach out to others.

I truly understand how difficult and lonely a day Christmas can be.  Thus, if you're struggling to cope, need someone to talk to, I will be here for you.  If you just want a time out from a hectic, social day, I will be here for you.

Be assured, if you do wish to contact me, your anonymity is guaranteed.  Please take into account that my time zone is Greenwich Mean Time and I might not be able to respond immediately.  The following email address is the easiest way to contact me,  whitecap79@hotmail.co.uk   

Together, we can make a difference.  Let's take a reflective moment and think.  Think of those whose biggest concern on Christmas Day is whether they'll have something to eat and a roof over their heads.  I know how blessed I am.

As Penny sits snugly looking at the dazzling lights, she wishes you, my son Tristan wishes you and I wish you, a peaceful, hopeful, blessed Christmas.

You have been here for me and I am here for you.


Gary gives so much of himself to this blogging community. If you aren't already counted among his friends, I encourage you to pay him a visit. You will be the better for it.