Words of Wisdom I Live By

 

The 5 Cs of copy editing on a post-it on my cubicle wall.

The 5 Cs of copy editing: Clear, Correct, Concise, Compete, Consistent - I learned the 5 Cs in graduate school when I took a course on copy editing. I never became a copy editor but I found the 5 Cs to be great guidelines for work, especially with e-mails, and for writing. Out of all the Cs, consistency has been the most important to me and it really changed my work ethic.

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. - Whenever I'm faced with a task or a problem that seems too large to tackle, I think of this. Compartmentalizing the task into smaller steps (or bites) and focusing on each step before moving on to the next, makes the world of difference. It makes the impossible seem possible.

You can’t control what other people do, you can only control what you do. - People "should" but chances are they "don't". Realizing that you can't control people gives you back a lot of control. When you expect others to do certain things or to be controlled by you, you make yourself vulnerable to what their decisions. These words of wisdom are crucial for my sanity and for safe driving!

Once you hit rock bottom, there is no where to go but up. - It seems like a cliche but it's really the universal truth. I always find that at the worst of times happiness is waiting just around the corner.

It's okay to say "no". - Recently, I asked four different advertisers a question. I knew the answer would be "no" but was hoping by chance one or two of the responses would be "yes". None of them actually said "no" yet essentially that was their answer. Instead of saying "no" they decided to antagonize me because I dared ask the question. Their responses were cowardly and unprofessional. Be up front with people and say "no". It's not a sign of weakness. And don't be afraid to say "no" to opportunities you're not interested in or one that will hurt you more than help you.

What words of wisdom do you live by?

The Months of the Year in My Head

The above is a visual representation of how the months of the year are organized in my head. Over the years, I've tried to think of other ways to lay out the months in my mind but nothing ever sticks. This is how it is and probably how it will always be.

January through May line up together all in one neat row.  Everything is orderly and neat until we get to the summer months. That's when things go astray. June is always below May but it's not directly below it. It's always slightly to the right. Sometimes it shifts way over to the right but it usually stays in that spot. June, July and August always stack up one on top of the other vertically. In my youth, those months always represented the freedom from school, warm weather, long days and fun trips. So it makes sense that if my brain were to break up the months that the summer ones would separate from all the others.

September has always been the most difficult for me to visualize. I can never think of it on it's own, only in relation to the month before, August, and the month after, October. I placed it to the left of October in the diagram above but it only exists that way when I'm thinking of September in relation to October. When I'm thinking of September during August, September is right beneath the summer months or skewed slightly to the left but still below. The first 20 days of September are technically summer and school never started right at the beginning of the month anyways so I always thought of September as an extension of summer. September is a transition month for me so it makes sense that it's a more mobile month in my head.

October, November and December follow the same pattern as the earlier months of the year, all in a neat row. Once the days of the year start winding down and we get closer to New Year's, I start building a new diagram in my head of the upcoming months. January is never right next to December. I have to jump up to the top of my diagram to get to it. I think it's interesting that although January follows December, in my mind the two are really far apart from each other.

How do you visualize the months of the year in your head? Do they follow a straight vertical or horizontal line? Do you stack them by season or by threes? Or do you have a weirder arrangement like the one I have above?

A to Z of Me

Age: 33, my Jesus Year.

Bed size: Queen. I can’t wait to upgrade to a King!

Chore that you hate: It’s not a particular chore but I do hate cleaning up after people. It’s the worst chore of all having to clean up after someone who can’t or won’t clean up after themselves.

Dogs: I used to have a beagle. I miss him so.

Essential start to your day: Breakfast. But if I’m honest, scanning Instagram is the first thing I do when I wake up.

Favorite color: Blue and Green

Gold or Silver: Silver

Height: 5’ 8” and proud of it.

Instruments you play: I used to play violin in an orchestra in elementary and junior high school. I also played clarinet for a while.

Job title: Online Marketing Manager, Blogger Extraordinaire

Kids: None

Live: New England

Mother’s name: Sarah (she named after Abraham's wife in the Bible)

Nicknames: Quelle

Overnight hospital stays: None. So far I’ve only had day procedures/surgeries. Thank goodness!

Pet peeves: Throat clearing during a movie. SHHHH.

Quote from a movie: “What ever anything is, it ought to begin by being personal.” – You’ve Got Mail (1998)

Right or left handed: Right handed

Siblings: Two half-sisters in Canada but I was basically raised an only child.

Time it takes you to get ready: It takes me 30 minutes to get out of bed and an hour to get ready. I have to add 45 minutes if I need to wash and dry my hair.

Ultimate Vacation: A trip across Europe.

Vegetable you hate: I love all vegetables but I’ll pass on cooked red onions, blech.

What makes you run late: Playing on my phone way too long before getting up out of bed!

X-Rays you’ve had: I’ve had several including a barium swallow. Fun times.

Yummy food that you make: Go to my food blog Thoughtful Eating to see them all!

Zoo animal: WOLVES. They are not a typical zoo animal but I love them. I also get extra excited if I see a Capybara at a zoo. It happened one time.

Stop and smell the Lilacs

In the dooryard fronting an old farm-house near the white-wash’d palings,

Stands the lilac-bush tall-growing with heart-shaped leaves of rich green,

With many a pointed blossom rising delicate, with the perfume strong I love,

With every leaf a miracle—and from this bush in the dooryard,

With delicate-color’d blossoms and heart-shaped leaves of rich green,

A sprig with its flower I break. - Walt Whitman

No matter how hectic your life gets, make sure you stop to enjoy the simple things in life. Spring always brings me a crazy schedule, full of moments when I want to break down and retreat from the world. During this time I make sure enjoy nature which is at its full glory. Nature reminds me of the importance of simplicity. Connecting with all the vibrant life blossoming all around is essential. I take a moment to stop and smell the lilacs, to soak in some sunlight, to go for a long walk outside, to wonder at the glory of the greenery that surrounds us and to watch a Robin hop along the grass looking for it's next treat. Don't ever let life disconnect you from nature. Always find a way back to it.

Living Life to the Fullest - Instantes

The Spanish Blog over at Transparent Language posted an anonymous poem called Instantes. I was really moved by it since it really demonstrated how much we deny ourselves pleasure and how we take our lives for granted. Just reading it makes me want go out and live life and have fun while I still can. No one who reads this will not be affected by it.

Here it is in the original form in Spanish as well as my translation into English.

Instantes

Si pudiera vivir nuevamente mi vida.
En la próxima trataría de cometer más errores.
No intentaría ser tan perfecto, me relajaría más.
Sería más tonto de lo que he sido, de hecho
tomaría muy pocas cosas con seriedad.

Sería menos higiénico.

Correría más riesgos, haría más viajes, contemplaría
más atardeceres, subiría más montañas, nadaría más ríos.

Iría a más lugares adonde nunca he ido, comería
más helados y menos habas, tendría más problemas
reales y menos imaginarios.

Yo fui una de esas personas que vivió sensata y prolíficamente
cada minuto de su vida; claro que tuve momentos de alegría.

Pero si pudiera volver atrás trataría de tener
solamente buenos momentos.

Por si no lo saben, de eso está hecha la vida, sólo de momentos;
no te pierdas el ahora.

Yo era uno de esos que nunca iban a ninguna parte sin termómetro,
una bolsa de agua caliente, un paraguas y un paracaídas;
Si pudiera volver a vivir, viajaría más liviano.
Si pudiera volver a vivir comenzaría a andar descalzo a principios
de la primavera y seguiría así hasta concluir el otoño.

Daría más vueltas en calesita, contemplaría más amaneceres
y jugaría con más niños, si tuviera otra vez la vida por delante.

Pero ya tengo 85 años y sé que me estoy muriendo.

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Moments

If I could live my life again.

The next time I would try to make more mistakes.

I wouldn't try so hard to be perfect, I'd goof off more.

I'd be crazier than I have been, in fact

I would take fewer things seriously.

I'd be less hygienic.

I'd run more risks, take more trips, watch

 more sunsets, climb more mountains, swim more rivers.

I'd go more places I had never been, eat

more ice cream and fewer lima beans, I'd have more

real problems and fewer imaginary ones.

I was one of those people who lived sensibly and proficiently

every minute of my life; of course I had moments of joy.

But if I could go back in time I'd try to have

only good moments.

Because if you don't know, that's what makes a life, only those moments;

don't lose the present.

I was one of those people who never went anywhere without a thermometer,

a hot-water bottle, an umbrella and a parachute;

If I could relive my life, I'd travel lighter.

If I could relive my life I'd walk barefoot at the beginning

of spring and would continue until the end of autumn.

I'd take more rides on the Carousel, watch more sunrises

and play more with my kids, if I had my whole life again before me.

But now I am 85 years old and I know that I am dying.