Beyond the Salt

If you’re like me, about this time of the year you’re experiencing a love-hate relationship with road salt. Oh sure, we want to see it covering the street if the weatherperson predicts ice or snow. We want to scatter it on our sidewalks and driveways—but road salt has a dark side.

How annoying is it to see your vehicle coated with salt after every storm? And don’t get me started on the amount of window washer fluid you need to clean the white stuff off the windshield. If you don’t spritz every few miles, it’ll feel like you‘re driving in a blurry dream. Perhaps there’s a way to see things differently. Take a look:  

                                          http://youtu.be/YIKm3Pq9U8M

Sometimes our automatic reflexes focus on obstacles before we can spot the route to victory. Instead of clearing away fears, doubts, and criticisms, we get sidelined and give up on our goals and dreams. Visualize who you want to be, what you want to do, and where you want to go. How are you going to adjust your perspective to make sure you get there?     

 

The Best Things in Life are Here

Every so often our cat approached me with a pitiful meow. I assumed boredom had taken hold of her so I went to the pet store to buy the perfect plaything. The task seemed simple: find a fun, inexpensive toy. Since she had a big, pink stuffed fish, cat teasers, and an assortment of rattling balls, I needed something new. After scouring the shelves, I chose a feathery, spinning thing that cost more than I wanted to spend. Would she play with it?

I took it home and set it up. She looked at it and walked away. Cat toy fail! I picked up one of her old toys, a five-year-old rope with a pipe cleaner attached to the end. I flicked it once or twice, and our cat darted after it. That little lesson reminded me how kids will spend a few hours playing with a pricey toy from the store, but give them a cardboard box and they’ll entertain themselves for a week.

Neither cats nor kids need the fanciest items in the store to be content. Sometimes the right item is already within their grasp, like this one:        

                                          http://youtu.be/RP4abiHdQpc  

If you’re trying to save cash on the kids’ Christmas gifts, buy good ripping paper and a couple of large cardboard boxes. Those kinds of items never let you down. They say that the best things in life are free. In what way is that saying true for you?