Ever thought about this

We want many things but need far less. The funny thing is that the less you think about how you can get something, like money, love, or laughter... the faster it will come.

Walkin' on sunshine, life is strange

Intergalactic Phone Book listing

For all those who write and publish blogs, I found your new Intergalactic Phone Book listing!!

It wasn't easy. At first, I looked under Illuminated, but you weren't there. Then I looked under Faith Healer, Magician, and Wild Thing; not there either. You weren't even under Funny Bones. I started to worry. 

Then I had an "ah-ha" moment. I looked you up under people who have their own blog, and who will very, very soon travel... Eureka! 

You make time and space look easy so thank you for your words and thoughts.

Quickie Happiness Workshop

Quickie Happiness Workshop for Increasing Profits at Times of Seeming Peril:

Think as much, if not more, about growing your income as you do of trimming your expenses. 

And for extra credit focus on customers more than vendors; smiles more than frowns; possibilities more than risks; options more than commitments; vacations more than overtime; detours more than setbacks; opportunities more than obstacles; and Goldilocks more than the bears.

More workshop details

Customers more than vendors: Every customer can bring you more business, using social media to extol your virtues or rant about their bad experience. Everyone who comes into your business can and will talk about you to their friends, who may become customers. Treat them as you want to be treated, with respect and care.

Options more than commitments: Everyday options are presented to us by the Universe, but we may be closed to the bounty that is out there because we narrowly and mistakenly only focus on our commitments. Commitments are options that have been acted on, and for every commitment we have, we should cultivate two options to consider.

Vacations more than overtime: On vacation, we have a chance to recharge our battery and become open to new ideas. When we work overtime, we draw on our energy and deplete ourselves and become prone to the idea that work is all we have. Work should only be a small part of our life. If we are doing what we love, we are not working and if we are not doing what we love, we need to go on vacation to find our dream and chase it.

Detours more than setbacks: Every detour is a wonderful opportunity to explore a new path and find excitement and joy in your world. A setback is another opportunity to rediscover your path and to create a new adventure.

Opportunities more than perils: Examine the perils you expect; you may find they are a creation of your own imagination or of your own limited view of life. All perils are opportunities in waiting if you approach them with an open and creative mindset.

Goldilocks more than the bears: She was adventurous and willing to try new things; the bears were set in their ways and were not willing to try new things. Be Goldilocks, not the bears.

End of Workshop 

Resiliency

One of the things I've learned is that one should never underestimate the profound resiliency of the human spirit, nor how swiftly things can change for the better, often overnight. I have a friend who I have talked about here who has been told he had Vascular Dementia and that there is nothing that can be done. He tells me that he may have perhaps 10 more years left, but the disease will get worse over time. He is not, at this time depressed and is in good spirits. We have had 3 other friends die from Alzheimer's but while I feel sad for my friend, he is feeling positive and he is still full of life and resiliency. l love the human spirit.

For those of you who don't know Vascular Dementia is a general term describing problems with reasoning, planning, judgment, memory and other thought processes caused by brain damage from impaired blood flow to your brain. You can develop vascular dementia after a stroke blocks an artery in your brain, which is what happened to my friend. He had a stroke which we all thought was minor, but it has lead to his current problem. I was curious and I did some research on what my friend can expect. 

This information below was developed by Dr. Barry Reisberg of New York University who developed a seven-stage system as a framework to understand the progression of this disease.
The rate of progression of the disease varies and my friend is not in Stage 2. 

Stage 1– No Impairment
During this stage, there are no detectable memory problems. Forgetfulness can be brought on for a number of reasons including normal ageing, head injuries, vitamin deficiencies, medication side-effects, depression. Some of the causes are reversible that is why it is important for individuals to see their doctor to rule out other causes.
Stage 2-- Mild Decline
At this stage, the individual may still do well on memory tests and people close to the individual may not notice any significant changes. The individual is still able to function in his or her day-to-day life. Also, at this stage, memory loss can’t be easily differentiated from normal age-related forgetfulness. The individual is still able to work and live independently. He or she will likely be the first to notice changes that no one else can identify, including the physician.

Stage 3: Continued Mild Decline
People in this stage will begin to notice changes in their loved one. The individual will have difficulty on cognitive tests, and doctors will be able to detect a decline in functioning. Performance in demanding situations may weaken, and the individual may be unable to learn new skills.

Stage 4: Moderate Decline
During this stage, signs and symptoms of dementia become obvious. Thinking and reasoning issues become clearer, and new issues appear. Individuals in this stage often withdraw from participation in activities they previously enjoyed, like conversing with family.

Stage 5: Moderately Severe Decline
During this stage, individuals begin to need help with normal day to day activities. Individuals in this stage are able to bathe and go to the bathroom and are typically still able to recognize family members. They are also still able to recall their history, especially details about their youth.

Symptoms of Stage 5:
People in stage five may experience significant confusion. They often have an inability to recall simple details like their own phone number. They have difficulty dressing appropriately and require assistance in choosing the right clothes for the right season. They may have difficulty with remembering the time of day and identifying which season they are in. The person can also easily get lost since they may not remember their address or how to get home.

Stage 6: Severe Decline
Individuals in the sixth stage of Alzheimer’s disease need constant supervision, and if family members are not able to provide care, they will require professional caregivers. Individuals in this stage will require assistance and/or reminders with many of the activities of daily living (bathing, toileting, and dressing). They may also experience incontinence of bowel and bladder.

Stage 7: Very Severe Decline
This is the final stage of the disease, in which individuals are nearing the end. They eventually lose their ability to respond to environmental cues or communicate with others, and while they may utter words or phrases, they won’t have much meaning; they require assistance with all activities of daily living. In the final stage of the illness, individuals lose their ability to swallow. Individuals now require full-time, around the clock assistance with daily personal care. They have increasing difficulties communicating and they experience changes in physical abilities (walking, sitting, and eventually swallowing).