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WITandWISDOM(tm) - August 24, 2007 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: With most men, unbelief in one thing springs from blind belief in another. - Georg Christoph Lichtenberg Source: Quotes of the Day, http://www.quotationspage.com/qotd.html ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: How often do you let other people's nonsense change your mood? Do you let a bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss, or an insensitive employee ruin your day? Unless you're the Terminator, for an instant you're probably set back on your heels. However, the mark of a successful person is how quickly you can get back your focus on what's important. I learned it in the back of a Harare City taxi cab. Here's what happened. I hopped in a taxi and we took off for Westgate. We were driving when all of a sudden a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his breaks, skidded, and missed the other car's back end by just inches! Here's what happened next. The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, whipped his head around and he started yelling bad words at us. How do I know? Ask any Zimbabwean, some words in Harare come with a special face. Now, here's what blew me away. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was friendly. So, I said, "Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!" And this is when my taxi driver told me about what I now call, "The Law of the Garbage Truck." Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them, they'll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you, don't take it personal. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You'll be happy you did. I guarantee it. So this was it: The "Law of the Garbage Truck." I started thinking, How often do I let “Garbage Trucks” run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people: At work, at home, on the streets? It was that very day I said, "I'm not going to do it anymore." Well, now I have begun to see "Garbage Trucks." I see the load they're carrying. I see them coming to drop it off. And like my Taxi Driver, I don't make it a personal thing; I just smile, wave, wish them well, and I move on. Good leaders know they have to be ready for their next meeting. Good parents know that they have to welcome their children home from school with hugs and kisses. Leaders and parents know that they have to be fully present and at their best for the people they care about. The bottom line is that successful people do not let “Garbage Trucks” take over their day. What about you? What would happen in your life, starting today, if you let more “Garbage Trucks” pass you by? I believe that you'll be happier. I guarantee it. By David J. Pollay Submitted by Dan Griffiths ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: Rules For Visiting With Little Ones :o) ©Lisa Barker I love visiting family, but I’ve done a lot of thinking and I now know why my little ones are like mice on speed once we arrive at our destination. When families travel the children sleep but the parents don't. We don’t mean to let them sleep but we relish the quiet. I mean, how often does it happen that the kids are asleep and you are awake with enough energy to do more than just grunt and sit on the sofa with the remote slipping out of your hand? Unfortunately, at the final destination the parents are tired and the kids are wired. And now parents must go on double-duty making sure little fingers don’t poke into things they shouldn’t or shatter items that are just too difficult to resist. Still, little ones slip under the radar from time to time and nothing puts a damper on a visit than little ones who are quicker than the adults present. So I made up a list from my own experiences to help tired parents and bewildered grandparents who aren’t used to having little ones wreck the place...I mean, visit. I hope these tips help. 1) Frequently poke the children when traveling to encourage them to stay awake. Invest in a spray bottle and use it often. 2) Offer ample drinks when traveling. You may have to make more stops, but everybody stays awake. You’ll have to weigh the pros and cons of caffeine. 3) Duct tape oven mitts to children under the age of three. This prevents them from picking up miniature collectibles. It also keeps fingerprints off sliding glass doors...and really discourages nose picking. 4) Bring a stake and leash for wandering toddlers. Stake the child in the backyard. She can run and play as she pleases, without slipping out the front door and down the street to play with the nice puppy in a stranger’s garage. 5) Wrap the clumsiest children in bubble wrap as a preventative measure for when they forget to walk and run through the house and then collide with inanimate objects. 6) Bring a playpen for the youngest to coral them when they just won't leave the untouchables alone. Use the above stake and leash for older children that do not stay out of rooms that are off limits. 7) Bring a whistle (or an air horn) to get the attention of children feigning ignorance and deafness due to the special occasion of visiting. 8) Bring an IV. This is the best way to prevent unnecessary spills. 9) Bring videos the children have not yet seen. Make that television babysitter work for you! 10) Bring plenty of aspirin because you'll need it. . . . . . . . . . . . Jelly Mom™ is written by Lisa Barker, mother of five and author of "Just Because Your Kids Drive You Insane... Doesn't Mean You Are A Bad Parent!" and is syndicated through Parent To Parent™. To publish Jelly Mom™, buy the book or leave comments, please visit her website also sign up for the complimentary Jelly Mom™ weekly newsletter and receive a BONUS GIFT! Jelly Mom™, http://www.jellymom.com ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: Though I often pride myself on appearing younger than my 59 years, I had a reality check when I brought my mother back to the nursing home after a visit with us. As I struggled with her suitcases, two elderly gentlemen held the door open for me. "We hope you will be very happy here," one of them said to me. Submitted by Vicky ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: In June, 2000, Merv Griffin noted that he "may have written the shortest, most valuable piece of music, ever." The piece? The painfully memorable "think" music which he wrote for the hit TV game show "Jeopardy!" Submitted by Lorraine