Let's add to the 'everything you need to know you learned in kindergarten' and update with the flight attendants rule of surviving. "put on your own oxygen mask before assisting others". Pretty simple, but seems like something we should be following right now in this time of the United States not acting like the leader of the free world or having the right to. If our children are sitting at the table hungry and we are not able to feed them do we invite others over for dinner? I am really proud of my country and our citizens and our desire to help and need to help but I think we need to let others take the lead at this point when we need to focus on ourselves a bit. Why not get ourselves healthy, not worried about the happy part, but healthy and not on the verge of crashing and burning before we always have to reach out to others. Who is stepping up to the plate to help us? What country comes to our aid when the midwest flooded so terribly this summer, what country donated millions when New Orleans was devastated? No, I am not saying we should forsake all others but maybe get off life support before we try to give mouth to mouth to anyone else quite yet.

Why is it the things that we love most often take a back seat to those things we have to do? I love writing. Always have. I take great pride in people commenting on how funny my posts are on facebook. Now that I am working a 40 hour week, and doing everything else every other working mom in the world does my writing is taking a back seat. Why? Why do women take care of everyone and everything first? For all you working moms- or stay at home moms that are the go to moms for everything volunteer oriented or extended family oriented - when was the last time you did something you loved for the sake of loving it alone? I don't mean taking a bath so that you can scrub the tub afterward. Or take a hike so you can get a cardio workout out of it. I am talking about taking a hike with your camera and taking pictures or just smelling the flowers and sitting down to enjoy the breeze and views. To those of you who do- you go girl! You, my friend, in the long run will be much better off. My problem is that I do those things on occasion but I have the terrible habit of not being in the moment. I am making another list of to-dos for later, or thinking who needs what later.

Right now I am just going to write in the moment. Today, I found out something about myself. I am a sales person. I am more competitive then I thought. I like to crack a hard shell. I like it that I am good at relating to people and then showing them why my 'product' will benefit them. I thought I was an HR person, or Community Relations person. I am but I am also good at selling. How cool is it at 48 years old to find something you are good at that is a complete surprise. This past week I had a contract signed that apparently had been previously presented and worked on by the upper level managers with no success. I was told by a co-worker that I could not do it. Last week they signed. Some coworkers don't even know yet as the joy to me is getting it done, not what people think because I got it done. I am just happy with myself and that is enough. At least for now.