Travel Tips For My Psyche Suitcase

Good Morning on this Tuesday Morning...

I should find quotes about mornings..because it is an important part of the day.. with all of the rituals..it sets one in motion..at least for me it does.. it starts me on my next journey wherever I may be.. sets my psyche and body and whole mind set in motion...

But with the morning I need my shot of heroin.. my coffee...so here I sit sipping away...I feel so sorry for the people who do not know this greatest pleasure of life.. that first hot cup of coffee in the morning... nothing like it.. not even sex... and I am trying to get warm on this really cold brrr morning.... it is 22 degrees outside.. I think of all of the tourists who are freezing their bottoms off thinking "I did not know New Orleans could get this cold."

I am at my favorite toy.. my computer.. and doing my favorite thing.. writing.. as I listen to the latest news.....which now is not about the war in Afganistan or the lame duck session and voting.. but... the war with the weather.. all about the snow storm that hit our nation..like a furious blast from nature's huge missile..... and all of the many people stranded in various places ...caught in their travels..

The dogs are fed..happy campers..speaking of travel.... they do not know what is in store for them in the next few days.. my two, Reilley and Charlie are headed to Doggie Camp because Beth and I are driving to Dallas early tomorrow morning...and taking Dutch to be back with his mommy and daddy ...Janet & Jean...so we are packing our suitcases and also preparing Scott and Jack who will be joining us on our travels..

But before all of this takes place... Beth has a big job... cleaning her car..have you ever seen her car?...that is a journey in itself.. she has the task of bringing her son, Brett, and his friend & his family to the airport so that they can fly to Las Vegas... what a journey they will have.. a different world ... the lights ... the shows.. and hopefully they will get to the Grand Canyon...

And so I look for quotes about travel... and I have the graphic of the cartoon car.. because we are all going to be traveling on this holiday.. Some people travel without any problems . They just hop in the car or on the plane and off they go. Others like me prepare a journey with some reservations. I like my bed, my coffee ritual in the morning in my own kitchen and I hate putting my sweet dogs away at camp for several days. I will probably hug them a dozen times before they go . Truth is, they will be so happy there. It is a super place and they will have all of their puppy friends to visit with.

It makes me think of how we make so many journeys in life..and it is not always easy to leave a place and take on the challenge of something new.....the death of a loved one or a relationship or a job ...the end of a school term... moving to a new house....the beginning of a new career...starting a new relationship ... becoming a parent... the list goes on...

And I wonder what to pack in my psyche suitcase to help me on a journey.. certainly a healthy ego.. feeling good about myself.. trusting in myself to fall down and get up...I want to remember how I have succeeded in getting up before... to know that even with obstacles I have the skills and assets and strengths to deal with a challenge. So I want to remember my assets and strengths. There are so many but they are our tools.. If you are driving and have a flat tire, what are your tools? So too do we need tools in life to meet the challenges and to move onward in our journey. We need the support and love of my loved ones.. not only trusting in ourselves but in others to be decent but not in a polyanna way. There will be some who are not decent along the way but I think most people are innately good.. so I do not want my travels in life to be filled with fears and anxieties. Most times there is no boogie man in the closet.

"The longest journey a man must take is the eighteen inches from his head to his heart......or from his heart to his head"

And in my life travels, I hope that I can remember this . There will be times when I will have to listen to my heart and trust it like a good GPS . I hope that I can reach out to another and feel empathy and what another may be dealing with in his journey. I hope that I can get out of myself and walk in another's shoes. Then there will be times when I will have to travel from my heart that is dragging me to a journey that is perhaps not good for me and to use my cognitive skills, my head, to make some positive and wise choices that offer better outcomes. I want to use my head to control my emotions and recognize the false beliefs that a particular situation means that I am doomed. This is not so. The sky is not going to fall down on me....Henny Penny.

"A man travels the world in search of what he needs and returns home to find it." George Moore

So often we travel in search of finding that infamous rainbow.... only to find it right in the very place where we are at the moment.. for it is within ourselves that we find peace.

"A good traveller has no fixed plans , and is not intent on arriving." Lao Tzu

How important it is to remember to enjoy the moment . Climbing the mountain is just as important as reaching the top. Stop and smell the flowers. Stop and look at the sunset. Stop and feel the love and joys of being with another.

"I have found out that there ain't no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them." Mark Twain

I know how much I love Beth and her children, my partners in this travel but I also want to remember how much I love the ones we are going to see. Sometimes the confusion and excitement can add stress to a visit and we forget why we have made the trip.

A friend of mine is on a journey as we speak. She is in the hospital with congestive heart failure. May our love and prayers blanket her from the cold fears and warm her as she travels on this journey ...not knowing where it will take her but her GPS...her love of God and her strong faith will guide her to the right place. , Knowing her she will be up and around in no time and praying for me.

There is another thing to remember about our journeys in life. It feels so good to win. The Saints won last night. They beat the Falcons and now we are back in the running for the world trophy again.. Geaux Saints Geaqux. A coach once said to my grandson Brett after winning a game.. "Don't it feel good to win."

So until we meet again.. happy traveling now and in the new year of 2011... jerrie

p.s. be sure to check out my blog at ..... jerriemcgreal.blogspot.com

The Gift of Christmas

Everyone is dashing about with the last minute searching for the right gift to give to others at this special time of the year. It is indeed the time of gift giving....more than any other season of the year....and the retailers are jumping with joy hoping that the crowds will get bigger and bigger. At the same time we are reminded not to get too caught up in the material part of Christmas ...and to remember the real message . I have to say that giving gifts is a part of that message....because when you think about it....that is what Christmas is.. a gift ...to all of us.

If you are a Christian then you would probably think that there is no greater gift than the Birth of the Baby Jesus....and if you are not a Christian... then you can at least accept that there is something magical and special about this Birth. Even the History Channel recognizes the importance of this birth. And whatever your beliefs may be what about jolly old St. Nicholas and his busy gift giving.

We hear of the Gift of the Magi and how the Wise Men brought gifts to the new born Child. No matter what some of us may believe, we follow this tradition . It is a birthday and we celebrate the specialness and magic of this Birthday with giving gifts.

And as we celebrate this birthday, I think of how we feel when we see a new born baby. We feel that innocence not yet tainted by cynicism . We feel all good inside and in spite of the ugliness sometimes of life and the difficult challenges we face, we get the feeling that there is goodness in mankind. Christians believe that this Birth is a reminder that Gopd gave us the gift of redemption ....that He sent His only Son to redeem us....to give us new life. What is nice is that you do not have to be Christian to appreciate this message. The gift is for everyone. According to my beliefs , God sent His Son to everyone ...to people of all faiths... to believers and non believers. Talk about a gift.

And speaking about magic what about Santa. He flies through the air at night. He is everywhere at the same time. He brings gifts to all of God's children along with the thrill and the excitement of the wonder of this moment. Just look at the faces of the children as they awake on Christmas morning and see the magnificence of the moment...the tree with the lights and the gifts all about.

I will never forget my many Christmas mornings and I thank my parents for that special gift they gave me each year even in the hard times when it certainly was not easy for them. They gave me the gift of magic that we all want... the belief that life is wondrous...that life is a miracle...that everything is possible...that we can all hop on that sleigh and grab some of the dreams that we have.

So to all of you I send a gift of love and good wishes. May you and your loved ones have a beautiful Christmas filled with joy and peace and love. Jerrie McGreal

"It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air." W. 'T. Ellis

The Happy Ball

There once was a Queen who summoned all of her subjects to her court and said that she would give a huge reward to the one who could bring her happiness.

Her maidens gave her a sweet new born baby to hold in her arms . But alas after holding the baby the Queen became restless and said that was not the answer.

The court jester came and performed brilliantly and everyone including the Queen laughed deliciously. But alas after a short while the Queen became restless again and looked down in sadness.

The court money handler brought in huge baskets of money and lay them before her but somehow it did not make her happy for long.

Her King brought a huge trunk of brilliant jewels and lay them at her feet. She was thrilled and ran her hands through all of the beautiful jewels but soon she became quiet and unhappy.

Gifts from all over the country were bought to the Queen in the hopes that she would find happiness. But alas nothing seemed to work.

Finally, the court called on one of the wisest teachers of the country to come and tell them what to do to solve this problem. He came into the room where the Queen was sitting on her throne and he bowed graciously and then stood boldly before her and lifted his arm and showed her a ball with a smily face that he held in his hand.

He threw the ball to her and she quickly reached out and caught the Happy Ball. " You see, my Queen ", he said "The secret is that no one can make you happy. There is no Fairy Godmother or any magic. All of the wonderful things that they brought to you are good to have but only you can really be the one who can make yourself happy. And more importantly, it is up to you to reach out to find your happiness yourself. Just the way you had to reach out and catch Happy Ball , you have to reach out for your happiness. Only you can make your own happiness. "

The story is simple but true. No amount of money or gifts or being beautiful or having another person in our lives can really make us happy. I have seen a lot of miserable beautiful wealthy people. Happiness has to come from within.

And the Happy Ball reminds us that we have to reach out and find what makes us happy. When we are dealing with a loss or a rejection or a challenging moment, that is the time to reach out and find something that makes us feel better.

And the interesting thing is that not everyone knows what makes them feel better. Here . I am tossing you Happy Ball . Now catch it and tell me something that makes you feel better. Is it running or reading or maybe just hugging your dog?

A child at school does not get asked to play ball with some kids. He can reach out and find another person to play with.

I don't get asked to a party that some of my neighbors are attending. I can reach out and call someone else to join me in a movie .

Life is best when you make the best of whatever happens.

After The Dance

My daughter shared this precious story with me one day recently..and I wanted to share it with you.

She was picking up her son and his friends at a school dance and as she approached her son who was with his latest female " interest "..... he looked at her with darting eyes and said in a tight voice, "Mom, I left something in the car . You had better go and get it." Of course what he left in the car was his sanity because he appeared to be on a really big emotional high and did not want it to come to an end.

But alas she had to drive a bunch of the boys home and on the way in the car they shared their comments regarding the dance and how they felt. As they say on the T V show Law and Order, the names have been changed to protect the innocent.

* Jake said that he only allows two dances a girl because if he dances anymore than that the girl thinks that he likes her.

* Jack thinks that life sucks. He didn't have any good dances and got stuck all night with Peggy. (poor Peggy.... who will probably one day be a movie star and will not give him the time of the day )

* Scott said that it could have lasted another hour.

* Mike said that he did not even have to go. He just kept checking the basketball scores .

* My daughter's son was already in a trance and could not even comment on his wonderful evening .

See why I say that life is good.

Quote of The Day: Don't take life too seriously. No one makes it out alive anyway.

A Rolling Ball

I was given this gift of the blog at Christmas from my daughter, Janet... and I remember how hard she worked and how excited she was when she was teaching me how to use it.. and when I wrote my first blog.. that was months ago....I have done nothing since... .and one day Janet gave up on me and called me "looser"..

I also recall my sweet 87 year old sister saying on the phone one night.. "I love the sound of your voice."....and I replied "So do I Val..".... so you would think that i would grag this opportunity to " hear my voice..." what an ego trip.. just to write and go on and on ...

But I din't .. and I wonder why..

I remember learning long ago the message that a rolling ball picks up momnetum...if you feel overwhelmed or anxious.. or just not sure what to do in a situatiuon.,. pick up the perverbial ball and start the rolling.. and amazingly before you know it you are on a roll..if you are trying to compose something on your computer.. and you are drawing a blank.. .. just start typing your name..or the day of the week.. and presto.. the work is on its way..

So here I am and as I type I wonder again what was my problem...besides writing I love to analyze.. and it ocurred to me that another message I learned long ago.. may have been the reason.. it has to do with the " shoulds " in life...somehow whenever we hear the word " should" it almost sounds like a parent tape.. a rule.. a command.. almost a finger ponting pressure trying to control my moves and behavior....

So instead of "should" I can replace that word with "want".. and then it becomes self motivated and believe it or not.. you are more eager to perform an act if you feel that it is something you "want" to do....human nature.. .add to that the word "need" ..there are actually a few real needs in the world.. food.. shelter... water.. air.. touching..so when you are on the phone chatting with a friend and you know the time is running out and you have a project to do or dinner to cook..you do not " need" to get off of the phone.. you "want " to get off of the phone because you do not want the outcome if you stay on the phone.... think about it..you do not want the client angry with you if you do not have the work ready for the meeting.. you do not want the kids rushing in the door starving and carrying on and no dinner ready....with homework etc...

Maybe I felt the "should" aspect of this blog..and the possible guilt and performance aspect instead of the "want"..and I finally decided that I really want to do it.. so here I am..

Now I also have to assure all of you who doubt this message.. .. I have nothing against rules , parents, integrity, morality, values and ethics.. ..(where the " shoulds " in life often are quoted) no finger pointing my way please.. I believe in the red street light .. and the stop sign.. they are there to prevent accidents.. and chaos in the streets.. the difference is that I "want" to obey them.. because I want the positive outcome.. order and no accidents..

And I want to tell Janet that I finally got to this blog and I am not a "looser ...I did it ..I did it.. see the rolling ball thing.. and I love her for knowing how much I would love this gift..

And as much as I love to hear my own voice.. I would love to hear yours..... so join in and give me your feedback ...I "want" to hear from you.. I hope that you "want " to respond but you do not "need" to...

Have a good day.. by the way it is up to you to make it a good day.. OMG... there she goes again,..that is a whole other blog.. you "want" to sign off..