Benefits of Chocolate

Mary See’s understood good things are related to chocolate. There is nothing as memorable as the first time walking into the See’s Candy Store. With all the ladies behind the counter in white, white uniforms, proving just how clean and good for you the product can be… I am a believer… a chocolate believer.

I justify and supplement my dietary chocolate requirement with M&Ms. When I was busy creating my youngest child, I had cravings for M&Ms and lots of them. Believe me eating chocolate for two was a high point. :) Now, I know if a pregnant woman eats enough chocolate the baby will have brown eyes…

Italian scientist studied hypertension and found that chocolate lowers blood pressure. Even as little as one bar per day will ease the tension in your life creating a feeling of pleasure. It’s the endorphins doing their job.

Stressed out… eat chocolate

Research for this entry:
http://www.sees.com/
http://www.mymms.com/
and eating lots of chocolate. ;)

Playgrounds Build Character

Early 21st century playgrounds are full of safe brightly colored play equipment. Slides, Swings and soft cushioned material should a child stumble or fall. The slopes of the slides are designed for a smooth glide. Swings set in dirt covered with wood chips with shavings progressively lighter, finer… nearly fluff. Shade trees strategically planted for a light canopy, shading children’s delicate skin from the harsh sun.

Overall the playground leaves visitors with a feeling of ease and splendor. Oh the joys of outdoor time.


Contrast that with playgrounds of the 1960s-70s. Those playgrounds built character. Ten feet steel sheets at a sixty degree angle, stairs, no, ladder, no… those playground designers of yore made sure they welded a solid steel bar along the three upper sides of the perimeter so kids could pull themselves up to the top. Swings made of hard rubber attached to fifteen foot chains with the frame embedded in black top or concrete for durability. Blacktop on a summer day was an experience unto itself. Kids could watch the sizzling heat create vapors mirages of puddles across the playground. Run at your own risk because a fall would mean blacktop gravel burned and embedded in bloody wounds on knees and elbows.

Overall the playground left an entire generation wounded warriors before the end of elementary school. Oh the joys of outdoor time.

Lessons from the Past... Senator Hattie

To move forward, we may look back to seek wisdom but the courage to change must come from within...

To the surprise of many political observers of the early 20th century, 1931 was not only a year during the Great Depression, but it was the year in which the United States seated it’s first woman Senator. The tumultuous political climate which facilitated the circumstance for the elevation of Hattie Caraway to Senator, not only opened the doors to women in American Politics but also provided the means for populous movements to change the face of America Politics in the 20th century.

Hattie Caraway, the wife of Thaddeus Caraway, Senator from the state of Arkansas, took the oath of office on December 8, 1931, just one month after her husband’s untimely death. Supporters of the momentous occasion hardly expected that the widow Caraway would do more than hold the senate seat until a suitable successor could be elected the following year. As a junior member of the senate, Mrs. Caraway was assigned a seat toward the back of the Senate Chamber, right next to the controversial Senator from Louisiana, Huey P. Long. Although the two Southern Senators had met previously, it wasn’t until they found themselves sharing many similar concerns that they became friends and political allies.

Realign Life

Life Lessons present themselves daily for those who seek to learn and grow into full human beings. The rest of the population languishes in a sea of misconceptions, immaturity and classic ‘stuck in a rut’ syndrome. As simple as it seems, each one of us has the power to change things in our lives. It’s not easy and sometimes it seems like life is really beating on us. In the end the important things need to be our focus and the rest… well, that’s small potatoes…

An exercise to realign life to the proper priorities:

Sit with a piece of paper & pen. Close your eyes for a moment. Breathe deeply for a few moments until you are relaxed. Then think, what is most important to me. List those things that are most important.

Turn the paper over.

Sit with the piece of paper. Close your eyes again. Focus on the last week or the last month. Face the reality of life and think, where am I spending my time. Chart the time in your life.

Finished?

Now you have point A and point B… where you are and where you wish to be.