Being Your Best

I was raised by good, solid people, who instilled in me a duty to strive to be the best.  They taught me that I owed it to myself to do my best and to work hard.  They told me I could do anything that I wanted and that average was not good enough.  They spanked me when I was bad, which was often.  They loved me and tickled me and wrestled with me.  They took me to church and told me about God.  They raised me to be independent but not so much that I can not ask for help when I need it.  They encouraged me to play sports and to learn teamwork.  They did a good job and I have no illusions that this upbringing created the environment that helped me succeed.

Of course it was not all happiness and roses, no one's life is free from pain and struggle.  I had my share of hardships and difficulties, these things tempered me and shaped me; just as the good things had done.  There is an Arab proverb that says "All sunshine makes a desert."  I like that.

So today, I am going to challenge all Abigail and Dolley readers to be your best.  Here are some of my common sense rules:

1. Adopt a Beginner's Mind
   
2. Take care of your teeth.  Go to the Dentist.  Buy Crest Whitestrips.  Get them straightened if they need it.  Your teeth say a lot about you.
3. Take care of your hair.  If you are a man and are loosing it - go to the Doctor and get a Rx for finasteride and buy Rogain Foam.  25% of all men regrow lost hair, you may be one of them.  If you color it, keep it up for goodness sakes.  Get a decent hair cut that flatters your face.  Buy good product and do your hair - a ball cap and a pony tail should be exceptions, not the rule.
4. Sweat regularly - the human body was not made to sedentary, it was made to work.  Keep it strong and cleansed with regular exercise.
5. Buy Clothes that fit and flatter - do not be a slave to any style other that what looks good on you.  If you have fat rolls, please do not show them to me.  If you are pregnant, please do not wear a bikini or a half shirt.
6. I am so naturally pale in the winter I am actually pink - go to the tanning salon and get a Mystic Spray tan or buy some sunless tanning cream.  You will be amazed at how it will boost your spirits.  I always say that brown fat looks better than white fat!  This is especially important for married women because if we feel sexier, well, you know.
   
7. Laugh and smile often.  Find something that makes you happy.  Seek out laughter.  Adorn your face with a smile.
8. Eat well and eat less.  A fantastic sign from your body that you are full is when the bite you just took does not taste as good as the first bite did.  That is a sure fire signal to stop eating.  I struggled with my weight my whole life and now eat about 75% less food than I used to, see 5'2" women don't need many calories....
9. Be giving - your time, your talent, your love.
10. Turn off the TV - read a book or have sex with your mate, both vastly improve the quality of your life.
11. Celebrate special occasions - use the good china and the silver.  Wear the beautiful dress or expensive pair of shoes.  Make memories and take pictures.

Happy New Year, live well and may the Lord Jesus Christ bless you in all you do.  May He inspire you and care for you, may he wrap his Holy Spirit around you and give you peace.

Most sincerely - Dolley Madison