On My Mind Today

I recently had the pleasure of helping my sister for a 2nd time with a trade show at Bally's in Las Vegas. It was the Beauty Industry Western Buyers Show, and there is much to see both at the show and in Las Vegas. At the trade show you will find manufacturers of nail art and pedicure supplies, nail color, make-up, hair color, hair accessories, spray tanning products and applicators, salon supplies and many other things related to the industry. The manufacturer reps and buyers tour the show floor for 2 days looking for the latest and greatest to sell to salons or retail shops. Each manufacturer marketing their best items to get them into the hands of the professionals or the consumer. Our booth was across the aisle from a spray tan manufacturer and they had two very young and beautiful girls standing all day in front of their booth - wearing bikinis. Totally wasted on us, however I do believe every man attending walked by at least 2-3 times over the two...

We all know there is no fountain of youth.  How we age depends on two things - how well we take care of ourselves, and the bigger part is genetics. If we are lucky we come from a great gene pool. However, if you watch all the ads for age defying beauty creams and lotions you would think that every one of these lotions and potions can turn back the hands of time. Just look at the models that they show us who look absolutely amazing. Of course if the truth were to be told most of them may be early 30's at best - their skin should look good at that age. If only it were true that they could work miracles on us. Not to say that many of these products cannot help enhance how your skin looks. After all if we take care of our skin and use a good moisturizer it will definitely help, but in the end we are who we are. I would love to see true and responsible advertising. Show me a woman in her 50's or 60's who has used the product for...

When they say things seem to happen at the absolute worst moment they are correct. I recently found this out with events in my own life. I was in Las Vegas helping my sister with a trade show this past week. On my last night there I called home to check in with my boyfriend as I had done each night. He told me at that time if I were home he would have me take him to the hospital. When I inquired as to why he began describing symptoms of a heart attack, so I asked how long he had been having these symptoms and he told me 2 hours! I told him to call our neighbor and go to the hospital. He is as stubborn as most men and said he did not want to bother the neighbor, and he could walk it off. Needless to say I got off the phone with him and called his twin brother who had a heart attack 7 years ago. I knew he might listen to him, and he did. Of course between the two of them they did not call an ambulance, but instead he decided to drive himself to the hospital - having a hea...

If I could give advice to the young people today it would be to keep life simple. Over the years we have moved further and further away from this as each generation has tried to give their children more and make life "easier" or so we think. Unfortunately this easier life may have created more problems. Sometimes when you have more, you spend far too much time running on the proverbial treadmill to try and keep it all. Looking back over the years, I know there were times when I felt that I wanted more than what I had. Felt that by having more my life would be more complete and I would be happier. After all - isn't that what we were told - the more we had the happier we would be? Nobody ever said that all of these things can come at too big a cost. That by trying to hang onto it all we lose the connection with our families that is so important. You can't spend most of your time working and think you can maintain the close family relationships that nurture your ...

Disgraced politicians, troubled actors and actresses, bad boy (or girl) musicians, sports figures in trouble with the law or cheating with performance enhancing drugs, criminals doing horrific things, and on and on. No names need to be mentioned as we all know who they are. Why does the media continue to give them air time??? Perhaps what should be done is to banish them from the airwaves. Stop giving them what they want. I don't understand why there is such an obsession with those who do the wrong thing. And when the media "interviews" them they either lie and/or ask for sympathy, and figure that they should be absolved of the wrongdoing because they said they are sorry. After a while people become numb to these reports. It is time we come together and say no more. Perhaps we should boycott the media stations that choose to carry these interviews or report on the stories over and over again. I know that there are many others like me...

My boyfriend's mother came to America from Italy. She always told him that Americans keep too much paper. I am inclined to agree after this past weekend. After much procrastination, a file box full of paper, and an office that was far too disorganized for this very organized woman, I decided to clean things out. Once I started this mission there was no stopping until it was done. As I went through each file to determine the value of its contents, I was shocked as to how old some of these documents were. And what I asked myself was "what was I keeping this for?" It certainly was not something I had looked at in years so I could not fathom what I was holding onto it for. Guess we all think that we may need it some day, but know deep down that we will not. After spending hours cleaning out the file, papers in my closet, reorganizing my office, and an hour or more shredding the project was finally finished. Amazing that I can now find what I need and walk t...

Over the many years of my life there is one thing that I have come to know. That is if we do not value ourselves, and put ourselves first at least occasionally, then others will not see our value or put us first. I am not saying that we need to be selfish. What I am saying is that if we do not take care of ourselves then we are not acknowledging our own value, and if we don't then how can others see the importance of who we are and what we do. I truly believe that it is always better to do for someone else rather than do for myself. However, if we only give and never nurture our own soul, then there will come a point where we have no more to give. If you are naturally programmed to take care of others it is hard to let go and take care of yourself. As I age I try to give myself permission to take time and recharge. Not an easy task, but everyone needs time to quiet their mind and do something they love or nothing at all. It shou...

I'm sure that many of you are like me, and that you wear many hats depending on the day and what someone needs. Of course I am speaking from my own perspective as a mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, friend, sole proprietor of my own business, and long time partner to an Italian man. As a mother of two grown daughters I have found that just because they are on their own does not mean that I have stopped worrying. Now that they have children I may worry more, because I have my three beautiful grandchildren who have taken a precious and permanent spot in my heart. As much as I step back and let them take charge of their lives, I still stand in the shadows and worry, and wait for them to need me. After all isn't that what mothers and grandmothers are for - to be there when they are needed. The reward of spending time with my children and grandchildren is a gift beyond anything I could ask for. Being a daughter brings a bond with our...

It has been a wonderful Christmas season with so much time spent doing fun things and forgetting the day to day routine!  Spending time with family and friends is such a joy and how I wish it could be this way all the time. But I guess it is time to get back on track, and start a new year filled with hope and excitement. Having been in the holiday mode I have had trouble remembering what day of the week it is lately, and not having that routine is definitely a contributing factor. It also has not been great on the budget since I am self employed. As much as I would like to be retired, I have not reached that milestone yet. A few more years to go and I can think about that and spending my days doing what my heart wants. For now it is time to get back to my routine and finding ways to grow my business. A big part of that is attending my networking meetings where I am blessed to have a great support group. People who inspire me to move forward and enc...

Have you ever had one of those days where you wake up in a bad mood, and you just don't know why? A mood that you can't seem to shake right away no matter how hard you try? I often wonder what has gone on in my mind overnight to cause such a reaction upon waking up. There is the possibility of a disturbing dream that I cannot remember, or maybe a restless night where my sleep was not the deep sleep one needs to wake refreshed. And it could be something weighing on my mind that I know I cannot change. I do know that these mornings are not good for me, or anyone else I encounter in the first few hours. Although I do try very hard to remain silent and not pass it on to those around me. At times like these my course of action is to take some time to sit quietly, or go to my treadmill if it is really dragging me down. There I remind myself of all the good things in my life. That there is nothing that cannot be overcome with the right...

Socializing and sharing our lives with others is a wonderful thing. What we receive in these interactions is many times far more than what we give. The knowledge and insights gained from our social "dances" make us more well rounded, interesting people. There is also something to be said for solitude - spending time with ourselves so to speak. Enveloping ourselves in silence gives our mind the time to slow down and sort through the many things that have gathered there during our typical noisy days. In the time we spend alone, we can learn to like who we are and find out that we truly enjoy time with this person we have become. We can find peace in our souls and maybe discover the path our life should be on. The more we learn about "us", the more we have to offer others. After the calm of the silence, we will find that we are more open to the world around us. Ready to take in new people and experiences again - to grow and le...