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weederstudy06-blog · 5 years

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Our Favorite TFD Articles Of 2018

I think almost everyone reading this will agree with me that calendar dates are pretty arbitrary. A new year is not a mystical point in time by which you must bind yourself to becoming a new person in some way, or by which things must take shape in your life or else never come to fruition. Maybe you didn’t meet a major goal this year, or overhaul your life in some way. Maybe your everyday life doesn’t look exactly the way you want it to, and it’ll take a while for you to get there. Maybe your life is stressful enough that you don’t want to deal with the pressure of a New Year’s Resolution right now. And that’s okay!

For me, the healthiest way to look at a new year is not as the date by which to completely change my life or decide I must reach some major goal. Instead, I like to use January 1st as a reminder to take a step back and take stock of my life as it is — including what’s working and the things I’m really grateful for.

Here at TFD, we have a lot to be grateful for from the past year! Just under one year ago, Chelsea and Lauren published the TFD book, followed by a super invigorating 10-city book tour. Over on our YouTube channel, we launched two new shows that we couldn’t be prouder of — The 3-Minute Guide and The Lifestyle Fix. And here on the site, we could not be prouder of what we’ve produced and the many amazing writers we’ve been lucky enough to work with. While I couldn’t possibly list every single TFD article that touched our hearts this year, I wanted to take the time to point you all to some of the team’s favorites. Writing about money means writing about everything, from dating to skincare to societal expectations. Here’s a little 2018 TFD time capsule to bring us into the new year on whatever kind of note you need — productive, contemplative, hopeful, or anywhere in between. Happy Almost-2019, everyone!

To All The Boys I’ve Spent Money On In 2018

I couldn’t possibly tell you how much I loved and related to this article (and the movie referenced in the title). If you’re looking for a cathartic read on the financial and emotional toll that modern dating can take on one person, look no further:

Paul and I matched on Tinder in January. I’m not one for small talk through an app (Why do it? Why not just meet in person?), so I suggested drinks the following night. I spent the next 24 hours cyberstalking him, very excited for the relationship I was building in my mind. I already pictured myself watching his band perform in dark bars, listening to songs he wrote specifically about me. Our future together was a romantic indie flick waiting to happen.

Being A Survivor Of Sexual Assault Has Cost Me More Than $6,000 — And That’s Relatively Cheap

It’s impossible to convey the depth of pain that sexual assault can cause a person, in any sense — physical, mental, emotional, and yes, financial. And the costs associated with assault can follow survivors for the rest of their lives. I’m so, so grateful that writer Elly Belle was so generous in sharing her story with us. It is, unfortunately, a reality that so many people deal with, and we need to talk about it. Please read this story if you haven’t already. (And if you are looking for ways to support survivors, Elly also put together this amazing roundup of charities where your dollars will actually do the most good.)

Why I Think Beauty Spending Is A Necessity, Not A Luxury

One of my favorite genres we turn to time and again here on TFD is thoughtful essays that dismantle a part of life we accept at face value, without giving further thought to. Even though you may not completely agree with it, I think Savanna Swain-Wilson’s point in this article hits a super important note: that even though beauty standards may be a huge problem, telling women (and specific groups of women in particular) not to follow them is just another form of shaming them. I loved this passage in particular:

My personal belief is that beauty is not a luxury, but a necessity for navigating and surviving this world, if not for being a form of capital to help us with our careers, but for being something that makes us feel like our best selves. Sometimes it’s in the form of a new haircut that feels like a second chance, or the clean feeling of freshly conditioned hair after a hot shower, or the joyful familiarity of picking up that pink and green mascara tube. It can mean different things to each individual.

How My Career Goals & Self-Perception Have Changed Now That I’m In My 30s

Another one of my favorite essay genres: How Getting Older Actually Rules. I loved what Audrey Gonzalez wrote about how a new job position helped her really come into her own in her 30s:

I finally started feeling like an adult in my thirties. It wasn’t because I had achieved some lofty goal (still no spouse, children, or house, though I’m working on the last one). Instead, I started feeling like an adult when I realized that I could uncover my own ignorance and then work to correct it. After the senior proofreader in our department went to part-time remote work, I ended up with the honor of being the senior proofreader on site. With that came a lot of questions from others in the department and the company on anything from product content to style guide issues to editing conventions.

3 Impossible-To-Mess-Up Meals That Finally Got Me Cooking For The First Time At 27

I always love seeing posts from Annie, our CRO! Here, she walked us through three meals that pretty much anyone could recreate on their own — no need to spend a ton of money on ingredients or master a lofty kitchen skill. Please enjoy her verbal artistry, too:

Hey, fellow domestically-uninclined soul.

I know you probably feel guilty about your helplessness in the kitchen. Same. Or at least, I used to. You might worry (rightfully) that this attribute will only become less excusable/charming with each passing year. You may even know that if you could just bring yourself to pick up a flipping knife, it’d save you anywhere from $5,000 – $10,000 a year.

But I would guess also, because you’re reading this, that knowing the facts isn’t enough. For whatever reason, there’s a mile-high mental block keeping you from starting this habit. I feel you. For the better part of my 20s, while my partners at TFD were becoming little Ina Gartens in the making (see: Chelsea’s weekly Instagram recipes), I was living that bagel-to-bagel life.

What It’s Like To Know I’ll Never Be Able To Afford A Home in My Hometown

Shammara wrote a lot of wonderful articles for us this year! I was particularly touched by this extremely personal look at the impact of gentrification, not just on entire neighborhoods, but on all of the individuals within those neighborhoods. This piece is very well-written and researched, and I encourage everyone to give it a read:

Consequently, native Brooklynites like myself are being priced out of the places we’ve called home for years. When my grandparents were looking for their first home when I was 10 years old (14 years ago), they were more than able to afford somewhere in Brooklyn (though they eventually settled on Queens). Today, that surely wouldn’t be the case. They probably wouldn’t even be able to purchase their current place.

6 Changes That Tricked My Brain Into Enjoying Exercise

Whether we enjoy it or not, being active is a crucial part of living a healthy, well-rounded life — and preventing potentially costly health problems down the line. So it’s much better if we can figure out how to enjoy it, right? I absolutely loved what Chelsea had to say about finally becoming a personal who likes exercise. I’m pushing myself on a similar journey right now, and I find points like this so inspiring in a super-accessible way:

Probably the #1 logistical element to my successful workout regime was the fact that it was profoundly convenient to my day-to-day life. And that doesn’t just mean that it was close to my office — it’s actually kind of not! — but rather that going to my workout classes could become a tentpole around which to construct other things. In my case, I knew I wanted to get a good amount of steps in, and I also (since I take evening classes) wanted a studio near a grocery store so I could get dinner stuff on the way home whenever needed. It’s also near several nice bars, restaurants, and cafes, so I can sometimes meet up with people after class or even walk to a nice dinner by myself.

Image via Unsplash

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Source: https://thefinancialdiet.com/our-favorite-tfd-articles-of-2018/

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cunyappliedtheatreblog · 6 years

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Dorcas Davis (’14): staying nourished for the long journey

Dorcas Davis (’14) is Co-Founder and National Co-Chair at the March for Racial Justice and National Director of Strategic Projects at The Posse Foundation.

Michael Wilson (’11) grabbed dinner with Dorcas to talk about what drives her, what sustains her, and how she became the leader she is today.

You were just saying this work is your saving grace.

Yeah. I say that because right after the election—literally the day after—I had a workshop to do, with some staff at one of the CUNY libraries. I walked into that space and everybody was shell-shocked. And it took me out of my “oh my God what is happening right now?” Because I had to show up and be present. And it was the best thing I could have done after Trump was elected. Because it was like, okay, it’s not about this moment. Everybody in this room, and myself included, is going to be continuing on. So what do we do? What do I want this journey to look like? How would I craft a journey that other people can join me in on, right? And that just comes up, period, in everything I do. Because it’s not just for myself that I’m doing it.

Where’s the journey headed?

Dorcas: Oh my god, I don’t know! Laughs. I’m hoping that it’s headed toward a place of peace. A place of greater connection, greater love. I know from my journey to this point…it’s been more meandering than linear, you know what I’m saying? And I’m enjoying that: the growth that comes with that. The fear and freedom that comes with not knowing. But also being intentional about the kind of work that I want to do and the kind of life I want to live. And that’s been the constant. So, no matter what task or job that I have, I know it will be serving the type of work that I want to do and the type of life that I want to live.

What’s a story that connects to that kind of intentionality?

A story. Hmm. Last year was the year I did the March for Racial Justice. My skills as a facilitator were needed more than I thought. [faculty member] Helen White does this wonderful exercise in our first year, where she asks us to be clear, or write down what our values are as a facilitator. “What are YOUR values?” I remember doing that exercise. Because I needed to be clear about how I walked into a room, how I show up, what is my intention to create there.

The first night I met a couple of people. I was greeted with a lot of suspicion. And I had to say to myself, in the moment, what reason would they have to trust you? You’re making real assumptions about who you are to these people. So what your goal is, here, is not to recruit them in anything, but to make them feel comfortable with you. That’s it. One lady was looking me up on Facebook while she was talking to me. Laughs. She was like, um, yeah, I’m looking—I was like, yeah, look-up whatever you need to look-up, I will help you. I want you to know who I am and how I’m coming.

One of your values is honoring people.

Honoring people with love. I want anybody who I encounter to feel loved. I want people to feel honored, I want people to feel respected.

So I told some jokes, we had conversation, and that was it. And we had talked about meeting the next day, because Philando Castile ’s mother was going to join us the next day. Through them. And we had planned to talk about the march the next day. After I left them that night, I had no idea how many were going to show up. Because it wasn’t like, “warm welcome,” none of that happened.

And so the next day, everybody was there plus more. With Valerie Castile.

I got shivers up my spine.

The commonality between us all was we had a loved one who was killed or beaten or assaulted in some way by police officers. And it was like, this is the thing that unites our American experience. And this can’t be. This is horrible. And so, after everyone said their goodbyes, and committed to coming to the march, I was like, wow. Okay. I knew it wasn’t just me at work there. Because I said a prayer before I—I said, “God, give me the words I need to say.” I’ve never been in this situation before. So I can’t depend on some prior knowledge.

And so that’s very similar to what happens when I’m in the room [facilitating]. It’s like, I do have activities, and different processing questions, yes, I have all this stuff, but what I have most of all is presence, and being present with the people in that room. So if I see you’re all tensed up, I’m gonna deal with that. I’m gonna deal with the human being, before I get to, “we need to have dialogue.”

Dorcas in the March for Racial Justice--September 30, 2017. Photo: Coby Owens.

That’s so true about you, Dorcas. That you go for working and responding with what’s really in front of you.

Thank you for that mirror. Because that is a value for me. It’s important for me to see people and have them know that I see them. That has served me. And I think it’s what continues to draw me to do this work. Because I’m usually in a room with people who are feeling conflicted—there’s an issue, and that’s why I’m in the room.

I want to ground the conversation, for our readers. What is the organization you’re working with, and what do you do?

Currently, I am the National Director of Strategic Projects for the Posse Foundation. I do diversity and inclusion workshops and design diversity and inclusion programming for colleges and universities, nonprofit organizations, for-profit enterprises and businesses. Some very big corporations. Some small ones. Even school districts have come to us and said, “we need this.” So what I’m doing is: “well, okay, what is the issue that you have, around diversity and inclusion. What do you want to do?” Because I work with people who have a commitment to diversity and inclusion. I’m not trying to change somebody’s mind and convince them that this is necessary.

There’s an assumption that’s made that people know what the next step is. But we don’t have a history to fall back on of diversity and inclusion in the United States. So, since that’s something that’s not necessarily part of our culture, how can we teach people?

The master’s tools can’t dismantle the master’s house.

Exactly. Exactly. The vision for the United States wasn’t “diversity and inclusion,” no matter what’s written in that constitution. Right? So we have to envision something else. And a lot of my work is helping people envision it. What’s this gonna look like? On a micro level in their organization. And the more people we have invested in the vision of diversity, then the more powerful the macro vision can be. Because people earnestly want to know how—they want to know, “how do we do this? I heard it’s good.”

That makes me feel hopeful…we were talking about this beforehand. You were talking about doing work for the future. Can you give me that again?

We have an obligation to our visions. And the visions that we have are not for ourselves. They’re visions for our children and our grandchildren, and whoever’s coming after us. Just like we live in the vision of our ancestors. Somebody thought about me sitting across from you, freely, before this ever happened. Right? They didn’t live it—I’m living it. Because they thought about me. So, anyone who is interested in doing work around diversity and inclusion and racial justice and social justice, yes, there are immediate concerns, but there’s also the long game.

What would you say to someone who’s thinking about training in applied theatre?

First, I would ask them, what brings them to it? Because I think about my own journey. I was a full-time artist. It was something that wasn’t quite enough for me. I was a teacher too, so I was like, I love that service aspect. I love working with people. And so, when I found applied theatre, I was like, oh my god, it’s everything in one for me. Because I needed to express my artistry and creativity, but I also needed to be of service, in a very tangible, immediate kind of way. And I needed to be in conversation.

I got all of that in applied theatre…and also the lens of a facilitator, which is very different from the lens of a teacher that I’d had.

How are those lenses different?

The job of the facilitator is to make things easier. Make the conversation easier, make the confusion or whatever is happening easier to digest. That switch happened for me in Rwanda. Because I was “teaching the class,” air quotes... And I noticed that three or four people were consistently talking, in a room of about 25 people. I was like, this is interesting…but then I realized they were speaking in English, for me. For my benefit. And that was silencing the room, because only a few people felt comfortable enough to speak in English, out like that, with me in the room. Even though those students speak about four or five languages. So here I am with my mono-lingual self, dominating the conversation, unintentionally, because they’re trying to be polite and include me in. And that’s when I was like, ooookay. I’m not making this easier. Laughs. I’m making this harder. So I looked at the room and went, “hold on a second y’all. I need somebody to translate this for me. I want you to speak in Kinyarwandan. This conversation is not for me. It’s for you. When you’re done finished I’ll know you’re done. But don’t worry about English. No more English. Okay?”

At first they looked at me like, “Is she serious?” But I was like, “go ahead.” The room lit up with conversation after that. And when they exhaled, I said, “thank you very much. Anybody else?” And then someone else would go. It was like, okay, you’re not in the room to guide the conversation. You’re there to set the space and a platform for people to have a conversation. That switch in my understanding shifted everything for me. It was like, Oh, I get Freire, I get it now. All these things that were theoretical at some points became super practical: why are you in that room? You’re not being loving if people feel like they can’t speak, Dorcas.

In Rwanda with the MA in Applied Theatre, summer 2014

You could have read Freire twenty times, but you needed to have it click.

Exactly. Being a colonizer in the space. Right? Vs. being…

You had to have the consciousness to see yourself as a colonizer and the humility to see yourself as a colonizer. And the faith to know that there was something on the other side of that.

Exactly. And that faith is a part of the work that we do. Because we never know how a workshop is going to go. Laughs. Ever.

Thanks, Dorcas. I’m excited about this conversation.

I have enjoyed it. I really love you. You have a very grounding, centering presence. This was very lovely for me.

Thank you. Thank you. I hope that getting to reflect like this is some of that fuel—

Yes. This is the nourishing I need. This is some of what we do in between the crazy times, to help reenergize, to help connect. Because this is worth it, this is worth it.

#Dorcas Davis #March for Racial Justice #Posse Foundation #purpose #values #ancestors #faith #projectrwanda #paulo freire #decolonize #philandocastile

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lifeideserve · 7 years

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Ep 2 - Shapes in the Clouds: Appreciation for our Mothers

Welcome!! In celebration of Mother’s Day, I want to take a moment, to acknowledge and appreciate, all of the hard-working mothers in the world!! Just over a year ago, I had to say a final goodbye, to my own mother. However, I will never stop celebrating, the amazing person that she was! Listen, to this entire episode, as my siblings, and I, share some great memories, and lessons, that will forever impact our lives!

From what I’ve seen, motherhood is probably the most demanding, and yet the most rewarding, job in the world. However, it’s not just a job, requiring endless hours of hard work, and patience. It’s also a job, that requires enormous love, empathy, selflessness!! Let’s celebrate, the amazing women, who have raised all of us. And, let’s encourage and support, the amazing women, raising the children, who will build the future!

In 1914, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson officially recognized Mother's Day as a national holiday. One hundred years later, the holiday has become a global celebration to honor the mothers who made sacrifices to raise generations of children and support them through adulthood.

Funny Quotes

Here’s some funny quotes, about motherhood, I thought you would enjoy!

"I want my children to have all the things that I couldn't afford. Then I want to move in with them." -Phyllis Diller

“My mother’s menu consisted of two choices: Take it or leave it.” -Buddy Hackett

"When your mother asks, 'Do you want a piece of advice?' it is a mere formality. It doesn't matter if you answer yes or no. You're going to get it anyway." -Erma Bombeck

“The most remarkable thing about my mother, is that for thirty years, she served the family, nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found." -Calvin Trillin

"When my kids become wild and unruly, I use a nice, safe playpen. When they're finished, I climb out." -Erma Bombeck

Questions, Comments, Compliments

“The LIfe I Deserve” is here for you! Please let me know, what topics, you’d like me to research. What people, you’d like me to interview. What knowledge, insights, perspectives, would you like to share? What goals do you have, for your health, wealth, and happiness? Reach out to me! Visit “TheLifeIDeserve.com”. And send me email or voicemail. From the Web Site, click on the “Contact” tab. You’ll see a button, there, that will allow you to record voicemail. Or, if you’d rather leave email, just fill-in the form, just below the voicemail button.

I really want to hear from you!! And, yes, I do mean you! Reach out! Let me know what’s on your mind. Let me know how I can help you. Or, maybe you have an inspirational story, or thought, that you’d like to share. Just go to “TheLifeIDeserve.com”, and then click on the Contact tab.

An audio message from my beautiful sister, Glenda…

Mom Brought us Together One Last Time

March 3rd, 2015, I gathered with family, in a hospital room, in Nassau Bay, Texas, to celebrate, my mother’s birthday. Due to several health complications, my mother had been in, and out, of the hospital, many times, over the years. However, this time, her doctor warned us, that her body was starting to shut-down. We all gathered in the hospital room, and showered my mother with love. My mother was selfless. She always put us kids, first. There are no words, to express, how much love she had for us! Knowing that my mom, didn’t have much time, we did everything we could, to let her know, one last time, how amazing she had been, in our lives! We shared great memories, we played her favorite songs (which were usually from shows, like The Sound of Music, and Fiddler on the Roof, and other musicals). And, we just sat with her, holding her hand, kissing her cheek, and touching her hair. We were doing everything, we could of think of, to express our love, one last time.

We had a great birthday celebration with my mother! I’ve never seen a hospital room, so full! Not only with my beautiful family, but also filled with balloons, flowers, cards, and timeless photos, that my sister Glenda, took the time to print, and put together, in an amazing, almost 3 dimensional collage!!

“I love you, Mom”. I may have said that 100 times that day. And, it still didn’t feel like enough. It had been a long day, and I felt that my mom, was very tired. I gave my mother the longest hug ever. How do you let go, when you know it is probably the last time, you get to hug your mother?

My father, had already positioned a cot, as close as possible, to my mother’s hospital bed. He hung-on to her arm, with both hands.

The next morning, I received the call, that at this point, was completely expected. My dad, told me, how Mom woke up, in the early morning, calling out to him. He quickly got up to comfort her, and to remind her, that he was by her side. After that, they both fell back asleep, hand-in-hand. When my father woke-up, my mother was gone.

What was my Mom Like?

49 years ago, my mom and dad, were married. They were eager to start a family. They had 5 children. Despite many challenges along the way, my mother made each of us feel important, valued, cared-for, and loved. We lived modestly. But, we were rich, in the areas that really mattered. My mother's creativity and sense of adventure, kept us captivated and excited. Our imaginations were fueled, by her drawings, paintings, sculptures, and her curiosity about life in general.

In my mother's eyes, everything was beautiful and exciting. She appreciated the color and smell of every flower. She enjoyed the excitement of every lightning storm. For my mom, even the shapes of the clouds, had meaning. As children, my mother's creativity always kept us entertained. She always knew when the next meteor shower was coming. And, when we were snuggled-up in blankets on the porch, watching for the shooting stars, there was no place in the world that we'd rather be!

My mother was sensitive to every person's feelings. Every person mattered. My mother had a passion for helping people. She had incredible empathy for those in need.

Mom, you spent your lifetime, teaching us how to be good people, how to be kind, how to help people, how to be there for each other. You nurtured us, yet, you also taught us to be strong. Despite the strength that you given us, it hurts, to not be able to speak to you again, to hug you again, to kiss you again. It's hard to believe that you're no longer here. As a matter of fact, I know that you actually are still here. I know that you will continue to be with each of us, showing us the beauty of each flower, bringing excitement to our lives with an occasional thunderstorm, and showing us shapes in the clouds. I love you, mom.

Almost exactly, one year previously, I recorded a brief conversation with my mother. And, I’d like to play that for you now.

Audio recording with my Mom...

Goodbye Mom

My beautiful mother, now in heaven, can sing, dance, paint, and sculpt again. My mother can finally breathe without restriction. My mother is now agile, and pain-free. After 47 years of selflessly caring for 5 children, 9 grandchildren, and 1 great grandchild, my mother is now in the warm embrace of her own mother, her father, and her dear brother. Her warm smile will be missed. Her ability to make people feel accepted and loved, will never be forgotten. Her clever sense of humor, and practical jokes, will continue to make us laugh.

I love you, mom, more than words can express. You always believed in me. You gave me the courage to face my fears. You listened, without judgement, as I shared my thoughts, my challenges, and my concerns. You always made me feel safe, and loved. I wish I could find the words to let you know how much you mean to me. I know that you'll always be with me. I know that you'll always be at my side, telling me that I am smart, strong, and capable. I will not let a day go by, without thinking of you, appreciating you, and loving you.

Family Interviews

My Dad, brothers, and sisters, were gracious enough to record some of there great memories, about our mother. I’d like to share these recordings with you now.

Audio recordings...

Mom at Dr Office

My mother was not only caring, and loving, she also had a great sense of humor!! I remember my Mom, telling me that her doctor, would rush through each office visit, giving her very little attention, and barely making eye contact. One time, near Halloween, my Mom decided to play a joke on her doctor. She took a hideous, monster mask, to her doctor appointment. While the the doctor was looking at his notes, my Mom put the mask on. After a while, the doctor finally glanced in her direction. He screamed, and dropped his clipboard. Lol!! My mom had a great sense of humor!

Playing in the Water Fountains

Sometimes, on a hot day, my Mom, would take, all of us kids, to play in the city water fountains, in downtown Houston. These were water features, were designed, as forms of art. I don’t even know if it was legal, to go into those water fountains. Some of them had intricate designs. Definitely, not build like a child’s play set. We never saw anybody else playing in the fountains. Just, us, kids, climbing through walls of water. We thought it was a great adventure!! :-)

Mom Peels-out

One time, I was visiting home, from college. I decided to go for a jog. I ran down to a nearby park, on Galveston Bay. I jogged around the park, and then saw my Mom drive-up, on her way back from the store. We hung-out at the park for a little while, and then she started to drive us back to the house. Feeling the need for a little more exercise, I asked her to let me out, so I could jog back home. When she slowed down to let me out, some people nearby looked over. My mom, said, let’s pretend we’re in a fight. Awesome!! So, my mom yelled “get out”!! And, I jumped out of the car, and slammed the door. My mom, then peeled-out in the gravel!! It was the first, and only time, I ever saw my mom peel-out! The people nearby just pretend that they didn’t see our made-up fight. It was really funny!! My mom, always had a sense of adventure, about her!!

Mom Was My Greatest Cheerleader

Mom, was always incredibly proud of anything I accomplished. In a notebook, she kept a list of the real estate that I acquired. When I told her that I bought a new property, she couldn’t wait to find her notebook, so she could write it down. With every promotion at work, she would practically scream with excitement, and happiness, for me. And, then she would tell me, that she’s actually not surprised. She would always tell me, I could accomplish anything, that I put my mind to. It actually didn’t matter how big, or small, the accomplishment, my Mom’s love, and appreciation, was always genuine, and abundant!!

Singing for Mom

About 10 years ago, my Mom and Dad, were addicted to American Idol. I remember talking to my Dad when there were 3 contestants left. When I asked my Dad who he was going to vote for he gave me 2 names. He didn’t know who he liked best. He just knew the one he wanted to eliminate from the competition. Lol!

Well, for my birthday that year, my parents sent me $35. My Mom told me “you can do whatever you want with the money. But, I think you should take some singing lessons. I think you would do a great job, on American Idol.” It didn’t phase my Mom, that most of the contestants were about half my age, and probably singing, since they were about 7 year old. My Mom, belief in me, was amazing!!

Well, I got busy with other things, and put-off the idea, of singing lessons. Then one day, I got a phone call. My uncle, found my Mother, unconscious on the bathroom floor. She fell, and hit her head. She was rushed to the hospital, treated, and made a full recovery. However, I thought, that was the end. At that point, I decided, I was going to get those singing lessons.

My sweet Mom didn’t realize, that $35 would barely get me a half hour of singing lessons. But, that’s okay. Over a year later, and well over $1,000 in lessons. I told my Mother that I had a surprise for her. I told her I used the birthday, gift, to get singing lessons. I told her, that I would have a part, in a small concert, and I wanted her to come see me. I flew her out to Los Angeles. This was the first flight my Mother took, in about 15 years. She was nervous to fly, but she told me, that her excitement to see me perform, outweighed her flying anxiety.

During the concert, I nervously took the stage. I sang a song for my mother. My singing lessons, helped me to hit most of the notes. But, certainly not all. However, that didn’t matter to my Mother. I poured my heart out, during that performance. It not only brought tears to my mother’s eyes, but many other mothers, in the audience as well. I thank God, that my Mother made it through that fall, onto the bathroom floor. I thank God, that I had the chance to do something, so exciting, for my Mother.

Book Recommendation

While looking for inspirational books about Moms, I discovered Jack Canfield’s, Chicken Soup for the Soul book subtitled “Thanks Mom”. Available in paperback, and audiobook. This book contains 32 great stories about Moms!! The forward is by Joan Lunden. Who has a remarkable story about the amazing person that her mother was. And, how she was inspired to raise 7 children of her own. And the book ends with a great story about a mother, and her son, and their shared love of salsa dancing!! Salsa dancing, in case you didn’t know, is a hobby, that I’m very passionate about!! Again, the book is titled “Chicken Soup for the Soul: Thanks Mom”. You can find a link to this book, on the Resources Page, of TheLifeIDeserve.com.

Best and Wisest Mom

Mom, I wish I had words to tell

How much you mean to me.

I am the person I am today,

Because you let me be.

Your unconditional love

Made me happy, strong, secure.

Your teaching and example

Made me confident, mature.

In all the world, there is no mother

Better than my own.

You're the best and wisest person, Mom

I have ever known.

A Poem by Joanna Fuchs

http://www.poemsource.com/mother-poems.html

Trivia

Last show’s question:

Jack Canfield holds the Guinness Book World Record, for having seven books, simultaneously on the New York Times, Bestseller List. However, it took determination to get there. In 1993, Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, approached publishers with the very first, “Chicken Soup for the Soul” book. How many “no’s” did Jack and Mark get, before a publisher said “yes, I’ll publish your book”?

And the winning answer…

...was submitted by Andrei Aleksandrov, who correctly guessed “144”!! Congratulations, Andrei!!

The highest number of pregnancies, ever recorded, occurred in the 1700’s. Specifically, between 1725 and 1765. Today’s trivia question, is, what was the highest number of pregnancies?

Send your answer from the Web Site, “TheLifeIDeserve.com”. From the Web Site, you can leave voicemail or email. Just click on the “Contact” tab. Again, today’s trivia question is, how many “no’s” did Jack get before publishing “Chicken Soup for the Soul”. Go to“TheLifeIDeserve.com”, to submit your answer.

Salutation

That’s going to do it, for today’s show. My mission, is to inspire and empower, those that I encounter, to live full and meaningful lives, by sharing lessons learned, tools for self improvement, and life-changing perspectives. Subscribe to the Podcast, so we can take this journey together. If you still have your mother, contact her now, let her know, how much you love her. If your mother is gone, cherish the memories, and share this Podcast, to encourage other people to appreciate their mothers. :-)

I’d like to leave you with the following quote:

"My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am, I owe to my mother. I attribute all of my success, in life, to the moral, intellectual, and physical education, I received from her.”

-George Washington

Thanks again, for listening to the “The Life I Deserve”. This Podcast was designed for you! Designed to enhance your health, grow your wealth, and fill your life, with happiness!! Visit “TheLifeIDeserve.com”, and send me voicemail, or email. Let me know something about you. What inspires you? What advice do you have? How I can help you? Do you have a suggestion for the show? Let me know. And, if you just happen to love the show, please post a review on iTunes! :-)

Thanks, again! Love you all!! Until next time… goodbye.

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