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A quote from my friend, Lori, today:

thank you for saying such nice things about steve and me……………steve is by far the best thing that has ever happened to me.  we just make sense together.  he cares so much about me and our daughter that he would do anything to keep us happy.  he is my best friend and i can’t imagine him not being there every night when i get home from work to talk to him about my day.  he is nice to me, and he’s nice to everyone around him.  he’s one of the GOOD ONES……….

i reflect back on my life three years ago, and i can’t believe how much things have changed, FOR THE BETTER.  we all have to go through the hard stuff to get the good stuff sometimes…and if we’re lucky, we learn from it all instead of letting it drag us down.

I knew Lori back when she wasn’t so happy.    I’m glad that she found the right person for her.    This is how relationships can be when you know you’ve found the right one.

I spent part of the day with an old friend of mine (well, she is young, but I’ve known her for a long time).   She has a new husband and a new baby I’ve never met.    I had fun talking to Lori, her husband Steve and little Kate (a happy, bouncy baby… my favourite).

I spent a couple of hours with my daughter at the fitness center… swimming.     It was fun, but something about swimming makes me very tired.

I came home and listened to something that someone very wonderful gifted me with earlier this week.. a hypnosis audio that has proven to be quite helpful.

Despite my day, I’m feeling a little sorry for myself.    My mind keeps wandering off to that happy place (you know, the one where we are sitting at the beach, pushing our toes into the warm, wet sand on a sunny day)  the hypnotist has me pick out….    I yearn for the happy place, but in odd moments it seems as though it should be unattainable.    A good part of me does not believe it is unattainable.   (This is what we call a double negative, yes?   A good part of me believes it is attainable.   There.)    Did I distract you enough?

Then I play, “Feeling Good“, play the hypnotist audio, and everything seems reasonably right with the world.    (Note to self:   Don’t forget the happy place exists.)

WANTS AND NEEDS

Legitimate Needs

Intellectual Needs.   Your mind needs information, stimulation, and the challenge of problems to solve.  You have an innate need to comprehend and understand the people and events around you.   You need variety, recreation and play time.  You have a drive to accomplish things.  You need to grow and to change.  You need the freedom to honestly express your thoughts and you need authentic, consistent responses from others.

Emotional Needs.   Less obvious, but hardly less essential, are your emotional needs — to love and be loved, to have companionship, to feel that you are respected, and to respect others.   You need sympathy and compassion from others, and you need to express your own sympathy and compassion for them. 

Needs v. Wants

.. If you have low self-esteem, it’s hard enough for you to pursue survival needs.   But your less vital needs and wants seem unimportant, particularly if they conflict with someone else’s.  Moreover, you tend to identify essential needs as mere wants and neglect to satisfy them.  You think that you’re being a stoic and forgoing comfort for the sake of others; but actually you’re an unwitting martyr to your low self-esteem.   You’re not merely uncomfortable, you’re surrendering important emotional, social, intellectual or spiritual needs for the fear of hurting or offending someone.

(there’s more.. if these things sound legitimate to you, you may want to buy or check out the book)

KISS OF LIFE 

There must have been an angel by my side
Something heavenly led me to you
Look at the sky
It’s the colour of love
There must have been an angel by my side
Something heavenly came down from above
He led me to you
He led me to you

He built a bridge to your heart
All the way
How many tons of love inside
I can’t say

When I was led to you
I knew you were the one for me
I swear the whole world could feel my heartbeat
When I lay eyes on you
Ay ay ay
You wrapped me up in
The colour of love

You gave me the kiss of life
Kiss of life
You gave me the kiss that’s like
The kiss of life

Wasn’t it clear from the start
Look the sky is full of love
Yeah the sky is full of love

You gave me the kiss of life
Kiss of life
You gave me the kiss that’s like
The kiss of life

You gave me the kiss of life
Kiss of life
You gave me the kiss that’s like
The kiss of life

You wrapped me up in the colour of love
Must have been an angel came down from above
Giving me love yeah
Giving me love yeah

You gave me the kiss of life
Kiss of life
You gave me the kiss of life
Kiss of life