Day 38

One man's trash is another man's treasure... I was hoping that was true today.

As I rose this morning at 5:45am (on a Saturday) I wondered why in the world I'd agreed to this garage sale. Then I remembered how good it felt to be able to walk around my 3rd floor and how good it felt to take out 12 boxes from the 3rd floor! My cleaning therapy may just be the ticket! It is a cleansing of sort.

As I sat out waiting for people to pull up and realize they couldn't live without my old used stuff, i went over the memories many of the items had. My first set of dishes I bought on my own for my first apartment. A jacket that an old friend bought me after a fun filled day in Lancaster. TONS of teaching supplies that I have gathered over the years and so on.

Something I also enjoyed were the random conversations with people that stopped by. A teaching assistant of a Pre-K class from Brooklyn. A woman and her autistic son. A high school science teacher. A lady who just kept yelling/nagging at her husband. A teaching assistant that struggled to go back to school for her teaching degree and who is taking her first job this fall as a certified teacher. A couple that just moved her from Idaho, etc. Different backgrounds. Different stories. Different situations from different walks of life.

As much as I wanted other people to take my trash and turn it into their treasure, just the opposite happened. As they were telling their tales of hardships, I treasured each story and remembered to give thanks for all the blessings I had in my life. (Even if at the moment I wasn't feeling particularly lucky) Bottom line I feel the majority of people are kind hearted, hard working, and just want to get along with others and be the best they can be.

They also bought LOTS of my stuff.

Things are looking up.

Day 37

2010-08-06 20:17:39 -0400
Originally uploaded by Manpan915

Everything happens for a reason.
Everything happens for a reason.
Everything happens for a reason.
Everything happens for a reason.

How many times do I need to say this until I REALLY believe it! It is so much easier saying it to someone else than to myself!!!

Things happened today that were so crazy I couldn't have made them up! First my car is still in the shop! Their goal is to have it done today but they can't promise!

Then, as I am trying to get ready for a garage sale at my dad's and trying to load up the car to take things over... CAN'T FIND THE KEYS! We looked everywhere! We tore apart the house, unloaded the car and every box! NO KEYS! In the meantime as we were looking for the keys, the door to the 3rd floor LOCKED!?!?!? I have no idea how that happened but we had to take the door off the hinges to open it. Now, back to the keys... After 4 hours of looking, I called my dad. He came over, we called the car place to have them make a new key which isn't cheap and while we were on the phone, I FOUND THE KEYS! AHHHHHHHHH SO FRUSTRATING!

Then I go over to my dad's house to unload all the stuff for the garage sale and his girlfriend said we had better go hang signs on the street signs. We were out doing that and the Cutco scissors fell point down on my toe and drew blood! It was bleeding so much we thought I'd need stitches! At that point I just had had enough and broke down!

I got myself together, had a popsicle, and went home.

Everything happens for a reason.
Everything happens for a reason.
Everything happens for a reason.
Everything happens for a reason.

Day 36

2010-08-05 23:37:41 -0400
Originally uploaded by Manpan915

The past 2 weeks have been rough to say the least. Each day has its ups and downs. It is easy to get into a negative state of mind and sometimes it is not so easy to find your way out of the negativity.

I found myself sitting on my deck just thinking, trying to escape the self-pity that was coming toward me like a speeding bullet... It was unusually quiet and the minutes slipped away like seconds.

As I sat and watched the sun set I searched on my computer for a quote I saved awhile back.

“Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow.”

- Mary Anne Radmacher

Day 35

2010-08-04 22:20:05 -0400
Originally uploaded by Manpan915

Whoa! I must be in South America cause I'm in 'Da Nile!!!!!

Welcome to my 3rd floor... This could be another bedroom, a cute studio, an office, etc. However, it has become storage! LOTS of storage! How does one person have this much stuff? I'm a self proclaimed pack rat!

I have pictures and love notes from 7th grade. I have gifts and cards from past students. I have shoes that haven't seen the light of day in years and are probably out of style! I found 2 VCR's, a box of about 40 Disney VHS tapes, and unopened Hallmark Christmas ornaments. Shall I go on? I found a Tupperware container of sand darts, old seashells I collected at some point in my life, about 4 complete bed sheet sets, a crap load of kitchen utensils, TONS of holiday decorations, school files, school files, school files, AND school files! YIKES!

My first instinct was to hire someone to come in and clean house! Someone who would yell at me and not let me keep anything! I honestly googled it and (although I already knew this) found the price range to be insanely high! Then I came across an article about how cleaning is the new therapy. It says...

"Cleaning is the new therapy. Psychologists have found that there is a marked difference in mood before and after doing cleaning, just as with a therapy session.
Research maintains that a clean house makes people feel happy, satisfied, comfortable and healthy. The According to Carol Nemeroff, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology at Arizona State University, spring cleaning may have been in existence for ages. This psychological boost may be derived from a satisfied urge to clean out our nests."

So to save a few hundred dollars in clean-up costs and therapy... I'm rolling up my sleeves and cleaning house! Well, at least that's the plan...

Day 34

2010-08-03 20:07:54 -0400
Originally uploaded by Manpan915

Rules...

"Rules are made to be broken," a phrase that as a teenager I think I seemed to live by. Why is it that as soon as we are told not to do something we get this burning sensation to go do it as soon as possible!?!?

When I was in the classroom I was a firm believer in creating classroom rules together and never starting with "No" or "Don't." One year I even went all out and had only one rule in my classroom of 6th graders... Don't do anything that causes a problem for someone else. Yes I broke my rule of not starting with "Don't" but I wanted to try it out. The nice thing was if we had made a list of rules and something came up that wasn't on the list, the kid kinda had a point, however with my rule of Don't do anything that causes a problem for someone else I could simply say, "You are distracting me and that is causing a problem because I can't do my job." Of course I wouldn't recommend this for all grades but my 6th graders could definitely handle it.

I laugh at this sign every time I take Juno for a walk. At first I would walk by this house very quickly, not giving Juno time to even think about squatting in their lawn. I also made sure my poop baggies were in plain sight in case Juno did not read the sign...

Then one day I see the owner of this sign walking her dog across the street from my house. The dog does it's business and she walks away. I couldn't believe it! They expect their lawn to be clean and not disturbed yet they don't live by their own rules and respect other people's property!?!? Maybe the next time I walk by their house the little phrase, "Rules are made to be broken," just might come to the front of my mind...

For a good laugh click on "The 36 Rules of Life." I promise it will be worth it! :0)

Day 33

2010-08-02 21:47:38 -0400
Originally uploaded by Manpan915

Healthy dinners for one person can be a challenge. Sitting down at a table alone and savoring a meal prepared for oneself seems to be a foreign concept to singles with empty refrigerators, accustomed to eating on the run. Even those who do cook are likely to be put off by recipes sufficient to feed four or six.

But eating alone can be a relaxing, almost meditative experience. In their new book, “Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life,” Lilian Cheung, a nutritionist at Harvard, and Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist teacher, give important advice to dieters about using Buddhist techniques of mindfulness to control overeating. When you eat alone, you have the opportunity to put these techniques into practice. Preparing a meal just for yourself can give you an opportunity to really contemplate what you eat.*

Tonight - 1 chicken breast, 1/4 c. couscous, 1 diced tomato, and 1 chopped green pepper mixed together. Just enough for me, with no leftovers. It was goooooood, hence the empty bowl!

*Taken from an article in the New York Times
By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN

Day 32

Day 32
Originally uploaded by Manpan915

Traditions

“Traditions are the guideposts driven deep in our subconscious minds. The most powerful ones are those we can't even describe, aren't even aware of.”

Traditions bring people together. They give a sense of community, a sense of belonging. Traditions can be big or small, accidental or on purpose. Every culture, every religion, every being has developed some sort of traditions within their own homes, schools, communities, etc.

Here are a few traditions I have experienced in my life, some of which I hope to some day pass on to my children.

Ocean City, NJ every September
Opening up 1 gift on Christmas Eve
Putting our shoes out in the hallway every Christmas Eve
Going to the Ephrata Fair
Going to the Lititz Memorial Day Parade
Going to the Lititz and Long's Park Fourth of July Celebrations
Funky Farm Cornroast
Selling our flowers and vegetables at our roadside stand
Riding bikes on the boardwalk
Sunday Dinners

Giving flowers to my teacher and bus driver on the first day of school
Christmas Eve service then to Rupt's Christmas Party for oyster stew
Planting our Christmas tree in the back yard*
Trips to Penn State
Finding an orange in our stocking
Poached eggs at Pappy's
Roots on Tuesdays

Checking the scarecrow's pockets
Standing in front of the Christmas tree with a sign with the year on it and getting our picture taken

and so on...

*(Picture) If you've ever been to my dad's house, the line of pine trees that line the back of the property are past christmas trees from when we were kids. :0)