Sometimes we’re so concerned with finding a way to fill every single minute of every day interacting with people that we forget to take a step back and give ourselves some quality “me” time. Spending time alone is a way to recharge your mental batteries and regroup — everybody needs to do it now and then! So get over your fear of missing out or your reservations about being seen somewhere solo, and embark on a mission to treat yourself to these 19 dates with yourself.

1. Go to the matinee of a sad or embarrassingly bad movie. Feel no shame as you cry or swoon alone in the corner. Who cares? No one is there to see you!
2. Travel somewhere new. When you travel with other people, you always end up making compromises on what sights to see, where to eat, and what activities to do. Traveling alone — even if it’s just to the next town over — gives you the luxury of going at your own pace so that you’re able to soak up everything about the trip that you want to.
3. Take yourself on a dinner date. Bring along a book that you can’t put down, and immerse yourself in good eats and good reads — really, what’s better than that? Try to resist the urge to look at your phone and take your time as you enjoy ordering anything you want without anyone else asking for a bite.
4. Tour a museum. Let’s face it, a lot of your museum experiences probably involve a teacher, a tour guide, and a pack of rowdy kids. Set out to see every piece of art or history a local museum has, and spend time interpreting them exactly how you want to — not how the little paper pamphlet tells you to.
5. Have a spa day, or get a massage. It’s probably best for you to take on the steam room solo, anyway.
6. Go to a bookstore and get lost. Spend hours exploring every genre of book known to the world. Better still, snag one off the shelf and plop down in a comfy chair. Close down the store trying to finish that book (hey, you’ll save some cash), and leave only when the employees start giving you the side-eye.
7. Binge on a TV show. There is always another show to catch up on or rewatch, and there’s no one better to do it with then the one person who you know is just as excited as you are to plow through an entire series in a day.
8. Go to a free concert. Find a band that you like playing in your area, or seek out someone new with a sound you like. You never know — they may be the next big thing, and you found them first. When you go to a concert alone, you spend more time listening to the music and less time worrying about everything else going on around you.
9. Sing karaoke. Be bold! Pick a spot you never go to (that way you won’t miss it if you can’t show your face there again), and sing your heart out to a bunch of strangers. If you can do this, you can do pretty much anything.
10. People watch. Go to a public place, like a park or the mall, sit back, and enjoy the show. People watching is always interesting, often hilarious, sometimes sweet, and every once in a while, it can even make you give some of the stuff you do a second thought, too.
11. Indulge in some selfies. OK, as a general rule selfies should probably be taken sparingly, but every once in a while, it’s healthy to get dressed in an outfit you love and shamelessly take photos of yourself that you actually like. Let yourself keep clicking until you get it right. No one is there to judge you, except maybe your dog.
12. Complete a project you’ve been putting off. Make yourself go to a coffee shop, buckle down, and work. Update your résumé, put together a portfolio, finish your great American novel, apply to a new job or grad school, whatever. Just do it!
13. Challenge your mind. Complete a crossword, sudoku, or, if you’re feeling ambitious, a Rubik’s Cube. If you finish them all by yourself, you get total bragging rights instead of having to share them with a partner.
14. Take a hike. Spend some time with mother nature and see how the two of you get along when no one else is around. Stop and smell the roses, watch the sun set, embrace the quiet.
15. Get experimental in the kitchen. If you try out new recipes on your own and mess up, the only hungry, disappointed person you have to deal with is yourself. You can work on perfecting the dish until it’s just right — then serve up a flawless result the next time you’re with friends, and act like it was your first try.
16. Stargaze. Lay on your back and marvel at your complete and utter smallness in comparison to the rest of the universe.
17. Try a new workout. Sometimes certain workouts (read: Zumba, Booty Barre, anything dance-related) can be a little bit embarrassing to learn in front of other people. Master one of these fitness skills alone, or at least work on them enough so that when you’re in a class or doing it in front of your significant other, you look like you know what you’re doing . . . sort of.
18. Go shopping. Sometimes when you’re on a shopping mission, having other people with you can slow you down or make you feel rushed. It’s the worst when you’re trying to be thorough to find the best deal or the perfect pair of jeans, while the person you’re with is tapping their foot by the door.
19. Take the longest, hottest bath of your life. Turn on some soothing music and enjoy a long soak with no fear of unwelcome interruptions.

~Zig Ziglar

Click here to read all about it >>>>>  Friends

~Zig Ziglar

While waiting to pick up a friend at the airport in Portland, Oregon, I had one of those life changing experiences that you hear other people talk about, the kind that sneaks up on you unexpectedly. This one occurred a mere two feet away from me.

Straining to locate my friend among the passengers deplaning through the jet way, I noticed a man coming toward me carrying two light bags. He stopped right next to me to greet his family.

First, he motioned to his youngest son (maybe 6 years old) as he laid down his bags. They gave each other a long, loving hug. As they separated enough to look in each other’s face, I heard the father say, “It’s so good to see you, son. I missed you so much!” His son smiled somewhat shyly, averted his eyes and replied softly, “Me, too, Dad!”

Then the man stood up, gazed in the eyes of his oldest son (maybe 9 or 10) and while cupping his son’s face in his hands said, “You’re already quite the young man. I love you very much, Zach!” They too hugged a most loving, tender hug.

While this was happening, a baby girl (perhaps 1 or 1-1/2) was squirming excitedly in her mother’s arms, never once taking her little eyes off the wonderful sight of her returning father. The man said, “Hi, baby girl!” as he gently took the child from her mother. He quickly kissed her face all over and then held her close to his chest while rocking her from side to side. The little girl instantly relaxed and simply laid her head on his shoulder, motionless in pure contentment.

After several moments, he handed his daughter to his oldest son and declared, “I’ve saved the best for last,” and proceeded to give his wife the longest, most passionate kiss I ever remember seeing. He gazed into her eyes for several seconds and then silently mouthed, “I love you so much!” They stared at each other’s eyes, beaming big smiles at one another, while holding both hands. For an instant they reminded me of newlyweds, but I knew by the age of their kids that they couldn’t possibly be.

I puzzled about it for a moment then realized how totally engrossed I was in the wonderful display of unconditional love not more than an arm’s length away from me. I suddenly felt uncomfortable, as if I was invading something sacred, but was amazed to hear my own voice nervously ask, “Wow! How long have you two been married?”

“Been together 14 years total, married 12 of those,” he replied, without breaking his gaze from his lovely wife’s face. “Well, then, how long have you been away?” I asked. The man finally turned and looked at me, still beaming his joyous smile. “Two whole days!”

Two days? I was stunned. By the intensity of the greeting, I’d assumed he’d been gone for at least several weeks, if not months. I know my expression betrayed me, I said almost offhandedly, hoping to end my intrusion with some semblance of grace (and to get back to searching for my friend), “I hope my marriage is still that passionate after 12 years!”

The man suddenly stopped smiling. He looked me straight in the eye, and with forcefulness that burned right into my soul, he told me something that left me a different person. He told me, “Don’t hope, friend . . . DECIDE!”

Then he flashed me his wonderful smile again, shook my hand and said, “God bless!” With that, he and his family turned and strode away together. I was still watching that exceptional man and his special family walk just out of sight when my friend came up to me and asked, “What’cha looking at?”

Without hesitating, and with a curious sense of certainty, I replied, “My future.”

– Unknown

Some of the most torn books, have a beautiful story.  

Thank you Marcy D. for sharing on your page so that I can pass it on :0)

Happy Monday!!

Something happened at a basketball game at Lincoln Middle School in Kenosha Wisconsin that gives me hope.

It’s a reminder that there are still a lot of people out there who will stand up for what they believe and do the right thing.

One of the cheerleaders on the team is Dee Andrews.
She has Down syndrome.

That’s Kevin Berthia standing on the edge of the Golden Gate Bridge.

He was 22 years old.
He was depressed.
He was out of a job.
He was a scared father of a little girl.
And he was just moments away from ending his life.

Kevin says:
“As I jumped over the railings I heard someone say:
‘Hey, wait a minute.’
I was convinced I was going to end my life, but at the last moment his voice made me stop and grab the railings.”

The voice was CHP Sgt. Kevin Briggs:
“I approached (Kevin) very slowly and asked his permission to allow me to speak with him.”

And what happened next was remarkable.
Sgt. Briggs didn’t talk.
He just listened.

Sgt. Briggs says:
“He just talked to me, just kept talking and talking and talking.
And I listened most of the time as he spoke.
I think that’s what people need, someone who will listen to them.”

Kevin talked to Sgt. Briggs for about an hour and a half.
Among other things they spoke about Kevin’s young daughter.

Kevin says:
“He kind of made me understand that I need to be here for her.
If nothing else I need to live for her.
And that was one of the main reasons that I came back over and gave it another shot.”

It hasn’t all been easy for Kevin.
He says depression is tough:
“I struggle every day.
There’s no magic potion or solution.”

Sgt. Briggs and Kevin didn’t see each other again for 8 years.
They were both invited to an event in New York City.

Kevin was presenting a Lifesavers Award to Sgt. Briggs.
And that was when Kevin finally confronted his attempted suicide.

Kevin says:
“That was the first time I had ever talked about it in my life, to probably anybody.
And I did it in front of a room of about 250 people.
I don’t know how I did it.
It was just something that just needed to be done.
The more that I accept who I am, and know that (the attempted suicide) doesn’t define me, (the more) it helps me move on.”

Kevin is now the father of three kids.
He recently found a new job.
And he’s engaged.

Kevin says:
“The biggest thing I had to do was take a step and that’s the hardest thing anybody had to do is to take the first step.”

He and Sgt. Briggs talk often these days.
That third picture is the two of them on the bridge recently.

Sgt Briggs says:
“We are going to stay friends forever.
We’re brothers so to speak.”

I spoke to Kevin on the phone about a month ago.
He was so passionate.
So full of life.
I’m not trying to say everything is perfect for him.
It’s not.
But I just got the feeling from talking to him that this is a man who understands that he has been given a second chance in life.

Tonight on the Ten O’Clock News we aired a piece about Kevin and Sgt. Briggs.
Amber Lee and photographer Elliot Mendoza put it together.
It was really well done.

Honestly, it’s one thing to read about what happened on the bridge.
It’s another thing to see and hear Kevin and Sgt. Briggs talking about it.
It gave me the chills to watch it.

Here’s a link to the story:
http://bit.ly/1FdiIJG

It’s about 4 minutes long.
I promise that if you take the time to watch it you won’t be disappointed.

And finally, I know there are probably a lot of you out there who can totally relate to what Kevin was going thru.
If you need someone to talk to please call the Suicide Prevention Hotline.
1-800-273-TALK (8255)

And remember this:
Your life matters.
Just like Kevin’s life matters.
And he’s got three beautiful kids who remind him of that every day.