It's not summer . . .

I don't like wearing a coat.  When I can, I wear a jacket or try to get away without.  I remember as a kid I'd rather wear a jacket than a coat.  My mom wouldn't let me wear a jacket unless it was over 40°.  She was the mom who made us wear an undershirt until it was 70° and zipped our coat up under our chin before we left for school. (sometimes catching our skin in the zipper and back when kids walked to school).  
What I saw this morning was crazy!  There was a car on the freeway this morning that had Arizona plates.  The dude driving it was wearing a tank top. What?  I looked at the temperature and my car showed 17°.  That's even chilly jacket weather.  Either this dude drove straight from Arizona and had the heat blasting, or he was brain dead.  I can't imagine how cold he'll be when he gets out of his car.  He was also driving North.  North usually means colder.  
Happy winter to you dude! 

Social Media

How and Why

to take a break from

social media

Smartphones. We can’t live without them, or so it seems. In this day of interconnectedness, you probably feel it’s impossible to curb your social media habits. We need to check on every email that pings on our phones. Even Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram have taken a significant portion of our lives.

If you’ve found yourself looking more and more at your phone, and less and less at the people you love, it might be time to take a break from social media.

Why disconnect?

Although there is a myriad of great things about social media, it can also negatively impact our lives. Try logging how much time you spend on social media during any particular day. Most of us would be discouraged to discover that our social media habits are taking up much more time than we thought.

Think of the things you could do or accomplish with that extra time. And it’s not only time. Think about the content of what you are looking at. Are you getting sucked into the drama, political discussions, or self-esteem-crushing comparisons often found on social media? Would your life be enhanced by replacing that content with other things like good books, time with friends, or just time for self-reflection?

Disconnecting from the internet is not an easy task. Short of going somewhere without reception, you’ll have to take some measures to do it yourself. Try these ideas to help disconnect from the constant pull of posts, emails, and tweets.

Go cold turkey

Social media is hard to cut out because it’s such a big part of our everyday interactions and time usage. If you feel you’re ready for a social media break, think about quitting cold turkey for a time. Plan your break for when you really want to be able to focus on what’s going on around you. Think of an upcoming vacation. Commit yourself to a certain period of time and stick to it. It might be hard at first, but by the end of your time period, you’ll love the freedom your social media break provides.

Uninstall your favorite apps

If you want to spend less time looking at your phone, uninstall your favorite apps from your smartphone. If you spend way too much time scrolling through Instagram, remove that app from your phone. Tell yourself you can still look at Instagram on your computer, but not on your phone. Cutting off that quick and easy access will help you break the habit of looking at your phone several times a day to check it.

Check your notification settings

Are you getting notifications for everything that happens on your social media platforms? It might be time to check your notification settings so you’re only getting the most important ones. If email is a temptation, set your phone so you won’t be notified every time you get a new email. Disable notifications for the apps that don’t directly benefit your day-to-day life. You won’t miss the constant updates.

Choose your favorite

Minimize the number of social media apps you let consume your life and delete the rest. You don’t have to keep up with every social media platform available. Just choose your favorite and let the rest go.

Put your phone away

When you know you’re going to need to focus, simply put your phone away. Out with friends? Leave your phone in the car. Playing with your kids at the park? Shove your phone in the bottom of the diaper bag. Date night? Leave your phone home. You don’t need to bring your phone with you on every occasion. In fact, disconnecting in short doses will make it easier to enjoy your life and the people around you.

Think before you post

If you’re going to participate in social media, it’s a good idea to follow these dos and don’ts:

• Do post things when you've had a chance to reflect on what you've written.
• Don’t post anything when you're upset or under the influence of strong emotion (both anger and alcohol can make otherwise smart people post dumb things).
• Do post things that are uplifting to you and others.
• Don’t post things late at night when you could be sleeping.
• Do consider the effect social media has on you.
• Don’t have an open-ended period where you mindlessly drift to wherever social media takes you.

In today’s world, it’s hard to get away from social media entirely. But, taking the time to disconnect online and reconnect with the world can be a good way to refocus your time and attention to what is most important. Find more ways to help you live your healthiest life possible at IntermountainHealthcare.org/blogs.

Strange Clouds

Dark Storm

The tumble weeds skitter across the dark pavement like ghosts of blank cats being chased by every last leaf being blown by the storm. 
~me

Coins on the Ground

I have a story to tell . . .

I was at a drive-up window for lunch.  I see the women in front of me drop a coin between her car and the window.  The next thing I notice is the women "throwing" more coins on the ground.

It's my turn at the window.  The fast food employee tells me my change is $2.70.  Jokingly I ask her if I should throw the change on the ground like the lady before me.  She smiles and tells me there is a story to that.  The other lady dropped a dime and the employee told her that her granddaughter comes everyday to pick up the coins.  Once the other lady knew about the granddaughter, she through her returned coins on the ground.

I was told 8 year old, Evelyn (the granddaughter) doesn't spend the change she picks up.  She puts it all in her piggy bank.  At the end of the story, I'm handed my $2.70.  I immediately drop my change on the ground.  The employee was telling me how excited her granddaughter would be.  She even had to tell the employee behind her to look at the coins that were for her granddaughter.

I hope that both the grandmother and granddaughter had a great day.  Now I may drop my change every time I visit there.

Beating the Superhero Syndrome

It is time to hang up our capes.

We are a frazzled species, stressed to the max — and our bodies are showing it. We wonder why we have high blood pressure, headaches and stomach problems, and as we wonder, we are usually running to meet the next deadline or obligation.
Jobs, kids, projects and other responsibilities seem to rule our lives. The list of commitments seems to be impossibly long, and yet everything seems to get done. Is this impressive? Yes. Is it admirable and noteworthy? Absolutely. However, it is important to keep in mind that there is a dark side to this, as there is a high cost we pay for overextending our time and energy.
Many people have this distorted view that we are supposed to be able to do everything for everyone. We often set our basic needs aside to make sure we meet the needs of a boss or a loved one. Even using the bathroom can be a task we put on the back burner in order to finish other tasks that we deem more important. This would be fine if we actually were superheroes. But since we are not superhuman and our basic human needs are not disappearing any time soon, it is time to start reprioritizing.
Here's how to hang up your cape and beat Superwoman syndrome.

Make the word 'no' a part of your vocabulary

For some, saying "no" can be very difficult. This results in taking on a lot of obligations and requires us to develop the talent of juggling the multiple responsibilities to which we've committed. Another word for this is "multitasking."
Think of this in terms of actual juggling. If you were to physically juggle multiple items, eventually you would become physically exhausted. The outcome is the same for juggling commitments: you end up physically and mentally exhausted at the end. No one can juggle forever, so eventually you end up dropping one or more balls. Then on top of feeling exhausted, you feel bad about not being able to follow through. To support this point, a quick Internet search brings up several studies that have shown that multitasking is actually less productive than focusing on one task at a time.
Saying "no" is not selfish or rude. Actually, it is one of the kindest things you can do to communicate, up front, that you will not be able to follow through with something so the person asking can ask for help elsewhere. As uncomfortable as it may be, being consistent and setting limits with others (and yourself) gets easier with practice.

Leisure time is not laziness

Some people have the belief that they need to be productive at all hours of the day. Some feel that if they are not working toward something at all times, they are somehow going to let things fall behind so severely that they will never be able to catch up. Others believe that being productive at all times is necessary for success. Neither are actually true.
On the contrary, if we are not well rested, we cannot possibly be at our best and do the most thorough and quality job. The phrase "work smarter, not harder" comes to mind when thinking about this concept. Doesn't it make sense to be as efficient as possible? When we neglect our time to relax, unwind and have fun, we are preventing ourselves from being as efficient as possible.
I encourage my clients to frequently "waste time" by relaxing, spending time with loved ones, and doing things they enjoy. The reality is that the time does not end up being wasted. It helps them to rejuvenate and have the energy to tackle necessary and desired tasks in a much more productive fashion.

Embrace imperfection

That's right: We are not, nor will we ever be, perfect. The sooner we can embrace that fact the better off we will be. We can always strive toward improvement, but many times we are not realistic in our expectations of ourselves. On top of that, when we don't meet goals we can be pretty hard on ourselves, which just adds to our already high stress levels.
To start the process of embracing imperfection, think about how great it is that you are willing to postpone certain tasks in order to spend more time with loved ones. Notice that your friends and family are not perfect either and that does not make them any less lovable. Adjust your expectations of yourself to be more realistic, and when you don't meet your goals, practice being encouraging to yourself as you make additional modifications to them.
The bottom line: Instead of trying to be a superhero, go see one in a movie and count that as some of your leisure time.

Anastasia Pollock, MA, LCMHC, is clinical director at Life Stone Counseling Centers. She specializes in treating complex trauma with EMDR. Learn more about her by visiting lifestonecenter.com or email info@lifestonecenter.com. 

Stress and Secondhand Smoke

Stress at work is just as bad as secondhand smoke

Workplace stress isn't just annoying -- it's as bad for your health as secondhand smoke, according to a new study by researchers at Harvard Business School and Stanford University.
"When you think about how much time individuals typically spend at work, it's not that surprising," says study co-author Joel Goh, an assistant professor of business administration at Harvard Business School.
The report compiled evidence from 228 other studies, and found that high job demands increased the odds of having an illness diagnosed by a doctor by 35 percent. Long work hours increased the chances of early death by almost 20 percent.
By far the biggest stressor was the worry that you might soon lose your job; that increased the odds of having poor health by about 50 percent.
Goh said he hopes his study will help companies think about the way they manage their employees. He said it might seem like demanding faster work or longer hours would increase productivity, but that might not be the case.
While employers might do their part to reduce stress, here's what the rest of us can do.

Keep a work stress journal

The experts at the Mayo Clinic advise writing down when you feel stressed. Was it during conversations with a particular person, for example? It may not be your job, but an individual who's causing problems, and you need to think about better ways of dealing with him or her.

Do a reality check

As the Harvard study showed, the biggest stressor is the worry that you might lose your job. Ask yourself if your job is really in jeopardy, or if it's just something you've concocted in your head. Asking fellow employees for their perspectives could help.

Ask yourself, do I really like my work?

Joanna Lipari, a psychologist in Los Angeles, has found that patients who love their work deal with stress much better than those who don't. "People who believe in what they're doing handle stress better than those who don't," she said. If you don't love your work, it might be time to think about finding work that really does make you happy.

Think through the worst-case scenario

Afraid you're going to lose your job? What would you do if you did? Lipari advises taking those steps now. If you think you would write a new resume or reach out to former colleagues to see if they're hiring, then do that now.

Set limits with your boss

If your boss wants you to work 10-hour days instead of eight-hour days, tell him or her you can't, but then go on to explain all the work you complete in your eight-hour day. "Make it about being project-oriented, not time-oriented," Lipari says.


Copyright 2015 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Overweight Gain Weight

People who think they're overweight are more likely to gain weight

Positive thinking can be a powerful thing, especially when it comes to the way you see yourself.
The mere act of perceiving as overweight — regardless of whether you really are — can actually contribute to you packing on extra pounds, according to a new study.
The study, published in the International Journal of Obesity, cites stress as the main culprit in the weight gain.
Researchers at the University of Liverpool used data from three longitudinal studies to look into the lives of 14,000 adults from the U.S. and the U.K. They specifically identified the subjects' perceptions of their own weight once they reached adulthood, whether or not that perception was accurate, and how much their weight changed over time.
While it may seem counter-intuitive, those who identified themselves as "overweight" in the studies were actually more likely to gain weight over time, turning to food and overeating as a coping mechanism for the stress they felt about their weight, researchers said.
Weight gain was more likely to occur even when the person wasn't actually overweight — creating a reality out of fiction.
"Realizing you are an overweight individual is in itself likely to be quite stressful and makes making healthy choices in your lifestyle more difficult," said researcher Dr. Eric Robinson in a release.
Study authors pointed out that the results of this study could prove challenging when it comes to helping people break the cycle of obesity.
"It's a tricky finding for public health intervention work," Robinson said. "You would hope that making a person more aware they are overweight would result in them being more likely to adopt a healthier lifestyle and lose some weight."
But that's just not always the case. Since there are any number of negative stigmas attached to weight problems — such as inactivity, overeating and depression — many people who are aware of their issue, or even perceive it to be so, fall into the trap of those stigmas.
"Instead of taking that stress, they ignore it and just use what has worked in the past to make them feel better — eating," obesity specialist Dr. Peter LePort told Yahoo Health. "But that stressful feeling is back as soon as they've finished eating, and they haven't solved the problem."
Robinson says changing the way society perceives obesity and weight gain can help.
"What is important is to tackle stigma in society," he said. "People with a heavier body weight have body image challenges. That is not surprising given the way we talk about weight as a society."

Puddles and Ice Cream

I just saw something that really made me smile.

A little girl with an ice cream cone was jumping and splashing

in a puddle left by the rain.  

That's three awesome things all at once.

A rainy day, playing in puddles, and eating ice cream.

What a lucky girl!

Sit Less

http://www.ksl.com/?sid=35840439&nid=157&title=stand-up-sit-less-and-move-more-researchers-say-heres-how-to-do-it

Baby Chicks

Here are the babies.

They are 3 weeks old already.

Dora                                         Asia

Sophie & Dipsie

2 - Americana

2 - Silver Lace Wyandotte

New Shoes

I got new shoes and I'm wondering what they shipped (smuggled) them with.

My cat sure went nuts over them.  They smelled minty.

Morning Commute

I fell in love this morning on my commute to work.  There was this guy in a convertible that was dancing like no one was watching.  He had his hand up waving and bouncing in the wind.  You could tell he was totally enjoying his music.  Next thing I see is that he's got both hands in the air.  That caught me of guard for a second until I realized I was clapping for him.  Putting two hands back on the wheel, I knew I was in love with the guy that was as crazy as me.

Help Fund for Police Dog

gofundme Link

There are drugs everywhere and drug dealers are getting smarter and

 smarter we need drug sniffing dogs.Some people may say, "Why don't

all police stations have one?" Because they cost alot! In fact the city of 

Glendale Califoria states "The cost of the dogs purchased in Germany

 is approximately $8,000 for the dog alone.The initial cost for the training

 of the dog for patrol, detection, and tracking is approximately $12,000.

 Therefore, the total cost to purchase and train one police dog is approximately

$20,000." This is why most cities do not have k9 dogs. We need more drug

sniffing dogs to help protect our neighborhoods. Help us raise money for a

 police dog by donating to our cause

Payson students use school project to raise money for K9

To read more about how and why, 11 year old Camden Mead and 

12 year old classmate Ben Larsen, are raising money for a police dog

follow this link.

KSL News

"They're doing something that gives them life skills but then also

changes the community so much and adds so much to a community." 

Gabrielle Petro, sixth-grade teacher

10 Ways to Stay Fit While at Work

Work equals sitting for most of us- sitting and not moving for many hours of the day. All that sitting can lead to lower levels of fitness and more pounds around the waistline. Many people complain they don’t have enough hours in the day to fit in their workout, but here are a few tips to squeeze in some fitness at work, the place that most of us spend the majority of our day.

1. Go halfsies on your lunch hour.
That doesn’t mean only eat half your meal, it means eat for the first 30 minutes and walk for the second 30 minutes. That little walk adds up quickly!

2. Be your own transportation.
Many of us don’t work too far from our homes that a bike ride is out of the question. If a commute can be made on bike or foot, chances are you’re required cardio for the week will be accomplished.

3. Go ahead and fidget
Who cares if toe-tapping, leg shaking, or squirming annoy your co-workers? These awkward movements will burn calories. Sitting with your back against a chair only burns 4% more calories than lying down, so move, move, move!

4. Be an inefficient worker
If the boss has an issue with this one, you didn’t hear it from us. There are lots of little tasks that can be drawn out for the sake of getting some exercise. Use the restroom upstairs instead of the one on your floor. Use the printer that is furthest away. Make a habit of emptying you trash or recycling bin twice a day. Your heart will thank you, even if your to-do list does not.

image: http://dietsinreview.s3.amazonaws.com/diet_column/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/healthy-office.jpg

5. Run errands, or just walk them
Get to know the area around the office. Go on foot to get little tasks like picking up dry cleaning or purchasing light groceries. This gets you moving and keeps you from doing them in the car after hours. Great for you, your schedule, and the environment.
6. Pace on purpose

By getting a wireless headset, walking and pacing while on phone calls is easy and can add lots of steps to your day.

7. Be moved by the bell
Setting an hourly timer on your computer or phone will remind you to get up and move every hour. A quick pause from work to go climb the stairs for three minutes every hour will lead up to 24 minutes of walking at days end.

8. Mobile meetings
Instead of sitting around the conference table and the stack of danishes, take meetings to the streets. Small meetings can effectively be conducted while strolling sidewalks, nearby trails, or even corridors.

9. Conference room calisthenics
Most conference rooms sit empty for the majority of the day. That space is perfect for body weight exercises. Use some down time to knock out some squats, lunges, and sit-ups during the day.

10. Hang out at the water cooler. A lot.
Assuming the water cooler isn’t at an arm’s length, you’re going to have to get up and walk to it. Do that and do that often. The walk is great and so is the drink. Everyone needs water to be healthy and few are getting enough. Plus studies show that those who drink water before meals, consume fewer calories. So, get up and drink up.

Original Article

5 Surprising Reason to Stop Eating Lunch at Your Desk

Every day around 67 percent of office workers eat lunch at their desks. In fact, you might be eating a sandwich or bowl of soup right now, and you're clearly not alone. The impetus to work through the midday meal is clear: To your boss, eating in front of your computer shows commitment. To you, typing between forkfuls of salad is hopefully a quicker means to an end, the “end” being the end of the workday. But even if you're eating all the right things—a healthy blend of fiber, protein, and fat, followed by a chaser of H2O—you're still doing your body a disservice by staying in your seat.

Here are five reasons you should steer clear of eating at your desk and opt to dine somewhere—pretty much anywhere—else:

1. You eat more. You know how sometimes you start eating lunch and then, a few minutes later, you realize you're on your last bite? This is “distracted eating” or “mindless eating,” and it's just one reason America's obesity problem is on the rise. By eating while preoccupied with TV, Internet, or a spreadsheet, your body and brain don't properly process the amount of food you consume. As a result, the hormone leptin is often late to signaling the brain that it's time to stop eating, meaning you take in more calories than you need to to feel satisfied.

2. You make poorer food choices. A survey from Forza Supplements found that people who sit at their desk for lunch are more apt to consume fattening foods all day long. That means less-healthy choices at lunch—frozen lasagna, anyone?—and more trips to the vending machine later in the day. That's hundreds of extra calories, all because you didn't want to push back your desk chair and find a new place to graze!

3. You sit for longer. Sure, you may have to walk to and from the office kitchen to bring your lunch back to your desk. But if you eat in the office lunch room, you might stop to chat with a colleague in the hallway or otherwise break up your sitting time. If you find an offsite venue to eat—be it a nearby restaurant or brown-bagging it at a local park—you'll do even more for your health by adding extra steps. Even standing next to your desk to eat is a lot better than sitting at it, although you may get some funny looks.

4. Your brainstorming becomes blah. Stuck on a problem at work? Getting up for a walk during the day—say, on your way to lunch—can actually help you return to the office feeling refreshed. That's what research from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education found: People who were tasked with thinking about creative uses for everyday objects while walking came up with more ideas than people who brainstormed while sitting.

5. You miss out on socializing. Eating away from your desk makes it more likely that you'll socialize, something that is good for your happiness, your health, and your company's bottom line. Research has found that some of the benefits of socializing are similar to that of exercise—you usually feel better after a good bout, have lower stress and blood pressure levels, and you may be less likely to suffer from depression. But one study from MIT found that office workers who socialize tend to be around 10 perecent more productive than those who don't. So if your boss gives you a hard time for taking a well-deserved break over the lunch hour, wow them with that fact.

By Jessica Cassity for DietsinReview.com

Ladybug

I saw this ladybug this morning.  Seems kind of yearly in the year. 

Go Fund Beth

Help Beth Fisher

My donation:  $$$

Knowing the great service you have done working for AirMed, I feel you deserve a small donation from me. Many years ago my son was flown to the UofU Burn Unit. I am forever grateful to everyone that did a part in helping my son heal. Here is my paying it forward. I wish you the best with your new job and new beginnings.

To make a donation of your own follow this link to:

gofundme.com

Our dear friend Beth Fisher had a budget moving truck full of all of her belongings and her vehicle stolen in Draper Utah this past week as she was planning to relocate to West Virginia.  The truck was found by police fully engulfed in fire. Please help us band together as friends and family to help her rebuild!  Every little bit counts!

A NOTE FROM BETH TO ALL OF YOU:
It's late and I'm finally getting the chance to take a look at the GoFundMe page. I am floored... moved to tears... and in shock.

I just want to pass along my heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed, no matter the amount. Not only does it bring a bit of comfort to me, but it's putting my mom at ease too as she's been very worried about her "little girl!"

I'd also like to share a bit of news. Yes, probably 99.9% of my possessions with any monetary value were destroyed but I was brought to tears by the few things that did survive. It seems that despite the inferno that turned most things to molten plastic or ashes, the things that meant the most prevailed. Afghans my mom made for me on deployment, the afghan my grandmother made when she got married, the wooden box my great grandfather crafted more than a 100 years ago, the 4 glass water goblets that belonged to my other grandmother, etc... All of these things by rights should have been destroyed.

I am a fighter. I will get through this. I was grateful that no one was hurt... seeing that I have a few mementos, even more grateful. Knowing that people-- strangers and friends-- are so wonderful and caring brings me tears of happiness! 

Thank you and God bless!

With deepest gratitude,
Beth A. Fisher

Amaryllis

My amaryllis has been so beautiful this year.

It had 8 blossoms.

The one I gave my mother was all leaves and didn't bloom.

It was just the opposite.

Emotional Age

I just did one of those silly tests on FB.  

Emotional Age

I got . . .

17

Although I'm nowhere near 17, I like what this says.

At 17, you still have dreams. That applies for you too. In your heart you are very young and full of life. You have high expectations of life. You have the impression that you are standing just at the beginning of your personal life. There are lots of ideas for projects in your head and your heart. You love to travel. At night you will invite friends around from the neighboring houses or enjoy a relaxing time for you. You are full of vitality and athleticism. You have a very good memory and can remember even the details of things. You can't stand injustice. That's why you fight them where you come across them. Occasionally there is chaos in your feelings. In most cases, but you are happy and grateful for the great life you were gifted.