Take a Walk!

Walking has any number of benefits; even a short one will help reduce stress, and regular long walks (defined as 20 minutes or more) improve circulation and help stabilize your weight.

So as Geoffrey Rush's character says in one of the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN movies, Boys, Take a Walk! (Of course, they're walking underwater, on sand. You don't have to work quite that hard. In fact, the underwater part is probably a Bad Idea (TM).)

-- Rachel Holmen

If you autopay your bills, use your own checking account

Don't let the credit card company take a draft automatically. Occasionally, these will occur too frequently, or there will be other difficulties. Instead, use your own checking account's bill-paying function, so you always have control over which bills are about to be deducted from your account.

Cut People Some Slack

Having a bad day? Getting grief from everyone around you? Maybe it's time to back off and realize that maybe THEY'RE having a bad day, too. We all know the stereotype of the crabby old person -- probably they have fingers and backs that ache, and their crabbiness may be rooted in pain. When I was grieving for the death of a friend, I found myself being rude and nasty to all sorts of people -- and tried to lighten up, to apologize and say straight out, I'm sorry, a friend died recently and I'm having a hard time coping -- and people usually forgave me.

If you realize that YOU'RE the problem, own up, apologize, and try not to take out your unhappiness on innocent parties. You may not create World Peace and Joy, but at least you won't be increasing everyone's misery level.

Don't Visit without an Invitation

I have a cell phone, a land line, two postal addresses (street and box), and email. So when a friend I hadn't seen in a year, showed up a *1 am* recently, without any prior contact via ANY of these channels, it was unsettling. And the place was a mess, which was embarrassing.

Don't impose on people you like by visiting unannounced.

-- crabby Aunt Rachel

In subsequent weeks, this person came by twice on work nights and left a note, complaining I wasn't home. He had still never called or used email to contact me.

Watch Yo' Mouth (II)

Thumper says, in BAMBI, "If you can't say somethin' nice, don't say nothin' at all." I took that advice to heart recently at a memorial. My relationship with the dead man had been VERY complex, and sometimes all I can remember is the negative. So I refrained from making an public comments at all. (And mind you, I had cried when I heard that he had died. I had always told friends, "I love him, I just don't LIKE him.")

In my now rather long life, it's suprising how the cutting word, the negative attitude expressed in public, will come back to haunt you years later. I have more than one friend whose careers were damaged by forceful outbursts on public occasions.

Take ex-candidate McCain's graceful resignation speech in Nov. 2008 as your model. THERE was someone with true class. -- Rachel Holmen

Watch Yo' Mouth (I)

Profanity seems to be everywhere. Even George Carlin's famous seven words (or was it five?) seem common on television and in speech I hear in public places. But it *really* offends some people, people whose respect you might want, so tone it down when possible. -- Aunt Rachel

Not too much makeup

Women and girls, don't wear so much makeup that your skin and eyes are lost under gunk. I read ads about "natural makeup" with minerals -- really, do you want to put DIRT on your face? A light coating of makeup can make your skin seem smoother, and blush is nice for contouring your face. But keep makeup to a minimum, and your skin will be much happier. -- Rachel Holmen