Caffeinated Randomness: Handbook 2010

Happy Friday, Friends!

What a great week I've had. Not perfect, but the joy of the Lord compensates for a myriad of rough times.

This morning, I awoke to an email from a dear old friend (we were hall-mates my freshman year of college) and I'd love to share the contents below.

Before I do, however, I'll just share some randomness --

• I'm now officially registered for another degree. Why not get a Educational Specialist degree in Early Childhood Special Education? I keep reminding myself that I'm taking one class at a time. One class at a time. I've only earned degrees as a full-time student and the idea of balancing a full course-load with my full-time job is impossible. I keep reminding myself - ONE class at a time.
• Yesterday I attended an Individualized Education Plan Meeting (IEP Meeting) for a child that I attended his initial IEP meeting a little less than a year ago. This was a really big deal for me because last year this meeting was held during my first week of work. I hardly knew the child, I didn't know the parents, I hadn't written the IEP, I hardly knew the Colorado parts of an IEP let alone how to write one... this meeting was different. I am excited for February 2, 2010 because that date will mark 1 year since I've been at my job. I will have a point of reference for everything my job entails - I will be able to remember what we did last year. The annual IEPs I have, I will remember last year's meetings... This is a big deal that I will probably write more about as the date nears.
• A friend of mine from Vanderbilt is coming to visit this weekend. She's interviewing for a residency position in Denver and arranged her schedule so she could come up and spend the weekend in the mountains with me. I am SO excited to see her and spend a weekend finding fun times in the mountains.
• In other news, please continue to pray for my future husband. I'm back in the "dating world" - whatever that means, and I have to remind myself that this can be joyful. Frankly, I don't really like the process - or the idea of the process of dating. I enjoy a movie more the 2nd time I watch it... when I know what the ending is. I think I would enjoy relationships more if I knew what the ending would be - marriage or not. Praise God that that is not the way the world works... He knows best and if it were up to me, I would want to know the end result instead of living the journey as it comes.

That's enough randomness from my world. Enjoy the 2010 Handbook:

HANDBOOK 2010

Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants..
4. Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
5. Make time to pray.
6. Play more games
7. Read more books than you did in 2009 .
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:
11. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don’t have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don’t over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..
18. Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree…

Society:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change..
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come..
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

For more Caffeinated Randomness, visit Under Grace and Over Coffee.