You Know What Happens When You Assume

You Know What Happens When You Assume.....

Oh, Assumptions.  They are so easy to make and cause so many problems.  Somewhere in my life I learned to always assume the worst so that I wouldn't be disappointed when things didn't turn out well. When they DID go well, you can imagine my surprise and delight!!!  What a way to live! Unbelievable to me now. Spend your life preparing for disappointment....

I'm not too proud to admit that in my 30's I discovered something utterly amazing.  The self-help section at Barnes and Noble.  Oh, the topics, the freedom, the money I spent on them.  (Well, worth it, in my opinion.) My oldest son finds it annoying.  He even tried to strike a deal with me....He'd be nice if I stop buying self help books.  "Mom, why do you buy those things? There's nothing wrong with your life."  Thanks, Jack.

Now that I look through my beefy book shelves, I realize that the best lessons are the base for all of the books.  You get what you give, don't take anything personally, love and respect yourself as much as anyone else, do what you love, and so on.  The one that lingers in my mind today is, of course, "Don't Make Assumptions".

So, in honor of my Birthday, (31 days away) I think I'll go ahead and prove myself wrong about some of my past assumptions.  Here we go:

• Being in awesome shape and accomplishing huge feats like a marathon won't happen for me now, at 40, or beyond.  Total BS.  I will finish this marathon and look good too.  Then I'll choose something else to be awesome at because that's what humans do.  Get better.
• I need to have a "safe and secure" income.  Doing what you love is saved for lucky people. Nope.  People who say that are scared to take chances.
• I won't be happy until I am loved, or rich, or perfect. Well, good luck being happy then.  I'll choose to be joyful right this second.  

My kindnesses from the last couple days:

• An email to my son's teacher thanking her for her work.  My son is a lot to manage and this person needs to know she is appreciated.  Bunches.

• Baked goods for people I adore.

• Encouraging a friend to take a chance and reach out.

I need to do a grand act of kindness soon!  What do you think??!!

My guys.  Smarty-pants, Jack on the left and Sammy on the right. Keep running boys!