Today we are “Thankful,” for the opportunity to share time with family and friends.

For those of you who are sports fans and struggle with the thought of missing time away from the TV set during Thanksgiving dinner; stop for a minute and ask yourself how many of those football players would come to the hospital to visit you if you were ill? Which player would babysit for you in an emergency? Which one of them would support you if you lost your job and could not support your family?

You get the idea…the people you will be spending Thanksgiving with are most likely those people. Be present and willing to give your time to them; uninterrupted and grateful time.

The football games are what they are, and will be there after dinner. Your family and friends will be excited that they are your first priority, over football!

You are fortunate to have family. You are fortunate to have family and friends that care about you. Don’t take them for granted.

Plan to record the part of the game you may miss, and connect with those who care about you! You won’t get another chance to make that dinner the special event it is! “Now, let’s get going!” xo Sally                

In keeping with our thoughts of being “Thankful,” let’s be thankful for Healing.

Healing is very powerful. Whether it is physical, emotional or a personal journey that you are working on, it is important to know that healing is possible.

We have to make many purpose driven decisions each day, and some of them are not as easy as others. In the spirit of the season, let’s think for a few minutes about what we can do to heal relationships with family and friends during this season. If you get along well with all of your family and friends, that is good for you. Most people have friction or issues with someone that they need to have a relationship with, whether it is at work, home or in the family.

If you can remember to do two things this Thanksgiving season, keep these in mind: 1. If you find yourself in a conversation where every part of you wants to disagree with someone or things have the potential to get ugly, just stop talking and excuse yourself from the conversation. 2. Stay away from topics that will get another person to become defensive.

Heal relationships so you can have more fun and enjoy family and friends. Be the bigger person and create a positive atmosphere to enjoy this season. We never know what tomorrow brings, so enjoy each other while you have the opportunity! “Now, let’s get going!”  xo Sally

This holiday week of Thanksgiving, has to be one of the best times of the year. To celebrate Thankfulness and Gratitude is something we should be doing daily, but it is this holiday that makes it happen!

It is a time that we make a special effort to see family and friends that we may not see very often. We actually stop to prepare a family meal and make an effort to share it together. We try harder to be present. We show up and see family members that may not be our favorite people, but we do it to respect our relationships.

What are you thankful for? Are you thankful for little things? We have to appreciate the little things, to gain insight into how to appreciate the big things.

We are surrounded by things we can be thankful for, if we choose to be. Today I want you to open your eyes and pay attention to what surrounds you. Look for something that you haven’t seen before. It may be something that you actually see every day, but never noticed the detail.

Just like the picture shows, there are plenty of “caterpillars” out there, but who pays attention to them before they turn into a butterfly? Transformation is an amazing thing; where we start out one way and evolve into something that has no resemblance to our prior self. We all have the capacity to change; to transform ourselves into a better person than we were the day before.

Each day this week we will share a thankful thought. If you have one you would like to share, please leave your thoughts here. We would love to hear them.

Let’s make this week our week of “Thanks.” “Now, let’s get going.”  xo Sally 

A fall” is a familiar cause of injuries suffered by the elderly—but what caused the fall? Don’t just assume it comes with age, warns Sarasota occupational therapist Sally Thimm. “It’s not unusual to have patients in their 80s and 90s be independent, live alone and continue to drive safely,” she says. “There is always a reason that a person falls.”

It’s important to treat not just the fall itself, but the underlying cause, which may be (or lead to) an even more serious condition.

“In a perfect world, our muscles support our bones in harmony when we’re standing and adjust when we take on different postures—walking, moving forward to stand from a chair, getting out of bed, getting on and off the toilet, and so on,” she says.

Thimm cites six reasons falls occur, all of which call for a doctor’s follow-up to explore treatment options:

•    Vision: “Limitations in vision can impact accuracy of steps, determination of curb or threshold heights and can affect depth perception,” she says.

•    Joint pain: “If someone is having arthritic pain in a hip, knee or ankle, they  may be unconsciously or consciously shifting their weight to the side that is strongest to reduce pain,” says Thimm. “This causes a problem with balance and can also cause damage to the ‘good side,’ due to overuse and inflammation.”

•    Coordination: Changes in coordination, especially gait and posture, affect balance. “When a person shuffles when they walk, or stops picking up their feet, that could be a sign of a change in their neurological status,” says Thimm.

•    Blood pressure: We’re always on the lookout for high blood pressure, but low blood pressure can cause dizziness and weakness in the legs. Thimm says to check the blood pressure while sitting, then stand and wait three to five minutes before checking the standing blood pressure; checking it immediately after standing won’t be accurate.

•    Changes in metabolism/endocrine system: Diabetes or physiological conditions that affect blood sugar can lead to lightheadedness. “You need to be following your physician’s orders to maximize internal stability,” says Thimm.

•    Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV): “This condition is characterized by intense sensations of dizziness or of a feeling that the inside of your head is spinning,” says Thimm. Your physician can recommend exercises that are often very successful in treating the condition.

For what it’s worth, when it comes to balance, my mother, who’s in her late 60s, cannot stop singing the praises of yoga. Balance can suffer simply because you’ve lost range of motion and strength as you’ve gotten older. Yoga asks you to develop stability—in part by strengthening both large and smaller, underutilized muscle groups—in a full range of motion.   Sally's comments were included in the Sarasota Magazine's blog posted at: http://sarasotamagazine.com/health-and-fitness/2013/11/22/causes-falls/

What do your children see? Are you aware of what your children see?

One thing that the media is doing is trying to promote information to all ages related to what is good for you and what isn’t. Granted, you can still do what you want to as an adult, but when you have children that depend on you, like it or not, you become a role model. What is that old rhyme our parents said, “Monkey see, monkey do?” Has anyone heard that before?

When you have children, they do watch you. Whether they see good or bad, you can be sure that you are setting an example for them. Children often imitate their parents. In fact as we get older and have children, have you had the experience when some comments that come out of your mouth, are the same things you remember your mother or father saying? I think it is an amazing experience to have that moment when you realize that what you become as an adult has a lot to do with your experiences as a child. Most adults are initially mortified when it happens. “I have become my Mother! How did that happen?” Yes, I have said that too.

For the next few days, look around and see what kind of example you can be for a young person. If you don’t have children of your own, there are children around you, and in this society we have today, those children need good role models. They need to be inspired and most of all they need relationships with adults that they can count on. You can make a difference every day! “Now let’s get going!”  xo Sally

I can think of quite a few people that have been very good looking, never had a hair out of place, dressed well, and seemed like Mary Poppins would say, “practically perfect in every way.”

The funny thing is; that is about all I remember about them. I must have either been staring at their perfection all the time, or they never were able to seem like a normal, down to earth person that had much in common with me.

Most people would like to think that they will be remembered for something good. Everyone has the capability to make that hope a reality. The thing is you have to DO THINGS for others, if you want to be remembered for having a good heart and soul. You can’t just think about it, you have to do it. It can be the smallest thing to you, but it could be huge to someone in need.

We are nearing the end of the year. We all have things we are grateful for, and we all know someone who is struggling. It could be a health issue, a family problem, a financial concern, or something else.

Take some time today to think of some things you can do, to help someone in need. You will get more from helping them than you can imagine. “Now let’s get going!”  xo Sally

There is something in most of us that struggles with how to handle a person who confronts us with a comment that is nonsense.

The problem is that the person making the statement has some reason for doing so, and you may even know why they persist in trying to state their case the way they do. Here is what you have to remember; when you don’t respond or participate in the conversation, you actually are responding.

By being silent you are projecting your response about the person and their comment.

Should you remain silent if someone could be planning to do something illegal or harmful? No. You should report that behavior to authorities. You do not need to resort to loud words and a response equally inappropriate to the original comment. Silence is an excellent tool to provide a powerful response when you are up against a character that you do not want to support.

People don’t give a silent response the credit it is due. Give it a try the next time you have a situation like this. Don’t give into the emotion of the moment. You will come out the better person. I know you can do it!  You are amazing! “Now, let’s get going!”  xo Sally

We are a product of our environment. We each have unique characteristics and learning experiences that make us who we are. But even though that is part of our foundation, it doesn’t mean that we can’t change. There are times we need to change.

We need to change when we find ourselves feeling so negative about our job or our circumstances, that we become a person that we don’t even like! We also need to change when we do not use good communication skills, and become difficult to communicate with!

There are people that cringe at the word “change.” They feel like it is an uphill battle that they don’t have the energy for. Major change does take time and effort, but that may not be the road you need to travel today.

Rather than thinking you cannot change (because you don’t know where to start), pick one thing about your behavior that seems to be a concern to yourself or someone close to you. Let’s pick an easy one; constantly using your cell phone. If you and your cell phone have become an inseparable duo, start turning it to silent and setting it aside when someone is talking to you. In other words, devote direct eye contact and attention, to people that are talking to you.

That simple change could put you on the road to establishing more respect with coworkers, friends and family members. Give it a try. Reestablish cell phone etiquette, and just see what impact that has.

“Now, let’s get going.” xo Sally

The expression “rock bottom,” is the real bottom. There is nowhere to go from there, except up.

I would guess that most of you have heard that expression before. Rock bottom can be a place that you have visited physically, mentally, financially or all of the above. People struggle with loss. Some people can cope better than others, but I don’t know a single soul who looks forward to loss. Losing a parent, a child, a spouse, or a friend is something that we are never really prepared for. Even if a lengthy illness precedes the loss, many times it still comes as a shock when it finally happens. People lose belongings, and their will to go on. It is critical that you work on turning that around.

So the message here is to look at “rock bottom” as a place of opportunity. It is here that you can recover. You can start by coming to terms with what happened to you, and from there decide to build a new foundation. The foundation that you build will most likely have some new characteristics than your prior one, but make those new characteristics honest and uplifting. Get proud! Give yourself a pat on the back for recognizing the need to start over.

Les Brown, (a motivational speaker that is amazing), has said that “if you have fallen down, land on your back, because if you can look up, you can get up”. That says it all. If you have hit “rock bottom,” there isn’t a firmer, more solid foundation to rebuild your life. You are amazing! You’ve got this! “Now, let’s get going.” xo Sally

The road to success is always under construction.

That would be just like the majoriy of the roads in Florida. The difference is we have control over the individual roads we choose to take when driving. Finding the road to success…that’s a different story.

We travel many paths when we have our sites on ultimately being successful. Going to school, taking additional training, and even working on individual projects that we feel may turn into a good fit for what we can see ourself doing in the future, all are pathways. Learning to accept the reality that an “overnight success” rarely happens is important, even in Hollywood.

What defines success for one person may not be the same for another. I know a successful lawyer who stopped practicing law, and opened up a gourmet cooking shop. People that knew her were stunned, because her law practice was so “successful.” When I talked to her about her new business venture she was excited and said that she was tired of having migrane headaches (which apparently were pretty common when she was practicing law). That was at least 12 years ago and her store has been a great “success.”

That story is one of many. I am sure that you know someone who decided to step away from their daily routine and try something new. Here is the important part; don’t just jump out there and throw money at a plan that is not clear. Develop your plan and work your plan. If you want to try something new that you do not have current experience in, don’t let that stop you. Just realize that you have some research to do, some planning to do and invest that time. It is not wasted time. Learning is never a waste of your time.  

Working on your goals is absolutely NEVER a waste of time.

Where you are today will not be where you are in a year. Even if you are still at the same job or still working as a caregiver, you are learning something every day. You are learning skills, even if it is patience, and that will increase your potential for success in the future. While your road is under construction, avoid the pot holes and climb the hills. There is more to do, more to experience, and you have what it takes to reach the goals you have. Work on these thoughts for the next few days and come up with a map to plan your route!“Now, let’s get going!”  xo Sally