What I’m Grateful For: Power Outages 

Week three of our upside-down gratefulness exercise! This one makes me laugh a little, because I have so many random power outage stories after all these years of living in the woods. The winter I was pregnant with my youngest daughter (who I had at home – on purpose!) the power went out OVER AND OVER again. It was ridiculous. We got really good at the drill – flashlights, check. Candles, check. Don’t flush the toilet – check. Don’t look in the fridge unless you know exactly what you need and where it is – then dart in and back out again as fast as you can! Power outages – they let you know if you put things back where they were supposed to be, if you refilled those water jugs, if you remembered to get more batteries – oh yes, a power outage will give you an crystal-clear picture of your preparedness scale, on a level of 1 to 10. And you’ll probably have a stubbed toe or two as well, when you trip over the dog toys all over the pitch-black living room while you try to figure out where the damn flashlight went.

What I’m Reading: 12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson. Rule #2: Treat Yourself Like Someone You Are Responsible for Helping.

Did you know that humans are absolutely terrible at taking their prescribed medication as directed? We quit early, we forget our daily dosage, we don’t even get the prescription filled…. It’s a constant struggle for medical professionals just to get their patients to take their prescriptions properly, much less to eat a better diet or exercise more.

But here’s the quirky thing: if your dog gets prescribed medication, most people are absolutely meticulous about making sure every single dose is given without fail. People appear to treat their pets better than they treat themselves!

Now Peterson delves into a great exploration of “why this might be so” and I encourage you to get the book so you can read it. However, in light of our short time together, I will leave you with his suggestion – try to treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping. This does not mean giving yourself “what you want” or “what would make you happy” (think of how happy your kid would be if you gave them candy every time they asked!)

Instead …..Take yourself for a walk. Go get your annual checkup. Brush and floss. Make good food and eat it with joy. Treat yourself like you were someone that you loved and cherished, and were responsible for helping.

Quick Web Tip: Ever wonder what is most prominent on your website? Take the squint test! Pull up your website, step back and squint. Most of your website will become fuzzy leaving only bigger, colorful features. This can also show you what a new visitor will notice first. Are your most important elements able to pass the squint test?

What I’m Pondering: Ancient thoughts on gratitude, 2,000 years old and just as relevant today as it was then. When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love. – Marcus Aurelius,