Heart and Destiny

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It was almost a given that the first post of the new year (new decade) was going to be about resolutions.  New Year's resolutions are defined as:

A tradition, that a person resolves to change an undesired trait or behavior, to 
accomplish a personal goal or otherwise improve their life.

The first New Year's resolutions made were some 4,000 years ago.  The ancient Babylonians were the first to hold recorded celebrations in honor of the new year; however, the year began in March, not January when their crops were planted.

Maybe I should start 2020 on February 1st and consider January a free trial month.  I just don't want my membership to be cancelled accidentally.

As the new year approached, a quote caught my eye and has consumed my thoughts,

Never before had I looked at the new year in this manner.  Truly it is a blank book that will fill itself in as the days, weeks and months pass. Some of the items in my book I will determine, while others will be determined by fate. 

My belief is that fate controls our lives, it is something simple no more than what is meant to be.  With fate, almost anything can happen because it is your destiny.  Everywhere you go, all the places you see, and the things you do are all in the hands of fate.  Fate is nothing more than your journey through life.  

With all that said, I am going to keep my fire for life in the new year, committed to growing and learning, making active and conscious decisions.  However, I am weary of the common resolutions of lose weight, exercise more, quit smoking, read more, save money, get organized, etc.  Year after year, these are all resolutions I have entertained.

Weight loss and more exercise have ended up on the top of my resolutions' list.  Honestly, as I reflect on the last decade, weight loss has been a total stressor for me.  Those left over holiday cookies taste much better in January when you are trying not to eat them.  Exercise falls into the same category.  There is nothing I like better than to take a nice leisurely walk by myself, taking in the fresh air of my surroundings.  While I truly admire those of you who can't go a day without working out, and follow an exercise program that gives you pleasure . . . this is just not me!  Smoking is not applicable to me; however there are days I see the benefits of this habit.  Reading is for pleasure and research.  I'm not in a competition with myself to read more this year than I did last.  Saving money I can do, but again fate usually takes over and it is gone quicker than I saved it; and I work on getting organized daily.  

So, how am I going to handling this new year and decade?  After thinking and thinking (which is scary in of itself), because I have been known to conger up some strange and unusual things, here is my two cents.

My children are grown, both of my parents have passed, I'm retired, and I help to take care of my grandchildren.  My husband, Harry, is a project in of himself and I will continue to give him my daily warranted or unwarranted two cents because it keeps both of us young.  These individuals are the most important things in my life.  However, the person I missed in this scenario, is ME!  

I spend a lot of time worrying about these individuals and their respective families.  Most things I think about I can't control, probably are none of my business, and may never happen.  So for the new year and decade I am going to work on "Self-Care."  

I have never stopped to think about my worth.  As I researched self-care I found that it is important to maintain a healthy relationship with yourself as it produces positive feelings and boosts your confidence and self-esteem.  Self-care is necessary to remind yourself and others that you and your needs are important too.  I need to ensure that I stay sharp, motivated and healthy.

So instead of saying I am going to lose weight and exercise more, smart self-care habits include: making healthier food choices, enjoying and laughing with my family and friends, taking time for myself, saying "No," stopping the overthinking and take a break when I need it.  In turn, this should reduce stress and improve my mental and physical health.    

I think it is worth giving self-care a shot.  So I am titling my 2020 book, "The Heart and Destiny of Me!"  I need to strengthen myself so that when fate comes knocking (good or bad) I am the strongest I can be, making good decisions and ensuring my life is happy with no regrets.  I only need to wait another 356 days to start a new book if this one is not a success . . . 2021.

Happy New Year to all of you.  If you feel like sharing, I would love to hear about your 2020 resolutions and/or the title of your New Year's book.

Until February!

The Hallmark Moment

A “Hallmark Moment” is defined as a moment that would be perfect on a card ...

As a kid, I felt like I had more than my share of “Hallmark Moments.”  Holiday time was so magical.  However, as an adult I find myself trying to create these card themed moments.  Well, we all know that life isn’t a Hallmark Movie.  You definitely don’t know the plot within the first fifteen minutes of a life event and/or all the characters that will be involved. 

Let me give you an example of one of my creations this year ... I decided to have the Grands help me setup and decorate my Christmas tree.  So, we went to Sheetz after school and got hot chocolate and green iced sprinkle donuts.  They ate their treats first while we talked about Santa and all the decorations we would be putting on the tree.  However, upon getting the tree out of the box, there was no stand.  WHAT?  I always put the stand away with the tree.  Hence, for the next three days, the tree laid on the living room floor until the stand was found in the attic.  How in the @&”$:#% did it get to the attic instead of in the downstairs closet?  My Hallmark moment was ruined.  I just created a "Hallmark Card" that would read . . .

"Although it’s been said many times many ways, 

this tree will not exist without a stand!"

As I reflected on this experience a few days later, I was truly disappointed that my planned moment was spoiled.  However, the Grands never skipped a beat and moved on with there after school routines.  That is when it dawned on me that I have been trying to create "Hallmark Moments" instead of just allowing a memory to happen.  The Grands will remember the hot chocolate and donuts but the lost stand will be the memory.  After the tree was setup and decorated, each of them stated at different times, "I guess you found your tree stand Nana!"  . . .  that was my "Hallmark Moment," . . . they noticed!

So instead of planning so much in 2020, I'm going to relax a bit.  Life will continue to happen so why waste so much energy and emotion on getting the right script for that perfect card.  After all, the old saying of "Kelly Plans and God Laughs," really does hold true.

"Although it’s been said many times many ways, 

Merry Christmas to you!

Nana's Two Cents will return in 2020!  I welcome your comments and appreciate followers!

"Hallowthanksmas Lane"

Why is Thanksgiving so late this year?  

Little did you know it is downright historic!  Thanksgiving has been celebrated on the last Thursday of the month since the time of Abraham Lincoln.  However in 1939, the calendar had been unusual, as the month started on a Wednesday, so there were five Thursdays as opposed to four.  To restore some order, Roosevelt moved the national holiday to the fourth Thursday of the month (a change that many were unhappy with).  Instead of focusing on the negative, Roosevelt attempted to justify his decision with a pro-shopping response.  Merchants would now have a holiday further from Christmas to allow for more shopping.  In a way, this gave life to the consumer craze known as Black Friday nearly 80 years ago.  So the bottom line is that Roosevelt decided to shake up the tradition a bit in the name of capitalism.

As people pause on Thursday and reflect on the things they are thankful for, families and friends will gather together to eat turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, noodles (some will not have noodles, but this is my absolute favorite), pie and share memories.  But will they?  Or will they be focusing on the fact that there are only 27 days left until Christmas?  Will they jump into the other lane after lunch and browse the Black Friday flyers to see what time the doors open to the best deals of the Season?

We have become the age of "Hallowthanksmas."  We have lumped Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas into the most wonderful time of the year . . . October, November and December!  It is a great excuse to eat, drink and be merry for three months straight.

Well, I don't know about you, but it is tough to stay in the right lane.  It has become the time of great American commercialism and the distinction between these three major holidays is only becoming less clear.  Even though we celebrate each holiday in its respective month, the shelves change in the stores at a blink of an eye.

This leads me to tell you the story about my Thanksgiving.  First and foremost, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and it irritates me when these lanes cross over before I can fully enjoy the day.  I love to cook the food and have my family gathered around a nice table.  My napkins are an important part of the table decor.  My dinner plates are plain but a nice Thanksgiving napkin puts the finishing touches on my table.  Well, to make a long story short, I went to purchase my napkins and what did I find.  I found Halloween napkins on sale and the rest were Christmas.  By the middle of last week, Thanksgiving napkins were a thing of the past.  I need to admit that I found some at Hallmark, but for 18 napkins they wanted $19.99.  What the H? . . . and I needed two packs . . . and I really didn't even like the design!  I would be spending more on the napkins than a 25 pound turkey!

Bottomline is that I settled for plain orange napkins which I purchased in the party section (a change that I am not happy with).  Now I have red cups and orange napkins.  NO!  However, while I was proofing my blog, the thought entered my mind . . . WEGMANS!  I never checked at Wegmans.  I have to make this last ditch effort to find Thanksgiving napkins.

My future idea for holiday napkins is to design a "Hallowthanksmas" napkin.  Order them in bulk online and use the same napkins for three months straight.  It will be fun to design and also a conversation piece.  I could even become a family tradition that generations to come will be sure to continue.

My plan on Thursday is to stay in the Thanksgiving Lane.  Enjoying the day with my family.  I will take a quiet time during the day to be thankful for all my blessings.  However, I'm sure that before day's end I will pick up those flyers and find myself in the Christmas Lane first thing Friday morning!

I would like to wish all of you a safe and happy 2019 Thanksgiving!

The Henry's 2019 Thanksgiving Napkin

Wegmans - On Sale - $1.99 for a 24 Pack

Back in the Saddle Again

In the mid to late 60s, my dad "Ike" would sing Gene Autry's song, "Back in the Saddle Again" as we drove to our destination.  At that time, the lyrics had no meaning to me.  However, after my mom's battle with Alzheimers, it has been hard to get "back in the saddle again."

This quote, by an unknown author, explains present day . . .

           "I believe the hardest part of healing after you've lost someone you love,
           is to recover the "you" that went away with them."

However, the plan is to get "back in the saddle again!"  Blogging monthly to give "Nana's Two Cents" on current events using humor and irony.

Take the time now to "FOLLOW" "Nana's Two Cents Blog" . . . "back where a friend is a friend . . ."  We'll talk next week . . . and remember, your two cents is always welcome!

To that end,

          "In memory of all those who left us too soon . . . We remember you in the
          morning, in the night, when we look at the stars, a song, a place, a smell.
          You are always with us."

    https://youtu.be/3Fa5la9YR6o

The Sandwich Generation

Several years ago I attended a marketing seminar where the buzz phrase, "Sandwich Generation" was introduced.  Today I come to realize that I am now part of that generation.  In fact, my sandwich is identified as a "Club Sandwich."  This is an individual in their 50s and 60s that is sandwiched between an aging parent, adult children and grandchildren.  I imagine it looks something like this ...

My "two cents" for this post is focused on the aging parent layer of my sandwich. It's not easy being elderly, as well as a parent to your parent.  As my mom enters her eighties, I am becoming more and more involved in her daily activities.  As you see,  she has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's/ Dementia.

With that said, my "two cents" is directed at the medical profession.

"DON'T BE SLOPPY--THIS DISEASE IS TOUGH!"

The doctors, nurses, and medical assistants are educated to help families that are dealing with this disease on a daily basis. This is my first rodeo, and so far the medical group we are dealing with are making my ride a bit rough. (NOTE: They are ranked among the best in the area).  It has nothing to do with their knowledge of the disease, it has to do with office protocol adding additional stress to my club sandwich.  For instance, I have said, "What the H?" on numerous occasions to situations such as these . . .

• I specifically spoke to a medical assistant about changing the contact information to reflect me as the primary contact for my mom. Very pleasantly, they agree, with my mom's consent to make the needed notes on her chart to ensure this happens.  However, not once have they gotten this right.  Even after several reminders . . . SERIOUSLY . . . Not only that, when I find out that they called my mom, then I need to return the call, holding on the line for 40 minutes at one point.

• Her primary care physician and the specialist (located in the same facility) gave two different directives.  This put me in the position of questioning the medical decisions they were making.  This took exactly a day and a half for them to communicate with each other to come to an agreement and get back to her, not me ... AMAZING!

• Last, but certainly not least.  The last time we visited with the specialist for Alzheimer's, we heard more about the doctor's meal at The Nittany Lion Inn over the holidays, then we did about the future of this disease.  I'm all about general conversation but this dialogue definitely crossed a line. 

My biggest concern is that God forbid we have a lift-threatening situation.  We may not have 40 minutes to hold on the phone.  We may not have a day and a half to make a decision, and we certainly don't care where anyone is eating their holiday meals.

This journey is going to be challenging ... And this is only one layer of my CLUB SANDWICH.  I have to remind myself daily there is no right way or wrong way to do elderly parent care!

The Origin of "My Two Cents"

The origin of the idiom, "my two cents," appears in the lesson of a widow's strength both in the Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of Luke.  The story told of several wealthy patrons that donated large sums of money to the Temple of Jerusalem, while an extremely poor widow places just two small coins (her two cents) into the offering. She then receives greater rewards because she gave all of her money, while the wealthy patrons made little investment, leaving much money for themselves.

This Nana selected to title her blog, "Nana's Two Cents," to tell her own stories, share opinions/ideas, and strength about life situations.  Enjoy and please don't hesitate to "throw in your own two cents!"