Friday, October 31, 2008

Happy Halloween!!

Hey kiddies and not so kiddie-ish!

Halloween is here and that means tempting candy is close at hand. Ever wonder which ones are "better" for you than the others?

I did to. So I found this article from Lifescript. Trick or Treat: What's Good to Eat?

I suggest you read it and tell me what you think.

While you're at it, tell me what your favorite Halloween candy was when you were a kid. Mine was and still is Tootsie Rolls. And, guess what I got to give out? Tootsie Rolls. Yep, and I'm going to be stingy too, so I"ll have some left over for me. Mawaaahaahaahaaa!!

What's your most memorable Halloween? Mine was when I was about 5 years old. I was washing dishes and a top from a can slid into the water. It sliced my left thumb. I went around as a fairy princess with a great big bandage on my thumb. I had to show everyone and tell them the whole story. I still have the scar.

So, have a Happy Halloween and for those that practice, Happy Samhain.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

A Society of Instant Gratification. What happened to Patience?

I was sitting with my therapist, and we were discussing why we don't see layaway departments anymore in stores. Consumers can't handle waiting for their purchases anymore. Before, there was the satisfaction of buying a product, putting it on layaway, making payments, and then when it was paid off, you got your item.

But, that's not good enough anymore.

With the onslaught of credit cards and debit cards for anyone and everyone, layaway departments went out of business. People didn't have the patience anymore to wait to make their payments ahead of time. They wanted their product now, and be damned about the money. They'd make their payments later. That's what credit cards were for, right? Who cared what the interest rate was, so long as they got their product now.

Instant Gratification. IG

IG, it follows into other parts of people's lives as well. I was talking to some women in my doctor's office the other day and we were talking about losing weight. We all had our stories to tell. One woman had lost 40 pounds and wanted to lose even more, while another had lost 60 and had more than a hundred to lose. I told them I lost 100 pounds and how it took me 3 years to do it by walking and eating right. They sighed and slumped their shoulders. I could hear the voices in their heads saying "so long, I can't wait that long!"

One woman piped up and said she was on a weight loss program with a doctor and was getting B-12 shots. I didn't pry and ask her what else she was doing on the program. But, I she did say she wasn't walking because of bad knees.

Dieters. Most of them want the Instant Gratification of weight loss. You see the commercials on television, on the Internet, and hear them on the radio. They all have these miracle cures for you to take and you'll be thin and toned in a few weeks. Do they work? Duh, NO! If they did, wouldn't we all be walking around toned and thin???

It all comes down to patience. No one has time for it anymore. It took years to put on that weight. It's not going to come off in a few weeks. Okay, so it might, but it's not going to stay off for a long time, especially not your life time. A slow and steady weight loss with a lifestyle change of new eating habits combined with an exercise program and you're more likely to have long term changes that are effective.

Those toys that consumer bought with his/her credit card? I'd probably win the bet that their kid was already bored with them by the time they were paid off, or they were broken.

No one has patience anymore. We have drive through banks. Fast food. And now curb side service at restaurants. You don't even have to get out of your car to get a good dinner. No patience.

We don't even have the pleasure of going to the record store and buying a record anymore. Open the iTunes store and purchase a song and download it to your iPod.

Instant Gratification.

What's next?

I wish you a slow and patient day.