Addicted to Every Soda Variety.

Self reflection.  After reading that soda is the #1 factor in weight gain I decided to go home and have some self reflection. I pulled out the recycle bin and started counting. 

Now my husband does not drink soda so I know all these cans are mine. Furthermore, regrettably all the cans I found do not include soda consumed away from my home. I was unsure of the exact time frame of my soda consumption but I decided the cans I found in the recyclables reflect probably 45 days give or take 10 days. I also remember during this time period consuming 2 bottles of 2 liter pepsi (which was not factored into this).

Check out the two photos included -- first, the cans of consumption and second, the jar represents the overall grams of sugar I consumed and the cup represents that jar broken down into a daily intake.

So -- in 45 days check out the following.

39 cans of soda.

1 can of soda has 42 grams of sugar.

160 calories a can = 6720 calories = approx. 2 lbs (1 lb is 3500 calories)

Each can of soda is approximately 9 teaspoons of pure sugar.

39 cans is about 345 teaspoons of sugar (measured out in the jar).

Diabetes in a Can? 

A 2,000 calorie diet recommends only consuming 44 grams of sugar per day (2 grams away from a can and that’s not including everything else we eat daily).

Cup Runneth Over?

Food is fuel and every fuel has it’s own digestion rate based on fiber and fructose content. Carbohydrate sugar is converted to fat for storage when calories are consumed in excess.

Consuming soda releases energy very quickly. If you have excess sugar when the glucose is processed by your liver the liver cannot handle it all and converts it into fatty acids which goes into your body and is stored: stomach, hips, butt, breasts, arteries and eventually heart, liver, and kidneys reducing raising blood pressure, decreasing metabolism, and weakening the immune system. This also produces extra insulin which can eventually lead to insulin resistance which means you’ve essentially broken that part of your body -- it begins to work against you. 

Something Broke?

I decided to research different issues associated with too much sugar. The body is broken when we consume too much sugar. So below are 10 reasons to avoid soda.

Consuming one or more sugar sodas a day can increase a woman’s chances for diabetes by 80%

Oral bacteria in your teeth ferment the simple sugars dissolving tooth enamels.

High fructose and caffeine in soda can prevent you from sleeping when you need and make you fall asleep when you hit the low. Also, you will need to consume extra water.

Can prevent the ability of the body to digest and kill gonococcal bacteria for 7 hours.

One caffeinated drink a day can reduce a woman’s monthly ability to conceive by 50%.

Diet sodas actually stimulate your body to want to eat more food.

Sodium Benzoate can cause asthma, hives, and eczma.

Too much can lead to heart disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis.

Obesity.

Addiction.

Ability to fix it?

Admittedly soda is addicting. I know others who feel the same way I do. So what makes some people get out? How do others get out of loving this sugary drink. Below are some of the best tips I found online:

Make the commitment and pour it down the sink. Don’t buy it again.

Limit yourself.

Replace, replace, replace. Be ready with an ‘alternative’ for when you would have wanted it before.

Tell friends and family you’re trying to not drink as much.

Avoid snacks that have sugar in the first 3 or 4 ingredients.

Plan snacks that have protein and help avoid sugar cravings.

Keep it up for two weeks at first and then see how far you can go.

Drink luke warm water.

Think of all the money you can save.

Do your research about the issues with soda.

So what am I gonna do? Well -- my high fetched goal is to limit soda to 1 a week (we’ll see if I can do that). Each day I go without soda I am going to remove 1 can from the soda wall..so I can reduce my soda deficit.

Wish me luck? Too bad you all won’t want to send me a dollar for every day I don’t consume soda. Regardless, by lessening my soda intake I know if I can follow through I could potentially save thousands in health bills.

The Moral Gun.

--The GiRL

You know that song -- where have all the good people gone? It leads me to wonder, would I be one of the “good people” in some of the following situations? Are there ever situations in which you should abandon goodness for safety or does goodness always come first? How far should your “goodness” go?

Working at a news station sometimes there are stories that disturb and make you ponder the difficult questions of life. Below are two stories and their echoes. 

Story 1 (true story by the way): On a quaint street in in an averaged sized town it is around 10:00 pm and a domestic disturbance occurs. One man (we’ll call him Joe) hears his neighbors (husband and wife we’ll call Bob and Mary) violently arguing in the street. Out of concern for neighbor Mary, Joe goes out to calm the situation down fearing for her safety. 

Bob tells Joe he needs to leave and this has nothing to do with him, that it is between Mary and he. Joe refuses and says he wants to help. Bob tells Joe to leave once again. Joe stays to keep the situation in check. Bob storms off into the house. A few moments later Bob comes back out with a hand gun. He shoots Joe in the foot and then shoots Joe in the head. Bob goes to jail convicted of murder.

Should Joe have left? Should Joe have called authorities? Is there something good in Joe’s actions? If this story ended differently would we suggest the same action? What does this story tell you about the moral convictions of Bob, Mary, and Joe?

Story 2 (true story as well): In the Denver International Airport a woman was being raped in a concourse. Multiple people passed by afraid to intervene or get help. Two gentleman employees walked by and saw what was happening. They wrestled the rapist to the ground and the girl was saved from further pain.

Why did others keep walking? Did the two who intervened do the right thing? If this situation had ended differently, maybe like story 1, would we have advised the workers to act in another way? What does this demonstrate about community vs. individual morality? How would you have responded?

Story 3 (true story as well): Yesterday a man was hit by a car and left in a ditch when the unknown driver took off. The first person to do anything about it was a police officer. 

Of all the people in a town, how come a police officer (how many police are in a city?) was the first to respond -- where were all the other people who passed by? 

The new situational mantra: “This is not our business, let’s just leave it alone.”

The new situational mantra is becoming increasingly common. I think the phrase also represents a lot about our society. First, we doubt that strangers will respond appropriately to our moral convictions about situations. Second, if it’s not me then it doesn’t matter. Third, we’re ill prepared for the worst.

Regarding the first: we doubt strangers will respond appropriately to our moral convictions in situations.

There has become a dramatic difference between individuals and their beliefs about right and wrong. Right and wrong are determined by the individual and society has trained itself to avoid imposing personal convictions on another. The extremity of this cultural development is reflected in the situational mantra. Sadly, not only does this mantra reflect the depravity of community in our society, it also, combined with the stories detailed earlier, represents the real life dangers of leaving everyone to be their own person. When there is no common morality and no common justice, then we leave people to only do as they please. What then do you do when what they please is to eliminate you? You fall victim to society’s moral depravity. Without the ability to see right and wrong and step in when needed, we continue the cycle of violence. Our community morality has degraded and unfortunately if we continue to let it degrade there will be more victims.

Regarding the second: If it’s not me, then it doesn’t matter.

As mentioned in my first, we need to remember that it may not be you, but it could be you...or your bother, mother, father, sister, friend, cousin, and the list goes on. As more and more people ignore injustice we subject all those we love to fall prey to violence. 

Regarding the third: we’re ill prepared for the worst.

We’re trained what to do in a fire, a tornado, a hurricane or an earthquake but how often are we trained to handle dangerous situations involving others? I suggest thinking about how you would respond in not only an emergency but also when your moral convictions are challenged. What do you do when you see your boss doing something illegal? What do you do when you see one employee as the office scape goat? How would you respond if someone was screaming for help?

Think about what is important and how you can respond. Sometimes it is the preparation ahead of time that can mean a happy ending or a violent ending.

As a last note -- it has been the human failure to reflect on how one would respond when moral convictions are challenged. This failure has led to hurt individuals and as a result specifically in the United States possibly the degradation of our society. 

We are afraid to intervene when our moral convictions are subject to scrutiny because many of us have interacted with people who inappropriately handled their moral convictions. It is easy to blanket your moral convictions on other people, but if you lose reflection and preparedness with your convictions there can be victims you leave behind.

Think about how to respond appropriately when you are challenging someone else’s “failed” morality and when your own personal “failed” morality is challenged by someone else who believes contrary to you. 

Be open to discussion and change while maintaining the freedom to live united with your convictions.

 Avoid using that moral gun to get rid of another who does not think the same as you.  

Scary Words.

A sum of thoughts? A conglomeration of meaning and symbols?  A moment in time?

Writing a blog is kinda scary. It puts your mind in the world and allows the unspoken to become spoken. The ignorance to be laid bare. The personal made public. 

Are you thoughts valid simply because you write them? If no one comments, does that mean your reasoning is flawed? Is writing really rejuvenating? What is the difference between a rant and meaningful conversation? What if you offend someone who does not have the courage to speak or write in return? What if your thoughts are dull or unimaginative? Do words once spoken have redemptive quality? Can beauty be spoken as a with a flawed humanity? 

Words spoken provide the opportunity for a signature of time. My thoughts I cast into tepid or thrashing waters as my minimal droplet in the timeline of thought.

Oh words. 

Words woven by a spell.

A spell which hovers like magic from the mind. 

The essence of time. 

One word representing humanly vice or otherworldly wisdom.

Many words a reflection of this moment. 

May the river of words swell with the flood

of knowledge newly learned.

Cascading into the basin

Conventional knowledge accepted flows on

A canyon carved by the masses

One word drops far away evaporated by the heat

Free falling drops separate from the flow

A forgotten rainbow light reflected from the sun

Drops of knowledge or wisdom newly won

Color angles directed by the Son.

Word redemption as the flow of wisdom moves on.

The rainbow colors unique for the time

A redemptive word and hope is mine.

--The GiRL

Consumer.

-- The GiRL

Consumer.

Ever wonder why this new generation of employees cares nothing for the workplace? What about why we care nothing about others? Or maybe, you have wondered why so many people simply do not know how to do a hard day of work at all?

Dear people of the United States, your fruits have been brought in from the field. You have all become consumers with a capital ‘C.’

Consumers have been trained to think and act instinctively rather than rationally. We look to fulfill need no matter the cost.

Consumers want the biggest and the best all the time. They're ambitious but forget that success is not a given right but rather self made.

We have a generation of kids who cannot handle emotional pitfalls, who do not know how to make it through a tough day of work, and whose attention spans are shorter than an ant. As consumers they are not sure how to make due like depression era adults. They're not sure how to be resourceful.

So business owners I warn you. Invest in those employees that are givers rather than takers. Promote employees that are constantly thinking of new ways to make your business better. They may get annoying, and they may even make it harder for you to realize change is good – but they will be contributing in the long run rather than being a drain on your resources.

These employees will thrive when you support them. Know they still have consumer bones. They will leave you if they do not find the backing they need. Have conversations and get into their heads. If you disagree, try the idea and if you think it fails let them know why.

 Be wary of the paycheck takers. These people see their jobs as another object to consume. These employees only use what pieces of your company they want and throw the others away without knowing how to make what doesn’t work into something that does work. They are a never ending drain.

Throw away your bad management practices because the new workforce has little patience and the good ones will leave if you push them. You will have trained a strong team player for your competition. Ask for input and acknowledge input given. You can find worthwhile employees in this way and weed out the employees who give nothing back. 

The 'C' in consumer can be used to your advantage if you recognize the change in times. If you do not recognize you may find yourself with a deadbeat business and an attitude of "those young hooligans." 

Remember, we created the capital 'C' consumer and now we need to train them in how to build their current strengths and cut out their weaknesses. 

Oprah, it is time to move over and leave something for everybody else.

Considering the great American ideal of consumerism it does not surprise me that our society has become consumerist in our ‘dream’ pursuits. I am not referring to purchasing ‘things’ I am referring to the desire to consume any and every possible dream avenue.

When Oprah announced that she was looking at going on Broadway, whether she was joking or not, I found myself discouraged at her announcement. Seriously? Broadway?  

Discouraged, not because Oprah cannot pursue this dream, but because I’m angry for all the people in the world who pursue that dream daily and never make it. If they had mega millions and a nation of paparazzi and fans sure they’d be there too.  They’d have as many opportunities as Oprah does.

I see this often. The rich find ways to stay in the spotlight and take away opportunities for others. For example, when Donald Trump was thinking about running for office I was saddened that he felt like he needed to do more. There are lots of smart people in the world. If you are a star you have already offered the world something they bought into already. Leave open spaces and positions for other people to fill.

Don’t take every space…take your rightful place.

We don’t all need to be a movie star, a governor, a Broadway composer, a president, and a head of the school district. It is okay to be in a niche. People will love you for it.

If Starbucks opened a grocery store consumers would agree they’d be overstepping their bounds. Why then do we allow those who have substantial influence to have a monopoly in the spotlight? A monopoly is a monopoly…in the end it hurts the general population.

So I want to say to successful people – move over and let someone else succeed. You do not have to do everything. If something is already created, leave it to lesser folks who do not have all the funds in the world, and make another new adventure for yourself.

 Invest in other’s success and hide from the limelight. Avoid the press and let someone else have the spotlight.

On Groups and Character

 --Cosmo

See?  My first post was pretty much dead on.  Another post about not posting in a long time.  Don't you just love predictable people?

So I'm a real estate agent now.  Cool.  Movin' on up in life, right ol' boy?  I would have to say yes and no.  Yes because it's a real career (versus youth ministry, which is, as everyone knows, playing with high school kids all day crossing one's fingers hoping they'll make the right decisions for themselves--don't kid yourselves fellow youth ministers, you know it's true), and no because anyone can get into it.  Minimum requirements = 18 years of age...and I think that's it.  Maybe some basic reading and math thrown in there for kicks.  Oh and there's a test, but anyone can pass a test if they study hard enough for it.

You know one thing I hate about the real estate world?  Everybody wants a piece of my money.  And I'm not even talking about the people I work with (which, by the way, is noone yet because I'm still new)!  You gotta pay everyone in the business just to have the privilege to say, "Hey folks, I'm a licensed Realtor!!!"  My broker (i.e, my boss) requires everyone to join the Realtor association to 1) prove that I'm a "good" person who will follow a code of "good" ethics when dealing in the world of real estate, and 2) probably more importantly, gain access to the regional MLS (the thing Realtors use to look up everyone and their dog's properties).  And of course, to be a Realtor, you need to pay the group's annual dues (read: an eighth of my current salary).  They don't even pay for the lunches I'm "suggested" to go to.

I've never been a big fan of joining a group to prove to people that I'm a person with high morales.  Most real estate agents join this group, then wear the affiliation proudly, reminding all of those that see it that yes, because they are in this special group, they are very honest and morale people.  "No, Mr. Buyer, I won't talk to my fellow agent telling him that you'll accept a lower price, because YOU are more important than my commission. Oh, and by the way, I would never do that because I'm a Realtor.  See my shiny pin?"  I don't know about you, oh highly-esteemed reader, but when I'm looking for someone with good character and who keeps their word (pretty rare in today's world--especially the "keeps their word" part), I don't look to see what group they're in.  It doesn't matter to me.  Realtor, Christian, vagabond (new word I used this week -- ask me later), whatever you want to call yourself, your character is based on your actions and your word.  Let's see if we can bring character back in this world.

Just some rambling from an old-school kind of guy.  Just nod your head and move along.

On another note, it'll probably be a few months before I post again.  Feel free to read this one over again while you're waiting.

Define Yourself. It will change your life.

--The GiRL

I have a friend who works in customer service. She told me about how one day a customer called angry, livid, and downright rude -- the customer was dropping the F bomb and threatening my friend over the phone. This person who called also happened to be a business owner in the area. Later that evening my friend recounted to me and all my friends at a dinner party how she never wanted to buy something again from that caller’s business. After hearing her story, I did not want to buy anything from that business. In fact, every-time I drive by that company I think of this same story.

All the business owners reading this blog may be groaning in agony right about now. After-all you cannot have a perfect face for everyone, right? We all get frustrated sometimes. Regardless, good business owners know that the face you make to the public reflects how good of a business you have. A business is only as strong as the weakest link. Sometimes you have to take action to fix your weakest link. This way the business can prosper at a different level than before.

This goes the same for the life you make for yourself. Yes, if you guessed it I am suggesting that defining your life like a business defines their mission could very well be one key element for finding happiness. 

Have you ever written up a “mission statement for your life?” What could you possibly write? Goals? Dreams? Attitudes? Behaviors? What about character? Friends? Influences?

If you knew someone that constantly sabotaged themselves would you let them know. What about if you were sabotaging your own life?  If you owned a business would you want to do the same actions over and over again that produce poor customer service or would you fix them. Why are we then any different with our own lives?

I have a friend who finds a way to make a really big deal out of everything. Sometimes this friend will yell and scream at anyone that does not help them get what they want. 

Sometimes I wonder, does this person want to be like this? Does this friend really want to remain the same forever? I think my friend will remain the same if he never makes the choice to do something different. 

Acting different sometimes requires you to act like a business. Check and see what “bad report” you may be getting at other people’s dinner parties. Then apologize and change your policies to fix it.

I encourage you to do this. Post your life’s mission statement to a wall and change the habits and behaviors in your life that keep you from reaching your dreams. Think of how much of a better person you could become. 

Define yourself. Keep bad habits from making your life what it is. Know who you are and where you are going -- after-all, you may even reach your dreams.