My mother had other plans for my day and I
was carried off to the crying room, where I
wept. I got over it and had a great time at the
reception, where people gave me money for
my lost love.
In time, cousin Joey was born and then cousin
Michelle. Here¡¯s where the story picks up.
Both cousins were hyper-active, which did
not have a label during the late 1940¡¯s early
1950¡¯s. They were analyzed by my mother,
who was an expert in child-rearing, just ask
her. They were avoided by the rest of the
family, especially at birthday parties and
holidays. They threw tantrums at will, de-
manded everyone¡¯s attention at all times, and
were scary at best. No medication was ever
prescribed by doctors or relatives. They would
grow out of it was the opinion, and they did.
Now I share this information to lead up to the
metamorphosis of both cousins. Both cousins
were intelligent wonderful children (when they
were calm). Michelle studied dance and voice
and was an A student. She was very driven to
always do well at school. One evening, after
homework was completed, school clothes laid
out for the next morning, prayers said in into
bed, Michelle had trouble getting to sleep. She
called out to her mother and said, ¡°I have a
spelling test tomorrow, should I worry?¡± Aunt
Anne replied in her mother¡¯s wisdom, ¡°No,
you should sleep, you know the words well.¡±
Michelle slept and got an A the next day.
A positive outlook on life seems to make all
the difference in the world. Research has
shown that people who see the glass half-full
are happier and many times more successful
then those who see the glass half-empty.
I taught a course at Cal State, Long Beach
on career goals and many times included
this story in my lecture. Uncle Willie fought
in World War II. He was awarded the Purple
Heart for his service at the Battle of the
Bulge. He suffered post-tramatic syndrome
and very often was depressed. The Veteran¡¯s
Hospital supplied him with a shoe box full of
bottles of pills, none of which seemed to help.
I was visiting with him and Aunt Mary one
afternoon and casually asked why he never
went to school on the GI Bill. His remarks
have stayed with me all these years. He said
that he and Aunt Mary were married just a
few months before he was sent off to the war.
When he returned from duty, Billy was soon
on the way, and then Jeanne Marie, Tony and
Bobby. You just can¡¯t take care of everything
Health & Nurturing
2014 July
Pg 7 - The Sunshine Express
and everyone.
Positive thinking and realistic
expectations are not mutually
exclusive. With a bit of faith,
trial and error, hard work, strong
family ties (biological or self-
gathered) communities and
individuals will flourish. Banish
¡°stinking thinking¡± as often as
possible.
It really doesn¡¯t matter what the
end is - enjoy the journey.
(Sandy Lauzon is a Shaklee
Distributor located at 202 4th
St in Dolores. 970.759.9740)
¡°When the negative thoughts come - and they
will; they come to all of us - it¡¯s not enough to
just not dwell on it... You¡¯ve got to replace it
with a positive thought.¡± - Joel Osteen
¡°The greatest weapon against stress is our
ability to choose one thought over another.¡± -
William James
¡°As a single footstep will not make a path on
the earth, so a single thought will not make a
pathway in the mind. To make a deep physi-
cal path, we walk again and again. To make
a deep mental path, we must think over and
over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate
our lives.¡± - Henry David Thoreau
A man was seen fleeing down the hall of the
hospital just before his operation.
¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± he was asked.
He said, ¡°I heard the nurse say, ¡®It¡¯s a very
simple operation, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure it will be
all right.¡±
¡°She was just trying to comfort you, what¡¯s so
frightening about that?¡±
¡°She wasn¡¯t talking to me. She was talking to
the doctor.
Healthy Thoughts
Healthy Humor