Hi!
This morning I was heading to lead my laughter club and I needed to stop and fill the car with gas.  I pulled into Domo and just as they say, they jumped to the pump!  For some reason I thought that I had better check to see if I had my wallet and sure enough, I didn’t have it with me!  I leaped out of the car, yelled out “Stop the pump” and scared the poor Domo guy half to death.  He immediately grabbed the pump and pulled it out.  I then explained apologetically that I didn’t have my wallet and began scrounging around for change to pay for the $2 of gas that he had started to pump into the tank.  The whole time I was laughing and his reaction was very relaxed (once he recovered from my initial yell!) and it occured to me to give him a hug for being understanding but I thought that might be pushing it!  I just thanked him and drove away laughing about my situation.  The great thing about practicing laughter regularly is that all I did was laugh and it never occured to me to be embarrased or get on my case for forgetting my wallet.  I just dealt with it and moved on!  How do you deal with these kinds of situations?

Deb

Hello!
Well, I have recovered from the pink eye incident and it seems that the rest of my body is also on the road to recovery.  It was actually faster than I thought it would be and I am wondering if it is the hug factor.  They say (I’m not sure who “they” are but they seem to be quoted alot!) that a person needs 5 hugs a day just to maintain their health.  So, perhaps my quest for a minimum of 5 hugs a day has created some kind of reserve that has helped me to recover faster…all I know is that after a few days of not having any hugs I sure missed them!  I’m glad to be collecting again and thanks to all of you who sent me the virtual hugs!

Deb

Hi,
So I have hit an obstacle in my quest for hugs!  Last week I developed a sore throat which expanded into an ear infection, then a cold and now the icing on the cake is pinkeye!  For someone who is rarely sick, this has definitely thrown me for a loop.  The question has occured to me that maybe my increase in hugging (just about anyone who will give me a hug) has somehow increased my exposure to germs.  The other thought is “OH, NO….I hope I haven’t given my germs to anyone.”  Rest assured all of you out there that have given me a hug, I have been very careful and since the onslaught of this crazy cold, I have been very careful about coming into contact with anyone so you should be safe!  But alas, I am watching my hug count stay the same.  Oh well, it’s only for a short time and I’m sure I’ll be able to make it up once I’m back in the land of the healthy! 

What do you do when you hit an obstacle with your 100 Day Challenge?  Feel free to write your suggestions here!

Deb

Hello!
I was visiting my family this past weekend and my Mom was telling me about how the Minister of their church had decided to walk everyday.  I knew she was doing this and I occaisionally get updates on how many days she has walked.  I was amazed to hear that she had just recently chalked up 700 days in a row of walking!  Isn’t that incredible?!  I’m sure there are lots of people who have been doing something everyday but just hearing about her decision to walk everyday has renewed my inspiration!  700 days kind of makes 100 days seem like nothing!  And really, what her 700 days of walking is saying to me is that she truly cares about herself.  This is a woman who ministers to three communities and is available to provide spiritual support to hundreds of people but she also recognizes that she is one of those people too and so requires support and care as well. 

Wow – what would your challenge look like if you approached from the place of truly caring for yourself and believing you are valuable?  Would that focus make it easier or harder to complete your 100 day challenge?  Let me know your thoughts!

Deb

Hi,
I was at a meeting this week where we were talking about our visions.  One of the group members told us that his vision was to be a blessing to all of the people of his generation!  That vision really intrigued me and made me start to wonder what I would do to be a blessing to the people around me.  It’s an interesting thing to think about. Then I thought about my quest for 500 hugs and wondered if giving someone a hug would be like blessing them.  I know that I certainly feel blessed when someone gives me a hug.  What would you do to be a blessing to others?  You’re welcome to share your thoughts here!

Deb

Hi,
I was in a bit of a hurry this morning to get to a meeting and I quickly grabbed a pair of earrings to wear.  I put them on as I was heading out the door, not stopping for the usual mirror check to make sure that I was basically put together.  Later in the day, I happened to look in the mirror and realized I was wearing two different earrings – very noticeably different earrings!  I stood there and laughed realizing that no one had noticed – not when I stood at the meeting and did a short presentation, not when I was talking with people afterwards, not even when I asked them for a hug!  Now maybe they were just too polite to say anything. I hope that was the case because otherwise, it leaves me to wonder about how closely we are paying attention to each other.  Are we noticing when our friends are having a rough day, when our colleagues are struggling?  Are we paying attention to people who are feeling alone and could use some connection?  Here’s a great video that many of you have probably seen but it’s definitely worth watching more than once….check it out.  Would you give this guy a hug?  

http://rockphotoblog.com/?p=251

Have a great day – share your hugs and if you are in my vicinity please know that I will always be delighted to give you a hug!

Deb

Hello!
Well, I have managed to improve my hug count and I have also managed to do some more writing!  The writing was really challenging me and I wasn’t doing it (I wanted to write something every day for this challenge).  Well, I have adjusted my goal and figured out a slightly better system which, interestingly enough, has inspired me!  The wiriting is happening much more easily and it’s even more fun that I originally anticipated.  Hhmmm, that’s what happens when you relax and adjust!  How about you – any new insights about your challenge?  I’d love to hear from you!

Deb