Do You Have Enough Oil For Your Lamp?

I saw this wonderful video on Simple Truths on Sunday and was reminded that, like most of the women I know, I don't do enough self-preservation.

Most women I know are care-givers. We take care of everyone else before we even think of taking care of ourselves. We put the needs of our parents, kids, pets, significant other, boss, friends, job, volunteer organizations, and so much more ahead of ourselves that we are usually running not just on empty, but with a physical and emotional energy deficit. The truth is, however, that if we're not taking care of ourselves, we can't possibly fulfill our other obligations to the best of our ability and we can't expect others to make us a priority if we fail to prioritize ourselves.

I know that this commitment to caring for others before ourselves is a behavior that's been passed down for generations, at least in my family it was, but it's time we break that habit. Plus, we'll be teaching our daughters, nieces, and other young girls in our lives that we have value.

So follow the new Golden Rule for women, "We must do unto Ourselves, as we do unto others," and take a day just for you. I give you permission.

Obama 2012: It's On! Are You In?

I'm in. Betsey and Ross are in. Are you?

President Obama sent me the following letter yesterday. Maybe you received it too. Notice that we're on a first name basis. Ya, I'm special like that.

Little Merry Sunshine --

Today, we are filing papers to launch our 2012 campaign.

We're doing this now because the politics we believe in does not start with expensive TV ads or extravaganzas, but with you -- with people organizing block-by-block, talking to neighbors, co-workers, and friends. And that kind of campaign takes time to build.

So even though I'm focused on the job you elected me to do, and the race may not reach full speed for a year or more, the work of laying the foundation for our campaign must start today.

We've always known that lasting change wouldn't come quickly or easily. It never does. But as my administration and folks across the country fight to protect the progress we've made -- and make more -- we also need to begin mobilizing for 2012, long before the time comes for me to begin campaigning in earnest.

As we take this step, I'd like to share a video that features some folks like you who are helping to lead the way on this journey. Please take a moment to watch:



In the coming days, supporters like you will begin forging a new organization that we'll build together in cities and towns across the country. And I'll need you to help shape our plan as we create a campaign that's farther reaching, more focused, and more innovative than anything we've built before.

We'll start by doing something unprecedented: coordinating millions of one-on-one conversations between supporters across every single state, reconnecting old friends, inspiring new ones to join the cause, and readying ourselves for next year's fight.

This will be my final campaign, at least as a candidate. But the cause of making a lasting difference for our families, our communities, and our country has never been about one person. And it will succeed only if we work together.

There will be much more to come as the race unfolds. Today, simply let us know you're in to help us begin, and then spread the word:

http://barackobama.com

Thank you,

Barack

Crain's Says LFGSM is 9th Best Place to Work in Chicago!

Breaking News: Crain's Chicago Business names Lake Forest Graduate School of Management the 9th best place to work!

I've worked at Lake Forest Graduate School of Management for six weeks now and the one thing that's struck me more than anything else is how much the School cares about employees and wants us to look forward to coming to work each day.

During my interview process, during which I met with close to a dozen people, the final step was to meet with President & CEO John Popoli. In my entire career, I've never met with a CEO or managing partner during the interview process. In fact, during the seven years I worked for two major law firms in DC, I don't think I ever met the managing partner. Certainly, he wouldn't have known me by name. But not at LFGSM. John Popoli knows me by name and in my first six weeks has personally praised my performance and thanked me for a job well done on two occasions. That means a lot.

One of the other keys to LFGSM's success, as the Crain's article discusses, is the transparency of the administration. We have regular town hall meetings where we can ask any questions we want and we are sent minutes of the Management Board's weekly meetings. In my opinion, transparency is key to success and prevents the rumor mill that has been so alive in other businesses I have worked in.

LFGSM is also a fun place to work and works by the FISH! Philosophy. We offer weekly yoga classes, bring in cool speakers to help us be the best people we can be, do good work in the community, and have fun with Oscar and March Madness picks (the rumor that I was #1 in our pool was true until Butler and VCU ended my dreams with their Cinderella stories).

A few weeks ago, Jerry and Estella Hayes from season seven of The Biggest Loser came to motivate us to be our healthiest selves with their inspirational story of weight loss. Jerry lost 177 pounds and Estella lost 90 pounds AND they've kept it off for two years! Yes, that's me with Jerry and Estella. I've lost over 30 pounds and am working on another 25 by Memorial Day.
On April Fool's Day, one of my colleagues brought in "sushi" for the office. If it looks a little odd to you, it's because it's made with rice krispy treats, pound cake, gummy candy, frosting, and sprinkles.
Of course, we also work hard at LFGSM. But it's easy to work hard when our opinions are valued, we're encouraged to be the "CEOs of our own career," and we're treated like the valuable people we are.

LMS Endorsement: Deborah A. Nelson for Arlington Heights Library Board

For the second time, Little Merry Sunshine is pleased to unconditionally endorse Deborah A. Nelson for the Arlington Heights Memorial Library Board of Trustees.

Ms. Nelson has served as a trustee since April 2008 and has served as the Board's treasurer for the last two years. During her tenure on the Board, Ms. Nelson has voted twice against increasing the library's tax levy, which is significant because so much of the library's funding comes from the property taxes of Arlington Heights residents.

Ms. Nelson's professional career has been spent in the non-profit industry working in customer service, strategic planning, public relations, and fund raising. Better than anyone I know, Ms. Nelson knows what it takes to run a successful non-profit in a fiscally responsible manner.

She pays her success forward by serving as a mentor for the community with the Random Acts of Kindness Club of Arlington Heights she began while volunteering at Patton Elementary School. She also models civic involvement by being actively involved in the education of her two children and advocating for all children with special needs.

Ms. Nelson is the epitome of integrity, commitment, experience and character that is so desperately needed in politics today. A vote for Ms. Nelson on Tuesday, April 5th is a vote for the continued success of the Arlington Heights Memorial Library.

Arlington Heights Native Named NEW Cubs Announcer!

Yes, it's true. An Arlington Heights native has been named the new announcer for the Chicago Cubs.

No, it's not me.

But wouldn't it be cool if it was?

Actually, the lucky guy is Andrew Belleson who grew up in Arlington Heights, attended Concordia College, and has spent the last five years announcing for the Rockford Riverhawks. He's a lifelong Cubs fan and grew up idolizing Harry Caray. He beat out 2,954 applicants!

Do any Little Merry Sunshine readers know him?

For a preview of what Wrigley Field will sound like this year, check out Andrew's YouTube video audition tape.



Mt. Prospect may have American Idol winner Lee DeWyze, but I think it's far cooler to say the Cubs announcer is from my hometown.

Congratulations Andrew!

Mix Tapes

As I was driving home tonight, I heard a song on the radio and thought “that song would be perfect for a mix tape.” That thought was immediately followed by “I haven’t made or listened to a mix tape in almost 20 years.”

You remember the mix tape. You made one for your girlfriend or boyfriend. Maybe you made one for your best friends that recalled your last summer together before you all went to separate colleges. People made them for you. They were party souvenirs.

Back in the day, I had a gazillion cassettes, but the ones that have stood the test of time and a dozen moves since high school are my mix tapes. I don’t have any of my Pet Shop Boys or Outfield or even Bon Jovi cassettes anymore, but I still have almost two dozen mix tapes. They span a full decade of my life, from 1984 through 1994, and represent long lost loves, forever friend, parties, vacations, my favorite workout music, and much more.

The first mix tape I ever received was from my high school boyfriend. He gave it to me just before I left for Watervale and I’m sure I spent all 6 hours in the car listening to it on my cassette Walkman. It was full of the music we loved, and listening to it, I knew without a doubt exactly how he felt about me. Unfortunately, that tape died a merciless death at the controls of my tape deck. I listened to it until it wore out.

My favorite mix tape was a surprise from my friend Kirsten in the Fall of 1991. She was studying in Hong Kong and I was back at Lake Forest College, after having spent the summer at Watervale. The tape, called "Jess's Hong Kong Express," was a mix of songs, quotes, poems, and stories of her adventures overseas and the day it appeared in my mailbox, I ran all the way back to Deerpath Hall to listen to it before even cracking a page of homework.

A couple of years ago, I was packing for a romantic getaway and I wanted a soundtrack of music to help set the mood and say the things I couldn’t. I spent a couple of hours putting together a playlist on my iPod, but then when we reached our destination, we realized we didn’t have a docking station. So much for technology. I'm not sure that playlist survived moving to a new laptop and resetting my iPod.

Getting back to my drive home tonight, I began to wonder, how do people in love express their emotions through music in the day of digital downloads? Pandora sort of creates playlists, but they're not fully customizable because Pandora chooses the music for you. Do you “borrow” your lover’s iPod or iPhone and download a custom playlist? That’s sort of romantic, but playlists can easily get deleted. And you can’t exactly create custom artwork on the cover of a playlist the way you can on a cassette. Sure, tapes wear out, melt in your car (assuming you have a cassette player), and get lost, plus the sound quality is no where near as good as today's digital downloads, but there's something really wonderful about holding a tape and knowing the hours of effort that went into making it.

I miss mix tapes and can't help but wonder if, in spite of all the wonderful technological innovations we've had in the last twenty years, maybe we haven't lost one of life's great joys. What do you think?

Dinner Party Catastrophes . . . Rescued

Have you ever been in a situation where you've got a house full of guests (or maybe even just one extra special guest) for an important dinner party and for whatever reason your meal just falls apart? I think anyone who's ever spent any amount of time in a kitchen has had this experience. It's happened to me more than once. For me, the worst part is feeling like an utter failure in front of guests and not knowing how to fix the situation.

Fortunately, Christopher Carnick, co-author of Dinner for Six at 8:00 and co-owner of Casa Cebadillas in Torrox Pueblo, Spain, has come to our rescue. Watch the video below and learn how to rescue under-cooked chicken, over-cooked summer squash, and make fool-proof mousse.



Oh, and can I just tell you how much I'm lusting for that hand-held blender?

I Ain't Settlin'

Yesterday morning I was driving to work and having a very serious come to Jesus talk with myself. Yes, it was just me in the car and yes, I was talking out loud to myself. Why do you ask? Anyway, there I was in the car having this serious talk with myself about the state of state of my life (I turn 40 exactly 3 months from today) with the radio on low in the background when out of nowhere I hear the familiar sounds of Jennifer Nettles and Sugarland singing one of my favorite songs. I took it as a sign from the Universe (and we all know how I believe in signs from the Universe).

I listened to the words, possibly closer than I've ever listened before and realized I was listening to the theme song for the last three months of my 30s (it hurts just typing those words).

That's right Settlin' by Sugarland is defining the next three months for me. I'm raising the bar higher than ever before. I'm joining a gym this week and will lose the 25 pounds I've committed to losing before my birthday. For those of you keeping score, that will put the total weight loss between my 39th and 40th birthday at almost 60 pounds (Okay, it's not the 100 pounds I put on my Bucket List, but it's 60 pounds closer than I was). No if's, and's or but's about it. I've got some other big goal and dreams, but at the moment, that's all I'm willing to discus publicly.

If you're not familiar with Settlin', click on the video below.

LMS's 1000th Post: Happy Pi Day!

Today Little Merry Sunshine is Party Central as we celebrate Pi Day (3/14 - get it? you'd better or I'm gonna sic my favorite Calculus professor on you) and Little Merry Sunshine's 1000th blog post (this is it!)!

To set the mood for this celebration, we'll need some music. So let's listen to what Pi sounds like. . .

Of course, we'll need some yummy food. What Pi party would be complete without pie? Fortunately, NPR has us covered.


Now that we've had some musical entertainment and filled our bellies with Pi pie, let's watch a movie.

Yes, seriously, in 1998, director Darren Aronofsky, released Pi, about "A paranoid mathematician searches for a key number that will unlock the universal patterns found in nature." Go ahead, watch the trailer below. You know you want to.

Even the U.S. House of Representatives finds time to celebrate Pi Day! In 2009, the House passed a resolution praising Pi. Of course, I find it a bit disturbing that 10 Republican Congressmen voted against such an innocuous bill.

Every party needs a comedian, especially a Pi party, so I've brought in Al G. Bra for your Pi Day entertainment!

Now that we've been entertained with Pi jokes by Al G. Bra, it's time for party games! We'll follow the example of the San Francisco Exploratorium and walk around a Pi Shrine a little more than 3 times.

As our party winds down, I just want to tell you how much I appreciate that you keep returning to Little Merry Sunshine. If not for you, Little Merry Sunshine would never have reached 1000 blog posts on such a momentous day. Thank you for reading, commenting, following, and emailing me with your thoughts. Here's to another 1000 posts! And here's a little Pi party favor to remind you of our Pi Day party!

P.S. A very special shout out to Albert Einstein on his 132nd birthday! Happy Birthday Mr. Einstein! Thank you for the Theory of Relativity.

The Power of Kindness

Last September, I ran a blog post titled "Paid in Full With One Glass of Milk" that was one of the most popular posts in all of 2010. I had read the story in an inspirational email I receive each morning and was moved to share the story with each of you. What I find interesting about these emails I receive each day from Simple Truths is that more often than not, the message in the morning email speaks to exactly an issue I'm dealing with in my life. The power of the Universe, I guess.

This morning when I checked my email, I was once again greeted by this wonderful story and I decided I should re-share it with you too. In this crazy busy world we live in, it's important to remember how the smallest act of kindness we perform, even the ones that seem unimportant to us, can quite literally change someone's world. The other thing I know about performing acts of kindness is that being kind to someone else always lifts me up as well. Whether it's the smile I give to a check-out clerk at Jewel who's been on her feet for 8 hours, the directions I give to someone who's lost, the Girl Scout cookies I bought that I didn't really need, or the friend I gave my shoulder to the other night, I find that being nice always makes me just a little bit happier.

Straight from Simple Truths...

The Power of Kindness

The year was 1863, on a spring day in Northern Pennsylvania. A poor boy was selling goods door to door to pay his way through school. He realized he had only a dime left, and that he was hungry. So he decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door.

Instead of a meal, he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry and so she brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, "How much do I owe you?"

"You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness." He said, "Then I thank you from my heart." As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strengthened also. He had been ready to give up and quit.

Years later, that young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease.

Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, he went down the hall of the hospital to her room. Dressed in his doctor's gown, he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day, he gave special attention to the case.

After a long struggle, the battle was won. Dr. Kelly requested from the business office to pass the final billing to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge, and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally, she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She read these words:

"PAID IN FULL WITH ONE GLASS OF MILK..." (Signed)
Dr. Howard Kelly*

*Dr. Howard Kelly was a distinguished physician who, in 1895, founded the Johns Hopkins Division of Gynecologic Oncology at Johns Hopkins University. According to Dr. Kelly's biographer, Audrey Davis, the doctor was on a walking trip through Northern Pennsylvania one spring day when he stopped by a farm house for a drink of water.

This beautiful story about Dr. Howard Kelly is one of many true stories found in The Power of Kindness. I love the quote from Leo Buscaglia: "Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around." Quite frankly, this is the part about kindness that we all understand. But it's the other part that many of us fail to grasp.

That is...practicing random acts of kindness can change our lives!

The great English writer, Aldous Huxley, was a pioneer in the study techniques to develop human potential. In a lecture toward the end of his life, he said this:

"People often ask me...what is the most effective technique for transforming their lives?"
He then said, "It's a little embarrassing that after years and years of research, my best answer is - just be a little kinder."

This is the paradox of the power of kindness. It doesn't feel powerful at all. I n fact, it almost feels too simple to be important. But as Huxley said, it is the #1 thing that can transform your life.

Kindness, more than anything, is an attitude that brings us back to the simplicity of being. It is also the one way you can be assured of making a difference with your life.

This reminded me of a Clay Walker song from a few years ago about the power of kindness called The Chain of Love. For those of you reading LMS via email, click here and see the video on the site. I challenge each of you to find some opportunities today and this next week to perform random acts of kindness. I believe you'll find that doing so will improve your day and week and you never know when you'll be on the receiving end.

Clay Walker - The Chain Of Love (Official Music Video). Watch more top selected videos about: Clay Walker