The Green-Eyed Monster

This year more than any other I find that I’m suffering from a terrible thing. Normally it just comes and goes, but lately I just can’t shake it. I’m suffering from a great bout of envy and hoping that someone reading this could provide me with a cure.

Envy is often associated with the colour green or a green-eyed monster because nothing good ever comes from it. Envy is definitely different from being jealous. To me jealously is when you are resentful to the people who have what you desire. I'm not that way at all. I’m very happy for all my friends that are successful. Actually, I try to be a super fan for everyone I am close to and will do everything I can to help them. Envy on the other hand is wanting what others have, desiring to possess what they possess. You can be envious of tangible and intangible things like a car, relationships, wealth, and good looks.

I am envious of so many things right now that I’m beginning to realize that I have a problem. I have house envy, vacation envy, car envy, beauty envy, fitness envy, intelligence envy, engagement envy, style envy, and much more.

I know that I'm more fortunate than a lot of people, but after awhile that reasoning is not enough to subside my feelings. I’m grateful for the things that I have been given and have experienced. I’m also proud of what I have accomplished on my own. I’m a smart woman but for some reason I can’t figure out why I'm not perfectly content right now. I’m always looking for the next thing to accomplish, what I can do to improve my life, or looking for something fun and exciting to happen.

If Dr.Phil was reading my entry I’m sure he would say my feelings have something to do with my confidence. If it were Gary Zukav (all from Oprah by the way) he would say that my feelings stem from a fear of something. Maybe they are both right. I do lack confidence in myself. Hence why I thrive in environments where I get constant reassurance and compliments. On some level, I guess I also fear what the future holds for me. But knowing both of these things doesn’t change the way I have been feeling this year. Perhaps it is just another symptom of the quarter life crisis!

Like most things, I'm sure this will eventually pass but in the meantime I need to know if I'm the only one that is experiencing these feelings.

She works hard for the money. So hard for it honey!

Well I did it.

I can officially cross one more thing off my list of things to do in this lifetime. On Saturday I hosted my very first garage sale. To those of you who have not attempted one, let me be the first to say it is a lot harder then it sounds but should be something everyone experiences.

Growing up my family was never into garage sales. My parents would never have one let alone go to one. Instead we were more like pack rats and kept everything in our house. However this year I have found myself wanting to purge. The feeling of getting rid of junk and things I have been holding onto for no reason is uplifting! I have become addicted to decluttering and hope to encourage others to do the same.

So in light of my new found purging passion I decided to have a garage sale. Initially in my mind it was going to be small but once my boyfriend, his family, and my family got involved it got a little out of hand. We had a ton of stuff but good stuff. In my mind we should have made thousands of dollars, which in the garage sale world translates into a few hundred dollars.

We setup shop at Dave’s Aunt’s house, which was the best place to be. There were a ton of avid shoppers ranging from the sweet and timid type to the snarling, bully type. We got rid of most of our items and gave the remainder away to a reusable centre.

Now that it is all said and done, I'm glad I did it.

Besides the extra cash, I would have to say my favourite part was doing it with Dave. I always find working together on something whether it is painting a room or doing a garage sale builds on our relationship. We do make a good team.

Besides that, I learned that deep down I love selling things. I’m better in a retail setting but overall I love chatting it up with people and convincing them to get something. Mark my words people, one day I will find a way to work that side of me into a million dollar career.

I also learned that garage sales are not for me. I’m not afraid of a little hard work. Being a hard worker is part of being a Burroughs. That being said, I will only put in 110% when I know the outcome it worthwhile. Thankfully Dave and I made a lot of money to put into savings, but for the lack of sleep, cuts and bruises, and sore feet I would have rather given the stuff away to a charity and spent the day at the spa!!

For those of you who continue to have annual garage sale I say, “Much respect!”

Looking for some inspiration.

I’m sorry for lengthy delay between my last posting to now. I have lost a little bit of inspiration lately along with being consumed by the socializing that come along with summer. I promise to write again soon, but for now you will have to settle with a thought...

“Since birth modern women have been told we can do and be anything we want. Be an astronaut, head of an internet company, a stay at home Mum. There aren’t any rules anymore and the choices are endless and apparently they can all be delivered right to your door. But is it possible that we gotten so spoiled by choices that we’ve become unable to make one. That a part of us knows that once you choose something; one man, one great apartment, one amazing job, another option goes away. Are we a generation of women who can’t choice just one from column A. Do we all have too much to handle or can we really have it all?”

The Power of Music

I was out for a run today with my trusty side-kick Mr. iPod, when I started to lose my energy. You know that feeling you get when your body wants you to stop, find a couch, and park it?

Well I was about to cave into those feelings when a new upbeat song came on. All of a sudden I got this burst of energy to keep going. For those 3 minutes and 45 seconds I thought that I was unstoppable. Is it because I'm a super fit? No, it was because music is a powerful thing.

I love music. No matter what I'm doing, I have to have music on. At night time I like to listen to soft relaxing music. When I'm getting ready in the morning I like to listen to fun music that I can sing too. When I'm sad I like to listen to music that makes me cry. I even find that music helps me remember those special moments in my life. Haven’t you ever heard a song that felt like it was was written for you because the words really captured what you were feeling? Basically music has always been a constant in my routine but I don't think I have ever truly acknowledged its importance in life. I think we take it for granted.

For years people have been conducting studies that have resulted in hard facts about the power of music. Quite simply, music is good for you physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Particular sounds, tones, and rhythms have been proven to strengthen the mind, unlock the creative spirit and miraculously even heal the body. A perfect example of this is the phenomenon called The Mozart Effect. It offers dramatic accounts of how doctors and health care professionals use music to deal with everything from anxiety to cancer, high blood pressure, even mental illness. Students who sing or play an instrument score higher on standardized test than the national average. During strenuous exercise the upbeat music can lessen fatigue and release endorphins, the body's natural painkillers, like what happened to me. It is even documented that half an hour of classical music produces the same effect as ten milligrams of Valium. That is crazy people!!!

So the next time you want to sit down and watch the television, try turning on the radio instead. Who knows, maybe in twenty years they will realize that listening to a Lionel Richie song at least three times a week will reduce your chances of getting cancer. A girl can always dream!!

I’m AMAZING!

I was at a wedding shower last night that consisted of a lot of laughs and some good old-fashion bowling. I am a terrible bowler. I may have a few good one’s but I realized that they are few and far between a.k.a the lucky one’s. My lack of talent sparked this entry.

Have you ever noticed that no one ever says that they are great at something, sports in particular? Now, I do not know any professional athletes (minus Mike Iggulden – soon to be the next big name in hockey...haha!) so I don't include them in this discussion.

When asked if you are good at a sport have you ever said, “Yes, I’m amazing!”?

Last night I listened to everyone say they were not good at bowling yet many were really good. You can say you are good at your job or cooking, and even admit you are good looking but never in a sport. Is it because sports can be unpredictable and you want to avoid embarrassment or is it the thrill of exceeding someone’s expectations? I often wonder if it is a culture thing. Canadian’s are known to be considerate and somewhat passive. Is it ingrained in us not to brag even though we may be really good at something?

I don’t know the answer but I have really started to notice how many people do this. So to change things up a little, the next time someone asks me if I’m good at golf, I think I may say, “I’m incredible” just to see their reaction.

By the way, I’m only decent at best.

Seat 12C

Watching the news and reading the paper can be addictive. There is always so much going on from shootings to political platforms, but lately the one story that really caught my attention was the imbecile who traveled with tuberculosis.

Health authorities around the world have been scrambling to track passengers from two transatlantic flights after the unidentified 32-year-old man from Georgia supposedly ignored strict advice not to travel and flew to Europe for his wedding and subsequent honeymoon. The man was infected with a rare but dangerous case of "extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis" or XDR-TB. This form of tuberculosis is estimated to be fatal in more than half of the cases.

After flying from Atlanta to Paris, the newlyweds had already passed through Athens and the Greek islands before the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) tracked him down on his cell phone in Rome. They told him his infection had progressed to XDR-TB and asked him to turn himself in to Italian health authorities. He was also placed on a U.S. no-fly list. Told he would be placed in isolation at a hospital in Rome until the CDC figured out how to proceed, the man and his wife decided to circumvent the no-fly order by returning home via Canada. They flew from Rome to Prague and then boarded the flight to Montreal the same day. Unfortunately, Canadian authorities were unaware that an American infected with a potentially deadly form of tuberculosis was on a plane to Montreal until the day after he landed.

The man proceeded to contact the CDC after arriving back in the United States, where he agreed to go into isolation in a New York hospital before he was transferred to Atlanta on a CDC plane.

This is unpalatable behaviour!

Granted, I think it is bad that something so serious was missed or not communicated amongst the airlines, but to me this is not the real issue. The real issue is - when did people stop taking responsibility for their own actions? It is not the airlines responsibility to keep this man from flying. He is a grown man. This man was told to not fly and did. This was a selfish act in what is becoming an "it's all about me" society, and it makes me sad. Instead of thinking of himself he should have been thinking about the children he may have infected or a senior citizen sitting near him whose immune system could have been low. He may survive this disease but others that encountered him may not. This man's actions and disregard for others may cost people their lives. It is a form of murder, similar to people who knowingly have HIV and do not tell the people they have intercourse with.

This incident makes me so angry that I would be speechless if I ever saw this man.

I have heard a rebuttal on the news that the man did not know it was "that bad". My response to this is simply bull. He blatantly avoided flying into the U.S because he knew he would have been stopped. He also contacted the CDC as soon as he returned, which means he knew he was carrying a serious disease and needed care. This is an open and shut case - guilty!!

I hope that the people who were on his flights have not been infected. As for everyone else, I hope the lesson reinstates in all our minds that you and you alone are responsible for your actions, as well as the consequences.

Think first. Speak second.

Have you ever been at the office or out in public and have someone say, "Boy, you look tired today!" We all know this is really code for "Boy, you look like crap today!"

So what happens when you get this comment and you are not tired at all. Do you take it personally?

This happened to me the other day and I felt like saying, "I actually feel pretty good today, but thanks for the feedback". However, being the polite Canadian that I am and not wanting someone to feel uncomfortable, I said that I was feeling very tired.

This blatant disregard for a persons feelings is something I have to discuss. Do people ask questions like this to make themselves feel better or perhaps they want to find out the dirt of why you are tired? Even if the person is tired, don't you think they know that and therefore do not need others pointing it out? Either way, I don't think enough people have watched Bambi to learn the wise lesson of "if you can’t say anything nice, don't say anything at all".

I will be the first to admit that this comment has come out of my own mouth before, but now I am more conscience of it. Instead of saying comments that most people do not want to hear, I try and give comments that make people feel good about themselves. It is a small thing to do, but I know that a compliment goes a long way on me. I try to live by the notion of treating others how I would like to be treated. I compliment people when they get their hair cut, when they have a shirt on that brings out their eyes, or try to remember significant information a person has told me in order to bring it up another time.

These are the comments that should be coming out of our mouths. The kind that makes a persons day.

So next time instead of “Boy, you look tired!” how about saying, “You have a beautiful smile.”

What's your SSB?

My favourite show is and always will be Sex and the City. The title does not do it justice for the brilliant characters and lessons that come out of each and every episode. I know this may sound shocking but I can personally relate to Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda, and yes, even Samantha.

In one episode, Carrie talks about how all women have a SSB or Secret Single Behaviour. In this instance the word single actually does not refer to your relationship status. The key to an SSB, your Secret Single Behaviour, is that it is something you do indulgently and exclusively when alone because the presence of another person, especially a guy, ruins it because it makes you self-conscious about your utterly bizarre behaviour.

Some examples of SSB include:

• Examining your pores up close in a mirror for at least an hour
• Eating an entire pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream before it even has a chance to melt
• Singing in front of the mirror with nothing but socks on

I started to think about what my SSB is. Turns out that I do quite a few things to lift my spirits when I'm alone. Perhaps that is why I’m a generally happy person. As much as I love being out on the social circuit, I really cherish my alone time too. As I have said to many of my girlfriends, you have to be comfortable being alone before you can be with someone else (another topic, for another time).

I will not indulge all my SSB’s since then they would no longer be secret, but I will tell you one. I’m a huge lover of music and listening to it makes me super happy. So when I’m alone I love to play my favourite tunes of the moment, then proceed to sing and dance around my house. What makes this bizarre is that most of the time I’m cleaning while I’m performing this little show (yes I am Monica Gellar from Friends - cleaning gives me pleasure!).

So come on readers! Ladies, guys, ‘marrieds’ and ‘singletons’, tell me your SSB and maybe we can help those who need to be inspired.