I try to remind myself often to give thanks and be grateful for any and all positive things in my life. When difficult times roll around it is not easy to keep oneself in a 'grateful' mode but that is what the Universe needs - and if you can remember that whatever 'goes around, comes around' then you will realize that eventually you will reap the rewards that manifest from your original good thoughts and actions.

Keeping a positive frame of mind eventually begets positive energy flowing back to you. It sounds all well and good, but to keep at it, day after day, is not as easy as you might think.

As we get older we lose more and more people who have played a part in our lives and, to me, that is one of the harshest realities that I have had to deal with - constantly saying goodbye to friends and loved ones year after year. As soon as I get back on my feet from a loss, along comes another wave of heartache that I seem to be left to deal with, all while staying focused on every day life of working, paying bills and just staying 'in the game'. Sometimes you just want to pick up your marbles and lose the game and just not care anymore!

I notice that my priorities have changed also - probably to the better; i.e., I don't find the joy in buying things the way I used to when I was younger - is it maturity - or something else at work here? I don't need the 'bling' or the latest designer bag - they just do not fulfill any need that I may have. What I do want is to be true to myself. Twice in the same day recently I came across the old adage, 'To thine own self be true'. That was an omen. I try to be on the alert and pay attention to these signals from the Universe - it's either a reminder or a warning. I tend to have a high threshhold for abusive people - and all too often they seem to find me and try to take advantage. I need to learn to detach and walk away from these types of people - even if they are in my immediate circle.

By being true to myself I mean not allowing myself to tolerate any bad behavior - from anyone, I don't care who that may be - bosses (and I've had some abusive egomaniacal jerks), co-workers, acquaintances - even family members. Part and parcel of that is that I realize also that I do not suffer fools gladly. Life is too short. I don't want a fool wasting my precious time. By the term 'fool' I mean people such as - those people who tend to take advantage of a person or situation; people who are ungrateful, lazy, inconsiderate. Gossippy, opinionated and/or judgmental (usually unhappy, bitter) neighbors or co-workers are one of my biggest pet peeves.

Moral support is a big issue for me. I truly believe that when you have moral support from family and friends in your life - you are richer by far than someone else who has none but has enormous wealth. One needs to know that they can toss around a problem with a friend or loved one to get some perspective on it, as well as to know that if you are in need of help, it is there for you no matter what the situation may be.

You probably have your own list and your own set of issues that you deal with on a daily or weekly basis - or have dealt with in the past that make your blood temperature rise. I know we are supposed to let go of or ignore the 'small stuff'' - as in, 'don't sweat the small stuff'...sometimes though it is tons of this stuff that we are fending off on a perpetual basis and then it tends to pile up until it feels like all your senses are being assaulted - emotionally and mentally until you reach a breaking point.

Hopefully, you don't let things get that far out of hand before you put a stop to it one way or another. It could be anything - family problems, work / co-worker problems, employer/boss situations, neighbors (the ones who just love instigating trouble); any type of abuse - mental, emotional and/or physical. Run - don't walk to the nearest exit if it is at all possible to get away from these types of people - these are people who will never change. Try to surround yourself with people who care about you. This has been difficult for me as my family is spread out all over the United States. And, I have experienced my share of jealous and/or resentful individuals in my life who seemed as though they wanted to step into my shoes and live my life. These types of people are negative and you certainly cannot thrive in that type of environment.

As we approach the holidays keep your chin up. I know this is a difficult time - for all of us. If each of us could keep a positive frame of mind as much as possible, it would resonate and come back to us threefold. Positive begets positive. Conversely, negative (thinking) only begets more negativity in our lives.

I'm thankful for you, my readers. I sincerely hope you had a (positively) memorable Thanksgiving. 'See' you next week!