Some Things I Refuse to Do

• I refuse to wear a bikini in public.
• I refuse to covet these shoes, or at least a pair similar to them. This one is really, really hard because I really, really want them. NO! Must resist. I need them like I need a hole in the head. But I really, really want them. AAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!
• I refuse to give up sugar entirely. Eating less of it. Fine. Totally stopping eating it. ABSOLUTELY.NO.WAY!
• I refuse to complain about the current weather we are experiencing. This is something I've been thinking about for weeks. Then, a couple of weeks ago, she (really love her by the way) said the same thing on facebook and I was so glad that I wasn't the only one who felt this way. I just can't complain about a little soggy weather when there's such sadness and tragedy caused by natural disasters all around the world. Think of the terrible floods in the Midwest. I can't imagine watching my livelihood being washed away. Think of the people in Japan who are still being affected daily by the earthquake and tsunami and the damage they caused. And will be for years to come. Think of the people in Haiti, for heaven's sakes. They're still trying to recover from they earthquake they experienced. I can live with the rain. I can deal with cooler temperatures because, for the moment, it's keeping my grass green. All too soon, it's going to be hot and dry and then the constant, uphill battle of keeping it green will begin. I know I mentioned last year around this time that winter does seem to throw me into a bit of a funk. I tend to stay inside when it's cold out. Doing that isn't good for me. If I stay in for too long, I tend to get weird. And when I get weird, I want to stay inside for longer. It's not good because I get even more weird. I think it's why I tend to take long breaks from blogging. The weirdness prevents me from forming coherent thoughts. But I'm fighting it now. It's why I'm blogging more frequently. I'm fighting the weird. I'm not going to complain. I'm not going to let the silly weather get me down. Each day is a gift whether warm & sunny, or wet,dark and cold.
• I refuse to complain about my husband's job because he has one. He has one. Sure, he can work long hours. Sure, the traveling he did in the past was rough. Sure, he was on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for 11 years and that affected our lives constantly. I was very rarely able to count on plans I made. I had to keep all plans "soft", or realize that I may have to interrupt them and leave, or cancel them altogether because he had to go on a service call. But at least he had one then and still has one. And has been with the same company for 17 years. That's practically unheard of today. I can't remember what the average number of jobs an American will have in their lifetime is, but I know it's a lot. As long as this company is still afloat, Ryan will have a job and that's a blessing. There are still millions of people in this country who are without one and would trade him places in a heartbeat.
• I refuse to let a day go by without telling someone I love them.
• I refuse to let the fact that my children complain about chores, stop me from having them do them. They need to learn the value of work and they also need to learn that sometimes, work can be hard. They may not think it right now, but they're going to thank me. Someday.
• I refuse to let my bedroom continue to be ugly. I found a new (to me) desk and nightstand at Deseret Industries. I've painted them white because I really want to lighten up the look of my room. Plus, it kind of reminds me of the French Country style that I am finding myself drawn to more and more. I used to think that I was more of a Mid-Century modern, or contemporary type of girl. I've found that I'm really more of a comfortable, lived in type of one. I'm still using my old desk because I'm going to need help getting it out. Plus, I still need to figure out what to do with the stuff that's in the drawers. Probably toss it because I very rarely look at any of it. I think that means it must go.
• I refuse to let my faults, shortcomings, weaknesses, and things I can't do, or may not do very well get me down. Because there are plenty of things that I can do. I refuse to compare myself to others. I refuse to think that what I have and am isn't enough. I am a person of worth. (Am I the only one who has to give themselves pep talks like this?☺) This quote says it all for me on this subject:

"Every day we see allurements of one kind or another that tell us what we have is not enough. Someone or something is forever telling us we need to be more handsome or more wealthy, more applauded or more admired than we see ourselves as being. We are told that we haven't collected enough possessions or gone to enough fun places. We are bombarded with the message that on the world's scale of things we have been weighed in the balance and found wanting. Some days it is as if we have been locked in a cubicle of a great and spacious building where the only thing on the TV is a never-ending soap opera entitled Vain Imaginations. But God does not work this way." Jeffrey R. Holland.

Yep! Another quote from him. I told you I love him so, expect to see many more from him.