"Abandon" Doesn't Have To Be A Dirty Word

I have never cared for the word, abandon. In my mind, it always conjured up only negative visions.

However, just recently, I have come to the conclusion that there are many things in my life that actually need to be abandoned. There is not enough time left in my life to accomplish even a small fraction of the projects I have started and bogged down in over the years.

My sewing room is full of half-done garments; my spare bedroom bookshelf contains more books than I could read if I read from daylight til dark for the next ten years; three drawers of my desk overflow with partially written articles and even a novel or two; and there is a huge box in the family room filled with brochures from all the places I truly intended to visit. I even have an idle keyboard with half a dozen music books and a guitar tucked safely away in its case in hopes that, someday, I will find time to learn to play one or both of them. And that isn't counting the dreams I have of coming up with a way to make a fortune online, etc., etc.

I can't describe the stress all these unfinished projects have placed upon me. Every Monday, I make a new, "to do" list for the week and include at least one long term unfinished project, only to find on Friday, that another week has ended with most of my "to do" items still undone.
Sound familiar?

But tell me this. Is there any law, written or unwritten, that says we have to finish every project we ever start?

So, after spending some time this afternoon contemplating the meaning of "abandon" I have come to the conclusion that discarding most of the projects I described above would be a very liberating experience. I'm going to do it! I am going to commit abandonment......

Will I feel guilty? Probably--at least for a little while, but I suspect the guilt will pass. Anyone care to join me?

How Would Your Teen React If YOU Decided To Run For President? (Or Even Vice President?)

Kids between 12 and 16 have plenty on their plates already, without mom or dad deciding to turn their lives upside down by doing something like running for public office--especially the office of president of the United States. But---just in case you have some vague political aspirations lurking in the back of your mind, you might want to pick up at least one copy of a hilarious book called, "As If Being 12 ¾ Isn’t Bad Enough, My Mother Is Running For President," by Donna Gephart.

This book is guaranteed to make you, your pre-teens, and even your older teenagers laugh. Poor Vanessa, the star of the book, is a bit of a klutz who figures that her mom should be helping her through this difficult time of her life instead of always off making speeches, or being on call to other people who aren’t even related to her.

Vanessa would much prefer that people didn’t notice her, but that is a pretty hopeless goal since she is now required to travel with a bodyguard, and pretty much expected to be on public display 24-7. Her mom is already a governor, so you would think Vanessa would be used to all the publicity, but it seems to be getting worse every day.

Vanessa’s crush on Reginald Trumball, along with her tendency to trip over enormous feet when she is nervous, and her somewhat deficient (at least in her own eyes) figure are just a few of the problems that threaten to consume her.

Then, just when you think things couldn’t get worse, notes threatening her mother’s life begin to appear in Vanessa's locker. What to do? Can Vanessa take care of this situation by herself, or will she need help?

Ms Gephart's book seems to have come along at a very convenient time in our country’s history. Not only is it a good read just for the entertainment, but it also offers a glimpse into our country's political system, and a really nice look at a wonderful mother-daughter relationship.

Grab a copy for yourself, and I think you’ll be back for several more to give to the young girls, and maybe even a few boys you know.