Ever Have One of Those Days?

Yesterday was not the best day in BridgettLand. I was physically tired, mentally exhausted, and emotionally frazzled.

The combination of being down on so many fronts rendered my spirit joyless. This had not happened to me in a long time. And over the years I've learned that it's much easier to guard against, than it is to recover.

However, I had not realized that certain circumstances beyond my control which I was about to endure on Monday, would require some extra protective gear. So yesterday I was...wiped...out.

The good news was that I had enough awareness to know that even though it all seemed very real, very oppressive, and very permanent, it wasn't.

I also knew enough to engage my will, rather than continue to allow myself to dig deeper into my little black hole that was sucking the life out of me.

Yes, BridgettLand can be a nice little roller coaster ride when the negative invaders gain too much territory.

In order to avoid my foe from getting a foothold in my mind, my weapon of choice yesterday was Aretha Franklin singing  "Accentuate the Positive".

Given all the other options I have such as prayer, a supportive husband, God's Word, the listening ear of my mom, it was amusing to me that a simple song, played more than a few times, was so effective!

It was amusing and also quite telling...sometimes we make mountains out of molehills. Sometimes that overwhelming circumstance is really of our own creation, in our own mind.

I've learned that turning around and not engaging with the garbage, and moving forward in the opposite direction towards the good stuff, seems to be the best response.

Life is too short, too precious, filled with so many possibilities and positives, to allow myself to get caught up in the muck and mire. And most of the time it's really as simple as this song says:

You've got to accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
And latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between
You've got to spread joy up to the maximum
Bring gloom down to the minimum
Have faith or pandemonium's
Liable to walk upon the scene

Microsoft Tags...Have You Seen Them?

I was flipping through an Artistry catalog, and after having it for about a month and looking it a half a dozen times, I finally investigated the little colorful squares that appear on a couple of the pages.

These squares are called "tags." And the purpose, is to direct you to digital content like a video or a website.

How do they work?
*First you download the application gettag.mobi on to your phone.
*Launch the app and scan the tag with your phone. Scanning means holding your phone a certain distance and then let the app "find" the tag. My phone gave a little vibrate when it captured the tag.

*Your phone will then take you to a web address which will, in the case of Artistry's Ultimate Confidence Campaign catalog, show a one-minute video.

I like the mobility that these tags provide, like being able to show a quick video on my phone, because the tags are now in my history that I can pull up anytime.

But I'm thinking that these tags (which could be placed anywhere, even on a billboard) have more impact for those who are high tech and more mobile, like the younger generations. Are their phones the primary way they go online? Are laptops so 20th century?

For more info, even on how to create your own tags, visit the Microsoft Tag website  at tag.microsoft.com

The Power Brands--Artistry and Nutrilite

This is Part Three of our visit to the Welcome Center at Amway. Here is Amway Visit Part One and Amway Visit Part Two.

We then headed over to the Artistry section. It was a highlight of my visit. I really wanted to use this machine.
First, you want to sit comfortably on that black stool, unlike me. Then you rest your chin inside, close your eyes, and it takes five flash images. Within a minute or two, the computer screen displays your skin analysis. So cool!

Next we moved over to the Nutrilite section.
"By growing, harvesting, and processing plants on its own certified organic farms, Nutrilite is able to include a wide array of high-quality plant nutrients in its products."

Lots of information on the oldest (76 years) and largest ($3 billion in annual sales) global supplement company.

Lots of information on health and what factors (air, hydration, diet, lifestyle choices) contribute to the aging process.

My kids' favorite display was learning how a Nutrilite tablet is made, because at the end, you pull the lever and a gold coin pops out. They did it four times, giggling each time, before mamma had to distract them and get us all out of there before the Amway police were called.