I have been reading many different posts on this Blogstream for a while now and I have come to the conclusion that many people are very unhappy with their lives in one way or another. Today, while brushing my teeth, it occurred to me that, as a whole, we don't take very good care of ourselves in the mental health area of our lives. We go to the dentist 2 times a year to make sure our teeth and oral hygiene are up to par. We go to the doctor for our annual checkups armed with a description of all our symptoms and questions of every sort as to "am I OK"????. He/she calms our fears, gives us medication as needed, and tells us how to take good care of ourselves, what to watch for, and when to return. We have our eyes and our vision checked, and if needed, we wear glasses or contacts to help us see the world more clearly. We even have our hearing checked to make sure that we aren't missing sounds. If there is anything in these physical check ups that needs to be adjusted the doctor gives us whatever is needed to help us function better and be happier people. They teach us how to take care of ourselves, and tell us what signs we need to watch for improvement or decline, and when to return for further treatment.

Yea yea you are saying- tell me something I don't know. OK, here is my point. Why aren't we doing the same for our minds? Why aren't we seeing a mental health professional for a check up? Why is there such a stigma about going to see the "head" doc? If we took care of our minds as routinely as we do our bodies I think we would be so much happier and healthier. If we went to a mental health professional on a routine basis and explained to them our feelings, our inner struggles, our fears, our "symptoms" that we are having and allowed them to guide us, to soothe us, to help us to treat ourselves, to help us understand what is normal and what isn't... wouldn't we be better off than the way it is now? Than struggling and wondering why? Why do I feel this way? What can be done to help?

I am as guilty as next person in my failure to make sure my emotional well being is checked by a professional.

No, I am not a mental health professional. I just think that we should take better care of our mental health and maybe we could avoid some of the mental pain that we feel just as we avoid physical illness and pain. It should be just as routine as our physical check-ups.

Ok then

1. I sometimes "borrow" a Coke from our patient supply because I need the pick-me-up and I don't have 50 cents for the machine in the lounge.

2. I once told a childrens photographer that my family had died in an accident so he would quit pressuring me to buy lots of photos of my kids.

3. When I was about 10, a friend showed me how to take the already returned pop (soda) bottles from the back of the store, back up to the front of the store for the 5 cent refund. Candy bars were a nickle so the idea sounded pretty good to me until the manager caught us and I had to face my parents and the "work "punishment that they came up with.

4. I used to skimp on my families groceries and put the money in a secret savings acct. (hey! I was saving for school and my kids ALWAYS had plenty of healthy food so the "sin" was hiding the money from my then hubby)

5. I let the IRS assume that I live in a house that my daughter supposedly rents from me (if she EVEN pays the rent) to avoid paying capital gains when I sell the "rental" property. (Hey! I really did live there in the not too distant past and I pay 90% of the costs of that place and just because I choose to sleep and eat elsewhere.....)

6. I have told the state that the sales price of a car was much lower than it actually was so the buyer can avoid paying higher sales tax and others have done the same for me. (Hey! am I detecting a pattern of cheating the govt??? OMG!!!!)

7. I have omitted a managerial position that I held for 6 lousy weeks from my resume because I think it is a negative rather than a positive statement. (And I want to forget I EVER took that position)

NUFF SINNIN for me. Anybody else care to go for it?

DORMITORY:
When you rearrange the letters:
DIRTY ROOM

PRESBYTERIAN:
When you rearrange the letters:
BEST IN PRAYER

ASTRONOMER:
When you rearrange the letters:
MOON STARER

DESPERATION:
When you rearrange the letters:
A ROPE ENDS IT

THE EYES:
When you rearrange the letters:
THEY SEE

GEORGE BUSH:
When you rearrange the letters:
HE BUGS GORE

THE MORSE CODE:
When you rearrange the letters:
HERE COME DOTS

SLOT MACHINES:
When you rearrange the letters:
CASH LOST IN ME

ANIMOSITY:
When you rearrange the letters:
IS NO AMITY

ELECTION RESULTS:
When you rearrange the letters:
LIES - LET'S RECOUNT

SNOOZE ALARMS:
When you rearrange the letters:
ALAS! NO MORE Z 'S

A DECIMAL POINT:
When you rearrange the letters:
IM A DOT IN PLACE

THE EARTHQUAKES:
When you rearrange the letters:
THAT QUEER SHAKE

ELEVEN PLUS TWO:
When you rearrange the letters:
TWELVE PLUS ONE

AND FOR THE GRAND FINALE:

MOTHER-IN-LAW:
When you rearrange the letters:
WOMAN HITLER

Hummmmm. thinking.. thinking.. thunk.

1. My favorite pet was a cross eyed male Siamese named Buster. He was sweet, loving, and loyal.

2. We make our own homemade Kahlua. Yummy. Tastes as good as the "real" stuff at a fraction of the cost. Great for gifts too.


3. I used to be a ceritified competitive swimming official and volunteered at swim meets for years while my kids were on swim team.

4. The S.O. and I met through an online dating service. The computer did not match us. I saw his "about me" and his Pic. After several days I summoned up the nerve to contact him and here we are 4 1/2 years later.

5. I graduated from high school after just 3 years. I took no study halls and just one summer class to get out a whole year early!! Yippee!

Well thats just about enough "fun" things about me for this week. Whos next?

As income tax time approaches, did you ever notice:
When you put the two words "The" and "IRS" together
it spells "THEIRS"?