Life Lessons at the Dentist

...and I'm not talking about flossing!

We have all been there - lying in the chair at the dentist's office staring up at blank ceiling tiles.  The hygienist is doing her thing while having a conversation with you and all you can say is "uh-huh" because she's busy scraping plaque off your teeth!

Yes, I did have a dentist appointment this afternoon, I did have my teeth cleaned, and no - I did not have any cavities!  =)  I did, however, find inspiration while I was there!  Jennifer, the dental hygienist, posted this on the ceiling for her patients to see while they are lying face up staring at what would be blank ceiling tiles. 

21 Suggestions for Success
(by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.)

1. Marry the right person.  This one decision will determin 90% of your happiness or misery.
2. Work at something you enjoy and that's worthy of your time and talent.
3. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
4. Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.
5. Be forgiving of yourself and others.
6. Be generous.
7. Have a grateful heart.
8. Persistence, persistence, persistence.
9. Discipline yourself to save money on even the most modest salary.
10. Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated.
11. Commit yourself to constant improvement.
12. Commit yourself to quality.
13. Understand that happiness is not based on possessions, power, or prestige, but on relationships with people you love and respect.
14. Be loyal.
15. Be honest.
16. Be a self-starter.
17. Be decisive even if it means you'll sometimes be wrong.
18. Stop blaming others.  Take responsibility for every area of your life.
19. Be bold and courageous.  When you look back on your life, you'll regret the things you didn't do more than the ones you did.
20. Take good care of those you love.
21. Don't do anything that wouldn't make your Mom proud.

Sometimes lists like these just reach out and grab us!  There is no telling how many lives she has touched by this one simple act. She even had copies available for people to take with them when they leave.  I guess she's had people ask before. 

This was just such a great list so I decided to share it like Jennifer did.

Stuck

Yesterday morning, as I was getting ready for work, I heard this out-of-the-norm noise.  I thought the neighbors had someone working in their yard or maybe on their house.  Well, then I started to think this unusual noise was coming from our basement.  After several minutes passed, I was convinced that there was someone or something in our basement.  I actually went downstairs ("armed" with a broom of course) and checked things out.  Now this would NEVER happen at night because I am totally scared of our basement at night.  I actually make Misha go downstairs with me if I have to get laundry out of the dryer.  He tried to put Christmas lights down there to make it "happier", but I totally wish we had an actual laundry room in the upstairs part of our house.  

Anyway!  I digress!  Back to this weird noise - well, nothing in the basement!  Thank goodness because I don't know how much protection the broom would have been.  I finish getting ready, put on my shoes, take one last glance in the mirror and head out the door.  Then I hear this noise AGAIN!  This time around, I see the gutter on the side of the house moving.  There is some sort of critter in there!  I knew it was either a squirrel or chipmunk.  YES!  We have chipmunks!  They are adorable!  

 Well, I'm on a pretty tight schedule to get to work in the mornings so I didn't have time to save this creature.  I call Misha and tell him.  So fast-forward to the end of the day...I'm coming home from my yoga class, pull in the driveway and Misha is banging on the side of our house.  What in the world?!?!  Has this man gone crazy????  What was he doing???  Oh yeah - oops!  I had forgotten about our critter.  Bless this little thing's heart!  She had been in there all day!

It did turn out to be a squirrel.  I secretly wanted it to be a chipmunk though - did I mention they are the cutest things?  I would have named him Alvin. 

This poor thing didn't realize that she could just go down.  She had been trying to climb her way up all day!  Bless her little heart!

Her little bottom was sticking out of the gutter and she absolutely would not let go.  She kept trying to climb up instead of letting go and getting out!  We finally had to run a water hose and spray down the gutter so she would slip and fall.  I was worried that she would be so stunned and traumatized, but the minute she hit the ground, she took off running towards the closest tree.  I've never seen a squirrel move so fast.  Well, she learned her lesson and won't got climbing into gutters again!

We saved the day!  At least for this little squirrel anyway.  =)