Shell's Sentiments

The holidays are a stressful time for many people. Not only is there more to do, but there’s also a family dynamic that often brings more stress. Siblings, Parents, Cousins...and let’s not forget that uncle who, every year, you wish would just stay at home.But instead of wrapping one more package this holiday season, why not “wrap up” those pressing family matters that are a source of ongoing stress.   This is not fun for anyone, but….

Holiday spending often leads to bigger bills in January. But have you thought about rolling into 2021 with finances that are solid, a budget, you can follow and laser-beam focus on getting out of debt? In a recent post, I talked about wrapping up 2020 so you can create the life you want next year.  But for too many people, “wrapping up” their finances in December means ignoring their credit limit, spending too much, and saying “I’ll get to it” when it comes to eliminating debt. Stop being a slave to money and debt. That’s not cool. 

There is something about homemade sausage balls that lets you know the Holidays are near. Well, if we are being honest, this recipe is so good I make sausage balls year round.  Especially during the school year. Sausage balls are my go-to quick breakfast on those lazy mornings. 

I think it is safe to say that 2020 was a year that many people were focused on their health.Were you?  While many people were busy social distancing and stockpiling, many people overlooked other health conditions, zoned out or skipped their workouts altogether,  rationalized work-at-home snacking, and saw their stress levels skyrocket. 

I know most people are ready for 2020 to be over with. Tossed to the side like it never happened, but can I offer up a suggestion? Go back and count your blessings & accomplishments. Take inventory of the things in your life.  I am sure many good things, if not great things happened to you this year. They have just been overlooked by all the distractions going on.

Relationships are a two-way street. That includes all types of relationships. Marriages, relationships with parents. Relationship with siblings. Or a relationship with friends. It takes both parties working together in order for a relationship to work. If you are the only person in the relationship constantly working towards making this relationship work. It is possible the other person doesn't value this friendship in the same manner that you value the friendship.And that is perfectly okay. There is nothing wrong with the other person not having the same level of dedication to the relationship as you.

There is this false narrative floating around that we need to be happy all the time. We are being told we can't just sit back and process a unique, difficult, or bad situation. Instead, people are telling us we need to find the good. Search out the blessing. Or worse, just get over it. 

STOP, and get your mind out of the gutter. I am talking about laundry stripping. Have you ever heard of laundry stripping?The first time I heard about it was back in March. I thought it was kind of silly. To me, it sounded like it was just like soaking your clothes using the soak cycle on your washing machine. But a lot more work.

We need to change the way we view asking for help. This topic was sparked off of a conversation with a teenager who needed to ask for help to do something.Back story a piece of paper needed to be taken into a building and they didn't feel comfortable doing it. My suggestion was why don't you ask Jill to do it. 

Do you serve or volunteer out of a place of wanting to help or because of a nudge forcing you to do it? For fear of saying no?  Even more importantly are you serving because you are looking for a place to fit in or are you seeking approval? I know for me, it was the latter. I was constantly saying yes to people when I really wanted to say no. But the fear of letting people down bothered me. Then there was me trying to find my place to fit-in. And lastly only because I hate to admit it I was seeking approval from other people.