When You’re Just Getting — Your Just Desserts (Eating Humble Pie is Easier Than You May Think)

I’m a dessert lover. I’m a chocolate lover. Always have been, always will be.

On a recent trip, I had the delicious opportunity to relish a wonderful lunch at the eatery that creates this luscious dessert. Did I indulge and try it? Nope. Too full from the main course to even consider dessert.

Was that a mistake? Judging from this photo…it might have been. But I figure I can always try it the next time I visit this restaurant. So…mistake or not…it can be rectified.

Unlike choosing what to order for breakfast, lunch, or dinner…some mistakes are harder to swallow. Especially those blunders made at work.

While it’s never fun to have to eat humble pie for something we’ve done wrong, author Sonya Hamlin does have some more “palatable” recommendations to follow when being summoned.

First course - Face the problem.
Second course - Listen!
Third course - Think creatively about solutions.
Fourth course - Be open to what the other person needs and suggests.
Fifth course - Tell the truth about what’s gone wrong.
Sixth course - Embrace a constructive, positive outcome.

If you take these suggestions to heart, both you and your colleague will finish off the meeting without the proverbial pit in your stomach, bile in your throat, or churning in your gut.

Follow these six course offerings and everything will go down easier.

How Wild Is Your Dream?

When you’re “up North,” out in the woods and away from city life, things are wilder. They just are.

Living in “remote and less populated areas” means fewer restraints, fewer have-tos, and more situations where you better be aware of your surroundings and paying attention to what you might otherwise take for granted back home. The fainthearted be warned.

Because venturing out (in the wilds or in life) means encountering some unfriendly obstacles…

ATVs and cyclists darting out from the side paths…

Detours not on the map…

Ruts, stumps, ravines, sudden, sharp turns…taking you by surprise…

If you’re not careful, it’s easy to get sidetracked…then lost.

Same thing can happen with our dreams. We have to decide where we want to go before we can get started –

John Maxwell offers up ten questions to ask ourselves before committing to a new path…because he knows…dreams can be a dangerous path to take.

1. Is my dream really my dream?
2. Do I clearly see my dream?
3. Am I depending on factors within my control to achieve my dream?
4. Does my dream compel me to follow it?
5. Do I have a strategy to reach my dream?
6. Have I included the people I need to realize my dream?
7. Am I willing to pay the price for my dream?
8. Am I moving closer to my dream?
9. Does working toward my dream bring satisfaction?
10. Does my dream benefit others?

After each question, the author lists three sub-questions which bring even greater focus to determining how ready a person is to go after his goal.

Maxwell recommends this self-quiz to test the mental toughness to start and stick with the frequently rocky (and uphill) path to realizing the fulfillment of a dream.

One message he conveys throughout his work is this…

“Dreams come a size too big so that we can grow into them.” Josie Bisset

My Weekly Coffee Date with Mike

It’s become a weekly habit. When the baby goes down for a nap, Mike Wazowski and I have a coffee date.

In the quiet of the kitchen, I can hear the Keurig machine brewing up a large-ish size cup of coffee in only seconds. Pour a little half and half and I’m settled in for some writing time with my favorite cup of comfort (in my favorite character’s mug). Perfect.

What could be better?

Well, I could drink water. Or, I could drink the coffee black. But that wouldn’t be as fun or memorable.

Sometimes a person has to indulge in small ways otherwise who can say……

B-I-N-G-E coming on?

Better some give and take with what we love to eat and drink than the all or nothing (then…too much of anything and everything) approach.

Habits are good things…necessary parts of our daily lives. Some we can tweak and it won’t hurt, others we best not neglect.

For a list of essential habits none of us can afford to mess with, read on.

Dr. Foetisch writes —

Everyone knows that habits are powerful forces that serve to make or break a person’s ability to live optimally through every stage of life. Whether a woman’s highest aim is to successfully manage her own business, run a marathon, or serve her community, she had better become a quick study of those habits that will aid in achieving her goals by fortifying body and soul. Aging comes to everyone, but no one ages in the same way, it really is up to each of us to do the best with what we’ve been given. To start…and finish well…make a mental note to habitually remind yourself to put the following recommendations into practice.

Habits of Self-Control that Give You Control

Walk or exercise several times weekly.

Statistic: With 1440 minutes in every day, allotting 30 minutes to exercise is a small investment that reaps high gains.

Take calcium with Vitamin D supplements daily.

Statistic: Women should take 1500 mgs of Calcium and 800 mgs of Vitamin D supplements per day to help prevent osteoporosis.

Do not smoke.

Statistic: Approximately 23 million (that’s 23 percent of the female population) of American women still smoke cigarettes despite the widely known risk factors for developing cancer.

Get adequate sleep.

Statistic: Most women need between seven and eight hours per night. Sound, restful slumber can be negatively affected by; certain medications, illness, hormones, stress, poor sleep habits, and depression.

Eat a well-balanced diet.

Statistic: Translates into eating breakfast every day. Eating several meals a day. Eating from all the food groups each day.

Drink plenty of water.

Statistic: In general, women require approximately eight 8-ounce glasses of water every day, remembering that needs can vary according to fluctuations in exercise, environment, and illness/heath conditions.

Exhaustion: Decoding Your Body’s Messages and Finding a Healthy Balance

Sleep. It’s a beautiful thing. I wish we were on speaking terms…I really do.

One of life’s little ironies is that some of our hardest times are when our dreams actually do come true.

Paula Rinehart in Better Than My Dreams

Everyone’s heard them and repeated them. They’re frequently humorous or weak attempts at poignant observations concerning the quirky things people do, think, believe, and react to about the foibles of life. But women in particular seem to relish reiterating these expressions for getting the final word. Consider this slim offering of encouragement spoken after a parenting pep talk: Keep your chin up. Or, how about this admonition uttered immediately following a rousing competitive board game in which only one person can win—and knows it: Don’t get a chip on your shoulder. Take those moments when one child attempts to project blame onto his sibling by offering a purposefully confusing account of the discipline-worthy act: Cut to the chase (please). Depending upon their moment-by-moment behavior, kids are considered either the apple of my eye or the bane of my existence.

As amusing as these sayings are, the truth is there often is a grain of truth in every one. Take the idiom getting up on the wrong side of the bed, which is code for issuing the warning, don’t get up grumpy and unsocial. While this phrase is commonly given in jest, there are physiological reasons for women to wake up wrong-sided, and none are laughing matters. According to Dr. Alex Strande, director of Simply Healing Clinic in Irving, California, women’s moods are intensified by ever-changing hormones, which are themselves exacerbated by lifestyle and environmental stress, irregular eating habits, junk food, some pharmaceutical drugs, too much caffeine, too little exercise, and inefficient sleep.

Note in particular the lack of sleep. Women attempt to squeeze far too many hours of work into their twenty-four-hour days. In an age when we women are fulfilling our dreams and excelling equally in the home and workplace, there is real risk of imbalance occurring as we strive to accomplish it all. Not only does this inner race to succeed in all areas compete with our physical health.

It is this need for balance that Dr. Strande cites as vital, because when hormone levels are off, health problems occur with increasing regularity. Some of the more recognizable health concerns women face when hormones are not in balance include depression, mood swings, anxiety, night sweats, irritability, insomnia, fatigue, mental fogginess, and weight gain. Strande tells women to take an overall view of their lives and not look for a pill to make it all go away. Medication often only masks the core problems. We must recognize it is our responsibility to be proactive in all phases of our treatment plan; this entails an intelligent exchange of information with our health care providers, doing necessary homework, and then adopting the steps that will achieve an overall higher quality of life.

A final idiomatic word of advice to spouses, children, and others foolhardy enough to comment on a sleep-deprived woman’s early morning attitude, actions, or attire: Do what your mother always taught you (give her the benefit of the doubt); it may have been a rough and sleepless night indeed.

Takeaway Action Thought: Physical exhaustion is your body’s way of sounding a wake-up call that you’re trying to accomplish too much, too fast, too often.

Weight-Bearing Exercises

What is the most common area in which women repeatedly cut corners so as to complete daily work? Sleep. Hands down, women consistently skimp on the hours we allot for nighttime rest to stay up late enough to finish up or catch up on jobs needing doing. What we don’t realize is we are eventually going to pay an even higher price than we might suppose once our bodies reach that red-alert point. Life is hectic. Demands come in quick succession, and no doubt they always will. There are new opportunities and favorable possibilities around every corner, but there’s only one you, so take good care, and rest responsibly. Make it as serious a business as any professional pursuit you undertake.

· Body facts: Sleep is the time for the body to repair and restore itself.

Life implications: When a woman doesn’t get enough rest, she starts the day with a physical deficit. She feels the effect of the day’s pressures more keenly and frequently finds herself relying on stimulants to push through the day’s responsibilities.

· Body facts: Sleep debt results in mental, emotional, and physical fatigue.

Life implications: The day’s stresses can feel like too much to handle. A woman’s ability to act decisively and with confidence is reduced. Often a woman’s perceptions become skewed as well, causing her to oversensitize the events and situations she would normally dismiss or ignore.

· Body facts: Wound healing, the immune system, and metabolism are negatively affected by lack of sleep.

Life implications: A woman is less able to kick that virus, cold, or other ailment quickly, and she might find her symptoms linger longer and even develop into more serious conditions over time.

· Body facts: Decision making, reasoning, and memory are also directly impaired by sleep deprivation.

Life implications: The ability to creatively problem solve,make plans, and develop presentations is compromised when relying on a tired mind. A woman soon realizes that such tasks take longer and require more energy when she is sleep deprived, thus erasing the time-saving benefit she mistakenly believed her into-the-night work habits profited her.

Feeling Pulled in Every Direction? (With a Little Help from Your Friends)

This photo gives new meaning to that old phrase, “I’m feeling pulled in every direction!“

Unlike this comical visual of good friends who are just having a good time (not at the expense of each other) but because they truly care for one another; choosing friends is serious business.

The truth is we become like those with whom we voluntarily choose to walk through life. Our friends and their choices help to make and mold us. We listen to them. We observe how they handle difficult moments (and how they weather even harder seasons of life). We learn from them often without even being conscious of it.

And, we frequently start mirroring their thoughts, attitudes, and actions in ways we’re often not even aware of — but others are.

Selecting friends is serious business and the same care we extend to teaching our kids to “be careful” as they enter into new friendships, so should we all.

Life Coach/Counselor Sarah Halsey shares some excellent traits to look for in friends who won’t be pulling you in every direction — only the right ones.

What makes a good friend?

Do you sometimes wish people had a sign on them that reads: “I would make a great friend!” or “Stay away, I will stab you in the back?”

Wouldn’t that make it so much easier to choose friends?

Well, actually, your friends will tell you who they really are, if you will just listen AND believe them. Your friends tell you without saying a word.

You need to “listen” with your eyes. Yes, observe your new friends and take note: How do they treat other people? How do they treat their family members? How do they talk about other people when they are with you?

The simple truth is this: The way they treat other people, will eventually be the way they treat you.

If they are judgmental and mean to others, that is the future of your relationship. Do they want the best for their friends or are they jealous and talk behind their backs? Do they routinely lie and cheat?

I am not suggesting you dump friends because of occasional bad behavior. However, a pattern of behaviors, over a period of time will reveal the heart of your friend.

Good or bad heart behaviors will eventually target you! Choose wisely.

A good friend is loyal, listens, is willing to challenge you when you are going the wrong way, speaks the truth and is protective of you.

Take a good look at your friends………. have you chosen wisely?

Eyeing That Which Does You No Good — Food As Powerful Medicine

When I was a kid there was a carry-out store I could see from our kitchen window. I lost count of how many days (nights) I ran down our hill and right through those wooden swinging doors to satisfy a sugar fix. Let’s just say I rarely had “spare change” in my possession. Those were the days when penny candy that could actually satisfy a sweet craving (and then some).

To be honest, it wasn’t just a “carry-out” it was also the place we used to “hang-out.” With a candy bar or some other sickeningly sweet treat in hand, my best friend and I would casually munch while we people watched (never assume a candy store is the place you want your youngsters spending their free time…)

Still, most of the memories are priceless for inside that quaint little country store stood the most delicious looking candy display imaginable and it was situated directly behind the counter and spanning the entire upper half of the wall (so no paying “young or old” customer could avoid its temptations). The store owners were applying “smart marketing” before the term was even coined.

While most of my recollections are pleasant ones of visiting this little store, I have to believe my now adult sugar cravings started way back before nutritionists were warning consumers of its evils.

I admit it, I have to fight this predisposition every single day. Some days I do better than others…

So when I was reviewing a book last week titled, Overcoming Anxiety, Worry, and Fear: Practical Ways to Find Peace, by Gregory Jantz, PhD, I couldn’t help but notice how kids and adults alike find specific ways to soothe their jangled emotions (by eyeing that which does them no good).

Jantz’s words hit me (and my childhood memories) hard.

Food is powerful medicine.

Jantz shares -

“From our first moments of life outside the womb, food has been associated with comfort. Being hungry is uncomfortable, even painful. Being fed is relief. When you were a child, you probably had something given to you to eat as a way to provide comfort – or wish you did. Hurt yourself? Get a cookie. Do well? Have some candy. Food, for most of us, has always been around as a mood-altering mechanism, given to make us feel better or to serve as a reward.

Certain foods not only produce physical comfort but also offer up a helping of emotional comfort. That piece of cake or warm, crusty bread takes you back to the kitchen of your childhood. That cake isn’t just cake; it’s the love you remember and long for. That bread isn’t just bread; it’s the relief of knowing someone else is taking care of you and will make everything better. Sometimes food was the only thing that provided you any sort of relief in a turbulent and chaotic childhood. Food and smells mingle in the mind along with emotions and feelings. They become intertwined and, sometimes, inseparable.”

Yep, they sure do. When I think back to my frequent childhood mad-dashes to the candy store, I was always excited…always anticipating…what I might buy to “fit my mood“…

Even as a kid, I was thinking in those terms…something sweet? something sweet and salty? something tangy? something tart?

The choices were endless and seemingly as changeable (as my mood).

Jantz is right on when he says, “Food is powerful medicine.”

And what do we do with medicine?

We take it as directed…not too much, not too little.

Get hip to it all – Total hip replacement surgery takes precision and skill — and can change a life

An X-ray photo illustration depicts the finished surgery with replacement metal femoral component.

My article in the Monroe Evening News after observing Dr. Foetisch perform a total hip replacement surgery back in May.

Special to The Evening News

In just two hours, a patient can go from days of pain and reduced mobility to a new lease on life.

Those people are among the more than 193,000 who undergo total hip replacement surgeries a year, says the American Acad­emy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Imagine how completely life chang­ing this two-hour investment is to those patients. It’s value? Irreplaceable. And it’s all thanks to a doctor and his surgical team who are precise and methodical in their work — testing and re­testing the new, artificial joint until it fits perfectly.

When a patient requires a new hip, it is no minor problem to solve, but once the surgeon has removed what was damaged and fitted his patient with a brand new hip, the patient most certainly will be saying in a few short weeks’ time, “I don’t just feel better, I feel better than new!”

For most people, a hospital operating room is the last place they want to find themselves.

Not me.

While I prefer to not enter those swinging doors dressed in a gown that ties in the back and escorted in on a bed with wheels, there’s nothing like walking in on my own two feet because I want to be there — as an observer.

To me, reading about a medical procedure is interest­ing. Even watching an online video has its merits. But to my mind, there’s nothing better than to actually be there, in the flesh, studying a surgeon as he uses all his skills to bring renewed health and healing to a patient right before my eyes. From start to finish, the whole process is as amazing to watch as the result is for the patient.

I was reminded of that when I viewed a total hip replacement surgery performed at Flower Hospital in Sylvania, Ohio, by Dr. Christopher A. Foetisch, an orthopedic surgeon whose practice is located at the Toledo Clinic.

Moving around the room so I could get the clearest visual during each step of this intricate procedure, I watched, asked questions, took notes and inwardly marveled at what can be done to remake (and replace) such an essential part of the human anatomy.

PREPARATION FIRST

Here’s how it’s done, and it all starts with the prepa­ration.

First, Dr. Foetisch and his assistant rub the anti­septic Avagard all over their hands and forearms at a simple sink area. They then enter the OR using their shoulders so as to not contaminate their hands and arms. An OR nurse helps them put on their head-to­toe suits (think hazmat in appearance), complete with shielded helmet-like head coverings and rubber gloves. But long before the surgeon enters the room, his team of nurses, surgical technicians and a nurse anesthetist has been working hard to prepare the patient (getting her general anesthesia started and her body positioned correctly) and the surgical trays (the hardware and miscellaneous surgical tools) ready for the operation. Each person knows his or her role and performs it with skill, timing and exact execution.

Picture now the patient under the sway of anesthe­sia, lying on her side so her damaged hip is facing the ceiling. All the key players encircle her as the procedure begins. A circulating nurse “calls out” the patient’s name and what work is being done on her as Dr. Foetisch checks “his signature,” which he wrote on her hip just before she was wheeled into surgery.

The nurses then start disinfecting the entire hip and leg area. Completely draped and covered, only the patient’s hip and leg are exposed when they place Ioban (an antimicrobial adhesive drape that provides a sterile surface to the wound edge at the start of sur­gery and continuous antimicrobial activity throughout the procedure) all over the hip area.

THE FIRST CUT

The doctor measures, marks and then cuts open the hip with an incision about 8 to 10 inches long. He cuts through skin, fat, then fascia (connective tissue) to reach the hip socket itself. Using retractors, his assistants hold the area open (suctioning any blood or cartilage fragments out) as the surgeon inspects the hip closely.

Next, Dr. Foetisch dislocates the hip in one vigorous yet fluid movement and cleans the acetabulum using a reamer attached to a drill (the femoral head is removed before the acetabulum is reamed in order to gain ac­cess to the socket).

Now, the real tricky part begins as the surgeon must fit the largest replacement component that he can into this now empty hip socket. He places various trial sizes into this opening until he achieves the tightest fit possi­ble to ensure this patient’s hip will enable her to move with comfort and stability for years to come.

As the doctor works to create that perfect fit, he taps the femoral cup into place with a metal instru­ment that is termed (hitting the floor) until he hears a change in pitch during the tapping and is satisfied with the result.

Once the surgeon determines the exact size of the acetabular component needed, he tells the sales repre­sentative what he requires. The rep locates the correct replacement part and “calls out” the size and number as the surgeon’s assistants continue to keep the open hip area clear with suctioning tubes.

Depending upon the patient, Dr. Foetisch sometimes will grind bits of the damaged femoral head into small pieces, mixing these tiny bits in a cup and then pack­ing the new acetabular component with them to help promote ongoing bone growth once it is placed into the hip socket.

This metal component then is pressed into place as the surgeon checks and rechecks numerous angled positions before snapping the liner into the cup and securing it.

The canal is cleaned again, this time, however, Dr. Foetisch does the job by hand, rather than power, using a broach.

MAKING THE FIT

Next, the surgeon begins manipulating and moving the leg and hip into different positions before fitting the new metal femoral component into place.

He checks and rechecks the patient’s legs to ensure the correct sized femoral component is used so that they will be the same length after surgery as before.

Reduction is the process of putting the hip back in socket after it is dislocated and is called a “trial” as Dr. Foetisch meticulously examines various trial balls, inserting them, removing them, until, once again, he locates the perfectly sized component to fit his patient’s specifications. The hip is actually dislocated each time during trialing; this is how the different sized heads are placed to determine leg length and hip stability.

The selected femoral component then is “called out” by the sales rep and he hands it to the surgeon who places it into the femur and pounds it into position.

Once Dr. Foetisch gets it exactly right (and he doesn’t stop until he is perfectly satisfied the fit is “perfect”), he moves the component into place and the replace­ment process is finished.

The surgeon then starts to “close up” the wound site, going through the same multi-layered process as when he opened up, only in reverse. Working from the inside out, he sutures the fascia, then the fat and finally the outer skin area before assistants remove the Ioban adhesive drape, disinfect the area and begin applying the special bandages as the patient is readied to move into the recovery area.

There’s something just short of miraculous happen­ing every day in operating rooms around the country and my most recent visit to the OR convinced me of this fact yet again.

The AAOS calls total hip replacement surgery “one of the most important surgical advances of the last century.” It’s development since 1960 has helped mil­lions of people enjoy their everyday activities once again.

Michele Howe is a LaSalle resident and author of “Burdens Do a Body Good.”

iPause – Do You?

“Lifestyle diseases – what are they? Simply put, lifestyle diseases are those diseases caused by the way in which we live our life. Perhaps lifestyle disease is communicable. You catch it through prosperity.”

Will Samson in Enough: Contentment in an Age of Excess

Every morning I open up my inbox(es) and read several different commentaries by my favorite writers. A few days ago, one of these authors used the term, “iPause” and how important it is to stop, pause, be still.

I read this essay fast and got moving on to my next task, but I couldn’t shake the message that I couldn’t seem to stop, let alone pause and be still? not without all this internal dialogue going on. I felt confined and hemmed in by my own choices.

Then, I had a day alone…didn’t talk to one person…and what I discovered made me sort of heart-sick. It took me almost an entire day to “be still” inside. The good news is that being alone forces you to think about things (and think things through) that you might otherwise not force yourself to do on a busy day.

So all by myself, iPaused. I stepped back and did my own little version of iPause-ing….and it helped me regain some perspective, narrow down some goals, and rethink some responsibilities.

Just like this author suggested…when “I” Pause…it’s a good thing. A freeing step to an otherwise self-confining existance.

And if I can pause, so can you.

A few iPause thoughts from our book…Burdens Do a Body Good.

Setting the Standard: Recognize how the culture
affects and impacts every buying decision you make.
From the time you get up in the morning until you
lay your head down at night; you are constantly bombarded
with the media’s influences persuading you
that no matter what your income level, your standard
of living isn’t enough. Remedy: Recognize you’re not
immune to society’s influence.

At Home: Develop a long-term plan for better financial,
relational, and physical health. Look around your
home and ruthlessly get rid of what you don’t use. Do
a mental inventory of your key relationships and honestly
assess which are healthy and which are not and
be willing to remove yourself from them or do the hard
work of changing the dynamics. Take a look at your
physical state and take the first steps toward better
health by decreasing your input and increasing your
output. Remedy: Consume less and give more across
every area of your life.

Out and About: With fresh eyes, purposefully look
with intent to see the world around you as would a foreigner
from a Third World country. Be alert to excess in
its endless forms, be aware of material waste of every
type, and be willing to say no to yourself, so that you
can say yes to the needs of others. Remedy: Become
the most creative (contented) consumerist you know.

Whatever Your Destination — Travel Tips for Staying Healthy Stay the Same

I like to travel. I like to anticipate what I’ll experience when I arrive.

New places. New people. New tastes, sights, and smells.

Love the whole “new” experience.

I also like to ensure I’ll be healthy wherever my foot steps…and that takes a special kind of planning.

Any trip takes a good amount of preparation, but there’s an equally important pre-trip planning that should take place before every trip we take — and that’s planning to travel healthy.

If you’re not sure what that type of planning looks like, read on for specific recommendations offered by a physician who understands how making wise medical decisions while on vacation is just part of taking care of yourself (and your family).

Dr. Foetisch writes —

When planning a trip away from home, the last thing a vacationer wants to contemplate is the possibility of becoming ill while away. By making a few in advance preparations, anyone can help to ensure their vacation will be optimally healthy and safe. Read below to be certain you’ve prepared a wellness “check list” for travels in the States and overseas.

Before you go:

• Take a list of all medications and known allergies.

• Include your primary care physician and pharmacy phone numbers.

• Keep all medications packed in your carry-on, not in checked luggage.

• If traveling for an extended time, be sure to bring a refill.

During travel:

• If you or a family member becomes ill, contact the hotel concierge or someone you know locally to find out where to go for medical care.

• A referral increases the odds of getting optimal treatment. Don’t simply go to the nearest (or most convenient) clinic or urgent care facility.

Special considerations:

• Those individuals prone to illness should consider travel health insurance before leaving.

• Medical evacuation insurance is particularly helpful for overseas travel and can be purchased for a reasonable fee.

• Refer to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention travel site for specific information/warnings regarding the country you are intending to visit.

Final Word:

Despite what we read in the news, the United States does have the best medical care in the world. So given the option, do your best to get back home to be treated. As the old saying goes, “There is no place like home” truly applies to health care.

There’s More To The Story (There Always Is…)

When you see a picture (or hear a story), you know there’s more behind what you see (or hear).

There always is.

This photo shows our family’s recent wedding…but what it says to me is different than what it may say to you.

From my perspective, I see…

1. Years of parenting culminating in a joyous event (Katlyn’s wedding).
2. Years of individual growth for each girl in the photo (physical/mental/emotional/spiritual).
3. Years of evolving and changing relationships (between the girls and myself).
4. Years of investment in young lives filled with lots of promise (as I look to their futures).

From your perspective, you might see…

1. Four females dressed in wedding attire.
2. Four females who might not even know one another.
3. Four females who might or might not get along.
4. Four females who might not ever see each other again.

In everything in life, perspective (and where you go with it) is important.

Personally, I don’t want to merely see people from a distance. I want to really “see” them, know their story, share their struggles (and their joys), and never simply take a passing glance at person and assume I fully understand them.

The truth is the same for you and for me (there’s always more to the story).