Okay, now I’m back to positive changes! Yippee! (I still have one more day doing books at the other Safeway, though.) I am Thrilled to start Thinking about good Things.

One positive change I’ve made has to do with Touch. I’m pausing here, thinking about when the change was made. My husband and I have been married 36 ½ years. We married one year after graduating high school and we had been dating for three years prior. We have 5 children, with eleven years between the oldest and youngest. Any way without further explanation we had lost “touch” with each other. In high school, we held hands ‘til our palms were sweaty. We were unreserved in our PDA’s. We were inseparable.  After all this time together, I expressed how I missed just making contact with him. And to my surprise, he missed it, too. So we made an effort to hug and kiss goodbye like we really loved each other, and even when we go to bed at separate times, I will reach over and hold his hand or he will reach over and hold mine. I can’t explain how wonderful just these little touches feel. It’s like I’m falling in love all over again. It makes me appreciate what a wonderful man I married.

Another change – we actually Turn off the TV and Talk! It may only be 5 minutes but it’s not about a problem or a disagreement, it’s just about how our day went. Like Touching, Talking is another way we are connecting with each other. We may have had a bad day, but it sure makes a difference when someone Takes the Time to allow you to decompress.

I want to go back to Touch for a minute, because I don’t just reserve physical contact for my husband. A hug, shoulder touches, holding hands while praying, speaks volumes of love and concern to others. I know I always feel better when I’m on the receiving end.

And lastly, let me not forget: Tea! I am a tea drinker. I never could drink coffee, and I never liked Lipton Iced Tea, but when I discovered a world of teas with honey and cream – well – yummm! Now I have a collection of teapots and a tea kettle, as well as, insulated cups just for tea, no coffee allowed. I have tried a variety of teas finding that you do get what you pay for. All my favorites are more expensive than the normal brands. I have had to make changes at first I used cream, (on Atkins) then changed to half-n-half, then gave up dairy and tried various non-dairy creamers settling on a French vanilla soy creamer, which I then had to eliminate the honey. Now I’m following more of a Paleo Diet so I had to learn how to combine my almond milk in the right ratio with tea, water and now raw honey. I almost lost my love for tea in the transition, but now I’ve come to the right combination. So two of my favorites are: Numi Chocolate Pu-erh and Teavana Earl Grey Crème. There’s nothing like sitting in my chair in my robe and slippers in the morning sipping tea!

I had to come back and add this after the fact since I remembered while brushing my teeth. I’ve been waiting to share I make our Toothpaste now. I’m very happy with it. I even made “Thanksgiving” flavor last November with rum extract, cinnamon and clove! Now we are back to peppermint, who knows what flavor will be next!