The dork in all of us.

You must embrace your dorky-ness. To deny it is to deny a part of yourself. - Samantha Betts

I know what you're thinking. Today, I quoted myself. Yes, it appears to be shameless self-promoting, but I do have a point.

If you haven't had the chance to see Sydney White, check it out on HBO or rent it. While not one of the more remarkable films this generation has presented (let's face it, the acting, directing, writing, and everything else is lacking a certain refinement that classics tend to possess - it's no Gone With the Wind), it has an endearing quality that may give you that fuzzy warm feeling. And it also provides a lesson that everyone, even adults, need to be reminded of every once in a while.

None of us can claim perfection. In all honesty, few people would want to be around perfection; it gets old fast. Life is made up of conflict, debate, wittiness, awkwardness, and all other manner of personality traits. In short, life is not perfect. That's good. It keeps it interesting.

Furthermore, the short tale of Sydney White reminds us that which we all possess some level of, that quality that made you and I the butt of many a joke in high school (and possibly beyond). We are weird, harbor strange fascinations, hide bizarre habits. And yet, we manage to conveniently forget them when it comes to judging another's "dorky-ness". Not quite fair, is it?

So, my thought is this: embrace that awkward, funny, embarrassing, dorky thing that you can be. It's just as much a part of who you are as being skilled, creative, or confident. And it doesn't matter who you are; you can be a soccer mom or a CEO. No matter, you have it. Don't deny it. And don't forget it when you see someone walking down the street with her skirt tucked into her pantyhose or you inevitably receive an invitation to a Dungeons and Dragons get-together from your co-worker. They are just like you.

Congratulations Kit By Mama Mio

Have you said "Thank You" today?

Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone. - G.B. Stern

This week I'm giving as much thanks as possible. With that thought, I've decided to write on gratitude every day until Thankgiving. I hope you'll spend as much time giving thanks too.

There's been a lot of talk about gratitude of late. Anyone who's seen The Secret or read anything about the law of attraction in the last few years has noted that this is apparently a very important part of attracting all that is good to you.

I agree for this reason, but also for others.

As a child, I, like so many other good children, was taught to say "please" and "thank you". The point was to be polite above all else. But as I grew up, I began saying "thank you" for a whole other reason.

You see, people react a certain way to you when you extend the courtesy of a well said "thanks". People need to feel appreciated, respected, and wanted. They want to know that what they do has some measure of reward - just as you do. And when that appreciation is shown, they continue doing that which rewards them with gratitude.

Also, it means nothing to feel grateful if you aren't expressing it to this person. Silence, in this case, means that you have not noticed someone's thoughtfulness or kindness. Silence may mean you don't care when you should.

Now, take that one step further, and apply this to the Divine. Your gratitude towards God/the Universe/the Eternal Being (whatever your point of view), should be said aloud, expressed as fully as you can. Hearing yourself say it can only reinforce it.

And in this case, there's so much to be thankful for.

Have you said "thank you" today?