Cherie's Random Thoughts

Taking a Me-Day | Psychology Today : Over the past two decades, I have learned how important "Me-Days" are to maintaining our overall wellbeing. Religiously I begin and end my day with me day. Each day's ritual may vary but usually includes reading, listening to music, viewing inspirational videos, or simply being still. When I fail to incorporate "Me-Days" into my weekly routine, I find that my normally healthy body begins to exhibit signs of acute or chronic stress. As an educator and woman, it is essential that I master the art of a Me-Day and would encourage all who not only care about their wellbeing, but others to do the same. 'via Blog this'

The ten top habits of those that live a long life are simple and true, yet we tend to resist making them a reality in our lives. As I reviewed this list, I saw that currently I have eight pretty much down and I am hunting down #1 as we speak. What is number one you ask? Avoiding Stress. Yes, avoiding stress when it is possible is key to a longer life. Over the past 20 years of my life, I have learned how stress can affect your life in very negative ways. Many of which can lead to a premature death, such as increased blood pressure and increase in your weight. Since July I have committed myself to find ways to lower my stress, avoid stress when at all possible, and put into place a plan to make me resilient against the effects of stress. At 41, I aspire to live to 100. I have 50/50 percent chance of doing so but it will depend on what I do with the next 20 years of my life.

This article,  Gallup Poll Finds 70 Percent of Americans Favor More Federal Funding for Pre-K , signifies the importance of having more funding for Pre-K. 70% percent want it according to the poll, yet we continue to struggle to obtain funding that will make quality pre-k a reality for all children in the U.S. The 70 percent should ask the following questions of those that make the decisions about funding: 1) Why hasn't full funding become a reality? 2) Are we in the business of building a society that is destined to be incarcerated either in prison, a hospital, or poverty or would we much rather invest making sure the young children of today become productive citizens of the future?