Elevator Etiquette

Les and I took a quick trip to Fresno this weekend.  We were there to celebrate the 80th birthday of one of my favorite people - Elder Vaughn Morton!  I'll blog about that tomorrow, but for today I want to talk about elevator etiquette.

We stayed at the La Quinta Inn in Fresno.  Our room was on the fourth floor.  Every time we got off the elevator there was someone standing right in the doorway.  The first time it was one of the housekeeping staff.  He was standing in the doorway, looking down at his phone.  There was more than one person with a dog.  There were groups of people.  Always standing in the doorway, always blocking our exit.  Some starting walking on before we could even get off.

Finally, as we were getting ready to checkout with our luggage, there was a lady with a luggage cart.  She never even flinched, just kept standing there blocking our way with her cart.  We didn't say anything to any of them, just walked away laughing at another example of clueless humanity!

It's really not that difficult.  It's doesn't take an exceptionally bright person to figure this out.  People must get OUT of the elevator, before more people can get IN.  So please, don't be one of those people!  Learn elevator etiquette.

Pink Pause

I'm pausing in my Philippines trip posts today...  

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  (I wrote about what that means to me here.)  This topic is very close to my heart.  My Mom had an eight year battle with breast cancer.  That battle ended 21 years ago today.  She was only 58.  I was thinking about Mom this week.  She would have loved hearing about our trip.

Mom is the inspiration behind many of my posts.  Her Bible has been the source of encouragement to me for many years.  The one aspect of our lives that is different is our approach to health.  Mom's motto was "no news is good news."  She tended to bury her head in the sand until something major happened.  I believe it's important to have regular check ups.  As of today, I am healthy and I want to stay that way.

Through the years, I've jumped on my pink soapbox more than once.  But it's not just cancer awareness that we need to pause for.  Healthy hearts, lungs, minds and bones are important as well.

I don't focus on my health because I want to fit in a certain size dress.  I focus because I want to continue being involved in God's kingdom.  Mom was an amazing teacher.  She taught both Sunday school and at the Christian school.  She was incredible with children.  When her cancer returned, she was only 54 years old - younger than I am today.  I often wonder how many more children she could have influenced if she had taken better care of herself.

In honor of my Mom, I ask my readers to take a little time today.  Take inventory of your health.  Are you healthy?  Keep it up!  Need to make some changes?  It's not too late!  God created our bodies to do amazing things, it's our job to keep them healthy so we can do great things for Him!

{Nearly} Wordless Wednesday - Where I Went

I had my annual mammogram today. Since it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, they gave me this pink lunch cooler and bottled water.  It didn't make the exam any more fun, but now it's done!

Jumping on My Pink Soapbox!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.  I haven't been in any stores yet this month (it's only the second!) but I'm sure there are an abundance of pink items for sale.  Manolo Blahnik has a pink satin, Swarovski encrusted buckle, 4 inch heel for a mere $990.  20% of the proceeds will go to the Breast Cancer Alliance.  

This is a startling number:

The National Football League has their "Crucial Catch" campaign, with players wearing bits of pink on their shoes and jerseys.  The NFL, in partnership with the American Cancer Society, is focused on the importance of annual screenings, especially for women who are 40 and older.

Will buying pink M&Ms and Hershey kisses bring about a cure for cancer?  No, but the more awareness, the more women will be screened early and hopefully avoid long term damage to their health.

I don't remember my Mom ever wearing a pink ribbon!  Her battle lasted eight years and I have often wondered if early detection could have changed our lives.  She had her first mammogram at age 50, which was the recommended age at that time.  Cancer was already present, a lump that could not have been detected with a self exam.  If she had started getting mammograms at age 40, would it have been found two or three years earlier?  We will never know. 

My annual mammogram is in a couple of weeks.  When is yours???