Tuesday, June 30, 2020

How to avoid diabetes - part I

How to avoid Diabetes

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/prevent-diabetes


The article starts like this:


“Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease that affects millions of people worldwide. Uncontrolled cases can cause blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, and other serious conditions.

Before diabetes is diagnosed, there is a period where blood sugar levels are high but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. This is known as prediabetes.


“It’s estimated that up to 70% of people with prediabetes go on to develop type 2 diabetes. Fortunately, progressing from prediabetes to diabetes isn’t inevitable. (Note - not inevitable!!)


“Although there are certain factors you can’t change — such as your genes, age or past behaviors — there are many actions you can take to reduce the risk of diabetes.


*****

As I commented the other day, I was diagnosed as “prediabetic” and (so far) have avoided it!!!


Diabetes is chronic (see above) and has some links to COVID and dementia.


So, this article suggests that 30% of those with ‘prediabetes’ can kick it - how so!!!  I’m guessing most of the 13 ways from this article are logical and known to us - we just have to do it!!!


-1 Cut Sugar and Refined Carbs From Your Diet

Eating foods high in refined carbs and sugar increases blood sugar and insulin levels, which may lead to diabetes over time. Avoiding these foods may help reduce your risk.


Okay, so where are these foods high in refined carbs and sugar? 


“The main dietary sources of refined carbs are white flour, white bread, white rice, pastries, sodas, snacks, pasta, sweets, breakfast cereals, and added sugars. They are also added to all sorts of processed foods.”


WHITE BREAD, White Rice, Sodas, snacks, pasta, and PROCESSED FOODS!!  Are these on your cupboard shelves?  Are they in your food?  I know those where 2 to 5 glasses of soda a day are normal!!  


So, what options are there for sodas? Coffee, unsweetened tea, and water!!  

What options are there for white bread?  No bread? 


Okay, I ‘cheat’ on this.  I have gotten into the habit of using soft white flour tortillas.  Not a good substitute.  I slice one tortilla into maybe three slices and use that as ‘bread’.  This week as I’m on election duty and taking my lunch, I took two tortillas filled with chicken salad for my lunch.  Not perfect - but maybe a little better!!!


-2 Work out daily!!


The article says “Performing physical activity on a regular basis can increase insulin secretion and sensitivity, which may help prevent the progression from prediabetes to diabetes.”


This week and next while I’m doing my election clerk duty, I’m trying to walk at work.  Yesterday I walked four miles at the voting location?  How?  By being the ‘greeter’ and the ‘runner’.  The voting room is away from the entrance and I greet the voters as they come into the facility and walk them to the voting room.  


Next week will be better as I work until 1:30 - so I can get to the Georgetown gym for walking after work.  The first day I worked I got home at 5:30 and took my nap!!!  But, I walked more after my nap and after my dinner!!!


-3 Drink Water as your primary beverage


The article says “Drinking water instead of other beverages may help control blood sugar and insulin levels, thereby reducing the risk of diabetes.”  


And, yes, I ‘cheat’ on this too.  My unsweetened iced tea is mostly water that I put two tea bags in.  And (you who know me), I “need” my two cups of coffee a day!!!  But, it is black coffee, no cream, no sugar!!!  And made at home - some times with coffee from JT and SCT in Des Moines!!!


-4 Lose weight if you are overweight,


Here are the results of a study in the article: “One study of more than 1,000 people with prediabetes found that for every kilogram (2.2 lbs) of weight participants lost, their risk of diabetes reduced by 16%, up to a maximum reduction of 96%"


The summary in the article is: “Carrying excess weight, particularly in the abdominal area, increases the likelihood of developing diabetes. Losing weight may significantly reduce the risk of diabetes.


****

Take-away from today - if you want to avoid diabetes, you need to change your life.  Watch what you eat and drink, lose weight, and get some physical exercise!!!


*****

This article has 13 points, so I will look at more of these the next two days.

Hugs - and join me as I try to live a healthy lifestyle!!!


Karen 


Monday, June 29, 2020

Do I have Lutheran Blood and COVID-19

Do I have Lutheran Blood and COVID-19

Blood Types and COVID-19

https://directorsblog.nih.gov/2020/06/18/genes-blood-type-tied-to-covid-19-risk-of-severe-disease/


Does your blood type have anything to do with COVID-19?


According to the linked article from the National Institutes of Health, it does.


“The findings suggest that people with blood type A face a 50 percent greater risk of needing oxygen support or a ventilator should they become infected with the novel coronavirus. In contrast, people with blood type O appear to have about a 50 percent reduced risk of severe COVID-19.”


“The hope is that these and other findings yet to come will point the way to a more thorough understanding of the biology of COVID-19. They also suggest that a genetic test and a person’s blood type might provide useful tools for identifying those who may be at greater risk of serious illness.”


*****


Now, these are preliminary tests - nothing final yet.  Scientific research on health issues seems to take years - from the first study, to duplicate studies, to related research and finally to promulgation of the findings 


As a person with blood type O (specifically O Positive), can I relax?  Do I have to wear a mask since I don’t have as much risk? 


Another researcher reminds us “says blood types may not totally predict an individual’s risk of contracting the coronavirus.”


In general, risk factors for more severe COVID-19 outcomes include:

Age

Diabetes (type 1 and type 2)

Heart disease and hypertension

Smoking

Blood type

Obesity

Genetic factors 


So, an 85-year-old with diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure, who still smokes and has “A” type blood and is 100-pounds overweight - better stay inside!!!  (And, stop smoking, try to lose weight, and take their blood pressure medications!!)


*****

I found this interesting.  Blood types were discovered in 1901 - by an Austrian-American and were labeled A, B, and O.  Studies after that revealed a type AB.  And then in 1940, the Rh system of positives and negatives was discovered.


And, if this wasn’t enough, there are variations within these groups: Other blood groups were identified later, such as Kell, Diego, Lutheran, Duffy, and Kidd.  I looked up the Lutheran blood group link to see this: “There are 19 known Lutheran antigens”.


And, why is the Lutheran Blood group called “Lutheran”?  Anti-Lua was named after the donor Lutheran – except that the donor was not actually named Lutheran, but was in fact called Lutteran. However, the handwriting of the doctor who had taken the donor’s blood had been misinterpreted”.  So, if you are, or know of friends who are of the Lutheran Christian denomination, having the “Lutheran Blood Type” is not at all related to the Lutheran Church!!!


The New Living Translation of Psalm 139:14 says: “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.”


*****

My take-away from today is that scientists/researchers are looking at a lot of factors in COVID-19 - and have found a relationship between blood type and the severity of the symptoms.  


I assume (though I haven’t seen this), that if a vaccine is created for COVID-19, that it will NOT be dependent on blood type - but who knows?  So, at the vaccination clinic, all the As line up; the Bs, the ABs, and the Os to get a different version of the vaccine!!!  That sounds strange to me!!


More on COVID-19 tomorrow!!


Hugs!!


Karen


Sunday, June 28, 2020

Taking off my mask and being unique

Taking off your mask!!

https://www.anispooner.com/amp/taking-off-the-mask-becoming-who-i-was-meant-to-be/


Hold it!!  We are to put on our masks!!  You know to wash your hands frequently, wear a mask to keep from spreading germs, spray sanitizer on things that have been touched, and I have the nerve to suggest that you “Take off your mask”!!


In the linked article, the author says,

“As a child, I was known as the town’s singer. By age 10 I was getting paid to sing at weddings, invited to the local high school to sing at their pep rallies, and heard a recording of my voice sing the National Anthem on the school speakers every morning. This made me feel unique.


“That kind of difference falls into the category of talent, which is considered an acceptable form of uniqueness. But society would ask us to separate what makes us distinct into different categories. Acceptable and not. Or worth sharing and requiring hiding. So makeup, even tattoos, become acceptable, but being born looking different is not. One was chosen and the other was... an accident?


“It's therefore at a young age that I found myself torn by this social conundrum. On the one hand, we live in communities that value exceptionalism, giftedness, and rareness, on the other, there is an expectation of sameness.”


****

So  “we live in communities that value exceptionalism, giftedness and rareness” - yes - absolutely; and we live in communities that have an “expectation of sameness”.


Like this author, somehow, from about tenth grade, I decided I needed to be unique.  But, I also had to fit into the ‘mold’. 


I found my “mask” as a nerd!!  I was the founder and captain of the high school chess team and we even traveled to “away” games.  And I played tuba - not a very sexy instrument!! I was a so-so student in high school, but in college, I found a niche - where I could be both unique and fit in.  I was still a nerd and was so motivated (by fear of failing) that I became a strong student.  But, then I also fit in as a fraternity guy (maybe not the “Animal House” type - thank goodness).  


Unique - one-of-a-kind.  We are all that way - but we all try to fit into society.  Here is 1 Corinthians 12:14-21:

“ For in fact the body is not a single member, but many. If the foot says, “Since I am not a hand, I am not part of the body,” it does not lose its membership in the body because of that. And if the ear says, “Since I am not an eye, I am not part of the body,” it does not lose its membership in the body because of that. If the whole body were an eye, what part would do the hearing? If the whole were an ear, what part would exercise the sense of smell?  But as a matter of fact, God has placed each of the members in the body just as he decided.  If they were all the same member, where would the body be? So now there are many members, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you,” nor in turn can the head say to the foot, “I do not need you.”



This suggests to me that we have a place.  I am not the ‘best’ at anything.  But, I do have a place in society.  And, like you, I am unique!!!  


As I retired, I lost much of my identity.  No longer could I walk across campus with the respect of a professor.  I was ‘just’ a has-been on a dead-end street in a Texas town.  I don’t know if some of this wasn’t part of the prompt to transition from male to female.


I have taken off my mask - figuratively; although I will keep wearing a mask in public!!!


Psalm 139:13-15 says

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.”


So, how about you?  Are you unique - or are you “playing the part” that you have been expected to play?  How can you be both part of society and yet unique? Take the next couple of days to reflect on that.  If you are retired (like LMG, TF, and others), still working (RP, JB, KB, SS, and others) what uniqueness do you bring to the table?


Hugs!!!  Be safe!!


Karen


Saturday, June 27, 2020

Sunday June 28th, 2020




Some updates:

Hey, Informal Education with Dr. White (or karens2019.blogspot.com) readers.


I have written some sort of blog for years.  I think my first blogs were about 2004 - and mostly daily blogs from 2012.  


I love to write!!  Hopefully, my blogs do cause you to think and grow!!!


I wanted to (needed to?) change things up a little.

I started with Saturday Stories a few weeks back.  I’d like to keep writing those little stories

This week, I want my Sunday blog to be more informal - looking at some little articles that I find interesting, looking at updating days and “National Days” and more.  


So, today will be a Sunday blog!!


Hugs!!


Karen

*****


YES - INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!


From Wikipedia::

“The Continental Congress declared that the thirteen American colonies were no longer subject (and subordinate) to the monarch of Britain, King George III, and were now united, free, and independent states. The Congress had voted to declare independence two days earlier, on July 2, but it was not declared until July 4.”  So, theoretically, you can celebrate Independence Day on July 2nd (when it was approved) or July 4th when it was officially declared!!


And, the old question “Does Canada have the Fourth of July?”  The answer is yes - the Canadian calendar and the world-wife calendar all have the Fourth of July (did you think, they would skip from the 3rd to the 5th?) 


*****

Corona Virus:

Coronavirus update: Systems that circulate cool air in meat processing plants may be a factor in outbreaks that have plagued such facilities around the world, a German public health authority warns.  (So, turn off the cool air and make it into a real “sweatshop”? 


I can’t travel to New York!!!

“The tables have turned. Now America’s largest city is no longer the world’s worst COVID-19 hot spot. New York-area governors say they’ll impose two-week quarantines on visitors from states with major outbreaks. Having dropped from 10,000 daily cases to a few hundred, governors of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut want to prevent the contagion’s revival by targeting eight states, including hard-hit Arizona, Florida, and Texas, for travel restrictions. Fortunately, deaths in those states aren’t surging with new cases, but experts say it’s likely they will in the coming weeks.”  


(To my Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York friends - you are more than welcome to come to Texas if you want to catch COVID-19)!!!  


*****

So, how is the environment?


“When Microsoft pledges $1 billion to fund climate innovation, Jeff Bezos has one option: double it. “

“Yesterday, Amazon announced a $2 billion venture fund to invest in cleantech that helps fight climate change. The company will spread investments across industries, from transportation and logistics to food and agriculture.”


*****

I’ll have a whiskey, please

American whiskey distillers have watched more than $300 million in export revenues evaporate in the two years since becoming entangled in a trade dispute between the Trump administration and the European Union, according to estimates in a new report.


“Exports of American whiskey — mostly bourbon, Tennessee whiskey, and rye whiskey — to the EU have fallen 33% since the EU imposed a retaliatory tariff on those products on June 22, 2018, according to the report issued Monday by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.


*****

Today is National Alaska Day!!!  

Wednesday (July 1st) has two related days:  National Postal Workers Day and National Postage Stamp Day!!!  


*****

The United States is running low on coins:

“Banks around the U.S. are running low on nickels, dimes, quarters, and even pennies. And the Federal Reserve, which supplies banks, has been forced to ration scarce supplies.”  


So, dig into your sofa cushions, ‘rob’ your piggy bank and take your coins to your bank (if they are open) and get real “greenbacks” and get those coins back in circulation!!


Happy Last week of June!!!  May July be an exciting and wonderful month for you!!!


Karen


Friday, June 26, 2020

Saturday story #3A

Saturday Stories #3


(My note, I’m writing some fiction, although this could be real, it is made up - the characters, the setting is all from my imagination.)


*****

Story #3A - By Anne Briggs


I want to think if we turned our heads and didMrother, Jared, was in Richardson, Texas - a three-hour drive from Georgetown.  


She insisted she would be fine.  She had her friends and her church in Enid and had lived there for 62 years since dad had taken a job as a pharmacist at Tinsen Drugs and Emporium in Enid.  My sister, who is three years older than I, then me, and then my brother who was three years younger than I had thought to be closer would let us check up on her more.  It was a seven-hour drive from Georgetown to Enid - and while we would drive there for some of the holidays, it was getting harder to drive as my girls were in high school and even on Christmas break, their coaches had practice as well as expected they would be working out on their own.  It was the same for Jared’s family as it was hard for him to get away as the manager of a Best Buy store in the north Dallas suburb of Plano.  


For the first couple of years, Linda was able to take some of her school vacations in Enid.  She would drive to Grapevine, Texas where her daughter Kristi lived and spend a couple of days with her and her husband Matt, and then finish off the drive to Enid.  Linda would try to be there on a Sunday, so she could sit in church with Mom and stay for Sunday School (and the coffee and donuts).  


Linda knew most of the ladies in Mom’s Sunday School group - she was friends with some of their children and it was frequently a little reunion of her own to make the trip.  She would then stay Monday and Tuesday morning.  Tuesday morning was Mom’s longtime bridge group.  Many of Mom’s friends that had played bridge had dropped out - some had moved, two had died, and others just said it was too hard to get to bridge.  


It was in the summer after Dad’s death, that Linda thought maybe there were some slight problems with Mom.  Mom seemed not to know the words to some of the hymns at church (and she had been in the choir for several years).  On Tuesday, Mom had trouble with bridge.  Once, she failed to follow suit - and later discovered her mistake.  She didn’t seem to follow the game well.  

 

Linda wondered if Mom’s vision was okay.  In casual conversation, Mom said that her eyes had been checked recently and they were okay.  Linda tried to probe if Mom was getting a little forgetful or having some mental problems.  Mom assured her that she was fine - just getting older.

*****

I, Anne, tried to call Mom every Sunday afternoon (making sure I was late enough in the day, after church, lunch and her afternoon nap).  Our discussions were mostly one-sided as I talked about girls and their activities and what Mark (my husband) and I were working on.  Her life was pretty simple - church, bridge, laundry, house cleaning, Bible study, and coffee with Beth and Amy (her two closest friends), and just mundane things.  Her primary care physician had retired and she had a new doctor.  She was missing her old doctor and didn’t like her new doctor much.  She would complain “He is always pushing and prodding me - checking my cholesterol, blood pressure, and trying to see if I’m senile”. She would laugh at that last comment.


Enid is about 50,000 people and pretty steady in terms of change.  There weren’t new streets or subdivisions.  It was a good place for her, we thought..


About three years ago, when Linda visited during her summer break, a neighbor saw her car and came over to talk with her and Mom.  Linda didn’t think much of the visit until the neighbor insisted that Linda come over to her house to see a quilt that she was working on.  


Once Linda and the neighbor were away from the house, the neighbor confided “I think your mother’s mental state is deteriorating.  A couple of times, the neighbor found Mom out walking like she was lost.  The neighbor had said ‘yes’ to be the neighborhood captain for a charity drive and called on Mom for a donation and Mom acted like she didn’t recognize her.  Linda asked her to keep an eye on Mom.


Linda had gone to the bridge-group with Mom who messed up playing a two-heart bid as somehow in the middle of the game, she thought spaces were trump.  Linda stayed an extra day for the Bible Study and coffee with Beth and Amy.  Mom had trouble finding Romans in her Bible.  But, Beth also had trouble finding Ephesians.  


On the way back from Enid, on the long stretches of fairly empty highways, Linda called me using the hands-free option in her car.  


Linda said “I think Mom is slipping mentally” and described some of the issues that Mom was having.  Once she got home, Linda called Mom’s doctor to see if he could help out.  Unfortunately, the doctor said he couldn’t release any information because of HIPPA rules.  But, he also commented that he hadn’t seen Linda’s mother for about two years. 


The summer past and fall began.  One day, Mom’s neighbor called Linda and indicated the Mom was roaming the streets and the neighbor stopped her and asked if she needed a ride home.  Mom said “yes” but then went ahead and introduced herself and asked her neighbor for her name.  They were neighbors, maybe not real close, but they had talked over the years.  


Linda called me and asked ‘what should we do’.  I turned the tables on her and asked: “You are the school psychologist, don’t you know what to do or who to ask about what to do with parents who seem to be moving into dementia.”


Linda answered “My professional opinion is that Mom needs help - maybe a housekeeper or a visiting nurse to check up on her occasionally.  My opinion as her daughter is to move her to your house so she is with somebody she knows and cares about”.


My answer was quick “Why me?”


Linda’s answer was as quick.  “It is October, I’m still working with a full schedule.  Your daughter Dyana is off to college and Bethany is a senior.  You have an empty bedroom and probably two empty bedrooms when Bethany graduates.”  Linda then added, “And you know Mom doesn’t like dogs, and I’m not going to get rid of Oscar.” Oscar was Linda’s Chihuahua.  


At first, reluctantly, I agreed to go.  But, as I thought about it longer, I realized I was being selfish.  My mother, who had graced me with so much over the years, needed my help - and I was being a disobedient child not to help her in her situation.  She loved me so much to go to all those PTA meetings, the softball games where I sat on the bench, even to the piano concerts where I sounded so bad.  She loved me - and now in her twilight years needed some of that love back.


I called Mom to ask if I could come to visit. I was a little shook when I had to explain that I was Anne, her daughter.  She seemed to recover fairly quickly with “Oh yes.” and she asked about how my husband, Mark, and our girls were doing.  We talked pleasantly for a few minutes and then I said: “I’d like to come and visit for a weekend”.  Her answer was cordial as always “Of course, honey, do come and visit.  I’ll make up the bed for you”. 


I made the arrangements at home.  Bethany would visit Dyana at Texas A&M for the weekend.  It was a prospective student weekend and it worked out well.  There was a little discussion as to whether Mark would drive her or she could drive herself, and she won that battle.  (Sometimes teenage girls can be so complicated!!)  I took Friday, Monday, and Tuesday off from my work as assistant registration and voting clerk for Williamson County, and headed north on I-35.  


As I drove to Gainesville Texas, I had my satellite radio going on hits from the 70s and I sang along.  But, as I crossed over the Texas-Oklahoma line (at the Red River) I turned off the radio.  I started to think of my mother and growing up in my family.  How many meals had she made?  How many nights had she stayed up waiting for her children to come from events?  How many times did she pray for us?  


I thought of my own relationship with Dyana and Bethany. I loved my girls, and I knew my mother had loved us - Linda, Jared, and myself.


I remembered my pregnancies and how I had a love-hate relationship with being pregnant and feeling like a bloated whale - and how that feeling disappeared when the nurses put my child in my arms.  And, here I was grousing about visiting my aging mother.  While I didn’t remember my mother nursing me, I knew she did - just like I had nursed my girls.  I remember the diaper changes that I did and knew my mother had done the same for me. Life is like a cycle - we are small and grow up and become old.  Mom was doing that now, and I was going to be next.  Would my girls visit me when I got old and stubborn?  Or would they find excuses to stay away?


The statement “I am becoming my mother stuck in my mind”.  What legacy might I leave?


It was both a joyous reunion and an anxious weekend with my mother.  I tried to watch her coping mechanisms.  I heard her call me Linda a few times instead of Anne.  I let her drive me to the grocery store on Saturday as we walked down the aisles together.  She selected more frozen dinners (that we used to call TV-Dinners) as they were quick and easy to prepare.  Instead of a homemade cake, she had a cake from the bakery.  I thought of her blue ribbons from the Garfield County Fair that she had won for her cakes and goodies. I knew she had been in Jumbo Foods a million times over the years, but she seemed to have to think where things were.  Coming home she missed the stop sign at Elm and Grand Avenue - fortunately the other traffic at the four-way stop waiting for us as we barreled through the intersection.


On Sunday, we went to the First United Methodist Church in Enid - the church where I had been baptized and raised.  It seemed smaller to me - maybe because I was bigger.  She sang the hymns in her beautiful soprano voice - although with a few misses on the words.  She introduced me as her daughter Linda once before correcting herself.  On the way to her ladies' Sunday School class, Mrs. Wilson, the pastor’s wife and the teacher of her Sunday School class called me over.  “Your mother is getting fairly forgetful.  I’m worried about her,” she said.  As my sister Linda had said, Mom had trouble finding the right place in her Bible for the lesson.  


She no longer went to the bridge-group on Tuesday.  She said “It was becoming just too hard for her.  I asked if she had seen her doctor and she reiterated that she hadn’t because she didn’t like him. 


I slipped out and talked to the neighbor, Mrs. Sample,  on Monday morning.  Mom was doing laundry and I said I wanted to say hi to a friend.  Mrs. Sample gave me a cup of coffee and we sat at her kitchen table and talked for about an hour.  There were more instances of memory problems.  I knew in my heart that it was hard for Mom to live on her own and alone.


After the coffee with Mrs. Sample, I gave my sister Linda a quick call. “She is slipping mentally” was about all I could say as my sister had a student in her office.  I promised to call her back that evening.


When I returned Mom had forgotten to put the wet clothes in the dryer.  I helped her and watched as we finished moving the clothes from the washer to the dryer.  We had been talking about Jared, my brother and as we finished moving the clothes, she forgot to turn the dryer on.  She laughed and said she was getting forgetful.  


Oh how much I loved her, and my heart was breaking for her as I realized more and more that we had to love her in her old age and find ways to care for her.


After lunch on Tuesday at the Youngblood grill, I dropped her off at her house and headed back to the interstate.  I texted Linda, Mark, and Jared and asked Linda to set up a conference call about 6 p.m. as I would be through Oklahoma City and could pay attention to the phone call.


*****

To be continued next week

*****

Is your mother still alive?  Have you visited or called her lately?  


Are there others that you should visit and love?


Karen



Thursday, June 25, 2020

Genuine People III

Twelve Habits of Genuine People! - Part III
https://www.success.com/12-habits-of-genuine-people/


We have looked at being Genuine for the past two days and will finish it off today!!!!


-9 Genuine people put away their phones when they talk with you

Some people can multitask and use their phones at the same time.  But, that is a very small group. If I am genuine and am talking to you - the phone is a distraction.  


Genuine people give the people they are talking to their full attention.  Whoever texted during your conversation isn’t expecting you to reply immediately.  


I told students to put their phones away in class so they could pay attention to our lesson.  I did make an exception when a student asked me before class for something special - for example, the student’s mother was undergoing surgery that day and wanted to know if it was successful.  


-10 Genuine people are not driven by ego

We have seen before that genuine people are team-minded people.  


The running back who is in the game for his glory and his ego is not going to block for another player.  The quarterback who is more concerned about his success will probably run rather than hand the ball off or pass.  


In business, almost all projects are team projects.  On programming one person might develop the need and the specifications; another translates the specifications into code; another one tests the code and tries to find mistakes and flaws; another writes the documentation, and still, another puts it into the final version, and one performs quality assurance that it does what it was intended to do!!!


-11 Genuine people aren’t hypocrites 

The article says,

“Genuine people practice what they preach. They don’t tell you to do one thing and then do the opposite themselves. That’s largely due to their self-awareness. Many hypocrites don’t even recognize their mistakes. They’re blind to their own weaknesses. Genuine people, on the other hand, fix their own problems first.”


Are you authentic? Are you both saying the right things and doing the right things.  


If a manager is expecting his or her staff to give 100%, he or she has to give 100% as well.  We lead by example.


-12 Genuine people don’t brag

“Only my humility prevents me from telling you how great I am”.

Come on, what do you have to brag about? That the project got done? That is was a team effort.


People that brag about their accomplishments tend to be insecure.  They need to build themselves up (and probably tear somebody else down).  


As a retired professor, I had some nice honors, but that was in the past.  There is a hymn where the word “until my trophies, at last, I lay down”.  Very few of us get monuments (and currently monuments are being torn down in some places.


I wasn’t alone.  I had great colleagues, great support, great students in a wonderful environment.  What can I brag about?


*****

So, here we are - 12 things about Genuine people - about team players, about those that want all people to exceed.  Let’s work on that.  Love your neighbor as yourself!!!


Saturday story tomorrow.


Hugs!!!


Karen


Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Genuine People #2

Twelve Habits of Genuine People! - Part II
https://www.success.com/12-habits-of-genuine-people/


Are you real?  Are you genuine?  We are continuing our look at Genuine (authentic, emotionally intelligent) people


Starting today at #4

-4 Genuine people are generous

Can you imagine a person who takes one piece from a jigsaw puzzle and holds on to it, until the rest of the puzzle is done and people are unhappy because they are missing a piece and then she puts that piece into the puzzle?  There are people that withhold information, horde resources at work that others might need - so she can show up at the last minute and get the praise for her work.  Genuine people share their knowledge and resources.  


When I worked at Citibank, there was a man who knew “all” about an important part of the accounting and billing processes.  But, Bob was not a horde, (although a bit of an introvert), but did share his knowledge and resources with others.  I learned quickly that Bob was a great asset to the company and a great friend to other developers.  


Another name for this is “team player”.  On a football team, the quarterbacks, running backs and receivers get the praise, but the linemen who block for the others really make the team successful.  


-5 They treat everybody with respect

I remember a story about the CEO of a company who was being interviewed by a reporter about work-ethic.  The reporter and the CEO went to the company cafeteria for lunch.


To everyone behind the counter on the serving line, the CEO said something - some heard him say “Bob, I appreciate having you here”; “Trisha, you are such an asset to our cafeteria”, “Joel, I just wanted to say I always like seeing your smiling face.”  


There were the ‘little people’ - but they are humans as well and deserving of respect.  My philosophy says that ALL people are made in the image of God.  Not just the important people, but ALL people. 


Do you say ‘hi” to janitors, wait staff at restaurants, and to all people?  Try it - and if possible add some positive comments about appreciating them.


-6 Genuine People aren’t generally motivated by Material things

The article says,

“Genuine people don’t need shiny, fancy stuff in order to feel good. It’s not that they think it’s wrong to go out and buy the latest and greatest items to show off their status; they just don’t need to do this to be happy. Their happiness comes from within, as well as from the simpler pleasures—such as friends, family, and a sense of purpose—that make life rich.”


At age 72, I (finally) have realized that ‘stuff’ is ‘stuff’.  I have never seen a hearse on the way to the cemetery pulling a U-Haul trailer.  Yes, having enough money is important, but being excessively greedy is rarely a sign of a genuine person.


-7 Genuine people are trustworthy.  

Have you sensed that a person is trustworthy?  I have!!  I knew I could trust TF, LMG, CD, JM, BS, and so many others.  I could trust so many students.  But, there were some that loved making excuses “The dog ate my assignment”!!!  I had one student whose grandmother died TWICE during the semester (and, it was amazing - both times were at test times in my class!!).  


 That doesn’t mean that genuine people are boring.  We had a lot of fun and still got a lot done!!!  


-8 Genuine people are thick-skinned.

The article says,

“Genuine people have a strong enough sense of self that they don’t go around seeing offense that isn’t there. If somebody criticizes one of their ideas, they don’t treat this as a personal attack. There’s no need for them to jump to conclusions, feel insulted, and start plotting their revenge. They’re able to objectively evaluate negative and constructive feedback, accept what works, put it into practice, and leave the rest of it behind without developing hard feelings.”


Okay, I admit that I wasn’t thick-skinned.  When I got my student evaluations after the semester was over, I sometimes cried when I read a negative assessment.  I realize that I can’t reach 100% of the people, 100% of the time; but I wanted to!!!  I wanted to be the best - and 97% was just not enough!!!


Are you genuine?  Most of the time I am, but sometimes I fail and fall.  I am still a ‘work in progress!!


Tomorrow we will finish this series!!!


Hugs!!


Karen


Tuesday, June 23, 2020

Being Genuine

Twelve Habits of Genuine People!!

https://www.success.com/12-habits-of-genuine-people/


Are you real?  Are you genuine?


I think all of us know people who can put on a bright - but phony - smile.  But, we also know others that do light up with a legitimate (aka “genuine”) smile!!  This article struck me as a good one to read and reflect upon!!!


And, hand-in-hand with Genuine is Emotional Intelligence (EQ).  The article states,


“There’s an enormous amount of research suggesting that emotional intelligence (EQ) is critical to your performance at work. TalentSmart has tested the EQ of more than a million people and found that it explains 58% of success in all types of jobs.

People with high EQs make $29,000 more annually than people with low EQs. Ninety percent of top performers have high EQs, and a single-point increase in your EQ adds $1,300 to your salary. I could go on and on.


WOW - read that statistic again - people with high emotional intelligence (aka genuine) make $29,000 more a year than those with low EQ!!!  


The article continues with this comment,

“A recent study from the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington found that people don’t accept demonstrations of emotional intelligence at face value. They’re too skeptical for that. They don’t just want to see signs of emotional intelligence. They want to know that it’s genuine—that your emotions are authentic.”


So - a triangle - emotional intelligence, being genuine, and being authentic!!!


Really?


Let’s see:

-1 Genuine People don’t try to make people like them.


I’m thinking of Cristina, who runs a local dress boutique.  She lights up in genuine delight when she sees me - and she doesn’t see me as a dollar sign who is going to spend a lot of money with her.  Although she is in business, her authentic and genuine personality comes through.


The article suggests that genuine people don’t clamor for your attention - but the aura around them speaks more than their words. They don’t try to show off.  They are real!!  They are friendly and confident.  If they don’t know an answer they won’t try to make up an answer - but to honestly say “I don’t know”.  (They might even add, “But, I’ll see if I can find out”!!!

-2 Genuine People don’t pass judgment

There is a story of a man dressed in a suit that comes into a car dealership looking at the top-of-the-line models.  The sales clerk jumps up to show him the car, takes the person for a test ride, and “knows” that the man will be a high priced car.


Meanwhile, a man dressed in jeans and a casual shirt looks at a similar car.  This time, the sales clerk assumes this person can’t afford the top-of-the-line model and suggests a lower-priced model. 


In this story, the casually dressed man is rich and can afford the top-of-the-line car and the well-dressed man is in debt and couldn’t buy a used car off the lot.  


The article says, “Having an open mind is crucial in the workplace, as approachability means access to new ideas and help. To eliminate preconceived notions and judgment, you need to see the world through other people’s eyes. This doesn’t require you to believe what they believe or condone their behavior; it simply means you quit passing judgment long enough to truly understand what makes them tick. Only then can you let them be who they are.”


Are you judging others?  Why?  

Hebrews 13:2 says “Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!”


I’m not sure that I have entertained angels (although as a mathematician I did entertain “angles”) - but aren’t all of us “potential” angels?  


-3 The forge their own paths.

“Genuine people don’t derive their sense of pleasure and satisfaction from the opinions of others. This frees them up to follow their own internal compasses. They know who they are and don’t pretend to be anything else. Their direction comes from within, from their own principles and values. They do what they believe to be the right thing, and they’re not swayed by the fact that somebody might not like it.”


I may not totally agree with this.  I rarely express my opinions (and biases) -, especially on religion and politics!!!  But, my values come from within me - my Judeo-Christian values of love, acceptance, and grace!!!  I don’t want to buttonhole somebody and say “You have to vote for Smith for dog-catcher.” (assuming I passionately believer Smith is the best candidate for that office).  


Well, a good start on this.  We’ll continue tomorrow!!!  


Love!!


Karen