Part one of a multi-medium project. Pencil drawing of a tree trunk and branches.

Part two. Painted leaves and grass with greenery as a paint brush (I used cilantro, parsley works well for this, or carrot greens).

Coffee stained the mat. I also had to alter the size of the mat in order to accommodate all of the picture.

Before framing, I sponged the greenery with a damp sponge to blend all the colors a little better and give a more muted effect. After allowing time to dry, I added the verse with a permanent marker and then matted and framed it for a Christmas gift.

May 2, 2010
Introduction
I started searching for information about nutrition in regard to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. I didn’t know what I would find. I thought that I would take a position and present it either from the side of evidence that ADHD is caused by nutritional deficits, or that ADHD is cured/managed from nutritional changes in the diet. What I am finding is that there is not a simple starting place. If a child has nutritional deficiencies that are treated with diet and supplementation, and ADHD symptoms disappear, did that child have ADHD? Whether nutrient deficiencies are present because children have ADHD or children have ADHD because of nutrient deficiencies, there are changes in diet and environment that can be used to treat these deficiencies. In addition, changes in environmental factors that can greatly improve ADHD symptoms. I will present information about the deficiencies that are linked to ADHD. I will also look at the presence of toxic metals in the environment, and how high levels of lead affect children and produce ADHD symptoms. I will show that remedying certain deficiencies helped a percentage of the control subjects. I will present facts that link changes in the American diet as the prime reason for the deficiency of essential fatty acids that are linked to ADHD, and that this may indeed be the reason ADHD is on the increase and is rampant in America today. There is evidence that more than a random few with ADHD share some nutritional similarities and that making some dietary changes helps a number of those with ADHD. Some of the research results are not overwhelmingly conclusive, but in every study a percentage of subjects benefited significantly from making dietary changes.
Many of the dietary deficiencies and toxin levels are related. For instance, there is a relationship between lead absorption and zinc deficiency. Zinc and essential fatty acid deficiencies show a relationship as well. It is not known if one causes the other, or if they compound the problem, but most children with ADHD that have either of these deficiencies also have the other deficiency. These combinations are worth exploring as well, but will only be briefly touched on in this paper.
A Brief Look at ADHD
Research has identified neurological abnormalities in the frontal lobe in children with ADHD. Studies also identify reduced blood flow to the frontal lobes in children with ADHD. This means that ADHD has an underlying neurological cause even though it is viewed as a mental health issue (Sinn, N., 2008). Environmental elements can affect brain development, both in utero and in early childhood. Environmental elements that may affect brain development and lead to ADHD include exposure to lead, mercury, and pesticides. Other possible causes include lower than standard levels of various nutrients, and reactions to certain foods and food additives. Less than optimal levels of essential fatty acids are associated with ADHD. Too much sugar, not enough fatty acids, low levels of necessary nutrients and minerals, allergies to foods, and allergies to food additives all are associated with ADHD.
ADHD affects many children in the United States. Research indentifies anywhere between 7% and 18% of children in the United States as having ADHD. The diagnosis of ADHD has been on the rise in recent years. In some children the symptoms include hyperactivity (ADHD), and some children show only the attention deficit (ADD) behaviors. However, the disorder is all lumped together with one label- Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder, so it will be referred to in this paper as ADHD. These are symptoms associated with ADHD and used as markers when trying to diagnose ADHD: inappropriate levels of hyperactivity, impulsivity, inattention, forgetfulness, and irresponsibility in regard to chores and schoolwork.

Sugar/Glucose
Sometimes sugar has played the villain and been blamed for ADHD and particularly the hyperactivity in children with ADHD. But the jury is still out on how much of a culprit sugar really is. Cane sugar, corn syrup, sucrose, fructose, and other sugars can cause hyperactive behavior. One study found that the effect of sugar depends greatly on how it is ingested. Children who consumed a moderate amount of sugar with a meal that is balanced in fat, carbohydrates and protein performed better and had faster response times. But the children who consumed the same amount of sugar with a high-carbohydrate meal had diminished classroom performance (Dommisse, J.V., 2000).
High sugar consumption (as well as overexposure to antibiotics) can lead to the decrease of good bacteria in the colon, which can cause an overgrowth of yeast that invades the entire body. Yeast overgrowth causes behavioral problems that resemble ADHD (Presti, L., 2010). One study touched on something called the Candida Syndrome and stated that most mainline medicine does not recognize it as a systemic condition, but alternative practitioners do. The symptoms are repeated/persistent vaginal, mouth, skin or nail infections and unexplained fatigue. After months long treatment, symptoms were eliminated or greatly diminished and titers returned to normal or near normal. This treatment is for yeast overgrowth, and includes many changes but one important piece is a no-sugar diet (Dommisse, J.V., 2000).
Sugar is important to the brain; the brain’s need for sugar and the way it is delivered is something that seems to be important in how it ties in with the disorder of ADHD. The brain has a high need for glucose to be readily available to fuel metabolic activity, but the brain does not store glucose. Glucose is supplied through the blood flow to the brain. Blood flow is controlled by the very nutrients that are found to be in low supply in children with ADHD. The following nutrients are associated with blood flow in the brain: folic acid, pyridoxine, colabamin, thiamine and omega-3 PUFA (poly-unsaturated fatty acids). These nutritional components affect blood flow and are evidenced to be in low supply in children with ADHD. This relates to sugar because blood flow affects how glucose (sugar) gets to the places in the brain that it needs to be.
Magnesium
Low magnesium levels have been found in children with ADHD. Studies show that supplementing with magnesium and B6 vitamin reduces hyperactivity and increases school performance in children with ADHD. Children who participated in an experiment using magnesium supplements showed significant improvement. It is important to monitor magnesium intake because too much magnesium or giving supplements to children who are not magnesium deficient can be detrimental, and can make learning problems worse (Arnold, L., 1999).
Iron
Many children with ADHD show a low level of iron in their system. Iron deficiencies, even if a child is not anemic, can interfere with learning and cause abnormal behaviors (like those found in children with ADHD) (Dommisse, J.V., 2000, p. 495). Iron deficiencies also increase the absorption of cadmium, which is toxic in high doses. The symptoms improve with iron treatment. A thirty day study that involved increasing iron levels in control children did show small improvements, but a study of a three year old boy who had an iron deficiency showed improvement three months after increasing iron levels and he showed a significant improvement after eight months of iron treatment (Sinn, N., 2008, p.560). Therefore thirty days may not be long enough to carry out a conclusive study of iron treatment.
Toxic Metals
Essential metals are calcium, zinc and iron. These are not the toxic metals that are addressed here. The metals lead, cadmium, and mercury are not necessary for nutrition and are toxic to the body. The effect of these metals is related to the levels of essential metals in the body. Cadmium interacts with the metabolism of calcium, zinc and iron. Mercury is a toxic metal whose affect on the body is directly related to other nutrients. Maintaining balanced nutrition is the key to preventing toxic mercury levels in the body.
High levels of lead in the body are toxic and have been linked to ADHD (Levitt, 1999). High lead levels in the body are known to cause learning disabilities, mental retardation, and behavior problems. At extremely high levels it has even caused coma, seizures and death. It has been shown that lead competes with calcium and inhibits the release of neurotransmitters, interferes with cell metabolism, and blocks calcium absorption by binding with protein that the calcium needs to bind with for effective intake (Levitt, M., 1999).
Calcium
Calcium is mentioned repeatedly as being deficient in children with ADHD and it is suggested that it has a relationship with other deficiencies, but actual data is pretty lean within the articles themselves. What I did find is that calcium deficiency elevates blood lead concentrations; therefore adequate calcium intake is necessary because it counters the affects of lead in the system. Also, one test showed that a child with very low calcium levels in the blood increased milk intake and symptoms of ADHD improved (Dommisse, J.V., 2000, p. 498).
Allergies
Studies show that children react to Red Dye No.5, and one study showed that as high as 79% of children tested had a reaction (Dommisse, J.V., 2000, p.493). The presentation of allergies as a cause of ADHD, and of Red Dye No. 5 in particular, was made by Ben F. Feingold in 1973. He introduced an elimination diet, sometimes called the Feingold diet, which is still used to determine food allergies. Feingold-type diets are also called Oligoantigenic Diets, which means few-foods diet (Arnold, L.E., 1999, p.32). The reason I am including information about Feingold is that Feingold’s name comes up in nearly every article located on ADHD that relates to nutrition or allergies. One article called him a pioneer and a paradigm-shifter (Dommisse, J.V., 2000, p. 493). It has since been shown that perhaps he did not isolate the allergens enough during his study because he paired possible irritants in his studies making it impossible to tell which irritant the child reacted to, but he was none-the-less a pioneer to change thinking about ADHD and shift the focus to include diet and nutrition as possible management tools for ADHD. His diet is still used today and is considered a solution that stops ADHD behaviors. An oligoantigenic diet may exclude all foods except: lamb, chicken, rice, banana, apple, potatoes, brassica (cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts), cucumber, carrots, celery, parsnip, salt, pepper, calcium and vitamins (Arnold, L.E., 1999, p. 33).
Zinc
Studies have shown that lower levels of zinc are present in children with ADHD as compared to children without ADHD. Zinc is required to convert tryptophan to serotonin and is used in the production and modulation of melatonin, a necessary key to essential fatty acid conversion pathways (Sinn, N., 2008). It has been shown that chemical additives in the system, orange food dye tartrazine in particular, affect the way the body uses zinc. Children in a study who reacted to the orange dye had lower zinc levels in their system, and urinated more after ingesting the dye. This would suggest that tartrazine causes the body to waste zinc and not process it in a productive way (Sinn, N., 2008). There may be a link between the low levels of zinc and low levels of essential fatty acids, but that is not proven. However, children with a zinc deficiency almost always have a deficiency in essential fatty acids as well.

Essential Fatty Acids
Neuronal Membranes require large amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids to function, but humans do not manufacture them. Because of this, they are considered essential in the diet. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and Omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids are called essential fatty acids, or EFAs. These acids are obtained from salmon, tuna and cold water fish as well as from some seeds and oils.
The deficiency of Essential Fatty Acids is related to changes in the way our food is processed, changes in what foods we eat, and how livestock is raised. A change in flour-milling technology causes rancidity of fats and eliminates essential fatty acids. Some other factors are: increased pharmaceuticals, like aspirin, that block EFA enzymes and their conversion to vital prostaglandins; increasing toxins in foods; excessive consumption of trans fatty acids and hydrogenated fats, rancid fats and free radicals because they last on a shelf for months or years. The average person in a Western society consumes 1000% more trans fatty acids and hydrogenated fats than ever before. We have increased the use of caffeine, sugar, refined carbohydrates, and alcohol which all deplete EFAs and prostaglandins. The decrease in breast feeding also deprives us of EFAs because breast milk is rich in omega-3 oils, which are completely absent in cow’s milk (Dommisse, J.V., 2000).
Studies in which control subjects supplemented their diet with EFAs have not had a success rate that would make it conclusive in the world of science. However, one of the studies that I analyzed had a subgroup that had a 50% or more reduction in symptoms in 12% of active participants (Johnson, M., et. al., 2009). I would call that significant even though it doesn’t constitute success in scientific terms.
Dietary Solutions
I have mentioned many dietary deficiencies in this paper and it would seem that the immediate and simple thing to do would be to just start fixing these however possible. But it is important to remember the value of be tested by a Dr. for these deficiencies. It is not wise to start supplementing the diet to counter balance suspected deficiencies if they have not been confirmed. Most of the studies I looked at mentioned this at one point or other. In some cases it was pointed out that excess amounts of some minerals can be harmful.
Some suggestions that are likely to be acceptable by a physician, and can even help a parent present a case for testing, would be to start trying to identify allergens by eliminating foods from the diet that are highly suspect. One study said that the first step would be to look for the most common food allergies: dairy, wheat (and gluten), eggs, soy, corn and nuts by taking the food group out of the child’s diet for at least three to four weeks and observe to see if symptoms improve (Presti, L., 2010). If the option is available to have testing done for allergies, this is best option and doesn’t take nutrients out of the diet for weeks at a time. There is an accurate food allergy test called IgG4-90 that is available in some places around the country.
One article listed strategies that are not extreme and I would be comfortable implementing them without consulting a physician or taking extensive allergy test first. Those strategies are: include protein in every meal, especially breakfast; take lots of vitamin C; include vitamin B-12 and folic acid; reduce starch and flour based foods; avoid junk foods and processed foods. Some more guidelines this article gave were: increase fiber; eat whole foods instead of processed foods; purchase foods from the periphery of the store, avoiding inside aisles were processed foods are displayed; purchase organic foods when possible and avoid fast food chains (Lavoie, T., 2009). This article talked about sleep patterns as well and pointed out that many children with ADHD have sleep difficulties also. It gave suggestions for encouraging regular sleep patterns, such as: establishing a regular sleep and rise time; avoid daytime sleeping; avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol; not going to bed too hungry or too full; establishing a regular pre-sleep routine; create a good sleep environment; and learn relaxation techniques (like deep breathing) (Lavoie, T., 2009).
A good rule of thumb is to add in a multi-vitamin that targets recommended daily amounts of vitamins and minerals. Some vitamins are extremely important to the body in helping process other nutrients and essential metals. Vitamins B-3 and C help children overcome symptoms of ADHD and in one test all but one subject responded and corrected the following behaviors: hyperactive behavior, deteriorating school performance, perceptual changes, and social inabilities. Children with low serotonin levels added vitamin B-6 to their diet 2-3 times daily and serotonin levels returned to normal (Dommisse, J.V., 2000).
The dietary changes that I found to be most profound, and yet so simple, involve adding foods into the diet that increase EFAs, like omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids which are found in shrimp, tuna, salmon and Pollack. It is noteworthy that these need to be wild-caught; fish that are raised in captivity do not have the same fatty acids as fish that are caught wild.
Limiting sugar intake and being careful to eat it with a meal that is balanced in fat, carbohydrates, and protein is a solid recommendation. Adding in lactobacillus acidophilus and eliminating (or realistically speaking- cutting back) white flour are ways to improve overall health and reduce toxins that aggravate ADHD symptoms.

Conclusion
The information I found in these articles was consistent and the articles supported each other. I feel challenged to change my life because I and my girls show symptoms of ADHD as well as some other nutritional problems addressed in the research that aggravate symptoms of ADHD. There are medical remedies available to help children overcome ADHD but those were not addressed in this paper. In light of all I have learned I am saddened that dietary changes are not offered as a possible solution. I realize that surely sometimes dietary changes are suggested, but when my daughter was diagnosed with ADHD, no solutions were offered to us except the use of Ritalin. Noting the high number of diagnoses of ADHD in Western society today and the readiness to prescribe stimulant drugs makes me wonder about our country and our values. But that would be another paper! I believe that there is conclusive evidence that dietary changes can improve ADHD and can free the person from its grip. I believe that this paper supports that idea.

Desiderata

Max Ehrmann

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.

Take kindly to the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann

Resolution:

1. The state or quality of being resolute; firm determination.

2. A resolving to do something.

3. A course of action determined or decided on.

4. A formal statement of a decision or expression of opinion put before or adopted by an assembly such as the U.S. Congress.

And… here are the resolutions again.

• Changing our lifestyle. So this is goals 1, 2, and 3. (healthy eating, healthy food planning, and exercise) (maybe goal 4 too, let God be in control)
  • Next goal: graduate with honors.
  • Next goal: get a job. This means finishing my resume and sending it out. And out and out until something happens.
  • Next goal: be kind and be content.

These seem fairly daunting to me. But I pondered yesterday on what I meant by these and how to get there.  This is clouded by the fact that I am reading the book Julie & Julia by Julie Powell. I feel like I need a “quest.” I need some thing to drive me into the next realm, a motivated realm. So I have determined that we will attempt to include 3 meatless meals every week and try one new recipe a week. I say meatless because I am not a vegetarian in any sense of the word, I love all things dairy and most things that come from animals, like eggs and beef and poultry and lard and the list could cover pages. Making a meatless soup would not stop me from putting chicken broth in it. Or lard for that matter. I am salivating just thinking about lard and chicken broth. My sister has discovered that she feels much better if she eats like a Vegan. I couldn’t do it. She has different motivational factors than I do though. Anyway, I know that if I start eating in moderation and including more greens and less meat, I will feel better too. But I don’t pretend to follow anyone’s rules about vegetarianism or veganism.

So I think researching and chasing down meatless meals might be just the thing. I hope. And finding recipes we haven’t already eaten a million times will be part of the challenge. I think that I am going to cave and search used bookstores for the Julia Child’s cookbook. Maybe we will have an artichoke for dinner some night. If I understand correctly, it will be drown in butter. I can handle that I believe.

I just joined pinterest. This could greatly help my quest for new recipes. But it could also greatly hinder my ability to accomplish, well, anything!

After all that, what I am really saying that part of the healthy resolution/resolutions will include less meat and new ideas~ 3 meatless meals and 1 new recipe a week. Some of this is exciting because it provides new blogging material- yippee!

I’m not ready to “talk” about my other resolutions yet and I don’t know what I am going to do to be a) more kind and b) more content. But I know it won’t “just happen” so I will have to make a game plan.  I can choose gratitude. That will help. Perhaps I can post one thing I am grateful for every day. I know that the “30 days of thankfulness” for November helps me get my focus right and I always use the word gratitude instead of thankfulness, I am more comfortable with that word. I could choose to start the year off with a gratitude list. I like that idea. But right now, I need to figure out what our first meal of the new year will be. I planned to make biscuits and sausage gravy and failed to buy sausage. *sigh*

Something that “happened” in 2011. Well, it began in 2010. I gained weight. I ate at the school with the Pre-K kids every day. Don’t let the fact that there are nutritional guidelines that school lunches follow fool you, those are high calorie, high starch, heavy fat, and low nutritional value meals. You eat them, feel sluggish, move slowly, and get hungry right away again because they are BAD for you. So in summer I worked really hard to change my life. I ate chicken and walked. I did more than eat chicken. I changed the way I ate. A lot of changes. And I lost 8 pounds. I didn’t make my goal of 10 pounds, but losing 8 pounds changed things for me. I felt good, I lost a bra size and I was actually wearing pants that were my size instead of pouring myself into jeans that were 2 sizes too small. When school started though, my motivation dwindled. I am not sure what to say about that. Because it seems likely I could be headed for the yo-yo the rest of my life scenario, and I don’t relish that thought.

Enough looking back. Time to look ahead. My goal, hope, resolution for the next year: change the way I live. It sounds so daunting, maybe because it is. Really, I never do anything half-ass. Well, okay, some things. But generally I take the bull by the horns and ride the ride to the end. But I believe that weight-loss is more than weight-loss and I believe that to change the numbers on the scale, I have to change a lot of things. I think it is not just a mental and physical journey, but also a spiritual journey. So I need to be more spiritually fit, I need change the way I eat and I need to change the ways I move. I am feeling an overwhelming sense of “blah” just reading what I type as I bang it out. Side note: ew… this party mix really isn’t good. It is icky. I am going to throw it out, or throw up trying to eat it. Which would I prefer? Because when it is sitting here beside me, it is like I forget that the last bite made me ill and I pop another bite into my mouth. I think that throwing it out is the humane answer.

Changing our lifestyle.  Yes, I said “our.” My kids will need to go on this journey too. Red will cheerfully join, and Punky will balk every step of the way. This should involve menu planning and healthy snacks and packing a lunch as well as getting up early enough to walk and/or exercise before school, which I need to be at by 7:45 now as I’ll be teaching this semester. By the way~ I am terrified about this, so I may feel the need to eat my emotions as well. So I don’t know how all this will work. So this is goals 1, 2, and 3. (healthy eating, healthy food planning, and exercise) (maybe goal 4 too, let God be in control)

Next goal: graduate with honors.

Next goal: get a job. This means finishing my resume and sending it out. And out and out until something happens.

Next goal: be kind and be content.

Maybe I’ll have insight to expand on these later, but I am really tired just reading this. All I can say is: “God help us!”

Here are a few more things I am grateful for:

• Sara Jane. She drives me insane with her not answering and not responding but no one understands me like her and I know she’ll always love me no matter how FINE I might be….
• Dani Lee Horn. She made me a mother. A Mom.  Another child from that era might call me some sort of motha but it ain’t the same at all!
• “the girls” that I worked with at RES. When I say~ “the girls” are coming over, this is who I am referring to.
• My girls at home. The Redhead and the Punky. My life is infinitely better because of them. I don’t even remember what life was like before them.
• The rest of my good, good friends. Like Jim who helps me with “manly” things like my outside lights and trellis around my porch and “all that.” And friends like Larry and Pat and the list goes on and I can’t possibly list every friend that I have that is list-worthy because I truly have that many GOOD friends.
• Mindy. She gets her own listing. Just Love her.
• Education~ mine (this is my life in the present)
• Education~ elementary (this is my future)
• FHSU friends that I only know through discussion boards and Skype
• Beanhead (my life-long BFF. She knew me drunk, she knows me now and everywhere in-between).
• My church who accepts us where we are at.
• My home
• A car
• Groceries
• Growth. I have mixed emotions about it. I like growth in retrospect but never in the process. It is almost always painful. And time-consuming.

I am grateful (as you might notice) for relationships. They are what make my life worthwhile. I am grateful for a relationship with a loving God who sticks by me even though I am neurotic and emotional and all the other descriptives of the FINE acronym. I am grateful that I can choose gratitude today. And that I have a program that helps me learn to live (I’ll take all the help I can get).

So, what happened in 2011? Nothing. Everything. How’s that for a summary. Ha! In January I realized that I couldn’t do it all anymore. I could not figure out how to take 12 hours of teacher education classes and work 38+ hours and take care of my children or myself. So I resolved to quit my job, and the lead teacher I worked under asked if I would be willing to work half-days, to which I readily agreed. So I worked fewer hours during the spring semester and after that have worked 0 hours. That was a change. I resolved to eat healthier last year, and did okay during the summer month. I would have done much better had the garden been planted earlier. Yep, I did it again… got it tilled early (March maybe) but didn’t get the tomatoes planted until May. Because of the extreme heat last summer no tomatoes survived to harvest~ except one plant of cherry tomatoes~ one scraggly little plant. I am not good at organic gardening. Spraying the squash with soapy water kills the squash, so who cares if it kills the bugs. Maybe I’ll just put Sevin on everything this year. “We” put lattice all around the porch, making it more enclosed and more private. On the north side I planted morning glories, and they grew gloriously in spite of the heat, making a really nifty shaded area on the porch (which is also the back drop for the family pictures we took in September). Because it was so wonderful, we added lattice on the south side of the porch too. So one goal is to plant and take care of some sort of greenery that will grow on the lattice and make the porch a veritable fortress this summer. The next goal for 2012 is to get a fence built between my yard and the neighbors to the south. Maybe that will cut down on the foot traffic through my yard. Another goal: graduation. Next goal: get a job! Next goal: party! I want to have an “I got a job party!” (so I need a job, huh?) I like/love to dance. To oldies that rock with some jazz, like the Blades or King Midas.  Wouldn’t that be fun? We’ll see what happens. So before that happens, I need to pass my licensure exams and send out a million (or close to) resumes. Okay, number one goal for the new year is to get a job. Oh yeah, reflection comes first. Well, I am exhausted. I plan to reflect on this year that is almost over. And even write about it, and then I’ll make realistic (?) goals for the coming year. If I even know what that means. What is reality anyway?

What went right today:

• Punky got some medical attention
• I got a chance to laugh and talk with my sis
• I got to see and hug and kiss my niece
• I had the opportunity to love on my youngest
• I can trust my teen to help out when needed.
• I made some really tasty soup!
• I went on a walk in the wonderfully warm afternoon weather with my one and only sister