Let The Vacations Begin

"Spend some time this weekend on home improvement; improve your attitude toward your family." - Bo Bennett

A three-day weekend has come and gone here in the United States. It is a weekend that celebrates Memorial Day, a day of remembrance for those fallen in service to our country. It is marked with patriotic parades, flags, salutes and solemn ceremonies.

This weekend is also the official start of summer vacations, the end of school and the madness of celebration with picnics, swimming, boating, fishing, family trips and all forms of fun. It can actually be quite hectic in all of its madness.

This rite of passage into summertime living is also a time we can use to refocus upon our relationships. Families are gathering, spending countless hours in the car traveling, kids out of school creating adventures and parents reconnecting watching them in the summer heat.

And what of the trip to see relatives for picnics, beach sand castles and amusement park rides. The flurry of activity, planning, driving, packing, unpacking, checking in, checking out, fast food, sit down, stand up...

Take a moment and breathe.

Do not allow the summer madness get in the way of your spouse, your kids, relatives and friends. Find time to "just be" with them. There will be other firework shows, other opportunities to catch a show or ride "THE" amusement park ride.

It can be very easy to miss seeing your kids growing up, enjoying their happiness and innocence. It can be very easy to miss the thrill of your spouse holding your hand while driving to the next summer event. It can be easy to forget how much you miss your friends and relatives.

It is also easy to slow down and allow summer to envelope you in the warmth of connection. To dig your toes into the sand and watch the kids in the surf will allow the connections to seep in. Holding your spouse's hand strolling in the park on a hot and sultry evening. Drinking a cold ice tea on the back porch with relatives reminiscing of gone by days.

Yes, summer is a time to work on our attitude. A time to work on our connections. A time to enjoy.

Stay inspired my friends.

Summer Reads

"A truly good book teaches me better than to read it. I must soon lay it down, and commence living on its hint. What I began by reading, I must finish by acting."
-Henry David Thoreau

Summer is (in my mind) essentially here and there will be plans for vacations and other get away events. During this time, reading is normally a big part or should be on your list of things to do. But what to read is the question.

Why not try reading a book written by Andy Andrews called The Noticer. Once again, Andy gives us new perspective on living life.

There are others such as Cup 'O Jo, written by Joseph Kerr. All of us know there are great ways to start our morning and this book gives us a new and different way to start each morning, a fresh cup of coffee for the soul.

There are several other books that might interest you from Dr. David Spell, such as Street Cop, and Street Cop II: Reloaded. His newest eBook is called "Leading into the 21st Century and Beyond" which is a short read but full of great advice. You can also check out his blog at davidspell.com.

Other blogs of interest to keep your life and your business moving forward, check out the following sites;

Michael Hyatt’s blog is one of the most widely read leadership blogs on the internet.

C3 Journey Warrior's blog or better known as the Warrior’s Blog, caters primarily to men but the ladies will benefit as well. A friend named Jim Crumbley and his team write about personal development, relationships, and overcoming obstacles.

TED: Ideas Worth Spreading is a place where you will find remarkable discussions, ideas and new ways of thinking about many different subjects.

Finally, I would not want to end without promoting myself.

If you are reading this blog article, then you have found your way to Primms Attitude or primmsplace.blogspot.com. Here I write articles to help you lift the BAR in your life, motivating, encouraging and inspiring you to your best life.

Additionally I have written books such as "Changed Lives", "Live the Journey" and "Love Is" that will stir your soul to greater achievement. These books and others can be found on Amazon at Amazon: Joseph Primm

There are a lot of great writers out there and the list above is woefully incomplete. But I encourage you to read, read, read. Keep reading and expand yourself. Keep reading to lift your life. And stay inspired my friends.

Seasons of Life

"No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn." -Hal Borland

It started on March 20 at 1:14 A.M. U.S. EDT when most of us were sleeping soundly in our beds. Quietly the season passed from winter into spring, or so it seemed. This particular year it seemed as though the clocks were busting to jump forward into spring.

Winter was hardly an event in most places, with the exception of central Europe. I can attest to some of what happened there. But for most, winter just didn't hold our attention too much. The spring weather just couldn't be contained.

Anticipate Great Things

Through the course of winter and spring, we know that we have no control over the weather. No more can we cause a wintry blast of cold and snow than cause the flowers to pop in wondrous colors. All we can do is accept and take enjoyment from what is presented to us.

I myself am no fan of winter's cold and snow. For so many years growing up, the shoveling of snow, the donning of heavy coats; none of that appealed to me. I always anticipated the arrival of spring, sometimes excited only to have winter sneak in a last blizzard of snow and cold.

The one redeeming thing is that I always knew that this too would pass. Whatever the weather, season or situation, things would eventually change. It happens with everything because you can not contain change.

Seasons of Life

We have seasons in our own lives that mimic your own view of the seasons. Winter can be unfairly seen as the darkest and most lifeless time of life. For others it is full of magical beauty. Spring becomes the start of new life and hope.

I could make a case for the summer of our lives or even my favorite season which is autumn. All four seasons are nature's cycle of life and we are tied to nature. So it stands to reason that we will go through seasons in our own lives. There will be the good, the bad, renewed hope and the shedding of the old.

While we can not always control the seasons that occur in our life, we can control how we respond to them. For winter's cold embrace, I marveled at the moonlit nights shimmering across the snow. For spring it is the budding of the barren trees as they filled in to shade the ground below. Summer is life in perfect motion and autumn with its bursting colors even while dying leaves drifted slowly to the ground.

You have the ability to control your own reaction and attitude to the seasons in your life. While we may not enjoy the bad things that happen to us, we can take solace in what beauty does exist in the situation. We can hold hope that a springtime will happen. We can know that a perfect summer will once again return.

Stay inspired my friends and enjoy the seasons of your life.