That said, as wise travelers we need to be aware so we can identify possible issues while traveling. Just be because you are staying in a 5 star hotel that is no guarantee that you will be free of bed bugs. Having the ability to identify potential risks will make the difference between a wonderful vacation and feeling like a flea-bitten dog!

One of the more effective methods of avoidance is by looking. A great habit to get into is leaving your luggage outside the door or your room and going in for an inspection.

By taking up the sheets, you can get a good idea if your mattress is infested by looking for the following signs: squished bed bugs on the mattress, tiny areas of dried blood, an odd kind of sweet smell, and little piles of brownish-red bug poop.

Bed bugs are nocturnal so you may not see them during the day, but you might catch them wedged into the mattress creases sleeping. They are normally brownish as adults, oval in shape and flat. They can be 1/8 up to 1/4 of an inch in length – and they are patient, waiting for a nice warm body to lie down so they can have dinner. Those bed bug bites are pretty itchy, but they are not carriers of disease.

All in all a few bites are harmless enough, the problem is once you open your suitcase in your room you potentially become a transport system for bed bugs into your own home. That is how they have managed to infest NYC, being found in movie theaters, hotels, and even darkened restaurants and clubs. We’re like a free airline ticket anywhere!

As always, prevention is the best medicine – so it is up to you to do your best to check your surroundings. This is nothing to be embarrassed about – most bell-hops are aware of this and know that people are asking for a couple of minutes to check the room. Vacations should be delightful – and this is one way to make sure you don’t take your vacation home with you!

No one, can make you serve customers well – that’s because great service is a choice. Harvey Mackay, tells a wonderful story about a cab driver that proved this point. He was waiting in line for a ride at the airport. When a cab pulled up, the first thing Harvey noticed was that the taxi was polished to a bright shine. Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for Harvey.

He handed my friend a laminated card and said: “Hello. I’m Wally, your driver. While I’m loading your bags in the trunk, I’d like you to read my mission statement.”

Taken aback, Harvey read the card. It said: Wally’s Mission Statement: To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest and cheapest way possible in a friendly environment. This blew Harvey away. Especially when he noticed that the inside of the cab matched the outside. Spotlessly clean!

As he slid behind the wheel, Wally said, “Would you like a cup of coffee? I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf.” My friend said jokingly, “No, I’d prefer a soft drink.” Wally smiled and said, “No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular and Diet Coke, water and orange juice.” Amazed, Harvey said, “I’ll take a Diet Coke.”

Handing him his drink, Wally said, “If you’d like something to read, I have The Wall Street Journal, Time, Sports Illustrated and USA Today.” As they were pulling away, Wally handed my friend another laminated card, “These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you’d like to listen to the radio.”

And as if that weren’t enough, Wally told Harvey that he had the air conditioning on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for him. Then he advised Harvey of the best route to his destination for that time of day. He also let him know that he’d be happy to chat and tell him about some of the sights or, if Harvey preferred, he would be quiet and leave him with his own thoughts.

“Tell me, Wally,” my amazed friend asked the driver, “have you always served customers like this?”

Wally smiled into the rear view mirror. “No, not always. In fact, it’s only been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do. Then I heard this personal growth guru, Dr. Wayne Dyer, on the radio one day. He had just written a book called You’ll See It When You Believe It.

Dr. Dyer said that if you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you’ll rarely disappoint yourself. He said, “Stop complaining! Differentiate yourself from your competition. Don’t be a duck. Be an eagle. Ducks quack and complain. Eagles soar above the crowd.”

“Well, that hit me right between the eyes,” said Wally. “Dr. Dyer was really talking about me. I was always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle. I looked around at the other cabs and their drivers. The cabs were dirty, the drivers were unfriendly, and the customers were unhappy. So I decided to make some changes. I put in a few at a time. When my customers responded well, I did more.”

“I take it that has paid off for you,” Harvey said.

“It sure has,” Wally replied. “My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from the previous year. This year I’ll probably quadruple it. You were lucky to get me today. I don’t sit at cabstands anymore. My customers call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on my answering machine. If I can’t pick them up myself, I get a reliable cabbie friend to do it and I take a piece of the action.”

Wally was phenomenal! He was running a limo service out of a Yellow Cab. I have probably told that story to more than 50 cab drivers over the years, and only 2 took the idea and ran with it; whenever I go to their cities, I give them a call. The rest of the drivers quacked like ducks and told me all the reasons they couldn’t do any of what I was suggesting. Wally the Cab Driver made a different choice: He decided to stop quacking like ducks and start soaring like eagles.

Each day you have a choice: Get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day or get up expecting a wonderful day. The old saying, “Smile and the whole world smiles with you” can be true if you decide each morning to make the best of the day ahead. And remember – Ducks Quack, Eagles Soar!

~Author Unknown

“It’s one of them welfare card things. Damn people need to get a job like everyone else,” said the man.
The young woman turned around to see who had made the comment.
“It was me,” he said, pointing to himself.
The young lady’s face began to change expression. Almost in tears, she dropped the welfare card onto the counter and quickly walked out of the store. Everyone in the checkout line watched as she began running to her car. Never looking back, she got in and drove away.

Several minutes later a young man walked into the store. He went up to the cashier and asked if she had seen the woman. After describing her, the cashier told him that she had run out of the store, got into her car, and drove away. “Why would she do that?” asked the man. Everyone in the line looked around at the fellow who had made the statement. “I made a stupid comment about the welfare card she was using. Something I shouldn’t have said. I’m sorry,” said the man.
“Well, that’s bad, real bad, in fact. Her brother was killed in Afghanistan two years ago. He had three young children and she has taken on that responsibility. She’s twenty years old, single, and now has three children to support,” he said in a very firm voice.
“I’m really truly sorry. I didn’t know,” the complainer replied, shaking both his hands about.
The young man asked, “Are these paid for?” pointing to the shopping cart full of groceries.
“It wouldn’t take her card” the clerk told him.
“Do you know where she lives?” asked the man who had made the comment.
“Yes, she goes to our church.”
“Excuse me,” he said as he made his way to the front of the line. He pulled out his wallet, took out his credit card and told the cashier, “Please use my card. PLEASE!” The clerk took his credit card and began to ring up the young woman’s groceries.
“Hold on,” said the former griper. He walked back to his shopping cart and began loading his own groceries onto the belt to be included. “Come on people. We got three kids to help raise!” he told everyone in line.

Everyone began to place their groceries onto the fast moving belt. A few customers began bagging the food
And placing it into separate carts. “Go back and get two big turkeys,” yelled a heavy-set woman, as she looked at the man.
“NO,” yelled the man. Everyone stopped dead in their tracks. The entire store became quiet for several seconds. “Four turkeys,” yelled the man. Everyone began laughing and went back to work.
When all was said and done, the man paid a total of $1,646.57 for the groceries. He then walked over to the side, pulled out his check book, and began writing a check using the bags of dog food piled near the front of the store for a writing surface. He turned around and handed the check to the young man.
“She will need a freezer and a few other things as well,” he told the man.
The young man looked at the check and said, “This is really very generous of you.”
“No,” said the man. “Her brother was the generous one.”
Everyone in the store had been observing the odd commotion and began to clap.

A great example of why we should be kind and patient.
Kindness is the language the blind can see and the deaf can hear. Never judge a person because you never know what heartaches they are living with. A good saying to remember is *There but for the grace of God (go I) – you should never pass judgment until you have walked a mile in their shoes.

I do not know who wrote this story – but it is a good one! Blessings, Sheri

**John Bradford (1510 – 1555) was a prebendary of St. Paul’s. He was an English Reformer and martyr best remembered for his utterance, “‘There, but for the grace of God, goes John Bradford.” The words were uttered by Bradford while imprisoned in the Tower of London, when he saw a criminal on his way to execution.

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Surya and Rosco

In this video you are going to meet Surya an Orangutan who demonstrates to us the way to open your heart and arms to those you don’t even know. Rather than coming from fear – Surya shows us how to show compassion and presence. In this video Surya meets a hound dog named Rosco, and they become fast friends. Notice how Surya is not selfish or jealous. He always gives half his food to the dog expressing generosity and caring.

Best of all, these guys know how to have fun. Look at yourself and ask these questions:

• Do you express the amount of joy in your daily like that Surya does?
• Do you share half of what you have with others?
• Are you kind first or do you judge first when you meet others?
• Can you find your happiness in the smallest of things?
• Do you honor your friends and family?

If you can’t answer yes to the above – then perhaps this is the perfect example of how the human ego mind and it’s judgment can stop us from demonstrating the unconditional inherent in all beings. Take a moment to watch this video and let me know what you think by posting below!

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One of the best gifts I ever gave myself in this lifetime was the opportunity to study with don Miguel Ruiz - who most of you know wrote The Four Agreements. Truly that experience changed my life and set me traveling upon a new road and path in life. So it’s very exciting to be able to announce his new book, co-written with his son Jose Luis.

At first glance you might feel a bit confused as to what don Miguel means by “be skeptical.” To be clear, he does not mean to be skeptical from the point of view of a rebellious mental position – but instead to be open and question any mental proposals, whether those proposals come from another person or from your own thinking! It’s important to listen carefully to your own story and everyone else’s, without judgment and with respect. At the same time we can recognize that it’s simply a story – the creation of the human dreaming mind. That helps give us some separation from both our creation and others creations – which in turn gives us the clarity to see the truth of life without getting emotional and reacting to everything!

In the book, Don Miguel asks us to help him to change the world. But the world he is referring to is the one inside our head – not our planet. All the great spiritual masters knew that to have peace on our planet we must first have peace in each individual mind. We can only project what we are dreaming, and the reason why there is so much pain and suffering in the world is because all of us are projecting the pain and suffering that exists in our own minds. But if we take the time to focus inwardly, we can change that inner world and everything around us will shift in kind.

That’s challenging for most folks because it takes away our ability to blame others for the way things are in our world. It’s easier to point our finger elsewhere – but truly, the spiritual warrior always takes responsibly for his creation and never victimizes himself. In the end as don Miguel suggests, we are all messengers and only we can decide what kind of messenger we want to be.

I think the biggest challenge is to dream a dream of love, free of the fear society surrounds us with and to live boldly without excuses. To accomplish this we must embrace the truth as only the truth can set us free. When we understand that we cannot speak the truth as no concepts can be truth – we take to living the truth in the highest way. The result of living the truth is peace, joy and blessings. Of course the book shares so many wonderful gems – and I cannot begin to cover them in this little post. But I can encourage you to pick up a copy today! Do let me know what you think by posting below.

With all my love, Sheri

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Many folks have said that Avatar is just a re-write of Dances With Wolves. Certainly this story has been told before – an outsider joins the natives, marries into their culture and adapts it over their own. But this story goes beyond that – it delves into the heart of the oneness of all life and all living beings. For example, my favorite ability the N’avi possess is their way of merging with the earth, animals and their Goddess Eywa though a neural interface. They don’t see themselves as separate from the earth – they make deep and powerful connections – something our modern lives are often short of.

Here our hero Jake Sully gets sent to the planet Pandora to try to get to know the people so that they can be exploited without resistance (the people from Earth want to mine Unobtanium (ha!) from the planet destroying it in the process). There is so much symbology in this movie you have to see it twice just to be able to take it all in. The way Jake interacts with the natives is through a genetically engineered body known as an avatar. Isn’t it true that each one of us is existing in our own avatar/human body and just as Jake Sully is not his avatar, neither are we.

The Wikipedia states: In Hinduism, Avatar or Avatāra (Devanagari अवतार, Sanskrit for “descent” [viz., from heaven to earth]) refers to a deliberate descent of a deity from heaven to earth, and is mostly translated into English as “incarnation”, but more accurately as “appearance” or “manifestation.”

Truly we’re all spiritual beings having a human experience. It’s even lovely how the N’avi greet one another – they say Oel ngati kameie – I see you. How nice it would be if people honored each other that way, an intergalactic version of Namaste! There are statements about ecology, war, imperialism, prejudice, love, relationship and so much more in this intense film.

The 3D effects simply blow the mind and the idea that they created a complete language for the movie is fantastic – something that I, a die-hard Trekkie loved about that series. Truly James Cameron created and entire universe, one that is waiting for you to explore! I hope you enjoy the movie trailer on this page and let me know what you thought of the movie by posting below!

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I love this video – you can truly see how music has a positive impact on everyone. Here at the United Nations people of all races and countries stood up dancing in support of the wonderful message in this song. Please listen as 16 of the worlds top musicians—some of whom have fled oppressive regimes—as they sing for human rights for all people. If you are interested, you can download this song from iTunes.

FYI: The track, donated by Aterciopelados and arranged by fusion music guru Andres Levin, combines the voices of Hugh Masekela, Julieta Venegas, Stephen Marley, Angelique Kidjo, Yungchen Lhamo, Aterciopelados, Yerba Buena, Natacha Atlas, Rachid Taha, Kiran Ahluwalia, Chiwoniso and Emmanual Jal with those of U.S. artists Natalie Merchant, and Chali 2Na of Jurassic 5. Introduction by Laurence Fishburne.

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He was sitting there looking at the snow that had been falling for the last hour and wondering what it was all about when the door opened and a homeless man stepped through. Instead of throwing the man out, George, Old George as he was known by his customers, told the man to come and sit by the space heater and warm up.

“Thank you, but I don’t mean to intrude,” said the stranger. “I see you’re busy. I’ll just go.” “Not without something hot in your belly,” George turned and opened a wide mouth Thermos and handed it to the stranger. “It ain’t much, but it’s hot and tasty. Stew. Made it myself. When you’re done there’s coffee and it’s fresh.”

Just at that moment he heard the “ding” of the driveway bell. “Excuse me, be right back,” George said. There in the driveway was an old 53 Chevy. Steam was rolling out of the front. The driver was panicked. “Mister, can you help me!” said the driver with a deep Spanish accent. “My wife is with child and my car is broken.”

George opened the hood. It was bad. The block looked cracked from the cold; the car was dead. “You ain’t going in this thing,” George said as he turned away. “But mister – please help.” The door of the office closed behind George as he went in. George went to the office wall and got the keys to his old truck, and went back outside. He walked around the building and opened the garage, started the truck and drove it around to where the couple was waiting.

“Here, you can borrow my truck,” he said. “She ain’t the best thing you ever looked at, but she runs real good.” George helped put the woman in the truck and watched as it sped off into the night. George turned and walked back inside the office.

“Glad I loaned em the truck. Their tires were shot too. That ‘ol truck has brand new tires.” George thought he was talking to the stranger, but the man had gone. The thermos was on the desk, empty with a used coffee cup beside it. “Well, at least he got something in his belly,” George thought. George went back outside to see if the old Chevy would start. It cranked slowly, but it started. He pulled it into the garage where the truck had been. He thought he would tinker with it for something to do. Christmas Eve meant no customers. He discovered the block hadn’t cracked, it was just the bottom hose on the radiator.

“Well, I can fix this,” he said to himself. So he put a new one on. “Those tires ain’t gonna get ‘em through the winter either.” He took the snow treads off of his wife’s old Lincoln. They were like new and he wasn’t going to drive the car. As he was working he heard a shot being fired. He ran outside and beside a police car an officer lay on the cold ground. Bleeding from the left shoulder, the officer moaned, “Help me.” George helped the officer inside as he remembered the training he had received in the Army as a medic. He knew the wound needed attention.

“Pressure to stop the bleeding,” he thought. The laundry company had been there that morning and had left clean shop towels. He used those and duct tape to bind the wound. “Hey, they say duct tape can fix anythin’,” he said, trying to make the policeman feel at ease. “Something for pain,” George thought. All he had was the pills he used for his back. “These ought to work.” He put some water in a cup and gave the policeman the pills. “You hang in there. I’m going to get you an ambulance.” George said, but the phone was dead.

“Maybe I can get one of your buddies on that there talk box out in your police car.” He went out only to find that a bullet had gone into the dashboard destroying the two way radio. He went back in to find the policeman sitting up. “Thanks,” said the officer. “You could have left me there. The guy that shot me is still in the area.”

George sat down beside him. “I would never leave an injured man in the Army and I ain’t gonna leave you.” George pulled back the bandage to check for bleeding. “Looks worse than what it is. Bullet passed right through ‘ya. Good thing it missed the important stuff though. I think with time your gonna be right as rain.”

George got up and poured a cup of coffee. “How do you take it?” he asked. “None for me,” said the officer. “Oh, yer gonna drink this. Best in the city.” Then George added: “Too bad I ain’t got no donuts.” The officer laughed and winced at the same time.

The front door of the office flew open. In burst a young man with a gun. “Give me all your cash! Do it now!” the young man yelled. His hand was shaking and George could tell that he had never done anything like this before. “That’s the guy that shot me!” exclaimed the officer. “Son, why are you doing this?” asked George. “You need to put the cannon away. Somebody else might get hurt.” The young man was confused. “Shut up old man, or I’ll shoot you, too. Now give me the cash!”

The cop was reaching for his gun. “Put that thing away,” George said to the cop. “We got one too many in here now.” He turned his attention to the young man. “Son, it’s Christmas Eve. If you need the money, well then, here. It ain’t much but it’s all I got. Now put that pee shooter away.”

George pulled $150 out of his pocket and handed it to the young man, reaching for the barrel of the gun at the same time. The young man released his grip on the gun, fell to his knees and began to cry. “I’m not very good at this am I? All I wanted was to buy something for my wife and son,” he went on. “I’ve lost my job. My rent is due. My car got repossessed last week…”

George handed the gun to the cop. “Son, we all get in a bit of squeeze now and then. The road gets hard sometimes, but we make it through the best we can.” He got the young man to his feet, and sat him down on a chair across from the cop. “Sometimes we do stupid things.” George handed the young man a cup of coffee. “Being stupid is one of the things that makes us human. Comin’ in here with a gun ain’t the answer. Now sit there and get warm and we’ll sort this thing out.”

The young man had stopped crying. He looked over to the cop. “Sorry I shot you. It just went off. I’m sorry officer.” Shut up and drink your coffee.” the cop said. George could hear the sounds of sirens outside. A police car and an ambulance skidded to a halt. Two cops came through the door, guns drawn. “Chuck! You ok?” one of the cops asked the wounded officer. “Not bad for a guy who took a bullet. How did you find me?” “GPS locator in the car. Best thing since sliced bread. Who did this?” the other cop asked as he approached the young man.

Chuck answered him, “I don’t know. The guy ran off into the dark. Just dropped his gun and ran.” George and the young man both looked puzzled at each other. “That guy works here,” the wounded cop continued. “Yep,” George said. “Just hired him this morning. Boy lost his job.” The paramedics came in and loaded Chuck onto the stretcher. The young man leaned over the wounded cop and whispered, “Why?” Chuck just said, “Merry Christmas, boy. And you too, George, and thanks for everything.”

“Well, looks like you got one doozy of a break there. That ought to solve some of your problems.” George went into the back room and came out with a box. He pulled out a ring box. “Here you go. Something for the little woman. I don’t think Martha would mind. She said it would come in handy some day.”

The young man looked inside to see the biggest diamond ring he ever saw. “I can’t take this,” said the young man. “It means something to you.” “And now it means something to you,” replied George. “I got my memories. That’s all I need.” George reached into the box again. A toy airplane, a racing car and a little metal truck appeared next. They were toys that the oil company had left for him to sell. “Here’s something for that little man of yours.”

The young man began to cry again as he handed back the $150 that the old man had handed him earlier. “And what are you supposed to buy Christmas dinner with? You keep that, too. Count it as part of your first week’s pay.” George said. “Now git home to your family.” The young man turned with tears streaming down his face. “I’ll be here in the morning for work, if that job offer is still good.” “Nope. I’m closed Christmas day,” George said. “See ya the day after.”

George turned around to find that the stranger had returned. “Where’d you come from? I thought you left?” “I have been here. I have always been here,” said the stranger. “You say you don’t celebrate Christmas. Why?” “Well, after my wife passed away I just couldn’t see what all the bother was. Puttin’ up a tree and all seemed a waste of a good pine tree. Bakin’ cookies like I used to with Martha just wasn’t the same by myself and besides I was getting a little chubby.”

The stranger put his hand on George’s shoulder. “But you do celebrate the holiday, George. You gave me food and drink and warmed me when I was cold and hungry. The woman with child will bear a son and he will become a great doctor. The policeman you helped will go on to save 19 people from being killed by terrorists. The young man who tried to rob you will become a rich man and share his wealth with many people. That is the spirit of the season and you keep it as good as any man.”

George was taken aback by all this stranger had said. “And how do you know all this?” asked the old man. “Trust me, George. I have the inside track on this sort of thing. And when your days are done you will be with Martha again.” The stranger moved toward the door. “If you will excuse me, George, I have to go now. I have to go home where there is a big celebration planned.”

George watched as the man’s old leather jacket and his torn pants turned into a white robe. A golden light began to fill the room. “You see, George, it’s my birthday – Merry Christmas!”

~Author Unknown

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For the most part our programming is set to sabotage us at every turn, to whisper things in our head that are not life supportive. Why is this? Well, our domestication has taught us to create drama, to blame others, to avoid taking responsibility, to always ask others for advice, to depend on others rather than ourselves, to trust others other than ourselves and to project everything our mind tells us onto everyone else. When we are surrounded by others that are programmed the exact same way, it is challenging to get out of these types of behavior and thinking patterns.

That is where the retreats and journeys enter into the picture! By leaving your dream of drama and entering into the point of view, the dream of the group leader’s life, you get to experience life in a totally different way to see with different eyes.

You get to imagine what life could be like if you let go of your point of view, your way of processing your life.

When someone is a clean mirror – in other words has no attachment to the beliefs that we have been trained to hold so tightly to, you can see clearly the things that you are saying that are just not truth – the things that are holding you back from creating an effortless life.

For me – life is effortless. But my point of view is so radically different from the way it was years ago – we could say that woman who I once was no longer exists. I am so thankful for my teacher who challenged everything I said and did and allowed me to see all the things in my mind that were no longer serving me! For that I am eternally grateful. For sure much of the process was painful, as I went into denial so many times and fought tooth and nail to stay attached to my nonsense.

But like everything else – that passed with time and effort and the result has been well worth it. I encourage you to join us on a journey if you can. We will challenge you to let go of the things you carry on your shoulders that make life so heavy. We will pull you into a dream of gratitude, love and respect and teach you many tools to use that have been so successful for us in our own processes.

Blessings, Dr Sheri Rosenthal

You are welcome to reprint this article with the following information at the conclusion of the text:
Sheri Rosenthal DPM is a master Toltec teacher and author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Toltec Wisdom and Banish Mind Spam!. Having trained with don Miguel Ruiz, author of The Four Agreements®, she currently takes students on spiritual journeys www.journeysofthespirit.com – works with personal apprentices, and enjoys being extremely happy. You can reach her at info@sherirosenthal.com or www.sherirosenthal.com and www.withforgiveness.com.

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The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. “We must do something about father,” said the son. “I’ve had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.”  So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl.  When the family glanced in Grandfather’s direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.

The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor.  He asked the child sweetly, “What are you making?” Just as sweetly, the boy responded, “Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up.” The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.  The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.

That evening the husband took Grandfather’s hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

~Author Unknown

And that is what unconditional love is all about!

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