A wise old lady once said ...

With a string of bad news and awful happenings over the past six months, I needed a dose of positive thinking ...

On the plane ride up to Northern California this morning, I was lucky enough to sit by a little old Scottish lady, named BJ, in her late 70s to early 80s. With glimmering blue eyes, an infectious smile, and the energy of someone much younger, BJ was just the person I needed to meet.

Here are a few of the wise-isms she imparted:

1) Always approach life with a can do attitude. Life moves so fast. Before you know it, doors open, doors close. There is so much opportunity. So, don’t ever give up on something because you never know where life is going to take you.

2) Always be kind and try to put a smile on people's faces.

3) Take your husband out to dinner for no reason other than you love him.

4) A date night once a week where you and he both dress up helps keep the romance alive after years and years of marriage.

5) Always be happy, and "Live. Love. And laugh as often as possible!" (She said, "I saw that on a rock. I hope to paint a rock one day.")

And when she exited the plane, she walked off at a quicker pace than I … telling me over her shoulder, “I am not in a wheelchair yet, so I am just going to go, go, go!”

What an inspiration!

Me Time

In today’s busy world of endless emails, phone calls, meetings and requests from others, it's easy to become bogged down by fulfilling obligations to everyone, but yourself.

Sometimes we just need a break from it all. To take some time to do something we need or want to do. To take some “me time.”

My "me time" is enjoying at least 60 minutes a day of solitude. It gives me time to unplug, take a break from the demands of every day life, shift my focus and decompress. To breath, and be happy. I think of it as time to keep myself sane.

What do you do to keep yourself sane?

National Do Not Call Registry

Recently, I've been receiving weekly telemarketing phone calls on my cell phone. Can we say annoying!

If you are brothered by telemarketing calls, be a victim no longer:

The National Do Not Call Registry gives you a choice about whether to receive telemarketing calls at home. Most telemarketers should not call your number once it has been on the registry for 31 days. If they do, you can file a complaint at this Website. You can register your home or mobile phone for free. Your registration will be effective for five years.

Register Now at www.donotcall.gov.

Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Conditioner

I'm generally leery of companies "new and improving" their products. Usually I like the old version much better. And when I saw Clairol's new Herbal Essences line, I scoffed. Don't fix it if it ain't broke! (Well, hmm, but I haven't used H.E. in a while - maybe it was time for a change.)

For my recent trip to Hawaii, I stopped by Target to get some toiletry samples for my carry-on. (I don't trust hotel shampoo so I bring my own.) I spied the new Herbal Essences Happy Hydration conditioner in one of the trial size bins and thought I should try it out. Why not?

Well, I'm glad I did. My hair is super silky but not weighed down. I've been using it every day since the beginning of my trip a few weeks ago and my hair still feels amazing. It's like using a salon-quality conditioner without the high price. And don't forget the smell of orchids and coconut milk - sends me back to Hawaii every time.

» Visit Herbal Essences here.