Get Positive Live Positive By Melinda Carver

Recently on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites, my friends have been asking for good books to read.  Well, I just finished "Get Positive Live Positive" by Melinda Carver.  First, let me say I am not much for books like this.  I generally read historical texts, biographies, and real crime but something about this book pulled me in.  Maybe it was the bright yellow cover; it could have been the reviews on the back cover that raved about Melinda.


I had some time to sit down and read it last weekend and yes I read it in one day!  I had a tough time putting it down.  Melinda writes in a very easy to follow manner and with simple diagrams.  Her message is one of love and understanding that we all need to hear in a time when everyone is rushing out and trying to achieve with no idea how to do it.



Carver taps into a concept that psychology has told us are true for years.  Thinking positively affects brain chemistry and also your bodies reaction to stress.  This also plays a significant role  in your health (Fiske, 2014.)  I have tried several of the techniques outlined in the book for the past few days and have noticed a marked difference in my life and my attitude.  If nothing else this book brings to the forefront self-care and our need to take put ourselves first more often.

To give you a sample here is my list of positive traits I say to myself.

1. I am beautiful
2. I am kind
3. I am strong

Get Positive Live Positive is available on Melinda Carver's website, Amazon, Walmart, and Barns and Noble.
http://psychicmelinda.webs.com/



Fiske, S. T. (2014). Social beings: core motives in social psychology. Hoboken: Wiley. 

10 Reasons Why being a wheeler is awesome

I know anyone with a disability can relate to this, you are speaking to someone or just going about your regular life, and an abled person says "You are so brave."  This sentence has always bothered me because I am not brave.  Soldiers are brave; they fight with bullets swirling around them.  Firefighters are brave because they run into burning buildings.  So when someone says I am brave, it leads me to believe that they think my life is awful or somehow less than.  This is entirely untrue, and in the spirit of David Letterman I have come up with a top 10 list of reasons why.


1.  Preferred parking


I can also park near the building when it is raining or bitter cold outside.  That is when people who don't need the spaces don't take them.


2. Always having a seat


Think about all the times when you stand in the back of church because there were no seats or waiting for the rides at Cedar Point.  I never have that problem because I have a comfortable chair with me at all the time.   Plus I don't have to sit on nasty bus seats.


3. I have my own roller coaster


Whenever I come to a big down hill, I can just let my hands off the wheels and zoom down.  It's like a coaster all to myself.



4. My shoes don't get dirty


My feet are always off the ground, so my shoes stay cleaner and dryer.  How awful is it when you step in a puddle and get your shoes and socks wet.  Ick!


5.  Being at eye level with dogs and kids


I am at eye level with children and dogs which makes them like me more because I am less intimidating, 


6.   I always have someone to carry my bags in the airport


They have wonderful people at the airport to carry your luggage if you have a disability.  It is so nice not to have to worry about lugging your bags everywhere.


7. I can do wheelchair tricks


I can pop wheelies and hop curbs like a skateboard champion.   The US skateboarding champs have nothing on me.


8.  I can drive a car without shoes on


 In most states, shoeless driving is a big no no.  You know they like it when your feet don't slip off the peddles, but when you drive with your hands and not your feet, it's not really an issue.  Honestly, I could never wear shoes at all in the in the summer and be just fine.  Not that I would do that because I think it's gross.



9.  Shaving my legs is so much easier



It is so much easier to shave your legs sitting down then standing up.  A shower chair is just as important as shaving cream.  You should try it. 



10. I get to see the best and the worst in people every day



I have written many times in this blog about weird or crazy things that people say or do around me.  That does get annoying, but they also hold doors open for me, push me through the snow, and help me get my wheelchair into the car. 



See my life rocks you just never knew!