Terri King Speaks

Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Where’s the gas? Long lines, panic, and police………….did we wake up in 1973?

The best explanation I have been able to get is this: The hurricanes caused reduced production and the pipelines that feed our area are operating at some reduced capacity. And it could be up to a week before things will be back to “normal”.

I am realizing, on a very personal level after today, that apparently “normal” means an absolute dependency on a few politically unstable, unbalanced, and hostile nations who hate us.

Oh, great. What a relief, the comforting news that things will get back to normal.

I would like to challenge us all afresh to seek a new freedom from fossil fuels. Let us open our minds to more creative solutions, even if it means, God forbid, we have to change the way we do a few things.

Maybe you’ve already started. Share it with us so we can too.

I’m thinking going on horseback might be fun.

Terri King

I attended a gathering last night with my daughter who loves to dance. When the music began to play and the dance floor opened, she lit up.

She danced and swayed uninhibited by anything going on around her. No thoughts of , ” maybe I’ll look stupid” or ” what will the others think”. Nope, she induldged herself in every thrilling moment just for her own enjoyment.

When was the last time you and I grabbed a moment in life and squeezed every ounce of the thrill out of it unemcumbered by the rest of the world?

Sounds good to me.

Terri King

Rare and precious is the find of a true friend.

One that listens with a gentle ear.

One that holds your confidence but not a grudge.

One that , tho’ it has been months, welcomes your call as if it were only days.

One that sincerely desires the best of all life has to offer you.

One always ready to pack an empty hole in your ego with encouraging word.

This is the kind of friend with whom you are knit together through an unseen power of which you cannot put into words.

If you know this friend. If this is a friend of yours.

I don’t have to tell you how precious it is. You know where lasting wealth lies.

But ain’t it nice to be reminded.

Terri King

You know that favorite dish you have? Yea, the one that’s seasoned, cooked, and served just the way you like. Don’t you get so excited and think you could eat every bite of it. It hits the spot and you love it.

Well, it seems we all have a favorite way to have love, attention, and affection served to us too.

This weekend I had the challenge of figuring out my daughter’s taste buds for love and attention. She has been quite disruptive at school and her teacher felt it was driven by her desire for attention, even if it was negative. So, I have come to realize my child needs praise and quality time spent with her.

There’s a book called “The Five Love Languages” that is worth reading if you have a loved one you can’t seem to “serve it up right” to, or maybe, you’ll learn something new about yourself.

Relationships are difficult enough. If we can do anything to shed a little light on them, I say, “serve it up”. All it probably amounts to anyway is a small shift in how we express ourselves to the other person.

Has anyone else read it? What did you think?

Terri King

Maybe you’re like me and having a little rain today has been invigorating to your spirit. You know water is the symbol of life. They’ve been looking for signs of life on Mars. The first thing they hoped to find was water. They did.

Without water all you have is a dry, barren wasteland. I’ll tell you what else is a dry, barren wasteland………… the economy.

We’d like to see a sign of life there, no doubt, and we will. It seems like there’s been a lot of negativity lately. Don’t let it get you down.

Let us take advantage of what a downtime can offer: perhaps more time to plan the future since spending for entertainment might be one of the areas we cut back on, or seeing the error in our financial habits that might be making this economic crunch worse than it had to be, or making investments in a buyer’s real estate market for future wealth. Incidentally, if anyone is considering the last one, call me.

Enjoy the rain and have a great week.

Terri King

Last week I had the pleasure of being the keynote speaker at a one-day workshop for aging out foster kids called ”Real World Day”. When foster children, who aren’t adopted, turn 18 they are literally on their own in life. I had 5-10 minutes to give them tips from my experience for making it in the real world.

I tell you what. Facing 15-18 year olds is scary, but it was one of the most rewarding things I have done in some time.

Look for an opportunity this week to share some good advice from your own life experiences with someone coming up behind you. We don’t know what kind of positive impact it might really have and you are bound to be rewarded for it in your own heart.

We really do need each other.

Terri King

Ever put things off? You know what I’m talking about, PROCRASTINATION!

It’s a sneaky thief. Maybe you’re asking yourself, “ What does it really cost? Is it really that big of a deal?”

Oh yea. It’s the culprit of lost opportunity, missed chances, stress and anxiety.

Here’s one example that puts a monetary value on it:

I had an opportunity to buy a house in Woodfin in 2005.
My client would sell it to me for $65,000.
I had put off settling some personal matters that prevented me from being able to move on the deal.
I had to let it go.
The house sold for $104,000 a week after it was listed.
It has a great rental history and is worth about $140,000 now.
I lost $75,000 in equity and $18,000 in rental income, for a grand total of: $93,000 conservatively.

I wish I didn’t have more of these beautiful examples but I do.

The moral of the story: Don’t put it off. Get on it and get it done.

Terri King

You know those moments when you know you’ve said the wrong thing as soon as it comes out of your mouth. Yea, me too. No matter how hard you try, you just can’t pull the words back into your mouth. I’ve had more than one incident of that lately.

My recent blundering around has led me to thinking about damage control once the foot is in the mouth.

Here goes:

You could laugh light-heartedly giving the impression you meant to say that but it was all in good humor. With this one, you’re hoping the recipient actually finds some humor in your blunder. It’s an option in most situations except maybe at a funeral, where you might be better off with your foot in your mouth than a smile on your face.

You could straightway acknowledge that you should not have said that and you didn’t mean it that way at all. This one seems to lead to more awkwardness but there may be a time when you just have to bear down and do what you gotta do. Fess up and take your punishment. Use of this approach is best, I think, when you have stepped in it with a close friend or family member. They’re more likely to forgive you anyway.

You could ignore it altogether if there’s any chance the person didn’t hear you well or there are other immediate distractions to divert you, the conversation or the other person. This one seems to be the riskiest approach and could be perceived and a serious inconsideration if the disenfranchised person actually did hear your blunder. You’re bound to get tagged as insensitive if that happens. Be careful with this one. It’s best used at loud parties.

I welcome any other damage control ideas you may have. Lord knows this week I need them.

Terri King

If you recall, 9 weeks ago I posted a blog about my niece joining the Army.

Well, she just graduated from boot camp.

We went to Ft Leonard Wood, Missouri for the event. There were hundreds of them there and most of them just 19 or 20 years old. BABIES!!

The thing I keep thinking is these kids are going to be the ones fighting for our country in this very unsettled world we are living in.

Their chances of seeing wartime duty is very good.

Today, I just ask you to pray for the men and women in uniform and their families.

I fear the uncertain days ahead will leave more of them paying the ultimate price for freedom.

God Bless America.

Terri King

Life is noisy. The phone’s ringing, the baby’s crying, the TV’s blaring, the dog’s barking. You name it, right?

Often, I think, we go day after day without a moment of meaningful silence.

Okay, you say, what’s the big deal?

Well, it’s only in quiet time that we are able to visit with ourselves intimately.

It’s a time for healing, a time for calming, and a time for searching.

Time well spent.

3 Things to do to create quiet:

1. Turn off the TV/Radio ( This mas feel uncomfortable at first, stay with it.)

2. Pick a place you like to relax in.

3. Set a definite time period aside for quietness. (Try 5 minutes to start.)

I’m gonna hush now so you can be quiet.

Terri King