A Most Delightful Exclamation Point

A truly wonderful thing happened to me this morning!

As I was walking home from my beloved farmers market with tomatoes and basil and peaches and my happy yellow flowers in my arms, an exclamation point bounced down upon my nose.

An exclamation point to my excellent morning, that is. I was walking down a residential street in the city. Beautiful old townhouses lined the sidewalks, and on this particular street, the townhouses were set back and lovely gardens filled the spaces between the front doors and the sidewalk.

As I ambled along, I heard a voice. “Would you like some rosemary?” I looked around, and up an incline a woman was holding huge scissors near a bountiful bush. Would I ever! As I thanked her and climbed the stairs to receive this surprise, her beautiful retriever opened his eyes for just a second before drifting off again.

The smell of the rosemary was the perfect addition to the scent of the basil and the perfume of the flowers. 

Another secret of city living: people are kind; dogs are sleepy; and the markets with their displays of fresh fruit, vegetables, herbs, and flowers is the finest art there is.

2013 © Margery Leveen Sher

Margery Leveen Sher is an entrepreneur, writer and speaker with decades of experience as a work-life balance consultant for major corporations and government agencies.  Her latest start-up is The Did Ya Notice?® Project. Her motivational speaking is certain to draw many a laugh and many an aha.  

Floppy Tulips and Lopsided Smiles

What brings you up when you are down? What makes you happy?

I have been somewhat down this week because I am not a salesman by nature. You may be surprised to hear that I do not like selling. Hustling my book and my speaking wears me out. I even considered joining The Quitters Club.

Yes. That is a real thing. I read about it in The Washington Post recently. People who just wanted to give up whatever they were trying to do got together to help each other quit. Perhaps not surprisingly, they ended up giving each other support to keep trying.

Yes. Because those of us who think about giving up from time to time are also often plagued by thoughts like “winners never quit” and “persistence is the key.” Jeez, if you are also bugged constantly by some inner devil pushing you to do more and better, let me know. We can form the Why Oh Why Can’t We Just Sit on a Beach and Chillax Club.

And yes. Fortunately, many of us have found tried and true ways to cheer ourselves up and re-energize. Tell me yours!

If you are a loyal Noticer and read this blog (and The Noticer’s Guide to Living and Laughing, plug, plug, sell, sell), you know that there are two tried and true ways I cheer myself up. One is roaming through the farmers’ market, and two is buying and admiring yellow flowers. Both of which I have done today, and I am now in a great energized mood.

Do you think these yellow tulips will ever stand up straight? Will they get their act together and reach for the ceiling?

On the other hand, they are so lovable flopping all over this way and that like some mixed breed dog with a lopsided smile. 

Whether they reach their full potential of strong tulips standing tall, or whether they just flop all over doing their own thing, I love them.

Perhaps I should think of myself as a floppy yellow tulip and be more tolerant of myself.

OMG! Get a grip, girl! Here’s a smack on the butt. Get yourself moving! Nobody ever got on The New York Times bestseller list by pretending to be a tulip!

Okay….Okay!

Dear NY Times: Please put The Noticer’s Guide to Living and Laughing on your list. Sincerely, Margery

That’s not how it works? Oh.

Well you can’t win if you don’t try.

©2015 Margery Leveen Sher

The Noticer’s Guide to Living and Laughing…..Change Your Life Without Changing Your Routine is now available on Amazon, Nook, and iTunes.  Read the reviews and purchase here. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OZTM73U 

MARGERY IS AVAILABLE TO KEYNOTE YOUR MEETING OR CONFERENCE with a motivational talk filled with both startling wisdom and humongous laughs:

“Notice What You See and Be a Hero at Work”