http://shirleycarolan.com Fri, 30 Jul 2010 22:57:01 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en By Shirley M. Carolan, ATM-G   This may sound like a pitch for Toastmasters International and that’s OK with me.  I’ve been a member of this prestigious organization since 1981, having joined in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Folks, that’s 29 years of wonderful association and it has been one of two ... http://shirleycarolan.com/?p=67 By Shirley M. Carolan, ATM-G How many times have you been told by a well meaning friend, spouse, neighbor, teacher, doctor, minister, etc. to remember that there’s an elephant in the room?  What never?    For example, maybe you have said to someone “I feel tired all the time,” or, “I’m going ... http://shirleycarolan.com/?p=66 by Shirley M. Carolan, ATM-G Maybe I’m waxing philosophical as I age because through some unlikely and unsolicited sources I came across some sentences recently whose meanings literally resonated with me. Words are so powerful; they conjure up a variety of emotions and moods. Hence, it’s wonderful when bon mots cause ... http://shirleycarolan.com/?p=64   Happiness, or success, means different things to different people and that’s OK. But, little did I realize I would ever equate doing humdrum housework with happiness!! Nay, success! As many of you know, on August 17, 2009 I broke out in hundreds of brown lesions down my back, half way across ... http://shirleycarolan.com/?p=62 By Shirley M. Carolan     As summer comes to a roaring end I, too, feel like I’m going up in flames and itching.  I thought shingles was for young people, not senior citizens like me!   I can’t repeat what the last two weeks have been like – agony, the tortures of the ... http://shirleycarolan.com/?p=60  By Shirley M. Carolan    How many times have I heard that tenet, or, given it lip service?  Innumerable.  July has turned out to be one of the most exciting months of my life.  Every time I turn around another Aha moment manifests itself.  I know there are no coincidences in the ... http://shirleycarolan.com/?p=58   By Shirley M. Carolan, ATM-G It is with much joy and gratitude that I am now recuperating at home after spending 10 days at Scripp’s Memorial Hospital, Encinitas, CA. I was diagnosed with complications and pneumonia necessitating I.V.s and oxygen 24-7. Without going into all the gory details, I feel like I ... http://shirleycarolan.com/?p=56 By Shirley M. Carolan     Recently I addressed the Women’s Aviara Club in Carlsbad, California.  The original invitation was for March but unfortunately I had a nasty accident where I “kissed the ground” again  and ended up with a fractured nose, and multiple cuts and bruises, resulting in my looking like a ... http://shirleycarolan.com/?p=51 By Shirley M. Carolan   If you are wondering  how to spend your free October evenings, why not attend the wonderful  Oceanside Music Festival, starting on October 11 and running  through  October 24, 2008!  How fortunate we are to have this beautiful Festival now in its 7th year on our doorstep!   It ... http://shirleycarolan.com/?p=50 By Shirley M. Carolan    This year I will not be sorry to see summer come to a close.  I never thought I’d ever say that but for me, this year, it’s true.  August was a very busy month and took up a lot of time and energy doing press releases for ... http://shirleycarolan.com/?p=48