A Sweet Moment

One night last week, Pamela told us she was going to bed. Yes, I failed my personal parent RDI objective to prevent Pamela from bolting without closure. I was exhausted from entertaining company over the holidays, and my feet stayed glued to the floor. Yes, I am human.

As she left the room, Steve requested a goodnight kiss, which she ignored. We were too exhausted to trail her like RDI Superparents and allow face-to-face interaction. So, Steve got demanding, "Pamela, you get in here and give me a kiss."

She still ignored him. Then, he fell into his behavioral, forced compliance mode, "Pamela, come here right now. That's one. . . That's two!"

Now, I have been reading a wonderful book lately called Desiring God. This interaction reminded me of an analogy used in the book about duty and love. Will Steve feel loved if the only reason why I tidy up the house is because he will get upset? Will David be inspired when we discuss a book because it is my duty as a teacher? Will I feel joy because the only reason why Steve watches a movie with me is because he has nothing better to do?

Dwelling on that analogy, I asked Steve what a kiss would mean from someone coerced to do it. I asked him to let me handle it in a relational way with the caveat that Pamela could choose not to come back. He agreed.

Now, I should have gotten my carcass off the couch and talked to Pamela faced to face. I was just too tired. I called out, "Pamela, Daddy looks so sad. All he wants is a goodnight kiss. He is broken-hearted."

Then, we waited.

And, we waited.

We waited for about a minute when she burst into the room with a happy look on her face, and she kissed him goodnight. And, that kiss was sweeter than honey.

My Opi - A Future Day Right Now!

Opi comes from the Greek word opiso and it refers to the future you... Hmmm... How do I envision the future me? To answer is rather enjoyable because I can choose to be imaginative... So here goes for my response to the OPI meme which is to be written in present tense as if the future's taking place in this moment...

Today, I'm checking in to discuss new ideas with scholars currently retreating at the MITA International Brain Based Center, now headquartered in a three story building adjacent to the Lodge at Woodcliffe. Dr. Ellen Weber and I are working with 35 international brain based scholars, currently completing Executive MITA Brain Based Certification.

We're right on our toes daily with stimulating sessions that go deep, with phenomenal leaders from many fields who are developing new solutions for change in many different work and learning environments. Currently we're working on book chapters for one very significant book to be published in this century. These leaders provide tactics for all people to achieve genius status and use their talents to the optimum as they draw from more of their brain. What a thrill to be part of this exciting work. Since many important innuendos are missed in books, we're also creating videos with examples of their many experiences of change in the making.

Tomorrow, when we wrap up the session with our scholars we'll be hosting invited guests from around to world to see what they've developed. The interactive session allows guests and media to ask questions and to gather even more ideas from other major players.

After we wrap up and send in the films and manuscripts to our publisher, we're heading to Kenya, Africa, where we'll be contributing major funds to bring new initiatives to higher education connected to Dr. Bill and Joanne Cala's Joining Hearts and Hands. Kenyan academic leaders requested our help to advance education throughout their leading universities. We're looking forward to working with faculty from a variety of fields to develop brain based curriculum and assessments.

Though I'm now advanced in years, my life is very fulfilling and happy because I give to others daily. I'm learning to give in the moment... and my mind is sharper than ever! No matter how long my life is, by living every day as if it were my last, and giving of myself to others, each day's better than the last.

Thanks, Rick Cockrum of Shards of Consciousness for your OPI meme tag. In the spirit of giving, I'm tagging:

Rita Perea of Rita Perea Consulting,

Cam Beck at Chaos Scenario

Dave Olson at live the GREAT life you desire!

Kare Anderson at Moving from Me to We

Karen H. at The KISS Business

Scott McArthur at McArthur's Rant

Peter at I Will Change Your Life

I challenge you to be imaginative with April Grove's OPI meme as I was! It'll kickstart your thinking as to where you'd like to see yourself in future and what kind of legacy you want to leave.

Photo Credit Flickr: Give Hope. Give a Hand

Surviving the Holidays

Last week, I promised to give some tips on how we helped Pamela learn to relax and enjoy family events.

Lowered Expectations
Our Daily Bread's devotional for December 19, 2007 made a great point about having a "real" Christmas. After noting that Jesus was born into a harsh world with no room for His family and run out of His homeland by a mad king seeking the murder of all infants His age, David C. McCasland wrote:

[Jesus] "comes to us, not to shield us from the harshness of the world but to give us the courage and strength to bear it; not to snatch us away by some miracle from the conflict of life, but to give us peace—His peace—in our hearts, by which we may be calmly steadfast while the conflict rages, and be able to bring to the torn world the healing that is peace."

The reality is that Pamela has autism. That means I have to find ways to accommodate her special needs while celebrating Christmas. That means I have to expect some conflict and storms. That means I may not have a picture-perfect celebration out of some Norman Rockwell painting. But, I can have that inner peace and calm steadfastness if I turn to God with my burdens.

Diet Issues
Pamela is on a special diet, and making exceptions for any holiday spells disaster! We have worked hard to find tasty versions of typical holiday recipes. In fact, people often eat Pamela's version without realizing it is "special" food. For many parents, the issue is not us, but clueless relatives. Those who approach our kids with a "just one cookie won't hurt" mentality unintentionally launch them into holiday meltdowns. I was fortunate because early on in the diet game all of Pamela's relatives on both sides of the family witnessed with their own eyes what the wrong food does to Pamela. They all help me figure out (1) what recipes and treats are safe for Pamela, (2) what foods I will need to bring as a replacement, and (3) what recipes they are willing to make Pamela friendly. Pamela has a better chance of relaxing and enjoying the celebration if she stays free of problem foods.

Sensory Issues
Pamela is much more resilient to sensory overload than she was ten years ago. We do not require her to wear special holiday attire, which can be itchy and uncomfortable for the tactile defensive--she has not worn a dress in years! In noisy settings, we allow her to protect her ears by covering them or leaving the room. She has learned to monitor her need for quiet and seek it on her own BEFORE she explodes. We accept that she might have to come and go, just to stay calm. When she was younger, I watched for signs that the ticking sensory-bomb was about to blow. I would whisk her out of the room and spin her until her body melted. We are very fortunate that Pamela's family on both sides accept our explanations of her sensory needs. They are not offended or upset when she quietly leaves a room to find an escape hatch. They know that her face rubbing, gentle rocking, or victory laps are her own expressions of joy. They also know that tantrums are a sign of extreme frustration, not of spoiled rotten behavior, which can be avoided if people follow our lead in helping Pamela cope with the holidays.

Slowing Down
Pamela needs people around her to slow down and wait patiently for her to process and react. More importantly, she needs "quiet time" in which we allow her to relax and get away from it all! In a week full of hustle and bustle, I have to be prepared for Pamela to ask to stay home and skip an event or two. If I do not heed her request to slow down, I end up regretting it. Here is a clip of the two most sensory-sensitive individuals in the household resting after we opened gifts. Every one is busy setting the table, fixing food, cleaning the dishes, etc. This clip shows what Pamela needs to be ready for the next event on the agenda (dinner).


Simplify
Christmas for some autistic people is like being held captive in one of those King-Kong complex, seizur-ific, multiple Clauses, snowman-in-laws, MORE IS NOT LESS tacky Christmas yards. In early childhood, you might help keep them calm by having a simpler Christmas: a small tree on a table rather than the six-foot monstrosity, a few highly desired presents, only your most cherished decorations, one or two special family events, etc. When we moved to Connecticut and first started homeschooling, Pamela was 6.5 years old. We developed a routine of shopping, going to the park, nature walks, and checking out library books. Even library storytime was a big flop! We attended only a handful of homeschooling events throughout the year. We did not live near family and could celebrate Christmas in the quiet, slow way Pamela needed. Between simplifying her life and going on a special diet, Pamela was able to attend a few holiday events, meltdown free. From year to year, we slowly added back activities into her life and even moved near family. We began to build a routine into our Christmas like I had as a child: singing carols on the four Sundays of advent, counting down on the advent calendar starting on December 1, etc. We kept our celebrations small and family-focused. In her teen years, Pamela could handle more and we added musical performances and church events to the mix.

Gifts
Not all gifts produce joy and finding the right gifts often presents a challenge, especially for non-verbal children. While at Wal-Mart, I came out and asked Pamela directly about what she wanted for Christmas. A few days later she added one more thing to her list, but I could not understand what she wanted. So, she wrote down towel robe on a piece of paper. Some autistic children have difficulty making decisions or verbalizing their choices, in which case it pays to observe their behavior in the toy aisle and during television commercials. Usually, our relatives will ask what Pamela wants for Christmas and I try to give them suggestions based upon her wishes or strong interests. This year, all of the aunts headed to Wal-Mart together to give each other ideas about what the nieces and nephews wanted. We saw many smiling faces at our Christmas celebration.

Pamela spent about five minutes examining her red towel robe but hardly glanced at the matching red slippers. Occasionally, her reactions are like A Christmas Story's Ralphie and Randy tossing clothes over their shoulders (twenty seconds into this trailer). When Pamela has that blank, zoned-out look, I try to smooth over hurt feelings by letting people know she is going into sensory shutdown. Another option is to photograph or film your child playing with the gift later, and letting the relative see how treasured the gift really is. If it is a pink bunny suit moment, well, the giver either has thick-skin or is not used to getting compliments.

Favorite Things
Like Maria in The Sound of Music, we let favorite things cheer up Pamela. Before we go on a trip or to someone's house, she packs her purple back-pack with her Game Boy Advance, Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga, paper, pencils, journals, Disney Charade cards, etc. When she was younger, I packed it for her, but now she has that responsibility. When that fails, reciting a couple of verbal stims together or talk about a strong interest helps her to regulate and reconnect. Lately, Baby Alive, the fifth member of our family, goes with us everywhere.

Short and Sweet
When away from home for the holidays, we always had to have Plan B. If a situation was too much from the start, we often skipped the event. If Steve or I had to be there, I looked for an escape hatch (some quiet place where we could hang out) or simply took Pamela home or back to where ever we were staying for the night. If we were at a hotel, we tried to pick one with a swimming pool because Pamela finds water calming.

Preparation
With family that I see regularly, I try to work in discussions about Pamela's autism and needs and win them to our side. For example, last Sunday, I was hanging out my mother, and we got to talking about RDI. I told her I was so happy with how Pamela interacted and related to people at Christmas Eve. Mom wanted to know what she could do, and I told her the two big tips for beginners: SLOW DOWN and SPEAK DECLARATIVELY. Mom is going to let me give her tips whenever she and Pamela are interacting so that she can support what we are doing.

Sometimes, quickly evolving situations left no time for explanations. We have done things like make a kid's brochure to help peers understand Pamela better (the pamphlet helps adults, too). For babysitters, we wrote up two-page notes explaining everything that might need to know about handling Pamela. We have taken sign language off and on throughout the years, so often simply signing told people that Pamela was not an ordinary child. For large, anonymous crowds, you might have your child wear a T-shirt or hand out business cards. On field trips, Pamela wore a shirt that said, "Autism rocks," and David's shirt said, "We are in school" to keep the busybodies at bay.

Perspective
Having to change as a parent and spend so much time planning and preparing can be draining. Being looked upon as the Adam's family when your cute little daughter is doing the Indy 500 around the church altar is no fun. I want to scream when told, "All she needs is a good pop on the hiney." Keeping our challenges in perspective keeps me sane. For example, think about how holiday planning changes for a family dealing with cancer. If one person attending Christmas dinner has a cold, you stay home! Pamela is mobile and healthy, so we do not have to carry around equipment or medical supplies. Over the years, as I saw Pamela becoming more and more resilient, I began to see that some day the holidays will get easier. And, I was right: Pamela had no problems this Christmas and told me she had fun as did Steve and I!

Boundaries
I could spend an entire post on the topic of toxic people. Some people do not care about you or your child. Anything odd or different spoils their precious day. They denigrate every decision you make and launch cruel, cutting remarks in front of your loved one. Some people have difficulty changing their ignorant, idiotic opinions no matter how much you try to spread autism awareness. In such cases, they leave you no option but to take control of your life and set healthy boundaries to protect your family from toxic people.

Safe People in Pamela's Life

Tactics to Jump from the Fear Train!

One wonders why fears appear out of nowhere when life is good. But, what do you do about that? A friend once advised me, "Don't worry, Robyn. Worry doesn't change a thing. It just leaves you frazzled!"

More than once, in a variety of settings, I've remembered her words and tried different tactics to escape. But the strange part is, I thought of my friend as a worrier. Fears can rise to any one of us in the middle of the night though life runs smoothly. In fact research shows that one in four people experience anxiety at some point in our lives.

Worry a special form of fear "Worry is a special form of fear," says Edward Hallowell in a Psychology Today article. "It is what humans do with simple fear once it reaches the part of their brain called the cerebral cortex. We make fear complex, adding anticipation, memory, imagination, and emotion."

What tactics work against unfounded fears that rear their ugly heads in the middle of the night? Here're strategies that work for me... What works for you?

Think on Scriptures At times when I slip and fall into needless worry, if I think of approprite scripture, it changes my perspective very quickly. For example, Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds. [from The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language] To follow that up by humming a reminder in music helps too... His Eye is on the Sparrow, works really well. Then I give thanks for the many ways God has blessed me. That brings me right back to center and fears soon flee so that I fall back into a deep sleep.

Turn on a National Public Radio station Hearing what's going in Inside Europe, takes my immediate attention off my worries. The facts and information move my mind away from former thoughts. Best part is the speakers' voice often works just like a lecturer and puts me right back to sleep.

Play a round of Virtual Mind Golf Since I love golf and know the inside and out of at least three courses, I begin to play an imaginary game of golf. I imagine the best of all possible shots and try to see how far I advance on the course before I snooze again. Besides, this gives me opportunity to see myself golf like a pro!

Create a Bust the Barriers List When a barrier rises up, I begin to think of all the ways I can bust it. By seeing possibilities and jotting them down, I'm making positive moves forward - especially as I take action.

Stephanie Dolgoff offers 6 Ways to Stop Your Stressing -- Stat! in Self Magazine, November 2007.

Hop off the worry train Just because you have an idea ("I might get fired") doesn't mean you need to ride it to its terminus. ("There are 50 ways I could screw up, and I've got to avoid them all.") Instead, think of a few tasks that will help whatever happens, like bonding with coworkers.

Plan to fret "Take half an hour to worry intensively, then move on," says Penn State professor Tom Borkovec, Ph.D.

Keep a journal Jot down your worry, then in a few days or weeks, write the outcome. What you'll find: Things usually turn out better than you think they will.

Challenge the likelihood of your worry If your husband is late coming home and you imagine he has been hit by a bus, think about the emotion behind your worry. (You are anxious because you love him and want to keep him around.) Once you have identified the emotion at the heart of your worry and allowed yourself to experience it, see if it's a reasonable worry (hint: probably not). Then let it pass rather than allowing anxiety to ruin your quiet night at home.

Peel an orange The next time a thought threatens to snowball into a stressfest, grab an orange or grapefruit. Press your nail into the skin, peel it back and smell the citrus scent, focusing on every sensation. "Rather than worry about the future, you can bring yourself into the moment," psychologist Robert Leahy, says.

Get nostalgic Visualize your key life events of the past 10 years. You probably can't recall the worries linked with these experiences, or, if you can, you may see that most never happened (e.g., you didn't trip and fall at your wedding). Tell yourself that current worries will fade from memory, too.

Neurofeedback Ellen Weber says that neurofeedback works like aerobics for the brain... or mental exercise... that shifts brain-wave patterns.

Ask and Answer Resourceful Questions Here's a question Ellen Weber suggests to get started... Could you relieve stress that leaves most people anxious and frustrated?

People who live in stress, do so when there is loss of control accompanied by anxiety for the future. Fears often trigger stress for people who focus more on past mistakes than on future opportunities ... where infinite potential becomes more a state of mind. Suggest just one doable solution to one problem you face, for instance, and you literally rewire parts of your brain for the next winning solution.

If you'd like strategies to make questions resourceful... check out Wendy Piersall's excellent strategies at Ten Questions to Turn a Bad Day into a Good Day.

I may have missed a really good tactic that works for you...

Let's hear what you do when all's going well at work and life, yet fears suddenly grip your mind...

Photo Credit from Flickr: Speeding Train by swerve.

Fears Can Strike when Life's at the Peak

Happiness is not a brilliant climax to years of grim struggle and anxiety. It is a long succession of little decisions simply to be happy in the moment. J. Donald Walters

Do you ever wake up at four a.m. with thoughts of losing your job or some other calamity that never materializes though things could not be better at work? Fears like this are incredulous. Once a worry takes hold in the night, it's hard to get more zzzzz's. That ever happen to you? I've experienced it at times.

Loss of sleep leaves me drained in the morning. The result - clear thinking eludes me on the job... My head seems cloudy on such days. Strange part is, life is really good and I don't have stingers that might bring fear. So, what's up?

Interestingly, many people live a good life, yet fall into a trap of fear or anxiety. These folks get the notion that when life is good, there's soon to be a downturn, something like going to the top of a roller coaster and then taking a plunge. Do you find you fall into the mindset of "What if..." in the night? You're not alone... In Psychology Today, Edward Hallowell notes that

Worry is amazingly common. At least one in four of us—about 65 million Americans—will meet the criteria for an anxiety disorder at some point in our lifetime. Even those individuals whose lives are going well may worry excessively on occasion.

At its worst, worry is insidious, invisible, a relentless scavenger, roaming the corners of your mind, feeding on anything it finds. It sets upon you unwanted and unbidden, feasting on the infinite array of negative possibilities in life, diminishing your enjoyment of friends, family, achievements, and physical being—all because you live in fear of what might go wrong. People who worry too much suffer. For all their hard work, for all their humor and willingness to laugh at themselves, for all their self-awareness, worriers just cannot achieve peace of mind.

Worries generally don't become realities Dr. Thomas Borkovec, Penn State University researcher discovered that fully 85 percent of the things we worry about never occur.

Reasons people worry "Worriers hope to gain a feeling of sureness," according to Robert L. Leahy, PhD, author of The Worry Cure. "They want to avoid disappointment or staunch a problem before it gets out of control."

Some folks worry because of low self esteem, Alexander Rich, PhD, finds... "Rather than attribute their successes to their lovableness, competence or skills, worriers may say, 'Well, I was lucky that time.' Or 'It's only because I worked 10 times harder than anyone else.' That kind of thinking leaves you feeling inadequate, whatever you accomplish."

On the opposite pole, some people fret because they think they have more control than in reality. Leahy says, "They believe everything is up to them... If you always think, What did I do wrong? you're probably giving yourself too much credit."

Anxiety Survey If you want to see exactly where you stand take the Psychology Today Anxiety Test

Fear and Worry in the Brain Ellen Weber notes that complex systems in the brain control your reactions to fear … research has been breaking the codes lately. Scientists at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging in London recently mapped out mental responses to show how the brain responds to different levels of fear.

The brain's response changes the closer a threat gets. Apparently, unique defense mechanisms are needed depending on the severity of the threat. When threats seemed more distant or less likely to strike brain activity was observed in lower parts of the prefrontal cortex.

This cortex area … just behind the eyebrows … increases activity during anxiety and helps control how you’ll respond to threats. When threats appear closer, your mental activity shifts to an area of the brain that operates more primitive responses – and this is where your brain helps you decide to run or fight.

Amygdala - Brain's emotional center Researchers are noting differences between fear and anxiety... Fear involves a quick hit-and-run process in the brain. Anxiety stirs a slower reaction that lasts a while. Studies show that different parts of the amygdala process anxiety versus fear.

Other research shows...

the amygdala can get information about the emotional significance of an event prior to our awareness of it. If you subliminally present faces expressing fear to subjects, the subjects aren't actually aware of seeing the faces, but the amygdala responds. This makes some sense evolutionarily, because if something is dangerous, you want to have an early-warning system.

Tactics to combat fears and worries... To get over fears and worries we need excellent tactics. Stay tuned for strategies...

What do you do when life is good and fears strike out of nowhere in the night?

Let's hear what works for you...

Top Photo from Flickr: Vaguely Worried Camgirl by merlinman

A Conference in East Koy Four Corners, the Center of the World!

Someone searched for "East Four Corners International Conference" and located my story, East Koy Four Corners - My Home Town. Now that really made me laugh and as I thought more, the real humor welled up from tongue-in-cheek claims my husband, Carl, made about East Koy...

East Koy Is the Center of the World... Though my grandmother migrated from Denmark to Australia and my mother and I are naturalized US citizens, to think East Koy is the global center, makes me laugh. And when we return from a trip, Carl often says, "We're back to the center of the world." How do you determine the "center of your world?" It would be interesting to hear from you...

"I'm the Mayor of East Koy" Not only does Carl feature that East Koy is the "center of the world," he named himself as the "Mayor of East Koy"... When you consider that we might have a total of about 30 people living in the area of the Four Corners, that's a real lark! But, the neighbors picked up on Carl's claim and name him as the Mayor, mainly out of going along with his wit and a respect for him. Do you ever claim something for yourself with great imagination?

And your brain changes with laughter... since more serotonin, a hormone of well being flows through your cranium! When you can laugh at yourself, you can really turn things around... It's a real secret to creating well-being for all those around you... besides it's so much more fun.

In the vein of imagination I'm using ideas from musing in the middle zone, serving chaos, filling up my glass, designing my writing life, writing with more confidence, using more of my brain, thinking unconventionally and what Dad would say, as I tune up my emotional intelligence to learn more joyfully and jubilantly...

Ready to laugh at an incongruity, too?

Happy New Year to Brain Based Biz Commenters

As 2008 opens, my cup is overflowing with appreciation for commenters on Brain Based Biz. I'm honored that you asked and answered tough questions, shared thoughtful insights and stepped up to the challenge of tags. Thanks from my heart.

To launch the New Year, I want to celebrate you... When we celebrate, Serotonin is released in the brain, which brings you and me more well-being... And may you find much to celebrate in 2008!

Al at 7P Productions

Albert at Urban Monk

Alina Popescu at WOBM

Alon Ben Levy at .:::A* World - The World is Flat:::.

Alvaro at SharpBrains

Amy Jussel at Shaping Youth

Andy Beard at Andy Beard

Anna Farmery at The Engaging Brand

Angela Maiers at Angela Maiers

Anita Bruzzese at 45 Things

Anna at My Only Photo

Anne at Brandsizzle.com

April Groves at My Beautiful Chaos

Arun Rajagopal at Arun Rajagopal

Bob Brucker at Plan-b Going to Market and Ahern & Brucker

Bob Glaza at One Reader at a Time

Brad Shorr at Word Sell

Cafe_Cafe at Entretenimiento Online

Cam Beck at Chaos Scenario

Carma Dutra at Carma's Window

C.B. Whittemore at Flooring the Consumer

Char at Essential Keystrokes

Cheh at Moderately-Confused

Cheryl Stephens at Building Rapport

Chris Brown at Branding and Marketing

Chris Cree at SuccessCREEations

Chris Kieff at Unconventional Thinking Blog

Christian at Christian Fernandez Alvayay

Christine at Create Business Growth

Comedy Magician at Hagerman the Magician

Cord Silverstein at Marketing Hipster

Danica Radovanovic at Belgrade and Beyond

Daniel Sitter at Idea Sellers

Dave Olson at live the GREAT life you desire!

David Airey at David Airey

Dawud Miracle at dawudmiracle

Dean Bennett at The Business Garden

Debbie Call at Spirit in Gear

Dennis Bjørn Petersen at The Beta News

Diogenes at Fine Art of Blogging

Donna Karlin at A Better Perspective

Douglas at Service Untitled

Douglas Karr at The Marketing Technology Blog

Drew McLellan at Drew's Marketing Minute

Mrs. Durff at Durff's Blog

Edith Brown at Jeteak Press Writer Blog

Elizabeth Perry at Woolgathering

Ellen Weber at Brain Based Business

Erin at Jenny and Erin

Ev Nucci at My Life is Murphy's Law

Frank Roche at KnowHR

Franxbudi at Secret of Mind

Galba Bright at Tune Up Your EQ

Gavin Heaton at Servant of Chaos

GL Hoffman at What Would Dad Say

Howie at Performanacemanagementcenter.com

Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei at Eye on DNA

Jack Payne at Con Man's Blog

Jackie Cameron at Jackie Cameron

Jaime at Fitzgerald Analytics

Jason at The Most Authoritative Technology Blog

Jaya at Cat on my Head

Jaypee Habaradas at Jaypeeonline: Blogging News & Reviews

J.D. Walton at Black in Business

Jon at Smart, Wealthy, Rich

Jeanne Dininni at Writer's Notes

Jeremy Jacobs at Corporate Presenter

Jim Stroup at Managing Leadership

Joanna Young at Confident Writing

John at Interesting Health Articles

Kare Anderson at Moving from Me to We

Karen H. at Stop/Start and The KISS Business

Katie Chatfield at Get Shouty

Laura at Writing Thoughts

Leo Cussons at Work Connexions

Leon at My thoughts...on stuff

Lisa Gates at Design Your Writing Life

Liz Strauss at Successful Blog

Lucid at Ask Lucid

Lynda at Essential Estrogen

Maki at doshdosh

Mark Rapp at Uniquely the Epitome

Maria Palma at Salon de Maria

Mark Goren at Transmission

Mark K at Common Sense with Markk

Matthew Cornell at Matt's Idea Blog

Matt Owen at US Rodeo Supply

Meikah Delid at CustServ

Mel Kaye at Attitude, the Ultimate Power

Michael Michalko at Creative Thinking

Michelle Milay Carter at Mission Minded Management

Mike Sansone at ConverStations

Mike Wagner at Own Your Brand

Mikster at Reality is Over Rated

Mr. & Mrs. Money at Virtual Entrepreneur

Olivier Blanchard at the Brand Builder blog

Paintsmh at Buckin Junction

Patrick Schaber at The Lonely Marketer

Paul Enderson at reflections

Paula Neal Mooney at Paula Neal Mooney

Peter at I Will Change Your Life

Peter Chen at Blogger Tips and Tricks

Phil Gerbyshak at Make It Great!

Priscilla Palmer at Priscilla Palmer.com

Reg Adkins at ElementalTruths.Com

Rick Cockrum at Shards of Consciousness

Rob at Good Advice

Rob O. at 2Dolphins

Rob Watts at Yack Yack SEO

Robert Hruzek at Middle Zone Musings

Roberta Rosenberg at The Copywriting Maven

Roger von Oech at Creative Think

Rosa Say at Managing with Aloha Coaching

Sean Jeating at Omnium

Shantanu at Traveller's Tales

Scott McArthur at McArthur's Rant

Steve Roesler at All Things Workplace

Sue Olson at MOMeorganizer

Suma Valluru at Σsµmz Math Tutor for Kids

Susan Cartier Liebel at Build a Solo Practice, LLC

Tammy Vitale at Women, Art, Life: Weaving It All Together

Tara at graphic design blog

Terry Starbucker at Ramblings from a Glass Half Full

Timothy Johnson at Carpe Factum

Toby at Diva Marketing Blog

Todd and Michael Morales at Team Ideate

Todd at We the Change

Tom at TRCoach

Tom Vander Well at QA QnA

Tony D. Clark at Success from the Nest

Travis at Young Go Getter

Valeria Maltoni at Conversation Agent

Vanessa Byers at Venessa: Unplugged!

Visakha at Vedic Maths India

Wendy Piersall at eMOMS AT HOME.com

May each of you find blessings in 2008...

In the New Year I can extend even more well-being by acknowledging commenters on a monthly basis. That will bring top commenters the high recognition you deserve!