I keep six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.

[Thanks Rudyard Kipling via DogStarNYC.com for this great quote!]

This morning I made coffee reminiscent of the way my mom and grandmother made coffee for Grandpa. I have his beloved ‘cezve’, a small odd-shaped pot with a very long handle.

I remember my mom stirring its contents and watching the bright flame glowing from underneath the cezve. Its thick, dark mud-colored molten lava-like contents would steam up before my eyes as I would look up at the stove in wonder.

One of Grandpa’s purest pleasures was his Turkish coffee. As I stirred the coffee in my French press, I thought of Grandpa, as I often do, and beautiful moments in time that are no longer.

How can a child understand that our time together is as ephemeral as that bittersweet aroma that fills the air only for those moments when the cezve still brims with its master’s coffee.

by Sheri Jordan, August 10, 2011

© Sheri Jordan and Aunt Sheri Says, 2009-2011.

Take in a 360 view of the room or the park when you enter —

• How does the crowd look?
• Does someone know where you are?
• Are you there with a bf?
• What’s the word going around?
• Anyone to watch out for?

Once you’ve surveyed your surroundings and determine everything and everyone is cool, try something new and have a blast

If anyone asks you, “Who says you can have so much fun?” Tell them, ‘Aunt Sheri says!’

It seems whenever I struggled at a job, or with a person, or trying to achieve a goal, when I stepped back and looked at the situation objectively, sometimes I was trying to force a square peg into a round hole. In some instances, I wasn’t the right fit as an employee, friend, girlfriend, musician, or athlete. Other times, it seemed like everything was effortless: I felt satisfaction, happiness, and received compliments—for example, ‘you are such a gifted writer’.

Some things come easier to us while other things just never seem to be the right fit. Over the years I learned I was not meant to be a violinist or a serious tennis player. And, although I didn’t know it at the time, I now recognize my talent as a writer.

In my personal life, I’ve never walked away from a difficult relationship. But difficult people have walked away from me. It was not until I was in my 40′s that I realized how dangerous it is to need to be liked or loved. That is not to say we all don’t need friends, family, and love. What matters is whether or not you like yourself and love yourself.

If you are a person who does the right thing and treats people right, it will follow that people will like you (and probably love you). When someone walks away although your intentions are good and your heart is pure, then they fail to appreciate you. If another person fails to appreciate your goodness and love, you have not failed. The issue lies within the other. It is never possible to change someone else’s thoughts, actions, or heart unless they want to change. The only person you can change is yourself.

If you encounter difficulties, ask yourself if the path you are taking is the path you really want to follow. If you feel it is, don’t give up, but keep an open mind. If it’s not, keep traveling new paths until you find the one that leads to your happiness, well-being, the fulfillment of your potential, and the love of people who understand and respect you as you are.

© Sheri Jordan and Aunt Sheri Says, 2010.

But, when you’re on top of the world, you also need to call, write, chat, text, meet up (you get the idea).

Did you ever think that the other person may need to see and hear from you? You might reach someone when they weren’t feeling tip-top and you could make their day. We all tend to do what feels good for ourselves. But, when we think about the important others in our lives and make that effort to stay in close contact, life is richer all the way around.

© Sheri Jordan and Aunt Sheri Says, 2010.

Today, there are literally dozens of excellent grammar resources at your finger tips via the Internet. Here are just a few:

• Grammar Girl
• The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)
• The Elements of Style
• The Chicago Manual of Style Online (Subscription-based)

Just for fun: Here is a famous seen from the classic movie, My Fair Lady (starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison). It shows Eliza Doolittle (Ms. Hepburn’s character) revealing her lack of ‘breeding’ when she attempts small talk with members of ‘society’ at Ascot.

My Fair Lady—Eliza Blunders the Small Talk

© Sheri Jordan and Aunt Sheri Says, 2010.

“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

I found this quote on my friend Shelley Lieber’s Facebook page. Check out her website, wordywoman.com. I am so proud of Shelley! We met about 7 years ago working as copy editors for The Sports Authority. Back then she told me she had several goals she set for her life and career. Shelley is now CEO of the Visual Impressions Companies. She coaches writers and teaches aspiring authors how to get their books published and how to market themselves—her advice is invaluable.

Shelley’s success is a wonderful reminder of what you can do when you believe in yourself and convert your thoughts into action.

Woo Hoo Shelley, way to go!

“All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother.”

—Abraham Lincoln

“The man who does not read books has no advantage over the man that can not read them.”

– Mark Twain

(In memory of the 100th anniversary of the death of Mark Twain, the New York Public Library published this quote on Facebook.)

If you don’t have a library card, do yourself a favor and get one from the library nearest to where you live. And, if your school has a library, check it out–and, check out some books, too! There are worlds beyond Google you have yet to discover when you do research for school papers, work and just for the sake of learning. I also take out audio books and DVDs. They are all FREE—as long as I return them on-time

My dad always said to treat your body like a temple. He meant that your body is sacred. My dad always ate healthy foods, got at least 8 hours of sleep, exercised (he loved to play tennis, soccer and golf). He also did push-ups and sit-ups. He limited the amount of alcohol he drank (which was usually no more than a glass of red wine when dining with friends). He never smoked or used drugs. He never ate too much because he thought it was very important not to be overweight and carrying excess fat.

If you love to participate in sports, do so safely and responsibly:

• If you swim, NEVER dive into shallow pools or lakes, especially when you can’t see the bottom.
• If you skateboard or participate in contact sports, wear protective gear.
• If you are a gymnast, be sure you always have a spotter.
• Don’t go jogging or hiking in isolated areas alone.

Be sure to get some down time, so you can clear your mind. Your mind and body both need time to rest and get refreshed. Discover yoga.

PS—If your friends are not on-board with this advice, make new friends!

© Sheri Jordan and Aunt Sheri Says, 2010.

The answer is simple, isn’t it? Sunshine and water.

But, for some reason, taking care of plants hasn’t been so simple for me. Unfortunately, no plant has lasted very long in my care. I’ve killed ‘hearty’ plants, and trees, and vegetables, and herbs.

It’s not enough to water a plant once a week or every couple of weeks when you remember (and then nearly drown them as you try to revive them).

Thankfully, I’m a much better friend. I call, email, text, and visit my friends as frequently as my time allows. And, I make sure to make the time to stay in touch, especially when a friend lives far away.

A lesson I’ve learned from my dear departed plants is that it’s better to give your friends love (a human form of sunshine) and your friendship (they’ll get their own water) in generous amounts on a steady basis, and always before they start drying up and looking sad. If you follow this advice you’ll cultivate beautiful and bountiful life-long friendships.

© Sheri Jordan and Aunt Sheri Says, 2010.

So, we got there just in time for the last 2-for-1 homemade apple turnovers—and, they were delish!

(I had to eat mine in the park, because who wants to walk all the way home carrying their apple turnover)!

Check out the Union Square Greenmarket

© Sheri Jordan and Aunt Sheri Says, 2010.

People also lump you in with your friends. So, even though you may recognize your BF’s good qualities, others will only see what jumps out at them—your friend’s immaturity, sloppiness, poor social skills, etc. If you really want to be a good best friend, tell your BF what’s appropriate and what’s not. He may think you’re a bit ‘square’ (that’s a really old term for ‘nerd’), but in the long-run, you’ll both be better off…and, more well-rounded

Break the habit of using and tolerating offensive language (that means language that offends others, such as your grandmother or Pops).

© Sheri Jordan and Aunt Sheri Says, 2010.

Some people deal with anger in unhealthy, destructive ways (hitting, shouting, name-calling, etc.).

It is healthy to recognize when you feel angry and to deal with angry feelings in productive way. So, for example, if your parent or friend or boss says something that really hurts your feelings, speak up. But, do so, in a mature way. Tell the person who has upset you that you are upset and why. But, don’t respond with a personal attack on them. After recognizing your anger, acknowledging it and when possible, discuss the situation.

If you still feel angry, write your feeling down in a journal or go out for a walk, ride your bike or go for a jog. Physical activity is often a great way to put that rush of adrenaline to good use and you will feel much better.

It’s also important to understand that even when you try to talk through your feelings with the other person, you may not get the satisfaction you’d like to get from the conversation. That’s normal.

The key is to let your feelings out in a healthy way and not to poison your body by stuffing your angry feelings inside—because, that will make your stomach sick, you may get headaches or other aches and pains—that’s what toxic emotions do to us when we don’t dispose of them properly.

I hope you won’t have too many reasons to be angry and lots of reasons to be happy.

© Sheri Jordan and Aunt Sheri Says, 2010.

F L O S S!

Watch this YouTube video
…Years from now, you’ll thank me. And, maybe right now, the gal or guy who you think is cute, will give you a second look (because you don’t have any broccoli between your teeth!)