Recent Articles

How’s your stress level?

   Have you ever finally gotten home from a stressful day at work only to realize, “Hey!  I forgot to pick up the laundry!” or a roast for dinner or the kids from school?  Ever wonder why you sit down to take a big test and can’t remember anything you studied?  And why you get on stage and can’t find your lines anywhere in your head?  Well, now there’s a scientific explanation—stress makes you forgetful.

   The journal Science reports that stressful situations over which you have no control activate the PKC enzyme.  This enzyme impairs short-term memory and other functions in the prefrontal cortex.

   You know, every week confronts us with these kinds of situations.  Life is filled with “technical difficulties beyond our control.”  So how can you cope?

   Take a few deep breaths to relax.  Remind yourself of what you can control in the situation.  Then seek the strength to change those things you can, accept those you can’t, and the wisdom to know the difference.

This weekend is the Daytona 500!!! 

Predicting what will happen at Daytona is always tough. Most of the cars are fairly equal, so it comes down to who can draft with who, block and navigate traffic the best. Well, there also is the fact of when to make that final move to grab NASCAR’s most sought after race.

So here is how I see it this weekend. The duel qualifying races are first and Thursday night at 7pm. 

Pride Of Rutherford County!

Tangy Café and Eatery Celebrates New Restaurant Opening

How’s your office?

   Recently I was straightening up my office.  You know how it is, your things get moved around as you work so you put them back where you can find them.

   Well, I noticed that there were some things that I really like that I had put up on top of a bookshelf.  A wood carving from China a friend brought me.  A piece of beautiful pottery.  They were up high where I don’t look that often.  So I moved them down on one of my desks to see them more often.

   Next, I noticed that I had put all of my family’s pictures in my studio.  And that was fine, but they had been there for a while and they had become familiar to that space.  So I moved them out on a desk, facing me, where I can enjoy them more.

   Life is a lot like my office.  Some of the things you say you value may be in a place you don’t look very often so you don’t live out of them.  Or, some of the relationships you say are vital may be so familiar you stop treasuring them.

   This year, move your life around to better reflect your priorities as you listen to life and make a positive life.

This season, NASCAR has tweaked the points system when it comes to The Chase, changed the qualifying format and reinvented The Chase to 16 drivers making the field.

And now, it seems that if a driver wins in the first 26 races on the schedule, the chances of making The Chase are very likely.

The knock out round format of The Chase is the biggest change. Sixteen drivers will start, but will be down for 12 after the third playoff race, then to eight after the sixth race and down to four after the nine events going into Homestead.

Martha Jean Lovelace, age 58, of Henrietta, NC, passed away Wednesday, January 29, 2014.

Mrs. Ethel Yelton Arrowood, age 86 went home to be with the Lord on February 1, 2014.

Polkville - Reverend Boyd Lee Lattimore, Jr., 74 went on to be with the Lord Wednesday January 29, 2014.

Do you tell stories?

   The most common question I get from emails and as I do speaking engagements is:  “How do you come up with all of those stories?”  And that’s a great question.  I write and record about 260 stories a year.

   I guess there are two short answers:  One is I Listen to my Life and just share what happens.  And the second, based on the first, is I don’t do anything—writing stories, or anything else—in life alone.  I have help everywhere I go and in everything I do.

   I’ve noticed that sharing stories as I Listen to Life sets off a chain reaction of story-telling about positive experiences in other people’s lives.  Folks share their stories with me on my Live Positive blog at www.ListentoLife.org.  Then I get to share their stories with others around the world.

   Ask for help everywhere you go.  Then express yourself about all of the positive assistance you receive.  Tell your stories to anybody who will listen. 

   It’s just one more way to Listen to Life and Live Positive.

Hopewell-Hollis Community Clubhouse
Italian Night (Spaghetti & Lasagna) Sat. Feb. 8, 4-8pm. Adults $7.50, kids (6-12) $5. 
 
RTR Fundraiser  
The 2^nd Annual Casino Night a fundraiser for Rutherford Town Revitalization is for Sat. Feb. 15, 7pm-11pm at the former Doncaster-Tanner Outlet/Water Oak Restaurant facility; 581 Rock Rd., Rutherfordton. For info or tickets call 828-287-2071 or check out Rutherford Town Revitalization on Facebook.

Rutherford Quilt Guild
Meeting held Mon. Feb. 10, 7pm at the First Baptist Church in Rutherfordton. Educator: Susan Perham and friends. Info; 828-288-3030.
 
Nature Photo Club
Meeting on Mon. Feb.10, 6:30pm. 108 E. Main St., Forest City. Visit: http://cnpa.org/ or call 828-289-5637.
 
Shelby City Park
6^th Grade Girls’ Sports Day Feb. 11 & 12. 6^th Grade Girl’s from Burns Middle School, Crest Middle School and Shelby Intermediate School will converge at the Shelby City Park for a clinic on all sports offered to girls. 850 West Sumter St., Shelby. 704-484-6811.

Boys basketball: Thomas Jefferson (13-4, 8-0) still holds onto the Southern Piedmont Conference 1A lead with four games to go. They just beat Pine Lake Prep by 17 in the only game they had of the week. While they do have two big games this week with Lincoln Charter and then they visit Community School of Davidson on Friday, it’s the game at home versus Cherryville that is key on Valentine’s Day.

Forest City Owls Tap Cory Dirksen As New General Manager

Friends Of NRA

RTR Fundraiser • Casino Night Saturday February 15th