“Go see a show,” a fun solution if you ever have the opportunity to do so.  The Kravis Center in downtown West Palm Beach is a gorgeous theater, just going there was a treat.  And although I had never heard of Chick Corea or Bela Fleck before my husband informed me he was going to see them in concert and would love it if I would accompany him, I thoroughly enjoyed the show.

The piano and banjo, that’s all they play, for over two hours.  I was surprised at how fast the time flew.  I was surprised at how good I felt on the way out.  I was surprised on the way home when I realized that I hadn’t thought of anything else, which is a good thing.  Sometimes clearing your mind and not thinking about the weight of your world does wonders.  Going to a show is likely to accomplish just that.

Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers featuring Edie Brickell will be at the Kravis Center in May, I’d like to go to that.  Steve Martin plays the banjo, in case you didn’t know.  Another thing I didn’t know is that you can see most shows there for only twenty-five bucks.  A Good Deal!  So next time you are looking to do something and don’t know what to do or where to go, find your local theater and go see a show!

Do you know a pack-rat?  How about a hoarder?  Is there a difference?  My husband could point out a few that we know but don’t you dare lump him in that category.  No, he is what he calls a frugal builder.

It started when he was 10 and the neighbor gave him some wood he had in his garage to build a tree fort.  A few decades later and now a contractor, my husband Dave rarely passes up an opportunity to bring home the freebies.  Plywood, posts, studs and blocks, both glass and concrete, those are things I can look forward to him getting excited about.

Usually, he has no idea what the item will be used for, he just knows that someday it will come in handy for someone or something.  Like last fall, he made the platform for the Relay for Life float in the Acreage Parade completely out of freebies.  And after the parade, the material got dismantled and put back in the shop for whenever it is needed again.  Probably for the wall of hope needed next month.

What I used to hound him for, bringing each and every thing he could re-use home with him, I am now grateful for.  It’s funny how life turns around.  I’m sure having it in his shop versus our living room makes a big difference too.  And one last thing – if you are a saver of your stuff, that’s fine, just make sure you re-use!

Today’s tip involves some tactics that may be a little much for the average person to perform, but if you know your way around tools and are handy around the house, then you could probably pull it off.  But unless you have a slightly off-kilter door in need of adjusting, my solution will mean little to you anyway.

So let’s say you have an interior door that is having a problem latching.  The strike-plate, where the doorknob’s insides latch into the hole, is probably a little too high or low, and therefore the latch won’t catch.  If the hole is higher than the latch on the door, the door needs to be raised ever so slightly.  One way to do this is to put a small shim under the door’s hinge.  First, cut a small piece of cardboard (I used a diet coke box) a little smaller than the hinge on the door jam, or the frame of the door.  Unscrew the bottom hinge on the frame (not the door), slip the piece of cardboard under the hinge, and screw it back in.

This may seem silly to some, but before you seek out your screwdriver make sure you comply with any rules your community may have about stuff like this.  I know of an association that could very  well say you need a permit because technically, in a very obscure way, you are hanging a door.  So understand how some may see it as way more than it actually is, but don’t make it more than it is either, if you are thinking about performing this fix.

In my whole forty-something years of living, I have never heard, until the other day that is, that breakfast literally means break a fast.  Of all the people I have told this interesting tidbit to, I’m the only one who just recently found this out.

My dad also shared a tidbit with me about breakfast, though I believe the original source was Dr. Oz from the TV show.  He said that you should eat protein within thirty minutes of waking up.  From what I remember, you will be more energetic, crave sugar less (if you do), and it aids in weight loss.  Speaking of Dr. Oz, he will be in town here on Saturday, March 23, at the Gardens Mall, in case you are interested.

So who’s with me on eating some protein after waking in order to break the fast we’ve been in?

People can be so mean.

Some behave badly in an effort to make themselves feel better, others pass it on because, well, that’s all they know, and there are those who feel they have been wronged and believe someone should pay for it.  And sometimes, that someone is anyone.

Perhaps if you have been mean to others (and are aware of it), you might find it a little easier to be forgiving, because you can put yourselves in the mean person’s shoes. But if you have been hurt so badly that you can not find it in your heart to forgive, then what do you do?  I have heard helpful phrases like, “Let it go,” “Give it to God,” and “Turn it over,” and they are great and everything, but tonight I heard something better.

Beth Moore, in teaching her bible study James on DVD, captivated my attention tonight, as she does every Monday night.  Do you know what it means to yield?  Driving a car, if you come upon a yield sign, you slow down or stop to let the other cars on the road go first.  Well, forgiveness is an act of yielding.  Say what?  That’s what I thought when I first heard this.

Get this – instead of  “letting it go” or “giving it to God,” how about “yielding it up”?  Of course, if you are a master of letting it go, then by all means, keep doing what works.  But for me, yielding is more palatable than letting go.  There is a situation I am having trouble “letting go” of, I mean, I’m not ready or willing to totally release it and have it gone forever (or even just the rest of the day), but I can see myself willing and able to yield it up to God.

James 3:17 (NKJV) says, “The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.”  So it seems it’s not mandatory to give it up, it’s perfectly acceptable to just yield.  Next time you find yourself frustrated with this forgiveness issue, remember Beth Moore’s wise words – “Don’t give it up, give it over!”