Food for Thought: On the Loss of a Loved One

By Jon Herring

As my fiancee, Kelley, lay down to sleep last night, I went outside to call in her beloved cat Aspen. I walked to where Aspen was sitting, and as I approached to pick her up the sound of a car frightened her. She darted right into the car's path and was hit. Aspen died peacefully in our arms a very short time later.

I have always welcomed challenge and adversity in my life. I have always looked for the positive, even when things are at their worst. I have always searched for the lessons, even in failure. My philosophy has been that though we cannot always control what happens to us, we can control the way we react to it.

But there is something about the finality of death. It cannot be reversed. We cannot call a "do over." We cannot bring that person or that animal back. There is no way to make amends... to say "I love you"... to say "I'm sorry"... or to give your dog or kitty one last scratch on the chin. All that's left are memories.

I'm writing this message in hopes that it will remind you to say a few heartfelt words to those who are close to you. To mend a past transgression that is weighing on your mind. To forgive someone who may have crossed you. Or to take some pictures or a video with your friends and family and pets. These things will mean the world to you in the unfortunate event that those people or beloved animals are lost.

There's one more point that I want to make here: Accidents can happen at any time - but what gets most of us is poor health and a slow decline. Don't let that happen to you. Take control of your well-being and take care of yourself. We tend to think of our health in terms of how we look or how much we weigh. But the stakes are higher than that. This is your life we are talking about... and you are more precious than gold to the people who care about you.
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What's in a (Company) Name?

By Suzanne Richardson

If you're struggling to come up with a name for your new company, you can identify with many entrepreneurs who've gone through that same struggle. Check out Wikipedia's List of Company Name Etymologies. You'll find that many well-known company names are either combinations of founders' names, literary references, or just plain made up. Some examples...

. Arby's is from the "R" and the "B" of its founders, the Raffel Brothers.

. Samsonite luggage was named for Samson of the Bible, known for his strength.

. George Eastman made up "Kodak," because he liked the way it began and ended with the "incisive" letter K.

. Baking soda giant Arm & Hammer was named for its founder, Armand Maccabee. "Maccabee" is a Hebrew name that means "hammer" in English.

. Kinko's is "Kinko's" because Kinko was founder Paul Orfalea's nickname in college (from his curly red hair).

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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2035, 05-07-07], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.