October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I have several friends whose mothers have had breast cancer. My friends witnessed their mothers go through surgeries and cancer treatment therapies, so they are familiar with the disease. Because a woman's risk of breast cancer is higher if her mother, sister, or daughter had breast cancer, my friends pay special attention to their own breast health.

Early detection with regular mammograms and manual breast self-examinations, can increase survival rates. Women who do not have a family history of breast cancer should also have a mammogram and clinical breast examination by a health care provider every year. Treatments can be most successful and chances of survival are best when breast cancer is found at the earliest opportunity.

I have a little ritual I perform when I go to get my mammogram. I ask the technician, on a scale of 1 to 10, what kind of day she is having. If she responds with a 6 or lower, I joke with her that she needs to go have a strawberry margarita before putting me in the pincher (not the technical name for the thing, but you know what I'm talking about). If she responds with a 9 or 10, I joke with her that I am going to have to reschedule because she is a little too happy and might be a little overzealous in her job. It might sound dumb, but this little ice breaker helps me relax and it makes the experience... I won't say pleasant, how about, not so bad?

There are many resources out there that are useful, here are just a few that I was able to locate:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is featuring information on breast cancer awareness. The site also presents breast cancer statistics, information on breast cancer screening, and breast cancer publications.
• National Cancer Institute's section on breast cancer contains lots of valuable information, including information on: treatments, male breast cancer, and clinical trials. It also features "What You Need to Know About Breast Cancer" in both English and En Espańol.
• The MedlinePlus page has a good section on diagnosis/symptoms and a multimedia and cool tools section that has photos, tutorials, and videos.

There are times when we all have to reach inside, find our courage, and do something that makes us scared or uncomfortable. I was fearful in water, but one day, I decided that I didn't want to be that way anymore. I started with water aerobics and worked up to swimming a mile. In overcoming this fear, I ended up experiencing some really cool things: swimming with whale sharks, watching a shark feeding frenzy while scuba diving, and night diving. I would never have had those experiences if I hadn't forced myself to confront my fear.

There is one fear I've never completely conquered. When I was 5, I was playing with a water pump on my grandparents' property. Wasps began to come out of the pump. The other kids ran away, but I stood there screaming, trying to cover the opening with my little hands in an effort to keep the wasps inside. My grandmother rescued me, but on that day, I developed a full-blown, over-the-top bee/wasp phobia that I've carried with me my whole life.

Over the years, my overwhelming bee panic caused me to get hurt. In an effort to get away from a bumble bee, I fell backwards down a flight of stairs. Once, a bee flew into the car as we drove down a country road. Fortunately, my screaming caused my father to slow down significantly, so when I jumped out of the still moving car, I was only a little scratched.

When I was a teenager, I was outside with my dad when a bee started buzzing around me. I started to panic, but my dad ordered me to be still. Something in his voice made me do it. The bee landed on me. It took every ounce of self control I had, but I sat there with my eyes closed, tears streaming down my face while the bee walked up and down my arm. My dad talked to me calmly the whole time and eventually the bee flew off.

Did this moment change me and make me unafraid of bees. No. I am still afraid of bees. However, this moment did help me realize that I could, with a great deal of resolve, control my reaction to them. Over the years, I have had plenty of opportunities to practice my skills in controlling my bee panic. Even today, when bees are near me, I get uncomfortable. I watch them warily, but I don't slip into hysterical fear.

If you, or someone you love, has a phobia, here are some resources that can help you:

• Anxiety & Panic: Gaining Control Over How You're Feeling
• Anxiety Disorders in Children and Teens
• Children and Adolescents with Anxiety Disorders
• How Families Can Help Children Cope with Fear and Anxiety
• Mental Health: The Cornerstone of Health
• Phobia Self-Test
• Social Phobia (Social Anxiety Disorder)

Being brave isn't about NOT being afraid. It's about dealing with your fear and living your life in spite of it. I invite you to share your stories of conquering fear.

On September 11, 2001, what started as a “normal” day turned into one of those days that everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news. I was working when someone ran into our office and told us that something horrible was happening in New York.

About 20 of my colleagues gathered in an office to watch the news on television. We watched the reports of the towers collapsing, the Pentagon attack, and then it was reported that another terrorist-seized plane was thought to be heading towards the White House. This caused alarm amongst us, because our office is located a couple of blocks from the White House. At some point, we were told to leave the building.

When I got home, I turned the television on and kept it on, for what seemed like days. I obsessively watched the news, like millions of other Americans, trying to understand why this happened. When I think about that day, it still boggles my mind that a group of people could be so full of hate to commit such an act. When we saw images of men, women, and children, thousands of miles away rejoicing and celebrating in the streets over the deaths of innocent people, it sickened me.

I wonder if the people behind this event feel today that it accomplished something for their people. Did it resolve their problems or make conditions better for their people? Perhaps the 911 perpetrators were never really concerned about their people at all. Maybe all of this was done to accomplish some selfish goal for themselves. I can't say, but looking at the state of the world, it seems to me, that all it did was further entrench this “us against them” thinking.

Did anything positive come out of this tragedy? Yes, it did. Neighbors met neighbors, US citizens' eyes were opened about world geography and other cultures/beliefs, we were reminded of what a great country we live in, people showed their respect for fire fighters and police officers, it became cool to be patriotic, people called their loved ones just to tell them how much they cared for them, and we improved emergency communications amongst first responders. This tragedy also reminded the world that when Americans are attacked, we unite to become stronger. This year, in the spirit of that unity, we recognize today as a National Day of Service and Remembrance.

Around the country most kids have, or are about to, return to school. But my friend's kids are getting ready to return to the dining room table. One of my old high school friends homeschools her children. I find this idea interesting because homeschooling seems like such a tremendously scary responsibility, and apparently it can be, but it also has some wonderful rewards.

Originally, their family pursued the traditional route for educating the kids through enrollment in public schools. They were mostly happy with that traditional route, until they had to move to another part of the country. They enrolled the kids in the new school district, but very quickly they determined that the school curriculum was lacking in challenge. The kids had already covered the material and were bored.

Furthermore, her kids were being bullied by some students. When my friend discussed the academic and social situations with the teachers and school officials, she repeatedly felt they offered no solutions and were dismissive to her concerns.

She researched their state's homeschooling laws. My friend, who had been a teacher for years, researched state educational requirements and located resources that were available to parents for purposes of homeschooling. At that point, they decided to take the leap, and they pulled their kids out of school. My friend set up school in her own home. That was years ago and it works very well for them.

She follows state guidelines and curriculum, but incorporates a variety of field trips to museums, libraries, state parks, and a host of other educational activities. Homeschooled kids are allowed to participate in local school sports and other activities, so her kids get plenty of social interaction. They take the same standardized tests as nonhomeschooled kids.

I asked my friend if she enjoyed “relearning” things as she goes through the lessons with her kids. She confessed that when she was young, she didn't have much interest in some subjects. She is learning new things right along with her kids and she loves that aspect of teaching them. I find that really cool and appealing. I confess, I want to enroll in my friend's home school. She'd probably have to start me back at the 3^rd grade level.

Anyway, here are some federal resources that may be of interest to folks considering homeschooling:

• National Center for Educational Statistics compiles statistics on the number of kids that are schooled at home, the characteristics of homeschooled vs. nonhomeschooled kids, and why parents choose to homeschool.
• Federal Resources for Educational Excellence
• Online Educational Resource Information

Since homeschooling is considered a matter handled by each state, your best bet is to work with your local school district to locate curriculum and guidelines. Most states have homeschool coordinators to help parents who wish to school their children at home. Remember, you pay taxes, therefore your kids are allowed access to the same resources that are available to public school children.

Some of my blogs lately have been pretty serious and perhaps just a little intense, so it is time to lighten it up a bit. Whenever I am in a funk or taking life way too seriously, I turn to music to settle my nerves and put a little spring back into my step.

Recently, as I was driving down the highway listening to a 70's radio station, I heard a peppy little song with one of my favorite percussion instruments... cowbells.  I had a profound moment of clarity on highway 10. What the world needs now is love sweet love (hats off to Burt Bacharach and Hal David for that great song) and more songs with cowbells. If we were to put all of the people who are angry and hellbent on mayhem in a room and play them some songs with cowbells, it would suck the anger right out of them!

Thinking I was really on to something, I shared my love of songs with cowbells and my “peace through cowbells” theory with my husband. He just rolled his eyes and then he showed me a Saturday Night Live video clip featuring Christopher Walken directing the band to “add more cowbells.” Apparently, I can't come up with an original thought that SNL hasn't already covered in a skit.

I am kidding about the “peace through cowbells” thing... sort of, but music can significantly alter my mood and put me in better spirits. I listen to different music depending on my mood. Our country has such a rich, wide variety of music (blues, jazz, rock, rap, gospel, country, etc.) because of the various ethnic traditions and influences in our country.

I decided to do a search on USA.gov to see what musical resources were available from the government. I was amazed at the volume and rich history represented in our government's musical archives. Here are just some of the resources that are available:

• The Library of Congress has a pretty interesting music collection and even a blog that covers interesting musical topics.
• Music Resources for Children
• American Music Collections
• Federal Resources for Educational Excellence

Take a few minutes out of your crazy, busy day to sit back and relax. Go check out some of these resources and go put on some cowbell music. Drop me a line to tell me about some of your favorite songs and why you like them.

I will get us started. I love “Grazing in the Grass.” I like the original instrumental by Hugh Masekela, because of the cowbells, of course. I also like the 1969 version done by “Friends of Distinction.” This song just starts me dancing and fills me with happiness. The lyrics are about sitting back and enjoying the moment. There are times when we all need to do that. Have a good week and I'll see you next Friday.