never pick your scabs or blisters.

This is important. Our bodies are engineered to heal and repair. They do not need our help in the form of removing scabs or blister skin prematurely. Resist the urge to pick a scab. Let it fall off naturally (unless you were hoping for a big scar.) In the case of blisters or bed sores, the top skin layers and fluid provide a protective cushion as the body heals in layers. Let the skin layers work themselves off as naturally as possible.

I know a certain cancer warrior who got a nasty bed sore from his lengthy hospital stay. He thought the skin "looked bad" and cut the skin off without consulting Mother Rabbit. He paid a very painful price by exposing all those nerve endings.

If you have a blister from a burn, raw aloe vera gel straight from an aloe vera leaf is not only comforting but helps heal the wound. No aloe vera? Try honey.

the power of a list.

Life can get crazy. I can find myself running in circles... and forgetting things... and losing track of things, not to mention time. Then I remember to take time to sit down and MAKE A LIST. There is so much power in a PLAN that is written down in some form. We have a crazy week with graduation party plans swirling around me and pressing in on me. Now the activities to be done are safely on a list. Now I can breath in and out and look at the list for instructions. I still have lots of work to do, but the work load is divided by day and no longer seems overwhelming.

Do you need a List today? Mother Rabbit can't live without them.

read frommer's.

Did you know that Mother Rabbit never travels to a city or country without reading the Frommer's Guide first? It is true. If I am spending the $ to travel to a new destination, I want to maximize my expereince and get the most bang-for-my-buck while I am there.

I am a huge fan of the Frommer's star rating system and I use it to select restaurants, make hotel choices and to decide which sights are most worth my time. Planning for a trip and studying the area enhances the anticipation, which is part of the fun.

If I had to rate all of my advice tidbits, this one would be in my Top Ten. If you are investing in a trip of any kind, purchase a Frommers Guide for the region and maximize your investment.

rinse with warm salt water.

Do you have a sore throat? Rinse or gargle with warm salt water. Do you have a canker sore? Rinse your mouth with warm salt water.

Following this age-old advice is a simple way to keep your mouth clean and promote healing. Your grandparents did it. You should too. Some of the best advice is advice that has been around for a hundred years. Mike has some sores in his mouth from the surgical equipment during his cancer removal surgery. Mother Rabbit's advice: Rinse with warm salt water.

the gift bag & brownies.

Our friend Sharon is a genius and Mother Rabbit wants to pass on this brilliant advice. Mike and I are currently in ICU in a hospital in St. Louis where Mike is recovering from surgery to remove cancer from his tonsil area. Sharon baked a huge tray of brownies and told me to give it to all the nurses on duty and tell them they are from Mike. I have never seen such a happy feeding frenzy when I set the brownies down. What a brilliant idea for some excellent care & attention for the patient!

She also brought a "gift bag" filled with the handiest stuff for a hospital stay: bottled water, breath mints, granola bars, chocolate covered edamome, magazines, a sudoku book, hand sanitizer, fancy chocolates and a cute paper pad & pen. She also somehow took the logo from his cancer blog (MikesLongRide.blogspot.com) and iron transferred it to the tote bag she put the goods in. Very charming. Guests aren't always what you need during a stressful hospital stay, but handing the caregiver a bag of goodies is genius.

Mother Rabbit says: Remember the power of brownies for the nurses and how a basket of goodies might be the best way to visit.

airport socks in action.

I posted advice last fall recommending "airport socks" for going through security at airports. Mother Rabbit likes clean feet and she likes putting only clean feet inside her shoes and in her bed. Walking on certainly-not-clean paths through the X-ray machine was a problem for Mother Rabbit until she started putting an extra pair of socks in her carry-on bag to slip over her feet & socks after slipping off her shoes in the TSA security line.

Upon reading about this, one of my beloved readers sent me a pair of "rabbit socks" which are now my faithful airport socks. Try it. You'll like it.

profound wisdom.

Elizabeth Elliot, wife of martyred missionary Jim Elliot, mouthed some of the best advice ever given for suffering. She wisely said that when you are devastated by loss or tragedy, just "do the next thing". If you can remember this, you will be equipped to survive whatever life hurls your way. Another favorite bit of wisdom to ponder: When asked what he would do if the world would end tomorrow, Martin Luther said "I would plant a tree today." The depth and breadth of wisdom packed in a few words from these saints is staggering.