In today's world of technological spelling & punctuation helpers, it's more conducive to using correct spelling, punctuation & word tense, etc.
Of course, auto correct & premature posting can mess that up as hard as ya try, even for intelligent and/or very academically trained minds.
Playing with words is, well, FUN.
Yes, sometimes, deliberate usage of playful verbiage is a habit for me, yet, consciously playing with words & deviated spelling with equally deviated punctuation differs from being ignorant of correct usage.
DISCLAIMER!
I'm only human, making mistakes is part of the human experience. Having also been prey to auto correct, I'm sure there have been some funny FUBARS!
I go back into blog entries to set the auto correct mistakes right, which proves that, sometimes, a persona CAN be more intelligent than a computer program.
Take THAT! Auto-correct!
Before leaving my parents home for USAF BMT, I had a soft southern accent. Having traces of a southern lilt in my way of speaking sometimes slides into my blog entries with words such as "mah" for my, "yoah" for yours, o lawdy!!!!
In addition to this?
Speaking a few other languages besides English or Amerikaische, lol, I think in other languages, this causes word usage of other languages to also find their way IN!
It happens that way for me. I wonder if it happens love me that for other people who speak 2 languages or more, fluently?
Melania?
How about it? *smile*
Knowing enough about premature posting & auto correct, I know that when a person is obviously intelligent enough to know the correct usage of to, too & two or your vs you're, have to ignore it. When they type a second message with correct usage to just say, "I know what you meant!"
We all need to give breaks & catch breaks, no matter how subtle.
Play with words, have fun!
Life is meant to be enjoyed!
Monday, January 30, 2017
Photo Op?
Selfie, selfie, selfie, let me take a selfie.
Umm, no.
It's more about fear of stalkers plus a jealous male type in my life who is a bit over - protective of me, maybe even a bit jelly.
Having a stalker would seem to be a bit sexy, complimentary, even a bit exciting, that is..........until you actually have one. The thought of having a tiger as a pet seems cool, until you actually have one and it tries to kill you!
Many people like to stalk while many people do stalk others irl, online, etc.
Some people have a little bit of both.
It's when the stalk & be stalked goes to extremes that it gets scary!
I have had 4, out of control stalkers,targeting me, and baby? It isn't fun, nor is it flattering.
It's scary, debilitating at times, life altering sometimes.
For the before mentioned reasons, I refrain from posting or sharing many photos of myself.
I am average in looks, above average in compassion, intelligence & self awareness.
Truly, am a simple, average looking girl just living life, being happy & minding my own beeswax. *smile*
People will say:
You're so pretty, you should post photos of yourself!
Just one pic, I swear I won't post it online (Most often, they do!)
You've lost so much weight, you should post pics!
You look really pretty today, you should post a pic!
That looks really good on you, let me take a pic.
Post some fitness pics!
It's not about my body, not about my age, not about my looks, not about my hair, makeup, progress, relationship status.
No, No, No, No!
It's about my privacy, fear of past stalkers finding me, putting so many photos online that the stalkers will take it as ~
"Here I am! Come & get me!"
Then, there's the JGF! (jealous guy factor!)
When I have posted much online with current photos, I hear from him!
"WTH are you doing?"
"This is how women get murdered in their own home!"
"Nice photo, babe, nice fuel for the imagination of stalker types."
"Really? REALLY? WTH!
o gawd
He also cautions me to not accept photos from random guys.
Well, durrr!
Once, when I was very innocently messaging with someone I don't know, on FB, the guy sent me a photo even though I told him, I didn't want to see a photo of him. It was just a photo of him, fully dressed, in ski gear. I couldn't even see his face, much less anything else.
I could tell that he's a confident, hot guy.
Also, married so, off limits!!!!!
Dam, home boy got pretty prickly over that, innocent as it was!
No, he went ballistic! UGH!!!
He's just a friend, a very protective friend & I respect his wishes & opinions enough to heed his, umm, counsel!
I respect him, as a person.
No more random photos from random guys!!!
Also, very few current photos posted online or even worse, sent in a private message.
Many people have a lack of understanding as to why I don't post many pics in private or in public. Stalkers are a real buzz kill.
There ya go. *smile*
Umm, no.
It's more about fear of stalkers plus a jealous male type in my life who is a bit over - protective of me, maybe even a bit jelly.
Having a stalker would seem to be a bit sexy, complimentary, even a bit exciting, that is..........until you actually have one. The thought of having a tiger as a pet seems cool, until you actually have one and it tries to kill you!
Many people like to stalk while many people do stalk others irl, online, etc.
Some people have a little bit of both.
It's when the stalk & be stalked goes to extremes that it gets scary!
I have had 4, out of control stalkers,targeting me, and baby? It isn't fun, nor is it flattering.
It's scary, debilitating at times, life altering sometimes.
For the before mentioned reasons, I refrain from posting or sharing many photos of myself.
I am average in looks, above average in compassion, intelligence & self awareness.
Truly, am a simple, average looking girl just living life, being happy & minding my own beeswax. *smile*
People will say:
You're so pretty, you should post photos of yourself!
Just one pic, I swear I won't post it online (Most often, they do!)
You've lost so much weight, you should post pics!
You look really pretty today, you should post a pic!
That looks really good on you, let me take a pic.
Post some fitness pics!
It's not about my body, not about my age, not about my looks, not about my hair, makeup, progress, relationship status.
No, No, No, No!
It's about my privacy, fear of past stalkers finding me, putting so many photos online that the stalkers will take it as ~
"Here I am! Come & get me!"
Then, there's the JGF! (jealous guy factor!)
When I have posted much online with current photos, I hear from him!
"WTH are you doing?"
"This is how women get murdered in their own home!"
"Nice photo, babe, nice fuel for the imagination of stalker types."
"Really? REALLY? WTH!
o gawd
He also cautions me to not accept photos from random guys.
Well, durrr!
Once, when I was very innocently messaging with someone I don't know, on FB, the guy sent me a photo even though I told him, I didn't want to see a photo of him. It was just a photo of him, fully dressed, in ski gear. I couldn't even see his face, much less anything else.
I could tell that he's a confident, hot guy.
Also, married so, off limits!!!!!
Dam, home boy got pretty prickly over that, innocent as it was!
No, he went ballistic! UGH!!!
He's just a friend, a very protective friend & I respect his wishes & opinions enough to heed his, umm, counsel!
I respect him, as a person.
No more random photos from random guys!!!
Also, very few current photos posted online or even worse, sent in a private message.
Many people have a lack of understanding as to why I don't post many pics in private or in public. Stalkers are a real buzz kill.
There ya go. *smile*
Sunday, January 29, 2017
A Little Help
Peeps!
I'm working so diligently on climbing to a higher level of fitness aka a smoking hot body, just for my own personal satisfaction.
I'm celibate, independently owned & operated by choice. I'm the only one who sees me, naked.
So, yeah, doing it for me.
Yeah.
Fitness talk!
After seeing the extreme difference in my drivers license photo from 2 years ago, now, the one taken 2 weeks ago, it's very encouraging!
In the face photo, my face is visibly slimmer, the fine lines that were there 2 years ago are gone, facial muscle tone is tighter, higher.
This is a minor miracle to me!!!!
It only illustrates, confirms, I feel as if I'm growing younger! As hard as I'm working on fine tuning eating habits, recovering from fitness setbacks, cheating on healthy eating, perhaps, more than I should, still, I'm making progress.
From the Plié Squats, inner thighs & legs have thinned, become more toned.
From 5 - 10 minute planking, abs are flattening.
From lots of cardio as wells as strength training, metabolism has picked up its pace - Yee- hah'
There is an awesome Personal Trainer at the gym where I work out. This girl REALLY knows her shizz!!!! She sat me down last Friday, shared a wealth, A WEALTH of information with me! She broke it all down, told me how I can get to my fitness goals!
To me? This is Christmas, Mothers Day, Birthday & Independence Day all in one shot!
It's going to hurt, it's going to be effective.
Bring it!
I'm working so diligently on climbing to a higher level of fitness aka a smoking hot body, just for my own personal satisfaction.
I'm celibate, independently owned & operated by choice. I'm the only one who sees me, naked.
So, yeah, doing it for me.
Yeah.
Fitness talk!
After seeing the extreme difference in my drivers license photo from 2 years ago, now, the one taken 2 weeks ago, it's very encouraging!
In the face photo, my face is visibly slimmer, the fine lines that were there 2 years ago are gone, facial muscle tone is tighter, higher.
This is a minor miracle to me!!!!
It only illustrates, confirms, I feel as if I'm growing younger! As hard as I'm working on fine tuning eating habits, recovering from fitness setbacks, cheating on healthy eating, perhaps, more than I should, still, I'm making progress.
From the Plié Squats, inner thighs & legs have thinned, become more toned.
From 5 - 10 minute planking, abs are flattening.
From lots of cardio as wells as strength training, metabolism has picked up its pace - Yee- hah'
There is an awesome Personal Trainer at the gym where I work out. This girl REALLY knows her shizz!!!! She sat me down last Friday, shared a wealth, A WEALTH of information with me! She broke it all down, told me how I can get to my fitness goals!
To me? This is Christmas, Mothers Day, Birthday & Independence Day all in one shot!
It's going to hurt, it's going to be effective.
Bring it!
Friday, January 27, 2017
Who is Skychic?
It can be pronounced sky-chick or it can be pronounced sky-sheek.
Either way, it's SKYCHIC!
Skychic went dormant for awhile. Who was she? Who is she?
She came to be in a roundabout way. As an AD USAF girl, I was a bit reckless, a bit bold in my actions. I was scared to death although it wasn't obvious. I smiled though I was crying on the inside. I appeared bold, though I was shaking & scared on the inside. In my mind, my heart, my very core of who I was at the time.
In uniform, I wore no makeup at all, hair pulled back under a USAF midnight blue beret. The green uniform disguised the curve of my hips, the size of my rack, the round derriere, to me, anyway.
Military uniforms are funny, that way.
They play up masculinity while they downplay femininity.
That's why a guy in military uniform is waaaaaaayyyyy hotter in uniform, way hotter than a guy, say, in a McDonalds uniform.
Just sayin' !
I used the downplay of my feminine features to my advantage. People didn't recognize me in civilian clothes, if they had met me while wearing a military uniform.
One balmy desert evening at Eddies Air Patch aka Edwards AFB, CA..........I was bored! So bored, I felt as if I would die if I didn't shake things up a bit.
Rule bending, rule breaking.
Meh
Tomato - Tomahto
I looked in my closet for a "clubbing" dress I had worn when hitting the clubs in Honolulu. A pair of 5" stilettos, some thigh high stockings. Yupp!
I borrowed a car, got dressed to kill, prepared to knock 'em dead!
I went to the Officer's Club, in civvies, unrecognizable, then, perched on a seat at the bar, waited for the fun to start.
EAFB was home to the 6510th test Wing, now, the 410th Flight Test Squadron, 412th Test Wing.
What does this mean?
The USAF Pilots, almost as crazy bold as an A-10 Pilot, yet, usually a bit more skilled, are test Pilots. They test aircraft to "work the bugs out" before the military decides if they want to produce more or scrap it altogether.
An unproven aircraft is a G-6, hence the song "Like a G-6."
At the time, there was a 6 month rotation of test pilots cycling through EAFB. It was nearly palpable, when the new ones cycled in, when the "old ones" were getting ready to cycle out.
I watched them, at first.
Often, they would ride the duty bus into my gate, or into the AFRPL. Air Force Rocket Propulsion Laboratory.
I made mental notes, memorized names & faces.
I knew who they were, they didn't know who I was.....yet!
On a Wednesday evening, aka "hump night", as in, middle of the week, Yeah, don't go dirty, on me! The O Club was busy. Just as busy as it was on a Friday/Saturday evening.
I started going to the O Club, dressed to kill, on Wednesday evenings, Friday/Saturday evenings as long as I wasn't on duty.
I would sip on tonic water & lime, enjoy the attention of the Test Pilots, so confident, so sexy in their flight suits. Rawr!
As the night progressed, I would slip out an hour before closing time or if any of the TP's put too much pressure on me to go back to their place, or take them back to mine. They thought I was a civilian. Maybe a misbehaving dependent daughter or maybe a military wife, out to play while the cat was away. I was neither.
It was my delicious little secret!
One time, I don't know how, I was found out. I was "outed" by one of the TP's. Possibly disgruntled that I never slept with any of the TP's. I was a "good girl" not a sleep-around. I was just dancing, enjoying conversation & the attention of everyone!
As it evolved, the fun went out. The air left the balloon, the tires went flat, into a lull of the returning ho-hum.
Tahm to shay-ake it up, again!
I talked with one of the TP's who wanted to shake it up, too! EAFB was very remote at the time. Out in the middle of BFE!
There was a new TP who was excellent at flying, a bit shy with women, so, I asked my "buddy" if he would hijack one of the shy-guys' flight suits from his locker & give it to me.
On my 3 day break during 6/3 work cycle, I wore his flight suit to bed each night, after a nightly shower.....commando! I had a buddy, sworn to secrecy, snap a "polaroid" photo (google it!) of me in the flight suit, unzipped, all the way down. I was wearing nothing but a bright red g-string panty, a flight suit....and a smile!
After the photo was snapped, I changed into my own clothing, folded the flight suit neatly, spritzed a very very light spray of perfume on it, safety pinned the polaroid to it, gave it back to my TP buddy to put it in shy-guys locker.
I repeated this several times. After awhile, the TP's wanted to give me an honorary callsign.
Skychic was born!
As in, a chick who looks really good in a flight suit. Or maybe, a chick who looks really smokin' hot in a flight suit!
It was fun while it lasted.
All good things.......
So, now, you know how Skychic was brought to be.
As time goes on, I see her emerging. With every sweaty workout, every painful planking session, every strength training day, I see her coming back.
Oh, I know, I don't want to be in my 20s again, going forward, is best. A more classy, sophisticated version, still a bit sassy.
I am STILL Skychic!
Either way, it's SKYCHIC!
Skychic went dormant for awhile. Who was she? Who is she?
She came to be in a roundabout way. As an AD USAF girl, I was a bit reckless, a bit bold in my actions. I was scared to death although it wasn't obvious. I smiled though I was crying on the inside. I appeared bold, though I was shaking & scared on the inside. In my mind, my heart, my very core of who I was at the time.
In uniform, I wore no makeup at all, hair pulled back under a USAF midnight blue beret. The green uniform disguised the curve of my hips, the size of my rack, the round derriere, to me, anyway.
Military uniforms are funny, that way.
They play up masculinity while they downplay femininity.
That's why a guy in military uniform is waaaaaaayyyyy hotter in uniform, way hotter than a guy, say, in a McDonalds uniform.
Just sayin' !
I used the downplay of my feminine features to my advantage. People didn't recognize me in civilian clothes, if they had met me while wearing a military uniform.
One balmy desert evening at Eddies Air Patch aka Edwards AFB, CA..........I was bored! So bored, I felt as if I would die if I didn't shake things up a bit.
Rule bending, rule breaking.
Meh
Tomato - Tomahto
I looked in my closet for a "clubbing" dress I had worn when hitting the clubs in Honolulu. A pair of 5" stilettos, some thigh high stockings. Yupp!
I borrowed a car, got dressed to kill, prepared to knock 'em dead!
I went to the Officer's Club, in civvies, unrecognizable, then, perched on a seat at the bar, waited for the fun to start.
EAFB was home to the 6510th test Wing, now, the 410th Flight Test Squadron, 412th Test Wing.
What does this mean?
The USAF Pilots, almost as crazy bold as an A-10 Pilot, yet, usually a bit more skilled, are test Pilots. They test aircraft to "work the bugs out" before the military decides if they want to produce more or scrap it altogether.
An unproven aircraft is a G-6, hence the song "Like a G-6."
At the time, there was a 6 month rotation of test pilots cycling through EAFB. It was nearly palpable, when the new ones cycled in, when the "old ones" were getting ready to cycle out.
I watched them, at first.
Often, they would ride the duty bus into my gate, or into the AFRPL. Air Force Rocket Propulsion Laboratory.
I made mental notes, memorized names & faces.
I knew who they were, they didn't know who I was.....yet!
On a Wednesday evening, aka "hump night", as in, middle of the week, Yeah, don't go dirty, on me! The O Club was busy. Just as busy as it was on a Friday/Saturday evening.
I started going to the O Club, dressed to kill, on Wednesday evenings, Friday/Saturday evenings as long as I wasn't on duty.
I would sip on tonic water & lime, enjoy the attention of the Test Pilots, so confident, so sexy in their flight suits. Rawr!
As the night progressed, I would slip out an hour before closing time or if any of the TP's put too much pressure on me to go back to their place, or take them back to mine. They thought I was a civilian. Maybe a misbehaving dependent daughter or maybe a military wife, out to play while the cat was away. I was neither.
It was my delicious little secret!
One time, I don't know how, I was found out. I was "outed" by one of the TP's. Possibly disgruntled that I never slept with any of the TP's. I was a "good girl" not a sleep-around. I was just dancing, enjoying conversation & the attention of everyone!
As it evolved, the fun went out. The air left the balloon, the tires went flat, into a lull of the returning ho-hum.
Tahm to shay-ake it up, again!
I talked with one of the TP's who wanted to shake it up, too! EAFB was very remote at the time. Out in the middle of BFE!
There was a new TP who was excellent at flying, a bit shy with women, so, I asked my "buddy" if he would hijack one of the shy-guys' flight suits from his locker & give it to me.
On my 3 day break during 6/3 work cycle, I wore his flight suit to bed each night, after a nightly shower.....commando! I had a buddy, sworn to secrecy, snap a "polaroid" photo (google it!) of me in the flight suit, unzipped, all the way down. I was wearing nothing but a bright red g-string panty, a flight suit....and a smile!
After the photo was snapped, I changed into my own clothing, folded the flight suit neatly, spritzed a very very light spray of perfume on it, safety pinned the polaroid to it, gave it back to my TP buddy to put it in shy-guys locker.
I repeated this several times. After awhile, the TP's wanted to give me an honorary callsign.
Skychic was born!
As in, a chick who looks really good in a flight suit. Or maybe, a chick who looks really smokin' hot in a flight suit!
It was fun while it lasted.
All good things.......
So, now, you know how Skychic was brought to be.
As time goes on, I see her emerging. With every sweaty workout, every painful planking session, every strength training day, I see her coming back.
Oh, I know, I don't want to be in my 20s again, going forward, is best. A more classy, sophisticated version, still a bit sassy.
I am STILL Skychic!
Thursday, January 26, 2017
Minor Miracle
Minor miracles, tender mercies, surprising events, whatever you would like to call it.
I'm simply grateful for these events in my life which happen from time to time, surprising, delightful events.
The ex huzz was very verbally & emotionally abusive throughout most of our long marriage.
Having never been one to zone out in front of the idiot box commonly known as a television or TV, he was, I wasn't. This created a bit of conflict between us.
In particular, he would not only try to suck our children into sitting there with him for HOURS. Sports, movies, sitcoms. He was malcontent to sit there by himself, he wanted the whole family to be there, with him.
With my belief that children should be physically active, I would encourage them to be outside riding bicycles, swimming, hiking, going on a walk, exploring.
This irked him so much, he would target his verbal displeasure at me. Berating me for any little thing he could drum up in his mind. Any flaw he perceived, in me, whether real or imagined, he would direct his insults at me.
Is it any wonder that I began withdrawing from him?
This is the classic tale of the crumbling of a marriage where one spouse abuses the other, killing the love that once drew them together. Forcing the victim to withdraw from the perpetrator.
FFWD ~ 2013
The divorce was in 2007. Having moved to another state, no family except a deranged cousin (better to sever an unhealthy alliance) as well as no friends close enough to spend holidays with. Only a deeply jealous guy who was deployed around the holidays, so, basically, alone for the holidays.
I decided to go to Las Vegas, to spend time with some friends who I have known for most of my life. Familiarity, friendship, closeness, in a fun city to be around the holidays, sounds good, right?
It was, at first.
I arrived to be picked up at McCarran IAP, excited to be with people I knew well and loved as well as beloved by them. They had a house with a spare room, bathroom, 2 adorable dogs, a couple cats. Nice, family environment. It was also very close to Nellis AFB, so, I could work out every day, as is my habit, at the NAFB Fitness Center. Also, I could shop in the NAFB BX, commisary, go to the USAF Thunderbird Museum Shop while my hosts were busy during the day.
She was an AD Major USAF, he was busy, managing a remodeling project as well as various other business activities as a USAF Retired MSGT. As a bonus, they had an extra car I could use.
Cool.
I enjoyed cooking breakfast for him, he enjoyed taking me out for island style eats at some of the restaurants, he was very generous. Part of what I like about him, he is a very generous person, generous with his time, his viewpoints, his business knowledge & has a great sense of humor!
She is basically the same, with a bonus, we share the same birthday! The same family backgrounds, love them both!
The problem with loving someone is that it makes me vulnerable to hurts, slights, sharing confidences.
I admit, I am a sensitive girl.
Rut roh!
Things went quite well for awhile. They needed to go to Arizona for a few days, so, I stayed behind, keeping watch over their dogs & cats.
In particular? Buddy.
Buddy was a 19 year old cat, missing most of his teeth. The veterinarian had prescribed a very pricey food for him. Buddy would lick the gravy off of it, couldn't eat it. He would cry constantly. He was in very good health, he was just skinny from not being able to eat.
I love animals!
Animals love me, always, all animals. Dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, squirrels, animals always love me wherever I go. Maybe they sense that I love them, too.
We, humans, often love others because they love us first.
I thought about what I could do for Buddy. I wanted to help him.
Going to the dollar store after my daily workout, I saw that there was some chicken baby food, finely strained, 4 / $1.00.
I picked up 4, paid, then went back to my friends home to test my theory.
Buddy ate 1 entire 6 oz jar, then, looked for more! He ate all 3 jars, at first, then, the next morning, he cried for more. I gave him the 1 jar I had left, then, left for the gym. I stopped off at the dollar store, bought all 20 jars, they had, left. It was only $5. bucks to give the cat some comfort.
I was so happy when I told my hosts, what I had done. They noticed that Buddy, who had not purred in a few years, was actually purring, a definite sign of contentment! He, also, had stopped the crying that had been somewhat annoying to my hosts, though, they both loved this cat!
Thanksgiving at her daughters house was so much fun!
Of course there was lots of new people to meet, her daughter is a Las Vegas Hostess at the hottest club in Vegas, so, yeah, the perfect hostess did an incredible Thanksgiving celebration!
Things were going well, I thought.
My hosts left for Arizona, came back & then..........things went a bit south. I worked out with her, at the Fitness Center on NAFB, attended a fitness class which she conducted to help some of the AD USAF people to pass their fitness tests.
I can still pass a USAF Fitness test, no problem.
He was very sullen, when they got back, I didn't know what the problem was,so, I tried to stay out of his way. He became so snarky, bitching about everything. I didn't know what to do, so, I just stayed quiet.
I wanted to cook breakfast for him, he told me he didn't want whatever I cooked, so, I left for the gym.
I had no idea what had set him off, he was acting in the same manner as the ex huzz, it was triggering the same fear, the same resentment from the same type of fault-finding.
His wife told him he needed to cool it, to lay off the snappiness toward me, it only made matters, worse!
2 days to go before my flight back. Only had to stay out of his way for 2 more days and then, I could feel safe, again. I had never, in the long history of our friendship, seen him act like this. All I could do is lay low, spend time feeding Buddy, work out with her.
Finally, the day came, to leave. He was taking me to the airport. Would I survive?
That's a semi joke.
My guy friend is a muscular guy, looks downright scary when he is angry or in a bad mood. I had never seen him like this.
He wanted to take me out for lunch, I declined, just wanted to get to the airport, get on the plane & go home.
It started as soon as I was out of his car, at the airport.
Tears of relief? Maybe.
Tears of emotional pain at the end of a long friendship? Yes
I loved him & his wife as friends.
I cried on the flight back to Texas, all the way. Not wracking sobs, just a deep sadness, a steady stream of tears, rolling down my face.
Getting home, I was all cried out. I went in, leaving my luggage in the car, laid on my bed, fell asleep still in my coat & clothes.
FFWD: 1/17/2017
I had been in contact with her on social media. She & he love my youngest daughter, who is close to getting married. Although I wasn't close to them, any longer, I know my daughter loves them and they love her. She would want them at her wedding reception.
I let her know that my daughter was getting married.
She and I exchanged messages. It seemed so impersonal, so, I gave her my cell number & physical address, told her to call, any time.
On 1/17, she did.
I could tell we were on speaker phone and that she was in a car. They are married, a package deal! I knew he was probably hearing our conversation and I was just fine with that.
Holding a grudge is useless, to me. A self destructive practice.
I prefer forgiveness of others, forgiveness of self.
As our conversation progressed, she told me, as I already suspected, that he was listening and would like to speak to me.
Of course I would talk to him!
I had missed both of them being in my life, had missed his and my long conversations!
Had wished for this day to happen, it was here!
Most people are very selfish, will do wrong yet not admit to it.
Mostly, apologies are non-existent in today's world.
I was crying tears of relief, happiness, heart felt joy as my lost friend, apologized to me for his actions.
He was humbling himself, he was the friend I loved and had missed, once again. Back in my life.
I love him, love his wife, like family, more than blood family.
I was so impressed by him, at that moment, so grateful to her, for contacting me by phone. I felt the warmth of her sincerity, felt the familiar warmth of the friendship which I had felt so sad at ending.
He wanted to give me a monetary gift, to help me, to make my life a bit easier. There he was. My generous, giving, kind ~ hearted friend. His wife, had me text the info to her. Within 10 minutes of our conversation, they sent $200. to me. I was so touched!!!!!!
Words, then actions to back up the words.
Our friendship, restored, we will most likely see each other, soon.
A minor miracle for which I am so grateful for.
These things happen less seldom, yet, they do happen.
I'm grateful for my friends, for his kindness, to be able to be friends with both of them, again. Him, his wife, their friendship.
Pure love.
I'm simply grateful for these events in my life which happen from time to time, surprising, delightful events.
The ex huzz was very verbally & emotionally abusive throughout most of our long marriage.
Having never been one to zone out in front of the idiot box commonly known as a television or TV, he was, I wasn't. This created a bit of conflict between us.
In particular, he would not only try to suck our children into sitting there with him for HOURS. Sports, movies, sitcoms. He was malcontent to sit there by himself, he wanted the whole family to be there, with him.
With my belief that children should be physically active, I would encourage them to be outside riding bicycles, swimming, hiking, going on a walk, exploring.
This irked him so much, he would target his verbal displeasure at me. Berating me for any little thing he could drum up in his mind. Any flaw he perceived, in me, whether real or imagined, he would direct his insults at me.
Is it any wonder that I began withdrawing from him?
This is the classic tale of the crumbling of a marriage where one spouse abuses the other, killing the love that once drew them together. Forcing the victim to withdraw from the perpetrator.
FFWD ~ 2013
The divorce was in 2007. Having moved to another state, no family except a deranged cousin (better to sever an unhealthy alliance) as well as no friends close enough to spend holidays with. Only a deeply jealous guy who was deployed around the holidays, so, basically, alone for the holidays.
I decided to go to Las Vegas, to spend time with some friends who I have known for most of my life. Familiarity, friendship, closeness, in a fun city to be around the holidays, sounds good, right?
It was, at first.
I arrived to be picked up at McCarran IAP, excited to be with people I knew well and loved as well as beloved by them. They had a house with a spare room, bathroom, 2 adorable dogs, a couple cats. Nice, family environment. It was also very close to Nellis AFB, so, I could work out every day, as is my habit, at the NAFB Fitness Center. Also, I could shop in the NAFB BX, commisary, go to the USAF Thunderbird Museum Shop while my hosts were busy during the day.
She was an AD Major USAF, he was busy, managing a remodeling project as well as various other business activities as a USAF Retired MSGT. As a bonus, they had an extra car I could use.
Cool.
I enjoyed cooking breakfast for him, he enjoyed taking me out for island style eats at some of the restaurants, he was very generous. Part of what I like about him, he is a very generous person, generous with his time, his viewpoints, his business knowledge & has a great sense of humor!
She is basically the same, with a bonus, we share the same birthday! The same family backgrounds, love them both!
The problem with loving someone is that it makes me vulnerable to hurts, slights, sharing confidences.
I admit, I am a sensitive girl.
Rut roh!
Things went quite well for awhile. They needed to go to Arizona for a few days, so, I stayed behind, keeping watch over their dogs & cats.
In particular? Buddy.
Buddy was a 19 year old cat, missing most of his teeth. The veterinarian had prescribed a very pricey food for him. Buddy would lick the gravy off of it, couldn't eat it. He would cry constantly. He was in very good health, he was just skinny from not being able to eat.
I love animals!
Animals love me, always, all animals. Dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, squirrels, animals always love me wherever I go. Maybe they sense that I love them, too.
We, humans, often love others because they love us first.
I thought about what I could do for Buddy. I wanted to help him.
Going to the dollar store after my daily workout, I saw that there was some chicken baby food, finely strained, 4 / $1.00.
I picked up 4, paid, then went back to my friends home to test my theory.
Buddy ate 1 entire 6 oz jar, then, looked for more! He ate all 3 jars, at first, then, the next morning, he cried for more. I gave him the 1 jar I had left, then, left for the gym. I stopped off at the dollar store, bought all 20 jars, they had, left. It was only $5. bucks to give the cat some comfort.
I was so happy when I told my hosts, what I had done. They noticed that Buddy, who had not purred in a few years, was actually purring, a definite sign of contentment! He, also, had stopped the crying that had been somewhat annoying to my hosts, though, they both loved this cat!
Thanksgiving at her daughters house was so much fun!
Of course there was lots of new people to meet, her daughter is a Las Vegas Hostess at the hottest club in Vegas, so, yeah, the perfect hostess did an incredible Thanksgiving celebration!
Things were going well, I thought.
My hosts left for Arizona, came back & then..........things went a bit south. I worked out with her, at the Fitness Center on NAFB, attended a fitness class which she conducted to help some of the AD USAF people to pass their fitness tests.
I can still pass a USAF Fitness test, no problem.
He was very sullen, when they got back, I didn't know what the problem was,so, I tried to stay out of his way. He became so snarky, bitching about everything. I didn't know what to do, so, I just stayed quiet.
I wanted to cook breakfast for him, he told me he didn't want whatever I cooked, so, I left for the gym.
I had no idea what had set him off, he was acting in the same manner as the ex huzz, it was triggering the same fear, the same resentment from the same type of fault-finding.
His wife told him he needed to cool it, to lay off the snappiness toward me, it only made matters, worse!
2 days to go before my flight back. Only had to stay out of his way for 2 more days and then, I could feel safe, again. I had never, in the long history of our friendship, seen him act like this. All I could do is lay low, spend time feeding Buddy, work out with her.
Finally, the day came, to leave. He was taking me to the airport. Would I survive?
That's a semi joke.
My guy friend is a muscular guy, looks downright scary when he is angry or in a bad mood. I had never seen him like this.
He wanted to take me out for lunch, I declined, just wanted to get to the airport, get on the plane & go home.
It started as soon as I was out of his car, at the airport.
Tears of relief? Maybe.
Tears of emotional pain at the end of a long friendship? Yes
I loved him & his wife as friends.
I cried on the flight back to Texas, all the way. Not wracking sobs, just a deep sadness, a steady stream of tears, rolling down my face.
Getting home, I was all cried out. I went in, leaving my luggage in the car, laid on my bed, fell asleep still in my coat & clothes.
FFWD: 1/17/2017
I had been in contact with her on social media. She & he love my youngest daughter, who is close to getting married. Although I wasn't close to them, any longer, I know my daughter loves them and they love her. She would want them at her wedding reception.
I let her know that my daughter was getting married.
She and I exchanged messages. It seemed so impersonal, so, I gave her my cell number & physical address, told her to call, any time.
On 1/17, she did.
I could tell we were on speaker phone and that she was in a car. They are married, a package deal! I knew he was probably hearing our conversation and I was just fine with that.
Holding a grudge is useless, to me. A self destructive practice.
I prefer forgiveness of others, forgiveness of self.
As our conversation progressed, she told me, as I already suspected, that he was listening and would like to speak to me.
Of course I would talk to him!
I had missed both of them being in my life, had missed his and my long conversations!
Had wished for this day to happen, it was here!
Most people are very selfish, will do wrong yet not admit to it.
Mostly, apologies are non-existent in today's world.
I was crying tears of relief, happiness, heart felt joy as my lost friend, apologized to me for his actions.
He was humbling himself, he was the friend I loved and had missed, once again. Back in my life.
I love him, love his wife, like family, more than blood family.
I was so impressed by him, at that moment, so grateful to her, for contacting me by phone. I felt the warmth of her sincerity, felt the familiar warmth of the friendship which I had felt so sad at ending.
He wanted to give me a monetary gift, to help me, to make my life a bit easier. There he was. My generous, giving, kind ~ hearted friend. His wife, had me text the info to her. Within 10 minutes of our conversation, they sent $200. to me. I was so touched!!!!!!
Words, then actions to back up the words.
Our friendship, restored, we will most likely see each other, soon.
A minor miracle for which I am so grateful for.
These things happen less seldom, yet, they do happen.
I'm grateful for my friends, for his kindness, to be able to be friends with both of them, again. Him, his wife, their friendship.
Pure love.
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Lessons of Life
I'm far less, far from being a pro at it, the memo seems to have passed me by. Some things that others have learned, escaped me.
So far?
Life lessons learned ~
Only believe words when they are repeatedly backed up with actions. Even then, trust, yet verify!
Men are awesome! Peter Pan ....less awesome!
It's better to look at something & gain enjoyment than to drop too much cash on it, giving away financial security.
Just because someone is family or is supposed to love you, means they are family & supposed to treat you with love, kindness, courtesy, respect. It may happen, often it happens differently. Sometimes, it does.
When someone or something outlives the purpose or becomes abusive, walk away.
Think positive! It really does make a difference!
The "bad boys" are to be avoided. The nice guys are the best! There's a difference between a nice guy and a wimp. A wimp has no self respect, lets anyone & everyone walk on him. A nice guy has self respect as well as respect for others.
Eating healthy combined with daily rigorous exercise, getting 7 hours of sleep are all better than Jenny Craig, Nutri System or any other fad diet.
If you want permanent changes, you must make permanent changes!
Your genetics can determine many things, most things are something YOU can determine. Such as your weight, your attitude, your health, your lifestyle.
Learn to love change! Change can make life exciting! If you want to be constantly challenged & excited about life, you must change with the world or be left behind.
Color can affect your mood & ultimately your life!
(Same goes for music)
When given a choice, choose to be kind.
Eating as natural as possible is one of the best ways to keep good health & maintain it.
Family is in the blood, it's also, often in non family members, otherwise we would all be marrying out brothers, sisters, cousins, etc. Look at other cultures of the world who do this. It's a mess!
Negative genetics become magnified with each generation.
Love is the strongest force in the world. Love yourself first, love others, love the helpless animals with no choice. Give love to yourself, then, give it to others. It makes a difference.
*****************************************************
So, there it is, the incomplete list.
a' demain!
So far?
Life lessons learned ~
Only believe words when they are repeatedly backed up with actions. Even then, trust, yet verify!
Men are awesome! Peter Pan ....less awesome!
It's better to look at something & gain enjoyment than to drop too much cash on it, giving away financial security.
Just because someone is family or is supposed to love you, means they are family & supposed to treat you with love, kindness, courtesy, respect. It may happen, often it happens differently. Sometimes, it does.
When someone or something outlives the purpose or becomes abusive, walk away.
Think positive! It really does make a difference!
The "bad boys" are to be avoided. The nice guys are the best! There's a difference between a nice guy and a wimp. A wimp has no self respect, lets anyone & everyone walk on him. A nice guy has self respect as well as respect for others.
Eating healthy combined with daily rigorous exercise, getting 7 hours of sleep are all better than Jenny Craig, Nutri System or any other fad diet.
If you want permanent changes, you must make permanent changes!
Your genetics can determine many things, most things are something YOU can determine. Such as your weight, your attitude, your health, your lifestyle.
Learn to love change! Change can make life exciting! If you want to be constantly challenged & excited about life, you must change with the world or be left behind.
Color can affect your mood & ultimately your life!
(Same goes for music)
When given a choice, choose to be kind.
Eating as natural as possible is one of the best ways to keep good health & maintain it.
Family is in the blood, it's also, often in non family members, otherwise we would all be marrying out brothers, sisters, cousins, etc. Look at other cultures of the world who do this. It's a mess!
Negative genetics become magnified with each generation.
Love is the strongest force in the world. Love yourself first, love others, love the helpless animals with no choice. Give love to yourself, then, give it to others. It makes a difference.
*****************************************************
So, there it is, the incomplete list.
a' demain!
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Breathe in, Breathe out
Day to day, I have a decent life. As the colloquialism goes, there is always someone who has it easier or better, there is always someone who has it worse.
Most mornings, I wake up, that's a good start!
Sitting up, in my bed, I immediately say morning prayers, thanking Him for a restful night of sleep. Thanking Him for all that's right in my life, giving Him the thanks, praise and glory for what I have, Acknowledging his hand in my life. Asking Him to watch over me, help me to be who he wants me to be, do that which is pleasing to Him.
Asking for very little except when I ask him to help me to listen more, talk less.
Asking for little, saying a heartfelt "thank you" mostly.
Morning "routine" is to go into the powder room, brush teeth with a natural home made tooth paste, rinse my face with tepid water no soap. A body rinse in the shower. I apply a home made essential oil mixture with a base of Argon oil, to face, neck, chest, hands, arms, elbows, legs, knees while my skin is wet.
I sleep in my Birthday suit :).
I put workout clothes on, yoga pants - skin tight! A T-Shirt. At this point, I stand on one foot in Tree pose, count to 50. Switch sides, do it again. Socks go on, gym shoes.
Go to the kitchen area. Retrieve fish oil capsules from freezer, zinc & biotin and a 16 oz bottle of water from the fridge. A second bottle for ingesting fish oil & nutrients.
Taking a deep breath, I uncap the water, put the opened top to my lips, upside down and drink it all down at once. I feel the cold water infuse my body with LIFE!!!!
Coffee is something I have stayed clear of. Water is my DOC!
Drink of Choice!
After, I swallow my zinc & biotin. Then, shake some fish oil capsules into my hand. Usually 6 or as many as 10. I leave it to chance.
Keeping fish oil in the freezer for a minimum of 24 hours before ingesting, eliminates the fish-burp, fishy after taste. I keep my fish oil in the freezer all the time, it works for me!
If I wake up extremely early, such as 4 am or 5, I go straight to the gym. If I wake up later, such as 10 am or later, I go to the library to use the internet with my iPad or even a desk top at the 'bary!
I created my own FB page to sell & make money while reducing clutter. Having started on FB pages created by others, soon, it was a pita to deal with their nit picky stinky lil rules. So, I created my own where I can do as I wish without being micro-managed. The page is growing in numbers!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/223037181488826/
Blogging, looking to see what's happening in the world, checking emails, FB, etc. Part of life, for me.
After a couple hours in the library, I hit the gym. Arriving at the gym, I step inside, listening to my body, momentarily.
The body is the boss, knows what it needs, I stand & deliver!
Most days, it's yoga first, then strength, then cardio. Some days, light cardio or skip cardio!
The body needs less cardio than it used to.
Allowing myself to eat only after a workout adds to my motivation to work out!
Still, love my workouts!
They make me feel alive, energized, stronger, more positive!!!
After the gym, I'm HUNGRY!
Lately, I have been eating a lot of sweet potatoes, avocado, turkey breast, small red beans. Any combo of the 3, sometimes only small red beans with a sliced avocado.
The obesity that many people struggle with is caused by eating too much at a sitting. Having trained myself to eat less has benefited me.
I still indulge in ice cream or candy or cookies, occasionally. The 80/20 rule is best. Eat healthy 80% of the time. Have to enjoy life, a little bit of the bad stuff is okay. I work it off at the gym, burn it off throughout the day. It's working for me.
Home is the best & healthiest place to go to eat!
After a small meal, I pop a CD from the audio book, whatever's current, into the CD player & settle in for some needlework time. I have to finish a Just Nan pattern - 4 Wishes for a sweet lady who has been patiently waiting. The border on it is a real mofo! I had to rip it out & re-do it several times. UGH.
As ye sew, so shall ye rip!
The rest of the day is anyone's guess. Sometimes, the depression tries to grab me, so, even if it's only 5 pm, I go to sleep for the night.
My PTSD is hell. The nightmares are beyond hell.
So, that's the life of a Simple Girl in a Complex World!
Aloha!
Most mornings, I wake up, that's a good start!
Sitting up, in my bed, I immediately say morning prayers, thanking Him for a restful night of sleep. Thanking Him for all that's right in my life, giving Him the thanks, praise and glory for what I have, Acknowledging his hand in my life. Asking Him to watch over me, help me to be who he wants me to be, do that which is pleasing to Him.
Asking for very little except when I ask him to help me to listen more, talk less.
Asking for little, saying a heartfelt "thank you" mostly.
Morning "routine" is to go into the powder room, brush teeth with a natural home made tooth paste, rinse my face with tepid water no soap. A body rinse in the shower. I apply a home made essential oil mixture with a base of Argon oil, to face, neck, chest, hands, arms, elbows, legs, knees while my skin is wet.
I sleep in my Birthday suit :).
I put workout clothes on, yoga pants - skin tight! A T-Shirt. At this point, I stand on one foot in Tree pose, count to 50. Switch sides, do it again. Socks go on, gym shoes.
Go to the kitchen area. Retrieve fish oil capsules from freezer, zinc & biotin and a 16 oz bottle of water from the fridge. A second bottle for ingesting fish oil & nutrients.
Taking a deep breath, I uncap the water, put the opened top to my lips, upside down and drink it all down at once. I feel the cold water infuse my body with LIFE!!!!
Coffee is something I have stayed clear of. Water is my DOC!
Drink of Choice!
After, I swallow my zinc & biotin. Then, shake some fish oil capsules into my hand. Usually 6 or as many as 10. I leave it to chance.
Keeping fish oil in the freezer for a minimum of 24 hours before ingesting, eliminates the fish-burp, fishy after taste. I keep my fish oil in the freezer all the time, it works for me!
If I wake up extremely early, such as 4 am or 5, I go straight to the gym. If I wake up later, such as 10 am or later, I go to the library to use the internet with my iPad or even a desk top at the 'bary!
I created my own FB page to sell & make money while reducing clutter. Having started on FB pages created by others, soon, it was a pita to deal with their nit picky stinky lil rules. So, I created my own where I can do as I wish without being micro-managed. The page is growing in numbers!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/223037181488826/
Blogging, looking to see what's happening in the world, checking emails, FB, etc. Part of life, for me.
After a couple hours in the library, I hit the gym. Arriving at the gym, I step inside, listening to my body, momentarily.
The body is the boss, knows what it needs, I stand & deliver!
Most days, it's yoga first, then strength, then cardio. Some days, light cardio or skip cardio!
The body needs less cardio than it used to.
Allowing myself to eat only after a workout adds to my motivation to work out!
Still, love my workouts!
They make me feel alive, energized, stronger, more positive!!!
After the gym, I'm HUNGRY!
Lately, I have been eating a lot of sweet potatoes, avocado, turkey breast, small red beans. Any combo of the 3, sometimes only small red beans with a sliced avocado.
The obesity that many people struggle with is caused by eating too much at a sitting. Having trained myself to eat less has benefited me.
I still indulge in ice cream or candy or cookies, occasionally. The 80/20 rule is best. Eat healthy 80% of the time. Have to enjoy life, a little bit of the bad stuff is okay. I work it off at the gym, burn it off throughout the day. It's working for me.
Home is the best & healthiest place to go to eat!
After a small meal, I pop a CD from the audio book, whatever's current, into the CD player & settle in for some needlework time. I have to finish a Just Nan pattern - 4 Wishes for a sweet lady who has been patiently waiting. The border on it is a real mofo! I had to rip it out & re-do it several times. UGH.
As ye sew, so shall ye rip!
The rest of the day is anyone's guess. Sometimes, the depression tries to grab me, so, even if it's only 5 pm, I go to sleep for the night.
My PTSD is hell. The nightmares are beyond hell.
So, that's the life of a Simple Girl in a Complex World!
Aloha!
Friday, January 20, 2017
My Love Affair
Anyone who has known me for very long, as in, a couple months or more picks up on subtle changes in my countenance.
They can tell when I'm "doing it" also, when I'm not.
The glow on my face, whether I'm smiling, or not, whether I'm "dropping off the radar" for a few days at a time. After all, it takes preparation, careful consideration, thought processing. Then, there's the actual time involved in doing it.
There's very little expense involved, I usually have everything I need. Being self sufficient, confident in my skills, free spirited & independent for most of my life, it shines through. This, I have been told by many people, during my short life. *smile*
Sometimes I do it during the day, sometimes for stretches of 4 or more hours, into the night, if it's exciting enough, it holds my interest. Sometimes, it's so very captivating that I will lose track of time, only realizing I have been at it for more than 4 hours, when the sun comes up with the singing of birds.
It's very exciting, fulfilling, productive, producing such beauty, it only spurs me on to want to do it more!
Being a "late bloomer" as it were, I only started doing it at the age of 21. From that time, to present day, it has been a constant in my life. A very passionate, consuming, beautiful obsession!
My love affair with the needle
With fine linen and silken thread
Has given me such happiness
In this needle workers life I've led
My passion for intricate patterns
Both by day and by night
Is always time I've enjoyed
With endless pursuit and delight
The colors of various fibers
The beautiful results they give
I hope to be a needle worker
For as long as I shall live.
**************************************************
They can tell when I'm "doing it" also, when I'm not.
The glow on my face, whether I'm smiling, or not, whether I'm "dropping off the radar" for a few days at a time. After all, it takes preparation, careful consideration, thought processing. Then, there's the actual time involved in doing it.
There's very little expense involved, I usually have everything I need. Being self sufficient, confident in my skills, free spirited & independent for most of my life, it shines through. This, I have been told by many people, during my short life. *smile*
Sometimes I do it during the day, sometimes for stretches of 4 or more hours, into the night, if it's exciting enough, it holds my interest. Sometimes, it's so very captivating that I will lose track of time, only realizing I have been at it for more than 4 hours, when the sun comes up with the singing of birds.
It's very exciting, fulfilling, productive, producing such beauty, it only spurs me on to want to do it more!
Being a "late bloomer" as it were, I only started doing it at the age of 21. From that time, to present day, it has been a constant in my life. A very passionate, consuming, beautiful obsession!
My love affair with the needle
With fine linen and silken thread
Has given me such happiness
In this needle workers life I've led
My passion for intricate patterns
Both by day and by night
Is always time I've enjoyed
With endless pursuit and delight
The colors of various fibers
The beautiful results they give
I hope to be a needle worker
For as long as I shall live.
**************************************************
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
Observing the "Silver Lining"
Learning to think, talk, as well as act in the positive, is, believe it or not, a learned skill. In my personal experience, it's also a skill which takes cognitive skill to maintain.
I call this, in simple terms, being positive!
As children, it seems, even as children are learning to speak & socialize, it's done in the negative.
Examples?
You want examples?
Well, do ya'?
*smile*
Children are often told:
Don't touch that!
Don't be late!
If you do that, you're grounded!
Don't hit your (brother or sister)!
What if it was changed to:
Just look at it.
Be on time!
I would like it if you did something else.
Be nice to your (sister or brother)!
Phrasing in the positive takes being aware, always, of speech patterns, phrasing structure, etc. In a world where most statements are phrased in the negative, it's easy to fall back on negative thinking, negative speaking, negative actions.
Going a step further, I have had to train my mind to find the "silver lining" or the positive in many situations as I go about my day. If I find a coin on the ground, it's a positive. A friend of mine calls this "Pennies from heaven" although, it has also been nickels, dimes, quarters as well as an occasional $10. , $5. , or $1.00.
I say a quick thank you, then pick the money up. I keep a small jar with a lid in my car to put the "found money" in.
At the end of the year, I cash it in at my bank, it has often added up to $300. - $500.
These little positives are so sweet!
Although I am less naive than I used to be, I will admit that I can still be a little bit, so.
I moved from one house to another last August. Honestly, I was unaware that I had 30 days to change the address on my Texas drivers license!
A police officer made a traffic stop on me for some really weak, nit picky reasons, yet, he pointed out to me that I had to change my address on my DL.
As an aside, having worked in Law Enforcement, I know that since LE personnel know the laws better than Joe Q. Public, they can find any reason at any time to make a traffic stop on anyone, no matter how well a person is driving, striving to obey traffic laws.
I think the cop was just looking for something to occupy himself on a quiet night. I was the lucky occupier of his time.
The very next day, law abiding citizen such as I am, I went to the local DMV to change the address on my DL.
Surrendering my current DL for lawful mutilation, the person working there, pointed out that, in my DL photo which was taken on Jan 12 as compared to my DL photo taken May 2, 2014, there was a very noticeable difference.
She said I actually looked younger as well as my face being much slimmer than before.
I work out almost every day, am very careful in my eating, sleeping, drinking habits. People comment on my progress, yet, I don't see what they see. This comparison in photos shows, very clearly, the progress I'm making in my "fitness quest".!!!
Being a traffic stop subject is most unpleasant, yet, the silver lining is that, I could see my progress, right there in my DL photo!
Striving to see the good in a situation, when possible makes a difference in my day to day life.
Positive thoughts create a positive attitude which creates positive actions which attracts positive life experiences which helps to contribute to more positive thinking.
It's a happy - happy circle!
I wish you, sweet readers, a positive day!
I call this, in simple terms, being positive!
As children, it seems, even as children are learning to speak & socialize, it's done in the negative.
Examples?
You want examples?
Well, do ya'?
*smile*
Children are often told:
Don't touch that!
Don't be late!
If you do that, you're grounded!
Don't hit your (brother or sister)!
What if it was changed to:
Just look at it.
Be on time!
I would like it if you did something else.
Be nice to your (sister or brother)!
Phrasing in the positive takes being aware, always, of speech patterns, phrasing structure, etc. In a world where most statements are phrased in the negative, it's easy to fall back on negative thinking, negative speaking, negative actions.
Going a step further, I have had to train my mind to find the "silver lining" or the positive in many situations as I go about my day. If I find a coin on the ground, it's a positive. A friend of mine calls this "Pennies from heaven" although, it has also been nickels, dimes, quarters as well as an occasional $10. , $5. , or $1.00.
I say a quick thank you, then pick the money up. I keep a small jar with a lid in my car to put the "found money" in.
At the end of the year, I cash it in at my bank, it has often added up to $300. - $500.
These little positives are so sweet!
Although I am less naive than I used to be, I will admit that I can still be a little bit, so.
I moved from one house to another last August. Honestly, I was unaware that I had 30 days to change the address on my Texas drivers license!
A police officer made a traffic stop on me for some really weak, nit picky reasons, yet, he pointed out to me that I had to change my address on my DL.
As an aside, having worked in Law Enforcement, I know that since LE personnel know the laws better than Joe Q. Public, they can find any reason at any time to make a traffic stop on anyone, no matter how well a person is driving, striving to obey traffic laws.
I think the cop was just looking for something to occupy himself on a quiet night. I was the lucky occupier of his time.
The very next day, law abiding citizen such as I am, I went to the local DMV to change the address on my DL.
Surrendering my current DL for lawful mutilation, the person working there, pointed out that, in my DL photo which was taken on Jan 12 as compared to my DL photo taken May 2, 2014, there was a very noticeable difference.
She said I actually looked younger as well as my face being much slimmer than before.
I work out almost every day, am very careful in my eating, sleeping, drinking habits. People comment on my progress, yet, I don't see what they see. This comparison in photos shows, very clearly, the progress I'm making in my "fitness quest".!!!
Being a traffic stop subject is most unpleasant, yet, the silver lining is that, I could see my progress, right there in my DL photo!
Striving to see the good in a situation, when possible makes a difference in my day to day life.
Positive thoughts create a positive attitude which creates positive actions which attracts positive life experiences which helps to contribute to more positive thinking.
It's a happy - happy circle!
I wish you, sweet readers, a positive day!
Friday, January 13, 2017
The Art & The Methods
In the world, today, there seems to be an obsession with youth, money, beauty.
As if the 3 fit together to guarantee the one who has this triple threat, with all the happiness & fulfillment they can stand.
Pssst! There are no guarantees.
Auto accidents happen, plane crashes, random acts of violence. All of these can result in devastating changes to the lives we lead. Disease, disfigurement, mental & emotional impairment, just to name a few.
This post will lighten up, soon, I promise!
That was a simple illustration that even with beauty, youth & money, it can be taken away in an instant!
The best, which, we mortals can do, is to take the best care of ourselves, body, mind, soul and bank account, as we can.
There is a definite profit to be made in these industries! Especially the beauty industry of lotions, potions, powders, creams, gadgets and procedures to produce beauty & youthfulness.
Sounds good, to me! I have witnessed first hand, the discounting of fellow human beings based upon their age. Older or younger. A few years ago, I became reluctant to tell people my age. I was treated with respect, admiration, credibility.......until the other person asked me, my age. They treated me very differently once I had told them my age.
Some people who were rude enough to ask me, actually vanished from existance after I, foolishly answered the AGE question.
So, I stopped.
As recent as this morning, I was asked the dreaded question! The person guessed, "Around 35". I thanked him, walked away.
There are many things people can do to take care of themselves, to halt the ravages of time to mere finger nibbles of time! *smile*
Beauty is merely a reflection of the health of the body. It can be faked with makeup, camera angles, photoshop. The real beauty in male or female, eminates from within. The health of the body.
There is an art to remaining attractive, youthful, vibrant.
The basics?
If you are of a healthy weight, 1 hour of heart pounding cardio, daily. If you are overweight, time to take a look at diet & lifestyle.
If you are a tobacco user? Quit! Right now. Tobacco usage ages a person very quickly.
Drink as much water as you can throughout the day.
Did you know that the human brain needs 2 Tablespoons of water per hour to function best?
Get at least 7 hours of sleep during every sleep cycle.
Taking care of the top most level of the epidermis or skin, is essential.
A few years ago, I began studying & using natural products for my skin & hair.
About 1 year ago, I found a recipe for skin oil that is making a big difference, for me. Yes, even if you have oily skin, this may work well for you.
Start with wet skin ~ face or arms or legs. The oil seals the moisture into your skin, to keep it soft, supple, healthy!
Here's the bonus!
A DIY oil I swear by!
3 oz Argon Oil
1 oz Rose Oil or Rosehip seed Oil
3 drops Lavender oil
Mix these 3 together, apply 6 -7 drops at a time in the morning and at night before bed or every trime after cleansing face, arms or legs.
You're welcome!
*smile*
As if the 3 fit together to guarantee the one who has this triple threat, with all the happiness & fulfillment they can stand.
Pssst! There are no guarantees.
Auto accidents happen, plane crashes, random acts of violence. All of these can result in devastating changes to the lives we lead. Disease, disfigurement, mental & emotional impairment, just to name a few.
This post will lighten up, soon, I promise!
That was a simple illustration that even with beauty, youth & money, it can be taken away in an instant!
The best, which, we mortals can do, is to take the best care of ourselves, body, mind, soul and bank account, as we can.
There is a definite profit to be made in these industries! Especially the beauty industry of lotions, potions, powders, creams, gadgets and procedures to produce beauty & youthfulness.
Sounds good, to me! I have witnessed first hand, the discounting of fellow human beings based upon their age. Older or younger. A few years ago, I became reluctant to tell people my age. I was treated with respect, admiration, credibility.......until the other person asked me, my age. They treated me very differently once I had told them my age.
Some people who were rude enough to ask me, actually vanished from existance after I, foolishly answered the AGE question.
So, I stopped.
As recent as this morning, I was asked the dreaded question! The person guessed, "Around 35". I thanked him, walked away.
There are many things people can do to take care of themselves, to halt the ravages of time to mere finger nibbles of time! *smile*
Beauty is merely a reflection of the health of the body. It can be faked with makeup, camera angles, photoshop. The real beauty in male or female, eminates from within. The health of the body.
There is an art to remaining attractive, youthful, vibrant.
The basics?
If you are of a healthy weight, 1 hour of heart pounding cardio, daily. If you are overweight, time to take a look at diet & lifestyle.
If you are a tobacco user? Quit! Right now. Tobacco usage ages a person very quickly.
Drink as much water as you can throughout the day.
Did you know that the human brain needs 2 Tablespoons of water per hour to function best?
Get at least 7 hours of sleep during every sleep cycle.
Taking care of the top most level of the epidermis or skin, is essential.
A few years ago, I began studying & using natural products for my skin & hair.
About 1 year ago, I found a recipe for skin oil that is making a big difference, for me. Yes, even if you have oily skin, this may work well for you.
Start with wet skin ~ face or arms or legs. The oil seals the moisture into your skin, to keep it soft, supple, healthy!
Here's the bonus!
A DIY oil I swear by!
3 oz Argon Oil
1 oz Rose Oil or Rosehip seed Oil
3 drops Lavender oil
Mix these 3 together, apply 6 -7 drops at a time in the morning and at night before bed or every trime after cleansing face, arms or legs.
You're welcome!
*smile*
Chemical Romance II
Thank you for the guess, Anita!
If you haven't read the previous post, "Chemical Romance", it would cue you in for this post a bit better.
The blaring characteristic all three of these people, plus millions more, on this wonderful planet we call Earth, is that they had difficulty functioning until their first chemical jolt of caffeine.
That's right, a chemical aka morning coffee!
Medical experts preach about our chemical world in which people as well as many animals, are consuming chemicals. Often, the chemicals are absorbed in the water supply during swimming, bathing, even drinking.
It would be more peculiar if there was no obesity epidemic, no children diagnosed as ADD, OCD, Aspergers plus more.
The constant flooding into food, water & air of chemicals have more of an effect on people than we realize.
The morning coffee is considered a standard, gotta have it, can't wake up without it, chemical that's ingrained in most countries.
By now, you may have guesses that I have never picked up the coffee habit. For a brief period in my life, I had a serious caffeinated soda addiction!
It was brief, yet, it taught me many things about my body, about the effects caffeine was having on my brain, my body, etc. I was sluggish, had a headache, thinking was very "foggy". It was only a few years later that I figured out the extreme effect the caffeinated sodas had on me.
It was tough, yet, I gave in to better health by giving up sodas. I will have one once in a great while, not enough to become addicted, again. In fact, I crave cold, fresh, water!
These 3 examples I mentioned in the blog post before this one, taught me a lot. My road trip GF, could not function without 1 - 2 cups of coffee. She was a bit crabby, uncommunicative, seemed a bit disoriented, until her "coffee kick in" took hold. She was amazed that I functioned so well without coffee, didn't know anyone who could get right up & at 'em without coffee, first.
The guy I had dated for a year before letting him come to my home, experienced a "stupor of thought". The man couldn't put 2 sentences together without a cup of coffee.
When he came to visit me, my cousin experienced some brain fog. He was nothing like the energetic, mischievous easy going guy I knew, until after a cup of coffee. He didn't know that I didn't touch the stuff! Not until his visit with me. I bought a coffee maker for his next visit.
Personally?
If a chemical, no matter how innocuous, was so essential to getting up & getting going in the morning? I would eliminate it from my life. Other chemicals such as excess sugar, excess salt, tobacco are very powerful. I'm just a simple sweet average American girl, yet, even I can see how damaging these chemicals are.
I follow the 80/20 rule for healthy eating. Eating healthy 80% of the time seems to work for me.
The chemical romance that the coffee drinkers of the world, enjoy has made coffee growers wealthy.
If you are a coffee drinker, you might be interested in this article I have posted a link to at the bottom of this post. You can copy & paste into your browser.
What is being conveyed here, is to be aware of the effects coffee has on your brain, your body, ultimately, your life!
Peace
www.healthambition.com/negative-effects-of-coffee/
If you haven't read the previous post, "Chemical Romance", it would cue you in for this post a bit better.
The blaring characteristic all three of these people, plus millions more, on this wonderful planet we call Earth, is that they had difficulty functioning until their first chemical jolt of caffeine.
That's right, a chemical aka morning coffee!
Medical experts preach about our chemical world in which people as well as many animals, are consuming chemicals. Often, the chemicals are absorbed in the water supply during swimming, bathing, even drinking.
It would be more peculiar if there was no obesity epidemic, no children diagnosed as ADD, OCD, Aspergers plus more.
The constant flooding into food, water & air of chemicals have more of an effect on people than we realize.
The morning coffee is considered a standard, gotta have it, can't wake up without it, chemical that's ingrained in most countries.
By now, you may have guesses that I have never picked up the coffee habit. For a brief period in my life, I had a serious caffeinated soda addiction!
It was brief, yet, it taught me many things about my body, about the effects caffeine was having on my brain, my body, etc. I was sluggish, had a headache, thinking was very "foggy". It was only a few years later that I figured out the extreme effect the caffeinated sodas had on me.
It was tough, yet, I gave in to better health by giving up sodas. I will have one once in a great while, not enough to become addicted, again. In fact, I crave cold, fresh, water!
These 3 examples I mentioned in the blog post before this one, taught me a lot. My road trip GF, could not function without 1 - 2 cups of coffee. She was a bit crabby, uncommunicative, seemed a bit disoriented, until her "coffee kick in" took hold. She was amazed that I functioned so well without coffee, didn't know anyone who could get right up & at 'em without coffee, first.
The guy I had dated for a year before letting him come to my home, experienced a "stupor of thought". The man couldn't put 2 sentences together without a cup of coffee.
When he came to visit me, my cousin experienced some brain fog. He was nothing like the energetic, mischievous easy going guy I knew, until after a cup of coffee. He didn't know that I didn't touch the stuff! Not until his visit with me. I bought a coffee maker for his next visit.
Personally?
If a chemical, no matter how innocuous, was so essential to getting up & getting going in the morning? I would eliminate it from my life. Other chemicals such as excess sugar, excess salt, tobacco are very powerful. I'm just a simple sweet average American girl, yet, even I can see how damaging these chemicals are.
I follow the 80/20 rule for healthy eating. Eating healthy 80% of the time seems to work for me.
The chemical romance that the coffee drinkers of the world, enjoy has made coffee growers wealthy.
If you are a coffee drinker, you might be interested in this article I have posted a link to at the bottom of this post. You can copy & paste into your browser.
What is being conveyed here, is to be aware of the effects coffee has on your brain, your body, ultimately, your life!
Peace
www.healthambition.com/negative-effects-of-coffee/
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Chemical Romance
What's that?
Let's see if you can guess.
#1
I took a road trip with a gf, once. She has a high energy level, like me. Seems like we would match up and it would be a good time, right.
Hmmmm.
The first day, we started out at 11 am, right after an early lunch. She wanted to start out driving, we had audio books on CD for when we went through Wyoming where there was no radio reception.
Cool
We stopped for the night at 2200, checked in at the hotel, were asleep by 2230. We were to get up at 7 am, get a fast breakfast, be out of the city before rush hour traffic.
Weeeellllll
She was far from her chipper self, while I got right up, out of bed, quick shower, ready by 0715.
She was dragging, REALLY DRAGGING. I though it might be road fatigue, sleeping poorly. I started out driving, since she was barely awake. We had skipped breakfast, since she moved so slowly, figured we would have a late breakfast or an early lunch somewhere. an hour after I started driving, I heard an odd noise, coming from where she was in the passenger seat. I looked over, she was actually snoring! Dead asleep in the car.
WOW!
It was only after lunch that she began to perk up, wake up, alert enough to take over the driving.
This repeated itself throughout the trip. After the trip was over, our friendship survived, which really surprised and delighted me!
#2
I began dating a guy I had met at the gym. He was 14 years younger than me, in really good shape. We would sometimes meet at the gym or the pool to work out or swim laps. After we had been seeing each other for a year, I felt comfortable enough to invite him to my home, showing off my culinary skills! He had to work that night, so, he came over for lunch, flowers in hand! Yeah, he was a good guy.
He came over at 1000 hours, he was smiling, happy to see my home after a year of dating. As we conversed, I noticed that his eyes were glazing over, he was yawning. I thought I must be boring him to see him so fatigued as we played chess for 2 hours before lunch was ready.
I found that this wasn't the case at all!
#3
My favorite cousin came to visit me, one fine Spring week. He is a wonderful guy, love him!
I loved showing him around, introducing him to different people I knew. Working out at the gym with him was fun.
He seemed to drag a bit until after lunch.
I was thinking,
"Wow! Is he really not a morning person? What's up with this?"
Can you guess what was happening with these 3 distinctly different people?
Tune in to my next blog entry for the answer or feel free to make guesses in the comments section!
GO!
Let's see if you can guess.
#1
I took a road trip with a gf, once. She has a high energy level, like me. Seems like we would match up and it would be a good time, right.
Hmmmm.
The first day, we started out at 11 am, right after an early lunch. She wanted to start out driving, we had audio books on CD for when we went through Wyoming where there was no radio reception.
Cool
We stopped for the night at 2200, checked in at the hotel, were asleep by 2230. We were to get up at 7 am, get a fast breakfast, be out of the city before rush hour traffic.
Weeeellllll
She was far from her chipper self, while I got right up, out of bed, quick shower, ready by 0715.
She was dragging, REALLY DRAGGING. I though it might be road fatigue, sleeping poorly. I started out driving, since she was barely awake. We had skipped breakfast, since she moved so slowly, figured we would have a late breakfast or an early lunch somewhere. an hour after I started driving, I heard an odd noise, coming from where she was in the passenger seat. I looked over, she was actually snoring! Dead asleep in the car.
WOW!
It was only after lunch that she began to perk up, wake up, alert enough to take over the driving.
This repeated itself throughout the trip. After the trip was over, our friendship survived, which really surprised and delighted me!
#2
I began dating a guy I had met at the gym. He was 14 years younger than me, in really good shape. We would sometimes meet at the gym or the pool to work out or swim laps. After we had been seeing each other for a year, I felt comfortable enough to invite him to my home, showing off my culinary skills! He had to work that night, so, he came over for lunch, flowers in hand! Yeah, he was a good guy.
He came over at 1000 hours, he was smiling, happy to see my home after a year of dating. As we conversed, I noticed that his eyes were glazing over, he was yawning. I thought I must be boring him to see him so fatigued as we played chess for 2 hours before lunch was ready.
I found that this wasn't the case at all!
#3
My favorite cousin came to visit me, one fine Spring week. He is a wonderful guy, love him!
I loved showing him around, introducing him to different people I knew. Working out at the gym with him was fun.
He seemed to drag a bit until after lunch.
I was thinking,
"Wow! Is he really not a morning person? What's up with this?"
Can you guess what was happening with these 3 distinctly different people?
Tune in to my next blog entry for the answer or feel free to make guesses in the comments section!
GO!
Sunday, January 8, 2017
Take Action!
I'm an action taker
A rule breaker
A rule keeper
A truth seeker
A lover of men
Seeker often
Romantic always
Sad on rainy days
Fitness talk excites me
Flirting often invites me
My love runs deep
Something to keep
A fiery minx
A mysterious sphinx
A little girl lost
All at a cost
I take action when challenged. Swiftly, with rapid calculations of the mind, I will devise a plan, then execute.
Being nice, kind, sweet, generous, all are easy for me, however, as cliche' as this sounds, mistaking my sweetness & kindness for weakness is a huge mistake as a perpetrator will find sooner instead of later.
In military training, it was drilled into me that if someone attacks, if there has to be a winner and a loser, to make certain that I am the winner. Thus, this is part of my character. To self protect.
After all, I am in this world, alone. Single Girl, Complex World.
Years ago, I learned to survive, to depend upon myself, alone. I'm single, alone, no family close by, very few friends.
Life has taught me that very few people can be trusted with my heart, with my body, with money, with trust placed in them.
Depending only upon myself, my own strength, intelligent thinking, discernment, there is no proverbial lion at the gate to protect me, to keep me safe. I became my own lion at the gate.
Loving to help & serve others gives me great happiness, great fulfillment, Even that, has to be done carefully, so as to keep predatory people who would try to use that purely innocent desire to con & manipulate anyone gullible enough to believe their lies. Whatever they seek to dishonestly gain has to be discerned then thwarted.
It's possible to still retain a sense of romance, a sense of whimsical happiness while still maintaining vigilance against evil.
Doing it every day, as a practice, is how I live.
With a heart so full of love, it becomes a burden at times. Those are the times to cocoon at home, using my creativity to refresh the spirit of loving kindness upon myself. Replenishing my soul.
It's a tricky balance. Seems to be working for me.
Find what works for you!
Fly! Birdie! Fly!
A rule breaker
A rule keeper
A truth seeker
A lover of men
Seeker often
Romantic always
Sad on rainy days
Fitness talk excites me
Flirting often invites me
My love runs deep
Something to keep
A fiery minx
A mysterious sphinx
A little girl lost
All at a cost
I take action when challenged. Swiftly, with rapid calculations of the mind, I will devise a plan, then execute.
Being nice, kind, sweet, generous, all are easy for me, however, as cliche' as this sounds, mistaking my sweetness & kindness for weakness is a huge mistake as a perpetrator will find sooner instead of later.
In military training, it was drilled into me that if someone attacks, if there has to be a winner and a loser, to make certain that I am the winner. Thus, this is part of my character. To self protect.
After all, I am in this world, alone. Single Girl, Complex World.
Years ago, I learned to survive, to depend upon myself, alone. I'm single, alone, no family close by, very few friends.
Life has taught me that very few people can be trusted with my heart, with my body, with money, with trust placed in them.
Depending only upon myself, my own strength, intelligent thinking, discernment, there is no proverbial lion at the gate to protect me, to keep me safe. I became my own lion at the gate.
Loving to help & serve others gives me great happiness, great fulfillment, Even that, has to be done carefully, so as to keep predatory people who would try to use that purely innocent desire to con & manipulate anyone gullible enough to believe their lies. Whatever they seek to dishonestly gain has to be discerned then thwarted.
It's possible to still retain a sense of romance, a sense of whimsical happiness while still maintaining vigilance against evil.
Doing it every day, as a practice, is how I live.
With a heart so full of love, it becomes a burden at times. Those are the times to cocoon at home, using my creativity to refresh the spirit of loving kindness upon myself. Replenishing my soul.
It's a tricky balance. Seems to be working for me.
Find what works for you!
Fly! Birdie! Fly!
Paris!
City of lights
City of love
City of sights
Much spoken of
Upon arriving in Kaiserslautern, Germany with the USAF, I was a 5 hour drive from the place I wanted to visit throughout my life. Here was the opportunity, I was going to go!
Paris, France!
Oui! Je voulais y aller! Mon Coeur etait, deja la!!!
It sounds so dirty in French, this blog is G Rated!
There was a tour of Americans, leaving for Paris France, from Vogelweh tours, I was going! The tour left uber early on Friday, returned late at night on Saturday. I was going!!!!
Speaking French came easily to me, classroom French. Conversational French is different. It was a time to put my knowledge of the French language to the test.
Learning a language a person learns as a 1 - 4 year old child happens with relative ease. It's learned from relatives! Ha ha!
Classroom language instruction is different from conversational, every day verbiage. It takes concentration to learn the language.
It takes a whole lot of confidence to converse with native speakers of the language. I was about to discover just HOW much confidence I had in my French language skills!
The tour bus was full of sleepy people who were excited to go to Paris, France. It was a 5 hour bus ride, leaving at, 12 midnight. The tour guide was a very lively, haughty native of Paris. He spoke with only a trace of an accent, loaded with snobbery, barely polite. I was going to a dream destination, everything else was non importante!
Small town girl from the northern USA, I was on my way to Paris, France! Oui!
Arriving at the Eiffel Tower, acrophobia served me well at this time! When the other people in the tour were waiting for the elevator to go up to the top of the Eiffel Tower or climbing the stairs, I chose to stay on the ground, admiring the view from below.
There were artists set up with their easels, sketching, painting, smiling at the people who were obvious tourists. Strolling along, I noticed the food kiosks. They were selling typically American breakfast foods. Knowing that a French breakfast usually consisted of sausage, beef broth, croissant, butter, jam & cafe' au lait, I passed them up. The wait for the elevator to the top of the Eiffel Tower aka La Tour Eiffel was over an hour and then the wait to come down was just as long.
I had time on my hands.
It was around 10 am and the kiosks were preparing for lunch. One kiosk, which was selling gelato had opened. I didn't know what gelato was, had never heard of it. It was a more yummy-yummy version of sorbet!
There were so many flavors! They were all very natural colors which told me that they were even better than the brightly colored, artificial sorbets & sherbets.
The man behind the counter saw me looking, he smiled.
"Madame?"
I froze, my confidence in my French language skills left me, right there!
He smiled, lightly chuckled, then, with a French accent, he said:
"Madame likes what she sees?"
I blushed.
"Oh, Madame wants to sample the wares?"
I blushed, again, still mute.
"Or maybe Madame simply is deciding!"
Finally, I decided that using my classroom French skills would be for another time.
In English, or as they call it in Europe, Amerkanische, I asked him to give me the flavor he liked the most.
He gave me a scoop of what I thought was raspberry, it was such a delicately tangy cranberry!
I paid him, thanked him, then, walked around, stopping to admire the artists.
I walked underneath the Eiffel Tower, looking up, turning in slow circles, taking it all in!
Then, the gelato was gone! So delicious, I had to have more before the tour bus departed!
Going back, I saw some of the other people on our tour. I told them about the gelato kiosk. As I returned with them, the people from the tour told others. There were 22 people with me. Having already had some of this absolutely delectable gelato, I waited until after the other people had theirs. I told the flirtatious hottie that, I had come back for more! He asked me if these Americans were my friends. One lady in the group called out,
"We are, now!"
I stepped up to the counter.
The man smiled, "Madame liked what I gave her?'
I blushed, "Yes! Very much!"
He saw that I blushed easily, "This, I love, when the beautiful woman comes back for more!"
I asked him how much for 3 scoops. One of the flavor he gave me, plus 2 different other flavors.
"For Madame? These is no charge, tell me what it is you desire!"
I asked him for one scoop of cranberry, one of orange, one of apple. He scooped my order out, in front of me, smiling and softly singing a song in French.
He handed it to me, "No charge, please come to see us, again!"
I boarded the tour bus 10 minutes later.
All of the people from the tour were remarking at the delicious gelato!
Our next stop was the Notre Dame Cathedral. So historic, so beautiful......so touristy! I grew bored, wandered outside to look at the flying buttresses in the architecture, the beautiful landscaping. A garden in the middle of the city.
It was time to board the tour bus, we were on our way to the Parfumerie. As we left the bus, walke 1/2 block down the street, I could smell the richly scented air before I saw the shop. Some of the people on the tour began to sneeze, the poor souls had to go back on the bus. The scent was, I admit, quite strong. I have never had to deal with allergies.
The scented air bathed me, delighted me, it was heavenly!
The director of tours told us how the essences of herbs & flowers were extracted, distilled, then blended into the various different perfumes, then judged by the perfumers.
There were people who were simple dubbed "le nez" or a Nose, due to their fine tuned sense of smell.
It was wonderful!
After an hour in the parfumeries, we boarded the bus to go to the tomb of Napoleon. On the way, we stopped at a small café which had a lunch counter and an outside area to eat. It was so expensive, I was glad I had brought some food with me! I bought a bottle of mineral water, a small green salad and a croissant with chicken salad filling and a small cluster of red grapes.
I was astonished when I paid the equivalent of $25. !!!!!!!
After 30 minutes, we boarded the bus, again, on our way to Napoleons tomb. The tour guide told us that he doubted that Napoleon was actually entombed there, yet, it was still a beautiful tribute to a defeated General! French humor, gotta love it!
We spent an hour, walking through the beautiful 2 story, white domed cathedral. It was good to be out of the confines of the bus. We socialized, walked around, enjoyed the warmth of the day.
Boarding the bus, our last stop was Rheims, France, where a noted gothic cathedral, circling back toward Germany, lay. We walked, took in some village sights, then, boarded the tour bus for the approximate 5 hour+ drive back.
I dozed sporadically, listening to the snoring of the others in the group, wanting to be one who did not have to subject anyone to my snoring.
My mind was buzzing with all that I had experienced in the last 24 hours. I was tired, when I arrived back at was my temporary home, in Germany. I stayed as awake as possible until 8 pm so that I could get back on a regulated sleep cycle.
It seemed like a dream, a beautiful dream.
Paris was beautiful, magical to me! I knew I would return.
Bonne nuit, chers lecteurs!
Friday, January 6, 2017
Listen
Can you hear the words or can you simply hear sound?
People talk, people listen.
Many talk and are only waiting to talk some more, instead of hearing the other person.
Myself?
My morning prayer always asks for the guidance to listen more, talk less, feel with a spirit of discernment not only what others are saying, yet, hear what they are not saying, vocally.
The gift of discernment has always been with me. Since I was a child, being tutored by the Spirit has benefited me greatly, when I listened, that is.
The times when I didn't listen........ohhhhhh boy, did I ever pay the price!
That, in itself was a life lesson.
As I move on through time, yes, move on through time, because I refuse to grow up! Me & Peter Pan are kindred spirits!
Old?
What's that?
I know that I defy the stereotype of my age.
Resentment flares in me, when people try to "figure me out".
They will have a rough time, when they try.
I have been told by close associates that I have the body of a 30 year old, the playful spirit of a 5 year old, the wisdom of an 80 year old with the fearless attitude of a 16 year old. My energy level is still very high, my body still thinks it's 25, my mind is very sharp & a bit of a smart ass!
My age?
I'm between 18 and 200, yet, closer to 18! HAH!
Maybe, a mixture of all those ages.
I can't be put into a little box. Boxes for humans are called coffins or caskets, only when dead.
Baby, I'm so full of life, I'm very alive, ALIVE & listening to everything around me. More importantly, Listening to the people around me. It's a belief that people want to be heard. I want to be heard, so, maybe, you do, too!
Having also heard that everything is either LOVE or a cry for LOVE.
Maybe this is true, just maybe.
What if, just one day of your life, you make a conscious effort to listen more, talk less. You might already do this. If you do, you're way ahead of me.
I will listen when people talk, to process their verbal & non-verbal message. It can be a fascinating personal social experiment. Listening to non-verbal messages, I can tell when someone is lying to me. Let them talk. Let them believe they are playing me, they are only fooling themselves, yet, I listen to them as they talk.
Listen to the animals and their unknown languages. Squirrels & birds, in particular. Dogs & cats have been domesticated, living with people for so long. They present less challenge to read.
I like a challenge!
There is a large nest of squirrels above the house I'm currently living in. I bought a squirrel feeder at a second hand shop for 50 cents. I put it out there, empty, to see what would happen.
The squirrels came around, they knew what it was. When they saw that it was empty, they made some higher pitched clucky- chirpy noises that I have heard from squirrels before.
I only put a little bit of food in it, there is one squirrel with an all black head & an all black tail. Seems to be the ringleader.
That squirrel ate all the food, guarding the feeder, then eating the food intermittently, while the other squirrels made the angry noises.
I had to leave the house.
When i returned, the feeder was on the ground. I guess THEY showed ME!
2 days later.
I filled the feeder all the way. The black tailed squirrel, came to investigate, ate his/her fill, then, clucked to the others, to come to the feeder!
When the feeder was empty, again, the squirrels gathered, watching my door. When I came out, they all began making their clucking noises, a lower pitch than previously.
Watching & listening, as it turns out is something that is of great benefit in the animal world!
The point?
Try, for whatever time suits you, to watch & listen, see what happens!
Minus the clucking, of course.
Other people might not appreciate being clucked over.
*smile*
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
PJ & Me
Animals are such wonders; most are truly gifts from God. I mean that. Loving animals as I do, being able to communicate with them during ...
-
100! Yup! Ha ha! Happy Feet! It's quite a temptation when bringing the iPad to the gym. Free wi fi is cool. It's also a dis...
-
Once more, a phrase to downplay one of the central figures of the family unit, has been invented. The mother. This phrase has been ... -
As if this were so far from common knowledge, lol, here it is in black & white text. Ask any child who is new enough to the world, jus...
