A Little Bit of a Christmas Message

Of all the Christmas messages I have received, this little message has stayed with me the longest, has stayed the most.
Robert Louis Stevenson had it right, all along.

I won't call myself a Christian although I put it into practice every day that I breathe. 
Seeing people with crosses swinging from their necks as they swear, act rude to others, flip the bird as they cut someone off in traffic or are cut off, even cheating on their spouses, I don't want to be associated with those images.
Proclaiming to the world to be a follower of Jesus Christ, with a cross hanging on a chain around your neck, as your actions proclaim the very opposite of what it stands for.

The planet, Venus, appearing closer to earth in the night sky, often during the day, as well, was the very star followed by wisemen, shepherds, etc, as the story goes. Every year, I watch for Venus to shine bright in the sky as a herald to the Christmas season.
Is it any wonder that Venus is the love planet? The goddess of love.

Love

Love

Love

As Venus shines so bright in the heavens, people run about to parties, shopping, scrambling, often at a fevered pitch.

Take some time, peeps. Gaze at that beautiful bright star. Stop to contemplate the love you can show to others. Take a friend out for lunch, go to an animal shelter to cuddle a kitty, walk their dogs. It's all in the spirit of love. Loving someone, something outside of yourself with the singular thought to spread kindness & love.

Is it a surprise to you that your efforts will have a ripple effect?

You may be saving the life of a helpless animal when you keep them socialized. Someone who is barely surviving financially or emotionally, who is your server at a restaurant, will appreciate a little compassion in the form of finances or kindness. 
How about both!

Kind acts of love will speak more about you than any crosses you hang around your neck, your rear view mirror, the walls of your home. Actions with the pure intent to spread good will speak volumes more than having bibles sitting around your home. Being kind for the sole sake of being kind with pure intent to forsake your needs to benefit someone else.

Get out there, shed the chains of the world, free your heart to breathe love in, exhale the materialism of the world, inhale love, exhale the breath of kindness upon others, repeat, repeat repeat.

Alone in a BIG World

What to do when you find yourself so alone in the world
Partly by choice part by chance
Part by uncontrolled circumstance

Those who claim to care offer little shelter from the storm
Self isolating the sadness you try to hide
It's all part of the high rates of suicide

Salt in the deep wounds from all of that pain
Paint a mask on your face smiling face smiling eyes
So that those who see you will never realize

If someone dislikes poetry or creative writing pursuits
They will never seek an understanding
Of the pillow it gives for a much softer landing

When you feel so vulnerable yet no one knows
Nor do most of said ones show care
The world can be so evil so unfair

What to do with the pain after so much abuse
From offspring from a narcissist spouse
Dangerous living in your very own house

Co-workers that add to the many trust issues
Easy to turn to substances that only harm
Hide those too so as not to raise the alarm

Better to effect self care while being a little selfish
Hit the gym hit the dance class go hit them all
If it helps you can even take a swing at the wall

Coming up up up doing whatever you can do that it takes
To thrive on your own in this world without love
Rising on your own is okay as long as you rise above

Welcome, to my readers living in Ukraine

Recently, in my viewer stats, I noticed a substantial number of readers of my blog are in Ukraine.

By recently, this refers to the past month.

Knowing a limited amount of information about Ukraine, it would be enriching to learn. When I attended a needlework retreat May 2018, I met some fellow stitchers from Ukraine. They were very diligent stitchers. I enjoyed meeting them as well as seeing their beautiful stitched pieces.

With that preface, my apologies, I should have welcomed you, sooner. There are so many blog entry ideas swirling inside my brain. Also, a chunk of my time has been going into organizing my home, decluttering. In addition, finishing needlework projects that should have been finished long ago has been both a monkey on my back as well as a pleasure to see the completion.
Three time consuming activities, all are worthwhile uses of my time.

Blogging is a pleasure, for me. Knowing that I should talk less than I do, working on that, I have funneled it into writing more.

Recently, someone touched on a possibility of an opportunity to move to Hawai'i. It's light discussion at the moment. Even so, it was enough to get me enlivened enough to dive into a decluttering mild tizzy. It might happen, it might not. A pleasant thought!

Oh, the needlework projects! Most time consuming of all while being a pleasure especially to complete it, gaze upon the works in silk, cotton, beading & other sparkly stuff, when completed. 

Last, certainly as much of a passion as the other three, FITNESS!

Spin class torches calories while having fun, the great feeling afterward. Keep in mind, the whole time I'm in Spin Class, there's an inner struggle. I fight the urge to leave, 10 minutes in. The class is 45 minutes of energizing music, sprints, jumps, stands, leans, hovering, backward pedaling. The teacher of the 12 noon - 12:45 class is so encouraging! The class is a love-hate thaang for me.

Now that I see the viewers of my blog are in Ukraine, this is me, saying, thank you! Feel free to comment. If you need to comment in Cyrillic, I will translate. It would be a pleasure to hear from you.

Make some noise. ♥

Are you listening?

Are you out there?
Are you listening or reading?
Viewing my vulnerable state
With interest that will refuse to wait.
Are you out there?

Can you see me?
With innocent eyes open wide
I see you as you go through a day
Functioning & coping in your way
I see you

The world is moving ever forward
I will move forward in it's wake
In truth for its own truthful sake
Always forward

Although heartache, heartbreak has weighed me down
That which is growth will lead
I will grow in faith I will read
The word on which I depend
The counsel I will heed

So Much Work

It's too much work she said
Making her children's clothes
Baking her own bread
She got through it

Teaching my child to cook
It's easier to do it myself
Then she got that sweet look
As her child helped with dinner

Teaching her child to put gas in a car
What if they spill it and waste money
As the child learned the lesson went far
She was so glad she did

Coaxing her children to help with cleaning
Was way too hard so she tried to make it fun
It deepened their ties gave time together meaning
The efforts paid off

Giving her child lessons in values and self respect
Was a tough one to teach amid frowns and eye rolls
In life it helped them so much to self protect
It came in handy

Showing her children that their body is a temple
To be taken care of while saving sex for marriage
She was so grateful that she had taught an example
It made life so much easier

Now her work was complete with her children grown
It was so much work to teach to guide to nurture
She did it all though their futures at the time were unknown
Though forgotten her efforts live forever

You Knew

You had the chance you know
She was falling in love with you
And you knew it
You could have done the right thing
Showed her some real respect
Boy, you blew it

Your selfish want with selfish desire
You let it become your master 
So you gave her false hope
You knew it was wrong to lead her on
Did you make a good choice then
Do you feel good, nope

You knew she was a good one yet
You knew she was not one for you
The first night
Pushing her to get your own way
Knowing it would hurt her badly
It wasn't right

You did what a selfish boy would do
You simply disappeared from her life
To deal with the pain
Too callous to have a simple sit down chat
Too cowardly to witness the shattering
All that would remain

Onward to the next one just another notch
On a very cracked very worn leather belt
Disposable as they all are to you
When you meet your match as someday you will
Then you realize the pain you doled out for years
The law of Karma is true

Please Stay

Sometimes when the teachings of someone are so profound, so much truth amid the chaos of the world, they make it easy to discern the truth. This truth is in all of us.
Sometimes guidance is necessary to recognize it, bring it to the surface of consciousness.

We live in a world where people think it's cool to lick each others butt holes, yet can't stand the smell of poop. A world where some girls want to be boys, boys want to be girls, then there are some who can't decide, so they switch back & forth.

It's bloody confusing!

Dr. Jordan B Peterson, a tenured Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada is someone who I have been watching & listening to a lot lately.

https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/

You see, I have been diagnosed with PTSD brought on by MST, the multiple assaults on myself when I served in the United States Air Force. This is what caused me to search for someone who could help me make more sense of the world.

Dr Peterson, thank you!

His book "12 Rules" appealed to me in large part because of his Rule#11 Never bother children when they are skate boarding.

Because my son, who I love with all of my soul, loved to skate board. He still does, yet, he has other responsibilities, now.
The skate boarding rule caught my attention, drew me in further.

Baby, I'm in deep, now! Ha Ha! 

With his sense, logic, wondrously unfold his stories, drawing analogies in the form of fairy tales. It's a work of art! He speaks of Pinnochio, Beauty And The Beast, even The Lion King!

After watching several of his lectures, video clips, interviews, I had an "AHA". I have to say this. As a polyglot, his voice, OMH, his voice is so attractive. He is also a very handsome guy. Very easy to look at, to watch. Just sayin.
Being physically attractive, for him, is more than his appearance. The man is CONFIDENT!

He must get killer backaches from his massive balls!

Dr Peterson has been confronted in very ugly ways. In negatively aggressive haters who would do him bodily harm if allowed.
Am quite sure he could take them on & win!

Recently, he took his own advice. When going through a very frightening health scare with the love of his life, Tammy. Keep in mind that they met in the 5th grade where he says very proudly that he fell in love with her, the minute he met her.
He checked himself into a rehab facility to get help in conquering a dependency on a pharmaceutical substance.
The strong man is the one who knows when to ask for help.

His wife is doing well as far as I've heard. 

It may sound silly, to care so much. Having only listened as well as observed him, this is not fascination with a celebrity. This is gratitude for the difference someone is making in the world.

There are multitudes of angry, lost, destructive males out there. They lie constantly, hurt women, children as well as other males. They cheat on their wives, cheat others out of money.

In truth?

The one they are hurting the most is themselves along with society.

The world needs Dr. Peterson, the world NEEDS more intelligent, confident men of his caliber.

After leaving rehab, being with his wife as she recovers, he looks very tired. He is less animated than he used to be. 

It worries me.

I want his light in the world to go on shining. I want to see him fully bounced back from the trials he has had to endure in the past 2 years or so. What would I say to Dr.Peterson if I could have a brief visit with him?

I would say:

"Thank you for your wisdom. Please, please stay much longer on the earth. I need you. The world needs you. I love you, kind sir. Along with millions of other people who needed to hear your philosophy. You give hope that the world is going to hell in a handbasket a bit more slowly than it would have without you."

That is what I would say.

To his wife, Tammy:

"I'm so happy for you that you are in recovery. You're a woman to be admired for coming through this terrible struggle. Thank you for being the rock that anchors your wise husband. He would probably be a different man without you. The world needs you as the half of a couple that support each other to change so many lives."

Dr.Jordan B Peterson & Tammy Peterson, please stay with us.