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Here We Go Again & Link Up On the Edge #159
Good ole writer’s block has set in. The same thing happened for yesterday’s post and I spent most the day on Wednesday sitting and staring blankly at the computer screen, finding silly distractions to avoid putting words on the page. Finally, my muse decided to show up at the last minute and I was pretty pleased with the post. Yesterday was the same story but with a different ending. I spent most of the day staring blankly at the computer screen, doing all sorts of mundane tasks to avoid writing because once again my muse decided to take the day off. Without my permission, I must add. When I realized…
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Is That Too Much to Ask?
Have you ever asked anyone what their favorite (fill in the blank with any number of subjects here) is? Favorite color, favorite book, favorite food, favorite movie, favorite person, favorite place, favorite animal, favorite drink. Most people have an immediate answer ready without hesitation. They can rattle off their list of favorites without pause, like perfectly timed snare drums nary missing a beat. But ask them their favorite song and you will not get just one unambiguous direct answer. I don’t think I have ever met a person yet who has just one favorite song. Most of us have many. Because music moves us, comforts us, consoles us, inspires us,…
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Will the Circle Be Unbroken & #SpreadTheKindness Link Up #136
Will the circle be unbroken? When you are surrounded by the kindest, most loving, down to earth folks in the middle of the Pennsylvania mountains, the answer to that question will be a resounding yes. An unbroken circle of friendship, of music, of gratitude, good will, tenderness, and universal affections. There wasn’t a person there who lacked in benevolence and grace and it felt very much like home. I spent this past weekend at the 17th Annual Hickory Fest held at Stony Fork Creek Campground in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. Hickory Fest, also known as Music in the Mountains, is a nationally recognized music festival held every August in the rural area…
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The Wicked “S” Word & Link Up On the Edge #158
Shame: a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior. As I have been opening up more recently about myself, my lifestyle, my beliefs, and my truths, I have been thinking a lot about the notion of shame. Is it as subjective as the definition leads us to believe? Or are feelings of shame also objective, imposed upon us by society and the people who pass judgments on us? By definition, shame is caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior. But who determines if our behaviors are wrong or foolish? This is an age old question that ancient philosophers pondered about…
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Summer to Fall Transitional Pieces & Your Own Twist Link Up #11
For this month’s Your Own Twist theme, Monica and I are taking our Summer wardrobe pieces into the Fall. Transitioning our clothing between seasons always presents a challenge as we gear up for the change in weather. Retailers and the fashion industry are already firmly planted in Fall styles. Those of us who follow trends suddenly find ourselves drawn to all the pretty autumn things. But it is still a bit too warm for boots and sweaters. So how do you get the Fall feels without sweating to death? Well, that’s what Monica and I are showing you this month with our own twists on transitioning our clothing from Summer to Fall.…
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The Good Buy/Good-Bye Book: Shorts
Welcome to The Good Buy/Good-Bye Book! Welcome! This is The Good Buy/Good-Bye Book. A while back, Nancy and I started The Bad Buy Book, a monthly series about our worst purchases. It was a lot of fun to do and we both learned something from it, too! Nancy learned that off-white against her face is not the most flattering color. And I learned that I have a serious problem resisting a good thrift shop find when it comes to pieces that fit “good enough” but “not quite right.” However, after running that series for a year, we decided to change it a bit. For this series, you can choose whether you want to share…
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Living in the Moment Right Meow with Rosegal & #SpreadTheKindness Link Up #135
Living in the moment. Isn’t that what we are supposed to do to enjoy life to the fullest? It is a way of life that I embraced at a very young age. I recently published an article on Medium, There is a Certain Beauty in Death, detailing my experience with witnessing death. A morbid topic, for sure, but an experience that literally changed the way I live my life. It’s a strange thing really, looking back on the past 27 years, I don’t know how my life would have been different had I not watched one of my peers die in front of me at the very young age of…
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Use Your Power to Empower & Link Up On the Edge #157
I have said this 100 times, maybe 1,000 times, maybe more. Experience is knowledge. Knowledge is power. And when we have those things, we have an obligation to share what we know in a helpful way. What good is having experience and knowledge and power and hoarding it away in secrecy? What good is hiding our talents and our expertise from the world and from those who could benefit from it? What good is living on this earth if we are not going help each other through the whole messy ride? What good is being a human if we aren’t being, well, human? Humankind. That is an interesting term, isn’t…
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Wednesday’s Quote of the Week: It’s Written in the Stars with Rosegal
I am totally obsessed with all things celestial right now. Perhaps it is the reinterpreting of my relationship with the universe that is causing this infatuation with astral entities. I am feeling connected to the heavens and the earth more deeply than I ever have before. I am paying more attention, listening more carefully, and following the signs with a faith that I have never before known. I am confident that certain things in our lives are written in the stars and so I find myself looking up and out in order to find the answers that are already inside. Because we all are connected to this universal energy just…
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Sunshine Blogger Award Part 3 & #SpreadTheKindness Link Up #134
A few weeks ago, Shugunna of Nzuri N’ Simplicity nominated me for my third Sunshine Blogger Award. Earlier in the year, I was nominated for this peer blogging award by Rama of Chez Rama and by Jess of Elegantly Dressed & Stylish. You can read those posts here and here. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with this award, the Sunshine Blogger award is a peer recognition award given by bloggers to other bloggers for their work that inspires positivity and joy. It recognizes creativity in the world of blogging for those who spread sunshine throughout the community. So it is always an honor for another blogger to…