Thoughts of the Day
My life has qualified me as "experienced" on such topics as Army life, parenting, mental health, loss and grief, multi-tasking, and adapting to all things new (good, bad, or indifferent). I will share my thoughts on these topics and hopefully you will find some calm in the chaos knowing that others have been where you are.
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My Truth About Lies (This Might Make Your Brain Hurt)
Lies. Falsehoods. Deception. Deceit. Dishonesty. Slander. Myth. Misrepresentation. We all are capable of telling lies. We all possess the ability to deceive others and shade them from the truth. It could be as absolute as telling a blatant untruth or it can be as ambiguous as simply withholding pertinent information. We all have told lies in one form or another. Most of us will continue tell lies on some level throughout our entire lives. It might be a characteristic that is unique to human beings. Can other creatures in the animal kingdom practice fraudulence or deliver disinformation with purpose and intent? Sure, other animals can be sneaky and trick their…
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Inspired By Sheela Writes: Blogging Has Made Me Bolder
Blogland is filled with so many empowering articles and posts about body positivity and ageless style. While I am a huge advocate of those messages and can write equally inspiring and powerful messages suggesting that you all wear whatever makes you feel great regardless of age or body type, I am not necessarily so great at following my own words of advice. I often say how the most wonderful things happen when you step outside of your comfort zone and try something that you never before would have tried, but there are still lots of things outside of my own personal comfort zone that intimidate the hell out of me.…
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The Truth About Random Acts of Kindness & #SpreadTheKindness Link Up #80
I found this definition of random acts of kindness on Wikipedia, “A random act of kindness is a nonpremeditated, inconsistent action designed to offer kindness towards the outside world.” According to an analysis of this phrase and its origins, the original construction of random acts of kindness implied a level of anonymity which seems to have been lost in the current generation. A generation which has formed various groups throughout the world dedicated to sharing acts of random kindness. But anonymous or not, the world can use such acts of kindness even if they stray from the original concept of nonpremeditated and inconsistent. Premeditating and planning acts of kindness even…
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The Benefits of Boredom
When boredom sets in, most people tend to complain about it, especially children. My God, do the children complain. In a society that seeks constant stimulation, that old feeling of ennui can be quite unpleasant. We have all felt bored in our lives. Those times when nothing seems to engage you. You cannot find anything to do with yourself that is adequately interesting. A sense of dullness and tediousness seems to take over the days. It can be an unwelcome feeling indeed. And if you remain in a state of boredom for too long, it can often lead to feelings of depression or sadness. Because our minds need to be…
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When a Bad Dream Reminds You & Link Up On the Edge #101
Have you ever had a really bad dream that startles you awake and shakes you right down to your core? It’s as if you can feel your soul shiver and you can’t erase the images that flashed through your mind. Even after you have (thankfully) awaken from the dreadful reflection that your subconscious decided it was going to deliver to you. It’s dark. It’s creepy. It elicits feelings of dread that you thought you had conquered a lifetime ago. Yet, there they are again. Those old feelings that you believed you had laid to rest. Prominently displayed in your mind’s eye. Seemingly urging you to process all of those long…
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Frustration is Fruitless & #SpreadTheKindness Link Up #79
When I woke up this morning to get this post written for publication in a less than a timely manner, I quickly discovered that my Wi-Fi was not working. Like not at all. After implementing all the basic troubleshooting techniques to no avail, I did a quick search on my phone to discover that Spectrum, my internet provider, was experiencing outages throughout their entire service zone of 25 states. Okay, then. That’s what I get for procrastinating. While the service outage is clearly not my fault, the putting off getting my work done in a timely manner is entirely my fault. So getting frustrated and angry at Spectrum and their…
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The Great Underwear Debacle: Chasing the Perfect Panties
Last week, I was having a conversation with a friend…a conversation about underwear. *There will be no pictures of underwear or me in my underwear in this post…just the insane musings of a twisted up girl wearing yet another kimono and some ill-fitting underwear. The conversation began with me complaining about the price of underwear and how my children hate to wear underwear. To be clear, I insist that my kids wear underwear to school. But on the weekends and during summer vacation, it is not a fight worth fighting. I figure when they are teenagers, it’s not going to much matter what I say. If they choose not to…
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Learning to Spot Energy Thieves
A dear friend warned me not too long ago about energy thieves. She explained to me that I have the type of positive energy that draws people toward me. I suppose it is true…I am upbeat and happy and almost always beaming with the joys of life. I have met other people who are like this and it is definitely contagious. It makes you want to be around them. They make you feel good simply by being in the presence of their good energy. When I meet people like this, it absolutely boosts my mood. I have to admit that it is an extraordinary compliment that my friend has classified…
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The Art of Delayed Gratification
For my entire life until I had kids, I was a voracious reader. I found such solace and escape and inspiration and motivation in reading books on a variety of different topics. I have always loved books on philosophy, psychology, religion, and self-help. My favorite genre of fiction has forever been 17th through 19th century British literature but also any type of historical fiction from most cultures. I have also always been a fan of the classics, you know, the books we were “forced” to read in grade school. I loved them all. But then I had kids and it seemed that I never had time to read for my…
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Today, I Wept
Today, I wept. This morning, my college swim coach shared the news of this story on our team’s alumni Facebook page. He shared it because the husband and father of the victims was a member of our team and a member of my graduating class. And while I have not “known” him in 20 plus years, today my heart broke for him. I quickly shared the Go Fund Me Fundraiser on my Facebook page because in that moment I wasn’t really sure what else to do. A few hours later as I was walking to pick up my youngest son from preschool, I was lost deep in thought wondering what…
