September 2024 – Page 2

This Little Light

Waking up this morning I could hear the sound of rain on the rooftops and it sounded soothing to my ears. As I stretched in bed, I felt a warmth to my side. Then I heard soft purring and a pair of green eyes looking up at me. As our eyes touched, my little love let out a sound which sounded almost like a purr. Chachi was in his wide-awake mode and happy with the world and so was I, for the moment at least.

I whisper, “Good morning baby,” and pull him closer to me. The purring picks up in intensity and has a rhythm all its own. His fur feels soft and cuddly warm and the sideways glance he throws in my direction says more than words can say and melts my heart. Chachi walked into my life almost seven years ago and found his niche by my side and he is here to stay.

How did it happen? I don’t know. Pets have a way of doing that and the light they bring is irreplaceable. I call him my shadow. Lately, he has taken to keeping pace with me. If I’m in the kitchen, he’s there watching my every move. If I’m in the cellar, he’s right there stretched out on the floor and pretending like he’s minding his own business but in reality minding mine. Most days, I talk to him about my day and he yawns not out of boredom but more like, “Tell me more.” At least, I hope that’s what it is. When I leave the house, he stares and I can tell that this part is not the favourite part of the day for him. I kiss his forehead telling him to be a good boy and when I walk back in, he greets me with a happy dance.

Some days when I’m sad, I hold him close and my heart takes off soaring. When I need cheering up, he walks up to me with his tattered beyond repair toy bird in his mouth and throws it at my feet waiting for the “Good Boy!” pat on his forehead. Most days, we are each other’s best buddy. Lately, we’ve got a new routine, a workout routine that is. Once I start the music and start moving, he walks in and joins in. Sometimes he tries to climb up one leg. The goal is to get as many kisses as possible, who cares about working out! After he has had enough, he climbs on the bed and watches me till I finish.

“Time spent with cats is never wasted.” Sigmund Freud

The light I speak of is the unspoken bond between us. A beautiful iridescent light that glows with love, respect and lots of cuddling. Of course, cats have their own way of showing love but it is love nonetheless. Instead of giving me a kiss on the mouth or on the nose, he brushes past and heads for the forehead and there he plants one right in the middle. A kiss so light and airy that my breath catches in my throat and a sigh escapes softly from my being. A lover couldn’t have done any better. We don’t speak the same language but we share a universal one, the language of love. The day is filled with tiny interludes of this nature and often it makes me feel like I’m dancing and twirling on my toes. Often I mumble, “Houston, I think we have a problem. I’m in love!”

I am thankful for this four-legged fur ball of a being who walked into my life and has taken permanent residency there and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

“What greater gift than the love of a cat.” Charles Dickens

Slam, Dunk & BOOM!

It was a debate of historic proportions and it kept most of us glued to our seats till the very end. The man had no chance against the woman who knew exactly what to do to take him out and she did exactly that. It’s surprising we didn’t hear Trump bawl, “Mummy!” before it was all over or maybe he did.

Harris was a presence to be contended with. She was brilliant, poised, stunning with her comebacks and she showed him the door without having to raise her voice one single iota. He was DONE FOR before he knew what hit him. Trump was left babbling incoherently about crowd size and his own self-importance only to find that the lady knew better. She slammed him with, “That’s rich!’ when he talked about criminals and brought it back to him and laid out his own criminal record before him taunting him with, “Have you forgotten about those?” That was the nail in the coffin moment and it only went downhill from there. The bully was soundly chastised and sent on his way to go play somewhere else.

She was presidential, standing tall head held high and gave the performance of a lifetime. “Orange Jesus,” on the other hand, was left licking his wounds when it was all over. I see that debate over and over in my mind’s eye and there is no question in my mind as to who won the debate last night. It was evident from the get go. Her message was clear. “Don’t mess with me” screamed her body language and if that wasn’t clear enough, her I take no prisoners stance did the rest. She clearly outmatched Trump in every respect and that too was evident.

The 90 minutes flew by in seconds or so it seemed and when it was all over, Kamala Harris emerged like the Titan she is and showed the world, she is ready, willing and able to take on the job as the 47th President of the United States. She had just slayed the MAGA giant with nothing more than common sense and let’s not forget intelligence. Next to her, Trump came across as a fumbling old man who had lost his way. When she called him, “Fella” we knew she had the upper hand and that she was going to run circles around him. She did.

The whisper coming back last night was, “Trump who?!!” It was a slam dunk and one of majestic proportions!

Let’s DO This!

Trump’s Word Fiasco

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Trump was asked this question at the prestigious Economic Club of New York.

Question: “If you win in November, can you commit to prioritizing legislation to make childcare affordable and what specific piece of legislation will you advance?”

It was a straightforward question coming from the founder of the nonprofit organization Girls Who Code. However, it was one flew over the cuckoo’s nest for Mr. Trump. It had nothing to do with Harris so that took away his power. God, this was a hard one so he went on a nearly two-minute response that made no sense and it did not answer the question either. It was a roundabout way of saying, “I don’t know!” Give me something simple like Kamala’s looks, I’m sure I can do a number on that one!

Trump’s answer: “Well, I would do that, and we’re one sitting down-you know I was, somebody we had Senator Marco Rubio, and my daughter Ivanka was so impactful on that issue. It’s a very important issue. But I think when you talk about the kind of numbers that I’m talking about, that-because look, child care is childcare, it’s – couldn’t, you know, it’s something, you have to have it in this country you have to have it.”

That was just part of his answer but you get the drift. I had a hard time figuring out what ‘Grandpa Trump’ was trying to get across. His sentences, if you can call them that, were half-cocked and made no sense but that is Trump tried and true. It was plain gibberish coming out of his mouth and to him, he had given the perfect answer, Trump fashion.

The only thing that was clear is that Trump has no policy commitments other than he wants to win the presidency on the sheer magnitude of his bigger than life persona but alas, that too is fading. How can you make sense out of something that makes no sense. You can’t.

Tomorrow, he’ll be facing his nemesis on the debate stage and it doesn’t bode well for him. Harris will step onstage, her wits about her, her 59-year-old self gleaming, her smile sparkling, hair perfectly coiffed and with answers ready to be shot off as she gets the questions thrown at her. Trump, well, the poor guy will be slaughtered even before he knows what hit him. He’ll claim she had the answers and there was something nefarious going on but if you can’t stand the heat, it’s time to get out of the kitchen!

You need a clear head and lots of commonsense to run a country but if you can’t even give a clear answer to a policy question than it’s time for you to hang up your political shoes. Let’s not forget, he couldn’t even complete his sentences so that they made some kind of sense was more than alarming. ‘Grandpa Trump’ it’s time for you to go.

The Battle of the Titans Again?

Not quite. Next week’s debate will pitch a tired old man against a vibrant, young and altogether candidate who knows exactly where to strike while “old man” loses touch with reality, which he is known to do.

The ABC debate will take place on September 10th in Philadelphia. It is a much awaited event. The two candidates will come face to face with gloves off and ready to do battle. Donald J. Trump is already screaming “not fair!” He claims Ms. Harris was, “going to get the questions in advance.” The man is delusional if not a tad crazy. Feeling your age Mr. Trump?

The debate rules were agreed upon on May 15th. No new agreements have been made. One of the rules is, “The microphones for Vice President and former President Donald J. Trump will be muted when it is not their turn to speak. That would be something to watch wouldn’t it? Ms. Harris has a way of getting under Trump’s thin skin and he is known for hitting way below the belt. “Female” brings the worst out of him it seems. Only “pu**y grabbing” is out of the question this time around. He’ll have to toe the line. The lady is known for setting the stage on fire. Trump not so much.

I’m sure preparations will be strenuous boxing style I mean. Rocky Balboa comes to mind but “agent orange” will need more than training to get him fighting fight and thinking on his feet. Perhaps steroids? What do you think?

“Debating is not about winning or losing, it’s about refining your arguments and evolving your perspectives.” Unknown

The man doesn’t stand a chance. Kamala Harris can do the debate with her eyes closed. Trump, on the other hand, will have a hard time keeping to questions asked because all he’ll want to do is stomp on his nemesis and try to drown out her voice any which way he can. Either way, my money is on Kamala Harris. She will emerge the winner. And Trump? Well, he’ll be the sore loser as he usually is crying, “Foul!” Sour grapes Trump is no match for the Titan who is going to slay him with her sweet smile, lots of hutzpah, intelligence and know-how! It will be a knockdown like no other and no one will be able to put Humpty Dumpty back together again.

“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” Muhammed Ali

The Serial Cheater

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There are cheaters and there are cheaters! What’s the difference? According to choosingtherapy.com, “Not every person who cheats once will cheat again. However, serial cheaters are people who seek out sexual partners on a continual, chronic pattern of infidelity.”

Cheating is NOT a mistake.

“If you’re truly in love with someone, you will not be able to kiss someone else without tasting your loved ones tears strain your lips. You will not be able to take your clothes off for someone else without feeling like a field ripped bare to its soil. Cheating is a choice. It’s a choice you made because you obviously didn’t give a single f**k about your relationship.” Unknown

Serial cheaters are repeat offenders. They don’t give a flying flip about the person they are cheating on. They can look you in the eye and lie through their teeth. If you’re questioning if your partner is cheating on you, you probably have good cause to feel that way. Cheaters are adapt at hiding what they’ve been doing but there is always a giveaway in more ways than one. They, the serial cheater, will stand on his head and tell you your imagination is running wild but if he takes off and there are long silences OR if he calls to say, “Hi!” and is gone again, it’s his guilty conscience acting up although some serial cheaters have done it so many times that they just move to fresher pasture if caught in the act.

“When you fully trust someone without any doubt, you finally get one of two results! A person for life or a lesson for life.” Unknown

Pay attention and choose the right one before it’s too late. What about remorse? Unfortunately, serial cheaters have little of this commodity. Empathy might take the form of a few tears but believe me, they are convinced that there are many more fish in the water. You are better off throwing them back in the pond where you found them. The “dirty pond” teeming with tainted men and women who are more their kind.

“Only desperate women go after someone else’s man.” Unknown

Yes, it definitely hurts to move on but after gaining some experience of the unsavory kind, you’ll be glad to give them to whoever wants them. Life is too short for staying in mistakes, there are good men out there who will want a good woman. It may not feel that way at first but the first step is to walk away. All the rest will fall in place. I told a guy once that I couldn’t find myself in bed with him after he had been with someone else! The “Ekel factor” would be too much to bear. So it is “Adios Muchachos” for me!

It might be different for you. Choose wisely and walk tall. The man of your dreams is around the corner, keep your eyes peeled and soon he might just walk in.

SHOOTER!

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Here we go again! Another day, another shooting. The news screamed 4 killed and nine injured in a shooting at a Georgia high school.

The shooter is a 14-year-old boy armed with an “AR Platform style weapon,” which is a semiautomatic rifle and the dead were two 14-year-old students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo and two teachers, Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Christina Irimie, 53. The nine injured are expected to survive.

Shifting through the anger, mayhem, shock and sadness, the question arises as it always does after a shooting of this magnitude. WHY? What was a 14-year-old doing with an assault-style weapon in the first place? There are no clear-cut answers only that 4 more people have been killed and many others injured not to mention the psychological trauma that follows after each shooting. The shooter is in custody and will be charged as an adult.

According to livemint.com, “In the past two decades, the US has experienced hundreds of school and college shooting with the deadliest occuring at Virginia Tech in 2007, where over 30 people were killed. This ongoing violence has intensified the debate over gun laws and the Second Amendment of the US Constitution, which guarantees the right “to keep and bear arms.”

High profile mass shootings are a norm in the US and gun violence has been on the rise but even though President Biden has taken more executive actions to reduce gun violence than any other president, the violence continues.

Increasing background checks before firearm purchases has not helped much.

Increasing appropriate use of extreme risk protection (“red flag”) orders and safe storage of firearms has not helped much.

Addressing the loss or theft of firearms during shipping and holding the gun industry accountable has not helped amongst other measures has not helped much either.

Here’s the shocking statistic. The Apalachee High School shooting makes it the 30th mass killing this year according to the The Associated Press and USA Today which brings the total dead to 131 people. Last year there were 217 deaths from 42 mass killings in the US making it one of the deadliest years on record.

Where do we go from here? It will be days of mourning followed by laying the victims to rest and asking the question “why” over and over again. However, getting “gun violence” under control is a whole other ballgame. It needs much much more than just lip service and you and I know exactly what is needed to get it in control, don’t we?

Enough said.

Racist Cruelty

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Racism is abhorrent and ugly, and it plaques our world.

We must reject and condemn it without reservation, without hesitation, without qualification, every time and everywhere.” Antonio Guterres

Once there was a boy and a girl who fell in love and got married. The boy happened to be a prince and the girl, well, she was mixed-race.

The beginning was fairytale-like. Cinderella got her prince so to speak BUT then the evil forces gathered and worked tirelessly behind the scenes to rip asunder what could only be described as a beautiful love story.

Soon the girl was talking about taking her own life so the prince decided to give up his kingdom for the love of the girl. They moved faraway to quiet the storm and to get away from the evil clutches of the ugly people. Race mattered and the boy and girl had broken the sacred code. Mixed race was a no go as far as the kingdom was concerned. Pure breed was the only way to go as far as the racists were concerned.

They gathered forces and screamed out with all their might. Within this circle were the press corp, TV personalities, members of the Royal family and those that hid within their bedrooms equipped with a TV and a microphone. They spewed their message of hate for no other reason than pure hatred. The girl was portrayed as the ‘witch’ who stole the prince. Nothing she did could quiet the rage she had unknowingly unleashed simply because she had dared to cross the line and had fallen in love with the young prince. Love, in this case, didn’t matter.

The boy and girl were faraway across the pond by now but the ugliness followed them. Every move was met with furore of the worst kind. They had two children, a beautiful boy and a girl, but nothing could stop the storm of hate. The beautiful girl was now a symbol of hatred. If they could have, they would have screamed, “Off with her head!” as in the old days and watched with glee as their symbol of hate was put to rest mercilessly.

Racism and hate go hand in hand. You can’t have one without the other. However, racism is not a thing of the past. It is doing well with the haters stoking its fires to keep it burning brightly. How potent is it? In this case, it is enough to destroy a beautiful love story, enough to bring a beautiful girl to her knees and maybe even enough to destroy a marriage all done in the name of racism, nothing more, nothing less.

This is a sad story. Rumors are that the boy and girl are having a hard time and the racists are beating their drums with glee and thumping their chests at their handiwork. I hope the Duke and Duchess of Sussex survive the ordeal they have been put through and go on to live a long and happy life. Racism is ugly beyond works but the fact that it is thriving so blatantly speaks volumes.

“Sometimes racism takes the form of ugly words and actions. Other times it remains unspoken, communicated by hostile looks and secret snickers. But the most corrosive form, and often the hardest to address, is not being seen at all.” Kwame Onwuachi

TODAY

I woke up bright and early with good intentions all stacked up in a row to have a wonderful day. I needed to get a few things done and after last night’s struggle with my non-working computer and printer, I decided that today would be a good one come hell or high water.

The sun was shining and all indications pointed to a bright and hot day. I could hear myself huffing because I hate ‘HOT’ days. I took a deep breath and left the house with a smile on my face. First stop was the ATM. I needed cash so I headed to the machine I knew well. Right before I put my card in the slot, I mumbled, “Please don’t tell me it doesn’t work.” I could feel myself bristling but I bit my lip silently and pushed it in. It went through the steps needed and instead of giving me the money I asked for, it said, “Card Malfunction!” I couldn’t believe it. The lady standing behind me tried hers and it worked perfectly! I’ll try the bank I said and walked back to the car. I wanted to scream but instead calmed myself down. Remember, I had good intentions of having a wonderful day.

“A good intention with a bad approach often leads to a poor result.” Thomas A. Edison

I drove to the bank and before I could talk myself into more ‘bad luck’ I decided to put a good spin on it, a voodoo spin that is. I kept telling myself, “You are the luckiest person I know.” I repeated this mantra several times and pulled into an almost empty parking lot. Walking into the bank, I noticed that out of the two money machines, one was out of order! The other one had 10 people with frustrated and angry looks on their faces waiting in line. Could it get any worse and that voodoo thing didn’t work! I stood in line biting my lip and humming quietly to myself. After several long long minutes of waiting, I approached my nemesis, stuck the card in and waited for it to say, “Card Malfunction!” To my surprise, it spitted out the money and I grabbed it before it changed its mind. What was that about a good approach? I clearly wasn’t there yet. The day was just beginning and there was still hope.

“No exact recipe for today. Gather all available ingredients and whip yourself up something delicious.” Lin-Manuel Miranda

I was going to do just that so note to grumpy self, put a smile on your face, get something good to eat and head on home. I was going to have a good day even if it kills me!

“Today is like a ripe avocado, savor it before it turns into yesterday’s guacamole.” Unknown

I don’t like guacamole but I do love fresh ripe avocados. Just saying. Anyway, I made it home and things started taking a turn for the better. My book publisher just sent some illustrations for me to look at and they look perfect. I could feel myself climbing the ladder, the ladder of positivity I mean. Could it be that positive thoughts and a good day go hand in hand? Anyway, the day is definitely getting better. Working out to my favorite music helped as well AND doing nothing but vegetating for the rest of the day suits me just fine.

YOU DO YOU! Whatever it takes to have a wonderful day, do it. I’m adding one more thing to it. I’m thankful for this brand new day to make it the best day possible and I’m well on my way.

“Today is a perfect day to become better.” Unknown

Toxic People

We’ve met them, had to deal with them and been in relationships with them. I’m talking about toxic people. We’ve suffered the consequences but still carried on hoping that change would come. It never does. The outcome is always the same. It is often accompanied by pain and confusion. I’ve come to the conclusion that there is little you can do to change a ‘toxic’ person but you can protect yourself.

In order to deal with a toxic person you need to know their modus operandi or rather how they operate in their world. According to The Mind Journal, there are six types of toxic people.

THE NARCISSIST

Only cares about themselves

Lacks empathy

Truly believes they are better than everyone around them.

THE CONTROLLER

Tries to control everything around them.

Needs to be in charge of every decision.

Makes you feel like you can’t do anything right.

THE DRAMA MAGNET

Feeds off of gossip and drama

Drama seems to ‘follow them’ (they create it).

Puts you in uncomfortable positions.

THE ENERGY VAMPIRE

Drains you of energy, overwhelms you.

Creates problems and feeds on the negativity.

Criticizes and bullies you.

THE COMPULSIVE LIAR

Tells white lies constantly.

Manipulates and gaslights you.

Master of guilt trips.

THE GREEN EYED

Cannot be happy for other people’s good fortune.

Plays the victim

Minimizes other people to feel better about themselves.

These people often bring conflict, negativity and confusion not to mention pain into your life. Dealing with them is like walking on a minefield not suspecting anything would go wrong but eventually it does because they are wired a certain way. They are manipulative, oftentimes abusive and they will find ways to justify their behavior. Remorse never crosses their mind and taking accountability for their actions is a never never thing. They usually take without giving back.

“Just remember, we are all toxic. Every single human being is capable of being toxic, has been, currently is at times.

But some people have the desire to be educated on it and do better while others will ignore any accountability and continue to act the same way.”

Pay Attention

It is not clear why we keep doing circles around toxic people? Perhaps it has something to do with stupidity and the definition of stupid goes like this.

“Knowing the truth, seeing the truth, but still believing the lies.” Unknown

Toxic people for all their flaws can be magnetic. They tend to pull you in and make you want to stay for awhile and if love is involved, it brings a whole new dimension with it.

“Love is 50% stupid and 50% brilliant. The challenge is figuring out which part of it you’re experiencing at any given moment.” Unknown

Once you’ve figured out that you’ve hitched your yoke to a toxic person and don’t know what to do, the following quote might just help.

You don’t ever have to feel guilty about Removing Toxic People From Your Life.

“It doesn’t matter whether someone is a relative, romantic interest, employer, childhood friend, or a new acquaintance, you don’t have to make room for people who cause you pain or make you feel small. It’s one thing if a person owns up to their behavior and makes an effort to change. But if a person disregards your feelings, ignores your boundaries, and “continues” to treat you in a harmful way, they need to go.”

Painful but short and sweet and perhaps this is the only language that ‘toxic’ people understand. Unfortunately.