I think it is that you have everything within you to overcome what life throws your way. We have this insane power within that goes untapped most times because our first line of defense when adversity strikes is to howl at the moon and cry, “Why me?” Sure it gets the frustration out at the time or it is a way of letting out steam but in the long run, it is nothing compared to going within to bring that undefeatable power to the forefront, the one that can slay dragons if you let it.
There is tremendous power and strength within and I have tapped into this potential only to find that it is limitless. It is not easy I agree because human nature is weak and we are complainers more than anything else but if we can just understand that there is an untapped potential within and it can be used to overcome whatever it is that seems impossible at first but if given time and a single-minded focus, it is doable. I’ve fallen flat on my face many times over but these days, I don’t stay there. I go within to find the answers and the strength to move on. Standing still in one place is not an option, not for long anyway but moving on is. It may sound like mumbo jumbo to some but you were built to survive anything that life throws your way and you are equipped to do just that.
I almost did the unthinkable but I came to my senses before that happened! Settling was something I never wanted to do and never settling means “to continuously strive for excellence, refusing to accept mediocrity, complacency, or anything less than your highest standards.”
In a relationship, never settling for less than you deserve means “refusing to accept less than your core standards, values, and emotional needs, ensuring you are not simply staying out of fear of being alone” or walking into one for that very same reason.
“You, my dear, were never meant to settle.” Erin Plewes
Coming back to the topic at hand, I almost did exactly that. I narrowed down the list of potential candidates to two. Out of the two, I decided to give one guy the chance of getting to know me better. He wasn’t the perfect guy but going with the premise that there is no such thing as the “perfect guy” I decided to give him a chance. If you know me, you will know what a big decision that was. Second dates are hard to come by. I always find a reason as to why it shouldn’t happen. Anyway, we went out on a few dates, held hands, laughed about THINGS and after two kisses, the doubts started rolling in as they usually do. The biggest obstacle was that he’s a smoker. He didn’t smoke in front of me but I knew he did and being the health nut I am, I knew it wasn’t going to work out.
Anyway, he started talking about vacations together and spending lots of time together. I mean, lots of time! He was also too touchy feely for my liking and I didn’t like the fact that he wanted to hold hands all the time. Is that normal behavior? I like being free as a bird meaning no fences around me and holding hands seemed like he wanted to put a fence around me. Instead of putting distance between us, I went along thinking maybe this could work out. I was walking into the “settling” mode. Why? I don’t know. Maybe I was tired of going out on dates only to find the wrong guys. Maybe, I just wanted to put dating aside and not have to search for Mr. Right anymore. He seemed nice enough, had stars in his eyes when he looked at me, and that phrase, “I will do anything for you,” landed where it should. I was feeling important and wanted.
“Real women are strong, resilient, independent, loyal, and lovable, one thing about them is they never settle.” Unknown
What happened to that woman? The same question I keep asking myself. Then I woke up. The fact that he smoked was definitely a deal breaker. The next big thing is I don’t like being touched all the time. I want a relationship not a “glue stick.” Unfortunately, I keep running into the same types, guys who think that “touching” is part and parcel of a relationship. Some touching is ok but NOT all the time. It got to the point where I was afraid to look at him because the moment I did, he was all over me. Finally, I decided to let go of a relationship that was going nowhere. I wanted one thing and he, the whole shebang! We parted ways on friendly terms.
Know who you are.
Know what you want.
Know what you deserve.
And don’t settle for less.
Yes, it means I’ll still be out there looking for that someone who probably doesn’t exist! Scary? Yes, but settling for the wrong someone is even worse. Take your time, don’t listen to the voices that say, time is running out. Walk your path the way you want to and never, ever, settle for anything less than what you deserve.
Stop settling.
Being cheated on is not normal.
Being controlled is not normal.
Being abused is not normal.
Crying more than you smile is not normal.
Break-up to make-up is not normal.
Stop suffering and settling.
Tony Gaskins
AND
“Stop being okay with things you really are not okay with. Stop associating being a good person with how much you’re willing to suffer in silence. You can be a kind person and still say, “I’m not okay with this.” Being kind is not about being the human equivalent of a doormat.” Unknown
When it comes to relationships, choose carefully, take off your blinders and go in with your eyes wide open. If you see the signals cropping up, the red ones that tell you to tread carefully, pay attention and shut the door behind you. Move on knowing that it is for the best. There will always be another someone, the “one” someone who will be your perfect fit or the someone who meets you more than halfway.
A child asked his father, “How were people born?” So his father said, “Adam and Eve made babies, then their babies became adults and made babies, and so on.”
The child then went to his mother, asked her the same question and she told him, “We were monkeys then we evolved to become like we are now.”
The child ran back to his father and said, “You lied to me!” His father replied, “No, your mom was talking about her side of the family.”
Bob was in trouble. He forgot his wedding anniversary. His wife was really angry. She told him, “Tomorrow morning, I expect to find a gift in the driveway that goes from 0 to 200 in 6 seconds AND IT BETTER BE THERE!”
The next morning he got up early and left for work. When his wife woke up, she looked out the window and sure enough there was a box gift-wrapped in the middle of the driveway. Confused, the wife put on her robe and ran out to the driveway, brought the box back to the house. She opened it and found a brand new bathroom scale.
A woman was taking an afternoon nap. When she woke up, she told her husband, “I just dreamed that you gave me a pearl necklace. What do you think it means?”
“You’ll know tonight,” he said. That evening, the man came home with a small package and gave it to his wife. Delighted, she opened it to find a book entitled, “The Meaning of Dreams.”
It doesn’t matter these days as I am taking time out to get a book published and another one is in the works. However, as a former Fashion Editor for a fashion magazine, I didn’t do the mundane task of putting the articles together. There were others who were computer savvy or rather tech savvy who did the job of getting the articles ready for publication. I just did the writing part but the rest was left to a team which was a good thing because I am a technology klutz or rather I hate anything new that creeps in while I am not looking and disrupts my day to day existence!
I’m sure technology has added to and made things easier in the publication world and the world of writing but I still dig in my heels when I see something new that needs me to brush up on computer technology. Just this morning, I wanted to log into WordPress and I got a white screen. Nothing more! I later found out it was called the Death Screen! I had to Google putting my frustration aside and it gave some tips on how to rectify that problem. One was to clear the Cache. What the hell was that?!! Anyway, I found out and cleared the Cache whatever that is and got it to work. Not a klutz after all but I hate new technology and I also understand that it is needed in today’s fast paced world of ours.
This is a hard one for me because more often than not, I tend to beat around the bush instead of saying a plain, loud, no-nonsense NO! This mentality tends to interfere with my goals because it takes longer and a roundabout way to get there.
I think that being “nice” means bending over backwards to accommodate people or things that don’t serve me. It takes a long time to say no and to mean it. I am learning and getting stronger as I go along. However, this has its downside as well. I’m known as being complicated but it is a title that I am learning to wear proudly.
It takes focus to achieve your goals and if you let things that don’t matter, people who distract you, and softness to sway you, it gets that much harder to achieve. I am developing a hardcore mentality which doesn’t always serve me well but it is leading me on the right path and that matters. It is still a learning process.
Update: I wrote this piece way back when he was eyeing his second-term, unfortunately he made it. However, the insults, the bullying, talking out of both sides of his you know what, the all about me concept, and add aggression to it and you get the full picture of his presidency. Oh, I forgot lying. He does it like a pro and without flinching. Is his presidency on a downward spiral? Looks like it but who knows? He might survive this debacle as well. One thing is for sure, Iran is giving as good as it gets and they have got his “goat” right now!
The man with the not so HUGE hands and the perpetual orange face decided to take it one further when faced with questions at the National Black Journalists Association Convention. Shocking is not the word for it but stupidity sure is. His answers did not make sense and his rant, well that is typical Trump.
He went from calling a reporter rude, nasty and wasting his time and as if that wasn’t enough he resorted to racial tropes saying that VP Kamala Harris “happened to turn Black” during her political career as if it was a pre-planned choice.
The man is old, his cognitive skills are declining, his IQ is questionable especially in light of his recent rantings on why Harris, a product of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father should NOT call herself BLACK! His vicious insults hit below the belt and he takes the saying, “When they go low, we go higher,” to a new all-time LOW. The man doesn’t even know what that means. His motto is, “When they go low, I go much lower and stay there to wrestle in the mud!” Perhaps, insults is all he has left of a crumbling political landscape as he watches it take a dive knowing full well that he doesn’t stand a chance against Harris, debate or otherwise.
Harris has made it crisp and clear. “If you’ve got something to say, say it to my face.” The gauntlet has been thrown, let’s see if the orange TV personality and former president will accept the challenge. One thing’s for sure, it will be a massacre of the worst kind. Going up against a former prosecutor is a daunting task but pair it with a much younger individual and you’ve got disaster on your hands. “Old,” “feeble,” and all the other derogatory insults he piled on Biden is coming back to haunt him and rightfully so. What goes around, comes around.
“Ding-Dong,” or not, Harris is ready to trump Trump and not in a subtle manner either. The lady has her wits about her and she knows exactly where to hit to draw the least amount of blood but enough to slay the dragon or rather an “old” and “feeble” man who deserves trumping. She is capable of doing it without so much as an insult or histrionics. The wannable dictator and convicted felon needs to be shown the door and who better than Kamala Harris to do just that.
Harris is well on her way to victory having garnered enough votes to become the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee and having raised $310 million US in July, double the amount Trump did in the same month. She is gaining in strength and popularity and driving Trump off his rocker!
Rihanna said it best in her song, “Take a Bow,” and it goes like this.
“But you put on quite a show
Really had me goin’
But now it’s time to go
Curtains finally closin’
That was quite a show
Very entertaining
But it’s over now
Go on and take a bow.”
Hey Donald, don’t let the door hit you on the way out!
I’ve always had the ability to paint pictures with words. I don’t know if you would call it a talent but it is something that I have noticed and others have noticed it too.
I can’t sing, I basically croak! My mom and sister were really good singers and I always envied that ability. Next to them, I was a sore thumb that stood out for more reasons than one. However, I realized that I had another skill and that was painting pictures with words. This skill comes in handy when I’m writing and I want people reading my stories and articles to picture or to experience what I’m saying or to keep me company along the way.
I am grateful and thankful for this gift and I do put it to good use especially when I go walking in nature. I capture what I see in my mind and later I add words to it. Somehow, it works and when I do go back and read what I’ve written, one question comes to mind. “How did you do that?”
A gift? Maybe. Whatever it is, it is nice to have since it helps me on my writing journey.
Daily writing prompt
What’s a secret skill or ability you have or wish you had?
I AM PLEASE TO REPORT THAT THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND THE COUNTRY OF IRAN, HAVE HAD, OVER THE LAST TWO DAYS, VERY GOOD AND PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS REGARDING A COMPLETE AND TOTAL RESOLUTION OF OUR HOSTILITIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST, BASED ON THE TENOR AND TONE OF THESE INDEPTH, DETAILED, AND CONSTRUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS, WITCH WILL CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE WEEK, I HAVE INSTRUCTED THE DEPARTMENT OF WAR TO POSTPONE ANY AND ALL MILITARY STRIKES AGAINST IRANIAN POWER PLANTS AND ENERGY INFRASTRUCTIVE FOR A FIVE DAY PERIOD, SUBJECT TO THE SUCCESS OF THE ONGOING MEETINGS AND DISCUSSIONS.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER.
PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP
Hmm….I must say he is getting good at walking back. Why is the message in all caps? You have to ask him that along with the spelling mistakes. I’m waiting to see what Iran says about this. They’ll probably have a different take on it. Where is he getting this from? United States of America and Iran have had very good and productive conversations over the last two days? Delusional and not all there but at least the world is not going to hell in a hand basket!
Here is Iran’s response.
Iran’s foreign ministry had this to say:
“We deny what US President Donald Trump said regarding negotiations taking place between the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Can you trust someone who can’t spell “which?” Perhaps he had witch hunt on his mind which would make sense because this saber rattling of the highest order was just that. Is he going to claim a glorious victory? What do you think?!!
Update: I wrote this during Trump’s first term and nothing has changed it seems. If anything, he is shooting off “bullets” before his mind can catch up with him! The bully is front and center and he is using the office of the presidency to back him up. Talks of taking Greenland by force, talking down to the allies and single-handedly dismantling the “Old World Order” is all within his grasp and he is leaving nothing to chance. Now, he has issued an ultimatum to Iran thinking or rather not thinking which is more the case. The problem is Iran is not taking it sitting down and it looks like the “bully” has met his match! Time is running out and it is a wait and see approach now. “Playing chicken” is not going to end well for the man in diapers but that hasn’t stopped him before so why should it now? Will he walk it back as he has done before? We will find out soon enough.
This is what I had to say back then.
The 45th President is in hot water again and this just days after the controversial firing of FBI Director, James Comey. The president alleged that the firing was due to Comey “not doing a good job,” and instead of leaving it at that, he went on to tweet a thinly veiled threat suggesting that there was a taped recording of his conversation with Comey further adding, “James Comey better hope that there are no ‘tapes’ of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press.” That threw him into the eye of the hurricane where he has been ever since.
As if that wasn’t enough to throw his presidency into a downward spiral, the president was off and running to his next debacle. This one involves allegations that he divulged classified information to Russian diplomats in the Oval Office. The Washington Post reported that Trump revealed highly classified information on the Islamic State group during his meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov and Russian Ambassador, Sergey Kialyak. Yes folks, ignorance is bliss and where the new President is concerned, it’s enough to “sink ships,” or his Presidency.
The latest morsel of “red meat” was just what the press needed to send them scrambling to get the best angle on the developing story as dreams of “impeachment” riddled through the minds of die-hard Trump haters. Not so fast people. There is such a thing as damage control and the White House has been doing just that sending in the “big guns” to take care of business. If Spicer’s “stare down the press” tactics hasn’t worked, well, maybe sending in National Security Advisor HR McMaster might just do the job. In his no-nonsense fashion, he denied that the President had revealed, “Intelligence sources or methods,” but reviewed, “a range of common threats to our two countries including threats to civil aviation.” Was that enough to calm the “storm” and bring it to a screeching halt? Guess again.
Trump’s questionable tweets and actions have put his Presidency in turmoil once again and not even all the President’s men and women can put it back together again. This latest drama is one of his own making and if he doesn’t stop shooting off tweets from the White House during the early morning hours instead of getting some sleep, this situation is only going to get worse. Perhaps, he should take a tip from the 44th President, Barack Obama, when the going gets tough, go golfing. There is no better way to let off some steam than by shooting a small ball into a round hole at the same time cussing under your breath about all the wrongs of the world that needs righting. A surefire way to keep the lid on an explosive situation and you come off looking like a winner.
One last thing, the office of the President deserves a modicum of decorum and spouting off “secrets” at the drop of a coin and shooting off tweets like a teenager is not the way to get it.
Cool in the shade and not so hot in sunshine. It is exactly the kind of weather we are having now and I love it. I am not a fan of hot weather, sweating it out is not my kind of thing and when it gets hot in Europe, it gets unbearable because some “people” love sweating versus turning on the air-conditioner.
Most homes don’t have this essential element to cool it down in the heat of summer. “Comfort cooling” as they would like to call it does not justify the expense of installing, operating and maintaining A/C. Plus, there are not enough hot days each summer to justify that kind of expense.
When it does get hot, unbearably hot, people have fans. I’ve invested in two Dyson fans that help to keep the place cool. However, the living room remains nice and comfortable in summer because it has stone floors and that is a nice feature of this house.
Coming back to my favorite type of weather, I would say a mix between cool and warm. Spring and fall offer this kind of weather and I love these two seasons for the comfort it gives in walking and being able to enjoy the surroundings without worrying about the damage too much sun is going to cause. Plus, I have a sun allergy, not something serious, but if I stay out too long and directly under the hot sun, my skin lets me know and not in a nice way!
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