The Nobel Peace Prize Goes to….

The press release for Nobel Peace Prize 2025 award read like this:

The Nobel Peace Prize for 2025 goes to a brave and committed champion of peace to a woman who keeps the flame of democracy burning amid a growing darkness.

She is receiving the Nobel Peace Prize for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.

Not the other way around.

Her name is Maria Corina Machado. A worthy recipient, I might add.

According to Times India, there are 10 reasons why Trump didn’t win. I’ll pick a few of the pertinent ones.

His Foreign Policy Was the Opposite of “Peace.”

The Peace Prize honours those who advance fraternity among nations. He did the opposite. He tore up the Paris Climate Accord, withdrew from WHO, shredded arms-control treaties, and waged tariff wars on allies. He mocked NATO, belittled the UN, and reduced diplomacy to branding. Even if some initiatives were genuine, the overall picture was one of disruption, not harmony.

He Made Peace a Performance.

Trump didn’t treat peace as a process …he treated it as a PR stunt. The Abraham Accords, North Korea summits, and Taliban negotiations were often packaged for maximum headlines rather than lasting impact. Oslo prefers sustained, structural contributions over flashy photo-ops. Symbolism matters, but, it cannot replace substance.

He Undermined the Global Order the Nobel Celebrates.

The Peace Prize is as much about supporting international cooperation, as it is about ending conflicts. Trump’s “America First” ethos clashed with that vision. He weakened multilateral institutions, insulted allies, and emboldened autocrats. For a committee that sees itself as the guardian of the post-war order, rewarding the man who tried to dismantle it was unthinkable.

His Style Violated the Nobel’s Unwritten Code.

The Nobel Prize thrives on moral gravitas and understated leadership. Trump thrives on bombast and grievance. His habit of calling the prize “rigged,” attacking past winners, and belittling the process made it politically impossible for the committee to consider him seriously. The Nobel doesn’t bend to tantrums.

Or to bullying tactics!

There are many reasons as to why Trump didn’t get the Nobel Prize. Here is one that speaks to the heart of the matter.

“It’s clear that based on his character, his abuse of power and his collection of crimes – both proven and alleged -Trump’s record is most disqualifying.”

Lest we forget, Trump also became the first American president to take office as a convicted felon by a United States court of law.

Enough said.

Congratulations to Maria Corina Machado on winning the Nobel Peace Prize. It was well-deserved.

LIMITLESS (Archives)

Photo by Arthur FlyingPenguin Guillemot on Pexels.com

“There is one grand lie – that we are limited. The only limits we have are the limits we believe.” Wayne Dyer

Do you feel smaller than you are or have you made yourself to feel that way? Did one careless word, a disdainful look or one mean retort shrink you down to size? Did you believe those lies willingly? Often, we take those lies thrown in our direction and run with them and we come up with more lies. I am not worthy, I am not enough, I am not equipped to deal with whatever life throws my way and I just can’t! That last one is my mantra. I CAN’T!

YOU ARE LIMITLESS

“The most powerful words in the universe are the words you say to yourself.” Unknown

Be careful of what you say to yourself. Limiting beliefs are just that, they stop you from achieving or moving towards the goals you want to achieve. Words and phrases like, I’m not beautiful, I’m not good enough, I’m not intelligent enough and I’m not worthy enough but perhaps the most damaging is, “I don’t deserve it.” Limiting words stop us in our treks and they stop us from achieving our goals. Be careful of what you tell yourself because YOU ARE LISTENING! Let’s change the narrative and put a positive spin on things.

SAY:

I AM LIMITLESS AND I BELIEVE I AM!

“Your potential is limitless. You are unique, valuable, capable and worthy of the dreams in your heart. Most of all, you have what it takes to transform and transcend whatever challenges you face.” Marie Forleo

YOU, my friend, are limitless. There is a vast limitless potential within you. You have everything within you to soar as high as you want. You have the ability to climb the highest mountain and to make it to the very top. In order to get there, you have to change what you tell yourself because you are made of stronger stuff. YOU can fly if you want to. Change your mindset, do the work and the rest will fall in place.

YOU ARE LIMITLESS!

Have an amazing day.

First Time Grown Up Feeling

I think it was when I had my first job during the school holidays. Not sure how old I was, perhaps fifteen. The job was nothing to brag about. I worked in a store as a sales person. It was my first step into feeling like I was doing something productive. The job itself was boring and one thing I knew, I wanted to do better than that.

Anyway, when I got my first paycheck I was over the moon. It was money I had earned on my own and there was pride in that. Okay, it was a paltry sum but back then it felt like a whole lot of money! On my way home, I stopped at a Chinese restaurant and picked up some food to go. I think it was a noodle dish and a stir fry of some sort. Happy as a lark, I made my way home with the food containers tightly in grip and a big smile on my face.

I walked in the door like a grown up. Walking over to the table I placed the containers on the table and declared, “I brought food home.” I think I was glowing from head to toe! Watching my brothers and sisters dig in was something else and when my parents did the same, I felt like a grown up for the very first time.

It was my first grown up experience. However, these days kids are different. My son had everything handed to him and he led a privileged life. Work was nowhere in the picture and when he had to step out in the real world, I thought this is going to be a difficult transition. Well, it was. Amidst the complaints of working for a living and falling flat on his face, he is learning to be a grown up in his own way. Thank God for that!

Daily writing prompt

When was the first time you really felt like a grown up (if ever)?

View all responses

Book Review!

It sure feels like Christmas after this review! Ratings and reviews are hard to come by but this one from Bed Night Stories Book Blog made it feel like Christmas! Keep it coming and thank you!

The Excellent Adventures of Honey and Hubie is a delightful children’s story that combines imaginative adventures with an important lesson about friendship. Honey and Hubie navigate a magical world full of colorful characters, teaching young readers the value of loyalty, kindness, and teamwork along the way. With engaging storytelling and a vibrant, make-believe setting, this book is sure to captivate children’s imaginations while delivering a heartfelt message.

The Moral of the Story is…

A woman cheats on her husband after years of happy marriage.

Realizing her mistake, she starts praying to God, “Lord, I know what I did was wrong, but my marriage is the only thing that gives my life purpose and joy. Please, don’t let my husband find out.”

Suddenly, she hears a voice from above. “Okay my child, it will be, but on one condition: years from now, you will die by drowning.”

The woman hesitates at first but then responds, “Alright Lord, if it means he’ll never find out, then so be it.”

The next years of her life are happy and wonderful. She starts a successful business and lives in comfort with her husband, however, she continues to cheat on him many times, having forgotten her conversation with God.

One day, she decides to book herself a vacation on a cruise ship. A few days into the voyage, a loud BOOM rocks the cruise ship, and it starts to sink. Suddenly remembering her agreement with God, she is stuck with grief and begins praying frantically to God again:

“God, you’re not gonna drown an entire cruise ship full of people because of me, right?”

She hears a familiar voice. “Are you kidding me? I’ve been working to gather all you cheaters here for years!”

BOOM! It may take years but it all comes back eventually and HOW!!!

A Million Dollar Giveaway

Some of these questions do give my brain a workout not that it needs that much stimulation! It does alright on its own as it is.

Anyway, if I had a million dollars to give away, I would not give it out to one person. I’ve always wanted to set up a soup kitchen of sorts for people down on their luck so that’s something I would look into. Also, I would set up a place where people can sleep for the night or nights when the weather is unbearable outside. I think a million dollars would do much in that respect.

Last year, I met a young man in the supermarket parking lot and he had his hand out for some help. I gave him 5 euros. It wasn’t much and he was more than thankful. He told me that he had been sleeping at the train station and was looking to find his way back home. True? I don’t know but he looked rough. That chance meeting stayed on my mind. The next day I returned hoping to find him and to give him more money and some warm clothes but I never saw him again. I hope he made it home safely.

A million dollars? It would open up a whole world of new possibilities for some people and in a good way.

Daily writing prompt

If you had a million dollars to give away, who would you give it to?

View all responses

MY BOOK

The Excellent Adventures of Honey and Hubie by T. J. Mueller

children’s books

About the Book

In The Excellent Adventures of Honey and Hubie, author T. J. Mueller takes young readers on a wild and colorful journey into a world full of imagination and wonder.

Honey and Hubie set off on an exciting adventure together, exploring the unknown and discovering that the greatest treasure of all is friendship. Along the way, they meet magical characters, face challenges, and learn what it truly takes to hold onto the bonds that matter most.

This enchanting tale blends fun storytelling with a heartfelt message, making it a perfect read for children who love make-believe worlds and meaningful lessons.

📖 Available now → Buy on Amazon

Why Kids (and Parents) Will Love It

✨ Magical adventure – A journey into a whimsical world full of colorful characters
✨ Friendship at its heart – Teaches kids what it takes to build and keep strong friendships
✨ Captures imagination – Encourages creativity and wonder in young readers
✨ Engaging message – Fun storytelling with a positive lesson woven in

About the Author – T. J. Mueller

T. J. Mueller is an author who masterfully combines fun, imaginative storytelling with heartfelt messages for children. With The Excellent Adventures of Honey and Hubie, Mueller brings young readers into a magical world of make-believe while reminding them of the very real importance of friendship.

Get Your Copy

📕 Paperback Edition → Order on Amazon

Final Thoughts

If your child loves fantasy adventures filled with magical characters and meaningful lessons, The Excellent Adventures of Honey and Hubie is a must-read.

Perfect for bedtime reading, classroom storytime, or family fun, this book captures the imagination while sharing a timeless message: friendship makes every adventure better.

A No Fail Guarantee?

Wow! I would attempt a lot of things. That guarantee could open up many doors, ones I have steered away from.

Let’s see. Sky diving is one thing I would definitely attempt. I’ve always wanted to fly like a bird and the next best thing to that is to jump out of a plane knowing that I can have my cake and eat it too!

Next in line. I would definitely attempt hiking the Himalayas. Tibet is one place I would like to see and experience but it is dangerous territory and there are no guarantees that you’ll make it out alive. If it’s not the rock slides, earthquakes and or the dangers of a woman hiking alone, I would definitely attempt it.

Hmm…next on the list would be the Amazon rainforest. Lovely place but filled with dangers that could swallow you whole! So if I had a guarantee of success, I would definitely attempt it!

You get the picture. I would try all of the above and more but without a ” no fail guarantee” it’s a no go. Guess I’ll go to my grave dreaming of those places!

Daily writing prompt

What’s something you would attempt if you were guaranteed not to fail.

View all responses

Unrest

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” Anne Lamott

Exactly what I need today! I need to unplug and let the restlessness go for a while at least. I have this heavy feeling I’m carrying around and I know why. What to do about it is the question and I have no clear-cut answers. I don’t want to make a mountain out of a molehill but what if it is not a molehill?

Perhaps, the restlessness arises from three days of not sleeping like I should. I kept tossing and turning and was up at around 2 in the morning and stayed awake listening to the sounds outside and with my eyes wide open! Chachi, the cat doesn’t understand it but he knows something is up. He’s not called Einstein for nothing! Chachi usually wakes me up in the mornings but now he waits in his bed and doesn’t budge even when I head downstairs. The poor guy still refuses to go in the kitchen. This morning I left to go get some things done and left him in his bed by the window in the kitchen. I came back to find him exactly where I had left him and when I picked him up and brought him out of the kitchen, he shot upstairs. Since then, he has been staying on the first floor. Something is up.

It could just be my imagination and I have a tendency to let things bug me. Fear is my companion and it doesn’t make the situation any better. To make matters worse, the weather has taken a turn for the worse and it is drizzly and gray. I decided to get out and head for the fields. There was nothing much going on out there and it was quiet and still. I needed that. Walking out there for 30 minutes gave me the “unplugging” I needed to calm my mind and to soothe my restless spirit.

I still have no answers to my problem. However, I’m sure it will sort itself out one way or another. I hope it blows away and peace returns. Sooner than later!

This Thing Called Love (5) Archives

There was a darkness within her,

A storm behind her eyes,

She was complicated,

But simple,

Brave,

But terrified.

She had the heart of a mighty lion,

But deep inside she cried,

Her face was full of beauty,

Her head was full of lies,

And although the outside was pretty,

She was dead and empty inside.

Julie Addicott

Recognize her? I do. I was like her, one of the “walking dead.” We walk the earth as living, breathing human beings but inside, we are dead as a doornail. We are the ones who can’t let go and the ones who hold on to a past that had us in its grip in more ways than one. The ones who believed that love was forever and when it broke apart, we died inside.

I was that person. My eyes smiled but the inside was a cold and barren place. There was an iciness that no fire could thaw and no love could set ablaze. It was done and I moved slowly taking each day as it came, the guardian of a heart that no longer beat even though it was alive.

It took some time, a long time before I felt the thaw. Life was slowly being breathed back into me again. I don’t know what changed, I only know that I wasn’t afraid to embrace the unknown and I was ready to move forward, slowly but surely.

Then he walked in. We clicked immediately. My insides screamed that I knew him and I knew him well. I put it down to the similar experiences we had shared. He was a world traveler and we could talk for hours about a lot of things. Or could it be the gentle way he looked at me or even the way his hand would reach for mine when I wasn’t expecting it. Sometimes he would reach out and stroke my cheek or even the way we could sit for hours side by side without saying a word but feeling at home there. There was something about him that tugged at my heart. Could it be that he was hiding secrets my heart didn’t see? It was a dance of getting close, and moving apart. It was lovely, chaotic and beautiful all rolled into one. Those feelings I had left behind were front and center again and after having been in the desert of nothingness, I was coming alive with him by my side.

Then one day, he said those words. The ones that made my heart skip a beat. “I LOVE YOU.” It wasn’t said in haste or as an afterthought and it seemed genuine enough but the next day, I would know why he had seemed familiar. He was one of the “walking dead.” When he realized that the feelings he had let die was now taking hold, he ran. I was ready but he wasn’t. We would carry on this dance of reaching out and pulling back, of wanting more but we knew that it was a fire that could sear if we let it burn. We went our separate ways only to return time after time. “We always keep coming back to each other and you’ve always been the one.” Those were his words.

A few weeks ago, he called and we talked, strangers once again. “I need to figure this out,” he said, his voice tinged with confusion. I understood it well. I had been there not too long ago. When he uttered those three little words, I knew that it would be just a matter of time before he would run in a different direction, one that didn’t involve feelings, this much thinking and one that wouldn’t include me. Love is scary when you’ve experienced the destruction it can bring.

I have a tendency to excuse bad behavior and this was more than that. He was unavailable and instead of staying in his lane, he crossed over. Luckily, I had been on my journey of self-discovery for some time and even though it hurt, it didn’t destroy me because I was emerging as a much stronger person than where I had started from.

This thing called love wears many faces and sometimes it hurts like hell. It is also not a, “one size fits all” kind of thing. It has its quirks, it has its ways and sometimes just when you think you’ve found what you’re looking for, it pulls the rug from under you. There’s no rhyme or reason for why this happens and there are no guarantees. Perhaps, it’s because some of us love too hard and go all in only to find that when love leaves with no goodbyes, we die a sudden death, one that leaves you breathing but dead inside.

Sad but this too is a thing called love.