I have mixed feelings about this book trailer. Parts of it are good and some parts could have been better I think. Like I’ve said before, I’m my own worst critic.
What’s the book about? It is about two unlikely characters, Honey, a miniature Greyhound, and Hubie, a pond frog. Together they venture out on an excellent adventure and along the way meet some fantastic creatures. It is a wild ride into a magical world of colorful characters that will definitely capture and hold children’s imagination.
The eBook version is live on Amazon. Please be kind with your ratings and or reviews.
I was listening to Matthew Hussey, a well-known dating coach the other day. What he had to say was mind-blowing if not eye-opening. He pointed out that women fall for the wrong types all the time. He mentioned that quite often the red flags are there, clearly visible but we choose not to see it. Instead of putting a stop right there and then, we walk in with our eyes wide open.
He talked about seven signs that women should pay attention to and if those signs are clear and present, RUN is his advice! I’ve seen some of them myself and like those women he talks about in his podcast, I went in with my eyes wide open and was led to the slaughter willingly!
Here are the 7 signs.
1) I don’t want to hurt you or I don’t want to lead you on.
According to Matthew, he is giving you fair warning that it is exactly what he is about to do, hurt you that is, only he thinks that by being upfront about his intention, it will tamper the pain that is to follow. This line basically gives him the permission to mistreat you but with your consent! The ball is in your court and most women fall for it. He’s also telling you that he is not in it for the long run only for what he can get both emotionally and physically. If he finds someone better, he will leave in a heartbeat! RUN if you hear those words.
2) You deserve better than me.
Instead of saying, “You’re probably right,” we fall for this hook, line and sinker! According to Matthew, this is mental warfare at its best. What happens when you hear that line? You do the opposite and that is what he is counting on. It is manipulation at the smartest level and you can bet your bottom dollar that he has done it before. This opens up the field for him to use, abuse and mistreat you. RUN!
3) I’m not looking for anything serious right now.
Hmm…a good one and this one tells you what you need to know. Instead of running in the opposite direction and never looking back, this one has a certain pull and mystery about it. Let’s dive in and find out. You don’t really want to know because if he is telling you upfront that he is not serious, listen and keep moving. However, if you go in knowing what the outcome will be then you only have yourself to blame right? It is not as simple as that. These loser types know how to play the game, terrible though it might be. He is counting on you to accept what he is putting out there and in a way, he feels that he has been honest but in an insidious way. He is offering NOTHING from the get go. RUN!
4) You knew what this was.
What?!! Come again? The problem with this is that they expect the emotional and physical contact but with no strings attached. They’ll walk in a heartbeat if someone better walks in and it doesn’t matter if you’re holding your broken heart in your hands. It is all about them. The other thing is if it was nothing then they should have kept their emotions and hands to themselves! Try pointing that out to them but there is no winning with this one. He was never serious in the first place and it was all a manipulation tactic played like a pro.
5) I don’t want to ruin our friendship.
Hey buddy, if it was just friendship you should have stopped with the love scam you were pulling! Friendship is one thing and a relationship is another. If there are feelings involved and you played it to the hilt, then it wasn’t just friendship, it was something more. However, these losers are all about themselves so don’t ask them to own up to it. They never will. It’s a cruel game and they know it. RUN!
6) Why do we need to put a label on it?
According to them labels such as “girlfriend” which eventually leads to something more serious is unnecessary in the world they live and operate in. They want to keep it open so that they can walk when the time suits them. Here again, it is all about them. That line is meant to keep his options open. Labels are part of the norm in the normal relationship spectrum of things but as far as these guys are concerned, they march to a different drumbeat, it is one of using, abusing and discarding. RUN!
7) You’re different from other women I’ve dated.
Wow, how poetic! This one sounds like the ultimate compliment but there is deceit involved with this one as well. They hold you up as someone special only to make you complicit in their mistreatment of you. According to Matthew, it is done to hide their emotional unavailability. This tactic is psychologically damaging because you find yourself in a game of not knowing where you stand and that is part of the plan. They’ll keep you guessing as long as you serve a purpose, one of boosting their ego. The cruelty is that you cater to their needs hoping that they will see you as this caring person and they will eventually choose you. The truth is YOU ARE NOT THE ONE! Instead of being honest, they dance around and pull you into the fray disregarding the hurt they will cause when they take off in another direction later on. RUN!
Matthew is quick to point out that not all men are like that. However, speaking from experience, I say there are plenty out there who are. Take it slow, keep your eyes open, observe carefully and if you see any of those signs above, do not hesitate. just do this. RUN!
This is an issue that still grips me today. I used to be against the taking of a life and the death sentence was a no go as far as I was concerned until the day someone took my mother’s life.
My world got turned upside down and at the forefront was the issue of the death sentence. I was so sure that she (the perpetrator) would get the death penalty. I was so wrong but the problem was that I was sitting on the fence wanting it to happen, the death penalty to be handed down, and at the same time I wasn’t so sure. It was a time of deep unrest and turmoil of the worst kind.
I changed from someone who was against capital punishment to someone who thought that “an eye for an eye” was the way to go. Since I couldn’t do it myself, believe me I wanted to, I would let the justice system mete out the punishment. SHE deserved to die for what she had done! That was my rallying cry at the time.
The decision was not in my hands. The verdict was manslaughter to a lesser degree. Outrage? Absolutely. Why? I don’t know. Some technicality, it was said. Anyway, at some point in time while I was raging about the unfairness of it all, I looked in the mirror and saw someone else emerging. A person filled with anger, rage and revenge. I didn’t like what I saw.
I’ve changed my views on the death penalty since then. It’s a matter of survival for me. I needed to let go of the “demon” holding me in its grip. Rage and revenge had no place in my life. My mom is in a better place and so I decided to let it be. Basically, capital punishment does not deter crime but more importantly, the death penalty would not have brought my mom back to life.
I’ve changed my mind and I’m back to where I was in the beginning. No death penalty. One source says that capital punishment “constitutes cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment, which is prohibited under international human rights standards.” I still ask the question, “Did my mom get the justice she deserved.” The answer is a resounding NO! However, capital punishment would not have made it better either.
Daily writing prompt
What’s a topic or issue about which you’ve changed your mind?
Fall is here and the mornings are covered in fog but by about 8:30 in the morning, the sun peeks out with blurry eyes as it tries to burn off some of the haze covering the mountains and the fields. It takes awhile before the fields are visible and the mountains are no longer hidden from view.
Today was no different. I was out there very early and not a single soul was in sight. A lone rabbit was sunning itself in the lukewarm sunshine, I guess tanking up energy for the rest of the day. One heron was visible as it stood alone pretending to not notice the human coming up the hill and heading towards its direction. The apple trees were still shrouded in white their spindly branches showing their fall cover. Not much to speak of as the apples are mostly gone and just a few leaves remain and these two will be gone in a week or two. The fields are bare, ready for their winter sleep. However, the cornfield is still there bare of corncobs but still standing straight and tall. Stephen King sure did spoil it for us didn’t he? I can’t look at cornfields without horrific images coming to mind. It is the same today as I pass them their leaves moving softly with the breeze. I try not to look in their direction as I pass them, my steps picking up pace!
Pulling my jacket closer around me to keep the cold at bay, I head to the open fields. It is cold today. As I reach the top of the hill, the rising sun is blazing orange as it heralds another beautiful fall day. Just the other day, I met my neighbor who was walking her dog and we chatted for a while. She said, gorgeous days are ahead and she wasn’t wrong about that. Fall is one of my favorite seasons and it never fails to mesmerize with its beauty. No, the leaves haven’t changed yet but they will soon enough and the whole place will be filled with color, blazing oranges, warm golds and rustic reds. It will be a sight to behold.
As I make my way back, my mind cleared of the cobwebs that had gathered there last night, I am ready to get going and to be grateful for another gorgeous day. It is going to be a beautiful day folks.
The eBook version will be out shortly. According to the publisher, it should show up on Kindle in about 72 hours. Is the book doing well? According to one source, YES!.
The Excellent Adventures of Honey and Hubie appears to be doing well, it is a children’s book that has received positive feedback for its themes of friendship and adventure, a high rating from some buyers, and is available for purchase through various retailers.
Positive Reception: User reviews and social media posts show positive engagement, with readers appreciating the book’s creative message and imaginative world.
However, bear in mind that the book has only been on the market for over a month now. Let’s see how it does as time goes on. I’m hoping it keeps up its pace!
I recall I was still in university when I applied for a job and got it! It was for the Management Department at the same university and the job itself didn’t scare me but one of the parts of the job did.
There were two of us who worked this job. My colleague was a beautiful blonde and she was a seasoned veteran or rather a pro at what she did. I, on the other hand, was shy, an introvert and hated attention of any kind. Our job was to welcome 30 or more top-level managers to the university and lead them through a week of training. This involved meeting them at the hotel lobby when they arrived, mingling at reception and taking them out to dinner at some of the nicest restaurants in town. A dream job? Some may think so but I was young and inexperienced and not ready to spread my wings. I could handle the reception and hosting the dinner part. My problem was the public speaking gig that was part and parcel of the job.
I was so out of my league and I just couldn’t get up on stage, step up to the podium and do my welcome speech. Imagine this if you had 30 or 40 top guns in the industry staring back at you from the auditiorium! I did everything I was told to do and I even imagined them in their underwear but it didn’t help. I waited in the wings feeling like I was about to have a heart attack before my boss introduced me and left me on stage to do my bit alone.
It was excruciating but the minute I opened my mouth and started speaking, the nervousness settled down and according to my boss, I had done a marvelous job with the speech. I didn’t think so. That job made me feel so out of place but it was a good learning experience for later on. Sometimes the things we dread and make us feel out of place are the very things that help to catapult us to a better place in life. I changed jobs as soon as I could but I got better and more confident as I went along. Where did I go next? That is for another time.
There were many instances in my life where I felt out of place but that experience stands out like a sore thumb for more reasons than one!
Courage is not being, “fearless.” Courage is shaking at the knees, chocking on your words, heart gripped by uncertainty, but stepping forward on your journey anyway. (Unknown)
That quote right there says it all. Courage doesn’t arrive with grand gestures but in small steps. It means showing up for yourself even if you don’t feel like it. It means getting up in the mornings and saying, “I’m going to try again.” It means staring whatever is holding you back right in the face and daring to take that first small step forward. It means moving towards that mountain top not knowing what is waiting for you there but trusting that it will be better than where you’re at right now.
“Courage isn’t having the strength to go on – it is going on when you don’t have strength.” Napoleon Bonaparte
How often have you thrown up your hands and said, “I give up!” I’ve been there and so have you. However, it is those very moments that call for courage to step up and to put fear in its place. It is easy to run and hide, to not show up for yourself and to wear the mantle of defeat proudly. Moving on becomes heavy and each step forward, sometimes next to impossible. Courage needs practice like anything else in life. It doesn’t happen overnight and neither is it easy. Each time you face defeat as you inevitably will because life is about overcoming obstacles and nothing is going to be made easy and handed to you on a silver platter. The truth of the matter is, it takes work and sometimes hard work to achieve what you want. On your way, you will meet fear (my constant companion) and you will meet defeat. However, you are made of stronger stuff and you, my friend, are capable of showing up, time and time again until one day you are holding the letter “V” in your hands and giving whatever is holding you back a run for the money!
“COURAGE DOESN’T ALWAYS ROAR. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says, “I will try again tomorrow.” Mary Anne Radmacher
Remember practice makes perfect and “courage” in small doses is what it is about. Make a list and start with the smallest thing on that list. Work your way up one step at a time putting fear where it belongs. Good luck on your journey.
Curtis and Leroy bought a mule for $100. The farmer agreed to deliver the mule the next day. The next morning, the farmer drove up and said, “Sorry, fellows, I have some bad news, the mule died last night.”
Curtis and Leroy replied, “Well, then just give us our money back.” The farmer said, “Can’t do that. I went and spent it already.” They said, “OK then, just bring us the dead mule.” The farmer asked, “What in the world ya’ll gonna do with a dead mule?” Curtis said, “We gonna raffle him off.”
The farmer said, “You can’t raffle off a dead mule!” Leroy said, We shore can! We don’t hafta tell nobody he’s dead!” A couple of weeks later, the farmer ran into Curtis and Leroy at the Piggly Wiggly grocery store and asked, “What’d you fellers ever do with that dead mule?”
They say, “We raffled him off like we said we wuz gonna do.” Leroy said, “We sold 500 tickets fer two dollars apiece and made a profit of $898.” The farmer said, “Didn’t anyone complain?” Curtis said, “Well, the fella who won got upset. So we gave him his two dollars back.”
Curtis and Leroy now work for the government. They’re overseeing the Bailout and Stimulus Programs.
🤣🤣🤣
I’m dying to say something but I’ll keep my mouth shut!
Just when I’m getting used to having the computer at my beck and call, here’s a question that wants me to do without! Can I go back to a time without the computer? Let me see…..
It was tedious. Googling was out of the question so I had to spend lots of time at the library looking up information for my classes and it wasn’t like I could get the answers just like that either! It took lots of time. In one word, difficult!
The piece of technology that I always complain about is my constant companion these days so being without it would be like missing a friend terribly! Just like a friend, it has its ups and downs and SOMETIMES it drives me up the wall BUT it would be boring and difficult without it there. If I wanted to know something, just type in the words and there it is.
Writing might be slower too. I whizz through it now and within a few minutes or an hour, I have something whipped up and ready to do. Without the computer, I would be putting it all down on paper and that is time-consuming not to say a big mess! Now, I can brush it up, correct it, make it look good and send it off in no time at all.
What would my life look like without a computer? I hate to admit it but it would be difficult, boring, hair pulling stressful and without my “best friend” there, I would be up the creek without a paddle!
So, there, did I make you feel good? Good, now behave and let’s do this my way!
Daily writing prompt
Your life without a computer: what does it look like?
A few weeks ago, I wrote about cleaning out my shoe closet, bagging up and getting rid of tons, yes tons of shoes that were taking up space. They were no longer needed because all they were doing was simply staring me in the face and living rent-free in my closet. It was time for them to go. Decision made but it was with a heavy heart that I gave them their freedom. They were free to go light up someone else’s eyes and perhaps more appropriately to go where they were truly needed.
“Fill your life with lots of experiences, not lots of things. Have incredible stories to tell, not incredible clutter in your closets.” Marc and Angel
I think life is simply an accumulation of holding on to things. It is a collection of things taking up space, emotions that surge and thrive on shaky ground and a constant struggle between the two. Clutter helps to shrink your physical space and minimize your mental capabilities. Letting go is hard and for someone like me who holds on for way longer than it is needed, decluttering is an almost impossible task to do.
“Clutter is not just the stuff on your floor – it’s anything that stands between you and the life you want to be living.” Peter Walsh
The problem is you can’t move on when you’re holding on to all that is not needed. There must be a conscious decision and effort to “clean house” meaning letting go of things that no longer serve you. Things and emotions that wear you down, make you lose track of where you need to go, which direction you will have to take to get there and most importantly a decision has to be made to let go, get rid off and open up space maybe for new clutter but the truth is there is no moving forward if you’re standing still. You can’t do both.
“Simplifying your life isn’t just about decluttering your physical space, it’s also about clearing mental and emotional clutter.” Unknown
Understanding that, you’ve got to declutter. Most of us tend to have an iron grip on things that don’t matter and then we wonder why it is so hard to breathe at times or to feel free. If it is not adding value to your life, let it go. If it is just taking up space, dump it. If it makes you feel like you’ve got to do something about it, that’s a clear signal that action is needed.
Focus, declutter, simplify, simplify, simplify. As for people and emotions,
“If your presence can’t add value to my LIFE, your absence will make no difference.” Unknown
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