I want to say keeping my sanity intact! Just kidding or maybe NOT. Let’s see this question requires thinking ahead and not a day ahead but six months in the future and that is a challenge in itself!
This year is going to be a challenge because I have certain goals I want to achieve. I’m a stickler for the rules and even though they are rules of my own making I try to keep to them even if it means drowning in the process! Just kidding.
One challenge is to keep away from MEN! We’re into month two and I’m doing fine with this challenge. I need to find out what I want out of life, who I want to be with and change certain mindsets about me which will stop me from going down the same paths over and over again. I did that last year and it didn’t work out well so this year the challenge is to go it alone until I am good and ready to put myself out there again. It may never happen and that is a challenge right there but who knows, I don’t need to rush into relationships simply because someone says so or rush into something I am not ready for.
I realize that when you close the door and go within, when you are not looking that’s when the menfolk come out in droves! It’s as if they view you as a challenge, one that needs to be broken. Go figure! I say good luck because I’m not just a stickler for rules but I’ve got willpower oozing out my pores even if it smells like cheesecake sometimes referring to my cheesecake fetish of course!
That’s my six months challenge in a nutshell.
Daily writing prompt
What is the biggest challenge you will face in the next six months?
According to Wikipedia, “Donald Trump has made tens of thousands of false or misleading claims, including during his first and second terms as President of the United States.”
Let’s take a look at some of them:
He claimed that Hamas got $50 million dollars for condoms and then he inflated it to $100 million dollars!
Recently he blamed Ukraine for starting the war in Ukraine! Facts don’t matter as far as the 47th president is concerned.
When asked why he pardoned the January 6th rioters who assaulted first responders, his answer was, “they were assaulted by our government and they didn’t assault.” Yes, a criminal would say that wouldn’t he?
His most famous lie and one he will never give up is this one. It’s about his defeat in the free and fair elections of 2020. “It was rigged!” It’s not about “winning.” The truth is he can’t stand losing! Unfortunately or fortunately, he’s heading in that direction.
The next lie blew everyone’s socks off except his. “Zelensky is a dictator without elections.” Truth is, elections in Ukraine have been suspended since February 2022 and we know why don’t we? The man who claims to be a “genius” and one who has lots of “commonsense” should have known that shouldn’t he?
Just some of his blatant lies and there are too many to put down here. According to one source, Trump made over 30,573 false or misleading claims during his first term. What do you think? Will he blow that record to “kingdom come” during his second term?
He’s well on his way and the problem is he doesn’t care if they’re lies or truths, if they hurt and destroy or if what he says has consequences. It’s all about him and the “me” concept which is front and center every time he opens his mouth and inserts both feet in!
Mandy Hale is a blogger turned New York Times bestselling author and speaker but what captures your attention as far as her quotes are concerned is her ability to connect to the heart of the matter. She is “inspirational, straight-talking. witty” and she empowers women around the world with her quotes. Here are some of my favorites for you to enjoy.
“The only keeper of your happiness is you. Stop giving people the power to control your smile, your worth and your attitude.”
“There is nothing more beautiful than someone who goes out of their way to make life beautiful for others.”
“The key to happiness is letting each situation be what it is instead of what you think it should be.”
“Go against the grain, refuse to conform, take the road less traveled instead of the well-beaten path.”
“To make a difference in someone’s life you don’t have to be brilliant, rich, beautiful, or perfect, you just have to care.”
“Sometimes it takes a heartbreak to shake us awake and help us see we are worth so much more than we’re settling for.”
It is necessary, and even vital, to set standards for your life and the people you allow in it.”
“Never forget that walking away from something unhealthy is BRAVE, even if you stumble a little on your way out the door.”
“Don’t sacrifice your peace trying to point out someone’s true colors, lack of character always reveals itself in the end.”
“There is no model, no actress, no Miss America contender that can outshine a happy, confident, secure woman.”
“The real character of a person is revealed not in how they begin a relationship, but how they end one.”
The next one is where I’m at and it’s hard trusting and believing that “better” is on the way but I’m going to take that chance.
“Trust the wait. Embrace the uncertainty. Enjoy the beauty of becoming. When nothing is certain, anything is possible.”
Pay attention to this one. There is a whole world of truth in that one quote.
“The right man for you will move mountains to be with you, he won’t hide behind them.”
It is Sunday, a day of rest and rejuvenation from a week of stresses and unrest. I woke up with good intentions this morning. Finding peace is my goal for today, more precisely, inner peace that is.
“It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.” Unknown
And this is exactly the problem. Chaos and noise shatters my idea of peace. My mind is like rush hour 24/7 and when I find the time to gather inner peace, it has taken flight and I am left with unrest, anxiety and an inability to calm down no matter how hard I try. Sleepless nights follow and I wake up to another day of more of the same.
Now I am arming myself with what is needed to stop the constant chatter within my mind. I liken it to a monkey jumping around with no real goal in sight. Recently, I started the age-old practice of meditation. Five minutes was too much at first. I felt my whole body rebelling against this new concept that was trying to break into what it was accustomed to and that is total and utter chaos! After a while of consistently practicing this method of inner peace, I could feel my body say, “Come on in. I like you!” Slowly I progressed to 10 minutes and now I am doing 40 minutes a day. Unbelievable but the benefits are seen and felt and I am sleeping better.
7 Benefits of Meditation
Calms the nervous system
Decreases brain fog
Enhances memory
Boosts attention and focus
Slows down aging (this one I like a lot!)
Improves sleep
Regulates mood.
Sukhasana
What’s not to like right? Furthermore, it doesn’t cost a thing. Just a quiet space, focus and take off and in time, the “inner monkey” is tamed and he or she takes a step back and lets the calm and peace take hold, and you my friend will be headed to nirvana. Well, it is not that easy, mind you. It takes time and YOU wanting peace above all else.
Deep breathing is another easy tried and true method of shutting out the world, of going inside yourself and within minutes or to a count of ten breaths and there it is, instant peace and relaxation. The benefits are plenty.
It helps to:
lower blood pressure and heart rate, reduces stress hormones in the blood, balances levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood, improves your immune system functions, increases physical energy and it increases calm and well-being.
There you go. Another fast and easy way to get to that goal of inner peace. However, the human mind tends to retaliate because we don’t want easy do we? We moan, cry, throw tantrums and refuse to take the bull by the horn and say, “Look you, I am no longer putting up with you (stress, anxiety) ravaging my body. It’s time for you to get going!”
Simplify your life. We complicate with so many unwanted things that cause tremendous stress. Relationships that tear us down instead of build us up. Quite often we hide behind a curtain of insecurities that it is hard to see the path ahead. Bravery and courage is needed to tear down that invisible curtain. Get rid of the things that are weighing you down and you know what they are if you are honest with yourself. Finally, free your mind so that peace and tranquility can reign supreme and that folks is my goal for today. If I make it that is to be seen. Fingers crossed but I am going to do more than that to achieve my zen-like state of mind.
“Peace is a day-to-day problem, the product of a multitude of events and judgments. Peace is not an ‘is,’ it is a ‘becoming.” Haile Selassie
“Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures.” John F. Kennedy
“But achieving a sense of inner peace is real. It’s out there. You just have to be willing to walk past the darkness, and even past the light, to find it.” Hannah Hart
“Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace.” Dalai Lama
This one is important because we do allow people to influence our moods and how it affects our inner being. If they lie, treat you badly or take you for granted, DO NOT let the after-effects seep in and gnaw at your insides. Let it go…..easier said than done I know.
I was fearless running around like a wild child during my younger days. It all changed when I hit sixteen or so and life changed. I became fearful and I don’t know what happened. The young girl who was fearless suddenly found herself being fearful of life and the unknown.
I took to my bedroom and did some armchair traveling through my books. It was my safe zone from the outside world. Reading was my way of being out there without having to venture out if you know what I mean. Writing gave me an outlet from the fear and I was able to put my feelings down on paper and that helped too
When I turned 18 I came out of the cocoon that I had built around myself but “fear” would be an integral part of my life. It kept me from experiencing life to its fullest but it also kept me away from danger.
My advice to my teenage self would be to give “fear” a boot out the door! Take life by the horns and go for it. Fear is an emotion that has a tendency to destroy and it stops you in your tracks. Even though it is a protective mechanism, too much of it is destructive. Learn to overcome FEAR would be my advice to my teenage self.
“Being a soldier is more than courage, it’s sacrificing yourself for something greater than yourself.” Unknown
A hero is defined as “a person who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.” Soldiers are heroes in every sense of the word. They risk their lives to keep us safe. They fight against those who want to take away our freedoms and rights, many lose their lives in the process and some come home injured beyond repair both physically and mentality. These men and women are heroes and they deserve better.
How many of them come home and become an afterthought? I know of one who did not lose his life in battle, he survived those, but the inner demons or rather the aftermath of war were the battles he still had to fight even when his service in the military was over. A veteran is defined as “a person who served in the active military, naval or air service, and was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable,” or as I see it, it goes something like this:
A soldier is someone who “wrote a blank check payable to the United States of America for an amount up to and including one’s life.” Unknown
My friend, the soldier, came home intact. However, the demons he carried within him, would take its toll on his inner psyche. He used alcohol to drown out the voices but his mind and his heart wouldn’t let him forget. To make a long story short, he fell very ill and his organs started shutting down one by one. He was overseas at the time with no family and one friend to see him through his ordeal. He thought he was safe because the military would take care of its own but he thought wrong. He was just an afterthought in the grand scheme of things. He had done his duty for his country and he expected that his country would take care of him for services rendered but he was yet to find out that was far from the truth. As one person I spoke to told me, “Soldiers think they can run to us when they find themselves in dire circumstances but there is nothing we can do, he will have to find his own way out of it.” The “it” meaning his sickness notwithstanding his few months of life left to live..
I reached out to the powers to be in Germany but was told in no uncertain terms that there was nothing they could do. I asked if they could fly him home in one of their planes and that was met with a no. I spoke to the Embassy but was told that it would take months to get an approval and when I pointed out he didn’t have that, they said they were very sorry. The Germans saw him as a liability because he was an American and there was no help forthcoming from them. Flying him home on a commercial flight meant he would need an escort and it would cost an arm and a leg to do that. He spent the last month or so in and out of the hospital and towards the end was transferred to a hospice, only after I went to do battle for a dying man. He died there a week later.
“I stand ready not for politics or for leaders, but for my brothers next to me, my children at home, and for a country I protect.” Unknown
How often have we heard this phrase when referring soldiers who had served their country, “We are so grateful for your service.” It is a superficial phrase at best because there is no substance behind it. Heroes deserve better. They deserve to know that their unparalleled service to the country they love will be met with gratefulness not in words alone but with actions as well. It wasn’t the case for my friend. I am sure there are many out there who feel the same way. If you are in a foreign country, make sure you know what your options are if you find yourself in the same circumstances as my friend. The truth is you are on your own and you will have to fend for yourself as my friend did but the only problem was he wasn’t capable of doing that. He was too ill. Luckily for him, he had me to fall back on.
When I die and go to heaven to St. Peter I will tell, “One more soldier reporting for duty sir, I’ve served my time in hell.” Hal Popplewll CUSMG 1971-1979
It is absolutely gorgeous today. The sun is shining and the sky is a vivid blue with not a cloud in sight. It is still a little cold but nothing a jacket and a pair of gloves can’t fix.
“I wondered lonely as a cloud that floats on high o’er vales and hills, when all at once I saw a crowd, a host, of golden daffodils; beside the lake, beneath the trees, fluttering and dancing in the breeze.” William Wordsworth
And my soul took off. Well, not quite. It is still winter and just like the winter tease of “no real snow” this too might be short-lived and winter might just make a showing again. Anything is possible these days.
The fields are coming alive and the sound of birds chirping noisily in the trees is deafening to the ear but still a lovely sound. The planes droning overhead is soothing and the criss-cross patterns they are making as they make their way to wherever they are headed looks like a tapestry of some sort. On a day like today, everything seems touched with magic.
Spring says: “Wake up darling. It’s time for your soul to bloom.” Ave Mateiu
I see two rabbits sunning themselves oblivious of my intrusion into their space. They couldn’t care less because they’re preparing for bigger and better things to come. Soon it will be “baby season” and when summer rolls around there will be an abundance of rabbits scampering around as they did last year. It was and will be a sight for sore eyes.
Just be patient my heart whispers. It’s just a matter of time before the next season rolls around like clockwork and my eyes will be greeted with what is taking place below my feet right now. In the deep and dark areas, nature is breathing life back into what has lain dormant all winter. When the time is right, it will be mesmerizing of this I am sure.
Suddenly I spot two herons standing like sentinels close to the forest line. Several Native American Tribes look upon the heron as a “symbol of patience and good luck”. They believe that a Blue Heron sighting brings a message of self-determination and self-reliance. Hmm….I especially like the part about good luck. Fingers crossed!
It was a great walk and I’m looking forward to many more in the days to come. I know each new day will bring new gifts the earth below is hiding for just the right moment to present itself. It will lift and nourish my soul, no ifs or buts about it!
“She turned to the sunlight and shook her yellow head and whispered to her neighbor, “winter is dead.” Unknown
At first glance I want to say nothing since I am the “epitome of boredom” itself! If you had a chance to look into my life you would agree. Let me explain. I lead a very boring life. There is no longer the pressure to perform as I used to. I went from churning out articles at an accelerated pace to next to nothing. Nowadays, the “daily prompt” is about as much excitement as I get throughout the day! I wake up looking forward to the questions that someone puts out there for us mere mortals to come up with answers if we wanted to that is. It makes for some good reading!
Now if there is one thing I hate or I find totally boring is the weekends. Paradise, as I know it, meaning the fields are no longer my own at weekends. It is more like paradise lost during these times when the locals decide to get out there in droves and from greetings to the masses (what I call more than five people) the place loses its beauty or its thrill and for me that is absolute quiet and peace where my mind is allowed to take off into its imaginary realm. I usually stay indoors at the weekends and that is totally boring but I am finding ways to combat that feeling. Meditation and working on things I need to get down and on me as a whole is working fine for right now and if that goes down the drain, I’m sure I’ll find other things to keep me occupied. Boredom is in the mind as I usually say, change the mindset and you’ll be just fine.
“Patience is a virtue” a short phrase that means “waiting calmly is a good trait.” This was coined way back when waiting for anything to happen was normal and waiting patiently was considered a virtue rather than a hair pulling experience. Well, at least the English poet, William Langland, who came up with this phrase in 1360 thought so.
These days, patience is a learned virtue. At times it takes super-human strength to say, it is ok, I’ll wait a little while longer. The extreme could be waiting for something that never happens but promised it will. There are people in this world who think that showing up late is fashionable. I know someone or have known several people who showed up 30 minutes late for an appointment without so much as calling to say they are running late. This not showing up on time is stamped into their DNA so there is nothing you can do about it except show PATIENCE even if you have to grit your teeth and bear it. Needless to say, these people don’t have a permanent place in my life. They brought my patience level to the negative and it was time for them to go!
“The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.” Leo Tolstoy
Both come into play when dealing with people who show disrespect for your time and your patience level. It’s not that they don’t know what they are doing, they DO KNOW and that is the truth of the matter. Would they like it if you showed up late or worse still did not show up at all? What would happen if the shoe was on the other foot? I guarantee you they wouldn’t tolerate it for one minute.
“Patience is the calm acceptance that things can happen in a different order than the one you have in mind.” David G. Allan
Fine and good. However, these days my patience level is not where it used to be. Gone are the days of accepting it as a slight faux pas. These days, if it happens more than once, I am ready to close the door and move on. Patience is not my strong suit but than again why pull your hair out when in the end you’re the one who ends up with a bald spot and not the person who takes the laid back attitude to life. Believe me, patience is not all it has been cut out to be. Virtue or not, in the end your well-being matters, you matter and your principles matter. You don’t have to put up with it. That said, here are some quotes to lighten the topic.
“My doctor is concerned about my high blood pressure. I told him, well next time don’t leave me sitting in the waiting room for two hours.” Unknown
“My doctor told me to start killing people. Well not in those exact words. He said I had to reduce stress in my life, which is pretty much the same thing.” Unknown
“The fact that my entire body cracks like a glowstick whenever I move and yet refuses to actually glow is very disappointing.”
“My goal this weekend is to move only enough so people know I’m not dead.”
Tried this last weekend and it was pretty relaxing I must say.
“I MAY LOOK CALM —but in my mind I’ve already killed you twice.”
“Tell the negative committee that meets inside your head to sit down and shut up.” Ann Bradford
I did but it doesn’t work.
This one I like a lot. It made me laugh which is a good thing.
“I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow doesn’t look good either.”
If you’re the type of person who plays havoc with other people’s patience, STOP! Treat others as you would like to be treated and that should do the trick but if it doesn’t and you’re a hardcore and professional patience tester, I hope you get what you deserve.
I thought this was funny but you may think different!
Two New Elements Discovered!: WO and XY…
From Christopher G. Worley, Los Alamos Laboratory
Two new chemical elements have recently been discovered. Here for the first time is a description of their properties.
Name: WOMAN
Symbol: WO
Atomic Weight: (don’t even go there!)
Physical Properties: Generally round in form. Boils at nothing and may freeze any time. Melts whenever treated properly. Very bitter if not used well.
Chemical Properties: Very active. Highly unstable. Possesses strong afinity to gold, silver, platinum and precious stones. Violent when left alone. Able to absorb great amounts of exotic food. Turns slightly green when placed next to a better specimen.
Usage: Highly ornamental. An extremely good catalyst for dispersion of wealth. Probably the most powerful income reducing agent known.
Physical Properties: Solid at room temperature, but gets bent out of shape easily. Fairly dense and sometimes flaky. Difficult to find a pure sample. Due to rust, aging samples are unable to conduct electricity as easily as young samples.
Chemical Properties: Attempts to bond with WO any chance it gets. Also tends to form strong bonds with itself. Becomes explosive when mixed with Kd (Element: Child) for prolonged period of time. Neutralize by saturating with alcohol.
Usage: None known. Possibly good Methane source. Good samples and are able to produce large quantities on demand.
CAUTION: In the absence of WO, this element rapidly decomposes and begins to smell.
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