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My Motivational Factors

Nature motivates me. Being out in the open and surrounded by nature helps to motivate me to do better. The message is clear, everything has a time and place and you don’t need to push, pull or dare. It happens as it happens and that is my motivation to stand out in the open and to know that everything is being taken care off and I am where I need to be, nothing more, nothing less.

Workouts not only help to get me physically fit but it also helps my emotional fitness. The motivating factor is do better each time I get into the workout mode. I train my body and my mind to do its best and sometimes I walk away not only fatigued but full of energy, if that makes sense. Workouts have the ability to turn on the youth code meaning it keeps you young and your joints don’t stiffen up. All good things.

My favorite thing to do is to write and it can be just a post of what I’m thinking about, what has been bugging me or just some advice on how to do things better. The motivating factor here is to get my creative juices flowing. My mind has a nice workout and I come away with a clearer perspective of things.

Last but not least, Chachi, the cat. This little furball does more to motivate me than a lot of the other things. My life revolves around the little bugger and he is my little love. He helps me to see life as half-full vs. half-empty. Hugs, kisses, and purrs all go to make up his way of getting his mom to get up and do the things she needs to get done!

The things listed above help to motivate me and to keep my life moving in the right direction. I am looking for more ways to add to that motivating factor but for now, I am happy where I’m at.

Daily writing prompt

What motivates you?

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Gavin Newsom Gets His Goat!

Donald “TACO” Trump is getting as good as he has been giving if not much more. If you’re wondering what the acronym stands for, it means, Trump Always Chickens Out, a term first coined by Financial Times commentator, Robert Armstrong, referring to Trump’s trade war tactics. If the shoe fits…..

The new kid on the block, or rather the man who has found a way to “punch” where it hurts the most is giving Trump a run for the money as far as bullying goes and many will say, it is well-deserved.

The California governor, Gavin Newsom, is trying something new and he is taking mockery to new heights. Add trolling, Trump fashion, to it and you’ve got something hilarious if not “pure jujitsu” as someone else called it.

“THE BIG, BEAUTIFUL TARIFFS ARE MAKING INFLATION GREAT AGAIN! THE GREATEST INCREASE IN INFLATION SINCE THE PANDEMIC (MANY ARE SAYING). HERBERT HOOVER (LIL HOOVER, THEY CALL HIM) HAD THE GREAT DEPRESSION BUT NO ONE REMEMBERS HIM. SAD! UNDER TRUMP AMERICA WILL HAVE THE GREATEST DEPRESSION IN AMERICAN HISTORY.”

And just like that, it was time to sit up and take notice. Writing posts in President Trump’s signature style, California Gov. Gavin Newsom told reporters on Thursday, “If you have issues with what I’m putting out, you sure as hell should have concerns with what he’s putting out as president.”

Here’s another one.

“DONALD TRUMP, THE LOWEST POLLING PRESIDENT IN RECENT HISTORY, THIS IS YOUR SECOND-TO-LAST WARNING!!! (THE NEXT ONE IS THE LAST ONE!). STAND DOWN OR CALIFORNIA WILL COUNTER-STRIKE (LEGALLY!) TO DESTROY YOUR ILLEGAL CROOKED MAPS IN RED STATES. PRESS CONFERENCE COMING -HOSTED BY AMERICA’S FAVORITE GOVERNOR, GAVIN NEWSON. FINAL WARNING NEXT. YOU WON’T LIKE IT!!! THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER.”

I’m liking this guy a WHOLE LOT! More please and it looks like Gavin Newsom has found a way to get under Donald “TACO” Trump’s skin. It seems to be working because rumor has it that Orange Jesus has stopped posting in ALL CAPS!

It takes guts, cunning, and Savoir-faire to stand up to a bully and Gavin Newsom seems to have it all under his belt.

Gavin Newsom for President?!!!

My Top Ten Favorite Movies

I am a romantic at heart so I like watching movies about love. My top ten favorite movies of all time are:

The Notebook

This love story has you captivated right from the start. What starts out as a summer romance turns into a romance never to be forgotten. I’ve watched this one many times over!

Sleepless in Seattle

Who doesn’t like Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan? Together they are a powerhouse couple and it is one of the most romantic films ever made.

Notting Hill

Love happens and it can happen between a glamorous movie star, Julia Roberts, and an average bloke. A beautiful love story with all the trimmings.

Pretty Woman

This is one of my favorites. Love strikes between a rich entrepreneur and a prostitute. How often does that happen? Only in the movies? Perhaps but it is worth watching.

Legends of the Fall

Loved this one. It is an epic tale that touches on themes like family, love, loss and throw in a war and you have a fantastic movie worth watching over and over again.

Ghost

I recall watching this movie when I invited my boyfriend at that time (my ex) over to my place for dinner. Just a tip, don’t watch this if you are only friends with someone because this movie can change things quickly as it did for us!

When Harry Met Sally

An all-time classic with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. It had all the elements of a great movie and it had me rooting for them.

You’ve Got Mail

Another Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan movie. A famous line from the movie goes like this:

“I go online, and my breath catches in my chest until I hear three words: You’ve got mail.” Watch it to find out why.

An Officer and a Gentleman

Loved this one. A brilliant film with great performances by Richard Gere and Debra Winger.

Last not not least

Pearl Harbor

It is a historical romance that mixes two events, the attack on Pearl Harbor and a twisted love story.

There you have it. Ten movies that are worth watching and if you’re a romantic than these are right down your alley.

Daily writing prompt

What are your top ten favorite movies?

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Disrespect (Archives)

It is defined as “insulting someone or displaying rude behavior by showing a lack of respect.”

Have you experienced it? I have and it is not a nice thing when faced with such behavior. There are three forms of disrespect. These are known as the passive, subtle and the blatant variety.

Passive disrespect is when someone is condescending, makes insulting insinuations, gives you the silent treatment, is sarcastic and doesn’t care if it is hurtful or not. How do you deal with this kind of disrespect?

Don’t take the bait and address the issue immediately.

Subtle disrespect is when someone mocks you, when they talk behind your back and they will pretend to have forgotten things you agreed on.

Show that it doesn’t affect you or decide if you want to engage. Name the disrespectful behavior you have observed and call them out on it. Have a conversation about it but do not lecture.

Blatant disrespect is the no holds barred variety. They go out of their way to deliberately undermine or demean you. Their actions are obvious and they don’t give a hoot if it hurts you.

Here again stay calm but it is hard to do. Use “I” statements when addressing the issue and ask for clarification. You can react with kindness but since that is almost impossible to do, call the person out on his or her behavior and set boundaries as to what you will or won’t tolerate.

If all else fails, you have the option of walking away and closing the door behind you. No one should put up with disrespect. Disrespect basically says, “You are not important and your feelings don’t matter to me.” The truth is, you are important and your feelings do matter. Do not tolerate disrespect of any kind.

Here are some quotes that speak to the heart of the matter:

“The best way to end disrespect is by not giving them a chance to do it again.” Unknown

“Disrespect is the weapon of the weak.” Alice Miller

“Wasting somebody’s time may be the highest form of disrespect.” Unknown

I like the next one a lot.

“Never let your heart be so forgiving that it gets comfortable with disrespect.” Unknown

“Don’t put up with disrespect just to keep them in your life.” Sonya Parker

“Be careful what you tolerate, you are teaching people how to treat you.” Unknown

This last one needs a plaque of its own!

Detox Your Life in 4 Easy Steps

Eliminate anyone who:

Lies to you

Disrespects you

Uses you or

Puts you down.

Have an amazing day.

Things I Enjoy About Writing

It is hard to put into words. Writing has always been a way to bring out what is hiding inside. The insecurities, the pain, the worries, the lessons I have learned all take on a different persona when I see it in print or on my posts. It is a way of releasing what I need to release to move on.

I also relish the free reign my mind has to go to places I wouldn’t do as a person. Yes, it takes me places and the fantasy world is lit up and full of radiance as I dance there for a while. I have the ability to let go of things I have been holding inside and it gives me an avenue to look at it with different eyes, from a distance instead of right smack in the middle of it!

Writing has helped to calm the beast that I call my mind. An hour or more of writing and I walk away feeling calmer and my insides cleared of the clutter that often resides there and sometimes I am given a blank slate to start over again but it doesn’t happen all the time because I have too much clutter and it is going to take a long time before that part happens.

Writing is about stepping into a different role. One of observer rather than having lived. Not sure if that makes sense. I take on the role of observing, dissecting and making sense of what has transpired AND how to make it better. The act of writing helps me to go deep within and to get it out there so that my inner being can breathe again and in the process I hope my writing helps others who have walked the same path I have.

The joys of writing are plenty but for me it is my way of helping my psyche to deal with things and the other thing is, I get to paint pictures with words! If you can picture every detail as you read, the colors, the sounds, the feelings and much much more, than my writing has done what it started out to do.

Daily writing prompt

What do you enjoy most about writing?

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HEATWAVE!

We’re in the throes of one and it doesn’t look like it is going to let up anytime soon! Summer is on its way out but not without a last hurrah!

Summer break is over with and school starts on Monday. Hopefully everything else will be back on track as well. Time stands still when vacation starts and everything is run with a skeleton crew. I’m looking forward to calling for an appointment and NOT being told, “Doctor is on vacation. You can get an appointment in two week’s time!”

Anyway, I woke up this morning with my t-shirt plastered to my body drenched in sweat. My freshly washed hair of two days ago has decided to kow-tow to the heat and is not doing much better. The only place in the house that is cool is the living room with its stone floors, the rest are like being in a sauna!

I’m looking forward to the next season when I can go walking for miles on end and have the cool breeze accompany me. Hot weather is for the birds but they are taking cover as well! We’re all waiting for the beauty of fall to step in wearing its golden colors and with it some reprieve.

According to the weather forecast, we have another week of slightly lower temps and then the rain moves in to cool things off. Until then, Chachi, the cat, is sweating his a** off and I have to cool him off with a damp towel two or three times a day. It also seems that no matter how much water I drink, it takes but minutes for it to evaporate in sweat!

Yucks?!! Exactly right. I had my shower this morning but I feel sticky already. Oh well, time to bite the bullet and let the day have its way.

Have an amazing Sunday and I hope it’s cooler where you’re at.

Living Your Best Life (Archives)

“Put yourself first on your priority list and watch your life get better.” Unknown

One interpretation of living your best life is to “live a life that makes you happy and also one that allows you to live your full potential.” quora.com

Concentrating on yourself is of the utmost importance. If you want to live your best life, put yourself first and foremost on that priority list. It starts with YOU and if you can get your act together everything else falls into place and even if it doesn’t, give it time to right itself out. In the meantime you’re standing where you should be and that is at the top of your list.

“One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it’s worth watching.” Unknown

Each day do what is necessary to get yourself back on track. If you’re down on your knees, stand back up. If all you see is grey clouds and no sunshine, make your own sunshine. Put on a smile, get dressed and go out and shine! Never underestimate the power of a smile, it does wonders for your psyche and your soul. So make sure to wear one even if you don’t feel like it.

Talk to yourself. Tell yourself, “I love you!” Sounds crazy? Not really. Sometimes or rather more often than not, we forget the person we carry around with us. The special someone who stands by us through all our big and little moments of sadness, joy, heartbreak and everything else that goes to make up this life of ours. Show it some LOVE. I’ve started doing this practice of positive self-talk and I say, “I love you,” “I’m thankful for your support,” and “I’m grateful for all the things you do for me.” After I finish I give myself a hug, a make-believe one but a hug nonetheless. This has proved to be an absolute game changer and within a few minutes I feel calmer and “happiness” courses through my whole being. Not always but that is okay too.

Here’s another important point. If you want to live your best life, don’t beat yourself up. You’re beautiful as you are and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise! We are our own worst enemy and I know I am. I often tell myself, “Your hair looks bad today!” Or that little spot on my face has taken gigantic proportions and is now staring back at me with a grin. Sometimes I say, “I just don’t like how you look!” I’m learning to tone down the rhetoric and to be kinder and gentler with myself. These days if someone says, “You look good,” I accept it wholeheartedly without resorting to, “but that’s not what I saw this morning as I looked in the mirror!” Vanity can be a downer at times but learning to accept yourself flaws is the way to go.

One Day It Clicks

“You realize what’s important and what isn’t. You learn to care less about what other people think of you and more about what you think of yourself. You realize how far you’ve come and you remember when you thought things were such a mess that you would never recover. And you smile. You smile because you are truly proud of yourself and the person you’ve fought to become.” Unknown

Go out and live your very best life and while you’re doing it don’t forget to have an amazing day!

Paradise!

I love everything or almost everything about where I live. It is like living in a place where time stood still and the “old ways” are still present. The place is green, lush, and pristine at times.

The quiet is contagious and fills your whole being. I’ve lived in places where the hustle and bustle of city life was a constant. Along with it came the noise and “thinking” the kind you do and need for writing was next to impossible. Here, it is the perfect place to get your creative juices flowing and as I sit here at my computer, it faces the big window and outside there is a tall willow tree its branches softly dancing in the breeze. The sun is shining and NOT a sound can be heard! It is pure magic.

I’ve written about the fields where I wander and it takes me places. A muddled mind filled with thoughts that don’t need to be there are wiped away as I set foot on that almost sacred space. The mountains in the distance are often shrouded in haze but they are there silently watching. The open fields against a blue sky is beautiful and the seasonal plants and trees never fail to show up on time. It’s almost like they are cued to take off when the right time comes. No work on your part is needed. The pond in the woods is beautiful and it is where the herons come to roost. In spring, the slender streams criss -crossing the forest area put on a spectacular display of daffodils all along the way. In winter, it is bare but the beauty still remains but in a subdued way.

The sleepy little village doesn’t have much to offer but if you dive deeper there is more than enough to boggle the mind. The old architecture, the beautifully manicured and well-kept graveyard, the churches with their tiny pews, and the tiny little shops, they call them convenience stores here, all go to make up a place that is carved out of history but no matter how old it gets, the beauty of a place steeped in folklore and quiet elegance still remains.

I am grateful for this place and I call it home now. I love the symphony of the birds in the trees as dawn approaches and the late evening songs as they announce the end of another wonderful day. I love the horses that sometimes walk the cobblestone streets and I LOVE the beautifully kept gardens and how the people, especially the old folks who spend most of their summer days tending their gardens with such care and love and even if their backs are bent with age, those gardens keep them going. It is something to do and it is clear that they live for those days in the sun where planting and harvesting becomes important. When winter rolls around, they go indoors and take a well-deserved rest.

I am fully blessed! I love everything about this place and I can’t see myself going back to where life was a constant mad dash and my mind was filled with the unnecessary. I hope that never happens.

Daily writing prompt

What do you love about where you live?

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Your Choice

Happiness is a choice although some may disagree. I feel that it starts from within and works its way out. It is going to take work as with everything else in life that is worth having.

“Happiness is a choice. You can choose to be happy. There’s going to be stress in life, but it’s your choice whether you let it affect you or not.”

Valerie Bertinelli.

If you’re looking at outside factors to validate your existence, if you’re waiting for people to give you what you need to be happy, you’ll be sorely disappointed. Happiness is a choice you make and therein lies the secret of being happy.

It has been said that, “true happiness isn’t a destination, but a way of living….cultivated through intentional practices.” What do you need to be happy? Money? Love? Freedom? Peace? The answer is that it takes all of those things and more. However, there are some key secrets to leading a happy life. They are, “prioritizing positive relationships, practicing gratitude, engaging in meaningful activities, and managing stress effectively.”

These are all good and positive ways you can achieve happiness and to keep it there for a while. However, it is not a switch that you turn on and off. If you want the long-lasting kind of “happiness” you need to make positive choices that help to foster dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and andorphins, the happy hormones. It is something you need to work towards and things like developing resilience, setting intentions and making good choices help to influence “your emotional state and overall well-being.”

“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.” Dalai Lama

It takes time to cultivate. Daily habits of the positive nature help to get you there. Being kind to yourself helps to strengthen that happiness factor and training your mind to stay positive all help to see life not through rose-tinted glasses but for what it is. Work, work and more work!

“Every choice comes with a consequence. Once you make a choice, you must accept responsibility. You cannot escape the consequences of your choices, whether you like them or not.” Roy T. Bennett

One small step at a time and remember that with discomfort comes growth.

Have a “happiness-filled” day!

Feeling Positive

Photo by Vinicius Wiesehofer on Pexels.com

Reading my posts you might think that she rarely has positive emotions but believe it or not, I do. It takes hard work and those emotions that drive up the happiness factor is there if I place my focus on them.

It is one of my goals to have happy thoughts throughout the day and to hike up positive thoughts as well. The way I go about it is not to let anything throw me into the helter skelter mode. I look at things carefully and then I put it aside before I take it to heart. Some things don’t deserve a second look and others, well, they need more but letting it rule my life like it used to is a thing of the past. I am learning to deal with things as they come and in a more sane manner.

One thing that helps me is this mantra. “I trust and believe that everything will work out for the best.” I pull it out whenever I feel myself going in the negative direction and believe it or not, it helps. The most positive emotion I feel is serenity. Meditation helps with that and most definitely Chachi, the cat! Two factors that help to keep me grounded and full of joy. Not all the time but more often than not.

Daily writing prompt

What positive emotion do you feel most often?

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