It’s here and it is driving everyone crazy! Everyone is talking about the weather and not in a nice way either!
We’re sweating it out and in a country that doesn’t believe in air-conditioners, it is next to impossible to survive. Lots of water, staying indoors, going out only when it is necessary and walking around naked is the way to it! Well, some of the people here do but I don’t. Too much of a stick-in-the-mud for that.
Anyway, I was out at 8:30 this morning. I wanted to beat the heat and to go get my grocery shopping done before the “heatwave” arrived but it beat me to it! People were grumbling about the heat and everyone had the same idea of getting out there early.
Shiro, the white Persian, was down in the dumps yesterday. I think it was the heat. She moped around and refused to eat or drink. I had the fan going most of the day and that seemed to help. This morning, she seemed to be alright again and was upstairs sunning herself! The room was as hot as a sauna but the “drama queen” was loving it. After half an hour, I brought her downstairs because I didn’t want to go through what I did yesterday. It was a tough evening caring for a sick cat.
Looks like the heatwave is going to stick around for a little while before it heads on out of here. I can’t wait to see it go! The trend seems to be a couple of excruciatingly hot weather days and then the thunderstorms move in for a day or two to cool everything off. A friend calls it the, “El Nino Effect.” “It is a natural climate phenomenon characterized by unusually warm ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific.” This massive shift causes a domino effect on global weather.
Whatever it is, I want to see it gone! I’m not a fan of hot weather and this is unbearable to say the least. Now, if we had air-conditioning that would be a different story altogether!
If you’ve been reading my posts, you will know the people who inspire me. The greats like, Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Buddha, Rumi and to a lesser extent, Mandy Hale, Brene Brown, Paul Coelho and too many more to list here.
However, I have also written about my dad who inspired me in ways that I rebelled against as a young girl but later learned what great lessons those were. One other person that I haven’t talked much about is my uncle. He was a man of God, and he was the reason why I spent a lot of my growing up years in the church and even staying there during the school holidays. It was spooky but that’s for another time.
Anyway Uncle Ed could give Ralph de Bricassart a run for the money. I remember the women swooning as he got up to give his sermon. The thing about Uncle Ed was that he was all about God and his ways were simple, just like the woman he married.. He married a Plain Jane. It was love they said but I couldn’t understand it. They remained married until he passed a few years ago.
I remember walking in one Sunday afternoon after a glorious day outside playing in the mud and covered in the same from head to toe. I walked in to find him sitting there with his eyes trained on me. I smiled showing the gap where my tooth was missing! I liked shocking people at the time. The look he gave me was painful and it seemed to say, “This one is trouble and she is not going to amount to much!” A week before the meeting, I had decided to ask dad the all important question in a belligerent way. I asked, “DO YOU THINK THAT JUST BECAUSE YOU CARRY A BIBLE AND GO TO CHURCH EVERY SUNDAY, YOU WILL GO TO HEAVEN WHEN YOU DIE?!!” Let’s just say it didn’t go well and he didn’t believe in sparing the rod either! I think my uncle knew about my belligerence and hence the look.
However, I was mesmerized by him. The stories he told were captivating and sometimes shocking especially the ones about the exorcisms he had performed. Let me tell you, if you didn’t believe in the paranormal, you will after listening to those!
He started out as a pastor but worked his way up to the very top. It meant I had to behave like the niece of a well-respected person in the community. I was roped or rather forced into teaching Bible study. I DID! Then I moved away and didn’t see him again until my mom’s funeral. I didn’t know at the time of the service that she had been murdered, just that I felt incredible pain within. Sitting at the front of the hall with my ex, I stared at the casket and wondered why it was closed. Then the pain got too much and the room excruciatingly claustrophobic. I needed to escape but the only route I had was to look up at the cross on the wall. The huge one of Christ crucified on the cross. As I stared up at it, my back straightened and I felt power within. It said, “You can do this.” Then something else made me turn and there sitting a few rows behind me was my uncle and our eyes met. This time there was something else etched on his face. There was pain and sadness, but there was something more. It seemed to say, “Now, you understand.”
What came afterwards was all a blur. The finding out, the rage, the anger, but somehow that instance in church and our hearts touching gave me the courage to weather a storm of the deepest kind.
Uncle Ed was an unpretentious man but there was a power within him that I can’t explain. He walked with God and his life was dedicated to teaching others how to do exactly that. I looked up to him and admired how far he had come and how he stood with both feet planted firmly on the ground. He taught me humility, he taught me to have faith, and to stand tall when life cuts you down to size.
I wonder what he would say if he saw me now? Will there be a smile on his face, will he be proud of how far I’ve come and will he change his opinion of me!
The definition of a helicopter mom is, “a mother who takes an overprotective or excessive interest in the life of her child or children.” Furthermore, “helicopter parents are so named because, like helicopters, they hover overhead, overseeing every aspect of their child’s life.” Guilty as charged!
My son, the one and only, has managed to do well. He has finished his studies and after landing two jobs but not to his liking, he has landed his dream job or so it seems. He is going into his third month and according to him, “Work is good.” That’s about as much as I can get out of him these days. Just short answers that don’t tell me a thing! I WANT MORE! Yes folks, the helicopter is going down fast and it is not going to be up there anytime soon and it probably never will again.
He’s on the way and keeping everything close to his chest. The problem is I am having a hard time with being fed just morsels! The first time it happened, I thought I would go crazy not knowing where he was, how he was doing, and especially when the trains stopped running and he was left to find his way home on his own! I had to learn to deal with that.
It got easier as time went on. The less he told me, the more I believed that he was alright and doing well. It was my way of surviving the inevitable. He was a young adult and he was ready to fly the coop and mom just had to deal with it. Then I wouldn’t hear from him for a few days and I would ask my ex if he had heard from him. “No, I haven’t heard from him for about a week now.” What?!! That set all the alarm bells going and needed looking into! When he was good and ready, he wrote me a few words, the emphasis being on few! “All good.”
I am writing this because he has a move coming up next weekend. He is moving to his new apartment and he will be able to have his cats with him. I thought it would take place the moment he moved in but I was told from a third source, the ex, that he has a two or three week business trip coming up and it can only happen after he comes back. Why didn’t he tell me?!! The helicopter is going down fast.
He just wrote a few minutes ago saying, “Packing.” I thought he was talking about the move coming up. Nope, he was talking about a trip coming up next week and he will be gone for a week. Where is he going? He doesn’t want to say and I have to step back and not push. The helicopter has CRASHED!!!
I see the same thing with a girlfriend. She has a ten-year-old and she does it one better than me. She is up there flying the skies and I wish I can go back to the times when I knew anything and everything like she does!
The thing is I have to accept that he is growing up fast and is leading a life of his own. So far, he has done well on his own and I will trust that I’ve brought him up well and he knows what he is doing.
By the way, that “helicopter” did a good job of raising the kid!
“The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination.”
This quote holds more than a modicum of truth, I think it is what success is all about. Giving up is easy and taking the road widely traveled is easier still. The thing is if you want to be successful in life, you not only have to decide what you want in life, set your goals, and move towards it with “determination” in tow.
I’ve had a successful life as far as my career goals. I didn’t get there simply by daydreaming, I had to work hard for it. Along the way, I wanted to give up because things got too hard but there was this determination within that powered the way and each goal I achieved, I give credit to determination.
“I believe success is achieved by ordinary people with extraordinary determination.” Zig Ziglar
My top tip for being successful in life is not to keep looking at someone who has succeeded but to do your own thing. If you want something badly enough, go for it, work towards that goal, and come out a winner. One other thing, it is never too late so let those excuses fly out the window and you do what you are fully capable of.
“People begin to become successful the minute they decide TO BE.”
What’s a book, movie, or TV show that you wish you could experience again for the first time?
Too many to narrow down to just one. I loved books and I used to read them voraciously. Some days I had my nose in some book and couldn’t put it down. Those days are done with. I don’t read as much as I used to. I loved most of them and Nora Roberts was one of my favorite authors. I loved her play on words and her ability to bring forth a story seamlessly. Or so it seemed.
The same for movies or TV shows. I’ve seen too many and I can’t just pin one down. It is all water under the bridge. Some I still remember simply for its romantic value and others, well, they are somewhere in the annals of my memory. However, there is one TV show or rather a series that I loved. I wish I can experience that one again. It was called, “Army Wives.” I was just getting to know this person who turned out to be just the perfect guy at the time.
We were into this series and we spent our weekends glued to the TV screen! However, there was one song from this series that caught my attention simply because he sent it to me and it spoke volumes at the time. He is gone now, gone too soon, but whenever I hear that song, it brings back memories of him and what a nice guy he was. The only reason I would like to experience it again is to have him back by my side. I do miss him.
Daily writing prompt
What’s a book, movie, or TV show that you wish you could experience again for the first time?
When Forest Gump died, he stood in front of St. Peters at the Pearly Gates. St. Peter said “welcome, Forest. We’ve heard a lot about you. “he continued, Unfortunately, it getting pretty crowded up here and we find that we now have to give people an entrance examination before we let them in.”
“Okay, said Forest. “I hope it’s not too hard. I’ve already been through a test. My momma used to say, “Life is like a final exam. It’s hard.”
“Yes, Forest, I know. But this test is only three questions. Here they are.”
1) Which two days of the week begin with the letter ‘T’?”
2) How many seconds are in a year?
3) What is God’s first name?
“Well, sir,” said Forest, “The first one is easy. Which two days of the week begin with the letter ‘T’? Today and Tomorrow.” St. Peter looked surprised and said, “Well, that wasn’t the answer I was looking for, but you have a point. I give you credit for that answer.”
“The next question, said Forest, “How many seconds are in a year? Twelve.”
“Twelve?” said St Peter, surprised and confused.
“Yes, sir. January 2nd, February 2nd, March 2nd …” St. Peter interrupted him. “I see what you mean. I’ll have to give you credit for that one, too.” “And the last question,” said Forest, “What is God’s first name? It is Andy.”
“Andy?” said St. Peter, in shock. “How did you come up with ‘Andy’?” “I learned it in church. We used to sing about it.” Forest broke into song, “Andy walks with me, Andy talks with me, Andy tells me I am His own.”
St. Peter opened the gate to heaven and said “Run, Forest, Run!”
A common misconception people have about happiness is that when it arrives, it will stay forever. Perhaps, that’s because happiness brings with it the “happy” hormones and we forget or choose not to look beyond that.
The happy hormones, dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins release a surge of pleasure, emotional stability, pain relief and deep connection and we forget that it doesn’t last forever.
Sooner or later, “happiness” leaves for whatever the reason. It could be just life showing us that nothing stays the same forever and where there is a high, there is also a low. Happiness is not a constant, it fluctuates. External changes may bring happiness for a little while, however, real happiness comes from within.
“A good look won’t bring you the same level of happiness as a healthy mindset will.”
On that same note, money won’t bring you happiness and neither will material goods. It is up to you to create your own happiness.
It is never too late to be happy. Make up your mind that you are going to be happy, work towards that goal and give yourself as many positive strokes as you need to get you there. It is an uphill battle and falling down is a part of that process. Never give up and each time you take a backward step, let determination take you forwards.
Happiness is not a forever thing. It takes work, it takes a certain mindset, and it takes WORK to stay HAPPY!
Daily writing prompt
What’s a common misconception people have about happiness?
Paddy and Mick are two Irishmen working at the local sawmill.
One day, Mick slips and his arm gets caught and severed by the big bench saw. Paddy quickly puts the limb in a plastic bag and rushes it and Mick to the local hospital.
Next day, Paddy goes to the hospital and asks after Mick. The nurse says, “Oh he’s out in Rehab exercising”.
Paddy couldn’t believe it, but there’s Mick out the back exercising his now re-attached arm. The very next day he’s back at work in the saw mill.
A couple of days go by, and then Mick slips and severs his leg on another bloody big saw.
So Paddy puts the limb in a plastic bag and rushes it and Mick off to Hospital..
Next day he calls in to see him and asks the nurse how he is.. The nurse replies, “He’s out in the Rehab again exercising”.
And sure enough, there’s Mick out there doing some serious work on the treadmill. And very soon Mick comes back to work.
But, as usual, within a couple of days he has another accident and severs his head.
Wearily Paddy puts the head in a plastic bag and transports it and Mick to hospital.
Next day he goes in and asks the nurse how Mick is. The nurse breaks down and cries and says, “He’s dead.”
Paddy is shocked, but not surprised. “I suppose the saw finally did him in.”
“No”, says the nurse, “Some idiot put his head in a plastic bag and he suffocated.
It is one of the hardest skills to master and I have a hard time with it. I am working on letting things go without the end of the world theatrics and I have come a long ways from back when letting go was next to an impossible thing.
However, I still have to master this skill. The question is if this skill can be mastered. I think all of us have a hard time with letting things go, some more than others. I know one person who does it with his eyes closed! One day he is in love and the next he is NOT! A cold-hearted person? I don’t know but he seems to do it with ease and to walk away with no remorse whatsoever.
Not all of us are made that way. I suppose life would be easier if we were. Unfortunately, for many of us it is a heart-wrenching thing to do.
Coming back to your question, “letting go” is one skill I would like to instantly master because it would make my life easier, calmer, and stress-free!
Doable? Anything is if you set your mind to it.
Daily writing prompt
If you could instantly master any skill, what would it be and why?
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