Even when I thought I was alone, you carried me. Thank you.
A beautiful gospel song by Cole Maverick. I love his voice!
Showing Up
“Sometimes the bravest and most important thing you can do is just show up.” Brene Brown
It is also the hardest thing to do. Pulling the covers over your head, staying in bed and letting the day carry on without you is the norm and putting all your attention on the one thing or couple of things that tell you, not showing up is the way to go. I think we’ve all had those days and for some, it is a daily existence and for others it is a short stop before we pick up and carry on. Whichever the case may be for you, staying put is not going to do it. It takes courage to move on.
“Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.” Brene Brown
Your first step to showing up for yourself is to show up as you are, fears and all. “Showing up is the act of being present and vulnerable, and courage is the ability to do so despite being afraid.” I realized that I haven’t been showing up for myself these past two weeks. Fear has stepped in and peace of mind is nowhere to be seen. I seem to be wading through thick gooey mud and each step is painstakingly slow if at all. I want the day to go away and staying under the covers is where I would like to spend my days. However, something stopped me in my tracks yesterday. Call it courage, call it intuition, or just my mind telling me to “BUCKLE UP!” and MOVE! It worked.
Today is another day and I am moving for all I’m worth. It’s not the physical kind of moving I’m talking about but the mental and emotional kind. Enough of the self-pity, the negative self-talk, and the “I can’t do this” mentality. I know I can and I will!
“No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, show up and never give up.” Unknown
It is exactly what I’m doing today.
I’m on the move again and I intend to show up for myself with bells on! Taking your power back from whatever is holding you back is a necessary step, letting go of people who bring you down is important but more than that, knowing that you are fully capable of handling whatever comes your way is one big leap towards moving on with life.
“There will be moments in life when showing up for yourself will mean leaving behind those who don’t.” Alex Elle
Show up, take life by the horns, and move forward decisively. Exactly what I’m doing today. The sun is showing up after the storm last night and it seems to be a clear signal to get MOVING!
Have an amazing day.
A Fictional Companion
I really can’t think of any fictional animal to be my lifelong companion. The problem is I have a real companion and that little guy is more than I can handle!
He knows he is loved, cared for, and he also knows that I wouldn’t change him for all the money in the world. Chachi, my little love, is here to stay. So the way I see it, no other fantasy creature or fictional animal can take his place and that’s my answer to this question.
Hopefully tomorrow brings something out of the fictional range.
Daily writing prompt
If you could pick any fictional animal to be your lifelong companion (like a Pokémon or fantasy pet), what would it be?
Your Love Reaches Me
It does when I listen carefully. There is nothing to fear because your love reaches me and I know all is well.
The Cheesecake Standoff!
I have a cheesecake fetish, plain and simple. Battling this addiction has been a big problem. I call it an addiction because if I go by the bakery where they sell this scrumptious piece of nothingness, I CAN’T SAY NO!
It is nothing fancy, just the plain variety with no embellishments. No cream, no fruits, no nothing, but it is the plain kind that I love. Just one bite and I feel the heavens opening up! I call it my one sin. Pastries are out, cookies are out, chocolates are out, and other kinds of cakes are out. I don’t crave them like I do cheesecake. Add a cup of coffee to it and my eyes light up like a Christmas tree!
Well, a month ago I summoned my willpower in and we had a heart to heart. My willpower worn. Cheesecakes were out the door as well. I turn a blind eye whenever I walk past that bakery and sometimes the women who work there call out saying they have fresh cheesecake! That’s how well-known I am.
Anyway, I haven’t had cheesecake for over a month. I needed to get ready for my medical procedure and that required a strict diet. One of my own making. I decided I was throwing everything out that would jeopardize my health just to help the doctors along. I was fit as a fiddle when I went in and breezed out of there looking like a thousand bucks! Why not a million? Well, that would be stretching it. Anyway, I am recovering well. However, the second procedure is about three weeks away and I need to stick to my diet, more than the first time because I’m not allowed to do any workouts. Bah Humbug! Yes, that’s my favorite word of the moment and since I don’t cuss I’ll stick to Bah Humbug. I think it has a nice ring to it.
Coming back to the cheesecake, I drove the car today. If I feel any pain then STOP was what the doctors told me. I drove it last week but just around the village and I did fine, but didn’t have the guts to go any further. Today, I got tired of moping around the house. I got in and started the car. It came to life and was ready to go. We drove to the next village where my favorite cafe is and right across it is the bakery. The cafe was closed for some reason but the bakery, well, it was ready for me. There in the window staring back at me were two slices of cheesecake! They seemed to be taunting me.
Should I?
What’s the excuse? The weather is nice, the sun is shining, and a slice would go perfectly with a cup of coffee.
I walked in and the women smiled.
“Long time no see.”
Hmm….
“Cheesecake? We have more in the refrigerator.”
The other people waiting in line eyed me.
“Just those two pieces please.”
“Sure? We can get you more.”
God, I wanted the whole cheesecake! Meekly, I mumbled, “Just two slices please.”
They smiled again knowing full well that the gates of hell was slowly but surely opening! Just kidding.
I walked out with the cheesecake dreaming of a fantastic afternoon.
Here we are, it is around 2 in the afternoon and I haven’t touched them. They are sitting in the fridge and every time I open the door, they GRIN! I just did my 7 minute walk in the garden thinking that will help but it is not working. I want to throw caution to the wind and just dive in.
My willpower is whispering or rather roaring in my ear saying, “You’ve been so good, why throw it all away!”
Will it win? What do you think?
The sage continues……
Have an amazing day.
Switching Lives with a Fictional Character
I have enough trouble being me so why would I want to switch lives with a fictional character for a week?
My answer to this question is, I choose no one! I’ll stay where I’m at working through what I need to work through without resorting to daydreaming again! The other thing is, it is too early in the morning and I am grumpy in the mornings before my first cup of coffee.
Sounds like a great escape if you need it but I’ll stay where I’m at and that is my answer. GRUMPUS? Blame it on a sleepless night, coffee should help to calm things down. Hoping anyway!
Next question please…..
Daily writing prompt
If you had to switch lives with a fictional character for a week, who would you choose?
Democracy in Action!
If you can’t grab them by the you know what, do the next best thing!
LOL!
This one is hilarious.
Three drunk men entered a taxi. The taxi driver knew that they were drunk so he started the engine & turned it off again. Then he said, “We have reached your destination”. The 1st man gave him money & the 2nd man said “Thank you”. The 3rd man slapped the driver. The driver was shocked thinking the 3rd drunk knew what he did. But then he asked “What was that for?”. The 3rd man replied “Control your speed next time, you nearly killed us!”
🤣🤣🤣
Gustavo Fring & Walter White
These two characters from Breaking Bad start out as heroes and transition into villains. However, they are both highly likeable.
Gustavo Fring is a fictional character who uses his chicken restaurants as a front to distribute drugs. He shows extreme professionalism and operates like a corporate executive and add benevolence to that persona and you’ve got a “hero” sort of guy. However, he transitions into the revenge mode when he is consumed by grief at losing a close friend and business partner killed by the cartel. He wages war against the Mexican cartel, but that is understandable. Grief makes you act in certain ways and sometimes revenge plays a part. I like his character even if at times he comes across as the bad guy.
Walter White starts out as a family man who is a cancer- stricken and an underpaid school teacher. Who doesn’t like a teacher? His heart is in the right place and all he wants is to secure financial freedom for his family. Lovable right?
As the series progresses, this mild-mannered man with a brilliant mind transitions into outsmarting ruthless drug lords. However, his ruthless and selfish actions are at times more than bothersome but he wants the best for his family and that makes him a villain worth liking!
Okay, done with this question. Can we make it simpler please? The questions I mean.
Daily writing prompt
Have you ever liked a villain more than the hero? Who and why?
The Journey with a Book
It is most definitely, The Thorn Birds, by Colleen McCullough. I recall picking it up and when I saw how thick it was, I was ready to put it back down. I wanted easy reads at that time and no long drawn out ones. However, it turned out to be the best book I have ever read and still remains in my memory today.
The book has a total of 692 pages in standard printed editions but could vary between 530 and 708 pages depending on whether it is a paperback, hardcover, or a book edition. That’s a lot of pages but believe me when I say, I breezed through it and couldn’t put it down. I WANTED MORE!
It is a family saga with a love story woven in that will break your heart and it was right down my alley. I love stories especially ones that make you cry and this one did. The romance was doomed from the start and it will span three generations. Meggie, the only daughter, falls for and carries on a lifelong romance with Father Ralph de Bricassart. Heartbreak is the name of the game but diehard romantics, me included, couldn’t care less! It was and still is the best romance novel of all time, in my opinion.
It is also the longest book I’ve ever read but it didn’t seem that way at all. That in itself is a mark of a good book, one that was well-written and captures your imagination and keeps you captivated to the very end.
A great book and one of a kind.
