LOL!

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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.

CAUTION: Highly explosive in inexperienced hands!

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Element Name: MAN

Symbol: XY

Atomic Weight: (180 +/- 50)

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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Determined

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Some may say complicated, but I will go with determined. I have learned that it takes determination and a focused mindset to make it through what life throws your way.

It’s easy to throw up your hands and to give up. It is easier still to dig in your heels and refuse to budge. However, it takes determination to put one foot in front of the other and to move on leaving the past behind you.

Having made it through several bad situations, a bad divorce, two murders (where I lost people very close to me), and loss through death, I have come to understand that you have to be determined to make it. If that part is not there, the rest falls apart.

I learned it the hard way. There were moments when I was weak and putting blame on everything else was easy to do. This got me nowhere. It was only after much soul-searching and putting a plan of action together that I slowly started moving forward. I am still on my journey of discovery, still some ways to go, but each new day brings forth the determination to keep moving and to see what is at the end of this long journey.

It is still hard but when I feel the rays of sunshine touch my face as it is doing now, I know that there is hope and in time all things will be made clear. I HOPE!

The Three Musketeers

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“All for one and one for all!” Not quite. I thought the hardest part is to have the two visitors as temporary residents for some time and when they get used to being here, things will take a turn for the better. Think again!

Gallahad, the gentle giant with the dark fur and orange eyes is an observer. He watches everything with those wise eyes of his and stays out of the way until he hears the can opening, food can that is. Then he prances around because “food” brings him happiness and adds to the extra pounds he carries around as well. He loves eating. I’m his best buddy because he knows without a shadow of a doubt that I’m the lady with the food. Be nice to her and you have a full tummy, that is guaranteed.

Shiro, on the other hand, is sweet and looks mighty pretty. All that white fur and big wide eyes makes her a beauty. She loves to meow when she is happy AND when she is not. How to know the difference? You don’t, just go with the flow or simply ignore her. She loves to sleep a lot as cats do I suppose but she calls it her “beauty sleep.” A girl after my own heart!

Chachi, the Little Macho has lost some of that machismo ever since these two moved in. He was “the man” but now, the third wheel or the fourth but who cares, he feels that the two have moved in and are vying for my attention, love, and caring. This is not setting too well with him and he shows it in ways that is alarming. He hisses whenever he sees them, tries to hit with his paws and last night, he went for my hand! I wasn’t having any of it so I read him the riot act. Things have been quiet since then but he shoots daggers in my direction letting it be known that he is JEALOUS!

What am I doing? Good question. I am running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Just when I think I have a handle on things, they show me different. Galli decided that feeding, grooming, and taking care of his needs isn’t enough. He added diarrhea to the equation! He is a long-haired variety and let me tell you cleaning up after that makes you want to send him home! The problem, he has no other home right now. So, I cleaned up, ran the wash several times and all is back to normal again. Then there is the problem with the hair. Two long-haired cats shed like crazy! Now, it is time to play stylist as well. I invested in a good hair-trimmer and have been cutting Shiro’s hair. She is a sweetheart, no problems there. Galli is another story! He went for my hand after hearing the light buzzing and knew something was up. The next thing I did was to invest in some protective gloves. This is working much better but try getting close to the legs and you have trouble waiting!

Time for a professional to take over. I have an appointment scheduled with a dog and cat stylist in April. Hopefully, she gets them cleaned up and smelling like a rose. Maybe, not a rose but something better!

Life with three cats is no joke. It’s like having kids running around and demanding attention all the time. Oh, I forgot playtime. It is scheduled for an hour each day. By the end of the day, I am pooped!

Three musketeers they are not, but I’m hoping that things will settle down. I used to say I don’t want to travel anymore, well, that has changed ever since the two moved in. I am ready for a break!

Have an amazing day.

Love Lessons

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Love as we know has many facets. It is not a one size fits all kind of thing. There is the love between a parent and child, there is the love between a pet and its owner, there is the love of material things but nothing is as powerful as the love that shows up and turns your world on its head and you don’t know if you’re coming or going. It is the kind of love that comes and touches your heart, sends your blood pumping and you are left wondering what happened?

However, this love between a man and woman has its ups and downs. Sometimes it goes smoothly and sometimes when you least expect it, you get the rug pulled out from under your feet. There is the kind that shows up and you are head over heels and the kind that doesn’t get the same response from the other person. There is the kind that takes you for a ride, the kind that breaks your heart into a thousand pieces and hurt becomes a part of loving. There is the kind that loves to play games and the kind that doesn’t give a hoot about your feelings. It is all part and parcel of this thing called love. If you are lucky, you find someone who looks at you and you’re IT and then there is the kind that does circles around you and keeps you guessing.

Different kinds of love but it has one thing in common. Love is powerful and it has the ability to turn an ordinary person into someone extraordinary or leaves you gasping for air. Love lessons they are aplenty and since I’m in this, “What is love really about?” mood, here are some quotes that speak to the heart of the matter.

“Some people teach you what love feels like. Others teach you what love is not. Both shape how you protect your heart.” Unknown

Been there, done that and there is truth in that quote.

“I don’t walk away to teach people a lesson, I walk away because I learned mine.” Unknown

Done this one too. Believe me, the walking away gets easier as time goes along.

Spend your time on those who LOVE you unconditionally. Don’t waste it on those who only love you when the conditions are right for them.” Unknown

Listen carefully to this one. When you are not the priority, leave! No point hanging around.

“Not all love lasts, but the lessons love brings to us do.” Mandy Hale

The absolute truth. Learn from the lessons and let go of the rest.

“Sometimes life sends us people who don’t love us enough, to remind us of what we’re worthy of.” Mandy Hale

This is painful but it is a lesson that has to be learned. You are worthy of real love and not the wishy washy kind. Pay attention to what is shown and take the right path. It is not going to be easy but worthiness comes from knowing who you are and what you will stand for. It demands courage as well to shut the door and to move on.

“Never chase love, affection, or attention. If it isn’t given freely by another person, it isn’t worth having.” Unknown

Quite often we do the chase or the dance or whatever name you give it but you know what I mean. Chasing love, affection, or attention quite often brings the opposite. Don’t chase, let it go and see what happens.

“Sometimes the bad things that happen in our lives put us directly on the path to the best things that will ever happen to us.” Nicole Reed

I think this one works on the same principle as karma does. Someone does something bad to you and if you believe in karma, I do, you know that at some point they will get their comeuppance. When? That’s the problem. There is no date or time given, just that it will take place at some point and you have to believe that it will. So when will good things start happening. Same thing. Wait for it and sooner or later it will happen. No fun? Yes, well, life moves to a different beat and all in good time because you have to learn before you reap the benefits, I suppose.

Enough about love? One last thing, love is many-faceted and it has its mysteries but one thing is for sure, WE CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT IT!!

Have an amazing day and I hope the right kind of love finds you.

The Awakening

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This one is embarrassing. The best compliment I’ve ever received was when I was in my early 20s and it was given to me by a group of businessmen.

I was in Singapore at the time and in McDonalds meeting a girlfriend for lunch. Sitting behind us was a group of men in suits. They kept staring but I didn’t pay it much mind. After 20 minutes they got up and left. I was glad because they made me uneasy for some reason. A few minutes later they walked back in. There were about 10 of them altogether so I froze in mid-conversation. They walked to our table, one guy had a single rose in his hand and an envelope. He didn’t say a word as he handed me both, smiled, and they left. The place was eerily quiet as everyone glanced over at us.

I opened the envelope and there was a card in it. It said:

“To the most beautiful girl in Singapore.”

It also contained 30 dollars to pay for lunch I guess. Nothing else. No telephone number nothing. I never saw them again but that chance meeting has stayed in my memory because it literally blew my mind! I would get plenty more compliments as time went on but that one on a hot day in Singapore took the cake and has remained in my mind as one of the best compliments of all time!

I was a wild child in my teens running around barefoot in the forest and playing with the ducks and most days I was covered with mud from head to toe but I loved it. I blossomed when I was 16 and those things were put aside. I never thought of myself as a beauty but things changed. I went from being a tomboy to a quiet young woman. More introvert than anything else. That compliment was my awakening to a different world. Beauty is more than a buzz word, beauty is power in some cases. These days they still tell me I am attractive but I march to a different drumbeat. It is more about the inner beauty and not about the fading kind.

Daily writing prompt
What was the best compliment you’ve received?

Nature’s Way

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“To walk in nature is to witness a thousand miracles.” Mary Davis

Walking is my favorite thing to do. It helps to clear my mind, helps me to get a better perspective on life and it’s good for the mind and soul not to mention my body so what’s not to like?

It is almost springlike in my part of the world but we are not quite there yet and after the snow, ice and sleet of winter, blue skies and sunshine is a nice change. After having been cooped up for a week, it is time to take advantage of the nice weather. 

Zipping up my light jacket with a scarf around my neck and stepping into my boots, I am all ready to head out the door. I am not expecting much, just a beautiful walk in nature. I wonder if I will see the deer I’ve seen on my last few walks. We made eye contact several times and then he took off and went back into the woods. I hope I do because there is something about coming face to face with one of nature’s own. It makes me feel like I belong too.

“Nature is the purest portal to inner-peace.” Angie Weiland Crosby

I am surrounded by blue-tipped mountains on one side and the sporadic green line of the forest on the other. Today, I find myself alone as I am on most days. I feel the wind picking up speed and I pull my coat closer against me as I raise my face to the sky. It is clear and blue and perfect. A loud cawing draws my attention. I look further up the path I am on and see two huge black crows fighting over something. As I approach them, they let out a loud sound at the human who has walked into their space, it almost sounds rude to the ear.  Then they flap their wings and take off to another part of the field where they would be left in peace. I understand them well, I crave peace too.

Approaching the apple trees, I see that they’ve lost all their foliage and now stand naked their twig-like branches reaching out to nothing in particular. Not too long ago, they looked bright and beautiful with globes of red, pink and green hanging from their green branches. The apples have been harvested and there is nothing more left to be done until springtime of course. Out of what stands before me will emerge pink and white blossoms bringing with them a faint delicate scent that is warm and delicious and the cycle will start again. So it is with life. There is no end and no beginning. It is a never-ending cycle. You get on at some point and you get off when your time is up but life never stops moving, it just keeps on going.

As I make my way back, I realize that I haven’t seen the deer. I hope it is alright. Feeling refreshed by the clean air and the open spaces for as far as the eye can see, I say a small “thank you” for the beauty, the peace and the graciousness of nature. It has accompanied me in good times and bad and will be my companion for many more walks to come. Suddenly, a sharp shrill sound pierces the air. I look up to see a hawk hovering above me. A smile crosses my face as I watch it stay there for a while. Almost weightless it hovers and then it lets out another shrill cry as it flies away into the blue yonder. Nature teaches us many things but most of all it has the power to heal, it shows us a thousand miracles if we are open to it and in its own way it shows us that there is a time and place for everything. 

“I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees.” Henry David Thoreau

Or this one,

“And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.” John Muir

Have an amazing day.

Cross-Country Trip

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Airplane, train, bus, car, or bike? What about horse and buggy? Just kidding.

I don’t like trains so that is out of the question, I don’t like buses and bikes either. So that leaves the car and or airplane. Airplanes were my mode of transport going overseas or for going to another country. I always found it stressful and I’m not good at dealing with jetlag, it took me several days to get over it. So that seems to be out as well.

The car is the last one standing on four wheels. It is my current mode of transport for doing the things I need to get done everyday like running to the store or other stuff that is part and parcel of my daily existence. Cross-country trips are far and few these days but I’ve done it in the past. The car is a comfortable way of travel but depending on where you’re at, it can get more than stressful especially if you’re on the Autobahn and driving with the speed demons. It can scare the hell out of you. I still prefer the car if I had to do a cross-country trip just for the comfort factor alone and NOT having to deal with the masses. However, it has its ups and downs as well.

Daily writing prompt
You’re going on a cross-country trip. Airplane, train, bus, car, or bike?

Change

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I was talking to someone this morning and I asked the question, “What if there comes a time when you can’t do one or the other?” I was referring to his love of traveling and diving. The answer back was alarming to say the least. He said, “I would be dead!”

“Change….A simple word with a difficult meaning.” Unknown

The “difficult” part is not being able to adapt to change. Whatever that change entails. I can’t stand change for the most part. It means I would have to get out of my comfort zone and that scares the hell out of me. It also means going within and doing battle to accept the changes coming my way which is what change usually means. Adapting is never easy but life as we all know it is a never-ending series of changes. Staying put is never an option.

Charles Darwin said it well:

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.”

Does change have the potential to kill you? It may feel like that at the beginning because letting go of something you’ve become accustomed to is HARD. However, saying no is not an option either. Look at it this way.

“Life is like underwear, change is good.” Unknown

You can change and you can adapt and that is the truth of the matter. We are all pre-programmed to do just that. Going back in time, I had to adapt to so many of life’s happenings and after the usual, I CAN’T, I gave up and let life take the lead and I went along for the ride. Some things turned out almost perfectly and others, well, let’s just say it wasn’t the outcome I expected. All in all, I had no choice or rather the choices were limited. Move or get run over was the message.

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” Socrates

Adaptation, it seems is a key crucial element to change. The more you fight it, the harder it will be. There are no remotes available so that you can press a button and get instant gratification. In order for life to happen and for change to take place, you have to get up and change it yourself. Scary? Definitely.

Opray Winfrey said:

“The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude.”

That simple huh? No, not that simple but there is truth in that saying. So change your attitude, grab the reins of your life and make change happen. There’s a whole wide world of possibilities waiting out there and one of them has your name on it. You can only have it if you adapt. Nothing more, nothing less.

Have an amazing day.

The Most Confident Person I Know

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This is a hard one and this early in the morning? My mind is doing a scramble to unravel that mystery because I’ve known many people in my life who seemed very confident and had a handle on this thing called life.

If I had to narrow it down to one person, I would say it was my mom. She is no longer here but her presence remains and is a constant reminder that I can do all things as she did in her life. She was a petite person but a giant when it came to raising her children. Some would call her an “helicopter mom” because her life was based around us and she was constantly looking out for us but when it came to parenting, she was a one woman parenting machine! I take many of my cues from her when it comes to my son and the questions he has. She had answers to every question and believe me there were many many questions!

Part of that parenting system didn’t cater to a rambunctious young girl because I wanted things my way but she stood her ground. She stood up to adversity like a pro and challenges were just that, something to be conquered or handled and that was it. No berating herself like I do. I remember her standing tall even at the worst times in her life and even when her life came to an end because someone chose to end it, she put up a fight. She was and is, the most confident person I know and have known. She had faith in herself and in God and these two things combined together were an unbeatable team. I am confident but nowhere close to where she was but I am learning to embrace my own strength and I see confidence in how I handle things as well. Perhaps the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree as they say.

Breathing In Life

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It’s interesting how everything comes back to this one thing and that is breathing. We pay it very little mind as we rush through life and forget that it exists but only as something we take for granted. It is that motion of taking in a breath and letting it out that tells us we are alive but how are we breathing? Has stress made your breathing harder, has anger stopped it in its tracks or has sadness made it shallow and rhythmless? Probably all of those things and more. Yet, if we stopped breathing than life would come to a standstill.

I found some beautiful quotes that gets you thinking about this thoughtless process we call breathing. It speaks to just how beautiful and essential it is to breathe and to pay attention to the kind of breathing we are doing.

“Life is amazing. And then it’s awful. And then it’s amazing again. And in between the amazing and the awful its ordinary and mundane and routine. Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful, and relax and exhale through the awful, and relax and exhale during the ordinary. That’s just living, heartbreaking, soul-healing, amazing, awful, ordinary life. And it’s breathtakingly beautiful.” LR Knost

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“Stop your worrying, panicking and stressing.

BREATHE.

Remember, you made it this far through difficulties that seemed impossible. Remember how many times you were saved at the very last minute – this time is no different.” Bryant McGill

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“You don’t always need a plan. Sometimes you just need to breathe, trust, let go, and see what happens.” Mandy Hale

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“As you waste your breath complaining about life, someone out there is breathing their last breath.” Appreciate what you have.” Unknown

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“Life isn’t measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” Unknown

Did something or someone take your breath away today? The Magnolia tree out back took my breath away this morning. It is getting ready to bloom and soon it will be a showpiece as it is every year and it will be enough to take your breath away. The daffodils are shaking their yellow heads, their beauty simple but breathtaking. Most of all, the lone deer that ran through the fields this morning was mesmerizing and breathtaking as I stood and watched it do its spring dance of happiness. I got my daily dose of breathtaking moments today but I’m sure there will be more tomorrow, I just need to appreciate what’s in front of me.

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“Sometimes you need to slow down, remain calm, and simply let life happen. Take a deep breath and focus on the simple important things: you are alive, you are breathing, you are enough as you are.” Unknown

YOU GOT THIS.

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“Listen, are you breathing just a little and calling it a life?” Mary Oliver

Words to pay attention to. We deserve better don’t you think?

Have an amazing day.