dailyprompt – Page 13

Mandy Hale

I’ve been following her ever since my marriage went down South. She has plenty to say about broken relationships and how to weather the storm that follows afterwards. I’ve followed her advice and I must admit that most of her advice or quotes did help me when I was caught struggling and navigating the choppy waters of divorce and all that it entails..

Who is she? She is a blogger and New York Times bestselling author and speaker. Mandy Hale is inspirational and she cuts to the chase or rather to the heart of the matter when she talks about life and love.

Here are some of her quotes, the ones that made me stop and to think twice about the path I was on.

“If you don’t love yourself, you’ll always be chasing after people who don’t love you either.”

Absolutely true. Learn to love yourself first and when you do, you won’t put up with the nonsense that comes across as love.

“Stop giving people the power to control your smile, your worth, and your attitude.”

I learned this one the hard way!

“I would rather be alone with dignity than in a relationship that requires me to sacrifice my self-respect.”

This next one I LOVE!

“A season of loneliness and isolation is when the caterpillar gets its wings. Remember that next time you feel alone.”

However, I’m doing the loneliness and isolation part but I haven’t got my wings yet. I’m sure it is on its way!

She has a massive Twitter following and she inspires every single woman to live their best lives. What’s not to like?

She is my favorite blogger.

Daily writing prompt

Who is your favorite blogger to follow?

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Fully Capable of Handling Anything!

Photo by Thái Trường Giang on Pexels.com

This was a hard lesson to learn. I usually have a hard time accepting things as they are and often I try to do battle before I decide that it is time to give in and see what I can do with the situation.

The two cats moved in and my first thought, I can’t do this! I added more to that and it became the fuel that was needed to ignite it into an impossible situation. It only got better when I stepped back and took each problem as it came along. I find out now that I am fully capable of handling the two cats plus my own and they seem to be doing fine. We have a routine going and WE are happy or so it seems!

Then came the move. My son was moving away and I wore sackcloth and ashes for days on end. I told myself that I can’t go from being the “helicopter mom” to the empty nester! Guess what? It wasn’t up to me. The move took place last weekend and his things have been moved to his new place. I watched him go with tears in my eyes but that didn’t change anything. I had to deal with the aftermath. After a day or two of moping around, I decided that I am fully capable of handling this as well. We are into Day 5 after the move and I am seeing daylight again. I realize that I am learning to let go without holding on too tightly. Perhaps, that is the secret. I haven’t let go fully yet but I’m sure, it will come soon enough.

The lesson I’ve learned recently that shifted my perspective is that I am fully capable of handling problems and I am stronger than I think I am! Still hard, but I am on my way and that is the important part.

Daily writing prompt

What’s a lesson you’ve learned recently that shifted your perspective?

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My Evening Ritual

I’ve learned along the way that good sleep doesn’t come naturally. You’ve got to work at it to get your 8 hours of undisturbed sleep. Even though I eat healthy, workout, and do the right things during the day, it doesn’t mean that I can slide into bed and go to dreamland at a drop of the coin. It was easier when I was younger but now that I’m on my own and handling things by myself, good sleep needs work and I’m hell-bent on getting it!

The first thing I do is to have a nice shower. Then I change into a big roomy t-shirt, the bigger the better! Before that I slather on a good mosturizing cream but I’ve had to let that go for the past week because of the heatwave. It just made me feel sticky.

Then I make myself a cup of Ayurveda tea. It is soothing and helps to calm my nerves. Most days when evening rolls around, my nerves are on edge! Sipping warm tea and having my eyes closed for about 10 minutes helps to bring the cortisol levels down.

Some days, I do some light stretching, a short meditation, and or some deep breathing. These three get me ready for bed in no time. If that doesn’t work, I cuddle with Chachi, the Little Macho, although he has lost his pants now. Shiro, the white Persian, is wearing them with pride and she is holding a whip as well!

If I’m still buzzing after that, I watch TV for a while. It doesn’t always help to soothe but after a while it gets boring and then sleep comes rushing in!

Those are my tried and true methods of improving my sleep. It works but not always. It just depends on how stressful my day was. Some days nothing helps, I’ll just have to grit my teeth and bear it. That too is part and parcel of my evening ritual, like it or not.

Goodnight and don’t let the bedbugs bite!

Daily writing prompt

What do you do to improve your sleep?

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No Problem!

Hitting 5,ooo steps today is a breeze since I do more than that each and everyday. Working out is a must and my weight hasn’t shifted in three years! Some call me skinny and others just right but the thing that matters is not what “they” say, it is about how it makes me feel.

Exercise keeps me on track. It puts me in a good mood, it gets rid of negative thoughts and it gets the happy hormones going and it is the fountain of youth. If you want to stay young, keep your body moving.

Let’s see. I’ve already done 2,500 steps since breakfast. Just a quick walk with intervals of strength training. I’m feeling good! The next 2,500 steps will come in after lunch. Then it will be a HOP, SKIP, and a JUMP away from the 10,000 steps I aim for each day.

Thanks for the cheers. I’m making my way up the mountain top, see you there!

Daily writing prompt

Hit 5,000 steps today and drop your achievement here — we’re cheering you on!

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Pep Yourself Up!

Some of the best ways to deal with negative thoughts is to motivate, energize, or cheer yourself up. Be your own cheerleader. Psych yourself up and get moving.

My best method to overcome or to deal with negative thoughts is to take a walk. It doesn’t matter if it is just a 10-minute walk, it gets my blood pumping and those negative thoughts fly out the same way they came in!

Engage in positive self-talk. Not the ones that we do to put ourselves down so that we go further down the rabbit hole but the kind that boosts your self-esteem. How about, “All those workout sessions are really showing. You’re looking good!” Or, “You handled that problem well, like a pro I must say!” Pep yourself up because you are worth it.

I love listening to my favorite songs. Nothing loud or crazy, just soft and easy on the mind. It usually helps. Meditation is actually my go to method for dealing with negative thoughts. I shut everything down, clear my mind, and go to this place where everything is perfect and no negative thoughts are to be seen. I spend about 15 minutes there and come out feeling like a winner!

If all else fails, grab a slice of cheesecake, a cup of coffee, sit outside, take a deep breath and dive in! It works every time. The problem, I can’t stop at one slice! The nice part, those negative thoughts are nowhere to be seen!

Daily writing prompt

What’s the best way to deal with negative thoughts?

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I Can’t Think of Anything!

The heat must have scrambled my mind but for the life of me, I can’t think of anything that I hated when I was younger and love now. Hmm…..I was an easy kid except for my forays into the forests behind my place. It was a mesmerizing place filled with magic and there I spent a lot of time commuting with nature. It didn’t set too well with mom who wanted to raise a “lady” and not a little rascal!

However, I was easy compared to my brothers and sisters. They had their quirks, their likes and dislikes. One brother loved to cuss which was a no no in my family so there was trouble there. Another hated eating vegetables and yet another just loved having her own way! I, on the other hand, was the who gave no trouble, did what was asked of me, and towed the line.

So no I can’t think of anything that I hated. Hate is a strong word and I don’t think that I really hated anything. I had a great childhood and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Next question please….

Daily writing prompt

What do you love now, that you hated when you were younger?

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Gut Feeling or Intuition

I would like to think that a gut feeling and intuition are the same but it seems that there are subtle differences. They are closely related and a “gut feeling is typically an immediate physical and emotional reaction driven by survival instincts and past trauma. Intuition is a calmer more cerebral knowing that subconsciously synthesizes experience to offer wise guidance.” I don’t know guys, it seems like it is the one and the same to me. Basically it is that feeling within that tells you you’re going the wrong way! Quite often we choose to ignore the voice that wants to do right and we walk our own path knowing full well that it is the wrong one.

I’ve done that many times over. I remember a time when my “gut feeling” screamed, “STOP! You’re headed the wrong way, he’s not the right one.” I heard it loud and clear, I saw the signs being paraded in front of me and still I ignored and carried on heading into the danger zone!

However, the journey of self-discovery I am on has taught me to pay heed to those gut feelings and to take them seriously. Not too long ago, I dated someone who seemed to be the perfect guy. Let’s just say, he ticked all the right boxes. It started out like a dream. We connected, we had the same interests, and it felt like HOME! However, my gut was telling me something else. It said, “Watch out! Things are not as they seem.” This time around, I chose to listen and it turned out for the best.

The loser was a cheater just like my ex. He played a good game and it looked like he had done it many times before. The good part, I walked away before more damage could be done. My gut feeling was exactly right and I did right by following its advice.

So the next time your gut tells you something is not right, pay heed. It has your best interests at heart just like intuition does.

Daily writing prompt

What’s a time you followed your gut and it turned out to be exactly right?

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Open Elections of the Weird Kind!

I’m not a sci-fi fan and I’m really not into this question. Add the heatwave of the incredible kind to it and I ‘m not thinking straight today. We are melting like ice cubes in the heat and “thinking” is not what I want to do. I would love to get Darth Vader to blast this heatwave to kingdom come!

I do know about Emperor Palpatine or rather Darth Sidious. He is the overarching villain of the Star Wars franchise and Darth Vader was one of his enforcers. That’s about all I know and care about.

Well Darth Vader would make a good Emperor since they are both cut from the same cloth. Who would I nominate?

I DON’T KNOW and I don’t care? They can go play in their sci-fi world for all I care.

I need ICE, a pool, shade, lots of shade,and a fan blowing in my direction!

Next question please…..

Daily writing prompt

Emperor Palpatine has announced open elections for a new Emperor — and he’s nominated Darth Vader. You get to nominate one challenger.

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Fairies and Little People!

I believed that under every mushroom and around every tree, there were little people and fairies flying around! I used to talk to them all the time BUT I never saw them.

I know it is ridiculous but my mind was centered in fairyland and I loved it there. I don’t think I ever grew out of it, just put it aside while I pursued my career which had nothing to do with one or the other.

Years later, I would come back to it when I started writing my book. The door flew wide open and I was back there again. I let my imagination run wild and I jumped in with both feet! Only this time around, I was no longer the little girl but a grown-up woman. It didn’t matter, I loved every minute of it.

I guess my answer to your question is that those beliefs are still present today and I DON’T find them ridiculous at all!

Daily writing prompt

What’s something you used to believe as a kid that seems ridiculous now?

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The Diary of Anne Frank

There were other books but this one stood out from the rest to a girl who was running wild at the time and didn’t have a care in the world except to be a young girl and to live life to the fullest.

Then I got into books and this one, well, let’s just say it had me from the get go. I couldn’t put it down and I walked her path, the one she had walked so many years before. I lived her life through her words and I cried at the injustice of it all, and when she lost family members, I wept like it had happened to me. Her father was the only one to survive the Holocaust.

The story was about a 13-year-old Jewish girl who hid from the Nazis for two years during the occupation of the Netherlands. It was also about the resilience of the human spirit but more than that, it was about man’s inhumanity to man. The diary does a perfect job of capturing the constant terror they lived under being concealed in the “Secret Annex” above her father’s business. It must have been claustrophobic not to mention horrific living under the extreme silence that was required of them to keep from being exposed or arrested.

She wanted to be a writer and or a journalist, she would achieve that dream posthumously. Her father Otto Frank published the book in 1947 and it is now an enduring reminder of the resilience of the human nature and the dangers of prejudice.

The book made me see the world in a different light. I realized and saw firsthand from reading the book that evil was out there, it had the power to destroy and it brought home the fact that my little corner of the world was safe while there were others out there that required a certain mentality to survive and where “safety” was far from what it was from where I was.

I think, “The Diary of Anne Frank,” broadened my way of thinking and I started taking an interest in what was happening around the world and would later go on to write about human injustices, racism, and human rights issues.

That book was the stepping stone to a whole new world, not always of the good kind but it was needed and it changed a young girl’s way of thinking for the better.

Daily writing prompt

What’s a piece of media (book, movie, song) that changed how you see the world?

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