I don’t know if being principled is a good trait since it has caused unnecessary pain in times past because I refused to stray from what I thought was right and being rigid and principled sometimes means that you get the short end of the stick as well.
We live in a world where “principles” are not as important as they use to be. Bending the rules to suit your needs has become part and parcel of behavior in today’s society. However, I have held on steadfastly to my principles.
The good thing about being principled is that you are committed to integrity, honesty and you are responsible in your actions . There is a certain moral compass that enables you to come across as a trustworthy and reliable person. The bad thing? It can be a hindrance because people may view you as a person who has a stick so far up the you know what that there is no getting you to see their side of things. Been there, done that, and I continue to do that!
However, it is their opinion. I like being principled and there are certain things I will stand for and others absolutely not.
Spinster for life? Who knows only time will tell. I might be like that captain who went down with his ship bearing full responsibility for the vessel, only I will be holding onto my principles till the very end!
“Once you’ve matured, you realize silence is more powerful than proving a point.” Unknown
Human nature is such that when we think or perceive that a wrong has been done, “silence” one of the most powerful tools in our arsenal is overlooked and venting comes to the forefront. Sure, it feels better after a vent and rage session BUT did you achieve anything?
“He who does not understand your silence will probably not understand your words.” Elbert Hubbard
It’s like “throwing pearls before swine” and it translates into, “to offer something valuable to those who will not appreciate or understand its worth.” Herein likes the truth of the matter. If the person never appreciated you in the first place, no amount of anger, rage, or venting is going to make them change their mind. It boils down to, “You didn’t matter to them.” The truth hurts doesn’t it? Sure it does, but don’t expect them to see that hurt because they won’t. The thing is, they don’t care. YOU have to learn that not all responses, rejections, or insults deserve a response. Pick your battles carefully and to someone who didn’t see your worth in the first place, this is a losing one. It is time to close the door and to move on.
“Sometimes, silence is the best revenge. Not every lie or deceit deserves your reaction. Embrace the power of quiet strength and let your peace speak louder than words.” Unknown
In times past, any wrongdoing was met with strong words, anger and even sadness but these days I “embrace silence” and I go within to find my strength and that is where my power resides.
“The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear.” Rumi
Believe me, HEAR you will. You will not only hear but also see clearly all the unworthy things you put up with. How you gave credit to someone who didn’t deserve an iota of it and how you stood by and let them take your heart for a ride of the unsavory kind. I guess you can say I’ve matured because “letting go” of such individuals has become a matter of fact thing. I let my silence do the talking. However, when you do embrace silence, don’t expect that they’ll come running back. Accept it as water under the bridge because the wrongdoers know what they’re about and your silence is not going to change them.
There is no winning, just a conscious decision to let go and let it float away. There will be better days and better people on the way. The wrong ones will fade away. You just need to detach from the drama. Don’t let your emotions control you, open your mind and observe carefully. Embracing silence helps you to do just that. Here’s the thing, not everyone deserves access to your emotions.
“When you understand your worth, arguments become unnecessary.” Unknown
I’m not too big into cultural heritage. I consider myself a global citizen and as such I embrace all cultures and have made it a point to learn all there is to learn about other cultures.
As you know I spent a lot of my time in Asia and it was there that I learned to embrace the food culture. It was amazing! Each country had a different cuisine and I loved almost all of them. However, learning about what Asian culture entailed took broader thinking. There were things I liked and there were things I didn’t. I loved the friendliness of the people but some customs took getting used to. Especially the ghost month. Everything was based on the spirit world and much was done to welcome them back to earth! I found this to be spooky.
Tennessee is different. It takes getting used to. They have a certain way of talking but not as bad as Kentucky! I love the food, the landscape and the people. I have a love for country music and since Nashville was not too faraway, I loved being there. Tennesseans are usually kind and friendly and throw in good home cooking and it is a culture you can easily embrace.
European cultural heritage is diverse and like any other culture, it is steeped in folklore, art, food, and people. There are certain customs that take getting used to. One is that they are conservatives and breaking into the community is hard to do. However, the cultural heritage is captivating and there is much to learn here as I am finding out.
What aspects of my cultural heritage am I most proud of or interested in? Like I said, I don’t belong to just one, I am a mish-mash of different parts. Parts that I learned about from having experienced different aspects of the world and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I think I did that pretty well without disclosing too much!
Daily writing prompt
What aspects of your cultural heritage are you most proud of or interested in?
She is the author of six #1 New York Times bestsellers and is the host of two award-winning podcasts, Unlocking Us and Dare to Lead. The lady has spent two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame and empathy. Her advice for life is, “Don’t let fear stop you.” Here are some of her quotes that will take you on a journey of self-discovery. Enjoy.
“Authencity is not something we have or don’t have. It’s a practice – a conscious choice of how we want to live.”
“Trust is not built in big, sweeping moments. It’s built in tiny moments every day.”
“Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.”
“The truth is that falling hurts. The dare is to keep being brave and feel your way back up.”
“Here’s what I think integrity is: It’s choosing courage over comfort, choosing what’s right over what’s fun, fast, or easy, and practicing your values.”
“Empathy has no script. There is not a right way or wrong way to do it. It’s simply listening, holding space, withholding judgment, emotionally connecting, and communicating that incredibly healing message of, “You’re not alone.”
“I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness – it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude.”
“Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.”
“When we have the courage to walk into our story and own it, we get to write the ending.”
AND
“At the end of day, at the end of the week, at the end of my life, I want to say that I contributed more than I criticized.”
The other day my neighbor, who is blonde, came running up to me in the driveway just jumping for joy. I didn’t know why she was jumping for joy but I thought, what the heck, and I started jumping up and down along with her.
She said, “I have some really great news.”
I said, “Great. Tell me why you’re so happy.”
She stopped jumping and breathing heavily from all the jumping up and down, and told me that she was pregnant.
I knew that she had been trying for awhile and told her I thought it was great and that I couldn’t be happier for her.
She said, “There’s more.”
I asked, “What do you mean?”
She said, “Well we are not having just one baby. We are going to have twins.”
Amazed at how fast she could know that so soon after getting pregnant, I asked her how she knew.
She said, “I went to Walmart and they actually had a home pregnancy test in a twin pack. Both tests came out positive!”
A few days ago I wrote about this guy who contacted me from a dating website. He seemed alright. His ammo, well-heeled, has a good job, humble, nice- looking and so on….
If you want to see what that was about, read my post, “Dating Sinkholes.” Anyway, I had more than a hunch that he was a scammer but he turned the tables on me for a little while anyway. He’s not your normal fly-by-night scammer. This guy was well-versed in the art of scamming. He came across as this awfully sweet guy who wanted to meet up.
He knew how to keep the charade going. Messages were exchanged and he was supposedly on a business trip and would be back over the weekend. Then I received a message saying, “I just got my haircut. Hopefully you will approve.” Hmm…why send that to a stranger? The one other guy who sent me a message like that was when he got that haircut because he had a date with another woman that day! I didn’t know it at the time. Yes, I do attract the same kinds. Must be something in the water or in my DNA!
Moving on….then I got a message that he had just finished dinner and was standing at the harbor looking at a beautiful sunset. He said, “If I had your Whatsapp, I could share this with you.” Right….I had told him I do not give out any personal information until I get to know the person better. Another ploy to work on a woman’s heart. I ignored that remark.
It went on…sweet messages coming from an absolute stranger but he was acting like we had something going. Saturday rolls around and I get this message. He was totally pooped from traveling and needed a day off to recuperate. Normal? Could be or he was accepting the fact that the live fish he thought he had wasn’t biting!
Here’s the thing. Scammers have a well-rehearsed script. Romance scammers try to work on your heart. They usually try to paddle sorry stories and they are pros at it. They will try to get as much personal information as they can use. The first thing is to get your Whatsapp information. They can do a lot with this. My advice, never ever give it out to someone you don’t know. The more important aspect of a scammer is that they will never meet up in person. They will agree to make a date but they will always make excuses as to why they can’t show up. Their pics are usually blurry and they won’t have more than one on there. If they do, the other person may look different like this loser’s profile pics showed.
Scammers are evolving rapidly and they are coming in with more sophisticated methods of conning or rather scamming you. Their goal is to make you part with your well-earned money. If a guy comes calling and he is too good to be true, it is probably a SCAM!
Be careful out there if you are on the dating circuit. Keep your eyes and ears open and definitely pay attention to your intuition. Take small steps and if something smells fishy…..throw it back into the water!
There are many different things that give me energy throughout my day. The first one is Chachi, the cat, although he wouldn’t consider himself as a thing because he thinks he is a little Pharoah living his best life and using up one of his 9 lives!
The little guy gives me positive energy and that is important. He makes my day a whole lot brighter and listening to him moving around on padded feet gives me energy as well. The other thing that gives me energy are my daily walks in nature. It has been said that nature mirrors the human existence and I find that to be true. However, it also teaches if you are willing to listen. I get comfort from nature and I need a daily dose to keep me moving forward.
A healthy lifestyle definitely gives me energy. Food which is nourishing and full of nutrients is my go to for health and vitality. I do spend time planning my meals and ordering out is a once in a blue moon thing. I’d rather prepare it myself and know what is going in those meals to keep me healthy and full of energy rather than leave it to chance. Exercise is another thing that fills me with energy. It is a daily affair and I love working out so it makes it easier for me.
Breathing, different forms of breathing, is a daily must not the kind that we do as a routine pattern, the in and out variety but the kind that takes effort to clear your mind, gives you clarity and fills you with oxygen! It also helps to balance the brain hemispheres. I feel much better breathing like the yogis did and this practice definitely fills me up with energy.
So there you have it. Those are the things that give me energy and keep me operating at my optimal best. I’m adding as I go along but for now the ones I mentioned above work just fine.
Donald Trump and Barack Obama ended up at the same barber shop. As they sat there, each being worked on by a different barber, not a word was spoken.
The barbers were both afraid to start a conversation, for fear that it would turn nasty. As the barbers finished their shaves in silence, the one who had Trump in his chair reached for the aftershave. But Donald was quick to stop him, jokingly saying, “No thanks. My wife, Melania, will smell that and think I’ve been in a brothel!” The second barber turned to Barack and said, “How about you, Mr. Obama?” Barack replied, “Go right ahead, my wife Michelle doesn’t know what the inside of a brothel smells like.”
I picked up a hitchhiker. The man got in my car and said, “Thank you for picking me up, but I mean how do you know I am not a serial killer or something?”
I said, “I don’t know for sure, but the chances of 2 serial killers being in one car would be astronomical.”
Quotes have the ability to boost up your mood, they can also help you out of the doldrums and just a dose can put a pep in your step and get you going. Here are a few of my favorites to put a positive spin on your day. Enjoy!
“The pages of yesterday cannot be revised. But the pages of tomorrow are blank – and you hold the pen. Make it an inspiring story.” NotSalmon.com
“Don’t worry. Just when you think your life is over, a new story line falls from the sky and lands right in your lap.” Rebekah Crane
Here’s the problem. I don’t want a new story line, I want the old one with a view to the finish line! Doable?
“To be a champ you have to believe in yourself when no one else will.” Sugar Ray Robinson
“Problems are like washing machines. They twist, they spin and knock us around. But in the end, we come out cleaner, brighter and better than before.” Unknown
Fingers and toes crossed and hoping!
“I love it when the coffee kicks in and I realize what an adorable badass I’m going to be today.” Unknown
Coffee does the trick every time!
“Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent.” Marilyn vos Savant
Never ever give UP!
“Every morning starts a new page in your story. Make it a good one today.” Doe Zantamata
What are you writing in yours today?
“The most courageous decision that you can make each day is to be in a good mood.” Voltaire
This is a hard one but I start with a smile on my face.
Look at the stars……
“It won’t fix the economy. It won’t stop wars. It won’t give you flat abs, or better sex or even help you figure out your relationship and what you want to do with your life. But it’s important. It helps you remember that you and your problem are both infinitesimally small and conversely, that you are a piece of an amazing and vast universe.” Kate Bartolotta
How amazing is that?
AND FINALLY:
“Life is short. SMILE while you still have teeth.” Unknown
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