Sometimes you just have to laugh!

Guess who is social distancing?

 He did peak out to see what was going on. Oh who am I kidding? He sneaks a peek every time I walk into the kitchen. I read that his breed can't get enough food or affection. That sums up our Sassy.

 My granddaughter just posted a video of the hamster-size snowflakes coming down. Her commentary: In the midst of a pandemic, now this on the second day of spring? It's just rude!

I snipped a few daffodils and brought a little bit of spring indoors. The fragrance is wonderful.

Now picture this... I went outside in my pink fuzzy bath robe to fill the bird feeder as Bill stood at the window directing me HOW to open the contraption. He is much taller than I am, so I held the roof open with my left hand, arm fully extended, and poured a container of seed in with my right hand. When I overshot and filled my left sleeve, he laughed hysterically. I ask you. Is that a laughing matter?!

What did you say?!

Many years ago, I was a PBX telephone switchboard operator. I loved that job. But sometimes messages could get garbled, misinterpreted, or passed on until they did not even remotely resemble the original content. Sort of like PLAYING TELEPHONE.  

Alex and Charlie found our old, inoperable cell phones. They both had been fussing with each other and wanted to call mama.

Alex speaks fluently. Charlie, 19 months, chatters and babbles endlessly; every once in awhile you can make out a word. He was mad at Alex and tattling, "Unintelligible babbling (about three sentences) and Mama, Bubba jabber-jabber-jabber...mama! Blah, blah, blah!" All that jabbering and every time he said, "Bubba" Alex just held his head. I had to laugh.

It really isn't that much different from listening to all the chatter on T.V. about the Corona Virus. It is enough to overwhelm you and give you a real headache.

In these trying times (our tax preparer, scheduled for tomorrow! just canceled on us) when schools are closing, and businesses are encouraging employees to work from home, we all need to do our part to prevent the spread of this virus.

Closures are an inconvenience for many, a matter of life and death for others. Please be considerate.

I am concerned about the needy school children who will be deprived of meals. The elderly who will be deprived of visitors.

Where is it? What is it? Did you know?

Can you guess what this is? Modern art? Sculpture?

Graffiti?

 This is a section of The Berlin Wall. Winston Churchill's daughter is responsible for the cut outs and for bringing this piece of history to the college in Fulton, Missouri where granddaughter Morgan attends.

We had a wonderful time touring campus. The history lessons and artifacts were plentiful, and we could have spent an entire day touring the church/museum.

I experienced a range of emotions. The most pronounced was the fear of being separated from loved ones and homeland. Walls divide. I think we should be building bridges. Seeking peace. Sharing and caring. I could go on and on, but I won't. I will post photos and see what emotions they evoke for you.

Stuck in a bucket?

If you need writing (or life) inspiration, visit Pen and Prosper and meet Sporty King, featured on Jennifer Brown Banks' blog.

The one thing Sporty said that resonates with me is "Every word must have multiple meanings." I LOVE THIS!

For example if someone tells King, a motivational speaker, they have writer's block, he asks them to tell which block they grew up on...   Read more here: https://bit.ly/39dXGhk .

Charlie got himself stuck in a bucket. He was uncomfortable. My first thought was to rescue him. My second thought was of my late mentor Helen Rodgers. She told me if we rescue a baby every time he or she gets stuck under a table, we use OUR reasoning to ease his/her discomfort, and they can't move forward literally, or cognitively if we do their thinking. 

She did not mean we should never help. But we should first allow the child to do the reasoning.


In full disclosure, I showed Charlie how to tip the bucket, and he crawled out... and repeated the action. He leaned into the discomfort and moved forward. Does this make sense?

Brianna Wiest discusses how feeling discomfort can be a motivator. Usually we back away, rather than move toward that which makes us feel uncomfortable, and we fall back into old patterns.

Brianna Wiest claims, "If you don’t learn to tolerate discomfort, you’re going to live your life in fits and starts."

Wiest says, "You’re going to get an idea about what you want to do, or who you might want to be, and then as soon as you’re a few days into your new life, you’re going to revert to what you were. This isn’t because change is impossible. It’s because, eventually, reality kicks back in. You’ll encounter challenges, down days. You cannot coast on the high of an idea forever."

Wiest is right! "If you never learn to tolerate discomfort, everything— from small tasks to big-picture ideas— will end up unfinished." I urge you to check out these two prolific motivational writers. 

Everything comes in 3s.

You can't see the rainbow if you have your back to the sun. 

I read this quote somewhere, and I agree. If you see gloom, you expect doom.

I am not waxing philosophical, I am merely thinking of some advice to pass on to my adult grandchildren, three of whom are turning 23 this year. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AUSTIN!

Yes, we had three expectant daughters at the same time! In fact two had the same due date.

Adding to the hormonal roller coaster was the fact that my first grandson was born six weeks early, due to doctor error. The OB misdiagnosed my daughter with appendicitis and nicked her uterus while operating, sending her into unstoppable labor for three days.

A nightmare for certain. The reputable attorney suggested any settlement would merely cover his services, and unless there was a fatality, it would be difficult to win the case against her. She retired from her practice and went sailing around the world, we heard this from those in the know.

So, we have experienced many ups and downs in life. And I know for a fact forgiveness leads to happiness. I want the children to know that.

Two of the three grands are engaged, and a third grandchild will be soon.

I want our sweethearts to realize every cloud has a purpose. Every rainbow provides a glimpse into happier days. And you have to accentuate the positive, in life and each other.

I think I am going to start collecting inspirational quotes and printing them on hearts...love notes for our loves.

Any advice you would like to dispense?

When is the last time you leaped in?

What is your first reaction when you view this photo?

 I haven't seen my five-year-old great-grandson, Liam, in a while. He had a day off school on Friday.

His brothers had already had the opportunity to jump into their "pillow pool," as two-year-old Alex  has named it. Liam was ecstatic to try. He launched himself off the sofa... and kerplunked. 

Even though it was fun, I think it was a bit of a disappointment. He jumped repeatedly. He splatted, and laughed, and laughed. He made the most of the situation.
Have you ever been disappointed by a rejection letter, or missing a writing deadline? Do you make the best of  a situation and roll with it?

 Alex, an old pro at jumping in, had to show his big brother how he did it.
Do you share with those coming up in the writing field? Offer a word of encouragement or share a possible publication call out? Your writing experiences can benefit others. 

Do you ever think out of the box? Try a different writing genre? Stretch your writing muscles? It might be more fun than you expect.

          I gave the boys a bag of tissue paper squares and told them to toss them up to separate them.

 

They had so much fun bouncing, jumping, running, and throwing in the basement family room.

After the active play, we settled down and scrunched up the tissue paper, and glued the pieces onto heart shapes to make their mommy's valentines.

Be sure to take a break from sitting too long, get up, get moving, and then settle down and get back to business. 

Charlie found a pillow with a picture of his big brother Liam (when he was a baby) on it, and loved it. He squealed, "Dada!"

Liam does look like their dad, but then Charlie realized, it was his brother. He kept pointing and saying, "Bubba."Then he'd hug it.

Do you find joy in discovery? You might be surprised what you discover when you step out of your comfort zone.

As an early childhood teacher, I know little children NEED to move. I encouraged active learning in school. I certainly do with my great-grandsons! Young children learn by doing. They need to hop, skip, and jump through early childhood.

Before they went home, I saw Liam washing and drying his hands, and looking at himself in the full length bathroom mirror. I heard him say softly to himself, "I love it here."


So tell me, what was YOUR first reaction upon viewing the picture of Liam taking a leap of faith?

What do you say?

It has been ten days since I last posted. Sounds like a confession.

Nothing major in my life, but a whole lot of little things: hubby battling bronchitis, little kids battling each other, big kids battling the daily grind, grands battling what they perceive as major life issues. Dear friends battling personal issues. One of my former students, now grown passed away. Life has been a tad difficult. I usually get right over the humps. I do not make mountains out of mole hills, but this has been a difficult few days.

I've been listening to my inner voice, and it isn't nice! I preach kindness, but don't always practice what I preach. I snap. I make comments better left unsaid. AND I do not always speak kindly to myself.

I preach faith... without faith what is there? Doubt! Worry! Angst! But my faith sometimes falters.

I preach positive thinking, but some situations appear to be so negative I can't see a way out.

Negative thoughts lead to anxiety, depression, a forlorn feeling of waiting for the other shoe to drop...impending doom. Shallow breathing, sighing, wondering, escape napping, and nibbling on cookies of all kinds.

I have received an assignment which requires heavy computer work. I can write, I can speak, I can joke, I can make things, I can assist others, but I am overwhelmed thinking I can't do the computer work because I am technically challenged.

I felt the same way when I was asked to be acquisition editor for a book I developed for a publisher a few years ago.

Now comes the pep talk. I did it before, and I can do it again. My husband, a computer whiz, is feeling better and he's at my beck and call if Hewy (my old Hewlett Packard computer) and I can't work it out.

My kids, grands, and greats will all survive their own issues.

My doctor will be happy if I get back into my healthy eating routine... so I can survive.

I CAN DO whatever it is. I have a choice every day, every moment...and I am choosing  to do what needs to be done.

Usually a swift kick in the pants is all I need, so if you see me around town with my foot against my rear, just know I'm making some adjustments in my life.