A Better American + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

Today is Memorial Day. How has your day been? Mine was great! I feel like we can't give enough honor to all of the great men and women who have served so selflessly, above and beyond the call of duty. So I ask myself, what can be done to make these men and women's sacrifice more appreciated and worth their fight? And the thought occurred to me that we can do honor to our veterans by being better citizens of the country that they have given their lives to protect, the good 'ol USA!

How can we be better Americans? Here's a couple of ideas that I think would be helpful, based on my experience. I'm sure there are so many others:

• Let's have more respect for one another. When we're out and about, or sitting alone in front of the screen, let's be respectful and aware that there are others who are every bit as entitled to courtesy and an opinion as we are!

• Let's be happy and grateful to put in a good day's work. The ability to work is awesome, and there are plenty of opportunities to do it. The opportunity to get out and contribute to society by providing a service is amazing!

• Let's not be so worried about what the person next to us has.

• Let's vote for our candidates of choice but not go postal if they don't win.

• Let's be respectful of candidates that win by the voice of the people.

• Let's keep our Constitution intact and not tear it apart just so we can get what we want. (Ex. The Founding Father's knew there was a reason for the electoral collage. It provides for people from all walks of life to be represented and counted. Don't try to eliminate it just because it means that your candidate won't win because of sheer numbers. There's much more to it than that.)

• Let's give liberally to the charities of our choice and not simply think that the Government should take care of everyone. It can't, and it never will.

• People always come first. Period.

• Study history, science and other disciplines on your own. Don't just trust what a teacher or professor tells you. Be your own fact checker. There are a lot of pretenders out there,willing to skew facts, data, and outright lie to get their agendas accomplished.

• Let's not trust everything on the internet. Make sure that we know our sources. (That would include this post!) 

And there you have it, my How-to on how to make sure that our veterans are valued even more for the great sacrifices they have rendered to our country! As we become more considerate, thoughtful and smarter about our chosen philosophies, we will render the thanks that every veteran holds dear, a country that is united, free, and indivisible under God!

  Today is "My Post Monday!", a curation of the week's best original content. It's all about posts from Crafts to Camping, Wellness to Wealth, Fashion to Food, and whatever else is on the brain!  I  open up with a post of my own and then follow it up with a linky of the week's top original blog posts! It's all about what the writer thinks, believes, and knows--in other words, they are active, writing blogs. If I happen to find a great original, non-sponsored post, I'll link it up and share it with you here and on Twitter via the #MyPostMonday hashtag!  I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to!  So, in addition, if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too!  I'll visit your site, comment, promote and publicize(Affiliate links welcome)    

Ostracized, Stigmatized, And Categorized + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

This month is National Mental Health Awareness Month and how aware of Mental Health issues I am! I've been touched by those who struggle with mental health issues all of my life. And do you know what? Most of them are wonderful, kind, intelligent people. Yet many times they have been ostracized, stigmatized, and categorized.      

My Uncle was such a kind person per my recollection, and he had schizophrenia. He alternated between living with my grandparents and in the veteran's hospital, due to his diagnosis during his time served in the Korean War. I remember him walking around the house aimlessly, sometimes muttering to himself, as if participating in some fascinating conversation, unseen by myself or anyone else. But he was oh, so harmless. I don't remember him really participating in birthdays or Christmas. But one year, I gave him a handmade reindeer ornament. I will always remember his smile of delight. It was such a small gesture, but it showed that he knew me, and valued my gift!

Another close relative, though not by blood, was diagnosed with Type I Bipolar Disorder. That was really interesting. One day he would be so talkative and have all kinds of amazing insights. He would keep you a captive of his conversation for hours, unless you could somehow get away. The next week he would be down for the count, seeing no one and going nowhere for weeks.

Resurgence of Spring + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

Our weather has turned from cold and snowy all the time, to cold and snowy half the time and springlike the other half. No wonder I'm in a tizzy with my moods, and my plans.  I'm always caught by surprise! Even the most weathered weather person can be off by a day or two. So although they can forecast a general weather pattern with general certainty, they can't always get the timetable absolutely correct!

And even if it's pretty and sunny where I live on any given day, go just 10 miles up Alta Canyon and you've got a whole different scenario. Like the picture below, winter is still in full force in the mountains. 

But I wouldn't have it any other way. I love winter because it serves my introvert self quite well. I mean, what can you really do after work in the winter, except curl up in a blanket, dog on lap, hot chocolate on side table and read, binge on shows, or do games on your tab and take sweet, sweet naps? After all, with no kids at home, and not even a sign of a grandchild, my dog, dad, and dearest get all the attention they want from me, leaving me with some extra time on my hands.

Those Darn Science Projects + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

I remember the days when I tried so hard to get my son to do school projects. The resistance I got was unbelievable sometimes!

Science fair, health fair, and other academic and art related projects or recitals all were met with procrastination, arguing, half-hearted effort at best, crying, dodging, and refusal. He is very intelligent, and I say that because he walked away from his academic career with a Master's Degree in Business  Administration and is doing his thing as a City Planner in a city in the Midwest. He's in charge of a lot of things and heads up plenty of committees and is a regular contributor at City Council Meetings.

During his elementary years, it seemed like I was the one doing the homework, the planning, dreaming up the ideas and everything else. I felt like I was actually sometimes physically moving his hand with the marker on the poster board, willing him to do it! Maybe I should have just let him do a Lego project. That's what he loved! 

Now that he's gone, he will call me and share with me some of the ups and downs he has at his job, and in his life. No longer am I physically willing him to get his projects done. He is the one that has to do that. And frankly, I'm amazed at his ability and his drive to do such a great job in his field.

I often miss those times when I had a little more control in what he did every day. Now all I can do is put my worry skills to work, and they are very refined. My grandmother was a pro at worrying and I seem to have inherited that propensity.

I am now able to help several students at my school complete assignments and practice academics every day. It is very difficult for them---because they are special education students and English isn't their first language. So they have it doubly difficult. But due to my experience at helping my, at times, wayward child be the best he could be, I'm happy to be a guiding hand behind some of their success in school. I know that someday it will pay off! 

If you're a parent wondering how much you should or shouldn't help your child down the pathway of life, just know that you are the one that knows your child the best. You know instinctively what they are capable of. But know this--you will be surprised at how much more they really are capable of. If they seem to be leaning on you more than you'd like right now, just be patient. If you are patient, they will literally grow wings and fly. And you will be happy you were there when they needed you, but didn't let you know in so many words.

  Today is "My Post Monday!", a curation of the week's best original content. It's all about posts from Crafts to Camping, Wellness to Wealth, Fashion to Food, and whatever else is on the brain!  I  open up with a post of my own and then follow it up with a linky of the week's top original blog posts! It's all about what the writer thinks, believes, and knows--in other words, they are active, writing blogs. If I happen to find a great original, non-sponsored post, I'll link it up and share it with you here and on Twitter via the #MyPostMonday hashtag!  I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to!  So, in addition, if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too!  I'll visit your site, comment, promote and publicize(Affiliate links welcome)   

Both Beauty And Terror + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

Many Americans are living with the perspective that the glass is either half empty or half full. I'm not sure who gave this visual about how to look at life, but it's a classic U.S. philosophy. Of course, it teaches us that we should look at life positively rather than negatively. And it really is a great way to view life...in general. When you're in the midst, though, of something earth-shaking, life- changing, and extremely hard to go through, I'm not sure that the half-full glass visual is what we're going to automatically go to for inspiration, because sometimes life just sucks!

There's no way to sugar coat it, no way to view it for anything than what it is.  As humans we are conditioned to avoid pain and suffering at all costs. But a quick check of the headlines shows that we can't avoid it. Poverty, illness, addiction, corruption, hatred, natural and man made disasters surround us on all sides.

Image - Jana Herzogova

It is easy to look at that, become fearful, and not be willing to take any kind of risks for fear that something bad will happen to you! But what kind of life would that be? 

My choice has always been to live life, have experiences, and take the random consequences of my own actions. Sometimes my risks turned out well and I had amazing and fulfilling adventures. Other times, my choices turned out to be not-so-great and I had to live through the consequences. 

For example, no one forced me to go with a group of experienced 4-wheel riders on my first-ever ride on an ATV. I had lived through enough adventure to know that a possibly really fun time was in store. Unfortunately for me, that ride turned out to be short-lived, as I crashed into a sand mound at a higher speed than what I obviously was able to successfully maneuver. My helmet, which was incorrectly fastened onto my head in the first place, flew off. My head was propelled forward, and my face hit the metal steering column at the same speed I had been initially traveling, about 50 mph, Nose shattered, blood spurting, and me screaming in pain was the result. 

My nose was shattered in multiple places, the skin totally peeled off the face, and unsightly, jagged cuts continued down to just above my mouth. 

I thought I was going to be a freak show for the rest of my life. But time has a way of healing, and most of the time no one even has a clue of the trauma my face went through 10 years ago. 

Granted, I've never gotten back onto a 4-wheeler again, which is probably a weakness on my part, but at least I can say that I've had the experience. 

I feel like I learned so much from just that one experience. I can take that with me and be able to empathize with many people who have gone through the same thing or even worse than what I went through. And I definitely have a sense of gratitude for a brain that wasn't damaged, a face that almost completely recovered, and a nose that is just a tad shorter than what it used to be! Not to mention, greater faith in the power of prayer and giving up control to God and letting Him decide what I might be able to learn through all of this. 

What have you decided to experience, regardless of the outcome and what did you learn as a result? 

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 Today is "My Post Monday!", a curation of the week's best original content. It's all about posts from Crafts to Camping, Wellness to Wealth, Fashion to Food, and whatever else is on the brain!  I  open up with a post of my own and then follow it up with a linky of the week's top original blog posts! It's all about what the writer thinks, believes, and knows--in other words, they are active, writing blogs. If I happen to find a great original, non-sponsored post, I'll link it up and share it with you here and on Twitter via the #MyPostMonday hashtag!  I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to!  So, in addition, if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too!  I'll visit your site, comment, promote and publicize(Affiliate links welcome)  

The Catalyst For Change + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

This site uses affiliate and non-affiliate links for reference purposes. Thanks for your support!

This past week has been a little bit crazy because we had family from Oregon come to stay for a week while they settled their 2 sons into their college dwellings. Their sons are a several years apart. However, one just returned from an LDS mission and another one graduated a half year early and has decided to attend a year of college before heading out on his own mission, so they are both going to BYU (Go Cougs!) at the same time, as freshmen. 

This is the sister that I don't get to see too often because they have been really busy raising their family. In addition, she has worked part-time as a nurse and my brother-in-law is a psychologist with his own practice. But that all changed when they dropped off the boys. They will officially be empty-nesters! It was really great seeing them, even though I was heading off to school each morning, as I started work on the 22nd.

Among other things, we arranged for the family who lives around here to come visit and catch up on everything that has happened since they last saw them. I was so grateful for my Instant Pot and the fact that I had finally started using it earlier this summer. It had languished in my pantry since Christmas because I couldn't handle the quick release valve. It stressed me out about as much as a firecracker in my face, so I waited to work with it until I had less stress to deal with, after school got out. Now, it's the greatest thing I've ever done for the development of my meal prep skills. I can create amazing meals in such a little amount of time that I feel like I've been released from cooking prison! I never liked being tied down in the kitchen, cooking meals, while everyone else was visiting, or doing whatever they wanted. It just seemed unfair, albeit easier than trying to organize an assembly line of vegetable choppers, kettle stirrers, and errand runners. My ribs were to die for and my sauteed green beans were the bomb! Throw in a watermelon and some deli potato salad and you've got a dinner done in less than an hour!

Don't Stress It + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

I like to think of this space as a moderate health and wellness site. I don't recommend that people go on any crazy diets, other than substitute out the really bad foods for better foods, and I say get yourself moving in some form of exercise every single day, including some stretching. But first and foremost I advocate appreciating the body that you have and speaking nicely to yourself.  I feel pretty good about that, since that is what I do, along with a few other well-guarded secrets to be revealed when I write my e-book or open up coaching sessions! (I plan on doing that within the next 3 years, so don't go anywhere!) But then again, maybe that won't happen after all. Today I found out a piece of info that was particularly hard to swallow because I know I have failed at this big time! Read on, my friend!

I found out that an analysis of data from four studies that included nearly 40,000 people appears to indicate a possible connection between anxiety during middle age and a diagnosis of dementia in old age. What? Come again? Did I just read that right? 

Image - Dianne Brown

One More Healing Step + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

I must tell you about a wonderful day I experienced not too long ago in a little resort/retirement town called Midway! I was invited to be part of a council associated with something called 'Tribalry', a company dedicated to bringing like-minded, similarly motivated, and professionally associated people together to find common ground and to help build friendships and business connections. 

Image - Craig Jensen

I'm here to tell you that these people know how to do it! They had us gather in a big meeting hall, with tables seating 5 - 6. We gathered in our various tribes--health and wellness, bloggers, baby boomers, PR, financial planners, moms, event planners, etc. We were then told to tell a little bit about ourselves in about 2 minutes. We got to hear stories about everyone and it was a great time! We spent a lot of time talking, listening, and taking notes for the whole course of the morning and afternoon, just getting to know people and making connections! I felt like it was going pretty well and I heard lots of great stories, but then something happened. I took the next step, became vulnerable, and revealed more of myself than I ever thought I would. There was a group of women at one of my tables whom I had learned a little bit about previously and I instinctively felt that we all had experienced something similar in our lives. But not only that, we had managed to deal with those experiences in similar ways. I found myself admiring and being drawn to what they had learned. I found myself being inspired by their experiences. (Names changed to protect indentity)

Each one of these lovely ladies had experienced a great loss of one kind or another. But each one had managed to come back with grace and strength, and had adapted to their losses creatively and even profitably! Briefly, here are their stories:

Sarah unexpectedly had a stroke that paralyzed the entire right side of her body. She was left without the ability to care for herself or to even speak. Gradually, and with a lot of work, she was able to get back a lot of what she lost. Ultimately she did have to give up skills that had formerly been easy for her. But she was so grateful to be able to have what she has now and is very accepting of her limitations and is so positive that people around her are lifted by her gentle spirit. She is also very skilled at crochet!

Cindy loved dancing as a girl and young adult. She was looking towards becoming a dance major, graduating in dance and dancing professionally. She lived and breathed dance. But tragedy struck when she was involved in a serious car accident that rendered her immobile and unable to move, much less dance. She never regained her ability to dance. With the evaporation of her dream, she had to find other interests that were within her abilities. She found that she was good at writing. She developed her skill and is a  published author of at least several books. She is a public speaker. She makes beautiful jewelry and she is a traveler. She also is a Life Counselor who is very generous with her hints and tips. I took one of her tips to heart to make my own professional and personal life richer and more meaningful!

Bethany's world was her husband and family. Married to the love of her life for many years, he unexpectedly betrayed her and ruined their marriage. It ended in divorce. He then stole her intellectual property and used it for his own financial gain, giving her nothing in return. She has had to pick up the pieces of her own identity, which was so intertwined with her marriage and what that represented. It hasn't been easy and she has been tempted to take the path of bitterness and revenge. But instead she has chosen to be positive, build from the ground up, and state her intentions of growth. She is adamant that she wants to be married again and is positive that there is love waiting for her at some point, even though she isn't young anymore. She is so positive and upbeat and faces the world with dignity, courage and hope! I know that her positive vibes will attract what she is seeking!

When I started learning about these women, my guard was let down and I started to feel trust in them. That is a strange emotion for me. My own life's experiences have not been ones to foster that particular trait. Trust doesn't come free with me. I realize that not everyone can relate to where I have come from, a divorcee whose husband not only unexpectedly left her, but took everything, including her precious children and was successful in keeping them despite many and repeated efforts and finances to gain them back. I was taken by surprise, destitute, broken, and unable to navigate the curve balls dealt out to me.Thus I was never able to raise them as a true mother, and the role of "mom" was taken from me. Even my own family looked at me like I was some kind of failure for many years, ostracizing  and criticizing me. So why should I expect anyone to believe or relate to my story?  I eventually was able to rebuild my life, re-connect with my sons, and become identified as something more than a "birth mom". 

When I realized that these women experienced loss that completely took away their former identities, and yet they were able to rebuild, it was so empowering! I felt such a sense of healing. They could understand me because they had lived through similar experiences. I'm thankful that I was able to experience yet another step in my lifelong recovery from the one trauma that could have destroyed me personally forever, but didn't!
This certainly isn't a sponsored post, but I can tell you that this controlled and empowering experience was life-changing for me. If you hear about 'Tribalry', you should definitely check it out! 

 Today is "My Post Monday!", a curation of the week's best original content. It's all about posts from Crafts to Camping, Wellness to Wealth, Fashion to Food, and whatever else is on the brain!  I  open up with a post of my own and then follow it up with a linky of the week's top original blog posts! It's all about what the writer thinks, believes, and knows--in other words, they are active, writing blogs. If I happen to find a great original, non-sponsored post, I'll link it up and share it with you here and on Twitter via the #MyPostMonday hashtag!  I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to!  So, in addition, if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too!  I'll visit your site, comment, promote and publicize(Affiliate links welcome) 

As Prescribed + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

It's a struggle when you have something pulling on you, relentlessly telling you to give in, to go ahead and give up and get relief, whatever that may be. For me, it's an unconquered addiction to.....wait for it.....sugar. I don't think I could ever totally give up sweets. #guiltypleasure

Image - Leanne Kartchner

Joy In Any Life Circumstance + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

Today was another day at work and this morning I walked in feeling kind of groggy for some reason, OK I know the reason. I ate too many oatmeal cookies the night before. It was a cookie hangover! My husband loves them and so do I. He likes them without chocolate chips, I like them with. So I acquiesced to his request and made a batch at around 9 p.m. last night and of course, my will power is terrible at that time of the evening. I succumbed and I ate dough, cookies and, also, milk has to be involved. I generally made a mess of my eating for the day. But it was so good!! Next time he asks me, which will be next Sunday, I will not comply. I kind of do an alternating routine with the baked goods, otherwise we'll be in poor shape when hiking season comes around. He'll need to wait until the Sunday after next before I will bake again. Wow, you just got a peek into a very mundane routine of our lives. It's just what we do. However, we enjoy it! 

Image - Alan McIntier  Affiliate and non-affiliate links used for informational purposes. Thanks for your support!

We live a very comfortable, predictable, generally unexciting kind of life, most of the time. I go to my job, then run errands, maybe go to the gym if I'm up to it, and come home ready to do a little blogging--2 - 5 hours worth. As the evening stretches on, he sits by my side, at his desk, doing his thing. We turn on some music that both of us can tolerate, which sometimes is the Nora Jones Station on Amazon, or my awesome playlist. After awhile, he'll get up, turn off his lamp, say good-night, and head upstairs to bed. I will look at the clock and realize it's way later than I thought. Not enjoying being by myself so late, I'll hastily finish up whatever I am doing and head up too. 

It wasn't always like this. We had a more exciting life 10 - 17 years ago. We went out and traveled way more than we do now. But we were also working through a lot of issues from each of our 1st marriages. Sometimes the issues we were working through didn't mesh well and it wasn't a comfortable space. Trust was a huge issue. Also feelings of betrayal would seep into our own relationship. Many nights I'd leave for a few hours and just sit in the car, not wanting to return. Sometimes I left for weeks, once even a month. However, I'd always return and we'd talk things out and things would go better, until next time. I'm really glad that those days are gone. But even during those more tumultuous times, I knew it was important to find happiness in the things I was capable of appreciating.
I'm happy to say that I was able to do that. Sometimes sleep was the only thing I could appreciate (I'm a huge fan) but then there were other things too, like my boys, music, hobbies, walking my dog, riding my bike, and dancing. I believe the one thing that some people say is intangible or not even real, was something that shaped my whole outlook. It was my belief that God was looking over me and that there must be a purpose in the things I was going through, even the things I had already gone through in my life. (See past blog posts) I never lost faith in that. And so, even though my circumstances were not the most ideal at times, my focus was, and still is, on my faith and the conviction that there is a God in Heaven who knows all, and who has given us so many opportunities to learn, grow, and become who we were meant to be! Maybe not now, but eventually! And that makes me happy!

 Today is "My Post Monday!", a curation of the week's best original content. It's all about posts from Crafts to Camping, Wellness to Wealth, Fashion to Food, and whatever else is on the brain!  I  open up with a post of my own and then follow it up with a linky of the week's top original blog posts! It's all about what the writer thinks, believes, and knows--in other words, they are active, writing blogs. If I happen to find a great original, non-sponsored post, I'll link it up and share it with you here and on Twitter via the #MyPostMonday hashtag!  I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to!  So, in addition, if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too!  I'll visit your site, comment, promote and publicize! (Affiliate links welcome!)     

Best Reason To Work Out Ever + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

People spend hours at the gym working to sculpt their bodies into the most esthetically pleasing form they can possibly create. Or they continue to improve their health so they can do the things they enjoy outside the gym. Maybe they are trying to lose lots of weight so they can have a more healthy life, or live longer to enjoy their family and friends. All good reasons to get into shape!

But the best reason I've seen in maybe ever is the story of an 81 year old man who, for the love of his wife, started hiking regularly up a steady uphill trail of a mile and a half. He did it because he wanted to be the one to take care of her. When she was just 60 she was diagnosed with Parkinson's.

 4 years ago, when he turned 78, he hiked up the trail 39 times. But the next year, at age 79, he matched his age and hiked up the trail 79 times. Last year he did it 83 times at age 80 and this year he was on pace to match his age or better, but there was an early trail closing so he had to settle for 68 climbs. But whatever, he now feels like he is years younger, has lost 60 lbs, and his blood pressure has dropped 20 points, from 160 to 120! 

But back to his wife and the reason he is doing it. They were high school sweethearts 65 years ago and have been married for 58 years. For a long time she kept doing the things she normally did, until a few years back when she took a turn for the worse.

He knew that he wanted to take care of her, but in order to do that, he would have to be fit himself. And with a tip from his son about that hike on the Timpanogos Cave National Monument trail, which is close to his home, that's what he decided to do. 

I think of what reasoning came first to this man before he ever thought of the health benefits he would receive for himself. He is a very rare and wonderful person indeed. 

But I think that is what most people who do things altruistically find. They find that a stream of unplanned benefits happen as a result of first thinking of others and helping them. But it takes development and the forming of habit to think of others first. I suggest developing it earlier rather than later, because "one morning you'll wake up with more life behind you than in front of you, not being able to understand how it happened!" (Fredrick Backman) And old habits (or non-habits) die hard!

Today is "My Post Monday!", a curation of the week's best original content. It's all about posts from Crafts to Camping, Wellness to Wealth, Fashion to Food, and whatever else is on the brain!  I  open up with a post of my own and then follow it up with a linky of the week's top original blog posts! It's all about what the writer thinks, believes, and knows--in other words, they are active, writing blogs. If I happen to find a great original, non-sponsored post, I'll link it up and share it with you here and on Twitter via the #MyPostMonday hashtag!  I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to!  So, in addition, if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too!  I'll visit your site, comment, promote and publicize! (Affiliate links welcome!)   

Turn Disadvantages Into Advantages + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

When I feel at a disadvantage, many times I practice an exercise designed to turn my perceived disadvantages into advantages. It's all about perspective!

For instance, sometimes I get bummed out when I see all of the delicious food that my husband can eat and not gain any weight! If I ate like he did, I would be as wide as I am tall in no time! I am shorter, small-boned, and have a low BMR (basal metabolic rate). What advantages could I possibly see in being short, and not able to eat as much as my husband, since I do LOVE food and could easily eat as much as he does?

Here are a some food benefits that I found I have, as a portion-limited, vertically-challenged, horizontally-inclined, way over 40 female:

1) I won't get bored with foods as easily, since I can't eat as much of them. I can spread them out over a longer period of time!

2) Food prep is more convenient for me Since my portions are smaller, I can spend less time in prepping my meals for work because I don't need as much!

3) It's so much cheaper for me to eat! 1500 calories vs. 2600 calories per day definitely adds up over time and an extra 1100 calories a day turns into big money quickly!

4) I have less likelihood of dental disease because with less food in my mouth, there is less exposure to bacteria-feeding foods and sugars.

5) What one meal at a restaurant is for other larger people, can be 2 - 3 meals for me, lots of yummy leftovers! 

6) I will be more able to survive the apocalypse because my caloric requirements to stay alive are much smaller than for someone with a 6"2 frame and a raging BMR.

See what I did there? I can pull out some viable benefits from what formerly looked to be an extremely unfair situation. And I can do this with so many other scenarios that I run into. It does take a conscious effort to think about what advantages there are in what looks to be a horrible deal of the deck. But once you start looking at things this way, you will begin to start living your life differently and start taking the things that have been thrown your way and make them work for you. Everything can be used as a stepping stone if you can but look at it that way! 

C.S. Lewis stated it this way, "It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it." I love that statement! Call it a disadvantage if you want to, but the way you deal with it will make all the difference!

Practice: Take a perceived mishap or disadvantage this week and list at least 4 ways where you see it could become a real advantage!  

 Today is "My Post Monday!", a curation of the week's best original content. It's all about posts from Crafts to Camping, Wellness to Wealth, Fashion to Food, and whatever else is on the brain!  I  open up with a post of my own and then follow it up with a linky of the week's top original blog posts! It's all about what the writer thinks, believes, and knows--in other words, they are active, writing blogs. If I happen to find a great original, non-sponsored post, I'll link it up and share it with you here and on Twitter via the #MyPostMonday hashtag!  I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to!  So, in addition, if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too!  I'll visit your site, comment, promote and publicize! (Affiliate links welcome!)   

Love Will Win! + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

This morning my husband greeted me with the horrible news of the Las Vegas massacre. I couldn't believe that yet another earth-shaking tragedy has occurred and this is one that no one can blame on global warming. By recent accounts, the perpetrator was seen as an ordinary guy, with a few excusable vices, like gambling. What made his mind snap after his gambling binge in Vegas? Or was it simply a cold, calculated, murderous rampage, with his own demise signaling the end of the horror? I couldn't help but cry as I saw the videos of helpless people not knowing what to do and frozen in fear as they were systematically being gunned down by this lunatic. So many of them were heroes and even gave their lives while protecting others.

There has been an upswing in unbelievable kinds of tragedies in the last year alone. What on earth is going on? I guess the best thing anyone can do is be prepared. Prepared for what though? If you don't know exactly what is going to transpire at anytime or anyplace. what do you prepare for? The best thing I can prepare is my state of mind. I need to prepare my mind to realize that I might not be around as long as I might think or, if I am, the possibility of not around in the way I thought I would be.

What are the things I would like to leave behind? For one thing, I feel like I need to perform more service. I don't want my world to be limited by what I see behind my screen. I need to look around at the people in my own neighborhood and city, and try to make a difference there. I'd like to make a renewed effort to be of more service wherever I can. My feeble attempts at donations and prayers are fine, but there are opportunities right where I am! I may not change the world, but I may change my own life and make it better by making others' lives better. 

Image - Nate Burnett

And why would I do something like that? Because I don't believe that this life is a dead-end. I don't believe that once you are dead, that is it. I believe life goes on and I don't believe that the evolution of man means that my own life's evolution is done with the end of my life. I believe in the human spirit. I believe in accountability to a higher power. And I believe that my service to my fellow beings is also simultaneously in the service of my God. It does take work and it does take intention. And these tragic events are making me more intentional with what I want to do.

These tragedies are changing people. They are either making them more hateful and vindictive or they are making them more determined to do good and be prepared. I know which one I intend to be. One of these days, the world will be governed by one entity. And that entity will be love! The best thing I can do now, even in the face of evil and tragedy is practice, practice, practice. Practice doing good, for love will win in the end!

Today is "My Post Monday!", a curation of the week's best original content. It's all about posts from Crafts to Camping, Wellness to Wealth, Fashion to Food, and whatever else is on the brain!  I  open up with a post of my own and then follow it up with a linky of the week's top original blog posts! It's all about what the writer thinks, believes, and knows--in other words, they are active, writing blogs. If I happen to find a great original, non-sponsored post, I'll link it up and share it with you here and on Twitter via the #MyPostMonday hashtag!  I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to!  So, in addition, if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too!  I'll visit your site, comment, promote and publicize! (Affiliate links welcome!)  

Beauty That Still Remains + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

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I really should be writing a patriotic post, seeing that tomorrow is July 4th and all, and it's one of my favorite holidays, but I think I wrote one last year. Oops, no I didn't I was really into the Summer Olympics about that time! But I did write a post about one of our founding fathers recently, John Adams! So I think we'll let that suffice! As for today's post.....

Being There + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

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Are you in touch with your friends and family? I mean, really in touch? Yes, we have Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, texts in addition to phone calls to instantaneously get into the loop. But if someone on your Friends list needed someone and you knew it, would you be there for them? Let's go a little further. If you knew that someone wasn't really into life and wanted to actually end it all, would you be there for them, at the risk of ending that friendship? 

We've heard a lot lately about people who are more than happy to help someone else end their own life, to the point of encouraging them to do it, providing instruments of death to do the deed, or just not acting on it when they had information. Now there is debate as to whether or not these individuals should or shouldn't be charged with manslaughter.  I don't want to get into that debate other than sharing a recent story of someone who made it his business to save a friend's life, even though he didn't stand to gain personally from it and who risked his own personal success in something he enjoyed in order to do so. 

Unwelcome And Uninvited Guests + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

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This morning my ears started ringing and it was so uncomfortable. It stopped me dead in my tracks and I couldn't focus on anything until, thankfully, it finally went away. I can only surmise why it started. Was someone talking about me? You never know! But more likely is that we went to the movies earlier and I think that whenever we go, my ears suffer because the volume is always so loud. Then it hit me that my husband has a constant ringing in his ears 24/7! He has tinnitus. Ugh! It stemmed from his Sony Walkman days as a teenager, with the sound as loud as he could possibly get it. He used to complain about it a lot when the ringing first started. But now, he has learned to live with the never-ending tone and it has faded into the background. Except when it gets angry and loud. Then it is torture all over again.

It made me think about other painful constants that people have in their lives. How do they live with them? Does it eventually just become normal, so that they just expect the company and walk with it throughout life, good or bad? 

Have A Goal, Make A Plan + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

There have been so many things I want and have wanted to do in my life! The problem is that I haven't had the time, motivation or drive to see most of those desires through to completion. For instance:

• I love to dance. I was fairly good at it at one point. I was on a dance team in high school, I learned how to do Middle Eastern Dance 12 years ago and performed a few times. My husband and I met at a dance. I would have liked to have become a professional dancer. I'm not a professional dancer. I don't dance very often at all anymore.

The Source From Whence It Came + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

I got off work early the other day. As I was walking toward the main doors to the parking lot, I had a lot of things going through my head. I had a list of things I needed to do that day and I was excited to get to it. 
But then I saw Midy, one of our school trackers. I knew her from some interactions we had concerning a certain student and so we had talked briefly before. She struck me as someone who was very firm with the students, letting them know she was in charge and that they needed to respect her, even though she is petite and non-dramatic in her appearance. And I noticed that it worked! She has a lot of power in that school, to make sure that students are wearing the proper attire, not abusing electronics in the classroom, being respectful to each other and to their teachers. She is a force to be reckoned with, if you don't comply immediately with her respectful but firm request. She can take your phone away and confiscate it until your parents come pick it up, she can have you removed from campus if you are in violation of any school rules.  But she is just as quick to lend a helping hand to any student who appears sad, lonely, or depressed. The students really love her! As she walked toward me that day, she seemed relaxed and happy, with no pressing duties at hand. I said hello and asked her how her day was going. She responded positively and then I asked her what she does outside of her job.

I learned a lot in the few minutes of conversation we had! I learned that she has her parents living with her and that she takes care of them. That struck a chord with me, since that is what I do as well. My dad lives with us and we help him enjoy his elderly years, rather than have him live in a nursing home. Her parents are culturally rich--her dad is from Haiti and her mother is from Paris. They both speak fluent French! That explained why she speaks with an accent. I couldn't quite place where it was from before, but now it was evident.

She is married and has a very bright little girl in kindergarten, who school administrators wanted to put into 2nd grade because she is so far advanced in her reading and math. Midy declined the offer because she wants her daughter to have the social experience of kindergarten, getting along with kids her own age. 

She likes to cook both ethnic and exotic foods, which I'm sure she does amazingly well, since she has such a rich cultural heritage with both her parents. 

She talked about her parents quite a bit, revealing that her mother spanked her when she got a B in a college class and she didn't apologize for it because she wanted her to do the best of her ability and not squander the opportunity she had for education here. She also says that she believes in children doing hard work and learning how to be independent and not being spoiled with many things. Midy has taught her daughter to do many chores at home and to be very independent. 

Her dad is very happy and when he has a birthday wants cake, even though he can't have cake because he has diabetes. They make him the cake and then he simply looks at it, takes a small bite and then enjoys everyone else eating it and celebrating his birthday. He is very grateful to be living here in America. Midy says that one of his favorite quotes is "When you drink the water, don't forget where it came from." 

And the last thing that Midy told me is that she loves to stop and help others when they are in need of help on the road. It is a college town and so there are lots of chances to give people rides. She knows that in today's world that could be a bit creepy, but she assures them that she is only there to help and has actually helped quite a few students get to where they need to go, rather than walk. 

I imagine, though she didn't actually tell me, that the words of her father really did sink in. I imagine that helping where she can, even though she is very busy with her own pressing duties, is one small way that she can give back, to show she hasn't forgotten from whence her own opportunities come.

 Today is "My Post Monday!" It's all about original content from bloggers who care to share what is on their minds--from Crafts to Camping, Wellness to Wealth, Fashion to Food, and whatever else is on the brain!  I  open up with a post of my own and then follow it up with a linky of the week's top original blog posts! It's all about what the writer thinks, believes, and knows--in other words, they are active, writing blogs. If I happen to find a great original, non-sponsored post, I'll link it up and share it with you here and on Twitter via the #MyPostMonday hashtag!  I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to!  So, in addition, if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too!  I'll visit your site, comment, promote and publicize! (Affiliate links welcome!)