Remmy - The Story Of A New Year's Rescue + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

 It was Saturday morning, the day after New Year's Day and Evee, my loyal border-collie, and I headed out on an errand. My sister and her family got Covid over the Christmas holiday and I wanted to leave her a care package at the door. I left the package at the door and was so glad that I'd brought Evee with me because I was itching to go out and try some new trails by their house in Holladay. We set out and found the Mount Olympus Trailhead about 3 miles away. 

Still recovering from a sprained ankle that I got over the Thanksgiving holiday, I was rather dismayed at how the trail started out with steps that were really high and uneven. I wasn't sure how far we were going to be able to go, since I hadn't thought that far ahead, thus hadn't put on my ankle brace or brought any hiking poles. But I wanted to give it a try and told myself I'd be really careful!

Sure enough, the climb was hard---even Evee was struggling a bit since she is just starting to get a hint of the dreaded hip dysplasia that older dogs tend to get. After all, she just turned 12 in December. 

We got as far as where the stairs ended and where the trail turned into a steep upward angle with no stairs, just slippery dirt. I knew that I'd better not risk going any further. So we went to look out over the valley and enjoy the view.

That's when off to my left, I saw a medium-sized dog standing by a huge boulder. "Oh my gosh, I think that's the dog that was on the flyer at the start pf the trail."   The flyer said that Remmy, a rescue dog, had disappeared on New Year's Eve when the fireworks started going off. It also said to not approach her because she would be frightened and would run! 

I looked at her and she looked so frightened and lost, as if she had no trust for anyone. But the look in her eyes said that she wanted to trust someone and she might be willing to trust us, if we did exactly the right thing. I honestly didn't know what the right thing was, since she was a "runner". The only thing we could do at this point was to get down those stairs and give the number on the flyer a call.

 

Philosophies Gained Through Twin Watching + #MyPostMonday Featuring The Week's Best Original Content

 "There they go, they're at it again....", I say to myself, as I try to intervene before too much damage is done. The two pre-teen boys in our classroom start to tussle violently, one of them receiving a solid punch in the face and withdraws, whimpering and defeated. He lays his head on his desk for an hour.

It happens so often that I can count on an incident every day with them. The difference with these two fighting and any other similar fight between non-related boys, is that with these two, everything seems to be forgotten within hours. 

The next thing I see is that they are laughing together at some private joke they have between themselves, that no one else will ever understand because it's the language of identical twins!

When one of them leaves the room for any prolonged amount of time and the remaining one doesn't know where the other one went, he becomes agitated and tries to leave the room to search for his brother. 

When one of them isn't able to get prizes from a rewards program because of his own negligence, the other one will step in and give his own prize to his left-out brother.

These boys haven't come from an abundant lifestyle, from what I can gather. They split time between their parents because of divorce, they don't have a lot in the way of clothing or extra "stuff". And of course they are in our classroom because of  some kind of learning disability. But they seem happier than most of the other kids, and their peals of laughter, mostly at inappropriate times, gladdens my heart for them. 

It has been really interesting and an education for me to be able to observe these 6th graders for as many hours as I do each day, in such close proximity. But despite the total closeness and kindred spirit type of bonding they enjoy, they do have definite differences. Some of them quite striking. 

They look so much alike that I'm sure early on the parents decided to let one of them have long hair while the other one wears his hair close to the head. It really helps to quickly identify them at school. Without that helpful hack, it would have been near impossible at the first of the year to tell them apart. 

I have learned to tell them apart and have noted a couple of significant differences! I have learned that one of them (Twin A) is more able to talk and be social with grown-ups. I like to talk to him because he is so interested in things and seems to have a genuine thirst for new information. At the same time he is more spontaneous than his brother. One day, I had about 10 of the students outside during a nice fall day for about 20 minutes. It was going just great....until Twin A suddenly pulled another boys pants down. The thing is, the other kid wasn't wearing any underwear! It was not cool at all! The rest of the day was spent sorting out what everyone did and didn't see, who might have been traumatized and would anyone be suspended? An incident like that requires a whole lotta paperwork. Yet. This is the one who, when given a reward like a bag of chips or candy, will go without so he can give it to his brother, after a fight in which he was trounced by said brother. 

When Life Revolves Around Food + #MyPostMonday - Sharing The Week's Best Original Content

 There are several times in a year that my quest for healthy eating and improved physical fitness are in the utmost danger. Those times are the trifecta holidays (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas) because they are all so close together and all of them involve food. Then later on in the Spring there is Easter because those Cadbury Eggs are simply irresistible! And finally in mid to late summer comes the zucchini harvest, at which time I make a whole lotta zucchini bread. It is mandatory that we grow one plant per season. That is when we give to neighbors, friends, relatives, and of course, we eat it as well. I love it with chocolate chips. I can't deny it, I plan on this like I plan on any other event in life when it revolves around food!

 

Just when I recover from one holiday and get the pounds under control, here comes the next holiday or event. It's a never-ending carousal that I don't care to get off any time soon. I've resigned myself to being an average height, average weight American woman, by American Standards, certainly not European and most definitely not Parisian standards. 

And rather than hate myself for enjoying the bountiful plenty that I have been afforded, I am so thankful for the food that I am so fortunate to enjoy. It's one of the greatest pleasures in life to taste a great desert or food that you love. 

But other than those several times in the year, I do try and eat well. I am very careful about not eating too much sugar and I never drink soft drinks or straight candy or even pastries. I think that if you can be reasonably good most of the time, you can afford to cheat some of the time. I won't ever be thin, but I will definitely be happy!!!

What is your relationship with food? Do you have a love/hate relationship or do you struggle with any aspect of food? What is your food philosophy?

Today is "My Post Monday!", a curation of my picks 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)

A New Narrative + #MyPostMonday Linky

Some people never change, and then some do! It's funny how some people I haven't seen in many years will reappear and somehow they are different than when I knew them back in the day.

For instance, one of my high school friends whom I knew quite well was so boy crazy! Everything she did was done to impress and snag a boy! I used to think, "Girl, get a grip. There is more to life than just boys!" Needless to say she met someone right out of high school, her prince charming, and got married. Unfortunately, it ended in divorce.

To know her now is to see her minus the boy crazy, self-absorbed personality she once had. Now, she is all about her children, her grandchildren and about making a better world around her. She is absolutely wonderful to be around. My thoughts about her are that she has really changed and has caught hold of the important things in life. I know she will again find love because she is a beautiful person. But it isn't the all-consuming passion of her life that it once was. She has broadened her scope.

Have I changed too? How have my experiences changed and shaped me? Do former acquaintances see a gentler, more compassionate person or do they see the same impulsive, crazy, moody person I once was?

Priorities + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

Wow, the winter went by slowly! And now we're into Spring, one of my 3 favorite seasons! But just to be fair, I love winter for it's renewing effect and time spent in gloriously soft blankets, immersed in a plethora of pillows, and drowning in books of various genres. 

And now I've emerged, ready to dial into the tasks at hand!

Gardening is at the forefront for sure! I've got some seeds in little containers, sprouting or trying to sprout, early spring annuals and perennials blooming in various places around the yard, and we have big plans for the smallish space we use for a garden. We will be putting in a drip system! I'm so excited at the prospect! No more dragging the hose halfway around the house every day to spray the garden! 

Biking is going to start once more, as well as some hiking! We did one really great snowshoe hike this past winter, but unfortunately, I spent most of the winter recovering from a nasty knee sprain that occurred at my work. For awhile there, I thought I might be permanently hampered in my ability to hike and bike. But happily, each day I feel better and better! 

I've become somewhat of an essential oil connoisseur, having collected around 60 pure, undiluted oils from around the world! I would love to share my excitement, experience and knowledge of said oils. And no, I'm not a DoTerra distributor. I get mine wholesale from another extremely reputable company. I have the option to become a distributor for that company, but I haven't quite decided how I want to pursue that, if at all.

I will be caring more extensively for my 91 year old father. He still is very diligent about getting 30 minutes of walking daily and even some weight training, which I believe is keeping him as healthy as he is, but he is getting more and more dependent upon me to make sure he gets meals, his laundry done, and other things. 

Evee, my sweet border collie has become a companion animal for my dad. She spends half the time with him and half the time with me. We go on walks every day and she was a welcome pile of fluff on my lap this winter. We liked to watch t.v. and nap when I got home from work. 

Summer is the time when we see many of our extended family from out of state. We usually have guests starting from mid-April out to August. So all my time can't be spent on my wonderful hobbies!

Love Is A Choice + #MyPostMonday This Week's Best Original Content

 

Recently, I've had a dear member of my extended family tell me that he wants no contact with me. It really hurts. He has made choices that are contrary to what we have always understood are MY values and which I had hoped and thought would also be his. But now his choices have led him down a road that is really hard to turn back on. It has become a very narrow path, one with very few odds of return. Needless to say, I'm very worried about him. Apparently he feels judged and belittled because my values won't change to accommodate his philosophies and ideology. But my judging him and wanting to alienate him could not be further from the truth. I think we could still have a great relationship regardless of his choices. 

At first I tried reaching out and trying to let him know that I was there and wanted to talk and communicate. But that didn't go well. He only attacked me and told me I had betrayed him. I felt like I couldn't say anything right. It was all interpreted as condescending and judgmental. It wasn't meant to be at all. On the contrary, I tried to be so supportive, the best that I knew how. But to no avail. So I've chosen to step back and let him contact me when he feels like he wants to. Note: I also live across the country from this individual so personal contact is difficult at best.

I Left It On Clayton Peak + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

Happy Labor Day! It was a much-needed long weekend because I went back to work way too early! I needed just one more last hurrah before Fall really begins. 

So early this morning, like 4am early, I started to get ready for an "easy"  hike up to Clayton Peak, a hike my husband assured me would be done in 4 hours, tops!

We started out at around 6:15, a little bit behind schedule. We always like to start before sunrise to beat the heat (today it was a sweltering 100 degrees in the valley, so around 80 up in the higher elevations.) But intent and execution are two different things---We always have good intent to get off early, but we rarely execute our intent! 

 We climbed and climbed. We actually went off-trail and found our own route. And what was supposed to have been a 3.5 round trip ended up being a 6.66 round trip! But hey, more time with my babes! 

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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)    

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

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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!

Beautiful Interruption + #MyPostMonday Curating The Week's Best Original Content

Today my husband and I took the longest hike I've taken this summer! I hiked 9 miles total and I wasn't initially completely on board with it. But knowing how excited he is when I go with him and seeing the effort he went to in order to make sure that I would definitely be with him this morning as he carefully woke me up at 5 am, was something I couldn't turn down. (He even made me breakfast!)

We got to the trailhead at around 7 a.m. and due to it being MONDAY, no one was around. The destination was Lake Desolation. It doesn't sound too inviting, does it? Right now I'm suffering from a few maladies, all on my left side. The one that was bothering me today was my left achilles tendon. It has been injured in the past and has visible scar tissue built up. I've been doing some H.I.I.T. lately and my achilles doesn't like it. 

So we started out, with me baby-ing my poor achilles and not really sure what to expect, since I'd never been to Desolation Lake before. I was surprised that this was one of the prettiest and well kept trails I've been on. Sure, there were a few steep parts, but nothing I couldn't get up using some care and caution. 

We walked virtually the entire 4.5 miles to the lake without seeing a soul, until right at the end. There were 5 hikers that came up behind us and caught up to us right as we got to the lake. If you have been to the lakes in either Little or Big Cottonwood Canyons, this lake is a 5 on a scale of 1 to 10. But a 5 is gorgeous in comparison to most lakes. It's just that the alpine lakes here in the canyons are so beautiful and pristine and so spectacularly gorgeous. 

Seeing this lake for the first time, I could see that the extremely dry winter had taken its toll and the water level was way down. But "desolation" is not a word I would use to describe this lake. It was still absolutely beautiful! 

In another effort to keep our hikes fun for both of us, my husband got us a set of two-way radios to keep us connected, even if he wanted to hike up even further and summit a peak, which is not something I will be doing any time soon. He left me at the lake and we communicated through the radios for the rest of the time. 

Desolation Lake

This turned out to be one of the most enjoyable hikes I've had yet. There were a variety of reasons that made it so fun, but how tragic if I had rolled over and said that I didn't want to go this morning! I could have used any number of reasons to NOT go--my achilles was bothering me, I have so much to do before school starts up again, I've already been on the minimum number of hikes I said I would do this summer, I have goals that need to be met, etc. etc. 

But I know that interruptions happen, and this interruption happened to be a beautiful one. I learned that goals can still be met, even though they might happen in a different order than you originally planned!

Image - Betsy Kasper

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) 

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

What I Learned From 'My 600 Lb. Life' + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

I don't watch T.V. that much because I've got work, husband, house, dad, pet, blog, church, and service projects to keep me busy. (Not necessarily in that order). So it's kind of amazing that I found a couple of new shows to watch or binge-watch, as the case may be. One of them is "My 600 Lb. Life", a documentary-style show about the lives of people who are morbidly obese and how they must either change or essentially die. 

There are a few similarities that I see with almost all of the subjects on the show. For instance:

Follow Your Intuitions + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

I had a really great post planned for today, but dang it, I got the flu! It started Saturday night, with a very suspicious scratchy throat and a slight cough. The next morning the cough was worse and I powered through it, with the help of my trusty cough drops. I literally ate the whole bag to keep from coughing my brains out. By the time 10 pm rolled around, I was achy, cold, and miserable. Nothing to do but put on my essential oil diffuser, rub down with my favorite muscle relaxant, take a flu tablet, and try to get some sleep. It was a restless and miserable night. I finally got out of bed at 1 pm today, struggled through the most basic tasks, and was grateful that I didn't have work to worry about, or little ones to depend on me, like one time a long time ago.

When I was married to my first husband, he would disappear for a couple of days and I usually knew when he'd be back and why he'd gone. After our little girl passed away, it became more like weeks at a time. I wouldn't know where he was or when he would return. Eventually it turned into months, and finally he disappeared with my two boys. 

Artificial Intelligence At It's Most Personable! + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

Have you seen her? The newest, first, and only robotic citizen of Saudi Arabia? She is so amazingly lifelike it's uncanny! This is what people have been talking about for awhile now, that artificial intelligence will compete with human intelligence. I was telling one of my co-workers about Sophia and he, in turn, told me about two chat bots that had been created by Facebook. They started talking to each other in a language that only they understood. They also could negotiate strategically, pretending that they were very interested in an item so they could simulate great sacrifice in giving that item up during negotiation talks. And although Facebook abandoned the experiment soon after this started happening, they stress that it wasn't because they were afraid of the results. And they stress that several times because people started talking about how Artificial Intelligence is going to destroy humanity and gave that as an example.

Apparently, Sophia has been programmed to joke around a bit about that earlier faux pas! She does it in a very lighthearted and very personable way. Honestly, she talks and reasons better than a lot of people, including myself! She's got great social skills!

A Bond That Shouldn't Be Broken + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

I absolutely love my dog and love all dogs--their loyalty, love, and intelligence. I even wrote a post about why my dog is sometimes preferred over humans at times! And of course, I've heard and seen examples of dogs who help people with disabilities and make the work of the military and police much easier because they aren't afraid to go in and take down the bad guys!

Last week during the Thanksgiving Break I decided to watch a few T.V. shows that had been recorded awhile back but hadn't been watched yet. One of the shows that had actually been recorded by my husband, but grabbed my attention was HBO's War Dog: A Soldier's Best Friend. It premiered on Veteran's Day, but has been streaming on HBO daily. It was produced by Channing Tatum, among others.They did a great job, I must say!

I wasn't prepared for the range of emotions that hit me with stories of 3 different war veterans, all heroes, and their canine companions. One story is about a dog who took a bullet before it hit his soldier, one is about a soldier who took a bullet rather than let his dog unnecessarily get into the frey, and one is about a dog who made the ultimate sacrifice for his "family" of soldiers. 

It was very apparent that these dogs meant everything to these soldiers and they became like family to them, going through the traumatic circumstances of war with them. The dogs didn't wait at home, hoping that their masters would return. No, they experienced actual combat situations with them and were trained beforehand to help them carry out their difficult missions. 

The portrayal of the bond between these veterans and their dogs is masterfully done. It is unequivocal that once a dog and his soldier go through the things they do together, that they are bonded for life. Think about it. These soldiers do things that normal people can't even fathom doing. And it starts during their training. It's so intense, with their dogs going right along with them. When all is said and done, these soldiers need some help when they come back to civilian life. They are that much better off if they have their canine companions there with them to show them how to get back to normalcy. 

Things That May Wreck Your Health + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

I'm as interested in my health as anyone! I know what it feels like to not have your health and I much prefer having it as long as I possibly can. So I really try and do the things that will help me keep it. For instance, I exercise regularly, I take supplements that have high absorption levels. I get enough rest, avoid stress when possible, drink filtered water but not bottled water, and try and get social interaction on a regular basis, which takes a bit of work, since I'm an admitted reclusive extrovert!

But it seems that if one is too dialed into health newsletters, health mags, and health sites, you can be inundated with credible and non-credible information all posted together and it can drive you crazy trying to figure it all out. If you tend to be OCD, it will definitely drive you to new levels of obsessive behavior.

For instance, DON'T, under any circumstances, shower with your eyes or mouth open because of contaminants in the water. Anything from farm waste, toxic algae, to drug resistant bacteria can come out of your showerhead, so please be warned!

Don't forget the mold monster hiding behind the walls in your house, under your flooring, and in your shower. If you breathe in too much of his toxic vapor, you will succumb and be infected with diseases like parkinson's, and symptoms that can mimic cancer! Where is it found? Basically, everywhere. To test for it's existence, pay anywhere from $305 to $1167 on average!

And before you buy regular table salt from the store, please consider the following: It contains fragments of plastic. Yes, toxic plastic! From what source? Plastic water bottles, of course!  (source)

Love to eat sushi? I do! (At least I did....) Don't be too eager to go out to sushi because eating raw fish of any kind may put you at risk of getting parasites! Mainly in the form of tiny worms, these little critters can cause you to get bad cramps, and a combination of distress in your intestinal tract. So think before you indulge! (source)

And let's not forget about rice. Rice is said to have multiple chemical residuals, after harvesting, from harmful pesticides. Rice is causing Arsenic poisoning and wrecking the health of millions of people. But the good news is you can soak your rice overnight before cooking it. That will take out almost 80% of the arsenic.

Ok, I'm going to stop right now before I get myself into a self-induced, paranoid, stress attack. I can really understand how people can become agoraphobic! 

You know the thing that wrecks your health more than anything? Worrying about the latest thing that could wreck your health! My own peace of mind and stress levels dictate that I continue my reasonably good health practices and not worry too much about what experts say may be lurking out there trying to wreck my health. Except, maybe I WILL rinse my rice, avoid raw fish in the sushi, buy different table salt, test for mold, and keep my mouth shut when I shower!  

Acquired But Not Purchased + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

This past Saturday we cancelled our camping/hiking plans for Labor Day Weekend to attend the funeral of our former neighbors' son. I knew that if we didn't go, we would regret it because they had been such good neighbors and friends. We had lots of shared experiences and fun times to look back on and we wanted to offer our support at this difficult time.

The funeral was a reunion of sorts because it had been a few years since we had been back to the neighborhood to visit. It was so good to see everyone and we were SO glad we went.

As we saw friend after friend, it made me think about why they had become friends in the first place. I think it was because, in some way or another, we had shared something with them of ourselves, and they had done the same in return. It was things like meeting in conversation and finding ourselves of like mind in various topics, and sharing things of interest about our families. It went beyond social media outreach. Many of them had attended events with us and we had supported them in one way or the other. Nothing of monetary value had been exchanged, unless it was to support a common interest, such as a club or team.  

After the funeral, we  vowed we wouldn't stay strangers for so long this time and went on our way. It occurred to me that this is the secret to having and keeping friends--shared experiences! And many people know this so much better than I do. Give people an excuse to have a gathering and it's done! Throw in an opportunity to volunteer time for a greater good and it becomes an even more powerful medium for friendships to form. 

Another way to form friendships or allegiances is to actually buy them. I can't help but think of the free phones that were given out during the 2012 election. A 2nd grader I ran across last week actually still has one and uses it during recess! What about lobbyists and the huge Super PACS that have turned elections into money-driven moneliths, with billions spent during election years. It may be an effective way to get support for today, but when the money dries up, will the support continue or is it just fair weather friends after all?

It seems that an ancient English historian named Thomas Fuller, born in the early 1600's, thought as much. He believed that bought friendship won't last long at all. When the gifts stop coming, the friendship stops as well. I've never really thought about that in those terms. Does it mean that if I give someone--someone I view as a friend--a gift, suddenly the friendship is doomed? I don't think so, but if all the friendship is based on is money, then yes, it's not based on authenticity and thus, destined to fail. But maybe my reasoning is faulty. Maybe there are many instances where at first the relationship is veritably based on monetary advantage but later turns into more. I'd love to get some examples to prove that such things can exist! So if you do have a story for me, please let me hear about it either way! In the meantime:

 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!)