What I’ve Learned In My Life So Far

I've learned to say no without feeling guilty and without always explaining myself. I didn't arrive at this point overnight; it took many years and many experiences. But as time went on, it got easier to set boundaries and enforce them.

Learning to say no is difficult, especially with people that bully, whine and try to manipulate or guilt you into doing something you really don't want to. But standing your ground is not only a way to respect and take care of yourself, but also necessary for your health and well-being.

Are you able to say no without feeling guilty?

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

A To Z Of Gratitude: F

F is for Family

I have a very close and very loving family. We look out for one another and have a great time when we get together.

My family has always been there for me whenever I've needed them, and their love, kindness and support has helped shape the person I am and the way I view the world. I am so grateful for all of them.

Have a wonderful day, everyone.

Words Of Wisdom

Sometimes it's best to pause for a few seconds before speaking. This will help to keep your tongue from getting ahead of your mind, which will in turn help you avoid putting a foot in your mouth.

Now go forward and be tactful!

Off The Mark Prediction

"A rocket will never be able to leave the Earth's atmosphere."

- The New York Times, January 13, 1920 -
(The Times offered a retraction on July 17, 1969, as Apollo 11 was on its way to the moon.)

Never say never...

Have a great day, all!

Chuckles and Chortles

Happy new week, everyone! Did you all have a nice weekend. I certainly hope you did. And can you believe that we're at the end of July? Where has the month gone?

August and September are going to get pretty busy around here for us, which I've already mentioned, as we prepare for the changes that are coming up. I'll be explaining all that soon.

Right now I'm going to try to make you all laugh with some humour. Enjoy!

Wishing you all a wonderful day ahead!

Question Of The Day

Which song makes you want to jump up and dance?



I love to dance and there are many songs that will get me going. But when this one comes on...



...I just can't control myself. Footloose by Kenny Loggins is my weakness. Even now I'm tapping my feet as I listen to it while preparing this blog post.

Do you like to dance? And is there a song that makes you want to jump up and shake your booty?

Have a lovely weekend, everyone!

A To Z Of Gratitude: E

E is for Empathy

When you can step into another person’s shoes and see with their eyes, listen with their ears and feel with their heart, you are practicing empathy; one of the most important skills we can develop.

I am very grateful for this trait that I consider to be a superpower. Every time we practice it, we make the world a better place.

Have a beautiful day, everyone.

Hometown Memories: Word Search Puzzles

Along with a notebook where I record my thoughts, I picked up a few books of word search puzzles to take with me whenever I visit hospice clients. It gives me something to do if they are sleeping while I’m there, which is quite common.

Anyhow, these books brought to mind a man I used to work with many – oh so many – years ago who used to enjoy doing these puzzles in the newspaper every day. Well, one time I beat him to it, and although he wasn’t upset that, he was upset at the way I circled my findings. With big circles around each individual letter; so big that they ended up touching each other. Some people circle entire words, I circle each letter in each word. With big circles. BIG.

Most people circle entire words. I circle each letter individually.

He said my method was distracting and confusing and annoying and that I should make very small, tight circles around each letter. And the circles must never touch. Never. Because the page becomes messier and messier as more and more circles are added, which makes it harder and harder to find words. He was also the type of person that circles each individual letter, he said, but his circles were done “the right way”. Tiny. He was visibly upset as I worked on the puzzle and I couldn’t believe how much this frustrated him. But I guess we all have our quirks.

I smiled thinking about him as I was working on some puzzles recently, wondering what ever happened to him (he’d be somewhere in his mid to late eighties now) and whether he still does these puzzles if he’s still in this world. And every time I located a word and circled each letter with big – BIG – circles, I imagined him sitting next to me shaking his head and sighing heavily.

Do you do these types of puzzles?

You’re Probably Around My Age If...

...you remember what this was used for:

And you're definitely around my age if you ever used one.

Here's a hint for the young'uns:

Go ahead, take a guess. If you get it right, you win a moldy piece of cheese, a sweaty sock and three pieces of chewed-up bubble gum. (I think Wonder Woman will approve of these prizes.)

Have a wonderful day, everyone!

Chuckles and Chortles

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you all had a lovely weekend and your week is starting off right. We've got lots of sunshine here today, which is always welcome, especially since we have had a lot of rain in the past few weeks.

It's been fairly quiet around here lately, but come next month, things will start to get busy. Lots of stuff happening, which I'll write about later on. What about you? What's going on? Good things, I hope.

Shall we get to the funny stuff? Yes, let's do it...

Wishing you all a beautiful day ahead.

Inside My Introverted Brain

Apparently we dream all the time but more often than not, I don’t remember mine. When I do, though, they are quite interesting. No run of the mill types for me; my dreams are quite extraordinary. I’m not surprised considering I have such an active imagination that sometimes doesn’t settle down before I go to bed. Thus the weird and wacky dreams. I dream about alien encounters and hanging around with dinosaurs and visiting other planets and talking to ghosts and post-apocalyptic societies and bumping into mythological creatures that aren’t so mythological, after all. And zombies. That’s the latest theme.

l tossed and turned all night and barely got any sleep. But despite the restlessness, I managed to dream. About zombies. Hour after hour. Each time I woke up, I thought the dream would end but when I fell asleep again, it continued where it left off. It was a little spooky but also very cool. It had the makings of a really good movie. Too bad I don’t remember all the details because I’d be able to write a film script, sell it, make a lot of money and then fly all of us to a tropical island so we could meet. Wouldn’t that be fun? Meeting fellow bloggers and taking a vacation? Oh well...another lost opportunity. Maybe next time!

What kinds of dreams do you have?

Wishing you all a beautiful weekend!

A To Z Of Gratitude: D

D is for Daisies

What would the world be without beautiful daisies?

They make it a happier place with their simple yet elegant beauty.

And my garden would not be complete without their familiar presence.

Have a wonderful day, everyone.

What I’ve Learned In My Life So Far

I've learned that...

Keeping an open mind can be one of the most difficult things to practice but it’s proven to be one of the best tools in my life. I don’t have to believe or accept everything that comes my way, but I’m willing to observe, listen and try to understand different points of view, opinions and ideas before coming to a conclusion. It’s not always easy, and it’s certainly a daily exercise, but well worth the effort.

Do you try to keep an open mind?

Question Of The Day

What is your least favorite chore?

Mine is ironing. And I avoid it like the plague. In fact, I haven't ironed in years, which is a good thing because I become quite hostile when I do. Just ask my family. I'm not exactly sure what aggravates me so much about this chore but there you have it.

How about you?

Chuckles and Chortles

Happy Monday, bloggers! How is everyone? And how was your weekend? We had company on Saturday. My oldest and dearest friend drove in with her husband and son from Montreal to spend the day with us. She and I met at the age of four and have been best friends ever since. We have created an abundance of memories over the years and I hope we both live long enough to create many more. Anyhow, we all had a great time and I look forward to seeing them again.

So, shall we get to the funny stuff? Yup, let's do that...

Have a wonderful day, everyone!

Inside My Introverted Brain

“Bad news travels at the speed of light; good news travels like molasses.”

- Tracy Morgan -

So I bought a composition book last week to take along with me when I visit with hospice clients. And while they sleep or prefer to have quiet time, I jot down the random thoughts that run through my brain. It’s amazing how many of them there are. But I am an introvert, after all, so it does make sense. The brain working overtime and all that.

(Oh, did I forget to mention that I volunteer with the local hospice organization? I do, but that’s a story for another time.)

Anyhow, I was substituting for another volunteer yesterday afternoon and the television was on at the client’s house where I was visiting. At one point the news came on and, as always and forever, it was the same old depressing stuff. And then this thought popped into my head, which I jotted down:

“Why is there always so much bad news thrown at us? Is the media guilty of providing it? Or are we guilty of demanding/encouraging it?”

Mmm...hmm...

I get the feeling that if we stopped being bad news junkies, you’d hear about the good stuff a little more often. Because it’s not all gloom and doom. There are a lot of good things happening around the world and there are a lot of great people doing great things. I don’t know about you but I sure could use a little more good news.

Anne Murray says it best in the song below.  (Oh my goodness, it’s a gazillion years since I listened to a song from this woman.)

Have a beautiful weekend, my friends!

A To Z Of Gratitude: C

C is for Cat

Was there any doubt that this would be my choice for the letter c?

I have had many cats throughout my adult years, each one special in its own way. And each one with a unique personality like the one in the image below.

This is our cat, Mocha. We adopted her at the age of four months in September 2010 from the local humane society. She was a very fearful kitten, if not somewhat feral, when we brought her home. She wouldn't go near anyone and certainly wouldn't allow anyone near her.

Over the years, with love and patience and effort, she has made huge strides and has overcome many of her fears. Because I'm the one that spends a lot of time with her, feeds her and baby talks her, she is extremely attached to me. She follows me around throughout the day, curls up on my lap, sits next to me when I'm watching TV, greets me in the morning when I wake up and follows me up to bed at night. She even comes when I call her. And when I'm petting her, she looks up at me (as my husband recently stated) as if I'm some god. Correction: goddess (You are right, Debra!)

I am grateful for all the cats I've shared my life with but particularly grateful for this one. She's come a very long way.

Have a nice day, everyone!

In The Garden

"A flower's appeal is in its contradictions — so delicate in form yet strong in fragrance,

so small in size yet big in beauty, so short in life yet long on effect."

- Terri Guillemets -

How about some photos of pretty flowers? Not that you have much choice. I've got a very busy day ahead and this is what I have to offer. I hope you enjoy 'cause there isn't anything else!

Have a beautiful day, everyone.

There Are Two Kinds Of People

I squeeze the gel out from the bottom. The right way *snort*

How about you?