I was going to write about something negative and how to deal with negative people, but you know what, I don’t even want to think about them anymore. I motivated myself right off that topic by watching some TED talks. I watched the 8 traits of successful people and I was prepared to tell you how that can motivate you in your life, but then, oh wow, something caught my eye. One popped up on the side that screamed “watch me”. Wow. This is it. This is what motivates me:
Ric Elias nails it on the head…it all changes in an instant. I also like the theory of collecting “bad wines”. That means, no, I am not saving that bottle for another time. The time is now. It really is. He talks about his ego getting in the way and arguing about things that do NOT matter with people who DO matter. Hmmm. There is not one person I know who couldn’t benefit from listening to him say that again. He is working to eliminate the negative. Lastly, he said he wanted to be a great dad. Be present. Be there for your family.
“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” ~Buddha
Ha. Ha ha ha ha. Breathe in. Breathe out. I was minding my own business this morning, literally as all I was doing was thinking about something, and boom. I started feeling weird. Like I needed to take deep breaths and relax. Seriously? What in the world. Just the thought of needing to make more money brought this on. Granted, we all need money to live, so perhaps it isn’t that odd that I would worry about income. I followed these simple steps and started to relax. I told myself to snap out of it. Yes, I like to use that line. I focused on the positives, not the negatives. Again, easier SAID than done. I know this. You know this. We all know this. I focused on my feelings and realized that this was perfectly normal.
So, is it time to clue you in yet? Almost, almost. Last week, some individual somehow got my credit card number, that is associated with my BANK ACCOUNT. The fraud department immediately called my husband and he contacted me. No, I had not just made this huge purchase of groceries while I was at work. Working, to pay the bills. Working to pay Mr. or Mrs. Crook’s grocery bill. I mean, it was so much they probably ate steaks, shrimp, and had some wine, several bottles, to go with their meal on my dime (Why don’t I buy steaks?). Then I start thinking about all the people who get away with things like this. Then I open up my iGoogle page, which has the news on it, and I see a lucky Powerball winner has won almost $600 million. Ha. Ha ha ha ha. That’s when it happened.
I need to get back to hot yoga. I need to write. I need to relax. I need to actually journal. Not necessarily all in this order, but you get the picture. And maybe I need to play the Powerball too. Control the chaos people.
“The battlefield is a scene of constant chaos. The winner will be the one who controls that chaos, both his own and the enemies.” ~Napoleon Bonaparte
I was given this award about a month ago and life got crazy. Sorry! I really appreciate the chance to accept; however, if you know me, you know I umm modify the awards once I receive them. I do it for many reasons, but for now, I am going to post a photo: I am supposed to post a photo and explain why I like it and tell you about blogs I follow that are mostly “unknown” I believe. Well, I am going to use a quote and tell you to look over at the blogs on the side and visit them if you please. I know, I don’t follow directions. Sorry:)
“A soulmate is someone who has locks that fit our keys, and keys to fit our locks. When we feel safe enough to open the locks, our truest selves step out and we can be completely and honestly who we are; we can be loved for who we are and not for who we’re pretending to be. Each unveils the best part of the other. No matter what else goes wrong around us, with that one person we’re safe in our own paradise. Our soulmate is someone who shares our deepest longings, our sense of direction. When we’re two balloons, and together our direction is up, chances are we’ve found the right person. Our soulmate is the one who makes life come to life.” ~Richard Bach
The events of last week have left me wondering what in the world I could say that would motivate anyone right now. Then my husband hugs me and simply says “I love you.” and that is enough. It is enough to know I am loved right now. It is enough to know that I do not have all the answers nor will I ever. It is enough to know that I am doing the best I can. It is enough to know that we can pay the bills. Sometimes, you have to start with what you know to make it through the day, and that is simply enough.
“Love is a force more formidable than any other. It is invisible – it cannot be seen or measured, yet it is powerful enough to transform you in a moment, and offer you more joy than any material possession could.” ~Barbara de Angelis
I just want to share a collection of quotes today as my thoughts are still scattered. Hope you enjoy!
A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. ~Tenneva Jordan
A suburban mother’s role is to deliver children obstetrically once, and by car forever after. ~Peter De Vries
The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness. ~Honoré de Balzac
When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child. ~Sophia Loren, Women and Beauty
A mom’s hug lasts long after she lets go. ~Author Unknown
Lastly, one of my favorites:
A little girl, asked where her home was, replied, “where mother is.” ~Keith L. Brooks
All day long, the song from St. Elmo’s Fire was playing somewhere in my subconscious. The group of friends I had in high school was a close-knit group. Most of us had been friends since elementary school. You don’t find that much anymore. I scanned some old photos in last night and realized I wish I could say something witty to my friend. The last thing we said to each other was hilarious, but is that truly what I wanted to tell him? Hmm. My phone was auto-correcting my southern accent. I was trying to post a status by using voice recognition. I told it “Happy Friday!” and erm, it came out “Happy Ass Day!” for real. So my buddy posted “Happy Ass Day to you too Aimee.” I’m not sure why it cracked me up, but I was grinning from ear to ear, and every Friday, I thought about his post. I could see him saying it, trying to keep a straight face, then busting out laughing. We always said ridiculous stuff. We always did ridiculous stuff. We watched ridiculous cartoons. Damn I miss that.
The song from St. Elmo’s Fire says that growing up, you don’t see the writing on the wall. Moving straight ahead we knew it all. And again, I thought of us. We had the best times. We went to bonfires in the woods, drank wine coolers, listened to our friend’s band play, and talked until the late hours of the night. We called each other on the phone and made dates. We talked our parents into letting 14 teenagers, boys and girls, go to a cottage in Corolla, N.C. We hung out, dressed in togas, played games like Twister, and rode around in our friend’s van looking at wild horses. Maybe we even drank on the beach at night, just a little. Maybe, just maybe, someone had a cigar. Not telling after all this time, just saying maybe. The guys cooked us dinner one night and we all dressed up. They wore ties for us. We were seniors in high school and we had our lives ahead of us. Sure, there were secret crushes. Sure there were whispers in the night. But above everything else, we had a bond. A bond that to this day, I hope my daughters have with their friends.
Lastly, I’d like to say when I hear this song, I think of the horses coming up to the van. They don’t do that anymore, but back then it was magical. Just like friendship.
“The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing… not healing, not curing… that is a friend who cares.” ~Henri Nouwen
How do you process grief when a loved one dies suddenly? What do you do to cope with your feelings? I’m going to be honest with you. I am going to chat with someone. That’s right. I am admitting it. I am going to seek outside help. Too many things have been going on in my life and I have been trying to tie up all the strings, but it is very much like trying to hold on to a bouquet of balloons. Some of the strings are in my hand…others are hiding in the bunch and are starting to slip out. Some days I want to be like that meme that says “It’s Friday! F-ck this shit. Just kidding. It’s still Thursday, and I need those.” Today was one of those days for many, many reasons.
I don’t know how all of my other friends feel about me admitting this here, but we have lost so many people I think I need to just say it. My friend had not been sick…that is to say, not on the outside. It appears he was suffering from depression. I think the hardest thing about using that word is that it is so misunderstood. Life is hard to deal with folks. Even famous people get depressed. One that I often quote and admire who battled depression is Sir Winston Churchill. Just because people can’t see what’s happening to you on the inside doesn’t mean you ignore it. Here is a good list to read. Until we meet again.
“There’s nothing, repeat, nothing to be ashamed of when you’re going through a depression. If you get help, the chances of your licking it are really good. But, you have to get yourself onto a safe path.” ~Mike Wallace
