admin, Author at Adulting: Second- Half

Better

How can you not be in awe of Dolly Parton?! Besides her amazing creative talents, and her dedication to being purely and authentically herself, she has given millions away to pay for books for children, college educations for her employees, and for vaccine development during this heart wrenching pandemic. And yet Dolly remains humble, grateful, thoughtful and down-to-earth.

I think that this fan’s tweet, says it best:

“There is a Dolly Parton hall of fame and it’s the planet earth. Love you.”tanya tagaq@tagaq

In times of strife, the cream rises to the top. We love to focus on the villains and the bad guys, but just for today, let’s just be in awe of the people who make this world a better place. Let’s focus on the real-life superheroes who are all around us, making this world inspirational, hopeful and even more beautiful. Don’t focus on flaws. Don’t start with “yeah, but”. We’re humans. We’re all flawed. But there are certain people who have an incredible knack for doing what is in their hearts to do, and they make it happen. Make your list today of people who are alive today, who make you want to become a better version of yourself. Is it the Ukrainians? Is it Zelenskyy? Is it Dolly? Is it your neighbor? Your sister? Your mother? Your child? Your friend? Your doctor? Your teacher? Doesn’t just thinking about these people fill your heart with so much pride and hope and enthusiasm for life, and for all that this world is capable to be??? Think of moments in your own life that you stood up to the challenge, and you put out the best version of yourself, just because you felt the need and the drive and the inspiration to do so. These moments were not only your gift to yourself, but also your gift to the entire world. Don’t be stingy. Give us more of your truest, kindest, purest, heartfelt self. If we all did this on a regular basis, just imagine how fantastically beautiful this world would be. It is people like Dolly Parton who give us a hopeful glimpse.

you make me wanna be a better man – theQuotes.me

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

Monday-Funday

credit: @andymewborn, Twitter

I think that the above meme has become particularly more applicable to me as I have gotten older. It really does stress me to have more than one important thing to do on any particular day. I have the tendency to over-exaggerate the importance and the relevance on any “big, BIG, BIG” event on any one specific day. Interestingly, my twenty-something sons and I are complete polar opposites in this regard. My sons try to pack in as much other stuff that they possibly can before “The Appointment” and then to come screeching into “The Appointment” huffing and puffing, breaking speed limits, with no seconds to spare, all of the while trying to pull off an air of complete badass nonchalance. It makes for a really fun family dynamic amongst us at times. If this sensation were a perfume it would be called, “Tension in Ze Aire.”

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

Soul Sunday

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

Short Addiction & Recovery Poems - Digital Poet

Good morning. It feels like a particularly soulful, hopeful Sunday. My friend sent a video of the most adorable little bird creating a nest in her tree this morning. Nature is hope. Nature continues no matter what. Nature keeps doing its natural thing, oblivious to wars and politics and disasters. Nature is truly the physical manifestation of hope.

Sundays are devoted to poetry on the blog. I hope that you write a poem today. As Hemingway states, writing is clearing. Here is my poem for today:

I worked so hard on the raft.

I found directions to make it,

And guidelines on how to make the journey,

To get away. I made room for all of us.

And I begged you to come aboard.

But you obstinately refused.

You wanted to stay on the Isle of Anger and Pain.

And I wanted to leave,

You are outraged that I floated away,

And I am disappointed that you stayed.

And the distance between us now,

is full of turbulent waves,

and scary, dark unknown things,

swimming and circling below the surface.

I won’t go back, and you won’t start a raft.

And so, here we are, so far away.

C-Words

I don’t know this man. Rex Masters posted this recently on Twitter. And I love it. Collaboration and cooperation is every bit as affective as competition. Both collaboration and competition make for better results. Both challenge all of the parties concerned, to bring their personal best to various situations. The problem with competition is that it becomes “me against you.” It creates adversaries. It assumes bad versus good. But the trouble with this is that we all have various definitions of what is “good” and what is “bad”. When we all have one common goal, such as the overall well-being of our own selves, our families, our communities, our countries, and our humanity, we bring the best of ourselves and our abilities to the table, in order to create that one common goal together.

Quotes about Competition and cooperation (33 quotes)

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

Tame Friday

It is not going to be a wild Friday night here at our household. My daughter got her bony impacted wisdom teeth removed yesterday morning, and in solidarity with her, in order to just want to veg on the couch together, I got my booster Shingles shot yesterday afternoon. We are both doing alright, but we are played out, to say the least. A lot of life events have been happening this week, and my whole family is a tad drained, physically and emotionally. We need rest and healing.

So, on that note, as much as I love Fridays and I love posting my “Favorite Things Friday” favorites, today I only have one favorite to share before I crawl back on to the couch next to my sleepy little Chipmunk Cheeks. This week, I tried this fabulous new hydration drink. It’s called Lemon Perfect Water. Lemon Perfect Water’s motto is “It tastes like you are drinking vacation.” And that is the absolute truth. These waters are sugar-free, and they taste fabulous. They remind me of a healthy version of those fresh-squeezed lemonades that you buy at state fairs. They come in many flavors and they only have 5 calories in each bottle. Go to the store, buy your vacation in a bottle, and drink up!!! Have a great weekend!!

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

Listen Up

I don’t remember the exact quote, but on Twitter the other day, someone tweeted something along these lines:

“The problem with being a good listener is that people don’t know when to STFU.”

There were many, many likes to this statement. I, myself, am just an average listener. It is something that I have had to work on over the years. I have a tendency to get excited and to interrupt. That being said, I’ve always tried to be cognizant of not holding people as my captive audiences. Nobody wants to be talked AT. People want you to show genuine, reciprocal interest in their lives, as well.

People who are really good listeners are probably among the most used and abused people in this world. They are so rare, that once we have one in our realm, we all tend to assume that they like being our sounding boards, and we lap up their rapt attention to our own showboating. Recently, I’ve been trying to engage the best listeners in my own life, to talk more about themselves. Because honestly, in my experience, the people who don’t talk that much, when they finally do say something, it tends to be profound. Also, the problem with excellent listeners is that they are usually the more “quiet” people in our lives. And when the quiet people get fed up with the rest of us more flamboyant ones, they tend to exit quietly. They don’t slam doors. They don’t demand equal attention. The good listeners just silently and slowly pull back and slide away. And their loss in our lives is a great one, because they are such rare gems. What best listener in your own life deserves more of your attention? Can you ask them questions without interjecting stories about your own life? You don’t have to “charm” an excellent listener. They are already charmed by you. They have shown it to you, again and again and again. Give their ears a break. This action will be the best thing that you have done for both of you, in a long, long time. There is no better way to show appreciation to the good listeners in your life, than to actively and earnestly listen to them.

404页面 | Listening quotes, Good listener, Mindfulness quotes

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

Version 2.0

I can honestly say that any time I have dealt with a personal challenge or tragedy, I have come out, at the other side of it all, as a person with more depth. I like who I am now much better, having bore the brunt of scars and pain and fear from any of the struggles which I have experienced and I have survived, and even sometimes thrived through. I believe that all of our experiences, whether we deem them “good” or “bad” have brought beautiful hues and nuances to our overall beings, making us deeper, more interesting, more reflective, more empathetic, stronger and yet more sensitive, all at the same time. Our experiences and our reactions and responses to our experiences hone our creativity and our understanding of Love, like nothing else does.

Our collective humanity has been going through a shitstorm (for lack of a better word) in these last few years. We are taking our licks and we have been forced to watch the people whom we love and care about, take their own licks, which is sometimes even more painful than bearing our own wounds. There was another generation, that comes to mind, whose some members are even still alive. This generation absolutely got more than their fair share of tumult and pandemonium to deal with in their own young lives. They experienced World Wars, and the Great Depression, and The Holocaust and vast discrimination, without many of the technological advances, and the medical advances, and the rights, and the comforts and the conveniences that we so easily take for granted today. They are called “The Greatest Generation.” This Greatest Generation is widely known for their collective character, their foresight, their sacrifices for the greatest good of all, their work ethic, their integrity, and their commitment and loyalty to their people and their causes.

I have forgiven, but I have not forgotten the naïve, sometimes selfish, sometimes impulsive, uninformed, judgmental, know-it-all younger versions of myself. My life experiences have shaped me into a more authentic, honest, patient, introspective, self-aware person than I started out to be and I hope that I continue to grow in that direction, until my last living breath. I hate what we are experiencing right now in this world of the pandemic, fractured politics and crimes against humanity. However, I also have no doubt that it is fire that forges steel. I believe with all of my heart, that it is often the worst of circumstances that can bring out the best of humanity and of creation. I think that our world would definitely benefit from “The Greatest Generation” Version 2.0. Don’t you?

Quotes about Greatest Generation (59 quotes)

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

Love Is An Action

In the matter of less than six months, three members of our combined extended families have lost their spouses to sudden deaths. All three of these people who died were in their fifties and younger. This has been a lot to consider and to digest and to process. It has been a stark reminder to me of just how short life really is, and how important it is to savor all of it. In times of sorrow and of pain and of uncertainty, which since the pandemic started, seems to be more of the norm than it ever was before (at least in my own life), it really helps to be reminded of all of the good and the love and the wonder that still surrounds us. These two recent news stories filled me with hope for humanity.

The first was the story of the Polish women who left their strollers waiting for the Ukrainian refugee mothers who were coming into Poland, at the train station platforms. I am sure seeing those strollers meant so much more to these refugee mothers, than just the use of much needed baby strollers. It was a message of hope, and of love, and of empathy, and of unity, like nothing that we could ever convey in words:

https://www.today.com/parents/parents/strollers-refugees-viral-photo-rcna19020

The second inspiring news story is about a hotline created by a couple of teachers and their elementary students to uplift people who need to feel some hope and some joy. It is called “Peptoc.” I called the number this morning and I picked the option to hear children’s laughter. Is there a more beautiful sound in this world? I think not. The number is here: 707-998-8410 I may keep it on speed dial. Here is the article:

https://www.npr.org/2022/03/06/1084800784/peptoc-hotline-kindergarteners

Love is an action. What does your love action look like for today?

Love quote - Love is a verb. | Love is a verb, Love quotes with images, Love quotes

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

Monday Fun-Day

I am terrible at giving directions. I am terrible at following directions. GPS directions technology has changed my own life, in incredible ways. Do you remember when you used to have to give people directions? Or when a slow moving car would sidle by you when you were walking, and ask you for directions? (This was such a tense, anxiety inducing situation for me. First, I would worry that someone was going to try to abduct me. Then, when they asked for directions, I would feel a slight tinge of relief, before the anxiety of having to give directions would make me all tense and nervous all over again.) Do you remember trying to decipher all of the funny landmarks someone would try to describe to you when you asked them for directions? Do you remember using paper maps? Do you remember having to try to fold back up said maps? My kids still love to tease me about the reams of paper I used up, in order to print out textbooks of Mapquest directions for our various road trips. Yes, in my own personal life, GPS on-time directions might be the one of the most positive change inducing inventions which I have ever experienced.

I was thinking, wouldn’t it be great if we could channel our own inner directions and guidance as easily as we can with GPS? Why does our intuition have to be so damn subtle and elusive sometimes? We definitely need better technology than Magic 8 balls for our sixth sense.

directions.... | Jokes pics, Cute quotes, Give it to me

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

Soul Sunday

Sundays are devoted to poetry on the blog. I can think of no more appropriate a poem for today than this classic by Emily Dickinson. Let hope, peace, and love reign.

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.