At any point during the day, inside or out, I see Missy "belly up". Missy is forever hopeful that a belly rub is in her near future and she lies in wait. I don't have the heart to refuse and she knows it! She knows that I once I see her little belly, I am powerless. I am simply unable to resist the lure of rubbing that little belly.
I hope you are on the receiving end of your own "belly rubs" today. Whatever form they take, I hope it is something that brings you joy and makes you smile. 💓😊
I've accomplished a lot of things in my life that I am extremely proud of. There are also some things that I could have handled differently, but I believe we can all relate to that, hindsight being 20/20 and all. But the person I am now, what I am doing in my life right now, is the result of all that...the good and the bad. And it was all necessary to get me to this point in my life.
I am never going to be stagnant in my thoughts or in my life. I am constantly moving forward and learning and I don't ever see that as changing. I am always, always, always going to be looking for the joy, the good and the positive in situations, in people and in life. I was not created to be anything less than the best I can be.
I simply do not have time, energy or the desire to be dragged down by angry or negative people or situations. I just don't. There is so much good and positive in life to experience and I truly believe that what you focus on is what you will see. I will always choose to see the joy and the good.
Getting this blog up and running again after a 5 year absence(!!!) was important to me. I want to make sure that I say it often, and clearly, I truly and sincerely appreciate each and every one of you that read my words and my thoughts and encourage me to write more. Sharing joy with people is extremely important to me and I thank you for allowing me to come into your life in this way. You are helping me live a life filled with joy and I will never take that blessing for granted or not appreciate the privilege.
I said that I don't think much about aging, but I suppose, in a small way, I do. I think about what time I have left. I have a very clear mission and goals for my life and I am determined to continue to live my best life in the years left. I will always be looking forward to what's next.
I will be turning 59 years old next week. As I've gotten older, birthday's seem to pass just like every other day and that's not a bad thing. But I do hope, for this one day, there's cake. 💓😊
Her mom thanked me for noticing and mentioning it to her. She said, "They’re new, and she hasn’t taken them off for the past two weeks!" Bless her little heart.
Driving home, thinking about that little girl, I realized what a beautiful glimpse of joy I had just witnessed. As we go through life, some days we’re the ones wearing the new pink rain boots, and other days we just hope someone notices them. Either way, life can be so wonderfully full of joy.
A couple of days a week, we welcome Piper to the Alden home. Piper is a sweetheart and we love having her spend her day with us. It's been so much fun to see her and Missy get to know each other and become friends. This sweet gal has quickly endeared herself to us.
1Our Piper days usually start with us all going for a walk together. It was a bit tricky at first, getting used to walking two dogs, but we (I) figured it out and we now have a good rhythm and do quite well.
Piper likes to lead us, so I give her enough leash so she can escort us around the neighborhood. Truth be told, part of the reason I love to let her lead is because she has the sweetest little ears that bounce, bounce, bounce when she trots! It just cracks me up to see them! And to see her taking her 'job' so seriously 💓. Piper is super focused on leading her little troop.
We are often joined by my friend Rose and her dog Brody. Rose is a good friend and Brody is just awesome too! Missy was his first dog friend and they adore each other. They are all roughly the same size, and all the same temperament, so they have always gotten along great! When we first meet on the hill, the three of them get updated on the latest news 3, get their ear scratches and then we are off. Brody is still just young, but Rose has done a great job teaching him to walk on the leash and we all fall into a good flow - all led by Miss Piper.
Once in a while, we will walk by something and all three of them make a bee-line to smell whatever it is that needs their IMMEDIATE attention. I wish I knew what they "learn" when they smell so intently like this. They sometimes need a little coaxing to move it along, but soon we are on our way again and having ourselves a nice walk.
After about 20 minutes, we say good-bye to Rose and Brody and make our way back home. Piper lives next door to us, but she knows that when she is out with Missy and I, she is going to be coming back to our house. I let her lead us home, down the driveway, through the garage and right to the door - and she does it with such determination and focus! Piper loves her mom, and misses her when she's gone, but I love that she is comfortable and that she enjoys coming home with us too. 😊
Besides the fact that Missy feels that it is necessary to repeatedly check on Piper, we all settle into a quiet and easy routine. On the days when I am in the studio, Missy goes into her room and Piper settles under my table and soon falls asleep. Every 20 minutes or so, Missy will come into the studio to be sure that Piper is not on the receiving end of any belly rubs. She'll come in the room, look at Piper asleep at my feet and turn around and go back to her room. Once Missy has determined that the situation is just as it should be, we are good for another 20 minutes or so.
The first time Piper was with us, and I went to use the bathroom, Piper came into the bathroom with me. Missy stood there from the doorway looking at her and was all like "Whoa, hold up there Piper! That is not cool. We don't actually go into the room with her - we just stand outside the door and stare at her." Piper learned real quick and now she stands at the doorway with Missy and they both stare at me. I'm not sure that Piper understands Missy's rule either, but she abides by it.
When it's not too hot, we all sit outside in the backyard. They both get settled into their favorite spots and we are good for a while. It's easier for Missy to keep on eye on Piper outside so I think she prefers this arrangement much better too.
It's been a while.....
Sometimes, but not every time, Missy will bring her treat over to the rug and roll all over it before she eats it. I tried that with my Oatmeal cookie. Honestly, I don't know what the appeal is.
I used to have 30 coffee mugs in my house but I realized that I only really used one. My criteria for choosing a coffee mug used to be that I had to like the design or the saying on the outside. Now, in the wisdom of age, I know that the thickness of the mug is key. The mug has got to be thick to keep the coffee warm. Which brings me to.....
I do not like cold coffee. I have never had a iced coffee but I don't need to try it to know I won't like it. Now, I know there are 74 trillion people that LOVE cold or iced coffee and I say "Rock on", not this gal. I will drink my coffee as it cools and I will finish up the coffee cold, but I can not just dive right into cold coffee. Not happening.
Why don't we call all meat what it is when it is used for consumption? We don't say "Want a Cow" or "Some Pig"? We do it for chicken and most fish, but you rarely see anything labeled as "Cow" or "Pig". Weird.
"I won't betray people for money" was the answer Jamie Lee Curtis gave when she was asked why she won't write a tell-all. Love this! Way up high "high five" Jamie Lee!
When I am taking the stairs next to someone who is on the escalator, and I beat them to the top.... I'm not generally a competitive person, but I will say that I have been known to give myself some mental "high-fives".
And, while we are on this subject. I'm a very nice person and I am a very kind hearted person. But, I gotta tell you, when I am in traffic and I choose the lane that is fastest and we are going by the other lane standing still, I don't actually say it, but I do sometimes think "Suck it!" Right then and there, I am the Queen of Picking Lanes.
The waitress/waiter who refills your water glass or coffee cup without you having to ask her to... that is someone who is GREAT at their job and paying attention.
Do not ever EVER Google any skin issues you may be having. And please do not ever use "Images". There is never your skin issue pictured but you will be exposed to things you can't easily forget. 1
Have you noticed that the word "cough" sounds like a cough? And the word "sneeze" sounds like a sneeze 2. They could have very easily been named "Klinker" or "Lorky" but they are named for what they sound like. I'm sorry, I find this cool!
I love when survey's ask me to name my age in years. Because I was totally going to answer "30,505,054 minutes"
Anticipation! I could live on the anticipation building up to a Key West vacation for longer than the 10 days we spend there.
I never knew what "Piddling" was until I moved to the South. Come to find out, I'm pretty good at it.
You want to get vaccinated? Great! You don't want to get vaccinated? Fabulous! You want to wear a mask? Go you! You don't want to wear a mask? Rock on. If it's a rule or law, I'll abide by it, but if the action is my choice, it is my choice, not yours. Just like it is your choice and not mine. My business is not your business and your business is not my business.
"We all need hope, but sometimes we need help finding it. Be the person who helps others find their hope - live beautifully." I don't know where I read this or who wrote it, but LOVE it.
Call me a rebel, but I am not going to go through your little maze of cones and ropes if there is no one waiting in line. I'm by-passing all that there and going right to the cashier. 3
I apologized to Missy for inheriting my back issues and my sensitivity to medication and she told me that she wished she was adopted.
We used to be able to turn the volume up just-a-smidge. Now, now you have to go in increments. I'm sorry but sometimes I need the 12.5.
So, can I just say this? Now that there are no masks, I am back to worrying about bad breath and boogers. 4
In the morning we have the news on and I can hear the weather 6 times and still have to ask Bill "Is it going to rain today?" When did weather get so complicated? We have radar maps, satellite maps, graphs and Doppler this and that. It's all just more information than I need to know. Pretty much my concern is "Sun or rain?". Simple.
Doesn't matter who you are, when you start out the sentence with "I had the weirdest dream last night...", unless it is really WACKY, most times I'm tuning you out. 5
When I was getting my tour of the gym yesterday, I met a 96 year old man named, I believe, Willie. Mara told me that he is there almost every day. I just know that we are going to be best friends.
Bill will use two Q-tips and I refill the glass with 8. I can't help it... I'm a 'filler".
I sometimes kibitz about my age, but really I am younger than I thought I would be at this age.
Bill is a 'whistler' and will whistle at random times while he is working. It is adorable. I don't know many people who still whistle.
"Some people are never happy. And that's not your problem. It's theirs".
1. You are welcome
2. You tried it didn't you? 😄
3. Yup, I'm trouble
4. Mine and someone else's
5. Sorry
And finally, Missy has a "Thank you" for those that rub her belly!
We spent almost 3 and a half hours at the Emergency Vet with Missy yesterday. She woke up very lethargic and would sometimes cry out with little yelps for no apparent reason. As the day went on, her cries became more frequent and I knew that she was in some sort of pain and I was a wreck.
It's Sunday and I knew that my Vet would be able to get me in quickly, but I had to wait until they opened on Monday morning. I waited until a little after noon and called the three Emergency Vets in our area. All three told me that "They were already at capacity" which meant that they were not accepting any more cases.
Two hours later, Missy is worse and I called the Emergency Vet closest to us again. They said that they can take Missy but it would be at least a two or three hour wait. I think this was said to be a deterrent, but it didn't deter me. Bill and I got Missy into the car and we were off. At this point, Missy was very anxious and crying out sharply. And I'm crying. I knew it was irrational at this point, but I was imagining that we were not going to be coming home with her. Bill is an incredibly strong man and he does a good job at soothing me, but I couldn't seem to stop my thoughts from going to the worst case scenario.
When we got to the office, and after I checked in, the Triage Nurse came out to get Missy. They were going to run tests and then get her calm and settled down. This began our wait. We had to wait in the parking lot, and we did, along with about a dozen other people at this Emergency Vet on a Sunday afternoon.
A large part of why I was so upset was because I just felt so helpless. I just knew that there was something wrong with her and not being able to help her tore me up. In the car I began to pray "Your will be done". Over and over "Your will be done".
I prayed for wisdom and compassion on all those kind people working inside that building. I prayed for peace for Missy, I didn't want her in pain and I didn't want her to be scared. I prayed for strength for the other people who had pets inside this Emergency Vet building. As I prayed, I felt myself calming down. I knew that there was nothing more that Bill and I can do physically and that she is now in the hands of people who can take care of her.
"Your will be done" is what I repeat to myself often. It reminds me that while I have no say or sway in any outcome, it reassures me that I can handle every thing that I am faced with. It most likely won't be easy and it will never, ever be my time frame or will, but I can handle it. While I was created to be a deeply feeling and nurturing person, I was also created to be a strong and resilient one.
I thought about when we had to put our first dog Ginger down - we had been in SC only four months at that point. It was almost the same scenario, Ginger woke up lethargic and whelping out in pain. She ended up having advanced cancer and there was nothing the Vets could do. We were with her when she was put down and that was one of the hardest and most heart wrenching experiences I have ever been through. I told Bill that I couldn't do it again. I could never own another pet because this, the good-bye's, are so incredibly painful.
But Bill knew. He knew me better than I knew me. I didn't know this, but he had been looking at the shelter websites in our area. One morning, about 8 months later, he saw Missy on the Greenville Humane Society page. I was there when they opened their doors that morning and Missy joined our family.
As the name of my blog states: Missy makes me laugh. Every single day. Repeatedly. This little dog has so much personality and is so fiercely independent and unique. And I think this is why, this is why I, we, opened our home and heart to another dog. This is why while the pain of good-byes can be gut wrenching, it is the moments, the day-to-day joy in the moments, that do make it so worth it. I can't, and I shouldn't, spend my life trying to avoid the pain at the risk of missing the joy.
After three hours, the vet tech called us and told us that they found that Missy had injured her back again. She was having muscle spasms which was causing the yelping and causing her the anxiety. We had gone through this about four years ago with her. She was on Prednisone and that was a rough 6 weeks with her. But she recovered and has had no other problems since then. They had given her a shot to relax her immediately and gave us two different medications to relax her and keep her relaxed once we got her home. I had Bill take the call from the Tech because I was just so sure that it was going to be news that I could not handle. When he hung up and told me, I just started crying again - happy, grateful and thankful tears.
We got Missy, Bill put her in my lap and we drove home. I rubbed her ears, and gently pet her back. My little trooper. My little crazy and funny dog seemed to inherit her back issues from her Mom and I apologized to her for that.
I know that there will come a day when we will have to say good bye to Missy. This little dog who so loves her multiple walks per day, primarily because, I believe, she knows that she will see someone who will rub her belly, will no longer be living a good quality of life. There will come a time when it would be cruel and selfish to have her suffer and not be able to meet her quota of belly rubs per day, those things that bring her such joy.
I will have to say goodbye to people I love, there is no getting away from or denying that. I can live my life in dread of this or I can put my faith in the Lord who has given me the strength to know that there is nothing that I can not handle. I can not live my life avoiding joy because I want to avoid pain.
Missy is home sleeping very soundly and we won't be going out on any walks for a while until she completely heals. But every so often, I go in to check on her and give her a belly rub. I know she has a quota to keep.
In the 1980 movie "The Blue's Brothers", Jake takes Elwood to his apartment. As they stand outside the apartment, the pictures on the walls start rattling and you see, and hear, a train passing by outside the window. Once inside Jake says "Well, it ain't much, but it's home".
Elwood asks "How often does the train go by?" and Jakes replies "So often you won't even notice it".
"So often that you won't even notice it" is great when you have a speeding train that repeatedly passes outside your window. However, it is not so good for other things.
Our brains are amazing aren't they? We can tune out repetitive and invasive sounds and events so they don't overwhelm us. But there's a down side to this. Our same brain has the ability to do that for everything.
Things that we do every day; taking a shower, drinking your first cup of coffee, driving to work, preparing dinner, etc... can easily become those events that happen so often we don't even notice them.
I aspire to live a grateful and observant life but I know that I can often fall into the "not noticing" mindset. When I find myself doing this, I stop and make a conscious effort to notice and appreciate everything. I take a moment to be thankful for all the little details that make up my life. And what's really amazing is that when I do this, I always find more to be thankful for.
Over the past 35 years, there has not been one single day when I have not thought about food. Not one single day when I have not obsessed about what I ate, what I shouldn't have eaten, or what I would like to eat. I have literally spent more than half of my life fixated on food. Crazy right?
At the end of each day, I go over in my mind what I had eaten that day. Often I would judge a day as being "good" because I was able to follow the unrealistic goals I set for myself. But years of unhealthy and restricted eating means that I rarely view any day as a "good" food day. And yes, it is as tiring and soul crushing as it sounds. So much energy wasted and so much time spent on negative thoughts. I'm almost 59 years old and I often forget this. This body, as the kids say "It is what it is".
I have always been restricted and picky about what I eat. I haven't eaten meat, poultry or really any kind of fish for almost 40 years. I don't eat fast food of any kind and I do not eat any franchise food that is 'assembled' and not actually prepared in a restaurant kitchen. I also eat very little fried, processed or packaged food*.
So, no fast food or heavily processed food, this all sounds great right? Yup, my blood pressure, my heart rate and my blood work are all fabulous. However, just because I don't eat the 'bad for you foods', it doesn't mean that I eat the 'good for you foods'. Because of the restrictions I have placed, I have spent almost my whole life not eating enough protein or getting enough calcium. And my body reflects this.
My body has as much muscle tone as a couch pillow. And I am not talking about those all-firm-looking-pretty-on-your couch-just-for-show pillows. Nope, I am talking about the pillows that are in the TV room. The ones that are all squishy and comfortable. Yup, put overalls on them and that's basically me, Janet Alden all squishy and cellulitiey.
Ahhh cellulite. My legs are full of cellulite so I no longer wear shorts. And there is no way to get rid of cellulite - I've tried. I've tried lotions, pills and whatever else QVC sells. Still got cellulite. I've looked all over the world wide interweb thingy, and it has been determined that once you have cellulite, it's yours for life. Even when I weighed less than 100 lbs, I had cellulite on my legs. So, I have cellulite and I am going to die with cellulite. It is what it is.
The newest treat is that my arms are starting to get cellulite too. Isn't that just grand? Yup, just grand. But y'all, I live in South Carolina where it is warm for most of the year and I'm not going to wear long sleeves all the time. But I will say this, if I am feeling particularly bold and sassy, I wear sleeveless shirts. But shorts? Nope, I ain't ever going to feel that bold and sassy.
Sure, it would be easy to blame society, the media and the fashion industry for my distorted thoughts on food and weight, but I won't. It's all on me. These thoughts are in my head and I own them. I have the ability to keep them or throw them out. This second half of my life is all about throwing them out. While I am still self-conscious about some parts of my body, I am also embracing the other parts.
My phone has been sending me pictures from 7 years ago. Always fun right? Except when they aren't. These pictures were taken 7 years ago when I weighed 95 lbs. That was an all-time low for me and it is painful for me to see these reminders. It used to be that I would look at those pictures and beat myself up for what I no longer was. Isn't that sad? But it is the truth. But it is not my truth anymore.
More than half of my life spent thinking about food and my weight. What a waste of a life. I've accomplished much in my life but I still have a lot more that I want to accomplish and do. And I am determined to not spend the second half of my life obsessing or wasting energy, or time, focused on food or my weight.
* "Salt, Sugar and Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us" and "Hooked: Food, Free Will and How the Food Giants Exploit our Addictions" both by Michael Moss are excellent books that talk about how the processed food manufacturers are making us fat, obese and unhealthy. I highly recommend both of these books!
My plan for the morning was to run a few errands, go to the library and come home and write the blog I have been 'writing' in my head for the past week. It all started out very well until I saw a sign for a yard sale along the way. Of course I stopped. There was an elderly gentleman walking around putting prices on items and we immediately began a conversation.
He was very nice and told me the stories behind almost everything that I picked up or looked at. He had some really neat things and almost every single item was an antique. Just about everything was made in the USA, solid wood, solid metal or completely handmade. He shared with me the stories and history behind the car models, records, pottery and glassware. Because I am really trying to make an effort to not bring home so many treasures, I decided that there wasn't anything that I needed. Then I spied a stack of pictures leaning up against a tree. I noticed some vintage frames and went over to take a look. I flipped through them and saw this print of hummingbirds.
We talked about hummingbirds and our experiences with them, we talked about her sciatica and our struggles with that and we talked about our dogs. Sadie was a mix of Cocker Spaniel and Rottweiler and was just delightful! Judy and I, and occasionally Michael, had such an easy and comfortable time talking about her volunteering with the church, about my mission to donate cards and our shared love of vintage pottery.
She explained that she used to go to estate and yard sales with her son and it was something that they both really enjoyed doing together. Now that he is married and has a family, his time is limited. She brought me into her shed where she had stored a lot of her pieces. She had lots of Shawnee, Hull and McCoy pieces, all things she has picked up through the years or items that were given to her as gifts. She shared with me that Michael has some health issues and they are looking to scale back to spare their family from having to deal with it all "when the time comes". We spent a long time talking about her pieces, her plants (she had a lovely garden), the birds she gets at her feeders and her church. And sweet Sadie was getting lots of loving and attention - so she was pretty happy too.
After we were talking for a while she said, "I want to go in the house to get something. I will be right back". She came back out with a porcelain hummingbird figurine. She said "I want you to have this." I began to gently protest and then I remembered something that my friend Jennifer Gray said. She said that when people try to refuse her compliment or gift, she says "Don't block my gift". It means, roughly, let me do this for you. I think of that a lot, and I gratefully accepted Judy's gift of the hummingbird figurine. God was winking again.
I gave Judy my card and thanked her and Michael for their kindness and for spending their time with me. I got back to my car and realized that I had spent an hour talking with these two delightful people. I also realized that my blog, the one I was "writing in my head" will have to wait. I now had a new blog to write.
I thought about the three different routes I could have taken this morning and how I was supposed to meet Judy and Michael, and Sadie. Sometimes, oftentimes, things happen and you meet people that are exactly who you are supposed to meet. One thing I know for sure is that the more that I open my heart and look for the blessings, the more I find them.
I am putting together a packet of cards and I'm going to drop them off to Judy and Michael's house next week. Along with a bag of treats for Sadie. 💓
As I've shared with you all, I have a lot of different notebooks. Lots of different kinds of notebooks and they all have a specific purpose.
 |
 |
The notebook that I keep in my pocketbook to write down things that I want to remember while I am out and about.
The notebook I keep in the car to write down things that I don't want to forget while I am driving.
There is the notebook that I keep in the studio and a notebook that I keep by the TV to write down things that I hear.
I keep a notebook by the side of the bed to write down meaningful things that I've read, things that I remembered and don't want to forget, and sometimes I write down snippets of dreams that I remember when I wake up.
There is the notebook that I keep on the kitchen table next to me to write down things I want to look up or that I need to do on the computer.
And then there are the notebooks I have that I use for specific topics. These are for things like Christian quotes, Introvert topics and Hospice stories....
So, you get the idea, I have a lot of notebooks! And surprisingly, I needed yet another notebook!
I knew exactly what kind of notebook I was looking for; I wanted this notebook to lay flat when open, not be spiral, be legal-lined, not be too big, and not be too thick or too thin. And, it had to have a cover that I liked. I knew exactly what I wanted and I headed out to the stores to find it.
First, I went to the Office Max, TJ Maxx and Barnes & Noble near us. While they had plenty of stock to choose from, there was nothing that was exactly what I wanted. B&N had one that met the first five requirements, and I almost bought it, but I wasn't crazy about the cover, so I didn't. I headed home.
As I was driving home, I was thinking about this - it's just a notebook. Really, why is it such a big deal? But I realized, it is not just a notebook, it is a desire to not settle.
I have spent the first part of my life often settling for things and situations that weren't exactly what I wanted. I settled, and more times than not, I ended up disappointed. At this stage in my life, I no longer settle. If I know what I want and I have certain criteria that I want to fulfill, I know that I will be disappointed with anything less. This can be difficult when I am looking for the perfect notebook or product and it has proven to be difficult in other areas of my life as well.
I have never been a lazy person and I do not do anything half-way. Nothing. If I commit to something, I am all in. I have never been one to believe in doing something just to get it done and over with. That has always been a true constant in my life, but sometimes I have settled just to keep the peace.
It is only recently that I recognized the difference between settling and my displeasure with the end result. And I am determined to no longer settle. Whether it is helping out a shop owner at their business, serving as a volunteer in our neighborhood or purchasing a product, I will not do or buy something just to get it done. While this has not always been easy, especially when I am pressured to get something done fast, it is something that I will continue to apply in my life. In the long run, no matter how difficult it was at the time, not settling has always been the right thing for me to do.
I eventually found the notebook I wanted and it did meet all the criteria I was looking for, but I had to visit a lot of stores to find it. I could have settled and bought the notebook I saw at the B&N, and I won't lie, after the 7th or 8th store, I almost went back to buy it. But I knew that if I did buy it, every time I saw the cover and used the notebook I would have known that I settled and I wouldn't be pleased with it or with myself.
Whether I am looking for the perfect item or performing a task, I know that settling or doing something halfway will only make me unhappy, disappointed and not feeling proud of myself. And at this stage in my life, I am not willing to settle for any one of those end results.
The month of April was very tough for me and I sure am glad we are in May! My month started with a sciatic nerve flare up. This first one lasted about a week and subsided after much rest, heat, and thankfully, anti-inflammatory and pain medication.
The second flare up was much worse. It came on about 6 days later and it was one of the worst I have ever had. I needed to get in to see my Doctor for a steroid shot and an oral steroid pack for the inflammation. This second flare up was stubborn and took longer, even with the steroids, to calm down. More rest, heat and medication.
And then, because apparently this was not enough to try to wear me down, I experienced serious and adverse side effects to a new medication I was prescribed. It took about ten days for this medicine to get completely out of my system and those ten days were long and rough. My sciatic was still inflamed, but thankfully the worst of that was over. So, at this point, you are most likely thinking "And this is a blog because......."
Well, because I couldn't do much else, I spent a lot of time listening to TED Talks and listening to and reading non-fiction books and audio. I have always kept a notebook or two with me to write down things I hear or read that are meaningful to me, and this blog is me sharing some of these things with you.
Some of what I included are quotes, some are snippets of larger discussions and some are just things that struck a cord with me. I hope that perhaps you too may be able to find wisdom in these offerings as well. In some cases, I may not be able to attribute and give credit to the author, but I did when I could.
✔ "If your creativity is driven by a desire to get attention, you're never going to be creatively fulfilled." Joseph Gordon-Levitt on Ted Talks 1
✒ Don't base your decisions on the advice of people who don't have to live with the results.
✔ In an October 1985 interview, Merv Griffin asked Orson Wells "...were there certain parts of your life that were really joyous?". He responded: "Oh yes....there are certain parts of almost every day that are joyous. I am not essentially a happy person, but I have all kinds of joy." 2
✔ "You don't always have to chop with the sword of truth. You can point with it too." Anne Lamott on Ted Talks
✔ "If all the insects were to disappear from the Earth, within 50 years all life on earth would end. If all human beings disappeared from the Earth, within 50 years all forms of life would flourish." Jonas Salk quoted on Ted Talks
✒ If you have been successful in the past, beware and consider this: If what you did yesterday still looks big to you, you haven't done much today.
✒ "For some people, being angry is better than being ignored. Childhood habits that go unaltered turn into unconscious ways of being." Rachel Hollis
✒ If you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room. You should want to surround yourself with people who are better than you in areas that you want to improve in.
✔ "If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have the time to do it over?" John Wooden on Ted Talks
✔ The day you plant the seed is not the day you eat the fruit.
✒ The older I get, the more I find that a good quit feels powerful. Deciding what you won't have in your life is as important as deciding what you will have.
✒ "There are known knows. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. These are things we don't know we don't know." Donald Rumsfeld
✒ "I took to my bed. I like the way that sounds: I took to my bed. It implies that I acted with style and flourish, perhaps adorned with a pink satin bed jacket. It suggests that I knew what I was doing. But I didn't. I only know how to tell the tale." Margaret Overton "Hope for a Cool Pillow"
✔ "There are two kinds of gratitude: The sudden kind we feel for what we take, and the larger kind we feel for what we give." Edwin Arlington Robinson
✔ You don't need everyone to love you. Just a few good people." Charity Barnum
✒ When we throw out the physical clutter, we clear our minds. When we throw out the mental clutter, we clear our souls." Gail Blanke
✒ "Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, leave the rest to God." Ronald Reagan.
✔ If you spend your day looking for blessings, here's the magic - you'll find them.
I have notebooks, LOTS of notebooks and scrapbooks, full of these kinds of quotes and 'wisdom', and I hope to be able to share more in the future.
As always, I appreciate you reading and supporting me and my little blog! 💓🙏
1. You may recognize his name from "3rd Rock from the Sun" and "Snowden". He did an outstanding segment on Ted Talks: Joseph Gordon-Levitt: How craving attention makes you less creative | TED Talk
2. The whole interview was fascinating. This particular interview was the last he ever did, literally. He died in the early morning after returning to his home hours after the taping. I'm glad that he died joyful and content with his life. Orson Welles Final Interview - Video | eBaum's World (ebaumsworld.com)
