I’m just a small town girl, but I’ve got something say-

Normally I try to be polite, politically correct and put more thought in my words, but for the lack of humility everywhere, I’ll jump straight to the point.  There’s nonsense that’s ensuing all around us, for the hate spewing individuals whose antagonist ways have paved the way for bigots like Trump to make it as far as he has in the elections, I cannot standby and allow this self-fulfilling prophecy to put a nail in our Country’s (or worse) coffin.  I feel all we're assuring at this moment is that our Country is not great, but rather filled with hate. The system is corrupt, sure, but please put that aside and consider the consequences you’re putting on the table. If you are or considering voting for an individual who is trying to make the lives of certain individuals hell on earth, then by all means,  allow that to rest on your consciousness each night while I choose to look up to and follow individuals who truly made/continue to make a difference. Those from the past and future alike, who have enforced civil rights and provided justice for those in need, without having to tear other people down along the way. Where we are now, today, it’s becoming far more than civil rights issue, it’s come down to human rights and I refuse to entertain those who choose to treat other beings as though they were animals, criminals or worse.  The color of your skin, the God you worship, the love you choose to share, your nationality, embrace that shit. Be you, be real and know that there’s so much more love in the world than what you can see through the foggy lenses of the media, social media, your asshole neighbor and of course Trump.  Please, just don’t be a shitty person.  Choose love, laughter and be a proliferator of good vibes. Embrace different, the world’s far too vast and life is far too short to live a life anything short of positive.

In a time so dark..

A wise person knows retaliation is never the answer. Educate with love, knowledge and passion, from a place of good intent. Inform, don’t conform to societal pressures, social media’s constant harsh rhetoric nor the media’s agenda. Spreading peace and love in a world muffled by such hatred. Because tomorrow is never promised, I love you.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” MLK

Slow down!

Yes, here I go talking about time again, but in a slightly different sense that was previously mentioned, hear me out:

Time is such a precious commodity.  It falls short often and yet passes by at the speed of light.  Thinking about how I have been really slacking on reading and writing, it came to me that I need to learn to delegate more time doing things I enjoy, and less time stressing over the little things in life.  Time suckers such as: laundry, things I can’t control, work, the past and how to equally spend time with those I love need to be put in check. Being a creature of habit, I get so caught up in routines that often I fall into these comfort zones where time is not only wasted, but at times ;) , it’s unfulfilling to me personally.  So- from this writing forward, I’d like to try to make a more consciences effort to put myself first.  It’s time to let go of people pleasing and do what I feel, in the moment, is right for me.  I believe there’s a fine line between overly caring of others wants, needs and expectations, and possessing selfish tendencies.  I’m confident, as I believe many of those I love would vouch for, I’m rather unselfish.  Therefore, if I choose to put myself first from time to time, that’s okay, as a matter of fact it’s necessary.  At the end of the day, I’ve always been such a huge advocate of that little saying, just because you’re busy, doesn’t mean you’re productive. I choose to be more productive in my own harmonious ways, that includes taking care of business, while also setting aside plenty of time for me.   Just in writing this I feel I have the affirmations needed to carry on, so here I go.  Thanks for reading, cheers!

Sounds Legit!

I had to vent a little and write something out to calm my nerves. This is me writing of the cusp, so I apologize if it has grammatical/mechanical errors, you get the gist. :)  Thanks!

WTF?  I swear people grow more and more ignorant by the minute. While I don’t typically allow things I see online to get a rise out of me, because, let’s face it, that’s a lot of grief, I am however moved to jot some notes and thoughts I have on this particular matter that’s got everyone in a tizzy.  There are these debates unfolding on social media around this teenage girl who gets ripped from her desk by a police officer, with excessive force.  Yes, it was excessive force, period.  If you saw it in the video, (unless of course it was shot in Hollywood in front of a green screen, which I’m sure there are people who believe that conspiracy), there’s no denying the obsessive force.  This type of force was absolutely the type of disciplinary action that’s not needed in the compounds of an academic institution. That’s just scratching the surface as to what went wrong here.  There are so many other issues with this scenario.  Since when do police officers answer calls from teachers and principals, who apparently have no control over their students, to come in and enforce the law?  I’m being somewhat elusive here, but you get the point. What law was being broken? There was a rule broken, yes.  The girl was a brat, no one is doubting that, I’d hope. However being a brat doesn’t mean you’re a criminal.  Nor do defiant high school kids who are acting out, constitute a call to law enforcement. This is absurdity in its finest.  All this incident did was add fuel to an already raging fire across the U.S., one in which is necessary to spotlight when valid and appropriate. Unfortunately, they’re plentiful. There are several justified and documented incidents, particularly of racial discrimination that had, beyond a doubt, needed more attention before now. And this story, of the high school girl ripped from the desk? This absolutely deserves disciplinary action and, yes, perhaps even some of the media’s attention, however it’s such a slippery slope.  The story and the comments in reference, quickly spin out of control with “everyone now hates cops/ the sky is falling” type of scenarios.  I feel as if it’s taking one large step backwards in the light of an already complicated and exhaustive debate on police brutality, especially in terms of race.   Listen, as many know, if it bleeds, it leads.  It doesn’t take a journalism major to know that the media highlights what’s important, and typically that’s the negative in the world.  You don’t get the feel good, cop saves a kitten out of tree story any more. However, with the advent of social media, there’s no reason why we, the common public, can’t highlight and emphasize goodwill stories.  I love seeing the stories of the cop holding the hand of a fragile, homeless guy or the cop who helps the elderly Muslim lady across the street. Unfortunately, these just don’t make the cut, as many people feel so compelled to make an exclamatory statement, even if it’s full of loopholes and ignorance.  I get it, it’s a tough time for law enforcement and, like many fields of work, and there are bad apples among good apples. However, the fact that many individuals deemed that excessive force the officer used as justified, that there in it of itself highlights a huge flaw in what’s going on in this country.   Further, people choose to exasperate the issue by posting these cute, little memes that say something along the lines of “the problem isn’t the police force, it’s bratty kids who need reality checks…” or my favorite, these links they share which lead to the most ridiculous articles on the web.  You know, those credible sources, (Mad World News?!? ) that have the ads down the side of their webpage that have links and pictures to go along with  “Obama is a terrorist” and “Judge Judy caught prostituting.” This. Is. Nonsense.  People should be ashamed of themselves for buying into this sort of tabloid diarrhea and trolling propaganda.  It’s mind boggling to me how this shit comes about.  People think it’s so red or blue, left or right, that they fail to see the issues on both side of coin.  They fail to put their own egos and ignorance aside to really look into what’s fact vs. fiction. People fail to have their own voice on the matter. Ultimately, people fail to see the bigger picture, period.  

Perspective

The thing is, I have three blogs currently in the works. All in which, I’m quite passionate about, topical and fulfilling in many different ways. The creativity and passion have really been pouring in lately.  However, it dawned on me today, that while I use composition for mostly therapeutic reasons, this in turn means my subject matter isn’t always the lightest.  I can rant all day about how disappointing the lions are (huge understatement), how I wish I didn’t have student loans or a rising credit card balance, or how I wish I had more time to write, however today I thought I would write off the cusp and dive into things that bring me joy.  I’m literally smiling ear to ear today, as many things seem to be falling into place around me.  Are things perfect? No. Things need work, trust me, however I’m doing the best I can and I’m forever grateful for my current position, after all, things could be oh so worse and I’m beyond blessed in more ways than one.  This past year has been such a wonderful learning lesson.  At times that subject matter was tough, at times I was more than happy to sit back and take notes.  Some days I aced it, some days I failed miserably, however tonight as I sit here and put pen to paper, fingers to keyboard, I’m overjoyed by all things that are going right because of the trials and tribulations I’ve incurred, not just this past year, but in my 29 years on this planet. 

I’ve learned, we’re flawed as humans, in terms of our mind and the unrelenting thoughts that flow in and out.  Unfortunately, far too often we focus on the negative instead of the happier thoughts, moments and things that shine through.  As I spend time, both physically and in reflection of family, friends and loved ones, I’m so thankful for where I am today and who I’m becoming as an individual.  I’m mentally stronger than I’ve ever been, I’m physically capable of more than I could have ever imagined and I continue to progress in all avenues of my being each and every day.  Thank you to the loved ones who have supported and encouraged me along my new appreciation and journey. Thank you to anyone who provided a listening ear when I needed it, whether you were my mom, a distant co-worker, or the grocery clerk, your compassion was/is appreciated more than you may ever know.  For those handful of individuals who really went above and beyond to stand by my side, you know who you are and I can never repay you for your loyalty and words of encouragement, thank you for being you, I couldn’t have done it without you.   

It turns out one year can tell you a lot and I’m so glad to be where I am now; positive and looking vibrantly into the future, stronger than I could have ever imagined. The place I was in last September compared to this September, couldn’t be any further from each other on the spectrum and boy am I glad that I’m finally able to trade those tears in for smiles. 

In concluding, I’ve composed a list of the things I’m most grateful for today, in no particular order:

Health, family, clean water, faith, those friends who are like family, coffee, Jo Jo, nature, senses, music, McDonald’s serving breakfast all day, friends, my home, being a godmother, freedom, decent cameras on cell phones, Christmas, my vehicle, Fall, good beer, mistakes, the color green, my education trust, sports, my job, math not being required for my degree, good co-workers, Thanksgiving, triumphs, lounging poolside, morals, online shopping, my bed, forgiveness, crockpots, Sandy, naps, education, the first snowfall, vacations, electricity, opportunity, time, teachers/mentors, experience, laughter and, last but not least, Mae Mae.  You’re a wonderfully, flawed human being like the rest of us, who has also proved to be authentic, caring and loving inside and out.  I thank God we’re now hand and hand in life’s pursuit, because it’s certainly catapulting us into one of the most beautiful and fruitful partnerships I could have ever imagined- And just to think, the best has yet to come. Xoxo.

  

Moving on

The more you know...

Farther vs. further

Farther and further both mean at a greater distance, and they are used interchangeably in this sense. In the United States, though, farther is more often used to refer to physical distances, and further more often refers to figurative and nonphysical distances. For example, we might say that one mountain is farther away than another, while we might say the price of a stock (a nonphysical thing) fell further today than yesterday. This is not a rule, however, and further is often used for physical distances. The distinction does not exist in the U.K. and elsewhere in the (British) Commonwealth of Nations, where further is preferred for all senses of the word and farther is rare.

Further has senses it does not share with farther. It works as an adjective meaning additional—e.g., “I have no further questions.” It works as an adverb meaning additionally—e.g., “He said he did not spend the money, and stated further that he had never even received it.” And it works as a verb meaning to advance (something)—e.g., “This website is meant to further understanding of 21st-century English.” Farther is not commonly used these ways.

The physical/nonphysical distinction in the U.S. extends to the superlatives farthest and furthest. Furthermore is an adverbial extension offurther and often bears replacement with the shorter word. The rare furthermost is sometimes used to mean farthest or furthest, and it likewise bears replacement with the shorter words.

Grammarist.com

Speak to me

“Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

This is terrific. While I'd be lying if I said I never fall victim to the gossip game, I'm such a huge advocate for practicing kindness, compassion and lightheartedness. The older I get, the more seemingly obvious this becomes.   It's a well known fact that if you want to truly see the character in an individual, look how they treat others; very true. However, I take that one step further and listen to how they speak about others- that my friend, truly speaks volumes.