MandatoryPositive

I was having a conversation with this man who claimed to be an “Older Gen X”-I am Gen X. We were talking about “rough and tumble” childhoods of metal Tonka trucks and rubber-ball dodgeballI. I told him I HATED dodgeball It didn’t teach me how to throw the ball because I never wanted to hurt anyone, so I never threw hard. He said “Shiiiiiiit that’s WHY I loved the game! That’s why EVERYONE loved it!”. Then he said “what are you, a social worker? Wow, you’re one of those real-life in the flesh bleeding heart empaths! You know the world is going to break your heart”. Well Jim, it already has, time and time again, but here I am with E 6000 holding it together. One of the HARDEST lessons I’ve had to learn in life is to not let other people’s actions dictate my own. I don’t always get it right, but mandatory positive, sometimes I do. Were you a child of the 70s/80s? What do you miss about that time? PS. Can you believe this sucker is being sold on Ebay for an asking price of $5...

Today's race did NOT go accourding to plan. I have not been in the best of headspaces and running/walking in the gloom didn't appeal to me, but it was on the schedule. Exercise in general can be exhausing to the anemic, but I press on. I had a decent start with the pacer and a small group. I had hope for a good outcome and then it happened. I somewhow twisted my foot wrong. I figured it would work itself out-it did not. I stopped to massage it and that did not work either. I got sad when I could no longer see the pacer in sight and even more discouraged as more and more people passed me by. I went from fearing I'd be dead last to fearing I couldnt finish. At one point I had a shooting pain with every step. It got so bad I didn't think I could go on. I finally asked for help at a water station. The volunteer told me my only alternative would be for them to call 911. There was NO WAY I was going to stay there as an ambulance came to take me away. I hobbled on. T...

The Pic that started it all! This time last year my daughter was trying on wedding dresses. Despite all of the restrictions and shifting plans, I wanted to make sure she got her "moment". I had been front and center shopping with her for jr. high formals, swirls, graduation dresses, homecoming ensembles and cotillion dresses. She always looked fabulous in the end.  I would like to say that each and every shopping experience was filled with fun and laughter and pure happiness, but that would be a LIE from the pit of hell.  I remember 8th grade when she wanted a basic sequins dress that everyone else had (insert eye roll). It was cheap looking and tacky and was not flattering and I said as much (ouch).  To add insult to injury my equally as vocal mother mirrored my sentiments and added some of her own. My daughters little feelings were HURT. My mom told her it was better to be mad now then she mad later when she wasn't cute. I'm pretty sure a tantrum was thrown, but if ...

The nursing home below the hill has beautiful landscaping with seasonal blooms every year.  The staff carefully tends to them, plucking out dead petals and ensuring the mulch is full and in place.  The flowers pictured pop up at the beginning of every summer. They are my favorite.  Today on my morning walk I was feeling frustrated, depressed, angry and unmotivated.  Half way down the hill I got mad at MYSELF because before I left home,  I had decided to do the shorter route that keeps me above the hill, and my body automatically went down the longer path. Perhaps subconsciously I knew today was the day of the perfect blooms.   My audiobook stopped playing and I to restart the app. I was cussing the technology when out of the corner of my eye, the bright flowers, waved at me.  I had been walking along distracted in my mind and I hadn't even noticed all the new blooms. Is this a sign that things are "returning to normal?" Last year during the lock-down, ...

There's a peace you get walking or running early in the morning. If you're lucky you get to hear the birds chirping and see the sun rising. The beams catch the reflection of the dew and create this mystical glow that you can only see at dawn. When I don't get up or let that time pass laying in the. bed with my eyes open, I feel like I've missed out on the big sale or one of those once in a lifetime opportunities. I guess every opportunity is once-in-a-life time if you think about it. Sure, the sun will rise again, but not in the exact same way. Tomorrows birds are different and whatever bad news you may become aware of  today will impact the way you view the world tomorrow.   There was a time when I woke up at 4:45AM to get ready to work out. I miss those days. I miss the feeling of doing so much before most people even started their day. I felt accomplished, proud, settled. I thought declaring I was going to go back to that would be enough. I thought the vision board, ...

Do you ever do the where’s George when you see it? Usually I just spend my dollar and keep it moving. Today,  It occurred to me that this project is important to someone somewhere and I can support it for free with minimal effort.   There are so many opportunities to support our friends, family by reading their blogs, watching their YouTube channels, leaving feedback, sharing their content, showing up the their events-yet most people choose not to. They claim they’ve been “meaning to,” and give hollow words of encouragement, but they don’t follow through with the support needed to make you a success. Oddly, your biggest support often comes from strangers.   In the land of the content creation, , numbers matter.  Your friends lie, your family members lie, but numbers-in this case  analytics, tell the God’s honest truth.  When your content gets 32 views, and your profile shows you have 1,000 social media “friends,” it doesn’t take a mathematician to show that...