..........rawr......

Ain't often I screw up.

But I did.

And I have an answer--it's called personal responsibility.
I'm pretty good at that.

Now...... My answer is to tell on myself.
Other people's answer is "Wait to see if dad notices the broken the lamp....he might not!"

Hold on a minute.......

I don't accept that from children--I should accept that from adults?

*sigh*

I hate screwing up....
Sucks to have your integrity tainted--let alone having to deal with folks who wanna hide your screw-ups.

I BROKE THE LAMP!

Sheeeeeeeeeshhhh....what's so hard about that?!

Thought from the reading fairy

The pain of change is a reality.

But so is the pain of no change - when change is called for.

In spite of our desires, changing others will never be an option, whereas changing ourselves takes only a decision and is a choice always available.

Things that make me happy

....that one little whispy cloud in an all blue sky.

....GREEN!! GREEN!! I see GREEN!!

....a fuzzy, 'Piglet go night-night' book.

....saying 'yes, please' when they ask if you'd like a added shot of espresso.

....'excellent', 'way to go', 'you're terrific', 'good job' stickers.

....leaping about to stomp on the rainbows on the floor. :-)

....naked feets after a longggggggg winter.

....the wee basket with the green foil wrapped bunny hidden under the bed. :-)

TFTD

What is our reaction to ourselves when we encounter a problem, a feeling, or when we face the prospect of assuming responsibility for ourselves?

Do we believe in others and ourselves?

Do we give power to people - including ourselves - and their abilities?

Or do we give the power to the problem, the feeling, or the irresponsibility?

Each of us is responsible for ourselves.

That does not mean we don't care.

It does not mean a cold, calculated withdrawal of our support from others.

It means we learn to love and support people in ways that work.

It means we learn to love and support ourselves in ways that work.

It means that we connect with friends who love and support us in ways that work.

To believe in people, to believe in each persons inherent ability to think, feel, solve problems, and take care of themselves is a great gift we can give and receive.

"...it's never about you...."

So--

When someone tells me "....it's not about you" there's a choice involved.
I either trust what they're saying--or I don't.

Amazingly, when they're sitting there telling me "it's not about you" I don't really have a tough time buying into that.
I'm pretty confident that it AIN'T about me.

Now-- When they exit saying "....you know if I'm not here tomorrow--it's never about you....." it's somehow tougher to believe it ain't about you.

I 'get it' when they're sticking around.....but when they exit?

Back to the choice involved.....

I either find that person credible in their dealings with me up to the point of exit and choose to hang on to that earned credibility and integrity....OR.....I allow my mind to go warp speed, borrow troubles and come to conclusions that don't have the experiences and facts to validate them as legit......though I am good at twisting things and digging up experiences to match what I want to be 'true'--and dismissing those that don't.

Maybe it's cuz they're exiting with no known 're-entry plan'.

Astronauts who don't have a re-entry plan--crash and burn.

How come this suddenly feels like an astronaut with no re-entry plan?

(Houston--I think we HAVE a problem......)

Yup......three.

It's hard work, this baby biz......

QOTW 4.6.09

Who was the last person who phoned you and why?

Who was the last person you phoned and why?

Last person who called--a supervisor at the worksite, letting me know I had two kiddos who weren't returning to the unit due to the snow/sleet covered roads.
(Yes, it IS spring.....)

Last person called--The girl who was suppose to be meeting me at the bookstore for coffee at the designated time (which one of us had wrong.....). I managed a coffee before she showed up....which forced me to have a second one when she finally arrived. (oh, the sacrifices I make....LOL)

Dangit that I didn't ring her earlier--she was in the childrens' section, playing with the fuzzy, squeaky, squishy peek-a-boo books for babies.

Ummmm....yup.....bought three of 'em.
(cuz if some is good.......)

Today's Thought

Love finds joy in others no matter what.
It recognizes the freedom that belongs to every individual and doesn't chain them to our own wants.

That does it!!!!!!!

I'm breaking out the bubbles!!!!!!!

Sleeping With Bread

I have not come to 'here' gracefully.

I know this.

I wear this daily.

I pretend to not let it bother me and I'm about to sound shallow and vain and--exactly where my feet are at this moment in time.

Perhaps it's the price I pay for years of chasing things that were costing me my life without my knowing or caring or trusting that was true.

Perhaps it's the been the parcels of hard moments that life handed over to me.....the 'me' that was capable of handling 'doled out things'....

While most women were fretting over make-up, stylish clothing, and smart haircuts --I was learning that a 'bad hair day' was when you gathered up what was laying on your pillow, tried to figure out how not to comb your very necessary, very short haircut and went about trying to decide whether spray shellacking it into place was really an option.

I'm on the planet.
G-d ain't done with me yet.
In that I take solace......most days this week.....

And then there's the moment of not recognizing yourself in the photograph.

The moment of old friends and business acquaintances not knowing the 'you' who's standing next to them.
The moment of hearing other's comments.

Other's comments which aren't really my business.....

Still.......this week I've made them my business.

Perhaps it's self pity.

I AM on the planet, after all.
I DO have opportunity after opportunity dropped in front of me....
There IS a usefulness to this life I've been gifted.

Those things are much more vital than the package I come in.....

And from The Writings:

Thou hast searched me, and known me.

Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising,

Thou understandest my thought afar off.

Thou measurest my going about and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O HaShem, Thou knowest it altogether........

(And You love me anyway.....)

Desolation for the week--the package I come in (and all that shallow, vain, self pitying 'stuff').

Consolation for the week--see above. (and see below's pretty pink letters hangin' by bows...)

Fairy Reminder

Sometimes storms aren't about us.

Sometimes, friends or loved ones will attack us for no apparent reason.

They'll fuss, fume, and snap at us.

When we ask them why, they'll say, "Oh I'm sorry. I had a bad day at work."

But we still feel hurt and upset.

Hold people accountable for their behavior.

Don't let people treat you badly.

But don't take the storms in their lives personally.

These storms may have nothing to do with you.

Seek shelter if necessary.

Get away from curt friends until they have time to calm down; then approach when it's safe.

If the storm isn't about you, there's nothing you need to do.

Would you try to stop stormy ocean waves by standing in the surf with your arms outstretched?

God, help me not to take the storms in the lives of my friends and loved ones too personally.

Houston--we have a name!

Uh huh.....

When they're paintin' it pink and hangin' it from a shelf--that's sounding pretty darn official, dontchathink?

k.....

We're going out for coffee...maybe breakfast, even.

But I'm tellin' ya......I think it's a plot.

I think himself cleaned the coffee pot out with vinegar and didn't rinse it properly for a reason....

Yup.......Conspiracy Theory....

*nodding*

Sometimes you just 'know' things.....

TFTD

When we feel we're lacking, we open our hearts to giving.

When we give what we seek, we find it returns to us at the right time and place - just when we need it, reminding us that we do not lack for anything.

Gifts needn't be material or verbal.
They can be good thoughts and prayers, affection, or time.

Yup.....a bit like this

One good thing fairy.....

One way to become enthusiastic is to look for the plus sign. To make progress in any difficult situation, you have to start with what's right about it and build on that.

-- Norman Vincent Peale

Beginning our days with a positive mental outlook is a great depression chaser.
Simply lifting our heads and looking up and out instead of down will make us feel better.
Although we can't spend all our time staring at the sky, we can train ourselves to look for the best in ourselves and others.

Even in the middle of difficulty or pain, we have choices.
We can choose a gloom-and-doom attitude and endlessly replay the thoughts that accompany it.
Or we can step back and find the one good thing.

We may be blinded with pain.
The situation may appear hopeless, utterly bleak.
But we are equal to it; in our pain there is at least one good thing.
We can change even the most difficult situations with an attitude of hope and positive expectation.
Approaching each day with a hopeful heart will give us a different approach to our troubles.

Today help me find the one good thing.

Excuse me please.........

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AUUUGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

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(Thank you--we now resume our normal broadcast schedule.....)

Today's Thought

Acceptance, of who we are, our total self, is necessary for our emotional maturity.

Shame for past actions will keep us stuck.

Our restitution for the past is best made by responsible behavior today.

How fortunate that each waking moment offers us opportunities to become our better selves.

Today, just like every day, I'll make choices to behave in ways that will fill me with pride or shame.

I pray for thoughtfulness before I act today.

Soooooo....

WPIML says I think too much.

Whaddaya think he's trying to tell me?!

Oh, I know!!!

STOP THINKING!

k......so.....

Curiosity led me to ask if people can actually turn off their brains

WPIML demonstrated to me that HE could.
He sat there and stared at me.
And stared.....and STARED.

I was starting to wonder if he was comatose.
He wasn't.
Well, he said he wasn't.....

So.....I figured-- he's just old.
*nodding*

Definitely something to look forward to in my old age......
That's IF I'm on the planet as long as he's been.

*snickering*
Not that I said that to him.......

k
Well........I mighta.....

Did.

I think he's thinkin' we're off to a rough start.
Not that I said THAT to him either....

.........k......
I did.

*shrugs and laughs*

Isn't it amazing that I'm still upright, breathing and on the right side of the grass?!

<-- IS

(felt a need to check for a pulse.......it's there....)

Wee thought.....

It's a bitter pill to swallow, but it's often our intellect that gets in the way when we're dealing with our feelings and how we express them.

Love is the be all and end all.