TFTD

We can expect downhill slides once in a while, and we may even start to feel full of self-pity.

With faith that these setbacks are meant to help us grow stronger, we won't waste them and end up having to face them again and again until we do recognize their true purpose.

What setback can I use to grow stronger today?

Right.....

And any hope that I had of doing some shopping OR seeing the Bug today....OR getting to my meeting---

Dashed.

Slicker than snot on a glass doorknob out there.
Musta been that drizzle with the dusting of snow....on top of the icy stuff from Wednesday's snowfall that's still covering streets and driveways......

I know this cuz I slid down the driveway when I tried to warm up the car to get to this morning's meeting.
Smart thing to check out the roads before I headed out.
Unsmart thing to go slipsliding down the driveway and land on my rearendus!

Oh well....I'll rub my rearend and get over it. LOL

No bug.
No meeting.
No nuffin'....

Right.


<-- checking attitude at the door and rubbing her rearend

Maybe we'll make fudge!
Yup.....that'll cure the grumps for sure!!

(his of course......LOL....MY attitude is fine--it's my rearend that's sore dontchaknow!)

All roads lead North

Sleeping with Bread

It's quiet .... I know it won't stay this way--but this is one of my favorite times.
It's early morning...The house is still.
The coffee's good....and it's mineminemine ALL mine!!!!

I don't haffta share 'nuffin'! :-/

Of course, I'm here--sharing.
If you count this as sharing.
Some folks would not.
I'm smart enough to know I'm accountable--whether that's here or there....words on a screen don't make me any less so.
Funny how some folks give themselves permission to be less accountable...or not accountable at all cuz 'online' is "make-believe".

I'm not the 'turn off the screen and move on with my life' kinda gal.
I don't differentiate the worth and value of myself or others based on what medium I know them from, what role they play in my life, where my relationship with someone stems from.
Human beings are human beings. Children of G-d.
Their worth and value just IS.

This week I think that 'truth' has gotten confused for some of the folks who have to share space with me.
And as always, I have to (get to) look at how I've contributed to that perception.

Face it--I've been scrambling to figure out the holiday 'stuff'.
Scrambling to get prezzies bought--I'm not a very good shopper, let alone a 'last minute shopper'.... Scrambling to piece it all together for himself who's struggling with me struggling with it. Scrambling to come up with something (anything!) to take the place of kiddos being present. Scrambling to 'act as if' so I'm not raining on any one's parade (and doing a poor job of it, apparently!). Scrambling to get stuff done that I procrastinated doing.....scrambling, scrambling, scrambling....

I've earned more than one 'term of endearment' that I suspect has a bit of a 'bite' to it.
(I'm gonna get him a 'kvetch endearment can' of his own......the rascal!)
And as much as I work to assure him and others 'ain't about YOU', I'm assured that I'm presenting in a way that makes that difficult to trust.

In other words--I've sucked at being loving and kind while I've been scrambling.

The good news is I know what to do, I know how to clean up the messes I've created.
But I also know it's managed to rear its head without me paying a whole lot of attention to it. There's been one or two unkind remarks that have shown in my 'nightly inventory'....but the attitude that's eeked out and helped shape other's perceptions (cuz it ain't just himself that's walking around me with sideways glances!)....caught me unaware. I knew I was scramblin'...however....


I have a process that I do, a tool for accountability and direction. In the quiet of the morning when it's just me and my coffee (which is mineminemine allMINE!!) and G-D AND the reading fairy, of course......I set the focus and the attitude for the day.

I'm pretty good at choosing wisely and letting Him give me that 'hug' before I trudge into a day with other human beings in it.

Apparently I need a stronger focus and bigger 'hug'.

I'm okay with that. :-)

The examen, based on the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius, helps a person hold onto what spiritually nourishes him by looking at what is giving him consolation in his life or causing him desolation.

Fairy Dust

What's important is not how much or how little you have.

What's important is what you do with it.

Grateful Gus Birds

There's a chip in my pocket.

Three actually.

One with a list of the principles of the program.
JUST in case I forget what they are. *laughing*

Like that's gonna happen....
k... Might.
Does.
Well, I don't 'forget'.....I make a choice to not do what I know TO do.

k..

There's a REASON there are three chips in my pocket. :-/

And the other?

"What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition." Big Book pg. 85

Good G-d......34 years.
It's such a pretty little chip.
Thirty four YEARS....
You'd think after that long one would have developed enough character to drink responsibly.

LOL

YUP!!

There's a REASON all three are in my pocket!

Really though.....all I need is the one.
"To thine OWN self be true."

But......oh g'head Mel, say it......

If some is good..... *laughing!!*

I'm gonna 'clank' when I walk and I don't care!!!!!

*laughing*

Hello.....it's your favorite girl making a request.... WHEN you come on Sunday--oh please say you're coming--please please please bring a copy of your ocean sounds CD... if the Brit can make her one that is....cuz SOMEone's decided it takes more than 15 minutes of ocean sounds to go to sleep at night now. NOT that I know where this one started..... And it's not like she's fussy or anything....she just wants her ocean sounds longer than her bear makes the ocean sounds--and her mom is getting tired of going back into the room over and over and over again. PLEASE. She just wants picked up every time I go in there and she's making me crazy ...... Thank you. PLEASEpleaseplease come Sunday.....love you!

Today's Fairy Reminder

Excellence resonates with what is true, what is good and authentically valuable, with what is right.

Work with honesty, integrity, and a commitment to truth, and excellence will permeate the results.

Blessings to you and yours....

Praised are You,

Lord our God,

King of the universe,

Who has kept us in life,

sustained us,

and enabled us to reach this season.

QOTW 12/12/09

What's something that really annoys you?




The 'kvetch can' at work.

NOT that it's a bad thing. I mean, I'm clear I need the accountability.
It's a little white can all dressed up with different fonts of the simple word "kvetch"...and the process is....if someone kvetches a nickle is suppose to go into the can.

It's a great process.
Unfortunately, it gets held out to me on multiple occasions during the day.

Yeah, yeah....I can kvetch with the best of the rest.
And it costs me a nickle darn near every time.
I get the sense that my staff enjoy catchin' me at it.
That's what I get for lettin' 'em know that I'm working on NOT kvetching.
And there goes any spare change for the change bucket at home......

*grumbling*

The good news is the nickles get changed in and the money's used for a prezzie for someone. Anyone having a tough go of it--someone who might need a bit of extra attention cuz it's just not been an easy time.
That's a good thing.
People oughta do more of that.

JUST NOT WITH MY NICKLES!

k.....I'll put in my nickle when I get to work.....FINE.

Fairy Reading for the Day

The process of becoming changed begins with awareness.

Awareness, acceptance, and change - that's the cycle.

We can accept the temporary discomfort from awareness because that's how we're moved to a better place.

We can accept the temporary discomfort because we can trust God, and ourselves.

Rut Roh. LOLOL

Pet names and code phrases pave the way to a playful, resilient, and satisfying relationship. One study on couples' "insider language" published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships reported that the more goofy names and made-up terms the higher their relationship satisfaction tended to be.



So.........calling me 'my little smoochie wookums' and 'erindoors' and 'she who must be obeyed'......'my little nest of vipers', 'oh light of my life', 'my pudding of delight' and 'doofus dorknut'--a good thing!

k.

Maybe NOT all the above.

Hmmm.....that did NOT sound like a term of endearment--even if he did preface it with "I mean this with the utmost love and affection....."

"Doofus dorknut" ...... NOT a term of endearment. LOL



Can ya FEEL that relationship barometer takin' a dip? LOLOL

k....

Don't ya just LOVE when someone helps you take responsibility?

<-- carries one of these in her purse.

*sigh*
Fine.

FINE!

It's the g'rabbits fault.

These are my g'rabbits.
They sit on the table...and I confess I get a bit crabby if I don't have 'em to play with.

They are fun to play with.

It's their fault, of course....
If they weren't so dang cute--
And if mealtime wasn't such a 'chore' around here.......

k...I can blame all I want--however......


FINE.

I admit it.
I do it.

Before I taste.
Before I bother to ask.
Before the meal arrives at the table--g'rabbits are in hand.


I......am a shameless 'autocondimentor'.

Oh...and what IS an 'autocondimentor'?

"Someone who will put certainly salt and probably pepper on any meal you put in front of them whatever it is and regardless of how much it's got on it already and regardless of how it tastes. Behavioral psychiatrists working for fast-food outlets around the universe have saved billions of whatever the local currency is by nothing the autocondimenting phenomenon and advising their employers to leave seasoning out in the first place. This is really true."

Now granted, himself reads too much Terry Pratchett.
But....he'd be correct!

It's the g'rabbits fault!!!!!

<-- is having a "Mel assumes NO responsibility for her actions" day. (just sayin'......in case ya didn't notice.....)

Today's Thought

Change occurs when one becomes what she is, not when she tries to become what she is not.
—Ruth P. Freedman

Snowangel making time!!!!!!

In honour of the G-d who gifted me with the whiteness.....

In honour of Katherine's mama.....




HERE I GO!!!!!!

Two snowangels......comin' up!

:-)

Let it snow let it snow let it snow.....

Oh my gosh......

It's so beautiful out there.

MAKE 'EM QUIT SHOVELING.
They're ruining it, dangit....

Dust

Only after we stop doing things we don't respect can we hear and accept the goodwill of others around us.

O. M. G.

G-d love 'im.

ALL this hype about snow.
I mean, c'mon....really.....

This IS Iowa.
We do get snow.

*shaking head*

And suddenly himself has joined the bandwagon.
He's now checked out three weather sites on the internet AND he's got the weather channel going on the television.......

Oy.
G-d help me.

So....where's the snow?
Oh, there's about 1/8th of an inch on the ground and I'm getting a lecture about driving to my meeting this afternoon?
*shaking head*

The bulk of the snow will be this evening.
The blizzard warning is for the middle of Wednesday cuz the wind is gonna blow it around like mad.
What IS the deal?!

O
M
G

I think we've assimilated him.

He's gonna take the garbage can out?
GARBAGE CAN?
What happened to 'bin'?

AND he's going to put gas in the car so it's sitting in the cold with a full tank.
GAS?
What happened to 'petrol'?

OMG
It's true!

He HAS been assimilated.
And I have to live with the results.
O
M
G