Shouldn’t The Same Rules Apply to Everyone!

Happy St. Patricks Day

Irish Blessing
May St. Patrick guard you wherever you go, and guide you in whatever you do – and may his loving protection be a blessing to you always.

Soulful Ramblings

Some days there’s just no sunshine to be found.
~D.A. Seko

If teardrops were gold, I would not need to work for a living.
~D.A. Seko

Even though you proved you were not worthy of my tears, I still cried.
~D.A. Seko

If loneliness could be measured in money, I would be a billionaire.
~D.A. Seko

Some day’s it would be worth all the money in the world just to have someone to hold you and let you cry. 
~D.A. Seko

Tears soon fade away, but the hurt lingers much longer.
~D.A. Seko

  

Where Has Common Courtesy Gone?

It never ceases to amaze me how people in todays society are so uncaring of others around them. They walk around in a “me” bubble and act as if the world is theirs and theirs alone.

Driving: When my dad taught me to drive one of the first things he lectured me on was being aware of the other motorist around me. Being a courteous drive makes the roads a safer place for all. I see virtually no driver courtesy on the roads today. Only rude, road rage warriors. Is it so difficult to look in your mirror occasional and move over when you see you are holding up traffic, or turn on a blinker, or  stop before blocking a drive where folks are trying to get out. Yes, there are times I am guilty of being a road rage driver also and those times are when the above happens and people show absolutely no consideration for anyone around them.

Crosswalks: When I enter a crosswalk and there are cars having to wait for me to cross I don’t dilly dally, take my time, stop in the middle of the lane to chat with a friend, or pull out my cell phone and carry on a conversation, or stand there digging in my purse for my keys.  I smile and trot across the drive being considerate of the people who have stopped to let me cross. In my world that’s just plan common courtesy.

Store Aisles: Please for goodness sake move your cart and your self to one side of the aisle. Do not place your cart in the center of the aisle and carry on a conversation for 20 minutes with someone you know oblivious to others around you. And do not glare at me and look at me as if I have snakes in my hair when I say “excuse me” and try to get around you after I’ve already stood there 5 minutes waiting on you to finish your conversation.

Store Clerks: Wake up people. You have a job. You get a pay check. Earn it! Don’t act like I’m an imposition to you because you have to wait on me. And for Christ sake a smile wouldn’t kill you. And please, put down your cell phone long enough to take care of the customers standing there staring at the sign over head that says, “Customer Service is our business.” yeah, right. Do you not understand the concept that without customers you would have no job! I’ve seen 80 year old ladies on a walker move faster than some of these so called cashiers and customer service reps.

Long lost are the simple words like, thank you, I’m sorry, please, have a nice day, yes mam, no sir and can I help you. Seems they’ve been replaced with words like, yeah, huh, what do you want, or a blank stare as if they have landed on some alien planet somewhere clueless.

Well, I’ve run out of steam so I guess I’ll get off my soap box for today. It just irks me how people seem to have lost any desire to be kind, courteous, and helpful to other human beings.

You all have a nice day now, ya hear. Thank you for dropping by. Come sit a spell any ole time.

Word of the Day

perspicacious

\ pur-spi-KEY-shuhs \  , adjective;
1.Having keen mental perception and understanding; discerning.
2.Archaic . Having keen vision.

Quotes:
You are perspicacious , know the ways of the world,and are more tactful than most men of your age.-- Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo


More perspicacious neighbors, the Paulsens amongthem, suspected that Joey also enjoyed being the smartest person in the house.-- Jonathan Franzen, Freedom


Use in a sentence:
Women in general are more perspicacious than men.  (LOL)


Origin:
Perspicacious is derived from the Late Latin word perspicācitās meaning "sharpness of sight."

Dictionary.com, LLC.

What’s New with Me?

It’s hard to believe yet another year has passed. Where does the time go? Why only yesterday I was thirty, right? I can dream can’t I?

As most of you know, my daughter, son-in-law, and grandbabies left at the end of September for a four-year stay in Germany. Yes, my heart is broken and yes, I have taken the time to throw myself a pity party, although quietly when I’m alone. I’m not one much for crying around others, doesn’t mean I don’t cry, I just prefer to let my pillow soak up my tears. I have to remind myself daily that God puts us where we need to be for His own purpose. I pray daily for the strength to face the loneliness that some days threatens to swallow me whole without them here. God has His purpose and I will endure.

I’ve traded my weekends of kisses and hugs, kickball, and playing make believe for weekends with my girlfriends. Of course, nothing can compare with, or take the place of, baby kisses and “I love you’s” that simply melt your heart. Okay, let me wipe the tears and I’ll continue.

Yes, I will be going to Germany. My plans are for May. I simply don’t believe I can withstand waiting any longer than that. I still can’t visualize little ole me in big ole Germany, but if that’s where God has chosen to plant my family then I will go. I suppose, I should have been more careful when I prayed for a little adventure in my life. Like my mom used to say, “Be careful what you pray for, you just might get it.” Actually, I’m looking forward to stepping out of my comfort zone and experiencing something foreign and new. I feel certain I will have stories galore when I return, so be forewarned.

January is also the month the writing course that I mentor for begins. I’m looking forward to renewing old friendships and making new ones. F2K is a free writing course hosted by Writers Village University. It’s a seven-week course designed for anyone looking to discover their writing talent, or for those looking to hone or rekindle their writing dreams. If you aspire to write, you might want to check it out by clicking the link above. We’d love to have you join us.

Between starting back to work next week, mentoring my writing group, and participating in my newest charity organization, Strong Southern Women, I should have no problems keeping myself occupied.

I would like to end my post today to ask for your prayers. Not only for myself, but also for all those who are hurting in so many ways in our country today. There are those who are losing their homes and jobs at such an astounding rate that it boggles the mind. There are those who are ailing and sick without the financial ability to get the medical treatment they so desperately need. If I were to win the lottery today, I’d most likely be broke before months end, because I could not help but hand it out hand over fist to help those less fortunate. However, since I do not see that happening I can offer up my prayers and ask that others do the same. Although, there may be days when it seems God is far away, do not despair, for He is still there. It is we who must seek Him on our own behalf and on the behalf of others. Prayer is still a powerful tool regardless of what some may believe. I will not let those who wish to dismiss God as simply an old fashion value, lead me into their abyss.

PS:

I just heard from the kiddos and they are all bundled up sick, so please send up a prayer for their speedy recover while you’re praying.

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I Live with an Alien.

 

Today, I would like to offer a little insight for those who have women in their life’s who seem to have suddenly metamorphosed into a completely different human being than the one they once knew. Well, before you go running to the divorce lawyer, or mark your dear old mom up as a loony old woman, or disown your sister because you think she’s lost her mind, let me give you a little peek into why she may seem to be less than that loving and accommodating individual you’ve always known.

If she’s approaching the age of 50 menopause or what is often referred to, and rightly so, as the change of life may be the culprit.
The simple truth is that for women going through menopause it’s much like stepping back in time and reliving those teenage hormonal years with a myriad of added complications.

Here is a glimpse of what the women in your life, whose disposition you no longer recognize, might be experiencing. For those women who are approaching menopause, or for those who have women in their life’s approaching menopause, be forewarned. If you have ever raised a teenager, some of these symptoms might sound familiar.

Let’s start with, combative, bitter, angry, rebellious, cynical, frustrated, emotional, temperamental, and cantankerous. Are you shaking your head in agreement? Do you recognize these symptoms in any of the women in your life? Now, add to that insomnia, decreased libido, urinary inconsistencies, anxiety, itching, dry skin, weight gain, night sweats, hot flashes, depression, forgetfulness, and body aches. Then there’s hair loss in places women don’t want to lose hair and hair growth in places were women should never have hair. It’s not any one symptom but an accumulation of a range of these symptoms all happening in conjunction that transforms your once loving, peaceful spouse, wife, mother, sister into what appears to be some form of alien being.

Oh, and let’s not forget, this is coupled with the already stressful lifestyle women struggle with daily. Things like taking care of an elderly parent, nurturing a relationship with children and grandchildren, keeping the spouse happy, the home running smoothly, all the while trying to stay on top of the other numerous demands on their time from the tons of other obligations that they can’t keep from saying yes to because it’s somehow expected of them.

Let me paint you a picture of a typical day in the life of a woman going through menopause.

You get up in the morning to go to work after getting a night of fitful if any sleep in damp sweat soaked PJ’s. You climb out of bed only to discover that when your feet hit the floor, your knees and joints feel as if someone has beaten them with a hammer during the night. You push through the pain to rush to the bathroom before your bladder gives way knowing you may just not make it and knowing if you don’t you don’t have time to clean up the accident, or you’ll be late for work.

You grab the pants you wore two days ago only to find that suddenly they no longer reach around your bloated belly. You continue to rush through your many morning chores while cursing because you can’t find any object in the house quite long enough to reach that annoying and continuous itch in the middle of your back, and you’ve already scratched her legs until they look like you and the cat had a fight. 

It’s 30 degrees outside, the heater is set on 70, because the rest of your family is cold, yet you feel like someone dipped you in hot molten lava and your clothes are sticking to you like you’ve been playing basketball for an hour under the blazing sun. You then somehow manage to make it through the day glad you weren’t fired because you nearly knocked the boss over fighting to get to the bathroom so you wouldn’t pee on the new carpet he had laid.

You arrive home only to realize that you forgot to go by the grocery store, pick up your dad’s medicine, and drop off the flyers for the organizational lunch you signed up for a month ago. You have maybe half an hour before your husband arrives expecting super on the table. Luckily, you put on a crock-pot of something yummy for supper, but when you go to check you realize you forgot to plug the crock-pot in. You frantically search through the cabinets hoping to find something more appetizing than crackers and cheese that can be cooked in less than fifteen minutes. Your husband arrives home none too happy to discover ham sandwiches for supper but willing to let it slid if you can manage to fit in a little “alone time.”

Inadvertently, you roll your eyes, which hurts his feelings, and you wonder why any man would want to be intimate with an oversized, sweaty, itchy, achy, wrinkled, hippo all the while crossing your fingers that you don’t pee on yourself for the tenth time today. You wonder how many Tylenol you’ll have to down to give you enough relief from your achy joints to be able to comply with his wishes. Need I go on, or are you getting the picture?

Some of you are probably thinking, well aren’t there hormone pills and tons of other medications women can take to help offset some of these diabolical symptoms. Of course there are. However, your woman then has to weigh the options of risking cancer, drug dependency, and suffering from the various other side effects that come with taking such medications. Frustrating decisions to say the least.

Menopause is real it’s not some made-up excuse so that women can go ballistic. You now have a heads up as to why the women in your life have transformed into a disgruntled ogre instead of the loving, easy going, joyful, good-natured individual you once knew. Remember her emotional and physical status is beyond her control and that in itself is exasperating. So what can you do? There are no easy answers, but you can try to be a tad more patient, appreciative, understanding, and sympathetic.

1. You can avoid some of the pitfalls and frustration by educating yourself about menopause.
   
2. Communicate, let her know you don’t think she’s crazy and your shoulder is there for her. Be certain to assure her you believe her when she says she can’t help how she acts.
   
3. Don’t take everything she does and says as a personal attack.
   
4. If she needs more alone time or time with her girlfriends or wants to start a new adventure, be supportive.
   
5. Offer ideas for doing things together and laugh with her and not at her. Sometimes laughter can be the best remedy for both of you.

With that thought in mind, here are a few things to make you smile.

Male menopause is a lot more fun than female menopause. With female menopause, you gain weight and get hot flashes. Male menopause - you get to date young girls and drive motorcycles. - Author Unknown

Warning You’re in Menopause if…

1.  You sell your home heating system at a yard sale. 
2.  Your husband jokes that instead of buying a wood stove, he is using you to heat the family room this winter. Rather than just saying you are not amused, you shoot him. 
3. You have to write post-it notes with your kids' and grandkids names and birth dates on them. 
4.  Your husband chirps, "Hi honey, I'm home." And you reply, "Well, if it isn't Ozzie friggin' Nelson." 
5. The Phenobarbital dose that wiped out the Heaven's Gate Cult gives you four hours of decent rest. 
6. You have to change your underwear after every sneeze. 
7. Your friends compliment you on your new alligator shoes, and you're barefoot. 
8. Going bra-less pulls all the wrinkles out of your face. 
9. An "all-nighter" means not getting up to pee!
10. Your first reaction upon entering a store is to locate the restroom sign.

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