The Power of Words

 

Hello everyone. I hope all is well with you. I’m back today to talk about the power of words.  2017 has started off with a bang. First we’ve had the march on Washington, and now we have this new executive order where citizens from certain countries aren’t allowed to enter the US. Then we had a judge issue a nationwide stay on part of Trump’s executive order. It has been an eventful weekend that’s for sure.

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          These are interesting times to be living in to say the least. The events from this weekend illustrate the need for good communication. From my research, I’ve gathered that Trump’s executive order was confusing. Of course, I don’t know if it’s true or not, we can’t believe the media these days, but that’s another blog post for another day. 🙂

Right now the English language is deteriorating into text messages and a kind of digital short hand. For the most part, that’s okay, we text every day, but we don’t write executive orders every day. That doesn’t mean we don’t need to learn how to write professional documents and letters because we do.

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Regardless of the political climate, we still need to communicate via the written word. We still need to create legal documents, contracts, write prescriptions, and medical information. If we don’t know how to write this type of information, confusion will be the result.

Now more than ever, we need to have the ability to communicate. People have taken to social media as a way to spout their beliefs. That’s okay, what’s not okay is the dissension it’s causing among friends and family members. The way we’re communicating is destroying friendships and splitting families up. We need to turn this trend around.

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          Part of communication is listening to the other side. Listening to their concerns and taking them into consideration. In a marriage, you have to negotiate. You have to listen to your partner and take into consideration what his or her needs and desires are. A very wise friend once told me, when you’re in a stalemate with your partner, you’ll have to accept that you won’t get your way and neither will he, but there’s a third alternative that you both can live with. I think that concept applies to our world today. We need to find an alternative we all can live with.

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The only way to do that is by sharing our beliefs without attacking the other side. So when you choose to write something or to speak, choose your words wisely. Your words have the power to create dissension or encourage peace. I say let’s work toward peace. After all, we only have one earth and we all want to live here. 🙂

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           Thanks for stopping by and reading my post. Do you have any ideas how we can move forward peacefully? I’d love to read your views, leave a comment and share them with all of us!

Can We make America Great Again?

 

Hello everyone. I hope all is well with you. I’ve been working diligently on this new revision of my WIP and I’m loving how it is coming together. It’s almost done and I can’t wait to start the editing process and tightening it up. I feel this is my best work yet, but that remains to be seen! 😉

Anyway, yesterday was a momentous day in history. Where millions of women around the world marched in protest of Trump being sworn in as president. I didn’t go, but I did see some of the footage. I heard Scarlett Johansson’s speech as well as Madonna’s. It was Scarlett’s speech that got me thinking, though.

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She was advocating to keep Planned Parenthood operational, to keep funding this organization and I agree with her. This is a vital organization for all women to get the health care we need in regards to our reproductive health.

I know. Everyone is screaming we don’t have the money. We can’t sustain the government funding. I hear you, so let’s look at where the gluttony is in our society.  Let’s look where we can trim the fat, so to speak.

Instead of cutting government spending. Let’s get rid of some of these tax shelters for the rich. All these CEOs who earn millions and take their money overseas to avoid paying taxes let’s close that avenue. Make them pay their taxes. I bet we wouldn’t have to worry about funding if we did that.

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And while we’re at it, let’s take a long hard look at these insurance companies  and banks where the CEOs and the CFOs are raking in millions of dollars while at the same time their company is going bankrupt. We have money to bail out these organizations, but we don’t have money for Planned Parenthood? Does anyone else see a problem with this?

I know what you’re thinking. But Lisa these are the people who can afford to pay lobbyists, who can afford to contribute large sums of money to political campaigns. Yes. That’s true, and the inherent problem with our political system because most donations come with strings attached. And that’s why our current system no longer works. If we can somehow change this part of the process we can truly make America great again.

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Thanks for reading my post today. Do you have any ideas on how we can change our political system? I’d love to read your thoughts! Leave a comment! 🙂

The Hover Board Incident: A Public Service Announcement

 

Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’m back today with another Public Service Announcement. My boys had friends spend the night over the weekend. This has become a weekly event, even when I told them last weekend no one’s spending the night next weekend, we still had kids spending the night. I really don’t mind all that much just every once in a while we (me and my hubby) need a kid break. But I digress.

Anyway, we had a couple of extra kids over the weekend and one of them got a hover board for Christmas. He brought it over and all the boys went down into the basement. (Hubby just finished it and we had carpet installed over the holidays. I don’t recommend this by the way. Your house is torn up when you’re trying to have Christmas. Not fun. We don’t have furniture down there yet, so it’s a huge open space, perfect for hover board shenanigans.)

It looks so innocent and uncomplicated, doesn’t it?

The boys were having a blast, I could tell by how loud they were. My two came running up the stairs to where I sat on the couch, writing my story. “Mom. You’ve got to try the hover board, it’s so much fun.”

Then my youngest piped up. “Dad did it.”

That’s all it took because if Dad can do it, I can do it, too.  So I got up and went down into the basement.

The young man who the hover board belonged to, climbed on and demonstrated how to ride it. It looked so easy. I was positive I could do it.

I should’ve remembered the first time I went rollerblading and broke my arm, but I didn’t.

So, I tried to climb onto it and I found it was hard to balance. That should’ve been a warning sign, but I ignored it. I finally climbed on by holding on to the wall.

I rode it around the basement and it was fun. I enjoyed it and told the kids I wanted to get one. I did another lap and another, enjoying the slight breeze that ruffled my hair. I felt like a kid again. You know the feeling you used to get when everything was possible. Yeah, that feeling.

I decided to stop and get off. This decision was my undoing. I stepped off without the help of the wall and landed flat on my back. It was instantaneous. I didn’t have time to try and maintain my balance or anything. It was just BOOM!  I fell in front of my kids, the neighbor kids, and one of my son’s school friends. Oy!

This isn’t me, but I’m sure this is what I looked like falling.

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I laid there and remembered the first time I went rollerblading and broke my arm. That’s when I realized I don’t do well with wheels on my feet. Sigh.

The boys didn’t laugh. I thought they would. I probably would’ve if I were their age. What nice kids.

Luckily, I wasn’t hurt, but I did learn a valuable lesson. I’m not a kid anymore although my maturity level says the opposite.  🙂

So when one of your kids tries to get you on their hover board just remember what happened to me. It’s not as easy as it looks. Maybe if it came with poles? I don’t know. Just a thought.

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This has been a Public Service Announcement. 🙂

 

Snow Day: A Slice of Life Post

 

Hello everyone. I hope all is well with you. I’m back today with another Slice of Life Post. This morning my oldest woke me by shaking my shoulder. “Mom. Mom. Did you hear the phone ring?” He could barely contain his excitement.

Of course, I was all groggy and had a hard time comprehending his question. “Whaaat?”

“Did you hear the phone ring?”

By the time he finished repeating the question, I understood what he was really asking. “Go check and see if there’s a message.”

He did that while I logged on to my computer and checked the website. Sure enough school had been cancelled.  We had a Snow Day. The tension eased from my body as my oldest exclaimed. “Mom. You can work on your book all day!”

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          He has mind-reading capabilities, I swear. I don’t think we ever outgrow the joy of snow days. As a kid, those magic words conjured up images of sledding parties and hours of baking cookies with friends. As an adult, I think of hours of unscheduled free time, where I can do whatever I want. What an awesome feeling that is. 🙂

Wouldn’t it be wonderful, to wake up every day this way? Without deadlines and commitments? Maybe living on a tropical island where all I had to do is go down to the beach and read my book. The only irritants would be the gritty sand between my toes and maybe the slight annoyance of the sun in my eyes before I adjust my umbrella.

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          I can almost feel the sun baking my skin while the waves lap the shore with that quiet rhythm only waves have. I smell the salty ocean air and hear the cries of the seagulls as they circle the beach searching for a forgotten morsel.

Yes. I can see myself retiring to an ocean-side cottage where my days could be spent lazily by the water. I’d write and paint to my heart’s content and when I wasn’t doing that I’d read. I’d read all the books that I don’t have time for now.

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          See what happens when I have a snow day? How about you. What do you do on your snow days? Leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you! Thanks to the Two Writing Teachers for hosting Slice of Life. If you’d like to read other Slice of Life Posts, click here.

Heroin: It’s Not Just for the Dark Alley Anymore

 

Hello everyone. I hope all is well with you. I’m back today and I’m talking about something I learned while doing some research for my story. I was shocked and dismayed to hear this and as a parent I’m sure you will be, too.

I learned that Heroin has reached epidemic proportions in our high schools. This stresses me out because I’ve got two young boys who’ll be entering high school in a few years. So naturally, I asked my source, how did this happen? (My source is very reliable and that’s all I can say about that. ;)).

 

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 When he told me prescription drugs like OxyContin and Oxycodone, I couldn’t believe it. The kids are either prescribed these pain killers for injuries or surgery, and then they get hooked, or they’re stealing them from their parents and using them to get high. When their bodies become used to these drugs, it takes a stronger dose to get the same effect. At this point, it’s easier and cheaper for the teen to get Heroin than it is to get “Oxy.”

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My source tells me Heroin is so addictive and some people are so vulnerable that it only takes one use to become hooked.  Check out these real life stories of two teens who’ve become hooked on it. http://www.teenvogue.com/story/teen-heroin

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Heroin has evolved from the use of a syringe in a dark alley to a pill. That’s right, it’s in pill form called a button. This makes it easier to get, easier to use, and it’s much more powerful (purity is about ninety percent) so the high is that much better. I’ve been told it’s the most relaxing feeling in the world, all your troubles just float away. I can understand why someone would get hooked on that feeling. Especially our young people who are experiencing teen angst and all the pressures of being a teen for the first time. Historically, the average age of a heroin death was between forty and forty five.  Now, the average age is between eighteen and twenty five.

What can we do as parents to prevent this type of addiction from happening?

That’s a good question. First of all, get rid of all the leftover prescription medication you have. Don’t let it sit in the medicine cabinet and if you’re taking some medication, monitor it. Only take what you need and throw the rest away and I don’t mean in the garbage can where young hands can find it, return it to the pharmacy where you bought it and they’ll get rid of it in a manner that’s safe for people and the environment.

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The next step is we need to impress upon our medical professionals that they need to monitor their prescriptions. They’re so busy that they overprescribe these pain killers because it’s quicker and easier. I’ve seen this in action myself. I was prescribed Lorazepam during my stint with chemo and ended up taking it when I was finished as a sleep aid.

Later, I found out you’re not supposed to take this drug for the long term, but my doctor’s nurse kept refilling the prescription. Finally, after a year, she stopped and had me start taking Melatonin to help me sleep. I stopped the Lorazepam cold turkey. This isn’t recommended either, but it scared me to think I could be addicted to a drug so I wanted to stop right away. Luckily, I just had a couple of nights where I had insomnia and then my body returned to normal. I’m telling you this story to show you how easy it is to become addicted to a medication. Especially one that has been prescribed for you.

We rely on the medical professionals to guide us in the right direction and for the most part they do, but they’re human just like us and things slip through the cracks.  We must be critical thinkers especially when it comes to our health and our children’s health. We must ask questions and get second opinions. When we’re prescribed a medication, let’s make sure we know all the side effects and exactly how long we should be taking it.

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Maybe there should be a position in each facility to monitor the prescriptions going out the door. This might not only help the doctors and patients, but it might also create a few jobs. 🙂 How about you? Do you have a solution to this problem? Or maybe you have a story you’d like to share. If so, leave a comment, I’d love to hear from you!

 

 

 

My One Little Word: A Slice of Life Post

 

Hello everyone! I hope all is well with you. I’m back today with a Slice of Life Post. It’s the first one of the new year and I’m feeling inspired. I decided that today’s post would be about my one little word.

 

Since I have a lot I want to accomplish in 2017, I picked an action word. 🙂

 

The word I picked is STRIVE.

Strive means to make great efforts to achieve or obtain something.

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This is what I intend to do. I’m going to strive to finish the three books I’ve started in 2016. I’m almost done with the revisions on the first one so I feel this is a doable goal.

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I’m also going to strive to get back into shape and improve my diet. I need more fruits and vegetables. So after my holiday binging on sweets, I’ve decided to take better care of myself.

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I also intend to strive to make even more memories with my family than I did in 2016.

I plan on laughing more.

I plan on learning to paint.

I also plan to continue listening to understand instead of listening to reply. I started this in 2016 and I plan on continuing it. It’s a habit now. 🙂

So, there you have it. My one little word for 2017. What’s yours? Leave a comment, I’d love to hear from you!

If you’d like to read more Slice of Life Posts, click here.

 

Self Compassion Goals for 2017

 

Happy New Year everyone!  I hope you had a joyous and happy holiday season. I’m looking forward to 2017, I’ve got some lofty goals that I hope come to fruition. So cross your fingers for me!

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This new year I’m participating in a Self-Compassion Group and I’m excited about it because I feel it will remind me to take better care of myself. Each member posts one thing that they did that day to take care of themselves.  It’s not my idea, it’s a friend of mine’s but it’s an awesome one and I’m grateful that she’s sharing this adventure with me.

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I think a lot of people get wrapped up in their tasks for their kids, spouse, and job, they put themselves last. I know I do it and that’s when I get burned out. So I’ve joined this group to remind myself to do a self-care task every day. It doesn’t have to be big. It could be something as simple as meditating or reading a book.

 

I feel if I do this. I’ll actually be more productive and my relationships will be better.  I thought I’d share some of my self-care tasks with all of you and maybe it will motivate you to take better care of yourselves, too. I thought the first day of 2017 would be a great time to start this.

The Meme Above explains the Philosophy behind the Self Compassion Group.

 

Self-Care Tasks:

1. I’m going to read more in 2017 and write more. Writing and reading are great stress relievers for me. 🙂

2. More bubble baths. There’s nothing more soothing than a bubble bath with candles and soft music.

3. More exercise. More running. This is a big one. I’ve been working hard on getting my sciatica under control and I’ve seen a big improvement. So I’m going to increase my activity and get back into shape.

4. More walks in nature. It’s so soothing and calms my anxiety.

6. I’m going to eat more fruit and vegetables. I need to stop eating so much sugar. I feel this will help me manage my weight and who knows, maybe I’ll even lose a pound or two. 😉
7. I’m going to paint with a group of friends once a month just for fun. I find connecting with them over a fun activity is healing for me.

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So there you have it. Some of the self-compassion tasks I’ll be practicing at least once a day. I’m sure I’ll come up with more ideas from the other members as we share them. How about you? Do you have any ideas? I’d love to read them. Leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you!