Companion & Dreams (2008)

Companion... Just a word... - Mar 4, 2008

Current mood:crazy
Someone used the word companion to somewhat describe a relationship with someone, and I had to think about it for a long time. What comes to mind when you hear that word? The image I got in my head was of an older {read: elderly} person, with a good friend who did things for and with that person [like grocery shopping, or a trip to the beauty parlor], a companion. I looked it up on the web, and Google define gave me :

    a person who is frequently in the company of another; "drinking companions"; "comrades in arms"
    a traveler who accompanies you
    one paid to accompany or assist or live with another
   
Answers.com gave me:

     A person who accompanies or associates with another; a comrade.
     A domestic partner.
    A person employed to assist, live with, or travel with another.
    One of a pair or set of things; a mate.

and under the heading "Thesaurus" :

    One who shares interests or activities with another
    One of a matched pair of things

And then I started to wonder.... is it wishful thinking on my part to choose which meaning was intended? which one in the context of what was said? (I realize I'm leaving a few details out ... some stuff just isn't for sharing! lol) Or ......... is it that important?

Sometimes we women want to have things "just so" - all laid out, in its own little cubbyhole or sitting on its rightful place on a shelf. When it comes to relationships, maybe we're so busy trying to define what's going on, what's been going on, what might go on, I think there are times when we tend to lose track of the actual relationship in favor of finding its rightful place in our lives.  [In looking back over a rocky past, that just might be exactly what I was trying to do a time or two!]  Maybe its enough that I just accept what was said in the spirit it was said in; to quit trying to cull out some kind of deeper meaning in a word that brought to mind an image that is a product of assumptions, and more than likely not what was intended.

Then I had a horrible thought: What if I'm getting to that age where I'll be looking for a companion, rather than ... whatever ~~it~~ is we single women seek????? (ok, I had to find a way to put that nicely.... hehehhee) Is that the best I can hope for now that I'm nearing my half century mark? I certainly hope not!! I've got more ummmm "living" I want to do !!

Dreams - Mar 5, 2008

Current mood:mellow
Do dreams really come true? Is it possible to make what seems impossible possible? There are some who might say that my recent move was making a dream come true. And in many ways it has. I'm closer to family, and for that, I'm very grateful. But what about other dreams? Have some of you wished for a special vacation in some exotic island? Or of seeing the seven wonders of the world? Studying a foreign language? Writing a novel, or poetry?

Sometimes, we tend to have this fleeting thought of something great we'd like to try, and it never comes to happen. Why? Because we don't acknowledge it? We are our worst enemy when it comes to "shooting down" the things we'd like to do - usually in favor of some responsibility. But what about our responsibility to our self? Shouldn't we each come first in the line, if not all the time, then at least on occasion?

I'm tossing out a challenge .... to acknowledge the desire for those dreams. Write them down. Put it in an envelope, a jar, a folder. Fill it with that fleeting thought you had today. Then occasionally read through those dreams, see what's possible. A mind is a funny thing; when you acknowledge something, the subconscious can take a shot at making them a reality. Maybe you're dreaming of that once in a lifetime vacation, and you think "I can't possibly afford that" and yet, your subconscious just might start prepping for that choice. The next time you're in the grocery store, it may tell you "you don't need that".  Saving a few pennies here and there can add up immensely!!

Go ahead ... try it .... what have you got to lose??

Chicks, Changes and Worry (2008)

Chicks & Changes - Feb 27, 2008

Current mood:thoughtful
Today I was musing on changes.  About two years ago, I had purchased a book entitled "Say Yes to Change!"   Mostly it was about letting yourself be open enough, to have dreams and desires, and then taking steps in the right directions, to get those changes jump started.  And ... that's pretty much what I did.... I started with steps; they were small, but they were forward thinking.  Even packing up things I wasn't using at the time, was small steps. It let the Universe know that I was ready, preparing for steps, and life-changes.  And yes, my life sure did change! (It took some time for it all to fall into place, though!)   Tonight, as I was reading in another book, I found this quote:

"A Newborn chick doesn't know it's alive

until its world begins to crumble. 

What seems like the collapse of your universe

may be just an exciting beginning."

And I thought, yes!  That's exactly how it felt at times.  Things were crumbling, not seeming as if it were going to be the way I was hoping.  But ... persevere!  When things seem to be falling apart, spinning out of control, or totally crumbling, it may be a part of the changes you've been wanting to make!  Don't lose hope!

Rocking Chair - Feb 28, 2008

Current mood:breezy

I was trying to think up an interesting topic for a blog today .... and there just doesn't seem much to share. I spent the day at work doing nothing of interest, just opening freight .... what seemed like three weeks worth of freight! I'm the kind who loves a challenge, but I wonder at times what I got myself into! Guess all that tedious work numbed my brain from thinking of something bright to share. But here's a thought for today:

Worry is like a rocking chair.

You may feel like you're doing something,

but it won't get you anywhere.

Sometimes, we seem to worry about things - and no matter how much we worry, we can't change the outcome. Like me, sometimes I find myself waking up in the middle of the night, worried about something at work. (yeah, sick huh?) and it doesn't matter what I'm worrying about it, it won't change a thing. Sometimes there are worries that are OK ... when a friend is sick (Get Well Soon Cathy!!) or when a friend is blue (hugz Rob!) and of course, we worry about our families, and that everything will be OK with them. 

But if worry is getting in the way of you living your life, then its time to put your worries on a shelf. Take each one down for a specific amount of time, do a little worrying, then set it back on the shelf. It's not always easy. But if you spend your evening doing a lot of worrying, are you missing out on some important piece of life with your family?? Is what you're worrying about worth it? Some of you will answer "Yes!" for some of your worries. And that's understandable. Just be more aware of what your mind is worrying about, and let some of it go if you can.

Blogs from the Early Days (2008)

Waaaay back when, I started to blog in another location.  I recently located these old blogs that I had copied to a Word file.  Now that they're found again, I'm going to post them here .... !

Brand New to me - Oct 02, 2005
Ok, blogging is new to me.  So... where to begin?  I live in Ohio, and have two grown kids and a granddaughter who just turned 3 (Hi Brianna!!)

My car goes into the shop tomorrow, because while driving to work one morning, a deer tried to cross the road... and ran into the side of my car!!  They have ugly teeth when pressed up against the driver's side window!!  Minor damage to the car, only a little post traumatic syndrome --- took a few days to drive comfortably in the dark, that time of morning, on that same road again !!

I Got It ! ! ! ! - Jan 14, 2008

Current mood:excited

I'm sooooo excited! and sooooo scared! all at the same time!  Talk about a "rumbly in my tumbly" feeling!!!!!   I got my transfer arranged, and a start date.  Goodness!! There's so much to do, and I hardly know where to begin!  Let's see, details first.   Its a 10-cent an hour pay cut, that's the bad part, I guess you could say. But, the reverse of it .... my hours will be M-F, 7-4, instead of this rotation thing I'm on, and weekends off.  YAHOO!!  Talk about being able to begin having a more normal life again.  That'll be terrific, and give me time to see my granddaughter on weekends!  I'm sure there'll be more to tell y'all ... just know that for now? I'm grinning from ear to ear !!!     3:51 PM

"Its a Date" & "About luck..." - Jan 15, 2008

Current mood:grateful

It's become official, and the dates are set.  I start in my new store Feb 25th.  My new manager has been very accommodating --- waiting for a month for someone he's never met? and had only one conversation with?  It's either going to be a real ... challenge, or its going to be so very perfect!  Either way, I'm up for it.  A whole new phase in life is just beginning, and it's a scary thing to think about, but it's also .... the most exciting thing !! 

Today, Garth's song came to mind:  "Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers".  In my mind, I was willing --- no, hoping ---  for a transfer to a new store, which meant the new store structure in employee schedules (weekends, late shifts).   And I was so disappointed that things weren't happening--- especially in MY time!  And just when I'd given up and resigned myself to ... whatever would be, that is when it happened.  AND, with a much better schedule, and weekends off -- (I won't know what to do with myself!  Oh wait!  ... visit my granddaughter!)

We don't create our own luck, as much as we change our perceptions.  With that, we take different approaches, different risks, and get different results.    Someone else put it that things change with "prayer, patience, persistence and pluck" !!    Amy Tan says:  "How can you say luck and chance are the same thing? Chance is the first step you take, luck is what comes afterward."  

"When you change your beliefs, you change your behavior.

Change your behavior, change how you make choices.

Change your choices, get more chances.

Get more chances, take more risks.

Take more risks, find more four leaf clovers."

Are you willing?