Humorous absurdities

All those little humorous absurdities that give us a laugh are a very important ingredient in maintaining peace and happiness.

Not only is laughter an excellent stress reliever in times of high anxiety, it also helps to strengthen the immune system which is so vital to general good health and well being.

It isn’t merely being humorous, as in telling, listening and laughing at jokes . . . it is the ability to see the humor in little things that occur on a daily basis, even if those little things are frustrating and get on our nerves. Laugh about the absurdity of it and attempt to change your perspective of the thing, especially if it is a necessary part of your life . . . like someone at work who really gets on your nerves or a problem that keeps reoccurring.

Rather than get all worked up and stressed out over my present life circumstances, I’ve come up with the plan and now find the humor of it all. One of my favorite sayings is so appropriate for what I’ve been going through lately . . . “I’m up to my a$$ in alligators and they are snapping!”

I’ve done my share of crying and it is better to laugh . . . the outcome is the same and I truly believe that God has it under control. If you are having a rough time of life circumstances, maybe I have inspired you to laugh . . . there is a little humor in everything if you look for it.

read more

Sign of the times

“Our lives improve only when we take chances . . .
and the first and most difficult risk we can take
is to be honest with ourselves.”

Walter Anderson

Seems like there is a trend in our society where difficult economic times are bringing friends and family together, helping each other out and binding us closer together.

Trying to decide how to cope and live without a steady stream of money from my eBay store and finally coming to terms with the fact that getting another job isn’t going to be as easy as it once was has been a harsh reality to face. The decision to move back in with mom is, in many ways, a step backward in the progress of moving on with my life as an independent individual . . . but it is called survival . . . and a sign of the time.

I’ve heard of many people making this type of change in their lifestyle and since making the decision to change mine, through endless hours, days and weeks of pondering my situation, I realized that our society could possibly be changing to one where we are moving closer to family and friends and slowing down to help one another.

Closer to becoming a less selfish society?

In this awful time of life circumstances so many of us find ourselves in, there is a silver lining and something positive to be gained from this “crisis” that has almost changed our world overnight.

read more

Looking for Mr. Rock My World

Maxine must have tried an online dating service!

Since becoming a widow, I have ventured out a few times into the world of internet dating. The optimum words . . . a few times.

In my quest for peace, love and happiness, I sometimes think that my life would be enhanced by finding that special person to spend the rest of my life with again . . . or at least find a compatible companion . . . maybe even a friend with benefits.

Since all of my time is spent online . . . it is where I work, make money, socialize and learn . . . well, I figured I could find someone special online too.

There is one problem . . . human nature to make yourself look better than you actually look.

Ummmmmm, like using photos from 20 years ago or telling a little fib about your real age. Why lie? You will eventually meet and disappoint the other person, rather than being true to who you really are. That is starting off on the wrong foot.

Online dating services have worked for some . . . I have heard the beautiful and romantic stories. But for me it has been a waste of my time as far as making a local romantic connection, although I have made some awesome online friends from all over the world.

If my destiny is to have another Mr. RockMyWorld in my life, I will have to run into him at the grocery store . . . I’m not looking anymore! Casual dating is not on my path to peace, love and happiness . . . I’d rather be alone than play the games out in that jungle.

But . . . never say never!

read more

Nothing is impossible

Faith and a positive mental attitude work hand in hand in making things happen. A recurring theme of my blog is maintaining positive vibes and staying stress-free no matter what is going on in your life.

It took me along time to realize that I was making myself crazy over things that were out of my control . . . so much that I could not focus on those things that were in my control that could make a difference.

In my quest to turn my attitude toward life around, I have learned that our brains are subconsciously programmed. Our behaviors are guided by reactions determined through our thoughts. Unfortunately, for some of us, unpleasant events trigger those deeply rooted negative thought patterns.

With faith and a positive mental attitude, nothing is impossible. Every day I make a conscious effort to put my faith into action by the words I speak, determined by what I put into my inner being.

The good news is that I am learning how to reprogram my subconscious thoughts so I react differently when problems arise, making it so much easier to cope with life when times get rough.

Life is so much more pleasant with a smile on my face instead of crying and wearing an ugly frown.

read more

Honesty and untruths

People grow through experience if they
meet life honestly and courageously.
This is how character is built.

(Eleanor Roosevelt)

Honesty is at the core of peace, love and happiness. Anything built upon lies, deceit and dishonesty has no strength of true substance.

It is safe to say that there are times we’ve all had to be courageous and honestly admit a mistake or disclose facts that are none too flattering. Doing the honorable thing is not always the comfortable thing to do.

No man has a good enough memory
to make a successful liar.

(Abraham Lincoln)

Lies and untruths will open up a can of worms that keep multiplying and could become overwhelming and difficult to keep up with. Then what happens when everything is tripped up in lies? The implication in Lincoln’s quote was well said.

Why bother not telling the truth? Isn’t honesty easier in the long run? Circumstances, situations, events, facts, etc. are what they are . . . why try to change it and make the attempt to keep track of all the untruths?

Living a lie is not real and leads to the opposite of peace.

Murderers, thieves and scammers have to live with themselves. I often wonder how they cope with all those negatives vibes within themselves . . . or even feel true happiness and peace of mind.

Is it possible to be human and not have a conscience?

read more

Agree to disagree

It is about peace and harmony in our relationships and realizing that everyone has a right to their opinion. What a boring world we would live in without differing opinions . . . boring, but more peaceful.

When we share our beliefs with others in a sincere and open manner, putting aside any hostility we may feel toward an opposing view, it may lead to opening the door to understanding differing opinions and perhaps a new way of thinking on both sides of an issue.

Rather than take on the idea that it is not a good idea to discuss politics or religion, taking the approach of “agreeing to disagree” not only opens our mind to a new way of thinking on a particular subject, but also helps us strengthen our relationships with greater understanding if the approach of gentle expressiveness is exercised among rational people.

If the discussion becomes irrational, I always take the approach of saying . . . “let’s just agree to disagree” . . . and quickly change the subject. Sometimes it is not worth it . . . but with the right approach by all individuals involved, it can be a growing experience and lead to greater peace and understanding of those with different opinions.

Opinions are one of those things that everyone has and makes us each a truly unique individual . . . share your opinions peacefully and your voice becomes louder as others will be more willing to listen . . .

read more

Spirit of love

You will find as you look back upon your life
that the moments when you have really lived,
are the moments when you have done things
in a spirit of love.

Henry Drummond

The essence of Valentine’s Day is love . . .
only a part of it is romance.

One of the many aspects of love and
most beautiful is giving in the spirit of love.

That is what Valentines Day means to me.

It is giving . . . not of material things necessarily.

One of my fondest memories of childhood was exchanging and sharing Valentine Cards with my schoolmates. We all came to school with our little bags of colorful “Be My Valentine” wishes . . . one of my first recollections of giving and sharing associated with love, not romance . . . that was the spirit of love.

I’ll never forget what someone did for me when JR died . . . and to this day I don’t know who did this sweet thing for me. I asked everyone I knew . . . they obviously wanted to remain anonymous. Every day without fail for the longest time, someone left freshly cut flowers at my door. 

It didn’t matter where it came from . . . it was the most awesome random act of kindness I have ever experienced. In those dark days, the flowers and what they meant to me was just about the only thing that would bring a smile to my face. That was the spirit of love . . . unselfish compassion for someone hurting, in need of a smile and knowing that someone cared.

Simple things . . . like cutting an elderly neighbor’s grass or cooking a meal for them, just because . . . most seniors are on a fixed income and little things add up monetarily.

In the spirit of love, do something nice for someone less fortunate than yourself . . . not just for Valentines Day.

Do you recollect your fondest “spirit of love” moments?

read more