the moment

All we have is the moment. No control over tomorrow and the past is gone. But we can have hope for the future and enjoy happy memories.

How do we rescue ourselves?

I try to encourage others to discuss mental illness. I think it's been a while since I mentioned my own.

My MS and taking care of my health are exhausting. I have good coping mechanisms (singing, distracting myself with TV and books, and talking to loved ones). I use antidepressants. Still, staying happy all the time is difficult.

These lyrics describe how I've been feeling lately:

I know that I should think about giving

and think about

helping out

and think about

think about living

but I can't seem to rescue myself

(Mirror Song by Live)

How do we rescue ourselves?

In The Book of Joy by the 14th Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Abrams, the authors suggest that the only way we can feel joy is to help others feel their own joy. So, if we help each other, we can all feel better.

That is my goal. If sharing my own struggle can help others, we might all benefit.

Wishing you joy or at least contentment in the midst of challenges!

be quick

Life is short. We do not have much time to gladden the hearts of those to travel with us. So be quick to love. Make haste to be kind. -unknown

destination

You're going to find yourself somewhere somehow...

Lyrics by Corrine Bailey Rae (Put Your Records On)

I love this thought. One way or another, life will work itself out. Yet, our choices bring us in different directions. Let's hope we make good choices & are happy with our destination.

Wishing you a pleasant journey!

Joke

A little something that made me smile (found online, not written by me)…

I told my husband I saw a deer on the way to work. He asked how I knew it was headed to work. 

happy place

Where is your happy place?

Petula Clark suggests that the city is the place to go. I am more for a walk in the woods or Saturday morning in bed with a good book and a cuddle from my husband.

Wherever your happy place is, you can always go there in your imagination if you can’t go physically. That’s the great thing about imagination!

Wishing you happy thoughts!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx06XNfDvk0 

moving forward

We have to keep going. Even when it's scary, even when all of our strength seems gone, we have to keep picking ourselves back up and moving forward, because whatever we're battling in the moment, it will pass, and we will make it through. We've made it this far. We can make it through whatever comes next. - Daniell Koepke 

dramedy 'Offspring' on Netflix

A light-hearted dramedy... Perfect when you need something cheerful.

If you haven’t watched it yet, I highly recommend 'Offspring' on Netflix. It’s only there until September 30th... A Melbourne obstetrician in her thirties struggles with the increasingly chaotic family, romantic and professional aspects of her life in this drama.

From some original flower children

From Let Your Love Flow by the Bellamy Brothers:

Let your love bind you to all living things

If we could feel that way, we might treat our fellow humans and animals with the kindness and respect they deserve.

Wishing you lots of love! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQQj2rQBFvA&list=PLskbHVn55gAN4V0lpnzTpmSiAzgC1jFwn&index=6

TV quotes

From Night Sky on Prime … you love someone who loves you… that’s life right there

From The Shack on Netflix… you were created to be loved

 

the blessing of today

On YouTube I have been watching The Age of AI. I liked these thoughts mentioned by the father of Tim Shaw [NFL star diagnosed with ALS]…

we can ruin today by missing the wonderful past and we can ruin today by worrying about the terrible future. See the blessing of the day that we have.

being a friend

If you want to have a friend, you need to be a friend. A great lesson that I hope we were all taught as children. I also hope that we practice this as adults. 

“The Girl Who Wrote in Silk” by Kelli Estes

I recently finished reading “The Girl Who Wrote in Silk” by Kelli Estes. I learned something about American history that I didn’t know.

In the 1880s, after Chinese immigrants had helped build our railroads, other Americans and Canadians decided the Chinese were no longer welcome.

The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the Geary Act of 1892 discriminated against them. But more horrifically, many Chinese people were killed. Much like the Native Americans, the Chinese were deemed too different to live among us European Americans.

I wanted to share this piece of history. The people writing history books decide what they want us to learn, often leaving out things they would rather forget.

None of us should forget that discrimination has been happening for centuries. It is up to us to change that.

Looking forward to the day that differences are celebrated!

we've got to start somewhere

Taking care of you and me 

is so important, really 

It isn't just family 

But friends and acquaintances too

Reaching out to one another 

Is so essential really 

To all of humanity 

Our pets and wildlife too

Me, I'm just one, but you are two,

& we've got to start somewhere 

curiosity and questioning

I believe that curiosity and questioning should be encouraged. The more interests we pursue, the more knowledge we gain, make us better able to make decisions and participate in society.

We should pursue knowledge from many sources and explore many points of view. We need to listen to one another. We need to find ways to be respectful and kind to people who see the world differently than we do. 

If we ignore opposing points of view, we are limiting our own experience and chances for ourselves and the world around us to grow and change.

Wishing you patience and an open mind!

“Dear Evan Hansen” & mental health awareness

Mental health awareness is so important, especially during this time of isolation due to the pandemic.

I just finished listening to the audio book based on the Broadway musical “Dear Evan Hansen.” It is a story about High school students living with isolation, anxiety and a peer who committed suicide.

Here are some resources that they suggested:

https://childmind.org

https://crisistextline.org text 741741 to text with a trained counselor

https://thetrevorproject.org dedicated to LGBTQ youth

With more to be found at https://dearevanhansen.com/

Your library might have the novel or even the sound recording of the musical. 

Wishing you and your loved ones the opportunity to discuss difficult topics that might make a world of difference.

What the world needs now

What the world needs now

Is love, sweet love

It’s the one thing that there's just too little of

-Burt Bacharach

From one side to the other, let's listen to one another and share love. We don’t need to be alike. Differences make the world better. Let’s accept each other and agree to disagree.

Wishing you love and acceptance!

"This Land Is Their Land" by David J Silverman

So glad that we have a holiday to commemorate gratitude. I am so very grateful for the friends and family in my life. Grateful for Facebook friends and family as well.

But take a few minutes to make sure that the people you know understand the Thanksgiving Myth. I was taught that the pilgrims and Indians sat down for a great meal to celebrate the harvest and the friendship between the two groups.

Native Americans who met the Europeans from the Mayflower were not happy to see them. For at least a century prior, other Europeans had been wreaking havoc during exploratory missions. By the time colonization began, damage had been done to prevent friendships. And the havoc continued.

Please be grateful for your loved ones and your safety, shelter and healthy food. But do a quick history lesson for a dose of reality. I have been reading "This Land Is Their Land" by David J Silverman. It is quite a lengthy lesson but worthwhile.

May we learn from the past, be grateful and look to a happier future.

past meets present

On a TV show a character asked, "If your 10-year-old self met you today, what would they think?"

How would you answer?

I think my 10-year-old self would be shocked by my 50-year-old self. I don't think I knew anyone who used a wheelchair much less thought of myself as ever needing one.

I think I would be pleased as well. I always thought I'd like teaching. And I'm especially proud of the wonderful friends and family with whom I keep in touch. So grateful for my husband and others who bring me joy.

Wishing you a life that makes you happy!

the other person

I was feeling some self-pity (I try not to do so very often). I thought of the Tom Petty lyric, "You don't know what it's like to be me."

Then I realized, none of us know what it's like to be the other person. We all have our unique strengths and weaknesses, hopes and fears. So let's be kind to one another. No one knows what struggles someone else is experiencing. Smiles can cover any number of woes.

Wishing you patience in your struggle. May we all have patience for people we don't know who might act negatively during their time of struggle.