Hairballs

I woke up this morning and my mind was totally blank of anything meaningful to say to you so Catboy suggested, "Hairballs."  He is a strange boy, but as I think of it, this could end up being meaningful.  I don't know if you have ever had a cat, but if you don't, the way they groom themselves is to lick away.  The accumulated hair goes right into their stomach and comes out... Well, I hope you are not eating breakfast right now.  I guess we could compare this to getting help to take care of ourselves when we need it.  I haven't found any of these little "wonders" around the house, lately, and just discovered he is eating anti-hairball treats.  He also bit me yesterday because he needed to be brushed.  Guess we could all take a page from his book and get the help to stay healthy.  Make a ripple, take time to take care, see what happens.

I'm amused, you're amused.

It seems to be that we have so many choices.  We can be busy, crazy, cranky, or bored.  These things are all easy for us, but what about amused.  One of my friends once asked me how I seem to be able to amuse myself so easily. " I guess the alternatives don't seem so great, I replied."  I still feel that way, although sometimes, it is harder to do than it used to be.  Still, if you think of it, who better to amuse you and if you are amused, usually the people around you, at the least have to wonder about you.  At the most, they might take a page from your book and amuse themselves.  I know I have been on this happiness thing for a while.  Some of the next posts will probably be more serious.  But I think "happiness is the best first aid kit we can carry," and it does multiply.  Make a ripple, lighten up, see what happens.

The rhythm and texture of life

I don't know about you, but life sure becomes a swirl sometimes.  We get so busy being in the busyness of life, we miss some important stuff.  We hope  to be evolving, but, sometimes, it feels like "de volving." (My word)  When we don't stop and breathe and notice things, it hurts us as humans.  I know it is against our nature to stop, but I think that is why we are where we are now.  Who are you?  Is all that is attached to that what you do?  Life is so rich if we slow down, just a little, each day and observe it.  It helps us see who we are and appreciate a breath or even a crack in the sidewalk.  Make a ripple, find the time, see what happens.

More good humans!

There is a hair product company who is joining the growing list of people who are making a difference in this world.  The commercial shows how women say "sorry" when they are in so many life situations.  It says we don't need to do that.  Don't you agree!!  It tells us to "be strong and shine."  The company is Pantene, another company making a ripple.  Good for them and us.

LOL

There was a young woman at the grocery yesterday who sneezed while in the checkout line.  It was the cutest little demure sneeze and I remarked about it to the person in front of me.  I also complimented her, because I hear that kind of sneeze  infrequently, and it was so cute.  My friend, who was checking out my groceries remarked that when she sneezes, they throw her around so much, she once got injured! This made us both laugh out loud!  My story was that I love to sneeze out loud, it makes me feel good to make that noise.  I think, sometimes, we squelch the opportunity to just be and enjoy the small things. It is good for us to laugh out loud when we can.  Laughing is good medicine and contagious. Make a ripple, celebrate who you are, see what happens.

Let's hear it!

If you make a difference, and I find out about it, so will everyone who looks at my blog.  Panera bread gives all the bread they have left at the end of the day to charity, every day! They are making a ripple, and I salute them for that! 

Wake up happy every day!

It sounds simple, but it makes a world of difference if you are willing to do this one thing.  Habits take a while to make (21 days), but I can promise you this change will make your life new.  Try it and if it doesn't work, let me know. Make a ripple, advocate happiness, see what happens.

Challenge

Good day!  I was thinking about how unaware we are of things going on around us, so in the continuing saga of paying attention, I give you this challenge today.  There will be more to come, believe me.  Today I would like you to pay attention to the media.  Listen to what people say, and and how they say it.  Are they trying to use the "Orwellian Linguistics?" (you remember those, the ones where they repeatedly try to make you believe that something is true when it is not.)  Pay special attention to the message and see if in your gut, it rings true.  Not everyone lies, but some do.  Try and read the small print on advertisements.  You would be surprised what some of it says.  An example of this would be in the mascara commercials.  The tiny print says the models are wearing false eyelashes!  Hello!  I just want you to start paying attention to what we are being fed on a daily basis so you can make more informed decisions.  Make a ripple, check out the fine print, see what happens.

"You don't fail when you lose, you fail when you quit."

I read this somewhere, recently.  How profound a saying is it?  Many of us might feel as if losing is failing. That seems to be how our society is structured. But, what if we looked at it with a "different eye?"  It really does make sense that quitting puts an end to any endeavour we are trying to accomplish.  So I am going to take this to heart. Losing is part of life and it gives us the choice to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and try again.  It can be a creative process, and we need to allow ourselves that. Make a ripple, create strength, see what happens. 

A list as long as my arm

It's Monday!  At least it is in most places.  I don't know about you, but, I have this list that is unending.  It used to really frustrate me, but I have learned that what I don't get done today will certainly be there tomorrow.  Oh what a relief it is!  Make a ripple, do what you can, see what happens.

Share V.S. covet

When children are young, one of the most valuable lessons given, in my opinion, is learning to share.  It seems, though, as we move through our time of "growing up," things change if we don't pay attention.  I know, in my own life, this happens from time to time, and I am usually not happy when I don't share.  What is better, to each take a bite of a sweet treat, or end up with a "side of thighs?"  Seriously, though, I would rather see everyone have something rather than most have nothing.  It makes for a better society.  Some cultures actually take their extended families into their homes, and run family businesses so all will profit.  I know we are based on independence around here, but I look around and am not sure where that has gotten us as a people.  Make a ripple, share the love, see what happens.

The longest day

It is fitting that today is the longest day of the year, and the Summer Solstice.  It is the day to remember the 44 million people with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.  Alzheimer's kills cells and tissue in the brain which then shrinks.  People lose their ability to communicate, recognize, and care for themselves.  Currently, there is no way to prevent it, nor is there a cure.  If you have been affected by this terrible disease, you know how heart-wrenching it can be.  Today, people all over the world are recognizing the strength of all who have or face this disease in their family or friends.  Make a ripple, honor them, see what happens.

"First, do no harm..."

I am suggesting, today, that we all should live by this oath.  It appears that certain people feel our rights should be taken away unless we are rich and corporate.  What causes harm? Does it harm us to have our voting rights suppressed?  Does it harm us not to be able to be in charge of our own female bodies?  Who is telling males what they can do with their bodies?  That would be no one.  Does it help hard working immigrants to keep them from being citizens of the country they work so hard in?  How can anyone with a conscience want to make things worse, to treat people like dirt ?  I really don't get how anyone can do these things and sleep at night.  Maybe we should pay them a low wage and take away their rights. Make a ripple, stand for all, see what happens. 

It's a matter of perspective

It has been cold, rainy and dark here for the past 3 or 4 days.  This has caused most everyone I know to become grumpy, including Catboy who finally has had enough of the house being closed up, and bit me yesterday.  This is not his usual sweet demeanor, either.  However, while watching the news yesterday I found out that it has been in the high 90's elsewhere all this week.  Hmmm... Which would I rather do, put on a sweater or wish I could take off my skin?  There is always a situation that is worse than mine, whether it is the weather, an illness, lack of funds, or something else.  It is wise to be reminded of that.  Maybe it was that bite!  Make a ripple, check your perspective, see what happens.

A shining example

I just learned that some of the Japanese fans at the World Cup Soccer Tournament took the time to clean out the stands of the garbage left during their games.  What a cool thing for them to do!  They made a ripple with me.  How about you?  

Remove the dead leaves

I love to learn lessons from everything I do.  I am a shameless LLL, Life Long Learner.  Thanks, Mom for that obsession.  The other day, I went around and took off all the dead leaves from my plants.  There were more than I thought, and I notice, I do this unconsciously even at friend's houses.  They probably think I am a little nuts, but, like I said, it is not something I think about, until today.  What are the plants teaching me?  I suppose it is to get rid of the things that no longer nourish me.  That is a pretty cool lesson.  Thanks, plants!  Make a ripple, prune away, see what happens. 

Moral Monday's

In some states in the South in the U.S., some horrible things are happening.  A certain party is trying to extinguish any progress we have made for civil and personal rights, especially for women and the poor.  The way one state is fighting back, is by staging peaceful protests.  PEACEFUL PROTESTS!  Now they are arresting these people for raising their voices.  REALLY?!  It is a sad state when certain people are attempting and sometimes winning their way in hurting society.  What year is this anyway?  So I say this:  Maybe EVERYDAY should be "Moral Monday!"  This kind of behavior has to stop and if each one of us did something for issues that are important to us, from calling a congressman, to signing petitions, to protesting peacefully, while acting in a moral way themselves, we WOULD MAKE A RIPPLE! Be the change you want to see,  see what happens.

Keep your eye on the ball

I love baseball!  It is such a cool sport to watch and there are so many things going on at once.  My team is going up and down the roller coaster this year, and I seem to be doing the same thing.  One thing I notice, though, is when we are both doing well, we are keeping our eyes on the ball!  Make a ripple, focus, see what happens.

Appreciate your furry friends

Every morning, except one I can think of, Catboy comes running to see me on the love seat.  It is such a nice beginning to my day.  He purrs and snuggles up to me, waiting patiently for his morning cookies.  The wonderful thing about pets is there is no agenda, just love.  There is no judgement, just someone warm and wonderful who thinks you put the stars in the sky just for them.  Make a ripple, give back to them, see what happens.

What is your favorite?

It is hard to believe, but today is our 250th post.  I would never have believed we would make it so far and so many of us would participate.  So from the bottom of my heart, thank-you!  In honor of this occasion, I thought it might be cool to list some of our favorite posts and their dates, in case you missed them or wanted to go back.  This is only a small sampling, but here they are:
 12/5/2013 Just in the time of Nick  12/7/2013  Can you spell ADVOCATE?  12/23/2013  She had to get sick to get well.  12/29/2013  Be patient and hurry up.  12/30/2013  Looking at the smaller picture.  1/8/2014  Forget regret.  1/17/2014  Enjoy a good yawn.  2/7/2014  Looking with a different eye.  2/16/2014  Perfect is not always perfection.  3/2/2014  Love and Fear.  3/20/2014 With fits and starts.  3/22/2014  Sleep, the wonder drug.  4/29/2013  The Gift within the gift.  5/6/2013  Leave everything better than you found it!  Again, we are making a ripple and I am grateful!

Welcome Indonesia!

We are so glad to see you!  Please come back!

Shout out!

As you know, I celebrate all companies who are making a difference in the world.  Dove is one of these companies.  They are calling attention to the importance of dads.  There is even a short movie on u-tube about dads and their involvement with their children.  We all need parents.  It is great if they are our biological ones, but there are also many other's who can and would stand in for them. Thank you Dove, for shining the light on Dads. They are making a ripple and I honor them for that because we know what will happen. 

Walking in the woods..

Yesterday, I got to do one of my favorite things, taking a walk in the woods.  It was a warm day with a slight breeze.  I am still amazed at the things which grow in this very dry area and seem to thrive.  What I have noticed is that all sorts of plants live in this environment together.  The beauty is unbelievable, but still, the fact that they all thrive, is amazing to me.  It makes me wish that our world could be the same, no judgement, no greed, just living together in beauty and harmony.  This may sound sappy, but after hearing of war and death in all the news, I wish we could take a page from their book.  Make a ripple, seek peace and harmony, see what happens.

What was I thinking?!

It's a fact.  Whatever I think about the most happens.  Sometimes this is the best thing in the world, but, sometimes, I create the "L" I never want to see.  I don't know about you, but my thoughts get stuck in a loop sometimes, and it is usually when I am down.  It feels as if I can't stop these thoughts at times.  Lately, and for a while, I am doing something about that by replacing them with something lovely.  It truly works. Old habits are frequently hard to break, and somewhat painful, but breaking this one and replacing it with thoughts of what I really want in my life, has made a huge difference.  Think about what you really want.  Then tenaciously hold THAT thought.  If something else comes into your mind, say "cancel" and replace it.  Make a ripple, clear your mind, see what happens. 

Taylor

This young lady chose to "tweet" positivity by students in her high school. She named them and told everyone how wonderful they were.  In this age of "mean girls" and "gossip girls", and so much bullying, I salute her.  She is graduating, but she is passing on her work to another student.  What a great idea for all schools!  Make a ripple, take a page, see what happens.

"If I don't stand for something...

I will fall for anything."  This is one of my favorite quotes, and yes, I sort of personalized it. Today, I was watching the mind-numbing news.  I watch several stations, looking closely for the truth.  I get commercials talking about "safe fracturing technology."  When is using high powered machinery to push poison into the ground safe?  When is it ever o k to give up your position in the government to work for a company that sells a product people die from? And in the mean time causing 400,000 people in your state to lose the chance of having medical insurance.  It all makes me sick.  This is one more plea, as our family of this blog grows, to make sure we are first: becoming the best human we can be, and second, finding a way to seek the truth and make life better for other's.  I know we are all busy and life gets pretty muddled, but there has to be a way for us to make the changes we know we have to make.  Many of the things we can do take little effort or time.  I know I say that a lot, but it is true.  If we could just dedicate a small amount of time each day to put in the effort, think of what an impact this would make.  Make a ripple, find your cause, see what happens.

Today is

"International give away smiles and compliments day!" I think I just made that up, but we have 18 countries and the United States participating in our blog.  So, all I ask of you today, is to give away as many smiles and compliments as you can.  If you end up with sore cheeks, all the better because that is a great facial exercise.  Sometimes I go to the store for a few things, and just wander around for an extra few minutes doing this and I can't tell you how great I feel when I leave.  Think about how great other's feel. There are so many things we can do that take little time and effort to lift people up, including ourselves. Make a ripple, give it a try, see what happens. 

Yeah Nordstrom!

In the spirit of honoring businesses who treat women properly, I will send a shout out to this company for a commercial just on showing two women who are average sized, shopping.  They are both beautiful, and they are not stick figures! Thank-you Nordstrom! We should all be treated with respect ! You are making a ripple!

Walking around with your eyes closed

 After a great night's sleep, it occurs to me that it is very essential for a person to get away from all the minutia  of their daily lives.  As much as I consider myself an observer, I find that just being in nature for a few days has changed me.  As you can tell, I don't get away much.  I guess my point is that we get stuck very easily in our daily routines.  Everything gets dull, and we don't even know it. We need to give ourselves the opportunity to re-tune, re-explore, re-invent.  Little things like the sound of a stream, the texture of thousands of trees on a mountain, an eagle high in it's nest and yes, most of all, the silence wake us up!  Catboy is ecstatic I am home. I am, too, and my eyes are wide open.  Make a ripple, find your wonder, see what happens. 

Three things I have learned in 72 hours

I have to say, I have missed you.  Even though it has only been a day and a half, the connection I feel with you has a life of it's own.  So I am glad to be back!  I did, however get to experience beautiful land, wonderful mountains and rivers, including the Missouri River.  I also got to experience the strong bonds between  a mother and daughters who have been separated  for about 9 months.  When you have been separated due to certain circumstances, the love and affection that has always been there has gone to sleep, but wakes up quickly!  I am tired, but I am back and all the better for it!  I am renewed and feeling joyful for the experience.  Make a ripple, get away, if you can, see what happens.  See you tomorrow morning!

Welcome back Russia!

We are so glad you have returned !

Take time to smell the fresh air.

We all need time to take a deep breath.  Hopefully, it can be in a beautiful location away from where we spend most of our time.  I am getting a short period to spend time in nature and am taking it. The computer, despite complaining profusely has to stay home with the house sitter. ;(  There will be no post tomorrow and the one on Sunday will be later in the day.  Like I said a short trip.  Breathe, take care of yourselves, and I will talk to you on Sunday evening. Do not forget I have written 240 posts, so you can catch up on some of the ones you have missed!  Make a ripple, see what happens.

Welcome back Ukraine!

We are glad to see you again!

Find your own road

What are you passionate about?  What makes you want to jump out of bed each day?  If you are drawing a blank, it is time to reconnoiter.  Every one has a path.  Some choose to ignore that path and do what is expected of them.  The problem with this is that you find yourself, years later wondering what the "L" you are doing and where the dreams went.  The good news is that your road never goes away and even if it takes a street sweeper and dump truck, you can find it again.  Some of us just take longer than other's to find out where our true joy lies.  Make a ripple, excavate, see what happens.

Welcome France

It is so good to see you!  Please come back!

Let your days unfold.

Do you ever wake up cranky? I think we all do.  Some people I know just assume that is the tone for the day.  It doesn't have to be.  I am learning that if we just shake it off and focus on something else, the day has a fighting chance of turning out o k. We can use this technique during the day, too.  Make a ripple, shake it off, see what happens.

Don't cut what can be untied

I don't know about you, but when I am mad or hurt or both, I just want to be done with the person or situation causing this.  Sometimes, it is just easier to let go completely rather than to allow, or take the time to fix it.  The problem of being done, is that I might be losing something worthwhile.  I believe the saying goes: " Cutting off your nose despite your face."  Another way of looking at this is to ask myself, would I want someone to do that to me.  Generally, the answer is "no." I guess this all comes down to being patient and treating a situation or person the way I want to be treated and realizing there is good in everything (mostly.) Make a ripple, think it over, see what happens.

Welcome Lithuania

Welcome to our family.  Please come back and see us!

Thank a friend who believes in you!

The other day, a friend of mine told me I was awesome.  I had just been bemoaning something I wish I had done in college.  It made me feel really good, and because it was a text, I saved it.  I have read that text several times, but I have not told the friend how much it lifted me up.  Sometimes we forget how important these things are.  I try to lift people up, but am not as gracious  in thanking them for what they have done for me.  Today I will talk to my friend and tell her how much it meant that she believes in me.  We all know how it can turn a really bad day into a good one, and boost our self-esteem.  Make a ripple, thank that friend, see what happens.

Welcome China!

We are so glad to see you!  Please come back!

If something is in your way,

Find your way over or around it.  It seems, lately, that certain people want to keep people from voting.  It is a fact.  It seems like certain people are wanting to limit educational opportunities for many people.  This is too, a fact.  What are we willing to do about this?  I am expecting we will find new and different ways to deal with these small-minded individuals.  Money, while providing power, does not always win.  I am sure you saw the lines and lines of people waiting to vote.  As busy as we are, we are still smart enough to know when we are being duped.  Make a ripple, find your way, see what happens.