Family Traditions

I have always loved family traditions. I didn’t really appreciate their importance until this year, when I will be alone through the Holidays. We moved away from family when my oldest daughter was first born. I had always been surrounded by family during the Holiday season and since that wasn’t going to be an option, I went straight to work on finding little things I could do for my own family to create traditions that would make our Holiday Season special. I quickly found that others gravitated towards my home during the Holidays; people who also did not have family to share the Season with. Now that I am on the other side of that, I can better appreciate what they must have been feeling when they came into my home looking for warmth and celebration. Every year the crowd that would surround us for the Holiday’s grew. Everyone was always welcome with open arms…so long as they brought an empty stomach! They would come early and stay late, and everyone was always stuffed by the time that dinner was ready. We were never short on laughter or room for those who wished to join us. I am missing all that this year. I am missing making the Holidays special for others who don’t have family to celebrate with. I am missing the warmth, the laughter, and the traditions. I am truly hoping that one day I can do that again. All the little things that I took for granted seem to have a greater significance now that I am not able to share the Holiday Spirit. Now, I am the one alone for the Holidays. When the day comes and I can once again build traditions and open my home, you can bet that I will be even more aware of those who do not have family during this time of year, and I will do everything I can to allow them to be a part of mine.

Survival Guide for todays life-style

Survival Tips 101 (ok, make that 10)

These are the things you should absolutely NEVER leave home without.

1. Clean underwear, because you just never know…..
2. Common sense. Look at how many people are running around without it. Do you really want to be one of them?
3. A sense of humor. Refer back to item number 2. You’re going to need one.
4. Wit, it’s never a good idea to be unarmed.
5. Imagination. This is invaluable for those times when waiting is inevitable… like in traffic when you have to pee. It’s a great form of distraction; just don’t picture a lake….
6. A stick of gum. It can be a marvelous tool. You can use it to freshen your breath when you have consumed too much coffee trying to stay awake in yet another drawn out meeting with no point, you can use it to hold a piece of paper to your rear view mirror when you find your last post-it note has already been used and you need to remember an important memo (or directions! If you’re like me and you tend to get lost easy), and last but not least you can stick it to the seat of some poor unsuspecting fool from tip number 2! Another great diversion from the boredom of day to day living.
7. Post-it notes….it keeps you from having to scrape gum off your rear view mirror…
8. Sarcasm, cleverly disguised as interest. This works great when combined with the tip number 4.
9. Bottled water, aside from looking smart and keeping hydrated; if you fail to use your imagination as described in tip number 5 you can always say you spilled…..but that’s stretching it….
10. Clean underwear, because as you read tip number 9…..you just never know….

I hope you enjoyed this survival guide! If it gave you pause to smile for even just a moment then you are already fully armed with everything you need, because laughter truly is the best medicine!

Time to Say Goodbye...

The time has come for me to say goodbye to some old friendships that I have outgrown. I find it sad to let people go that I was once close to. My life has undergone many changes in the last year and as I start a new chapter, I am defining more and more what I want and don’t want in my life. That includes people. It’s not that they are bad people; they are just in a different place, a different state of being than I am now. If I wish to truly move forward, I have to let go of the past that no longer suits my desires and goals. I am evaluating and scrutinizing every relationship that I have. Some key observations will determine who I stay in touch with and allow to remain present in my life, and who I will let go. Honesty and integrity, compassion and a positive outlook on life are big factors in who stays and who goes. There are also friendships that I currently keep that only contact me when they have problems, they will also go. Those for me will probably be the hardest to let go, but friendship is a two way street and I am not a therapist. I don’t wish to hurt anyone by saying goodbye, but the time has come for me to look out for me. I spend a lot of time and energy being there for others, and some of those others have no interest in me except for how I can help them and what I can do for them. I know they don’t intend to be this way, but when things are going well for them, they have other people that they share that with. Misery loves company and there are enough miserable people out there that those who dwell there will never be alone. Me, on the other hand, I wish to surround myself with people who I genuinely care about who care for me in return. I do not require my friends to be happy and in a positive state of mind at all times. We all have challenges and challenges can affect our thoughts, perceptions and emotions. It’s life. The difference being on whether a person chooses to say in misery or make some changes. To those I am letting go, I sincerely wish you well and hope one day you find a way to be happy and enjoy your life.

Can Creativity Survive Academia?

I am wondering; can Academia and Creativity co-exist? It’s only my second week of college and my creative self feels like its suffocating. With all the logical and technical thought processes that I am trying to absorb, I do not feel like I have the time for creative outlets and I am feeling stifled. Is there a way to incorporate creativity into the learning process to be able to better grasp these concepts and to more fully be able to enjoy the learning experience I am being offered?
With my life experience I can fully appreciate that without an education I am seriously limited with my life choices. Obtaining and education is very important to me and I wish to do well. I am devoting hours a day on my studies. If I am not at work or attending to other life responsibilities, I am focusing on school. I do not feel like the high school education I received really prepared me for a higher education and I am struggling to understand the concepts that are being presented to me. I feel at the disadvantage, like I have to work twice as hard right now to catch up with the other students who have had more recent education.
I am a naturally curious person. I love learning and I want to know everything about everything. With that characteristic, I feel like I could really get into and enjoy the learning opportunity that I now have. I just have to overcome this feeling of inadequacy. I have to get to a point where I feel confident and caught up. I start every new week feeling like I am three steps behind everyone else. Everything is foreign to me right now, and I don’t like that. Does it get better? Will it get easier? I truly hope so.