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Healthcare Is A Human Right
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Category Archives: Blogging
So Honored
I am very excited to win the WEP (Write..Edit..Publish) Bridges 2017 Writing Challenge Blog Hop with my short fiction post The Final Transition!
There are so many talented writers who participate in the WEP challenges and everyone is welcome to join in. The next challenge will be in August so come over and check it out.
Holding On To The Good
I have been thinking again about reining in my time on social media, blogging. I did a post on my other blog Grandmotherly.blog about being over-connected. I just read a post from the Atlantic by James Hamblin that suggests we do a social media fast every other day to break the addiction. I was thinking of taking a vacation from blogging, which is still an option, but this every other day fast sounds like it would be worth a try. Otherwise, I have visions of spending the rest of my life glued to my computer and cell phone.
But then there are so many interesting things that I find online from Smithsonian.com, like the West Coast is being invaded by hordes of gelatinous Sea Cucumbers and I have to read about it. Or how about the story of a shriveled human toe, put in a drink called Sourtoe Cocktail in the Yukon, that was stolen then returned. That last one makes me queasy. I am being facetious, but interesting articles about science, nature, quirky comical stuff helps lift my spirits when there is so much bad news.
I have been watching the The Lord of the Rings Trilogy again. We could see it as good triumphs over evil, and maybe too simplistic, but I do find the message inspiring. That even one small person can make a difference in the world. One of the inspiring speeches in the film is by Sam Gamgee to Frodo when Frodo feels despair of ever overcoming all that is against him, all the darkness:
Frodo : I can’t do this, Sam.
Sam : I know.
It’s all wrong
By rights we shouldn’t even be here.
But we are.
It’s like in the great stories Mr. Frodo.
The ones that really mattered.
Full of darkness and danger they were,
and sometimes you didn’t want to know the end.
Because how could the end be happy.
How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad happened.
But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow.
Even darkness must pass.
A new day will come.
And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer.
Those were the stories that stayed with you.
That meant something.
Even if you were too small to understand why.
But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand.
I know now.
Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn’t.
Because they were holding on to something.
Frodo : What are we holding on to, Sam?
Sam : That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.
When the darkness rains down, I must not give up in despair. Have to be courageous and believe in the good in the world. And that even one person can make a difference.
Stream of Consciousness Saturday is hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt words for today: rain/reign/rein. Sam’s Speech ‘Worth Fighting For’ via Richurd on edgestudio.com. Featured image of ‘Aqua Tibia Wilderness Sunrise’ by pdpolena on Wikimedia.
Push Back
“We’ve all seen the television commercials, read the articles, or watched the movies in which society tries to tell us that people our age only have two options: become pathetic, useless individuals living in a shell of our former selves OR we must cover our wrinkles, refuse to retire, and become motorcycle-riding thrill seekers. Neither extreme scenario is necessary for us to get the most from life after 60.”-sixtyandme.com
Listening to the negative messages could take years off your life and it does make you feel worse because we internalize it.
We are all going to be old and we have a choice in the way we think about it, the way we think about ourselves. And there are as many ways to be as there are people. We do not have to be one extreme or the other.
One Liner Wednesday is hosted by Linda G Hill. Featured image of older couple by Erika Wittlieb on Pixabay.com
Sun Signs
This year I have been happy with our June Gloom here in Southern California. It is a sign of cooler weather when we have gray cloudy skies, when the climate conditions cause the moist cool air from the ocean to come inland and keep temperatures down. It results in cloudy days but it is better than the very hot days we will be getting in July and August. But just when I was celebrating the coolness along comes a heat wave expected to last at least until early next week. TGFAC! (Thank God For Air Conditioning). I am hunkered down inside like a refrigerated hermit.
I have ventured out a few times and wanted to share some photos of clear blue sunny Southern California skies.
My sunny neighborhood
Blue Skies
“Blue skies smilin’ at me
Nothing but blue skies do I see…”
Stream of Consciousness Saturday is hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt word for today is “sign.” Featured image of Sun with cloud by kropekk_pl on Pixabay.com
Words of Wisdom
“There are many things of which a wise man might wish to be ignorant”-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Every morning I scan my email inbox and see how many I can weed out. I try not to let too many emails accumulate. I get emails from organizations I have donated to in the past, asking for more donations, or asking me to sign petitions on this issue or that. I have started ignoring them more often now because I feel that I can not afford to be making donations and tell myself I should probably be the one who gets donations. I get tired of signing petitions, but still do a bit of it. I get emails from different newsletters and websites I have signed up to. I may have found an article of theirs interesting and decided I would like to read more, and I end up with all these emails from them. I have noticed that so many of the websites and newsletters are in the business of giving us all advice on how to live our lives with subject lines like: How To Get More Joy In You Life, Why It’s So Hard To Say You’re Sorry, The Best Cities For Successful Aging, The Next Food City You Should Pay Attention To, What a Healthy Relationship Looks Like. I have noticed that posts about how to be happy and have good relationships are a frequent topic of many writers. When we are struggling with our problems or lonely we might be drawn to read their advice. Are we all supposed to pack up and move to a city that has the best food and chance for us to have “successful aging?” I have this vision of selling our house and moving to one of these places and then finding out they have decided to cut back on their services and not be a best city for successful aging. And then I would be stuck.
One Liner Wednesday is hosted by Linda G Hill. Featured image ‘Woman sitting at desk writing’ via Pixabay.com
Admitting To Going In New Directions
I have recently reached a WordPress milestone of 500 posts on Notes Tied On The Sagebrush. And I must admit it has been quite a journey. I have used this blog to share some of my life, thoughts, opinions, humor, and even some creative writing. I appreciate very much the support of my followers, family, friends, and other bloggers. It has been wonderful to get the positive feedback I have received over the past 3 years. I have appreciated your comments and encouragement very much. There have been times when I thought I was tired of blogging. I learned I had to discover my own pace. I realized I was not going to be out to win the most prolific blogger award. So I am surprised to find that I have decided to start a second blog about my journey into Grandmother-hood called Grandmotherly.blog. I have to say I am pretty excited about the new blog. I have had a few posts on Notes Tied On The Sagebrush about becoming a grandmother, but I decided this new part of my life deserved its own blog. I will be continuing my Notes as well.
GRANDMOTHERLY.BLOG
I welcome all of you to come by and take a look. The focus will be on Grandparents, grandchildren, premature babies, and all things grandmotherly. I hope you will drop in and comment from time to time. I will continue with Notes Tied On The Sagebrush as well. So here’s to new adventures!!!
Stream of Consciousness Saturday is hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt word for today is “admit.” If you are new to blogging I recommend taking a look at Linda’s blog. You can meet a nice group of bloggers there. My Grandmotherly blog image is by blickpixel on Pixabay.com Desert image by O. Palsson via Flickr.
