More than Just a Colour

Colours are not just colours. They also describe emotions such as

• anger — seeing red
• illness — white as a ghost
• illness — turning green
• jealousy — green with envy
• cowardice — yellow-bellied
• sadness — feeling blue

I have felt all these colours at one time or another. I guess I am a rainbow. A rainbow is supposed to follow the rain, so I guess that is a good thing.

However, today I am feeling a little green with envy, a little red with anger, a little white with not feeling up to par, and feeling just a little bit blue.

What colour are you today?

Blame

I really hate it when people feel they have to have someone to blame for everything that goes wrong in their day or their lives. I work with someone like that. She is always ready to jump in and say, "It's not fault. So and so did that." I hear her do it ALL the time. It burns me.

I've been blamed many times in for my life for someone else's misdeeds. I've finally learned not to accept responsibility for that. I only wish they would take responsibility for their own actions. What is it that stops them? Pride or cowardice? To err is human; to apologize for it and take actions to correct it shows courage.

I guess we all need to accept that we are, after all, fallible human beings. Thank God for that. It keeps life interesting, and I love life.

Waiting

Waiting is not necessarily fun. There are many things that are frustrating to wait for. For example:

• Waiting in line for the washroom when you have to go really bad.
• Waiting for someone to pick you up when you are already running late.
• Waiting to hear from someone you really want to hear from.
  
• Waiting for supper to be cooked with you are starving.
• Waiting for the your ISP to power up after an outage when you are waiting for an important e-mail.
• Waiting for that special package to arrive in the mail.
  

For me, the hardest thing to wait for is seeing my dreams become reality and wondering in the interim if they ever will. I'm told waiting is not wasted time. Something is being worked out somewhere along the line. It takes every ounce of patience I can muster by times to wait for these dreams. Some days its harder to do this than others.

I know that if my dreams ever do come true, they will have been well worth the wait, and I will appreciate them that much more. In the interim, God grant me patience ... but please hurry.

What are you waiting for?

Stupidity

Sometimes I have to wonder about who makes the kinds of decisions that affect our community. Today, yet again, there was a bad accident at the intersection near my home. What I would like to know is this: Who the heck made the decision to only have an arrow for turning left on rush hours Monday–Friday coming up a hill near the top a blind crest? Day after day I see people desperately trying to make that left turn as other cars come speeding down over that blind crest to catch the green light. Yes, the traffic is heavier at those peak hours, but there are many, many other times when it is heavy too and just plain dangerous. If there was an arrow, a lot more people would safely cross that intersection or wait until the light changes to get the next one. Some, will not, of course, but many might. Personally, if it is not peak hours, I don't even try. I take a roundabout route that I know is safer.

Who made that stupid decision about the timing of the lights? Who do we complain to about it? Will they even listen? Do they even care about the lives of the people in this community? Perhaps with an election coming up soon, someone might listen. Do you think they will?

Friends

A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you today just the way you are.

I have a few good friends who do just that for me, and I treasure them. I try to be that type of friend to them in return and to others as well. Thank God for friends. I don't know what my life would be like without them.

TGIF

In Newfoundland, TGIF is printed on the toe of their rubber boots so they know that Toes Go In First. No offense intended to those who are Newfie's or have relatives who are.

For me, today, that means Thank Goodness It's Friday. This has been a long, hard week. I would have loved to come home to a set of open arms waiting to enfold me. Sure could use it. Maybe someday. Right now I will have to settle for collapsing on the couch, unable to move for a bit until I catch my second wind.

Gotta hate weeks like this. It can only get better. The weekend is here!!!

Naturopathic Doctors vs Medical Doctors

I believe medicine of all sorts and practices has been around as long as life has existed on this planet. In North America, modern medicine is still the strongest force. In Europe, natural medicine is the major force with modern medicine practiced to a lesser degree. Our medical system issues licences for M.D.s to write prescriptions and work in our hospitals, but N.D.s are not given the same privileges. I am told that in Europe, the opposite is true.

I have had an M.D. my whole life and have had an N.D. for the past 4 years. I find I have a need for both in my life, particularly since some things my N.D. does not have privileges to do for me. However, the greatest progress I have received in fixing my health issues has come from my N.D. I was surprised, and continue to be, at the depth of questioning I get from my N.D. She wants to get at the root of the problem, not just treat the symptoms and connections are made between the symptoms that other doctors have never even visited. Treating the symptoms does not take away the problem but only offers a bandaid solution to alleviate the symptoms—sometimes only temporarily.

I think it is well past time that our medical system recognize the abilities of this type of medicine to keep us healthy. I, for one, would vote for this recognition.

Aggressive People

There are many personality types in people. There are those who are passive (like me), those who are submissive, and those who are aggressive.

Being a passive personality, I don't like conflict or arguments at all. I will deal with them when and if I have to, but I will avoid confrontation as much as I can. Sometimes it means that people try to take advantage of me (and sometimes succeed) and can put me into a state of speechlessness because I don't know what to come back with right away. Give me a bit of time to think, and I can respond appropriately, but if you are tearing a strip off me, I may be at a loss for words during that moment.

We have someone at work (actually a couple) with an aggressive personality. There is a position that has opened up for competition. I am fairly certain that the person I work with most closely will be applying and get this position, as she should. I am afraid that once her position comes up for competition, this aggressive person will apply because she said she wants that job. I will not be able to work well with her at all. My job is stressful enough by its very nature without having the added stress of an aggressive supervisor to boot. I could see that affecting my physical health in a bad way. I've spent all but the last couple years of my life living with someone who is aggressive. Enough is enough for me. I pray that this scenario does not play itself out.

I wish aggressive people could learn how to tone themselves down and learn to be more reasonable with people. Is that too much to hope for?

Blogs

These blogs can be fun. Especially if we have friends to share them with. I share mine with a few friends. One of them, however, seems to have difficulty with keeping his updated. I guess his name has been adequately chosen as MouseGuy. This means he prefers to use a mouse. But you know what? You can't type in your blog with a mouse. Perhaps that is why it has been more than 3 months since it was updated. Do you think maybe his keyboard is broken? What do you think? Hey Keyboard ... do you think you can take a walk over and lend him yours? Perhaps give him a typing lesson while you are there.

Come on MouseGuy. Come back out and play with us. Don't be a party-pooper!!!

Does It Make Sense?

When you look at the cycle of life, much of it makes sense. The ecosystem was created in such a way that it is survival of the fittest and everything that dies returns to the Earth and so the cycle begins again. We all live and die, but I have difficulty in understanding the "why" when parents have to bury their children. That seems to defy logic to me.

My brother's best friend lost his only child, a 15-year-old son, to lymphoma in the early morning hours of today. I can't even imagine what that family has been through in the past year. It has been incredibly heartbreaking. This guy has been my brother's best friend since high school. He was like part of my family when I was growing up. I hurt for him. This has to be extremely horrible.

I will take comfort in knowing that where he is now is a wonderful place. He was taken there much too soon, but is at peace nonetheless.

┼ ┼ May you rest in peace, Robbie, and light perpetual shine upon you. ┼ ┼

Love Is a Many Splendoured Thing

To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides. — David Viscott

Remember love is the only thing okay to do in excess.

Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

These quotes say so much about the importance of love in our lives. To give and receive love in its truest, deepest form is God's greatest gift. I believe that everyone on this Earth needs to love and to be loved. Loving someone deeply gives us courage; being loved deeply gives us strength.

Those who have this kind of love in their lives are truly blessed. May all our lives be filled with courage and strength. All else in life then becomes easier to bear.

Old Friends

It's funny how life changes once you leave high school. Those friends you grew up with and went to school with all your life suddenly disappear. Some of them you never see again after graduation day. You sadly hear about the untimely death of some of them. Occasionally you run into someone you remember, and wonder if they will remember you. Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don't. If they don't remember me, I tend not to be the first one to say hello. I find it uncomfortable to have to remind someone about who I am. Obviously those ones didn't know me well.

Tonight, I ran into someone from my school days. It is only the second time I have seen him since graduation day. The last time was about 3 years ago. That time I said hello, but I could see him trying to put a name on me. I told him who I was, and he had a hard time believing it for some reason. Then he asked if I was sure I wasn't my cousin. I thought that was rather hilarious. We don't look that much alike, and she is a distant cousin to boot. Tonight he remembered me so we chatted a few minutes.

It is always nice to see how others are now and what they have been doing all these years. Do you wonder from time to time where your school chums are these days and what their lives have been like? I enjoyed my 20 year reunion for that reason. I got to see so many of those people I hadn't seen in years. Some aged well, others had not. Some did well for themselves, and some didn't. Some days I would like to go back there, and other days I wouldn't. Today, I can say I like who I am now and where I am now. I wouldn't want those days back, but I hold the memories in my mind forever. Those days helped form part of who I am today. Now they are just memories, nothing more than memories.

I Challenge You

I challenge those of you who like to tease me about my restricted diet to try for one week to avoid all the foods I had to avoid for 8 full months and most of which I still have to avoid. This diet is not by my choice, and is a source of continual exasperation. So ... try to stay away from every single form of the following foods for one week. Don't forget to read your labels.

• wheat (in every form, including kamut and spelt, and every food that contains it)
• milk (in every form including casein(ate); the milk protein)
• MSG
  
• sugar (in every form, including fruit and juice)
• yeast
  
• tomatoes
• vinegar
• oranges/grapefruit
• corn
• carrots
• cucumbers
• cabbage
• beef
• pork
• all processed meats
• all shell fish

Not much left from the North American diet is there? I lost 12 pounds in the first 3 weeks, which is all the excess body fat I had. I am much healthier than ever and feel much better. For being over 40, I still have a cholesterol level of 4.0. I bet you you can't do it for a single day, let alone a week. Try it. Then perhaps you will understand how this affects a person's life.

Fire Fighting

Have you ever felt like a firefighter constantly putting out fires? That's what my day was like today. I have been continually working at solving problems since I got up this morning. Good thing I have good problem-solving abilities. I only wonder if I can claim fire-retardant clothing on my income tax. Hmmm ... there must be a way I can get around it.

Sam's Place

Over at Sam's Place he says: "When you like something and enjoy it, you want it." Ain't that the truth!!! Goes for many things, Keyboard. Not just hockey.

Today Is a Good Day

I'm in a good mood today. It has been a very busy day, but it has been good. These are the highlights of my day:

• It is my son's 19th birthday. Kind of makes me feel old since he is my youngest. A tradition I started with my kids and when they were little (and others in my household) was for them to choose what they wanted for supper. This year, he is not home. His friend's Mom is cooking him a big steak and feeding him wine. I did something a little special though. Since he is now of legal age, I bought him a large can of Löwenbräu and a Super 7 ticket for this week. Of course ... I put a note in his card for him to remember who bought it should he win. :o)
• At lunchtime, I took some extra time to run an errand because I didn't get a lunch break yesterday. I not only picked up the things I needed, but I managed to pick up a couple computer peripherals as well, namely a Keyboard and a Mouse(guy). That was, without a doubt, a lot of fun, and the highlight of my lunch break. Keyboard, did you finally get your opportunity to tell Mouseguy to $%@ off? Can't change a tradition now, can you?
  
• Back at the office, it was nice to have the manager of another division that I work with acknowledge how much work I have to do and how hard I work in front of one of our consultants. She also wants me to apply for a job that may be coming up in her section in the fall. She wants me to work for them. That was a real compliment.
• I also had to work with two of the consultants today about documents they are producing. It was nice to have them acknowledge just how much work goes into producing these things.

So, it has been a good day. Hopefully it will continue to be for the rest of the evening.

Food for Thought

If Wal-Mart is lowering prices every day, how come nothing is free yet?



How long a minute is depends on what side of the bathroom door you're on. (Been there, let me tell you.)



Birthdays are good for you; the more you have, the longer you live. (Yep, for sure.)



Happiness comes through doors you didn't even know you left open. (Ah ha)



Most of us go to our grave with our music still inside of us. (Don't be one of them.)



We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colours ... but they all exist very nicely in the same box. (Wouldn't that be a wonderful world if it worked like that?)



A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour. (I do this!!! Might just as well.)

Gas

There are many kinds of gas. There is gasoline, diesel fuel, furnace fuel, propane, butane, and natural gas. Yes, natural gas. That is the one I am thinking of tonight. I made some homemade baked beans for supper tonight. They were absolutely delicious. I only had a few. Let me tell you ... that is a very good thing. I can only imagine how much natural gas would be floating around this room had I eaten more. As it is, you might not want to share this room with me this evening. *grins widely* Some moments I don't want to share it with myself. (teehee)

Words of Wisdom

You cannot possess what you are unwilling to pursue.

I came across this saying today. It is so true and applies to many facets of life. If you want something bad enough, there is no mountain you will not climb to reach it, no obstacle you will not clear, and no race you will not run. Fear not, for the medal is well worth the race.

If I Had 5 Million Dollars ...

If I had 5 million dollars,
I know just what I'd do.
I'd make some life investments,
Just for me and you.

I'd pay off all the debts I owe,
and buy a house and car.
Then take a trip, just you and me,
to a land somewhere afar.

I'd help my friends and family
to ease their stress in life.
Without the pressures debts can make
they'd feel far less strife.

The children, too, would benefit
When things are more secure.
They could start their lives without debts
Of this I am quite sure.

I'd have a lot of fun, I know,
with gifts of a small degree,
for those in my community
who have been kind to me.

There are many things that I could do
But most of all you'd see,
that having money in the bank
Will not change the I in me.

What would you do with $5 ooo ooo?

Three Welcomes

May you always find three welcomes in life: in a garden during summer, at a fireside during winter, and whatever the day or season, in the kind eyes of a friend.

This quote says it all for me. That is exactly where I find my welcomes, my peace, my joy, my spirituality. Friends, family, and love. It is those intangibles that are the most valuable in life. What else is there that is important?

May you always know where you can find your welcomes and seek them out.

If I Knew

A friend sent this poem along to me today. Now I send it along to all of you, my friends and loved ones.

If I Knew

If I knew it would be the last time
That I'd see you fall asleep,
I would tuck you in more tightly
and pray the Lord, your soul to keep.

If I knew it would be the last time
that I'd see you walk out the door,
I would give you a hug and kiss
and call you back for one more.

If I knew it would be the last time
I'd hear your voice lifted up in praise,
I would videotape each action and word,
so I could play them back day after day.

If I knew it would be the last time,
I could spare an extra minute
to stop and say "I love you,"
instead of assuming you would KNOW I do.

If I knew it would be the last time
I would be there to share your day,
Well I'm sure you'll have so many more,
so I can let just this one slip away.

For surely there's always tomorrow
to make up for an oversight,
and we always get a second chance
to make everything just right.

There will always be another day
to say "I love you,"
And certainly there's another chance
to say our "Anything I can do?"

But just in case I might be wrong,
and today is all I get,
I'd like to say how much I love you
and I hope we never forget.

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone,
young or old alike,
And today may be the last chance
you get to hold your loved one tight.

So if you're waiting for tomorrow,
why not do it today?
For if tomorrow never comes,
you'll surely regret the day,

That you didn't take that extra time
for a smile, a hug, or a kiss
and you were too busy to grant someone,
what turned out to be their one last wish.

So hold your loved ones close today,
and whisper in their ear,
Tell them how much you love them
and that you'll always hold them dear.

Take time to say "I'm sorry,"
"Please forgive me," "Thank you," or "It's okay."
And if tomorrow never comes,
you'll have no regrets about today.

String

Have you ever thought about how many different uses there are for strings and how many different kinds of strings there are. Here are the ones I can think of:

• shoe strings
• strings on your jogging pants to keep them up
• guitar and bass strings
• piano strings (yes, it is a stringed instrument)
• violin strings and other stringed instruments
  
• tampon strings
• twine for tying packages or anything you like
• strings of bad luck or good luck
• strings to close our garbage bags
• string bikinis
• string thongs
• stringy hair
• string of pearls
• apron strings
• string bean
• string of businesses
• pull strings to get somewhere
• string someone along
• string out
  
• string up (hang)
• keep on a string

No wonder the English language is so hard to learn!!!! I'm strung out trying to figure this out.

Magic?

The Gage Canadian Dictionary defines magic as a mysterious influence; unexplained power; enchantment.

I suppose we could guess until eternity about where the unexplained power or influence comes from. I have my own opinion on that. It may differ from yours. Enchantment does sound very magical; very special; like something that could sweep you off your feet; catch you off-guard when you least expect it.

My horoscope tells me today that my life doesn't contain a whole lot of logic (which is true), but it contains a very real, deep magic. Hmmm ... I wonder what that means. Will something enchanting catch me by surprise; something I am not at all expecting? Are my prayers finally being acted upon? Are the stars and skies releasing their "magic" in my life as they have been predicting? Well ... all I can do is sit back and watch my future unfold as I carry on with the day-to-day tasks of life. I can only believe in my heart, that it will, indeed, be magic and absolutely wonderful. I'm praying for that.

Will there be magic in your life? Do you believe in magic?

The Minority Are Forgotten

I am continually frustrated with companies that discontinue products due to low sales volume. From a business perspective, I understand the logic behind it. From a consumer standpoint, it is most frustrating.

I am challenged continually to find food products that are safe for my consumption. If I am lucky enough to find something I like, it seems to be gone in a flash because not enough people are buying it. Sometimes I am told that so-and-so carries it, but I don't have the luxury of being able to go to several different places to get my grocery order each week. Even when I make requests to bring back a product that is superior to what is currently being carried, I am denied. I make requests to bring in an additional product, and it falls on deaf ears.

I am at a point now where I am losing faith in my grocery store. It seems more interested in the money they make than in the community they serve. Whatever happened to a sense of community? After all, community means living together and sharing together. I now know how it feels to be a minority, and it has nothing to do with the colour of my skin. Feeling shut out and shut down is not a positive feeling. We still have barriers to cross, don't we?

A Perfect World

Imagine if you succeeded in making the world perfect for your children. What a shock the rest of life would be for them. — Joyce Maynard in McCall's

That would be a real shock, wouldn't it? Our world is far from perfect and protecting our children from the reality and harshness makes them weak. I only wish the whole world could learn to get along. We may not all like each other, but peace could be obtained if we only practised acceptance of one another.

What is your idea of a perfect world?

My Dream Home

Everyone has a dream home they would like to have, if they are not lucky enough to have it already. Mine is not a mansion, but this is what I would buy if I could or build it if I couldn't find one.

My dream home would be a 6-bedroom home on a lake with a nice piece of property. The property would have some nice big trees, some shrubbery and bushes, perhaps a fruit tree, and some beautiful gardens. The home inside would have a country feel and look to it. I'm a country girl at heart. I want a nice big kitchen with lots of cupboards, an indoor grill, and a solarium. The bedrooms would all be a good size, and there would be at least 2.5–3 bathrooms, one of which would be off the master bedroom. The master bedroom would be a large, with a deck overlooking the lake where I could stand on a beautiful summer night when the moon is shimmering on the water, and be close to the one I love. A very romantic kind of thing. The house would have a nice fireplace where the family could cuddle together on a cold winter night and play games or watch a movie together. All the floors would be mill-run birch hardwood. (I love the colour of the wood.) The rest of the floors would be porcelain tiles. The rest of the details would just fall into place, I am sure.

It would be a home where you would love to be and where love lives. After all, it is love that makes a house a home.