Are You There Blogger? It's Me, THE Reader!!

My sporadic posting has resulted from working on another project that has taken up a lot of my time right now.  I will gladly unveil this project to you in about two or three weeks when it will be ready to be seen by the world! (Dant da daaa!)  But until then, I have been popping by your web pages to get inspired.  Blogging right takes a lot of time and I am so proud of the consistent examples some of you show!  Keep it up and stay tuned for the big news!!

Updates

How's summer treatin' ya?  I love hot days and I love everything about summer.  Here's what's going on:

~I'm down 4 lbs (YEAY!)

~I got my very first proof copy of my very first finished novel (Well, it'll never be finished for me:o)

~and I'm lovin' life.

Okay, so not too much, but why then do the days seem full to the brim?  Sometimes after a long day at the office the free time spaces you out, or maybe it's because life is so stinkin' awesome. 

Sorry for the sporadic posting this past week, I promise to mend my ways, I can't wait to hear read about your updates and what you're looking forward to this summer!

People You Can Count On

How many friends would you say you have?  Now, be careful, I'm not talking about the amount of Facebook, Twitter or MySpace friends.  I'm not even talking about how many people you know or who you are related to.  I'm talking about real friends.  The people who actually give a damn about your well being?  If you were to ask me that same question, my answer would be a number that would fit in one hand.

Something I've come to realize over the last little while is that there are only a few people in your circle who are really there for you.  Whether you need help moving, have a flat tire, or need a place to stay, these are the select few who would be there for you for ALL of that and then some without you returning ANY KIND of favor at all.

Here's where the separation begins:  there are certainly plenty of people you know who would show up to a party you throw, there may even be many who would help you if you were in some kind of trouble or were facing a life changing problem.  But there are only a few, who would be there every step of the way.  These are the people who if you asked them, "Can you do me a favor?" would answer you by saying, "Sure what do you need?" instead of a naturally understandable, "Depends, what is it?"

These people are gems.  Treasure them.  Treat them as special as you know they would treat you.  All the rest of the people are great, too and of course should be treated well also, but make sure you know who that small circle is and be there for them without question...you never know when you'll need them in the same way.

Fun and Laughter at the Expense of Others

I found this really interesting product the other day.  It's called PET HEAD and it's made by the BED HEAD brand.  It dyes your pets fur and if you have  a pet that has hair-like fur you can also use it to style.

My poor dog was the victim of this new found item.  See if you can tell where I painted her purple:

She was so cute as she sat there innocently letting me paint her white spots.  I have another dog who is mostly yellow so I couldn't find a place for the purple to stand out except for a tiny white patch on her nose:

It's cute isn't it?  Just something different to look at.  Kinda like it's fun when we see someone trip and fall or get pranked.  Come on, you know you chuckle (assuming they're okay, of course).  The reason I do it is because it gives me permission to be clumsy and to be real. 

Life is fun, good, interesting, and the age old advice of being able to laugh at yourself is still as priceless as ever.

Equal Rights and Chivalry

Here's a post to stir up some thought.  As women wanting equal rights with men in the workforce, does that automatically make us have to give up chivalry? 

My position in life as to whether or not I consider myself a feminist is very much up for debate.  Certainly I feel that a woman in a corporate position should be paid equal to her male counterpart for the same work.  However, at the end of the day I think being an entrepreneur can eliminate that worry since you create your own paycheck.  But that's another story for another post.  I feel that women have just as much talent, potential, and capacity as men do.  So, even though I feel that equality in this sense should certainly be mandatory, I also feel a yearning to feel special as a "lady" and to feel the support of gentlemanly gestures because, I also feel that our strengths are different and that there are many ways to make this world go 'round.

Therefore:  just because I want to be equal in the sight of society when it comes to daily tasks, does that mean I am also giving up the right to have my door held open or help with my coat, etc.?

One couple my husband and I are acquainted with are very successful.  They own their own business and are leaders in their community.  Both husband and wife in the partnership are seen as the head of their organization and they both are equally accountable for mentoring and coaching.  In essence, everything you want to see in the image of equality.   The husband, though, still puts gas in the car for his wife, holds the door open for her when entering cars or buildings, and holds her chair out for her at restaurants.  I've seen this with my very own eyes.

So it got me thinking.  Is it really possible to want to be equal in a business and social manner, but still relish in the endearing qualities of the masculine caretaker?  I'd like to say it's more possible than not, however, I think this couple was the exception and definitely not the rule.  What are your thoughts?

Change

Change is a good thing.  Some times we have to convince ourselves of that, but most of the time looking back, we're all the better for it.  One client I had is a pastor of a church.  He is probably one of the most charismatic people you could ever meet and his family is incredibly genuine.  He explained to me about a custom they have in their services.

The band starts playing a familiar tune and then the pastor stands up and proclaims that it's time to walk on change!  What a great analogy, I thought.  Walk on it, like you can conquer it!  It was a great symbolic sentence.  However, they do it literally!  When he makes that statement, members of the congregation take out the change from their pockets and they begin to walk on it...literally!  He reassures those who do not have any spare change on them, by explaining that they can reach into a bin in the room full of change.  The coins they collect then become their own.  At that point they have the option to keep it, or throw it down with everyone else.  After the process is complete, he has volunteers going through the aisles scooping up the change.  That money of course is used as a charitable gift which sustains the church ministry.

Isn't that a powerful example of what it means to "own" change?  After all it is inevitable.  Things will move on and move forward.  We can fear it, or we can celebrate it.  We can try skirting the issue or we can WALK on it!  We can certainly be bigger than any obstacle in front of us.  If we don't feel like we have enough in us to change, we can borrow strength from someone else until we have our own. 

It's actually pretty exciting when you think about it!

Innocence

A few days ago I was walking the isles of our local grocery store, which is actually an experience I look forward to weekly since I get to wander around and "think"!  I mean, really, how often do we get to just space out for about an hour and think about all the stuff that wants to pulse through our minds on a regular basis?  So I was completely oblivious to the world around me as I went up and down each lane picking out my supplies.

Turning a corner to enter a new aisle of thought I noticed a mom with two little boys at the end.  One little boy was small enough to be sitting in the cart with his chicken legs dangling about.  He was also waving ferociously.  Honestly, I didn't notice until I was almost up to them that he'd been waving all along.  As I was passing them by I smiled at him but his vibrating hand just mechanically continued back and forth, back and forth with amazing speed.  He kept this pace up the whole time I was walking the aisle.

Finally as I almost turned to leave that aisle I decided to wave back to him.  That was it. That's all he wanted.  He smiled and stopped his waving duty.

Now, I'm not usually the kind of person who dotes on little children as if they were angelic little souls with a precious aura.  I usually look at kids and think they're cute and all, but then think of the work and responsibility tied to them (hence after 8 years of marriage I am still childless. Also I'm deathly terrified of being responsible for an entire human being's life...ugh...makes me shudder in fright!).  However, in this instance I couldn't help but smile. 

This little guy was so persistent.  Was he looking for something in return?  Only the same gesture of kindess.  Then I think about adults.  We walk past hundreds of our kindred spirits ever day.  Certainly, we don't go out of our way to wave and make sure they feel acknowledged.  Heck, most of the time we're just wearing a scowl from all the "weight" we feel we have endured that day.  If anything, kids teach us a lesson.  Smile.  Say hello to a stranger.  Loosen your load.  At the end of the day, it's those little things that can change your outlook on life.

Vegeterian

I don't eat you anymore because you have eyes, ears, a nose, and a mouth. 

Because you have feelings and can express them.

Because you are a sweet little (or large) soul who has every right to a long happy life, as do I.

When I feel pain, I understand where it's coming from and it is unpleasant.  When you feel pain from the hands of humans you are sad and confused, haven't you just minded your own business all this time?

I don't put you in my food anymore because you are not food, you are life.  Your death will not be on my hands anymore.

You have families, babies, friends.

You have fun and laugh and cry, just like I do.

Some of your kind are pets and some of you are meant to be mistreated, processed, and then consumed.  What makes one species different than the other?  I cannot comprehend taking my dog, murdering her, and roasting her to consume anymore than I can comprehend people doing that to you.

You don't have to die so that I may live, therefore I won't kill you.

When I found out the average human consumes 31 animals per year, I figured by deciding to go without meat, I would help 31 of you per year.  Though that may not seem like much overall, for each of those 31 it means their world and their life.

And that, I've been told, can make all the difference.

It's a Dog's Life

Here's a photo of my cousin's adorable Olde English Bulldog named Rocky.  I call him Rockstar, because he's all that!  He's so sweet.  He was the runt of the litter and has a painstaking need to be LOVED!  Don't we all? 

As I was sorting through all the mental files I have stored away regarding what to write about I thought of this little guy as he plays with my two dogs (The Alpha Diva Dog Meghan is the one pictured in this photo).  I have two mutts, who are both larger than Rocky is in size.  He wants to fit in so badly, but my dogs are making him earn it.  They aren't very open and friendly with him, yet he tries.  He has no hidden agenda, just wants friendship.

I think of ourselves as humans in that way also.  Really, we just want friendship.  We want to be loved.  We want to feel as if we're a part of something awesome.  But that can be hard.  We may encounter people with personalities like my dogs' who really aren't warm or inviting as soon as you're ready to be.  Maybe we have little in common.  Sometimes we might be the ones rejecting the company of others for fear that we lack any kind of compatibility. 

But as time goes on, and the more Rocky hangs out with my girls, they will become friends.  They will learn to play together and love each other.  After a time they won't remember not liking each other all too much in the beginning.  Here again dogs teach us the lesson.  That's exactly how humans are.  Shy to start a new relationship at first, but after time we all can become friends.  At the end of the day our differences are what unite us.