One Fatal Mistake

I remember begging my mother to let me have a pet of my very own when I was younger. I promised to care for it and be responsible. She always refused because she said I was too young.

After continuous pleading, I finally convinced her to let me take home my class pet guinea pig for a weekend. I was determined to show her my responsible side.

I made sure he had everything he needed and I even made time to play with him everyday. I forgot the close the door all the way, and the terrier got in the room while I was playing with guinea pig.

This was my one fatal mistake. The terrier attacked the guinea pig and all I can remember doing is trying to separate them. It happened so fast and I tried so hard but I couldn't stop the terrier. My screams alerted my mother and she was there before I could think to call her. I learned what responsibility was that day.

I had to face everyone knowing I wasn't ready for the task I volunteers to undertake. I had blood on my hands and I was so mad at the world. I blamed everyone for my mistake. It took me a long time to forgive.

I think about that day sometimes, about how much pain occurred because I was careless and didn't think. You hold many lives within your hands, be careful who you let in.

Leaping Through Time

I once watched an Anime about a girl who leaped through time. She found this gadget one day that gave her the ability to change things in her life. In the movie (spoiler alert), she got the power from her future self. I have always wondered, how her future self obtain the object if she got it in the past from her future self... Now that is a mind loop~

What would you do with such a gadget? Would you use it to change things in your past? Would you just leave it alone? I guess there are things in our pasts that we are not proud of...but should we change them?

I would be very tempted to save a loved one, prevent a catastrophic event or even divert an innocent from a future of darkness. However, I would be afraid that change would create a whole new world for us. It is like the devil you know is better than the devil that you do not know.

I wonder if you changed a small thing about yourself, would you still be you? We are who we are because of the experiences we have gone through~ both the good and the bad. I believe that no matter how tragic the past has been~ changing it would only make things worse.

daffodil

I have a patch of flowers in my yard that bloom at the beginning of Spring. I love the beauty of the rich, yellow blossoms, but soon after they bloom, they quickly die. The dried dead leaves are always so troubling to me.

I decided to remove the pesky little blooms so I dug all up and put them behind my back fence. The next year when the weather grew warmer, the bright yellow flowers bloomed again, not as many as before but still an army of yellow.

Again, I removed the limp flowers and reunited them with the previous bunch. This year, a few more poked up to smile upon my yard. My nemesis prevailed yet again. I don't think I will remove these this year.

I have a field of yellow blooms near my back fence and gentle reminder of nature's resilience in my front yard.

As I feel the warm sunshine on my face, and see the slow rebirth of the green ground, I will always remember the yellow flowers that flourish in spite of great obstacles in its path, even if it is for a limited time. I just need to be thankful that I got to enjoy them at all.

Serving Up Haters

Do you think you have the right to say whatever you want?

I guess if you believe in free speech that means you have to allow people to say what they want, even if you do not like what they say. It may seem like it protects the haters but when you start deciding where the line is...then the freedom is lost.

I don't like all the things that I hear but I would never risk not letting people say what they want about any topic. I can choose to ignore or even walk away if I am bothered too much.

It is very difficult at times, to just ignore but sometimes you have have to man or woman up! So let the hate spill out, for freedom's sake but let me use my umbrella of common sense to protect myself from the words I do not like.

Let freedom ring and the tongues wag!

Letters

People don't write long paper and pen/pencil letters anymore. I mean the sit down with a pen/pencil and actually push the ink across the page.

I miss the feel of the pen in my hand and the color streaked across the bottom of my hand because of the multiple copies I had to do to get the words and handwriting to seem perfect. I also miss putting the letter in an envelope and the nasty flavor that greets your tongue on the flip side, the glittering of the stickers that you put on the back to seal the not-so-sticky flap and picking the stamps to go with the holiday or color of the envelope.

But most of all, I miss the joy of receiving a letter that someone enjoyed writing to you as much as you enjoyed getting it. I miss checking for tokens and cash and reading it over and over again and patiently waiting for the another one to arrive.

Lucky Day

Well, I am thinking the luck comes from being able to drink nonstop and call it a holiday!!!

I know that people celebrate in many ways. I heard this was one of the highest alcohol consumption days in the United States and most of it is green! (taste great or less filling?)

I heard they color the Chicago River green~ it makes you wonder what the fish think about that.

In Texas, they have a rattlesnake round up...there are no snakes in Ireland, I think because St. Patrick drove them out~ beating the ground to rid the snakes!

I think everyone else parties~ so eat, drink and be merry!

No matter how you celebrate, be safe and have fun~ Happy St. Patrick's Day, ya'll!

Guilty Pleasure

Around this time of year you hear about more spiritual people giving up things until Easter.

In support of all the lenters out there, I thought I would give something up as well...

I don't have a lot of guilty pleasures, but here is a list of my possibilities...

* Chai Tea
* BOB
* Frozen strawberry drinks
* Colorful fingernail polish
*Running beneath the stars
*iPod Apps
* Drinks with cherries
* Rocking out in my truck or at the park

Secret Garden

Can you imagine what it must be like living through a natural disaster?

You look at the news and get a glimpse into a reality that is unreal. In a blink of an eye, your life is drastically altered. It makes the little petty things we dwell on seem unimportant in the grand scheme of things.

I find myself trying to look into my future and see what is in store for me tomorrow, next week, next month, this summer and beyond....

I can only ready myself for today, remembering to show kindness and saying things from the heart, and to always look for the glimpses of green life in a sea of darkness. It is my secret garden I must prepare. A place of things forgotten, lifeless and lost but looking for the blooms that will come to life with a little time, love and determination.

Take time to catch the color of the birds, feel the wind against your skin and the warmness within yourself.

I Swallowed

I swallowed gum today!

Remember all those lies your parents told when you were little. You believed them because, duh!, they are you parents and why would they lie to a sweet innocent little kid like you.

I believe parents make up these lies because they want to protect their children or it could just be a way of parents punking kids to get back at them~

I haven't figured it out yet, maybe after I have some children of my own, I will grace the door of parenthood with the manual in my arms and know all the truths of the world~




Lies my parents told me~

1. If you swallow gum it will never digest and it will stay in your body forever and ever.
2. If you cross your eyes, they will stick that way!
3. If you swallow watermelon seeds, you will grow a watermelon in your tummy (see look at the woman over there, she didn't listen!)
4. If you take two aspirins, you will prevent pregnancy. Put the two aspirins between your knees and don't let go.
5. If you are good, Santa will bring you lots of toys.
6. It hurts me more to spank you.
7. If you tell the truth, you will be in less trouble.
8. If you make that face, it will stay that way forever.
9. If you keep touching yourself there, it will shrivel up.
10. ...and they lived happily ever after...


Maybe you can think of a few things that I missed! Parents remember you kids rely on your words of wisdom~

Love and Basketball

I don't usually follow basketball because it is probably one of my least favorite sports.

However, I do tend to pay attention a little during the month of March when the NCAA Tournament takes place---> March Madness!!

This year I joined on online pool, nothing life or death, just for fun~ the prize for winning is "bragging rights" and oh, do I like to brag.

There are a few die hard basketball fans that I will be going toe to toe with and I am a little intimidated but then I think their chances are just as good as mine when you calculate the probability of winning. I don't know how well I'll do but you can bet, I am not gonna let those know-it-alls get the best of me!

I do have the a secret weapon...shhhhhh...the weapon...men at my work who follow this tourney like the BB Gods give them life...if only I can talk their language long enough to communicate and take notes....maybe this call for the big guns...Operation Cupcake...wish me luck!!!

No matter what~ (and by what I mean the competition is going down)~ it will be fun! Catch you on the hardwood!

Celebrate Women

I am here again at my keyboard looking at this picture contemplating on what to write about...I have so many potential topics leap frogging around in my mind. I never know where to begin...

Today is a day to reflect about being a woman and what that means. I think women are emotionally strong and can handle a lot but for the life of me I don't get why people think they are the weaker sex. I guess a man said that and a woman just repeated it.

Physically, I know a man can force his uncontrolled power on a woman and overtake her no matter how much she tries to "muscle up" or "fight" back. It takes a strong woman it get up and face what is coming and a stronger one to walk away. Does that make one weak or just not smart to be there in the first place?

I hope that our young women are growing up strong and smart. I want to see them succeed in life and without ever having to walk a path of life littered with broken glass and uneven ground. I want to celebrate the potential of taking the perfect stroll with our counterparts, hand in hand.

~Hug a woman today~