SoCS: Feed Your Hopes

 

Today’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “your favorite word.” Decide on your favorite word and use it in your post any way you’d like. Enjoy!

It’s not easy to decide one ONE favorite word. For a moment, I thought my favorite word could be, “possible.” Then I thought of hope. The meaning behind the word, hope, is one of my favorite things. Hope does not have the certainty of faith, but it can lead to faith. If you don’t have faith, look for hope.

I have a bumper sticker that I never put on my bumper. It used to be on a mirror. Now, it’s on my kitchen counter propped by the window. Maybe I’ll stick it on something one day. It says,

Feed your hopes, not your fears.

That’s where the top meme above comes from. Fears can roll around in my head like a crazy dance I don’t want to go to, but end up going anyway. Even knowing how to stop them and rethink takes remembering to do it. Questioning your fears would be like, what evidence is there to support that thought of a cataclysmic meteor hitting the planet? Sure, there are plenty of sci fi movies about it, but what are the chances?

Fear: But I want to be prepared just in case!

Hopes: Okay, so prepare some, but don’t dwell on it, especially at 2 AM.

Let’s hope it never happens. Let’s hope for the best, prepare for the worst, but not make a hobby out of preparing for the worst.

Let’s focus on things we can control or change. Like the serenity prayer says, “Courage to change the things we can.” We can change our own thoughts and actions.

Ten years ago, I quieted my fears of falling back into a sick relationship and focused on myself. I began to hope that there was a partner out there for me that would be a good fit. Not someone who had fits, but who would be compatible. In December, David and I will have been married for 10 years. He doesn’t have fits. He is compatible as in open minded, spiritual, practical (which I need) and he loves dogs.

I hope my dog Marley doesn’t catch the snake I saw this morning. It was a black racer. David says we won’t have a rodent problem with that guy around, meaning the snake which is not poisonous. I’m glad I spotted the snake before Marley did. My daughter suggested I put some big rocks out there the snake can hide under. There is already an old rain gutter embedded in the vines as you can see in the photo. I’ve tried to remove that old rain gutter many times, but it was too hard. Now, I’m going to leave it.

Black Racer

I hope the old rain gutter will provide refuge for the non-poisonous snakes and skinks that Marley likes to hunt.

I hope there are no poisonous snakes in our yard. Changing that to be positively stated, I hope the snakes in our yard are all harmless to people, beneficial to people would be even more positive.

Stating our hopes positively is important. I wrote about this in my very short how to book: From Loneliness to Love. (See sidebar.)

Instead of saying, I want a partner who is not crazy. I would say, I hope for a partner who is reasonably sane, stable, and dependable. Nobody’s perfect, but compatibility is possible. First, we need to get compatible with ourselves. God has a plan for when we are ready.

I hope we humans learn to respect planet earth and help her heal. I hope we clean up our messes. I hope we can learn to live in peace and work things out safely. I interrupted the stream briefly, like a nanosecond, to change the negative words in my head to positives. Flipping that switch gets better with practice. Not perfect. Better.

I hope you all have a beautiful weekend full of hope!

Be a hope dealer.

(I just bought her book on hope.)

For more hope, drop by on Tuesday for some good news!

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For more streams of favorite words, along with the SoCS rules,

visit our host, Linda Hill by clicking HERE.

One-Liner Wednesday: Hope

“Despair can be infectious. But so can hope. Hope should always be tempered by reality, but it also should not be underestimated.” ….. Dan Rather

(I discovered this quote here at annieasksyou. )

For more on liners, visit our host, Linda Hill by clicking HERE.

SoCS: Hope for the Best and Trust the Timing

Linda picked my favorite word for today’s prompt: HOPE!

If you can’t find faith, look for hope. Hope will lead you to faith.

About 15 years ago, I was afraid to hope. Romance was not working out for me at all, so I tried not to want a partner. I tried to become cynical about men. I decided to focus on myself and my daughter, friendship, and of course my most loyal companions, the dogs.

But hope snuck back in. I read about manifesting, and visualizing. Of course, this was AFTER I had worked on myself some. For five years, I hadn’t dated anyone beyond a coffee shop visit. No one interesting seemed interested in me. Now, I know that was all part of the plan created by God, the Universe, my guardian angels who were tired of my dating messes and lessons. They all knew I had work to do on me first.

At the same time I was working on me, licking my wounds, and finding my footing again, my high school sweetheart and long lost first love was doing the same – working on himself. We were becoming ready.

Have you seen my wild woman photo? It was taken around that time when I was working on me. My daughter and I had gone on a trip to the mountains. I love this photo.

It was comfortably dark in the forest, and I’m resisting the urge to edit this photo.

I see that I posted it back in 2013. Well, here it is again. I thought I was lonely, but I was finding myself. My authentic self. I’m guessing this was taken around 2006, but that’s just a guess.

Well, here we are in 2021. David and I are coming up on the ten year anniversary of our second first date which was July 15, 2011. We were so nervous and excited. He says he wasn’t looking for a relationship. I told my heart to calm down! But we both knew this was extra special. In October, the company he had worked for in Connecticut for 35 years told him it was time to retire. That spring he moved in with his 3 dogs to make our five pack. In December of 2012, we made it official. I know you’ve seen that photo before. But maybe the five pack one not as often.

David and I walking the five pack.

The five pack is gone now. They’ve all crossed over the rainbow bridge in the past ten years. I miss them and hope to see them in heaven. That’s more than a hope. Do I have faith that I’ll see my dogs in heaven? Yes. God knows how important this is to me.

Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst if it’s likely to happen, but don’t spend a lot of time on that. It’s like with tropical storms and hurricanes. We knew Elsa would not do as much damage as a big hurricane, so we didn’t spend much time preparing. Just a little.

We can strengthen ourselves for the difficult times as we hope for the best. Like my favorite quote goes:

I hope you are well and at peace as much as you can be. Enjoy the hopes that come your way. Nurture them and they will become exactly what they are meant to be when the time is right.

For more streams of hope, visit our host, Linda Hill at:

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS July 10, 2021 | (lindaghill.com)

Thursday Tree Love: Early Bloomer (Bradford Pear)

“Expect to have hope rekindled. Expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways. The dry seasons in life do not last. The spring rains will come again.” Sarah Ban Breathnach (Brainy Quotes)

Bradford Pear Blossoms with Bumblebee

The Bradford Pear is considered an ornamental tree. Some people say they are invasive. I say they are prolific and lovely. The bees like them, too. With cross pollination, these trees can produce small berry-like fruit that is reportedly not good to eat raw. I hadn’t noticed the fruit before, but I’ll be looking for it. Bradford Pear Trees are occasionally mistaken for dogwoods that will blossom later with broader, more individualized flowers.

I took these first photos at my church. Hopefully we’ll be back in there soon. Do you see the evergreen mistletoe among the white blossoms?

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  This tree has been here for many years.

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  Bradford Pear Tree with Mistletoe

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  See the bees?

The next photos were taken in my neighborhood. The Bradford Pear Trees are relatively small compared the the pine trees and oaks.

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  This evening, a storm was forecast but never materialized.

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Thursday Tree Love is hosted by Parul Thakur on the second and fourth Thursday of every month. For more tree love, visit: #ThursdayTreeLove – 106 – happiness and food

SoCS: A Year of Challenge and Hope for Healing

Our Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “day/week/month/year.” Linda also invites us to write about the past year of pandemic, “how we have coped or not, to share our common experiences as a way to connect, to feel a little less alone.”

As a citizen of the United States, these past 12 months have been heavy, not just due to the pandemic, but also with the political divide and the racial injustice of the murders of George Floyd, Breaonna Taylor and others. It has been strange and confusing to have stay at home orders, masks and social distancing recommendations along with protests and demonstrations.

My hope is that with the pandemic calming down and someone less inflammatory at the helm, we can move into healing. It’s going to take a lot of work. A lot of compassion, listening, compromise, and seeking common ground… or higher ground.

I find myself feeling tired as I write this. There are bursts of energy when things get done, but maybe it’s a tired that comes with age. Still, my personal life has not been bad. I’m the oldest one in my family – my parents and siblings are deceased. Even Aunt Ruth in Wisconsin crossed over last year after a full life into her 90s. I am thankful not to have to worry about my parents anymore and feel for those who do. I am thankful to have the luxury of time and the freedom to study my father’s letters from Vietnam, and to write and paint.

Staying at home doesn’t bother me, except that I have not seen my granddaughter, son and daughter in law since October. I miss the mountains. It was in October that I last visited the mountains and first brought mama cat home from the church. She has kept me company when David is at his woodshop, and she has become much less feral.

Mama Cat has a plate of food.
She wants attention while I’m trying to write.

Having a cat has been a big change after being a dog person for so long. The pandemic and people not being at church much was one of two factors that led me to bringing her home. The other factor was the abduction of her daughter, Gray, in June. I still go to the church once per week to see if Gray has shone up, but I don’t think this is likely. I talk to Saint Francis and pray my hopes and thanksgivings.

St. Francis with last year’s hydrangeas

Not going to church and choir practice is probably the biggest change in my personal life. We do zoom church and I’ve sung and played a little guitar for that, because music is my favorite part of church. My voice is way out of shape when it comes to singing anything challenging. My friend Anne, who is in her 80s and teaches singing, is helping me with that. I’m thankful to have had both vaccines, in spite of the side effects, I’m glad to have a little more confidence if I do want to go out. I’ll still wear a mask and avoid crowds.

Hopefully we won’t have as much to protest or demonstrate for or against for a while. Maybe things will calm down and justice will grow. Maybe we humans will wake up, bridge the divides, and focus on healing Mother Earth as we celebrate diversity in all it’s beauty and strength.

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Thank you to our host, Linda Hill for the consistency of SoCS through the year.

For SoCS rules and more streams, visit:

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS March 13, 2021 | (lindaghill.com)

A Vision for a Great America

I want to share a vision written by Mary Melange in her Stream of Consciousness post this past Saturday:

“…Think of what we could be if we became united instead of divided; if we ended systemic racism; if we got a grip on the pandemic so people could go back to work and small businesses could thrive again; if we took care of our planet and loved each and every one of our neighbors; if, by enlightenment, we changed people’s hearts from being selfish and hateful to selfless and loving; if, by education, we formed intelligent, thoughtful opinions that led to great discussion; if we value civilized dialogue instead of hate speech; if we ended poverty and provided health care for everyone. Wouldn’t that truly make America a promised land, one of respect and greatness?”

Mary’s post gives a heartfelt summary of what’s been going on in America as well as the historical roots. You can read Mary full article here: #SoCS: Reaching Past the Sky | Mary J Melange (wordpress.com)

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I offer this vision as part of One-Liner Wednesday and Just Jot January. For more jottings, one-liners, and inspiration, visit:

One-Liner Wednesday/JusJoJan the 13th, 2021 – Snow Carolers | (lindaghill.com)

SoCS: Bonjour to the Journey

Our prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “jour.” Find a word containing “jour” or use it as is. Bonus points if you start or end your post with that word. Enjoy! (Thanks Linda Hill!)

Bonjour!

I took three years of French in high school and loved it. Thought about majoring in French even. Then, biology, then psychology…. a journey of revelation. Such is life.

Spanish would have been more practical. Maybe someday, I’ll learn Spanish. But the older I get, the more I realize my time is limited and I must prioritize.

This month, I’m prioritizing NaNoWriMo. Not that I’m knocking myself out, but I’m doing it. Writing a novel is work. Incorporating my family history, or rather basing the novel on my parents, requires some research – just to try to get the timelines accurate. At least when I’m done with the first draft, I’ll have a family history for my kids, plus some fiction to fill in the gaps.

Writing a novel is a process. A long one. Like this election in the US is a process, not an event. Like recovery. The process will hopefully prompt ongoing recovery. A healing I hope.

It might take a long time for my country to heal from the damage that has been done, for us to bridge the divide that has grown at the hands of so called leaders, a divide widened by media’s focus on our differences and conflicts. But it is a journey we can decide to take in faith, or at least in hope. Because if you can’t find faith, look for hope, and hope will lead you to faith.

One step at a time.

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” LaoTzu

Sometimes we don’t know how many steps the journey will take, but we can start taking them anyway. Maybe it’s better not to know. Just keep moving toward the light at whatever pace works for you.

Rest when you need to, but don’t give up!

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For more streams of consciousness and rules, please visit Linda Hill at:

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Nov. 7/2020

You CAN HEAL your disc herniation without surgery or steroids! — My healing journey

Chronic pain can bring despair, but Ka’s healing journey inspires hope.

Fiesta Estrellas

This is my healing journey. These were the words that I wrote in 2014. I don’t have a lot of time to write right now. This isn’t getting the special treatment that it deserves, but my child needs me so I can’t write for very long. I also need to get this out there. To take the next step.

At this point, it has been 7 years. My disc herniated on July 21, 2012. It was my own personal “2012,” 6 months before the Mayan date. It was the end of an old life that was just turning out to be brilliant. And, guess, what, it still is!

However, for me it got re-injured several times, including after I wrote this post below. Re-injuries corresponded to painful times and joyful times, but the re-injuries were definite periods of debilitation. For example, in December of 2012, my back re-injured after my…

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Trek through the SoCS Vortex

Today’s prompt for #JusJoJan and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “television.” Linda said to: Talk about your favorite show, past, present, or future, or about the apparatus itself. Enjoy!

Before computers and the internet, television was the only addictive screen. My dad watched TV a lot, and at certain times of my life, I have depended on TV for company, entertainment, and maybe even to get through big life challenges.  Star Trek may have saved my life, or at least kept me off the street during my confusing adolescence. As I’ve shared before, Spock was my first crush. Dependable, rational, competent. I try to remember this when I see these qualities in my husband. But my husband smiles more, and it’s okay that I’m the flower child.

Star Trek drew me to science, up to a point. Maybe it helped me do well in school, though I was already a “good student” except for a few blips and detours….

Since I only have basic cable now, the closest I can get to Star Trek on TV is The Orville, on Fox.  It’s like ST but with Fox humor which can sometimes be stupid, though I’m willing to overlook it, and the last episode was more serious. I’ve started reading Star Trek novels which could become addictive. Just finishing up one about the Voyager crew. Voyager and Next Generation were my favorites. I liked the strong female roles. When Next Gen’s first episode came on TV and I heard Patrick Stewart say, “To boldly go where no one has gone before,” instead of Kirk’s “where no man has gone before,”  I hooted and cheered, “YES!”

Star Trek offers possibilities of hope. The themes are about overcoming challenges, teamwork, diversity, and hope. I think those are the things that have always drawn me to the show which is more than just a show. We NEED those values in the world. Okay, there is an element of escape – to go boldly, to explore new worlds which I would have trouble doing in real life since I get motion sickness at the drop of a hat.

Television, like the internet, has a lot of crap, but it also has a lot of good that can inspire us to become better than we are, or just enjoy some healthy escape. If we are selective, we can learn cool stuff from television. For example, did you see that big disc of ice in the river in Maine?  Maybe it’s a message from our future, or aliens. Or maybe the river is trying to tell us something by making the shape of the earth.

They said the temperature changes create a vortex. Vortex is one of the Star Trek words. Where there’s a vortex, there’s always something important going on.  (Except that it would make me nauseous in real life. )

Star Trek has always been mind expanding for me. I like that they deal with ethical dilemmas. My favorite episode, or one of them that made a big impression, was “The Devil in the Dark,” where the so called “monster” turned out to be just protecting her babies. Of course it was Spock who found that out with a mind meld. He was the real hero of the show.  “The Devil in the Dark” was also Leonard Nimoy’s “favorite episode,” according to the title on this video.

Thanks for letting me go on about The Trek again. Maybe the future will have better remedies for motion sickness for the vortex travels.

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For more on the Stream of Consciousness Saturday, visit Linda Hill’s blog. Here’s the link:

https://lindaghill.com/2019/01/18/the-friday-reminder-for-socs-jusjojan-2019-daily-prompt-jan-19th/

Here are the rules for SoCS:

1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing, (typos can be fixed) and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.

2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.

3. There will be a prompt every week. I will post the prompt here on my blog on Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” “Begin with the word ‘The’,” or simply a single word to get your started.

4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours. Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top. NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, such as Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.

5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read everyone’s! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later, or go to the previous week, by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find right below the “Like” button on my post.

6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!

7. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.

8. Have fun!

Good News Tuesday: Notes on a Bridge, Paid Leave for NZ Domestic Violence Victims, and Help with Yard Work in Miami

18 year old Paige Hunter has saved lives by leaving notes of hope on the Wearmouth Bridge in Sunderland, UK.

 

New Zealand votes to allow paid domestic violence leave to help victims seek safety. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/26/new-zealand-paid-domestic-violence-leave-jan-logie

 

Instead of a citation, this man gets help with his overgrown yard:

There’s a lot of good news happening all over the world. Spread the word and bring balance.