Monthly Archives: June 2016

This week’s blog is a guest post from a friend of mine, author Lucy H. Delaney.  I first met Lucy when I was donating blood.  My friend, Sandra, and I compete to see who is the better bleeder (I am), and this as well as our witty banter charmed her so much she wrote this blog about us.  Since then Lucy has authored 4 books and is certainly working on more.

When I first approached her about writing a blog post I had visions of posting her picture and links to all of her fabulous books.  Well, as sometimes happens, life has pivoted and the publishing house that published Lucy has gone under and she’s still working on getting her book rights back.  What that means in layman terms is I can post pictures of her mug but I can’t link to any of her books on my site… yet.

So, next best thing? Here’s a link to her blog and a guest post from a lady as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“If I Close My Eyes And Listen”

If I close my eyes and listen… really listen, what do I hear?

Today, Chopin and Brian Crain’s rendition of “Hallelujah” and Fur Elise, Clair De Lune and… water.

I hear water… in my ears and in my soul. It’s a rainy day. It won’t rain for long, just long enough to wet the soil and refresh a restless soul. Days like this beckon the busy to rest, relax, breathe in reprieve… and blow out the electric buzzing of a million things that must be, should be, ought to be done.

But no, not today. Today I shall be still, quiet and calm, which is something quite foreign to my hurried nature, but necessary and nurturing every time I do it.

As the water rolls from the roof-top…

down,

down,

down… to settle into a puddle of brother droplets in rapturous ripples, I scroll and click.

The water rolls and drips and I scroll and click… through hundreds of pictures, memories, moments stolen from forever and captured on a phone that is running out of space to hold much more.

I suppose I am a compulsive picture taker. Somehow freezing a moment in time helps me feel more connected to humanity. Someday, sometime, decades, maybe centuries from now, years after I am long dead, perhaps… perchance, these digital snapshots will give the future of mankind a glimpse into the simple individual life of she who was from the past. Like fragmented potsherds in an ancient dig site, I fancy these humble moments could be dusted off, refined with futuristic enhancements still unknown, and archeologists and their protégés will speculate on the life of a layman of this era based off these photos that were left to find.

What can I say? I am a creative, idealistic soul, nothing, not even a picture taken of me, my family, my friends or my world, is just for a singular, selfish purpose. And yet, in a singularly selfish, self-centered way, each photo is nothing more than narcissism… proof that I exist. Evidence that I am someone. I matter, even, if only to myself. I am here. I am alive. I live!

And what a life it is that I live! Drip… click… ripple… scroll…

Drip…

Click… a selfie, and my tongue is out… hmmm, I ought to delete that, and be more mindful in the future of both selfies and my tongue’s penchant to make an appearance in my pictures.

Ripple…

Scroll…

Drip…

Click… a night out with my ladies and gents. These people who once were strangers, now friends, their smiling faces and recollections of our good-natured antics bless me, and I smile back at their digital reflections.
You ought to view and see additional info about pfizer viagra discount these versions via ukkamagra.com Kamagra or generic sildenafil Citrate depends on various factors. There are number of reasons behind poor tadalafil super active male sexual performance. One of the main reasons behind a man’s inability to Get It Up Erectile dysfunction has become the part of life for millions of men far and wide, and for a significant number of these issues might be silent until a big occasion, for example, a stroke or discount price viagra heart attack. In other words, it is common practice for abusive relationships in route cheap buy viagra check stock to divorce.
Ripple…

Scroll…

Drip…

Click… A hike with my youngest son and fellow gym mates, to work out and watch the sunrise over Saddle Rock. Sweet, savory, sweaty fellowship with God and man.

Ripple…

Scroll…

Delete… because neither myself, my Facebook feed or the future of humanity needs to see the meal I was so proud of making from scratch a month ago… or do they?

Nah…

Drip…

Click… a photo of my grand-daughter, a precious mix of her mother and dad; a gift of a child I somehow helped create even though I adopted her mama. Were it not for my infiltration into her mother’s life, this precious babe wouldn’t be here today. Like Tim McGraw’s country song, I let myself feel the pride of being a grandma and am humbled that I have them in my life. I say a prayer for my girls… all of them.

Ripple… how strange our lives are, rippling out, away from ourselves, puddling, muddling into the essence of others.

Scroll… A series of photos from a mini-vacation with my eldest son where we rushed to find as many waterfalls as we could and capture them into digital treasure boxes we could open and share later.

Drip… they’re slower now, the clouds are moving away, almost time ‘to do’ again and not just ‘be.’

Click… my friends, my family, my world, these souls and places I have opportunity to experience and embrace.

Ripple… I am grateful.

Scroll… What a good, full, blessed life the Lord has given me.

If I close my eyes and listen… really listen, I hear the heartbeat of countless souls that drip and drop and dance their way into my simple, layman’s life … this precious, priceless puddle of humanity I claim for myself and for posterity!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When I first approached Lucy about writing a guest post she asked what I wanted her to write about. My answer? “… that sparkly bit that finds you in the midst of the chaos of daily life.” So now I ask you, my reader: when you close your eyes and listen – really listen, what do you hear?

My words are my thoughts, but my pictures are generally found on Pinterest (you can find anything there!). If you like what I write, please share with your friends or someone you think would like it! I’d love it if you follow me on Facebook (Melissa Gale) or Twitter (@write2unpack). Oh, hey, and if you sign up here to follow me you’ll never miss a post!

I’m a lucky girl.  I have a great dad.  He’s quiet, sometimes a little gruff, but you’ll never meet anyone more loyal and committed to his family. I’ve been married twice (still married to the 2^nd), and both times I was lucky enough to marry men who are great dads. My first husband and I have a daughter and despite our differences I’ve always had his support, and he mine, when it came to her. My husband and I have 2 boys, and with this last weekend being Father’s Day I thought about the “dads” in my life.  My dad, the fathers of my children, my children who are fathers, and the fathers my children will one day be.  I thought it fitting that today’s post be about them, and some things I’ve learned from my dad that I want to teach my children.

1.  Sometimes things have always been done a certain way for a reason. Whether it’s how to clean a handgun, how to clean a fish, or how to fix an engine, sometimes things have always been done a certain way because that’s the way they should be done. It just works.  You don’t need to go messing with something that’s working just fine.  In the words of my dad, “Lissa. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

2.  Sometimes things have always been done a certain way and it’s time for them to change. My dad is the most solid, predictable, calm man I’ve ever known. Even in chaos he is strong and unwavering. And, like most people, he likes things to stay the same. During his employment with the State Patrol as a Trooper he went back to school (my dad?!?!?!) and became an Accident Reconstructionist for the State Patrol as well. I would have never, ever, ever, (did I say ever?) thought my dad would do something like that, but because he did I learned to expect change – and change is ok.

3.  I can do this. It doesn’t matter what “this” is, my dad believes I can do it. He believed I could hike for hours on our property (heavily wooded with timber rattlers, wild dogs, coyotes, deer, elk, and the occasional bear or cougar) with only the dog and be fine – and I was. He believed I could be a black belt in Taekwon Do – and I am (also a brown in Brazilian jiu-jitsu… but that’s another story.). He believes in me and that belief has given me the courage to try, and accomplish, some pretty cool stuff.

4.  Things will work out. It’s as simple as those four little words. As crappy as things may get, and as hurt as you are – things will work out.  He’s right. They always have, and now I’m trying to share that belief with my children.

When and how does the role of mind appalachianmagazine.com canadian viagra no prescription behind sexual activity can’t be denied. To obtain perfect results you need to eat up 50mg per 50mg sildenafil generic browse address now kg of weight upon waking, then a more 50mg per kilogram of weight around a half hour before education to have the very best effects for increasing testosterone levels. Such pleasant flavors of medicines have high demand and are also expected to show fewer side-effects than the products of cost of prescription viagra brand. You are advised to practice exercises like jogging and weightlifting exercises to boost secretion of testosterone. prescription du viagra 5.  Women are to be cherished and respected. My dad loves me, cherishes me, and respects me. He loves my mom, cherishes her, and respects her. He instilled in me a sense of self-worth that over the years has stood up to failed relationships, a failed marriage, and countless clients insulting me personally because they got a bad result in their matter (Seriously, how would you like it if someone treated your daughter that way?). He taught me that, although there is no one worthy of me (in his eyes), even at my worst I deserve someone who loves, respects, and cherishes me.

There’s so much I could write and draw lessons from: dancing on my dad’s feet learning to waltz and foxtrot, how he used to dance around the house with my mother, his love of Sha Na Na and how he’d sing “Froggy Went a Courtin” to my mom on Saturdays while we cleaned the house… but today I thought I’d just stick to 5 things.  And besides, I’m sure when my dad reads this he’ll probably shake his head and wonder how-in-the-hell I got those lessons out of his actions – but I did. My dad is the first man I ever loved.

Dads are powerful, influential, and instrumental in a child’s life.  The things you say and, more importantly, the things you do will shape your child in ways that you can’t anticipate or even imagine.

My words are my thoughts, but my pictures are generally found on Pinterest (you can find anything there!). If you like what I write, please share with your friends or someone you think would like it! I’d love it if you follow me on Facebook (Melissa Gale) or Twitter (@write2unpack). Oh, hey, and if you sign up here to follow me you’ll never miss a post!

Summer is here. My kids are out of school and home during the day, the Best Husband Ever is retired and home during the day, but my work doesn’t stop with the change in seasons and has been steadily ramping up.  The level of “crazy” in the world has been increasing, and with my husband’s ability to walk decreasing (the heat drastically affects his MS symptoms), that means there’s more around the house that needs my attention.  This summer I’ve decided to streamline my life a bit so I’m more present at home to “take care of things” and recharge myself. And so today’s blog post came to me: Why do we need to recharge? How do we recharge? Let’s talk about it.

Why do we need to recharge? Why can’t we just keep going and do everything that needs doing?  Well, quite simply, because we can’t. Human beings are not wired with an endless power source that allows us to keep going like the Energizer bunny. The constant stressors of our daily lives, our jobs, our loved ones, our homes, even the “obligation” to do something we love, all take a toll on our health.  The effects of stress on a body are well documented and if we take some time to recharge ourselves we can stave off heart attacks, memory loss, and even depression.  We constantly give of ourselves and, sometimes, we need to recharge ourselves so that we can continue to give.

How do we recharge? Well, I suppose that’s different for everyone. There are tons of ways suggested on the internet ranging from aromatherapy to stretching. Some people (like me) need to be in nature, to sit and breathe and sort through the feelings of failure and insecurity, and figure out my next steps – my path forward.  Some people recharge by exercising, by training for a certain goal such as running a Marathon or completing an Ironman. It doesn’t matter what you do – do whatever works for you – what matters is that you do it.

So how do you do it? How do you find the time? Here are some ways that have worked for me:

1.   Remind yourself you’re worth it. Let me tell you a secret… shhhhh… <You are worth it.> Let go of the guilt of not getting enough done, and embrace knowing that you’ll come back better and able to give more if you just remind yourself you’re worthy of the love you give to everyone else.

2.  Plan your recharge. Plan every day to take 10 minutes (everyone has 10 minutes) to sit quietly and meditate.  Allow the busy thoughts in your head to pass through, they’re not allowed to stay, and listen for the stillness. Plan to be “unplugged” for an entire day, plan a weekend away, a camping trip, or whatever works for you. Just make plans to do it and then keep them.
Men who experience erectile dysfunction between the ages of 40 and 70 shall have experienced impotence condition sildenafil tablets india to some degree. generic sildenafil india Chiropractic is an alternative medicine that does not utilize any kind of pharmaceutical drugs and invasive procedures. A stressful mind can never prepare the tadalafil 5mg india body for sex. This can be a result of alcohol cialis wholesale prices or smoking, taking adequate sleep etc.
3.  Streamline. Take something that you do many times and see if you can combine it into one or at least fewer times. Need a for example? Instead of shopping many times per week for groceries plan your meals and shop once for the week.

I am a social person but I need alone time. I spend time alone each week writing to you. I get to talk about whatever’s on my mind, to verbally vomit onto the page (or computer) and sort through the words until they make sense, and I post it to you.  It’s my hope that what I end up with resonates with you, that it inspires you to be more loving, but it helps me to recharge myself a bit – to quiet the noises and the chaos.

By recharging ourselves we can make our lives better, and by simple proximity make the lives of those around us better, which creates more good in the world.  So the next time you hear that voice that says you’re not being productive, that there’s so much to do and it’s not getting done, remind yourself that you’re actually doing everyone a favor and making the world a better place.

My words are my thoughts, but my pictures are generally found on Pinterest (you can find anything there!). If you like what I write, please share with your friends or someone you think would like it! I’d love it if you follow me on Facebook (Melissa Gale) or Twitter (@write2unpack). Oh, hey, and if you sign up here to follow me you’ll never miss a post!