30 TRUTHS IN 30 DAYS - DAY TEN

Truth #10: Saying "no" is one of the hardest things a person must learn how to do and it's also one of the most empowering words a person can say at times. Many times throughout a person's life one might get trapped into the mindset of being a people-pleaser and never saying no to anything or anyone. If you become that person, you find yourself struggling by always taking on too many things and overloading yourself. The stress can become unbearable at times. People around you know you're the go to person because you'll get it done no matter what. No matter what the cost and you're the one in the end who will have the nervous breakdown! Do yourself a favor and learn to say no once in awhile.

30 TRUTHS IN 30 DAYS - DAY NINE

Truth #9: A lot of what children learn from their parents isn’t taught on purpose. When you stop and think about how malleable a child is and how careless and blind an adult can be at times, the combination often times leads to lifelong emotional scars. A child starts learning from day one and many times we don't think they are paying attention to us and what we are doing and saying, but they are. They'll emulate us and copy our behavior even when they know we are wrong. 

30 TRUTHS IN 30 DAYS - DAY EIGHT

Truth #8: Call me Scrooge! Call me The Grinch! But Christmas is not what it is supposed to be. People run out and put themselves in debt year after year and for what? Because they feel guilt if they don't completely fill their livingrooms with gifts? That's bullshit! Christmas has become a holiday for the merchants! Period! And each year it comes earlier and earlier. What ever happened to making things for people? Or would that insult someone if they received a homemade gift? I would rather receive a gift from someone that they made. It means so much more to me. In the past I've painted pictures for people and crocheted scarves, etc and yes, I do also buy gifts, but I truly do believe it's a big rat trap and Christmas is meant primarily for children. This year my family has decided since there are no children anymore we are foregoing the gift giving tradition. We're just going to get together, celebrate by being together as a family, have a nice meal, argue amongst ourselves, call each other despicable names and go home with full stomachs and hearts with our humanity and bank accounts intact.

30 TRUTHS IN 30 DAYS - DAY SEVEN

Truth #7: Grief isn't something that ever truly ends. You take it with you until the day you die. You learn to live with it and over time the tears become less frequent. The pain fades, but the love you feel remains. The losses of loved ones that touch your life change you and mold you into being a stronger person until that next wave of grief hits. Then for a time you lose your balance and succumb to all the emotions of loss all over again. The process brings me to my knees because my heart aches for the people I no longer have in my life. My heart cries out for them and there is only silence. I know that may sound selfish and so be it. But today I miss my mother and she's gone...

30 TRUTHS IN 30 DAYS - DAY SIX

Truth #6: This time of year many people tend to add new additions to their homes from local animal shelters or possibly from a breeder or a pet store. Truth #6 sinks to the core of my being because I am an animal lover through and through. I have always had a pet or pets my entire life and they are as much a part of my family as any of my family members are. When they die, I grieve and I miss them terribly. They leave a hole in my heart. These are the reasons why I feel people shouldn't own pets unless they intend to treat them as family members and to love them a such. When I see animals left outside in the heat or cold without food or water I truly do not understand why a person would get a pet only to abuse it. My truth here is that people guilty of doing such things should be chained ouside without food and water and shown how it feels to live that way. So if you intend to bring that new puppy or kitten home for Christmas and you don't intend to make it part of your family, do it a favor and leave it where it is because at least it's getting fed and it's sheltered and warm where it is.

30 TRUTHS IN 30 DAYS - DAY FIVE

Truth #5: When something bad happens you have three choices: You can let it define you. You can let it destroy you. You can let it strengthen you. I encourage each of you to reflect on your life and look at those dark times. What did they do for you? Or what did you do with the dark times? Do you wear those times like a badge? Did those times cripple you? Or have those times taught you to be a better person so you can reach out and help others going through similiar times?

30 TRUTHS IN 30 DAYS - DAY FOUR

Truth #4: With the second anniversary of my mother's death in a few days, death has been on my mind a lot lately. I know death is a difficult concept for everyone from the time we are small children until our final days. Maybe it isn't meant for us to actually understand it, but sometimes we go from fearing it to actually welcoming it depending on our circumstances and health problems. Over the course of our lifetimes our views on death may change, but one thing for certain, the topic death makes people uncomfortable even though it's something each of us will experience at some point. It's inevitable! So with this truth I know we can cheat many things in life, but there's one thing that no one can ever cheat and that's death.  

30 TRUTHS IN 30 DAYS - DAY THREE

Truth #3: No matter how bad things can get at times, those times will pass. I truly believe that there are valuable lessons to be learned from those times if we open both our eyes and our hearts and reflect honestly on them. For one to find the true reason and worth in their life Socrates claims "an unexamined life is not worth living." As with the tides, our lives have highs and lows and we must flow with it or drown in its current. Socrates may be correct, but Sylvester the Cat calls his version of this lesson of "Brotherly Love": Survival of the Fittest!

30 TRUTHS IN 30 DAYS - DAY TWO

Truth #2: I was browsing through the news this morning online and came across an article where Supermodel Paulina Porizkova stated that dating at 57 sucks. Hey, if it sucks for her, you can only imagine what it's like for us ordinary folk (the fuglies). I hate to break it to her by letting her know that it doesn't get any better with age. In fact, I believe the older you get, the worse suckier dating gets. Perhaps by middle age most people are just burnt-out by the whole process and know their chances of finding that forever love is slim to nil. Why keep doing it then? Truth? Most people would rather have someone...anyone than to die alone. Me...I'd rather be alone than be with the wrong person! It's a sad state of affairs when men your own age want women half their age and us "cougars," are left to find a worthy 35 year old! But if I do find one, do I have to talk to him? lol 

30 TRUTHS IN 30 DAYS - DAY ONE

Truth #1 - The elderly have wisdom to share and once they are gone so is their wisdom. I often wish I had written down the stories I was told as a young person by my elderly relatives. Instead of rolling my eyes and thinking that the old fools knew nothing and that I knew everything, I now know that the old fools knew everything and I knew nothing at all. What the old fools tried to give me was something more valuable than gold itself, but I was too blind to see what was right in front of me. All I needed to do was stop and listen, stop and learn and stop and love. It really is such a simple thing to do, but as a young person it was probably one of the most difficult things to do in life.