You have to draw the line to be fair to everyone

   If you are a pet owner you know that your pets are not human but you love them as if they are your children.

  You spoil them just like you would spoil a young child. You protect them because like a child they need protected.

  Unfortunately someone who has never had a family pet sees all pets as a nuisance that they don't want to be bothered with.

  Everyone is free to choose whether they want a family pet in their families or not.

  Although I have family pets of my own I have had friends who's pets I didn't exactly like. 

  But there is a line that you do not cross when letting your feelings be known about someone's beloved family pets.

  They don't have to like your pets, they don't have to pet your pet or even acknowledge your family pet.

  I had always felt as long as they didn't physically harm your pet they didn't cross any lines when visiting someone's homes that had family pets.

  But recently I had someone visit my home that crossed the line that I didn't know existed.

  I have two family dogs, one is nine and the other is ten years old. They are very much like children to us.

  My visitor was sharing the skin off his fried chicken we were eating with my Labrador. When I noticed I asked him why he was repeatedly only feeding her and not giving my other dog any?

  I thought he would say oh I didn't see her there. Instead he said with a stern attitude that it was because the lab didn't bark at him but the other one did.

  I tried to ignore his response then he threw another big piece to my lab as I watched the sadness in my little miniature Weiner dogs face as he once again made sure she didn't get any.

  Finally as I watched him tare the skin off another piece of chicken I stopped him. I said you don't have to share with any of my dogs if you don't want to.

 But I don't want you to give either of them anything if you aren't willing to give them both some.

  I thought ok he knows he crossed a line and I was upset he will share that piece with both of my dogs. 

  But nope. He just looked at me without saying a word and finished eating. When he was done he placed it in a bag and tied it up and threw it in the garbage.

  He was determined to make sure that my little dog that barked at him didn't get any, period.

  I was certainly upset by his actions. I understand he has never had a pet. I understand that he has no idea how a pet is a family member.

  But I wish he would have acknowledge what I said in some way, shape or form. I  learned that sometimes you have to set different boundaries that you never knew you needed to set.

 I didn't know before but I know now that the next time he visits my house and we are about to eat, I will ask him not to feed either of my dogs any food. 

  As soon as he left I went in the garbage and pulled out the bag he had put his chicken in that he had thrown away. 

  And boy the look on both of my dogs faces as I shared his chicken skin with them was priceless. 

  

  

  

  

  

 

Don't carry sandbags

   On your Life's Journey you will learn as you go. 

  You never know what life has in store for you. But one thing is for sure and that is that you have to ENJOY Life while you are living it. 

  All you have is the TIME you have so ENJOY every moment of IT. 

  Don't carry your painful experiences from the past like sandbags on your life's journey. Learn what you need to from it then JUST FLUSH IT to lighten your load.

  Remember that the Rollercoaster of Life is full of ups and downs as well as twists and turns, that's just LIFE.

  And sometimes in Life you may have to bend like a pretzel to stay on track, that's just LIFE.

 But you don't have to load yourself down with "SANDBAGS" making your life's journey harder, JUST FLUSH IT to lighten your load.

    

  

  

  

Staying true to what you believe

   The last year and a half has been challenging at times. We have had to get creative to accomplish even the smallest things. 

  As the covid-19 virus has mutated and is spreading we may have to consider going back into quarantine. 

  We have learned a lot as we have had to navigate through the challenges that the pandemic has caused. 

  We will get through this latest outbreak too by taking all that we have learned and taking all the necessary steps to stay safe.

  We all need to buckle down and do what we need to do to stop the spread of the covid-19 virus so we will be able to gather together to enjoy a Holly Jolly Christmas this year. 

  I was stunned when a local Walmart store closed for two days yesterday to disinfect to slow the spread of this more contagious variant.

 Although I had recently stocked up for hurricane season, I had to go back out today to stock up again on certain things that are specifically needed for quarantine supplies.

  Luckily what we learned as we navigated through the last year, will get us through the challenges we will have to face in the next few weeks.

  We can do this!

  

You may have heard what they said...

   You can hear what someone says yet not understand what they said at all. 

  How you interpereted what they said doesn't mean that is what they said at all.

  You may have heard every word they said yet not hear the meaning of their words at all.

  How you look at things determines what you see. 

  How you interpret what you hear will determine what you think was said.

  Your point of view is the only view you see that you have to base your opinions on.

  Yet when you take the time to see it from a different point of view, your opinion may change.

  Without knowing for sure you can't be sure so wait to form your opinion until you know for sure.

   Understanding what they meant to say is the only way to know what they are truly saying.

  Don't ruin a good relationship because you interpereted what they said or did all wrong. 

  Don't miss out on an opportunity because you didn't understand what an opportunity it actually is. 

  

  

 

  

Setting boundaries for yourself

   When you set boundaries for yourself you don't cross them.

  The boundaries you set are set by you to make sure you don't cross them.

  You are bound to encounter people who try to get you to follow them outside of your boundaries.

  You may even be tempted at times to go beyond your boundaries but remember WHY YOU SET THAT BOUNDARY.

  You set limits on yourself not to limit what you do but to limit any negative affects on yourself. 

  The boundaries you set for yourself are not meant to hold you back they are set to ensure nothing can hold you back.

  If it is against what you believe is good for you then make sure it is something you never do. 

  When you set boundaries for yourself DON'T CROSS THEM.

  

  

  

What we have in common....

   We can all be very different yet we can still also be the same in many ways at the same time.  What do we all have in common?

  We may not like the same kind of food but we all have to eat.

  We may not always see eye to eye or agree on things. But as long as we agree to disagree we can all get along.

  We have many differences but all that matters is that we all have common courtesy, common decency and common sense in common.

   Our uniqueness makes us each unique.

 You don't have to like what anyone else does. But if you want the freedom to be who you want to be then you have to let them have the freedom to be who they want to be.

 If you want others to respect your opinion then you have to respect their right to their opinions.

  Me and my family and friends don't always agree on everything. But we love each other enough that we all agree to not talk about subjects we disagree on. That way we can enjoy the time we have together.

  What you have in common with someone means more than how different you are on things.

  As long as you have common courtesy, common decency and common sense in common you can enjoy their uniqueness.

  

 

In life U-TURNS are allowed

   You may make the wrong turn in life and it leads you to a dead end. Luckily in life U-TURNS are not ONLY allowed but they are a natural part of life.

  You shouldn't be so hard on yourself that you chose a path that unfortunately led to nowhere.

  Not only do things change over time that determines where a path leads but as humans we change over time and where we want to be, also changes.

  What worked in the past may not work anymore. What worked for someone else may not work for you.

  Adapting to life is necessary to go with the flow. Doing a U-TURN when you hit a dead end is necessary to keep moving in the right direction.

  If you get knocked down in life you got to get up, dust yourself off and get started again. It doesn't matter how many times you have to "start over" all that matters is that you get up.

  Remember in life U-TURNS are not ONLY allowed but they are also necessary at times, that's just LIFE. 

  

The last thing they need is your negative energy

   When someone makes a mistake they don't need you to scream and berate them in order for them to learn from it. 

  As a matter of fact your negative words and insults make them cringe.  Which will stunt the natural growth they would have gained.

  People can call it tough love and pretend like it will help you. But kicking someone after they have fallen isn't love at all.

  Rubbing it in someones face so that they know that you know that they made a mistake is not helpful to them.

  If you want to help them then let them see for themselves and learn from it. We all make mistakes throughout our life, that's just part of life, it's growing pains.

  Give them encouraging words to help them get back on their feet. 

  

  

You don't miss what you never had

   It's true you may not miss it until it is gone. And it is also true that you don't miss what you never had.

  During over a year in quarantine there were many people and things that you knew you would miss a lot. 

  But there were also things that annoyed you that you never thought you would miss, but you do.

  As we slowly get back into being able to move freely about there are some things that we have realized that we didn't miss at all.

  The fast paced pre-pandemic lifestyle we had doesn't seem as appealing as it used to be. Having the time to STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES is something that we want to continue to have time for.

  Many people have had to learn to cook at home when the quarantine closed down the restaurants. 

  Some of the new dishes you have made and enjoyed during quarantine are ones you and your family want to continue to have at home.

  Your new normal is whatever feels good to you. 

  

  

Keep things as simple as possible

     The more elaborate your plans are, the more parts that you have to move to do it. If you keep things simple then you will have less you need to juggle to do it.

   The less you have to do the less stressful it will be for you. And those around you will benefit from a stress-free you.

  If you want to simplify your life you got to keep things simple. 

   Don't take on more than you can handle. If you can't do it then simply tell them no I can't help. 

  There is nothing wrong with giving someone an honest no. Know your limits and stay in your limits for your overall well being. 

  Just keep things simple. You will be less stressful if you have less to stress about.

  

  

  

Enjoying your Life's Journey

   Life's Journey is full of ups and downs as well as twists and turns. It's called the ROLLERCOASTER OF LIFE.

  But the only way to ENJOY life is to ENJOY it while you are living it. 

  Like the plaque on my wall says..

  I asked God for all things that I might ENJOY LIFE, He gave me LIFE that I might ENJOY all things.

  If you look for the positive things as you go you will have a positive outlook, which will  lead you to a positive outcome.

  Life is how you look at it. You can see your glass as half full or half empty. 

  You can't have a feeling without first having a thought. If you want to feel HAPPY you have to think of HAPPY THOUGHTS.

  If you FOCUS on things that ANGER you then you will FEEL angry.

  If you FOCUS on things that sadden you then you will FEEL sad.

  If you FOCUS on things that inspire you then you will FEEL inspired.

  If you FOCUS on things that make you happy then you will FEEL happy.

  If you LOOK for trouble you will FIND it.

  If you LOOK for reasons to smile you will FIND it.

  If you LOOK for someone or something that inspires you then you will FIND it.

  If you LOOK for a positive outcome you will FIND it.

  WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?

  Seek and you shall FIND. 

 

Don't let the negative vibes clog you up

   You already know that you can't please everyone so don't try.

  Since you can't please everyone don't let the negative words or actions from anyone distract you from what you want to do.

  I often wandered why those that disagree with you waste their time to make sure you know that they disagree with you. 

  They try to grab your attention to try to get you to be distracted because your positivity is something they wish they had.

 Instead of allowing your positivity to help them be more positive they would rather make you feel as negatively as they do.

  Which is exactly why you need to surround yourself with people who are positive and stay as far away from negative people and negative situations as you can.

  Don't let them steal your joy. Don't let a negative person or negative situation have any chance to clog you up. 

  Instead be thankful that their opinion doesn't affect your opinions. Your thoughts are your reality not what anyone else thinks. 

  You can't please everyone so expect there will be some people who won't be pleased.

  At the end of the day as long as you are proud of yourself it doesn't matter if anyone else is proud of you.

 

  

Independence is the freedom to be you

   Having independence means you are free to be yourself. 

  Freedom to be yourself means the freedom to choose for yourself.

  Don't let anyone take away your ability to be independent.

  As Independence Day approaches make a list of all the things that being independent means to you.

  Keep in mind that respecting other people's right to be independent is the only way that you yourself can enjoy being independent.

  Celebrating independence day this year is going to be a celebration also that quarantine is over.

  Freedom and independence go hand in hand. You can't have one without the other. 

  As you make your fourth of July plans make sure you plan on making safety a priority. 

  Fireworks sure are fun to watch but they are dangerous too. 

  Happy Fourth of July everyone.