My one and only suggestion (until I change my mind):
"It's MINE! All MINE!"
See, changed my mind already and added an option:
"It's MINE! All MINE! ............Now what.....?"
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Name that Caption Contest
Check out the blog for Thomas LaRock and you can see he is running a contest to caption the header for his site.
My one and only suggestion (until I change my mind):
"It's MINE! All MINE!"
See, changed my mind already and added an option:
"It's MINE! All MINE! ............Now what.....?"
My one and only suggestion (until I change my mind):
"It's MINE! All MINE!"
See, changed my mind already and added an option:
"It's MINE! All MINE! ............Now what.....?"
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Three Things
Since I was tagged about, oh, two weeks ago by my buddy Ted (@onpnt) I figured I should really get around to writing another blog post. It's been too long. I really enjoyed the holidays with my little ones and many family members, but now it's time to focus again. What can I say? I hit a slump, but now I'm over it.
The question on the table currently is: What Three Things brought you to where you are today? While this can have many interpretations, I offer the following for myself.
One. Being a kid of a single parent. I grew up fast. Way too fast. My parents divorced by the time I reached 5 years old. My mom struggled. Hard. I took on a lot of responsibilty helping her out with my little sister almost immediately. Being a single mom in the '70's was not a supportive environment. Companies didn't want to hire her, landlords didn't want to rent to us. We moved. A LOT. I packed, unpacked, changed schools and made new friends - over and over again. But somehow we got by. We had fun without having any money. She gave her all to make sure her daughters grew into strong, capable women. I learned a lot from my mother's experiences: some things I vowed to never allow to happen to myself and other things to use as shining examples of how I wanted to shape my life.
Two. Failing my Freshman year of college. Yes, it's true. I was a straight-A student in High School. I knew I was going to college, I had a full ride scholarship to prove it, plus an appointment to the Air Force Academy. When the Air Force told me I was too short to pilot (or even to navigate), I said "Thanks, see ya". So, I went to college with my friends and probably dealt with some form of depression. I certainly wasn't aware of it at the time, I just didn't know what to do now that I wouldn't be a pilot or in the Air Force. Taking Engineering courses made me realize that even though I was a smart cookie, I certainly wasn't up to the level of these other kids who grew up with computers in their homes. So, I switched colleges (two more times, but hey, that was no big deal to me) and finally settled on a degree in Psychology. I found the field fascinating, and after my life experiences thus far, it sure seemed to fit well. Obviously, that path wasn't meant to be either, but that's another blog post. My achievement of being in the Honor Society for Psych was a nice reward, too.
Three. Dance. I started studying dance in 1989. Yes, that's more than 20 years ago now. I have had an incredible journey which provided a frame of self-discipline and artistry at the same time. I have made numerous friends. We all need a creative outlet and I was overjoyed to find mine. I never wanted to do anything but study and learn for many years. It wasn't until almost 10 years later that someone convinced me to step up onto the stage. Oh, don't get the wrong idea - I had done plays and things over the years, even some public speaking, but I had never shared something that I had created myself. The rest, as they say, is history. I have my own dance company and we will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary next year!
Really the key to all the things listed above is Family and Friends. I was always fortunate to have an incredibly supportive family. While friends come and go, there are many who have touched my life and helped me get to where I am today. For those still with me - thank you! For those I'm yet to meet - Hope you're ready for a fun ride!
The question on the table currently is: What Three Things brought you to where you are today? While this can have many interpretations, I offer the following for myself.
One. Being a kid of a single parent. I grew up fast. Way too fast. My parents divorced by the time I reached 5 years old. My mom struggled. Hard. I took on a lot of responsibilty helping her out with my little sister almost immediately. Being a single mom in the '70's was not a supportive environment. Companies didn't want to hire her, landlords didn't want to rent to us. We moved. A LOT. I packed, unpacked, changed schools and made new friends - over and over again. But somehow we got by. We had fun without having any money. She gave her all to make sure her daughters grew into strong, capable women. I learned a lot from my mother's experiences: some things I vowed to never allow to happen to myself and other things to use as shining examples of how I wanted to shape my life.
Two. Failing my Freshman year of college. Yes, it's true. I was a straight-A student in High School. I knew I was going to college, I had a full ride scholarship to prove it, plus an appointment to the Air Force Academy. When the Air Force told me I was too short to pilot (or even to navigate), I said "Thanks, see ya". So, I went to college with my friends and probably dealt with some form of depression. I certainly wasn't aware of it at the time, I just didn't know what to do now that I wouldn't be a pilot or in the Air Force. Taking Engineering courses made me realize that even though I was a smart cookie, I certainly wasn't up to the level of these other kids who grew up with computers in their homes. So, I switched colleges (two more times, but hey, that was no big deal to me) and finally settled on a degree in Psychology. I found the field fascinating, and after my life experiences thus far, it sure seemed to fit well. Obviously, that path wasn't meant to be either, but that's another blog post. My achievement of being in the Honor Society for Psych was a nice reward, too.
Three. Dance. I started studying dance in 1989. Yes, that's more than 20 years ago now. I have had an incredible journey which provided a frame of self-discipline and artistry at the same time. I have made numerous friends. We all need a creative outlet and I was overjoyed to find mine. I never wanted to do anything but study and learn for many years. It wasn't until almost 10 years later that someone convinced me to step up onto the stage. Oh, don't get the wrong idea - I had done plays and things over the years, even some public speaking, but I had never shared something that I had created myself. The rest, as they say, is history. I have my own dance company and we will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary next year!
Really the key to all the things listed above is Family and Friends. I was always fortunate to have an incredibly supportive family. While friends come and go, there are many who have touched my life and helped me get to where I am today. For those still with me - thank you! For those I'm yet to meet - Hope you're ready for a fun ride!
Monday, December 21, 2009
Why Do We Give?
There several thoughts of camp around giving gifts at Christmastime. There are probably just as many blogs about it, too. So, what makes me throw in my buck-fifty this time around? I'm pretty sure it all started with the annual Family Gift Exchange. You see, each year, my husband's family decides on what method to use to exchange gifts. We have tried a few ideas, and this year was the typical Secret Santa variety. Apparently, my guy had not put even ONE item on his wishlist. Yesterday, his mother calls to say "Hey, Santa needs to know what is on your list!" So, we start talking about what he wants, and that leads to what did we get for other people. I won't bore you with the details of our conversation, but let's just say in the end we both learned that we have very different motivations for buying Christmas presents.
Now this gets me to thinking - how many schools of thought are there about gift giving? Probably more than a handful. I think it can be boiled down to two in the end though.
Type 1 - obligation. You feel obligated to buy a gift for certain people. Maybe it's "everyone" or just "family", it doesn't matter. You just feel you are forced to make purchases, wrap something up and have a gift for a given individual. You don't feel any connection to the gifts you buy and you more than likely do not feel your gift is special in any way. It's all just part of the Machine which is labelled Christmas.
Type 2 - generousity. You enjoy giving gifts for the joy you anticipate bringing to someone else. Maybe it's just a colorful pencil or maybe it's a brand new car, it doesn't matter. You just feel you have found something that person will enjoy (even if only for a short time) and bring a smile to their face. Perhaps it a luxury item -small or large- you know they would never buy for themselves and you feel they would appreciate it. It's all about sharing the fact that you care about someone.
If you find yourself identifying with Type 1, I'm sorry. I'm a Type 2 and it makes the holidays a lot of fun for me. I don't try to over think any gift, I just want my friends and family to know they are appreciated. Some gifts will cost me more than others. They will be given with the same amount of intention regardless of price.
As for being on the recieving end, it's not about the dollar amount. When I get a gift I know someone cared enough to take a few minutes to think of me and I feel appreciated.
I wish you a very Merry Christmas, or whatever holiday you choose to observe. Spread the cheer and embrace the spirit which was intended. God bless you and yours today and every day!
Now this gets me to thinking - how many schools of thought are there about gift giving? Probably more than a handful. I think it can be boiled down to two in the end though.
Type 1 - obligation. You feel obligated to buy a gift for certain people. Maybe it's "everyone" or just "family", it doesn't matter. You just feel you are forced to make purchases, wrap something up and have a gift for a given individual. You don't feel any connection to the gifts you buy and you more than likely do not feel your gift is special in any way. It's all just part of the Machine which is labelled Christmas.
Type 2 - generousity. You enjoy giving gifts for the joy you anticipate bringing to someone else. Maybe it's just a colorful pencil or maybe it's a brand new car, it doesn't matter. You just feel you have found something that person will enjoy (even if only for a short time) and bring a smile to their face. Perhaps it a luxury item -small or large- you know they would never buy for themselves and you feel they would appreciate it. It's all about sharing the fact that you care about someone.
If you find yourself identifying with Type 1, I'm sorry. I'm a Type 2 and it makes the holidays a lot of fun for me. I don't try to over think any gift, I just want my friends and family to know they are appreciated. Some gifts will cost me more than others. They will be given with the same amount of intention regardless of price.
As for being on the recieving end, it's not about the dollar amount. When I get a gift I know someone cared enough to take a few minutes to think of me and I feel appreciated.
I wish you a very Merry Christmas, or whatever holiday you choose to observe. Spread the cheer and embrace the spirit which was intended. God bless you and yours today and every day!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)