Sometimes all it takes is a smile

I have had animals for my entire life.  In fact, I can’t really think of a time in my life when I didn’t have an animal or a few animals.  I believe animals are a way for us to truly show our love for others.  In fact, animals are a great way to show us God’s intended love for us.  You see, animals truly love UNCONDITIONALLY!  They simply know of no other way to be or to love their “human” parents.  The love they show is natural and pure.  Nothing and no one has tainted this love.
     
And, yes, I truly believe animals do smile.  Some might disagree with me, but I know different.  I’ve seen almost every type of animal “smile” in some form or another.  The biggest thing is to look for it in their faces or their eyes.  It is true the eyes are the windows to the soul.  Animals truly have that down pat!  I wouldn’t trade this for anything.  I have come to learn and realize my animals or “babies” as I refer to them, have truly kept me grounded in a variety of different ways throughout my lifetime.  They have also kept me ‘sane’ in many ways.  Their “smiles” are infectious at best.  I’m as proud a parent of my “furr” babies as any “human parent” is of their little off-springs.  In fact, personally, I think the only difference between me and a “human parent” is my kids walk with all four legs!  But, other than that, I honestly don’t see a difference.

My babies talk to me.  They let me know when they don’t feel good.  They let me know when they are in a good mood or even a great mood!  And, honestly, there is never a dull moment with my household.  And, that I wouldn’t ever want to change.  The laughter is contagious.  The fun is infectious.  I am truly a very lucky person.

I believe God chose me to have animals in my life.  I believe this was and is God’s way of showing me the purity of love and the various forms love can be presented in.  I’m extremely protective of all my babies.  They are my world in so many ways.  Animals have an enormous amount to teach us, if only we are willing to learn and listen!  One of the greatest things I’ve learned about animals is their enormous amount of love for everyone they come in contact with.  In addition, I’ve also learned animals have a very unique way of teaching us about people who might be trying to hurt us.  If you have a true connection to your pet, they will always alert you when someone is not good for you, whether it be a neighbor, a friend or even your partner or spouse.  In fact, if your animal “steers clear” of your partner, boyfriend, girlfriend, etc., you might want to pay closer attention to this.  An animal can always tell if a human is a “good” person or a “bad” person.  If your animal exhibits behavior towards someone you know or even, possibly love and you find that unexplainable it would be a good idea to stay away from this person.  An animal has great instincts into human behaviors.  If you thought you loved someone and you can’t understand why your pet is not willing to go near a person or even allow them to hold an animal, take that as a huge warning sign.  They are “no good” for you.

Animals will always, and naturally, do everything they can to protect us….if only we would pay attention.  I had to learn this the hard way.  If only I would have paid more attention to my cats, perhaps, I would not be in the situation I’m in today.  If only I would have been more open and honest with myself, things might be hugely different today.  However, it’s in the past and I can’t change the past.  All I can do is learn from this experience and move forward with my life.  Although I won’t soon forget or doubt what my pet is trying to tell me about another person.

Let’s face it; animals have a true God-given “knack” for knowing if another human being is good or bad.  We should all try to learn from this and never forget this.  If we would carry this thought with us each and every day, things might be so different in the world we live in now! 

The Meaning of Celebrating Christmas….

There are a variety of ways that people will celebrate Christmas, depending on traditions, how they were raised, family get-togethers and so much more.  The most obvious being how we celebrated holidays as children within our own families.  Most of us just go off of tradition.  Okay, nothing wrong with that, I am sure!  So, what is it that I am pondering today?  Well, funny you should ask…..

What I am pondering this morning as I sit here writing this is quite simple really!  I am pondering the need (that we as a society seemed to have made for ourselves) for commercialization.  In other words, I am pondering the need of running out practically every single moment before Christmas to find that “perfect gift” or to make sure that every single person in your life knows that you are thinking of them, regardless of what your relationship to them might be or might have been!  I mean, come on, now let’s get with it people!  You don’t have to “insist” on gifting to every single man, woman or child that you might have “passed” or had a quick conversation with at one time.

The true and most pure form of Christmas is when we sit back, relax and just enjoy our families.  We are SUPPOSED to do that.  We are supposed to enjoy the gathering of the family and the conversation that goes with it.  But, even more important than that, we are to gather with one another and remember that Christ died on that Cross to give us everlasting life.  Christ died in order to save us! 

That is amazing in itself.  I mean, who really does that?  Think about it!  I know that I would not hang from a cross in order to ‘free’ my fellow man!  I honestly don’t even think that I would have been able to utter the words to the thief next to me, “Forgive them Father, for they have sinned.”  I don’t think that is in my nature!

What I do think though, is that with each passing year, we are given yet another opportunity to show the love, kindness and dignity that Christ showed to us when he was on that Cross.  We are given the opportunity to treat each other right; do the right thing; even make someone else’s day just a little bit brighter.

I have learned through my own experiences and travels, that sometimes the best way to light up another person’s day is just to ask them a simple question, “Are you doing okay, today?”  It is amazing what the responses are that I have received!  And, trust me, as you stand or sit there listening, you just might learn something about someone!

We have amazing opportunities.  We are given amazing abilities each and every single day.  So, instead of complaining about what you DON’T have, why don’t we learn to appreciate what we DO have?!  Now, that would be a truly novel idea! 

And, who knows, it just might make the world a better place, by starting with one person at a time! 

a bare hint: What Scooter has taught me….

a bare hint: What Scooter has taught me….

Just a little something for Santa....and Christmas

So, let me start by writing this:  You may find this "all over the web"!  Please do NOT fill up the comments section with this information, as I am completely aware of this.  The fact is that I have about four or five additional blogs that I write for and maintain.  So, there are often times that some things tend to "overlap".  This is not a harmful thing!

Now, with that said.....enjoy your reading!!!  :)

Good Morning to all the boys and girls

All the World around

It’s that time of year again and I am checking my list

To see who has been naughty or nice

I know that you have tried, tried will all your might

To be as good as you can throughout each day and night

This season is special, special it is

For Santa is coming with reindeer and gifts

I wonder, have you thought of others as well as yourself

Do you notice those that have less than you?

Do you care for others without wanting anything in return?

Tis the season for giving, yes it is.

It’s also the season of receiving…that doesn’t always mean just you!

Think of those that have less than you, think of them often

They don’t just want toys or garments of sorts

Some of them just want a little more love and understanding

And even patience at times!

You have the ability to change the world

Even at your young age, you can do it, you can do it all

If you put your mind to it, then you can make it happen

And, happen it will!

For you are the children with hearts so pure, you are the children

With minds that are clear

So, tell me what you want and what is dear

I will make a note, I promise I will!

I will tell everyone all about you; I will tell everyone, it’s true!

Give a gift of yourself, give without notice

For in the true spirit of giving, you give without anyone ever knowing

It came from you!

So, I am asking you, children, what would you give to someone?

Would you give of yourself?

Would you help your mommy and daddy with things around the house?

After all, the true gift of the season is the gift of giving.

Why not try to give all through the year, not just at Christmas time?

It will bring you great cheer!

Your heart will fill with more with delight as you watch

The faces of those that you have touched

The joy that you will have throughout your heart

Is a joy that none can ever express

It’s a joy that you will have every single day and night!

So give what you can, give with all your might!

For Santa is watching, he’s watching you day and night!

What would you do if you could change the World?

What would you change first?  Would it be the need for better healthcare or would it be the fact that we need a better system in place for those that are truly suffering.  Perhaps, you would be concerned with the homeless Vets that are in this Nation today.  Or, maybe you would like to help these Vets that have fought for our Freedom and then they come back from the battlefield, only to find that their services were fine and great “away from home”, but once they are back on the United States of America soil, they are regarded as something out of a science fiction novel or a horror movie. 

Personally, from this writer’s perspective, there are many, many things that should really be done quite differently.  The fact is that we, as a Nation, have proven on more than several occasions that the Servicemen and Women that fight for our Freedoms and our Rights have been substantially UNDERAPPRECIATED!  That, for me, is totally and completely unacceptable.

We are so caught up in the day-to-day events of those that are famous or those that have “made a difference” within the realm of television or the reality of television, that we have seemingly gotten caught totally off-guard with respect to those men and women that are out there, every single day, fighting for our Rights and Freedoms and the Protection that has been afforded to us, as a Nation and as a society, by those same men and women that go into battle every single day!

These Members of Service don’t get a day off to relax.  These Members of Service don’t get to take Christmas off because it is a holiday.  They must stand at the “ready” at all times, regardless of what day it is.  Because, quite simply, Freedom IS NOT FREE!  Freedom is something that we have started to kind of take “advantage” of every single day.  We go to bed in our cozy little beds, in our cozy little houses, and never give a single thought to those that are on the Front Lines, defending our Rights to sleep in our beds, in our homes! 

As Veteran’s Day is fast approaching, I am left to ponder the many things that these Service Members do every single day, without one single moment of thought for their own lives!  They simply go out and do what must be done!  Unfortunately, and quite sadly, it is most evident when they get back to the United States, that the true reality is revealed, that they are not widely respected or regarded!  How sad this makes me feel!

I am from a Military Family.  I have travelled to many places that most will never see in their lifetimes.  I am PROUD to be a military ‘brat’!  In fact, looking back, I wouldn’t change any of it for one single moment.  The things that I have been taught, the things that I have seen, will forever be imprinted on my brain.  Being a Military Brat is not an easy thing to do.  We don’t get the luxury of growing up, attending school, graduating and having the same set of friends for the full 18 years of our lives.  We must make friends in a single moment and we must make sure that those friendships will last the rest of our lives.  Those friendships are forever forged between us because we know that our reality is that, in a few short months or years, we will be moving to somewhere else; although, where we might not know until the very last few weeks.  That leaves us just enough time to say our good-byes, and exchange mailing addresses and hug and cry and say that awful, so permanent word….”Good-Bye”! 

While most Military Brats will tell you, “Good-bye” is not a permanent word to us.  In fact, it is more like, “until we meet again”, or something along those lines.  We are forced to make friendships last and we are forced to settle into the new scheme of things rather quickly.  But, the point is, we do survive.  We do grow-up!  We do become contributing members of society.  But, what if we, the Military Brats, could change the world?  What would we change about it?

I know from my own personal experience, that the one thing that I would want to change is the lack of healthcare that our Soldiers receive when they come back to us.  Most of these Soldiers come back to us in a state of severe damage.  Whether it is physical damage or emotional damage, there is always some sort of damage that they are dealing with.  It is not easy to return home, and then be expected to return to “normal”.  Because, frankly, most of these Soldiers really don’t know what “normal” truly is.  The fact is that they simply return, knowing that they did the best that they could do, given the extreme, life-threatening, circumstances that they have been living with!

So, I think that they way that I would want to change the World is very simple!  We truly need better health care services for our Members of Service.  We need to recognize that these Soldiers are coming back here with some sort of “damage”, or that they are coming back here with some sort of psychological issues that really need to be dealt with.  They should not be left here in the United States, homeless, starving, living on the streets with disregard for what they have done for us.  They should be held to a much, much HIGHER standard than anyone else on this Earth.

Without these Service Members, YOU and I would not have the Freedoms that we have today and continue to enjoy each and every single day!

Writing can be a form of therapy...

I do my own writing.  I write from the heart.  I write whatever is on my mind at that particular moment.  It isn’t often that I have to go and do a lot of research about any one area or topic that I am writing about.  The simple answer is that I just have too much of my own personal experience.  I have never once worried about whether or not I was ‘stealing’ from someone else.  In fact, that is the one thing that I pride myself on the most, the fact that I don’t steal any content from anywhere on the web.  I only write from my own personal views and personal experiences. 

The biggest thing that I pride myself on is my ability to come up with new and original content all the time.  For every single post that you are reading, I have done this on my own.  I have no help from the internet.  I have no help, nor do I want help from previous articles or write-ups that might be similar to the subject that I am writing about.  I CHOOSE to write this way.  And, not once has any of my writings come back to me or been ‘flagged’ by someone else or have I been accused of Plagiarizing someone else’s writings. 

Although, sadly, I have begun to see my own writings being put out on the web as “Original Content” that has clearly been written, or should I say, COPIED by someone else and that person wants to call it their own.  Well, there are several recourses that I have available to me.  The biggest one, of course, is the WEB!!!  The web offers me many, many different ways to ‘claim’ my writings as my own.  And, I make sure to use those options.  That is why I have several blogger sites, in addition to my Wordpress sites.  I take my writing very seriously.  So, I don’t want to see any of my articles or writings anywhere else on the web.

I am amazed every single day that I rarely lack for anything to write about.  I am truly blessed.  I have an amazing life; although, because of some medical and health related issues there are days that I simply cannot write anything at all.  That is when I usually take a few days ‘off’ so to speak.  Even with taking those days off, I am always thinking and my brain is constantly ‘running’.  I have a multitude of stories that are constantly running around in my head that need to be told.  Or, at least, I feel that they need to be told.  I also think that in some way, it is also a benefit to me to be able to write. 

Writing has enabled me to deal with some much more personal issues that I have never truly dealt with.  I just kept pushing them deeper and deeper into my soul.  It was as if I was trying to just push all that hurt, anger, shame and pain out of my body.  Unfortunately, it hasn’t worked real well.  But, then along comes my blog and my ‘writings’ as I call them.  Who knew that this could be so beneficial for someone like me?  I never realized how cathartic this could truly be for me. 

 
You see, with writing, especially in this way, I have no judges, no ‘preachers’, no one telling me, “I told you so”, or, “I told you not to do that”, or any of those negative things that just tend to bring someone right back down to the rock-bottom place that they were trying to get out of to begin with.  Of course, there is always therapy….but, really, who wants to sit in a chair (an uncomfortable one at that) and constantly be asked that really, most irritating question….”Now, how does that make you feel?”  Doesn’t that just drive you mad?  The whole point of a person going to therapy is to find out what is going on.  You already know how you FEEL for crying out loud!  You don’t need a therapist to ask you that question over and over again.  After all, you came to THERAPY to find out why you feel the way that you do!!!

Working at home advise....

In my years of working with the internet and building my own business, there are literally MILLIONS and MILLIONS of possibilities that I have found out there.  Let’s face it, if you can think of it, someone else has already written an article about it or thought of it themselves!  But, then the question becomes, “now what?  What do I sell now?”  And, that is a tough question.  Unless you are ready for the very hard reality that will come at you, in a very short and quick amount of time, you will crumble to the floor, weeping, crying, screaming, you name it, you will feel those emotions!  That sucks!  And, then the reality will hit when you realize that you have spent money on all these ‘schemes’ and gotten absolutely NOTHING in return.  You are just plain, out the money.  So, you gotta suck it up and move on to the next thing on the to-do list.

Now, we have the hardest part over with, for now.  Believe me, there is so much more to come.  The truth about the internet market is that it is one tough cookie.  And, if you aren’t prepared for it, believe me, you will fail and you will fail miserably.  But, hey, you don’t have to believe me; you can check it out for yourself!  There are literally thousands and MILLIONS of people out there on the web that would love nothing better than to take your money, sell you a ‘song’ or a product, or an “instant website, that can be up and running in as little as 3 days”!  O.k.!  Then what?  What those lovely, so helpful marketers don’t tell you is that, once that site is up and ‘live’, you are ON YOUR OWN!  So, good luck with that one.  You won’t get any support, of any kind, unless of course, you ‘upgrade’ to another package; that usually ranges in the neighborhood of $3,500 - $6,000.  Trust me; I have been through all of this.  I have been through this so often, that I know all the marketing ploys and I know all the ‘scripts’ by heart when they call me.  And, yes, they still call me!

Now, after having gone through all of this, I can speak from my heart as I write this and tell you that now, after many, many frustrating years at trying to make a little extra money from the web, I am now here!  Here is what I refer to with respect to my writing ‘gig’ as I call it.  My writing gig is something that I just happened to fall into so to speak.  And, what a ride this has been!  But, I wouldn’t trade one single moment of this for anything.  This experience has taught me so much!

Here’s a thought for you:  When you consider selling your ‘stuff’ on the net, consider that when you begin this journey, don’t forget the most important part of this….and that is YOU!  YOU will control whether or not YOU are a success.  It really does depend on YOU! 

Yes, you will get discouraged, trust me on that one!  Yes, there will be days when you ask yourself, ‘why me?’!  But, if you continue through all of this, you will come out on top.  You will be a success.  I know this to be a fact because I have been EXACTLY where you are now!  It has taken me over 3 years to finally begin to see a little bit of a return for all of my hard work.  Not to mention the ‘sweat equity’ that I have had to invest.  Writing is something that does not come easy to a lot of people.  You actually ‘have it’ or you don’t!  It is that simple!  You can choose to write boring, poorly-written content, or you can CHOOSE to write content that you are proud of.

I never would have thought of myself as a writer.  But, if it hadn’t been for a chance ‘meeting’ so to speak, via the web, I might never have gotten into this myself.  I was so down on myself and so depressed because of the money issues and the fact that I didn’t feel that I would be a good enough writer to be able to ‘hang with it’ so to speak.

Fortunately, for me, a really beautiful, wonderful person came into my life through another website that I had joined.  She saw my capabilities.  She encouraged me to start writing.  And, with her compliments, support, and always having something POSITIVE to say to me, I began to grow and experience the joy of writing and the joy of expression through WORDS! 

Some artists paint, some artists build from their designs, and then there are the artists, like myself, who are WRITERS.  Trust me; writers are a truly gifted breed.  Because, just like with an artist who paints, you either have this ‘gift’ or you don’t!

This is how I recommend that you cope with negative sales experiences:

 ·       Sell stuff that you have personally reviewed, and will be able to believe your own pitch.

·       Be honest, even when those you tell the truth, are thinking every word is b.s..

·       One nice person weighs as much as three jerks on the:  “it’s-fun-to-work-with-the-public” scale.

·       Think like a proctologist.

One of the MOST IMPORTANT things that I have learned (and trust me, this is a valuable lesson) is that, every single time your phone rings, and trust me it will ring off the hook with salespeople wanting you to buy their products to build your website; when that phone rings and you know it’s a salesperson, get in front of your computer IMMEDIATELY!  Look up the website that they are talking to you about.  Look up the company name and Google the business ratings for that company.  That, in itself, will immediately tell you whether or not this is a good company or a fly-by-night company.

If the company has no rating, then I would suggest that you tread very cautiously!  Otherwise, you are going to get yourself into a whole bunch of financial troubles that you cannot get yourself out of.  Also, be sure to tell them that you need a couple of days to think about it!  They hate that!  They hate that because it means that they aren’t going to make a commission off of you and the phone call!  They will be pushy, that’s their job, they will be blunt, but, they also HATE it when you say, “I’m going to have to think about this”; or, “I have to speak with my husband/wife about this before I can make a decision”!  They really HATE that one!  In fact, that is usually when they will become extremely pushy and try to do everything that they can to get you to give up your credit card information.  DO NOT DO THIS!!!!!! 

Just because it may sound good at the time, doesn’t necessarily mean that it is a good deal.  And, besides that, you have to be extra careful in this day and age because of the cyber criminals that are out there.  All they want is your credit card information and they are off and running!

I will close this by telling you this (although this saddens me the most):  You have to be EXTREMELY careful of people that call you from Nigeria, Africa or some of those Countries.  Sadly, these are the “CYBER-CRIME Capitals of the World anymore!  And, these thieves truly only ever want your credit card information and they are off the phone and on to the store or a website to run you into financial ruin!

And, that my friends, is the truth and the reality of working from home.  It is not glamorous, it is not a get-rich-quick sort of thing.  It takes hard work, dedication, time, commitment (and I don’t mean the looney-bin kind of commitment either), and a definite belief in what you are doing and that you are making a service available for others.