2015 June “From My Perspective”
CONFIDENCE IS NOT “THEY WILL LIKE ME”. CONFIDENCE IS “I’LL BE FINE IF THEY DON’T”.
I saw this sign and
wanted to share it with you. It came as
a post from another mother of a challenged child. A friend of mine has a challenged child and
had watched her son stand up to some bullies.
Here is was she told a group of us who all have challenged
children: “I witnessed something today
that broke my heart. Jim was in our yard. Four boys from his school walked
by...I didn't know them. I didn't hear what they said...but I heard Jim say,
"You can't tell me to get lost when I am in my own yard." He then
walked toward our back yard, but I saw that his cheeks were red from
embarrassment. The kids walked away. I wanted to yell at the kids to ask them
why they can’t be nice to Jim. Truth is, I was afraid of embarrassing him
further. He did a great job of standing up for himself. But, it hurts my
heart. As much as I wish everything was
great at school...I know that this happens. He DOES have some friends and he
loves school. This breaks my heart.” This was my reply to her: “Yes it hurts and
it will always no matter how old they are. I applaud Jim for what he said to
them. He is right on point and good for him for telling them to buzz off
because he was on his own turf. Because he stood up for himself and spoke FACT,
not EMOTION, they just may not be so quick to chastise him. He verbally showed
them the floor on an up close and personal level. Give him a hug and tell him
how proud you are of his courage to tell them the truth and, in essence, to
leave him alone. Your praise and hug, too, builds self-confidence.”
If you’re feeling down and out, find a
picture of an Australian quokka. It has
a permanent smile. If you’re really down
in the dumps, listen to a hyena. Their
“laugh” can be heard for 3 miles. Goats
have accents! Yes, it is true. Just
think about the accent of a southern goat…. “Aaaaaaa y’all.”
We
live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It’s easy to say
“It’s not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.” Then there
are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes.
-Fred Rogers, television host, songwriter, and author (20 Mar 1928-2003) Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood aired in
1968. It was soon televised nationally
through the public access channel in Peoria,
IL. How happy I was to know this because I had
lived in Pittsburgh, PA, the home of Mr. Fred Rogers and place of
broadcast, since 1960. When my children
were born, I’d turn the program on and sit down to watch it, too. His demeanor was calm and it calmed me, as
well as, taught me. Some of his beliefs
are engrained in my being. Here are some
facts about this dear man who taught so many just by being who and what he was: Many of the sweaters he wore on the show were
made by his mother. He wore sneakers on
the show because they made less noise than normal dress shoes as he moved
around behind the sets. He was an
ordained Presbyterian minister. His
passion was creating and contributing to wholesome children’s television
programs. He was a vegetarian and did
not smoke or drink alcohol. He was never
a sniper in the military, as was rumored; he was a pacifist. He was the same on the set as he was in real
life. His belief was, “One of the
greatest gifts you can give anybody is the gift of your honest self. I also believe kids can spot a phony a mile
away.” He composed most of the music on
his show. Sadly, his show ended in
August 2001 and he died of stomach cancer at the age of 74 on February 27,
2003. The world, well mine was at times,
a better place when he was here. Thank
you, Mr. Rogers, I’m glad you were “my neighbor”.
I don’t know about you, but there are times
I have trouble falling
asleep. Here is the “discussion” between
me and my brain. Me: “All
right, shut off. I’m tired.”
Brain: “I don’t want to. I have things to work on that I haven’t
covered for 18 hours.” Me: “I’m
not going to let you. You’re going to go
blank.”
Brain: “Really?? Remember all those stupid mistakes you’ve
made in your life?” Me: “Oh, you’re going to
bring all that up NOW?” Brain:
“Well, those are some of the things I haven’t covered for 18 hours.”
Me: “You know I’m thinking of
words Mother never taught me!” Brain:
“You’re cluttering and interfering with my processing.”
Me: evil laugh.
The most expensive thing in this world is
TRUST. It can take years to earn and only a matter of
seconds to lose. This is one of Life’s
experiences I’ve tried to teach to others.
IRISHMAN'S
FIRST DRINK WITH HIS SON:
While reading an article last night about fathers and sons, memories
came flooding back to the time I took me son out for his first pint. Off we went to our local pub only two blocks
from the cottage. I got him a Guinness.
He didn't like it, so I drank it. Then
I got him a Kilkenny's, he didn't like that either; so, I drank it. Finally, I thought he might like some Harp
Lager? He didn't. I drank it.
I thought maybe he'd like whiskey better than beer so we tried a Jameson's,
nope! In desperation, I had him try
that rare Redbreast, Ireland's finest. He wouldn't
even smell it. What could I do but
drink it! By the time I realized he
just didn't like to drink, I was so snookered I could hardly push his stroller
back home.
The doctor told me I had to watch what I was eating. He knows my sense of humor and way with semantics. To avoid any lack of particulars on my part, he told me he wanted me to write down everything I ate and give it to him every Monday morning for a while. I followed his directions. Monday rolled around as usual. I gave him the paper. For Thursday I wrote, “’Ate salad for dinner. It was mostly one large crouton, with tomato sauce, and cheese”. He mentioned it to me with a questioning look. “Trudy, just ONE crouton with tomato sauce and cheese? Are you sure it was a crouton?” he asked suspiciously. I couldn’t look him in the eye. “Well??” he asked. “Oh, all right. It was a pizza. I ate a pizza!”
Here
are some questions you might have, too:
Why do people keep running over a thread a
dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine
it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance? How
important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated and
not just murdered? Did you notice
assassinated has two “ass”es? When you
get to Heaven, do you have to wear the clothes you were buried in? Why do people pay to go up in tall buildings
and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground? Is there a vowel in the word “Why” if “y” is
a consonant 99% of the time?
Never bear more than one trouble at a time.
Some people bear three kinds -- all they have had, all they have now, and all
they expect to have. -Edward Everett Hale, author (3 Apr 1822-1909)
“MOM!!!!! I can’t find my shoes in this house!!”
screamed the 18 year old. “Really? Remember in April when we went out to the
farm grounds and you found 37 eggs in the long grass and hay? You can find your shoes, sweetie; I’m sure of
it,” said I.
When one says, “I’m going to
the john, most others know exactly where you’re going. I’m going to call my bathroom, “JIM”. That way, when I say, “I’m going to the jim,”
it will be thought that I actually worked out.
My friend has 3 formidable dogs who are very
protective. One’s name is Cherry, one’s name is Peaches,
and the other’s name is Prunes. Yep, you
guessed it….they’re pits.
O innocent victims of Cupid, / Remember this
terse little verse: / To let a fool kiss you is stupid, / To let a kiss fool
you is worse. -Yip Harburg,
lyricist (8 Apr 1896-1981)
When I was a kid,
Daddy would sometimes swear then say, “Excuse my French.” One day my 4th grade teacher asked
if anyone spoke French. I raised my
hand.
This was sent to me by a special friend. “GRATITUDE”
“I write about the power of trying, because I
want to be okay with failing. I write about generosity because I battle
selfishness. I write about joy because I know sorrow. I write about faith
because I almost lost mine, and I know what it is to be broken and in need of
redemption. I write about gratitude because I am thankful - for all of it.” I can identify with it all.
There have been times we all wish we knew a
better word to call or
describe someone, especially when we’re angry with them. Here are a few which may come in handy. Stolid (stahl-id): adjective:
Having or showing little emotion; dull; impassive. Dour: adjective: Sullen; severe; gloomy; stubborn. Intractable: adjective:
Not easily handled, managed, or controlled.
I was just frustrated. I’d tried to enable happiness in many people during the week, but it seemed
futile. A dear friend heard my lamenting
and said, “Trudy, stop trying to make everyone happy. You’re not chocolate, pizza, or a bottle of
wine.” Right then, everything went into
perspective.
According to an irate teenaged daughter, I'm
"the horridest mother
in my life. I don't want you to be my mother ever again. You don't care about
me. You don't like me." Well, I guess I've done something right to warrant
all these "accolades". However, she was grammatically incorrect.
HORRIDEST is not a word. "Most horrid" would be acceptable.
Words without thoughts never to heaven go.
-Shakespeare, poet and dramatist (23 Apr 1564-1616)
Grumbling, Brenduhh
sat down at the kitchen table for some tea.
“What’s wrong today?” I asked.
“Well, last night the hubster and I were drinking some wine and nibbling
on bread and cheese. He said, ‘How about
you toast the bread?’ So, I raised my
glass and said, ‘Here’s to bread with wine.’
He got all mad for no reason at all, Trudy.” Bless her heart. There was a pause, then she said, “He’s been
talking about Viagra. He doesn’t realize
how hard it is to bring up that subject.”
I about choked on my tea.
Remember when this symbol, #, meant “pound”,
“number”, tic-tac-toe
game? Now it means HASHTAG…whatever that
is. I came across a list of internet acronyms,
text message jargon, abbreviations, initialisms, cyberslang, leetspeak, SMS
code, textese. HCB (Holy Cow Batman),
it’s a whole different language out there.
Not only are there letters and some symbols used, but there are numbers,
too, which replace letters. A group of
letters can replace an entire sentence.UR2G2B4G---You are too good to be
forgotten. @TEOTD----At the end of the
day. Bette Davis’ famous line can now be
reduced to FYSBIGTBABR---“Fasten your seat belts; it’s going to
be a bumpy ride.” As an English teacher
who taught composition, I can only imagine what essays would look like if all
these symbols, abbreviations, initialisms, etc. would be used. TTFN….Tah Tah For Now.
SCRABBLE is one of my favorite games. Sometimes I get stumped when 2-lettered words would
fit. Here are 5 acceptable ones I found. Aa--Lava
having a rough surface; from Hawaiian
meaning “to burn”. Id--The unconscious, instinctive part of the psyche in Freudian
theory. Nu--interjection: Well; so.
noun: The 13th letter of the Greek alphabet. Os--noun:
1. A mouth or an orifice. [plural ora] 2. A bone. [plural ossa] Ye--definite article: The. pronoun:
You.
It’s easy to judge. It’s more difficult to understand. Understanding requires
compassion, patience, and a willingness to believe that good hearts sometimes
choose poor methods. Through judging, we
separate. Through understanding, we
grow. PEACE…..Trudy J
