💟💕 February 2025 FROM MY PERSPECTIVE

February 2025--the month of love toward another.  I’d like to mention loving yourself.  I believe, you can’t love another as deeply as you want until you love yourself, first.  A long time ago, I had a friend who struggled with loving herself.  She was hesitant to call some others on the disrespectful way they talked to her and treated her.  It about drove me nutz!!!  One day, I’d heard too much from a person talking disrespectfully and critically to her.  I called the person on their verbiage, which shut them up and they left.  Later, I sent my friend a message.  Here is what it said:  From Alice in Wonderland ---“If you don't love yourself, at least a little, if you don't create an armor of self-love and happiness around your heart, the feeble annoyances caused by others will become lethal and will destroy you.”  You need to love you, see all the good in you, and have so much respect for you that you will not allow another to disrespect you in words or actions. I know you can do it. It is not disappointing God for you to do this, if you’re afraid you’ll disappoint Him. What disappoints Him is you allowing others to disrespect you and emotionally hurt you. When you allow that, you're telling Him, "You made a mistake. You made junk because junk can be treated this way."  God does not make mistakes, nor does He make junk.

Morgan Freeman has said a lot of wise things.  Here are some I really like:  “If they left your life and you gained peace, you didn’t lose, you won!”  “People will start hating you when they cannot control you.”  “Fear doesn't always make people run from that which they fear. Often times it makes them attack that which they fear.” “Fatigue, discomfort, discouragement are merely symptoms of effort.” “Kindness in thinking or giving creates profoundness and happiness. Kindness in saying creates an everlasting love"

Brenduhh came over upset.  “What is wrong that you’re so upset, sweetie?” I asked her.  Through her sniffles she said, “Bobb, my boyfriend, was testing his car lights and asked me to help him.  As he was driving, he told me to put my head out the window to see if it worked.  So, I put my head out the window and told him, ‘Yes, no, yes, no, yes, no.’ He got mad and yelled at me, Trudy.”  I told her I understood her sadness, but assured her it was not an on-off relationship.

Your smile is your logo; your personality is your business card; and the way you make others feel is your trademark.  Go and glow, kind ones.  You bring joy and comfort to others just by smiling. J 

Were you ever around someone and think, “Camouflage duct tape and dark plastic would look good on you” or, “I know now why your mama changed her name” or, “You’d get lost in a round closet.”?

I'm not real happy with the way CVS has become so impartial to its customers. The pharmacy is a prime example and my main complaint. You can NOT talk directly to a pharm tech or pharmacist. You have to leave your name, birth date, and telephone number and they will return your call "when your position number comes up." I can understand it with large, city CVSs, but a local one which has 99% of its business from the surrounding community has to do this, too. Cripes, the staff knows most of their customers by their first names!!! So, when I mentioned this to one of the staff, I was told they totally understood, and I may call this number to register my concern and complaint: 1 -800-shopcvs---1-800-746-7287. There you have it, y'all. The complaint center at your finger tip of choice, and it just takes one standing tall in the middle.

Did you know the only thing in your life achieved without effort is failure?  Everything worth having costs effort; sometimes just a little, and sometimes a lot.  BUT, effort was put forth.

I’m sure most, if not all of you, have had a rough day now and then.  I surely have.  Sometimes I’m not where I can yell, swear, or cry, BUT I surely can “THFFPT” and “Pffphfft” and raspberries my lips.  Of course, some listeners think I’m making the sound of the other end of my body.  They usually walk away.  Mission accomplished!

Aint Daisy was a bit irritated when I stopped by.  “Hello, dear friend.  What seems to be a trouble for you?” I asked.  She told me of an encounter she’d had with a “sassy pants” person.  I asked her what she was going to say and how she’d handle that person.  She said, “Not a thang, Chile.  Did-ja know not sayin’ anythang is a message, an’ not doin’ anythang is, also, a message?  They are!  Silence can be very loud, an’ not-a doing anythang can have quite an impact.”  More wisdom from my sweet Lady of the Holler.

I was called “ignorant” by someone I didn’t know, nor knew me.  It was on a social media forum (aren't they fun?).  I told them, “I’d rather be ignorant than stupid.”  They mentioned ignorant and stupid are the same.  Oh, “man the verbal torpedos”!!!  I told them, “Ignorance is a lack of good information. Stupidity is ignoring good information. Education can cure ignorance, but NOTHING can cure stupidity.”

One of our cats hurt her paw.  She lay around not moving much, nor walking.  I noticed she was laying against certain walls, which was unusual for her.  I wondered why these particular walls.  So, I put my hand on each one and felt a slight vibration from the whole-house fan which was running.  It was like her purring.  It is scientifically proven that a cat’s purring gives comfort and helps heal humans and other animals.  She was healing herself with help from the whole-house purring fan.

I went to the doctor recently after having some blood tests done.  He came in with a frown on his face, saying, “Trudy, your blood pressure is up, your cholesterol is up, and your blood sugar is up.”  I told him, “Well, there’s one thing not up…..my boobs.  You haven’t said a thing about low my boobs are.”  He turned his back for a moment.

Toby Keith wrote a song called AIN’T NO RIGHT WAY.  The chorus of the song says:                      “There is no right way To do the wrong thing/. You can justify, But it is still black and white.  Paint it any shade, But it would not change;  There is no right way, To do the wrong thing.”                                You are never wrong doing what’s right.  It might seem that way, but it is true.  It takes twice as much effort to make a positive than it does to make a negative.  Here is proof:  + vs. -.  You’ll notice the plus/positive sign has two lines, and the negative sign has only one. 

Some things are questionable and unusual which are protected by some states’ constitutions.  Florida has a clause which protects pigs from slaughter or being harmed.  The pig has to be pregnant, though.  Pigs have been found to be very smart, empathetic, and capable of feeling a wide range of emotions.  Elephants are very smart, and their brains are 3-4 times larger than a human’s.  They can recognize themselves.  They communicate through body language, touch, scent, and trumpet calls.  They can purr like cats.  I believe in purr therapy, but I don’t want an elephant on my lap.

I love Calvin and Hobbs philosophy.  This one is so true:  “There’s never enough time to do all the nothing you want to do.”

It’s not always what’s on the surface which counts or what’s on top.  Some think the low man on the totem pole is the lesser of all.  NO, it’s the strongest of all because he has to hold up all which is above him.  Think about a pie and the lower crust.  It supports the filling and top crust.  Of course, there are bottomless crust pies, but I prefer to have one with a bottom crust to hold the delicious filling in place as I devour the goodness.

A friend and I have a mutual friend.  This friend of ours is one of those “one-up people”.  Both stopped by for some coffee and chatter. My dear friend told she’d had a hard day.  One-up friend said she had a harder one.  My friend mentioned she’d baked two loaves of bread the day before for her family; one-up friend said she’d produced 6 loaves the day before for a food bank.  My friend mentioned she had enjoyed her trip to Tennessee.  One-up friend, trying to not be out done, mentioned she’d enjoyed a trip to Elevennsee. 

“‘Every house where love abides, and friendship is a guest, is surely home, and home-sweet-home, for there the heart can rest.”  Henry Van Dyke   May your home be your sanctuary of peace and rest, and your heart filled with love.   Trudy