I thought I was the only one

“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought I was the only one.”
-C.S. Lewis

Friendship is an interesting topic.  Friends have things in common.  Friends enjoy each others company.  The closer you are, the more you are aware of that person.  I have friends I've met briefly or have yet to meet in person who know me better than friends who live down the street.  While I understand the ideal that friendship should be based on mutual interests, "I thought I was the only one." seems very lonely to me.  In this world of great technological advancements often people forget how to communicate.

I am a product of my decisions

I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions. - Stephen Covey

Everyone has hardships.  Everyone has a life's story.  It isn't your background, family, education, friends, home, or job that define you.  Your circumstances may shape your outlook or viewpoint but your decisions ultimately determine results.  How you see life and how you live life are only separated by the fine line of your decision making.

About Violence

There are many variations on this post.  The last frame always has the same theme.  It's normally three to six frames in length.  In the first few frames it displays other video games with ludicrous examples.  In a three frame tier, it might show a popular farming game with the caption "This doesn't make me a farmer." in the first frame.  In the second frame, it might display a popular cooking game with the caption "This doesn't make me a cook."  Regardless of the number of frames the final frame is always some kind of popular action or shooter game with the caption "Why would this make me a murderer?"  It makes a good point.  If a person isn't violent to begin with or doesn't have violent tendencies, no amount of TV, movie, or video game violence will make that individual violent.  In our world, there must be reasons for everything.  To have closure, we must know why.  There are wars.  There are bombings.  There are shootings.  There are car accidents.  There are kidnappings.  There are murders.  There are runaways.  There are plane crashes.  There are so many tragedies.  Even more so, there are people seeking closure who just want a reason why.  It's easy to place the blame on something inanimate.  In many ways, it helps to relieve some of the pain of the loss.  This blame is misplaced but if it helps to heal a broken heart as long as they do no harm, it doesn't hurt to hate a rabbit as long as there are no plans to kill it.  "Rabbit" being whatever the victim's family chooses to blame. 

The magic comes from within

Alice came to a fork in the road.  “Which road do I take?” she asked.
“Where do you want to go?” responded the Cheshire cat.
“I don’t know,” Alice answered.
“Then,” said the cat, “it doesn’t matter.”
-Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland


This quote always makes me smile.  If you lack a purpose in life, it doesn’t matter what direction you take.  It’s preferable to do something than to sit by convinced that someone or something will come along to show you the way.  Life continues whether you want it to or not.  You determine how you live your life and where it takes you.  There is no magic cat to follow through wonderland.  The magic comes from within.


::Originally Posted http://blastkat.wordpress.com/2013/08/12/the-magic-comes-from-within/

It's good to have preferences but better to always educate yourself

I really enjoy enjoy eating mushrooms therefore it is very difficult to select a favorite.  However, my cousin Odie who I spent many summers in my youth at my Mama's[1] home with loves to wander in the woods and collect edible plants like sassafras root and oyster mushrooms.   Growing up, I grew fond of his licorice flavored sassafras teas and many many edible wild plant recipes in particular a stir fry including copious amounts of oyster mushrooms.  I suppose if I had to pick a favorite I would select oyster mushrooms.
[1] Note:  Mama is what we called our Grandmother on our Dad's side of the family.

This entry always makes me smile.  I grew up with my brother, many cousins, and two nannies to keep watch over us.  Our nanny Faye was always convinced Odie was trying to poison us.  She suspiciously tried each of his concoctions first.  Our nannies were highly superstitious.  I suppose it's cultural. 

These days there are many cultures.  I'm not just speaking in a traditional sense.  The Twitter culture for example is very different than the Facebook, the Google+, the Tumblr, or the Pinterest cultures.  Each has their own set of rules and  norms.  What may be acceptable on one social platform is out of the norm or completely unacceptable in another.  In social networking, you may have your preferences or favorite but unlike other topics it's your responsibility as a good citizen of each network to learn acceptable and unacceptable behavior.

It's not just social taboo or superstition.  Anything you do online is a permanent reflection of yourself.  You don't want a social misunderstanding to inadvertently represent you in a negative manner.  While it's possible to rebrand, there's always that lingering misstep that could've been avoided had you only bothered to properly educate yourself or at least tidy up per each site's privacy regulations.  It's good to have preferences but better to maintain a clean house so to speak, to keep up to date on the TOS for example and to always educate yourself.

My Favorite "Point"

I was once asked what my favorite point was...  It's an open ended question.  Most people answered typically -- pencil points, pen points, crayon points, laser points, to make a point... Well, that last answer was a bit more creative.  My answer was:  My favorite point is the one where I don't disap-"point" my children. It means a lot to me to make them just as proud of me as I am of them.

Parents always say, "Make me proud".  Children always seek their parent's approval.  I'm a single parent.  I've seen disappointment in my children's' eyes.  It has never been directed towards me.  I'd never want this.  I'd never want my children to be any less proud of me than my parents.  I often wonder if parents hear the way they speak to their children in public.  I wonder if they are capable of perceiving themselves in the same way strangers perceive them.  I wonder if they would modify their behavior if they could see what others see.  I wonder how they would react if they could see things through the eyes of their children.  There are so many people in life who you'd want to impress, who you'd want to be proud of you.  Shouldn't the first people on that list be yourself and your family?     

When you climb your way to the pinnacle of success, who do you want by your side?

People are so focused on immediate results and productivity, they tend to ignore the value of taking your time

Our grocery stores here are open all night.  When the day is through and the stores are empty, my youngest daughter and I leisurely stroll the isles.  It's nice and quiet.  All the fresh cooked from that morning bread, donuts, deli products, chicken, and such are half price or more off.  I've already pre-loaded our loyalty card with coupons before we go for extra savings.  Grocery shopping is a casual expedition with my daughter.  I suppose I'm torn with my favorite part of grocery shopping being the great value or the quiet experience of shopping at night.

Often it's the every day experiences that are a great reminder to slow down and not rush through life.  Shopping for groceries is a simple necessity.  In the silence of the night as we are able to leisurely shop, check and recheck our grocery list without the normal disturbances of daily life not only do we not rush and not forget items but we are also more apt not to take as long shopping.  We take our time.  We bother to recheck our grocery list.  It's less crowded.  The urgency to exit the store as quickly as possible isn't present.  Since, we bother to make certain we have all the necessary items, the need to return to the store immediately after leaving which causes stress doesn't exist.  There's great value in planning and taking your time.  Many people are so focused on immediate results and productivity, they tend to ignore the latter.