Tag Archives: encouragement

Monday, October 20-2025

@vegipower.bsky.social

We got back not long ago from visiting my husband, Harvey, at the nursing home. Today’s visit was a good one.

As always, there are good and bad parts, but the good started when he looked welcoming, rather than affronted or disturbed, when we opened the door to his room. He looked much better and more alert than he did on Friday.

He started by announcing he had fathered several children on Mars….

But then it got better. We got his agreement to turn off the TV because we wanted to talk with him. He followed what we were saying and actually wanted to know “what we were up to!”

I told him about my idea of getting a tattoo and showed him a picture. I asked him what he thought about it and he said, “Fine.” He then decided HE wanted to get one too – one of a screaming eagle honoring his time in the Marine Corps. Of course, that will never happen, but it was fun to fantasize.

He was very impressed when I showed him a picture of the flowers Khun Nong, my housekeeper, left for me Friday.

He was able to drink the grape drink Brian brought and enjoyed it. At one point, I had to ask him to swallow. He finally did, and then asked, “Are you worried that the grape drink will turn my tongue purple” I told him I didn’t care what color his tongue was – I just didn’t want him to choke. The nurse wanted him to eat a Thai banana and also some Thai “cake” from a package. He turned up his nose at both, but might have eaten them after we left.

I left encouraged for the first time in a long time. It was good that he recognized us, seemed free from pain and was comfortable, actually participated in the conversation some, and looked happy to see us. 😁🙏🏻

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Different Measurement

TikTok

I’ve told you that I’m trying to lose the lard and get as healthy as possible as I age.

On the eating front, I’m fasting from dinner the night before until lunch the following day, eating a low-carb diet using MyFitnessPal.com to log what I’m eating and drinking each day. My scales, though, better, are still laughing at me and GRUDGINGLY giving me good news from time to time.

On the exercise front, I do exercises with 3-pound weights in-between writing blog posts, several repetitions of many different moves before writing another post, then doing some chair exercises that are supposed to strengthen my abdomen (core.) In the afternoon, I’m doing half an hour to 45 minutes of yoga stretches. I’m consciously trying to move more, taking on projects like standing on my head (figuratively) in my closet upstairs, cleaning it out, trying on clothes, and bagging up stuff to donate to the Veterans Thrift Store in Fort Smith the next time we go. I’m trying to choose things – or they choose me – that involve a lot of pulling and hauling, going up and down stairs, in and out to the garage, or something similar. I measure at the end of every month to see if I’ve made any progress.

In cleaning out my closet, I’ve found another standard of measurement in my efforts – jeans.

When I started trying to lose the lard, and until I started going through my closet this past week, I was delighted to discover that I could do away with my fattest jeans. (The ones that had elastic at the waist, rather than a zipper.) As I tried on more things, I discovered that the next jeans size down was ALSO too big! HOOORAAAAAY! I’m now wearing jeans that are 3 sizes down from my worst. Now THAT is motivation to try to keep my mouth shut and continue my efforts. They AREN’T in vain. I AM making progress!

There is one jean and shorts size smaller than I now have stacked on the top shelf in my closet. It will probably be some time before I can wear those, but again, they are motivation. Fingers crossed.

I will weigh and measure at the end of the month, as usual, and report to you as I have promised, but I was grinning as I showed my husband. :0)

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Filed under Challenges, Changes, DIET!, empowerment, Encouragement, exercise, motivators

Good Morning

@lisahsmithlhs On X

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Kudos

@Tweets Of Dogs on X – 8 year old son in school competition

I think this is beyond amazing for ANY age person. I hope he gets a lot of encouragement about his talent. Winning the competition would be great, but I think a support group’s reactions and some opportunities coming his way would be even better.

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Heartwarming

Miguel Ordonez and Mindaugas Balciauskas – BoredPanda.com

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Reminder

Woobies Corner

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Be

LeaninTree

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Wednesday 5-15-2024

@WiseConnector On X via my good friend, Cathy

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Good People

Posted by Noble Ron @perry_ron on Twitter

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Suggestion

The Internal Alchemy on Twitter

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Wish

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April 16, 2023 · 11:10 am

Friends

Clarity Clinic

A shout-out this morning to my good friend Marsha.

She lives across the country from me, but in my heart all the time.

We are helping each other be the healthiest we can be by each motivating the other to exercise every day.

She is walking to the post office daily and also using a new pedaler in her home so she doesn’t have to depend on the weather being good.

I am doing yoga practice daily and then ‘something else,’ including, but not limited to, at least one of the following –

  • elliptical trainer in the garage
  • online walking and/or weights videos
  • yard work
  • walking around the yard

We KNOW that exercise is good for us, but each of us is a master at making excuses for NOT doing it. We care about each other, though, and are now comparing notes daily.

If we have done what we promised each other (and ourselves) we would do, we put a star on our calendar. If not, we tell them we love them and encourage them to do better the next day.

Yesterday we both got a star! We’ll try to do it again today. :0)

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Filed under Encouragement, exercise, Friendship

Empowered

Freepik

Okay. I’m back, I THINK. I’m feeling empowered, since I really thought about my problem, figured out the first part (making the images list alphabetical), then thought again, then figured out how to get my pics into where I needed them so I could find them and get them out again. ALL BY MYSELF.

I still need to really pay attention when I save an image to be SURE I check on where it’s going before hitting ‘save.’

I just went and smilingly told my husband I had figured out how to get my pics to show up in the right place and usable. He just looked pleased, patted my hand, and then went back to reading his book. That’s okay. I’m BACK. This non-technical, intimidated old lady DID IT!

Clipart Library

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Thank You

I love writing this blog. I’m delighted when I find some someone who is creating something that fills me with awe at their talent and with joy from what they have created, whether it’s in music, or art, or writing, or just making me laugh or cry. One of the things that keeps me from giving up is that there are so MANY creative souls who continue to create something special in the middle of our callousness and stupidity. These people shut out the world and create something that speaks to us, makes us feel our better selves, causes us to keep hope alive. I’m so grateful that I am able to find people from all over the world who fill my heart, making me want to share them with you.

The WordPress people provide graphs and charts showing you how many people are following you, how many people look at your posts, how many ‘likes’ you get, comments, etc., and then compare them to the past. I usually just concentrate on the day, trying to provide a variety of posts, hoping that you feel entertained, glad you spent some time with me. Every once in awhile I look at the past, just to get an idea of what has happened since I started.

People follow for different reasons. When they no longer find it interesting, or I send too many posts, they stop following, so the numbers go up and down. The chart above shows the yearly totals of visitors and views, from 2014 when I started until the year just started, 2023. I found it really encouraging to see the difference last year. It makes me happy, but it also makes me more serious about trying to provide a variety of things that will make you feel you aren’t wasting your time or finding me too annoying.

I so enjoy the ‘likes’ I receive, and particularly the comments, letting me know what you think. Thanks for making 2022 a nice year. I’ll try to do better in 2023.

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Can You See?

Floral Neverland

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Sing It!

poz.com
beliefnet.com
u-DiosMioMan2

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Deep Breath

A.D. Posey-Out of Stress

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Style

Lily Pulitzer – Country Living Magazine

Learning to be happy is a skill.

With all the awful things happening in our world today, our hearts are ripped out of our chests on a daily basis. Hate seems to reverberate from the walls, causing defensiveness, if not hostility, in return.

We can simply turn off and be numb to all going on around us, or we can LOOK for positive things that help us deal with the bad as well as possible. Being happy is a deep-down choice you make. It comes from within you, recognizing all the good you have around you and filling your heart with it.

When you decide to be happy, it flows outward, affecting those around you. All you have to do to test this is to smile at people you don’t know when you’re out in public. Most of the time, people may look surprised, but they smile back. Not a word has been said, but you’ve communicated and both of you feel better.

This blog is a place where I can share the good things I find with you. I hope that some of it lifts YOUR spirits, too. :0)

etsy

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5 by 5 rule

Heidi Emmett-designsbyheidi.wordpress.com

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Sunday Thoughts 8-28-2022

FirstCryParenting

August 2022 is almost a thing of the past. Time is whizzing past my head at an astonishing speed and the year will be gone if I blink. I spend too much time being upset at what is going on in the world around me, helpless to do much, if anything, to stop it. I find myself grateful for all the things I have to insulate me from too much grief.

GalaxyEyes-homedepot.com
poeticgarb.com
owlsmarix.com
Community Playthings
Good Housekeeping

Listening to music, playing in my art room, reading books, talking with friends, gardening and time to myself all help me deal with what is going on around me. If I can’t FIX what’s happening, at least I can make it so I’m not contributing to it. I have more than enough to handle in my OWN little world.

I hope that you, also, have things that help you cope.

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Filed under coping mechanisms, Thoughts on a ________

Time

Pam Brown B-www.wisenona.com

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Don’t

lifehack.org

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Crayons

contentinacottage.blogspot.com

To me this means that we should strive to EXPAND our interests, our knowledge, our activities for as long as we are here. We need to actively try to leave our comfort zone, trying something new every once in awhile, meeting new people, finding new sources of information, and more.

I feel lucky that I can learn new things every day simple by being curious on my computer. I enjoy it SO much I have to be careful not to be sucked into a rabbit hole, reading one thing that leads me to another until a good amount of my day is gone.

I don’t want to color with fewer and fewer crayons, allowing my world to gradually implode around me.

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No Time

Anthony Hopkins – inthevintagekitchen.com

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Be Careful

The Law of Attraction – Talisa Garcia on Twitter

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Yes

Lessons Learned In Life-Peggy Mahlik

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Canvas

lovethispic.com

It’s in your hands most of the time. Sure, things happen suddenly that swamp us, but most of the time we can choose how we view and live life.

I made a promise to myself awhile back, to include some joy in every day, no matter what else is happening. My happiness comes from within ME. It’s up to ME to splash some paint around.

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Be

Pinterest

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Shine

Rumi – The Antagonists – Lynn Boudiur-madmimi.com

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Dance

Facebook – Zen to Zany – sondasmcschatter.wordpress.com

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Happy are Those…

lifehack.org

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