Friday, June 30th, 2023 -TDP

Are there things you try to practice daily to live a more sustainable lifestyle?

—The Daily Prompt

I so sincerely wish I had a super long list for this question. We are currently attempting to change things in our lives, on the daily, to help with just this issue. I have done a little digging…

#1- we limit the amount of plastic we have in our daily lives. We have switched to reusable grocery bags (something which isn’t difficult & has multiple benefits). We try to avoid single-use plastic at all costs. We use reusable water bottles and coffee cups, though the pandemic did not help with any of this, for sure. We are switching from using the laundry ‘pods’ that add to micro plastics.

#2- we have started paying close attention to labels, avoiding things that are unhealthy for our bodies & the environment.

#3- we drive so much less than we used to. We have most of our appointments on “Traveling Tuesday” – something we began when Russia invaded Ukraine. We are also about to invest in a hybrid or electric vehicle, which will help us eliminate our daily diesel footprint whilst we are stuck borrowing my Ma’s truck.

#4- we are trying to be more water-wise. This one isn’t as difficult for me; I grew up in the desert of Phoenix, being taught SWASWA, “Save Water And Save Water Again.” We also try to limit our use of electricity as well; not only good for the environment, but good for the pocketbook.

#5- we want to sell much of what we have, then make sure we get rid of things if we buy new things. I am attempting to teach my daughter to focus her purchase power wisely.

#6- we have started avoiding or all out boycotting companies that have poor wildlife practices, hurt the environment, or those who fund Republicans.

#7- we try to get our meat from the Amish, or other ethical sources.

We also VOTE to bring in people who are attempting to help our world become more sustainable. This does effect us daily as the policies that are brought to bear by those in power have a great deal to do with whether or not a sustainable lifestyle is even an option.

Hm, I guess my list is longer than I thought… but certainly not as long as I’d like.

Thursday, June 29th, 2023 -TDP

What’s the most delicious thing you’ve ever eaten?

—The Daily Post

Most everything I ate when in China was incomprehensible to my taste buds. You just cannot get the same thing here, our food supply is not the same. I can no longer eat at Chinese buffets; I must have fresh Asian food. I have been spoiled.

Oh Thor’s day, you came with wind, rain, & lightning… 29.June.23

{pain} 5 – I am tense, due to 80mph winds and a matchbox house. {sleep} 7h 18m – I have been up more and more, not sure if that is my fault, the meds balancing, or the fault of a certain Lady cat who tends to wake me when she is bored in the middle of the night.

Hammer of Thor by: Aaron J Groen

I think it was Tuesday that I started my new meds in the battle against Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). The first night I slept miraculously well; I am lending this to the simple relief in having a new med. It is supposed to make me sleepy, and help me stay asleep, and it does; I just want to wait to do a full examination of my sleep patterns until I have more data.

Blooming Protection by: Mario Sanchez Nevado

We are under a major thunderstorm & wind warning. 80 mph (129kph) winds are making the trees bend and swoosh, and making my cat a little twitchy. I am sure it did not help that we, quite by accident, had just played with Lady Diana by blowing cat nip bubbles, which are just amazingly fun.

I am tired. I am ready to feel better. So many things I want to accomplish, yet I feel constrained; only by myself, I realize. I hope that you are all enjoying your summer thus far. Talk Soon, Cecelia 💋

Wednesday, June 28th, 2023 -TDP

If you were forced to wear one outfit over and over again, what would it be?

—The Daily Prompt

This reminds me of a girl I knew in high school that decided to wear the same pair of jeans every day of her junior year of high school, just to see if she could do it. She said she washed them when needed, and matched them with nearly everything in her wardrobe.

I had several t-shirts from Old Navy that were so comfortable that I wore them constantly before I lost weight. In my early 20s I was obsessed with v-neck white undershirts & wore them nearly every day, with jeans. I honestly think I would pick jeans, as they go with everything and match most weather. I will take a racer back under shirt & comfy jeans; layer a favorite t-shirt & a hoodie.

Hello, Tīw’s day. You are beautiful. 27.June.23

{pain} 4 {sleep} 8h 18m 👀 – ohhhh yeah. If I actually get to sleep by 8:30p – it seems that I can get a good nights’ sleep. Woot.

Did you know that Tuesday comes from Old English “Tīwesdæg” the ‘day of Tīw’, a Germanic god of war and the sky; translation of Latin dies Marti ‘day of Mars’, the god Tīw being equated with the Roman god Mars. (Spanish, Martes) The Norse equivalent is Tyr.

According to funwithhistory.com, “In some African cultures, Tuesday is considered a day of rest,” but not elsewhere as “according to research, [it’s] the most productive day of the week.” If you are a fan of my blog then you know my family has “traveling Tuesday,” which was introduced after gas prices sky rocketed following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. But today, this particular Tuesday, will be known in my home as exactly ten weeks since the last time we had contact with Annie & the kids. They went to Florida! Hope you enjoy the pixies! Talk Soon, Cecelia 💋

Look how BIG Mon Petit Homme is!

Ma Petit Fleur looks sooooo happy!

Tuesday, June 27th, 2023 -TDP

How important is spirituality in your life?

—The Daily Prompt

Define “Spirituality,” dear Questioner. Because many people think they know what it is, but are way off. Hmmm. Okay, let’s do this.

spirituality is 1. : something that in ecclesiastical law belongs to the church or to a cleric as such. 2. CLERGY 3. :sensitivity or attachment to religious values. 4. : the quality or state of being spiritual.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

And to help us out with that last one…

spiritual is 1. : of, relating to, consisting of, or affecting the spirit 2. : (a) of or relating to spiritual matters. (b) ecclesiastical rather than lay or temporal. 3. : concerned with religious values. 4. : related or joined in spirit. 5. : (a.) of or relating to supernatural beings or phenomena. : (b) of, relating to, or involving spiritualism.

Merriam-Webster

And to help us out with that last one…

spiritualism is 1. : the view that spirit is a prime element of reality. 2. : (a) a belief that spirits of the dead communicate with the living usually through a medium. : (b) capitalized a movement comprising religious organizations emphasizing spiritualism.

Merriam-Webster

I attend church from my home on Sundays. I have a few different Bible studies I am doing and I have a book, (that I mentioned yesterday), that helps me focus my prayers each day. My stretching routine has an extended section that includes a sort of meditation & prayer. Quickly, I will offer scripture references to the NHS image below.

Source: NHS Foundation Trust
https://www.tewv.nhs.uk/about-your-care/health-wellbeing/spirituality/

I believe Jesus Christ died to save sinners & have accepted him as my Saviour & Lord. I got the above image from the National Health Service in the UK (I so often forget that they have a mandated national religion, with the King as the head of the church). I like that the UK has a section in their National Health Service website that focuses on this, but I digress… technically I am a Southern Baptist, as it is their doctrine that I find most closely resembles my own beliefs. If I utilize the NHS graphic as a working definition, however, I believe I can find all of them in Christianity.

• We are to find our meaning & purpose in Jesus Christ, not really in “things.” “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Eph. 2:10, ESV) “For “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’” (Acts 17:28, ESV) We are also supposed to spread the Gospel of Jesus to “go and make disciples of all nations,” (Matthew 28: 19a, NIV) so that all can hear about Jesus.
• inner freedom, well-being, and peace of mind: “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32)
• We find hope everywhere in the New Testament. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy & peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” (Rom. 15:13, ESV) “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. (Rom. 12:12, ESV)
• We are instructed about loving relationships throughout the Bible. “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8, ESV) “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13, ESV)
• Our sense of belonging definitely comes from community and fellowship. “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their trial. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one is alone, two will withstand him – a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, ESV)

Spirituality is “the quality of being concerned with the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things.”

Oxford Dictionary

I must admit I would like to expand on this.

mOndAY ęffįng MOnDaY! 26.June.23

{pain} 5 – but I know I will feel better after stretching. {sleep} 6h 2m – Decent sleep, I suppose. I must get to sleep earlier as Lady Diana wakes me at freaking sunrise. (No. Matter. What.). Just one more reason for me to love the winter.

Today has been odd. I woke up happy, I think. 🤔 But not really because of Russia and Wagner and all that mess. Also, I have been paying closer attention to what the right is saying and I do not appreciate any of it. Why do Republicans whine and complain and point fingers? Why don’t they join in on what the Dem’s are accomplishing for their constituents? Why do they insist on going after people like Schiff, instead of making our government work best for the people? Do Republicans not enjoy making sure Railroad workers have sick days? Do they not care about women’s health… wait, don’t answer that.

I had to disassociate myself from the University I attended because of a right-wing nut job. I just do not appreciate where that side of the GOP has gone and just how far from human decency. I mean it, they are disgusting. Tell me what YOU think. And if you are a Republican, which if you follow me I doubt you are, but IF you are – please explain why your party is more interested in slinging hate than helping people.

Monday, June 26th, 2023 -TDP

How do you practice self-care?

—The Daily Prompt

Calling me out, dear Questioner? I see, it’s not enough that it’s Monday, you need to make me admit one of my epic failures of the past year & a half as well. Fine.

Alright, well, I have recently discovered that I have personally neglected this part of my life so much that I have sunk back into Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). The importance of self-care cannot be underestimated. Let me be clear, I have been struggling against the monster that is MDD since I was 18, and have been taking meds for it since my early 20s. I was actually prescribed Prozac™ when I went to the doctor for help to quit smoking, but that is a story for another time.

Since November 2021 I have fully neglected my own self-care. Not intentionally; one of my daughter’s best friends died in a car accident. A week before we had hit a deer with my fully paid off, but not fully insured, Jeep, Gloryah. Since that time I have fully focused all my powers on my child, obviously for good reason, however… recently, no wait – not recently.

Damn, I just realized that I went in well over a year ago to ask to be evaluated by a neurologist for ADHD (because my symptoms greatly resembled it). I was evaluated and it turned out to just be a return of MDD with a splash of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), for kicks & giggles. So, what I’m saying, & what my therapist agrees with, is that I completely forgot to take care of me. When I look back at how Big Pharma has taken over nearly every part of our lives, it is a question like yours, dear Questioner, that makes me think. Can I get out of this hole of depression without medication? Considering I am already on an anti-depressant, I think the answer is no. I have so much I want to talk about concerning meds, but I am just going to 🐄 moooove along.

My self care currently consists of pointedly taking time out of my day for my mind, my soul, and my body. I make sure to learn something new, I read a lot, and challenge myself with different types of puzzles. I take time out for God, even if it’s only reading the entry in my little book, 365 Days of Prayer for Depression and Anxiety. (I bought it at a truck stop one day & it has proved to be much more helpful than I every thought possible). And finally, I have a stretching routine that I do my very best to accomplish daily, and Rœgn & I will be getting our Y membership soon.

I think my pain blog has become part of this process for me; I have been documenting my sleep and pain for nearly two years now. I have been branching out and that has certainly effected my life in a positive way thus far, as I begin to focus on me for a change. My next tattoo will be the picture from “How to use oxygen mask on plane”…

From: Brave Acorn Counseling “Mask Analogy For Self-Care” 17JUL15

I’ll probably make the little girl’s hair pink, just so I remember it’s my kid. I was looking up this analogy and actually discovered an article about it. And as it so helpfully explains:

If you don’t have adequate levels of self-care, you will eventually experience sleep disturbances, fatigue, reduced mental effectiveness, mood destabilization, and a myriad of health problems.

All of which mimic other disorders such as ADHD, but since I did not have noticeable symptoms in childhood, the neurologist deduced a recurrence of MDD, with the anxiety to boot. I know the anxiety amped up to a ‘9’ a year ago this week when women lost the right to their own bodies. Marvelous question, love. Talk Soon! -Cecelia 💋 Take care, now. 😉

Saturn’s Day. 24 June 23

{pain} 4 {sleep} 8 freakin’ hours and 32 minutes! I will be talking about this soon as I have changed my medication and it is showing in my sleep! (In a good way).

Saturn by: Hans Thoma

Saturday was named for the Roman god, Saturn, also known as Chronos. Per Wikipedia (when you google: ‘Saturn god of’) – “He was described as a god of time, generation, dissolution, abundance, wealth, agriculture, periodic renewal, and liberation.”

Putin in a Suicidal Game by: Ylli Haruni

It is easy for the people in the US to forget about what is happening in Ukraine & now in Russia. Over night it seems that everything has changed. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of Wagner, (the private, mercenary army that Putin has created over the last couple decades), has decided he is finally fed up with this shite. Lack of supplies, poor planning, dismal leadership, it all seems to have come to a head as he turned his forces around and publicly asked for an armed mobilization against Putin.

Prigozhin believes that his forces were targeted and then attacked by Russian forces. If this did happen, it was probably an accident as we have now discovered the Russian army is quite inept. It doesn’t matter what really happened because Prigozhin believes that they were targeted. So, has now decided to leave Ukraine and go home. Grab your popcorn!!! Talk Soon, Cecelia 💋

Hold The Peace by: Michael Allmaier

And before I could even post – this happened… apparently Belarus was talking him down for hours. 😑

Saturday by: Ian Keith Murray from a series of seven entitled “Figura Per Diem,” featuring the namesake for each day of the week.

Saturday, June 24th, 2023 -TDP

Which food, when you eat it, instantly transports you to childhood?

—The Daily Prompt

Meemaw Mac N’ Cheese. She made it with Veveeta™, that block of man-made cheese that melts just perfectly and the big elbow pasta. Of course, I had no idea how unhealthy that cheese was, and I didn’t (don’t) care.

I appreciate how you are taking us back to childhood as Russia implodes… it is safe and comfortable. Good job, dear Questioner.

Thursday, June 22nd, 2023 -TDP

Write about your first crush.

—The Daily Prompt

Okay, seriously, I think you are listening in on my home; we must be tapped by… someone. Who are you, dear Questioner?

I did not discuss my first crush, but very recently I was talking about the unwritten rules associated with middle school shop (which I just realized is a fantastic title). I made a cutting board in middle school shop class (7th grade) and on the last day of school I gave it to the boy I had a crush on. My mother has not forgiven me TO THIS DAY; I mean that, as I just discussed this with her & my daughter a few days ago. Apparently, the cutting board that you make in shop goes to your mother. This is a rule, an unwritten rule of shop class that I had never heard and was never told. I tried to make up for it by giving her the other thing I had made, a tiny plastic clipboard, that was really quite pathetic. (Perhaps our poor relationship can be rooted in this very moment? But I digress…)

Razor-sharp Knife by: Udo Dittmann

What I have not divulged, ever, is that boy – Jonathan something-or-other – made fun of me directly after. I saw him, just minutes later, making obscene gestures with it. It probably ended up on his wood pile. I had danced with him to the Guns N’ Roses song, November Rain, at a school dance. That was the end-all, be-all of our “relationship” & I don’t mention it to say that I valued such a shite relationship over my mom. I did not realize that I should have valued my mom over him with the gesture of the cutting board. My mother put a lot of value into that gesture because that is how her siblings had shown love to her mother. But she neglected to tell me that until much, much later.

Share Your World -SYW

Welcome to Share your World. Thanks to Di at pensitivity101 for hosting.
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Melanie always included an optional gratitude section at the end and I see no reason to change that.

Here are this week’s questions:

1. If you could reinvent yourself, how would you like to be? I think it would be great if I were more meek. A guy I knew in high school told me (years later) that all the boys liked me, they were just intimidated by me. By the time I was older when men would appreciate that, I had already ruined my life and was stuck in a world of low self-esteem.
2. Would you like to be a pet in your household? Oh hell yes. I am my cat’s bitch. My old dog was my first born, I took him everywhere with me.
3. How many house moves have you had as an adult? Too many.
4. What was your favourite home? My Meemaw’s house, for sure. It was my longest root, now gone, but for 40 years of my life it was my home.

Gratitude: No matter what, it is still a beautiful world…

Wednesday, June 21st, 2023 -TDP

What countries do you want to visit?

—The Daily Prompt

Ooh! How lovely… I have oh so many I want to visit, for sure!

• Great Britain (Including Ireland)
• Iceland
• New Zealand
• Greece
• Norway
• Netherlands
• Germany
• Peru
• Chile
• South Africa
• Egypt
• Budapest

Okay, there are many more that I want to visit, some I’d like to move to for a while. I think traveling the world would be absolutely amazing and honestly, would enjoy anywhere. Outside of North America I have only been to China – and I am very glad I went a decade before COVID.

Tuesday 20.June.23

{pain} better now, but I went through a bit of withdrawal from Lyrica. {sleep} 2h 14m – due to the aforementioned withdrawal.

The Lonely Oak Tree by: Christian Lindsten

Loneliness by: Mario Sanchez Nevado

Recursion by: Frank Wijn

Monday, June 19, 2023 -TDP

How do you want to retire?

—The Daily Prompt

I am uncertain that my generation will be able to retire… with the omnipresent threat of our Social Security being taken away. Honestly, I think we will be in the midst of some form of urban war by that point; a civil war that would most certainly not be civil.

I am poor. I live below poverty level due to disability. I don’t think I will be “retiring” anywhere. More than likely, I will be a burden to my daughter.

Sunday, June 18th, 2023 -TDP

What’s the oldest thing you own that you still use daily?

—The Daily Prompt

I love this question! There is something that I use every day, which is an antique, but I do not use it for its original purpose.

Do you know what this is?

This is a gorgeous little eye wash device! You put in the water/saline in the bowl portion & wash your eye balls. It is from the early 1900s…

I use it to snuff my bowl. (This is Dago, by the way; he is currently my favourite pipe).

Coffee, Cannabis, & Kirk -A Father’s Legacy: God’s Faithfulness to the next generation (1&2 Timothy) 18.June.23

Hello, hello! Today is Father’s Day, a holiday that we only halfway celebrate since I am a single mom. Bryan was at the Southern Baptist Convention last weekend in New Orleans, which is why we had a day off. I texted him a quick ‘Happy Father’s Day’ & ‘good sermon’ this morning and he responded, “Thank you. I thought it fell flat. Appreciate the encouragement.” I said, “I doubt they expected a deep sermon on Father’s Day… I mean, YOU are supposed to relax too!” However, his audience should have been prepared as he was unable to preach last Sunday! I mean, they should have known he’d bring the heat today!

Let’s begin! I am brewing Starbucks Café Verona, an oldie but a goodie for sure; I am burning a strain from California, which is all I will share about that. 🤦🏻‍♀️ We will be in 1 & 2 Timothy, there is a lot of scripture today, so this will probably be a long post.

Bryan begins by pointing out that these books were written from Paul, a spiritual father to a young leader, Timothy, the spiritual son. We start in 1 Timothy 1:15.

“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.”

1 Timothy 1:15-16 (ESV)

Pay Attention by: Henry Bacon
https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/the-masters

• THE GOSPEL IS FOR EVERYONE. Parents, we need to make the gospel a priority in life. When was the last time the children in your life saw you broken over someone’s salvation? …or the last time they saw you share the gospel with someone?
• EVERYONE HAS BLOWN IT. So, this is where I need you all to pay attention. This specific point is where Bryan differentiates himself from far right evangelicals, maybe even middle-right evangelicals, for the past few years. If you notice, Bryan is TRUE TO THE GOSPEL.

This is how you should treat people far from Jesus, those who need him the most, those who live differently than you, with different social values, etc.. Instead of just running them into the ground, we should reframe the conversation about how they too were made in the image of God and need Jesus -just like us. We too are broken before a holy God.

• I’M PART OF THAT EVERYONE. (.v.15c) We as parents/grandparents (etc.) need to communicate authenticity with the kids in our lives.

“The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gently, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.”

1 Timothy 3: 1-7 (ESV)

Bryan discusses the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) 90% decision to exclude two churches from the SBC because they have elected female pastors. This is not because the SBC does not like women. 🙄

• LEADERSHIP MATTERS. Character matters; the overarching theme is that leaders must be above reproach. Shouldn’t we all be living that way?
• EXPECT GREAT THINGS FROM GOD & ATTEMPT GREAT THINGS FOR GOD. (1Tim. 4:7-10) Parents need to realize that we point to the here and now so much more than the spirituality around us, which is a mistake. “In your pursuit of following Christ… there’s many distractions.” [thank you, Captain Obvious] Don’t take your eyes off of practicing godliness.
• YOU WILL FACE MANY DISTRACTIONS WHILE PURSUING JESUS. We need to model putting away distraction to focus on the Lord.

“Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of fully acceptance. For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.”

-1 Timothy 4: 7-10 (ESV)

• FOLLOWING JESUS IS A WORTHWHILE DISCIPLINE. Not one thing will replace your time in God’s Word. And once you pair time in the Word with accountability… (he continues on). (2Tim. 2: 11-13)
• NEVER STOP PURSUING JESUS. –one of the most sobering statistics are the number of late teen/ early 20s people are leaving the church not to return. It is important that we show the kids in our lives that even the most godly men and women can face the most excruciating heart aches and pains. Never stop pouring into your kids; even if you’re not sure where they are spiritually. Don’t stop praying for them, live the gospel in front of them, & continue to pour the Word into their lives.

“The saying is trustworthy for:
If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he also will deny us;
if we are faithless, he remains faithful—
for he cannot deny himself.”

2 Timothy 2: 11-13 (ESV)