Rediscovering yourself and finding your independence is one of the most invigorating things

It’s a part of your self-healing process that is completely necessary

In the beginning it may not come as easy as you thought it would but with some time, you’ll find it to be getting easier each day

Like the sunrise you begin to grow

Standing taller and newer – better each day

With time you’ll notice the changes though they start out small

And then the small ones will grow to bigger ones

I challenge those who don’t dare to look in a mirror at themselves or hate to do so

Look in that mirror

And be kind to yourself with what you say, with what you think

Tell your reflection what you like about yourself and why you’re proud of yourself today

Remember it could be as small as getting out of bed this morning – but to some that could be big

Love yourself

Take the baby steps towards loving yourself

I’ve often heard that if you can’t learn to love yourself then you can’t learn to love another

It starts with you, and it’ll end with you

In learning to love and appreciate yourself you’ll begin to realize you don’t need a partner to come into your life just to tell you your beautiful

Because as you love yourself and you’re kind to yourself you’ll build your own confidence

And you’ll know deep down that you are beautiful

In the end you’ll be stronger when you do meet someone

You’ll know your worth

Tonight, I did something I hadn’t done in awhile

I dug through one of my lingerie drawers knowing in the back of my head exactly what I was looking for

Today I appreciated myself, I loved myself, and it was because of that boost of confidence in me that I felt beautiful enough tonight to spool myself

I don’t need a man to put something sexy on to wear to bed – I can do that on my own

And it felt good to do it for myself

In your own eyes, in your own skin – when you look good, you feel good

Looking in the mirror I felt satisfied once more and the breath that I feared I had been holding for a long time finally released itself

The weight off my chest had lifted

I can’t wait to love me more in the future because I’m worth it

Believe that you’re worth it because you are

Stay strong my friends and keep building your confidence

Hold your head high and love yourself

You’ll be surprised at the things you’ll begin to do

And with it the woman you begin to become
​
Stay safe out there && as always, I appreciate ya!

Thursday's Weather Mood:

Do you ever have days where your mood mimics the weather outside?
Sometimes I do.
Sometimes the weather for me is the difference between going out and staying in.
Or wanting to anyway.
Today the atmosphere was dark and gloomy.
The sky looked sad.
It was filled with fog as if the sun and clouds themselves were confused by their surroundings.
And you couldn't tell where one cloud ended and the next started.
I couldn't see the birds or the planes, nor could I hear them though I tried.
There was a silence outside.
A silence so loud that your ears rang.
Still, I couldn't hear anything; no outside noises - only the constant ringing in my eardrums.
Briefly I would glance out my window and see the rain drops hitting the tin roof.
It started as splatters of paint until eventually it covered the entire surface with rain.
The blend prevented my eyes from seeing the spot where they would hit next.
I could almost hear the pitter patter from my seat.
Or maybe I imagined the sound in my head of what the tune would be like.
There were the occasional, faint sightings of the rain coming sideways.
First from the left then from the right as the wind would blow the liquid around mercilessly.
Today was a day to crawl under a blanket on a comfy couch and watch a good movie.
Of that I was sure.
And whether that movie made you laugh or made you cry.
Whether you related or you didn't - that was the type of day it was.
Or at least in my world, that was the type of day it was.

Foggy Friday Weather Moods:

The fog was thick
It came in waves
Covering all that it reached
But somehow I wasn't scared
I wasn't scared of what I could not see ahead of me

Diving nose first into it with no fear of the other side
I surprised myself on the matter
There was no fighting the fog
Not with your brakes or your headlights
Not even with your high beams
Nor was there any escape from it

I felt comfortable inside the tunnel of whitespace
Stretching for miles it was as if nothing existed around us
But it also seemed as directionally lost as I was



Someone told me that, "Bad things will happen in life but never forget it's how you choose to respond to it is whether it gets better or worse."

Stay safe out there && as always, I appreciate ya!

Hope

Sunrise breaks open
the silence of the dark night
bringing hope again

Mrs. Rakestraw



Read this slowly and let it sink in

You are not your age,
Nor the size of clothes you wear,
You are not a weight,
Or the colour of you hair.
You are not your name, 
Or the dimples in your cheeks,
You are all the books you read,
And all the words you speak,
You are your croaky morning voice,
And the smiles you try to hide,
You're the sweetness in your laughter,
And every tear you've cried,
You're the songs you sing so loudly,
When you know you're all alone,
You're the places that you've been to,
And the one that you call home,
You're the things that you believe in,
And the people that you love,
You're the photos in bedroom,
And the future you dream of,
You're made of so much beauty,
But it seems that you forgot,
When you decided that you were defined,
By all the things you're not.

~ e.h


Remember to love yourself and be kind to yourself.

Stay safe out there && as always, I appreciate ya!

You know when you try to be prepared for the rain by bringing an umbrella and then you come to find out Mother Nature has different plans - by raining sideways just to get up and under the umbrella to soak you anyway LOL! Always brings me a good laugh!

But it's cool I've checked out.

BAMBI SITING!!

The past three days I have been seeing little bambi's.

On the first day there were three and the mama.
On the second day there were two and no mama.
And on the third there was one with no mama.

So sad to see I hope they are all still alive and were just hiding on the other side of the bushes.

Have you ever thought?

I wonder how many near misses happen on the road while driving?

How many times did we look in the side mirror and see no one and then look again before merging over to this time see a car right there driving in your blind spot?

I bet this near miss happens a lot.

Heart pounding, legs shaking, and suddenly you're thankful that you looked again before getting over.

Can, will, do

You know...it always surprises me how amazed people are of the things that I do or can do.

I am capable of doing a lot of things.

You just never asked. 

Stay safe out there && as always, I appreciate ya!

It is my belief that the only two things that bring smiles to our faces are babies and animals. 

So full of life and unknowing, so innocent.

Today while I was driving home I followed a woman in a small car with a medium sized dog in her backseat. 

I watched as we drove on - the dog went window to window - sniffing at the air - nodding at the cars - wagging that tail.

Such simplicity, such happiness.

What a carefree world it must be - sure you go through emotions of being happy or sad.

But you really don't have to worry about anything. You are completely dependent on your owner or parent to do everything they need to to take care of you.

I always wanted to be a bird. That would be my animal of choice. Feeling the wind through my wings, soaring high across the sky - maybe even touching the clouds with my beak.

You see everything in a whole new light when you're up in the sky. 

Somehow everything down below seems so...

*Finish that sentence for me will ya? As I lost my train of thought.*

Stop and ask yourself if you died tomorrow and God told you since you lived a human life now you have the choice to be transformed into any animal you wish.

What would you pick?

​Why would you select that one?

Stay safe out there and always, I appreciate ya!

3 things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the mood, the truth - Buddha

"Happiness is letting go of what you think your life is supposed to look like and celebrating it for everything that it is." - Unknown

"Sometimes you just have to stay silent because no words can explain what's going on in your mind and heart." - Unknown

"Worrying does not take away tomorrow's troubles, it takes away today's peace." - Unknown

"At the end of the day, I'm a good woman. I'm not perfect by any means but my intentions are good, my heart is pure and I love hard with everything I've got and because of those things...I'm worth it. Always have been and always will be." - Unknown

"Life has knocked me down a few times. It has shown me things I never wanted to see. I have experienced sadness and failures. But one thing is for sure, I always get up." - Unknown

"Forgiveness does not make the other person right. It makes you free." - Unknown

"It takes nothing to join the crowd. It takes everything to stand alone." - Hans F Hansen 

^^ I've never been one for crowds or groups of people, I am most comfortable when I stand independently alone. It just shows how strong I am, compared to others.

"People will do whatever they want regardless of your feelings. Once you realize that you'll be free." - Unknown

"Everything is temporary; emotions, thoughts, people and scenery. Do not become attached, just flow with it." - Unknown

"Life is your mirror. What you see as your outside, always comes from your inside." - Unknown

"Good books never give up their secrets all at once." - Unknown

"Being along has a power very few can handle." - Unknown

"Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times. If only one remembers to turn on the light." - J.K. Rowling

"Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated." - Confucius

"We are all in the same game, just different levels, dealing with the same hell, just different devils." - Unknown

"And still, I rise." - Maya Angelou

"Be happy, not because everything is good, but because you can see the good in everything." - Unknown

"If life were predictable it would cease to be life, and be without flavor." - Eleanor Roosevelt

"You might be sad because you've been through a lot, but you should also be proud of yourself for being strong enough to make it through it." - Unknown

Stay safe out there && as always, I appreciate ya!

Me on a Sunday: Do you know that feeling of not wanting to go to bed, because you don't want the next day to start and your "free time" to end? This is actually called "Revenge Bedtime Procrastination."

"Imagine hurting the girl God sent to heal you." - Unknown

"She's an old soul where love and loyalty still rule in a world who loves to break them." - Joseph Colombrita

"Marry a man who loves you more than you love him. My mother once told me: When you hold a man's hand and he makes your heart beat faster and he makes you feel giddy and excited, walk away from this man. He is not the man for you. If you hold a man's hand and he makes you feel warm, safe and secure, hold onto him." - Unknown

"When you're at your highest...that's when the devil comes for you." - Denzel Washington

"Be stronger than your strongest excuse."

"With love and patience, nothing is impossible." - Daisaku Ikeda 

"You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else." - Albert Einstein

"The life in front of you is far more important than the life behind you." - Joel Osteen

"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see." - Henry David Theoreau

"When the right person hugs you, it's like medicine. I'm so grateful for those few people in my life who are good for my soul." - Steve Maraboli

"If you need to step back and get away from things for a bit, do exactly what you need to do for you to gain clarity again." - Unknown

"The lion doesn't turn around when the small dog barks." - Unknown

"Nothing is more beautiful than honesty." - Steven Aitchison

"I already know what giving up feels like. I want to see what happens if I don't." - Neila Ray

"Do the right thing, even when no one is looking. It's called integrity." - Unknown

"The eye should learn to listen before it looks." - Robert Frank

"Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections." - Unknown

"Never chase love, affection or attention. If it isn't given freely by another person, it isn't worth having." - Unknown

"There is no real beauty without slight imperfection." - James Salter

"One small crack does not mean that you are broken, it means that you were put to the test and you didn't fall apart." - Unknown

Stay safe out there && as always, I appreciate ya!

Looks like a lot of you looked at that, I'm glad I let it sit for so long - guess I caught your attention.

"Work hard for what you want because it won't come to you without a fight. You have to be strong and courageous and know that you can do anything you put your mind to. If somebody puts you down or criticizes you, just keep on believing in yourself and turn it into something positive." - Leah LaBella

"Find a place inside where there's joy, and the joy will burn out the pain." - Joseph Campbell

"A good laugh is sunshine in the house." - William Makepeace Thackeray

"You've done it before and you can do it now. See the positive possibilities. Redirect the substantial energy of your frustration and turn it into positive, effective, unstoppable determination." - Ralph Marston

"I always like to look on the optimistic side of life, but I am realistic enough to know that life is a complex matter." - Walt Disney

Just remember we will all have good and bad days - sometimes bad days will end bad, but every now and again a bad day will end good. <3

Stay safe out there && as always, I appreciate ya!

I watched Leap it's an animated movie about an orphan who aspires to be a ballerina - it'll melt your heart and possibly make you want to become a ballerina LOL!

Having a dirty desk is like a fish swimming in a dirty fish tank - this is not by any means me. I am a super clean, super organized person. Always have been and always will be. Finally after months of slump I cleaned my desk for the first time since the end of last year when everything went down.

It felt great. I scrubbed the dirt away, dusted the window seal, even tore away months of the calendar so that I was actually caught up with reality. And the end I felt totally satisfied.  

I even threw away those old papers I had hanging and hung pictures up. 

It's a new desk without being a new desk. 

For the first time in a long time I sat down and let a deep breath out. As I began to check some things off my list.

Also

I think it's safe to say that my suspicions were confirmed upon the plural version of the word used. 

That means with an "s."

Good to know.

Up next is a definition lesson: amicable

am·i·ca·ble
/ˈaməkəb(ə)l/adjective

• 1.(of relations between people) having a spirit of friendliness; without serious disagreement or rancor

​yeah...LOL

Stay safe out there && as always, I appreciate ya!