Category Archives: perspective

A Groundhog said what??

8 Comments

groundhog3

(image credit: ricochet.com)

It’s that time of year again.  Tomorrow is February 2nd – best known as Groundhog Day.  Tomorrow is the day that the nation puts its faith in a furry, rotund, hibernating member of the squirrel family to accurately predict the coming of spring.  (Currently their rate of success is posted at 39%.)  The folklore behind Groundhog Day allegedly originated in the area of Europe that is now known as Germany and became a tradition in the United States when the German settlers landed in Pennsylvania.  The original foreign prognosticator was a badger.  I’m not sure who the enlightened historical figure was that originally thought that this was a judicious way to plan their crop planting schedule but, many decades later, we are ready to celebrate this auspicious occasion again.

Hundreds gather, some donned in period costumes, to anxiously await the report that is passed from whiskered lips to attentive ears.  We must all consider ourselves fortunate to even see this furry forecaster as hibernating groundhogs will generally only leave their burrows for food and sex.  (I know some men who could take over the role as the purveyors of the changing of seasons based on their similar habits!!)

Mother Nature must really enjoy this celebrated day, especially if she sees fit to part the curtain of clouds to let the sun filter through.  The luck of the early spring prediction lays solely at her discretion and no member of the rodent kingdom will change that.  If the sun is shining on that frightened creature, he will inevitably see his shadow and it will be broadcast that we must brave six more weeks of winter.  If dear Mother Nature is moody and the sky is mottled with grey clouds, Punxsutawney Phil and Wiarton Willie will see no shadow and be said to have deemed an early spring.  I can only hope that tomorrow will begin under a blanket of condensed water vapor and their shadows will be non-existent.

Although his sweet, fuzzy exterior and chocolate-brown eyes may hold a place in your heart, do not trust a groundhog to foresee the accurate coming of spring!!  I may not be as hairy (thank God) or as cute (up for debate) as Wiarton Willie or Punxsutawney Phil but I, on the day prior to the 2nd of February 2014 will make my prediction.  Spring will arrive on Thursday, March 20th at 7:04 am!  Shadow or not, I’d put money on the fact that I’m pretty close in my estimation.  Sorry Willie and Phil, you might as well stay in bed!

“Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor”

15 Comments

The subject line of this post is a quote by Truman Capote.  I have always believed that not achieving instant gratification is a necessity.  Failure is life’s way of moving you in another direction and truly allowing you to appreciate eventually achieving that success you have been striving towards.

Lightbulb_bw

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
―     Thomas A. Edison

(image credit: enchantedlearning.com)

I think of myself as a success because I have failed.  My failures have given me a true sense of self and pushed me to want to attain that success that I covet.  Failure is not an end, it is only a beginning.  That defeat makes me rethink my original plan and construct a new plan, pushing me in a direction I may have not originally intended.

My failures do not define me, they strengthen me.   I can accept falling short of a goal but I could never live with myself if I gave up trying.  Just one line in the sand on the success side of my life is worth all of those hash marks in the failure column.  A few dashes of inadequacy and a sprinkling of botched attempts make that main course of success that much tastier!

Going on a Scavenger Hunt

11 Comments

DJMatticus over at The Matticus Kingdom is having a Scavenger Hunt.  I am having a rather quiet afternoon at work and thought ‘what fun!”, so I’m sharing this with all of you in hopes that you’ll join in the merriment!

Here is what he’s after:

Let’s do a scavenger hunt!!  Doesn’t that sound awesome?  I have no idea how it is going to work!!  And, yes, I’m so excited about that I am using the double exclamation points on purpose!!

How about this:

Go forth, using whatever methods you like, and bring me back whatever you think best represents:

1) The Jester (he obviously had to be writing!!)

bigjester

2) The Queen

crown

You’re the best friend
that I ever had
I’ve been with you such a long time
You’re my sunshine
And I want you to know
That my feelings are true
I really love you
You’re my best friend

3) The Little Prince

prince

4) The Kingdom (couldn’t live anywhere but a mountain top)

mountain

5) The End of the World… or, for bonus points, The World NOT Ending (it may look like the world has ended, but there is always a soft place to land.)

falling

6) Silly

Roses are red,

violets are blue.

I f&*king hate winter.

The End.

~~~

Well, now that WAS fun…..hope you all take a minute or two to participate!!

100 Word Song – Route 66

19 Comments

R66 03

(image credit: outpostusa.org)

I have to admit, I am loving the 100-Word Song Challenge at My Blog Can Beat Up Your Blog.  This week, after experiencing some unexpected snowfall, Lance and Leeroy have chosen “Route 66” as this week’s song.  Here is my 100 word interpretation.

~~~~~

There was something charming in the way he pursued me.  If my soul were a road map he would have traveled from one coast to the other exploring every nuance of the highway that led through the heart of my existence.

He stopped to admire the things he would see only on this road.  He fondly recalled the route that brought him to me, it was the road less traveled but the road that was meant for him to follow.

It is now a direction we pursue together, an open avenue to our future.  It winds us into our reality.

Her chosen path – Trifecta Challenge

32 Comments

The decision made so long ago,

for her child to be given a better life.

She watched her from a distance,

hidden in plain sight.

Never being her mother, only a vague reflection.

or_l

(image credit: Thomas Leuthard)

~

Written for the Trifecta Challenge – On to this week’s Trifextra challenge.  This week we’re asking for 33 of your own words inspired by the following picture.  If you use the picture on your  blog, you MUST give proper attribution to the photographer by providing a link to the photo, not just to Trifecta.  Failure to comply will eliminate you from the challenge.

Good luck and have fun with it!

Showing signs of happiness

19 Comments

A few days ago I attended a business meeting and encountered a woman I haven’t seen since I left my old job last May.  Our hotel properties used to be side by side so we had a fairly regular occasion to bump into each other but I haven’t seen her since I began my new job.  We exchanged the usual pleasantries, took our seats and the meeting began.  After an hour of brainstorming, the session adjourned and we were able to chat a little more and catch up.

We, of course, commiserated with each other about the roller coaster of weather we have been experiencing this year.  We talked briefly about how the hospitality business has been for each of us this season and then the conversation changed completely.

She looked at me quizzically and said, “I’m not sure if this will come out the way I mean it to, but your face looks so much lighter.”

It was an odd statement, certainly, but one I have been hearing more frequently.  It wasn’t in reference to my pallid winter flesh color nor was it meant to infer anything about weight loss.  She simply observed my happiness.

happiness

(image credit: myvintagejewelbox.com)

When she had seen me last, I was working at a job that I no longer enjoyed.  The stress that I faced each day was etching itself into my face and I looked, and felt, like a different person.  It was a tough decision leaving that job because it had once been a place I considered to be a second home and my fellow employees were like family.  When that home was bought by a corporation, the feel of my job evolved into something foreign. It was no longer a warm and inviting place to be and, although I had to leave some great people behind, I made the tough choice to get happy again.

I was fortunate enough to be able to make the decision to be happy, and if my face is any indication, I made the right choice.

A Word a Week Photo Challenge

12 Comments

I haven’t participated in this challenge for a while but A Word In Your Ear has a great challenge where she opens a page of the dictionary and chooses a word.  You can opt to submit a photo, a poem or story, whatever genre you choose to help you describe the word.

This week the word is undulate.  As soon as I read the word, I was taken back to one specific moment in my youth that I have never been able to do justice with words.

lights

(image credit: ecopedia.com)

We lay on our backs on the dock at our cottage staring into the beauty of the night sky.  The world seemed to stop to allow every bit of life’s energy to be absorbed by the Aurora Borealis.  The lake was a sheet of glass and, while the ground lay breathless, the green hues undulated against the backdrop of the atmosphere and reflected off the water.  Although we were perfectly still, our bodies felt like we were surfing on the movement of the Northern Lights.

This photo, although beautiful, does not do justice to that night sky so many years ago but it does give you a glimpse into the beauty that we had the chance to absorb.

Drawing from the well

8 Comments

Strength is a funny thing. It can define us – whether that definition encompasses our physical capabilities, our mental prowess, our moral fortitude or our ability to influence others, it shapes our interpretation of ourselves. But sometimes those strengths lay dormant, content to be lying in wait until we truly need them. Moments in our lives require us to draw from the deep well of power and we never know how deep that well goes until we are thrown into the face of adversity.

strength

Our reservoirs go deeper than we can imagine. The individual wells that we pull from on a not-so-frequent basis house caverns of untapped vitality that seem to increase exponentially in potency the longer they lay at rest. And in those moments we are required to harness that energy, it obliges us with a fury that is all-encompassing and sometimes completely overwhelming.

Human strength is an anomaly. It has no true definition. It chooses how to manifest itself and how much of its raw power to reveal when it is truly needed. The vessel that contains that strength may have no concept of the absolute potential to harness that energy and may never have the chance to know its honest intentions until faced with the proverbial dragon.

Our trust in that strength is the key to its existence. The more we believe that we possess that strength, the more it thrives. Like any energy, it feeds on the positivity that we use to nourish it and continues to grow with that sustenance. It may feed and hibernate but, when it is required, that energy will wake, dust the cobwebs from its well and leap into action.

Hold true to your strength. Even though it may be deep below the surface of your reality, it pools in your subconscious, patiently waiting until you need it most. It is there – everyone has it. You just need to trust in its power and know that it is just waiting for your signal to unleash its fury.

100 word song – Take to the sky

20 Comments

Suffocating in the palpable tension that filled the air, she sat with her arms crossed and refused to meet their eyes.  The lecture was always the same.  She could repeat it verbatim and sometimes did, which angered them even more.

Their voices escalated as the barrage of insults was thrown at her like daggers.  Their expectation level was unattainable.  The longer she listened, the more the words slowly morphed into voiceless sound waves.

They would never know her real gift.  Her body remained seated but her soul left, smiling.  She found true peace within herself and took to the sky.

leave your body

~~

Written for the 100 Word Song Challenge at My Blog Can Beat Up Your Blog.  I’ve always been fascinated by stories of people claiming to be able to leave their physical body.  I didn’t know the story was going that way, but who am I to argue with my muse?

Greeting the morning

17 Comments

Snuggled in my bed at home,

the blankets pulled up tight.

Morning sun begins to rise,

the Earth is bathed in light.

Shimmering snow blankets the trees,

the sun caresses each flake.

The new day yawns to shake off the night,

The Man in the Moon takes a break.

From under the warmth of my duvet I emerge,

ready to start anew.

Adventures and new memories laying in wait,

and dreams I am anxious to pursue.

I open the door to welcome the morn,

the beginning of the day to unfold.

The hesitation of my dog confirms my suspicion,

Holy Shit-balls, it’s cold!!

IMG_1138[1]