Put On Your Big Girl Panties - It's Not Too Late!

Little girls basically start off wearing the same type of panties - cotton material that completely covers the booty and has elastic at the waist and legs.

The transition from diaper to panty is often not easy. First we are encouraged to "pee in the potty" and as a seemingly great reward, we will get to wear panties. We have no idea why panties are so much better than diapers because we enjoy going to the potty in our diaper anywhere and any time. However, since all the women we look up to and love wear panties, it must be a good progression.

After much thought and some brainwashing, we decide that we want to wear panties.

Eventually, we get it all right and the diapers are discarded and replaced by bright colored panties. Suddenly we feel that we have arrived even though we are still not quite sure where the arrival has landed us. But we have accomplished a huge goal and that feeling spurs us onward. The belief that we can do anything begins to grow and our dreams get larger.

After many years and a varied collection of panties in their wake, the little girls grow into women. At this point, the group breaks into many directions based on a wide variety of circumstances, choices and opportunities.

I want to talk to the women who wake up one day to find that they are wearing granny panties.

Yes, I said it and I posted a picture of granny panties. Now you don't have to tell anyone if you are wearing granny panties right now, but if you are, listen closely.

Granny panties are safe. They are found in abundance at almost every department store. Most of the time, the fabric is neutral and pastel colors. The most exciting (I use that word loosely) aspect of the granny panties is the lace that is sometimes found at the waist and legs. The lace isn't imported from Italy. It is just simple and plain, stretchy lace.

Is your life like your granny panties?

Are you coasting along and just playing it safe?

As time has been sneaking on your face to create wrinkles, have you given up all hope of accomplishing more of your dreams?

My grandmother was one of the most negative people I have ever known. I don't say that in any mean fashion, but just state it as a fact. As far back as I can remember, Mam-Maw talked about being sick or about to die even when she was extremely healthy. By the time she was fifty years old, Maw-Maw said she was ancient. Her attitude was more that life was nearly over and there wasn't anything left to look forward to any more.

Fifty years old. That's all.

Good grief! Life wasn't anywhere near over for her! Mam-Maw lived to be in her eighties!

Mam-Maw wore granny panties in life. She didn't stretch her mind, talents or experiences. Mam-Maw played it safe and by doing so, she didn't accomplish or experience many things that could have enriched her soul and life. My grandmother's life experience was small because she chose to live in her fears.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not criticizing my grandmother to be mean, but I want you to see that playing it safe in granny panties is very sad in many ways.

Maybe you are thinking that you are like Mam-Maw and don't want to stretch yourself because it is scary. No kidding! However....It is no more scary now than it was when you were in your twenties. It is just that the granny panties have been on your booty for a very long time.

It is easy to play it safe. There isn't any shock, disappointment or rejection, but there isn't the fullness of happiness and joy either. Wearing granny panties isn't the answer!

There is no way to know how many years you have left to live on this planet. You could live to be one hundred years old! Don't shake your head "no". You simply do not know your expiration date. It is a huge disservice to yourself to assume that you will die any moment and therefore no longer need to hope, dream and set goals.

Discard the granny panties of life.

Stop playing it so safe!

You've lived a long and eventful life up to this point and there is absolutely no reason to quit now.

It is time to put on your big girl panties and forget your fear of failing, rejection and all the other ugly things that enter your mind. Travel deep within the recesses of your girlhood fantasies and find your dreams.

It isn't too late.

You can still have wonderful experiences!

The big girl panties can still be exciting if you simply believe, let go of the fear and shake your booty.

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Passion, Sweat And Sounds Of Love - Adding To The Family

It is natural, so don't blush. I'm talking about making love, having sex, "knowing" one another, being intimate, rolling in the hay and as Marvin Gaye would say, getting it on.

When lost in the moment of a sweat-and-rumpled-sheets-love-making experience, one thing probably escapes your mind - getting pregnant and having a baby. If you haven't taken the time to think about pregnancy before actively participating in a sexual encounter, then you might just end up with a crying, laughing, eating, pooping, burping, screaming baby in nine months.

After nearly floating to Heaven during my one and only childbirth experience, I was told that more pregnancies were not in my future and that I should make sure that it didn't happen. That wasn't thrilling news since I actually wanted twelve children.

Don't faint. I really did want twelve children. I mean seriously, who wouldn't want twelve children like the sweet child I was able to birth.

See? That's why I wanted twelve children. If it had been possible, I would now have twelve children and the name of my blog might be The Ragged Redhead Riter.

Anyway, the time to think about birth control or the lack thereof is before your naked lover is whispering in your ear. The things that most people consider before adding another member to the family are:

• Finances for the next eighteen years minimum
• Stay-at-home or go back to work
• Medical insurance
• Life insurance
• Housing space
• Family Leave policies at work
• The strength of the relationship with your spouse
• If you're ready to change habits...alcohol, illegal drugs, smoking
• The mother's health
• Understanding risks for certain problems or diseases that run in your family

If you don't decide on a method of birth control AND you don't want a baby, then abstinence is your only answer. Oh, you don't like that answer? Me either! So think about birth control with your spouse or you may end up having a child who writes a blog called The Redhead Riter. Right, Mom?

Now you know why I only had one child and that Mom and Dad never thought about birth control before enjoying an experience of wild abandon. Now it is time for you to share some truth....How and when do/did you decide your family is/was complete? Join the conversation and be entered to WIN the designer handbag of your choice (Up to a $500value) from Essure!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Essure. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Contest Rules.

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How To Set Up Categories In WordPress And Jean-Luc Picard's Advice

WordPress allows so much flexibility when creating a blog. A very important feature of a blog is the implementation of categories. Let me show you how to set up categories in WordPress and also tell you why it is best if you use them.

Why You Need To Use Categories

It is important that you use categories on your blog. It is just as important that categories are used correctly.

Categories are the overall subjects of your blog. For instance, if you only blog about food, the main categories might be breakfast, snack, lunch, appetizers, dinner and desserts. Having proper categories will accomplish several things:

• The blog will be more organized.
• It will be easier for readers to navigate the posts.
• Categories are better for Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

Let's learn how to set up categories on your WordPress blog and discuss more of the "why's" of having categories.

How To Set Up Categories In WordPress

In the left hand column of the guts of your WordPress blog, you will find a menu.

Click POSTS and then click CATEGORIES.




On the CATEGORIES page, you can add a new category under ADD NEW CATEGORY.

In the NAME box, type the name of the category.

If you already have categories set up like "breakfast, dinner," you can click the dropdown to have the category listed under a PARENT category. So let's say that "dinner" is one of your main categories and is a PARENT CATEGORY. Under dinner, you might have more categories such as "vegetables, meat, bread" or "American, Italian, French, Mexican."

In my example below, the new category will be FOOD and the PARENT CATEGORY is HEALTH. Simply click the dropdown next to parent and choose HEALTH.





Under DESCRIPTION, you can type a description of the category.

Now you are ready to actually create the category. Click ADD NEW CATEGORY.





To the right, you can now see that FOOD has been added under the PARENT CATEGORY called HEALTH. You can also see the DESCRIPTION.





Before creating the categories, our only category choice for the blog post was "uncategorized."





Now that we have created the new categories, we can see "health" and "food" which are the categories for this post.

Put a check mark next to the categories that are applicable for the post.





There is also another way to set up categories in WordPress if you are already in a post.

At the bottom of the CATEGORIES on the ALL CATEGORIES tab, click + ADD NEW CATEGORY.





First, type the name of the CATEGORY.

Then click the dropdown menu and click the word you want to use as the PARENT CATEGORY.





Now click ADD NEW CATEGORY.





The new category will appear under CATEGORIES on the ALL CATEGORIES tab





At any time, you can see the complete list of categories by clicking CATEGORIES in the menu located in the left hand column.





While on the CATEGORIES page, you can edit or create categories.





Where the categories show up in the post depends on your theme and how you have chosen to display them. In the example below, they appear at the bottom of the post as "Filed Under".





Now that you know how to set up categories, let's dissect in more detail the reasons why you should use categories.

Categories Will Make The Blog More Organized

Do you prefer your home to look like a hoarder or a minimalist? I dare say that no one is going to answer "hoarder".

Does your blog look like you have become a hoarder of buttons, links, lists, etc.?

Are there so many things to click that your readers are frightened that your sidebars are going to jump out of the monitor and attack them?

If your sidebar looks like a hoarder, then your blog is a disorganized mess. Your readers need to be able to clearly see the posts AND easily navigate the posts by topic. Categories can help you accomplish that goal.

Categories Make It Easier For Readers To Navigate The Blog

No matter what you write about, your blog still has major themes that can be used as the parent categories. The categories can be listed in the ARCHIVES of your blog which will make it extremely easy for your readers to search the post topics.

Sometimes people want to read about just one topic on your blog or they are searching for a post they vaguely remember. Surely you don't think they are going to scroll through every post you have ever written for you blog.

Umm...No, they will not scroll through every post.

So do your readers a favor and create very specific and descriptive categories.

Categories Are Better For Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Are you sick of hearing about Search Engine Optimization (SEO)? There is only one reason that you can legitimately ignore it....You don't care if anyone reads your blog.

If you want people to read your blog, then it is necessary to do things that will make it better crawled by the spiders and optimized by the search engines.

When search engines crawl your blog, they are looking for the main subjects. By listing the topics as categories, the crawling is more efficient.

Also remember that "more" is not always better. Do not have a limitless list of categories for each post or for your blog. Pinpoint one or two topics that convey the idea of the post. If you want to add more descriptions, use tags which I will discuss in an upcoming blogging tips post. There isn't any "right" number of categories for a blog because each blog serves a different purpose. However, I can guarantee that one hundred main topic categories is too much.

Make a plan that you are going to go back into your blog and create categories for your blog that make sense. Not only do they make sense, they fulfill the three main reasons for using categories that we just discussed. Don't wait to do the work because if you procrastinate, it won't ever get done. Like Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Star Trek Enterprise would say, "Make it so!"

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Grilled Chicken Mushroom Salad Recipe - Healthy Ingredients For Salads

This is yet another post that will make you drool all over my blog, but that's okay because hopefully you are learning some great information. After I discussed how eating mushrooms daily has proven benefits, I made a point to incorporate them more often in our meals. When I baked Healthy Crab Stuffed Mushrooms Without Bread Crumbs, my daughter, Alyssa, decided to give mushrooms another try.

After biting into one of the moist and delicious mushrooms filled with crab, Ayssa still didn't like the mushrooms.

Salad is one food that Alyssa has eaten since she was a very young child. We have eaten a wide variety of salads throughout the years. I always knew that there were many health benefits of eating salad, so keeping the salads original and interesting remained my goal.

Last night I decided to cook some mushrooms and add them to a big salad for our dinner. As the onions, garlic and mushrooms cooked down, the aroma filled the air. After all the ingredients were cleaned and cut, I put my salad together with all the ingredients and fixed Alyssa's with everything except the mushrooms.

"Mom, I think I am going to try the mushrooms to see if I like them yet," Alyssa said as she walked into the kitchen.

She reached into the pan, grabbed a slice of mushroom between her fingers and popped it into her mouth.

"Eww, yuck. I still hate mushrooms, Mom. Sorry."

I was just happy that Alyssa was still willing try the mushrooms again just in case her tastes had changed. I will keep on creating new mushroom recipes until I finally make one that will tantalize her taste buds too.

For the rest of us who already love mushrooms, I have a very delicious salad to show you.

Grilled Chicken Mushroom Salad

Wash 16 ounces of mushrooms unless you are brave enough to just wipe off the "stuff,"
but I wash them with cold running water.

Slice 1 onion and try not to cry about it.
This was a mild onion, so no tears for me this time!




Peel and chop at least 5 cloves of fresh garlic.
I love the way garlic smells.




Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan.
Layer the onions, mushrooms and garlic to allow them to cook down and caramelize.




Add 1 tablespoon dried parsley.




Add 2 pinches of oregano after rubbing it between your fingersto make it more of a "dust" than pieces.
After everything is cooked, add Worcestershire Sauce
and cook a minute longer.




Slice 1 red bell pepper, removing the stem and seeds.




Peel and slice 1 cucumber.
I usually take the seeds out, but Alyssa likes to eat them, so I left them in this time.




Separate, wash and dry the lettuce leaves with a salad spinner or towel.




I use 3 artichoke hearts packed in olive oil and
5 pickled jalapeno peppers with the seeds to add heat to the salad.




Finely chop the artichoke hearts and jalapeno peppers.




Add Kalamata olives and capers.
Finely grate 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and sprinkle it all over the salad.




Add 1 pound of chopped grilled chicken.




While the cooked mushrooms are still warm, add them to the salad.




Toss all the ingredients in the bowl with tongs or large forks.




The warm mushrooms and grilled chicken will slightly melt the Parmesan cheese.




Add a few tablespoons of Caesar Dressing and toss until...




everything is wet.




The only thing left to do is grab a fork and feast on the delicious Grilled Chicken Mushroom Salad!




Maybe you're thinking that some of the ingredients I added to the salad aren't foods you enjoy. Well, that is okay because substitutions are totally allowed!

To help get your creative salad juices flowing, the following is a list of some ingredients you might want to incorporate in a salad. Not all of them at once, of course.

• avocado
• asparagus
  
• snap peas
• hard boiled egg
• blueberries
• nuts, especially almonds and walnuts
• strawberries
• mushrooms
• salmon
• cheese
• shrimp
• carrots
• crab
• cucumbers
• chicken
• bell peppers - red, yellow, green
• steak
• onion - white, yellow
• apples
• chives
• oranges
• broccoli
• grapes
• cauliflower
• jalapeno
• dried cranberries
• pickled beets
• raisins
• pickles
• lettuce
• pears
• grapes
• spinach
• tomatoes
• lettuce - Romaine, Red Leaf, Arugula
• beans - kidney, garbanzo, black, lima
• artichoke hearts
• corn
• sprouts
• olives
• cabbage
• celery
• edamame
• fennel
• water chestnuts
• bamboo shoots
• grapefruit
• kiwi
• pomegranate
• leek
• shallot
• banana peppers - Peperoncinis

Obviously, there is no reason to have a boring salad.

What are your favorite salad ingredients?

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20 Health Benefits Of Eating Salad

Eating raw fruits and vegetables will keep you feeling better, look more fit, become healthier and live longer. Listed below are twenty health benefits of eating salad. Hopefully this will encourage you to add salads as a staple to your diet.

Salads Are Delicious

Fresh fruit and vegetables are delicious, so mixing them in an array of different combinations to create a salad ensures exciting meals. Salads are delicious and knowing that they are also good for you, adds to the delicious factor.

Salads Are Visually Satisfying

First, you eat food with your eyes. Salads have varied textures, shapes, sizes and colors which make them visually appealing and satisfying. We enjoy foods that are entice our eyes and also eat more of them.

Eat A Different Salad

A salad does not have to be just lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers. There are thousands of ingredient combinations possible for making a salad. You could have a different salad every day for years! Not only are the ingredients in the salad numberless, but there are also many salad dressing combinations that can spice up a salad.

Eat Salads To Decrease Calories

As long as you don't add a bunch of fried ingredients that swim in dressing, salads are low in calories and can help you lose weight. Adding fruit and good fats such as olive oil, nuts and avocados to a salad enable the body to absorb lycopene (in tomatoes), lutein (in dark green vegetables), iron (in spinach) and other nutrients.

Salads Add Fiber

Eating healthy foods aid in helping the body feel energetic and filled with vitality. Salads add fiber to the diet which reduces cholesterol and constipation. High fiber salads eaten before a meal tend to help you consume less of the higher calorie foods served afterward. This fiber fullness side effect will help you lose weight.

Crunch And Munch

Eating a variety of textures keeps mealtime interesting. Salad ingredients can add a nice crunch which is much better for you than munching on cookies or potato chips.

Eat Salads To Stop The Craving

If you have a sweet-tooth that craves sugar and candy, add fruit or a fruity dressing to the salad. Not only will this satisfy your craving, but it tastes refreshing and will re-energize you.

Salads Are Fast

Compared to making homemade lasagne or waiting for Chinese food to be delivered, making a salad is relatively quick. The basic salad only requires that you wash and cut the vegetables. No baking is required. After buying vegetables, washing and storing them in the refrigerator decreases the time it will take you later to prepare a salad.

Salads Are Healthy

Salads are high in vitamins and minerals such as: vitamin A (immunity), vitamin C (fight infection, boost iron absorption, maintain healthy bones, gums and skin), vitamin K (strong bones, heal wounds, assists blood to clot), calcium (build strong teeth and bones, assists blood to clot, nerves to carry messages, muscles contract), alpha- and beta-carotene (antioxidant that help protect against cancer and heart disease), iron (maintain healthy blood) and many other vitamins and minerals.

Eat Salads Because It Is Hot Outside

Stifling heat in the summer not only curbs the appetite, but also lessens the desire to slave over a hot stove. That makes eating a salad the perfect meal when it is so hot in the summer months. Since there is no cooking required to make a salad, you won't have to worry about adding extra heat from an oven.

Eat Salads To Increase Vegetable Intake

The perfect way to increase the number of vegetables in your diet is to eat a variety of salads often. Eating plenty of raw vegetables ensures that you are getting the benefit of the enzymes found in them. These enzymes enable your body to absorb the nutrients found in the food. More nutrient absorption leads to better health.

Everyone Can Make A Salad

You simply can't go wrong when adding basic salad ingredients, so it isn't necessary to be a chef or even know how to cook in order to make a delicious salad. Children can easily assist in preparing salads. It is also the perfect meal to motivate children towards eating a variety of vegetables since they are more apt to eat what they help prepare.

Salads Unlimited

There is no end to the number of recipes for salads and dressings. The only limiting factor is your imagination. Start with fresh greens like arugula, spinach and Romaine, then add a variety of colorful vegetables.

Salads Travel

Salads can be packed easily and travel well because they won't leak all over. They are compact and great for lunch or a snack. It also doesn't matter if the salad gets "tossed" around.

Be The Farmer

It is possible to grow most, if not all, the vegetables in a salad. Not only is it convenient to pick the amount of vegetables needed for a salad from your own garden, but you will know exactly how everything was grown. As an added bonus, you will feel a sense of pride at being able to provide for yourself.

Salads Clean The Refrigerator

Since there are so many ways to make a salad, every couple of days it is easy to clean out the refrigerator of everything that might go bad soon. Not only is it frugal, but will add variety to the salad diet and help keep it balanced.

Salad Diversity Makes Everyone Happy

There are numberless types of salads which means that everyone can have a different salad at the same table by simply adjusting the ingredients according to their likes and dislikes. Mealtime should be a pleasant experience and encouraging salad individuality will also cause children to want to try new things. You know how it goes - "I want what he has in his bowl!"

Salads Digest

Do you hate that super full feeling and the bloating that happens after eating a fatty meal? Well, salads do not cause bloating and that is akin to winning the golden ticket in "Willie Wonka And The Chocolate Factory". Salads help to fill you up, but they do not feel heavy nor do they make you feel lethargic.

Salads Ward Off Disease

Salads help protect the body from diseases such as cancer and heart disease because they are high in fiber which improves digestive health. The raw fruits and vegetables in a salad also are antioxidants. Just add a hand full of blueberries and walnuts to a salad to up the health factor significantly. Research has also shown that people who consume plenty of raw vegetables and good fat (olive oil) have a reduced mortality! Salads will help you live longer!

Salads Are Exciting

Salads are so varied, that they are exciting. Really! Think about it! You never know what you will find under the next leafy green.

Obviously, I love making and eating salads. Hopefully after reading the twenty health benefits of eating salad, you will feel more inclined to add salad as a regular item on your daily menu.

Excuse me for a little bit. I've got to "leaf" you, so that I can get "dressed" and eat my salad.

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Chuckle of the Day - Grandpa And The Frog

A six year old goes to the hospital with her grandmother to visit her Grandpa.

When they get to the hospital, she runs ahead of her Grandma and bursts into her Grandpa's room.

"Grandpa, Grandpa," she says excitedly, As soon as Grandma comes into the room, make a noise like a frog!"

"What?" said her Grandpa.

"Make a noise like a frog because Grandma said that as soon as you croak, we're all going to Disney Land!"

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The Tale Of A Plastic Curse

Mom says that I am very intelligent, but I lack common sense. I think there has to be some other explanation because if it is going to happen, it seems to happen to me.

As far back as I can remember, I stayed in the kitchen with the women in my family. I spent a lot of time watching many talented women bake, roast, can and cook, but my task was always to just eat the fruits of their labor.

Mom had to start working when I was ten years old. She was extremely organized and efficient and seemed to get everything done. One morning, Mom explained that the macaroni and cheese was ready to bake in the oven. She would call me in the late afternoon when she was leaving work and all I had to do was put the prepared dish in the oven to bake.

It sounded very easy and I didn't fret about it.

True to her word, the phone rang shortly after 5:00 p.m. and Mom said, "Go ahead and pop the macaroni and cheese in the oven. Be careful not to burn yourself."

What could possibly go wrong?

By the time Mom walked through the front door, the wonderful aroma of our dinner filled our apartment. She looked quite pleased that I had "cooked dinner" without any of my usual mishaps.

Since this was the first time I had ever cooked anything, I was really excited to see the final outcome.

Mom grabbed a couple towels, reached into the oven and pulled out the bubbling macaroni and cheese.

I stared at it in confusion.

"Mom, what happened to the plastic wrap that was on top of the macaroni and cheese?" I asked.

"What?" Mom asked. "Didn't you take it off before you put it in the oven?"

"No!" I said. "You didn't tell me to take off the plastic! You just said to put it in the oven."

"It is just common sense to take off the plastic before baking anything in a hot oven! You know that plastic melts!" she said as she moved the fork around looking for the plastic in the freshly cooked noodles.

"But you didn't tell me to take it off!" I exclaimed, extremely upset because I had apparently failed at my first cooking experience.

I have never lived down that experience, but that was a long time ago and I have become wiser. Right?

Fast forward thirty-eight years to this morning.

I iron my clothes every morning before I go to work. Well, my iron broke and I had to buy a new one on Saturday. I left it in the box. Then on Sunday, Alyssa and I went to the Apple Festival. We were gone all day long, so the iron remained in the box.

This morning, I pulled the iron out of the box, removed the Styrofoam on each end and took off the plastic bag that was wrapped all the way around the iron. I plugged in the iron and went into the kitchen to eat breakfast.

The iron got really hot in just a few minutes. I put my black pants on the ironing board, lined up the legs, added water to the iron so I would have lots of steam and put the iron on the leg of my pants.

But the iron didn't slide across the material, so I yanked it up hoping that my pants weren't burned. Upon closer inspection of my pants, I didn't see any burn marks. What was wrong?

I flipped the iron around so that I could look at the hot surface and that is when I saw it.

Plastic.

Melted plastic.

Not just a piece of plastic, but the entire surface of the iron was covered with melted plastic.

Apparently, the plastic is placed on the shiny plate on the iron to prevent it from being scratched during shipping. I had no idea that an iron was packed that way, so I didn't even bother to look closely at my new iron before it was plugged into the wall.

Oh my gosh! I bet I ruined my new iron!

So I decided to just let it cool a little while I dried my hair. After it had cooled, I started peeling the plastic off in little pieces. I was quite thrilled that the melted plastic was coming off!

I picked all the little pieces of melted plastic out of the steam holes. When all of it had been removed, I plugged in the iron and ironed a wet towel to get the remaining goo off.

It worked.

No more goo and no more plastic stuck on the bottom of the iron.

I have to either concede that Mom was right and I have no common sense or believe that plastic has been out to get me since I was ten years old. I think I'm going with the latter. For all we know, plastic is really an alien that likes to aggravate redheaded people.

It could be true.

Okay, plastic isn't really an alien, but you could try to just humor me a bit!

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How To Cope With Change While Being On God's Black List

I am a professional at watching the sun slowly dip into the horizon. There have been times that I raced to the highest place possible so that I could see just a few more minutes of the sun. Every time I have watched the sun's wild display of colors as it sets in the evening, I am always amazed at how quickly the whole sky changes.

The sunset is never the same and we enjoy the changes in colors each day.

Like the sunset, life is filled with changes and nothing is ever the same no matter how hard we wish it to be or try to force it. This lesson of change is still something I struggle with constantly.

I find peace in the same old things. Is that bad? I keep asking myself if it is bad to be satisfied with the lack of change because for seven years my life has been filled with it. Most of the changes have been unwanted and I'm pretty sure I complained and whined during them all.

Connie Sky said, "Embrace change. True success can be defined by your ability to adapt to changing circumstances." Well, I have pondered her sentiments for a very long time and wondered if I held myself back by my reluctance to embrace changes. That possibility is really hard for me to wrap my mind around.

Am I my own worst enemy?

After much soul searching and contemplation, I believe that I know exactly why I resist change. Here is my bold revelation...I don't want to be hurt.

Earth shattering isn't it?

Many times people have talked about change and fear, but I really didn't think it applied to me. Let me just say, I WAS SO WRONG!

My fear of the unknown fills me with so much anxiety that sometimes I am paralyzed into inaction. The possibility of pain is almost too much for me to bear. I have actually missed out on wonderful opportunities because of my hesitation in the face of change.

When my life completely fell apart during the last year, I had no power to stop any of the events that took place. I even lost the ability to control my own mind while experiencing PTSD flashbacks. During it all, I felt like I was floundering like a fish laying on the river bank without water. Suffocation was imminent and I couldn't see any way out of the peril.

I kept thinking through all the pain that I must be a really bad person and that God didn't love me very much. I started telling family and friends that I was on God's black list. Thinking that my Creator found me less than desirable only added to my sadness and inability to cope.

What have I learned?

• People I love are going to die and it is going to be very painful. When they are gone, a piece of me will forever be missing.

• Everyone has the freedom to make their own choices and the right to completely ignore me even if I actually offer good advice.

• Just because people are in a family doesn't mean that they will be there for you when you hit the bottom. Sometimes they are so consumed with their own lives and problems that they are incapable of helping you and others just don't care.

• Some people are selfish and ungrateful and no matter what you do or say, they will always be selfish and ungrateful.

• Our body and health are temporary.

• No one knows what will happen in a minute, hour, month or year. Live in the moment and enjoy as many as humanly possible.

• Life is short. No. Life is very, very short.

• I am important.

• It takes two to save a relationship. I can't save it all alone. In order for a relationship to grow, love has to be a verb more often than at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
  

• I am a very loving and unselfish person. I have given and sacrificed a lot for the people I love and even if they don't appreciate it, the sacrifices helped to positively mold my character.

• I have regrets, but dwelling on them will not ever change the situation.

• I have been hurt and am still hurt, but one thing is for sure...eventually the pain will end.
  

• Never give up on yourself.
  

• I love my blog. Alright. I know that was very random and probably made you read it twice, but I love my blog because it has become my friend. It listens. It doesn't judge me. It is always there whenever I need it. My blog makes me feel better.

I have several big unpleasant things I have to do over the next year and there are rumors of another big layoff at my work again too. So I am just trying to do my best each day, remain positive and keep happiness in my life.

One thing I know for sure...I have definitely changed and things that were beautiful before are even more beautiful now. Do you know what is the best of all? I have hope again. Maybe it is just a little bit, but it is a whole lot more hope than I had two years ago.


"We must accept finite disappointment,
but we must never lose infinite hope.~Martin Luther King, Jr.~





Now, the time we have all been waiting for...(drum roll) This is the weekly post where I spotlight my Rockin' Friends who are the Top Nine active participants and loyal followers in my community which has THE BEST people in the world! If you want to be mentioned here next week, then all it takes is to come in and start chatting with everyone in my community.

Below are a few discussions going on in my community :

• Favorite Christmas movie?


• What Can I Say? I'm A Post Counter Diva! --- (56,892 comments)


• Yes or No to Flu shots?


• If you could have anything...


• Orange you...


• Either Or- New Game


• Giveaway sponsors for your blog (go on, take 'em)


• Do you wear headbands? ponytails?


• It's the same thing every year!

With a big, heartfelt thank you for their participation and friendship, here are the Rockin' Friends this week in order of most participation.

• Katlupe at Homesteading On The Internet


• Joan at Rich Beyond My Wildest Dreams


• Marlene at Marlene's Many Hats


• Meg at Mergie


• Pam (no blog)


• Teresa Wilkinson ~ The Storyteller


• Mama Penguin at Keeper of the Penguins


• Paula at The Wandering Hearth


• PJ at PJ's Prayer Line

I'm so glad that I've been able to become friends with these wonderful people who are so active in my community. I encourage you to add their blogs to your blogroll, but also come over and chat with us in my community.

For everyone mentioned in the top nine this week, feel free to grab the Rockin' Friend badge below and thank you for your participation!!



<a href="http://www.theredheadriter.com" target="_blank"><img style="width: 150px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="Rockin' Friends" title="Rockin' Friends" src="http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt308/TheRedHeadRiter/2009%20TEMPLATE/69015f9c.jpg"/></a>
Until next week...Kiss your family, hug your friends and don't forget to be the friend you would like to have around.

Woo Us To Your Blog

As always, attached is the weekly Linky to enter either the main URL to your site or add each post you publish throughout the week. You don't have to do anything special, just drop your link in and get a little extra exposure to your site.

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