Making Do With Less

We live in a society that seems to be largely focused on monetary wealth and material things. Too often, we focus so much on earning money and trying to get "ahead" that we don't realize that we're spending our time on making and spending money, rather than spending that time doing things we actually enjoy or with our loved ones. If you have to ask yourself if you are too focused on acquiring wealth and material things, chances are, you are.

Instead of worrying about what you don't have or trying so hard to acquire that which you do not have, try being thankful for what you do have and asking yourself if that which you are striving for is really something you NEED. Can you make do with less? Can you make do without that which you are working so hard to acquire? There are a few basic necessities in life - food, clothing, shelter, transportation... These do not have to be elaborate, name-brand or "fancy. " We only need that which sustains us and allows us to live in reasonable comfort.

Anything else besides things we "need" and keepsakes, is just extra "fluff." Trust me, we could all probably get by with a lot less than what we do.. unless you are already homeless or destitute, you probably have unneccessary items and unneccessary expenses. When the tornado took out my life as I knew it last year, my kids and I had our lives turned completely upside down, but we also began to look at it as a blessing in disguise, because we needed to downsize and de-clutter our home and our life.

My point is, making do with less isn't about living "poor" or being poor... it's about being happy with what you have in the true context of what it is. Focus your life on other people and being happy, not how much you can make, spend or acquire.

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Intentional Living and Tiny Houses

I'm feeling a bit out of sorts lately, so I haven't spent much time writing at all. First, I've been, quite literally, sick and tired. Between a massive headache that never quite seems to go away, and a fever and chills that keeps coming back, I have just felt awful.

All that aside. I still have to work, so when I wasn't running a fever, I was still trying to work. Yup. Didn't work as well as I had hoped. Im still behind on work, totally lost focus on my writing and I'm still not feeling well. Yuck.

But enough of my complaining... I've been pondering a few things for awhile now and I'm not exactly sure where they tie in to any of my goals or hopes, dreams or even my basic ideals. We all know that I am one to discuss positivity, optimism and making a positive mark on the world.

 But what about intentional living? That is, living with positive intent and purpose. Are we each doing so? Somehow, I doubt that we are. In a world filled with a focus on money, acquiring wealth and material things, we lose sight of what is important and that which we really desire. Which brings me to the other subject in my title - tiny houses - what would that be like? To have the space you NEED to live and shelter yourself and your family, with no waste of space or possessions?

Iam doing research on tiny houses and alternate forms of housing. I don't know why, but I feel like this is something I'd like to know more about, even if I don't ever so something like that. That, and homesteading... I'm curious about how simply life could be lived, and inexpensively, while still maintaining a good quality of life without all of the trappings of material things that society seems to expect of us. I'll keep you posted... This looks to be the start of an interesting journey...

ChatAbout: A Fun Place to Hang Out

I joined ChatAbout several months ago, then proceeded to not really do much of anything on there until recently. I have been absolutely amazed at how much fun ChatAbout is! ChatAbout has a great administration team, they pay rewards out very quickly and it's really great getting to know other members and see everyone else's viewpoints on everyday topics.

In case you don't know what ChatAbout is, it is a website in which you earn points for chatting, posting articles and reviews, commenting on news articles and pictures, taking surveys, etc. There are even sections to listen to music or watch videos to earn points. I'm sure that I'm forgetting a few other features or sections, but you really should check it out.

Since I joined ChatAbout and began participating, I have been pleasantly surprised to  find that there is plenty to do to keep you busy on the site, interested and engaged with it, and the points add up pretty quickly. I would recommend ChatAbout not only for earning the points - which is more like a bonus for me - but also for the participation in a friendly and positive online community.

At ChatAbout, there's quite literally, something for everyone. Almost everyone there is nice and friendly, discussions stay friendly and if something unsuitable pops up, admins handle it right away. If you want to earn a little bit of points for cash or prizes, make new friends and discuss topics that interest you, then ChatAbout is the place to be.

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Insomnia Strikes Again

I stayed up way too late last night. Actually, it was 2:30AM whenever I finally went to bed. I have no idea why I feel the need to do things like that, because all it does is make me tired. Then, because I slept in this morning because of being up too late last night, I ended up not getting as much done as I had planned on doing.

I am planning on going to bed early tonight. I have to work tomorrow and need to be at full capacity and at full energy to deal with my patients and get everything done that I need to, especially since tomorrow is Friday. I don't know why I do things that make me tired, especially whenever I know better.

Compassionate Care at The End of Life

I work in the healthcare field. Although I am not a nurse or even a nurse's aid, I deal with patients on a daily basis. All of my patients are elderly. In my job, we call these patients "clients." The thing about it is, I'm not sure that is an entirely accurate term. I can understand from a business or financial point of view that the patients are, in all actuality, clients.

But, I feel like using the term "client" is a way of dehumanizing the patient and also a way to distance the healthcare workers from the people they care for. I can't help but feeling that this is wrong. The end of one's life should be a time where one is celebrating their life and accomplishments, they have lived and learned, earned the respect of others and they should GET that consideration and respect.

Caring for an elderly person can be more difficult that dealing with a child. It isn't that the elderly person is child-like or "immature" it's that we often forget that the elderly are adults and that they have earned the right to respect. Often, caregivers become impatient with those they are caring for, they suffer from stress and burnout themselves, and so they end up becoming indifferent to those that they care for. This is so wrong.

The elderly deserve respect, consideration and compassionate care. It can be difficult for those caring for them to remember that these are people who have lived long lives, have worked for what they have and that many times, the person they are caring for gets just as frustrated with themselves as the caregiver gets with them.

Imagine living your life independently and then slowly or even suddenly, becoming unable to do basic things for yourself. It can be difficult to remember that the elderly have gone from being perfectly capable of caring for themselves and even others, to having to rely on others for basic needs. It can become all too easy to forget that the person we are caring for is just as frustrated as we get, that this person can become confused and that they are often struggling with depression.

It's important to care for the elderly, especially when they are seriously ill or suffering from a debilitating condition such as Alzheimer's or dementia, with as much compassion, empathy and respect as possible. I know that care-giving can be difficult and stressful, perhaps even depressing, but it's important to remember that you play an important role in this person's life and that they are relying on you - whether they want to or not.

Elder care can be demanding and stressful. And while it may be tempting to distance yourself or attempt to remain indifferent to your patient, I really feel like it is important to connect on a human and emotional level with the person(s) you are caring for. If you distance yourself from your patients, it can be difficult to meet their needs. Just make sure to also care for yourself while caring for your patients. But don't attempt to keep your distance.

You are meeting far more than physical needs - many elderly people are lonely, scared, depressed, etc - a compassionate caregiver who has connected can make a world of difference in the quality of life for an individual who is at the end of their life.

I currently care for two lovely elderly women. One is suffering from Alzheimer's disease and dementia and the other is suffering from congestive heart failure. Both of these women are very special and very dear to me. I know at some point, I will lose them. And I will mourn that loss. But I also know that I am a better person for having met them and being a part of their lives, I have learned so much from both of them. They are not only my patients, but my friends.

Ending a Long Day

So I had a long day today. Complete craziness. I didn't even work all that hard at my job, but between the heat outside and being in and out of air conditioning and my hot vehicle, I am just completely drained.

I came home between clients today and pit pork chops and brown gravy into the crock pot, now Im making mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts to go with the pork chops. An easy enough dinner and something that I know everyone will eat. I better start brushing up on my menu and shopping plans and getting things situated, so that I can keep meals on the table at normal times once school starts back up.

  I don't know why I get so tired so easily lately, I guess that's just part of not being as young anymore and also part of my children getting a little bit older. Then, between work, school and raising kids who are in school, while also trying to maintain a household, I feel like I just never have enough time to get things done. Ah, such is life.

 Have a great evening everyone!

Good Morning, Everyone!

I hope each and every one of you had a good night's rest and that you are ready to face the day with positivity and energy. I am sort of dragging along today, but that's primarily because I stayed up too late writing last night.

I need to keep a better handle on my schedule and try a bit harder to maintain a better routine for myself, so I can be a more effective mother, partner and employee. Not to mention, all the other roles I play in my life. I'm in a weird place right now mentally and emotionally. Not a bad place, just weird.

Feeling like everything is a bit surreal right now. I'll explain later. Just thought I'd take a break from work for a second.

Goodnight World

Well, it's been a crazy few days. Between an impromptu road trip to go and get my daughter from her dad's house 700 miles away, driving back, trying to catch some sleep, settle my daughter back in and then work, I'm completely exhausted. I spent this evening trying to catch up on some writing and I've ended up sitting here far longer than I intended. I'm going to be very tired tomorrow.

So, since I'm already up past the time I probably should have been and I DO have to work tomorrow, I guess I had better go to bed. I still feel like I haven't gotten as much accomplished as I wanted to, but I'm going to work on my schedule and routine tomorrow and see what I can get done. If I go to bed as soon as I finish this post, I should get enough sleep to get me through tomorrow.

Goodnight World, Goodnight Everyone! Sweet dreams. And remember, tomorrow is another day, another chance. Always keep hope and live with light and love.

Reach for Your Goals

If you have nothing to strive for, then you have no goals or hopes for your life. If you have no goals or hopes, then what is the purpose of existence? We all have a purpose and destination in our lives, even when we may not realize what exactly that is. Sometimes, people never figure out what exactly their purpose for being is or was, but they have made a large impact in ways that they could never even begin to understand.

We are all here for a reason. Every challenge we face, happens for a reason. There's no other way to look at life and the challenges in life that we face. If we simply believe that things just happen and that we're just sitting here wandering aimlessly in the world, then we have no motivation or hope of ever reaching our goals, finding our hopes and dreams. This would make our lives pointless. And who wants to live a pointless life?

Every day that we live is another chance to get it right, another chance to do something to make a difference in our own lives and that of another. We come across all sorts of people in our daily lives that may be struggling with the same things that we are, sometimes struggling with things that we couldn't even begin to fathom... It's amazing how the little things can make an impact on another person. We are each where we are when we are supposed to be.

And in context of all of this, I urge you to reach for your goals. Keep reach and keep moving towards them, but never forget compassion or understanding for others. Keep hoping and dreaming, but make sure you spread the hope around and share it with others. Reaching for our goals shouldn't be a purely selfish undertaking, it needs to be done in such a way that we still live with compassion, empathy and that we still connect with others. 

Drunk People... Have You Ever Noticed?

I don't know if you have ever noticed this or not, but drunk people are supremely obnoxious. Especially if you're sober. I worked in bars off and on for over ten years. One thing I learned was that if you're the sober person and you are dealing with drunks, ANYTHING can happen or anything can be said. It's ridiculous sometimes, just how unreasonable drunk people can get.

While I'm not going to sit here and pretend to be a saint or try to pretend like I've never been drunk in my life, I don't think that you should drink to excess and then use being drunk as an excuse to be obnoxious or mean to people.What it is about alcohol that makes some people just seem to lose their marbles and act stupid? I also don't understand why drunk people are more likely to want to fight than sober people.

I don't know if any of you have noticed this, but when people are drunk, it almost seems as though a hidden part of their normal, basic personality comes out and it may be a part of that person that you really don't like. Why is that? I know alcohol lowers inhibitions and people do things when drunk that they might not do when sober, but why are sober people so much better than drunk people at hiding their true thoughts, feelings or parts of themselves?

And, while I am aware that an inebriated person has no real boundaries or inhibitions, why is it that this part of themselves comes out only when they are drinking? And, if you know you're a pain in the ass or an asshole when you get drunk, why would you continue to drink? Why would you want to put others through that and show off that negative side of yourself? I just don't get it.