Inner Child

 No matter how old I get, I hope I never lose my inner child.  It is the part of me that makes me wonder, find joy in the simplest things, play, act silly, make friends easily, and simply have fun.
One of the childlike delights I enjoy is found in the chilled fresh vegetable bin at a local supermarket.  Periodically, when I am picking out peppers, green beans, ginger root, or collard greens, I hear a rumbling thunder sound, so I pause and smile with expectation.  Next, a fine water mist sprays the fresh veggies!  It is an artificial rainstorm, and if you stand too close, some of the mist will float over you! 
Now, how cool is that!  
Smiles,
Sylvia

Pack Mentality

The other day, a cousin of mine was attacked and robbed while at college.  He was walking along, minding his own business, when several guys jumped him, beat him, kicked him, and robbed him.   The sense of outrage I feel is somewhat tempered  by the fact, that by God's grace, my cousin survived the beating.  He is recuperating.  I pray that he will be restored to his full self, on the  inside and on the outside.
I also pray that the people who attacked and robbed him will be brought to justice. 
This was a senseless and cruel act that I wish had not happened to my cousin.  It should not happen to anyone else, either.
Peace be,
Sylvia

A Record of Your Dreams

Have you ever kept a record of your dreams?   Long ago, I purchased a little dream journal from a dollar store.  Recently, I found this journal  as I was cleaning my study.  I  had made a few entries in this dream journal; they are from about nine years ago.  It was weird to read them, because I do not remember these dreams I wrote about back then. Some people I know say they do not ever remember their dreams.  I have read somewhere that you should write down your dreams as soon as you wake up.
Anyway, this dream journal has prompts where you enter the date and time, what each dream was about, who was in the dream, what your role was in the dream, what the dream means to you, if the dream was in black and white or color, and what you read or watched before you went to sleep.
This old journal of mine has a lot of blank pages left, but not because of my lack of dreams.  I dream a lot.  I just do not have the time to write my dreams down. 
Enjoy your dreams,
Sylvia

Snow Shoveling Outfit

We are having the third or fourth or fifth snowstorm in a row.  I have lost count.  This one is supposed to be quite strong.  I am not complaining.  God gives us the weather He wants us to have, and I am thankful that He gives us weather.  He knows what is best for us.
I have been doing some of the snow shoveling around here, and I have put together my shoveling outfit.  It is not cute, but it is functional. My outfit consists of my black Totes waterproof boots, my black sweatpants, two pairs of socks, a cotton tee shirt worn under my purple fleece hoodie from my teen's middle school years. I top all of this with a water repellent hooded coat and my leopard print fake fur hat that covers my ears.  Once I put on my knit gloves, I am ready to shovel.  I even set my small writing timer for thirty minutes and put it in my pocket.  After thirty minutes, I take a break so I don't overdo it.
What's your shoveling outfit?
Be careful out there.
Sylvia

Live On

An elderly member of the church moved away years ago to live with her relatives in the south.  I remember many things about her, including her familiar statement, "Live on, child.  Live on!"   It took me being a woman to fully understand what she meant by that statement.  When we are young, we think we know almost everything, but life teaches us so much more.  Our experiences often teach us that what we thought we knew was not accurate or reliable.  As we live on, our attitudes and actions change from the ones we had when were the know-it-alls that some of us used to be.   As we continue to live on, we continue to grow in many ways.  Hopefully, we also grow spiritually.  Now, I find myself saying to people who are younger than I am, "Live on, just live on. You will see what I mean."
Take care,
Sylvia

Put On Your Winter Coat!

I notice that teen girls, including my teen, often sacrifice comfort for fashion in terms of what style of coat or jacket they wear outside in this frigid weather.  What they call a coat, I call a jacket.  To me, a coat covers you at least to your knees.  For lots of the teens I see, like the ones I saw walking home from high school this afternoon, the short  black jacket  or navy  jacket is popular, but it does not cover too much beyond the waist.  My teen tries to compensate for this by wearing tights under her jeans and says this keeps her warm.  The girls also wrap long scarves around their necks and faces.  They also wear gloves and sometimes hats. 
 I remember being a teen girl.  I remember that fashion was so important.  I also remember our parents' expressions when they saw some of our outfits.   Sometimes, my mother would make me change so that I would not  "Freeze to death!" 
These teen girls look stylish in their jeans and and short jackets,  and I know they want to look fashionable, but when the temperature is in the single digit degrees outside, the girls also look cold!
Stay warm,
Sylvia

Do It Yourself

When I was growing up, I heard this often: "If you want something done right, do it yourself."  Sometimes,  I can go with that.  However, the down side of this thinking is you find yourself resisting the delegation of tasks.  You may find yourself micromanaging folks to whom you assign tasks.  You find yourself worn out because you think you have to have your hands on every aspect of a project.
How many of you have worked with a boss or supervisor who asked you to handle a task and then kept stepping in to see if you were completing the task the way they would?   This probably made you think, "If you were going to keep stepping in, why did you ask me to do this task in the first place?  Do you not trust that I know what I am doing?"
I know how we can use the  "done right, do it yourself " message  without it failing us.  It is when we see a person in need and we help them ourselves.   Then, it is done right.
Take care,
Sylvia