This morning I learned of one of my newest inspirations from my partners in my Volley fitness group. David Goggins is one of the world’s best endurance athletes. He is also a genius as a motivational speaker and as the author of countless thought provoking quotes.
These are a small sample of David Goggins quotes. These ones spoke to me personally in a big way so they are the ones that I chose to share.
“Nobody cares about yesterday. What have you done today to better yourself?” – David Goggins
“When you look in the mirror, that’s the one person you cannot lie to.” – David Goggins
“I don’t stop when I’m tired. I stop when I’m done.” – David Goggins
“Every day dosomething that makes you uncomfortable.” – David Goggins
“Success is based on your willingness to work your ass off no matter what obstacles are in your way.” – David Goggins
“I thought I’d solved a problem when really I was creating new ones by taking the path of least resistance.” – David Goggins
“Don’t limit expectations of yourself and settle for anything less than what you are truly capable of.” – David Goggins
“Most people who doubt you doubt you because they can never see themselves doing what you are trying to do.” – David Goggins
That is it for today. Take care and have a great day!💞🤗
There are people who possess brilliant minds. There are also people who possess the ability to express themselves simply and comprehensively. I find it fascinating when these people are one and the same – when brilliant minded people have the ability to share their wisdom in a simple and comprehensive manner.
One such fascinating person was Rumi, a thirteenth century Persian poet, who is still sharing his wisdom with us today. (Amazingly, his wisdom is as relevant now as it was in the thirteenth century.)
A year ago, I shared a few of my favourite Rumi quotes in this blog post. Simply brilliant words of wisdom.
There was one quote that has stayed with me for the past year and has had a profound effect on me and my life.
“It’s your road and yours alone, others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you.” – Rumi
My first thought was ‘obviously’. We are all responsible for our own lives. We are responsible for the choices we make and we are responsible for the consequences of those choices. Others can walk with us, but it is our life and inevitably we have to ‘own it’.
But then…. I had this realization. Everyone has their own road. Not just me…. 🙄
Everyone has their own road, even the people I care about – even my sons and my daughter and my grandchildren. They have to walk their own road. Even on those occasions when I can walk it with them, I cannot walk it for them. I cannot choose the paths they take and I cannot save them from the wrong turns they will inevitably make. They have the right to walk their own roads and the responsibility to deal with the consequences – for better or worse.
It has been a few difficult years for me (parenting wise), but Rumi’s words have helped me to put things into perspective and it has made all the difference. I am on my roadand have faith that those I love are on the roads that they need to be on, to ultimately get them where they need to go.
That is it for today. Take care and have a great day!💞
This month on my blog, I am sharing a meal or a dish that we indulge in each day. I am not a professional cook by any means and it was never about creating a collection of recipes. This is simply me keeping it real. This is how and what we eat on a day to day basis – because that is a reflection of who we are. In words better than mine…
“Food is our common ground, a universal experience. – James Beard
“We all eat, and it would be a sad waste of time to eat badly.” – Anna Thomas
“Food may be essential as fuel for the body, but good food is fuel for the soul.” – Malcom Forbes
“Food is symbolic of love when words are inadequate.” – Alan D. Wolfet
That last quote reminds me of son Dan who has always loved food – eating it, preparing it, and serving it to family and friends. From the youngest age, he would say “It is always good because you put love in it.” (Unless it was fish sticks. There was never enough love to save fish sticks. 🙄)
Last night, we did not have fish sticks. I took out the T-fal Air Frier and made Mexican Air Fry. I began by cubing a couple of chicken breasts, sprinkling them with olive oil and taco seasoning, and air frying them for twenty minutes. I transferred the cooked chicken to a bown and moved on to step two.
For step two, I sliced a tortilla shell into strips, spread the strips in the air frier, sprinkled them with olive oil and a bit of taco seasoning. I air fried the seasoned strips for about ten minutes. I had to stop the process a couple of times to re-spread the strips. (They want to pile up.)
While the tortilla strips were cooking, I prepared the vegetables for step three – red onion, red pepper, fresh mushrooms, pickled jalapenos, and black olives.
Once the tortilla strips came out of the air-frier, I put in the vegetables with a little sprinkle of olive oil and a bit of taco seasoning. I cooked the vegetables for six minutes and then added the cooked chicken from step one and about three tablespoons of hot salsa. I cooked for a further six minutes, before transferring to a bowl and topping with crispy tortilla strips.
Ready to serve!
I cooked rice to serve with our main dish. I was concerned it could be a strange combination but it worked well – even with soya sauce on the rice. 👍
That is it for today. Take care and have a great day!
Elephants have played a recurring part in my life since I scored my first stuffed animal some 65 years ago this Christmas. Today, as one of my final blogs for November, I thought it only fitting that I source and share a few “words of wisdom” on the mighty and marvellous 🐘.
“When you have an elephant by the hind legs and he is trying to run away; it is best to let him run.” – Abraham Lincoln
“Patriarchy is like the elephant in the room that we don’t talk about, but how could it not affect the planet radically when it’s the superstructure of human society.” – Ani Di Franco
“The elephant needs a thousand times more food than an ant but that is not an indication of inequality.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“A true elephant is one who never forgets his Herculean strength…” – Nikhil Parekh
“If anyone wants to know what elephants are like, they are like people only more so.” – Peter Corneille
“He who mounts a wild elephant goes where the elephant goes.” – Randolph Bourne
“If elephants didn’t exist, you couldn’t invent one. They belong to a small group of living things so unlikely they challenge credulity and common sense.” – Lyall Watson
“They say an elephant never forgets. What they don’t tell you is, you will never forget an elephant.” – Bill Murray
That’s it for today, folks. Take care and have a great day. 💞
Modern technology and social media have brought us easy access to countless ‘Life Coaches’ and ‘Influencers’. Many of them offer an abundance of style and substance. Few, if any of them, offer the wit and wisdom of the original – Erma Bombeck. For those too young to know, or too old to remember, Erma Bombeck was a successful writer, television hostess, newspaper columnist, and advocate for equal rights. She died in 1996 at the age of 69 from Polycystic Kidney Disease. Fortunately, her words live on:
” Cleanliness is not next to Godliness. It isn’t even in the same neighbourhood. No one has ever gotten a religious experience out of removing burnt on cheese from the grill of the toaster oven.”– Erma Bombeck (My husband set a vinyl coated shopping bag filled with butter and milk on a hot burner of our new stove yesterday. It may not have been a religious experience, but I might have mentioned God’s name a couple of times when I was cleaning that up. AD)
“My kids always perceived the bathroom as a place where you wait it out until all the groceries are unloaded from the car.” – Erma Bombeck (I had one sister who used to hide in the bathroom every time we did dishes. If we had cell phones back then, we probably would have missed her teen years completely. AD)
“Some emotions don’t make a lot of noise. It’s hard to hear pride. Caring is real faint – like a heartbeat. And pure love – why some days it’s so quiet, you don’t even know it’s there.” – Erma Bombeck (Beautiful AD)
“I was trampled to death by a man who believed his luggage would be the first piece off. If he were an experienced traveler, he would know that the first piece of luggage belongs to no one. Its just a dummy suitcase to give everyone hope.” – Erma Bombeck (Except for that one time when your husband left you waiting by the carousal with a purse, a laptop, and an overnight case for two minutes. Then your two pieces of oversized luggage were the first to come flying out. AD)
“Once you get a spice in your home, you have it forever. Women never throw out spices. The Egyptions were buried with their spices. I know which one I’m taking with me when I go.” – Erma Bombeck (I am taking my Egyptian spices. AD)
“In two decades I’ve lost a total of 789 pounds. I should be hanging from a charm bracelet. ” – Erma Bombeck (I can so relate. AD)
“I do not participate in any sport with ambulances parked at the bottom of the hill.” – Erma Bombeck (I avoid all of them out of an abundance of caution. AD)
“When your mother asks ‘Do you want a piece of advice?’ it is merely a formality. It doesn’t matter if you answer yes or no. You’re going to get it anyway.” – Erma Bombeck (When my then eighty-five year old mother came to visit my kids and I in our new duplex, she told me that I had arranged the furniture in my bedroom wrong. When I didn’t rectifly the situation, she rearranged the furniture herself. AD)
“Why would anyone steal a shopping cart? It’s like stealing a two year old” – Erma Bombeck (I don’t know why but I thought that was hilarious. AD)
That is it for today, folks. Take care and have a great day! 💞
Today, I was going to write a post filled with the wisdom that comes with aging and retirement. However, as so often happens in these laissez faire days of my retirement, I wandered off course on my internet search for suitable quotes.
So, without further ado, in the words of the inimitable Phyllis Diller:
You know you’re old when someone compliments you on your alligator shoes and you’re barefoot.
If you don’t have wrinkles, you haven’t laughed enough.
I never made ‘Who’s Who’ but I’m featured in ‘What’s That’.
You know you’re old if they’ve discontinued your blood type.
The doctor looked over my body. I said: Is there any hope? He said “Yes, reincarnation”.
The best contraceptive for old people is nudity.
You know you’re old when your walker has an airbag.
My mother-in-law had a pain beneath her left breast. Turned out to be a trick knee.
I have so many liver spots, I ought to come with a plate of onions.
I was so wrinkled I could screw my hat on.
And in memory of her youth – in the words of Phyllis Diller:
All I learned at my mother’s knee was that she had a bony knee.
My mother hated me. Once she took me to an orphanage and told me to mingle.
That’s it for today. I hope it brought a smile to your face. 😊 For those too young to remember, Phyllis Diller was a classic with her trademark ‘finger stuck in a light socket hairdo’. She was one of the great ones.
Today is the final day of September. I cannot allow this month to end without sharing a ‘piece of my mind’ on the subject of aging. Fortunately, I have some firsthand experience on this topic to draw from. So, let us begin!
Memory – Quantity wise, as we age we have more memories, so we can be more selective about which ones we dwell on. 😏 Quality wise, our memory is not as reliable as it once was. This can be good or bad depending on the situation. It is frustrating as we search for our glasses every single morning! It can be a blessing as we can forget people, places, and events that we did not care for in the first place – or even when we forget what we had for supper yesterday. Who cares? That just gives us the option of enjoying the same meal three days in a row. 👍
Finances – There is one financial term that is typically referred to in retirement that drives me batty! ‘Fixed Income’. I am fortunate that my husband still works, we live a very modest lifestyle, and we live in a country that has financial programs to help the aged. I know that there are those who are worse or better off than me in retirement. But seriously, how many people are not living on a ‘Fixed Income’? In all of my years of working, never once did I have the opportunity to demand a pay increase because my utility bills, my cost of food, or because any of my costs increased. Very few employers have an automatic ‘cost of living’ increase built into their wage package. Those that do rarely, if ever, cover the actual increased costs of living, nor do these increases kick in every time a cost increase comes into effect. Many seniors struggle financially, but so do many younger people – many singles, many young people starting out in adulthood, many in low paying positions, many parents providing for families. These people cannot afford to have their taxes hiked to support raising pensions every time there is a cost increase. They, like seniors, are on ‘fixed incomes’ and are struggling to make the same cutbacks that we all are to meet their financial obligations.
Harvest – Yesterday, I posted a quote by Robert Louis Stevenson on my blog. “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant.” I used to think that retirement was the time to reap the rewards of life. I still do, to a point. Going into retirement, many of us have much to show for our working years. Our home is paid off, our relationships are solid, our family is self sufficient, our retirement income is secure. But, there was one thing that I discovered when I retired. I planted a lot of seeds (time, money, effort, love) in my life before retirement – in my kids, my marriage, my grandkids, my career, my home, etc. But, I did not plant a lot of seeds in myself – not in my health, not in my skills or my hobbies, not in considering, much less developing, my own interests. I do not regret any of the seeds that I did plant but when I retired and my family was grown and self-sufficient, I was so excited to be be free! And I was free, sometimes painfully so. It has taken two years – two years of walking, thinking, starting and stopping, but I am finally planting seeds in me. I am so grateful that retirement has given me the time and inclination to do this! It will be interesting to see what I harvest as these next years unfold.
That is about it for my thoughts on retirement. I personally recommend aging and retirement! It is great, even when the struggle is real.
While I am sharing random ‘pieces of my mind’this is probably as good a time as ever to share some practical advice I have picked up along the way.
I was chatting with fellow blogger John and I mentioned that French onion soup is good for flushing out kidney stones. (I have been making/eating it regularly since 2012 and haven’t had a kidney stone problem since 2012, Yay!) Since this home remedy was news to him, I thought I would share a few more of my home health tips.
While I swear by onion soup for kidney stones, my brother-in-law’s goto is a glass of Coke a day. That stuff dissolves anything so there is some logic to this – and it works for him. 🤷
Popsicles or Freezies for a mild fever. I have used ice cream in a pinch. (NB: If you have grandkids, they may develop a chronic cough when they visit – especially if your goto is their favourite ice cream bar)
Ginger ale for a tummy upset
Cake with icing for constipation. Just the icing works. I had granddaughter Maddy try it one time and she pooped every time she had cake for the next three years. 😂
Yogurt for a sore throat – My doctor actually recommended that for my son Mark when he was having recurring throat infections and it worked!
Milkshakes for weight gain. It worked – but not for my son. He wouldn’t touch them. After trying a dozen different flavours, I had to give up. My husband was gaining too much weight drinking the milkshakes my son wouldn’t touch.
1/4 tsp of ginger in turkey stuffing to prevent flatulence. My grandmother-in-law taught me this one. I don’t know why turkey stuffing would make one flatulent but I do my part to prevent it. 💨
Lemon and baking soda to soften foot callouses – DO NOT DRINK. I pour about 1/2 cup of lemon juice in a basin of warm water. My husband soaks his feet for five minutes and adds about 1/2 cup of baking soda and soaks his feet for another ten minutes. I dry his feet and massage with lotion. He has to wear socks for the rest of the evening but it works like a darn. (We only use the lemon and baking soda every third night – in between we use Dr. Teals Epson salts or CBD bath salts). His callouses were horrid and a few months in, they are virtually gone
And last but not least! Pumpkin for doggy diarrhea – I add a tablespoon to Kat’s kibble once a day and it straightens her out in no time!
Note!!! Obviously, I am not a medical professional and would only suggest any home remedy to cure or prevent mild health upsets! For any serious health issue or concern for myself, my family, or my pet – we see our family doctor (or vet). I am also totally PRO vaccine (all vaccines) – for people and pets alike!
That is it for home health tips for today. If you have any that you use, I would love to hear about them in the comment section!
Bonus advice: Prepare for a cold winter! The more black vs less brown fur on this little guy suggests it will be a bad one. Of course if you live in Saskatchewan, you should always be prepared for a cold winter. 🙄
It is the last day of August and thus the last day of my tribute to Gratitude. This has been a great month for me! I have enjoyed writing each and every post. I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated each and every visit, like, and comment received. I love this sense of community that is WordPress! 💞
For this final chapter on Gratitude, I will once again turn to quotes from the wise! My appreciation to them for putting into words what I truly believe.
Be thankful for what you have; you will end up having more. If you concentrate on what you do not have, you will never have enough.
– Oprah Winfrey
When we focus on our gratitude, the tide of disappointment goes out, and the tide of loverushes in.
– Kirsten Armstrong
Gratitude opens the door to …the power, the wisdom, the creativity of the Universe. You open the door through gratitude.
– Deepak Chopra
Gratitude is the single most important ingredient to living a successful and fulfilling life.
– Jack Canfield
Reflect upon your present blessings of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes of which all men have some.
– Charles Dickens
Showing gratitude is one of the simplest yet most powerful things humans can do for each other.
– Randy Pausch
Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us toencounter everyday epiphanies…those transcendent moments of awe that changeforever how we experience life and the world.
– John Milton
When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.
– Gilbert Chesterton
I hope you have enjoyed your visits to my blog this month, as I have enjoyed sharing it!
Tomorrow a new month begins and with the new month I will be kicking off a new theme. I am going to be going in a totally different direction. We will have to see how that goes. 😂
Have a great day! Take care and I hope to see you tomorrow. 💞
I made it to, and through, my dentist appointment. I am grateful that is over! It was a long one as it was the first appointment for getting a crown.
I was getting ready to go to my appointment yesterday. It was one of those days when the smoke from northern forest fires was really bad. This concerned me as I worry about having respiratory issues in the middle of a dental procedure. Inhaling wood smoke was not something I wanted to be doing on my way to the dentist.
I was driving to the dentist, through woodsmoke, and I saw a train passing at the end of our street. My preferred route is via Elphinstone but avoiding it to miss the train was not a big deal. I took Avonhurst to Albert and the same train was crossing Albert, blocking traffic. I was starting to wonder if I would make my appointment on time. The train moved and I was off – until I hit a construction detour. There were fifty cars in a ten block radius and they were all jammed up at the intersection where I needed to turn. By then, I was wondering if I would make it to my appointment at all. 😳
I made it to my dentist’s office, with moments to spare. I turned in and – ta da!! A UPS van flew around the corner of the building and darn near took me out. 😱
With a collision avoided, I parked and headed inside. Dr. Bryden and his assistant were ready for me. I did really well throughout the procedure until we got to the making of the permanent crown template. My mouth was filled with expanding foam and I was told to relax and wait for FIVE minutes without moving my mouth. I can’t cough, I can’t sneeze, I can’t breathe. I was not relaxed! 🙄
I decided I that could do this. I remembered a You Tube video I had watched a couple of days ago. It wasn’t a meditation. It was a spiritual guru giving a talk. He was talking about having maximum power to manifest whatever it is that you want or need in your life. He spoke of focusing your mind, your body, your emotions, and your energy to create one desired result.
I decided to manifest myself some serious peace and calm. I thought peaceful, calming thoughts. I relaxed my body – head to toe. I felt peaceful and calm. I allowed that peaceful, calm feeling to expand around me and to envelop my dentist and his assistant.
It was an amazing experience. I felt so peaceful and calm. The five minutes were over and the appointment was completed, stress free.
I drove home by a different route than the one I had taken to get to my appointment. It was a bit longer, but peaceful, calm, and incident free. I arrived home feeling good. I felt good for the rest of the day and my day was followed by a good night’s sleep.
I am so grateful for the spiritual guru who posted his video to You Tube. I wonder if he knows how much his wisdom and insight helps others? I doubt that he is someone who ‘needs’ validation but I hope he knows that he is appreciated.
Time to get on with my day. I wish I could share that You Tube video with you but I cannot find it today, for some strange reason. When and if, I do come across it again, I will share it in another post.
I hope all is well with you and that you are having a really good day. Take care and see you tomorrow💞
Seclusion 101 with AnneMarie 