Positivity – Page 5 – downtoearthpositive

Celebrating 100 + Party

I know this is small change for many seasoned bloggers, but for me it’s a big deal to celebrate 100 followers!!! (I’m totally stealing this idea of a party). What I’d like to do is have a Blogging Party to celebrate YOU! I’m enjoying the WordPress Community more than I ever expected & have come to know many of you through your writings with my new addiction to reading posts! I’m even enjoying Poetry and I wonder, how did that happen?

Please tell me about yourself, your passions & blogging!

Here is how you can celebrate with me:

Post your favorite blog in the comments, feel free to post two! Please introduce yourself & blog (s).
Have fun, get to know some new folk too, Like & Follow.
Yes, you are welcome to share & have some fun!

Have fun! Happy-yayness!

Karen / Dr. Dink

I’ve also expanded to 2 blogs — Brown Bag Letter results from my love for antiquing and the frustration of unidentified people in portraits and photographs. So, I’ve started synchronizing photos of real (forgotten) people with stories of folks who tell me about their grandparents and family folklore. Click here to visit: Brown Bag Letter

My favorite sites for finding you have been:

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Daily Prompts

Ahhh, the joys of different time zones

Thinking ONLY about yourself: the world is small and limited.

Thinking about others: the world in infinite.

When life situations occur, whether it be a season of sadness, change and life devastation. Or a quick moment of, “Oh no! What will I do now?”. If our response is, me, me, me. It leads to a place of not seeing anything but overwhelming smallness. However, looking to “the other” leads to a path of hope.

While texting a new friend early this morning, she said, “I’m off to bed!” And here I was with my cup of coffee, waking up. In an instant global world, I have to constantly think of time zones. Family in England, Friends and family East & West. Former students in China and India . . . what time is it for someone else?

Aren’t we in a different time zone, even with the person next to us? We enter each day with different perspectives, different backgrounds, moods, health, etc. Generally, it is very natural to respond to that truth. However, if we are too busy looking at “me”, we miss so much opportunity, even in the closest of relationships!

collaboration-community-cooperation-461049 Challenge for the day, do “something” for the other. Even if they don’t realize what you’ve done, you have the benefit of knowing the kindness. It makes your world much larger, brighter, and yes, positive place. It may be a word, an action —small or large, have some fun! I’d love to hear what you decide to do!

Enjoying the Adventure!

Dr. Dink

This post was inspired by the daily prompt: narcisist

Photo: Pexel.com

Please visit my (very new!) other Blog: Brown Bag Letter

I encourage you to visit other bloggers at the following sites. You’ll find almost everything imaginable that can be written, in every form, from all over the world!

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Daily Prompt

My Love

This man is a freak. Honestly, that is my word for “most wonderful man in the world.” He’s a guy’s guy kind of a guy. He can fix anything, he loves soccer with a passion, he will drop any “important project” that he’s working on if one of his kids call, or if I ask for some stupid thing that really can wait.

He fixes inside, outside, upside down (especially working on the truck or yucky plumbing). I’ve watched him persevere in the craziest of situations. My favorite was three days of “snaking the drain line” on a house we were working on. Oh my –it was rude to say the least and three days!!! Did I say, 3?

With all this down to earth stuff of life, he also writes computer program. I mean really, a full description is quite complicated! I’m thrilled to say that this freak of a man is my husband.

Oh, I almost forgot . . . he talks funny too. We have a small city near us named Altoona. He constantly calls it “AltooNER”. He also pronounces, PAAArC, for what we normal people here in the US of A say, “Park”. When we were first dating that accent slayed me! I wanted him to read fairy tales to me . . .

So imagine this morning, I’m currently in a different time zone & he calls, “Are you watching the wedding?” It was 5:30am! So I got up and turned on the television while listening to him telling me about the beauty that was before me. I hear him saying, “I’ve been there.” (And I bet this man’s man kind of a man had a few little tears brewing in his English born eyes).

Roots are powerful. Here in Arizona, our second home-to-be, I’ve been hearing the doves calling out, “who, who, who” and it is strange how it brings me back to my childhood where I heard their call as a little girl. While here, three time zones and 5 decades later, there have been a few moments when I’ve had my eyes closed and I hear those doves and actually see my childhood home, feel the humidity-filled-Southern-New-Jersey air, and smile.

I’m happy that my love woke me up this morning. I’m so grateful that he got to remember his roots through this awe-inspiring event of love. Best part is, I know that I’m loved by this Brit each & every day.

Today, with all the terrible things going on in the world, it is good to have a break from the chaos and celebrate love. What memories do you cherish? What memories are you building? I’d love to hear your responses to these questions! As the day continues, I’m going to go play with that grandbaby before I fly back to my prince!

Oh yes, I’m

Enjoying the Adventure!

Karen

(a.k.a. Dr. Dink)

P.S. As for the Royals, I hope they are as blessed as me!

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Too Early?

Is it premature to say that TODAY IS GOING TO BE AWESOME? I think not . . .

I mean really, a cup of coffee, a banana and a phrase to set the day right. What a great way to start. So, now it’s your turn:

Today is going to be __________________?

Enjoying the Adventure, (secretly looking for tomorrow’s start-up word)

Dr. Dink

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Daily Prompt

Greater than Source

IMG_20170524_060658603

My Dear Friends,

As a shadow lengthens in the sun,

attitudes infect those around you.

hang out with people

who smile and laugh A LOT!

Enjoying the Adventure, (A wee bit taller today)

Dr. Dink

Daily Prompt

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Attention to Detail (or not)

How do I say it other that, “What a shitty job!” The lines are everywhere, well at least every 4 x 8 foot section. Yes, I’m talking about

drywall on the ceiling. I’ve gotten pretty good at drywall & other home improvements because we have always lived in older homes and in the past few years we’ve been flipping old houses. I’m staying in a suburban home, a quite pricey suburban home, it is truly lovely. Yet attention to detail that would have cost the contracting company a little more cash and time was neglected. Obviously each section of drywall has not been filled and sanded in this room. THEN, to make matters worse, they tried to hide it with a thin textured paint. This means fixing it would cause the issue to be worse because you would never be able to match the texture, unless, of course you put A REALLY THICK TEXTURE, or redid the ENTIRE ceiling!

OK, there’s my rant for the day. What’s the positive in this?

Most people might not notice or realize what it “should look like” which is smooth as glass. (I just have a trained eye because I’m an artsy, crafty particular craftsman type of gal).
It could be throughout the whole house (It isn’t, trust me I checked!)
Things could be much worse. (Really, they could —have you bought that house?)
When you write a blog bitching about a poor drywall job and then you think, did that volcano blow in Hawaii last night? Did that fissure grow? Did a new one open up? (Makes you appreciate that the poorly done drywall will still be there tomorrow, probably for years and decades to come).
As a crafts-person, it reminds me once again that details matter in my own work.

I guess the take away with this is that lines matter, but measure each line carefully. Truly, in life, lines have to be drawn of various sorts, some are thin, others very thick. My guess is, like me, sometimes we all make a big deal about thin lines that do not necessarily deserve the attention that they get. So . . . I suppose that a good question for us all today would be, “What attention does this issue really bothering me really deserve?”

Enjoying the Adventure, (I’ll just not look up in this room anymore).

Dr. Dink

daily prompt

Who Knew?

I remember a third grade assignment: “Ask your parents about your ancestry.” Where did you come from? My teacher talked about race, countries and such. My Dad’s answer has always stuck with me, “Your a Heinz 57 –You’re grandparents down the line are from all over the world! Dink, you’re an American!” Later, my Mom’s genealogical studies and DNA test confirmed that to be true.

Ancestor Collage I descend from a line of worldly, quirky, brave, and normal folks –some are still living through their stories. Honestly, I could care less if my ancestors were Italian and Hungarian, English, French and more. My P-pop claimed we were part of the Cherokee Indian tribe too. Oh! The list goes on. I’m proud to have a mixed pedigree, I’m proud to be a mutt. Yes, my roots are colorful. I would probably be sat in the back if invited to he royal wedding this weekend, eh?

I’m more interested ancestral stories. I come from a line of homesteaders, settlers, farmers, builders, home-makers, hypochondriacs, bartenders, bootleggers, soldiers and a “Lady of the Night”. I’m so happy I know their stories. Stories mean more to me than bloodline.

This makes me think . . . what will our Great-Great-Grand-babies know about us? What stories will form their image of who they are, where they came from? What does that make us today? I know, it is a heavy, wonderful, awesome responsibility! In an earlier blog, Something to Live By, I summarized life as, who knew you loved them? I don’t know about you, but to me, that is the pedigree I want to pass on!

Enjoying the Adventure (Especially the love part),

Dr. Dink

Daily Prompt

Slight Glance to the Left

I visited our property in the Bradshaw Mountains foothills yesterday. I’ll be leaving Arizona soon and just had to visit once more before I head back East. Something happens to me when I’m in this strange desert land. My best description of it is that it is so beautiful you “feel like” your in a National Park but didn’t have to pay $20 for the privilege of driving through.

I drove my son-in-law’s Hyundai Elantra up this dirt road . . . slowly! 12 miles of dirt road can have it’s little surprises. The better choice of vehicle is an ATV’s, Jeep, or at least a Pickup Truck. Until recently, I thought that “desert” meant it looked like the Sahara, or eastern Southern California –you know, drifts of endless sand. But this area has massive rocks, cliffs, creek beds & beautiful cacti, mesquite and palo verde trees. It is breathtakingly awesome!!!

As I was driving back, I saw a slight movement of white to the left so I slowed down, slower than I was already going. In the shade of a group of palo verde trees was a huge bull. There are free range cattle in this area and I see cows and their calves frequently, but this bull! He was framed so beautifully, so I backed up to get the perfect photo from my cell phone and then he stands up. When this happens there is a part of you that thinks, “Will he charge?” But it was mid-afternoon and desert-hot so I wasn’t too worried because I was sure he would rather go back to his afternoon siesta. Actually, I think he was posing, he knew he was a gorgeous specimen.

There was a moment. Human looking at bull. Bull looking at human . . . A moment of peace for the human. What was this beauty thinking? Was he as curious about me as I was him? Was he nervous that I would charge him? Was he pissed that I interrupted his siesta? Was he saying, “Yeah, I know . . . I’m a stud . . . gorgeous, don’t you think?” -or- “Move on Chickie!”

This morning, here I am, kinda emotional over this encounter with dignity. Human to bull, bull to human. I find myself in awe of this creature and all that he represents,

Strength and power in an extraordinary place

Peace and tranquility found in an incredibly rough terrain

Life lessons (I can learn from the cattle, donkeys and wildlife about survival in the desert).

Rest. These creatures know “when to stop” it may be the difference between life and death in the hot sun. If only humanity could learn this lesson (means me too????)

FREEDOM! The cattle are free to roam other than a few fences, but if you want to practice freedom, fences are to be respected, or you’ll end up where they don’t want you & you don’t want to be anyway!

Beauty—I mean really, look at that bull, he is majestic.

Hard work– Let me tell you something, it is not easy to be wandering free in the desert. Think about it, finding water, food, shade, it’s work and that work has it’s benefits.

What I gain from this encounter of beauty is respect. Respect for all the things mentioned above, and for this and other creatures that can thrive in a dry, dry land. I wonder how I can learn from them for my own survival when I move to the desert, but not only that, to take those lessons along with me everywhere and live life to the fullest.

Enjoying the Adventure (a bit more because of a slight glance to the left)

Dr. Dink

Thank you for reading my blog. Please pass on the positivity by sharing, liking, & follow. Visit my full page here: Down to Earth Positive

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Postivity-ness-ly-ism to the Core

When you’re sad, or stressed, you don’t necessarily need to wear it on your shoulder, but that plastic smiley face you have glued to your nose really doesn’t hide a thing.

I started writing about being positive to the core and stopped, I knew I was writing a book, each word was requiring at least a paragraph, leading to a chapter. The attitude and ability to be positive doesn’t mean that you have a forced smile, it means that you live in reality, with real issues that may affect you in real ways. It means you do your best to live through them. It means you try to see beauty in the midst of the ugly. It means you recognize and be responsible for the financial stress, the worry about the sickness, the project at work. It means living life . . . honestly.

So Dr. Dink, how do I remain positive? Guess what . . . some days you can’t. That doesn’t mean you don’t have hope for another day. It may mean training yourself to see and experience positivity. It may mean separating yourself from that negative influence. It means being honest and dealing with the situation (s) that pull you down.

Having positivity-ness-ly-ism isn’t faking it. Isn’t denying life. However, it is living though the messiness of life and still trying to smell roses anyway, looking for beauty, having hope for a new day and helping others deal with the messy shit in life in a real way so that the world, our word can be a better place.

Even when I’m not trying to write a book, I still see the outline here, sorry that’s frustrating. Life is complicated. There is hope. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. There is today, let’s make the best of it, eh?

Enjoying the Adventure! (Even though sometimes that Adventure is messy!)

Dr. Dink

Pingback: Daily Prompt: Core

Word Power!

Words heal & hurt,

Words emote love & hatred,

Words bless & curse,

Words help us with directions or get us lost,

Words vary, depending upon our mood.

There’s a vast forest of words to chose from that may have control over our day, even our existence. In order to have positivity influence our everyday lives those things that come from our lips often reflect exactly where our heart is.

Surely those of us who write get stuck when creativity is lost or blocked. Therefore, along with my trusty thesaurus, one of my new favorite sites has become Urban Dictionary. It can be quite entertaining to explore the evolution of words. Let’s face it, my Great Grand Father that I wrote about yesterday had no idea that “COOL” would come to have about a million different meanings, for instance, “The breeze feels cool on this Montana morning, reminds me winter is on it’s way.” —-Code for, “Oh Shit! Do we have enough wood split? I don’t want to be out there when it’s 20 below ZERO in February!” This is a perfect description of my husband and I this winter. We just didn’t prepare enough dead trees from the Pennsylvania forest neatly split & stacked in the yard to feed the wood-stove. Winter was colder than usual and longer than Spring this year. We spent a lot of time in the cold to get warm! Regrettable, just regrettable. I digress . . . back to words.

Words are incredibly powerful. We need to choose them wisely. I challenge you, dear reader, find some words that describe who you want to be, where you want to go, use those words as weapons against that which keeps you away from where you are heading. What words will strengthen relationships? What words will build? Have some fun –bring the positive into your life and the lives of others! Find even one word each day that will bring you to a better place.

Enjoying the Adventure!

Dr. Dink

via Daily Prompt: Forest