Probable versus Possible

 It’s amazing how strong both of those words are, probable and possible, and also amazing how different they are and yet how dependent one can be on the other. I’m not sure we pay enough attention to that most important descriptive use of each one of them. So…let us gather round and pay some attention to them.

Probable, of course, indicates that something has a better than good chance of happening or not happening. That’s steep odds but good and it carries the same percentage for everything that is labeled “probable.” Small examples would be: it is probable that the sky in morning will be bright and blue…it is probable that tides will rise as they head for the shore…it is probable that people will judge you and cause contamination…it is probable that justice will not always be served; no matter the verdict…it is probable that people will always prevail the circumstances life deals them…and the list is endless of probable things from one category to another.

Possible, of course, indicates that one isn’t issuing anything more than a 50/50 chance of something happening or not happening. Possible is far more restrictive as to make possible become anything else we have to work for it! That’s right…all possible things will always be merely possible if we don’t tip the scales and rock the boats and twist it into something more probable. It’s like running that 10k marathon…it’s possible to make it to the finish line but possible shifts into probable long about that 9k point! If one has gone that far then it’s probable they will finish that race. Possible is an invitation to make everything you aim for in life become probable. If you take anything possible by the horns and ride the rodeo, get thrown off, get charged at, and yet saddle back up then chances of you mastering the ring becomes most probable. Possible is life’s way of saying “go for it!” Whatever “it” may be do not let it just sit at the gate…swing those doors open and turn those possible triumphs into probable rewards.

Pam's evening thoughts...

What we can count on...

You have to examine every facet of that diamond of "what we can count on."

 I know it is hard to believe but there are so many things in this ever changing, daily life of ours that are still constant, that we can still count on. Everything seems to shift every moment and as soon as we get use to a thing, that thing changes. We all need and want a few things we can look to as things we can depend on to always be as they are. Those things can be such a comfort but beware for not all of those constants are welcome ones as both good and not so good things will be among them. As you read, and weigh the two, let your scales tip in favor of the good things. The two things range far and wide, from one simple end to one complicated end of the spectrum. They are, at least, things we can count on.

      The sky will always be above us, and the water will always quench us. True friends will always stay, and enemies will always try to. Once a lie is told then no apology erases the memory and, as well, when we touch another life then nothing erases that memory either. It will always be easier to give in, but it will always be more rewarding to never give up. 

       The birds will always sing and morning will always follow night. We know that the clouds will always change as they move and that the mountains will always stand large if they are not moved. Tended to properly we know that things will always grow and that left alone, things will often perish. It is the air that will always fill our lungs and love that will always fill our hearts. A new day will always challenge us, and a new sunset will always satisfy us. The list dances across each facet of this diamond and some things would wish to steal its shine while other things polish it brightly. So, when things seem scattered to the four winds with that turbulent howl, try to hush the noise and concentrate on the better side of what we can count on...

Pam’s late-night thoughts…

What does it really mean...

"Stop and smell the roses." Allow me to explain what that really means.

By saying the word "stop" it has gotten you to "slow down" and to observe...

By saying the words "smell the roses" it has gotten you to realize a fragrant joy that just might be worth "slowing down" for!

Please try not to rush past anything that is worth slowing down for.

Pam's "take a moment" thoughts...

 

Celebratory 50th blog of 2024

 Celebrating my 50th Blog of 2024…

  This year has been special to me as it marks my return to writing on this page after a 9yr hiatus. I stumbled my way through writing my first blog in 2012, the same year my first book was published. My posts ran fully through 2013 but fell down in number in 2014. I would post my last, and only blog, in 2015. Life got in my way, as it often does for all of us, and it took me some time to move the mountains in my path. But, as fate chose to have it, it all led me straight to the horizon of the publication of my second book... “Under the Mulberry Tree" in 2019. My sheer joy of writing that book blossomed with every word that danced across my screen. It was the breath of fresh air that fired my writing soul back to life. It is a sweet little mystery that I truly believe, and hope, will appeal to anyone that opens its cover. I have since independently published my third book “Through the Eyes of Life” in 2023. If you fancy it so, you may visit me at pamscholes.com and read about them both and, if intrigued, you may purchase either via secure Square checkout. I shall autograph your book to your liking and mail it to you in 2 business days. It was in January of 2024 when I opened up my blog page for the first time in 9 years and yet the words flowed like they never had. This exciting journey down these World of Words has brought forth the fruition of my passion…to a sharing of what I love to do…to the heartbeat of my very dream. Thinking back to when I was a little girl…my mother told me I had an imaginary friend, but I do believe that was when I began writing poems and creating stories in my head and sending them into the winds in a whispered voice. That was a long time ago, but it clearly, all began right there. I guess you could say I started writing before I had even started school to learn my letters. My mother had always read to me, even before I was born, and I must have heard every word and gotten swept away by what would become my aspiration in life. And here I am in 2024 with three books under my writing belt and it does make me smile, from time to time, at the reward that life has seen fit to grace me with. And it has, in my eyes, afforded me the upmost pleasure of being able to welcome everyone through the wide-open doors of the here and now...My Wonderful World of Words.

Pam's dreams and thought's...

Lane of memories

 We all take that occasional stroll down memory lane...down our lane of memories to revisit the paths that lay behind us; the ones that led us to the place we are now. Each of us finds ourselves, at times, unable to not revisit the journey that is paved with our footsteps. For some, the lane of memories can be haunting...it can be littered with fragments and flashes of a time we may wish to set aside and forget...even though forgetting is generally energy spent in vain. In so many ways it is most beneficial to us if we stare those memories in the eye so that we do not forget...do not forget where we came from...do not forget how far we have come...do not forget what made us who we are...do not forget that we have earned our happy spot in life...do not forget to remain steadfast and humble as we travel forward...do not forget that all happened for the reason of yielding to something better now...do not forget that the roadblocks were merely challenges...do not forget that, while we cried, we also laughed and lived...do not forget the decisions made in haste...do not forget the chances never taken...do not forget to trust ourselves now as we trusted ourselves then...do not forget to never squander time...do not forget those who cradled us in darker times...do not forget that fear is almost necessary in order to succeed...do not forget your original dream and all the passion it was built of...do not forget that laughter shines thru tears as the sun shines thru the rain...

See, there is much to remember and equally as much to forget but there is so much more to remember to not forget...today is a product of yesterday and tomorrow will be the product of today and so on the journey goes...so when you find yourself looking down the abyss, that is your lane of memories, do not forget that it all mattered...that it all counted...that it all meant something...that it was all worth it...and that you are better because if it all.  

Pam's late-night thoughts...  

I don't think I can make it to Friday!!!

 We all know the look of “I just don’t think I can make it to Friday!" And those looks, I swear, begin right out of the weekly gate!

The Hair Do that should have remained in place for a day or two, at least in some way, has fallen by noon on Monday about the same time we realize that that other sock IS navy, not black! The lunch we took the time to make, to bring to work, will just have to wait because if we don’t take that 5–10minute break when we can then we don’t get any break…not today! Those “I’ve missed lunch today” glares peak by Tuesday and now everyone is suspect looking over who is going to be “the one” that tips my teapot! You dread Wednesday so bad, as the last two days didn’t close the deal that great, that you can’t sleep Tuesday night and the more frustrated you get, the more you toss and turn. So now we drag ourselves out of bed Wednesday morning and shuffle to the coffee maker with that “I haven’t slept or had coffee so whatever it is I’m not the answer” look! We walk into work and people just stare as they keep their distance, wondering what our grumbling face is all about while wearing their “gosh I hope it’s not me” pleading faces. Even the dog had sensed the aura that “it’s not a good time” and will hold it before indicating to us they need to go out! Wednesday will officially be the longest day on earth by 1:30 as we now scoot around to the beat of the slowest ticking clock ever! By the time the workday ends we half walk, half shuffle to our cars, in a daze, to join the masses filled with road rage for the manic, lane fighting ride home! Of course, that 2% chance of rain arrived, in the form of a monsoon, half hour ago and had clearly poured the whole time. We manage to survive our way home, only to get soaking wet after deciding “it’s not going to let up” and making that mad dash from the car to the front door. Oh, don’t forget about the puddle of water we parked in and stepped into gearing up for that mad dash to safety and how our shoes and feet are sloshing wet, and how our hair is flatly stuck to our head! We rip the wet clothes off and yank on the loosest most comfy thing we own and collapse onto the couch. We begin to, without realizing it, pray about Thursday as the chances of seeing Friday seem very distant! Too tired to cook anything we settle on a banana and go to bed hungry! The alarm clock sounds off Thursday morning and we angrily slap it quiet! We know that no amount of coffee in the world can pull us from that “I don’t want to go to work” plotting mentality! Only because we have to, we suck it up and get prepared for battle and stomp our way into work wearing that “not today folks” smear with that "I dare you" grin! The chance of un-wrinkling our smug face is not looking good. We hide in our offices, the back of the break room, pretend to be on the phone, and consume more coffee than we should. Now we are truly on the edge! Two days later, it seems, 5:00 rolls around and we flee like the school bell just let out at recess to discover we have forgotten our purse or briefcase on our desk and begin to argue with ourselves about whether we REALLY need it today or not! Of course, we had missed lunch again and concede that we must produce some kind of dinner. We put the food on the stove to cook and have a seat. The situation has now entered the point of no return, and we lay our head down for just a moment and it's lights out while the food bubbles and boils. This is the final straw, and all evidence is screaming “I just don’t think I can make it to Friday." We have approached the finish line but the “crossing it feeling” has negatively consumed us. And you find yourself looking just like the pic below…exhausted and filled with the “I just don’t care” attitude. Friday survival just can’t be thought about as we accept that we probably will not win. I’m going to cease here as Friday remains to be seen…I am curious how many will make it thru that dreadful day figuring “Murphys Law” awaits us where everything that could go wrong most likely will! Exhibit A rests below! Enjoy the laughs of “I don’t think I can make it to Friday” looks!”

Pam's early morning chuckles...

Oh, How Much I Would Wish...

    If I were in the position to hand out and grant wishes I would wish so much for so many. I would wish that I could let everyone see the world through my eyes and me see it, in return, through their eyes. I would wish that for one harmonious moment that all in the world had a voice of song and sang it together in exultation. I would wish that everyone we smiled at would smile back at us, show a tiny fraction of kindness. I would most certainly wish for more love to be in more hearts and that those hearts beat in unison with another.

    I would wish for more times to laugh and less times to cry even though I understand that they are both important. I would wish that for a moments time that all people felt no hunger, had shelter, and got to feel what it feels like to be free. I would wish for every ear to hear the birds and every eye to see the sunrise. I would above all wish peace in all souls, a place for peace to be safe and protected. I could go on and on and share my wishes forever and hopefully, with these words, I am. I wish...

Pam's late-night wishes

A tribute to a phenomenal woman...my mother

Shirley Dowlen:

You are an amazing woman…an amazing person...life has been one grand journey riding on your coattails as your daughter...you’ve been everything...you've been more than everything...you’ve been at every turn...around every bend...waiting for me to find my way...you’ve been my nourishment and often my very air...you taught me to learn from every step I took...you’ve been my safety net when there were none...you’ve been the voice over every noise...you’ve been the warmth in every freeze...you’ve been the sun behind my clouds...and the rays that shined thru...you’ve been my blanket of comfort for all of my life...you were the steps I began to follow...they helped me lead my own way...every time I wandered, I found you waiting...you’ve been my sounding board and fireside...you were my hope when I lost sight of mine...you’ve been my encouragement in the face of all diversity and challenges…you’ve surrounded me every day...without exception...you’ve overcome incredible odds...done amazing things...you’ve been a salvation to so many who were in need...

So here we are...what could I possibly say that would measure up?...that would even near equaling what you’ve been to me?...I’m a writer, an author, a songwriter and yet the words elude me...therefore I shall tell you simply/deeply/fiercely how much I love, admire, and thank you...

I hope I have served you well in return...my cup always runneth over…❤️

Pam's late-night feelings...

Who's that talking to me?

Yep, it's those voices again...are you listening? 

I am not talking about hearing voices that aren't real...I am talking about that voice inside your head, that voice inside your heart, and that voice inside your gut. Now, that sure does sound like an awful lot of voices doing an awful lot of talking and you would be spot on right! The kinda sad part is that we aren't listening to any of them near as much as we should. We drown out our very own "other side to consider" voices because it just seems easier to listen to someone else's voice, say the same thing, to us than it does to listen to our own. Why do you think that is? 

Now, I'm gonna throw you one even better...each of my three mentioned voices (head, heart, gut) will not only each take their turn at speaking to us, but they will also, assuredly, be in conflict with each other in some way as they speak from three very different parts of us. This is how I see it...

The voice inside your head is the voice of logic and will tell you that all reasoning stems from logic...however, we know that is not always true. The voice inside your heart is one of feeling and will tell you that it would never lead you astray...however, we know that is not always true. The voice inside your gut is the voice of independent thought and it will tell you that it is unbiased...however, this one is the one that is most true. This is my own personal thoughts on this gathered from the paths of my own personal journey. When I pause and reflect, now understanding the power of my gut, I can see so many times I would have fared better had I listened to my gut. My gut was indeed unbiased, it had nothing at stake to lose, and it was telling me what I needed to hear but I was too torn between the voice of what either my head or my heart was telling me, which was much more of what I wanted to hear. It applies to everything folks and I mean everything...your needs should always come before your wants. I encourage all to follow what leads you best, but I am willing to bet that everyone can look back and say, at least once, "I should have listened to my gut!" So, having said all of that the next time you wonder, "who's that talking to me," it is one of your three inner voices, and it may be all three of them that show up. I do encourage everyone to pay attention to them, to listen to them, and to tune in completely with your gut before answering to any of them! 

Pam's late-night thoughts...

So little, So much

We have been in this warp, too long, of where we seem to have so little to work with and yet so much to do. We are so tired that when we look at the tools we have, and they just appear worn down, it can be a disheartening moment as these are the tools that were meant to help us overcome. There is so little left out there that isn't overwhelming and yet, somehow, we are meant to be okay with our daily lives being way too much to be okay with. This is how life has come at us...swift, full of fury, and swinging fists with handfuls of even more to add to our load. But the entire world is in some state of chaos like it has never been before and the load just gets too damn heavy to tote...even for the strongest of us. We, by all standards, are built stronger than we think but to me it seems more than unfair that, most of us, don't have the time to enjoy our lives because we barely have enough time to manage our lives! Paint it any way you want but, broken down, it should be counted as one of those unacceptable things...counted just as much as we count all of the other things we find unacceptable. Most of us wake our "so little" up each morning and go to work at a job now full of so much discord, jealousy, and straight anger. And in some small, roundabout, kinda way we are at fault for surrendering our passion to stand up with a firm, united voice and demand what we deserve as human beings, as people...we are flat worth way more than "so little." This particular subject actually left my lips in a conversation with my mother, and I jumped up and left her on the couch and raced to my room, and attached little office, to share my thoughts with you. It can make one question where humanity has gone to. But I still maintain the belief that kindness cannot be cured, thank almighty, but that we do need to rouse it out of bed and wake it back up. We have worked, sweated, and earned so much more than the so little we get rewarded with...this "so little, so much" needs to cease fire so that us people, the people who are the spokes to the big wheel, can enjoy our successes and just be happy. I simply do not think that that so little bit is too much for us to, rightfully, ask for.

So much of Pam's daily thoughts...

The looking glass...

Mirror, Mirror on the wall,

The only truth to tell it all. 

Yes indeed...it’s those, often dreaded, all truth telling mirrors that we just don’t always have it in us to stare into every day. See, if we really have it coming then the mirror will be the first one to let us know it and the first one to let us have it and those are the times we will absolutely and deliberately avoid them all! Well, I call them the looking glass and if looked into properly it will shed so much light on us and the who we are way deep down inside. It takes courage to stand before the looking glass, bare and raw, with no mask, and ask that reflection some serious questions. It takes courage because what you will receive back from the looking glass is the truth, sometimes the brutal truth, and it takes pure grit to deal with the brutal truth. We have to be strong enough to ask what stares back at us if we are happy with who we really are right now. We have to soil our hands in that garden growing within us and discuss facts and truths about ourselves with ourselves. That's right, only we hold the answers to who we are inside and the answers to who we wish to become. We know the steps required to reach our goals. We know whether or not we are content with what that mirror has to say. If we have fallen short on something, then the mirror will call us out on it, and it will tell us to get up and to go try again! For some people having to take self-action brings about fear as we are making a bargain with ourselves to take that action, and we best not break that bargain as it will disappoint the mirror the most. All of that is just another part of the deals we make with ourselves, and we have to want that change, badly enough, to work hard enough to be able to smile for that smile back from our looking glass. There is so much we can learn from ourselves; we know far more than we even realize. There are always many questions to ask that reflection in the mirror and it will indeed answer you honestly…it will give you the uncoated sugar version. It shall, however, keep us in check if we converse, more often, with the reflection in the looking glass...the mirror hanging on the wall. Let us not, however, overlook the positive, uplifting feeling of success when that reflection does smile back at us approvingly for a job well done...why, that is just about the best feeling ever!

Pam’s morning thoughts for the day…

Butterflies and happiness...

🦋

I have often said that, to me, butterflies are much like happiness as if you will just sit quietly still sometimes it may simply land upon you…what a lovely thought.

Butterflies can resemble the road of our own path as they begin their journey as an egg which hatches into a caterpillar which will transform into the third stage called pupa, and the last stage shall set free a beautiful butterfly. From egg to butterfly is a 4-week metamorphosis period. Now, prior to the butterfly stage there is nothing that attracts the eye to it, other than the cute fuzzy caterpillar phase. There is nothing spectacular that pops out at us during those transformations that must take place to produce such a graceful vibrant creature as the butterfly…and yet, wow, what changes it certainly did make. It will find it wings and it will soar wherever those wings may take it, but it will have only so much time to do so as the average life span of most butterflies is only 1-2 weeks.

Think about it though…think about our many transformations from inception to adulthood and how each phase is so important to the success of the next phase. Like all things we grow as we go, and we too will have a time frame in which to find our wings and soar and to be the beautiful unique person that we have blossomed into. So, if the stage of the butterfly brings happiness, to those who gaze at it, by doing nothing more than floating all around on its wings of splendid color, as it was meant to, then we should be able to emit that same happiness by being the vibrant person that we are meant to be. 

And when the hustle and bustle of noisy, daily life drowns out your vibrancy and shadows your happiness then sit quietly down somewhere and take a break…perhaps happiness in a butterfly will simply land upon you…and I promise that it will make you feel good inside as all of the noise is lost while we watch this beautiful butterfly dance all around us before gently taking a seat on our bended knee. It is sharing its joy with us so long as we sit still and after fluttering its wings a bit it will lift off again as we watch it find a new place to briefly perch. The joy it shared has now resurrected our happiness so now we may get up and move on. It’s a glorious combo…butterflies and happiness.

Pam’s late-night happy thoughts…

Don't get old...Get older

 No, I am not at all implying that y'all should try to defy or deny the aging system for it cannot be done...well, not entirely. The calendar will tell you down to the day how old you are but how your mind translates that news to your inner being and to your body is what determines if you will simply get old or if you will keep traveling along as each day makes you older. The difference is that old means we stop doing this or that at a certain age or this and that will start to hurt at a certain age...that, my friends, is a false bill of crap that will make you become complacent and to hold back on living your life with all of its capable contentment. Of course, the body changes and evolves into its next phase which is why it is imperative that you tend to your body well so that it is kind to you in later years. It's about prevention...if you stay healthy now then you will help prevent many bodily harms, or lesson their effect on you, if you are already strong when those older years come along. See, I believe in prevention, if possible, about many things in this life of ours. Prevention, just for example, is to make a wise choice of health today so that good health is your friend in tomorrow.

Now, getting older means accepting gracefully another day to continue doing what you have always done, those things that you have always loved doing. It is to keep filling the days with joy and to keep embracing all of the new things in life for no one, of any age, has "seen it all." The body takes its own toll but if you nourish it and feed it daily with positive thoughts and actions then the body will remain steadfast and perhaps only limit some activities instead of being old and telling the body "You just can't do that anymore." Every individual inch of us has its own set of ears and they hear what you think so, in essence, we have the choice to set some limits as we get older, or we have the choice to accept the "just can't do's" as we merely get old. It's a no brainer for me...you will miss so much if you just sit idly by, after the first part of your youth has passed, and watch the days click on while the second part of your youth; with the wise mind, still hungry soul, and a love of life that comes only in growth, gets stifled by some number on a piece of paper called a calendar. Think back, that very same calendar once told us all how much younger and more fearless we were so why not let it tell us now how much wisely older and more bountiful we are? Yes, it is a fact that we all came into this world with a birth date and with an expiration date but, hey since we have no say so on that final date then why not live it up and breathe your life deeply and fully and snatch every moment allowed to you here on this earth with sheer glee. Don't let some number dictate any day of your life. I once heard that, "age is a matter of mind and if you don't mind, then it don't matter." Look at it this way folks, the freshest half of the loaf of bread may be gone but, if you keep it right then the other half will stay fresh too!

Pam's sincere, late-night thoughts...

Mind-Dust...

Let's examine your mind-dust...

Don’t you ever have those thoughts about something, like how terrible broccoli smells when it cooks, and wonder if anyone else thinks of it that way? Haven’t you ever been some place new and yet it just felt so familiar that it seemed you had been there before, to the point, that you begin to question if maybe you had been there in some other time? Or haven't you ever met some perfect stranger somewhere and yet felt as if you had known this stranger for all of your life after ten minutes of conversation and just be awe struck at how you feel sure the two paths must have crossed somewhere? Haven’t you, at least one honest time, hung a rope of hope around that shooting star you made that wish upon and wondered quietly if anyone else did that? Haven't you ever laid down and stared at the blue sky and let your imagination make specific shapes and characters out of the big, fluffy clouds and wondered what someone else thought it looked like?

The answer to most of these is most likely an overwhelming “yes!” We think more alike than we think we do and those floating, flight-full, playful, oddity pondering thoughts are just swirls of mind-dust that we all have…much of it is simple curiosity and most of us have many curiosities about a slew of different things…it’s amazing how common the odd things can be. Let it always swirl and twirl about in your head for if your mind-dust settles then so may your curious questions, your keen observations, and your yearning to wonder settle as well. Keep your mind open with lots of space and freely welcome and entertain your own many whooshes of mind-dust.

Pam's late-night, mind-dusting thoughts...

The "financially less fortunate class..."

  Let me begin by saying that I am not much of a political person nor is this intended to be a political post but what I have to say is from the view of a person who cares and will hope others will or do care also. This subject is not rocket science nor does it really take any more than good old plain common sense to, at least partially, see the picture that needs to be painted. I have listened to the talk of what so many governmental talkers have talked about throughout the last too many years and there is one thing that has always troubled me greatly, for no political person or official or any department has ever uttered a single word mentioning this troublesome concern of mine. My concern always lies with that group of hardworking, underpaid, and bill shuffling folks in the system who are all the way down...the lower class as they have been labeled. First of all, let's knock out that label and address them as they are, the financially less fortunate class. 

I hear, and have always heard, about what things will affect the middle-class and/or the upper-class folks. I am afraid that until someone steps forth and acknowledges that we do have a less fortunate class then we may not be giving some of the eager people in the world a chance simply because they go unmentioned and quietly overlooked. Turning heads has never been known to make an issue just up and go away or miraculously fix itself. This is a large, sad, and personal saga of a concern to me for I know full well the plight of the less fortunate class and it is not some new wave group of folks, nope...been here all along. We have so much and yet we solve so little. We have so many homeless, we have so many that go hungry (including children), we have so many with zero health care of any kind. I find it more than a fair question to ask: how can those situations exist when we claim to have so much? Every person out there deserves a chance, deserves to be acknowledged, deserves an out reached hand, deserves to have a voice, and deserves to have that voice heard. To not acknowledge that, perhaps, we should begin building up the less fortunate class first, so that it may boost the middle-class, would be like throwing up a roadblock against prosperity. If you really do the math then you can see that the blood, sweat, and tears has almost always began with the less fortunate class but if harnessed properly and harvested rewardingly it could be the biggest domino effect of one rung on the low part of the ladder pushing the next rung (middle class) up to make room for that lower rung to finally climbed out of the less fortunate class. 

Well, it makes a point to me that it warrants acknowledging this class of folks and to entertain the reality that the less fortunate class is indeed the foundation everything else stands upon...they are the stone and mortar, and they are the spokes of the wheels that keep us inching forward. And please let me close by announcing that the less fortunate class are generally less fortunate financially, but they are some of the richest folks among all in so many fulfilling ways for they cherish dearly the little that they do have and the love of those they share it with. And times are a changing again, the winds are shifting so let them shift so that they swoop up and build up and eliminate this financially less fortunate class...it is time to embrace their important role in the overall success of the big picture of life.

Pam's serious late-night thoughts

What are our Fur-babies thinking?

Our Fur-babies and those looks we get when we talk to them or just kinda catch them looking at us…what are they thinking? Now my BIG boy Bo will sit perfectly so with back straight and head held high and ears cocked and slightly tilt his head from side to side with intent eyes while I ramble on to him. "The Bo Look,” as we all call it, comes in a variety of flavors depending on what I’m talking about. If it’s food, he’s all in already, then when I tell him “Good boy but you have to wait till Pammy is done first” the head begins to tilt first this way then the other like “Wait? Why?” or the ole “yea that’s what you said last time, and I didn’t get any, told me it was all gone gone!” And I love asking him questions because if I look at him very serious and talk to him and ask him what he thinks, the tilting of the head looks more like he’s thinking “I know some of what she said but I can’t get that last part!” It could go on and on because my boy has some looks that you can’t keep a straight face over and he actually gets feet bouncing happy when I get tickled at him. Sometimes I swear he understands every word I’ve said, better than anyone I’ve talked to all day, and that he wants me to know that he knows. We’ve got it like that…the silent understanding. And every once in a while, I think tilting of the head means “she’s nuts! Should I tell her?!” And then there is "The Dreaded Bo Look” when that knock comes at the door and it’s not a scent he recognizes…then it’s all business and his full big boy bark is on! He answers my door…I let him decide who comes in and who doesn’t. But if he totally digs you then just shake his hand, be his friend, and definitely scratch his BIG head! Our Fur-babies are well entertained by us I do believe.

Pam's evening laughs at "The Bo Looks"

Half Price! Clearance! BOGO!

 Okay Ya'll listen up and read on! Now you know the difference, the huge difference, between what a pair of most male eyes see upon entering any store of any kind versus what the female eye sees. Now most men walk in any store and if they see something they like then the search is over…most won’t even price it, just march right up to the counter with it and check out.

Now the female eye enters a store, and it goes on the immediate prowl by scanning, quickly, every sign on every rack and they will only move towards those that say “Half Price! Clearance! BOGO!” Now mind you the female eye as already checked ahead and knows this particular store has sales going wild and that’s why we are there instead of another store to begin with. We are professional deal finding, coupon scanning, and rewards points kind of shoppers. Even if it doesn’t matter, financially, if you have to pay full price it is just natural instinct to seek out the best deal for what you want! And don’t think we won’t bring up, at checkout, that so and so sells the same item for this cheaper price and work our way right on up to a “price match” and get even more of a discount.

Now, this explains fully why when you ladies shop with your fellows and then go to lunch together or dinner later that you are the only one who came out of the store with way more than one bag and still has money left to eat with while your fellow has one bag, two shirts, and is broke! Now you must explain “the art of shopping 101” to him and yet this same scene will play out every time. Trust me…Ladies know the art of the deal and that it all starts with our kind of thinking of “Half Price! Clearance! BOGO!”

Pam’s nighttime thoughts…

Cleaning out our closets...

We all commonly refer to the above as doing our "spring cleaning" but it is amazing how many limit that to tossing out that junk that is in the way 0f everything or cleaning off and polishing up those dust covered tabletops or grabbing the broom to attack those pesky spider webs. Spring cleaning doesn't stop at tidying up all of that stuff that we know company just might see. Spring cleaning can be an exhausting job but we all know that it HAS to be done and yet we will slam the closet doors shut to hide more junk than we just cleaned up. Think about your own closet...we all have clothes we can't or don't wear anymore, we all have shoes we have replaced but just can't toss the ones with the holes in them, we all have some box of overflowing stuff to which we only add more stuff to, we all have some piece of memorabilia from some point in time that there just isn't room for anywhere...and the list just goes on. But, one day we open a closet door looking for something particular that must be buried underneath this heap of things we have just shoved in there to get them out of the way "for now" and after enough digging we decide to grab up that trash bag and clean out our messy, catch-all closet so we can make some sense of it and see the inside much more clearly and orderly. During that "spring cleaning" we throw out, rearrange, donate, and so forth so that we can easily find the things we use and need most often that belong in our closet. But somehow new stuff will end up replacing the old stuff only to become old stuff itself by the next spring cleaning. Cleaning up one mess merely to make room for a new mess is not cleaning out the closet.

The inner closet can get much of the same treatment as the closets in our houses do...shove it out of sight and no one will be the wiser that it's there at all. Our inner closets hang with skeletons that clutter up any space for anything new to have a place to sit. Let's see...there are skeletons of secrecy that locked lips have kept hidden...there are skeletons of regret that serve no purpose to us in the here and now...there are skeletons of turmoil if ever we did the wrong thing for every right reason...there can be quiet a few skeletons hanging around for different reasons for which we choose not to discuss...and then there are those skeletons that are just best left alone and allowed to be that pile of bones that they have become over time. Our inner closets are sprinkled with dust and cobwebs and musty air that stifles the chance for us to finally breathe fully. Spring cleaning applies to those inner closets as well, only we must do it more than once a year...the job is a tad more intricate and takes more time of deep consideration. Whether we wish to admit it or not those inner closets will eventually bugle against their doors from the inside as those skeletons grow in numbers until one day the doors bust open and everything just tumbles out. Don't minimize the task of bagging up those skeletons and burying them properly and letting them go for it can be an emotionally taxing cleanup. Take the time to rid your inner closet of as much "junk" at a time as you can so you can throw the curtains back and finally let in some light. Remember this...no more than your company can see the mess inside your bedroom closet can anyone see the skeletons in your inner closet but that doesn't really matter for you know the junk is in both closets and it should bother you enough to put your gloves on, get out the cleaning supplies, and just make a day of freshening up the messes we hide and shove to the side. On the day we least expect it or see it coming is the day we will get deep in the dirt and start cleaning out our closets so that we feel better about having done so. Just knowing that things have been made neat and tidy and properly disposed of makes us feel better about us. Do that for yourself...demand it of yourself...owe it to yourself...and then reward yourself for a hard job well done.

Pam's late-night thoughts...

Celebrating my 100th blog...and my puzzle box of pieces

 Celebrating 100 blogs…

Tonight is a special night as I am sharing my 100th blog! WOW! Those 100’s are landmark numbers in many ways, and it is a landmark for me indeed. I have revisited every blog I have ever written from 2012 forward to now and it amazes me, with each one, at how much has changed and it amazes me more at how much has not changed. For me, these last 99 blogs have shown so many parts of my journey of life over the last 12yrs as my first blog entry was in 2012…seems impossible even as it rolls across my screen printing what I’m thinking. What a ride it has been, much of it chronicled here with every subject matter that came to my mind and that I sat up, unable to sleep, and wrote into the wee morning hours to post. I recall those restless nights when my mind wanted to write something down so badly that it won the contest over my body and up I got. I have always loved all things words for all of my life as they called me down this path at a very early, young age. It is, for me, not a case of me finding my destiny but rather my destiny found me. Sometimes in life we make certain choices and, equally on the other side, sometimes certain choices make us. I’ve seen life from more challenging angles than I can count, and I have also viewed it from as many beautiful angles that so many never take the time to see. Folks will say “it’s all about the journey,” and in part that would be correct but at the end of the day it’s more than that...it is about “what we learn from the journey.” See, way too many will stroll aimlessly through their journey with nothing ventured nothing gained and they miss so much of the ride. The journey has taught me, a few times the hard way, that we get it right by starting off getting it wrong but with a feisty spirit we can use those as stepping-stones of either what to do or what not to do. No one has ever opened a jigsaw puzzle box and discovered a completed puzzle inside…life ain’t a crackerjack box where we just reach in and pull out our prize. Those puzzle pieces all have a very firm fit in one specific designated place that helps join each of the other pieces together and it is that which we work on for the duration of time granted to us here on earth. We know what picture we would like to see once put together, but we don’t get to pick the box we want…we work with the box we are given, and we must study each piece as we place it. If we are wise and choose not to repeat mistakes, then we better our chances of becoming satisfied with the picture we are putting together. One day at a time is how we take life in stride and one piece at a time is how we build our puzzle with pride. I’ll have to wha-hooo on this one as the ride has been a slew and host of amazing events, moments, experiences, lessons, and memories. I try to offer up a wide range of things to share here and for anyone who has visited my page…I hope you fancied the read genuinely as I wrote them as so. Writing was the dream that chose me, it was inside my puzzle box, and I couldn’t be happier with how the pieces have fit together thus far…. sometimes I did nothing, they simply fit themselves together. I believe in lifting people up and plugging them into some inspiration…I believe people need that because I know I did and still do. So, having marked this moment as my 100th blog I am dedicating it to you and your puzzle box, your journey, and to all of the flashes of glee when the puzzle pieces fit snugly. No journey is unworthy, no traveler is unworthy, and no puzzle is impossible. It is always about the journey but not all about the journey…your participation in it is always an equal part of the journey. May we all continue to move forward, to grow as we go, to learn as we should, to enjoy our progress, and to be ever so content and proud of what we did with our own puzzle box of pieces. 

Cheers to #100!!!

Pam's late-night thoughts...

Paper Words of Shredded Thoughts...

 Customarily we know them as journals, diaries, or just plain notebooks of stray passing thoughts. It's those jagged glass-like thoughts that we hurriedly jot down as words of therapeutic purging on some unsuspecting piece of paper that just happens to be within our reach at the moment. It does not matter, at the time, if the paper is lined or bound or wrinkled or even torn...it matters only that it is to become home to these words of ours that float about inside of our heads. We want a place to put th0se words down, we want to give them a new home or to return to visit them again with closure or to just let the paper now take the burden of any shredded thoughts that we no longer wish to give free room and board t0. For some those paper words are secured with their own lock and key and some are loosely tucked together in some unused drawer or even folded away neatly in some stack that is merely gathering dust. For some those paper words are regarded highly and pressed firmly onto fresh, crisp pages in some special bonded folder or clipped together at the sharp, unfolded edges and slipped inside some box of "things and stuff." Those paper words...those words we put to paper...those words are fragments and letters that make up the scribbling of shredded thoughts that are part of us. And no matter where they may be tucked, they compile a history of doors we have closed, battles we have fought, losses we have lost, tears we have shed, mountains we have climbed, sacrifices we have made and so many, many other elements that have brought us to where we are as a person today. 

But, after all of the reflection has been reflected upon, I hope that your pages will continue to turn, not stopping in mid-sentence, and that the paper words keep flowing and that the thoughts find a way to cease the shredding and that the chapters that follow are written more carefully with poise and grace for they now write a story of future possibilities and dreams within reach. May all of the pages be lined, and may your penmanship be straight and may every stroke of your ink form new paper words that now lead you over the threshold, with mended thoughts, of many new open and welcoming doors.

Pam's late-night thoughts...

Of Positive Meaning...

If you have a voice, one of positive meaning, then speak it...

If you have a cause, one of positive meaning, put it into action...

If you have a dream, one of positive meaning, pursue it, seize it...

If you have a broad vision, one of positive meaning, be the first domino...

If you have a heart, one of positive meaning, let its beat be heard...

If you conceive a better way, one of positive meaning, then lead on...

If you fight the good fight, one of positive meaning, fight to win...

If you have friends, those of positive meaning, cherish them...

If you have been there and have advice, those of positive meaning, share with one who is there now...

If you can give that minute its full 60 seconds, those of positive meaning, then make many minutes...

IF...what a small and large word, some of positive meaning...some not but IF goes a long way both ways...so,

If you have a winning hand, with positive meaning and outcome, then lay your cards on the table and sweep the middle...

If you must do anything, of positive meaning, go all in...

If destiny smiles upon you, with lots of positive meaning, be sure to be grateful and always pay a tad forward...

Plan all for the sake of positive meanings...for that is as it should be done.

Pam's late-night thoughts

Life's Spider Webs...🕸

                            🕸🕸           🕸🕸                🕸🕸             🕸 🕸              

It all began simple enough, as I suppose most things do. You ever feel like the best way to equate some of the events of your life are to compare them to a spider web? The small, seemingly harmless creature begins to weave a webbed sculpture with nothing more than a single glistening strand of silk that stretches from one point to another. It continues to weave dynamic geometrical shapes until it has created an intricate piece of art. We can only wonder how this tiny creature could achieve building such a beautiful splendor in what seemed to be the blink of an eye. It spreads about it an air of curiosity that draws us to take a closer look at this spectacular creation. The closer we get the more engrossed we are with the precision and detail laboriously applied to this miniature world of silken strands. 

We are so in awe that we fail to realize the purpose for which the web was designed to begin with. It was not created for the joy of one to gaze upon but for the sole reason that one would become trapped in the paralyzing sticky residue that lies, unseen, on the surface of those glorious silk strands. By the time we realize this, it is usually too late: we are already caught and struggling in vain to free ourselves. The more we struggle, the more entangled we become. In moments of panic, we become held hostage to this silken captor and no exit makes logical sense. Not all things apply to all things, and I am in no way saying that all of the good things out there are hiding all bad things. It is, however, amazing at how often, once entrapped, we see that we have failed to realize that the art of the spider webs was to create chaos to those who admired too closely.

Pam's late-night thoughts...

Do we really wish to do it all over again?

      "If I had my life to do over again..." We have heard it, and I am sure we have almost all said it but let's take a reflective and thoughtful moment to really examine the wonder and wish of starting again. If we were given the chance to do it all over again, I am sure there would be so much we would do and so much we wouldn't have done. Looking back sometimes fills us with regrets, and it makes it hard to move forward for we wish we could change them. The small regrets are those that eat us up inside and that is one thing that makes us want to do it all over again. But do we really wish to do that? It's a fair question to ask yourself and the answer will truly lie solely on how you feel about the destination your life has arrived at.

        We say that we would do so many things differently and no doubt we would all alter a thing or two or throw a little seasoning into our wind but that does not mean that we would have not reached the same outcome simply because we traveled a different road. See, we don't get to do it over again with that knowledge of knowing what we know now, it would be an entirely different journey with all of the similar learning lessons awaiting us. We may travel the other path of the diverged road and yet still meet the same outcome only by the means of a different route. We may seize those moments to change some things, but you cannot stop your feet from leading you down the path they are meant to travel for all roads are different but often lead to the same place. If you are happy and content with your life in later years, then do not wish to do it all over again for you came VIA the path the universe unfolded before you. No matter the paths we cross we all swim thru the mud, coast thru the valleys and climb steep mountains but I believe we each arrive exactly where we were meant to be. Be happy that the mistakes didn't hold you down and that the positives carried you forth for we get one chance to ride this ride so enjoy it and don't wish to do it all over again...especially when the scent of "the best is yet to come" lingers in the air. 

Pam's late-night thoughts...

Someday You Shall Know

 Last night my darling, as you slept, I thought I heard you sigh,

So, to your little crib I crept and watched from a space thereby.

Then bending down I kissed your brow, for oh I love you so,

You are too young to know it now but someday you shall know.

I hope sometimes as I whisper that you can hear me speak,

So your little eyes will see sweet dreams in your calm and peaceful sleep.

The speechless lips and wrinkled brow, your precious smile may show,

You are too young to know it now but someday you shall know.

I watch you here so tiny and fragile and it makes my heart just swell,

For the time will come for you to find your way and I will hope I served you well.

Look backward then in later years and see me here tonight,

See my darling the tears of love that are falling as I write.

And may you feel, once more, upon your brow the kiss from long ago,

You are too young to understand it now, but someday you shall know.

Author Note

"I wrote this poem in the 3rd grade on red construction paper and brought it home to my mother...I still have the original piece with its very faded but still legible #2 lead pencil writing. This is clearly written from a parent's point of view and why it came to me like this at such a young age remains a mystery as very few words were ever edited."

The above is a poem from my latest release "Through the Eyes of Life" at its 11-year anniversary reprint with newly added "Author Notes" at the end of each poem. It was such a joy writing this book of life and I invite everyone to my website and read more about the book. If you happen to fancy a copy, then you may purchase one VIA my secure square checkout. I will ship an autographed copy to you within two days. Find me at www.pamscholes.com 

Calling all adults...let your kid at heart go play!

There should always be times when it is okay, times when it is almost necessary for us overwhelmed, over worked, over stressed adults to have those special hallmark days to be a kid at heart and recall what it was like to just have fun. We need to revisit that feeling of unabashed simple good ole' fun and quieten down those negative waves with innocent cheer. Go ahead and have that silly-goofy, make you belly laugh, can't catch your breath kind of fun a few times a year and just enjoy yourself! I mean you should go all the way back to that cool stuff that you waited for, anxiously, all year long like...Santa, the Easter Bunny, Halloween and that long night hoping the Tooth Fairy brought you something good...think back hard enough and we all have some golden memories from those different holidays throughout the year somewhere in our lives. I don't want parents to get the "kid fun feeling" from watching it through their own kids...no, get down on the floor and play Twister with your kids or build dinosaurs out of playdough or play Hide and Seek and tell ghost stories while roasting marshmallows around the campfire. Get creative and artistic and dye those Easter eggs and then join in on the hunt for them and let everyone dig way deep down in the bottom of their closets and see who comes out with the best Halloween costume to win the bag of chocolate goodies! Remember when the tooth fairy snuck under your pillow at night and took your newly lost tooth and left you a little surprise? Of course, you recall the joy of finding a gift in place of your tooth just like that "all over" Christmas glee tingle when Santa visited your house in the night and left you that ONE thing you had been hoping for all year...why, that was all some of the best things ever! That is the kind of kid fun I'm talking about folks...that kid in each of us who remembers those fulfilling happy things that swept us all away as we played games and lost all track of time until the summer sun began to fade, and it was time to go inside. So, for the sake of our sanity I am sounding the call to all adults to kick your shoes off and play in the rain puddles and try again to catch snowflakes on your tongue, even when it's only flurries. Shed the seriousness when the time rolls around or just unexpectedly presents itself and find that kid living in your heart, turn it loose, and just go play!

Pam's fun time thoughts...

We the People...

 This is not exactly an easy post for me because I am going to have to do some finger pointing, so to speak, towards those responsible for actions, reactions, and non-actions. I have asked my friends and social media followers to please voice their thoughts with me to help me write this blog. This isn't about me; it is about us...We the People. I thank those who kindly shared their thoughts with me to help me be a voice that cares. It was my promise.

       For those of you who have roamed about my blog page you already know that I do not blog about politics or religions, and I am not going to do so now. This discussion does, however, voice concern about our country, about our home. It is about what is happening to America the Beautiful and what is happening that is combating the growth of the land of opportunity. I wish to speak freely because I happen to think that we are all important and that our thoughts matter and that we are not heard near as much as we should be.

       The feedback that came my way, when I ask folks what they would do to better the country, were a bit sad and full of concern. The replies came from all over the United States, and it quickly became crystal clear to me how many people there really are who are just barely getting by. And what about the other ones, the ones who aren't getting by at all and will, after enough time, no longer care about getting by at all...many of those we call the homeless. The least fortunate are among us, they are our people, they could be any of us and, for whatever reasons they are there, there is no justification for the "powers that be" to allow such a thing to even exist. No person in this country should be without food, shelter, and a chance to make a life they can be proud of. Unfortunately, those are not God given rights, they are government given rights and can be changed at any time in the game. It seems like it has all become a big chess game and "we the people" are the pawns far too often.

         Welfare, I don't even know where to begin on that one. At its inception it was devised as a system and program to help people go back to school if needed, to help people find a job, to lend aide to childcare until they were established in a job, and to provide some kind of financial assistance during that time. It was to offer someone their chance to make it or be without but at least they had the chance. We are meant to help those who cannot help themselves and the original Welfare program offered just that but that was back when people still cared about one another, when they cared about the job they did, and when a hand, in a position to do so, reached out to help. Don't remember those times? I understand as it has been a long time ago; seems ancient history almost.

            We have been made promises that are seldom kept, we have simple questions that receive little or no answers. We have real issues concerning real people and as a government the blind eyes have got to stop closing or looking the other way. No situation of concern ever just goes away without being tended to. When does a better day come? When will things be said and done in a way that makes sense? The homeless-why? -we made many of them that way. Welfare? - what significant move has it made in policy to continue to better those who need it? We could go around and around with it all, for there is much in need of attention, but let's focus on some highlights. Let me be clear that I, in no way, mean any harm or offense towards anyone but I do not have any control over how something makes someone else feel. I mean, ask a simple question to any official about any ongoing concern and just see how many times you get brushed off. That puts up a red flag for me that is implying that no one really knows. Let us hope it is not a red flag implying that no one really cares about us.

           I am not looking to be wrong or right for there is this grey area out there and that is where I believe, and many of my responses believe, that we are stuck in. Our forefathers made things so simple. They stuck firmly to a plan that came from a blank page of paper and a gathering of thoughts and ideas. They knew they didn't know everything, but they knew it should not be learned at the expense of the people. My, that's pretty powerful for a time so long ago. They believed in the possibilities of where they could go, and they made it so that there could be an American Dream and I am inclined to believe that this is not exactly what they had in mind...

           There is little to no explanation to many of our existing concerns but there is one root that much of it stems from...hatred. We spend ten times more energy hating than we do trying to figure out how-to live-in harmony. It is a sad when any country has created much of its own misery and I think that the government overlooks far too many small issues; handle those and there will be fewer large issues. We, us out here who are just trying to make it, is who this country was founded for...its people. That is us, right?

           Where have our standards disappeared to? Why is it commonplace to compare one country with another when there will always be differences? And all of the speeches and debates simply are: if they can't sell it to you then they want to make you afraid of it. If you have a cause then please work towards it, if you have a voice of reason then please speak it, and if you have better ideas for us and our future then please share them. Those calling the shots figure that if they can keep us separated and angry at each other then we can be easier dealt with. It's a false bill of goods being sold, and the policy is "as is". I ponder often about the place we call home, and I am just not sure when it all began to stray off track as the down sliding has been gradually sliding for some time now. I would like y'all to please give some things their deep, logical, and long overdue honest thought and then ask yourself what you think about the short orders being served to us for we still are...We the People.

Pam's rolling thoughts...

      

Coffin for the Soul...

The pain of a thousand knives stabbing at my soul; the thud of a thousand shovels digging a hollow hole,

The scarce trickle of light is sure and certain to fade as piles and heaps of dirt and rocks are fiercely tossed to lay,

Upon my chest full of grief and my face bathed in tears; my head full of broken dreams quartered now by lonely fears,

For the sun is sure to set and to never rise no more; nor shall the rolling tide ever rest upon the shore,

If all there is to know is not known, there is no need now for me to cry; if all there is to do is not done then the chance has passed me by,

If all there is to dream is not dreamt, there is no need now to sleep; for you own what the conscious has bought and what you own is yours to keep,

And in the tunnel shadows of a thousand aches and pains, you wish to die and pass away and hope to be born again,

You wish to escape the rain, the lightening, and the thunder, and the murky call of dark reality that threatens to pull you under,

In the eerie darkness you hear the beckon of a distant call; and the hooves of demons and dragons rushing from their stalls,

Then the gates of heartache open wide, inviting you to come in; but you must bite and dare to resist the grip of such an evil friend,

For despair needn't be death for there is sun above the dark; and though all you want is an end, your soul will beg you to start,

To claw away the dirt and rocks and go gasping for the air that will fill your lungs with sweet sensation and soon begin to repair,

Your sight, your touch, your smell...your sacred sense to feel; for if you'll climb from your painful coffin, you'll find all wounds do heal.

(Author notes) 

Time can be one big beast of battle but even it eventually falls, and we find our way through things we never thought we could. With time we become stronger and more resilient...it forces us to pull our best out of our bag and to step up to the plate and take our turn. Do not succumb to some dark dungeon of a world that may call your name...you can battle back; it's in your nature to find your way out of the twisted path of the forest right out into the field of flowers.

Poem from my latest release "Through the Eyes of Life." Visit my website to get your copy and enjoy the read.

 

The calm comes after the storm...

 Saturday, June 15, 2013

Calm before the storm...

written by pamela(pam)scholes

As you can see above this very subject has come full circle from what I posted almost 11yrs ago to the day as I visit it now. I have had life rear its ugly head more times than I could count or guess in my life and the one, I believe, lifesaving turn was when I realized that at the exhausted end of every rocky storm, I had prevailed through, was the warm calmness waiting for me...welcoming me to just exhale. I look back, and sometimes I can see too far, and I can hear myself having always told myself to, "Buck up and get through it so the storm can pass, and the calm will come." And it always did, and it was my time to relax, to reset, and to refuel myself and to refine my next steps forward. I would far rather spend my time enjoying the calm as opposed to wasting it gearing up with nerves torn inside out about what the next storm will be. Let me just tell you folks, the next storm that comes your way won't be the last and what makes them winnable depends on how well you stare them down.

You anchor down and you hold that ground steady no matter what waves roll your way, you stay anchored...no matter how hard those waves try to pull you under, you stay anchored...no matter how relentless the tides crash trying to knock you off course, you stay anchored. You stay in the battle and just like the clouds that always move on by so will the storms. The thunder will soon be a distant rumble and the lightening will be mere sparks fading out and the air will be fresh and crisp. And when you hear the noises of good cheer, such as the birds singing again then it means, for this round, that the storm is over. You may now lift your anchor and relax into a blue sky as you just lean on back and coast on the smooth ripples that are the stillness of calm waters. There is no, nor can there be, a "calm before a storm" as no one is calm while they wait and anticipate what damage the next storm will do...that is not calmness by any terms.

So, my friends when you look around and find yourself in the next tailspin storm of your life think back on this blog, think back on these words and know that if you will anchor down and face the turbulence, and out ride the tidal waves, then your precious reward is the calm that comes after the storm...

Pam's life long and late night thoughts.

To Value Time...

Time is a funny thing…a constantly moving, never looking back, irreplaceable funny thing. As for me, I find nothing more valuable that one can give you than their time. Time is of essence indeed…always has been, always will be. But we have entered a whole new frame of time as far too many do not value or recognize the value of someone else’s time. You can question “why is that?” The answer is simple…far too many do not value or recognize the value of their own time…time means nothing to them…they spend it foolishly…they go wandering thru each day completely unaware that while they are wasting their precious god given gift of time, the world moved on and progressed. It’s the only thing in your life you can never get back…when it’s gone, it’s gone for good. So, try to appreciate the mere fact that you were thought worthy enough to be given your allotment of time and treat it as a daily treasure all day, every day and extend that same respect for other folks' time. Stop blowing minutes, hours, days into thin air like you can just go out and buy yourself some more time...it never stops going tic toc, tic toc. Value now the time you have and value always the time others give you for the value of time itself is priceless.

Pam’s late-night thoughts…

What Do You Think?

I’m going to try a different kind of blog…how about we all try to have an actual little chit chat…just pleasant, friendly, and respectful input between us regular folks out here; I’d love to hear from you! So, I have chosen three different topics that will hopefully catch your eye and draw you in and interest you enough, in some way, to share your thoughts. How about we take it out for a spin and see what happens... 

1) Sunsets or sunrises…boy, now that's a tough choice for me; I’m a Gemini (😊) so I love them both. I see a sunrise as a fresh new start to greet a fresh new day. Sunsets take my breath away and I if I’m sitting before one with a smile on the face of my heart then the day closes as a success. What do you think?

2) Books and authors…when asked what my all-time favorite book is my reply is quick; “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. It’s a make you feel good and hit you in the gut kinda book…I like those kind. One of my fav authors, however, would be Lee Childs…he’s a get you, grip you, got you till the end kinda writer…I like that kind too. What do you think?

3) Those “just can’t ignore them” late night snack cravings…I usually lose the argument with my tummy and raid the kitchen. I’m having chips right now in fact! My fav “go to” late night snack lately is a peanut butter and banana sandwich. I’ve got a kick for them. I am also weak to Queso Potato Chips, Kettle corn popcorn, and vanilla bean ice cream! I’m not even going to get started on the cheesecake wants! Those are my favs and I’m sure y’all have some favs too. And I’m totally guilt free for nibbling them while in bed! There is no more fitting place to have that late night snack. What do you think?

Pam's late-night thoughts (and cravings)...

Be the hand that helps someone...

Everywhere I turn there is someone in need of help. Not pity, money or sympathy…they just need help and/or direction. For instance, if you are one who has never had to deal with healthcare, available resources, and insurance fine lines and you get sick then here come the bills! Unneeded tests are done, too many trips back and forth to different doctors because, to the other side, it’s clear you aren’t familiar with the arena. I know that arena well from experience so when I see a situation that I know exactly what needs to be done and save one time and money and worry…then I’m damn sure going to do it. If I have someone in a parking lot ask me for money my answer is no…but I will gladly offer to take them in the store and buy them a bite to eat and a few bottles of water. If you know someone who suddenly is some legal issue, and you are familiar with the law at all then let it be a duty to help them understand the inner workings and offer up your suggestions…they need that help. If one needs a ride to a doc appointment or to the grocery store and such but they have no car then I am going to help them get where they need to be and home again. I am proud of the fact that I am built with enough compassion to notice one who needs helps and with enough “grit” to get that help provided. When you see that something is wrong then it’s a human kindness rule to bring that to the forefront for someone and get it resolved as it should have been from jump. I am just not one who can walk away from someone needing help when I know what to do to help. I try each day to end it knowing that it was a personal success because I was able to guide and advise someone who had no clue what to do next...that I was able to make Pammy Magic happen. See, I shall maintain my belief that kindness can’t be cured, and that compassion will alter lives and that’s two things we should all believe. I leave you now with your thoughts on this and with hopes beyond hope that we are able to salvage more kindness and more compassion…it’s the heartbeat and soul strings that keep the wheels of life turning. Step up to the plate and be that hand that helps someone…the reward is almost immediate and the outcome of something better is always a win/win thing. Don’t turn your head, don’t shut your eyes, and don’t not listen…someone is going to need you and if you can at all…you best show up!

Pam's late-night thoughts...

In light of things...continued into 2024 from 2015

On Saturday 8/1/2015 I wrote my only blog of that year "In light of things" and it was my final blog until January of 2024. Upon revisiting it, after seeing so many new views of it, I decided to resurrect it and post it again with minor 2024 touches. I truly can't believe how so many things remain unchanged in a world that advances and changes every moment. That's a profound statement...still in the same light of things.

            Depending on where you are it is either early or late as I sit in the quiet and dark of the Atlanta skyline at 2:00am as I cannot sleep. I have been awake just pondering so many things and in light of things there is much to ponder. The world is on center stage and yet no one seems to be maintaining their part. This is one where everyone must participate and become a formidable, "not for sale" part of this movement we call Life.

             I do not understand how so many things backslid into the state they are in, nor do I understand how some of these messes can possibly be justified or be remotely acceptable. I sat here wondering what news was breaking, at that moment, far and wide that I would see on the 6:00am news. We have gotten entirely too much negative reactions and entirely too little positive actions. We have pedaled backwards in so many areas that I just can't wrap my head around how so many can bear to just sit by and allow so much that was fought for just now become things of the past or just mere mentions of history. The rule seems to be that if we don't like it, we will amend it a tad and that, my friends, is not betterment or a push for change.

              I am not ashamed to say that we have lost sight, not the way but the visual of where we were heading and where we want to go. People are so confused, frustrated, and just flat put out that humanity has taken a downward spiral. I have days when some small action occurs that restores a small piece of my faith in humanity. Those are the moments we now breathe for...those of human kindness. An extended hand can move mountains when one knows they are not alone. And people, we are not alone for we are all here and like it or not we are the cards we have been dealt but we don't have to be alone. Why make that choice when unity can be just as simple? There is far too much complicating the system of simplicity.

               We are back to living in a world of survival by any means necessary and without care or regard for the consequences. Things are looming larger all of the time as folks agree on less every day. We have to believe, way deep down, that we each matter enough to pitch in and to push forth for change for the ball has been dropped. I have to ask the fair question: how can technology help change so much and yet leave so much unchanged? Let us step up to the plate and take a swing...let us step up to the mic and have a voice...let us take hold of the person next to us and be a link in the chain...let us stop just seeing things and start really looking at them instead. What harm could it do to try to address our challenges from a new angle? In light of things...I can see no harm; I see hope and that is a much clearer light for things.

Pam's own evening thoughts