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

 

The mysteries that sustain us...

 As a child I became fascinated with the sky and to this day I still silently remain mystified. Astrology and Astronomy have always been such phenomenal things to me. There are plenty of mathematical formulas out there I am sure would offer me a scientific name or explanation about it all but for me those science opinions don’t cut it. I hope I always look at the moon, the stars, the lazy rolling clouds on sunny days and feel the mystery. How do those planets and stars just sit there, suspended by empty air? Where do you think clouds end up after we watch one roll out of our sight? Much is known and much is hypothesized but I choose not to question it. I revel too deeply when I look up at night and try to fathom how far away the moon and stars are. I have always known and shall always know that I don’t know everything and that I am just fine with that. I need something huge to contain and sustain my thoughtful, questioning mind. I want everyday things to amaze me with that phenomenal mystery for all of my life. Grab the tail of something that you hope always keeps your mystery alive. Hold tight to it…whatever it may be. Mine just happens to be the endless elements of what sits above us as well as the space that surrounds us. I enjoy, with pure heart, watching the sunset slide down the horizon and see that multitude of stars break open. I like to look at the pyramids and the many amazing coliseums and such that remain standing through time and only to admire them as I keep their mystery of “how” alive in my thoughts. We all need something that we admire or have an interest in but remains elusive of definition. It is often solely those things of phenomenal mystery that does sustain us! I don’t wish to know how the stars and moon and sun just hang themselves on some invisible force which is assigned to keep them suspended. We don’t know everything because of the limitless mystical forces at play but WORD…we are not designed to know everything just so that we remain moved and captured by something we cannot explain. And when I gaze up at that star filled sky or that clear blue sky with lazy white clouds rolling by, I find all of the proof I need to enforce my belief in the constant presence of that high power. The sky is one glorious phenomenon and when it greets you in the day; greet it in return. And when it bids you goodnight; then bid it so in return. Everything we currently know was once unexplainable. And I shall leave many things that awe me just as they are so that they may always take my breath each time I gaze up. And I shall remain mystified by the pyramids and such unexplainable structures, including the City of Atlantis, so that my curiosity shall always be peaked and remain steadfast with wonder. I shall keep tight to the mysteries that sustain me.

Pam's late night/early morning thoughts...

Pick up the pace...the slow pace 2024

This is a blog from 2013 but I have been noticing that it has been receiving many new views, so I thought it worthy of revisiting this test of picking up the slow pace with only a light dusting of a facelift.

Oh yes, here we go starting our new day already caught up in some kind of rushing flurry: we forgot something, we are running late, or we didn't get this or that done. We have no clue at what we miss each day or how many things we just rush right on by. There could be some glorious thing we missed because we were too busy running on the fast track at the fast pace. Going through your days like that adds up to many things you have simply passed by. How often do you take the time to watch a sunset or listen to the song whispered by the wind through the leaves of trees? People are in such a high-speed rush now to go everywhere and to get everything done; right now! Why? I think that "why" is a fair question to ask? I mean do we really HAVE to be the first one to arrive or be next in line? Folks rush to save time...hmmm. So, explain this one cause I love it when folks burn up 15 good minutes circling the full parking lot just waiting on someone up front to pull out and give you front row parking...never mind you could have settled for "okay" parking and be leaving by now! People have forgotten how to slow down, how to take deep, healthy breaths, and to just live in one moment of time at a time. Gaze around at the simple things right before our eyes and put the brakes on this rushing around trying to win some rat race. There is far too much wonder out there for us to embrace the race constantly; slow down for some days we are not meant to win...it is designed so that we do not always win. We are, however, meant to absorb the hidden gifts of the day; we are meant to seek them out. I know that life can come quickly, strongly, and unfairly but we can react to that calmly. Try something new today by taking full stock of all of the tiny treasures in your life as all of that stuff that we rush about to get to...you have my personal word that it will be right there whenever you get to it! Put that hurricane, that is your life, on "pause" and take some nice long deep breaths and then abandon the rat race and pick up the slow pace instead.

Pam's nighttime thoughts...

Your spirit animal...

 I recall well the evening I learned about one's spirit animal...I did not know exactly what it meant and that was my exact reply when I was asked, "what is your spirit animal?" I simply said, "what do you mean by that?" The lovely meaning was explained to me that we each had a spirit animal that was a very personal relationship between it and myself. I inquired further in asking, "how would I know what my spirit animal is?" And another simple reply came forth in the form of a question, "if you could have only one animal, from now on, to stay with you that comforted you and moved you, made you happy. What animal would you choose?" All I know is that my answer came quickly and with full certainty as I nearly proclaimed, "a horse." I have always loved horses and thought them as poetry in motion as they run wild and free across an open field or the trails of the mountains or the sands of the beach for, they run with an unabashed freedom...a freedom I do not believe we mortals could ever fully know. They are majestic and mystical...they are magnificent creatures with gentle souls. 

The next few days passed as normal until I received a very special gift from my bestie forever...I was given a beautiful blanket with a black stallion on it; my spirit animal could now comfort me in my sleep. She is a beauty indeed and I named her Blaze. Having discovered what my spirit animal is has made me appreciate what they represent even more and my awe of them has grown. Just pics of horses comfort me and capture me. I encourage you to discover your spirit animal and explore all of the many reasons that make up that special connection.                        

My bucket list hopes that I get to go horseback riding and just at least get up to a nice quick trot so that, for that moment, I could have a small taste of that worriless freedom they feel as they see only open space to run in. Just me, sitting in the saddle, on Blaze's back, the sun behind me, and the breeze across my face as she trots me on as a guest on her run of freedom...it would be the best thing ever.

Pam's late-night thoughts

Harmless Fun!

 Let’s talk about a few lighthearted, kind of comical, thoughts for this blog and wash away seriousness for a short read at least. So, I will start the ball rolling and y’all feel free to leave a comment and keep it rolling. Let’s have some fun…

I love shock value…there’s just nothing like laying out a comment that is one of those “didn’t see that coming” kind of things. Exhibit A: At one of my local convenient stores, I frequent there is always the same 2-3 folks hanging around the corners waiting to ask you for a cigarette or a quarter or just change in general. So, I stopped the other day and as I was walking across the lot here he came, same guy, and I let him ask me if a I had a quarter and with all of the seriousness I could muster I replied “man I was about to ask you if you had any change you could share and you ain’t got a cigarette I could get do you? I smoke Newport's.” His face was priceless. He just walked away looking back at me with a look of pure surprise and I KNOW he didn’t see that one coming! But it was just some harmless fun. 

Exhibit B: When someone is just going to be downright insistent on creating a tense situation or conversation about something that really boils down to one of those “to each his own” kind of things, I will just not waste my time dealing with that which will refuse to be dealt with so I look them in the eye and shake my head a little in fake thought and say “you know what? You just might be right.” And I turn around and walk off with no reply to that statement except that question going around in their head “what did she mean by that?” It ended a “going nowhere” conversation before it got started but I did get the last word, so to speak, and left the other person pondering that same question all day, “what was she trying to say!” It is harmless fun though. 

Sometimes when I’m cruising along and maybe a favorite song like Uptown Funk is playing in the car and it’s a good mood kind of day, I suddenly want to give a few folks something to ponder all day long about over a complete stranger. I’ll pick out a car at random and as they go by, I just toot my horn and roll the window down and wave like we know each other well. I look in the rear-view mirror and I see them brake lighting and I know for the rest of the day they will be trying to figure out who in the world I was and from where would they have met me and who do they know that drives a car like mine? Ya know stuff like that can get on a person’s mind so bad they think it to death trying to figure out who that was and I guess I really shouldn’t do that, but it really is just harmless fun. 

Have you ever just been walking a busy street or out in a full parking lot full of people, at the mall or such, and just started looking up at the sky? Really studying it and point a time or two for good measure, at absolutely nothing, but all it takes is one other person out there to see you and observe you a moment before they begin to look up and try very hard to see whatever it is you are looking at and before you know half of the parking lot is still looking for “it” after you’ve walked off and gone on the store! Again…it’s harmless fun. 

Folks y'all know there is not enough lighthearted thoughts floating around as there should be, so the above 3 things of harmless fun things are still enough to give yourself a good chuckle and someone else something to think about all day. I won’t share anymore from my bag of very harmless fun shenanigans, but I do encourage y’all to be creative and give it a try!

Pam's late-night laughs...

The Forgotten

 Those who have visited my blog page know that I do not dabble in or speak of politics or religions, but I have a concern that hits a political cord and causes a spiritual unrest in me. It is about a group of people we seem to have swept aside, thrown away the key on, and just plain forgotten about and that’s our VA Vets. It has taken way more many years that it should have for avenues of help for those who, were fortunate enough to make it home. I have met with and spoken with many men who returned from this war and their experiences they shared with me are images that will never leave my mind and I cannot begin to fully know their insurmountable inner sufferings. Images, unthinkable images, that are seared into the lives of those who didn't ask to be sent off to war to have young bodies broken and young minds branded with horrors we could not know. These young BOYS were patted on the back and sent off with great support to defend their country and fight for “the cause” by telling them it was their job to follow orders of destruction. So many of them died for their country and our only acknowledgement is a wall bearing their names. I have walked the length of that wall, and I can only say that they were at least honored. The greatest honor should have been open arms when they returned to their homeland shattered in so many ways and dragging burdens we cannot fathom. 

     What about those young boys that came back broken down into men with scarred minds, severed limbs, and tattered souls…what about them? I will tell you…I watched a documentary of where, upon finally making it home, people actually spat on them. The support was gone. Today, still, way too many are jobless as employers see them as not viable. Too many are homeless, no families, no avenues with an out-stretched hand. We have come a long way in offering aid but it’s not near enough. We offered up no help to these that served their country when they returned to find a shell of a home. I honor those men, hold a hand high and grant them their due attention, their due respect, their due aid for a decent life. They are people too, just like me and you, and they deserve, they have earned the same chances as anyone else for putting things back together and finding a happy place to be. I think so much more could be done but seems like our money is just always needed for something else. I cannot understand how so little is actually available to those courageous young boys who now, as broken men, are looking for some peace in a country they watched so many die for and that somehow seems too much to ask? How sad. In my own personal opinion, I cannot understand the concept of winning by who killed off the most people. No one wins when so many die. It’s never too late though to set it right. So, for the folks calling the shots on such matters I sure wish they would implement some humanity and remember the cause themselves when considering what they could do to help. Time is wasting so let us no longer turn our heads or close our eyes and allow those of honor to continue to be the forgotten...

Pam's late night thoughts

The unbreakable bond of "bestie's forever."

Nothing can compete with the true, solid, steady unbreakable bond between two friends who were destined to meet...whose paths were set to cross. There is just no other relationship to compare it to. My bestie forever is my comfort zone, my sounding board, my fun and laughs, my thoughts shared, my magical moment memory maker, my forever solid anchor...she is absolutely the berries. It is having that feeling of some part of you being completed and fulfilled. She is a breath of fresh air and my finest rolling buddy ever. Don't let the chance go by for one day that you don't appreciate the worth of that friend of yours...it is important that you share what they mean to you. And on that note, this is for all of you "bestie gals" who have signed on for the long haul and to memories uncountable and to memories awaiting...CHEERS to every second of shared time. And to my bestie forever, Lula Morrow, I look so forward to adding to those countless days of almost too much perfection. 

My cup runneth over.

Pammy and Wuwu

 

For both our Heroes and our Unsung Heroes...

 As crazy as things are all around us in every direction it is still very true that it does not take much at all to be a hero. You can change a person's day or even a whole life direction for another just by extending yourself. To make it simply put a stranger having a tough time may need nothing more than a smile to lift them up...you can do that can't you? Surely, we could each spare a simple smile. Share a thought of wisdom to one who is on an unfamiliar ground that you have been on. Pass along personal advice from the "I have been there point of view." There is so little of it out there anymore that having that personal touch approach is such a welcomed thing. Often times folks can get blinded by the view of only one possible avenue so always try to offer someone another side to consider, another route they may not have thought of. Share the flowers from the garden growing within you and hand someone a bouquet of happiness. Listen to another even when there is nothing you can say for lending an ear is oftentimes what one truly wants, to have nothing more than a sounding board. For each of those instances you are, to the other person, their absolute hero for that moment in time. And I am willing to bet that neither of you ever forget that "hero moment."

You may know many of the lives to whom you are their hero just by any acts of kindness you do that mean a mountain to another. Do not ever fear or ever be afraid to touch the life of as many as you can for that life will touch us back and two people end up winning. We get immediate rewards for our efforts and our humanity by having our hearts full and happy. There is also a stream of folks that we somehow touch that we do not know of or realize that what we said in the grocery store line is exactly what someone else needed to hear and that may have shed positive light on them. In those cases that we managed to bring about good vibes to any stranger then we have become their Unsung Hero...

In a world of technology try to maintain the human touch...

Pam's late-night thoughts

Revisiting this topic... "To whom does your identity belong?"

  We enter this world with our own special identity, things that separate us from other people and allow us to blossom into our own unique selves. This journey takes a lifetime to build and yet it can be swept from underneath you by some silent thief of the night. Your entire world can now be turned upside down and inside out by the fastest growing, and yet least paid attention to, crime of Identity Theft. People out there have become experts on being able to steal who we are and we, sadly, are the last to know it. And by the time we do know it the damage is done. And once the damage is done there is a long, muddy, uphill road waiting to climb to try to untangle this web of a mess. Through some research I have found that not even the IRS will give the police authorities any information concerning any identity theft victim or case even as they are being asked questions about an open investigation with proof of criminal activity. All words fall on deaf ears and people hide behind policy to abandon the innocent.

       The IRS and other governmental departments know who the perpetrators are through fraudulent tax returns and duplicate filings and yet they still withhold any/all information from the victim and authorities. I have been told that victims of this crime spend years spinning their wheels and doing their own leg work while the "powers that be" sweep this ever-growing invasion of one's life under the proverbial rug. This deserves full due attention. Imagine the devastation of waking up one day to find that, on paper, your identity has been stolen and you have no clue where to turn. It is a sad fact, but the avenues of help are 95% closed. Oh, it is acknowledged that this crime does exist, but I have never heard of one proposal or plan to bring down an iron fist on this spreading theft of people's lives. We should not only feel protected, we should BE protected. Hackers are sneaking in and dissolving what one has worked so hard for, and no one offers a hand toward a solution, nor do we hear of anyone suggesting ways to implement a better, stronger system. The government itself is being hacked and yet they do not seem on high alert, nor do we hear much about the corruptness striking even them. No one is beyond reach in this epic saga of technical robbery. Any one of us could fall victim to having our identity stolen on any given day.

       It is a time of true "beware", but it will never be broadcast on the news as such; might alarm people as opposed to looking at it like informing them. In my research, and with talking with many victims, I was astonished at the number of people who appear as new cases each day through the Fraud Investigative Department. A Detective shared with me that identity theft is his main case load now and cases can lay dormant for long periods of time due to a tall wall of shut down from those who should be helping by providing information so that the perpetrators may be brought to justice. The "powers that be" just close the door and draw the blinds as if it will just go away. It is a far larger problem than I have heard admitted. How can a continual blind eye turn to yet another slew of screaming and obviously intrusive attacks against innocent people? Is it really that easy to think that if it just isn't addressed out loud then it will quietly find a way to fix itself or that it will just go away? There are extreme measures that are long past due to be taken to fight for the victims instead of protecting the criminal. Ask anyone what price they would put on the tag for all the trauma and discord a situation like this causes and they would have no numbers to offer for so much of the violation took irreplaceable things. Heads should be hanging down for leaving a person hanging out to dry and letting them try to figure out how to recapture who they are. Beware and make sure you know to whom your identity belongs...

Pam's evening time thoughts

Coffee and Conversation

 Coffee and Conversation

Nothing like it…a nice hot cup full of gourmet coffee and a keg full of spicy conversation! Oh yeah…and the perfect setting that is in some hole in the wall, way off the beaten path and away from anyone that just might know you. If you drink thru a pot of coffee without realizing it because you were so immersed in such capturing conversation, then that is like the best berries ever! Much better than having to drink a pot of coffee trying to find some way to stimulate any conversation…that is not enjoying either thing. I’ve had some of the best coffee and coolest “all over the map” coffee and conversations with my bestie at some of the best unknown spots. A couple of them I think we actually had to almost get lost to find but one of them made a seriously mean caramel latte! Me and bestie, Wuwu, are very much coffee hounds and we seek out those spots you have to google to find and get ourselves a back booth and order a latte and a snack(maybe one of those $10 slabs of cake) and just drop anchor for a bit. Or we swing thru a drive-up window and hit the road with lattes rolling right along with us. We have had some of the best talks over more lattes than one could even guess at, and we do hereby claim many many more of the same. My very first real latte was with Wuwu and she said it was a cinnamon latte, and she’s probably right, and somehow, we became connected that day…and boy oh boy at the talks that have followed since that first latte over 15 years ago. See…if you have that great cup of coffee and that spicy keg of conversation well…you have it all; all that you need right then at that moment anyway! And we do fully plan on having coffee together forever…and I feel no doubts about it for I know we will.

Lula Morrow(Wuwu)…I love you infinitely. Cheers ☕️☕️

So "they" say....2024 version.

 Okay, let us discuss "they" for a moment because this group of decision-making people just seem to have our lives perfectly mapped out for us; so "they" think. Everyone has an email address, a cell phone number, or some means of contact these days, as the technical world has streamed us into having to stay connected, and yet this group called "they" stays behind the scenes and behind closed doors and work up new things that affect us. Now that alone concerns me. I have some things I would love to discuss with "them" about some of the ideas "they" have, some of which are smack ridiculous, and whether or not "they" are in a position of knowing if those choices are what is right for me. Every individual's thought will vary, and no square box can contain us all for the same decision, across the board, may not be what is right for everyone. "They" have set the ground rules for so many things in our lives when you really think about. Actually "they" stifle many of our rights. Don't stop reading here...please continue this one. 

    "They" say don't do this or don't eat that or listening to too much music can cause...; "they" have a lot of opinions out there concerning us and even I fail to realize it sometimes but "they" sure seem to have a whole lot to say and yet most times "they" say it while, basically, saying nothing at all. "They" just slap something down on paper that has now changed the way we utilize many things in our PERSONAL lives! As for me, I interpret the word PERSONAL as being MY business which shouldn't be any of anyone else's business. But that's me. I mean let's just use a few examples of what "they" decide for us and then we can leave "them" alone.

    "They" say, yes you may build a home of your own that makes you happy... but, then "they" kindly and expensively, let you in on the catch 22 of just how many permits you will need in order to build that happy home and that without them you cannot build it! Yes, you have the right to bear arms and the right to protect yourself but, here again, "they" say you will need a permit to carry that right "they" gave you to start with! I have a side note thought on this one for it eludes me how "they" figure that giving one the reign to legally purchase a gun before one can legally purchase a beer is a decision that is okay...got to shake my head on that one. But I digress. "They" say that you have freedom of speech, and that is true, but "they" also sensor that particular freedom...hmmm. 

    See, "they" say so much about so many things we probably don't even realize that are part of each of our everyday lives. You know what folks, it's tough out here as it is and most of us are just trying to get by and hold onto to a slice of happiness without our every move being under scrutiny. If y'all in the group of "they" have some good news you would like to share, then we would love to hear what "they" have to say. I believe in law and order, don't go misinterpreting me, but I also believe in living and doing what makes you happy and fulfills your time while here without bending the trees of your life because of everything "they" say. 

This is my 2024 version of what "they" say...

Written by Pam Scholes 4/11/2024. 

When it's my time...

Now don’t stop reading right at the title figuring some morbid subject matter is about to be laid forth as food for thought. You would be partially correct, right after you remove the word “morbid” from that initial thought equation. But my aim, indeed, is to plant some good food for thought to have when it is our time…and we do all have one lingering out there somewhere. We come into this world with a birthdate and with an expiration date…and in the big scheme of things we are here but for a flash of time but it’s what we do with that flash of time that matters most to us when it’s our time. Some will ask themselves, "did I play my dealt hand of cards well?" And then there are those who will worry over, “wonder how she and/or he will remember me?" And even more will question, "did I leave my family enough?” The odd list can just go on; but it should not. So…I’m just gonna share forth my take on this and maybe it will seem like a more appealing approach…let’s just find out!

When it’s my time I would like to think that I always remained well prepared inside, with my soul anchored to the grip of my higher power, to meet that time. I would like to think that I had tied together as many worthy loose ends as I possibly could and that I had left most partings on amicable terms. I would like to think that, along my way, I had made some folks laugh more, smile more, ponder more, embrace more, converse deeply, and just plain touched as many people as was possible for me to touch in whatever way they needed at the time. I would like to think that each flower I planted would return again each year and blossom full and lovely. I would like to think that the words I have written will continue to be read. I would like to think I had been that needed shoulder and that I had had the comfort of having that shoulder when I needed it. I would like to think I would be remembered fondly by those who knew me well and at least respected by those who did not know me well. I would like to think that I had won fairly enough at life's game of pitch and toss and that I had planted some good karma to yield me kindly as I moved on to the next phase. I would like to think that I stopped more than often enough to admire and smell the roses and feel my soul become inebriated by a breathtaking sunrise or sunset. I would like to think I had accomplished many of my goals with notches of wonderful memories in my belt of journey. I would like to think that I had had the pleasure of learning as much from folks as I did when sharing of my knowledge with them. I would like to think, in most cases, that I had equally weighed the scales before making important life changing decisions. I would like to think that the ocean would always be as I had always seen it and that I would always feel it as I did when standing in the warm sand as its tide rolled over the shore. I would like to think that I had given fair thought to every detail of my being while here and that I left many with a solid reason to celebrate my life. I want folks to recall me as a helping hand and a relentless fighter in many corners. I would like to think it common knowledge that the expectation of nothing was what led any act of help or kindness I ever offered for I know full well that I had done it all because I cared and was in a position to help and that for me…that was enough. I would like to think I had built and spent a life of good quality surrounded by good quality people. I would like to think that I had spent my quarter wisely and rewardingly when I dropped it into the coin slot to the merry go round ride of my life. I would like to think that life and I were almost always on good terms and that I was a fine student to its many teachings. 

You see…this is how I feel we should all think, to some fulfilled degree. I wish to be missed not mourned…I wish to have left enough happiness scattered to and fro that a celebration was in order and that all felt my contentment inside their own hearts. I wish to be what I had always set out to be when I reach the finish line. I wish to coast across the next shoreline as I had those of my life. I hope, at that time, I served others well in return for anything that was paid forward for me. I hope even one life took a deeper, better breath because of me in some way. I hope I am sent forth with Godspeed, I hope I am met with open arms, and I hope that, for some, I am just too well loved to be forgotten. We spend so many wonderful years and irreplaceable moments with so many fine folks that cross our paths and I hope I bask in the aura of those moments for all of my eternal life and that I can honestly, truly, purely, deeply, and fully smile with approval for a job well done. 

When it's my time...                                                                                             

Pam's late-night thoughts.

Does the buck stop here?

The buck stops...

That blog was originally first published on 3/18/2013(I was just getting going then)

And now here we are all the way to 3/28/2024(I've got it going now) and all we really want to know from jump is...

Does the buck stop here?

I would really, really love to discuss this issue since we still live in a world where no one takes any fault or any responsibility for anything if there is any way they can “pass the buck!” And so, I must ask, that while everyone is pointing a finger at someone else to assign fault to so that someone else can deal with it, then where does the buck stop?! For instance, if you call, with a complaint or an issue or a concern, to some large company you will first get an “associate” on the other end of the line who listens to your entire side of  the story and will still happily tell you that the "buck stops" with the president or with the CEO which would be on the top floor of an office neither one of them even visits. Even if they know your complaint or issue or concern is completely valid, they will still just as soon pass it off onto someone else to deal with. And even if you are given the golden direct line to the president or the CEO of such company well goooood luuuuck getting a hold of one of them. You will become fond friends with their voicemail which will most likely not result in a reply. You can have an issue in a grocery store with a product or pricing or such and you ask to speak with the manager and, after some lengthy little wait, some friendly, smiling, apologetic face appears only to explain how this is one of those situations that the district manager would have to handle as that's where the buck stops. We are smart enough to recognize those push offs, pass alongs, and pass on's while being shifted from one department to the next until you are inevitably disconnected. Wonder where the buck stopped on that one?

I am, and have been, convinced for longer than not that the there is barely a right hand out there that has any clue what the left hand is doing and let me assure you right now that neither hand will take any fault, for any part of anything but will helpfully and happily push you right on over to someone else who will also be able to help you. It's just amazing how quick people are to jump up and down to take any credit for something they had no hand in but, when an issue arises then no one wants to be involved, no one seems to have any answers, and no one really seems to care, to put it frankly. So, my questions remain...where do the shove offs end? When does the finger pointing at someone else end? I think it could all end right here and now if we would just get out some markers and draw some lines and buck up and force the ones who should be held accountable made to do their job. I am, however, holding out some faith for humanity a tad longer for the voice of those who have enough fierceness and enough courage and have just had enough to put their foot down and be a trend setter for announcing and abiding to 

“Yes, the buck stops right here.” 

What a welcome and surprising change that would be. We are all beyond tired of having to naturally ask from jump, just out of curiosity, and for the sake of saving time...

”Does the buck stop here?

Pam

State of Panic...Over 10 years later

 

The link below is to the original 2013 blog for State of Panic...

https://mywonderfulworldofwords.blogspot.com/2013/10/state-of-panic.html

written by Pamela Scholes

10/9/2013

Let us fast forward, however, to the new/same State of Panic...

Please, read on...

State of Panic…Over 10yrs later... 

I sit now with my computer in my lap and thoughts in my head. For a writer, a computer and thoughts in my head is an open door to conversation so why don’t we discuss what has and hasn’t happened over the course of the last 10+ years since I posted the original to this blog in 2013. I'm propped against my bed pillow, and I am thinking of the past week entirely and even this very day's events. Normally I let the day go at the end of the day so that it may lead to more positive promise for tomorrow but, there are those times, when distraught enough, that I can't let it go without putting it to paper. I am wondering what everyone else in the world is doing at this moment and what "breaking news" is next to come. For many folks' half of a new day is over or done while for others a new day is just beginning. Time is strange in how it shifts and moves with location. This era of time we are all engulfed in is strange as well and as I ponder back in time in my thoughts, it has been steadily rolling towards “strange” as if it were the only way to go. What began as a snowball, which was paid little attention too, has now become an avalanche rolling downhill and picking up speed as it goes. They say if we do not change it then most anything and everything will repeat itself and I swear, with all of my searching can I find much change about enough needed things…not much change that ended up as good change anyway. We can try to claim that those failed changes for the better began with good intentions, but did they? Our own IRS, healthcare, and too many various areas of the government have fallen under intense scrutiny… a thing I do not think has ever happened to this extent all at once! And too boot none of the above "higher up folks" seem much interested in the plight of us folks out here just trying to make it. It’s a disheartening thing to see endorsements that speak of unity in word and division in practice, hypocrisy is a vein that runs with cold blood. I keep thinking, hoping, and wishing it to be different but we have been forced into doing so much with so little for so long that we have almost become accustomed to the struggle. We all know that struggle…that “keeping my head just above water” struggle. All of the sudden the signs shout that the new normal is odd…I don’t think treading water to survive should be normal at all and it’s an odd fact that we have begun to see it as normal. 

I am not out to do finger pointing or to assign blame to any ONE person or any ONE branch of the "powers that be," or any ONE group of people for these failures are the result of a slew of way too many years of wrongful decisions. Trust me, it’s more than sad at how us folks have become pawns in a chess game we didn’t ask to play in. So many important decisions are made in haste, and nothing serious is given its due serious deliberation as everyone is in such hurry. Just sign it, stamp it, and let’s move on! Why? Why are we steady rushing ourselves into a world we will never be able to keep up with? Technology has both blessed us and cursed us...it has opened so many new doors and yet it has slammed far too many shut. People are desperate, I do not believe I have ever seen such acts of desperation from everyday working people who can't afford to make any ends meet. And then we have those acts of desperation from those who no longer care at all about anything or anyone for I have never imagined a time when people would shoot one another over who got to the gas pump first. People are standing on the edge, and no one is offering any help, any relief, or any logical intent of a turn around. These are desperate times, tough times and instead of banding together most have gone out on their own to survive however they can. People do not know who to turn to anymore and it seems that no one can be trusted, from the lowest rung of the ladder to the highest rung at the top. Our media has become such a different kind of a “leading source of information” as it will tend to sway towards the “best-selling” information it can present and then it's game on as to how well they can sell it. We get sold that same false bill of goods under the lemon law of "as is" all of the time and this little catch 22 has brought so many to a dead end. Stop judging people, stop downing people, and stop making brass assumptions about someone just by “the cover of the book” for times are hard all over and people are lost with no one to lead them. I can't understand how it cannot be apparently clear to the upper echelon that this world is still in a state of panic...

And so, it stands now in a very similar, too similar, of a situation of this state of panic. Oh yes, folks everywhere are in a panic spin all across the globe. Folks agree on less all of the time and complicate the same simple things even more than they did over 10yrs ago…and I am supposed to call this progress? I must shake my head on that one. I have never seen such chaos taking place each day, all day over the most insane things and there are too many loose ends floating around that I cannot see getting tied together. It seems, sadly, clear that we don’t address prevention in any way and yet stand ready to pony up a bunch of money to try to fix it after the fact! And that is just patchwork…the whole world is a sinkhole just waiting to cave in for all of us. Seems that by now we would get it that patchwork is always a temporary seam. These are serious times folks and when all is said and done, we are what we have. Take a look around you and whether it suits your fancy or not we are what we have. I suppose I could just keep going on, but I think y’all see the picture I’m painting here…what else can a place be called, that has barely inched forward at anything, other than a non-progressive mess?

We are fighting our way out of that same spider web we have been in for over a decade…when does it change, does it change at all, or will we get those same promised pacifications still yet again?! I think it’s a fair question given that this State of Panic has barely budged towards a remedy. How can a whole decade pass us by and the only things we have to show for it are more homeless, fierce desperation, jobless people who want to work and plenty of jobs for those who don’t want to work, EBT is a fight for families to get and that is on the verge of denying one food! Lord how the list adds up but, on these issues folks, the absolute proof is in the pudding! This may not be what we want to hear but if you will be honest with yourselves and acknowledge the standings on where we were and where we are now and that where we are probably going is not looking good then you can’t help but feel let down. I mean it gets under your skin that we have been paused at a stalemate for some time but if you do not at least entertain the down sloped side to things then you are unprepared for it all. So, take this as what you need to hear over what you would rather hear…for we still live in a swirled State of Panic…over 10 years later.

The revised version of our State of Panic... 

written by Pam Scholes

3/24/2024