The journey worth the journey...

  As the New Year approaches each of us we begin to set our plans for casting our net forth as we do each year. Some of those plans are bound to go astray for we fail to grasp them with both hands as we swing about on the tempest our lives. Those "gone astray" plans are designed that way so that we learn the better way of planning. Many of those plans will just simply not pan out and if they do not work out then the universe decided it that way for reasons we cannot question. We are mere travelers here in this space of time we have and what we each face was/is, in its own right, necessary for us to thrive. This year I invite all to try a new approach... I have blogged similar words in the past, but this is too fitting to pass up the chance to share.

         Everyone take a good deep breath and burst the doors of this year wide open with passion and fury, hope and belief, energy and spirit, and all of the emotions of success afforded you. Do not fear to dream big, reach high, to never place limitations on yourself, or doubt your capabilities. Believe, with full heart, that you possess the tools and determination to make wise choices for your destiny. Go forth without worries and leave the baggage of this past year behind and begin with a fresh bounty of goods. Be the artist of your life...you do have a choice...and splash your canvas with your fullest heart of brilliant colors! Show the world your passion and love of life; it is too short not to be all that we wish to be. So, buckle up my friends and prepare for the ride toward your dreams and hopes; this is your own personal journey so grab life by the reigns, ride the rodeo, face the fears, dump the wastebasket, see the rainbow, ride the tide...do all you can muster to start this New Year with a clean slate with your own self and make the journey well worth the journey! 

Happy 2025 wishes to each of you...godspeed.

Pam's New Years thoughts...

Christmas Merriness...

 Merriness

By one google definition the word “merry” simplistically means: of occasion characterized by festivities and rejoicing. What a lovely combo…festivities and rejoicing. And what better time for it all than at Christmas? We should bask in that combo as much as possible all throughout the year, but Christmas has long since been a day designated to have peace and joy surround us and our families(whatever those may be) and friends alike. We decorate our yards, our homes, our trees, and our boxes wrapped all cheery with goodies tucked inside…we “dress up” everything to celebrate our gathered chance to be “merry.” And as we should…we most certainly need to grab hold of this moment in time to sprinkle our lives with a good dusting of fond wishes and high hopes for the new year that will soon follow our Merry Christmas Day. Everyone’s “merriness” will vary and for those whose candles may not burn as bright…please offer yours so that the lights can all shine as they should. “Merry” isn’t set aside for any one particular group of folks…the definition is that it is all encompassing as we are all welcomed to our very own fair share of being “merry.” And with that…I implore, ask, encourage, and hope that you ALL share this final holiday of the year with festivities, friends, love, and laughter while rejoicing in the element of the season. Let everything take a backseat to joy so that every voice can sing with exultation, so that every heart can fill with warmth, and so that every soul moves with harmonious happiness. I wish you each and every one a Christmas full of Merriness. 

Pam's 2024 Christmas holiday thoughts...

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...