I am pretty well versed in the kitchen, in both cooking and baking, but my sweet side always wins out with baking as my forte!
I can knock out a cheesecake that will leave you breathless, produce a Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter cookie that proves how long I successfully used MY Easy Bake Oven, and bake a Strawberry Cream Cheese Cake that will never reveal how many calories are in its delectable depths… but…
I will stand by my secret Banana Bread recipe, as my favorite go to!
It needs to have just the right amount of moisture, so as not to be to cloggy…
Just the perfect inclusion and coating of brown sugar, to make even the crust melt in your mouth…
I like to wait for the bananas to be just at the right place of ripening, that way there is no tart or bitter after bite, but rather a sweet banana flavor that lingers in the mouth for a time… even if you drink milk or coffee with it!
The presenting of the bread for consumption, is just as vital to its success as the mixing and baking, ensuring that there is a fine layer of pure REAL butter spread across its brown sugary coated surface… sublime is the operative word, so I’ve been told…
If you want cookies today, you will need to go find my regular Friday post, because now that I’ve gone and told you about my banana bread, no cookie will work in here…
Here, have some Banana Bread… but mine is for sure better…
Oddly, I have no recollection what the first computer was that I owned… but I remember the waiting for systems to load, before the screen would even look at my eager face.
I also distinctly remember the sound of dial up, as we had to listen to it at any and every attempt at getting online. Everything went through the phones.
Memories of everyone in the house vying for a spot on the smart box, transitioning into needing cheese to go with all the whining that went on within the ranks of the peasants out in the laundry fields!
There is a great amount of humor, in considering how fast our current generation would fold like a deck of cards, if we handed them an actual old PHONE to do anything with, in trade for their shiny new SMART one. How small are those things gonna get, anyway?!
I will openly admit that even I have to check my Smart phone to confirm my own cell number. Notice how I keep writing we and I, instead of You… it’s all for one in the truth department! It seems like the smarter our technology gets through advancement, the lazier we become!
Todays society seems to be so forward thinking, that we forgot all the effort spent pulling technology into that FORWARD. I wonder if we treat things like people or history, as we do our older and more obsolete forms of technology… out of sight out of mind… just sayin!
I suppose that there are times when all one can do is stand… even if the water rises or the wind blows all the windows open!
Maybe in my case, it’s writing instead of physically standing, who knows…
Often by talking too much about our feelings or circumstances, we end up feeling worse than before, as dwelling on things out of ones control does no one any good!
When you see me write that I am tired, you already know that’s my code word for things being a bit much. I will leave it at that, as far as circumstances go.
It got me to pondering the art of Sharing Thoughts and Feelings without actually having to share specific thoughts or actual emotions.
If you’ve ever seen the movie Stargate, there is a scene early on in the movie where the young scientist is giving a lecture, trying to explain a new theory and everyone just simply gets up and walks out, leaving him standing there looking confused. Sometimes, when I talk or write too deeply, it can feel sort of like standing alone on that stage in confusion.
I guess its a bit like standing in line at the grocery store, trying to tell everyone in line what you’re buying and why you want or need the items. Why on earth do they want to listen, when they all have their own carts filled with the things they want and need for themselves.
Things would be different, I think, if those people were traveling or staying with you, thereby, requiring everyone to know what your cart had so they did not accidentally buy the same thing… in this case sharing is everything. Strangers at the grocery store, however, simply consider it OVER sharing.
There is nothing like trying to share a thought or feeling with someone, only to see them visibly raise or roll their eyes, or worse, to see the eyes go vacant, the feet begin to shuffle, and the hands begin fidgeting.
What is also interesting, is the newfound openness people have to verbally doubt your statements, to voice their disbelief out loud, as if you are cartoon character that just tried to put one over on them!
I have my theories, as to why we, as a culture, have become so callous and downright impatient when communicating with each other, but since I stated earlier that I would share my thoughts and feelings without actually SHARING mine… I will let you come up with your own theories.
Has it really become so difficult to fully engage with each other in an authentic way?
Are we to be forever lost in some form of Therapy session somewhere, JUST to receive compassion, empathy and some dad blamed Understanding?
Most have either heard of or seen the movie The NeverEnding Story, starring Barret Oliver and Tami Stronach. *F.Y.I.* This is a spoiler alert if you haven’t seen it yet. At the end of the movie, there is a scene in which the two main characters are sitting in complete darkness. The young Empress (Stronach) is holding the tiniest piece of sand in the palm of her hand, telling Bastian (Oliver), that it only takes the tiniest bit of belief to restore everything in the land. Without oversharing here, thereby ruining the beautiful experience of the whole movie, I want to simply point out a perfect example of what I think it could be like, if one by one, we all try just a little harder with each other.
I know, I know, I’m not exactly saying that everyone is a BOOB, but there is definitely, a great amount of boobish behavior going on in the world right now! (yes, this phrase is loosely pulled from the movie Battleship, with Taylor Kitsch). Don’t judge… I’ve no idea how I can remember such odd details, when I cannot, for the life of me, remember the name of any of my childhood teachers or friends names.
Anyways, I will leave you guys and gals with a bit of encouragement, if I can. Let’s be a village! If it takes a village to raise a child, it goes without saying that there will be a good many carers, sharers, listeners, givers, teachers, healers and providers. They should strive to offer love, compassion, grace, mercy, understanding, patience, kindness and more, but the one thing that binds the entire village to accomplish raising a healthy human being… is LOVE!
I learned from a very early age, being scared of something only made me rise to the challenge out of defiance!
I became a kind of dare devil, whenever I came upon a situation that scared me, many times skirting very close to disaster… I guess I simply don’t like being scared anymore!
Age, wisdom, fortitude and just plain tenacity pulled me through life’s ups and downs…
But once I learned to walk by faith, the fear that fueled me to become scared of an obstacle or roadblock I was facing… simply evaporated!
I am human and therefore, not immune to fear of something… but when I am faced with something that scares me, my faith in God brings me round rather quickly!
I can do all things through Christ who is in me… there is nothing our God cannot do!
Stick that in your little AI Prompt hat!
Here, have a cookie, but be warned!!! These cookies are pretty scary looking…
I’ve no idea how I lucked out, but somehow the camera on my smartphone did a stellar job of capturing the depth of color in this leaf. I feel quite pleased with myself, even if it was just a happy accident!
The most difficult things for me to overcome, which I still struggle with occasionally, is N words! Before anyone gets their panties in a bunch… I am referring to words of Negativity, words about Nobody loving me enough, or Nobody knowing how sad, bad, or downright ugly my life can be at times! These are the real Nasty words that the enemy uses to keep us Not in a good place…
I am attempting to undo this Negative way of thinking by turning Nothing, Nobody and Never into their positive state… let’s face it we will Never get these words out of the dictionary. Point in fact, the words themselves are available for use in both good and bad forms, as are all the other words we need for communicating thoughts and actions.
My new practice in being a better WordSmith has brought out these new phrases to call up whenever I find myself using them in an unhealthy way…
How about saying, Nothing can separate me from the love of God, or Nothing can remove me from the palm of Gods hand, or better yet, absolutely NOTHING can undo the Seal of God’s Holy Spirit, that has been placed upon and within this vessel? These are a great start!
Let’s move on to the next Negative Nancy Word, Nobody is one of the more commonly used words in my vocabulary that must be overturned!!! It is much more difficult for me to turn this into a positive, as it is used quite often in its negative form by a vast majority. I still believe that it is possible to bring it round from the dark side, if you get my meaning. Saying that Nobody knows how another might feel, or understand what that person is experiencing, should be seen in a positive light because it opens the door to discovery. In a way, it can be seen as a “get out of Jail free card” because God might be showing us that we can NOT do what He CAN… and we need His help in understanding one another.
Nobody left behind, Nobody forgotten, Nobody rejected by God… these are all positive and true! If there is any negative to be associated with the word Nobody, it’s not done by God, but rather by us when we leave Him behind, when we forget about Him, or the ouchie one… when we reject God! God has given us all that we need, but we have to choose to accept it for good… our choice, or in this case, my choice… hence, the rewriting of these Naughty words!
Never say never… that’s an impossibility! If I am going to find this word popping up in my verbage, then I am choosing to do a back atcha whenever I catch it at the doorstep of my lips! When I find myself thinking or saying anything like “things are never going to change” or “I will never trust that person again”, or my favorite, “I will never be enough, never get things right”… things like that… I must counter them with Gods truths. I find that the Bible says it best,
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35-39
If this doesn’t have enough really positively used N words, I don’t know what else would. It has become the next section of scripture to be memorized, as I tend to fall back on the negative N’s too easily sometimes. So, my thinking is… out with the bad and in with the good. There is NO time like the present, and I see NOTHING stopping me from making a positive change. NOBODY will ever say that I NEVER tried to improve my mindset, NOR will I ever be forgotten nor forsaken!
I’m home everybody!!! Did you miss me? It feels amazing to be back in the comfort of my office, after such an extended absence! While this assignment turned out to be such an amazing experience for me, as a journalist… I was still quite thrilled to step into the shower and feel the steam rise in my nostrils, as the hot water cleansed away the dirt and grit I’d been covered in from my travels.
As soon as I arrived at the paper this morning, everyone was already waiting in the newsroom! We here at WTL News make a habit of meeting together as a group, whenever one of us returns from an assignment. This is a great time to unload much of what one learned, while out in the field, as well as catching up with the daily comings and goings of the newspaper, itself.
When I walked into the room, heading for my usual seat in the far corner, I was intercepted by J.C. who guided me over a seat that was located right in the middle of the group. Awkwardly, I took my newly assigned seat at the boardroom table, situated between our news teams Senior Staff! Everyone in the newsroom was sitting quietly, without belaying any expressions that might give me a clue, as to the odd behavior occurring in the staff meeting. Quite honestly, I was unsure if I were being celebrated or about to be reprimanded for something. Since no clues would be forthcoming from my coworkers, I simply sat quietly to await our CEOs appearance. He appeared shortly after I took my seat, so there wasn’t really a great amount of waiting.
If you remember my last message I sent back to you from the field, shortly after I’d arrived at my assignment, I’d just been informed that I was there to learn some lessons, rather than interview someone else. Well, what I wasn’t aware of, was the fact that I’d been sent there to be evaluated by WTL News… go figure!
As I sat quietly in my seat, listening to our CEO open the morning meeting, he walked down the table to where I sat and came to a halt behind my chair! The lights lowered, followed by the projector screen lowering, and then began a slide show of the very place I’d just been. There were pictures of all of us, from when we were standing at the city gates, to walking among the hills and valleys surrounding Jobs home, and finally, of us all sitting around the fire in the evenings, laughing and telling stories.
Afterwards, when the lights in the newsroom began coming back on, my CEO still stood behind my chair… but this time, the senior staff that had been seated on either side of me, began standing up. My boss turned my chair around, gesturing for me to stand up, as well. When I’d gotten up out of my chair, fully confused, I was handed a set of keys… one for the Senior Staff floor of WTL News, and another key that belonged to an office on the above mentioned level.
I think I just got promoted?!
After all the hoopla ended, the meeting concluded and most of the attendees wandered back to their offices. I was still very confused as to what had just happened, nervously standing along side J.C. and several other senior staff members that had remained, as well as our CEO. It was then explained to me that I’d been sent forth on a Pilot test run of a new line of articles to be written for WTL News… and I had just become the newsrooms first Time Traveling Journalist!
According to my boss, I fit perfectly into this new role, as shown by the photos somebody had taken of me, out in the field. For several moments I tried sorting through memories of my recent trip, pondering how somebody was able to take photos of my work, as I saw no cameras or folks that looked suspiciously out of place. Finally, I opted to simply accept that someone had INDEED been watching and recording my comings and goings.
I trust my CEO, as well as J.C., so it wasn’t difficult for me to just accept how things were playing out and step into this new role, freely. My boss knows me better than I know myself, so who am I to fear or doubt His decisions, as they have always benefitted me in some way.
WTL News has been raised from the ground up, by my CEO, with me actively working towards bettering His establishment. If the one who carries this company on His shoulders, seeks to use my skills and abilities… little ole me… then I am all in! Besides, who could ask for a better dream job, than to wander the paths of history, meeting and interviewing some those who have come before us?
While I’ve no idea, as of yet, where or when I head to next, I shall devote myself to being ready to pack up and go at a moments notice. With an adventurous job like this one, who needs a regular shower, anyway?
Being that I’m in my mid 50’s, living in an old RV with only my laptop and a walking trail as my company, I no longer participate, watch, or actively pursue any sports venue… at all!
If you had asked me this question 30 years, I could have given you numerous examples of my involvement and love of differing sports, primarily, anything involving horsemanship!
Being born on a farm in Oregon, I was riding horses before I was even out of diapers… I’ve seen pictures!
Over the years I was an avid audience member of countless, horse shows, equestrian events and breeder venues. When I was only 18, I lived and worked for a woman who bred, raised, and trained purebred Appaloosas and Quarter Horses. Later, after I had attended Bible Seminary, I was recruited to work as the wrangler for a Christian Girls Horsemanship Camp in Battleground, WA. The children were taught general Horsemanship and Husbandry, along with learning how to ride Dressage, as well as Vaulting.
All my life I worked hard… and played hard! I’ve been bit, kicked, thrown, stomped and drug through the hills by my ankle. While I regret none of the life of adventure upon the back of a horse, it did come at a cost, later in life. I can no longer sit ON a horse, but I can most assuredly, still appreciate the magnificence and beauty of everything about these amazing creatures.
Even today, I can fully enjoy watching any Dressage competition, Hunter/Jumper event, Breeders Cup race, or any Disney movie ever made about a horse. Though many movies have been made about horses, my all time favorite is still the 1979 version of The Black Stallion with Kelly Reno, Terri Garr, and Micky Rooney!
I will end this prompt answer with a little trot down memory lane…
Often times I wonder what idea the Lobby could stand for, in terms of what I want to reflect to those stopping by.
I have decided on a song that I think we should put in the Lobby, but I want you to listen to it first. Once we decide if it is suitable or not, I will either use this song, or one that perhaps you have suggested.
Who knows, maybe we could choose a new song each month, to reflect the depth of love and acceptance that the Lobby represents… you realize that what I mean is, if you don’t make any suggestions, then I will simply choose on my own.
I have a deep love and appreciation for music, and though I am a pretty competent person at speaking and writing out thoughts, many times, a song can express how I feel, so much more clearly than I could ever do on paper.
I suppose you can consider whatever song that gets left in the Lobby, as a constant reminder of things like Gods Love, my Love, encouragement for the hurting, healing for the broken hearted and shelter for the weary!
Don’t we all just need to be reminded that we are not alone, not invisible or cast out?
That is what I seek many times, with you, as each of you reflect love and acceptance toward me, when you visit. Each time I write and share my heart with you… there is never any judgement or rejection from any of you! Thank you!
So don’t forget to vote! Some form of song will be installed in the Lobby by the end of the week.
I’ve not been able to do any audio content at the moment, due to technical difficulties with my headset… technical means broken, just in case I was being too vague… lol! It’s a good thing that words are free, for the most part, so writing I shall do… til the lights go out!
Journey With Me! 