Tag: life

Monday Messages…

Wiwohka6 Comments

Honestly, if one tries hard enough, they can learn something new every day!

I know this may sound silly but I’ve just discovered something hidden in plain sight, so to speak.

I’m fairly certain that you’re well aware of many different words in the English language, carrying two meanings that are only separated by a single letter.

Take the word compliment, for instance. Were you aware that it’s not the same as complement? I’m only aware because I asked Google. Don’t I feel like a silly ant! How many times have I used this word with the wrong spelling? Check this out…

Key takeaways:

  • Compliment refers to praise or a positive remark. It’s something you say to appreciate someone or something.
  • A complement completes or enhances something else, making it more complete or better.
  • A compliment is used when expressing admiration, flattery, remarks, or praise, either as a noun (“She gave a compliment”) or a verb (“He complimented me on my work”).
  • Complement is used when something enhances or completes something else, either as a noun (“The sauce is a perfect complement”) or verb (“The new features complement the product”).

Now, I’m not saying that anybody else missed this little tidbit of knowledge. Maybe it’s because I’m an ant, and this truly is my literary education stage. I mean, I did say that I wanted to learn to write better so I could become a journalist one day, right?!

Since that means I’m off the hook for not knowing a thing, maybe I’ll keep things short and sweet this morning. Instead of a long drawn out language lesson, which I’m nowhere near qualified enough to instruct… I’ll make you virtual breakfast!

This is to make up for Wiwohka not baking you cookies…

Ok, well, Wiwohka had to help me a little…

Tuesday Tinkering…

Wiwohka4 Comments

You know, it’s much harder than you’d think to create images of myself in miniature… and even harder to make them look anything like me, at all!

I don’t know why it’s such a big deal to me, anyway, but it is.

For some reason, whenever I work with this program to generate images of the little model I’d created, it still requires me to go back and alter not only her eye color, but her hair color and style, as well. I get very irritated by this little daily detour the ai tries to take me on, so it’s time to make an actual avatar, or character, if you will.

I got to thinking about it yesterday, when I’d attempted to generate an image of myself for the daily prompt. Asking Norbert to create an image of myself dressed in a childish outfit, actually created a random image of me, but in small form.

It was actually kind of funny at first, but then I got to wondering if I could reproduce a similar image of myself for creating a child sized avatar. First of all, the child looks kind of mean. Secondly, I’ve no idea why it put me in that ridiculous pajama get-up!

So, I tried a different scene, with different clothing and actions, just to see if it might improve things.

Nope!

All I ended up with was a really creepy image of one of the von Trapp family singers from The Sound of Music…

Quickly, I realized that it would require an actual child in order to create a valid childlike appearance in the image’s rendered. So, going back to our little model of mini Wiwohka, I asked a similar question to the ai, and this is what it offered me…

While she is an adorable little girl, as you can see in the image, her hair goes blond and her eyes go any color but blue!

Now, OpenArt recently added in a new feature where you can chat with the ai, rather than trying to manually edit the image on the art board. In truth, it’s kind of like leading a child through an art class… very slowly.

I first asked for blue eyes and brown hair,

Now she looks like a small teacher, ewwwww, no! So, I asked Norbert to soften her hair…

Uhhh, no! Please shorten it…

What is this, Shirley Temple hour? Don’t get me wrong here, as I love that actress, but I’m not her!

So, I took the first image of the child and took it to my art board, just to adjust the eye color, which worked better for what I was looking for…

From here, I went back to Norbert for another go, but this time I chose to make mini Wiwohka her own beautiful self instead of trying to copy me! Why? Because, I’m not that little girl anymore, so of course it’s going to be an impossibility for me to duplicate the Now ME into an image of the Then ME. Hopefully, I’ve not just talked you into a giant circle. Sorry for that.

Before I finalize her into the actual avatar, I thought to ask what your take on her personality and image in this next photo…

I tweaked a few colors for comparison, but I can’t decide which is better. Your feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Til next week, thank you in advance for any feedback, and I’ll do a whole fun photo reveal for her… hugs

There’s life in the learning…

Wiwohka8 Comments
Daily writing prompt
How do significant life events or the passage of time influence your perspective on life?
View all responses

Good events, bad events, and events that are happy or sad, all have one thing in common. They’re all significant!

What we choose to glean from those events, whether we like it or not, will form the perspectives we have later in life.

The things we encounter become our defining hour, not by what we overcame, but how we overcame.

Age, and the passage of time, have taught me that my perspective can be intentional, rather than being brought about from life’s influences.

The only perspective I desire to attain is one shaped by God. If he deems it so, then I allow things of the past to influence my perspective. For example, putting myself in someone else’s shoes, or something like that.

I’m certainly not saying that I don’t think I’ve been influenced by things from the past, because none are immune to it.

I will say this… the experiences I’ve lived through, and those that I put myself through, have all left an indelible mark upon my heart, but from there it’s been my choice whether to be a statistic or a survivor.

The mind is a powerful and complicated thing. We need to take captive every thought, every word, and every perspective. Humans are wishy washy with our attitudes, motives, and yes, our perspectives.

From the beginning of time, God gave mankind the free will to choose their physical, emotional, and spiritual choices. For the most part, we’re terrible choosers! We allow things of this world to control our perspective, but those things are just that… of this world.

When I let go of my own opinions and perspectives, laying them before God, he provides the perspective that should be within my spirit. F.Y.I., I said when I let go, not I always let go.

I tend to build mountains out of mole hills, while God leads me right up over em! Being carried is always a humbling experience, but such a blessing.

God does the heavy lifting, so I’m left to watch him work, and in turn, form a Christ like perspective. When God’s the one in control, there’s life in the learning. That’s what I call influence!

Cookie?

Thursday Thoughts…

Wiwohka4 Comments

Thought #1 – What if everyone bought bags of wildflower mix, and just threw them out the window on their way to work every day?

Thought #2 – Why is it so adorable when a baby toots, but when I do it, everyone at the checkout counter gets mad?

Thought #3 – I want to take a sharpie, park myself in the doorway of my local grocery store, and demand all the employees offer up their pay stubs for me to verify. I don’t think that would last long, at all!

Thought #4 – What if all medical professionals had to provide proof of qualification, skillsets, bedside manners, and personal recommendations for each patient they cared for, before we paid our bill?

Thought #5 – If everyone on earth decided to run in the opposite direction of the earths natural rotation, all at the same time, would the earth start spinning the other way? (This was a joke, so don’t start thinking I believe the earth is flat, or anything like that nonsense.)

Thought #6 – If I were to ever have a kitty again, I would want one of those huge Maine Coons, I think. And, I’d teach him to talk so that he could explain why I only get to snuggle him when he feels like it. Why are cats sometimes so rude?

Thought #7 – I can remember dreams from all the way back when I was a small child, and yet, I can’t seem to remember where I last saw the fingernail clippers.

Well, I guess I’m all out of thoughts. But in my defense, it is only 10 in the morning… and I really do want some oatmeal… with raisins… and brown sugar… mmmmmmmm…

Ok, one last thought for this morning… Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day, so make sure you enjoy it!

Hugs

(2024) Hoomans Don’t Make No Sense At All…

Wiwohka3 Comments
Bloganuary writing prompt
If you could make your pet understand one thing, what would it be?
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I suppose if we were able to make our pets understand us, we’d have results landing on both sides of the proverbial coin! In one way it would be great if we could help our pets understand why we do some of the things we do, while on the other hand it might backfire, leading to animal world domination!

I personally don’t think it would be the best idea for us to give our pets any more information about us, as I’m not so sure that it would cause them to love us more than they already do… in fact, it might give them cause to rise up and put us in cages, just because WE pooped on the floor.

With that being said, if I could make animals understand deeper about anything humans have done, are doing, or will be doing sometime in the future… it would be to tell them we’re sorry!

Last year I had to rehome my pug of 4 years, as well as my two cats that I found under a shed when they were tiny. I waited for 3 years to get my pug, loving her ever so much… she was my baby! My sister-in-law found a batch of kittens under her porch, keeping one and handing the other two my way… I hand raised both boys from about 10 days old and I adored them! I had to make the most painful decision, last year, of rehoming all of them due to our situation… it was awful!

I guess that if it were possible, I would want to try to explain my actions, and say how sorry I am!

I pray that my choice was for the animals betterment, but it is still difficult to hold the last memories of letting go. Sometimes, doing the right thing does NOT feel good, yet it is still right! I cannot say for sure what they were feeling throughout the painful process, but if I could communicate with them, this would obviously be the conversation on the forefront of our discussion. What would they say… would they forgive me if they understood… maybe.

The best information to give our pets, in the effort of better understanding about us hoomans, would be the knowledge that we often behave in ways that don’t align with our feelings. Often times, we do the right thing for the wrong reason, while at other times, we do the wrong things for the right reasons… it’s what we do!

It’s not all bad, and I didn’t say ALL people, nor did I say ALL the time… it’s just that sometimes the numbers are stacked against us, that’s all!

There’s no way to know if I’ll ever have flurbies journeying with me again… perhaps, perhaps not! Just as our pets probably don’t plan ahead most of the time, thinking to build contingency plans for difficult situations… I would want them to know that often times, we hoomans don’t either! 

Issabella Pugalini
Ghost and Ash

Here, I need a cookie, so you better have one too…

Wednesday Words…

Wiwohka4 Comments

Eustace has taken it upon himself to watch over me, when it comes to health and nutrition. Watching me waste away has caused the camel to go full military on me!

He ensures that I eat my bowl of oatmeal, though I can no longer afford to put oat milk in, thanks for the good ole State of Washington to not only revoke my food stamps, but also demand that we pay back their overages, lol. Isn’t that a hoot!

Eustace also threw out both the Sucralfate and the Bentol I’d been prescribed to take, as the doctors never took the time to notice that the diagnosis they strapped onto my case (Gastroparesis), is exacerbated by those very medications… again, lol, isn’t that a hoot!!

They won’t even listen to my appeal until mid March, lol, and another hoot given!!!

I have been surviving since last June, on one bowl of oatmeal with a handful of raisins, two tsp of white sugar and one of brown, for my first of only two meals each day. My second is one serving of white rice, one cup frozen peas and carrots, and a 1/4 cup of peanuts if we don’t have 3 oz. of any boneless skinless chicken breast available (thank you again, Washington State). Chicken isn’t cheap anymore, nor is anything else, and my husband has to eat if he’s to finish his degree.

Wait for it, wait for it…. what a hoot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Eustace refuses to let me carry on with all the bloody details of this exercise in futility that one calls Government Assistance… he wants to take me to the desert for the rest of this wild ride. I’ve been to the desert before, but this is one I’ve not traveled across.

Thankfully, I’m with my trusty camel. This time, I’ll not be walking through the deadlands without aid… My camel carries our water, our bags… and me! I fear that this is one journey where my own legs have given out. I hadn’t realized til this moment how valuable Eustace is, and has always been, for my survival.

God Bless you, Eustace, my valiant steed!

Let this leg of our journey begin…

(2024)My Fingers…

Wiwohka6 Comments

I’m a writer, and as a writer I tend to write… with my fingers. My fingers are attached to my hands, which are attached to my arms, which are connected to my body at the shoulders. And, my body holds my noggin, which tries with all it’s might to oversee what the fingers do… that is, write!

Bloganuary writing prompt
In what ways do you communicate online?
View all responses

My writings are how I communicate with others, within in an online setting. My phone rings from only 4 sources… hubby… my chica… my longtime friend Christine… and the Doctor’s office! For the entire rest of the world out there, my fingers are the only form of communication, giving more light to the cause of why I right so darn much, these days.

In fact, the tougher life gets on me, the more I write! Did you know that while freezing my toenails off, I wrote another children’s book?! Go figure!

Online communications has actually been a Godsend for this ole girl… I used to have to write all this stuff down with a pen and paper, and quite frankly, my hands were really suffering for it. The keyboard has actually allowed me to write at a rate that seems unprecedented, compared to what I was capable of writing before modern technology intervened!

The only downside comes from mankind’s inability to create an autocorrect that functions properly… as many have seen from some of the text massages we’ve all been subjected two. See how I did that… hehe!

One of my favorite things about all this online communication stuff… virtual cookies! 

Here is a cookie with zero calories… all the fun without any guilt or unhealthy side effects… perfection! I do love technology when it works in my fingers… I mean favor!

(2024)Things of the Past…

Wiwohka3 Comments

As a girl of only eleven, I’d already discovered the item I was most fond of… my survival, or my physical life, if I’m to label it as an actual thing. No, it’s probably not what one might call an item, but sure felt like it. 

Daily writing prompt
Describe an item you were incredibly attached to as a youth. What became of it?
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Sometimes, life has a way of getting reduced into nothing more than a thing… an item to be played with, bartered, or thrown out when it’s usefulness has been expended.

For some souls, it can take an entire lifetime to figure this out. They don’t feel the harsh bite of reality pop up, for a good long while. Who knows, maybe everyone begins to take notice of being less valuable to society, once the body begins to slow, and they lose the ability to carry on at the pace they once held.

Then there’s souls like mine. We discovered, early on, how little value we held, how we weren’t valuable enough protect, to care about… never worthy enough to be saved! This was my dark alleyway of existence, wandering through the night until I found a place to sleep… doing whatever I had to do to secure food, warmth, and sleep… never safety… just sleep! This life was not much but it was mine, and I valued it above everything else!

I’m 55 now and nearing the age when most are preparing for retirement and their golden years… not this runaway!

I strive to prepare and strengthen myself for something bigger, better and still yet to come.

 It has taken some considerably long years to get my life to this moment, and I couldn’t have done it without God. And, I didn’t care for the item I was so attached to, nor cherish it, as I did when I was a child. None the less, I’m grateful to say that it’s still in tact, for the most part.

If you’ve any curiosity about what has become of the item I was so attached to as a youth, you need only read the letters I have written over the years, here on WordPress. 

As this site is really all I have to show for explaining things, it will have to suffice as my best answer! 

I don’t know about all you, but I need a cookie…

Gimme a smile…

Wiwohka9 Comments

Smiles are magical, I think. And, they’re contagious, too…

When someone smiles at you, don’t you just automatically want to smile back?

A smile can soften a heart, lift a person’s spirit, and/or trigger some actual good will toward our fellow man.

Take a baby’s smile, for instance. Don’t we get all mushy inside, and feel the sudden urge to speak babyeese… was dat a smile, awwww, you widdle fuzzy wuzzy bundle of bootiful awesomesauceness… hey, don’t judge me! I can’t help it!

The world is filled with all differing types of magical smiles, babies obviously being the best and most effective in brightening ones day. But, one must appreciate the value and magic of all the other differing smiles out there, as well…

Smiles are actually pretty important, as studies have shown how smiling affects ones health, and state of mind. It’s a real scientific thingie, I swear. I even googled it, to make sure that I did not mislead you in any way.

I typed in “what is the science behind a smile”, and this was googles reply:

The science behind smiling involves a positive feedback loop between facial muscles and brain chemistry, where contracting muscles (like the zygomatic major for mouth corners and orbicularis oculi for eye crinkles) trigger the release of mood-boosting neurotransmitters like dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin, reducing stress and enhancing happiness. This “fake it ’til you make it” effect means even a forced smile can make you feel better, while genuine smiles (Duchenne smiles) signal authentic joy and foster connection, improving well-being and perceived attractiveness.  

How it works: The Muscle-Brain Connection

  • Sensory Input: Emotional data from experiences (seeing a friend, hearing good news) travels to the brain. 

Muscle Activation: Specific facial muscles contract: the zygomatic major pulls lips up, and the orbicularis oculi creates crow’s feet around the eyes. 

Brain Response: These muscle contractions send signals back to the brain, activating the reward system. 

Neurotransmitter Release: The brain releases feel-good chemicals:

  • Dopamine: Boosts pleasure and motivation. 

Endorphins: Act as natural pain relievers and mood elevators. Serotonin: Functions as a natural antidepressant, lifting mood. 

Types of Smiles

  • Social Smile: Involves only the mouth muscles (zygomatic major) and is used for politeness or social cues.
  • Genuine Smile (Duchenne Smile): Involves both mouth muscles and the orbicularis oculi, creating eye crinkles, signaling authentic happiness. 

Benefits of Smiling

Increases Attractiveness & Trust: Smiling people are often seen as more reliable, sincere, and attractive, enhancing social interactions. 

I challenge you to count your smiles this weekend. It’s merely an exercise, meant to show how many times you do smile, as well as, how many opportunities you’re given to intentionally smile at someone… remember, this is only an experiment. You don’t even have to tell anyone you’re doing it. Call it an exercise for health and wellness.

Whatever you do this weekend, remember how loved you are… that should help with the smile thing.

My thoughts?

Wiwohka2 Comments
Daily writing prompt
What are your thoughts on the concept of living a very long life?
View all responses

Are we really saying that living a long life is a mere concept? I guess it could be, but it just sounds weird. First of all, it wouldn’t be considered a mere concept, if you were born with a disease or disability.

I looked up the definition of concept, but it only made things worse. But, as I’ve committed to answering these prompts without being flippant, I’ll give it my best shot.

Since the prompt is only asking what my thoughts are about this whole concept thing, ummmm… living a long life is a great concept, I guess. In truth, only God knows the length of my life, and nothing I do or don’t do will change that outcome.

I suppose the concept of being a decent human being is also good, if you’re a decent person. But, what good is that concept if you’re an arse, by nature?

I can honestly say that I am unable to really come up with any life altering thoughts, regarding long life being a mere concept. I will be making every effort to live a long life, but it’s not really in my hands, is it? We can do everything right, but still accidentally get hit by a bus. Concept just flew out the window.

Life, itself, cannot be placed in a box, given boundaries, and/or assigned any wonderful concepts… it doesn’t work like that. There are no guarantees, precautions, or conceptual guidelines that keep reality at bay.

Besides, I can’t personally think beyond the day in front of me, let alone focus on what my earthly old age might look like. Rather than thinking on the concept of a long life, how bout we just do the best with what we have, and leave the rest of it to God.

Now eat your cookie…