The Power of Purple

For the past couple of weeks, at night, my dog has begun to sleep fully stretched out and pressed firmly against my back. She's always been protective, but this is a new thing for her. It's almost like she's telling me "Don't worry momma, I've got your back."  That got me to thinking... Who else has my back? Or more importantly, who has your back? Who surrounds you? Who includes you? Who accepts you as you are, not who they want you to be? Who would drop everything to help you without being asked? Who would make sure you have enough to eat if you were forced to choose between paying rent or buying groceries? Who would be there to pick you up (literally) when life continues to deliver the punch to the gut that brings you to your knees? If you can't answer, it's ok. I have a hard time answering this too. Five years ago, I would be naming names without hesitation. Today, it's a struggle to come up with more than one. As time changes, so...

Over the past three months, I've started this blog several times; and several times I scrapped everything and walked away. Why? I felt it wouldn't deliver enough value to anyone who reads it. The more I tried to flush it out, the more irritated and frustrated I became. The words wouldn't flow in the way I thought would draw anyone in, and they certainly didn't "feel" right. After a heartfelt conversation with a good friend who gave me the kick in the pants I needed, I realized, again, that the value I deliver is more than enough. I had somehow let the recent opinions and voices from others affect the way I looked at the value i bring to others. So I began to put my thoughts into something that, I hope, helps others take a new and different look at the value they bring to this world and begin to see that they should never settle for anything less than what they want to achieve. In January, during a conversation, my value and worth were questioned. Not in a ...

You can't fit a square peg in a round hole.  Why would you want to "fit in" when you were made to stand out?  I'm sure you've heard those sayings before. They've been weighing on my mind ever since I had lunch with a friend who indicated that while I am always encouraging, upbeat and supportive, I just don't quite fit in. He's right. I've never really fit in, even as a child. I wasted alot of years watering down who I was just so I could try to "fit in". Everyone wants to be liked, but the reality is that even when you're well liked, you may not always "fit in". Which brings me to the question of the day: Why do we try so hard to fit in? We're all unique. We're wired to be different; from the way we look, the way we think, how we process information, how we act, etc. Those tratis make us different from the start. Over the years, I've learned that when we try to fit in, on some unconscious level, we alter ...

Roughly 25 years ago my youngest son brought me a small cactus garden, including a dragon tail cactus when he vacationed with my mom. Over the past 25 years, this cactus grew. Not without it's own struggles. You see, I don't have the green thumb needed to keep indoor plants alive; regardless of how "maintenance free" they may be. I lost 2 of them fairly quickly, but babied this one to keep it alive. It seemed to thrive for almost 20 years. Then our daughter was diagnosed with breast cancer and I mostly forgot about it. I only remembered to water it when I went into the extra bedroom and saw it on the dresser. I "found" it again after she died and I was moving some of her things. It looked half dead, with drooping spines. I watered it and sat it next to a window hoping it would perk up.  I walked out of the room and promptly forgot about it...again. Fast forward 2 years. This spring, while still recovering from his own health scare, my husband was clearing...

Recently, while on my first ever kayak trip with two of my favorite friends in the whole wide world, who also happen to be family, I jumped off a cliff. Both figuratively and literally. As we floated and paddled down the river, catching up on life's happenings, talk turned to things we did as kids. We spent alot of time laughing about how we learned to swim in a spot very similar to the river we were floating. As kids, we were literally thrown into the water and told to swim. This was Mississippi in the early 1970's.  The water was only 6-8 ft deep, and there were adults in the water to "save" us if needed, but when you're 8 years old, it was terrifying. Reminiscing about our adventures when we were kids led to other moments that usually ended up with us in trouble. Looking back, the "trouble" was harmless and we had some good laughs. Then an innocent question about something in our childhoods led me to the first cliff jump, figuratively. Feeling a lev...

How often have you heard others use "it's not my problem" as an excuse to not step in, help, or be accountable for situations, conversations, or interactions that would help others? If you're 100% honest you'll admit you've used it yourself.  For example: You see the hungry, homeless person sitting on the street and walk past because "It's not my problem"...or is it? You hear a colleague being verbally abused/harrassed but you don't speak up because "It's not my problem"...or is it? You see an elderly person struggling to unload a cart of groceries in the checkout lane and roll your eyes, while tapping your foot impatiently because "It's not my problem"... or is it? You observe a child being subjected to horrible bullying and don't intervene because "It's not my problem"... or is it? Your unemployed friend struggles to get back on their feet while you distance yourself because "It's...