Tag Archives: Humanity

The Christmas Jerk

Some people really are just jerks… either that, or they have no concept of reality.

Christmas seems to bring out the best and worst in people. What we tend to forget as we grow older is that it is truly a magical time for the little one’s in this world. I read something disturbing tonight. While browsing on Amazon.com, I came a cross a post along the lines of this (not a direct quote but the basic comment): A needy child is asking for an iPod Nano on the Angel tree at our church. Another asked for Xbox games so he/she must have an Xbox. The writer wondered how needy they must really be (insert sarcasm here)…

I don’t know who the writer is, nor do I care. The child (yes, CHILD), who is asking for the Nano, and the CHILD asking for the Xbox is just that… A CHILD! A CHILD who wants the same things as his/her peers. So the question really isn’t what is wrong with the child, but what is wrong with the person who has the audacity to question why a CHILD would ask for such a thing?

Christmas is supposed to be a time of magic and joy. Children really do believe in Santa. I know I did. I also know my girls still do. Regardless of what I can or cannot afford for my children each year, and how much I do, or do not give towards other causes every year, I would never discount a child and what they WISH they could have each Christmas. ”Wish” is the key word. My daughter Julia WISHES for one thing this Christmas… A white Pegasus unicorn with a sparkly pink mane and a cutie mark. Do you think I am going to tell her there is no way Santa would ever bring her that?

Posted in Children, Humanity, Kids, Parenting | Tagged angel, christmas, giving, Humanity, magic, tree | Leave a comment

Music Sets All Stages… Today’s Stage = Rage

The Stage… Trying to resist the urge to aggressively lash out… My Music Playlist… starting with “Welcome To The Jungle” by Guns N Roses… and that is just the beginning…

My day began quite well, with the exception of my girls having a sleep over last evening, and the awful emptiness I felt knowing they weren’t in their own beds and near me through the night. Ok, so maybe my day did not start off that great. Rather than bore you with complete details of the day, I’d rather focus on a totally different topic… Mean People. Yes, you all know who I am talking about… and most likely, all of you have been the “mean person” at one time or another. I am sure I have. Unfortunately, today happened to be one of those days where I was the target of other people’s frustrations. It started with one, moving on to another and then, yet another. The last, someone I don’t even know. With that, I really mean that I do not know them. The individual I am referring to only has only a screen name, and a picture, none of which define who the individual really is.

Reality… We all have bad days. While absorbed in a psychology book during my senior year in high school, I was fascinated by something I read. It was a simple word called displacement. Displacement though, was not referenced in my book with a simple meaning. Instead, the chapter I read explained a lot about human behavior. We, as humans, tend to displace our anger at those that are closest to us. The reasoning… because we know, as humans, the people closest to us are most likely to forgive. It made complete sense and resonated with me quite well. I think everyone I know has done that at one time or another. When I have a bad day at work, I cannot say that I don’t take out my frustrations on my husband or parents from time to time. It is just easier I suppose.

This brings me to today… Three individuals… Three separate occurrences… All of which include displacing their frustrations on me. The first two I have no problem brushing off. I even received apologies. The third… not so sure I can forgive. Funny how the one I do not know is the one I consider unforgiveable. Question though… is this the opposite of what I learned in high school or simply me, being stubborn? It may even be a bit of both but somehow, I find it easier to forgive someone that knows me than someone who chooses to blatantly disrespect and hurt someone they do not even know without any remorse or consideration… hence… Rage… Today’s stage… And My Playlist… Rage…

Now For A Standard Disclaimer: Caution… Do not listen to this playlist while driving (anything). Songs may invoke feeling invincible thus, making you believe accelerating will not get you in trouble or stopped by law enforcement. Another quick note to throw a little twist on this whole post… Moments before I hit the little update button to the right of this post, I received a message from “the unknown displacer”… the message negated every assumption I had regarding his/her nastiness… That’s right. I take it all back as I mistook what was written and am now feeling like a complete and utter fool. Regardless, DO NOT FORGET ABOUT THE DISCLAIMER.

Posted in Music | Tagged Apps, disturbed, drowning pool, guns n roses, heavy metal, Humanity, i-stuff, inhumane, iPad, iPhone, iPod, itunes, Korn, Media, Mom, nine inch nails, playlist, rock, stage, tech, tool, write | Leave a comment

Books For Children And Social Awareness

Societal pressures affect people of all ages in one way or another. As a child, I was not only affected by the pressures of society, I succumbed to them in many ways. Dealing with bullies, having low self-esteem, and wanting desperately to fit in were things I was faced with daily. Fortunately, I was able to get past much of this but, will never forget what the pain felt like. Rather than dwell on the negatives, which don’t benefit anyone, I prefer to use what I went through to educate others and pray each day that my girls don’t ever have to be faced with the same kind of pain.

It took me almost 30 years to finally speak out about the bullying I experienced. Through this, a few things happened. First, I was interviewed by Care2 about my childhood and was featured on their activist profile page which reached mass amounts of viewers. Second, I was able to work with an amazing organization called uknow.com, who have developed a sophisticated parental intelligence software which helps us, as parents, change the way we parent since our children have changed the way they socialize. Makes sense right? The third reason is the main reason for this article. Through writing, and others reading what I have written, I was very fortunate to connect with another blogger with a fantastic website called S.O.S. Mom. Melissa (aka S.O.S Mom) recently contacted me about an amazing giveaway she is currently doing. She thought that I would be interested since the books she chose to promote are about bullying.

Hearing what Melissa had to say and learning more about the books, it only seemed obvious that we both needed to collaborate! Melissa, being one of the first bloggers I met in the blogosphere was easy for me to connect with. Reading her blog gave me a bit of insight on her… she is real. Her blog offers a ton of great giveaways as well as tips for a variety of things! My favorite giveaway though, is definitely near and dear to my heart. Her giveaway features the Howard B. Wigglebottom series books. Howard B. Wigglebottom: Learns About Bullies from the We Do Listen Foundation. The books are meant to help children with their self-esteem, how to deal with bullying and violence and much more. These are truly a “must have” for our children. Awareness about bullying has reached a new high! Educating and talking to our children about bullying promotes awareness as well as helps leave the door open for communicating about bullying. Please take a moment and check out S.O.S. Mom and participate in this giveaway!

Posted in Apps, Children, Family, Girls, Humanity, Kids, Mom, Motherhood, Parenting, Uncategorized, Women | Tagged books, bullies, bully, charity, Children, educate, humanitarian, Humanity, i-stuff, iPad, iPhone, iPod, Kids, nonprofit, Parenting, parents, philanthropy, social, society, teach, tech, write, writing | Leave a comment

Change Agents: Amazing Women, Activists, Charity, Humanity And More

Humanist – Pioneer – Activist – Philanthropist – Innovator – Change-Agent

As humans, we should live each day giving a little something of ourselves selflessly like some of the women below. The women listed, are some of the most influential and brave souls I have ever read about. They are an inspiration to many, including myself! As a mother, I can only hope to teach my daughters a bit of what their stories have taught me. Hopefully, their stories will be part of the foundation my daughters choose to build their lives on. I encourage you to take a moment, and read some of their stories.

These Women, And Many More, Encompass The True Meaning Of Some Of The Strongest Words In The English Language

Humanist

A believer in the principles of humanism. One who is concerned with the interests and welfare of humans.

(definition from Answers.com)

http://www.answers.com/topic/humanist/

Activist

An activist is someone who takes action in support of or opposition to a cause. Activism can take a range of forms, from writing letters to government representatives to organizing boycotts. Some activists engage in radical or even illegal activity to further their ends, while others prefer to stay within the boundaries of the law to win more supporters to their causes. Every time someone writes a letter to the editor, educates a friend about an issue, or phones an elected official, he or she is participating in activism.

(definition From the wiseGEEK)

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-an-activist.htm/

Pioneer

One who opens up new areas of thought, research, or development.

(definition from The Free Dictionary)

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/pioneer/

Philanthropist

One who makes an active effort to promote human welfare.

(definition from m-w.com)

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/philanthropist/

Innovator

An innovator in a general sense, is a person or an organization who is one of the first to introduce into reality something better than before. That often opens up a new area for others and achieves an innovation.

(definition From Wikepedia)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Innovator/

Change-Agent

A change agent is an event, organization, material thing or, more usually, a person that acts as a catalyst for change. In business terms, a change agent is a person chosen to bring about organisational change. Corporations often hire senior managers or even chief executives because of their ability to effect change.

(definition from Answers.com)

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_a_change_agent/

Posted in Apps, Children, Education, Family, Humanity, Kids, Mom, Parenting, Uncategorized, Women | Tagged change, charity, giving, Humanity, humans, i-stuff, iPad, iPhone, iPod, love, Mom, nonprofit, parent, philanthropy, pioneer, tech, women, write, writing | Leave a comment

A Simple Share

“When you look at the world in a narrow way, how narrow it seems! When you look at it in a mean way, how mean it is! When you look at it selfishly, how selfish it is! But when you look at it in a broad, generous, friendly spirit, what wonderful people you find in it.”

- Horace Rutledge

Posted in Family, Humanity, Motherhood, Uncategorized, Women | Tagged generous, goodness, Humanity, mantra, peace, quote, thoughts | Leave a comment

Color Meditation

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again…
That was my mindset when I began meditating… 5 years ago.
For 5 full years, it never happened! I didn’t give up, nor did I reach that state of consciousness which induced a benefit. I wanted to reach the state of bliss, serenity and clarity successful meditators spoke of.

Then,

luckily

stumbled

upon

color

meditation.

Color meditation is focusing on your Chakras during meditation. Our seven chakras start with the root chakra, represented by the color red, and end with the crown chakra, represented by the color violet/brilliant white. The chakras run down the center of your body and control your energy flow. Each of our seven main chakra centers, are connected to us being on different levels from physical and emotional, to spiritual, and more. Chakras have been linked to healing, finding alignment and balance in our lives as well as our creation.

I started by focusing on the colors two at a time. I read about each color and each chakra and how to open and close each during meditation. During my practice, that is exactly what I did. Each day, I incorporated 2 additional chakras. Finally, my practice went from one color to the next, eventually reaching my crown chakra. Once I closed my crown Chakra, I continued to meditate. Being so consumed with each color and Chakra, I was focused and relaxed. My mind was not wandering and it happened! True meditation! I can genuinely say that I was not sure if it was possible…
Once finished meditating, I felt a sense of calm. I was relaxed and felt refreshed. In the five years I have been practicing meditation, I never thought it would feel like that. I am not sure if I was expecting more or less, but I am sure that it felt great. Whether I reach this point over and over again or not, I can say that every time I have meditated, I have felt good. We all need to let our mind relax just like our bodies. Sometimes, it just take a bit of practice.

Check out the link I found which helped me to reach my goal.

Posted in Apps, Children, Family, Motherhood, Uncategorized, Women | Tagged body, health, humanitarian, Humanity, i-stuff, iPad, iPhone, iPod, meditate, mind, spirit, tech, yoga | Leave a comment

Care2

Being involved in humanitarian efforts is a passion I share with many people around the world. Finding my voice was not difficult. There are so many things I am passionate about. I could write for hours about different causes I believe in. If I had the ability, I would travel the world trying to help as many people as I could. Although I may not have the time to do all of that, I do have the time each day, to go through the Care2 website and participate as well as educate myself about the many things happening in this world and the amazing people involved in making a positive change.

A few months ago, I was asked if I saw something in the news. My response was simple. I said no. “Really” my friend asked. Again, my response was one word, “no”. I don’t watch the news. It depresses me too much. Try this tonight. Watch a full hour of the news. In front of you, have a piece of paper with two columns. The first, positive stories. The second, negative stories. Mark up that piece of paper with the amount of positive vs. negative stories you hear. Then, take a moment to reflect on how you felt while watching it. I will guarantee you feel a little stressed or possibly depressed the moment it is over… unless you are a sadist of some sort that is. I guess when people speak of “what is newsworthy,” the answer is apparent after one sitting of watching the news… It is rarely rainbows and butterflies…

Here is another thought… a lot of good is done in our world. Many people do amazing things every day! So, why on earth are they not making it to the news? Think of a rumor… negative rumors spread a lot faster than positive ones. For some reason, everyone wants to talk about the bad, assuming that would be newsworthy… either that, or again, they are sadists… that word seems to be on the tip of my tongue today… So, the same goes for the news. Bad news spreads faster than good news. Rather than talking about the bad, why not spread the word about the good? Email the news stations when your neighbor does something positive. Call them! Spread the word to the masses. Nothing is newsworthy if nobody knows about it.

This brings me back to Care2 and how I found it. It’s true, I do not like to watch the news. Fortunately, I like to read. Having the ability to pick and choose what I read is great. My web surfing and love of reading led me to Care2′s website. Care2 is all about different humanitarian efforts going on in the world. They cover non-profits and individuals looking to make a difference. The site doesn’t ever ask you for money. Rather, it educates the reader and allows you to participate with very little effort. Efforts can be as simple as signing a petition like the one I have on the side bar of my home page. It really is that simple. Take a moment and sign. Better yet, check out their website. You will be amazed at the amount of remarkable individuals making a difference right now. You can also check out the article they recently posted about me by clicking this link!

Posted in Centered, Family, Humanity, Kids, Mom, Motherhood, Parenting | Tagged bully, care, care2, charity, Family, goodness, help, Humanity, i-stuff, iPad, iPhone, iPod, Mom, mother, news, tech, write, writing | Leave a comment

Lent And Easter A Change Agent?

ARE YOU AN ACTIVIST, INNOVATOR, HUMANIST, PIONEER, PHILANTHROPIST OR A CHANGE AGENT?

Lent is a time of repentance, fasting and preparation for the coming of Easter. It is a time of self-examination and reflection… Christians focus on their relationship with God, often choosing to give up something or volunteering and giving of themselves for others… UMC.org. Retrieved From http://archives.umc.org/interior.asp?ptid=1&mid=2870/

With Easter approaching, thoughts about the 40 days of Lent ran through my mind. When I ask people what they are, or have given up for Lent, I am typically answered with similar responses. The response I generally receive, is they have given up, or abstained from something that promotes a positive feeling for them. They are doing something they believe is good. Generally, when the response is given, a smile is on their face. Sometimes, they are glowing as they tell you. They are proud of themselves and the sacrifice they are making. Imagine if we all did that more often?

Not being brought up in a robust religious environment, I missed out on a few key things while growing up. Some related to feeling a sense of belonging with a like-minded community. Off course, I was a little envious of my friends who attended CCD together or belonged to the same youth groups. Fortunately, my parents did promote the moral structure which surrounds many religions. I was brought up with a conscience and taught right from wrong. My mother and father promoted being kind to others and doing good deeds. They taught me about many religions allowing me to understand people from all over the world. Still, I do wish I had the opportunity to fully grasp one during my youth. Religion. is like a foundation. Unfortunately, it is also a topic which is taboo to talk about according to some. Regardless, this is my blog, my website, and my opinion, simply put.

With Easter approaching and Lent coming to an end, I can only say that I wish we all practiced Lent all year-long! As humans, we should live each day giving a little something of ourselves selflessly like some of the women below. The women listed below are some of the most influential and brave souls I have ever read about. They are an inspiration to many, including myself! As a mother, I can only hope to teach my daughters a bit of what their stories have taught me. Hopefully, their stories will be part of the foundation my daughters choose to build their lives on. I encourage you to take a moment, and read some of their stories.

These Women, And Many More, Encompass The True Meaning Of Some Of The Strongest Words In The English Language

Humanist

A believer in the principles of humanism. One who is concerned with the interests and welfare of humans.

(definition from Answers.com)

http://www.answers.com/topic/humanist/

Activist

(definition From the wiseGEEK)

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-an-activist.htm/

Pioneer

One who opens up new areas of thought, research, or development.

(definition from The Free Dictionary)

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/pioneer/

Philanthropist

One who makes an active effort to promote human welfare.

(definition from m-w.com)

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/philanthropist/

Innovator

(definition From Wikepedia)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Innovator/

Change-Agent

(definition from Answers.com)

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_a_change_agent/

Posted in Apps, Children, Family, Girls, Kids, Mom, Motherhood, Shopping, Uncategorized, Women | Tagged blogging, change, easter, goodness, help, Humanity, i-stuff, iPad, iPhone, iPod, lent, religion, tech, think, write | Leave a comment

Make An Idea Come To Life

I did everything in my power to stay clear of my keyboard after my last post. I thought for sure, if I walked away, I would not have an urge to write and simply relax this evening. Clearly, that didn’t happen. The problem is in my noggin. I cannot seem to slow it down. Myy mind consistently spins with different ideas about things I would love to do! If only I could clone another 10 of me, I may be able to get to a few of them! Instead, the ideas linger in my brain and I only hope that I can bring all of them to fruition some day.

Each day, I wake to hear about someone who had an idea, which turned into a reality, which in turn, became something pretty darn great! So the question is, what are we all waiting for? Take those ideas and make something of them. Ok, so I get that some ideas take money… Well, isn’t that what websites like Kickstarter are for? With a great business idea, and a good business plan that makes sense, Kickstarter can help you make your idea a reality. You, on the other hand, need to breath your idea, and believe your idea,for it to become anything! Live it, love it, feed it, and watch it grow. If you don’t, someone else is going to create your little baby, and you will be left … well, we won’t go into that.

Something that I have always wanted to focus more on, and is always on my mind, is participating more on humanitarian efforts. Previously, I had excuse after excuse as to why I was not more involved in things that meant something to me. Enough with the excuses though. I felt like a little kid jumping off a diving board for the first time. I was right on the edge, and could see the water. I just couldn’t jump, but was hoping desperately for someone to push me in. That someone ended up being me. I am excited to share more with you on this front. Hopefully, you will want to get involved as well. Here’s to making big ideas a reality!