This is not my best post, as I’m writing it from a point of raw emotion..but I definitely have something to say. My future daughter-in-law graduated from community college last night. Congratulations to her, she worked very hard for this and we are proud of …
With summer approaching, my mind drifts back to sweet memories of childhood. . I enjoyed playing with the neighborhood kids. Games of hide and seek that stretched throughout the entire block and didn’t end until it was too dark to see anything, skateboarding smack …
I was playing with a Rubik’s cube the other day and showed my grandson when I finished one side with a matching color in just a few seconds. Not only was my grandson impressed, but his parents were as well! Grandma was a Rubik’s cube genius!
Then he asked me to do the other sides. Uh-oh. Grandma only knows how to complete one side at a time. I had a cube as a kid, and I could never get past one side. But hey, people who saw that one side were impressed!
This got me started thinking.
I can already hear some of you. “Oh, no… she’s thinking again! She’s going to somehow compare a stupid old Rubik’s cube to life.”
You’re right, that is exactly what I intend to do. I can finish one side of the cube, and it looks so good. Every little square is in its place, matching up perfectly with the others. But, turn the cube slightly and you will notice that the rest of the cube is a big jumbled mess.
It’s so easy to look at someone’s life and see that one perfect side. Social media is the worst. I look at people’s profiles/timelines and it seems like so many people have perfect little lives. Some people actually get discouraged when they compare their messy life to those Pinterest perfect people. I find myself feeling that way when I look at other people’s Facebook profiles..often.
A wise person (I say this because I can’t remember where I first heard it, ha) once posted this quote: “Stop comparing your behind-the-scenes with another person’s highlight reel”. How true is that? Most of what we see on social media are highlight reels. Heck, even most of my posts are highlight reels.
I used to gripe and complain about things on my Facebook. After seeing post after post from an acquaintance bitching about her life and posting those irritatingly vague “FML” type of posts, I decided from that point on I would try to only post positive things on my wall.
I post about my kids, my grandkids, trips and outings, holidays…good things. I share funny memes if I come across them. I’m sure I’ve lost a few friends along the way because they were tired of hearing about my kids.. they were tired of seeing my highlight reel. It is difficult to post only positive stuff without coming across as “braggy”. I actually enjoy seeing others post about their trips, families, and kids. I enjoy seeing good things happen for other people. Some don’t, and that’s fine.
One Side of the Cube
The things I post are just one side of the cube. Turn it over and you would see financial struggles, children struggling with various issues, hurt, sadness, chaos, pain, worry, jealousy, and so much more. Now and then, I do share another side of the cube…just to show that we all can’t be happy and cheerful one hundred percent of the time.
Another example of showing only one side of the cube is the way that a person presents themselves to the world. At this precise moment I am thinking of a few particular people that, upon outward appearances, seem to be kind, compassionate, and giving. Most people see only this side of them, but underneath the facade they are just the opposite. One nice, clean side for the world to see..but underneath is a jumbled mess of hatred and prejudice.
What about those people that have a good side but are so overwhelmed with chaos that they never show it? All we get to see is the messy sides. Many would shake their heads and disregard these type of people, or label them as no good. To me, this is the saddest example of not seeing all sides. Sometimes we are so focused on the bad that we completely forget about the good.
I work in the field of mental health, and I’ve met a lot of good people. We focus on strengths. Everybody has strengths. EVERYBODY HAS STRENGTHS.
Here is my challenge for you. Next time you see someone, find one good thing about them. It can be something big, or something tiny. When you find that thing, concentrate on that.
Just remember, we’re all figuring out how to put together the sides of our Rubik’s cubes. 🙂
Every one of us has had at least one terribly embarrassing moment in our lives. I know that I’ve had my share, that’s for sure! Heck, just yesterday I tripped coming out of my front door with a Superman kite in my hands! My …
As most of you know, my sister Jan had a bit of trouble when she last attempted to make Deviled Egg Easter Chicks. In case you DON’T know what I’m talking about, check out this link : https://cookiesandcursewords.com/deviled-egg-Easter-chicks-fun-method They weren’t exactly “Pinterest worthy”, but they tasted …
A friend posted the following on Facebook, and it made me think…
At the time that I saw her post, I was sitting outside of my workplace in the car. I was getting ready to leave to go meet a client, but looked up at the small grassy area in front of me. What did I see? Dandelions blanketed the entire area. Truthfully, I hadn’t noticed. Dandelions are everywhere, and most people see them as a nuisance. People try to get rid of them by whatever means possible, whether it be weed killer, pulling them by hand, or just mowing them down. The last thing anybody wants on their perfectly manicured yard is a bunch of yellow weeds everywhere!
As I snapped a quick picture of the yellow flowers, I took some time to really “see” them. What is so ugly about a pretty little yellow flower? If this were a field of sunflowers, we would be marveling at their beauty. Sunflowers, dandelions…flowers, weeds. What makes one flower better than the other?
I can already hear the seasoned gardeners grumbling about all of the differences. I’m no master gardener, but I know there are some “weeds” that are harmful to the other flowers around them. Certain ground covers can take over entire flower beds. Some people consider beautiful morning glories to be nothing but glorified weeds, because they tend to spread a little further than some wish they would. One year I noticed some really pretty vines growing at my house, and they were growing rapidly. I let them grow as they curled around the wrought iron railings on my porch, and they looked so cool! That is, they looked cool until I noticed that they were also wrapping themselves tightly around the other flowers that I had planted..and killing them. Someone told me it was bindweed.
I don’t know if that’s the proper name for them, but that it is exactly what they were doing. They were binding my other flowers. I had no choice but to pull all of those vines in order to save the flowers that I had actually planted. Now I know what to look for, and I pull them as soon as they start growing. Well, I pull MOST of them. There is an area in front of my house where I have no other flowers planted, but I do have a tall shepherd’s hook in the ground. Last year I decided to let the vines grow around that hook. They twisted around the pole and cascaded down the side, and they looked great! Even a very pesky weed can be beautiful if it’s in the right place.
Every September, around Labor Day, we would throw a huge birthday party for my grandma. She lived to be 105, so these parties were extra special. My dad was lucky enough to have his mom throughout his entire 82 years, as she passed away just seven months before him. Dad loved nature, and he loved wildflowers. He made beautiful centerpiece bouquets for grandma’s birthday, using wildflowers that he found while driving around the local lake.
I suffer from seasonal fall allergies, so these bouquets brought a bit of misery with their beauty for me…but also joy. Joy from seeing the proud look on my dad’s face, joy from seeing my grandma’s reaction to her son’s efforts, and joy in knowing that all of these bouquets were put together from what many would consider to be a “bunch of weeds”. A bunch of weeds that got a chance to shine, thanks to my dad!
A weed is nothing but a plant that is growing somewhere that it is unwelcome, a plant out of place. You’ve heard the saying “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure”? The same can be said for weeds. One person’s weed is another person’s flower.
Next time you see a yard full of dandelions, take a moment to think. Take a moment to see the beauty in it. Flowers are a lot like people.
Here’s a thought…while you’re taking a moment to think about all of the beautiful flowers that are considered to be weeds, use that same analogy with the people you see in your daily life. Some are just growing in the wrong spot for now, but given the chance to shine..they are just as beautiful as all the rest!
It is now 12:08 am,so it is officially my 52nd birthday. It’s been a doozy of a week, that’s for sure. It’s nice and cool out now, but a few days ago it was pretty dang warm. My teenage son was complaining that his room …
Oh, Pinterest. There are so many cute little recipes and crafts to turn any holiday or occasion into a showstopper. It looks so adorable , and so very easy. Newsflash! Some of those Pinterest projects are FAR from easy! My sister Jan has dubbed herself …
Many of you may remember my post from a few weeks ago about my cousin Jane’s brave battle with cancer. https://cookiesandcursewords/Jane’s-journey
Today we received an update on her Facebook page. There were two videos posted, but unfortunately I do not have the capabilities to share them here. I can, however, tell you what was said in these videos.
Jane had been in great pain with her radiation treatments. On February 27, 2019, she posted the following:
I have to tell this story that happened this morning!!!
When I got up this morning to get ready for treatment I was struggling hard with burning in the lower area ( so fried I have blood clots coming out when I pee)I said a prayer to God on my walk to treatment, went a lil like this.
Dear God, thank you for walking with me today , but I need a lil more from you right now. I am not able to handle this pain today so I need you to take it away. I need to know what you want for me because this pain is awful. If you want me to stop treatment then YOU get the doctor to stop it. I give what is happening to me over to you God to handle. I can’t do it anymore I hurt too bad!!! I lay me at your feet. In Jesus name Amen
I said the OUR FATHER prayer in my head and got to treatment center . While on the bed during treatment the machine BREAKS. Literally breaks!! The gals come running In freaking out trying everything to fix it. Finally I had to climb down off the bed and go to waiting room. I’m laughing ( they aren’t ) but I knew what happened. God at his finest!!!! The doctor saw me after that and said I’m too burnt and need a rest.
But I already knew (giggle) if that wasn’t a God sign I don’t know what was!!!! When we pray, GOD does hear us!!!
Love you all for being with me on my journey, I never feel alone!!!!! Thank you and God bless,Jane
After that day, she no longer received radiation. She left it in God’s hands. Today, she spoke of the results of her PET scan that was done to detect any live cancer in her body and whether it had grown or spread to other areas. She received a phone call from her doctor that her PET scan showed NO cancer. It didn’t just show that the cancer had shrunk. The cancer was not there!
Jane is fully aware that the cancer could return, but for now..she is cancer free! This is the best news possible, some may even say it’s a miracle..and Jane intends to take that miracle and live her life to the fullest for as long as she can.
Now THAT is an update!! 🙂
Today is my dad’s birthday. He was born on March 30, 1928. He would have been 91 years old. On a later date I will write a blog post about my dad’s life, hopefully on Father’s Day. My sister tells me that she has a …
