All in Travel & Leisure
So many people were going stir crazy after a couple of months of hibernating during the COVID Stay-at-Home order in 2020, that they ventured out in RVs and SUVs traveling the country. I was envious and wished that my family could also go on a Road Trip! Yes, you read that correctly. When I talk about road trips, I always add an exclamation point at the end of “road trip” (!) because for me, I always think of them as an opportunity for undivided fun.
I have been told several times since January 2021 that moving is a very stressful time. I must have “Moving Amnesia” because I can only remember little pieces of my move to Minneapolis from Hollywood, FL and I can’t remember how stressful it was. I have moved quite a bit in my life and although I do remember many of my moves, I do not remember the stressful parts.
Besides flowers being considered a gesture of love and care, they represent beauty and remind us of hope. Think of all the occasions that flowers are a part of - weddings, funerals, births, dinner parties, birthdays, Valentine’s Day, Spring, tea parties, Thanksgiving etc. Not to mention the scents of flowers are so naturally intoxicating. As obvious as it may seem that flowers can set the tone for any event, to me, the mystery about flowers has always been in floral designs. I know nothing about which flowers go well together and which certain positions of the flowers look pleasing to the eye. People, professional or layman, who know how to arrange flowers in a way that can make us feel certain emotions should be celebrated.
I cannot even say the word umbrella ella, ella, eh, eh, eh without singing it like Rihanna. What I love about an umbrella is that its function is both necessary and thoughtful. When we hold an umbrella over our head to shield off the rain or the sun, we are less bothered as Mother Nature does her thing. Thoughtfulness happens when we share an umbrella. Together we are safer and more comfortable than we are without one. My heart sings to see someone hold the umbrella over another’s head so that they can walk to/from the car in the rain without getting wet. So sweet!
For years my friend Christy and I would laugh about doing things that were the opposite of being thoughtful. We would chat about people who didn’t care about others - wouldn’t it be so liberating to only think about ourselves? Whenever we shared stories that included someone being selfish we would say, “Let’s put that on the Un-thoughtful List.”
I just have to ask, is July the biggest drinking month of the year? There are so many national days that pertain to alcohol in the month of July: Anisette 7/2, Dive Bar 7/7, Pina Colada 7/10, Mojito 7/11, Grand Marnier 7/14, Daiquiri 7/19, Tequila 7/24, Wine & Cheese 7/25 and Scotch 7/27. If we celebrated each of those national days, it wouldn’t leave very many alcohol-free days in July.
It must have been during my junior year in college that I learned the importance of drinking water. I wish I could say it was because I was interested in physiology and studied how the body works but it was because someone told me that drinking a lot of water helped prevent hangovers. Also at that time, I was participating in beauty pageants so I received the vanity advice: water helps keep the weight off and the skin smooth and blemish-free.
In Scott Stump’s article, “Navy Seal’s Advice to Grads” he writes about U.S. Navy Admiral William H. McCraven’s advice to his alma mater in 2014. McCraven said, "If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed. If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task, and another, and another. And by the end of the day that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that the little things in life matter.
I’m not sure if my dad clued me in by saying, “Let me have my cup of coffee before you ask me anything.” or if my instincts after trial and error were spot on. Either way, it didn’t take me long to figure out that if I wanted something from my dad, I would have to wait until he had his first cup of coffee. At such a young age, I already knew that coffee has an effect on people.
Kids these days do not have any concept of encyclopedias. Why would they? We have Google. We have Siri on our iPhones so now we don’t even have to type inquiries into Google search anymore. And for the ultimate convenience, we have Alexa devices in our homes. Again, this allows us to ask our questions but cell phones do not have to be on our person to do so. We can just call out to Alexa and ask away. As long as we program Alexa to follow our commands, she is there to help us. It’s pretty amazing how far we’ve come from encyclopedias.
I’m going to admit right here, right now that I DO NOT MEDITATE. I am such a poser when I wear this shirt. The thing is, when I received the shirt I was on this big kick of trying to meditate. And I keep wearing the shirt because someday I will be that person who meditates. As the saying goes, “Those who can’t meditate, need it the most.” True.
Fried Chicken. Yum. Why do I have a southern drawl every time I say the words, “FRIED CHICKEN”? I mean, you would think I lived in the south for 25 years but bless your heart, I’ve never lived in a southern state in my whole life. Unless you consider Fort Lauderdale, Florida The South.
