“I’d rather walk with a friend in the dark than alone in the light.”
-Helen Keller
“I’d rather walk with a friend in the dark than alone in the light.”
-Helen Keller
It seems like there has been an unusually high number of people I know (including myself) that have been through some particularly rough patches this year. 2015 has not been the most kind and generous year. Overloaded with obstacles, chock full of unexpected challenges, and crawling with chaotic changes, 2015 is giving many people a run for their money.
I am here to tell you, you are not alone in your struggles. The cosmos has delved it’s hand into many pockets and is letting loose mayhem all over. It reminds me of the short lived tv series Constantine and their battle against the “rising darkness.” So too, 2015, has let loose it’s own rising darkness. But in truth, there is always light in the darkness and if you don’t lose sight of this, you can find it. Frequently it will be small flickers and flashes of light that let you see enough to keep hope alive. At times it will be a steady stream of light that really lends a hand to leading you out of the dark. Look for the light.
One of the more recent changes I made in my life was to try to be more positive and I have found that if you try your hardest (because for so many of us positivity is anything but natural) the ebb and flow of positivity increases in your life. You find the light when it starts to get dark and can sometimes pull yourself out before you get submerged. Or you can reach out to the light.
When you are going through a rough time ask for help! Utilize your friends and family when you are having a tough time. Find just one person you can pour your heart out to even if it’s a stranger just so you can release some of the weight of your burden. Write it down, get some of it out of your system. Find a support group be it online or in person. Because I promise you there is at the very least one person that will help you if you ask and pull you out of the rising darkness.
On the flip side, if you know someone who is going through a rough time, check in on your friend to see how they are doing. Offer help when you can. Do little things to lift peoples spirits. Send a card or a gift, a text or an email or an actual phone call. (Do people have verbal conversations anymore or just via text?) In any case, just let them know that you are there for them and then remind them, again and often. Be someone’s light and pull them out of the dark.
To all my loved ones and everyone going through a rough time. . . I love you, I’m praying for you and I am here if you need me. Let me shine for you.
“The world isn’t sunshine and rainbows. It’ll beat you down if you let it, and nothing hits harder than life.”
-Rocky Balboa
When you have a handy husband your three day weekend starts off with a conversation about redoing the floors in your house. During this discussion you mention that if you really want to to do the floors it would make more sense to tear down the partial wall in between the living room and the dining room before new floors went in because if that’s a project on the list. Otherwise you would end up having to do the floors twice. Your husband agrees and you can hear the excitement in his voice as he has been waiting on an okay to tear down some walls for a while. He arranges for a friend to come help him undertake this endeavor.
The sheet rock gets taken off to expose shiplap and we carefully took off as much as we could to reuse somewhere else in the house (I was also happy to see today that someone stopped by and salvaged the rest out of the trash pile to use in their own project.) After that it was tearing down the wood frame that was there and then adding a bit of new framing for reinforcement. It was amazingly simple and inexpensive and I’m almost sorry we waited so long as it changes the entire feel of the house.
We still have some more finishing to do, painting and adding trim, but all in all I’m excited with what was accomplished. . . This little 1950’s house is becoming more and more what we imagined when we moved in and it’s quite exciting. The next project will be the floors, coming soon. . .
Instead if normal tacos we have been eating a taco salad version of tacos as of late. It’s delicious and simple, right up my alley and you can modify to include whatever veggies are a hit in your house.
In a skillet brown your meat (we use ground turkey but you could use ground beef, venison or whatever meat you like). When the meat is browned add in Taco Seasoning and about 1/8-1/4 cup of water and let simmer for 10-20 minutes so the meat sucks up the flavor. Add this point I also like to throw in onions, bell peppers and a can of black beans to the meat mixture. I also boil some corn kernels while the meat is simmering. While the food is stewing on the stove I grate some cheese and cut avocados and lettuce. If I have any taco shells I’ll heat them up. (If I don’t I just use tortilla chips.)
To put together make a bed of lettuce, add your meat mixture, the corn, then garnish with tomatoes, avocado and cheese. We also throw Salsa (and maybe a little sour cream) in the mix to. Crumble up some taco shells or tortilla chips for some crunch factor and Bam . . . Clean Taco Salad.
Easy, peasy. Cheers and Happy Eating!