Living Life on Purpose.

I am a reader. I love books of every kind and very genre. Because I read so often, I am always coming across tidbits of information that make me think. But every now and then I come across something that changes the WAY I think. Big difference there.

That happens this week as I was reading "Go Solo: How to quit the job you hate and start a small business you love!" by Kelsey Humphreys.

I have always considered myself a creative person.  A writer, an artist, a crafter, a lover of ideas. I often joke that I think I have gypsy blood because I love the idea of a new adventure, playing it kinda loose with the rules, and dreaming. But then I started Kelsey's book. She starts out by talking about Tolkien's quote "All who wander are not lost"... okay, we are doing good so far I love Tolkien and that is one of my favorite quotes. But then she says the thing that made me pause. She says

"You see, you can't reach your peak by wandering there. One does not wander into greatness. You cannot simply hope to eventually do meaningful work on your own terms."

Whoa. Wait a minute. Stop. Think. Process. I had to put down her book and just meditate on that for a day or two.

She is right. You can't wander into greatness. I am not going to wander my way into my own art studio where I can sell and teach my art. If I want to have the life I dream of I have to accept that I am not going to accidentally stumble upon it. If I want that life I am going to have to live my life on purpose.

So that is what this 31 days is all about. Starting small by making daily choices to live on purpose.

And please if you are a wanderer check out Kelsey's book. It might change the way you think as well.

31 Days To Living Life on Purpose: Landing Page

I am taking part in a blogging challenge for the month of October. We chose our own topics and will be blogging each day for all 31 days on that topic. I chose Living Life on Purpose. This page will be an index to all 31 days.

Day 1: Living Life on Purpose
Day 2: Start Today with Tomorrow in Mind.
Day 3: We Found the Dress!
Day 4: Everyday Choices
Day 5: His How Keeps My Wow on Track

Community Building in a Small Town

I grew up in a small town. I understand them. I know how they work. What I don't know is how to build community in one when you are the one who "isn't from here". 

This isn't like a larger place where I could take a few cooking classes or a class in water color and meet some people. There aren't any book clubs or community bible studies to join. All the things I used to find community last time we moved are not options here. We have visited churches and while they are nice and friendly the people our age are few and far between and the ones who are there have a tight knit group of friends established before kindergarten. 

Understand that I love small towns. We could have moved to a larger place when we moved. I want to be a part of a small community. I just didn't understand how hard it would be to find myself an in. My kids are older so PTA isn't an option. Sadly there are no jobs here so I commute to work so work ins't an option. I am just not sure where to begin. 

I am a very social person and going to the store and not knowing the people I see there about kills me. I am not sure what I am going to do. I can't change the fact that I wasn't raised here. I don't know what my next step is going to be but we have at least 2 years here before moving is even an option so I have to find a way to make this work. If we were able to find a place here we might not even need to move. My wise son says that the reason I want to move is because I haven't found my place here and he is probably right.  

So while I don't know what I am going to do I do know what isn't working for me.....sitting around here feeling sorry for myself because I don't know anyone. That isn't working.

Shell

Cynical Much?

http://izquotes.com/quote/31564

I have always said I am an inherently optimistic person. I am even known to say that I am not just a glass half full person but I am a glass half full and the half I drank was AWESOME kinda person. I have always believed that things work out the way they should so worry is not going to help. I also have always believed that tomorrow holds unlimited potential for all kinds of awesome stuff. 

That is who I was. 

I am not sure when it changed. I didn't even noticed it. But it has changed and today it hit me full force. 

I am no longer so optimistic. I have actually become quite cynical. 

Today I saw the article that has been making its way around Facebook. If you follow social media of any kind I am sure you probably saw it. The article about the little girl who was turned away from KFC because her face had been disfigured in a dog attack. My first thought wasn't sympathy for the little girl or outrage at her treatment or hope that she will recover. No. My first thought was "I bet the grandmother made it up to get money". 

Then I realized that is the way I have been viewing the world for a while now. I have come to view the world through “what is in it for them” colored glasses.

Mostly I think living in a world where everything that happens becomes an opportunity for someone to push a political agenda makes me so tired. 

I am tired of 5 year olds being suspended for making a gun with their hand, the education of our children being a battle ground, mistreated vets, and $15 dollar minimum wage. I am tired of people taking advantage of the few kind hearts that are left in this world with scams. I am tired of this society ignoring the hard issues and going for the easy hot button issue that will get the most headlines. (If spun in a way to support their agenda of course)

I am tired of made up crises or hyped up crises that fit an agenda while we ignore the more important issues like two political parties who can’t get their heads out of their own arses long enough to see that they are acting like two pissed off 2 year olds while the country falls apart around them.

None of this is new. I just reached my limit somewhere. I am not even sure when. But there it is. I am no longer a glass half full person. I am instead pretty sure it is half empty and what is in it isn't worth drinking anyway.

Shell

My Love/Hate Relationship with the English Language

I love words. I love to read. I love to write. I love to talk. Truth is I love the English language but I have to say ...  I HATE grammar.

What you have to understand is that when I write my blog I write what I am thinking and I pretty much think in one long run-on sentence so that is the way it comes out in my writing I mean come on anyone who has ever heard me talk knows that I only stop when I have to because I absolutely positively have to stop to **gasp** breathe.  Truth be told since I don't have to breathe to keep thinking like I have to in order to keep talking my thought sentences are WAAAAAYY longer than my speaking sentences. That is why I reread the blog and break the REALLY long ones down into a couple (like 4) sentences before I hit publish post. Usually.

But it isn't just run-on sentences. I HATE commas, semicolons, colons, and so on (I do however LOVE ellipses and parentheses in case you haven't noticed). I personally think most punctuation is a waste of time and effort. The rules for when to use them keep changing. They break up run-on sentences and as I said earlier I don’t got time for that. I usually don't bother to use them.  It isn't that I don't know how. I don't know how many people know this and I realize you probably can't tell it from my blog but I actually am a good writer. I have won awards for my writing even. The problem is writing in an award winning way is too much trouble. It requires me to proof read. Who wants to proof read? Not me. I am sure that some of my friends read my blog and feel the need to pull out a red pen. 

I just felt the need just one time to point out that I know how to use all the nifty little marks that you use to make it all correct. I know how to spell (or how to use spell check anyway) I know the difference between to, too, and two and their, there, and they're. I know alot isn't a word. I just don't care.

When I was in school I always got papers returned that said things like great content now make your corrections. I even had one teacher who liked to give us big red Fs if we had a spelling error.

But since I am a grown up and noone is grading my blog I don't have to if I don't want to so ... Take that English teachers of the world. In your face!

Shell

Yep! I'm a risk taker.

Buying puzzles at yard sales, yep I'm a risk taker!

I stopped by a yard sale a while back and they had a whole stack of puzzles for 25¢ each. Now I love a good yard sale and thrift stores are just about my favorite places on earth but always said I would never buy an open puzzle at a yard sale or a thrift store. Can you imagine if you put the whole puzzle together and were missing like 1 or 2 pieces?

I also love puzzles but have you priced them lately? It is crazy how much a puzzle costs even at Walmart. So I evaluated the situation.

It was an old lady having the yard sale. A sweet little old grandma looking lady. Surely she wouldn't cheat me by selling me a puzzle that didn't have all the pieces.

I also have two kids who know how to count. They could make sure each 500 piece puzzle had all 500 pieces before we do the puzzles. And if you think they would be game for that you’re as crazy as I am.

But, I decided the benefits outweighed the risk!

Yep $1 for four puzzles that may or may not have all the pieces. I am a mad woman! Risk taking is my middle name. Somebody better hold me back! Why tomorrow I might even go play Bingo! 

Shell

7 Tips to Avoid Messing up the Space-time Continuum

7 Tips to Avoid Messing up the Space-time Continuum

I love SciFi movies. I have watched enough of them that I feel confident I could survive just about any situation. Meteor headed for Earth... no problem I know what to do. Sun burning out...easy fix. Giant Ants attacking the city... I am your woman. Mongolian Death worms look a bit like giant maggots to me and everyone who knows me knows maggots are the only thing on this planet I fear, so while I can tell you what to do save yourself, the city, and the treasure they are guarding, I am not coming close to one of those things. 

My all-time favorite theme though is time travel.  One of my favorites was on recently and that got me to thinking.  I really need to share my knowledge of time travel with you so if you find yourself accidentally lost in a previous time you won't mess up and ruin the present for the rest of us. Hey it could happen

So here it is:

Michelle's 7 Tips to Avoid Messing up the Space-time Continuum

1. Do not kill anything. Something as simple as squashing a butterfly can mess up the Space-time continuum and then when you come back to the present the world will be overrun with giant monkey/dinosaur things.

2. Do not bring anything back with you.  Not only will it not be where it is supposed to be possibly causing the giant monkey/dinosaur disaster as listed in #1 but it doesn't belong in the present and can cause all kinds of mayhem.

3. Do not speak to anyone who could possibly be connected to your present. If you do you could cease to exist as your Dad will never meet and fall in love with your mom and you will never be born.

4. Do not try to "fix" history. You can't do it. There are three possible results- 1.  Because you killed Hilter an even worse evil villain is born and the alternative is even more heinous than he was. (See the giant monkey/dinosaur referenced in 1 and 2) 2. Another evil villain does EXACTLY the same thing as Hitler because the space-time continuum rights itself. 3. Because the proper and correct reality will not be denied you aren't able to kill Hitler instead you are killed and everyone knows if you die in the past you die in the present so just don't do it.

5. Do not leave anything behind.  This can not only cue the whole giant monkey/dinosaur future but it really confuses the hound out of the people who live in the past.

6. Do not give anyone in the past weapons from the future. This changes the results of wars which messes with the current world political climate. I really don't want to live under ohhh… say Mayan rule so no matter how unfair you think their demise was don't give them a machine gun.

7. Do not give people suggestions for great things to invent. Not only is the past not ready for these inventions but they might blow something up once again resulting in the giant monkey/dinosaur version of the present.

Shell