Oh How Sweet It Is

“I think probably kindness is my number one attribute in a human being. I’ll put it before any of the things like courage or bravery or generosity or anything else.”

Roald Dahl

Oh how sweet it feels to relate to one of my favoritest writers. I just said something like this to someone the other day. I’m good at a lot of things but I’m really good at being nice. I don’t like being mean. I want people to feel valued. I want them to feel heard and seen after they walk away from me. I also want those things for myself and do my best to be around those that make me feel the same way. That’s why I leave my house. That’s why I write. So hearing words like this from Roald Dahl inspires me a little. Makes me feel like everything could really work out.

Snow Day 2023

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
BY ROBERT FROST

Whose woods these are I think I know.   
His house is in the village though;   
He will not see me stopping here   
To watch his woods fill up with snow.   

My little horse must think it queer   
To stop without a farmhouse near   
Between the woods and frozen lake   
The darkest evening of the year.   

He gives his harness bells a shake   
To ask if there is some mistake.   
The only other sound’s the sweep   
Of easy wind and downy flake.   

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,   
But I have promises to keep,   
And miles to go before I sleep,   
And miles to go before I sleep.

Frost was one of the first poets I fell in love with. I mean Frost has the ability to create simple poems that can go as deep as you’d like them to. In honor of our snow storm, I had to share this one. It’s a great reminder to take a pause and appreciate what’s around you but don’t forget to keep moving forward.

Life She Loves

I’m excited for the snowday tomorrow!! It’s my mama’s bday so we planned to spend extra time together tomorrow. I love her to pieces. She’s just out here trying her best to love everyone she meets. I’m glad she was born and I’m glad she got to be my mama. I do hope she has a life she loves waking up to. That’s all I want for her.

Friendsss

A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself.

Jim Morrison

This is the only type of people a spend my free time with. I want to let my hair down and talk shit with people who don’t question my character. Life is waay too short to surround myself with people who make me feel bad for being my weird ass nonconformist self. Don’t get me wrong, I like a deliciously crafted coffee with cold foam. I like fashion and trying new things inspired by people in magazines but those are material things. My authenticity is my will and my freedom to use as I please. That’s why I keep them around, when I’m with my friends they let me be me, quirky and all,

The Learning Game of Boundary Setting

This evening, I watched an automatically curated playlist of Simon Sinek videos. One of the things that stood out to me is that leaders (he’s specifically speaking about those in the workplace) are not necessarily the ones with the authority. They are the people who help the one sitting to their left and the one sitting to their right. On another video joined by Sara Kuburic a psychotherapist, Simon speaks highly of having a clear set of boundaries for his team. However, they both explain that if your boundaries are too rigid it could be as harmful as having boundaries that are too flexible. In this discussion, (which you can listen to here) he goes on to discuss how there’s there’s “extenuating circumstances.” So boundaries are a learning game of knowing when to be mindful and support the team in times of need, and knowing when the line needs to be drawn.

Which leads me to this, when he says helping the one to your left and the one to your right it’s within reason. It’s with a clear set of expectations and boundaries. It’s ok to be off the clock everyday on time and to make family a priority on weekends. But it’s also ok to stay late to support a new employee (an example he used in his video). As a team, we should respect expectations and boundaries but at the same time, we should allow ourselves and those around us to have some flexibility. It’s not black and white. Navigating this flexibility and failing at it for some time, is part of what makes us human.

And like I say often, learning when to be flexible and when to be rigid relies a lot on knowing your values. But mostly, knowing yourself.

Great leaders don’t need to act tough. Their confidence and humility serve to underscore their toughness.

Simon Sinek

Success!

Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.

Edward Everett Hale

This!! Teamwork is so important in everything. Is it important in the arts? If you want to improve as an artist you have to learn to give and receive feedback. Before you can even reach the beginning point of coming together, you have to be aware of yourself. Know yourself, then let the team come.

Wow, WordPress Blocks!!

Look what I found!

Above I added a new block I’ve never used before called a post carousel. haha! pretty cool.

I’m just now seeing all the options we have with these blocks. It’s wild how much time we have to take to stay up on the latest technology. What makes it not so bad is when you find ways to enjoy learning new things. Let’s be honest though there are days when learning new tech things isn’t fun at all. I get that. New technology is stressful and can daunting especially under pressure. But it’s not so bad when you allow yourself to check it out at your own leisure.

Have you taken time to play around with the new blocks? Let me know.

Female Fiction Writers

I do not wish women to have power over men; but over themselves.

Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley the writer of Frankenstein also has the best advice I’ve heard from a woman fiction writer who I appreciate. Now that I’m witting this, I’m wondering what other female fiction writers have said such empowering things like this. I’ve already thought of another one! Maya Angelou! She’s an empowering woman not only with her words but with her actions. Listening to her tell stories while she’s over seas lights my fire.

Who am I missing?

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Accept Yourself

You’re imperfect, and you’re wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging.

Brene Brown

I always like the phrase perfectly imperfect. Harry Potter has the phase, “Extraordinarily Ordinary.” I think it’s human to suck at new skills and relationships. They both take lots of conscious intention. These saying allow us to grow from our imperfections and/or accept them as they are.

Chocolate Cake

Let’s face it, a nice creamy chocolate cake does a lot for a lot of people; it does for me.

Audrey Hepburn

It’s true a big fat slice of Miss. Trunchbull’s super moist chocolate cake tastes like a hug. I didn’t like forbidden chocolate as a kid. It tasted too bitter. Now as an adult, I close my eyes and sit in a quiet space to get the full experience.

What’s your favorite dessert?