Jill Bolt and I share mostly the same kind of stroke. Check out her talk here.

Jill Bolte Taylor: My stroke of insight
http://go.ted.com/IErJJw

Learn more about watching TED Talks on all of your favorite platforms: https://www.ted.com/about/programs-initiatives/ted-talks/ways-to-get-ted-talks

A dogs life

A dog that has a nice backyard but is kept in a cage will take every opportunity to run when the cage door opens. The dog sees beauty all around and once it can escape to enjoy it, the dog finds it hard to go back in a cage.

A dog that has a nice back yard and has the freedom to enjoy it will gladly stay on the porch and never have the desire to leave.

My wonderful family.

One of the hardest things for me to do is to say goodbye to my family after I visit them. Although we try our hardest to keep a brave face, it hardly ever works. One of us looks at the other with a sad eye and it’s all over. A bucket of tears is then shed. I love how close I feel to my family. I am fortunate. I understand this, considering the countless conversations I’ve had with others who do not have a close bond to their family. The tragedies, along with the joy that we have experienced together brought us closer. And as we get older we have realized that letting go of the petty , and judgemental things is what has developed our unbreakable bond. I’m sure you have heard the expression ” Don’t sweat the small stuff.” When you step outside the box, you realize that it’s all small stuff. We need only to humble ourselves to realize that who we have in our lives, is bigger than what we have in our lives. I love you guys. Thanks for putting up with me all these years.

Should We Call it Suicide?

     I stumbled upon this article this morning and it made me sad. What also made me sad was when I scrolled down to the bottom of the page, and saw how many people had looked up how to write a suicide note and other like queries.

Leelah Alcorn was a transgender teen who passed away in December 2014. She arranged for the note to be posted to her Tumblr account a few hours after her death. Chances are she is still getting birthday wishes from oblivious Facebook people. 

     Is this acceptable God, and your people? Are you fine with this in your “infinite” wisdom that we must trust? I may be wrong but this just seems like one more example of death by religion and an unaccepting unforgetting righteous society. When will it end. Obviously not with people dying. We close our eyes to the old, opressed, crippled, and anyone who doesn’t meet the standards of what is shown on TV and todays advertisements. 

When we call it suicide, it puts all the blame on one person’s decision to take there own life. How can we blame just them when the way we allow life to be is why they choose to end themselves?

     Everyone is in search of what is real, yet sit watching TV, memorized and intrigued by what is far from the truth. What we expose ourselves to by watching TV becomes our sense of what the world expects from us. Like it or not. We can not go beyond extreme when we can’t even deal with everyday life. 

     Turn off the darn TV and Social media for a week and test yourself to see how it feels. Look people in the eye. Have face to face heart felt conversations. Do something productive that someone else didn’t pressure you to do. Be yourself. The world will still turn without you having to know the details. See how one act of kindness feel good on your soul. 

     If you think that you can’t do anything about the problem of suicide in this world, think again. It may be a simple smile or handshake that keeps someone from feeling they are nothing and do not matter. If your uncomfortable with someone showing prejudice, man up and call them out. 

Any prejudice is an injustice to mankind. 

Please try to find likeness in people not differences.

Here is the link to her heart wrenching suicide note.

https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-examples-of-heart-breaking-suicide-notes

Here is a link to more interesting things about things about this case.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Leelah_Alcorn

Random thoughts of no particular order

I believe our personal strength fluctuates. It is not dropped in our laps, although I have selfishly wished for this in the past. A lot of the time, our meeger accomplishments drive what we consider to be bouts of braveness. When we have conquered something, we than feel stronger to conquer the next challenge. I humble myself when I say, it is because of my closest friends that help reflect my own greatness, that I, in turn, can envision it. We do tend to bounce things off of eachother. With the help of true friends, we can become who we need to be, and who they need us to be for them. We are a team, even if for a short while in this life. We are not, nor should be, dependent on one, but as a whole group. Choosing a diverse group of friends allows us to gain a larger perspective on life, while keeping a close circle for trust and total support. There is serenity and freedom through insight. Staying within a boundry of any kind is not growing your mind. Its my belief that the big picture can only happen when our hearts are free from judgement. This means judgement of ourselves as well. Like spokes of a wheel, we can only move forward, successfully, as a group. We are not heeding the lessons of Jesus, nor any of the other great philosophers from history, if we cast off anyone or anything, because they are not the same as we are. Everything and everyone is put in front of us for a reason. How we react to it or them, is a test of judgment. Not one of us gets off this planet alive, so lets swollow our pride and admit we don’t know everything, and we mess up big time. We are bound to mess up some more, but most of us have love in our hearts, and are willing to try again and again, to make things right. Some of my best lessons come from my worst mistakes. I’m open minded to becoming a better person. I can only grow if I am called out, so call me out for goodness sake-Jen Nagle

What? Area codes are extinct?

Did you know that area codes are a thing of the past since we have switched over to digital phone lines? I share this, not only because is it a huge annoyance to me but it could also be a potential safety threat for those who fall prey to internet scammers.

Of the countless calls I receive on my cell phone, many of them are internet numbers. You see, anyone, including those overseas, can choose what area code they want their digital number to start with. Some, are able to choose their number in its entirety. This doesnt mean a caller isnt from a particular area code, it just means that someone who doesn’t live there can use that code as well.
Internet calls sound just like cell phone, or landline calls. With a small bit of research about the area you live in, a scammer now has the look and feel of being a business in your local area. Of course you want to support local business, so Wham-O they got you. This makes it hard on local legitimate businesses who you really do want to support. Welcome to the con world of technology.
This also reaches beyond scammers into the world of predators. Not to be a fear monger, but we can no longer be blind to organizations who prosper through the disappearance of people. So the next time your thinking of slipping out for a blind date, assured of your safety because that person has a local number, and some tidbits of local info, consider asking more questions.
Remember scammer do this for a living. They learn to get better at their job with each encounter. The more we help to flush them out, the more we take charge of our safety. -Jen Nagle

Is people watching a thing of the past?

One of my favorite past times has typically been people watching. I love watching people being their authentic selves. Much of that has changed over the last decade with the advent and gross use of cell phones. There is also a big push to be perfect and have everything.

      No longer are people authentic, original, or remotely amusing. Even our young children have the same posture and actions. Catching people in random acts of kindness or even affection seems rare these days. Body language has become more protective, aggressive, and sarcastic in nature.
      No matter their age, people seem more interested in living life through a tiny digital device, then what real life has to offer. As if “the box,” wasn’t small enough already. An unrealistic view of values has gripped the masses.
     I think that if we had been able to see into the future fourty years ago, we would have thought this to be destructive as well as ridiculous. I’m hoping that it

 won’t take another fourty years to come to that conclusion.
      I have seen a small yet healthy movement toward minimalistic living. 

 I think it’s the most human, to truly live in the space you live in, and use and enjoy the things you purchase.     

   Understand that people and encounters are what brings about happiness, not objects. 

The actor Jim Carry made a great statement. He said. “I wish everyone would become rich and famous so that everyone would realize that it’s not the answer.”      

     My friends, please consider putting down your cell phones and your wallets. 

•  Take a hard look at what you value most in life and do away with the actions and things that go against that value.
•  Discover what it’s like to be imperfect yet comfortable in your own skin. 
• Teach your kids by example how to handle being wrong. 
• Slow down and finish a whole sentance.
•  Sit down while you eat. 
• Do one thing at a time. 
• Live today, in this very moment. 
• Love people for who they are. 
• Find your yourself. 

     Time will teach you that slowing down and being your authentic self was the smartest thing you could.                    ever do.

     Help me to enjoy people watching again. -Jen Nagle

TV Anyone?

    People ask me why I don’t watch TV.  I haven’t in about fifteen years or more. For the record, I do watch movies and documentaries. I may even watch a show once in a great while. 

     ~I find that TV distracts or lessons my ability to truly know people.~

 I have been gifted with an intuitive mind that allows me to be farely accurate in profiling, predicting and reading people. It also would be rare for me to run out of subjects to keep entertaining conversations going. If you have spent any personal time with me, more then likely I have annoyed you with this impediment. 😉

     When watching TV we are basically told what to think and what other people are thinking. We hear an audience clapping and laughing, so since they found it amusing, so should we. Ostensibly, there becomes little need to have intimacy in real life since the actors provide enough with just a click of a button. There is no personal risk, disappointment or work required in maintaining a realife relationship with the advent of TV. 

     The ability to waste away countless hours of mindless boredom is priceless.

      The conflicting  commercial clips thrown into the mix of no fuss, delicious and temptuous (jw) meals, served by thin, model type, gym goers has helped to keep our nation at peak physical performance as well.

  Our investment in pharmaceutical companies is no doubt worth the price for commercials to help us understand that we are not alone in our depression or feelings of being disconnected. 

     We also apparently have no lack of kind hearted attorneys standing by to correct that huge, blown out of proportion, misunderstanding, that someone had with us, and is taking us to court for. (ie a other reason to escape to TV land).

     The news hours are always uplifting, leaving us with that warm, fussy secure feeling that the powers that be, have a good grasp on everything.

   Hundreds of Millennials have been blessed with 24/7 shows and videos games further enhancing this cave dwelling activity that we willfully led them into when we needed a sitter or to break away from the stress of life ourselves. 

     Don’t ask millennials to put their phones down at the table, take they’re ear buds out when you’re talking to them, join in the conversation or even look you in the eye. We haven’t turned our own television’s off long enough to teach them about human interactiveness. Many of us wouldnt have much to talk about that isn’t tv-related anyway. 

     This is just my humble, or not so humble opinion.

I guess the short of it is that my entertainment happens outside the box.

Thanks for asking 😉

An Astronomical Treat

 

People have said that a total solar eclipse is a once in a lifetime treat, and for many of us it may be. I wasn’t going to take a chance of not experiencing this one, especially since I was currently living in its path of its totality.

Solar eclipses have been reported since 1050 BC. Back in those days solar eclipses were thought to be a bad omen. In Greek the word eclipse means abandonment or downfall, so I’m sure you can see the
seriousness of less-educated human speculation of those days. Fear must have been in the hearts of many.

In about a million years, solar eclipses will not be visible because of the moon’s gradual drift away from the Earth. This fact inspires me to believe that there were many more  solar eclipses at one time, then there are now. Quite a few years ago I remember reading that our Earth had two moons at one time as well, but that is a query for another day.
The August 21st, 2017 solar eclipse stretched from the state of Oregon to the eastern coast of South Carolina. People from all over the world traveled to see this unique event. Not since 1979 has the United States seen a total solar eclipse, and not until April 8th 2024 will it happen again. The 2024 total solar eclipse will span from Texas to Maine. And an annular or Ring of Fire Eclipse, will happen just a few months earlier, in October. Since the moon will be further away from the Earth as it passes in front of the Sun, it will not have full coverage yet we will see a spectacular ring like feature.
Some solar eclipses last longer than others. As an amateur photographer, I scrambled through the short phases of the 2017 total eclipse, earnestly trying to capture its every aspect. With the rise in interest, the improvement, availability and cost of equipment, and progressive interest in travel, generations to come will surely change the way we view and capture eclipses and other astronomical treats.

Dating

I want to make something a little bit more clear about my interest in dating sites. I made a post to find out about others experiences on match.com or any other dating sites. I want to make a comparison with the other dating sites that I am on. This does not reflect upon anyone that I have dated before Nor currently dating. I am not desperate to find someone nor do I want to be with just anyone. I am quite particular. I know this about me. I’ve had some really good experiences thus far on the dating scene and some not so great. I am finding that dating these days is totally different than dating when I was young. I like being single, or at least I don’t mind it. If I am single for the rest of my life, so be it. I am a right and left brained person, a deep thinker, and have an engineering thought processing and practical brain. I am only attracted to someone of the same manner. Not all but most men that I have met are more concerned with what I can do for them sexually with no bother to ask what I may be looking for. Holding the door is a nice gesture, but that went out the door so to speak with hoop dresses. Since women don’t have their hands full of skirt anymore they can pretty much do that themselves. I’ve driven hours to meet someone for a date and was wasn’t even asked if I would like some gas money to put in my  gas hog SUV. I would hold the doors for you if you just merely asked me if I wanted gas money to make the long trip. ( my little rant LOL) In my eyes being Gallant is not opening the doors for a woman. Being Gallant is being a gentleman period. If you want a woman to want only you, then you must separate yourself from the others. What attributes do you have that she could be attracted to? What would make her want to spend the rest of her life, or at least a good chunk of it, with only you? This goes for women as well. I do my best to try to maintain A Cut Above existence. Of course this limits perspectives however I will not live my life any other way and I hope the gentleman that Finds Me appreciates my standards and uniqueness. In closing I just want to say. If you are looking for sex, go out and buy it. If you’re looking for love open up her heart not her zipper.