A blog for the fun and fearless mom, in us all.
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Today is my 34th birthday. Wow. I can’t believe I’m now, in my “mid-30s.” Or, as a co-worker called it… the 2nd trimester of my life.
For a lot of people, birthdays serve as a time for reflection and looking towards the future. I’m not any different. For my next 34 years, I have a few simple tenets I’d like to live by…
I’m so excited, to see what the future holds for me.
Today, while reading one of my favorite blogs, Mommy is in Timeout (owned by fellow Detroiter, mommy blogger & all-around awesome lady, Elena), I came across a post, titled #LiftMargaret.
Here’s a snippet of her post…
In early September, I stumbled on a blog after I saw several people tweeting that the author needed a lot of support.
Anna, from An Inch of Gray, had just lost her 12 year old son, Jack, during the floods in Virginia.Along with many others, I started following Anna’s blog. I can’t imagine how difficult these stories have been for her to write and share with us. Word after word, I kept wishing there was something we could do to help her and her family during this tragic time.
Two weeks ago, Anna shared a grocery list written by her 10 year old daughter, Margaret. As you can see, she asked for a few food items, a private concert with Justin Bieber, and for her brother Jack.
So, if you’re anything like me, I know you wondering what you can do to help. Look no further… here are a couple of things, Elena suggests, that you can do to possibly help make at least one of Margaret’s wish come true:
- Send a few tweets – Elena has even written them for you. All you have to do is copy & paste. (the bit.ly link goes directly to Anna’s grocery list post)
- If you’re not on Twitter, but are on Facebook… Write on Justin Bieber’s Facebook fan page and mention Anna’s post.
- If you’re a blogger, consider doing a post yourself. The more people who see and spread this message, the better
For more ideas, check out Elena’s post, at Mommy is in Timeout.
PS… Follow Elena. Seriously, she’s awesome. Facebook. Twitter.
This weekend, The Hubster & I watched the Bruce Willis movie, “Surrogates” (well, I watched… he fell asleep). And while it’s a couple of years old (2009), some of its plot points really resonated, with me.
In the movie – which is set sometime in the future – most humans live in seclusion and interact through surrogate robots. Bruce Willis plays a police officer, and when surrogates & there human counter-parts start getting murdered, he has to leave his home for the first time in years in order to investigate the murders (his surrogate was destroyed).
The thing about the surrogates, is that they’re designed to be “better” versions of ourselves. In fact, the maker company’s tagline was “Life… Only Better.” So, why the humans are laying in these specially designed chairs, that connect them to the surrogates, the surrogates are out and about, living for them. Sounds like a sucky way to spend your days, to me.
I don’t want to ruin the movie, for anyone who plans to watch it. But, at the end of the movie, I was left asking myself if I was really living my life – to its fullest. Or was I just laying around, watching it pass me by.
For me, it’s a little of both. I’m not just laying there… but, I could definitely be more active participant.
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(Warning… TMI, ahead.)
So, this past week, I had a bit of a scare. I got an alert, from iPeriod (yes, it’s what you think & yes, it’s the best iPhone app, ever), saying I was a day late. No biggie. I mean, who hasn’t been a day or two late, before?
Well, shoot to 4 days after “Aunt Flo” was supposed to visit…. Nothing – and I’m still getting those darn alerts, from iPeriod. “Your period is late by X day(s).” Yeah, no kidding.
At any rate, I was a wreck. I mean, it’s not that I don’t want another child, because I (definitely, maybe) do… I think. But, now just isn’t a good time. I just got a new job, we’re moving, The Kid is starting kindergarten, money is tight, etc.
At 5 days out, I took a test. Negative. Phew! But, where the heck was dear old Aunt Flo? I figured, I would test again, at 7 days post. If I still got nothing – I’d go to the doctor. In the meantime, I was actually becoming okay, with possibly being pregnant. Better, than okay, really. I was actually excited, at the prospect. I mean, sure… it’s not a good time; but God never gives you more, that you can handle, right?
But, in the end, all that acceptance, was for naught. The old broad came, 7 days late. Seriously?!
So, anyway, I guess the moral of this story is… You don’t know what you can or can’t handle, until you’re made to deal with it.
What about you? Have you ever been forced to deal with something, you thought you couldn’t handle? If so, how did it turn out, for you? Good? Bad? Let me know, in the comments section, below.
Update: Whole quote not from MLK, Jr., only the bolded portion is. Check out this article, from 5 Minutes For Mom, for the whole story.
“I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.“
— Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
