If It Ain't One Thing It's Another...

So my son is having these Laser treatments for his acne. They seem to be working nicely too. He goes twice a week for 6 weeks. Until this morning when he woke up and told me his eyes hurt. It hurt to move his eyes, and the light (which was turned off at the time) was hurting his eyes too.

I asked some questions and looked in his eyes (no infection) and then he said, "well, I might not have kept my eyes closed during the laser treatment yesterday."

omg

There followed a series of phone calls and conversations that for the most part upset me. A lot.

Including the one to the dermatologist's office, where they freaked out. As a matter of self-preservation, I made up my mind that he was going to be fine, that this was superficial and temporary, and he would be just fine. I didn't know at that point, but I chose to believe that.

Now that we're back from the Ophthamologist, I'm much more calm. He should make a full and complete recovery. The Doctor said to think of this as a sunburn. It is uncomfortable, and hurts, but it gets better. See?? I knew it all along!

What a relief.

Of course, the dog's surgeon (how many dogs have their very own surgeons???) called to say that the last blood test was conclusive and Duke had to have another surgery. Well, I was hoping he wouldn't need one, obviously, but he'll be fine also. I said so. :)

Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of good things, positive things, happening. Somehow it's the worrisome things that consume our energy though.

So since there's always something and there's good things mixed in with bad things, I'll just continue to choose the best possible ending, and let go of the negative endings. Plenty of power in positive thinking. I'm living proof!

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Happiness

Now and then

it's good to pause

in our pursuit of happiness,

and just be happy.

-Guillaume Apollinaire

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Talk

There's so much good in the worst of us and so much bad in the best of us, that it doesn't behoove any of us, to talk about the rest of us.

~Lilly Mae Outlaw

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Work

Just in case you ever get these two environments mixed up, this should make things a little bit clearer.

@ PRISON	@ WORK
you spend the majority of your time in a 10X10 cell	you spend the majority of your time in an 8X8 cubicle
you get three meals a day fully paid for	you get a break for one meal and you have to pay for it
you get time off for good behavior	you get more work for good behavior
the guard locks and unlocks all the doors for you	you must often carry a security card and open all the doors for yourself
you can watch TV and play games	you could get fired for watching TV and playing games
you get your own toilet	you have to share the toilet with some people who wet on the seat
they allow your family and friends to visit	you aren't even supposed to speak to your family
all expenses are paid by the taxpayers with no work required	you get to pay all your expenses to go to work, and they deduct taxes from your salary to pay for prisoners
you spend most of your life inside bars wanting to get out	you spend most of your time wanting to get out and go inside bars
you must deal with sadistic wardens	they are called managers

THERE IS SOMETHING SERIOUSLY WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE!!!!

Now get back to work. You're not getting paid to check emails.

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Joy

I slept
and dreamt
that life was joy.

I awoke
and saw
that life was service.

I acted
and behold,
service was joy.

-Rabindranath Tagore

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Wonder

The Seven Wonders of the World are not really what you think. They are:

1. To see

2. To hear

3. To touch

4. To taste

5. To feel

6. To laugh

7. To love

-source unknown

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People travel to wonder
at the height of mountains,
at the huge waves of the sea,
at the long courses of rivers,
at the vast compass of the ocean,
at the circular motion of the stars;
and they pass by themselves without wondering.

-St. Augustine

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I wonder what would happen if you spent five precious minutes today wondering. Wondering about yourself, wondering about the present moment, wondering about the possibilities that exist for you today.

I wonder.....will you?

Peace,
Paul - The Ripples Project

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Have a "wonder-ful" Sunday my friends!

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Words To Live By

I've recently been reminded of some famous quotes reminding us about our behavior. It's always hard to realize that we cannot control other people, and I have learned that those who consider themselves "Dominant" find it inconceivable that they ultimately have no control over someone else. In fact, only each individual may control themselves. The fact that I yield myself to Master is my choice, and mine alone.

I used to think that with age and experience people come to learn that the world is not "black and white" but instead is "shades of gray". Alas, age and experience have turned out to be un-related to wisdom. I am, however, amazed that there are still people who believe they have the right to verbally abuse another person. Having survived an abusive upbringing and marriage, I find myself unwilling to submit to such behavior on the part of another person. Master doesn't abuse me, what would make someone else think they could succeed at such behavior?

I also must say, that those who set themselves up to be so-called experts in a field, be it as a painter, cook, or something Lifestyle related such as a Master, are under a much stricter standard of behavior. If they expect members of a group or community to respect them, their thoughts, or the words they utter, the 'experts' do not have the luxury of verbally abusing the members. Nor do they have control of the behavior of any of those members. You may only control your own behavior. My experience with those who are truly Dominant people is that they have greater control over themselves. This includes their actions, their emotions, and their words.

In any event, some of the quotes that came to my mind are:

The trouble with talking too fast is you may say something you haven't thought of yet. ~Ann Landers

It is better to keep one's mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and resolve all doubt. ~Abraham Lincoln

Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret. ~Ambrose Bierce

Once a word has been allowed to escape, it cannot be recalled. ~Horace

Man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that sometimes he has to eat them. ~Adlai Stevenson

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Keep your words soft and tender because tomorrow you may have to eat them. ~Author Unknown

By swallowing evil words unsaid, no one has ever harmed his stomach. ~Winston Churchill

Basically - you can't take words back, and you may have to eat your words. So be nice, or leave.

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Life Goes On

Days come, days go. Events occur in our lives and the lives of our friends. Many are big events, some positive some negative, and then there are smaller events.

Really, it is a small thing to have become the owner of my first handgun. And yet, it's still significant to me. I had mixed feelings about owning a gun, but since I don't make the rules, and the one who does wanted me to have my own gun, the decision was made. We carefully shopped to find the right one for me, and after much time passed, the XD9 became mine.

It has a nice, smooth feel when I shoot it - not nearly as big, and sharp, and, well, "BIG", as Master's 45. While the 45 is certainly more powerful, the 9mm will do just fine if ever needed in an emergency. For now we enjoy target shooting, and work to improve speed and accuracy with each visit to the range.

Unexpectedly, owning the weapon has given me a sense of power. Rather than fear of holding a deadly weapon, I've found safety and security in knowing that I know how to operate such a weapon, and that I am a good shot. I usually hit what I'm aiming at or near by, and while I don't need to kill an intruder in our home, I will certainly aim to stop them from perpetrating harm to me or mine. (I'm thinking the groin area will work just fine!)

So, all in all, not a particularly important event, especially in light of my employee whose daughter was abducted last Wednesday afternoon and still has not been found; and the employee whose daughter fell into a coma 3 weeks ago and is not progressing well; and good friends who are hospitalized and/or caring for those who are ill. There's so much going on in our lives, but this one, happy event is still special to me.

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