I Like Playing Tag – Do You?

I’ve been away for a week and got back to being tagged. Do you remember playing tag as a child? Wasn’t it lots of fun? Well, in the world of blogging you can be tagged by other bloggers and believe me, it’s lots of fun.

Anyway, as part of UBC, I’ve met a lot of amazing bloggers and some really nice people. One of these bloggers, Victoria Harinski at Rantsand Raves of a Crazed Mom tagged me. Thank you, Victoria for asking me to play. 

The rules as usual, are simple:

• Post the rules
• Answer the questions the tagger has set for you in their post
• Create 11 new questions to ask those you are going to tag
• Tag 11 people on the UBC Facebook page with a link to this post

Told you it was easy to play. Now onto answering the questions, Victoria set is for:

1.       What is the best and worst memory of your childhood?

WOW – this is hard, growing up in Jamaica there are so many great memories it is hard to choose.  I loved Sundays playing cricket with my parents and siblings. The worst was the death of our pet dog, Rex. I grew up knowing Rex and it really hurt when he died…we had a funeral and all.

2.       Who was your first crush?

Not sure if I ever had a crush, boring right? The first boy I ever liked kind of was in high school, Andrew T.

3.       If you could visit any country in the world, where would you go?

I’ve always been fascinated with Egypt.

4.       What is your idea of paradise?

A nice place on hill with a river running through, lots of trees and animals and my family and friends to share it all with.

5.       What is the most important thing you have ever done in your life?

Giving birth to my son, Jalen.

6.       What are six words your friends would use to describe you?

This one is fun, and since they normally have words to share it is easy: feisty, straightforward, fair, selfless, loving, loyal

7.       Who was your favourite teacher in school and why?

Mrs. Colleen Brown; she taught me to believe in myself and encouraged my independence.

8.       If you could do anything in the world, what would it be?

Stop my mom dying.

9.       If you were to be reincarnated, what would you come back as?

Myself, there are some things I would want to do differently J

10.   Who is the most important person in your life?

My son.

11.   Do you have any pets? What are they and what are your most favourite memories of them?

All my pets have been dogs, all now dead and I’m too afraid to get anymore. King a massive mixed dog was fierce and loyal and had a bark that scared everyone. Isis, a pure white shepherd was a gift from my husband was my baby. She was just so lovable. 

These are the 11 questions I’ve for you?

1.       What is the best thing about blogging?

2.       If you could live your life over again, would you?

3.       Who is your favorite author and why? Which book from all they have written is your favorite?

4.       Do you have a daily habit that you must do or else your entire day is routine (sort of)?

5.       If you could be an animal, which one would you be and why?

6.       If you had just one day to live, what would you spend it doing?

7.       Which book have you read that you would love to see become a movie?

8.       Do you have any favorite events that you must watch in the Olympics?

9.       What website you just have to visit each day?

10.   If there was one thing in the world you could change what would it be?

11.   What is your hobby? How did you get into it?

Guess what, you are tagged!  (I selected the persons below because their blogs are about health, SEO or inspiration which are all important to me).

1.       Michelle Shaeffer                

2.       Vicki Zerbee: Anti Aging By Design  

3.       Carl Young:  Why Not Fathers    

4.       Kaylie Price:  Better Business Better Life

5.       Amy Putkonen:  Tao Te Ching Daily     

6.       Celia Westberry:  Eat Yourself Younger  

7.       Jackie Bledsoe:  JB – Jackie Bledsoe Jr.              

8.       Cham Cuartero:  Eat Ur Banana      

9.       Peter Mead:  Peter Mead iT  

10.   Shawn Synder:  The Odd Couple Blog  

11.   Debbie Gray Walter:  The Romantic Vineyard        

Playing It Forward – My Sunshine Award

I love getting awards. I was thrilled when I went to my blog and found that I was the recipient of the Sunshine Blog Award. Thank you so much, Emily Brewer from My Inspired Life With Fibromyalgia. I was especially happy for the award because it’s given for inspiring others bloggers and I wasn’t even aware I was doing that. It certainly brought a smile to this blogger’s lips.

Now, there is one little catch to actually getting the award, but this is the beauty of the deal. I have to play it forward by nominating 10 other worthy bloggers for the award and link back to the person who nominated me. Oh, yes, and answer 10 questions about me.  The rules are given in detail below. 

The 10 Questions and my Answers

1.       Who is your favorite philosopher?

Aristotle – we can learn so much from reading his sayings and I love that his name translates to “the best purpose’.

2.       What is your favorite number?

I’ve never given this much thought and I don’t think I have one. 

3.       What is your favorite animal?

The majestic lion – this is one beautiful cat.

4.       What are your Facebook and Twitter URLS?

Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/jessica.crooks2

Twitter:    https://twitter.com/editingscribe

5.       What is your Favorite time of the day?

Dawn – there is something about being up when the world around me starts to stir. The promises of new beginnings and a chance to start over are invigorating.

6.       What was your favorite vacation?

WOW! I’ve never really been on a vacation; but I do love spending time away from work with my family. I’m a family oriented person. 

7.       What is your favorite physical activity?

Would gardening count? I love gardening and it is physical.

8.       What is your favorite non-alcoholic drink?

This one is a bit hard to answer, in summer time, what can beat a nice cold glass of lemonade. 

9.       What is your favorite flower?

I LOVE orchids – there is something about the varieties and the fragile beauty that takes my breath away. 

10.   What is your passion?

This one is, you guessed it, my family. Outside of that, writing and reading is my greatest passion. 

Ten Bloggers I Nominate (These are in no particular order)

PitterPatterFeet

My Inspired Life With Fibromyalgia  

Nanette Levin

InkyGirl

Midnight Musings

Life Alchemy School  

A Healthy Lifestyle for Mind, Body and Spirit

HROomph – Driving Business Achievement

Seth Godin

Color Your Life Happy

Rules for Getting the Sunshine Award

 

Link the award to the person who gave it to me

Answer the 10 questions about myself

Nominate 10 bloggers for the award

Link my nominees to the post and comment on their blog, letting them know about the award.

Finding Beauty in Anything

Today has been one of those days when I just want to find a corner and hide away. Everything just seems too overwhelming. Nothing seems to be going as planned, and then my son heard the ice-cream truck.  He wanted to get something. 

I stopped the truck and out he went with his dad for his treat. He came back in with a giant icicle – a Jolly Rancher. The colors were amazing – red, green, orange – dazzling and best of all, was the joy on his face as he enjoyed his treat. Just watching my child enjoying this simple pleasure changed things.

I asked for a taste having never had Jolly Rancher before – I liked it. And so, I asked to be allowed to captured a picture of this colorful treat. He was more than willing to allow me to do so. He’s loves taking pictures, so unlike his mom who rarely takes pictures of herself. 

I realized that even if the laundry wasn’t all done today, it’s not the end of the world. There is still so much to enjoy and take pleasure in. I thought of all the tragedies of the last couple of days and realized that there is still so much reason to give thanks for and be happy. 

As I grow older, I realize that I need to slow down and really smell the roses and enjoy the beauty around me. To be happy, we need to learn to see the beauty in the chaos. Just watching my son enjoy his icicle, it dawned on me that he’s not noticing that the house isn’t all spic-and-span. So why am I all bent out of shape that everything little thing isn’t in place. I continue to be amazed just how much about life and living we can learn by watching children and animal.

I will not change overnight, but I am learning incrementally to take life a little bit slower. To stop once in a while and look for the beauty in the chaos around me. To savor each moment as if it is my last – because, we just don’t know, do we?

"Inspire and find beauty in the ordinary , and you’ll find joy in unexpected places" – Super Mom Blog

Getting Upset Is Natural – Isn’t It?

Anger

“Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. But anger is like fire. It burns it all clean.” Maya Angelou

I must confess that sometimes I blow off steam by getting upset. I will allow things to build up and then when I feel overwhelmed, I explode for the simplest thing. There was a time when I used to feel really bad when I got upset, but I’m beginning to learn that it is good to let off steam, sometimes.

Anger can be positive and I know that after I calm down I tend to see things differently. I actually make an effort to see what I can change about the situation that upset me in the first place. While anger can also be disruptive and can cause hurt, it can be used for good. In fact, anger tends to motivate me to work harder and to achieve my goals. I know that I can be hard on myself – feeling that I fail if I do not live up to my own expectations.

I know that unbridled anger can have negative health effects, but so can holding anger in. I remember reading about a study that showed that women who kept their anger in were three times more likely to die earlier. It is also a known fact that anger held in can lead to depression.

If you know me, you also know that I don’t remain angry for long. I just need to let off steam and relive the pressure building up inside. For me, these words of Malcolm X are true: “Usually when people are sad, they don't do anything. They just cry over their condition. But when they get angry, they bring about a change.”

After a period of anger I’m more motivated than ever to get moving, to do more, to fix what made me mad. Anger indicates that something is wrong and needs fixing. What about you, do you ever get angry and use it as a motivating force?

“Anger is like flowing water; there's nothing wrong with it as long as you let it flow. Hate is like stagnant water; anger that you denied yourself the freedom to feel, the freedom to flow; water that you gathered in one place and left to forget. Stagnant water becomes dirty, stinky, disease-ridden, poisonous, deadly; that is your hate. On flowing water travels little paper boats; paper boats of forgiveness. Allow yourself to feel anger, allow your waters to flow, along with all the paper boats of forgiveness. Be human.” - C. JoyBell C. (author of Saint Paul Trois Ch Teaux)

When I Grow Up I Wanna Be A…

How many adults have been fortunate enough to be what they wanted to be when they were children? Certainly not me. For many of us real life steps in and we get derailed. Maybe we could have fought harder for what we wanted. Granted, no amount of fighting would have worked if lack of funds was the hindrance to fulfilling our dreams.

For me, there were many things I wanted to be, but one thing remained constant – I wanted to write. Writing and reading were and still are in my blood. So yes, I never got to be a lawyer, granted it’s not too late especially since I believe it’s never too late to do many things unless you are dead.

So have I been writing, yes…I write…lots. I write website content and blogs for others. I have some unfinished novels, and children’s book, one finished, one unfinished. So what is holding me back? Fear of failure – I fear that publishers will reject my labour of love and while I get great feedback I still fear rejection. And yet I know that a fear of failure is a surefire way to not try anything new.

Of course, I sometimes think of one of my favourite authors, Stephen King and his multitude of rejections to boost my confidence. It’s not that I’ve not had anything published, I have. My first real submission to a collection, Letters to My Teacher was published. I think often of J. K. Rowling and the success of The Harry Potter books and movies. I know that nothing ventured, nothing gained.

So what do you think? Maybe we should all try to be what we wanted to be – after all, it’s never too late unless you are dead. Some of us are just late bloomers – I know I am.

I am writing this to motivate myself to follow my dreams…when I grow up I want to be a published author. To do this I need to submit, submit, submit…

Letter To My Mother

A mother’s love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity. It dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path…Agatha Christie

Dear Mom,

There are days when I miss you more than words can explain. You were my best friend, my protector, my counselor, you were simply, mama. I knew that I could conquer all because you believed in me. You taught me never to use the word ‘can’t’ and to believe in myself. You encouraged my dreams – never once telling me I could not achieve them. 

Dear mom, you taught me to be strong, to hold my shoulders back and my head high in adversity. I have tried to do just that, but there are days when I need my mom. I need you to hold my hands and comfort me. There are days when I want to simply be a child again and have you make a fuss over me. 

There are things I want to talk about, ideas to share, hidden fears that only you would understand. I play them through my mind and try to think would you would have said or done. I do remember that you always believed that everything works out in the end. I hold steadfast to that belief. 

I’m a mom now, myself. I know that would have surprised you, I was so adamant about not having kids. I can just see you looking at me with that all knowing smile. I wish you were here for me to tell you how much I admire you. To get words of guidance in growing my son – for simply being me.

He asks about you all the time. I’m glad, as it helps me to paint a picture of my mom for him to remember as he grows. One day, I said how much I missed you, and he drew a picture, painted a big heart on it. He said that it was to remind me of you and for me to remember that you will always love me no matter what. 

It’s sad that I never got to say goodbye, and even though it has been so many years, I miss you still. I long to hear your voice, talking, singing but most of all, I miss your laughter. I miss your quiet strength, the way you dealt with trials. Sometimes I try to be like you, but I’m not always successful. I know you would still be proud of me, encouraging me to keep trying. 

I’ve not fulfilled all my dreams, mom, but I’ve done the best I can. I’ve not given up on all of them, but some like my youth are disappearing in the mist of time. But, if you were here, you’d still be proud of me… of that I’m sure.

I love you mom.

                                                  Hugging Mom/Daughter

I remember my mother’s prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life. – Abraham Lincoln

What's Your Top 5

I was reading some posts on-line as part of the Ultimate BloggingChallenge and saw this request on the Midnight Musings blog. It was such a fun thing to do, I decided to join in and share some love.  Why not have some fun and get in on the action too – its quite simple really.

Just as an aside, the order in which the top 5s are listed is not significant. I just wrote then as they came to mind.

5 FABULOUS MOMENTS

Hearing my son’s heartbeat for the first time

Having my son

Getting married to my best friend

Getting the key to my own home

Having my story published in a book of stories

5 THINGS I LOVE

Spending time with family

Writing and reading

Sleeping in when it’s raining

Sundae with all the toppings

Meeting interesting people

5 THINGS I DISLIKE

Traffic, did I say, TRAFFIC

Loud and aggressive people

Negative people

Silly reality shows

Shopping (very un-female but I hate shopping)

5 FABULOUS BLOGGERS

Midnight Musings – I had to include her…if it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be writing this post; just saying.

Ship Bound for Tarshish – I love that she is allowing God to lighten the load.

Brian’s Phirst Blog - Brian’s passion is apparent as he shares his journey caring for his son who has cancer.

Make a Living Writing – Since I want to do this, plus this is a great blog.

Jane Friedman: being Human at electric speed – fascinating title, fascinating blog.

Now it’s your turn to share the love and keep this going.