Life Gripe: Christmas, Ba Humbug!

 Today I have a Life Gripe and it's on a very touchy subject, Christmas.  Ba humbug I say, especially the shopping and gift giving part.  Christmas has become no more than a huge money making shopping time of the year.  I mean it's all about the gifts.  People are getting TV's, camera's Wii's and Xboxes when I'm happy if I get a new pair of socks.  I mean there are people out there who don't have a home or can't even afford to eat and we're out buying expensive gifts? Where did our priorities go? Now if your one of those who helps others during one of the most difficult times of the year, then good for you. You should be commended because there are very few of you left.  

Take myself for instance. I know I need to do some shopping sometime soon, but I just really, really don't want to. Why? What are my reasons? Here are 4 of them.  

1. I don't want to get out in the cold.
2. I don't want to deal with the rude people.
3. I don't really have the money to blow. 
4. I'm not in the Christmas spirit.

It's so cold outside I just hate to be out in such bad weather and for what to scrounge up and go spend money I really don't have to buy gifts for Christmas. And hey, if I don't give a gift, you can bet I won't get any.And omg, the people you have to deal with out there are so rude. Especially in Walmart. And not just the customers, but the employees too. Just plain vain and rude. It's so bad that I feel I'm going to get in a fight every time I go out, so why bother? 

And why am I spending money when I still owe hospital bills and my car still needs worked on. Now don't get me wrong. I do love to give. I so badly want to buy my son a great gift because he wouldn't expect it. We've never had a lot of money so he's use to getting average gifts. So if he was to get even one great thing he wanted, he would totally be surprised. I would love to be able to do that for my son, but I can't and that is so heartbreaking and one of the hardest things in the world when there are some sons out there who every year get what they want for Christmas. And I'm not just talking about kids, I'm talking about adult sons too. My son has always gotten something for Christmas, even when he was little. It was always nice, but not necessarily what he wanted because we couldn't afford it. So yes, ba humbug. 

I'm not so much in the Christmas spirit because this is a time of year that is just very difficult for me for many reasons. I've lost both parents and miss them badly. Matter of fact we buried my mother on December 17, 2001, so Christmas since then has been a difficult time for me. I struggle financially and going out and seeing or reading on Facebook or Twitter about everyone else doing all this shopping and Christmas dinners with family hurts me when I struggle to make ends meet and have lost both my parents and live 1 1/2 hours from the rest of my family. I rarely get to see them anymore because my vehicle needs work that I can't afford and it won't make it on long trips.

To top it all off my husband could care less about Christmas. He usually works right through it. He waits until like three days before Christmas and buys me a "have-to" gift. No thought, nothing special, just buys something for the sake of getting me something. I miss those days of sentiment and being surprised now and then. All I do is try to get through this difficult time of year best I can. And sometimes it's not pretty. It's very difficult to do with all the non-stop chitter chatter about it on a daily basis. And although I do love Christmas at heart, those are my many reasons why I now say ba humbug, because it breaks my heart.

Today's Life Quote:

Sometimes I wish I were a little kid again, skinned knees are easier to fix than broken hearts. ~ Author Unknown

Life Gripe: A Dreary Day

Today, I have a Life Gripe and it is A Dreary Day.  I despise dreary days.  Dreary days just make me feel like not getting out of bed.  And even when I do make it out of bed, I just feel like crawling back in it all day long.  I have no motivation, no energy, no gusto. 

So, I grab myself a nice hot cup of coffee and hop on my laptop for some computer time.  Work on my blogs, work on my businesses and even do some social networking, but the whole way through, try as I may, I just keep wanting to curl up under a blanket.  After all it's dreary and it's a cold day, so what better to do that curl up under a blanket.  

I could just take my laptop to the living room, curl up under a blanket on the couch in front of the TV, with my laptop on my lap.  The bathroom will just have to wait until a sunny day to be cleaned.  A nice sunny and warmer day when I have motivation to attack the bathroom with a little gusto. 

I try to look at Dreary Days as a positive.  How?  Sometimes I think these dreary days are built in just for the purpose of making us rest and relax.  They're a way of making us curl up under a blanket and do nothing.  Otherwise we run ourselves ragged and wear ourselves out.  It's natures way of telling us we need to rest, we need to relax and take time for ourselves.   

So what are you doing on this dreary day?  How about taking time out to rest and relax.  Go grab a good book, grab your laptop or watch a good movie.  Just curl up under that blanket on the couch with a nice hot cup of coffee or chocolate and relax.  After all it's only a day.  But wait, maybe it's two days, well then so be it, take two days.  Whatever you need, you take it, nature is helping you by giving you this Dreary Day to relax.

Today's Life Quote:

"Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop." ~Ovid

Life Gripe: All It Takes Is One Phone Call To Ruin Your Day

Today I have a Life Gripe. All it takes is one bad thing (and in my case a bad phone call about a bad thing) to happen to ruin your day or cause you to have major grief in your life.  That one thing or one phone call that can change everything for the worst.  Just once I would love to get a wonderful phone call.  No I am not talking about your average good phone call.  I am talking about that one phone call that has honest to goodness good news and good luck that can change everything for the good.  I rarely seem to get those calls, if any, but I sure do get the upsetting calls on a regular basis. 

I sat on the phone today arguing with someone who wouldn't give me an account because they say I don't exist, yet I have a driver's license and social security card.  I exist!  I am here!  What do I need to do to get this fixed?  Looks like I'll be calling the Social Security Administration because I had my last name changed when I married and they're the ones who gave me my new social security card, but that doesn't mean squat, because a national data base search says I do not exist.  And this is the second time something like this has happened over the past month, so now I'm worried, stressed and very frustrated.  I believe they're still going by my maiden name and social security apparently only changed my card, but did nothing official.  That's the only thing that could be going on. 

Well needless to say, my whole day changed in a matter of minutes because of one thing, one phone call.  I went from having a happy and pleasant day, to stressing out and worrying beyond belief.  Because of this issue, that in turn is now causing me several other major issues in my life.  I try my best to have an optimistic attitude, but sometimes it's just down right impossible with the issues you have to deal with.  But I am trying.  Hopefully, I can get this straightened out in the next couple of days.  And once I fix the one main major issue, the other issues will be fixed as well and thus fall into place.  Right now, I am just going to try and focus on the positive, that this will be fixed soon, and all will be well again. 

Today's Life Quote:

Optimist: someone who figures that taking a step backward after taking a step forward is not a disaster, it's a cha-cha. ~Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com

Life Hype: Cool Fall Morning and a Hot Cup of Coffee

Today I have a Life Hype:  There's nothing like a piping hot cup of coffee on a brisk cool fall morning.  One of my favorite things to do is to wake up, sit in front of my laptop at my kitchen table with a nice fresh hot cup of coffee sitting close by.  Occasionally glancing out my kitchen door that I have opened slightly, so I can see the wonderful view outside.  I often watch the squirrels playing in the morning.  So comforting and relaxing. 

That's my favorite time of day to work my businesses.  I can get so much done in two hours time.  It's a time of day when I'm most alert and productive.  And best of all, I don't have to be dressed up or even have my hair brushed for that matter, I can just enjoy the moment by just being.

Do you like summer evenings as the sun is setting or perhaps brisk snowy winter mornings?  Maybe you enjoy the light cool rain or smell of flowers in bloom on a spring morning with your coffee or perhaps, with your glass of iced tea.  So what's your favorite time of year and favorite time of day? 

Today's Life Quote:

“And you would accept the seasons of your heart just as you have always accepted that seasons pass over your fields and you would watch with serenity through the winters of your grief.”



Kahlil Gibran quotes

Life Hype: Autumn Is A Wonderous Time Of The Year

Today, I have a Life Hype:  Autumn Is A Wonderous Time Of The Year!  The crisp colorful leaves beautifully floating in the soft Fall breeze, all the wonderful array of colors, smells of mulled cider and pumpkin spices, along with the beautiful decorations.  Then there are all the wonderful Fall Festivals to attend and the holidays of Halloween and Thanksgiving to come.  There are great fun times to be had with sports such as fabulous Fall football games.  Then they put out all the Christmas decorations and let the Christmas shopping begin!

I just love Fall!  It has always been one of my favorite times of the year.  So many gorgeous sites and a busy family time of year starts to kick in.  And did I mention, the wonderful weather?  I love the cool temperatures of the 70's during the days and 50's at night, just love it, oh and no more mowing!  The only downside to Fall is the cold weather that follows.  While winter time can be beautiful at times, there's not much else that's great about it, other than Christmas.  So Fall and Spring are definitely my favorite times of the year, with Fall probably being my ultimate favorite. 

What's your favorite time of the year and why?  Regardless, I hope you enjoy your Fall season as much as I am enjoying mine!  Happy Autumn to all!

Today's Life Quote:

No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace, As I have seen in one autumnal face.  ~John Donne

Life Gripe: Crap TV!

The weekend gets here and you would think you could find tons of great movies on.  Sit down, watch a great movie on Friday night because it's the weekend and you don't have to work the next day, you have no school or whatever the case may be, but nevertheless, it's a time when you would like to watch a movie.  But no!  It's Friday night and not only are there no movies on tv, but there is absolutely nothing but crap on every channel!  A night when you want to sit down and relax and you don't have to get up the next morning.  Only there's nothing on tv to stay up and watch.  What is wrong with this picture? 

So here it is Friday night, 10 PM and I'm finding myself wanting to go to bed early because there's nothing on tv to stay up and watch.  Of all times, the perfect time to watch a great movie and I will be going to bed.  Don't get me wrong, there are a couple of channels that have movies, but they play old movies and not just old movies, but the same one's over and over again.  What ever happened to the days when they use to show good movies on a Friday night. 

Now all you can find is some silly reality show, 48hrs or some show like that.  I want to see a good movie.  Not some old rerun either, but an honest to goodness movie and not one that has already been shown a thousand times over the last month.  It seems like when one network is done with a movie, they pass it along to another, as though all they do is trade off the same movies with each other.  And on rare occasion, you may actually get to see a newer movie.  I don't even care if it's a made for tv movie, as long as it's a decent and new movie. 

I guess the only way to get a movie nowadays is to rent one from Redbox or either subscribe to Netflix.  And I may just have to check Netflix out in the future, but honestly, I would love to see more great made for tv movies on Friday and Saturday nights for families.  In the meantime, I guess I'll just have to take my cold medicine, grab a book and go on to bed.

Today's Life Quote:

Television is like the American toaster, you push the button and the same thing pops up everytime.
Alfred Hitchcock quotes

Life Gripe: People Who Are Always Telling You to Be Happy

Today, I have a big Life Gripe!  Why is it that all the people who have money, nice homes, good jobs, great healthy families and go on two and three vacations and shopping sprees a year that have many friends and live a very active life style feel the need to judge and to tell those of us who deal with financial, health and many other problems and issues in our lives, that we should be thankful, happy and positive all the time? 

Excuse me, but you try living my life and walking in my shoes.  You have no idea how good you have it.  I am just sick and tired and sick to death of hearing the uppity people tell us how we should be happy and thankful for what we do have.  Well guess what, we are thankful for what we do have, BUT telling us to be accepting and be happy about it, that's easy for you to say as your taking one of your many vacations or entertainment outings that those of us who struggle never get to do. 

I would love to be able to take just one vacation a year.  I would love to be able just to go out to eat once a month at a nice restaurant or take in an occasional movie.  And shopping is something I almost never get to do.  But we can't afford to do even those simple things.  We can hardly go out of the house because we can barely afford gas to put in our vehicles.  And just because you make more money than we do, does NOT mean you are any better than we are.  You just got lucky, that is all...just plain lucky.  And there are some of you who think life is all about working or business, nothing but work or business, everything is about working or business.  Well wake up and get a real life!  Get real, be human! 

Yes, I am definitely ranting and griping here because I've been keeping it all in and sometimes you just have to get it out and say what's on your mind.  But day after day I'm on facebook and read these peoples posts about how we should all be happy, happy, happy and thankful.  And our posts should always be happy and upbeat.  Well I can't lie about my life for you, so as to make you comfortable and happy.  And maybe I would able to if I had it as easy as you do, at least compared to me.  Come walk a mile in my shoes and you won't last a week. 

And though a lot of it is about money, I mean let's face it.  If you don't have any money, life is pretty hard and miserable.  But it's not all about money.  It's personal too.  Everyone is different, inside and out.  Just because you wake up at 6 am every morning bright eyed and bushy tailed ready to go and face the world and tackle many projects and in the go, go, go mode all day, does not mean I am, nor should I be because I am NOT you.  I am different inside and out.  Again, we are all made different.  But because we are not like that, we are often called lazy or worthless.  How dare you.  I could just as easily call you an overbearing, egotistic, narcissistic, arrogant vain human being.  Don't like that?  Well I don't like being call lazy or worthless.

So stop judging, stop telling us to get over it, stop telling us to be happy all the time.  We don't live the life you live.  We live with pain and struggling everyday.  We just try our best to get through each day best we can.  And sometimes, yes that means we have to vent, rant and gripe because we are not perfect and we do not have the perfect life.  And I know some of you don't have perfect lives, but seriously, you can't compare yourself to us unless you walk in our shoes without the comforts of money or maybe even health both physical and mental.  Why don't you help someone instead of taking that third or fourth vacation or buying that new outfit or car.  Buy someone else you know who doesnt have much a new outfit.  Send someone you know who needs money a surprise check in the mail.  Do something to help someone who struggles just because.  Actions speak louder than words too.  Do something to put a real smile on their face and bring them some real happiness. 

Today's Life Quote:

The difference between a helping hand and an outstretched palm is a twist of the wrist. ~Laurence Leamer, King of the Night