Small Things Count

(Wednesday taste of The Women in Me: How they Helped Me Survive and Thrive.)

Ch. 7 Stumbling Toward a New Life: The newly divorced mother of two, who has never been on her own before, takes stock of where she is and where she needs to be. She starts teaching in Adult Education, desperately taking any job that will bring in money to support herself and her girls. Meanwhile, feeling utterly alone, she joins groups to try to find the companionship she misses. In the background, her Influencers are guiding her. But will she stumble over a cliff?

A job living with smelly penguins, eating canned or dried food, dealing with an onslaught of tourists, and digging out your home from tons of snow. Plus, you traveled 8,000 miles to get there. Your ideal job? It is for these four women. — https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/port-lockroy-penguin-post-office-antarctica

This is a tee shirt I have to have. Older people, especially older women, are too often stereotyped as weak in mind and body.

Today’s Thursday Thought quote by Maya Angelou comes on the wings of a beautiful butterfly.

Her husband made it abundantly clear that he was against her fulfilling her missed dream of a college education. However, she knew that her life—and that of her daughters—could not progress unless she attained that. Studies, work, childcare, a father who drank rather than supervising the kids, an almost dead marriage…life was, to say the least, stressful. How she handles all this is in Ch. 6. Learn more about the book and where to find it at  www.smthingscount.com/women-in-me

I’ve seen (and petted) therapy dogs visiting patients  in hospitals and thought it was a great idea, especially as I observed patients perk up their spirits and calm down their bodies as they petted the animals.  But, until recently, I’d never heard of therapy CHICKENS.

Chickens can help calm your life and nerves. They’re therapeutic no matter what age you are. Read about them at https://www.nextavenue.org/calming-effect-therapy-chickens

Today is Juneteenth, Independence Day for many Americans. In 1865, that’s the day slaves learned that they were free. It’s been a celebration day ever since.

But there are some interesting facts many people don’t know. I’ll list them here and you can go to 12 Things You Might Not Know About Juneteenth.

1. ENSLAVED PEOPLE HAD ALREADY BEEN EMANCIPATED—THEY JUST DIDN’T KNOW IT.
2. THERE ARE MANY THEORIES AS TO WHY THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION WASN’T ENFORCED IN TEXAS.
3. THE ANNOUNCEMENT ACTUALLY URGED FREEDMEN AND FREEDWOMEN TO STAY WITH THEIR FORMER OWNERS.
4. WHAT FOLLOWED WAS KNOWN AS “THE SCATTER.”
5. NOT ALL ENSLAVED PEOPLE WERE FREED INSTANTLY.
6. FREEDOM CREATED OTHER PROBLEMS.
7. THERE WERE LIMITED OPTIONS FOR CELEBRATING.
8. JUNETEENTH CELEBRATIONS WANED FOR SEVERAL DECADES.
9. TEXAS WAS THE FIRST STATE TO DECLARE JUNETEENTH A STATE HOLIDAY.
10. JUNETEETH HAS BEEN A FEDERAL HOLIDAY FOR ONLY A FEW YEARS.
11. THE JUNETEENTH FLAG IS FULL OF SYMBOLISM.
12. JUNETEENTH TRADITIONS VARY ACROSS THE U.S.

Give Mother Nature a chance to clean your house–for free.  You spend 90% of your time indoors, where pollution is 2-5 times worse than outdoors.  Open windows for a cross-breeze and use a whole-house fan.

[For more easy, money-saving, Eco-friendly tips, download a FREE copy of Green Riches: Help the Earth & Your Budget. Go to https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/7000, choose a format, and download to your computer or e-book device. For a description of the book go to My Free Books).

I remember seeing seeing a story about the skinny mannequin in a store window in New Zealand and mannequins from JC Penny in a variety of shapes and sizes.  Showing Penny’s, I think, minimized the importance of the New Zealand store’s picture, making it seem like they were practically the only one with a mannequin with ribs protruding.  Nope.  Other stores do the same thing–check out their pictures.

I’m disturbed by those skinny mannequins, especially when I hear that stores use them because clothes look best on that body type.  They remind me of the near epidemic of eating disorders in the U.S., notably among our young people.  And how teenagers’ self esteem falls to nothing when someone even hints that they should shed some pounds if they want to be attractive or popular.  And the heartbreak of a teen girl trying on the outfit that’s on the mannequin only to have to go up in size to make it fit–then it doesn’t look as good on her…proving (to her) that there’s something wrong with her.  I don’t want my granddaughter, or any child or adult, for that matter, going through this needless, damaging, degrading, hurtful pain.

Sell your wares some other way, stores!

Today’s Thursday Thought quote hit me where I needed it. I looked at the stresses piling up on me and realized my anxiety is my own fault because I was looking at situations from the wrong perspective.