Never say never! I learned years ago how true this is…so I never say “never.” The problem I have, however, is that I think never, such as my husband will never do this or that; my kids will never do anything to disappoint me; my friends will never not be there for me; my sisters will never get in arguments over stupid things. Okay! You already know that my thinking has been askew! I—definitely—have learned the hard way that “never” needs to not only be eliminated from speech, but also from thoughts!

Recently one of my children did something that this offspring—in my thoughts—would NEVER do! I would have bet anyone a million dollars—like I have that much money—that this particular child was incapable of the specific action that has caused me such remorse. But alas! I’ve had to eat my thought! The deed was done!

The longer I live in this world, especially as a mother, I continue to be amazed. The views I have in my thoughts are often challenged, sometimes in surprising and wondrous ways; sometimes in ways that are far in the other direction. This latest “child incident” took me so far into the direction away from wondrous that for the first time in years I stayed awake all night in an anguished state. Never would I have thought I would be in this place!

I plan to continue to be an optimist…this is my nature. I will, however, add a little more realism to my thoughts. I will also try to eliminate “never” from my thoughts, words and actions. I will NEVER use “never” again!

Posted by Sandra Dalka-Prysby at 01:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Like all in America, I learned the hard way that we have taken “the good life” for granted. Americans, me included, have been blessed in this land of opportunity…much more so than those who live in other parts of the world. For the most part, we have roofs over our heads, food in our tummy and a wealth of televisions and other toys to fill our hours with entertainment. We have cell phones to keep connected; we have cars to move us from point to point. Our closets are filled with clothes, many with designer labels. We have choices even down to what shoes we will put on our feet. We have so much more than one outfit to wear day after day after day and squeeze our feet into our one and only pair of shoes that we’ve had for years. Blessed we are. Even if we find ourselves on welfare, we fare well in comparison to most of the world’s inhabitants.

Even with all our blessings are we thankful? Not hardly! We complain about the economy. We fault our leaders (the same leaders that we have had the freedom to elect). We hate our jobs. And we are jealous of others who have more than we have.

Continue reading "Fueling Up for the Good Life!" »

Posted by Sandra Dalka-Prysby at 04:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

When I was young and dumb and broke—I’m talking about my 20s and, maybe, even beyond—I would take shortcuts to reach my goals. (Come to think of it…I still take some stupid shortcuts!) I learned the hard way, however, that there are times when travelling the long road is the best way to go.

The arrival of summer—finally—has resulted in the grounds around my home being awash in tiger lilies, a favorite flower since childhood. The orange smatterings have not only brightened my gardens, but my outlook. (How can you feel bad with such glorious splendor?) The opening of these flowers’ petals has reminded of a time so long ago.

With the somewhat-limited budget of a just-out-of-college and newly-employed professional, I liked to entertain…a lot. And I liked to do it in splendor. My means certainly didn’t justify the end that I liked to accomplish: wonderful food and beverages and beautiful table arrangements with magnificent floral centerpieces. But I managed. (My credit card statements at that time indicated just how I accomplished my festive and popular dinner parties.)

Continue reading "The Tiger Lily Lesson" »

Posted by Sandra Dalka-Prysby at 03:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)