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)

Every once in a while I have a “brilliant” idea for a way of making extra money. This usually happens around the holidays or a few months before my annual kayaking trip with 15 friends. Extra money is good for both of these occasions. Over the years, however, my way of making extra money often becomes…well…a drudgery and, if truth be told, the extra money is hardly worth it. I’ve learned the hard way that it’s better to save all year long than to try to make a few extra bucks in some brilliant way.

My latest endeavor was to make mother-daughter felted purses. I made one set for my daughter and granddaughter and the purses are really cute. Friends and family members urged me to make more sets and to sell them. Wow! What a great idea for making extra holiday cash.

I took my set to a chi-chi children’s boutique in town to show the owner my creations. She loved the purses and said she’d be happy to make them available on consignment. She would sell them for $50 a set and take 25 percent. This sounded good. She wanted five sets by the following week. I could do this.

Continue reading "A Losing Proposition" »

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I don’t know why I continue to be optimistic about most things in my life. I guess I’m just a “Pollyanna” who believes that everything will always be fine. I’ve learned the hard way, however, that no matter how positive my beliefs, things don’t and won’t always go the way that I would like.

A recent example of things not turning out the way I expected is my recent knee surgery. My husband and daughter vowed to take care of me during my recovery. Although they have failed in the past with their promises, I just knew that I would be in capable hands when I returned home from the hospital. In less than 24 hours I learned how wrong I was with my expectations. I discovered—for the umpteenth time—that I was living with two very crappy caretakers! Their insensitivity astounded me…but, if the truth be told, I should have known. Thirty years of marriage and 24 years of motherhood to my daughter, the baby of the family, should have taught me something. Ahhh! But there’s always hope! This time, I just knew, things would be different.

My husband and daughter were somewhat caring at first. My husband even offered to stay home from work—a rarity—to attend to my needs. Once he got me comfortably settled in bed, he was gone. No he didn’t leave the house. He went to the far reaches of our domain to make phone calls for work. If I needed anything, I was to call him on his cell. The next four hours he was missing in action. Never did he make an appearance in the bedroom to see if I needed something.

Continue reading "Crappy Caretakers!" »

Posted by Sandra Dalka-Prysby at 09:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

This has been a really hard couple of weeks. My husband and I have been to two funerals and on Wednesday we are going to our third…for our beloved brother-in law. All three deceased individuals died, as the saying goes, “before their time.” I’ve learned the hard way, however, that no matter the age, when a loved one dies it’s always before our time to give them up.

The first of the recent deaths was a 28-year-old expectant father. He took a break from decorating the nursery to go skateboarding with a friend. He wasn’t wearing a helmet when an accident brought his head into contact with the pavement. Now a baby boy will be born in four months never to know his adventurous father. (The lesson for all of you reading this is to always wear the proper gear for whatever venture you undertake!)

Continue reading "What a Teacher!" »

Posted by Sandra Dalka-Prysby at 07:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

At 9 a.m. just about every Sunday morning my parents begin their campaign at my bedroom door to get me to go to church. “I’m going later!” I tell them. (I usually don’t!) My mother makes the second charge at 9:15 a.m. “Are you sure you don’t want to go with us?” comes her almost-pleading voice through the crack in my door. “No…I’ll go later,” I yell at her. At 9:30 a.m. another appeal comes from one or both of them. “Go away!” I say not too pleasantly. Luckily, by 9:45 a.m. they’re gone!

Although I’ve been living at home from more than a year (I came home after graduating from college), my parents have yet to understand that their religion and how they practice it isn’t necessarily my thing. I’m not saying that I’m not religious…I’m just saying that I’m not necessarily the every-Sunday-church-going-type-of person, especially after staying out really late the night before. I’ve told my parents this many times since the first weekend that I returned to the nest. What I’ve learned, however, is that they have selective hearing…or, maybe, they’re just hoping that their persistence will pay off!

Continue reading "Church Every Sunday?" »

Posted by Emily Prysby at 04:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Oh my gosh! My weekly horoscope was missing from the newspaper. How would I (and other Scorpios) know what steps to take for seven whole days? This was awful!!!

Continue reading "Can I Go On?" »

Posted by Sandra Dalka-Prysby at 07:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I believe in miracles, and, because I do, they happen often in my life. Like many, for years I used the word “coincidence” to explain amazing happenings. I discovered, however, that there is little joy in coincidences. This is because they just are a fact of life. But miracles…now those are something else! Once I learned that they exist and are the work of my heavenly father, I became a whole lot happier.

To help you believe that miracles can and do occur everyday—you just have to recognize them—I will share some of the miracles in my life periodically here on the Hard Way.

One happened on July 31, 2004, on my daughter’s wedding day.

Continue reading "Everyday Miracles" »

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Continue reading "Get Moving!" »

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Continue reading "A Weighty Issue: Love Yourself!" »

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