Relationships

I had a co- worker mention that she would like to read something about relationships. While I am no expert, I wondered: Did she mean ships that were relation? OR relations that had ships? OR simply relatives and their ships? OR vice versa?  Ok, so maybe she meant social or love.  Ya, that is not something that I am adept at providing information about but let us see what my warped mind can come up with.  You already got my two cents about ships and relatives. Not that any of my relatives HAVE ships or are even remotely close enough to purchasing one, it was quite witty. (If I must say so.)

**Love**

I love my husband dearly. I love my kids. All of them are why I breathe. I love my dog. I love my various other pets, plants, siblings, and my parents. I even love my mother in law.  All of those are very different situations.  Being said, that means that I assume my take on this one would be to live right and the rest will follow.  Don’t try to fix something that refuses to be fixed. (My sister hasn’t spoken nicely to me in years.) Also, don’t walk away simply because it gets too hard. Every relationship will run into rough waters. It happens.  Especially between those who are in love with each other.  I can tell you, my husband I have been through thick or thin. But we have never walked away from each other and said “I quit.” For us, that is NOT an option!   We just keep chugging along. I guess that attributes to our longevity as a couple! J

I have nothing more on that particular subject. I am no expert. I just know what is right for me. Each situation is different and it is all a matter of trial and error.

**Family**

Not speaking to a sibling?  What about your kids?  Try to fix it if you believe it to be necessary. If the whole spat is something silly or this long complicated thing, just let it ride. There will come a time when you will need to speak to each other and that may be the day that things will come full circle.  Blood is thicker than water and while some blood may never be happy around each other again, that may be for good reason or no reason at all. Just live life right and to the fullest and the one who is in the wrong will see the err of their ways one day.  You will see.  No expert here either but this is what is working for me.

**Pets/plants/strays/other things**

If you don’t have some sort of bond between you and your pet or a connection of sorts or if you simply hate them; get rid of them. They need to be loved too, just like humans and they DO have feelings.  It is not right to simply have a pet to bring out and put away as you please. Would it be fair to lock your children in a cage when you did not want to deal with them?  Well, the same goes for your pets. If you don’t have time or it is not in your heart, find a better or more appropriate home for them.  While it may be a hard decision, it is the better one. 

Plants?  The same. It drives me up the wall for someone to get a plant and not try to keep it watered. It is not horribly difficult to do. Some plants you just water when the soil feels dry, others you water more often. Most store bought plants come with instructions on how to water and what kind of light they prefer. Like anything else, it is trial and error but, if you do not have time or you are travelling a lot, give the plant to someone who will care for it. They are living things too and need care just as a pet or fellow human would.  Heck, when I was a kid, I was convinced that talking to my plants helped them grow. What I didn’t realize was that it helped me too because you can tell a plant a secret and they will never turn on you!  While a bit eccentric, it is great therapy! I promise!

Strays?  Well, this is something else entirely.  You can feed a stray once, but they do come back. If they find it a very cushy deal for them, they will bring friends. Be careful in doing this because it may cause issue.  Also, turtles belong in ponds. This is especially true if you find them in your yard or on your porch.  Just take them to a pond and turn them loose. No lost love there. Easy peasy.

Other stuff?  Stuff is just stuff. While you may have a heirloom or sentimental value, it is nothing compared to your own life and do not let your stuff consume you to the point of intervention.  The first step of letting go is always the hardest but you find it easier the second and third time. It is ok to keep things and keep little trinkets that are sentimentally significant, but do not take it to a level where it damages you and your other relationships…or relations with ships their ships will sink if you load up their ships with your stuff and they will not want to be related to you anymore….

What do you think?

An Amazing child

I wonder sometimes. Folks, lets get real. We are raising a generation of AMAZING children. If you do not know the proper definition of that, then you can inbox me or Julie F. We will be more than happy to enlighten. At any rate, children these days get away with so much more than we did and even our parents for that matter.
We spare the rod and spoil the child. No, I do not mean abuse them but if they smart off to you, then they need some consequences. I never thought to yell at my mother (as a child) or hit her or threaten to call the cops on her because she took my phone from me. As far as the phone goes, I had a 50 foot cord that went from the wall to the phone and that thing could follow me out to the sidewalk. However, should I decide to get in trouble or inadvertantly utter a curse word, my lovelt tail had no phone attached to it or she took the whole thing. There were no cell phones and my pc (which I got in the 6th grade) was this mideval dos thing that had one color.....green.
Further, people these days believe they can suck off their parents until they die and get all uppity and ticked off if you believe they have to earn their keep. Peeps, my mother was more than happy to see me go to work and buy my own things. I was more than happy to go. It was the start of me "being grown." I am not entitled to anything in her home and I am a guest there at that point. Sure, I was one of the lucky ones and I did not have to pay anything to the house if I didnt want to but if I wanted something she normally did not buy or wanted to go to a football game or something THAT came out of my pocket and I walked nearly everywhere I had to go. I also stayed in school and graduated and, for the most part, stayed out of trouble.
That is another thing. I see so many people (and the age range is getting younger and younger) getting in trouble these days and doing SERIOUS things! Assault with a deadly weapon, robbery while armed with a weapon...Nothing like the petty "underaged drinking or driving without a licence or trespassing" that we got growing up. No sir, these kids are doing serious crimes. Further, the justice system is doing quirky things to slap them on the wrist. (Topic for another day.)
Honestly, if I was over age 21 and my mother bailed me out of jail and paid my attorney fees and bills for nearly 2 years, don't you think she has the right to ask me to pay some of that back if she gets in a bind. Yes, every mother and father would love to pay for their children like that and not expect to get paid back.......in a vaccuum. However, things are tough and it is not as easy as your parents make it. They keep the fact that bills run about 3000 going out and there is only 2500 coming in EACH MONTH BEFORE GAS AND GROCERIES. (Hypothetical, 4 person family middle income.) At any rate, they make it work and this is where the communication fails. No, I am not saying that you should tell your children ALL your business but you should teach them to be self sufficient and that it is ok to ask mom and dad for help but make sure you return the nicety at some point in the future. They are just as human as you are.
Also, we were taught all about litterbugs and taking care of the planet (and table manners) growing up; do they not teach that anymore in modern homes and preschools? We take care of the planet by recycling and other things of a noble stature, however, I still see children who leave a trail behind them like the only preschool lesson their ever learned was hansel and gretel. Folks, that was breadcrumbs and not trash! Take pride in your own home, your own neighborhood and your planet. It is the only one we have!

Netflix, old school love...If you know what you are looking for...

Ah yes, Netflix. Love it or hate it, it is going to be here for a while. People are paying 8 bucks a month to watch movies and tv episodes at their leisure, on their pc's, phones, and game consoles. (Some require an additional subscription of sorts.) Gotta love it. I am certain that it took a big chunk out of the pay per view market when it finally caught footing in the market.
I had the priviledge of a free trial of netflix and yes, we watched the Ong Bak Trilogy that night and it was all well and good but you would not believe the trouble we had to go to simply to find something that we wanted to watch. All the commercials make you think that their database of available titles are up to date and such but NOOOOOO you have to go back over 15 months to find something that is not ancient (in movie/tv terms.) We were amazed at how "dated" the titles were and there were a great deal of titles that we were like "HUH? o.o What is that?" It is not what it is cracked up to be for peeps like me (or dear hubby for that matter.)
While we did finally find something and were able to watch a few things, this whole netflix thing is not for us. We can take our eight bucks a month and find something else or find a great dvd at the store. I am sure there is a perfect fit as a Netflix customer out there. Why else would they be advertising IN YOUR FACE at every damn turn! Well, sorry marketing execs at Netflix, you have failed to impress this customer. You obviously have failed to impress others or it would not be a topic suggested to rant about, huh?
I am not knocking Netflix nor am I giving it a bad rep or review, it is just something that is not for me. You know, like tampons are not for the male population of the world. Well, at least most of it. (We are not including those that go out at 2 am and purchase said product for their significant other. I will say, that is love folks. Plain and simple. That is all I have to say about that.) Some products are a good fit for certain consumers and some are not.
I wonder what it would be like to own the super product. The one product that is in demand for every single person on this planet and there is no competition. Wow, every green thing growing on this planet has that and they do not even charge for it! That just occurred to me. Oxygen. Wow. These things work tirelessly everyday to produce the one thing that every human on this planet needs. Huh. Nice digression there (and a reflection to a previous rant. Just for one moment. BlInK!)
Yes, the Netflix commercials should have a disclaimer at the end or the bottom of the screen noting that "Netflix is not for everyone, should you experience boredom, loss of thought, contemplations of suicide or sleepiness, we suggest you stop using it right away and consult your TV Guide." or some such nonsense.
Thanks to Kat Neal for suggesting this one and for it to be in "the list" at the perfect time for me to rant about it.