It’s time to get your big boy boots on and face the music of this rodeo. When the darkness falls upon you, laugh at it and say, “Oh ya! I’m going to the gym or I’m going for a run or I’m going to do whatever I would normally do even though it’s in darkness. This is my rodeo and I’m going to ride this dark horse!”

Perhaps I’m feeling as autumn does the changing of my leaves. The beautiful crimson colours the trees and bushes change into. The newly crisp flowy air with less humidity. The lifting of summer’s glee with preparation for winter’s roar! I look forward to autumn and I do love when it’s here. But as the flowers, I too have become exhausted and require some rest.

My daughter insisted I watch the series, “Sharp Objects”. I watched it with her. We didn’t move for hours. We sat on the couch, watching this very disturbing series. It took us two days to finish the series and at the end we were worn out from… too much watching. Was I entertained? Yes. Would I do this again? No! What I enjoyed most was all the time I got to spend with my daughter.  I would have preferred to be walking, dining, and seeing a live show instead, but being with her anytime is priceless.

In the most unlikely place, at the base of my outdoor staircase along the paved driveway, was this beautiful flower. It was growing in a tiny spec of earth between wood and pavement. It found the will to grow and be.  Good Morning Sue!

A couple of days later on my morning walk, I quickly looked for the flower. The flower blossom was gone.  The little plant was still there, but the blossom had finished and another was on the rise.  My continued thought was I’m glad I captured the photo when I did.  In life, beauty does not last forever.

I started watching the videos on a super cold night last winter. Then I began to follow the Instagram page. Now I am totally following the storyline of what is going on in the Chef’s world. You might be asking why I am doing this. Doesn’t this seem child-like?
This is in no way child’s play. The Chef is a character, which has the ability to change the world for the better.

In grade 6, my teacher Miss Chess used a green pen. She found red was too bold and offensive. She would do her corrections in a soft green ink. I liked that a lot. It was soothing for a person like me, who made a tremendous amount of spelling errors. It’s easier to look at a paper filled with green ink corrections than redly inked marks. After a great year of learning with Miss Chess, I decided green ink was the way to go when I played school with my friends. Now as a university instructor, I still correct in green ink and pencil.

Isn’t acceptance the first step of healing? I accept the fact that I am in love with ice cream. There, I said it. I admit this love in published print. Here is something I will also admit, I cannot control myself when I’m eating ice cream. The soft, sweet, coolness sliding down my…….

All my emotions, secrets, and deepest thoughts and passions are expressed in my journals. All the times I wanted to get my furious anger out, I wrote it down. All the times I wanted to scream and cry and tear the world apart, I wrote it down. All the times I cheered from unbridled joy, I wrote it down. I wrote my heart out on paper. If my journal wasn’t enough, I climbed to the top of a mountain and screamed my lungs out! Then… I wrote that down, too!

There’s something special about resting on a bed with a book upon my lap and holding it in my hands. Turning the pages feels like a mini accomplishment. It also has a calming presence having a book between you and the rest of the world. Something similar to being protected by a literary shield.

Naturally, I’m already on a slower speed than the rest of the world. In truth, this annoys people who know me very well. I have a tendency to get lost in the moments. I putter, think, wait, watch, listen, contemplate, and daydream, a lot. You remember, the kid the teacher always told to stop daydreaming. As a student, I preferred to sit next to the classroom window. Frequently, I gazed outward, wondering, thinking, pondering, and then alerted to stop daydreaming. I wasn’t daydreaming, I was creating!  Pink Floyd The Wall, “Hey! Teachers! Leave them kids alone!