The best we can do is simply do our very best. Not perfection, just our best.
I might never be a good cook. As long as I try my best, I can accept this reality. I can assure you the table will be set really nicely with candles, matching napkins in napkin rings, beautiful glassware and gorgeous plates. Perhaps with a stunning floral center piece. The meal… that’s a different story. You will know that I tried my best!

So you think I’m going to take this sitting down? Do you think I’m going to just wait around for things to change? Think again Buddy, this horse has left the barn! It’s my RODEO!
Instead of complaining about everything, GET OFF YOUR… AND DO SOMETHING USEFUL!
The key word here is “useful”.  To be useful is to be responsible for yourself and responsible for the world.
Get off your… and do something to help someone.  There is so much need out there. Get useful and then you will feel better about everything.

I’m not perfect! You’re not perfect! Everyone and everybody is annoying to someone at some point. Live with it.
If you realize that nothing is perfect, you will appreciate the imperfections of everyone and everything and get over being annoyed.
However…
Nothing could be more annoying than completing a 1000 piece jig saw puzzle and realize one piece is missing. Ask my friend Lisa, as she just completed a huge puzzle and it was missing one darn piece. UGH! That’s so annoying!

Honestly, I could write a lengthy book about Elvis Presley. A long detailed book about his life and my love for him. It’s real and personal and could be a page turner. Maybe one day I will write daily about him and develop our book. For now, here’s a glimpse into this personal passion. My interest in Elvis started a long time ago. Perhaps I was 10 or 11. I was born in 1962. It was around 1972 when I first noticed him. I was entering puberty and he was the hottest, sexiest and most adorable man alive – I thought.

Ok, ok, no one wants to listen to someone who constantly complains about everything.
You’ve got to pick and choose what needs to be complained about.
But, not complaining at all? Means you might just be too complacent?
Imagine if women never complained about inequality? Imagine if teachers never complained about low pay wages? Imagine if doctors did not complain about the lack of safety materials? Imagine a world without complaining, not much would get done.

Just the other day, I went to a bakery. The sign on the door said, only 3 people allowed in the store at one time. I opened the door to peek inside to see how many people were in. Standing near the door was an older tall man, who was a customer. As I peeked in, he rudely put up his hand up and literally shoved it into my face. In a stop sign gesture, he said, “Only 3 people wait outside.”
I said, “Put your hand down and away from my face. My eyes can guide me quite well.”
He looked at me with astonishment when I said, “You would’ve never done that to a man, would you?” Another woman glared at him.
Imagine if he had done that behavior to man? A fight would have broken out!

Apparently, I touched upon a secretive subject shared by many people.
I received emails, private messages, texts, and comments on all the social media platforms I use. Some declarations were, “I love candy too! I’m also Candy Girl. I’m a mid-day Candy Guy. I love Rock Candy, fudge, and taffy. Do you remember the $1,000,000 chocolate bar? I’m a Swedish berry freak! Keep the secret; I only eat candy after midnight.”

As a passionate fisherman, he sat waiting for his catch. Always pulling slightly on the line to create some interest. He sat patiently with his rod firmly in the ground, until the top sharply bent towards the water.
“OH YA!” he screamed. We watched him slowly pull in, pull back, pull in, pull back his catch. He kept on saying, “It’s a big one!” We were excited to see what he caught. Under her breath Noonie said, “I feel bad for the fish.”
A battle royal ensued as the bass fish was brought it. It was big. The fisherman was proud of his catch. He took the fish off the hook and asked me to take a picture of him with his catch of the day. I did.
Then he did a surprising thing…

I…… #@F**K*N+^&! miss hugging my friends! I miss giving a two cheek kiss! You never know when you get lucky to touch a super soft yummy smelling cheek! This new social distance B#LLS**T doesn’t jive with my personality. I NEED CONTACT! Lot’s more contact. I need to feel the love.

Mid-July set in with surrendering heat. More water please! Much more water, please!
Each day I looked for a hint of new growth…Nothing.
“Come on, you can do it! BREAK THROUGH THE BARK!”
All I needed was one new leaf or a little break in the bark to show some potential.
Still nothing…
Will this new soul infused tree make it? Will our family’s monument take hold and be our everlasting love? Was the purpose in waiting for this specific tree, planted on this specific day be a divine sign?
If so, SHOW ME A SIGN!!!

Being bored is not such a bad thing. When children are bored they have a tendency to quickly become imaginative. Perhaps adults don’t have the same impulses for a flourishing imagination. Busy life and problems come into play every day. Actual freedom and playtime never really exists unless you go on a planned vacation.

If we could just channel our childhood spirits and imaginations, perhaps we could then be our best creative selves.

I love candy! I am a CANDY GIRL! There, I said it! I suddenly feel much better. I can be entirely me.

Why the hesitation? Is this such a bad thing? Why should I not be proud of this?

In this current gluten free, vegan friendly, no GMO, vegetable based, no artificial flavours, no artificial colours, dairy free, and sugar free world, I’m an abomination!

We made it! We are in the canoe.
Noonie is at the stern and I am in the bow. There is a slight breeze. The sky is evenly mixed with clouds and blue. The sun is in and out. It’s a perfect day to be on the water. Not too many bugs to bother us also. Off we go into the middle of the Lac Monroe.
A half hour later, “Sue, Do you want to dock and eat?”

Suddenly, my running buddy stopped running, so I stopped too. That’s when these words were spoken to me, “Are we going to spend the next hour listening to you talk about the past? All that didn’t happen? All that stuff you can’t change? All those couldn’t, shouldn’t, wouldn’t and didn’ts? If that’s the case you’re own your own!”
I said, “For real?”
“YA! FOR REAL!” was yelled at me.
Then it got really…

It was definite…There would be no letter campaign. No Walk to Cure Diabetes event. Stay tuned as something was going to happen. Not sure what it’s going to be, but head office is currently working on it. So, I boxed up my campaign letters and cleaned up my dining room table to make room for a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle. Disappointing. The first time in 40 years… I guess there is always a first for everything. I felt like crap. Worried. Anxious. Fearful. I couldn’t fall asleep. I wasn’t eating much. I just didn’t feel any motivation. I was jammed. We are in a serious situation. Stay home. Stay safe continued.

BUT…THEN CAME THE BIG NEWS!!!

Liane told me about her childhood. She states, “From 1-5 years old I felt love and my childhood was quite normal. But, by the time I was 7 or 8 the neglect started. My mother suffered from mental illness and addiction. It was a dysfunctional time. I wasn’t supervised so I spent a lot of time with friends, perhaps the wrong friends. At 12, I left home and started to hang out with older kids. I wanted to be accepted and cool. I also started to do drugs. By the time I was 16, I was pregnant and in high school. I was with a guy who was much older than me. Determined, I managed to finish high school. This was an important goal for me to achieve. As I figured it, I was having a kid, when will I ever be able to finish? Shoplifting was a way to survive during my high school years. I would steal so I wouldn’t go hungry or go without clothes and school supplies.