Eat Sweet, and Talk Sweet

It’s been a long time now

since we had our Rotary student, Kivilcim,  who lived with us for six months.  Our own daughter, Mandy, was also in Rotary, but in Sweden at the time.

Kivil was bubbly like a songbird from the moment she alighted at the airport.  She was full of energy, and shared many a Turkish song.

While visiting, drinking coffee, and having dessert together, she said the saying in Turkey was to “Eat Sweet, and Talk Sweet”. It reflects their desire to talk about nice, joyful things in their lives but can not do as such unless they are eating sweets!

This seems to me a solid idea on how to get through life; eating sweets and talking sweet, delicious eh?   I am motivated right now!

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I am reminded again about language, words, and their effect.

Since communication is not optional and but how we communicate is, it is then up to us to decide.

We can be sweet, and we can be gentle or alternatively we can be blunt and bully. All in how we choose our words and how we say them.  Either will be heard and remembered.

How do we want to be remembered?

Frances H. Kakugawa. Photo by Jason Kimura.

 

The seems a perfect segue to invite you to visit Frances Kakugawa’s blog to read her post named Eh Auntie: The Aloha Spirit.  I read a couple posts, and now feel compelled to share this treasure of a blog. (Thanks for the link DawnSeeker ♥ )

 

Below here is the opening paragraph to encourage you to visit.

Eh Auntie

If ever you’ve been called old or elderly by the young, there is something precious awaiting you in Hawaii. If you’re lucky, a young local man or woman will address you as “Eh, Auntie.” To be called “Eh, Auntie” takes a lifetime of processing to truly understand its underlying gift.

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I appreciate you visiting here, and welcome your feedback and suggestions.  Today it is cloudy and the wind is from the south,  I am going to think that’s a good omen as it has been from the north for awhile.  Spring is coming. – Dave

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Chapter 6 – In Other Words

A continuation of the Call Me Skywalker category/series – you might want to go to the category and read them in order, or not. ☺

  Hope you enjoy, if the story continues, a reader had requested another instalment and I could not say no. Hence my attempt today.

calm body of water

Photo by travis blessing on Pexels.com

Sophie sighed.  The sunrise was moments away,  the edges of the sky just lightening up as she sipped hot water and lemon.   Looking around quietly, thinking.

The moon was just fading away now….

It seemed like weeks ago, though it was less, of course, when Skywalker had started singing to her on a date, making her dance with him in the parking lot at McDonalds – their ribs hurting later from laughing at the looks from the customers inside.

He did a wonderful Frank Sinatra,  she thought, chuckling.

Fill my heart with song and let me sing for ever more
You are all I long for
All I worship and adore
In other words, please be true
In other words, I love you

Suddenly her skin prickled,  and she looked around.

She had spotted more than once someone in the shadows looking up at her apartment. It was making her anxious, she was missing sleep.  She looked around carefully, feeling paranoid as she did so.

A reflection glinted from a parked car down the street, someone was watching her right now with binoculars inside a car!

It has to have something to do with my classified work for the navy ! 

Sophie ducked inside, slanted the window blinds, and sat down worried.

She wished she could talk to Luke. She missed him, with his silly nickname, Skywalker, and remembered how they first met in the rain. The last letter from her Mom told her how Luke had been there always, how he had been there for her. She was at first just grateful to him for caring for her Mom, Stella, when she couldn’t be there; but now she loved him for their time together.

Mom wanted them to meet, to at least be friends.  Such a romantic Stella was.

Now Luke was here for her.

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Meant to be

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Across town Skywalker was still at work at Lake Drive Hospice, sitting on a hard bench in a well lit hallway. He sipped cold coffee as he thought of Sophie.  “This is ten days in a row I’ve worked but I would feel horrible if my patients were alone, especially now now” he thought, “I’m tired, but still I am glad that I am here.”

The virus pandemic was 98% lethal for the week. Management had isolated Luke at work, no guests either. The nursing staff like him dared not come and go in fear of stealing time from their frail patients. They had so little time left already.

It was times like these that Luke thought of Stella, and Sophie both, each of their faces he could see when his eyes were shut. He was still getting used to Stella being gone, she felt so alive in his mind.

Stella with a mother’s love for her daughter, Sophie, and the light in her eyes as she sang and joked with Luke aka Skywalker.  He smiled as he remembered Sophie’s Mom Stella in her room at hospice singing to him “Hey Jude, don’t make it sad, Take a sad song and make it better. Remember to let her into your heart. Then you can start to make it better.

He had such priceless moments with her. Then she changed “Hey Jude”  to “Hey Luke...”  and told him he had sing to Sophie and help her after she was gone.

Hey Luke, don’t be afraid
You were made to go out and get her
The minute you let her under your skin
Then you begin to make it better

Sophie, like her Mom, loved to sing with Skywalker. It pleased him endlessly that Sophie loved to laugh and sing exactly as Stella, her Mom had.

Songs seemed to bring light into life, he thought.

The moment was shattered when a room alarm sounded. Skywalker dashed down the hall, as his mind threw a kiss to Sophie wherever she was.

blue sky

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Sophie decided she would call Luke later about the mystery person outside.

Sophie stood up, it was time for breakfast, eggs on toast maybe?

In her mind she knew Mom would  have sang-

In other words, Life goes on

In other words, Let’s eat. 

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Grumpy Sage Oldish Man

Today I have decided

to write a short post and offer a “word of the day” – the word is “Sage.”

Sage has multiple definitions, and therefore uses in language

Definition numero 1an aromatic herb,  and this plant grows wild in the Okanagan Valley where I live, as we have sagebrush here. 

In a sentence

While cycling the trail, our intrepid hero stops frequently to rub the leaves of the sagebrush and enjoy the scent of sage.

sage

Definition numero 2a profoundly wise person or having, showing or indicating profound good judgment. 

In a sentence –

Portuguese proverb –  If you would be healthy, be sage with time to spare.

Want another photo here?- Please insert your own picture here if you are sage by self-isolating for your community, your family, and yourself.

 Thanks everyone for all the visits this week and the comments, it’s been really cool to talk to everyone. You people are the cat’s pajamas – Dave ☺

Last note – this youtube is only 17 seconds or less.

 

 

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Almond milking

For something different today, 

I decided to have cereal with almond milk (that’s the only kind of milk in the fridge).  I jokingly said to my son they have to be strong to milk all those almonds of their milk and he reminded me of this.   For a chuckle, watch a minute.

spring 2012 manning park

This is not my front yard today. My patient wife & me.

Sunshine is here but it’s minus 3 here, but it will warm up later…… a little. For sure it will be 5 at least.

The Carbonaro Effect – Milking Almonds

Tiny little post today (so far) – hang in there my friends. – Dave

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For Better or Worse

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Can I look now?

For Better or Worse

What I say, what you say, our words have an effect on others.

Almost daily, I am reminded to be conscious of what I say.  I must not speak too quickly without thinking as I risk overreacting,

 I have the power to make the situation better or worse.

I have heard it said that a single negative statement needs SIX positive statements to balance out the harm done.

The Power of Words,

can be destructive.  How many times when I was younger I know I reacted very poorly to what were minor situations in the big perspective.

Looking back I regret I did not respond more with the empathy for the person knowing now how I reacted would be remembered much longer than what sparked my reaction.

I imagine every parent learns this lesson as they gain perspective with age.

The Power of Words 

is amazing.  Looking back I can’t undo my past reactions,  but I hope in the future my words will be for the better and not the worst, in every situation.

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This lesson about what we say is important is illustrated in a speech by Mohammed Qahtani “The Power of Words”

In Mohammed’s speech he tells three short anecdotes in his eleven minute speech:

  • about teaching his young son a lesson,

  • why academics have a hard time warning us of the dangers of climate change,

  • and how a single phone call ruined a friend’s life.

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Mohammed’s speech has been enjoyed more than a million times, I hope you will enjoy it by clicking here.

Thank you for reading, and visiting my blog. Thank you for patience with me on the days like this when I am thinking out loud. – David

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Just Breathe,

This seemed appropriate today and I was reminded by another post I was reading, Letitgocoach.com sparked my remembrance. 🙏

dfolstad58's avatarLife and Random Thinking

img_2130 My front yard cactus have flowers !

I went to my front yard this morning and the cactus are flowering,  and it reminded me of good advice.

Cactus are a hardy plant, and live in sometimes the worst conditions but they hang in there and manage to blossom. They just breathe and wait for better conditions.

I went to the wound clinic this morning, everything is improving on that front, and the young lady had a tattoo on her arm that reminded me of good advice.

My wound techie probably sees horrific wounds and has to deal with the healing process with someone over time and only seeing healing gradually.  They know patients must Just breathe and let the process go forward albeit how slowly.

A few weeks ago, I had minor procedure in the doctor’s office (I will spare you the details) and it was brief and…

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