Is this you?

Posted on July 8, 2015 by dfolstad58

Today I was given an blogging assignment to imagine my reader.  Don’t expect me to know the color of your eyes or guess your birthday, okay?

smart mouse

smart mouse

Is this you?

You are a person who enjoys travel. You love the comfort of home, especially your pillow but you enjoy expanding your horizon, to making new friends, trying new foods, and it’s the little special moments in your travel that make you smile when you remember back on your trips.

safer here out of the waves

safer here out of the waves

When you go to a gathering, you always know a few people and you gravitate to them first.

But gradually that “inner tiger” pokes his/her head from it’s cave and you venture into circles of people you have never spoken to before. Inwardly shy, people don’t see you that way at all and before long you are comfortably having a wonderful conversation with a new acquaintance.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” — Mark Twain

You likely don’t have a motto for life, but you do live one. You smile often, you enjoy friendships with many people and people welcome you often with a hug, and say goodbye with a hug.

2013-10-12 14.25.13You love food with flavor, and all kinds of food as long as it is bright, and flavorful.

You have an appetite for life, learning and you like people.

Is this you?

Is it okay if I say that you’re giving me “Good Vibrations” ? 🙂

hand pointing down

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No change and change are both worth celebrating

Posted on July 7, 2015 by dfolstad58

2014-06-21 12.04.08No change and change; both can be good, my assignment today for Blogging 101 was to examine my tagline and title.  My heart isn’t in it today.

My confession is that I did change my title, the first time I tried to push a little more discipline into my blogging and did Blogging 101, and if I was add a tagline today, I might change it to “Everything Changes”.

What do you think of that tagline? Everything changes was the theme of a recent speech where I spoke about the only constant in life is change. Yet we cling so hard to avoid change, or grump and fight against new ways of doing things. I do it also.

That’s why we celebrate anniversaries because we know that life changes, and with that awareness we celebrate the good occasions.

live lifeToday I remember change as a good thing and am grateful as I celebrate 28 years of my kidney transplant in 1987. The time before then was dire with up to 5 months some years when I was hospitalized and hooked up to a dialysis machine.

Tough times for anyone when going through times like that, and today I look back and celebrate my transplant anniversary. But it was a sad day for the donor family as they lost a loved one, and I honor them daily as I celebrate the life they enabled for me.

For the donor family, I hope the sadness is gone. I hope that the donor family can find some some small happiness that their loved one gave life and a chance for a future for seven or more recipients of organs.

Small comfort perhaps but I hope so.

We never know what the future holds, but the present changes, and so do circumstances. SAMSUNG DIGIMAX 420

Celebrate the sunny days, and know that cloudy days will pass.

Today the sun is shining, and I am aware, and grateful.

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Why do you Blog?

Posted on July 6, 2015 by dfolstad58

prissyWhy do you blog? I am asked.

Thanks for asking. I blog for many reasons, and possibly for reasons I don’t even know or understand. Confusing, yes but I think it is true.

I like to try to do what I have not done before.  I am not a professional writer, I never studied philosophy, and I am a  pretty regular person. But like most regular people, like you I’ll bet, there are things that make you and I different, and my attempts to write is one of mine.

One reason is that I’m a reader, I read a lot and so of course I sometimes wonder if I can write, after all I’ve got decades of reading experience.

Another reason is that I like to meet new people, make new contacts, and share my life and my experience. I think we all have something to share. So I share, and I hope I have some nuggets that are interesting for you to turn over in your mind. I really hope you will comment and let me know what you liked or didn’t.

I write to share my life, to be a part of others lives, and to live my life as full as I can.

Lastly, for perhaps firstly –  don’t we all desire to touch a bigger audience,  I think we all do. I think we all walk our paths in life and whether our path is smooth, or not, whether we toil uphill or saunter along – that is the path fate has given us, and it is life to live facing forward doing the best we can, and hopefully helping, and having fun with others along the way.

That’s my writing, hoping to connect with readers in digital ink.

that's the right way

that’s the right way

Why do I blog? I ask you, why not?

Dive in, the water’s fine – and thanks for reading.

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Every day is a special occasion

Posted on June 8, 2015 by dfolstad58

nm4Every day is a special occasion.

Yes!, it’s up to me (and you) whether the day is celebrated or not.  I know, you had to work, and so did I but still it’s a day to be celebrated.

nm1Why? It’s because of life, because of choice to see our cup as full, because the people we love and care about are with us, because we are breathing, and we live.

There are those days when we get to hug those loved ones who live far away, let’s celebrate those also but let’s celebrate that we are here enjoying those daily moments with our loved ones also. It is especially those moments that we will cherish and understand to be special sometime in the future.

sand between her toes

sand between her toes

Sure I love the holiday memories, but I also love the regular memories, sharing breakfasts, talking over the dinner table, being picked on by my kids, and even the normalcy of doing kitchen chores or cutting grass.

no shirt, no shoes, no worry

My son Dave with me in Oregon 2014

Life really is a journey, a bike ride perhaps, times when we coast, when we climb hills and perhaps times when we are knocked off and get hurt.  Still the journey is ours to absorb, to experience and once only.

Rain, dust, wind are all part of our trip to make the days in the sun more special, but really someday we’ll know that they were all special.

A proud, proud Dad

Me, my daughter Mandy – Oregon 2014

Every day is a special occasion.

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A proud dad thinks back five years ago

Posted on May 31, 2015 by dfolstad58

My beautiful daughter Mandy has nearly been married five years!  I was reminded today of the fun and laughter at the reception when her husband Tyler and his buddies from school were all lip syncing to the Backstreet Boys.  They gathered in a huddle and it was what only can be described as a “HOOT!”

I thought it was really cool, it showed to me many things about this young man who is now family. He has a real sense of fun, he makes good friends, and Mandy and Tyler are a fun, lighthearted duo.  Many more happy memories ahead!

I’m grateful for much in this life and I’ll never forget this song being sung by a group of guys on June 12, 2010.  A special day, June 12, 2010

Music and memories – am I right?

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Driving along singing a song in LA – Buttercup style

Posted on May 31, 2015 by dfolstad58

Los Angeles (LA) is the city of highways or it seems that way to me. I live in a small city, 7 km (4.3 miles) from the south end to the north end and a beautiful (and different) lake on each side.  You might imagine that traffic is not the headache for me as it for folks in big cities.  In fact, I think big city lineups get longer than 7km.

Traffic fixer vehicle

Traffic fixer vehicle

So commuting is a big part of life for urban dwellers, and fantastic it is when people can turn a chore into some special, fun, joyful and uplifting not just for themselves but also for other commuters.

Impossible? Yeah it doesn’t work for everyone but for many people catch the fun of Highway Singalong with TJ.

TJ has a youtube account where he lip syncs to fun songs which he belts out at the top of his lungs and encourages others to sing along with him. I say Bravo to TJ, spreading smiles, and spreading music. Pay it forward like TJ does! 

Today is Build me up Buttercup day!  Watch out if you listen, the tune is catchy 🙂

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