Stubborn or Determined?

challengesI’ve often thought of myself as a stubborn person, especially when I lose something. I become quite fixated until I have looked everywhere twice or until I find it. But this characteristic isn’t necessarily a bad one. I also don’t give up easily or quickly when circumstances are against me or when I don’t feel well. I rarely missed work during most of my career, and it was rare that I missed more than a day sick when I was in school.

I think many times people are tempted to give up, and they give in to that feeling. I encourage people not to moved to quit by their feelings. Whether it is a course you are studying, a job commitment, a volunteer role you have taken – if you don’t give in to feelings which are transient, the majority of the time you are glad you persisted. In persisting you meet goals for yourself, you don’t let others or yourself down.

hanggliderGetting out of your comfort zone, improving yourself and achieving a goal takes a battle of sorts, climbers struggle to reach a peak, and the temptation to stop or walk down is definitely there. But climbers don’t think about the struggle when they stand at the top, and look at the panorama below them; they just enjoy their success.

Success is there for us also, know you can stubbornly stay the course, never losing determination.

You can do it, the feeling to quit will pass if you hold to your vision.

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Cashew Corn Soup with Broccoli Puree

I love this recipe, just a few ingredients, nothing too rare you wouldn’t have it in your kitchen. I already have a soup planned for tonight but I will be trying this one soon.

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Why This Dog Goes To Church Every Week Broke Me Down. I Wish He Could Understand.

This story will touch your heart, period.

Wilfred's avatarEverything About Jared

It’s not every day you’ll see a dog in church, but in the small town of San Donaci near Brindisi, Italy, it’s a regular occurrence. A 12 year-old German Shepherd named Tommy goes to Mass nearly every day and sits patiently by the altar. He goes there out of love, he is just waiting for his master. But the real story behind his reason will break your heart

The reason Tommy attends Mass at this church is because it’s where he last saw his owner.

The reason Tommy attends Mass at this church is because it's where he last saw his owner.

Her funeral was held here.

Her funeral was held here.

Now, he diligently waits for his master to come back. He curls up by the altar to wait for Maria.

Now, he diligently waits for his master to come back. He curls up by the altar to wait for Maria.

Tommy is there every day and waits patiently through all of the church services, keeping a silent watch and waiting for her.

Tommy is there every day and waits patiently through all of the church services, keeping a silent watch and waiting for her.

The loyalty and love dogs possess is unlike anything else in the universe. Nothing breaks my heart more…

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You Sunk My Battleship

Manning Park February 2012

Manning Park February 2012

Growing up I didn’t have to walk knee-deep in snow ten miles uphill to and from school each day but my childhood was certainly different from the current generation.

Happiness doesn’t depend on any external conditions, it is governed by our mental attitude.

I am glad for the lack of electronics then as I live now in that age but also have the benefit of having grown up without it and memories of simpler activities.

I can appreciate colour tv because when I was young, tv was black and white. I hope you are sitting down for this, I’m not kidding, no remote control, really. If you wanted to change the channel you had to walk over and do it yourself, same with volume.  We only had a handful of channels anyway.

I can appreciate cell phones because when I was young, they didn’t exist and our phone had a dial.

battleshipBefore I get carried away with the differences, and get all verbose, the title of this post is “you sunk my battleship”.  You may know the game where two people fire imaginary shots at the other player’s hidden ships.  My Dad and I played this game with hand drawn grids on sheets of paper. I see that now as a privilege to have learned to have played games with not much more than paper and pens.

My Dad also bought balsa wood for me and taught me to make kites by hand with newspaper, string and with the right wind I flew them at the park two blocks from our home in East Vancouver.

paper kite

Playing hide and seek in the yard with other kids, riding my bike, shooting peas through straws, water pistols, and playing catch are the memories of my youth. I did watch tv as well but in my mind it was fairly balanced childhood between tv and outside activity.

I hope you have memories like I have, some special activities with your family growing up that are special, they are yours forever, share them, cherish them like I do my sunk battleships.

Simple Life Song – Love these two! Song Lyrics click here!

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The Best Medicine of all

rhino artistThere was a time I spent a great number of hours, days, weeks and months in the hospital, for several years in a row. It was long ago now and I was stationed in a hospital room with 3 other people and we shared the washroom.

It could have considered fairly depressing.

For nominal privacy we could have a sheet pulled around our corner of the room but of course the sheet was 6 feet tall, didn’t reach the floor and didn’t reach the ceiling, and it certainly didn’t  create soundproofing.

When you are seriously ill though, privacy diminishes in value as you have bigger fish to fry.

All my life I have enjoyed telling jokes, and stories. I cherished Readers Digest magazines and the section called “Laughter, The Best Medicine.”  The jokes were always repeatable to any audience, easily embellished (I had lots of time to work on that) and it was great to help the staff smile as they dealt with patients, and each other.

Looking back, my habit of learning a joke or two each day was helpful to my mind and I believe also to my immune system. Every day I told the jokes to doctors, nurses, other patients, visitors, and of course my family. It lightened everyone’s day, and we smiled.

How nice to smile and help others to smile as you saw the concern in their eyes.

A sense of humor… is needed armor. Joy in one’s heart and some laughter on one’s lips is a sign that the person down deep has a pretty good grasp of life.

Most of us right now probably don’t face a situation like the one I experienced, but here where the story becomes meaningful.  We all need laughter in our lives, no matter what the situation.  I hope you will allow me to recommend to you that you memorize a funny story or two so you can pull them out unexpectedly, and inject the best medicine into someone’s day.

You never know when you will be sitting on a bench, and there beside you will be someone you will be able share a smile with, which you will both enjoy.

You could make their morning, a stranger sharing a chuckle, unexpectedly.

Lightening their heart will be the best medicine of all, for both of you.

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The Falcon & The Branch

Dilbert, Snoopy and Calvin and Hobbes rule. I reblogged because I enjoyed this post and it has a message.

morningstoryanddilbert's avatarMorning Story and Dilbert

Morning Story and Dilbert Vintage Dilbert
March 21, 2001

Once there was a king who received a gift of two magnificent falcons. They were peregrine falcons, the most beautiful birds he had ever seen. He gave the precious birds to his head falconer to be trained.

Months passed, and one day the head falconer informed the king that though one of the falcons was flying majestically, soaring high in the sky, the other bird had not moved from its branch since the day it had arrived.

The king summoned healers and sorcerers from all the land to tend to the falcon, but no one could make the bird fly.

He presented the task to the member of his court, but the next day, the king saw through the palace window that the bird had still not moved from its perch.

Having tried everything else, the king thought to himself, “May be I need someone…

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