Monday Went to bed just after 8 last night. How is that for preparing for the week. The weekend was relaxing and unproductive, just like time off is supposed to be. Netflix was my friend on Saturday. Bingeing YOU, couch, blanket, furbaby. I got out of my pajamas long enough to shower and wash my hair. Then put them right back on. My excuse? (Like I need one) It was cold outside. Sunday was a relaxing day. Not near as casual as Saturday. I put real clothes on, socks and shoes too. I hate wearing socks, but it was still cold out. We spent the better part of the day with friends. A show, nice dinner and conversation. Good for the soul. Spending time with people you genuinely like. Finding friends that think like you, same values, same every day issues is refreshing and good for your well being and sanity. A good weekend makes the new week seem like a piece of cake. Ready to be devoured and washed down with ice cold milk. Easy peasy. Of course every day starts with coffee and a little meditation. Focusing on how my day will pan out. I am in control of my destiny and my happiness. So let’s do this! Grab a refill on your coffee. And go slay the day!
I have a lot of miles on me. I have probably rolled my odometer a time or two. But I am what Troy calls a classic. Vintage Don’t make them like that anymore. Yep, thats me! Lots of miles but full of fuel! Running on all cylinders! I am not garage kept. I’ve seen my share of storms. I am all original equipment. A little worn, discolored, a scar here and there, but pretty damn solid. I do make sure my top gets a fresh coat of red to remind me of the good old days. Sure I could use a little restoration but I am comfortable as an all numbers matching and a little, ok, a lot of patina. Underneath it all, I am still reliable, low maintenance, economical and a hot rod when I want to be. I will keep racking up the miles for as long as this engine will last. Regular tune-ups keep me purring! Rawr! I have many more roads to travel and they won’t be guaranteed highway miles. Either way, I will continue to enjoy the scenery and the ride of my best life. Love big Lorene
Brrr a little frost on the pumpkins again this morning. Guess that means I need to wear a bra. And socks. Ugh I am excited for spring to arrive with cool breezes and beautiful flowers. It would be wonderful if it were spring and fall year round. Or would it? There is a reason for each season. Each one with its own mission. For me to accept winter, I remember how beautiful everything looks with a fresh blanket of snow. Before anyone drives or walks through it. The moonlight bouncing off of every single snowflake. Remembering how each flake is unique. How fragile each one is alone. But when they come together they are a force to be reckoned with. Something so fragile can shut down entire cities. But most importantly, a good hard freeze kills or puts into hibernation all the annoying bugs! Mosquitoes mostly. I can put up with the inconveniences of winter. Even wearing socks in exchange for a dead mosquito. There is always good in everything. You just have to look for it. Moaning about what you don’t like just brings it front and center. Why shine a light on that? Push forward that bright spot in the day! Share it with others. Spread the light! Today I will rejoice about dead mosquitoes and warm toes. And dream of fresh flowers and cool breezes, with patience and anticipation. All the while, I will love big, you do the same. Lorene
Touch It can change everything. Hugs There is nothing better than a long, strong hug. Hugs can be healing. They can reduce stress. They are calming. It’s amazing how having someone elses arms around you for 60 seconds or less can make the world disappear. Problems seem nonexistent. Fear dissipates. Nothing else exists at that moment. A way of saying I care without uttering a word. Hand holding There seems to be some security that comes with holding hands. You feel united. You get the feeling they will catch you if you fall. Pull you up when needed. A way of connecting you to one another. Being together. Letting each other know you are there. This goes for groups too. Holding hands, making a wall of protection together. A circle in prayer, united in Christ, brotherly love. Snuggling Bodies touching, hugs, hand holding all wrapped into one. The ultimate trust touch. Closing your eyes letting the other watch over you. Keeping warm, sharing space. Letting the worries of the day float away. Not just for lovers. Friends snuggle. Furbabies snuggle. It’s a bond. We crave human touch. At least I do. I will hug you hello and good bye. Stranger or friend. I’ll hold your hand if you need me to. Need to decompress? We can snuggle, watch a movie and just hold each other and make the world a better place at least for 1 hour 47 minutes, credits included. Touch my hand Touch my heart I hope you get at least one hug today and give one also. Change everything. Lorene
Monday! Yes, get excited about it! It’s the second day of the week, first of the workweek. So all this time we actually start and end the week resting. Sounds good to me! It is fun to post the dreaded Monday memes, and share a laugh or two. However, Monday is a new beginning. A fresh start to the week. The day you lay out your plans for the rest of the week. Gather your thoughts and prepare yourself for a productive week. A day to see your work family and exchange stories of your weekend escapades. Monday is actually the Jumpstart you need. Admit it, that Monday morning first cup of coffee is always the best. Seeing all the laundry done is also a motivator. You are ready to conquer the world today! Mon, in French means MY. MYday. Why yes, yes it is! So instead of dissing Monday, try embracing the day. From the moment your eyes open, start with a thank you. Imagine the way you want your day go as you lay with your head still on your pillow. Inhale deep all the possibilities and exhale the anxiety and worries. Sit up on the edge of your bed. Lookie there, your first sit up of the day! Inhale deep once more and exhale. Did you dream last night? Think about it for a minute. No? Just sit still and listen to the house noises. You never want to just pop up out of bed and hit the floor running. It could actually cause a stroke. Ready??? Make your bed, if no one is in it of course. Well, well, well. One sit up Made the bed. BOOM! 2 Items off the to do list and I haven’t even gotten dressed yet. Coffee is next on my agenda. And putting down my thoughts. Have a wonderful day! Embrace and enjoy this Monday like it’s your last. And scroll the Monday memes. They are always good for a giggle, and thats a great way to start the day. Love big Lorene
I have no words of wisdom this morning. No motivational quotes. I want to take a minute and talk to my Life Partner, Troy Wood. I tell you everyday I love you, usually through out the day. I tell you how safe I feel in your arms, how comfortable I am with you. You know I depend on you for my sanity and your encouraging words. I tell you how much you mean to me in so many ways, lover, friend, companion. Sometimes i just take for granted you know what I’m thinking, or feel. So let me say this outloud. I AM PROUD OF YOU. I am proud of the man you are. I am proud of you for getting up 6 days a week to work and make sure we have a life filled with all our needs. I am proud of you for helping those that will never be able to return the favor, and those that have no desire to. When doing so, you expect nothing even when it means your work day is longer to make up the time. I am proud of you for being head strong and not wavering from your beliefs, religious, political, however you stand, you are a man of God and Country. I am proud of you for never giving up. Life has thrown you some major curveballs and you keep pushing your way through it. I’m proud of the father you strive to be. Tough love at times, but always there. Teaching lessons to help your children survive life’s curveballs. I’m proud of the mentor in you. Being there for those who just need a figure in their lives that show them they control their destiny. Every decision has consequences and you share your failures so that they may learn and travel a better and easier road than you. I am proud of your talent and love of building classic cars. The pride you put into each one, your soul sends a piece of itself out with each one. Your desire for perfection. Each car simple, beautiful and complex. I am proud of how we have grown together. Each of us peeling layers off with each other neither of us trusted anyone else to see. I am proud to be your life partner. We are not just married, a piece of paper can make or break that. You are my life partner, the one i will spend eternity annoying. We are forever. I am proud to be yours and call you mine. I am proud you are secure in our relationship that I can be me, you can be you and we can be us. I am proud to be here with you. So if I’ve never said it out loud, here it is. I want you and the world to know how I feel about the man that I love. Why i beam when we are walking arm and arm, why i wake with a smile on my face. The reason I am not afraid of what life throws my way. I love you Big Daddy, way behind my back. And i am so proud of you. Sweet Momma Lorene
When you are alone and everything is quiet, what do you hear? Your own voice in your head? Did you hear that? Self pointing out that humming sound you cant recognize. It has a rhythm, so surely it’s not someone hiding in the closet. Too mechanical sounding and perfect. No one hums perfectly. I can hear myself swallow. I kind of slurp my hot coffee when no one is around. I think it cools it off a bit. The tinkle of the spoon in the cup as I stir before each drink. It almost sounds like a little bell. My entire body seems to make sounds loud enough to wake the dead. I sound like a box of rice krispies. SNAP, CRACKLE, POP!! My neck, back, jeeze its loud in here! I can hear Troy breathing heavy while he sleeps in the other room. The sound of Maddies tag jingle as she gets comfortable in my warm spot. My brain tends to go into overdrive planning out the day, I sometimes even argue with myself. In my head. At least its just one voice. I never know what or if I’m going to write something in the morning. What I may find fascinating you may think I’m adding whiskey to my coffee. The subject can be about something that happened during the week and made me think a little deeper. Most of the time I start and end up writing something totally different. It’s like I have no control over my thoughts. My thumbs just type out of habit, putting down what my brain tells it to whether it makes sense or not. Someone asked me the other day, what’s wrong with me. How can I get up so early and write a book. My answer? I dont know. I wish I could do it for a living. Lol I just hear myself early in the morning, and self tries to motivate me away from the coffee pot. Tells me clothing is not optional and I must interact with other humans, not just furbabies. My head is full of self conversation and I feel the need to write it down, a way of making room up there for more thoughts. And of course giving you a glimpse of how my crazy brain works. Unedited I’m now being told I must get up and moving. SNAP my way to the bathroom, CRACKLE into some clothes and POP on over to work. Have a blessed day my friends. Lorene
I just don’t feel today. It’s been a long week. Very long. Going in early to play catch up has been exhausting. I am surprised I made it through a full work day and then some. I am sipping my coffee, wrapped in a blanket on the couch. I thought about sleeping in today but figured that wouldn’t be a good idea. Getting up and moving helps. I did sleep better and had crazy dreams all night. I checked the weather to help decide my wardrobe for the day. Damn! Socks again! I scrolled Facebook this morning and hid a few posts from my page, scrolled by some after reading a few words. Hate is not the way I start my day. I stop and take in all the beautiful pictures, good mornings and good nights I missed after I went to bed. I heart a few and comment here and there. I will not invest my precious time reading negativity written with a hateful heart. I will love that person, pray they can harness the emotion and express their opinion in a way I would read it and try to understand. Freedom of speech which I believe in, doesn’t mean I have to listen or read it. I have the power to move on. I won’t argue your opinion, because it is just that, opinion. I have one also. And I can agree to disagree. And still love you. But I can’t agree with socks every day. My puppies like their freedom! Stretch my toes, take my shoes off and feel the hard wood or soft carpet beneath me….ahhh! One bare foot out from under the covers can regulate my temperature all night too! Amazing! Maybe I need to get some cute socks. Some that will entertain me until I get home. Wild socks under my work slacks that say I am not always all business. Meh…. Come on spring! I hope your feed today is filled with lots of love, beautiful pictures and funny socks. Things that make you laugh out loud until you cry and your stomach hurts. Something that reminds you of your beauty, talents and purpose. And leaves you with a smile. Love big my friends and write about it. We know there is good and evil out there, let focus on the good. Love you big! Lorene
Quiet, dark and coffee. Sometimes I wish I had longer, but the clock keeps moving and the light grows outside. Crazy how much faster time moves when you get older. Some days seem to last forever but the years, wow, they fly by. I remember celebrating America’s bicentennial. 1976 I was a 6th grader at Roosevelt elementary in Lawton Oklahoma. 44 years ago 44! February 1983. Lawton Oklahoma I’m in a ward room scheduled to have my daughter. Watching TV, trying to pick a name. Scared. Alone. I didnt make anyone proud that year except me. I was proud. January 1989. Neu Ulm Germany Another hospital room surrounded by German nurses who barely spoke English, and my husband that translated so I wasnt so confused. Another proud moment. Not alone, but Just as scared. February 2003 Married my life partner. It’s been an adventure, but flying by oh so fast. May 2003 My first grandchild. The moment she was in my arms, she became my Ladybug. That was 16 years ago. Yesterday, I swear. If only life had a pause button. And a rewind, I’d play it over and over. That would be worth binging. 55 seasons of the life of Lorene. 🤣 What a reality show that would be. The Kardashians have nothing on me! You, yeah you, don’t worry, I’ll change the names to protect the innocent. ❤ Well, get out there and start living! Go be your own reality show star. I need more coffee…. Lorene
Well, it’s back to the norm. First full week of the new year. No more holidays tucked away in the middle of the week. Unless someone declares Wednesday a National holiday. All the work you left on your desk is there waiting for some attention. Grinning at you like a Cheshire cat. Back to the grind. Back to the norm. Or is it? Things change every day. There is always something new. Never the norm. Like this ear ache I woke up to at 2:30 this morning, ugh. It has altered my day already. The door separating my bathroom and closet is stuck, I’m having to alter my normal morning routine going around and thru my bedroom, trying hard not to wake Troy. I am in my quiet place this morning with my coffee, enjoying the house sounds, but missing some early messaging. The coffee is warm and smooth to the taste, but each swallow reminds me of the pain in my ear. Someone will be starting today without a loved one. Without the physical presence they have had almost a lifetime. Learning to live without them. Someone is starting a new career, bigger and better than the last, a job with promise, benefits and more money. Someone will be attending a new school, knowing no one, scared and nervous. Someone will have their boots on foreign soil, fulfilling a promise to protect, serve and guard our freedoms. God bless and protect them. A life will start today, somewhere with people around to snap pictures and brag. A life will end, alone, unnoticed. Everyday can be the norm. Get up, get moving. Get out…. The same routine. But living life is far from routine. Take what life throws and build with it! Lemons, rocks, daisies…. Use them to build your castle so you can drink lemonade or whiskey sours while watching the flowers grow. Never be normal. Lorene
