This Bench, This Spot...

Hi,



This bench was placed by the family of a couple of folks who now have a much different, and likely,  even better view. On the bench lives an unassuming little plaque which simply says, "Welcome to Our Favourite Spot."


This bench, this spot, I believe, carries within its components the power to solve the world's problems, clear cluttered minds, soothe tortured souls, and mend every nature of broken heart.

This bench, this spot, has the power to inspire romance, paintings, songs, poetry, and dreams as big and broad as the endless, dancing skies.


I wish I could bring each and every one of you to this bench, to this spot, so you could share, first hand, in its magic.

Short of that, my hope is that all of you find your bench, your spot, whatever form that may take, wherever that may be.


We, as humans, all need a bench, a spot like this, at different points in our lives.

We need that place of serenity, that place where we can fully breathe. We all have places in which we are comfortable, the places where we can rest and be ourselves, but this is different. You'll know it when you find it. A whole different level of peace.

For some, it's by the water, for some, in the trees. For some, it's in a museum, for some, in a gym. For some, it's in a car with endless miles ahead, for others, in a kitchen, baking cupcakes. For some, it's in a tub, for others, in a book.

Everybody has their bench, their spot, do yourself the incredible favour of finding yours.

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This week marks ten years. Ten years without the laugh, without the grin, without the smart-assed opinions, without our Char. Her fight to stay with us ended just shy of her 46th birthday. Our time on this earth is precious, we need to honour those who left us too soon by really living each day, not just surviving it. 

One of my favourite quotes, and I'm sure Char would love it too... "Life is short, the world is wide, let's make some memories!"

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May you find your place of true solitude, and take the time to visit it often.
May you see, as you do, your breath will unconsciously deepen, your edges, soften.

May you find a way to greet each day with gratitude, especially the ones you know will be hard.
May you find a way to lighten your heart, lift your spirit, even when it feels like it's been charred.

May you find joy between your sunsets, a few smiles, more giggles, even more blissful beats.
May you, as you go through your day, keep in mind this motto, "dance, laugh...repeat"


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www.margyreidbooks.com

Until Then, Just Know, We Miss You...

Hi!


This week has been filled with things to be thankful for.

Time spent with grandbabies, mine, and those of others. Time spent in the absolute splendor that nature provides. Finding my novel on the "picks of the month" shelf in a mall bookstore. Having the opportunity to read my stories to some enthusiastic, fantastic munchkins. Working in a business we have built from the ground up. Getting to do all of these things, and doing them with the best partner in crime anyone could ask for by my side.


This week has also been filled with its fair share of crazy.


What the people who are living in these horrible fire zones are going through, is crazy. The fact that news outlets are finding it necessary to band together to fight for the survival of their first amendments rights, is all kinds of crazy. The idea that any one nation needs to manufacture some delusion of power by creating a "Space Force" explores some absurd, frontier of crazy where no man has gone before.


It's like certain people exist in some sort of alternate realm, one in which facts are all-of-a-sudden relative, and, like beauty, are subject to the "eye of the beholder"?! One in which the non-existence of a recording of a President of the United States using the N-word can't be guaranteed by his staff. One in which 500 children are still in the wind at the hand of said president, and all he can find to talk about is how he has the capability to punish people for verbalizing their distaste in his actions. One in which investigating evidence of interference into their electoral process is somehow a personal insult to the guy who sits in the White House.



Yes, this week has seen its share of crazy, and what is even crazier is that it's likely to get a lot crazier before the dust settles.


As we, the rest of the world, deal each day with our own national imperfections, of which there are plenty, we can't help but wonder what our friend, the United States will be like on the other side of this.



Until then, just know, we miss you.




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May you find a way to weather the storm, heal from the hurt, live with the scars left behind.
May you, once again, find your smile, rediscover what binds you, find that visions, though different, can align.

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www.margyreidbooks.com   

That Leaves The Rest.....

Hi,



Right now it seems like almost half the world is on fire and another big chunk is in turmoil over a plethora of other issues.



That leaves the rest.


The rest is filled with long walks on old bridges, drifting in lakes, bike rides, back-to-school plans, birthday parties, skateboard falls, pick up games, swimming pools, camping, street festivals, weddings and other get-togethers with family and friends.

The rest is paying bills, buying groceries, planning meals, cleaning house, painting sheds, doing laundry, clearing clutter, staining decks, working long hours, cutting grass, and talking about how hot it is.

The rest is making the most of each day. The rest is being grateful. The rest is showing compassion to those who are living in fear.


For those who don't dwell among the rest, my hope of hopes is that peace, serenity, and safety soon find you.


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Now, with all seriousness aside, I would like to take a moment to acknowledge what a cruel joke it is for nature to combine peri-menopausal hot-flashes with 40+ degree temperatures! For my American friends, that translates to about 104F.

There are places in the world where these kind of temperatures are pretty common, here, they happen very rarely.

I'm beginning to think nature isn't so much a 'Mother' as a 'Mommy Dearest.'


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Sorry to write and run, but I'm running on caffeine and fumes, and seriously contemplating grabbing a popsicle, a book and taking a nice long soak in a tub full of ice cubes.....


Until next time.....


May peace find you where you stand, where you fall, wherever you find your soul.
May your fears subside, in their stead, the courage and confidence needed to again make you whole.

May safety find you sooner than later, until then, hold those most dear close to your chest.
May you soon awaken to find yourself boringly running errands among us, the rest.

Maybe Not So Much A Drama Queen As A Drama Screen.....

Hi!


At a time when the world seems to be bursting at the seams with negativity, it becomes increasingly important to pay specifically close attention to the good stuff. Simple things like flowers, grinning toddlers, water fights with grandbabies,  sunsets,  thunderous summer storms, the smell of freshly cut grass, or biting into that oh-so-perfect strawberry.


There are some out there who seem to thrive on drama. If they can't find it, they create it. They seem to live under the assumption that the most horrible conclusion is always the most likely. That the person at the other end of the phone didn't answer because they are ignoring them, not because they were taking a shower, or charging their phone, singing, tap dancing, or honing their juggling skills. They think that the server at the restaurant is standing in the back chatting and having a party instead of bringing their glass of water. They always seem to be at the ready to assume the very worst of people.

I don't believe anyone is born seeking negativity. I believe the people who end up wired this way, have had life experiences that, bit by bit, have altered the way they see others and life in general.

Every single one of us is shaped by our life experiences. Yet, each individual reacts differently to these experiences, and processes them in different ways. What traumatizes one, may roll off the back of another. What may cause one to cower may make another vehemently hold their ground. Although I don't believe any one of us is born seeking negativity, I do believe some of us are far more susceptible to having it soak into, and stain, the fabric of who we become.


We all wear our badges of survival in our own unique and individual ways. We are screens that reflect the script of our experiences. That script could read as a cartoon, a romantic comedy, a satire, a drama or a horror show,  and that's just me.......this week


Life can be tough, sometimes. Let's try to be a bit more patient, a bit more understanding. Let's spend more time helping each other find the funny and less time trying to find new and inventive ways to torment each other.

If you feel the uncontrollable need to poke the bear, do us all a favour and use a feather.




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May you find some funny and share it, spread it like a wildfire on a hot and windy day.
May you bring a smile to a stranger's face, it's not hard, where there's a will, there's always a way.

May you, if you tend toward seeing the darkness in people, give it a second thought.
Maybe those you encounter are inherently nasty, but then again, maybe they're not!

May you, if you tend to ride unicorns, give some understanding to those who come off as mean.
May you recall we are all reflections of our experiences, they may be not so much a drama queen, as a drama screen.



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Until next time....  www.margyreidbooks.com