Fairytales from Pixieland

A tiger doesn't change their stripes. We have all heard this and variations of it. A Rose is a Rose. Yet some people try to change their names, have surgery done, get makeovers and still they are the same within.  The last post spoke of those who complain about things or tell you not to, you can't or whatever comes to mind, yet they themselves have done nothing to fix the situation, help or let alone institute a change.  The other end of the spectrum is those who try too hard to change everything about themselves, but either they forget, ignore or simply don't know that the biggest changes come from within. We have seen the person who goes to the salon, pays out in excess for a tan from the tanning beds, changes their hair color, gets cosmetic surgeries galore- to change their nose, reduce wrinkles, enlarge their breasts, remove fat and all for naught, because they are still the same person on the inside. Same personality, same intelligence (or lac...

Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be. - Shel Silverstein Certainly words to live by. Why is it we all pick the most negative things about ourselves and dwell on them? Is that going to change them or make them go away?  Not unless we do something about it, they won't.  If we are overweight or eat a horrid diet, we can get off our couch and excercise, change what we pick up at the market or keep feeling bad about being overweight... If we don't like the way something is going or has turned out- we can either offer suggestions to help, offer to go back and fix it or keep quiet about our opinions and live with the results. If you have not done anything to help initiate the change- you have no ground to stand on when it comes to complaints.  When we are the one doing the work and under ...

What is it that drives some people to the point of being so completely bitter and nasty that they feel the need to insult others? Are they attempting to bring everyone down to their level? Are they trying to elevate their own stature by doing this?   I have watched a person from a safe distance, over the past few months become so bitter and nasty, a person who is never happy, always in a foul mood. I have watched as they lashed out at others and been so incredibly mean and downright nasty, that I can honestly say- I don't even know who they are anymore. As a friend- it is sort of a 'duty' to try to stop them before they fall. Are they one of those 'toxic friendships' as discussed in another post? Certainly.  At some point, you have to distance yourself from the 'toxic friends' in order to maintain your own sanity. Like beggets like.  Their negativity attracts negativity. Things will go wrong, it will spiral as it circles the drain an...

There are times in life when we are given the gift of knowledge of how to proceed, where to go to find answers and when to do what needs to be done. But sometimes we find the very answers to our troubling questions have been there all along. We have just ignored them, forgotten them or maybe even banished the very thought.  How could we know the answers, yet still beat our head on the wall while repeatedly asking the question? When the light of a new day dawns and we see for the first time in a long time, what needs to be done, where we go from here to get it done and that the tools to do the job are in our reach- it is reassuring, has a calming effect and at the same time is inspiring, uplifting and enlightening. Our burdens are lifted, if even for a little while, our energy levels boosted and we take on a whole new light.  We exude confidence, strength and happiness. And yet sometimes we come back to that same wall we beat our heads on and ask WHY?  We bea...

"I've learned so much from my mistakes... I'm thinking of making a few more!" Haven't we all been there?  If we don't learn from our mistakes, we are doomed to repeat them.  They are there, our mistakes. The failures we learned from and the lessons they teach us.  We don't learn from the things that come easy to us, we learn by the trials and tough times life throws our way. Still some people live in a reality world of their own making. One where truth or consequences have nothing to do with responsibility or accountability.  A world void of black or white because it is made up of gray matter. Half truths, omitted details and sugar coating are the mainstays of their home life. They thrive on deceit and take pride in taking advantage. Our lessons are not their lessons, but that doesn't stop them from trying. They try their mightiest to take credit, talk the talk and run with the big dogs.  Sad part of it is, they are way out of their league...

Lately I have seen a lot of small patches of blue sky through a gap in the clouds. It reminds me each time, that there are always good things to come. One of my many books at home in the library has an old proverb in it that says, "Into every life, a little rain must fall."  As much rain as we get in my hometown, I still embrace it each time the skies open up and the rain comes down.  While it may seem drab & dreary to others when the skies are grey and overcast, I choose to look at it a bit differently.  The clouds may block out the sun, but they also bring the rain. With the rain, the flowers will spring forth and blossom.  So the next time it is looking a bit grey outside and everyone thinks it is another dark and dismal day, look up and see if you can find a patch of blue sky through the clouds.  It is there for those who look and choose to see it. It is a sign that there are brighter days to come. 

As it is known throughout the shipping and marine industry, the captain is always the last one off the ship and when worse comes to worse, he even goes down with the ship.  Oh Captain, My Captain is a poem written by the late Walt Whitman. It is about the Captain lying dead on the deck as his ship returns to the dock one last time. In life we are each our own Captain. We guide things along, see to it that our vessel is seaworthy and our crew competent. Their safety is in our hands as long as we are on the water.  We try to keep things on an even keel, pray for smooth sailing and when the storms hit- we look to the horizon for the sun and land, hoping the journey will soon be over. When the ship finally docks in safe harbors, we breathe a sigh of relief. But at some point we feel the itch to hit the seas again, turning the wheel and heading for open waters... But there are ships out there that shouldn't b...