Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Mid-Week Stop and the Author of this Blog

Hello everyone!  A very warm welcome to you all!
I thought I would take some time to share more about myself in this post.  Some of you who have been readers and followers of my blog for a while now may already know what I am about to share, but perhaps you do not, so thank you for listening and for taking the time to read.  :)

I am a minimalist.  I don't need or like to have a lot of "stuff" to make me happy.  In fact, I am happier with less than more, and as long as I have what I need, (and God has always provided), I am very grateful.

I have never smoked or done drugs in my life, and I don't drink alcohol as a rule.  I may have a small glass of wine once a year while sharing a Christmas dinner with friends who have invited me over.  And even then I don't always, so as you see it is very rare that I will drink alcohol.

I struggle with depression but do not "suffer from" it. By this I mean that yes, I do struggle with it occasionally, sometimes minor, sometimes severe, it doesn't control my life.  While it may control my thought patterns when it is at its worst, I try to remind myself that everything I think is not necessarily a fact.  Depression, and those of you who also struggle with it, will know what I mean when I say that it is a liar.  It will make you think things about people and life that are not true.  It will drag you down, but thankfully it is just temporary.  The depression itself is always there, but its effects are temporary...and this is a good thing!  The only thing for myself is that I am also a HSP (highly sensitive person), and when you couple depression with being highly sensitive the effects are deeper and more difficult.  Not every person who struggles with depression is a HSP, and not every HSP deals with depression, but when they are both present in a person it just magnifies everything.  For example, ever since I was a little girl I have been very sensitive to noise and loud sounds, bright lights, (including if the sun is very bright), people's sentiments and moods.  It is because of my dislike and lack of tolerance for loud noise that I avoid parades, concerts and bars and clubs.  And neon lights tend to give me a headache.  

I enjoy reading, (mostly non-fiction), and I love to do crossword puzzles.  I enjoy the mixed variety, such as cryptograms, syllacrostics, etc., and, of course, the regular ones.  I won a few spelling bees in elementary school and although I don't consider myself to be a good writer, I am definitely a good speller.  :)

Although I enjoy time spent with friends, I also enjoy my alone time, which is usually a couple of hours every evening.  I use this time to relax, pray, unwind and do my blog, watch television, enjoy time with my cat, Romeo, (3 year old black and white, green eyed cat), brushing him and just taking time to breathe...and be.  I find my blog to be therapeutic and enjoy sharing things I like with you all, and when I take the time to find the things that I share, it is calming time, well spent.  I don't have any artistic talent like many of you do, but I enjoy seeing the talents in others and letting them know I appreciate their talent(s).  

I love to organize and clean!  The only thing I do NOT enjoy is vacuuming, although I do it because it needs to be done.  I like to clean my kitchen, bathroom, do laundry, but even though I love doing laundry I do not like ironing.  I rarely iron anything, only doing so when I find it necessary.  

If I get a cold, I don't use any over the counter medications, preferring to use natural remedies such as ginger, honey, garlic, onions, plenty of rest, lots of water and tea.  I also use aromatherapy from time to time (such as the scent of lavender) for relaxation and to relieve stress.

Well, that is enough for this post, but I just wanted to share a little bit about myself.  If you would like to learn more and have the time to do so, if you use the search function on my blog at the very top (left hand corner) of my blog, you can type the word 'myself' there and you will find several of my previous posts where I have shared more about myself.  Thank you so much for taking the time to be here!

The videos I have selected for this post are:

Candid Camera Classic:  Kitchen Whiz  :)

QB Takes Friend with down Syndrome to Prom, Fulfilling Elementary School Promise

Squirrel Adopted by Cat Learns to Purr!

Horses at Sunset

For the following, I am providing the link sources beneath each photo.  You just need to click on the images to see a larger view.

Don't be afraid to step our, have dreams, have visions, have hopes and always, always believe in miracles. - Joyce Meyer


Don't lose yourself in fear.


Set your heart on doing good.  Do it over and over again, and you will be filled with joy. - Gautama Buddha


You were born with wings, why prefer to crawl through life? - Rumi


Sometimes things have to fall away...but only to make room for a new season.


If they don't know you personally, don't take it personally.


Be thankful for today, because in one moment, your entire life could change.


Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened. - Anatole France


Let nature be your medicine.


Our planet doesn't need more "successful people." Our planet desperately needs more peacemakers, healers, restorers and lovers of all kinds. - David W. Orr


I like kind people.


Make your emotional health a priority.


Close your eyes.  Listen to only the sound of your breath.  For a full 5 minutes, become nothing but breath.  Your soul will thank you.


Don't let someone's reckless behavior turn you into a recluse.  Vow to become a force to be reckoned with instead!


Thank you all so much for visiting me here!  I always appreciate and enjoy reading your kind thoughts, which you are always welcome to share!

50 comments:

  1. Nice to learn more about you Linda. Enjoy the rest of your week dear heart.

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  2. I am a minimalist too - I just make do with what I have, and be happy with it...and yes, I'm happy. What good does it do a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?

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  3. It was wonderful to get to know you a little better. Take care.

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  4. Hi Linda,

    I hope you are doing fine! Sad to hear about your troubles. I have read about them before, and I hoped they was gone away.

    Lovely video with the adopted squirrel and the cats. Just amazing!

    Flowerhugs

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  5. So kind of QB to look over, care and takes her to the Prom. Heart warming videos of mama cat adopting the squirrel. Nice song and video of the horses. Thank you, Linda for sharing about yourself.

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  6. I enjoyed getting to know more about you :-)

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  7. I don't like owning many stuff, either. What I buy for myself is mostly basic needs like food, bathroom items, cleaning supply, etc. Though, I love buying gift for my kitties, so our home is filled with stuff for kitties :-) I prefer natural remedies, too. I have back problem, but I try to stay away from pain medication.
    Love the kitty and squirrel video. So adorable!

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  8. So nice to know more about you. Thanks for sharing all about you.

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  9. Petits Bonheurs7:56 AM

    Bonjour Linda,
    Merci pour ta longue lettre nous expliquant ta façon de vivre et de voir les choses. Tu as une vie saine et tu as de belles pensées. J'apprécie la personne que tu es et ta grande gentillesse. Je comprends que parfois tu sois dépressive.
    J'ai habité durant 20 ans au Québec et je sais combien les hivers sont longs et rigoureux. Jusqu'aux Fêtes ça va ensuite il faut s'accrocher !
    Merci à toi pour tous ces jolis posts et ta constance à alimenter ton très joli blog. Je t'embrasse

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  10. Hello Linda, great post and it is nice to learn more about you. I learn more today, I did not know much about HSP. Love the videos, especially the horses. Great quotes and inspiring words.
    Happy Wednesday, enjoy your day!

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  11. I appreciate your sharing these little bits of yourself now and then. You never know who might read your story and be encouraged to know they're not alone. I love all the videos today. I'd heard about that young man and his Down Syndrome friend before. The world needs more people like him.

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  12. Thank you for sharing more about yourself Linda. And your posts always brighten my day. :)

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  13. Linda, your post brings up some interesting thoughts on depression, which I too run up against. Have you ever considered yourself as an empath?

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  14. Thank you for sharing more about yourself. I always appreciate your posts with the funny videos and inspirational quotes you choose.

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  15. I always enjoy learning more about you. Thank you for sharing yourself with us.

    Loved the Candid Camera. That was funny.

    The squirrel and the kitties was precious.

    Wow on the horses.

    Have a blessed day my friend. ♥♥♥

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  16. I love your sharing so much, you are like me, I hate ironing too and I like minimalist design and I agree with you blog is therapeutic, thanks for sharing about yourself and I hope you are feeling good and at peace with yourself

    For me, I love to blog and chant Buddhist Sutra during my free time

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  17. I also enjoy doing houseworks, organize and clean and I like to see my house spick and span

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  18. And I enjoy reading just like you too! We have so much in common

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  19. And thank you for sharing, Linda.

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  20. This post was very heartwarming. I always enjoy your videos and quotes. Have a blessed day. Madeline

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  21. You do have artistic talent, Linda ! You love people ! You find the most beautiful things to show us ! Look at the squirrel today... !

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  22. I absolutely loved your post today Linda. I thought I knew you but there's always something new....also very informative and so happy you share them with us!!! Your video about the cat feeding and accepting it to her family is so heartwarming!

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  23. Thank you for the peek into your life. As an HSP I get the parade thing. I hate parades! I think only another HSP can understand why.

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  24. Enjoyed your post very much! I can so relate to being and HSP...I so can relate! : )

    I haven't watched the videos but I know I will enjoy them, I miss the old Candid Camera show. I remember Allan Fudd (spelling?) when I was a little girl. Do you remember the one with the cars splitting in half? *big smile*.

    I really liked the meme of the "I like kind people". Yes! The animals being our friends and families? ...Oh yes, oh yes. That is so nice too that you just unwind and give attention to your cat. So sweet and a life with no regrets. We have many dogs and cats, we have a new rescue kitten, he is white with blue eyes. My daughter found him in a busy road, he had hawk marks on his back, poor little fella. Now he and our hound dog are best friends, the hound dog thinks she is the kitten's mommy. : )

    Enjoyed everything and my visit today! Look forward to the videos. Have a sweet day.

    Blessings!

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  25. Linda en muchas ocasiones no nos cansamos de tener cosas pero las que no utilizamos.
    Por tu salud es normal que no bebas alcohol y drogas pero para ser feliz no hacen falta tomarlas y el alcohol si no es con moderación no es recomendable para nadie. Yo por ejemplo tampoco suelo beber por costumbre.
    El vídeo de la ardilla muy simpático.

    Saludos.

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  26. One thing we sure have in common is the dislike of vacuuming. I still do it since my better says so:))

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  27. Thanks for sharing a bit more about yourself Linda - nice to 'meet' you. :-) I enjoy reading too and mostly non-fiction as well.

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  28. Thanks for sharing somethings about you Linda. I have much in common with you. Another beautiful, meaningful post! Big Hugs!

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  29. Always interesting to learn about people and get to know their likes and dislikes.
    Linda, your postings are always so uplifting. I enjoy both reading and watching what you post...thank you~

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  30. Great quote about being thankful because everything can change. The Candid Camera had me laughing. Those dear ladies tried so hard to make those kitchen tools work...and they were all so gracious! And that bandage on the guy's hand--ah, it was all hilarious!

    Enjoyed learning more about you. Awesome that you are a minimalist and don't drink. And very awesome that you can spell! Spelling isn't exactly a forte of mine, so I am ever so thankful that spell-check was invented! I don't like ironing my clothes either except when absolutely necessary...and I love the relaxing scent of lavender!

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  31. I enjoyed learning more about you. It is good that you can handle your depression as it can become so debilitating. I laughed at the Candid Camera segment. I used to love watching it on TV but there are not many fun shows anymore. The video of the horses was very beautiful – I’d love to be there with them.

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  32. je te remercie pour ces informations personnelles...Linda

    j'apprécie ta façon de vivre beaucoup..

    have a nice day

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  33. Dearest Linda,
    this little 'home' of yours is so very cozy to my heart, I'm blessing the moment in which our paths crossed, wonderful friend of mine, thank you for refreshing my soul every time I visit you here !

    Happy Fall to you,
    wholeheartedly

    Xx Dany

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  34. Thanks for sharing your life stories & it's certainly nice getting to know you more, Linda! I've enjoyed coming here each time reading about your quotes & those awesome videos! xoxo

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  35. Hi Linda,
    ie it nice to read something about yourself. I ehrken very many in your story. I am also HSP and have 2 x had a great depression. At first I used drugs before but I use for several years now No more.

    Hypersensitivity to light, noise and loud sounds, I still have. I have since learned to live and laame therefore not bring more of my piece.

    Nice to read that you are also making progress and are not a drinker or smoker. We are who they are and we have to do, and always make the best of it :-)

    Dear greetings, Helma

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  36. Hi Linda,
    We have so many things in common! I have a migraine right now so I can't be on the computer very long. I'm HSP and deal with depression now and again. Noise? Oh my word! I'll visit again.
    xo
    Pat

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  37. Gosh...I never cease to be amazed how similar we are!
    As you know, I am also a HSP who suffers from depression...and what you say about imagining things about people and situations that are not true is the bane of my life - as, in my case, is self loathing.
    Sometimes I wonder how I've managed to survive this long...but, hey, we're often much stronger than we think, aren't we?!
    Dearest Linda, it is always such a comfort to visit you here - is a lifeline for me. I am really missing you. When I have settled into my coursework, I hope to visit much more often again.
    You are wonderful! :))

    Much Love & Hugs xoxoxo

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  38. Nice to read more about you, Lina !!
    I love my mother cat with her small children and an adopted squirrel :))
    Greetings

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  39. What a wonderful post, Linda! I always love learning more about you!

    We share a number of things in common. I enjoy cryptograms too, actually any kind of word game. I'm a passionate reader, and I could use a lifetime just to read! I'm a minimalist packrat, if such a thing is possible. I don't need much to make me happy, but I do have a lot of photos, letters, diaries, and books. I must have my alone time, or I will get really grouchy. After too much noise and interaction, I have to withdraw and recover.

    I'm not an HSP, but I am ""high strung" and will jump at a loud noise. However, I am certain that my father was an HSP; we just didn't have that term when he was alive.

    I think you a a good writer with a unique, fresh voice. You surprised and delighted me with what you said about depression because you described in a way I had never considered. When I read your words: "...it is a liar. It will make you think things about people and life that are not true," I realized that you are absolutely right! If I get in a depressed funkI am going to confront it with "Liar!" Unfortunately when I am depressed, I do suffer , and I sometimes have to beat back thoughts of suicide.

    Great videos all ~ The squirrel one was jaw-dropping!

    You say you have no artist talent, yet you craft frequent and inspiring blogs that reach hundreds of people. That is an art, my friend!!!

    Sending you a big hug with lots of love!

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  40. Hello dear Linda,
    I hope all goes well with you soon and the depression will go to the past. Try to enjoy the life and try to go out for a walk. I think it's not easy, but good luck!!

    A very nice movie with the candid camera. I must laugh so hard about it.

    Kind regards and a big kiss,
    Marco

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  41. Hello Linda!!!
    I am glad to visit your beautiful blog and thank you for sharing more about yourself.
    Love the inspirational quotes with images. I haven't watched the videos just now, but I will watch them soon and I know I will enjoy them.

    Thank you so much for your nice comment on my Good Fences's post.
    Sending you lots of Hugs and I wish you have a lovely day and a lovely weekend too! :)

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  42. We share something in common: I, too, drink ginger tea. Thanks.

    Greetings from London.

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  43. Thank you so much for sharing more about you here. I am a fairly new visitor to your lovely blog and it does help to get to know you.

    I always enjoy my visits, your choice of video's and quotes - always something different you share.

    Thank you.

    All the best Jan

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  44. A very thought-provoking introspection! If everyone did this for themselves, there would be a lot of self-discovery and learning. Thank you for sharing!

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  45. Oh my gosh. I LOVED this post because it was about you. And that's the best. I loved it. Just wonderful. Thanks for sharing.

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  46. Hi, Linda! Thanks so much for the fantastic personal share today! I love the comment about how depression may control your thought patterns, but that everything you are thinking and feeling may not be as things are. I try to remember that everyday regardless of how I'm feeling because we truly are mostly "uni-dimensionally seeing" humans, whether we are broadly open-minded or not.

    I also very much enjoyed today's quotes - especially about fears, dreams, and to keep on dreaming and doing - without being controlled by our fears. We're never too old to have dreams or aspire to try new things.

    Thanks for your on-line friendship, Linda. Your openness has been a blessing in many ways, and helped me grow as a person.

    lovingly,
    de

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  47. Happy Friday Linda... I too struggle with depression ... as there is a part of me who knows deep down that things are not as bad as I believe them to be when I am in a very low mood... I too find blogging therapeutic... I enjoy getting to know other bloggers... I am happy we got to know each other... xox

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  48. Hi Linda..xo It takes great courage to share something so personal.Your talent is in making people feel that it's alright to be imperfect - we all struggle with something and we shouldn't need to hide that.

    I like kind people. <--- I do too and you are that you me. x

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  49. I can't also control myself, but I am calm whenever I see your blog!!
    Thank you always, Linda!

    akiko
    www.akikohiramatsu.com

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  50. Hi Linda! Thank you so much for leading me to this post. It's such a humble and open description of what you love to do, and how you do struggle sometime. You say depression is a liar, and I totally agree with you. I get down sometimes and the things that I say to myself are just not true.
    I love to get to know my blog friends better, so I really appreciate your honest post. You are a lovely person, which is reflected in your lovely blog.
    Blessings,
    Ceil

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Please do not be shy! I appreciate your kind comments, they are sweet treasures and really make my day! Spammers, do not waste your time, I delete your comments and they do not even show on my blog. Comment moderation is enabled. I do hope that Blogger's changes in the way of proving that you are not a robot do not deter you from commenting! Thank you so much! If you have Google+ and are only allowing Google+ users to comment on your blog, I do not have, nor do I want it. And if you use DISQUS for accepting comments on your blog I don't have that, either, nor do I want it. Thanks!