I think that a business’s name is more important than its logo, the reason I say that is because businesses change their logo’s frequently and a business’s name should not change. A logo is just as important and changing it can be a positive thing, like a reinvention, or a new way to market itself but, I think when businesses change their names it implies something negative, like a dissolving of partners, bankruptcy that leads to take overs or that they are trying to change a negative image. So its important to put a lot of thought into the naming of a business, there are many factors to consider like does it convey what the business does, is it memorable, and is it easy to pronounce and spell.
Spring or Fall
If I had to choose between spring and fall, I would choose fall as it’s my favorite season. All my favorite things happen in the fall, changing leaves, digging out the hoodies after a long hot summer, bon fires under star filled moonlit nights, and last but not least my favorite holiday Halloween. I self-describe as spooky, I love horror movies, and scary stories. I am fascinated with macabre and collect anything I can find with skulls and skeletons. I find peace and serenity in old graveyards and have been known to sit there alone in the wee hours of the night. Some have called me strange and weird but I don’t mind, as a matter of fact I embrace it. I’ve often been asked why I have such a fascination with skulls and skeletons and I think it’s because it’s the part of us that is the most difficult to destroy and will go on long after our souls depart and our flesh decays.
Coffee, $3.00 vs .30
I used to think coffee was pretty much all the same and up until a little over a year ago I thought anyone willing to spend 3-5 dollars for coffee was ridiculous. Then one day a friend offered to take me to Starbucks. It was then that I discovered not all coffee was the same, some coffee can indeed touch your soul and leave you wondering if this could be the same feeling a drug addict experiences. And much like an addict Starbucks has destroyed my life as that .30 cent cup of coffee I make at home just doesn’t cut it anymore. The pandemic has been my intervention and if I’m lucky enough time will pass that I will forget the way it’s robust flavor filled me with immense joy.
Trying Times
In the 45 years that I have been on this earth I don’t think any one event has affected my life and the lives of those around me such as this current event that is the COVID-19 pandemic. As this plays out, each day seems to bring news that’s worse than the day before. I long for the day that we receive some positive news. Social distancing for me has been a piece of cake as that is my norm but the uncertainty about the future looking forward can be hard to deal with.
My heart goes out to all the people out there that like myself struggle with depression and anxiety. This has taken a toll on the mental health of the strongest of us all and the struggle to keep things together is a common goal but for those of us that deal with these feelings everyday it can be hard to accept the challenges these times have put upon us. I consider myself fortunate that at this moment my loved ones are all well and have the things essential for daily living but as I’m sure many others are, we are scared. How will the virus affect us when we become exposed? Will we continue to be able to put food on the table? how long will the effects of the loss of income last? Will we be able to buy Christmas presents this year….will we all be at the table? Questions I’m sure have crossed the minds of many.
I remind myself everyday that I can only deal with one day at a time, and how each day that I’m confined within these walls with my loved ones should be cherished and not looked on as irritating, at least we are here and we are together. If I could ask the world to do one thing besides washing their hands it would be to reach out to the people you know that are alone and in need of human contact, we need each other now more than ever.
10 ways to reduce the spread of the corona virus and other illnesses. # 7 may shock you.
- The best and most effective way to prevent any illness including the corona virus is by washing your hands properly. Hands should be washed after using the restroom, before and after eating, after touching animals, after coming into contact with bodily waste or fluids and after handling trash. Start by wetting your hands with warm (not hot) water, apply a dime size amount of soap and lather for 20 seconds being sure to get in between fingers. Most germs are found on fingertips and underneath fingernails so gently massage the palm of your hands with your fingertips to get soap under nails. Do not shake excess water from hands and avoid turning off the faucet with clean hands, instead use a paper towel or if one is not available shut faucet off with your elbow or your forearm.
2. Avoid touching your face.
3. Get plenty of rest.
4. Eat healthy.
5. Keep your distance from visibly sick people if possible, six feet or more is recommended
6. Keep fingernails trimmed, and use hand sanitizer when handwashing is not available.
7. Masks are not recommended in the prevention of sickness as they are not guaranteed to protect you from becoming infected. They are recommended for people who are already sick and for medical staff as they have been instructed how to wear them properly.
8. If you are sick stay home, especially if you are running a fever.
9. Cover your cough or sneeze, if you don’t have a tissue handy to cover your face turn your head and aim towards the inside of your elbow.
10. Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces, a person is more likely to contract a virus from touching a contaminated surface than from airborne droplets. Viruses may remain on surfaces such as glass, metal and plastic for 2 hours to 9 days.
Parenting Adult Children…take a deep breath.
“I’m done!” I exclaimed as I stormed off and slammed my bedroom door. As I sat there on the edge of my bed, I felt the sting as the tears started to well in my eyes, why can’t she see that I’m just trying to help? I’m her mother for gods’ sakes, it’s my job to step in when I see her making mistakes right? My mind quickly thought of my own mother, I lost her 15 years ago and like many times since she’s been gone, I thought about how I would have given almost anything to be able to call her right now to ask for her advice. Although she is gone I can still imagine the conversation we would have, I would complain about my 23 year old daughters stubbornness about how she raises her kids and how my 25 year old son refuses to take my advice when it comes to dealing with his soon to be ex-wife, it goes in one ear and out the other, and then my mom would say how she is reminded of similar young woman 20 years ago and I would know she was referring to me.
My daughter moved back home almost 3 years ago, shortly after the birth of her first child and my son moved back last April after he and his wife decided to separate. I welcomed it with open arms. My daughter has 2 children that live with us, and my son has 2 children that he shares custody with their mother so I loved the idea of being able to be a bigger part of all their lives. It didn’t take long before we learned that this living situation was going to come with its challenges, how do I just sit back and watch a train derail without trying to flag down the conductor.
When they were teenagers, they could tell me anything and they did, how is it that as adults they are dismissing my advice. I may never know or understand. It wasn’t until I lost both parents that I understood how invaluable they were to my life, maybe that’s just the way it has to be. I know there are a lot of us out there who’s adult children returned to the nest and I assume they are dealing with similar situations. I am finding it impossible to keep my 2 cents to myself, yes, they are adults but am I not entitled as their mother and obligated to try to steer them in the right direction? And more importantly how do I achieve this without them resenting me for not giving them room to make their own mistakes. In some aspects this seems harder than when they were young.
So, when do you offer advice or know when to keep your mouth shut? An age-old question that I’m sure many other parents of adult children ponder and probably will till the end of time. My advice for all you moms and dads out there that are trying to pass along your priceless wisdom, don’t give up, your words may fall upon seemingly deaf ears but one day they will realize your efforts. My advice to anyone that finds themselves frustrated with their meddling parents, understand that their advice and suggestions come from the heart, being a parent never ends, whether your 10, 20 or 50 expect mom and dad to do and say anything they feel you need to hear, so listen.
Fate…who’s really in control?
There seems to be an even split among people as to whether or not our lives are driven by fate. Most that believe fate is real are usually religious as they believe God has a plan for each us on the day we are born. Others believe that we ourselves determine our journey and are responsible for how it plays out.
I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle, I do believe there is something more, something that our brains are capable of and we just haven’t evolved enough yet to completely understand it, many of us have experienced things that we cannot explain. Some call them miracles, divine intervention, luck, or intuition, but there is no denying that some things just cannot be explained as pure coincidence. I also believe that we need to play an active roll in where we want our lives to lead, we need to have goals and dreams to keep us on the right path and we need to take responsibility for the choices we make. You can’t sit back and wait for your life to change but when your struggling and it seems that no matter how hard you try it’s not working that fate is telling you that you’re on the wrong path.
I have experienced both in my life and in very powerful ways. The following experience is how I know that fate exists. Years ago my son and I were on our way home after a football game in a nearby town, as we traveled the gravel road that we usually took back to our home, I noticed headlights in the rearview mirror in the distance behind us. Normally this wouldn’t have seemed odd but this time was different. A feeling so strong and undeniable told me the person behind me was an unstable man that had a recent, very heated confrontation over a business deal with my boyfriend at the time and that I needed to get off the road I was on and get to the main highway immediately. Any other time I would have dismissed the feeling as paranoia but it was so strong, I didn’t second guess it.
About a mile ahead of us was a little town where I knew I could turn right and it would take me to the highway. I had barley made the turn and looked again in the rearview mirror and as the vehicle behind me made the same turn I could see under the streetlamp that it was indeed who I feared it was. He caught up to us quickly and began trying to run us off the road. As he would get next to us, I would slam on the breaks as he would swerve towards us, he would then stop and I would swerve around him and continue to make my way to the highway. He did this 3 or 4 times and at one point as he was stopped and we began to pass him I heard what at the time I thought was the sound of his truck backfiring. I made it to the highway first and he was right on my tail. At this point my son was on the phone with 911 trying to give them our location as we approached the curve up ahead. He shot past me again and as he did, he nearly ran an oncoming car of the road. As we met the oncoming car, we realized it was a sheriff cruiser. He immediately hit his lights and turned around as my son explained to the dispatcher that we were in the car directly in front of him. Up ahead in the distance the man had pulled into an approach downhill from the curve so he wasn’t able to see the lights of the cruiser and was in the process of backing onto the highway to prevent us from getting by, at that point the cruiser flew past us and became visible to him and he pulled back into the approach. We proceeded home and that’s where it dawned on me that it wasn’t his truck backfiring that we heard, it was gunshots. I called back and relayed the information and was they would get back to me. They called the next day saying they had found no gun and asked if I would come in to fill out a report, on the way we stopped at the approach he had been at the night before and sure enough found the gun. The sheriff met us at the location to take possession of the gun and as we stood there, he told me how lucky we were to be alive as he believed he intended to kill us when he attempted to block the highway. He also said how it was just by chance that he happened to be in the location the night before as he rarely takes that route during his patrol. My apologizes for the long drawn out story. Fate is a real thing, these series of events lined up in a way that cannot be mere coincidence. If I hadn’t made that turn, if the sheriff hadn’t been coming up the other side of that hill at the curve I have just as strong of a feeling that I wouldn’t be sitting here writing this. Some might say it was divine intervention, or one hell of a gut feeling but that’s what I call fate.
I guess I never really grew up after all.
When reflecting on the things that consumed me as a child that I rarely do now, I find that I never really grew up. I had a hard time coming up with things that entertained me then that I don’t still do now, most of my time was spent sitting on the floor in front of the huge wood stereo console listening to my moms records and recording my favorite songs from the weekly top 40 radio broadcast every Sunday onto cassette tapes. Although my methods of collecting and listening to music have changed through the years, music is still my passion. I also loved watching Saturday morning cartoons, Looney tunes was my favorite and I am still as entertained by it now as I was back then. The one thing that I loved as a child that I don’t do now was roller skate. I learned at an early age and from then on it was what I could be found doing most every Friday and Saturday night into my early teens. I was never really into sports but I dreamed of being part of a roller derby. I often find myself longing to put a pair on and see if I still posses the skills I once did.
Night Life
The night time has always been the right time for me, it embodies all that I am. I have always felt at peace in the dark and looking up into the night sky recharges my soul. Being surrounded by a million stars by the light of the moon gets me every time. I have often been refereed to as creepy and dark, some may see this as an insult but I embrace it. When given the choice I have often chose to work overnight shifts and am more than happy to sleep the day away. One of my favorite places to enjoy some me time is a cemetery in the middle of the night, or sitting next to a lake taking in the reflection of a full moon on the water.
Photo by GEORGE DESIPRIS on Pexels.com
Non-traditional Students…it’s a give and take.
Non- traditional students are on their way to becoming the new majority among college students. a 2015 study found that 40% of the current student population for the post secondary schools are non-trad. Although the journey may pose it’s struggles there are also many benefits for not only the student but for the institution as well.
Some things that a non-trad student can gain in addition to their studies are personal growth, a reinvention of self and the skills necessary to work with a diversity of people and an insight to the thoughts of younger generations.
The non-traditional student also brings with them real life experience, a unique perspective and their eagerness to learn. The are also more likely to participate and contribute in the classroom. They are more aware of the importance of an education and show passion and persistence.
It is important for institutions to rethink their approach to the modern student as they will start to notice some changes taking place in their traditional approaches to student life. They will begin to see things like a decline in student activity participation which I believe will be due to the modern students busy life style and their struggle to balance school and family responsibilities.
The focus needs to be on offering support and services to help them succeed by understanding their reasons for furthering their education. A good place to start is to offer family orientated events and age appropriate activities for those of us too old for dances and pajama parties.
#hollyknows 