Thankful Thursday !

In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy. Brother David Steindl-Rast


The things that I went through to post this using my phone so I can help my readers see that there is always something to be grateful for is quite impressive. I must care about you even though I don't know who most of you are, especially you, reader in Russia!

And the five winners are....


My Readers - there aren't that many of you and as I mentioned I do not know who most of you are but I am thankful for you. Even though my laptop is broken and I am not the happiest of campers about it, I still managed to find a way to post and that is because in my own cheesy hear I think that you're counting on me. Or maybe I'm counting on you. Either way I am very thankful for each one of you readers. You should tell your friends and also excuse any errors that you find in this post. I assure you there will be many. There are probably 3,000 already. I'm doing this post via the Blogger app. So your understanding will be wonderful!

Beautiful Days - I don't care what anyone thinks. The weather directly affects a person's mood. It was a gorgeous day in Liverpool today and I was so happy and thankful for it. I was outside in just a t-shirt and jeans and I wasn't freezing!

Sunny Sunny Sunshine! - there can be beautiful days without sunshine. I remember them occurring in Scranton occasionally. What is better than a beautiful t-shirt weather day? SUNNY SUNNY SUNSHINE! You may wonder if I only had a t-shirt and jeans on today. Well, wonder no more! I was also rockin' sunglasses! Do you know how great it was to have sunglasses on? It made this beautiful day sooooooo much more awesome.

Sunglasses - you know me (well maybe, maybe not [Russia?]) and you know that I love the uv protection out of my sunglasses. I wore them so much in America that they were like a trademark for me! I don't wear them that much in Liverpool as the sun is hardly shining. But when I had to search my room for my hip shades this afternoon, I was overjoyed with emotion. When I found my old friends we were both so grateful to have each other again! As I was in town with the sun beaming so brightly on my face I was overwhelmed with gratitude that I was saving my retinas from the Sun's harmful rays!


My Laptop - I've complained about it for the last three months. Now that it isn't working and I am the only kid on campus without a laptop, I realize how lucky I was to have mine. So Universe, please cut me some slack in the electronics department and bring my silver piece of goodness back to life.




What are you thankful for?

Russia, you can chime in on this if you want.

We're Only Human

It really bothers me that some of us lost our compassion for humanity along the way.  I’m reminded of this with the death of Whitney Houston.  So many people are focusing on the fact that she was a drug addict and not paying any mind to the fact that she was also a human being.  I am probably a bit late in the ballgame to be blogging about Whitney as most people probably erased her death from their memory but I believe in the better late than never ideology. That actually isn't true at all. I believe in the "better never than late" idea but in this case I will cut myself a break. 

As for Whitney... I found myself infuriated about the lack of sympathy or compassion in regards to a human being dying.  I saw unsympathetic posts along the lines of “she was a junkie” or “it was her choice” etc.  The same sorts of things were said about Amy Whinehouse. I can admit that I didn't like Amy when she debuted in America with “Rehab.”  I felt it was a tasteless joke of a song.  But when she died, I was so sad for her and her family.  She died at the age of 27, which is how old I turned the month before. I thought how sad it was that she had so much life ahead of her. I hoped that she didn’t die of an overdose but I didn’t think or say that she deserved to die or was unsympathetic towards the loss of a human being. I don’t know if it is today’s society that thinks it is okay to respond this way to a death of a human being or if it has always been this way.  Is this how people reacted when Janis Joplin or Jimi Hendrix died?  I doubt it. I don’t even think the public was this heartless when Heath Ledger died of an accidental drug overdose.   Paul McCartney announced today that he chose to quit smoking pot (after 50 years of doing it) and he’s done other drugs in back in the day.  When the time comes (1,000 years from now) that McCartney passes away, are we going to say the same things?   Probably not.  So Whitney went through a bad time.  She tried to get herself help. Don’t get me wrong.  I made fun of her the last two times that I saw her on television.  She was going on about how Israel was her land.  Brennan and I had a field day with that! But we were both upset when we found out of her passing. Her death, by the way, is said to be caused by accidental drowning.  

The thing is that no one likes being a drug addict. Not one child answers with “I want to be addicted to cocaine,” when asked what they want to be when they grow up.  The sad truth is that one bad choice can lead to a lifetime of hardships and struggles that no one would ever want.  It can happen to any of one us.  We can all assume that we are smarter than to ever pick up the stuff but it only takes one try to start an addiction.   With that being said, we all have made stupid (and most often always regretted) choices.  It probably wasn’t deciding whether or not to try a drug but something probably as equally dangerous and idiotic.   The only example that comes to mind is driving in a snowstorm.  Besides those of you who do not drive or do not live in snowy areas, all of you readers have more than likely driven in the middle of a snowstorm at one point in your life.  (I am guilty of this.)  We have all thought that the thing that we needed to do was important enough to risk our lives to venture out in the snow and probably never make it to where we were supposed to be going because we’ve gotten ourselves in to a fine mess.  Maybe my example isn’t a good one but I’m just saying you can still end up dead.  Sounds silly but the bottom line is that is all started from a choice. 

However after that first choice is made the user wants it again and again.  This “just going to try it once and see what it feels like” choice turns into an unwanted and possibly unrealized addiction.  At this point, I no longer blame the addict.  I feel rather sorry for them. I don’t enjoy feeling sorry for them but it’s hard not to once you realize that addiction is a disease.  No one enjoys having a disease or wants to have one. 

I know for some, it might be difficult to accept that addiction is a disease.  For a long time I did not accept it.  I am embarrassed to say that I have no patience for drug users/addicts.  That is a fault of mine.  But that does not mean that I do not sympathize with their situations or think that they are any less human than I am.  In fact I hope that every addict kicks their habit and no longer has demons chasing them every single day.  Unfortunately, I have met many people in my life who are addicts. Some of them are addicted to “acceptable” drugs such as alcohol while others are addicted to harder drugs like heroin.  I’ve seen these people struggle with their addictions.  Trust me, addicts do not like being dependent on the drug anymore than I enjoy being dependent on a wheelchair. Addiction is ugly, unpleasant, and uncomfortable and let’s not forget expensive (and not just moneywise).  

I just think it would be nice if we can all just take a moment to think about the fact that Whitney, Amy, Janis, Jimi and Heath were all human beings before they were famous and before they were drug addicts.  We should be feeling sad that the poor woman, who had tons of life ahead of her, drowned in a bathtub the night before she was supposed to be performing at the Grammy’s. She was a mother, daughter, sister, and a friend who will be missed long after the public has forgotten about her. Let's focus on that instead of all of the mistakes she's made. 

As usual, you can leave comment if you’d like but I will not argue with you. J  

I've also included some facts and stats about drug abuse...

• In United States of America, the root cause for 25% of the total deaths can be attributed to drug abuse.
• 65% of drug addicts get access to the drink via their close family and friends.
• The most commonly used drug among American youth is alcohol.
• Chronic alcohol consumption kills youth 6.5 times beyond normalcy.
• Alcoholism is the most prominent cause of birth abnormalities.
• Drug withdrawal is not just as easy as anyone thinks. The process can bring in hallucinations, paranoia and seizures. Drug withdrawal in rare cases can even prove to be fatal.
• Medication cost of a drug addict is almost 2 times the medication cost for a clean individual.
• Drug addicts tend to take up 527,000 emergency rooms for treatment in one year.
• Almost a death toll of 10,000 can be attributed to chronic alcohol abuse within a timeframe of one year,
• Drug abuse is the most common problem among food service and construction workers.
• 75% of domestic violence is caused by drug addicts.
• Children who come from a family which practically experiences the drug addiction problem is more likely to suffer from asthma, ear infections and are very vulnerable to poor performance in schools due to the tarnished home environment.
• 50% of Americans have a beloved one who is suffering from drug abuse problem at any given time
• The age group that is worst affected by drug addiction is 18-29
• 1in 4 teens have a frequent discussion with their parents on drug addiction, its ill effects and aftermath. The teens that do that have proven to be less prone to get into this habit than the ones who don’t.
• 28% of school teens are aware of at least one of their friends who is a chronic drug abuser. 17% of them know more than one.
• The drug consumption generally begins at adolescent years. Statistics reveal that the average age is 12.5 years
• Alcohol usage is most prominent among Hispanics. Whites and African Americans follow suit
• Hispanics are the ethnic group that is very popular in the arena of illicit drug consumption
• Heroin and cocaine contribute to 70% of illicit drug addiction problems across America
• Among school children who come out of the eighth grade, 52% have tasted alcohol, 41% have smoked cigarettes at least once and 20% have given weed consumption a try

from drugabusehelp/statistics/

Here is another link to a great website which had too much for me to copy and paste http://archives.drugabuse.gov/about/welcome/aboutdrugabuse/

Thankful Thursday!

Gratitude turns what we have into enough.

This has been a wonderful week!  I hope that you found something to be grateful for in each day.

Distance -  It sounds like a silly thing to be thankful for but it is a great thing.  I feel as though some of my relationships are getting better because I am so far away from those people and they are away from me. When we are able to take a step back from a situation and view it from a different perspective, we begin to understand things a bit better. When we begin to understand things a bit better we start to live more peacefully with each other.  

Spaghetto's (or something resembling them) - It's an easy and quick fix to a starving girl.  Some people may chuckle but I smile at the taste of tomatoey goodness.  (Editor's Note:  Google Chrome and the writer are not certain that "tomatoey" is a word.)

Jessica - is my brother's girlfriend.  She is also my number one defender when the distance between Corey and I is not as far as we need.  :)  She is always there for me and my family.  Jacob happens to adore her.  Jess is as patient as she is kind. She is also the only other person who sent me a care package since I have been in Liverpool.  She is really funny (especially when she spills a can of soda and doesn't notice for a while) and she supplied me with a model of my own mouth.  Can't really get more resourceful than that!!    Oh, and she puts up with my brother!  That in itself is no easy feat (I should know).  :)

My Change in Attitude -  For a long long long time I was a grumpy bear who sort of  had a rainy cloud outlook on life.  Actually, I was quite an Eeyore.  Then I decided to fake it for a bit and just pretend that I wasn't so grumpy and negative. However, deep down inside I had still a quite sad outlook on my own life.  Mainly to do with past relationships, money, friendship, school and my bleak future. However I was ever so optimistic for others. (It's true you can ask any one of my friends).  So one day, while on Facebook, I noticed that all of my friends were posting miserable statuses and I wonder "Well, how the heck am I ever going to feel good about my life with this mess in front of me?"  It occurred to me then that I was not helping the case any.  I had equally disenchanting statuses about how sad I was (REALLY?!) and someone might have logged on Facebook and saw my grumpy status and I just helped to spread the grumpiness (although I might have done it in  a funny manner). So from that moment (maybe 18 months ago?)  I worked on changing my behavior and attitude. Once I did that, things just started to get better.

My Valentine - (awwww)  (cheesy)  Umm... so this valentine of mine is quite patient and very kind.  He accepts that I am insane and I do things that make absolutely no sense whatsofreakingever and he knows that I am always right.  He doesn't get too mad when I headbutt him in the face and laughs a little bitty bit when I pinch him with my toes (I like to think that he laughs). He actually takes the time to try to be interested in the things I am interested in i.e. The Beatles and sits through cheesy movies like Twilight (For the record, I did go to see Star Wars 3D with him). When I am losing my patience with something he is there to take over (when he can) or he will think of something funny to make me laugh.  Ah, yes.  He makes me laugh like 24/7.  It came to a point where BB said that all we do is laugh. I think that is a fine relationship. Lord knows I don't want to be in a relationship where we fight all the time.   And when I am grumpy (it still happens from time to time), he already knows that it's usually because I'm hungry!  So... ah... yeah...  for the boy stumbling into my life I am quite grateful and quite lucky!


What are you thankful for?

Thankful Thursday!

Finding something to be glad about, to be grateful for, opens our mind to the idea that happiness can be found in any circumstance. - Lisa Cypers Kamen

I hope that your week has been a bit more sunny than mine.  With that being said, I hope that your week has been just as awesome as mine has been.

The five things that I am grateful for this week are...

American Teaching Style -  I don't think I have ever realized how awesome the American teaching style is until I was taken away from it. WOW! I say taken away like I was kidnapped and forced to live and go to school in some strange place.  Obviously that isn't the truth at all.  The teaching style over here isn't bad.  It just isn't entertaining.  Someone said to me over the summer that it is difficult to teach a teacher.  I didn't necessarily understand what she meant at the time.  But, now I do. During class, I can think of 500 different ways I would teach class.  I know that isn't nice.  I may have only taught a few short months but I would like to think I was entertaining for the middle school students and high school students.  I not only wish that they were entertained but that they learned something and, most importantly, enjoyed their learning experience.

YouTube - I like that I can get a quick gist of anything I need to know from this website! Then there is the idea that you can quickly hear any song that you have stuck in your head!  Or you can see the preview for next week's Grey's Anatomy!  Just imagine the possibilities! They are endless!

Daisy Hair Clips - Listen.  I don't care what anyone says no one has a bad hair day if they are able to clip little bursts of brightness in her hair.  I adore all hair accessories but nothing makes me smile like putting some flowers in my hair.

My Christian Marriage Course -  I finally got into that course for the Fall '06 semester.  It is one of the courses that I have learned the most from in all of my almost ten years of post high school education. Not only does it help in my "romantic" relationships (because I've been packed with them in the last six years) but it also helps with friendships too.  However, I feel as though it has come in handy an extra bit this week.  I am grateful that I did take that course even though I didn't enjoy the timing of it at that moment in my life.

My Patience -  I am an incredibly patient person.  Not only am I grateful for this but you are too.  You probably haven't realized it yet because I have not lost my patience with you.  I have lost my patience many times this week.  Many people were on the wrong side of that but all is forgiven (pft... it wasn't my fault anyway).  Well, there wasn't much to forgive because I regained my patience before I completely lost my patience!


So what about you?  What are you grateful for?

Thankful Thursday!

Gratitude consists of being more aware of what you have, than what you don't.

Another week has flown right by (I've been back in the UK for almost four weeks now) and I discovered more reasons to be thankful! 

My Uggs -  It isn't necessarily colder in Liverpool than it is in Scranton but, since I do not have a car, I am more exposed to the cold conditions.  It's a fact that when your feet are covered properly you are less likely to be complaining that you are freezing.  Although I do have generic Uggies (and I am not embarrassed to say that), I only brought my actual Uggs with me and it was a decision that I stumbled over for a while when packing. What a fantastic choice I made!  Those little buggers on my feet prevent many grumpy afternoons from creeping up on me.  I get grumpy when I am cold.   So thank you Universe for sorting Uggs out before I left for Liverpool. 

Sneak Peeks -  I enjoy knowing things before others.  I like to be on top of new things and then being able to tell other people about said things. I know I'm cooler than most but when I know things before other people it makes me feel cooler.  Kidding (kidding).  

Dictionary.com - I don't think there is a real need to say why I am thankful for such a website.  Yes, I use it for definitions.  But, tt helps me the most when I am not sure how to spell something and I do such a bad job that autocorrect can't even figure out what I am saying. 

Autocorrect - That demonic feature of the iPhone is what I have become most dependent on!  I love and hate it at the same time.  I may no longer be able to spell revolutionary on my own (even though I just did) but I am glad that autocorrect is available to fix my errors before I even know they are being made.   It's nice to know that someone has my back even if that someone is a something. 

Envelopes - It would be awful to have nothing to hold my all important documents and gifts that I am sending from the UK.  Dig it? 

What do you want more of this week?