Month: February 2024

Comfort: Uh, oh! Lays have returned.

Yikes!

Egads!

I have found that Lay’s have somehow made their way back onto my shopping list. Crap!

I KNEW beloveds I should have told Doritoes to kick rocks. But, I told myself I would stop at JUST Doritoes. Crappppppp, Ccccaaasssaannndra!

Now, I have to fight with bad habits. Again! Crap!!!

I promised myself I would no longer allow hard, pain and grief to give myself permission to hide in food and other things that do not serve me well. Crap!!

I have learned, though, not to best myself up when I have found myself wanting to hide in old habits.

Be encouraged. Change takes time. Life hurts at times. At times, it seems easier to give in to the distractions, to the seeming comfort of food or in the arms of folks who do not serve us well.

We can do this thing called life. Let’s all say a collective ‘ow, God’ and keep it moving…

Ow!!!

Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez!

Life is good. Even when it is lonesome and hard.

hopeful/joyful/abitsad,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: My heart is ready for Spring! Let’s go, Universe! We got things to do!

Be encouraged. Try. One step. Just one. Then, Try another. You got it! I see you!

You are loved and not alone.

Broken, not broken.

Many moons ago, I broke my ankle.

Oww! 😳

I had to wear a cast. Forever. Forever, I tell you!

I grumbled.

I complained.

I complained AND grumbled.

All the while, I was healing. I couldn’t see the healing. ALL I could see and concentrate on was how heavy the cast was. How itchy! How hot! How annoying!!

It’s easy, isn’t it, to focus on the discomfort as we move towards the life we are building?

We see all the labor needed. We see our seeming lack of resources. We see the finite length of time to build with.

God, Life and The Universe just wants us to build. Build, with what we have. Ask, for help to get the job done. Believe, our efforts will NOT be in vain.

There will be times when we will break things. We will. We have to. Things get broken. They have to. Things like:

Pride.

Fear.

Apathy.

Ego.

Faith.

Anger.

Hurt.

Frustration.

Disappointment.

Disillusionment.

Things, needed things, will be broken. While other things, needed things, will be built and strengthened as WE build.

Too often, we look to God, to Life, to others to come through and fix this and that.

The Universe wants/needs for us to KNOW we are NOT victims, in life. We are:

Victors.

We shall win, at times. We shall suffer loss, many other times.

I am learning to count my loss as gain, as the Bible says. What does this mean?

Great question! Keep asking. You need to experience the answer(s) for yourself. They will mean more.

Life is not quick fix. It’s not instant. Important things takes time to build and to learn.

Give yourself the time to make as many mistakes as you can. In the meantime, understand you are NOT your mistakes. You are not a mistake.

We all need to stop this need of blaming ourselves when we fail to live up to our expectations. Our expectations, many times, are based on data from other folks experiences. How can that be accurate?

55 is kicking my tail but teaching me a world of truths. I am enjoying learning. Okay, not enjoying but 😳 embracing what I am learning.

I am learning to holler ‘ow’ and keep it moving.

Keep building, beloveds. You are building your legacy. Every day. Every choice, or lack thereof, is building onto your legacy.

Today, I am off work but writing. Why? To build on my legacy of love and encouragement.

Speaking of love:

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

Be encouraged.

I’m encouraging myself. Be sure to encourage yourself. Love someone. Starting with you.

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

When will you…

When will you…

Go for it?

When will you…

Give yourself permission to try?

When will you…

Step outside your comfort(zone)?

When will you?

How about now, beloveds?

going for it with you,

Cassandra

Note: When will you, beloveds? How ’bout now?

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

YOU matter.

YOU matter.

You MATTER.

YOU MATTER!

When did it happen where everything seems to matter, but people?

Things matter.

Clout matters.

Cache matters.

People? Meh, not so much, the world says. The world lies!

Be encouraged, beloveds.

YOU matter. In case no one has told you:

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Letting someone KNOW they are loved and worthwhile ought never go out of style.

Love someone. Starting with you. Words are important. Speak into someone’s heart today. Starting with mine.🥰❤️‍🩹

I was telling a friend that the keeping on has been especially hard lately. Not exactly sure why.

Normally, I can tell my act right to act right. Lately, all act right wants to do is cry for her mom. I don’t wish to be a big girl. I wish…

Ah, God, I wish…

Mom, do I matter, to someone?

Ow, God, I wish…

Universe, do I matter, to someone?

Oh, God, I wish…

Life, do I matter, to someone?

asking for a friend,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: I have one more shift to work then off for three days. I am in no hurry. Silence will greet me. Generally, I enjoy being alone. Today, alone has said she wishes we didn’t have to be alone, today…

Be encouraged. Don’t be afraid to allow your lonely to speak. Or your sad. Or your whatever you are feeling. Feelings are important. Feeling your feels, is important. Acknowledgment of your feelings is important. Just can’t allow your feels to run the show. Dumbness tends to go ride or die with our feels.🤷‍♀️🤦‍♀️💯😂❤️

Real talk: If folk threaten to walk away, wish them well and let them.

Ah, beloveds. Life has been cutting up, today. ALL day.

I have been fighting, all day, with:

Missing mom.

Missing mom.

Missing mom.

Which, makes the day(s) especially tough to get through. I HATE days like today. Not the day, itself. Just the fight from having to keep on fighting. Just the stress from doing my best not to stress. Just the frustration from not allowing myself to remain frustrated due to happenings and happenstance.

I have been thinking about Justin. ALL day. Wondering if he is hanging in there. Hang in there, Justin!

I have been thinking about Britta and her lichen. I HAVE to get to her blog, tomorrow, and catch up.

I have been thinking about Silent Knight. ALL day. Wondering what he has been wondering about as not able to get to his blog in the past week. Ack!

I turned off my phone, beloveds, this past Saturday. Even, my writing phone. Yeppers. I told myself that I HAD to decompress. I have been running on empty, for weeks. For months.

I told my friends/fam I was going to go MIA. They said they understood. Ha! Soon as I made my declaration, my phone blew up with texts and calls that HAD to be taken.

Yet, for the first time, ever(!), I listened to my heart and told myself to turn off the phone. To rest. And, to not feel guilty/bad because I NEEDED a break. A friend texted and said they ‘had’ to talk to me. Right then. Immediately. I had nothing. So, I said nothing.

Today, I was confronted with my meanness in having chosen me. I was advised that this person could ‘leave just as well as they stayed’. Simply because I was not available in the instant required.

I replied:

“I wish you well. I shall keep you in prayer. You shall NOT hold our friendship hostage. You may have it”.

Care is a two way street, beloveds. STOP giving your care away to folks who place conditions upon your love and your heart. Wish them well and keep it moving. LET them go. You are:

Amazing.

Awesome.

Amazingly awesome.

There will be plenty who will love you. In the meantime, keep on loving this hard headed world. Folk need what you have. Be encouraged.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

caring anywho,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Your life is precious. You matter. Please KNOW this. You matter. Be encouraged. I love me some you.

Be your own influencer.

Okay, beloveds, permit me to go on a mini rant. Just a teensy weensy one.

In surfing YouTube I have come across soooooooooooooooooooo many pages of folks who need to be ‘influenced’ into what to think, buy or do. And, apparently, one MUST be associated with just THE right type of folk else…*shrug*.

Beats me, apparently, us regular folk are too regular and the only purpose we serve is to serve the ‘privileged’ influencers who are our guide to a ‘successful’ life of hoarding every gadget known to man in order to ‘be happy’.

SMH.

Okay, mini rant is over. I find it terribly sad folks think they are not enough. Just makes me want to kick something.

Beloveds, you ARE enough. Just YOU. You don’t need to fill your place with gadgets you can’t afford, will never use, and will wonder what the world the matter with you for buying such, to have value.

Value is NOT in things. Yes, enjoying your space is nice. That said, the roof over your head does NOT increase or diminish YOUR worth and value.

There are times, like today, where I am not feeling the greatest. Bills keep chasing me. Health issues keep laughing at me. Life keeps passing out fresh what on earth is all this?!

During those times, I would dearly love to be able to hide out on a beach somewhere and have someone feed me grapes and pay all my bills. Okay, I would get bored after a while but wouldn’t mind a good day or so of pampering.

After that, I want to be making my own way, in the world. I want to shake all these young folks and let them know to STOP trying to build a life of dependence on others to pay bills and ‘make them happy’.

I know. I know, young peeps, that old folks do the same. I want to kick them also. Just a smidge.

I love the internet. I love learning about folk from all over the world. That said, I wish I could tell the internet to take two seats, at times. And, to tell it to STOP lying to folk, on the daily!

Life is more than TikTok and Instagram and thisachat and thatachat! Whew. Whew!

I’m done. I think. I’m just doing my bestest to influence folks to think, for themselves. To dream. For themselves. To hope. For themselves. To live. For themselves!

Be your own influencer. What do YOU enjoy doing? Life is short. Do those things that will serve you and enhance your life. What that is, for you, is…*shrug*…up to YOU to decide.

Don’t get down on yourself because folk are not into what you are into. So what? Because someone you have never met, does not care for the things you do…*shrug*. So?

More and more I am hearing folk are ‘miserable’ and feel like a ‘failure’ because things have not happened in two to three years. Things take time.

In the meantime, beloveds, give yourself a break. If you are doing the best you know, good on you. Don’t be ashamed of your current circumstances. Life is good. Even when it gets tough.

Uh, oh! I hear a cup of coffee calling me. Join me, if you like. Bring some snacks.

yammering about not much,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: It’s Friday. I was up ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL night binge watching Suits. What a fabulous show! Forgive my rambly piece today. I promised myself I would NOT stay up all night. Buuuuuuuuuuuut, Haarrrrvvveeey is sooooooooooooooo cute…lol.

Be encouraged. Keep on being you. Keep on doing you. We shall have an amazing weekend. How do I know? Because we CHOOSE…

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

No vacation from pursuing your dreams.

I took a mini vacation.

From work.

So, I could spend some time working on my dreams. I promised myself I would write every day. For the most part, I have kept that promise. In fact, I can’t remember when the last day ended when I had not completed a bit of writing. Something.

I’m trying.

Something.

The other day, I thought of keeping my meanderings to myself. I asked myself who the world is entertained by my particular brand of meness. Then, I shrugged and wrote…lol.

Keep on pursuing your dreams, beloveds. The pursuit IS the point. The destination, the prize, the dream, is becoming more and more irrelevant to me. I have been enjoying unearthing all my want to, all my try, all my effort, all my fears, all my doubts, all my care.

Speaking of vacation, I hear a piece of double chocolate pound cake calling. Take a vacay, from work, and get to working on your dreams. Before that, come have a slice of pound cake before I eat it all.

working on my dreams,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Ask me after I finish my cake….

Heart ♥ check Friday.

What a delicious week!

I have taken the last five days just for ME.

I:

Turned off the phone.

Gave ALL my cares to God.

Delighted myself with whatever I decided was delightful. Turns out all I really needed and wanted was a few days filled with quiet and plenty of coffee and chicken strips.

Now, it’s Friday. One more work day to go then a weekend of rinse and repeat.

For the first time in a very long time, I let it be okay that I rested from telling the world that it’s okay to rest…lol.

It’s okay, NOT to have to do it all, all at once. It only took 50 years to discover this amazing fact.🥰😁

Take care of yourselves, beloveds. There is no one else like you! Let someone know they are loved. Starting with you.

How’s your ♥ heart? Asking for A Friend.

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: This is your time. Make the most of it…

Fear, you ain’t nothin’ but much ado about nothin’.

Fear, I see you.

Stalkin’ me.

Tryna tell me what and who I will be.

I ain’t sweatin’ you, fear.

You ’bout nothing.

Much ado about nothin’.

Go way from me, fear. You not welcome hear. I got thangs to do!

Yea, boy, I got thangs to do.

I admit it, fear. I WAS afraid. Note, fear, the op’ word is WAS!

Was!!

Ha!

I stand, now, fear.

On:

Faith.

Love.

Hope.

Joy.

Laughter.

Gumption.

I got YOU, fear, on the run.

I be runnin’ thangs, now, fear.

Yasssssssss, fear, go ‘way now, from me.

You are much ado about nothin’.

laughing at fear,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Sometimes, beloveds, you just HAVE to let fear know who is the boss, in your life. Don’t fret. Don’t worry. Keep on walking by faith. Keep on doing all that you know to do. Keep on loving. Keep on hoping. Keep on betting on you!

Your life is far from over. What appears to be your ending is just a new beginning.

Laugh. Live. Love. Sing. Write. Dance. Do. Don’t. It’s YOUR choice. There are NO victims around here.

Be encouraged and know you are loved and not alone. Love someone. Starting with you.

Believe in YOU.

Believe.

In YOU, beloveds.

This world would have you believe you have to have this, have to have done that, to be of any use or worth.

This is simply not the case.

YOU are:

One of a kind.

You are not simply one, of many. You are one, among many, diamonds.

A masterpiece.

It has been said that beauty lies within the eye of the beholder. You are beautiful.

Believe in YOU.

In your gifts and in your talents.

The only one you need to be clout chasing is you.

Your life is NOT an Instagram or TikTok page. This is your life. Live it. For YOU. Recently, I came across a YouTuber who was in tears because her TikTok page had been deactivated. She said this made her worthless. She said she was nothing without her page.

I shall continue to remind folk how very much they are loved and not alone.

Life is much too short for you to continue your downward gaze. Look up. Look up!!

You have all you need, beloveds, ALREADY.

You don’t need more money, more prestige, more clout to live an abundant life.

Life is short. Stop selling yourself short and believe you can and WILL have some joyous moments. How do I know? Because it’s up to you…*shrug*.

Okay, so what the world are you still doing here? Get going.

believing in me,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Time waits for no one. Best get to using what time you have. The world has been waiting on you and your dream. Perhaps, YOU are the last piece I need to fulfill my dreams. What a thought! Hurry, yall. We have a wondrous life to live…