Playing The Victim

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Playing The Victim

The main character in my book is the master of this. He thrives on attention-seeking behavior. He doesn’t assume responsibility for his actions. He always blames someone else when things get screwed up. After all, that’s easiest, isn’t it? And the more he does it, the more comfortable he feels about it. Even though it usually all blows up in his face, that still doesn’t stop him.

Of course this got me thinking about my own life. It’s really easy to step into that victim mentality. I think we all do it from time to time. I know I have. The big problem arises when we make a habit of doing it and it then becomes the norm. We get stuck and somehow it just feels too comfortable and we don’t even attempt to get out.

As adults it’s easy to blame parents for the mess in our lives. My character is really great at doing this. He’s been doing it since he was a teenager. My character is also struggling with mental health issues. So when he doesn’t play the blame the parents card, he blames the mental health issues when there are behavior problems. He has this all perfected by the time he becomes an adult.

We all face challenges in life, mental and physical. Playing the victim results in hearts filled with anger and bitterness. I’d rather have a heart filled with peace and tranquility. Wouldn’t you?

New This Week

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New This Week

I joined the Wenatchee Valley Senior Activity Center. Now that I’m living in East Wenatchee, the Leavenworth Senior Center is just a little too far away. WVSAC is a much larger center with many more activities to choose from. Today I’m going to a writing group, staying for lunch and then will decide if I want to play cribbage in the afternoon. I’m also planning to going to Tai Chi and a book club.

I start teaching fitness classes again this week. I will be teaching mainly in East Wenatchee, although I will still be subbing in Leavenworth. Right now it looks like it will be three classes a week plus the subbing.

Back in Canada WestJet pilots have voted to strike as have the federal public servants. It figures. This is the year I need to get my passport renewed. And I watch from a distance as Trudope continues to dig himself in deeper and deeper.

I just started a course from Wesleyan University entitled Suicide Risk and Prevention. It’s interesting how the terminology has changed over the years. The rates are soaring, much of it being attributed to Covid. The ratio from a couple of decades ago was 4.5 men to 1.5 women. It’s now 4.5 men to 3.5 women. Very significant and very scary.

I had a video call with my granddaughter yesterday. Madeline told me she went camping on the weekend and slept in a tent. They cooked hot dogs and s’mores over a campfire. She also showed me her chocolate Easter bunnies that she hadn’t eaten yet. Madeline also insisted on showing me the medals her mom won in competitions. And of course she wanted me to see Tigger, one of the cats.

It’s warming up and 60s are in the forecast for the weekend. The snow has cooperated and stayed far away atop the mountains. No blizzards or tornados in Washington.

Have A Wonderful Wednesday!

Writing

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Writing

As much as I enjoy writing today, there was a time when I absolutely detested writing. It began in middle school where I had an English teacher who absolutely lived for character sketches. I never could get into those.

Then there were the teachers who wanted you to summarize chapters. I didn’t want to regurgitate. I wanted to create. And I was never free to express my opinion which quite often differed from the author’s.

Anyone out there remember iambic pentameter? Why was that one chosen to be the norm back in the 60s? Thankfully times have changed.

In college I got to take a course in Creative Writing. Finally a place where I could safely express myself! Even the write your own obituary allowed for creativity. That was a pretty awesome course and I’ve taken one or two more online over the years

But one thing I really wish schools would bring back are classes in grammar and spelling. Back when my kids were in high school I used to cringe when I read some of their assignments.

Having taught ESL in Mexico for several years, I became very conscious of grammar. I became known as the grammar guru in more than one school. But since I’ve retired my grammar has somewhat fallen by the wayside. I’m really struggling with grammar in Spanish although my friends remind me that most Mexicans aren’t fastidious when it comes to grammar.

Write your hearts out people. Be creative. And most importantly, enjoy the writing experience.

Have a great Sunday!

Boundaries and Books

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Boundaries and Books

Last night was a very stimulating conversation about boundaries in one of my Zoom groups. How do we define boundaries? How do we create boundaries? How do we enforce boundaries? Professional boundaries. Personal boundaries. Very interesting. We’re all getting together in person this weekend to delve into this topic even more.

The prompt on WordPress yesterday was “What book could you read over and over again?” Wow! Only one? I can think of a lot more than one. Obviously my Bible would be one. But there are some others that stand out.

Rosamunde Pilcher is one of my favorite authors. I adore all her books but the one that I love the most is The Shell Seekers. I’ve read it several times and will probably read it again this summer.

Brace yourselves. I also read Danielle Steele although lately I’ve been finding her books to be a tad too predictable, almost to the point where the plots really don’t vary from book to book and you can almost interchange character’s names.

John Grisham is another of my favorite authors. So is Nicholas Sparks. I even enjoy reading Charles Dickens from time to time.

One of the greatest books ever was written by Robert Munsch and I’m sure you can guess which book I’m referring to. Love You Forever. I have tearful memories of reading this one to my kids when they were younger. I even gave them each a copy when they were adults.

Boundary setting time. It’s getting late and I still want to get some editing done in my WIP. So that’s it for today’s post.

Happy Humpday!

Happy Easter!

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Happy Easter!

Easter to many people is synonymous with Easter eggs, chocolate bunnies and egg hunts. But Easter is so much more. To Christians Easter is the holiest day of the year. I have vivid memories of the first time I celebrated Easter after I’d been baptized. It was back in 2010 and Easter took on a whole new meaning. I went to Church of the Rock in Winnipeg and then over to a friend’s for dinner. It was a very different experience from the Passover I had always celebrated for years before that.

Since then I’ve lived in several different places and attended Easter services in different churches, sometimes in English and sometimes in Spanish. I’ve even done services online. I still tune in to Church of the Rock for Good Friday and Easter services as these are all recorded and replayed throughout the day. But I’m really blessed to be able to attend Sage Hills Church in person in Wenatchee when I’m here in Washington. The Easter service this year was exceptionally amazing and I will probably watch it again online.

I’ll let you in on a little secret. I do buy Cadbury Cream Eggs. We don’t have those in Mexico and they’re a treat when I’m in Washington.

Have A Blessed Easter!

Getting Settled

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Getting Settled

What do you mean I’ve been back for ten days already? I just got here! On Monday I finally got down to AT&T and got my American number for 2023. I also got a new phone. So now I’m playing around with all the new features. Amazing how phones change so much in three years.

I also went to Walmart on Monday for the first time in six months. Never did get there in Mexico. No need to with my corner tienda. Time to start buying things in packages again. Time to start filling up shopping carts again. It’s very different up here. I always go through reverse culture shock especially when it comes to shopping.

I haven’t started teaching fitness classes again yet. I decided to take a few days and just breathe a little. There are still a few things I want to do first. I want to check out the Senior Center in Wenatchee. It’s a much larger facility than the one in Leavenworth and has a lot more activities.

I also have a couple of Zoom meetings coming up. I haven’t started any university courses yet but that’s on the agenda. And now that I’m back in Washington I can actually go to some events in person now. It will be nice to meet the people I’ve been chatting with online.

It’s been great getting together with friends again. We always have lots to catch up on. So much goes on in six months. Right now I’m cutting back on my writing so I can spend time with friends.

Alexa’s joke today: What did the pecan tree say to the psychiatrist? I think I’m growing nuts.

Happy Humpday!

Shelter In Place

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Shelter In Place

Ominous words that are becoming all too common in our world today. It doesn’t matter where you live, you’ll probably hear the warning at some point.

January 2023. I delayed my trip to Culiacan due to Cartel activity and a shelter in place order. March 2023 less than a week after I returned to Washington, there was a shelter in place up the Chumstick. No Cartel here but apparently guns and shooters around.

This weekend in Chicago a different type of shelter in place. O’Hare and Midway are closed as tornados and other inclement weather plague the central USA. Hundreds of flights were cancelled and thousands of people sought shelter in the terminals. Hundreds were directed to the Tunnel of Lights.

Here in East Wenatchee the sky is clear and the sun is shining down as I write this. Granted the temperature isn’t what it was in Aguascalientes a week ago but there are no funnel clouds. And the white stuff has stayed far enough away on the mountaintops.

I’m sure if I were to check out other world news there would be other shelter in place warnings. But I think I’ve seen enough for one week. I’m going to focus on spending time with friends and maybe do a little more shopping. And I definitely need to get that American phone chip done this week at AT&T as well. Telcel switched me over to T Mobile, a carrier I dislike immensely.

Have A Great Sunday!

Back In East Wenatchee

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Back In East Wenatchee

Alaska you are still my favorite airline. You got me and my bag here as scheduled. Connections went smoothly in Los Angeles and Seattle. The Guadalajara airport is a disaster during construction, but the Alaska staff were most attentive and welcoming. So three flights later I arrived back in Wenatchee. Christina picked me up at the airport and minutes later we were back at home.

The snow looks really pretty up in the mountains. And I hope it stays there. I was in Leavenworth on Monday and there are still mounds of snow around. It hasn’t been warm enough to melt all of it yet.

I’m all unpacked and my bedroom is organized. I can see the floor and suitcases are stacked in the closet. It was nice to find some warmer clothes. Washington isn’t Mexico.

Telcel switched me over to T Mobile and I’m not impressed. I have to get down to AT&T in the next few days and get an American chip put in my cellphone. I’m thinking about upgrading my phone as well. This one is past the two year mark so it’s time. I’m afraid I’ve become far too reliant on it.

Other than unpacking and doing laundry, I’ve been busy. Sunday morning at 9 am I went to Sage Hills with Steve and Pamela. It was great to be back at church live and in person instead of online. Of course it was a challenge to be up and out the door so early, something I never did even once when I was in Mexico this past winter.

Monday morning I went to Leavenworth for my 9 am hair appointment with Lisa at Shears. Yep. Two days in a row up and out the door early. Church on Sunday was just across the bridge in Wenatchee. Leavenworth is twenty miles away. But as any woman knows, that hair appointment is far too important and sacrifices must be made to get there on time.

Linda and I went to Gustav’s for lunch after. Then we started binge watching Daisy Jones And The Six. That will do nicely until Virgin River comes out with the new season.

I also squeezed in a quick trip to the East Wenatchee Valley Mall. Bath and Body Works was a must as I was out of absolutely everything. Pretty new packaging since I left last fall as well. And I did get to visit my tree in Cashmere.

By the way, the new puppy is adorable. Sarah is a golden retriever. To me this is a real dog compared to the seven chihuahuas who live here. Of course, she is quite mischievous and loves to chew lol.

Happy Humpday!

Last Post From Ags

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Last Post From Ags

It seems like I just did my first post from Ags. But this is my last one. I’m traveling next weekend and won’t post on Sunday. So I’ll be back a week from today.

By the way, no one has correctly guessed the place from my last post. No, it’s not my tree either.

The April calendar is already filling up with activities. I’m looking forward to getting back into SAIL classes and training for A Matter Of Balance. I’m also in an awesome group from The Ripple Foundation and can’t wait to meet everyone in person instead of on Zoom.

My friends here are teasing me because I have not really been a morning person this winter. My first morning back in Wenatchee church is at 9 am and then Monday morning I have a hair appointment in Leavenworth at 9 am. And then there are those morning SAIL classes too. Just for fun we’ll throw in the time change too. Washington moved their clocks and Mexico didn’t.

Yesterday was more goodbyes with friends; today too. Two of my friends are moving over to the Yucatan so that means more places to visit. The other day it was the taco stand and the hamburger stand. I’ll miss my chip guy two doors down. And I still have to stop in at the tienda to say goodbye as well as the bakery.

I decided to tune in to something in English on YouTube and found an old Guiding Light from 1980. Yep. A friend got me hooked on this soap. I was pregnant and needed an excessive amount of bedrest according to my doctor so I needed something to entertain me. Interesting. It’s now 2023 and I’m still using Dawn dishwashing liquid and baking Duncan Hines brownies, two of the too many commercials back then.

So far the snow is staying up in the mountains and it better stay that way. I do have boots and a ski jacket in my closet back home but I sure don’t want to have to use them. I’m traveling back in the warmest thing I have – a light hoodie. I will wear tennis shoes instead of sandals.

I’m listening to Blue Rodeo and am going to switch back to working on my book.

Have a great Wednesday, a great week and I’ll see you back here next Wednesday.

Last Sunday Post From Ags

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Last Sunday Post From Ags

It’s crunch time. I’m into my last week here this winter. And it’s the time I like the least. One last taco here, one last churro there, one last lunch with friends, one last walk around the park. I think you get the gist. Even though I am planning on coming back next winter, it gets harder every year to say goodbye to friends and familiar places.

No matter how organized I am, there’s always last minute things to do that can’t be done ahead of time. Like packing. I should be the master of this by now but I’m not. I must admit that the packing cubes help and I’m glad I’m using those now. Years ago I used to leave a suitcase in Mexico but I don’t do that anymore. No heavy books and teaching materials necessary now.

Apparently I am now coming home to seven chihuahuas and a golden retriever. Christina has been telling me for a long time that she wants a golden retriever. And she just got one yesterday that is only eight weeks old. I wonder if the puppy will be at the airport to greet me along with Christina and Danny next Saturday.

I’ve been watching the weather closely this past week. It looks like I’ll be flying over the California snow en route to Sea-Tac from Guadalajara. Hopefully the weather will cooperate between Sea-Tac and Wenatchee and the plane will fly barring any fog or blizzard conditions.

I’ve also been reading the news. Disintegrating Chinese rockets, unauthorized aircraft flying over Canada and the USA, drones being shot down and North Korea preparing for war…………………. no World War 3 next weekend while I’m traveling please. And aggressive passengers please stay off my flights. Too much garbage going on there too.

Friends here are asking me what the first shop I will hit in Washington is. If you’re guessing Bath and Body Works or Victoria’s Secret you’re wrong. Not Marshall’s or Ross or Burlington Coat. Hint and smile…….it’s in Cashmere and it’s not Sure To Rise or Agave Azul either.

Have A Great Sunday!