Everyday Beauty

Inspired by my friend, Birgit’s occasonal posts on this subject here are a few examples of hidden beauty I have captured.

Something about this pine cone caught my attention and I like the way this picture turned out.

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I almost left this picture out because it’s out of focus. But the rose is too pretty not to share.

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I walked outside one morning to get the newspaper and glanced up at the sky. This is what I saw and though it was really pretty.

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I hope you’ve enjoyed these as much as I have. As always, I welcome any comments/feedback.

Charitable

You’ve inherited $5 million, with instructions that you must give it all away — but you can choose any organizations you like to be the beneficiaries. Where does the money go?

This was an easy Daily Prompt for me. There are several different causes that are important to me. One such cause is literacy. I have had a lifelong love of books and reading. It saddens me to read statistics on how many people cannot read. But the main cause that comes to mind is the Spina Bifida Association ( http://www.spinabifidaassociation.org.) I’m sure this is no surprise to a lot of you who know/have read about my physical disability. I want to be the best ambassador/spokesman I can be for Spina Bifida.

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Turn, Turn, Turn

For many of us, winter is blooming into spring, or fall hardening into winter. Which season do you most look forward to?

I can find things I like about every season. I am hot-natured, so the winter is a nice break from the warm weather we have for most of the year. Summer is good for the break from school. Spring is very pretty here as the Cherry Blossoms bloom. But my favorite season is definitely fall.

The excitement of a new school term. Football season beginning (in Europe and America). The air starting to turn cool after the long, hot summer. And all the trees changing colors. Especially the trees changing colors. What season do you most look forward to?

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The Social Networks

Do you feel like you “get” social media, or do you just use it because that’s where your friends and family are?

This is the question posed in the latest WordPress writing prompt blog. I have pages on most of the popular social networking sites: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn. I find that they are useful for sharing blog posts and sharing and keeping up with life events of family and friends. I would say that I “get” social media. I understand that it’s an easy way to share things online. But I prefer more traditional forms of communication.

I would much rather keep up with family and friends in person, by phone, or mail. Email is also something I enjoy using. But I don’t enjoy sharing the minutia of my daily life online. It seems that so many websites and companies are all too willing to take advantage of all this sharing at the expense of our privacy. If anyone who reads this wants to keep in touch by more traditional means, let me know and I’ll be happy to share my contact information. Also, if you’re not subscribed to my blog, I would love for you to do that :)

As somewhat private person (to people I don’t know), I can get overwhelmed from time to time with reading all the things my family and friends are sharing online. As long as I stay on these sites, it is useful for me to take occasional breaks from them. What about you? Are the social networks a useful tool for you?

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INFP

Do parties and crowds fill you with energy, or send you scurrying for peace and quiet?

This was the introductory question for the latest Daily Prompt from WordPress. I have benefited from these prompts, turning several of them into posts. This is another one that I enjoyed. The introspective side of me can’t keep from a little self-reflection from time to time.

My answer is a bit of a convoluted one. I have developed pretty good people skills, I think. But I also require lots of time for reflection. Activities that are enjoyed alone, such as reading, writing, and listening to music, are the things I enjoy most. In social situations, I can usually be found talking to one or two people in the corner of the room.

I found a website with a personality questionaire and filled it out today. I think the results are right on the mark for me. I would be interested  to hear if those who know me best agree. And I would also be interested to hear your results from the test.

Here is the page for the INFP personality. http://www.16personalities.com/infp-personality

And here is the page to take the quiz. http://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test

 

 

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Third Person Perspective

This is a WordPress writing prompt idea. The challenge is to list at least six things that are unique, exciting, odd, etcetra. A few of these are things I’ve written or talked about on this blog. Feel free to ask or comment about anything that piques your interest, or you want to hear more about. I’ll probably add/take away from the list as I think of more interesting ideas. Here goes.

1) I am a published author.

2) I have Spina Bifida.

3) I am named after my father and grandfather.

4) A few of my closest friends have given me the nickname “Niles” because of my resemblance to David Hyde Pierce from “Fraser”.

5) Several of the students at the school where I work as a substitute call me Spiderman because of a resemblance to Tobey Maguire.

6) I am the only person in my immediate family who can grow a beard. My dad wore a mustache for a long time, though.

 

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Acceptance

I have written previously about the birth defect that I have: Spina Bifida. Because of this, I have always felt an uneasy sense of being an outsider. I have a lot of physical problems, but at the same time I am largely independent and lead a pretty active lifestyle. Many people are surprised to find out that I have Spina Bifida because as long as my braces are not visible, I seem to have no problems.

I didn’t have much of a problem with being self-conscious as a child because my parents taught me how to explain my disability in a way that my friends and classmates could understand. But as a teen I started learning more about Spina Bifida. As a result, I became more aware and self conscious, mostly, I think, because almost every teenager is worried about their image in the eyes of their peers.

This went on for a few years until I conducted my first sociological experiment. College gave me a good chance at a fresh start because I was a student at a new school and I only knew a few people. So, I decided I would start acting like I was comfortable with who I was and see how that affected people’s reactions to me. Something exciting and unexpected happened. The more I acted comfortable with myself, the more everyone around me became more comfortable interacting with me. This gave me more confidence and propelled the cycle forward.

I share all this because I learned some valuable lessons that have helped me enjoy my life, my family, and my friends. One of the most important is to be yourself and be nice to people and most people will be nice to you. But you won’t always be liked by everyone. That’s okay and very normal. Some people are just not going to get along. Hold on to those people who love you for who you are. They will enrich your life so much. Listen to them and pay no attention to people who don’t know the real you. Love others and allow yourself to receive the love of others.

My hope is that someone who reads this will find something to take away from my rambling that will help you learn to love yourself for who you are, and to accept and treasure the love of your family and friends. Lastly, I leave you with a very appropriate Dr. Seuss quote.

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