Hodgepdge Ala Mode

Welcome to this week's edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for the blogger before you. Here we go-

1. Do you have a word for the year (WOTY)? If so, and you'd like to share, please share. How do you decide on a word? If you don't have a word are you still on the hunt for one for 2024? 

I do not. Not yet anyway. I have a couple rolling around my brain and may land on one still. It's never too late. I prefer the word come to me as opposed to me choosing one at random. When I've had a WOTY that's how it was settled on. I don't put any pressure on myself to have a word, but when I do I enjoy the focus it gives me and especially the way I can look back at year's end and see all the ways the word was woven into my life. 

2. January 23rd is National Pie Day...will you celebrate? Do you like pie? What's your favorite? 

I love pie, but have no plans to eat a slice today. It's almost impossible to choose a favorite so how about (in no particular order) my top five-ish? -Angel pie (see the description in a post here), cherry pie, key lime, blueberry, and coconut cream. 

3. Tipping. What are your thoughts, expectations, as to who, when where? Do you appreciate a store/restaurant giving a 'suggested amount'? Have you ever left an extravagant tip? 

In terms of dining I always tip. I was in a deli recently and ordered one sandwich to go. When I paid I was offered the option to tip 25%-30%-35%. Really? Not sure how I feel about that. It seems this has become a thing though, with so many places you never used to tip now suggesting you should.

I rarely get coffee to go but if I do I'll leave something in the tip jar. We tip for bar beverages and I always give my hair stylist a very generous tip because she definitely earns it. If we have truly excellent service in a restaurant we will leave an over the top tip, but even with just so-so service we always tip at least the minimum. In the US in 2024 that's at least 20% of the tab. 

I love leaving a big tip for a server who does a good job and is not expecting more than the minimum. 

Hubs and I used to go to a diner in NJ where there was a particular server who obviously did not enjoy his job. He waited on us quite often and one day dropped an entire very full tray of food and drinks all over the floor beside our table. We decided we were going to give him a 100% tip and see if maybe that would help him enjoy his job more, but nope. Still surly lol. 

4. Share with us one 'household tip' that works for you. 

Not sure if this is considered a household tip but it's something I've found useful recently. If you're like me you have far too many photos on your phone, and the idea of deleting such a large number is daunting. My daughter suggested this and it makes the task manageable. 

Every morning enter the current month and day in your photo search bar. All the photos you've saved on your phone, taken on that day/month (all years) will come up. Go through those, then repeat the action daily. This way you deal with just a few at a time rather than your entire photo library. 

5. Influencers on social media are people who've built a reputation for their knowledge and expertise on a particular subject. Do you follow any influencers online? Have you made a purchase or tried something new because of that 'influence'? If there's one you particularly enjoy tell us who and why. 

I follow a few. Some live lives very different than mine and that's kind of fun to see. Some have a style I admire. Some are funny. Many cook, bake or create in some way. Some share news/politics. Some share books and book news. A few favorites are @cristincooper (I've purchased from her shop and a few things she's recommended too), @lifebyleanna, @halfbakedharvest, @cleerelystated. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

One of my favorite follows is an account called The Leighton Show. He reads actual texts teens have sent to their parents and they are the absolute best. He's on youtube I think too, but I follow him on Insta (click here)  Happy Wednesday everyone! 

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Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 535

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then skate back here tomorrow to add your link to the party. See you there! 

1. Do you have a word for the year (WOTY)? If so, and you'd like to share, please share. How do you decide on a word? If you don't have a word are you still on the hunt for one for 2024? 

2. January 23rd is National Pie Day...will you celebrate? Do you like pie? What's your favorite? 

3. Tipping. What are your thoughts, expectations, as to who, when where? Do you appreciate a store/restaurant giving a 'suggested amount'? Have you ever left an extravagant tip? 

4. Share with us one household 'tip' that works for you. 

5. Influencers on social media are people who've built a reputation for their knowledge and expertise on a particular subject. Do you follow any influencers online? Have you made a purchase or tried something new because of that 'influence'? If there's one you particularly enjoy tell us who they are and why you enjoy them. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Got Hodgepodge?

Welcome to this week's edition of the Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post. Be sure to leave a comment for the blogger linking before you because we all know comments make the blog world go 'round. Here we go- 

 

1. What do you wish you'd done more of last year? Less of?

More travel, less careless eating. 

2. What's the tallest building you've ever been in? Do you have a fear of heights? 

Hmmm... I've been in my share of tall buildings around the world. I think the tallest I've been in is Taipei 101 located in Taiwan. I wrote about our visit in a post linked here-Look It's A Bird, It's A Plane...' 

Taipei 101 was at one time the tallest in the world, but when the Burj Khalifa was completed in Dubai it dropped a notch. And now it's down several notches but is still in the top 20 (currently #11). 

Am I afraid of heights? Not really. I'm not however, a fan of small enclosed spaces, and that's often how you have to travel to reach a height. Cable cars and teeny tiny too crowded elevators. Shudder. That hasn't kept me from mountaintops and buildings 101 stories up in the sky though. I think happy thoughts and grab the family member closest to me, or sometimes even perfect strangers, and I go. 

3. Do you have a word for the year? Elaborate if you'd like to elaborate. 

Not so far, but I don't think it's too late to claim one. 

4. January 11th is National Milk Day...are you a milk drinker? What kind? Your favorite recipe that calls for milk (cereal doesn't count)? 

I rarely drink a glass of milk, but I do like it. As a child I drank a lot of milk, that was the 'kids beverage' served at every meal. As an adult it's pretty much limited to my cereal if I'm having cereal, and I also add a splash of milk to my tea. I buy non-fat milk, but often when I'm cooking I'll use 2% or sometimes even whole milk if the dish I'm preparing calls for it. My favorite recipe that calls for milk? Mashed potatoes. 

5. What excites you most about the future? What do you miss about the past? 

This feels like it could be a whole big blog post, but for today I'll keep it simple. What excites me most? Watching my daughters parent their own children, and watching those children, my grandchildren, grow and become the people God created them to be. 

What do I miss...I don't know why, but a picture of my family sitting at the kitchen table having dinner is the first thing that popped into my head. My seat was on the side of the table beside my brother. He was always on that corner because he's a lefty. My dad at one end, my mom at the other, and my two sisters on the side next to the windows. Something about that memory makes me feel all cozy inside. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I'm still a little discombobulated here in terms of 2022 organization. That's what happens when you have home improvement happening at the start of a new year. Painters have been here all week painting the shiplap we added to my office wall and staining the wood we added to the stairwell. It's icy cold outside but we have all the windows open because it smells a little bit like a factory in here. Looks beautiful though, and I will show pictures when everything is done. The mattress for the Murphy bed arrived today so we're getting close.  Have a great week everyone!

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Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 447

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here tomorrow to add your link to the party. See you there! 

1. What do you wish you'd done more of last year? Less of? 

2. What's the tallest building you've ever been in? Do you have a fear of heights? 

3. Do you have a word for the year? Elaborate if you'd like to elaborate. 

4. January 11 is National Milk Day...are you a milk drinker? What kind? Your favorite recipe that calls for milk (cereal doesn't count)? 

5. What excites you most about the future? What do you miss about the past? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

A Perfect Spring Hodgepodge

Welcome to this week's edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post then leave a comment for the blogger before you, because that's what good neighbors do. Here we go- 

1. It's like my mama always said, "__________________________________________." 

If you can't say something nice don't say anything at all. 

2. May 11th is National Eat What You Want Day. What will you be having by way of celebration? 

Hmmm...hasn't this been National Eat What You Want year? It feels a little bit that way which is why I will try to make good choices. We had a weekend of indulgent eating so I guess I've already celebrated. 

3. Describe your idea of a perfect spring day.

Temperatures in the sunny 70's, morning coffee on the covered deck, dinner in the crock pot so I don't have to think about it the rest of the day, spring flowers going into patio pots, a great book read on the porch, a walk somewhere, daughters in the house and grandsons fishing on the dock...sounds pretty perfect to me. 

4. Success, fulfillment, growth, achievement...pick one and tell us how it relates to your life in some way, either currently or in days gone by. 

I pick growth. Do we ever stop growing? It seems I'm a slow learner in certain areas of my life, but thankfully God is not done with me yet. 

5. I saw this going around on various social media sites and thought it would be fun to answer here. The last thing you bought on Amazon is your weapon in battle. How will you wield it?  (if you're not an Amazon shopper, then the last thing you bought online anywhere)

Computer ink cartridges....I suppose I could frustrate you to death trying to figure out how to get it loaded into this new printer?

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Our new birdbath...so pretty in the sunlight-

Happy Wednesday everyone!

If I Only Had A Brain

New week, new batch of letters...blogging my way through the alphabet this month with the April A-Z Blog Challenge. 

 J is for Just Think

Sometimes when my kids would leave the house to go out with friends, to a party, to university, etc., I would shout behind them, 'Make good choices.' And they would laugh and roll their eyes, but still my words would ring in their ears which was kind of the point.

When my girls were college students home on break they thought it was funny to shout the words back to hubs and I as we headed out for an evening. It was funny. It also told me my words stuck and that's a good thing, a parenting win in my book.

Growing up my mom sometimes told me to 'use good judgement' when she felt I needed a gentle nudge, because that's what we moms do. We warn. Or maybe remind is a better word. We remind you of who you are and whose you are and sometimes children need reminding.

Sometimes adults do too. 

There have always been a hundred and ten ways for kids to get off track, but in 2021 with the internet at their fingertips and a phone in their hand, there are probably more like a million and ten. 

Use good judgement. 

While I might have cautioned my children about the words they would speak, parents today also need to caution their kids about the words they post. About the online sites they visit, the games they play there, and the hours they spend 'not interacting' with people face to face and it's exhausting. For everyone. 

Use good judgement. 

My grandsons are little but I write these posts thinking they'll read them some day. And I hope by the time they're old enough to read my blog the pendulum of this world will have swung back the other way a little bit. 

It often does you know. We are a nation of extremes and when we reach the pinnacle of one we find ourselves longing for what we left behind.  

More real life, less on-line life.

More restraint, less cancel culture based on a single photograph, tweet, or edited video clip. 

More patience, less impulsive regrettable decisions made for the sake of a like or a follow.

More courage of conviction, less hopping on bandwagons.

More kind words spoken, less cruel words shouted in ALL CAPS 

More good judgement, less chaos. 

 'If any of you lacks wisdom let him ask of God, who gives generously to all without reproach 
and it will be given him.' James 1:5 

 

The Good Samaritan

Our Sunday School class has been studying the parables of Jesus and today we discussed the well known tale of The Good Samaritan. I think even most non-church goers are at least a little bit familiar with this one as it has been absorbed into our culture and our vocabulary. Love your neighbor. Put words into action. Do good without judgement or expectation of reward.

There has been a lot of talk of unity in recent days, or perhaps the lack thereof would be a more accurate statement, and I was thinking about that word as we talked this morning about loving our neighbor and what that means. Caring for the poor, feeding the hungry, practically helping those in need seems far easier right now than getting along with someone from an opposing political party who shouts, judges, and lectures you via their social media feed, doesn't it? 

In the same way we can't make someone volunteer in a food bank, donate to charity, or build houses for the homeless, we cannot demand unity simply by declaring that it must be. Unity cannot be dictated, and it's not something that magically happens because of a shift in political power.  

Unity is an action word. It requires intent. It means listening to people who say you're wrong and they're right and why can't you just see that you're wrong??? and that is hard. So hard. 

Of course we want to respond when we feel verbally attacked or belittled. We feel an almost primal urge to counter their words with words of our own. Tell them why they're wrong and we're right and we can prove it this very second with an article, meme or post of our own. 

In 2021 we seem unable to not engage. 

We can't put the genie back in the bottle so how do we get there? How do we cross the seemingly uncrossable chasm that's ruptured life in America? 

Maybe we can brainstorm here because I feel certain the answer doesn't lie with a committee, a body of elected officials, or the President of the United States. I think it's going to come from ordinary citizens who don't compromise their faith or their strongly held beliefs but who don't argue them to death either. 

It might even look like having coffee with a neighbor, from six feet away if you must, but still you have that coffee. 

It's definitely less words, which may seem hypocritical coming from someone with a blog, but I'm referring to angry, self-righteous words spewed carelessly across Facebook pages and twitter rants or sadly in some cases around holiday dinner tables. 

I think it will involve quiet examination of our own souls (no need to announce it to the world) and a whole lot less public dissection of the souls of others. Everybody's got a log in their eye that needs removing so maybe we start with our own?

It could mean deleting apps from our phones and demonstrating good old-fashioned restraint, something that used to be common but has most definitely fallen by the wayside in the last decade or so. 

It probably means making the hard but conscious decision to keep some of our opinions to ourselves, and for the love of all things holy to quit sharing every but!, but! but!...we want to share. 

I think it means we talk about the weather. I'm serious. The weather is rarely confrontational and we could do with less confrontation right about now. 

It's grabbing some tennis shoes or hiking boots, a swim suit or a pair of skis, and getting outside. Removing ourselves from the noise and everything else that distracts from the beauty of this earth. It's choosing to see, experience, and share the good more than we share our opinions about the bad. Call that naive, call it wearing rose colored glasses if you want, but getting along is going to involve letting go of some things we've held in our tightly clenched fists for a long time now. 

I know for certain an essential part of the way forward is prayer. For the ones you love and the ones you 'hate'. Maybe you don't pray and perhaps that sounds trite or cliche to you, but prayer changes hearts and minds, our own most of all. 

How about we try being verbal good samaritans and let's see if we can make that go viral. 

No Foolin'

In spite of being super slack in the blogging department lately I've managed to sign up for the tenth annual April A-Z blog challenge. I always enjoy this particular exercise and it usually gives my blog the little oomph it needs to keep sputtering on.

It's not necessary to have a theme, but I know me and know I need a jumping off point if I'm going to write 26 posts in 30 days (no Sunday blogging in the A-Z). I've participated in five of the ten A-Z challenges and every year I say I'm going to write a few posts ahead of the launch date and schedule them to publish. What actually happens is I blog on the fly, and that's likely how this year will play out too.

Let's get crackin', but first my theme. Keeping it short and sweet, and I'd like to think simple except I'm sure I'll manage to complicate it somehow.

Delight.

That's my theme. It's also my word for the year and I want to dig in a little. My plan is to write about things that delight. Also going to write about a few things that don't because I like to find the silver linings.

A is for Anticipation

I know it's the year 2019, but I'm still using a paper calendar. I'm a big fan of the week at a glance format, and love flipping the page to a new week or month to see what's waiting for me there. That app on my phone doesn't provide the same level of satisfaction as a planner whose pages I can turn, fill up, and re-visit does.

While I do love making plans and looking forward to seeing them materialize, I also take great delight in glancing at the week ahead and discovering a day with no plans on the calendar. It's possible the sense of anticipation I feel for a day on the horizon that's all my own ranks right up there with my birthday.

It seems we live in an age where we don't want to wait for things. We want what we want and we want it now. For me anticipating an event, special occasion, visit with a loved one, an extra special longed for gift, or a trip somewhere fabulous sometime in the future is a huge part of the pleasure those things bring.

I was always that mom who when their daughter said she wanted a new 'fill in the blank' told her to "put it on your birthday list" or "ask for that for Christmas".  Looking forward to new things and new experiences is for me, an integral part of the enjoyment of those longed-for things and experiences.

Hubs and I were talking recently about Saturday morning cartoons when we were kids. While I don't remember a lot of the specifics what I do remember is how much we looked forward to Saturday mornings. We didn't have our favorite programs available 24/7 and there was something about having to wait for your show from week to week that made watching in your pjs feel more like a deliberate experience and less like mindless viewing.

Anticipation brings delight. Not all the time of course (think anticipating a call from your doctor, your CPA at tax time, or a dental procedure scheduled in a few days time), but mostly when I hear the word I think happy thoughts. Good things. Something to look forward to in the near or distant future makes my heart zing a little.

Christmas. A holiday booked months in advance. A visit three months from now from a grown child living many states away. When my daughter leaves our home for a cross country flight back to her own it helps to know when that next visit will happen. Anticipation starts brewing almost as soon as she's out the door.

I like thinking about spring travel in the middle of a long winter, and while I think we've gone a bit overboard on all things Christmas, the month of December is filled with anticipation of the very best kind.

Don't even get me started on babies being born and babies getting married.

photo credit: Chris Isham Photography

I know there's a flip side to anticipation. I know sometimes we can build up an event or looked forward to moment to an unreasonable level, then spend the actual event feeling disappointed and melancholy it hasn't lived up to our mental hype. I think we have to learn to manage anticipation and expectation without becoming Debbie Downer. We all know a Debbie Downer, dont' we?

I like to look on the bright side. I want to wear the rose colored glasses, see the glass as something more than half full. I love having something to look forward to and savor the sense of anticipation that comes along with making plans and living life.

Less Eeyore.
More Winnie-the Pooh.

"Well", said Pooh, "what I like best," and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called." A. A. Milne

Tuesday Ramblings

Every year I say this is the year I'm going to write more and then January rolls around and here we are. Same old lang syne.

Have you made resolutions or set goals or come up with a 19 in 19 list for the year? I always like to set a few goals but feel like before I can do that I need to clear some space on my desk, in my calendar and especially in my head. Going with a brain dump here today. It's Tuesday so why not?

It is Tuesday, right?
That 'what day is it' mode that settles in with the holidays hasn't quite left me yet.

Okay, first things first...how 'bout them Tigers?? Whoohoo!

That would be the Clemson Tigers in case you missed the Natty.

That would be the National College Football Playoff Championship which happened last night between the Clemson Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Tide got trounced and it was so much fun to watch. Sorry Bama peeps, but we love our hometown team and they earned this one.

Yes we're still Volunteer fans, but they were not in the game. ahem. And we always root for the SEC teams to win except when the last biggest game of the year comes down to not the Volunteers vs. our hometown team, then we're hometown team all the way.

In other news, I really need to get my calendar organized for this next year which is already chock a block full of 'stuff' including five weddings, one of which is my Daughter's. I do use my phone calendar but still love a paper daytimer type calendar and haven't made the switch yet from 2018. This morning I discovered I've booked a dental appointment the same morning I've booked a hair appointment.

I think we all know which one I'll be cancelling.
Priorities people!

Speaking of my daughter's wedding (aren't I always?), she had her hair and makeup trial last night and oh my stars! This girl is going to be the most beautiful bride! The hair and makeup artist was adorable and she couldn't get over the brides a) eyebrows (absolutely perfect!), b) bright blue eyes (the bluest!) and her skin (like velvet!). We brought her veil with us and something about putting a veil on your daughter just brings out all the big feels. I'm so excited for their special day.

Speaking of her special day, my exercise class started back up yesterday. 'Nuff said.

Quick topic change-WORD. Do you have a word for this new year? It's a thing now ya know. If you're not familiar with the concept it's choosing a word for the year as a way to focus on an attitude, outlook, area of improvement, growth, etc and you ponder it, meditate on it, pray about it, feel inspired by it, work to live it out, as you go about your days.

I haven't participated in a few years because if I don't feel it I'm not going to pick something for the sake of picking something. This year I have a word, sort of by accident except I don't believe in 'accidents', not this kind anyway.

I hadn't given it so much as a thought until a few weeks before Christmas when I saw a blurb on the DaySpring website that offered a quiz to help you figure it out. What can I say? I'm a sucker for an online quiz. So I took it and sent it to my girls too because I thought it would be fun if we all  compared words. Kind of a lark if you will.

The thing is, the word I got stuck in my head and kept coming to the top of my brain as I went about my ordinary everyday life and I've decided to keep it. My word is delight.

Not sure exactly how it will play out, but this much I do know from years past...the word always plays out in some unexpected ways as the days roll by. I haven't spent a lot of time thinking about this particular word, but it's part of one of my most favorite verses in the Bible so I'm going to start there-

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him,  and He will act." Psalm 37:4-5

If you picked a word for this year and want to share it I'd love to know. Hope your Tuesday is delight-ful! 

Stuck In The Hodgepodge

Welcome to the first Hodgepodge in a brand new year! So glad you've played along today! Once you've answered the questions on your own blog, add your link at the end of my post. Be sure to pop over and leave a comment for the blogger linking before you because we're all about keeping it friendly here.  Now off we go-

  

1. It's that time of year again...time for Lake Superior University to present a list of words (or phrases) they'd like to see banished (for over-use, mis-use, or genera uselessness) in 2018. You can read more about the decision making process and word meaning here, but this year's top vote getters are-

unpack, dish (as in dish out the latest rumor), pre-owned, onboarding/offboarding, nothingburger, let that sink in, let me ask you this, impactful, Cofefe, drill down, fake news, hot water heater (hot water doesn't need to be heated), and gig economy

Which of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? Is there a word not on the list you'd like to add?

There's not as many words on this year's list that get under my skin as in years past, but I'm not a big fan of the term 'unpack', and agree it's overused. Unless of course we're talking about the actual unpacking of a suitcase and then I'm okay with it. 

I'm a little tired of the word 'lit' and am surprised that one didn't make the list. 

2. What's something you need to get rid of in the new year?

For starters-the office files need purging, coats in the hall closet neither of us wear anymore need donating, and a few miscellaneous boxes in the storage room need to be sorted, emptied, and either moved to plastic bins or the rubbish.

3. Where do you feel stuck?

It's hard to explain, but in a nutshell I feel stuck in figuring out how to meet some of the personal goals I've set for myself. How to manage and order my daily routine as opposed to it managing me. I feel a lot of frustration in this particular area of my life because in my head I know what I want to happen, but then so often life seems to just roll out all over the place. 

I'm someone who works best with a bit of structure to my weekly activities and that's been missing round here in recent months. It seems like I'm always saying, 'starting tomorrow...' but for real...starting tomorrow I'm going to at least come up with a plan to have a better grip on my time in this new year. 

Also fresh starts are my favorite and I'm so grateful for more chances, brand new days, and the turn of a calendar page. 

4. January is National Soup Month. When did you last have a bowl of soup? Was it made from scratch or from a can? Your favorite canned soup? Your favorite soup to make from scratch on a cold winter's day?

I had a bowl of soup about a week ago, tomato from a can which is one of the few canned soups I enjoy. I do make a lot of soup from scratch, especially this time of year and in fact am making tortilla soup for our dinner tonight. My favorite made from scratch is vegetable beef prepared with short ribs, but I also love lentil soup and chicken with rice. We have those pretty often in the winter months or whenever anybody seems to be coming down with something. Chicken soup really is good for what ails you. 

5. Tell us one thing you're looking forward to in 2018.

I could dig deep for something original, but let's go with the obvious-spending time with my daughters and grandson. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Are your Christmas decorations up or down? Mine are coming down today, or at least that's the plan. We had company for the New Year's weekend and my Daughter2 stayed until Tuesday afternoon so I wasn't in a hurry to get things put away. Course I'd like to be Samantha Stephens right about now, and 100 bonus points to anyone who knows what that means! Happy New Year Hodgepodgers! And anyone else who landed or lurked here today!




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Five Minutes of Breathe

Linking with Five Minute Friday today. Here's the drill-write for five minutes flat for pure unedited love of the written word. Link back to Five Minute Friday and invite others to join in too. Consider yourselves invited. Finally, be generous and leave an encouraging comment for the person who linked up before you. Here we go-

Today's prompt-Breathe

I haven't written much of substance on my blog lately, mostly because we've been going at mach speed round here since November, but also because everybody is so dang cranky all the time about all the things. Have mercy it is ex.haus.ting. Does anybody have the patience or stamina or time in their day for all the endless whining and complaining and judgy judgmental judgment we're living with right now?

Breathe. 

The online world that once upon a time connected us in so many fun and positive ways feels downright ugly. The real world feels that way too and it breaks my heart a little. A lot if I'm being honest. I don't want to dip so much as my pinky toe into the sea of nastiness that's out there right now and I honestly don't know how to navigate social media anymore. If the Internet were my child I would send her to her room.

Breathe. 

I was talking with friends recently (in person and face to face which is how ideas are best shared), and we all agreed you can't go to even the simplest of social gatherings anymore without considering what you're walking in to. Will anyone be there who doesn't demand you explain and defend your position on a whole laundry list of sizzling hot topics that you'd rather not get into with casual acquaintances? Can't we just talk about what's in the delicious chicken salad or some other equally inoffensive subject matter?

Breathe. 

I don't want my blog to be a place of controversy and I work hard to keep it a welcoming little corner of the Internet. It's just that anymore it's hard to know what in the world is going to set people off. And by set people off I mean what is going to cause someone to insult my intelligence, my thinking, my education, my part of the country, my belief system and more.

Recently I replied to a comment on Twitter and a woman who doesn't know me, who knows nothing about me, called me a liar. She also identified herself in her profile as a 'Christ follower'. Okay. Somehow that didn't feel very Christ-like to me. I let it go with a polite 'we disagree', because she doesn't know me and I don't know her and we're not going to know one another communicating 140 characters at a time.

Sometimes it's hard to breathe.

I think our parents generation got it right in their efforts not to bring politics into polite conversation. And Facebook? Facebook is just a mess, and because in real life I do have people I love and who are dear to me on all ends of the political spectrum, well it's a mess. It's not a place I want to be anymore.

I want to extend birthday wishes, learn about your travels, see your babies and your grandchildren, find out about great places to dine or hike or vacation, discover new music, hear about random acts of kindness encountered throughout your day, but that's such a small part of my news feed now it's almost not worth checking in.

So how do we blog when the air is thick with smoke and opinion? When voices thunder in ways that make you want to pull the covers over you head? How do we breathe?

For me I go back to what is true. I spend less time reading Internet words and more time reading God's word. I pray for our nation and her leaders and a world gone mad, and when I want to make a point, let my feelings be known, fire off a response to an unkind word or misstatement of fact, I take a step back and I breathe.

I think our natural desire to be right, to be heard, to make our opinion known says go-hit send-now-immediately.

I'm learning to fight my natural instinct.

I'm learning to let my words sit on the page overnight and see if they look and feel the same in the bright light of a new day. I ask myself does this need to be said and most importantly, do I need to be the one to say it? We all think we need to be the one to say 'it' but really do we? Does everything need to be said?

My girls called yesterday. We talked about grandbabies, pregnancy, smocked rompers, car troubles and sick puppies that strain our nerves and our bank accounts, the triumphs and challenges facing a kindergarten teacher, and how God knows about all the things. All of them. Every last bit of our everything. He is the air I breathe.

When I remember that breathing is easy.