Month October 2016

Modern Day Vampires – They Don’t Want Your Blood

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Modern Day Vampires – They Don’t Want Your Blood

modern-day-vampires

I LOVE Halloween and everything that goes with it! Halloween parties, costumes, haunted houses, candy, all of it! I really, really like Halloween!

Vampires are no exception. I have always found the idea of vampires to be quite intriguing.

A few years ago the History Channel did a series of shows on historical haunting topics. One episode was on vampires. It was very informational and really creepy.

Learning about past vampire societies and practices fascinated me. I found their ideologies to be quite disturbing, but at least they had justifiable reasons behind their desire to take life from others. They believed taking the life blood from others would give them power to live stronger and longer. It was like a Gothic fountain of youth.

Some of the most interesting information in the episode was about modern day vampires. One of the vampire sociologists explained that today, vampires steal the vitality of others, not through drinking of blood, but rather through absorbing their victim’s energy. They, the modern day vampires, steal the energy by draining the victim’s spirit and vitality. This draining will not kill the victim but will diminish their motivation and inner drive without them even knowing. Fascinating! Continue reading “Modern Day Vampires – They Don’t Want Your Blood” →

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Evil Flourishes – Wise Words Wednesday

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Evil Flourishes – Wise Words Wednesday

Evil Will Triumph.jpg

So many are unhappy with our choices in the upcoming elections.

I understand.

I am unhappy with the ugliness that has become our electoral process.

I guess I can’t be unhappy about my choices. At least someone stepped up to run for government.

Some of my students asked me why “good people” don’t run for office. I told them because “good people” do not want to expose their loved ones and themselves to the brutality of our election process. I could not explain why “good people” should be afraid of this process, but in my heart I knew the real ugliness could be found somewhere in the truth behind Edmund Burke’s quote:

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” Continue reading “Evil Flourishes – Wise Words Wednesday” →

Feed the Machine and other Voluntary Acts

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Feed the Machine and other Voluntary Acts via Daily Prompt: Volunteer

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Seriously, how long does it take to put paper in a copier? How hard is it to hold open a door for someone? Does picking up a piece of trash cost you anything but calories?

This may seem like a sassy start for an Intentergy post, but I was really just trying to grab your attention on this fine Tuesday morning.

The fuel, behind my intent-powered program, is energy that burns because of kindness and consideration. Voluntary acts of kindness should not always be random or rare. They should be intentional and blatant. Let others know you care enough to do nice things for them and your surroundings.

As often as possible, I make it to the workroom on my plan time and feed the copy machine. Why? Because it stinks when you are running copies right before class and the dumb machine is starving. When people see me feeding the machine, they usually join me and help unwrap the reams. We share conversation and an intentional act of kindness. It is a very fulfilling act (not just for the poor, hungry copier).

Make these intentional acts frequently. Your frequency of kindness will result in greater consideration from those around you and that leads to even more intentional kindness and before we know it, people could actually have a good day. Smiles might actually appear without provocation. Thoughtful actions might occur without having to think about them. Who knows, maybe we might get a little bit closer to that whole world peace thing and start to put an end to starvation (not just the kind that happens to copiers).

Put your energy and intent into committing acts of charity and compassion and you will never starve for kindness or consideration. You will be filled with love and gratitude and that is what having Intentergy is all about.

By: Melanie A. Peters

P.S. This post was not intended to make you hungry, but if it did, be sure to share your snack with someone. It will taste even better.

Saturday Morning Coffee

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Saturday Morning Coffee

hot coffee (5).JPG

 

Parenthood, elections, and gratitude seem to be the three themes that have ruled my thoughts this week.

Parenthood: Worrying if I am a “good-enough” mom swarms my brain almost hourly. My munchkins know just how to push my buttons and I often find myself saying brash or sarcastic comments. Neither brashness or sarcasm are qualities that I want to dominate my children’s personalities, so I fret and worry over how damaging my words have been and I work hard to heal any emotional bruises made my by short temper.

My very good friend Kim assures me that I am doing just fine.

Kim says, “Do you know how I know you are a good mom? Because you actually worry about being a good mom. Moms that don’t care about their kids, don’t worry about being a good parent.” She is so right! In answer to my fears Wednesday, I shared “You are Enough,” I think all “good parents” should know they are enough.

Elections: The best quote applicable to many of the upcoming elections was stated by Edmund Burke, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” Continue reading “Saturday Morning Coffee” →

Who is bawling?

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Who is bawling?

via Daily Prompt: Panic

When Baby Calls.JPG

Even though humans have a hard time telling which calf belongs to what cow, those mama cows know their babies. Their cries are distinctive.

This mama had been grazing calmly and slowly, making her way across the pasture, when the first cry of a calf near the woods rang out. She stopped, lifted her head, and gazed in the direction of the cry.

After a few more pleading sounds were heard, she put her head back down and went back to foraging for the best grass. Off in the distance, you could hear the desperate call of another mama. That call was no different to me from any other cow, but I guarantee that crying calf knew who was making that racket.

A short time later both moos stopped, and I was assured that the lost calf had found its mother.

We, human parents, are no different. When our child laughs or cries on the playground, we know who it is that made those sounds. I can tell exactly which of my children is in the snack cabinet by the noises that come from the kitchen. I know which of my kiddos has just come into the house by the sound of their steps and how the door shuts (or slams in some cases). Our ears are trained to know when our loved ones are calling out for us. It is a very sensitive thing. Continue reading “Who is bawling?” →

You Are Enough – Wise Words Wednesday

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You are Enough – Wise Words Wednesday via Daily Prompt: Value

you-are-enough

Often the greatest struggle in life is finding value in ourselves. I know I find it a lot easier to give compliments than to recieve them. Why is that?

Why do we question our own value? How is it that we find loving ourselves to be so hard to do. Clearly, we are loveable.

Here are the wise words for you to put into effect in your life:

You are Enough

You are one of God’s unique and valuable creations. You are special, talented, smart, and priceless.

If you ever doubt your worth or your ability to live up to expectations, remember: You are Enough.

By: Melanie A. Peters

P.S. This might have been a little bit of a personal pep talk, but it is one we can all benefit from.

What’s in the Bag?

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What’s in the Bag?

Whats in the bag.jpg

For almost a year the bag in this photo sat in my closet. I hid a gift in it earlier and, after giving the gift, I just kept the bag. Last week I cleaned a few unnecessary things out of my closet and this bag was one of them.

My phone rang while I was cleaning, so I set the bag down and walked away to take care of the call. I never got back to the bag and it sat on the kitchen counter until everyone got home later that afternoon.

Every single person who came into the kitchen wanted to know what was in the bag. Even my brother-in-law, who stopped by to drop off some paperwork, checked inside the bag. Each person who checked on the bag’s contents was visibly sad about it emptiness. I took these observations and thought I would turn them into a lesson on positivity.

Everyone who looked in or asked, “What’s in the bag?” was hoping for something pleasant. They all wanted to find a surprise or a new smelly-good item to use.

This is what we call optimism.

When something out of the ordinary (i.e. the bag) appears, we hope that it will bring joy into our day. I LOVE optimism! I love the notion that something we didn’t expect could bring surprising happiness. This makes getting up in the morning worthwhile.

Each new day is like this bag (sort of). We don’t know what to expect. We do know what we think we will find in the day (or the bag), but we aren’t really sure where the opportunities will come from.

I hope today you find unexpected joy in the things you encounter. Consider putting some energy into adding optimism into someone’s day. While the appearance of a surprising act or display of affection may throw people off, you will add value and happiness in their life.

Put some surprising Intentergy into them and your actions (i.e. the bag) will never be empty.

By: Melanie A. Peters

P.S. I am not a spokesperson for Bath and Body Works. It’s just a bag.

 

Band-aids Only Cover Up the Hurt

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Band-aids Only Cover Up the Hurt

Band-aids only cover up the pain.jpg

We have a “No Blood = No Band-aid” rule at my house. I know this sounds kind of mean but my kids would go through a box of band-aids every day, if I didn’t enforce this.

There is something about covering up a boo-boo that seems to make it feel better but does the cover-up really help?

I am as guilty as anyone about covering up my hurts with busy work or eating chocolate. Sometimes I feel the need to lash out because of my shortcomings or put up a front when I just don’t know what to do in a situation. These are my behavior band-aids.

Think about the ways you cover up hurt in your life. Is it food? Alcohol? Shopping? Unhealthy relationships? What do you do to fill the empty spaces in your heart?  Continue reading “Band-aids Only Cover Up the Hurt” →

Woolly Worms and Wives’ Tales

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Woolly Worms and Wives’ Tales

We found this fast little fellow on our sidewalk and had to share!

I have always heard it said that if the woolly worms in the fall are solid black, it will be a long, cold winter.

Who am I to argue with the wisdom of wives’ tales?

We have spotted quite a few of these solidly colored, fuzzy fellows lately and (along with the Farmer’s Almanac) it has me curious.

Last fall the woolly worms all seemed to have three stripes. They were black, then brown, then black again. This pattern was actually a pretty accurate reflection of the winter. It started out cold and wet, was dry and mild, and then really wet and cold before early spring.

2015-wooly-worms

2015 Woolly Worm

 

The idea of Mother Nature providing us hints as to what is to come (weather wise) has always fascinated me, so I did some research. Here is a brief synopsis of the cool stuff I learned.

In the 1940’s and 1950’s the curator of insects from the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, Dr. C. H. Curran, conducted a study of the Woolly Bear Caterpillars to see if the size of their brown band was an accurate predictor of the type of winter that would follow their autumn appearance. His research did support the wives’ tale, but he knew it was too small a sampling to legitimately support the fanciful idea fully. It would take a much more serious and larger scale investigation to prove those old wives (whomever they may be) correct. While unable to deliver a definitive answer, Dr. Curran, his wife, and a close group of friends enjoyed these studies so much they called themselves The Original Society of the Friends of the Woolly Bear.  Continue reading “Woolly Worms and Wives’ Tales” →

Dirt Don’t Hurt

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Dirt Don’t Hurt

dirt-dont-hurt

The expression, “God made the dirt and dirt don’t hurt,” is one that I have heard a lot since childhood. Now that I am doing my darndest to provide my children with a quality upbringing, I have to let the dirt fly sometimes.

This spot of loose sand and dirt brought so much joy to my three kiddos (and the puppy), while hubby and I took care of a water and weeds problem. Too many weeds, too little water for the cows.

They loved making mountains out of the powdery gravel and watching it filter through their fingers and toes. Pretending to cast spells and watching their sandy smoke fall was another magical practice. Seeing how dusty they could get our poor dog was another favorite challenge. While the dirt was flying, so were their imaginations and laughter. It felt so good to watch them be KIDS. Continue reading “Dirt Don’t Hurt” →