Author Intentergy

Walls or Bridges? – Wise Words Wednesday

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As I listen to my children bicker and fight over a kickball game in our basement, I am frustrated by the unkind words they use and the mean way they pick apart one another’s attempts to kick, run, and throw. It hurts me to hear them use such forceful language when it’s supposed to be a fun game.

What I have to remind myself is that their play is a way to learn the basics of the game, how to handle conflict, and ways to work with others while being competitive. Those viscous kickball games are growing opportunities for turning thrown stones into bridges for better play and successful communication in the future. (That doesn’t make their taunting any easier to hear though.)

Unfortunately, my kiddos’ emotional “rock collecting” has not been limited to the jabs and insults of their siblings. My children (like all kids) have come home with hurt in their eyes and frustration in their hearts from things said and done at school and sports practices. Seeing my kids hurt by the words and actions of others is probably the hardest part of being a parent. These challenges have forced me to dig deep into my repertoire of comfort and advice, but also add to the School of Hard Knocks’ curriculum as my children earn their diplomas in adolescence.

“When people throw rocks, you can either build walls or bridges.
Be a bridge builder”
– Lynda Mullaly Hunt

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Bloggers BeLOnG – Upcoming Session November 8, 2021

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We have one more Bloggers BeLOnG Session for 2021! Join us! It’s free, fun, and a great way to build your blogging community!

Monday, November 8, 2021 6:30 P.M. – 7:30 P.M. at the Missouri River Regional Library
* Virtual options available

Click Link Below to Register for the November Session

https://www.mrrl.org/events/bloggers-belong-2

How Do I Get Started… Again?

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The last time I posted any Intentergy was August 18th. That post was to announce upcoming Bloggers’ BeLOnG Sessions. Since then, I’ve done two Bloggers BeLOnG and one Blogging for Beginners Sessions, but written absolutely NOTHING. (Today’s post is the equivalent to the typing walk of shame.)

The worst part is that all of the sessions I’ve spoke at have been on blogging. I feel like a huge hypocrite. And a hypocrite is the worst kind of -crite… so I need to get writing again.

The trouble with getting started again is that it’s really hard to know what to do first.

Ideologies range from taking small steps to diving in head first, but I think what most of us need is an option to move somewhere in between a shuffle and a dive.

Do you feel like you are on pause in some aspect of your life?

Do you feel like you need a push to get back to one of your personal goals or just back in the habit of something that makes your life better?

Well, I’m going to take my proverbial first step to get back to blogging today by offering you a push in the direction of getting going again.

In January, I wrote about making vision boards with my gal pals. I’m pretty proud of how well I stuck to the majority of my visions, but some definitely fell by the wayside. (Sadly, my guitar has not gotten the attention is deserves.)

Did you make a vision board or a New Year’s Resolution? It’s probably not too late to visit those resolutions, even if you have to modify them in a more attainable increment for the remainder of this opportunity-filled year.

On a recent night out, my friends were talking about how much they needed to start losing weight because of health issues. Most of the issues were rooted in diet and lack of activity. My friend Erin shared how she worked her way back into getting fit by starting with 5 minutes a day on her elliptical. After one week of running on her elliptical for 5 minutes a day, she increased her time to 6 minutes a day, and then 7 minutes, eventually working her way up to 45 minutes a day. This was the same method I used when I got started with my workouts as well, and it made my heart happy hearing that those kinds of intentions are productive for others. Sharing the process was a good thing, the but the greater part about Erin sharing her story was that we agreed to be cheerleaders for one another. Every time one of us reaches the goal of 5 minutes on the elliptical or one week of working at it everyday, we will be there to celebrate and cheerlead for one another to keep going. Finding a cheer squad for yourself is definitely one way to get back into the swing of things or start making progress.

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Blogging for Beginners – Upcoming Dates

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Are you a blogger? Have you considered starting a blog? Do you want information on how to make your blog the best it can be? Join us for our Blogging for Beginners class! Melanie A. Peters of http://www.intentergy.com will go over the basics of blogging.

August 23, 2021 – 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM CST @ Missouri River Regional Library in Jefferson City, MO
Click Link Here to Register for this free session.

August 25, 2021 – 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM CST
@ Osage County Library in Linn, MO

“The Pissy Prayer”

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All too often I’ve heard that if you pray for patience the Lord will test it. I take pride in the patience I feel towards children, animals, and tedious tasks. I’m not always so patient with laziness, meanness, and ignorance.

Lately, I have witnessed laziness and unkindness in amounts exceeding my limits. In spite, of my prayers for peace, grace, and patience, the will to tolerate such selfish behavior has had me thinking about an alternative intent for my prayers.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m still asking the Lord to help the flawed human race find peace, generosity, and compassion, but every once in a while, I want to pray “The Pissy Prayer.”

Now this isn’t a prayer sanctioned by any church or liturgical governing body, but it is one that I think a lot of us could benefit from. (I made “The Pissy Prayer” up myself.)

“The Pissy Prayer“
By Melanie A. Peters

Dear Lord,


Grant me permission to be pissy about insignificant things that others blow way out of proportion.

Grant me fussiness when friends and family fail to recognize and appreciate all the blessings you have bestowed upon them.

In your most holy name, I ask that you help me through this hissy fit and guide me as I lose my good and capable mind over whatever has worked its way into my heart.

But most of all, Lord, grant forgiveness for my imperfections, because that’s what I need to feel and demonstrate in this most imperfect world.

Amen.

I know what you are thinking.

This sounds a bit blasphemous.

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The Fizzle of Summer’s Sizzle

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If the smell of sunscreen is making you nauseous and your flip-flops have blown out beyond repair, don’t worry. You are not alone. I don’t know about you, but once August rolls around, I feel all summer sizzled out. In fact, I am probably a poster child for the Summer Fizzled Out Federation (Not sure that’s a thing, but it should be). It’s been weeks since I’ve posted. Proof positive that my summer craziness has led to a depletion in my ability to put thoughts into words and words into posts. (I just took me 7 tries to type that sentence.)

After three months of working cattle, baling hay, raising fair hogs, coaching baseball, squeezing in doctor appointments, making Bar-b-ques, planning playdates, watering plants, and applying sunscreen, I’m feeling about as withered as the last of my tomato plants. When I talk to other people about how their summer is going, they all seem to voice the same end-of-summer exhaustion.

I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard someone say they are ready for their kids to go back to school. Those dollars would add up to enough money for an end-of-summer vacation for my family. If I had a dollar for every time one of my kids said they don’t want to go back to school, I would have money for a vacation to Europe and a new car.

Why is it that once we’ve successfully navigated swimming lessons, baseball bleacher-butt, sun burns, mosquito bite madness, garden vegetables coming out of our ears, and lawn mowing lunacy that we have the desire to move away from summer and all its Go-Go-Go glory?

It’s because the fizzle of summer’s sizzle has begun, and that’s okay.

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Sleeping Freckles

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On a recent visit, my three-year-old nephew Henry asked, “What’s there on your face?”

It took me a minute, but I realized he was asking about the worry-lines between my eyebrows (wrinkles). I smiled and said, “Those are just my wrinkles. Look I have more when I smile” and pointed at the crow’s feet formed on the side of my eyes.

Henry and I snuggling and hoping to wake some of his freckles.

The next day Henry asked why I had those spots on my face and arms. I told him they were my freckles… spots where the sun kissed my skin. He looked innocently at his arms and said, “My freckles are still sleeping.”

While his noticing my wrinkles made me a little sad, his discovery of my freckles and statement about his sleeping spots was super sweet and made me think about the freckles, wrinkles, and other characteristics that appear with time.

I know we can all relate to our adolescent desires to be taller, fuller, thinner, or whatever-er, but once we are doing the adulthood thing, how often do we give ourselves credit for the features that are no longer “sleeping”? Or how do we celebrate the differences between people? Do we point out the idiosyncrasies of other’s appearance in positive or appreciative ways?

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What We’re Up Against

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Without fail each flock we receive is full of attack turkeys. From day one, they come at you with fluffy wings spread and tiny beaks blaring battle chirps. The little guys in the video had been attacking my feet for a while before I finally thought to capture their assault on video. They might have been little but were definitely mighty.

Have you ever felt like you were up against something so huge it could never be toppled, but you went after it anyway?

It always helps to have someone with you no matter what you face. We may not always be surrounded by our flock of friends and family, but hopefully, we are continually reassured of the fact that we are not alone. Thanks to cards, phone calls, text messages, emails, and kind acts we can all show and know that there are others here for us in tough times.

Whatever we’re up against, it’s healthy to know that we can peck away at problems with the support and insights of our peers. As my family has faced some pretty scary health issues this past month, I cannot tell you how empowering it has been to witness the willingness of others to step up, do what they can, and provide support in all kinds of wonderful ways. From funny text messages, to food drop offs, and personal calls to health care providers, we have been flooded with folks willing to help conquer the beast that has consumed our focus and created much fear.

Cancer has proven to be a nasty illness that comes in more shapes and sizes than we can imagine, but if we continue to wage our war on its ravages, I have faith that we can find ways to wipe it out. We might feel like those tiny poults attacking the boots of a big bad monster, but if we work to do all the things that make us bigger, smarter, and stronger, I’m certain that we won’t be the underdogs forever.

The Intentergy challenge for today is to remember you are one of the mighty. The mighty ones who can bring hope and support to those feeling hopeless. You are one of the powerful people who provide joy, nourishment, and opportunity to those who need a boost. Your energy is what can lead the charge when something has gone very wrong or when others are feeling lost. If you happen to be lost, keep your head up, and don’t be afraid to call out to those who can rally around you.

It doesn’t matter what we’re up against, we have the ability to be bigger than our set backs and stronger than our fears.

By: Melanie A. Peters

P.S. There were about 9,000 attack turkeys coming at me in that video. I am fearless.

Melanie A. Peters in the Spotlight

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I am so excited and honored to be in the Spotlight for the June #BlogBattle! There are some seriously talented writers on this forum. It’s a treat to be in their community.
– Melanie A. Peters

Rachael Ritchey's avatarBlogBattle

Welcome to this year’s fun spotlight introduction of Blog Battlers!

Every month we’re shining the light on a participant.

Welcome, Melanie A. Peters!

Question Answer
Blog/Website: www.intentergy.com
How long have you been a writer? 5 years
3 random facts about you! I love college basketball.

I live on a turkey farm.

Gary is one of my first blogging friends.
What genre(s) do you write? Lifestyle/Positivity Blogging
What is your favorite BB story/entry you’ve written? What is the URL? https://intentergy.com/2018/08/10/to-the-moon-and-back/
Have you published any books? Self/Indie published? Traditional? Hybrid? Not yet
If you have published books, where can people go to buy your books? Not yet
Do you plan to publish? If so, self/indie, traditional or both/hybrid? Yes, both
Who or what inspired you to start a blog and share your writing? I was coping with the decision to walk away from teaching fulltime so as to be able to meet…

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Two-Word Coaching: Simple Direction

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This summer my oldest son has had the privilege of playing on a competitive baseball team, and with his new team, he gained some new teammates and coaches. The cool thing about new teammates and new coaches is there is a lot that can be learned from building team chemistry and determining the strengths and weaknesses of one another. Obviously, I enjoy hearing other coaches instruct my kiddos on the skills that I have tried to get them to work on for last couple of seasons, and then witnessing the kids actually trying those very techniques because somebody besides Coach Mom told them to do it. There is one dad on the team though that has introduced me to a different brand of coaching: Two-Word Coaching.

Tommy, the dad-coach, keeps his directions to the kids simple and usually only involves, you guessed it – two words. This may seem highly questionable, but let me tell you it can be very effective.

For example, as his son Will took the mound to pitch, Tommy barked, “Pitch strikes.”

Will proceeded to pitch 5 out of 9 pitches in the strike zone. (Pretty good for a first-year-in-the-league 10 year old.)

When Will was batting, Tommy grunted, “Little quicker,” and his son obligingly sped up his swing for a base hit.

Now don’t think Tommy’s two-word commands are limited to his son, the other kids are getting used to his brand of instruction as well. The more I listened; the more I was aware that Tommy wasn’t alone in taking advantage of this concise form of coaching. My awareness to this strategy heightened my recognition of just how often our terrific coaches employ its power, and the two-word coaching strategy has appealed to me even more.

Here are a few of the common two-word commands heard at most any game.

“Nice stop.” – for a solid catch or swatting down a hit by a defensive player

“Call it.” – Means, “Talk to each other, and let your teammates know you’ve got the ball.”

“Eat it.” – Means, “Hold the ball. Don’t try to throw out the baserunner (You probably won’t get them).”

“One more.” – This one has lots of meaning. It can infer, “Throw another strike,” “Get another out,” “All we need it one more hit,” or “One more game inning/game to win.”

“Charge it.” – Go to the ball and get that out. Don’t let it get away from you or the runner past you without hustling.

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