Category Creative Energy

Recharge

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via Daily Prompt: Recharge

Recharge

recharge.JPG.

While we all seem to be connected through technology, we are also connected to our own energy source. I have found that all too often I am more apt to charge my phone’s battery than my own.

I really want to be better at recharging.

Recently a friend of mine was diagnosed with Mononucleosis. It was a welcome diagnosis because she has been feeling very run down and her doctor told her there were some potentially scary causes for her condition. She was relieved but frustrated all at once. “How does a respectable, grown woman get mono?” She texted me. I reminded her that Kevin Siegrist, pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, has battled mono this season too and he is in prime physical condition. It just happens.

I told her to rest and recharge and she would be better in no time.

At almost the exact same time, someone else that I love texted to tell me that she had cracked two ribs. (We knew they were probably cracked, but she was too stubborn to go to the doctor.) I offered to make dinner and help her around her house so that she could rest. Her response was that she was just going to keep working and they were only a little sore. How are we ever going to get the soreness to go away if she doesn’t rest and recharge???!!!??? Continue reading “Recharge” →

You don’t have to have it all figured out – Wise Words Wednesday

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You don’t have to have it all figured out – Wise Words Wednesday

You don't have to have it all figured out.png

The unexpected is the only constant in life. We know we have to keep moving forward but we don’t always know what to expect. That’s okay!

When making changes in your life (or just trying to cope with daily stress), keep moving forward. You may not have all the logistics worked out, but you will at least have momentum in your favor.

A lot of my students have cried to me about their indecisiveness for the future. I always assure them that it will be okay. You don’t always have to have it all figured out to move forward. Sometimes opportunities move us forward. We just have to face them with active minds and open hearts.

If you are feeling like you just can’t figure life out, you are not alone. Keep moving forward. Continue making decisions and taking risks. The adventure comes when we leap past the uncertainty and fly with our new discoveries. (Yes, you may crash-land sometimes but remember scars are cool.)

Put your energy into accepting uncertainty. Have faith in knowing you are capable of not just moving forward but moving mountains.

By: Melanie A. Peters

Be Someone – Wise Words Wednesday

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Be Someone – Wise Words Wednesday

Be someone.png

Being the person who makes others feel special is a wonderful way to live your life. Finding ways to make each person you encounter feel like they matter is what makes life worth living.

Greeting strangers, holding doors, carrying groceries, and giving compliments are all free and easy ways to make someone feel like they are somebody.

Going out of your way to help someone makes that effort much more valuable in your heart and theirs. Do good for others. Show them they are worth care and consideration. They are somebody to someone.

When my children arrive home each afternoon, I ask them a personalized question about their day. “What was the grossest thing that happened today?” “What did you see that was funny today?” “Who did you play with? What did you play?” Continue reading “Be Someone – Wise Words Wednesday” →

Sunshine Blogger Award

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Sunshine Blogger Award

SUNSHINE-BLOGGER-AWARD

Thank you, FlyingColours, for the nomination of Sunshine Blogger Award. It really made my week! One of my goals for Intentergy is to bring light into people’s lives so this award was a terrific affirmation of my intentions. Thank you!

The objective of the Sunshine Blogger Award is to share about yourself and nominate other bloggers who you believe deserve the same honor. Here are my responses to the awarded questions:

(1)What you love about blogging ?

I love sharing my thoughts and ideas. Hopefully I bring fresh and positive perspectives to those who read my posts.

(2)What is your favorite song?

My favorite song of all time is “Wide Open Spaces” by the Dixie Chicks.

(3)What is your dream job ?

My dream job is to be a wife, mom, farmer, and teacher. I guess. I already have my dream job and I get to share my career experiences through my blog.

(4)If you could exchange your life with anyone for one day who would that be and why ?

For one day and one day only, I would swap places with Oprah Winfrey. My only reason is because she has done so many amazing things and continues to try to make differences in people’s lives everyday. 

(5)Your secret romantic fantasy ?

Camping with my husband in the mountains. 

(6)What are your habits that you hate most or want to change them ?

Guilt. I really wish I were better about not allowing guilt to plague me. The simplest things weigh me down. I wish I were better at just letting go. I am a work in progress.

(7)Your most embarrassing thing that happened to you ?

I forgot two lines of “The Star-Spangled Banner” when singing at a rodeo.

(8)Your favorite color ?

Blue

(9)Your motivation in life ?

To be kind, loving, and do the best job possible

(10)Craziest thing you would like to do in life that you were not able to do ?

Run a marathon. (I will get there someday.)

My nominations for the Sunshine Blogger are:

Georgia at Purelysimplewords.com

Shattered Dreams and Shattered Faith

Jeremy at Fivetweetstory

Rev. B. Keith Haney

Pop Up Showers

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Pop Up Showers

Behind the Clouds.jpg

As I drove home today, it was obvious that rain was making its way to us. When the rain came, it fell hard and fast, making it difficult to drive. I slowed down, turned up the wiper speed, turned down the radio, and kept moving forward.

As my garage door closed behind me, I gave thanks for safety and shelter. After carrying in all my bags from the car, I noticed the rain had stopped and the sun was peaking through. I love the weather!

That pop up shower was a lot like our daily encounters. Sometimes a storm of trouble will come out of nowhere, but we hunker down and work through it. Other times we see it coming and can do nothing until is rains down on us. Those downpours strengthen us and actually refresh us for what life has in store.

Today I hope you do not experience too many unexpected whirlwinds or dampened plans. If you do find yourself facing a storm of sorrow or tribulation, stay strong. Slow down. Focus on moving forward. Turn down the distractions. Turn up the decision-making tools that will allow you to see clearly. Listen for the peace that follows the thunder and rain and know that you are a survivor.

By: Melanie A. Peters

What do you want to learn?- a first day question for students

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What do you want to learn?– first day question for students

What do you want to learn

On August 23rd I began my teaching journey at State Tech. My lesson plans were written, my Introduction PowerPoints ready to go, syllabi were photocopied, and my broom was ready to fly. (More about the flying broom will be discussed in later posts.) What I was not prepared for was the openness my students would show towards learning.

To kick things off in my COM 101 course, I created a grammar pre-test. It was important to know what grammar skills my students possessed. It consisted of 15 multiple choice questions and was not for a grade.

Within a minute or two of starting the test, I could see frustration forming on the faces of my students. After four or five minutes, their grumblings were audible. By the time they finished their pre-test, I could almost smell a mutiny. In my most professional and reassuring manner, I tried to persuade them it would ok.

We finished up the pre-test and headed back to our regular classroom. I observed head shaking and defeated student reactions as I followed them. I had just learned that grammar was not my students’ strong suit.

Fortunately, I had anticipated this and had a question ready for them. Continue reading “What do you want to learn?- a first day question for students” →

Read + Know + Grow + Smarter = Stronger Voice

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Read + Know + Grow + Smarter = Stronger Voice

The More You Read.png

“The more you read, the more you know. The more you know, the smarter you grow. The smarter you grow, the stronger your voice when speaking your mind or making your choice.”

I memorized these words from a bookmark I found at the library when I was 12.

Whenever people tell me they don’t like to read, I recite this poem to them. Often they ask me to repeat it a few times and agree there is merit to my message, but they still don’t like to read.

I understand. There are ways of learning that don’t appeal to me either.

Reading books or references works can be cumbersome. Reading instructional texts can be torture. Reading something you are interested in can change your life.

Books like You are a BadAss (Jen Sincero) and 29 Gifts: How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life (Cami Walker) helped me to find my voice in creating my blog. In the Meantime (Iyanla Vanzant) got me past the greatest heartaches of my life. The Holy Bible is a centuries old guide of how humanity has time and again been called to serve God and one another. I find a lot of advice in its pages. Continue reading “Read + Know + Grow + Smarter = Stronger Voice” →

Bed Full of Eyeballs – Funny Friday

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Bed Full of Eyeballs – Funny Friday

eyeball bed 1.jpg

 

Creating crafts is one of our favorite things to do. Sometimes our crafts need eyes, so I always keep googly eyes on hand.

My husband and kiddos were home alone on Monday evening, and when I returned, I found the house in its usual state of Hurricane Daddy-was-busy-watching-the-baseball-game. The aftermath of the recurring storm is always unpredictable and that is where the bed full of eyeballs came into play.

After calming everyone down and putting them back in bed for the third time, I headed to bed myself. As I picked up my pajamas, I found a googly eye. After pulling back my quilt, I found a pile of googly eyes. Clearly the kids found the craft supplies and used them to confetti my room while I was gone.

While a bed full of eyeballs sounds like the next major motion picture event for the scary movie genre, it was just another night in our crazy household. I removed as many eyeballs as I could find and fell asleep.

In the middle of the night, I was awakened by a strange noise. At first I thought it was one of the kids, but no one was up. My second fear was much worse, a mouse! But the noise stopped. I drifted back to sleep only to wake again as the sound returned.

I lay there slightly afraid because it sounded like it was under our bed. Now my husband is a terrific sleeper, so he did not wake. He continued with his peaceful snoring and restless leg slumber. The sound occurred again. Soon I realized that the pattern of the sound resonated after each time my husband shifted his legs. I turned on the bedside lamp and shook him.

“I think there is an eyeball on your leg,” I whispered as I tried to wake my husband. “What?!?” was his aggravated reply. “I think there is an eyeball on your leg,” I said again. I pulled the blanket off his legs and of course there were a handful of googly eyes stuck to his legs and quilt. He was annoyed and confused but wiped the eyeballs off onto the floor and went right back to sleep. The sound had stopped and so I fought my restless brain syndrome and finally drifted back to sleep.

eyeball bed 2.JPG

The next morning the alarm sounded way too early, as always, but I forced myself up and out of bed. After my shower, I went to wake hubby and could not help but laugh. As he lay sleeping on his side, there were two googly eyes stuck to his back. One was a big goodly eye and the other a very small one giving him a very lopsided monster look. When I pulled them off and woke him, he did not find it amusing.

I am not sure how anyone else would react to a bed full of eyeballs, but I think finding humor in the situation was necessary.

There are many lessons to be learned from this encounter with the googly optics of my craft cabinet:

  1. Keep the googly eyes up high and hidden, when I am going to be gone.
  2. My husband does not check to see what’s laying on the bed before he goes to sleep.
  3. My kids are always watching us (even in our sleep)
  4. If you ever find one eyeball in your bed, make sure you strip the bed to find all of the eyeballs before trying to go to sleep.
  5. Googly eyes really are creepy.

By: Melanie A. Peters

 

Stand Tall (even when you’re drowning)

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Stand Tall (even when you’re drowning)

Above water

When man-made lakes are formed, trees, fields, plains, and old homesteads are all covered with the collecting waters. What was once a forest or a small civilization becomes sights unseen. In spite of the hundreds of years put into growing those trees, we now only see a small tip of what made its way past the 30 or 50 or even 75 foot mark. The treetops are the only reminder of that tree’s grandeur for us.

Yes, there are still things we value in this tree. For example, tying your boat to the tree’s tallest boughs provides a successful spot for fishing, because now fish make their nests in its branches, instead of birds.We know that the roots still run deep, holding the foundation for the lake in place, and continuing to provide shelter for the animals that call the lake “home.”

The clusters of once mighty leaf-bearers are now skeletons reaching for the sky, proving they are still standing strong, leafless, broken, and drowning, but strong. Continue reading “Stand Tall (even when you’re drowning)” →

Positive Pants – Wise Words Wednesday

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Positive Pants – Wise Words Wednesday

Positive Pants Wise Words Wednesday

When we face trouble in our lives we are often told to strap on our boots and wade on into the battle or put on our big girl panties and do what we have to do. In keeping with the theme of dressing for success, I would like to challenge you to put on your positive pants.

Don’t worry about how fashionable your positivity appears or if the fit compliments your curves (at least you have curves.) Let your happiness radiate from your heart. Wear your worry-free outlook on your sleeve and show just how good positivity can look.

If you start your day with the intent to make it a great one, you are much more likely to make that happen. When you say, “This is a good day,” you are more likely to believe it and good things will manifest themselves. Continue reading “Positive Pants – Wise Words Wednesday” →