Need Fixin’?

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        To fix a broken system, elements of that system must be repaired or replaced in order to operate satisfactorily. Like a broken jar shattered on the floor, do you ever feel like you are broken to pieces you don’t recognize? Heck, who hasn’t? Whether we are cognizant of it or not, we need fixing and constant tweaking for the restoration of our mind, body, and spirit. Yet how do we conduct these repairs before we set sail for the day?

        There are simple and doable tools we can use before we begin sinking faster than the Titanic. These tools include exercise, good nutrition, relaxation, social connectedness, and sleep. When we are deprived of these elements, our system will flash a warning of impending danger that will indicate when something isn’t operating right, is terribly wrong, and needs to be fixed.

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        The hurriedness, the busyness, the stress widening the gap of absence, estrangement, and loneliness are fixable elements, as substantial as they sound. Just like checklists aid in preventing accidents on ships from unwanted incidents, we can benefit from a frequent self-checkup…a reconditioning…a refurbishing. Can we revive our sense of renewal, get supercharged, and get on the anointed path of where we should be headed? Yet, we must recognize we can hold on to things we don’t want to correct because it’s too comfortable to walk away from, and so we choose to remain where we are. Those things can drown us.

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         Pull out your toolkit, and every now and then, utilize your gadgets (Physical, Emotional, Intellectual, Social, Spiritual, Environmental, and Occupational devices) to repair and strengthen those areas that feel like they are falling apart or disintegrating. These tools act as your lifejacket…your lifeline to survival. What would you store in your self-care toolkit? Is there a tool you feel you need to pull out today to fix a few issues?

Write to Your Younger You

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        We have heard people ask, “What would you say right now to your younger self?” “What advice would you give to your younger you?” What would you change or not change if you could talk to your inner youth right this moment, where you are in your self-care zone? How do you respond to yourself?

        Becoming adults, we sometimes ruminate on our youth, our experiences, our triumphs, and even occasionally our regrets. Sometimes we find ourselves fizzling and worn around the edges and wonder how we ended up where we are, whether it was by choice or chance.

        So why not write a letter to your younger self? (Dear Younger Self) – will you be able to finally free and forgive yourself of things that were holding you hostage for far too long? Even if that younger you is from five or ten years ago, write anyway. Will you tell that younger you to believe in yourself? Will you tell that younger you to learn to be more discerning about your relationships? Would you tell your younger you to stop giving other people your power and use your power to build greater confidence to go for your dreams, goals, and aspirations? Would you tell your younger you to stop procrastinating, and don’t leave so many things undone. Would you tell your younger you to stop holding on to things you should have let go of long ago? Would you tell your younger you to stop looking at fear as failure or rejection, and instead use it as an ice axe to help you climb that scary mountain?

        I find that writing things down holds me accountable for what has to be done. This is a challenge for all of us, should you choose to do so, that can give us a swift kick in the butt to remind us to recondition our minds and spirits to live, especially since we are adults. Shine your light and make your purpose become a reality that empowers instead of inhibits. This can be so redeeming, refreshing, and help to regerminate those dormant seeds within. So, what would you say to your younger self?

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Dance, Love, Play, Behave, Smile

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Dance like no one’s watching, sing like no one’s listening, love like you’ll never be hurt, play like there’s no winners, behave like mom’s watching, give like you have plenty, and smile!

As we begin this week, why not start the week off energized and happy? You may not think you have a reason to be excited, but if you look in the mirror, oh darling, there you will see the reflection of where your reason lies!

Have an awesome-filled day of merriment, motivation, and movement!

On This National Friendship Day, Thank You! 🤗

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Today is National Friendship Day. Last week we celebrated International Day of Friendship, and as we already know, especially on this forum, friendships and relationships empower, and they are priceless as we thrive globally.

To all of my friends
whether you are near or far
thank you from my heart.

© Kym Gordon Moore

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The Altitude of Your Attitude for Gratitude

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        How high does your level of gratitude reach? Now everyone has written about some angle of gratitude, but to grow in thanksgiving, you have to let some things go to see the big picture, in order to rise, like mercury in a thermometer. Life has thrown some curve balls that even astonish Major League Baseball pitchers. Either these curve balls will knock us out, or we focus and fire away by hitting them head-on and out of the park.

        The altitude of our gratitude depends on our attitude of appreciation for gifts that are not simply based on materialistic gains but on how stronger we get in the midst of adversity. Quite often, it is expected that gratitude comes automatically, when things are going great. Ah, the good life, and we think we are happy right? But when you can be grateful in the midst of trials, hardships, and exposing scars on your knees and elbows, along with those unexpected mishaps, oh honey, that raises the mercury on your gratitude meter. You are able to give a strong testimony as you reflect on how you survived your most traumatic tests.

        Each day, find something to be grateful for. Just one thing. The benefits of gratitude lead to greater compassion and empathy for others. Gratitude can improve our overall well-being, mentally and physically. Gratitude enables you to give more when it seems like you’re running on empty. Gratitude also helps you to get a better night’s sleep and helps you to smile more. Now, with benefits like that, there’s no reason not to be grateful for something every day. Be awakened, nourished, and transformed.

💖💖💖 To you my dear friends, I am truly grateful for you! 💖💖💖

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Paying Attention May Not Cost Money, but Can Be Costly

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        I cannot emphasize enough how much distractions have drawn us into its agonizing grip. We miss so much because we are entranced by certain things we might think are meaningful but are actually meaningless. Take notice as you observe, become more aware, and pay attention to your surroundings, goals and life. How do we miss so much? How did we miss the signs? What throws us off or better yet who throws us off?

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        Things standing right before us get lost in the shuffle of distractions or scooped in the confines of intentional diversions. Paying attention may not cost us money, but it could be costly if we don’t. Think about what catches or caught your attention today. Then ruminate about what difference it makes or made in your reaction and whether it made an impression or impacted your life in some small or big way.

What Becomes of the Unexpected

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        Is nature messing with my mind like a psychedelic drug? Usually during this time of the year I look towards the western sky as the sun sets, and see rich colors of tangerine, splashes of rich purple, and cobalt blue. But a few days ago as I glanced at the western sky it was clear, azure blue, sprinkled with white clouds. I really didn’t give it much thought until I walked to my office which faces east and saw something that seemed like an anomaly. What I expected to show up in the western sky was making a bizarre appearance in the eastern sky. I couldn’t take my eyes off of it because it seems like the order of things were doing a switcheroo. Dusk was looking like dawn.

I stood there

looking out the window

mesmerized by a circular hotspot

of orange sherbet,

surrounded by huge brush strokes

of periwinkle and peach.

🌤

Was this a divine shift

or was it an ordinary occurrence

one I hadn’t noticed before?

The unexpected couldn’t be changed

as I looked at it through the lens of expectancy

perhaps to drink it all in or simply marvel at it

a lesson to expect the unexpected, and to learn from it.

©Kym Gordon Moore

The Reality of a Dreamer’s Heart

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        You know, sometimes I wonder if things I thought mattered don’t matter anymore. Things like nostalgia don’t matter to many, and as a disposable society, we waste and want more. Things like decency and respect seem to have fallen by the wayside. Things like justice, compassion, hope, love, and morals seems to evaporate faster than a dewdrop in 100-degree temperatures. And so these things seem.

        Yet, on the other hand, I see promise and hope. I see a return to things that didn’t seem important, but after missing them, they are embraced like an old friend. I see things that fell by the wayside are once again picked back up and rescued because chaos and confusion are too great a price to pay. I suppose I am in the boat with John Lennon when he sang, “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you will join us, and the world will live as one.” And on that same boat, I find a seat next to Michael Jackson as he echoed, “Heal the world, make it a better place, for you, and for me, and the entire human race.”

        These are some tall orders to fill, but we have the ingredients to fill them with. Reality says to me quite clearly that if we believe in the reality within our heart, then all things are possible. This is why I hold on to the threads of hope.

What Exploitation Lies Within the Traffic

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        Over the weekend, we celebrated my husband’s birthday. As the festivities wound down, we watched a movie. The movie portrayed a growing and disturbing trend involving our young girls. I urge all of you, who have daughters, as well as sons, to be vigilant in paying attention to who your children are around, to watch their surroundings, and to pay attention to their communications online, especially with strangers.

        We have become more hands-off with our kids since my growing-up years. While modern technology is more prevalent in our lives, these digital devices have become baby sitters. My parents were strict, and in hindsight, I am truly grateful for that. I think their strictness grounded me and saved me. At times I thought it was harsh, but I also realize it could have been far worse had they not cared.

        This growing epidemic is Sex Trafficking (sexual exploitation). It is deplorable, and in our area, we have seen an alarming rate of these practices being conducted right under our noses. We are clueless and are not paying attention to the clues right before us. There are spineless, cruel, money-hungry people preying on young girls, no matter how young, and even young boys are not exempt from this sinister crime. These sex traffickers are selling and prostituting these innocent kids. Some never see their parents again and it is horrifying to find out that some of these parents are selling their children for money.

        In the movie “Paradise Highway,” the young ivy league school bureau investigator asks a retired investigator who has become a consultant to law enforcement why don’t they just run. The consultant played by Morgan Freeman says it’s because so many of them have been screwed by the system. No one cares, and there aren’t enough people hired to look for them. Plus, so many people who are supposed to help them are in cahoots with the traffickers so they can get a pinch of the money. They prostitute them. Sometimes these perps pose as modeling companies promising these girls fortune and fame. They cross state lines, and the perps with deep pockets fly these innocent kids out of the country to their contacts for God only knows what.

        Many lose their virginity by being raped repeatedly until they are broken spiritually. These children become robotically lifeless from being raped by these pedophiles (men and women) over and over again. They are robbed of their childhood, with a life that mimics a limp ragdoll.

        I implore you mothers and fathers to have this conversation with your kids and young adults because this is on you. Young women and young men, be aware of your surroundings because 20 somethings to 30 somethings is like prime meat for these traffickers. These folks are looking for easy targets, so please don’t make this easy for them. They blend in and know that people aren’t paying attention to what they are obviously doing, as we are none the wiser. Yet, after they have used up these victims, they discard them like day old garbage. May we all remain vigilant.

It’s a Celebration! 🎉

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        It’s a CELEBRATION! Didn’t you know? For what? For no reason whatsoever. Just celebrate the gift of life today. You don’t need money, just a state of mind grounded in gratitude. Live each day to the fullest!

You don’t need to wait
for reasons to celebrate
just spread love, not hate.

©Kym Gordon Moore

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