Grammar, parts of speech and adjectives.
♥You’re an angel.
I spend a lot of time in the class room talking about grammar, parts of speech, adjectives and motivation. I found after fifteen years of teaching that not too many teachers actually brought up subjects like how to get good grades, developing good study habits, LIKING or even LOVING learning and one of my favorites, brushing and flossing.
Maybe that is why I started a blog, so I could spend more time thinking, writing and talking about what I find more important than grammar — inspiration, motivation and becoming a better person.
If you like what you are learning you are going to study harder. It’s just a theory. What do you think? Do you agree?
One of my friends asked me how I was going to measure the success of my blog. Well, I then ask you to define success.
Is it when I make my life better somehow, your life better? Is it when I make a certain sum of money? Is it when I get a lot of compliments or comments on a post?
Or, is it when someone notices a small detail like the perfume you are wearing or the color of the specks in your eyes. {if you answered yes here, please give yourself two points and a coffee break.}
How do you measure success?
Is it when you have fallen in love? Is it when you have a certain amount of money in your bank account? Is it when you are able to travel somewhere you have always wanted to go?
Or is it losing weight? Stopping smoking?
To me, success is stopping, enjoying the moment and living in gratitude. For some reason, I always got caught in the belief system of needing and wanting more. I worked, and worked hard until I obtained my next goal. For some reason, there is always another goal right around the corner.
♥The gift of the blessing.
Lately I read in a book by Gregg Braden, called IQ Matrix, that all words are just words given to us to label things as children and we just accept them.
I also learned lately that the opposite of whatever we believe can be proven true. So what is the truth? A collective consciousness? Is it when we have the house, the car and the family?
He also wrote some incredible insights about our DNA and how we are all interwoven in a divine, sort of holigraphic type way.
I think happiness is when we finally stop looking outside of ourselves for and accept ourselves exactly how we are; creatures of God, with our defects and our glory. Believe it kids, it’s self love at it’s finest.
I did not expect when I started this blog was that I would get an extremely supportive and loving audience to write to. I didn’t expect I would find a way to show off my art work.
I didn’t expect that I would be making and sustaining more new friendships than I have in a long time. In a way it’s a bit sad that our society so openly embraces internet relationships when what truly matters are the people you have in front of you.
I didn’t expect I would be able to provide the tools necessary to good or great people to help their ideas become even better while some truly flourished.
Somewhere along the lines, my real life and my virtual life are becoming blurred. A teacher called me out of class today while I was teaching. It was super strange and out of the blue. She had heard that kids were making fun of my accent.
I was six inches away from her face looking at her eyes and thinking what is she saying? Has she called me out because she cares? Because she wants to know me? Because she is reprimanding me? Because she is praising me?
For goodness sakes I was in the middle of a lesson, half way through the sentence on the blackboard: A lorry is bigger than a van. That sentence must be more important, right? Or is it the face to face contact?
I think it’s communication. It’s an attempt to make our current situation a little bit better by talking. That’s our job, right, Chass? Just to make this world a little bit more beautiful?
You truly ARE angels.
I love that I have someone to write to. I love that you share. I love that you have become part of my life, virtual or real. They are all just words anyway.
Julie
Now it’s your turn.
I’d like to know how you evaluate success? What are the labels that society has given you that you just don’t agree with? Do you think the teacher pulled me outside to praise me or to reprimand me? What’s your view on virtual vs. real life communication?
Mostly, what kind of things can you and I do to make this world just a little bit better or more beautiful?
Thanks for reading. Comments are not only appreciated, they are paid. 
PS You can pay me now!!!
I *am* TRULY AN ANGEL and you are TRULY AND ANGEL OS. You have certainly
gotten introspective in you “today” age. I wonder who you got that from?
or where you got that from? or did you get it from anyone? or did someone
get it from you? or do you just get it? or do I? or don’t I? or is there an
I? or is there a you? or are we all one? or none?
I think that teacher was “down rot rude”. the least she could have done was
waited for you to acknowledge her and ask if she needed something. Maybe
your accent was on fire? or she was? or wasn’t.
Bottom line….. for 70 years, I have been trying to figure out the
answers. You remember me, don’t you. *The answer is*…… there is no
answer. Stay in the moment. Or all the moments? or some of the
moments?……..Love you honey. Great job on your blog. On who you are.
I am so happy you have found something that engrosses you so much and brings
you so much joy. I love you and miss you
How do I evaluate success? If I set out to accomplish something, and it is done, then I am a success. What I mean is with my blog I hoped to help others learn how to cook along with me. To teach others that cooking should not be intimidating. If I learn that some are reading *AND* trying my recipes, good and bad, then I have succeeded. At least as far as blog writing goes.
Since the world seems to have splintered in front of my eyes, I will take virtual relationships if that is what I can have. Even our local churches no longer have local attenders so why would our neighborhoods have that community feel? At this point, I take my friends where I can get them, even all the way to Italy!
What is my payment this time? I haven’t forgotten to post pics of my purses.
ah, mom oh mom, been paying since day one.
Miss you too. Crazy that we have to keep up with writing. In a way it’s lovely to have something written from you. Love you. Thanks for your double comments.
Michelle,
Ahh! You remembered about the purses. I’m keeping up on you. Yes, I think you absolutely hit it on the head that we have to take what we are given.
The world seems to have splintered in front of your eyes? Well, you certainly have a way of glueing it all back together in a nice package.
Your payment this time. Hmm, I’ll have to figure that one out. Hold on, let me ask my mom.
For me the measure of true success is if you are doing something that brings you pure joy!
My three handsome kids bring me pure joy. My happy marriage in which my husband is still my best friend and confidant (and who still keeps asking me to marry him after 25 years almost every other day) brings me joy. My design work, (it can be a small logo project or a large trade show installation) and the satisfaction I get from creating something out of nothing and that rush & flutter in my stomach that I know I knocked it out of the park and it is really good, bring me joy. Italy and my Italian language studies bring me mind blowing joy! As for my blog, every post I make I learn something and even if I interact with just one person, I smile to know that one person in the whole world was touched enough to leave a comment and that brings me joy! If they don’t leave a comment I am still pleased as punch, because I created a blog entry from nothing and put my voice out there to be heard, and that brings me joy!
It’s up Julie! A post with pictures of my purses and stuff.
What’s wonderful about you Melissa is the positive aspect you bring to your work. It’s the smile as you go approach that adds extra value to your content.
Your husband and family sound extremely supportive. You’re a lucky girl.
I’m not so certain if I agree with the just one at a time person approach though. I’m still thinking about the teacher who came into my class.
I truly push for communication as a solution, although I’m not so certain I always make the right choices. I left a link on another friend’s page to show her my work and she wasn’t so happy about that. I, on the other hand encourage linking here, talking and communicating.
When I come across a site with zero comments I wonder what you need to do to be able to interact with your readers. Then sometimes I think of my lectures when everyone is listening and at the end, I ask, any questions, and there aren’t. That’s fine too. That’s excellent, they were actively listening.
As long as you walk away knowing that the comments we read on blogs are written by real people who are trying to make their lives and the lives of the people around them a little bit better, well, then I think we as blog writers have done our an excellent job.
You also have the the choice of throwing the tomato at the computer, but I don’t recommend it.
Thanks for your comment Melissa. Have a great day.
Julie
Well done Michelle. They look great. Not only a great cook, blogger but also a designer.
Success for me has been my family, my patients, my friends, my music, and my writing. I never worried over money but we have enough materially that we’ll never hurt for food or shelter. All in all, I’d say success is if you can thrive without ever having to go to work for a living.
Dr. B