tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5282947048772412842024-03-26T22:43:25.247-07:00Coffee PongBecause good coffee deserves some balls.Carol Harper, Community Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368908696928606392noreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528294704877241284.post-60767830726185718272024-03-20T08:15:00.000-07:002024-03-21T18:36:02.249-07:00History Lessons: Do Right By Your Community<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzQ0VihvTywvj19tnXLIun31EXwiUY-fRr6TR45XuWlq4B68qGTeDkpOOAsrgNvSiVynPDDnckU2GAV7Yps2TJbPr7A6s9LwpZdcltaZkkqf3HrObQXONZmcL8-nHDvTLNBevKGr5ieosON7_TVs6vCIwBGf_SeECTQoAdVJ-MZv1IrcbFu90re-hIuQ/s1921/RivDepotsign.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="461" data-original-width="1921" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzQ0VihvTywvj19tnXLIun31EXwiUY-fRr6TR45XuWlq4B68qGTeDkpOOAsrgNvSiVynPDDnckU2GAV7Yps2TJbPr7A6s9LwpZdcltaZkkqf3HrObQXONZmcL8-nHDvTLNBevKGr5ieosON7_TVs6vCIwBGf_SeECTQoAdVJ-MZv1IrcbFu90re-hIuQ/w640-h154/RivDepotsign.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Isn't that just the coolest sign? It used to be the sign on the Depot, and now it's hanging in the museum.</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">So awesome!</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I'ts been a long while since posting to my blog, but I figured now is good a time as any to start it up again.</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">So I thought that I'd start out with a bang and publish my speech that I gave during the Tuesday March 19th's</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">Riverton City Council public commentperiod regarding the Riverton Chamber</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre;">A quick side note...today as I was taking photos in the museum, I saw this posted in the ACME theater display:</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre;"><i>"Do right by your community, and your community will do right by you."</i></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Do wrong, and...?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">____________________________</span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I am here to speak on the subject of the WyRiverton Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center. At this point, I want to make it clear that I am not speaking on behalf of any business, group or organization, or anyone but my own self, as a citizen.</span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I stood up here almost 2 years ago, and told you all that the Chamber was making decisions (and I quote myself) </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“in backrooms, behind closed doors and I was cut from the team. I asked questions, and I got no response or was ignored. When I questioned processes happening without oversight. I got ambiguous responses or was ignored.”</span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I quit the Chamber and the Chamber Ambassadors (which has since been dissolved) because of that very thing: No oversight. They revised and created their own bylaws behind closed doors with no oversight or even a vote from their membership, so those bylaws should have been null and void this entire time. So this all goes back to two years ago when I saw that something wasn’t right, that you can’t just pass something as significant as bylaws without a vote, and you can’t just solicit and take peoples’ money and do whatever you want with it.</span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The city council liaisons for the Chamber sit up here in a roundtable and talk up all of the great things the Chamber does for Riverton, but no one wants to talk about the questionable things.</span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Chamber recently boasted on (one of three) Facebook pages about some businesses that seem to have bailed them out, one of which was Mike Bailey…who sits on the city council and is the Chamber’s liaison! Is this or is this not a conflict of interest, given the recent audit?</span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Regardless of this, what values or incentives is the Chamber even able to provide for any member that joins now, if they have no money to even pay their staff, or rent an office, or even have a copy machine?</span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I have spoken to many business owners and past Chamber members who tell me they received no value or incentives for being a member. $5000 is the Chamber’s top-tier membership. What does $5000 get you? Gone are the days when folks really even care if you’re a high-tier member of a business organization for the prestige, a sticker, your logo on a banner, and a certificate in a cheap frame. With the emergence of social media and now AI, many of the successful businesses and organizations' posts that I share on GoRiverton have their own marketing pretty much down. It’s awareness and promotion of their products and services that they need. So what is the Chamber doing there, especially for $5000?</span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Additionally, there are two chamber websites: rivertonchamber.org and WyRiverton.com. When I was with the Chamber Ambassadors, that new website cost $40,000. I recently found out that their website is now costing them $1500 a month, and is basically a static site for tourism. $1500, which is $18,000/year. I charge starting at $300 per year for a static website..that works out to $25/month…plus my clients get promo on GoRiverton!</span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Also confusing are the Facebook pages…there are the RivertonWYChamber, WyRiverton, and Riverton Chamber of Commerce. Which one of these pages does the Chamber post and promote on daily? Weekly? Monthly?</span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">5 executive directors in 5 years. It seems to me that the directors are to be nothing but puppets to do the Executive Board’s bidding. But when one stands up for what’s right and calls them out on their discrepancies or bad business practices, what happens?</span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As far as best business practices, the Chamber’s current Vice-President (and now Interim Director) should know better, as she has a background in banking and also sits on the Wind River Visitors Council itself. To claim ignorance and that everything is now copacetic is simply the narrative that has been created for the press in an attempt to put it all in a good light. Additionally, this same person has been going around to businesses, bribing them to join the Chamber. This act of desperation is pitiful because, again…besides the bribe, where’s the value? Why should I join?</span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This person is also on other boards including your newly-formed community development committee. She is also going around the county with Kevin Kershisnik about the ½ cent sales tax for Forward Fremont County. Even though I agree with and support the ½ cent, I will not vote for it, for exactly the reasons I’ve already stated: No effective oversight and no confidence in the people on the committees that decide how that funding is awarded and dispersed. After all, if this is how TAD funds are treated, how can I have full faith and confidence in how EDGE funds are and will be managed?</span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The definition of embezzlement is “</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">theft or misappropriation of funds placed in one’s trust or belonging to one’s employer.”</span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Chamber cannot just claim that the left hand did not know what the right hand was doing. </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Someone knew and she came forward! </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Embezzlement, whether it’s across state lines, or from one account to another, is a federal offense. And because someone came forward to question it and was fired for it…that is called a cover-up and wrongful termination! </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">What if she hadn’t come forward?</span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I personally think the Chamber should be dissolved, and every board member who voted with their Executive Board for the past 2 years should resign or be investigated. But realistically, I know that will never happen, because that's not the way things work here in Riverton. Investigations that include certain individuals or have the “right” last name end up like parents defending their bully child before the principal. The most they’ll get is a slap on the wrist and a warning…and not because the jails are full or because they have the wrong last name. It’s because the gaslighting includes what “all the Chamber does for the city and the community.” Pay no attention to who is behind the curtain!</span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And where is the Chamber? At the Heritage Center? On Main Street? The Chamber doesn’t even have a locale or center for tourists and visitors, which is its primary purpose! You’d think they’d be able to find a place and stay put. When do they meet? What do they do? Besides the TAD money, where is the membership money really going?</span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">How has the Chamber been serving the businesses of Riverton? They haven’t. It needs to be dissolved. And it’s sad! Over two years ago, I had some element of hope for the Chamber…until I found out how they practiced. I spoke out about their lack of transparency and accountability and was ignored. So this time around, I hope I won’t be. I hope that Chamber members, past and present, and Riverton business owners will step up and do and say something, not nothing. If you haven’t received value for your membership, or were bribed into joining, or believed in the promises of ambiguous economic development plans that didn’t include or don’t benefit you, demand your money back.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Change will never happen if you do nothing.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Thank you.</span></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj71GvmbhyphenhyphenTct0XiXgo8dYD_fa4tOmQIJw30KjlU1m6OoBBcm_yr1TYUQtfSS6Psuche7fzDFyfNKHDvBwGB-azR7CDX2XdSItokQioiqACllQHUfATGxGKDurPMHIawCXiLW7tZ4nzeqQrCd1GkYOW-2rKWoeX8Y6rbLKg88gm98CoVj90dkN8EfcuJw/s866/doright.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="866" data-original-width="651" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj71GvmbhyphenhyphenTct0XiXgo8dYD_fa4tOmQIJw30KjlU1m6OoBBcm_yr1TYUQtfSS6Psuche7fzDFyfNKHDvBwGB-azR7CDX2XdSItokQioiqACllQHUfATGxGKDurPMHIawCXiLW7tZ4nzeqQrCd1GkYOW-2rKWoeX8Y6rbLKg88gm98CoVj90dkN8EfcuJw/s320/doright.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><br /><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p>Carol Harper, Community Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368908696928606392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528294704877241284.post-28054245964761403762022-12-26T10:20:00.019-08:002022-12-26T19:31:39.558-08:00History Lessons: Being the Goal<div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Happy New Year!</b> If you’re my friend on Facebook, my Intro reads: “</span><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Be good! Don't be bad. Be nice! Don't be mean. Be strong! Life will hand you a bunch of shit…” </span><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These three “B”s have become a part of my mantra and guide on my Journey, and as a result, I've been so very blessed by the Nouns in my life...people, places, and things...and look forward to yet another year of more connections and, well...more adventures!</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">That said, 2022 certainly was not without its challenges and changes. I found myself in the midst of economic, social, and physical transitions. Some were gratifying and joyful; others brought distress, discouragement, and disappointment, yet others brought a great deal of pain and sorrow. Each time, I had to choose how I would approach these challenges and changes. I didn’t always make the "right" choice(s), therefore the consequences of those choices weren’t always good or nice when Life handed me “a bunch of shit.”</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was recently in a meeting where the question was asked: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“What is </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">one </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">goal you have for the New Year?” </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We went around the “Zoom Room” and each person gave their answer…increased productivity, time management, “hit the gym”, acquire “X” amount of new clients, members, etc. I gave it some thought as I listened to the responses, and when it came around to me, I said:</span></div><span id="docs-internal-guid-a99a4d09-7fff-4bfd-aae0-50848d1464f4"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">am</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the goal.”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There was a bit of silence, so I went on to explain that we have a great team here and it’s because </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">every single one </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">of us brings one or several components of <b>value </b>to the table…our time, talents, and/or treasures. The reason(s) for those values lie within each and every one of us, every second, minute, day, quarter, and year of our lives...but at the end of the day, it is </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">me </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">who has to live with myself:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQeIBegHkj_zaNWAt_3x5K3x4he4ZvFx3Xr_0mQkUnZYeQE4DT8fcO9ICwun06KatgUHed9ir2ygYD_g_1Y5FoHDhCl5aG2x7gNvjO8Y4h5JTlo6_CP6BnOjZlDdaFuR-xG4pB5Uyo4Pbr6ApVpGsdm9YDW5vAHsATgJIqp76Rr2sDujJFvDb_iPo/s1640/Iamthegoal2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="1640" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQeIBegHkj_zaNWAt_3x5K3x4he4ZvFx3Xr_0mQkUnZYeQE4DT8fcO9ICwun06KatgUHed9ir2ygYD_g_1Y5FoHDhCl5aG2x7gNvjO8Y4h5JTlo6_CP6BnOjZlDdaFuR-xG4pB5Uyo4Pbr6ApVpGsdm9YDW5vAHsATgJIqp76Rr2sDujJFvDb_iPo/w640-h360/Iamthegoal2.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So often I have been influenced, invested in, and wrapped up in the aspiring goals of others, sometimes based upon expectations and rules controlled and/or marketed by powers-that-be that exist outside all of our little "bubbles", creating a unique brand of predilection and “tunnel vision.” Then, when challenges come along, we are wide open to derailment…then discouragement or regret set in, and we feel like giving up. Sometimes I felt like I was flailing on an open, raging sea, or desperately scratching and clawing upwards, trying to keep from falling into an abyss. I was struggling for peace, rather than making the choices that </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">led </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to it.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On top of that, despair can set in. Then we beat ourselves up…so we reach for the drug, the pill, the bottle, the sermon, the system, or any number of things we “go-to” or try to convince ourselves and dissuade the thoughts and feelings that we “failed” when the truth might be that </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">we really <i>didn’t</i>. It happened. It just is.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Everything happens for a reason; <i>everything </i>has a purpose. Never do I believe this more than when I look back on my own history lessons. My timeline is based upon the choices I’ve made on my own Journey, and many of them were based upon rules and expectations made by those </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">outside </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">my own Self, my own little bubble. It’s so easy to slip into </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">reacting </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">instead of acting…and whether the consequences were based upon mine or the choices of others, I got so used to others defining me and telling me who I was and am, that I was almost compelled to believe things about myself that weren't true. I’d automatically switch into a defensive “survival mode” and that is a very lonely place to be. Thankfully, I have many Angels and Nouns that step in, just at the right time, to bless and enrich my Life.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Last year I noticed a pattern, and now (besides my three “B”s) I have Four “C”s: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">C</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">hoices, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">C</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">hallenges, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">C</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">hanges, and </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">C</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">onsequences. My approach to all four has helped me be more aware of the wisdom I have gained on my Journey, from birth to the present, and truly live a life of Faith, Hope, and Love.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: medium; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Choices</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You’ve heard it said, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“You are the choices you make.”</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Understanding our everyday choices–even on the micro/nano level–can help us remember and reflect upon what we’ve learned and have been programmed with throughout our Lives. The past is the past; you cannot change it. But even if you could, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">would </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">you? Sometimes we are greatly affected by the choices of others, which often leaves us </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">no </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">choice but to be strong. Other times, making a choice on a scale or certain level of risk can either lift us to the sky or plunge us to the ground.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Once you make a choice, change and consequences come into play. For example…choosing a wobbly chair instead of a proper stepladder, choosing to drive under the influence instead of taking an Uber, taxi or giving the keys to a sober friend, choosing to be in a toxic relationship (or choosing to be the abuser) instead of getting help, choosing to listen/believe or spread gossip instead of finding out the facts, choosing to destroy than to build, choosing to be mean rather than nice, choosing to be bad rather than good…the list goes on for the Nouns that affect human history's Timeline.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: medium; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Challenges</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I found myself flailing, scratching, or clawing, or if I had been handed “a bunch of shit,” the reality bubble had already popped, and I often tried </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">very </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">hard not to do the blame game. Sometimes it’s very clear who or what is to blame, but many times, it is not. Either way, does it really matter? Presently, It is what it is. Blaming ourselves or others only wastes time in moving forward, and to see clear enough to rise above the situation. It can rot your soul if you can’t let go, so you must find a way to do it. Taking ownership of our choices is the first step to trodding a better Path...or staying stuck in the one we're in.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">However…maybe you’re sick and tired of the status quo and you find yourself challenging the powers that be for a better life, a better world, and a better future. Countless sacrifices have been made throughout history, and they have not been in vain. Again, <i>everything </i>happens for a reason; <i>everything </i>has a purpose.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Peace will not come out of a clash of arms but out of justice lived and done by unarmed nations in the face of odds.” - Mahatma Ghandi</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: medium; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Changes</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I often ask myself: </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Who or what is in control? And if it’s not me, who or what is?” </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Contemplating this as I make choices and experience the challenges can help me through the impending changes. I pray through them. Prayer and meditation give me peace, but I also focus on and seek the Truth, which can sometimes make you uncomfortable (especially when there’s a denial of it). However, it can also snap you out of those programmed comfort zones, routines, and status quo ruts. I first have a responsibility to the health of my </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">own </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">heart, mind, body, and soul, or I’m no good to anything or anyone, including myself!</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is what I mean by </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I am the goal.” </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All of my choices, all challenges, and changes should be in harmony with being nice, being good, and being strong.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It doesn’t mean I don’t or won’t have bad days or never, ever have a bad attitude. It also doesn’t mean I’ll never, ever make a “wrong” choice again. What it <i>does </i>mean is that I become more mindful and aware, expect the unexpected, and pray through the challenges and changes so I never lose hope. So it’s…</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>A</b>=Me</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>B</b>=Be good, be nice, be strong.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>C</b>=Choices, Challenges, Changes and…</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Consequences</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Many years ago I interviewed a Wiccan friend for a local newspaper; she had a metaphysical store...sold crystals, wands, potions and blends, jewelry, did readings, etc. Particularly interested in the “readings” aspect, I inquired how it works, and she said that she was <i>"basically, a very underpaid therapist.”</i> LOL I asked her if she’d do a reading on me. She said, "<i>Y</i></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>ou </i></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">don’t need one.”</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> When I asked why, she said, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Because you already know who you are.”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Over a decade later, I finally understood what she meant. Prophecy and/or “readings” are mathematical; they’re based on a balance of 1) a history of choices and consequences, 2) accurate and true information, and ultimately, 3) probability, or the likelihood that one will either continue to choose the Path they're already on, or have the ability and strength to choose another. If the information given is flawed, the prophecy or reading will be flawed, meaning…if one does not choose to </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">set their ego aside</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">isn’t completely honest with themselves or others</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, or chooses to withhold information, the prophecy/reading is useless. There may be guiding elements, but if there is little or no truth in the Self, there is no point in the reading. You can make the choice(s), but cannot choose or control the consequences.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The problem is often the Ego.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>“Ego never accepts the truth.”</b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Buddha</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m going to redefine this a bit by saying that the ego </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">sometimes </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">accepts the truth, but never, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ever </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">enough. More seek and strive after acceptance, membership, celebrity, accolades, titles, authority, power, and control. As a consequence, when choices have been made and the challenges follow, the truth is hidden or replaced with lies, false narratives, marketed, shiny exteriors…pure, unadulterated Faith is replaced with systematic, man-made beliefs, Hope is replaced by defenses, “go-to”s and “survival modes”, and Love becomes conditional. The Ego bubble is quite strong.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM9uAlArFldKbVqlyaAHeFLSsUjyQ1zaU13n_shg7U0HRL5THkwua2SZEyKh191JB1saDitXE9WB1IwxrsqOWtrsiUFHF3SUXXFKzPWShhTkxylI5PNj6SAwjFHg23FTkWytug3yr0gDHTek0ubwxnb-wmzzfCqLpvs9csPJxCvA2sFbEsoGJepQ8/s1640/Pride.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="1640" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM9uAlArFldKbVqlyaAHeFLSsUjyQ1zaU13n_shg7U0HRL5THkwua2SZEyKh191JB1saDitXE9WB1IwxrsqOWtrsiUFHF3SUXXFKzPWShhTkxylI5PNj6SAwjFHg23FTkWytug3yr0gDHTek0ubwxnb-wmzzfCqLpvs9csPJxCvA2sFbEsoGJepQ8/w400-h225/Pride.png" width="400" /></a></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is said that out of all of the Seven Deadly Sins (lust, envy, anger, greed, glutton, sloth)...</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">pride</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is the deadliest of all. We have a whole world history chock full of consequences based on choices made out of pride and egos, and to date, we still haven’t realized how very destructive they are.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Peace begins with me, so if I want peace on earth and goodwill for all, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am the goal</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. If “Emmanuel” is defined as </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">God with us,</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> this should be reflected in the life I live and the choices I make, which in turn should inspire and convict the Truth in my heart (and even in the hearts of others) to be good, be nice and be strong…and if I pop a few bubbles along the way, at least I know that I am staying true to myself and continuing on in knowing who I am.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have Love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have Love, I am </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">nothing</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have Love, <b>I gain </b></span><b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">nothing</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Love is patient; love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres…</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">…For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known...</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(1 Corinthians 13: 1-12)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz4PYJoXZWLf4tPiI2Js7r67gQm5nrunMNf1cOq3gwaWRM1WijperUBYc0B6u0LwO4vXQcEG7QSofAHhWhpT9qAjlVQpOGq8X4Zcv7A762CqPDhuhp7fv9vQK1sFsyiPuX-4SKyJxen96xrkNbmz3CU-mZeyn7Z9m73ahv73pzaxvt_4zQJC8AicE/s940/faith-hope-love.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="940" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz4PYJoXZWLf4tPiI2Js7r67gQm5nrunMNf1cOq3gwaWRM1WijperUBYc0B6u0LwO4vXQcEG7QSofAHhWhpT9qAjlVQpOGq8X4Zcv7A762CqPDhuhp7fv9vQK1sFsyiPuX-4SKyJxen96xrkNbmz3CU-mZeyn7Z9m73ahv73pzaxvt_4zQJC8AicE/w400-h335/faith-hope-love.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Carol Harper, Community Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368908696928606392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528294704877241284.post-47947229643918921792022-08-16T04:11:00.033-07:002022-08-16T05:54:41.114-07:00We Don’t Have An Employee Shortage, We Have a Culture Problem<div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv9h0sCTf-QYraSyFV78JmyoOYR2Q_YUfmZ-_aKC0EtLkN2cszFq44VIQh6yu262d0F-e3koQZfpm2zfZQjfJi9mj9u5e0ymPJ4au6zk0CcBYgF5ikWPWTdREkwFOPR7dyBdv0tHsAcB97cRMRuMm37wWsqUtxoDWjB0pOPNALZdlRJPYcXa3YN7g/s960/JessieC.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv9h0sCTf-QYraSyFV78JmyoOYR2Q_YUfmZ-_aKC0EtLkN2cszFq44VIQh6yu262d0F-e3koQZfpm2zfZQjfJi9mj9u5e0ymPJ4au6zk0CcBYgF5ikWPWTdREkwFOPR7dyBdv0tHsAcB97cRMRuMm37wWsqUtxoDWjB0pOPNALZdlRJPYcXa3YN7g/s320/JessieC.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Jessie Campbell is a good friend of mine who owns and runs <a href="https://www.campbellconstructiongeneng.com/" target="_blank">Campbell Construction General Engineering, Inc. </a>in Amador County, California. She is one of the smartest businesswomen I know and respect, and wrote this a while back. I asked her if I could publish it here on my blog. She said I could. An excellent read!</i></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>During the first week of COVID lockdowns, we had four people whose schools or employers had been rescheduled, moved online, or reduced days…come to our office for a job.</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We are a relatively small business, employing 25-30 people at any given time; however, we get 2-5 new applications weekly. We do underground construction and have a landscape and rental supply yard in Sutter Creek, California. Because of the extra demand for landscaping supplies through the lockdown, even while construction jobs were on pause, we added every one of them and our kids. We could not keep up, working seven days a week and twelve hours a day. Lunches and dinners were being delivered to the office with a multitude of new take-out options.</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our Human Resources company started doing round table Zoom meetings for employers, where we could meet for support and ideas on how they navigate the constant pivoting demanded by social pressure and mandates. It was in one of these meetings that our company's business partner put me on the spot. Out of the 126 company accounts that he was assigned to, we had the lowest turnover. In fact, we had the lowest turnover of all of the companies they managed, including other construction companies doing the same type of work, and many much larger that have the ability to offer better benefits. He wanted me to address the reason why, and offer advice to other business owners in the group. The two major differences that I see are these:<br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> <br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Use the Golden Rule with Employees.<br /></b></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> <br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I don’t mean that we have an “Employee of the Month”, and we have never served hot dogs on an Employee Appreciation Day. Your employees are likely to be just as unhappy at work eating free hot dogs than when they are not.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> <br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What I mean is: We let them prioritize their families. Temporary adjustments in scheduling to care for a sick kid, a school function, or a change in the school schedule…there is always a temporary adjustment. But to any parent, grandparents, or child, it’s everything. All the little humans in someone’s life are always going to be their first priority. Be open and honest about what you can do as an employer to accommodate that for both men and women.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> <br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And you know what? This policy is almost never taken advantage of. Have grace when they are going through rough times.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> <br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Set healthy boundaries with customers, and get rid of the customers who don’t follow them.<br /></b></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> <br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The customer is not always right. In the last two years, anyone in any service industry will tell you that mean customers are becoming the norm. It’s the number one complaint. When I sit at the owner/manager's desk, customers tend to treat me respectfully. However, when I sit at the front office assistant's desk, I noticeably get talked down to, and for nothing.</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The fact that someone is helping you, training for their job and working up their skills, or doing a 150% after many years and skills, does not entitle a customer's wrath. It’s concerning that customers feel it’s okay to be pleasant to the owner, and sometimes downright abusive to an employee. Customers that need to feel powerful by cursing at a 17-year-old high school student, working for money for school? Step in! Be the buffer for them. Let the customer know that isn’t tolerated, and stand by that. It’s better to lose a bad customer than a good employee.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> <br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>What can the general public do about this? Be kind.</b></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If a business is adjusting its hours or services, it’s almost always because of staffing. Be kind. If an employee at a business makes a mistake, remember the times you inevitably have made mistakes as well. If an employee gave you great service, tell them!</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>And for everyone…</b></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Don’t be the reason someone had a horrible day at work.</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We can all be the reason that someone loves their job as customers, co-workers and employers. That is the only way to bring employees back.</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><span id="docs-internal-guid-de0cc935-7fff-af3a-2629-a3dc4d5e4f1c"><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Carol Harper, Community Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368908696928606392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528294704877241284.post-34287878024865134632022-06-08T06:27:00.005-07:002022-06-20T18:16:03.815-07:00Coffee With A View: United We Stand, Divided We Fall<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5aqo_NpO_R-IuAKtxs_OCMdnOb3Pr9Fp2KZMrDZ4yd92_VxxjFQ24-zEBpeHGm32XyUIfxyJFEMPjiCS09houWKlwR990jfBlZ9JoeJvW-jcqj60DtmsVItLpPYTkcN9iKygb9ArSkALBv4pxHmEVKVXNe42-9IgBBEezjRuk1aqzzNGRxNmcIn4/s1588/CoffeePong8.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1588" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5aqo_NpO_R-IuAKtxs_OCMdnOb3Pr9Fp2KZMrDZ4yd92_VxxjFQ24-zEBpeHGm32XyUIfxyJFEMPjiCS09houWKlwR990jfBlZ9JoeJvW-jcqj60DtmsVItLpPYTkcN9iKygb9ArSkALBv4pxHmEVKVXNe42-9IgBBEezjRuk1aqzzNGRxNmcIn4/s320/CoffeePong8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I usually cover city council meetings as a reporter, but last night I stood at the podium before the Riverton City Council and spoke on my views of the Chamber and what had been happening with the merger with the Chamber and Riverton Ambassadors.</div></div></div><div>My view(s) came from what I had experienced over the past couple of months, which has been a confusing Journey in and of itself; but as I wrote this speech, I knew I wasn't alone in them. Even though I wasn't speaking on behalf of anyone but myself, I know that there have been several who have shared with me their own concerns on the issue. Some have simply spoken their voice by no longer being members of the Chamber. Others struggle because of the lack of transparency and the expectation to just go along with the powers that be.</div><div>Take it however you wish, but at least know that I've spoken my piece <i>and</i> peace (see what I did there? LOL)...and that my conscience is clear.</div><div>I go with my gut now, with the Nouns in my Third Life, but I hadn't always been that way. In my previous Lives, there have been plenty of times where I've just blindly accepted things, passed over inconsistencies, ignored my conscience, and let things fly. In the wake of these decisions, I've learned that <i>not </i>speaking out not only perpetuates complacency and the status quo, but also injustices...ignoring the voices of those who may wish to speak out, but for whatever their own reason(s), cannot.</div><div>I'm not that great of a public speaker; I'm a better singer than an orator. Perhaps the council would've much rather preferred me to sing rather than hear what I had to say!</div><div>Here it is:</div><div><br /></div><div>------</div><div><span id="docs-internal-guid-68ff5463-7fff-1684-3453-2906c7ccb408"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Most know me as a Riverton Ambassador, and also as a reporter for County 10. I was also briefly the Editor for the Riverton Ranger, Lander Journal and Wind River News. But I am not here tonight as a reporter, editor, or writer. I’m here as a citizen of Riverton, a Chamber member, and one of the founding Board members of the Riverton Ambassadors.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">However, </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">as </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a reporter…the why questions seem to always be the hardest ones to get answers for. Who, what, when, where, and how…not too hard to get, most of the time. But then there’s the “why”?</span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In regards to Riverton’s Chamber of Commerce:</span></span></p><ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is a Chamber, and what does a Chamber mean for businesses and the community?</span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Who </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is at the helm of a Chamber? How are they nominated and voted in?</span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">where </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">does a Chamber meet, in consideration of business hours, community activities, and personal/family time?</span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">does a Chamber </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">serve </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">its members and its community?</span></span></p></li></ul><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the forming of a new WYRiverton Chamber and Visitors Center, and the still yet unconfirmed merge with the Riverton Ambassadors, </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">why </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">was there suddenly a breakdown of communication, transparency, and a departure from current Bylaws and mission statements that were supposed to be about moving Riverton forward? </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">did working as a whole team fail? </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Why </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">did they start excluding and ignoring members and volunteers who had given so much of their time, talent, and treasure? </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">do Bylaws or Mission statements even mean if they are not even adhered to?</span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Most of the time, we do what we’re told without questioning. Many things are passed in city councils and commissioners' meetings where the public might be unaware or uninformed beforehand. I’m not creating an excuse for the public; quite the opposite. An example…</span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Riverton City Council has its agendas, agenda packets and minutes posted on its website for the public. That type of transparency is commendable and should be a structure for many organizations. The Mayor doesn’t act alone; even he and Tony [City Administrator] do not act alone. No Councilmember, no city staff acts alone. Given that no system is perfect, at the very </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">least </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">there should be teamwork, communication, and transparency for things to not only work and flow but to establish that element of trust. If any </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">one</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, few or even all of our City Council…or even law enforcement…just made their own decisions, pushed their own agendas, and just categorically passed ordinances without oversight, transparency or notice, how would that fly with the public? Or just appointed yourselves another term of office, without nomination or a vote? Or as we are doing now…what if the City Council just ignored public comment or input without discussion or consideration? How would that fly?</span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">why </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">would that fly with a Chamber membership, with </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">any </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">membership? </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Why </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">would the assumed positioning of a brand new Board (even an ad hoc Board) without nomination or vote by its general membership be acceptable? What about those who don’t agree with this merger, or those who haven’t been given enough information to make an educated decision about it and cast their vote?</span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Under current Chamber Bylaws…In May, there was supposed to be a Nominating Committee set up for elections of a new Board. This was not done. Notification of nominations was to be sent out to all Chamber members. This was not done. The Executive Director was to notify the membership of their right to petition additional candidates. This was not done. Ballots and voting instructions were to be distributed by the Executive Director to all members. This was not done.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">According to Chamber Bylaws, after 30 days, ballots were to be gathered and tallied by the Executive Director. The next Chamber Board meeting is this Thursday. As a Chamber member, should I just blindly accept this merger and its new Board created by a committee without any oversight or regard to current Bylaws, not to mention a vote from their General membership?</span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">why</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, when real questions and concerns were being raised, they were skirted or ignored with </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Stay tuned, great things are happening!” </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That is not an answer.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I know it’s cliche to say “There is no “I” in TEAM”, but I believe it is applicable here. When we make it about ourselves and our own agendas, there is no team. When we ask the who, what, when, where, why, and how questions and get no response or are ignored, there is no team. When we give concessions to a select few, ignore and take a departure from rules and procedures, whether it's </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">local/state/federal/tribal laws or bylaws</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and push agendas without any oversight, there is no team. When gossip and backbiting occur, hurting peoples’ businesses and livelihoods, hurting friends, families, and neighbors…there is no team. So if this is how the Chamber…a </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">business organization…</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">does business? Again…what does a Chamber mean, </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">what does it mean to be a “Member” of an organization that does these things? You cannot just pretend there’s a team when there’s not.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I stood right here around this podium in April, excited about the merger of the Chamber and the Ambassadors. You all know I’ve given of my time, talent, and treasure and I had planned on continuing to do so. But along the way, I had been excluded. Plans and decisions were being made behind closed doors. When I questioned processes happening without oversight or vote, I got ambiguous responses or was ignored. Apparently, I wasn’t a valued member of the team anymore, as if anything I had to say or contribute wasn’t worth consideration or merit.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">United we stand. Divided we fall.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This seems to be a theme with variations, not only in this situation with the Chamber, but even a few corporate businesses who come into town outside of Wyoming to assume control, who fail to listen and discount the voices of locals who have been here, lived here, have experience, ideas, insight, and expertise to lend in order to work together in making a vision come to fruition. Unfortunately, this has been my experience in some job capacities </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">as a volunteer. I don’t do what I do because of some agenda, aspirations, position, perks, or title. I do what I do, whether it’s as a job or as a volunteer, or even as an individual…to serve and support my community in the best way I can.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lastly, (again, my example as a reporter) I hope that everyone knows that there are </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">many </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">sides to a story. Even when the truth is difficult to find, I always hope to find </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">some </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">facts, some threads of truth and not be distracted by “fake news”. That (at least for me) could be that “I” part of any team I’m on, in that: </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I hope </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">we</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> can do this. I hope that </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">we’re</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> all on the same page. I hope </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">we</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> can all contribute our time, talents and treasure to something great.”</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> But when there is little or no transparency, oversight, communication or </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">trust</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">…how can anything be made rock-solid if the very foundation is made of sand?</span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thank you for listening.</span></span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span></div>Carol Harper, Community Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368908696928606392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528294704877241284.post-63587052922562255592022-04-04T13:10:00.076-07:002022-04-05T07:03:36.569-07:00Coffee With A View: Writings on the Wall (literally)...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv9qUbLdVjU88ulxAizFY9ovwsyoHG3nRiDrpUVfAvFBlPjeo6wEFh46UH2KxYkB9njpsR13AKoMvPLH-RnmFIuh2c5rEiFqGbjP22mhF1IOHoHQwkibsey5aJaV30WAHRVuVB6kfnYg-JB_J6sYWy4pxfw04MKGWOwdZb-plsBgu4zV7ol9yiAt0/s960/Carol_Andy_3.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv9qUbLdVjU88ulxAizFY9ovwsyoHG3nRiDrpUVfAvFBlPjeo6wEFh46UH2KxYkB9njpsR13AKoMvPLH-RnmFIuh2c5rEiFqGbjP22mhF1IOHoHQwkibsey5aJaV30WAHRVuVB6kfnYg-JB_J6sYWy4pxfw04MKGWOwdZb-plsBgu4zV7ol9yiAt0/s320/Carol_Andy_3.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>Music and writing have always been my "things". I started plunking out tunes on the piano when I was three years old; started formal lessons when I was four. Around that age, my parents couldn't keep enough paper and pens, pencils, crayons, etc. If I ever ran out of paper, I started writing on the desk, the walls, the baseboards...the shelving and walls in my closet...on the fabric stapled to the box springs under my bed...on the window sill...<i>outside </i>the window sill.<div><br /></div><div>I never really kept a diary or a journal, and don't have an answer as to why. I guess the reason <i>might </i>be that my parents encouraged reading books and triggering the imagination. There wasn't enough paper in the world to contain the worlds I had already created in my mind, yet the greatest adventure was lived every day. Experiencing the Nouns - people, places, and things - was enough to fill volumes..and still is.</div><div><br /></div><div>So about mid-January, when Grace Andrus of Wyoming Media LLC approached me with the opportunity to become the Editor of the Ranger (a newspaper which was an embedded childhood icon as a delivery girl, as well as the award-winning paper of which my<a href="https://www.thedavisfuneralhome.com/home/obit/3562" target="_blank"> <b>Aunt Betty Starks Case's</b></a> legacy was as a columnist for 35 years) - something lept in my mind, heart, and soul and caught fire.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>This was it. </i>This was the job I could do for the rest of my life!</div><div><br /></div><div>So I resigned from my employment of four years with Fremont County's ambulance service(s) - through Guardian, AMR, GMR, Frontier - (not unfamiliar with transitions, LOL!) and dedicated countless days and nights to the struggle and uphill battle in keeping the content flowing for a newspaper with an unsure future. For those with questions and critiques in their own minds, Grace <i>truly did </i>save that newspaper. We were both on the same page (excuse the pun, LOL) and had a vision...listened to the readership, and spent countless hours finding relevant content for all three newspapers. We were tired; our brains were on overtime, and literally shot. But the vision and mission were constant, with the communities of Fremont County first and foremost.</div><div><br /></div><div>When <a href="https://wrrnetwork.com/" target="_blank"><b>WyoToday</b></a> took everything over the first week of February, [whatever was left of] the newspaper employees and the public were fed a narrative that, in my gut, just felt "weird". It was explained in a way that was <i>just </i>ambiguous enough to swallow (given the circumstances), but also enough to wonder if that same vision that Grace and I had would carry over. It was <i>always </i>my hope, and as I signed the dotted line as Interim Editor, business cards made up reflecting me as Interim Editor, newspapers stating that I was the Interim Editor...I drank the Kool-Aid.</div><div><br /></div><div>Throughout my (brief) stint as Editor, I had no news reporters. Brooke Lehto came through with some great feature articles. Even through the transition(s), we maintained a strong Sports section. Advertising and subscriptions began to pick up. Everyone <i>loved </i>the Community Calendar. As one who hits the ground running in whatever I do, I managed the content for <i>all three newspapers </i>with everything I had to give, every single day, no matter what the challenge (outdated programs, emails, systems, etc.) Our composition/layout team kept up, even through moments when they wanted to quit. We <i>finally </i>got it to where subscribers actually got their paper on the day they subscribed! The Wind River News finally had content relevant to the Tribes! To crank out a (semi) daily newspaper on a skeleton crew was <i><u>insane,</u></i> but we did it. Every day.</div><div><br /></div><div>During this insane time (and though distracted), something was not sitting right with me. WyoToday brought someone in from the South (someone who does <i>not </i>reside in Wyoming, and lives out of a hotel here), started calling the shots, and little by little, I was reduced to the title of "Staff Writer"...even though my title was still Interim Editor. "Letters to the Editor" went to him. I sat in on staff meetings as Editor; everyone <i>knew </i>me as the Editor. I <i>worked my ass off </i>as the Editor...waking up at 3 AM to get pages out, covering city council and board meetings, doing what I could to review and recommend potential columnists, actually read several Letters to the Editor that never got published, etc.</div><div><br /></div><div>When I observed meetings being held behind closed doors...when I was being cut off and interrupted in staff meetings, ignored and treated like a mushroom...that's when I started asking questions. With a history of general assignment AP reporting, copy editing/writing, columnist, editor and founder of a CA news blog for 13 years...why <i>wouldn't </i>I question? Why <i>wouldn't </i>I ask, over and over, what Grace Andrus' role was during this transition?</div><div><br /></div><div>Who is <i>really</i> in control? The readership and subscribers of Fremont County? Or some opportunistic financial company?</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.editorandpublisher.com/stories/local-newsrooms-strained-by-budget-slashing-financial-firms,219808">https://www.editorandpublisher.com/stories/local-newsrooms-strained-by-budget-slashing-financial-firms,219808</a></div><div><br /></div><div>On Friday, March 16, I was looking at the content budget for the weekender (newspaper). Mind you, I'm <i>already </i>exhausted; I'm like, literally <i>scraping </i>for content. There were some little burps going on as far as content-sharing with some Wyoming news exchanges (which were, actually and truly, above my paygrade), but for me, it <i>was </i>a big deal, and so this was an opportunity for me to finally voice my concerns. So I did...to <a href="https://edwgroupinc.com/eagle-media/" target="_blank">Hal Welch, General Manager of Upstate Today (Edwards Media Group) </a>in <i>South Carolina</i>, who is the boss of the boss of who was my boss at WyoToday (the one that continually and constantly interrupted and disrespected my existence).</div><div><br /></div><div>Hal Welch? Not a huge deal...but I do quote him as saying to me: <i>"I'm being sued in Seneca right now for $250,000,000...true story, over a series of articles and I've been laughing at it for 3 days. This really is not a big deal."</i></div><div><br /></div><div>My response:</div><div><br /></div><div><i>"Not a big deal to you...but I just covered a Riverton City Council meeting where a hike in a few dollars in utility fees affects fixed-income and senior families. They're not laughing."</i></div><div><br /></div><div>When some "know-it-all" corporate interest comes in and assumes power and control of the narrative, environment and occupation of long-time, hard-working locals who have been here for literally decades...what exactly happens? I can <i>already tell </i>you what happens...not only on the EMS side but on the economic development side.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>If these corporate entities are not </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">fully, 100% vested </i><b>in the economic development of the rural communities of </b><u style="font-weight: bold;">Fremont County, Wyoming</u><b>, they're in it for their </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">own </i><b>selves and opportunistic greed, and </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">not </i><b>the community's interests, nor what and who they claim to </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">supposedly </i><b>serve. </b>So coming to Wyoming actually becomes a little vacation for them, so they can hunt, fish, get drunk at a local bar or other community events...get a slap on the hand, then go back to their home state, and "it's not a big deal". The gift of the silver, forked tongue.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have been quite sad for the past month and a half...but not beaten down. I know bullshit when I "feel" it, and that's why I'm writing this today...if I could, on the walls and window sills of every single structure in Fremont County. Sure, there may be <i>all kinds</i> of rumors going around about me and why I left the Ranger, so let me set everyone straight:</div><div><br /></div><div>If you heard that I went on to/"other opportunities", no. That's a complete, fabricated lie. I had <i>no other opportunities!</i> Zero. Like I said, I had invested my future in the Ranger/Lander Journal/Wind River News, in the vision that Grace and I had when we worked countless hours, laughing, crying, talking, etc. Hoped to make my Aunt Betty Starks Case proud, kept hoping that this newspaper would be one that the readership expected with every single issue.</div><div><br /></div><div>So no more "interim" Editor. After finally asking WyoToday to give me an official job description as Editor<i> in writing</i>, they told me to consider it my resignation, to<i> "pack my belongings, drop off the laptop and key by the front desk." </i>Total slap in the face for everything I did over the past few months.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>(Well, I never used your useless laptop or needed your slow-ass WiFi. Shows how much you "knew" from afar in South Carolina. I got more done in my own home office). The writing was on the wall and I finally saw through the "bait and switch". Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice? I've been used and abused enough for one lifetime; you poked the wrong mama bear.</div><div><br /></div><div>What a world we live in these days...where ego, pride, and greed are more important than life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness! In my opinion, there's a dire need for more "tea parties", and I still have faith in those who truly love and support their fellow human beings. It takes a <i>lot </i>to snap out of it, stand up, call people out on their bullshit, and believe in what's right. The writing should be on the conference room walls - closed doors, desks, tables, chairs, window sills, etc. - for those who continue to use and abuse those who <i>actually live </i>here, <i>work </i>here...those with the <i>true </i>talents, gifts, character, and integrity. It's time that we value and respect those who work tirelessly, day and night, for what they bring to their community. It's the <i>very least </i>we can do for our fellow human beings, to call out those with forked silver tongues and expose them for who they really are.</div><div><br /></div><div>Carol</div><div><br /></div>Carol Harper, Community Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368908696928606392noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528294704877241284.post-58421308541121468412022-01-01T12:12:00.012-08:002022-01-01T13:03:54.227-08:00History Lessons: Too Much of a Good Thing<p>Most of my friends know that I <i>love </i>experimental cooking. I don't know if it's because I felt set free in my Third Life, or if it's <i>always </i>been inside of me. I get into some sort of "zone"...a place where I can just shut everything out and it's just me and the foodie elements before me. It's my therapy; it's my go-to when I'm tired, stressed, sick, etc.</p><p>This New Year's weekend, I've been down with a cold. I bought a whole chicken, some orange juice and (yes, <i>gasp!</i>) a bag of frozen soup vegetables. Being sick, I didn't feel like chopping up a lot of veggies and doing my usual "kitchen witchery", so I threw the chicken into a crockpot, added some onions, garlic, some seasonings, and then the frozen vegetables and a few noodles in towards the end. This concoction suited me just fine for what I needed at the moment on a cold, WY day/night.</p><p>Every once in a while, I do a "Refrigerator Day". I do an assessment of the contents of my messy fridge and freezer...throw out the old, replenish with the new. My Mom and Dad had something called the "Rotting Drawer". Old vegetables, potatoes, etc. that never made it into final dishes or meals. When it comes to my own "rotting drawer", I try to salvage as much as possible and make some kind of soup or..."something". I had bought and dried so many herbs and spices that sat in dishes and jars, waiting for their moment to shine.</p><p>So when I assessed my fridge, freezer and cupboards this New Year's weekend, I was actually surprised at how many ingredients I had bought so much of, but never used. Always thinking, <i>"I'm gonna make this"</i> or that...but never did.</p><p>This cold...this sickness, this down-time...gave me some time to think as I assessed not only my foodie habits, but my Life. That everything requires Balance. Like when I go into a grocery store (like a kid in a toy store) with the best of intentions, but come out with ingredients that may or will sit in a drawer or on a shelf. Not necessarily unwanted, just unused.</p><p>It made me think about my own Life and Balance. For example, I <i>love </i>garlic. But I've created dishes where there is just too much of it. I <i>love</i> various herbs and spices; I <i>love </i>my own signature<i>-</i>infused oils and vinegars. I <i>love </i>fresh butter, heavy cream...rich, flavorful sauces. But I've learned that too much of something <i>in </i>anything doesn't necessarily work in the end.</p><p>The take-away? It's about <b><u>Balance</u></b>.</p><p>My work week literally dominates my time. There's so much in EMS that goes on, that the public...and to tell the truth, even our very <i>own </i>EMS Providers...don't quite understand. Things that happen behind the scenes that just a handful of us have to juggle..and at the end of the day, I'm exhausted. Add on my community projects, and I'm pretty spent. It's often <i>too much</i>.</p><p>This New Year, my main goal is to achieve Balance in my life. I have family and friends I want to have coffee or lunch with, and that's <i>important</i>. I have projects of my <i>own </i>that I'd like to do, and that's <i>important</i>. I have down-time and health issues that I need to tend to, and that's <i>important</i>. Balance in my mental, spiritual, political, social and economic life is <i>important</i>.</p><p>The demands of everyday life affect us all in so many different ways. But I feel that we need to stand up for what is important to us in <i><u>our</u> </i>"Every Day". If it means we need time to tend to our families and relationships, that's what it means. If it means that some sort of project has to wait, that's what it means. If it means taking time out to listen and help with someone's crisis or drama, that's what it means. So if too much of any spice or herb can spoil a dish, too much of <i>anything </i>can spoil a Life...and I sure don't want to find myself in the "Rotting Drawer". LOL</p><p>Today, I made a batch of hummus (pictured below). Some don't like it, and I get that. But <i>I </i>do. I usually put a lot of garlic in (because I like it, LOL), but today I achieved some Balance and put in just a <i>little</i> garlic, a <i>few </i>artichoke hearts, <i>one </i>sun-dried tomato, some salt and pepper and a bit of lemon juice. Taste, taste, taste...and the result was amazing!</p><p>I also made some beef jerky (also pictured below) with <a href="https://himtnjerky.com/" target="_blank">Hi Mountain Seasoning's</a> Hunter's Blend jerky package. I didn't veer away and do my own thing (as tempting as it was, LOL)...I followed the directions to the very tee, and WOW! Again, the result was amazing! My Three Wolves were smacking their jowls!</p><p>Granted, there are the trieds and trues that you should <i>never </i>mess with. Hi Mountain's directions would be an example. Plus, I would never assume to <i>ever </i>"improve" on my Mom's chili, my Grandma Lund's biscuits, my Dad's pancakes, my Grandma Starks' oatmeal cookies. That would be sacrilegious; those are the generational, sacred pillars of Wisdom!</p><p>There's a difference between mere advice and Wisdom. So as I forge through this New Year (like I have with so many before), I can only hope that I am more mindful of the Wisdom imparted and Balance achieved, and that I can apply those virtues to my everyday Life.</p><p>Even if it means throwing everything into a pot and calling it good!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiiEyglrpmmmrE_C2yTyqXk3oDpmm5i4a5d7uq92dLu-tz11WWvYQ9Ri_oXQxqdPN7ZqEMvypkCgLlGyxWjICbXLmxesX8B68cy7rslfXgO-uK-Fb7xsBOGCovRXL-DGrkByr1uAiGALwSrABNGkh1nT7kjXMtB6xzo_EIkR8RqG2Zt_PN44S49nDo=s2480" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2480" data-original-width="2139" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiiEyglrpmmmrE_C2yTyqXk3oDpmm5i4a5d7uq92dLu-tz11WWvYQ9Ri_oXQxqdPN7ZqEMvypkCgLlGyxWjICbXLmxesX8B68cy7rslfXgO-uK-Fb7xsBOGCovRXL-DGrkByr1uAiGALwSrABNGkh1nT7kjXMtB6xzo_EIkR8RqG2Zt_PN44S49nDo=s320" width="276" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Carol's Hummus</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi8wBOXvrDhn9w87PQONVuMOVE5JJ6Fy33HKxBu3BRd81EHukKLgBWdQE_nHFwKAQR1x7u7zqWZ-BPkDRkcyzylqs7HxTm3MNhg5bDCKCIKQqNmvbVFagBFajY36aHXnEGEb7gjZVr3LZskupEY3W3hMJcZ3RFdapWFlSNrVQQkMGKxB7m2olVzQuo=s1588" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1588" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi8wBOXvrDhn9w87PQONVuMOVE5JJ6Fy33HKxBu3BRd81EHukKLgBWdQE_nHFwKAQR1x7u7zqWZ-BPkDRkcyzylqs7HxTm3MNhg5bDCKCIKQqNmvbVFagBFajY36aHXnEGEb7gjZVr3LZskupEY3W3hMJcZ3RFdapWFlSNrVQQkMGKxB7m2olVzQuo=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Beef Jerky made with Hi-Mountain Seasonings Hunter's Blend</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(I used a flank cut on this.)</div><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Carol Harper, Community Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368908696928606392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528294704877241284.post-68630693311007485972021-10-22T18:41:00.013-07:002022-04-05T15:32:18.100-07:00Some angels are just pushed to the front of the line...<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhu_8y1rFC9HKOlXehjBpbKUZ1Re5IoSLe6Zit47PvRHGfvMXPhKEjaDrxWtt73IGImWpQslnM8KNNPUfZd0jBVImat4XrdWBPJmYzD5tLnNaaoYcSUcWT5wMAlQ1lQknIqDJajxR5GwYPyZeAdyG8Q72WWlUtHpFo-gY9MhEEgWwwr5e-jBQjFbqM=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhu_8y1rFC9HKOlXehjBpbKUZ1Re5IoSLe6Zit47PvRHGfvMXPhKEjaDrxWtt73IGImWpQslnM8KNNPUfZd0jBVImat4XrdWBPJmYzD5tLnNaaoYcSUcWT5wMAlQ1lQknIqDJajxR5GwYPyZeAdyG8Q72WWlUtHpFo-gY9MhEEgWwwr5e-jBQjFbqM=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br />I’ve been blessed and honored to have known three Moms in
my life…the one who bore me, the one who <a href="https://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/obituaries/thelma-may-lund-starks/article_47f6785d-47b2-5bfb-8258-f3262b884f80.html" target="_blank"><b>raised me</b></a>, and the one who became a very best friend to me. Throughout my Journey, I have also been delighted and
fortunate to have had several “adopted Moms” as well. You all know who you
are, and <i>I thank you so very much </i>for bringing your love and light into my
world. I am who I am because of all these amazing, strong women in my life.
Every one of them has influenced me in my ups and downs, joys and trials, successes
and disappointments. I love each and every one of you!</div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Tomorrow is an especially difficult day for me, as tonight is the eve of the anniversary of my <b><a href="https://www.thedavisfuneralhome.com/home/obit/3330" target="_blank">Mom Marilyn’s</a></b> death. It’s been a year since she passed away,
and though I had always believed in living each day as if it were my last,
never had it impacted me more than a year ago today.</p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The last time I saw Mom and Dad together was when they
came over to give me more “stuff”. A comforter set, a lamp, and a [computer]
monitor. It was a joke between Mom and I that she would be pawning off all of
this stuff on me: <i>“You need this, don’t you, dear?”…”and this is nice, right
sweetie?”…”C'mon, this is so ‘you’…”…”and you need this, and this, and…”</i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I knew what she was doing. One day she had a spread of all
kinds of kitchen utensils and dishes all out on her kitchen counter. With
that slight mischievous smile, she looked me straight in the eye and said: “<i>Okay.
These are all <u>yours</u>! Aren’t you so glad?”</i> LOL So
when Mom and Dad came over, I knew was in no position of negotiation. I
accepted the comforter, lamp, and monitor, no questions asked.</p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The thing that will be forever ingrained in my memory
will be the two of them in their warm, cozy winter jackets, walking hand in hand down my front
porch steps towards their home, into the chilly dusk of evening. They
were <i>always </i>hand in hand, and I thought as I peeked at them through a crack in
my front door, as they walked away: <i>“That is truly what Love is supposed to be
like.”</i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I miss my random “girl talks” with her. I miss coming
home from work at lunch or at the end of the day, watching her in the garden in
the midst of dirt, buckets and flowers, looking up and smiling at me. I miss her listening ear and gentle
voice as she would impart her wisdom and opinions to me with a grace and
respect that so profoundly defined her. Always listening; <i>never </i>judging. Always
asking me how I was doing, how my day was. Simple conversations, which always led
into deeper ones. There was always a take-away in a conversation with Mom
Marilyn.</p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">On this anniversary, I feel like it’s some sort of “Mother’s
Day”. I think of not only Marilyn, but I think of Mom Thelma, Mom Christine,
and <i>all </i>of my surrogate mothers who have influenced my life and have given me <i>so
much</i> of their own selves so that I can continue living on with their love, strength, and wisdom that guides me on my own Journey.</p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The night that Mom was whisked away in an ambulance, I
went through <i>all</i> of the stages of grief. Shock, denial, anger (I had a
screaming fit in my car until my throat was sore)...and eventually acceptance. I was numb for a looooong time;
sometimes I would forget to eat or hydrate. That’s when my EMS family came in
and, quite literally, saved me from the edge of deep despair. Another example
of how family is what you make it, and that those who love and care for you are really, truly <i>there</i> for you.</p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Even still today, I have a hard time believing this all
happened. But in my acceptance phase, I came to realize that some of God’s best
angels are, well…just pushed to the front of the line.</p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The photo is of a plant that Mom gave to me a few years
ago. It was just a single cutting from one of her own plants she had grown. I cherish this plant, and so
many of the things (yes, even the kitchen utensils, LOL)...that remind me of her. This plant is sitting on my Aunt
<a href="https://www.thedavisfuneralhome.com/home/obit/3562" target="_blank"><b>Betty Case’s</b></a> display case (another woman of great influence in my life). It
reminds me that Life goes on, and that we need to nurture the good, rid ourselves
of the bad, but most of all…</p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Walk down a path, in the dusk of evening, hand in hand.</p>Carol Harper, Community Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368908696928606392noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528294704877241284.post-25295925747210428472021-06-10T20:34:00.010-07:002021-06-10T21:00:05.598-07:00Coffee With a View: A Rude Awakening<p>Some folks view me as "happy go lucky"...a Pollyanna...a well-caffeinated soul...someone who always looks on the "<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJUhlRoBL8M" target="_blank">bright side of Life</a></b>" (made you sing it, LOL). However, those who <i>truly </i>know me...know that I've been through hell and back, several times...and have lived to tell those who <i>really </i>deserve to know, the dark tales of Carol [Starks] Harper. Cue "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bzWSJG93P8" target="_blank"><b>Imperial March</b></a>" here).</p><p>Not much surprises me anymore. I've had to endure enough in Life, let alone the gossip-mongering and back-stabbing. But I've also learned that gossip-mongering and back-stabbing has its place in society. I accept it; hell, I even <i>embrace </i>it. Bring it on! Tell me who you <i>think </i>I am, given all the "privileged" vast information and knowledge you think you have about me! But at the <i>very </i>least have the balls to sit down with me over a cup of coffee...face to face...and let me hear your drivel so I can laugh at myself!</p><p>I recently experienced something I never wanted to, <i>ever</i>...but was placed in front of me by the Universe. One Saturday morning last month, I was watering the flowers outside of the garden when a very young Native girl yelled at me over the fence. She was barefoot...in nothing but a t-shirt and shorts...bruised and beaten:</p><p><i>"Please. Can you help me?"</i></p><p>I immediately dropped the hose, ran over to her, and brought her into the house. Called 911. RPD showed up, and then later, BIA. In the meantime, I had a lot of time to talk to this young girl and her plight. I was willing to do <i>anything </i>and <i>everything </i>to get her out of her situation, but...</p><p>Long story short...she went back, despite all the best efforts and help offered. To tell the truth, it broke my heart to pieces. I was thinking, <i>"THIS is why we have abused, missing, and murdered Native American women!"</i> At the same time, it made me look in the mirror and reminded me why I survived as long as I have. But this experience also told me that I can't get involved where I shouldn't...can't help when I wish I could...keep my head down re: the powers that be.</p><p>I know there are <i>many </i>sides to a story. I wish the whole world would know this fact...that we are all human beings who need love, care and support, regardless of who you are, where you are, or the state you are in. I know, it doesn't mean that just anyone can be trusted, but...all politics aside and gone, I'm with the crowd and community that would<i> at the very least </i>stand up for a young Native girl who had been abused and beaten.</p><p>Below is a photo of a necklace given to me by my Grandmother. I do not know the hands that beaded it; I do not know the story behind it. What I <i>do</i> know is that it was given to me in love, and I wear it with pride. I have several Native jewelry pieces given to me over the years, and I cherish each and every one. I wear them at pow-wows and ceremonies.</p><p>I'm a very different person, here in my Third Life. Red, yellow, black or white...a <i>tribe </i>is what you make it. A <i>community </i>is what you make it. <i>Family </i>is what you make it. But how are we "making" it? Have we succeeded, or have we failed? Have we pointed fingers at others in blame, indignance, jealousy, rage...or do we look in the mirror and experience a rude awakening?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmMbUdsoMXGYGov0S8VlbsvW-l7Jy97iiRgKXwcLnUFV7oy6bJyLQT6gsU2l1o5UmLGuY2V72SZAqUu-zc3ADktlQwnqOL9OMWuat6TQLarSO39arpOHs3qeYZIlVlSE8ZAczRanRf3SY/s2048/PXL_20210611_030630177.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmMbUdsoMXGYGov0S8VlbsvW-l7Jy97iiRgKXwcLnUFV7oy6bJyLQT6gsU2l1o5UmLGuY2V72SZAqUu-zc3ADktlQwnqOL9OMWuat6TQLarSO39arpOHs3qeYZIlVlSE8ZAczRanRf3SY/w300-h400/PXL_20210611_030630177.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p><br /></p>Carol Harper, Community Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368908696928606392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528294704877241284.post-70335051312940580672021-04-24T13:19:00.011-07:002021-04-25T10:47:33.877-07:00Coffee With A View: When you call 911<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixRSXANIyQDVSabv4BjRHs7bLL0-hA8BQQNQRNBVMsYfmhofl7qp0I12yvjZBEF5bE-CWgP5hHKcACD1LoNRlMSY9pk9SGelz8Iw-jFKONRs9fMBTIeywuN23OPjSxWP44Q-3rW_L3cY8/s2016/camillephoto.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixRSXANIyQDVSabv4BjRHs7bLL0-hA8BQQNQRNBVMsYfmhofl7qp0I12yvjZBEF5bE-CWgP5hHKcACD1LoNRlMSY9pk9SGelz8Iw-jFKONRs9fMBTIeywuN23OPjSxWP44Q-3rW_L3cY8/w300-h400/camillephoto.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>When I came back here to Wyoming in October of 2017, I considered myself a "newbie". Even though I was born and raised here, I was gone for about 35 years. Changes? Oh hellz, yeah! But not <i>too </i>much had changed, and I absolutely loved it. That Americana, hometown life was exactly what I needed and yearned for. Not to discount my wonderful time in Amador County, California...for it was there that I found my "second home". The little Gold-Rush downtowns, the beautiful, oak-studded hills and Sierra mountain vistas, Amador's wine country...</div><p></p><p>It was a <i>very </i>rough and tough decision to make, moving back to my home state, but I heeded the call in being close to family and friends who had already made their decision long ago to stake their ground and make a life here. Being close to my "Tribe". That is what building a "Third Life" is all about.</p><p>When you settle into a community/tribe, there are things you might expect, and yes (I have to say) take for granted. All of the economical elements come into play: Food, water, utilities, transportation, communication, resources, employment, etc.</p><p>However, not many really think about the case of emergency...when you have to call 911...a stroke, a cardiac arrest, a respiratory problem, a stabbing/shooting, domestic violence, etc. Most think it's a "given". Just call 911, right? You live your life, thinking <i>"Oh, that won't happen to me/my family".</i></p><p>And then it <i>does</i> happen.</p><p>I signed on with flight services first, and then eventually transferred to ground EMS. My position has been mostly administrative...vehicle maintenance, medical equipment, AP, etc. Basically, I keep the lights on at the stations, the rigs going, the equipment functioning and repaired. I'm also the editor of a [internal] quarterly newsletter for ground and flight for the Northwest Region.</p><p>I also manage the community relations/outreach side of things, and although "things" have been quite difficult to manage lately, my heart will <i>always</i> be with the <b>crews </b>of Fremont County, no matter who is at the helm of the ship. <i>They </i>are the ones who bust their asses for every 911 call. <i>They </i>are the ones on the front lines...who get very little sleep, have to deal with PTSD, have to deal with every call and scene day and night, 24/7...and above that, have to deal with the nasty politics that go on above their heads and try their very best to go above and beyond for their patients.</p><p>There, I said it.</p><p>I've said this before, but here it is again: If you want to know the <i>truth </i>about community relations/society, talk to an EMT. Talk to a Paramedic. Talk to a First Responder that is on-scene and has to deal with what is in front of them. It's often not a pretty picture, and I know tensions are high, given the George Floyd verdict. But just try to put yourself in the situations of our EMTs/Paramedics, whose ultimate goal is to save a life. Doesn't matter whose life it is, they will do their damned best to try to save it. They are not armed; they don't carry anything to protect their own selves. They are vulnerable, yet they put themselves in harm's way to do one thing: <b><u>Care</u></b>.</p><p>How does a county/community solve the problems of emergency services? There is a <i>lot </i>more to solve before those calls even go out to our First Responders! But what are our city and county leaders doing to actually <i>solve </i>these problems? Crime, murder, assaults, drugs, violence, rape, abuse, stabbings, shootings, suicides, overdoses, etc.</p><p>Whose "fault" is it where we <i>all </i>seem to be failing? Where do the justices <i>and</i> the injustices <i>really </i>lie?</p><p>This is America, today. Problems need to be solved <i><b>above </b></i>the heads of those on the front lines of care, whether governmental or corporate...and unfortunately, they have all failed us. Even the State of WY has failed us, in not making EMS services essential.</p><p>Fremont County, WY: On July 1, 2021...when you call 911...what will happen?</p><p><i><span>Photo by Camille Barnes, EMT</span></i></p><div><span><i>NOTE: The opinions expressed in this blog piece are my own and not necessarily those of my employer and their associates.</i></span></div><div><br /></div>Carol Harper, Community Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368908696928606392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528294704877241284.post-30281767249742026032021-02-28T10:18:00.012-08:002021-02-28T10:59:00.436-08:00The Nouns: We're All Essential!<div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi0_lYgF8IdzTLkHm6mVX9QXeraNikwa15HiWJukBzGHD_JUJEk6BUNNo-b1Ekk-UIfOePNu7Oh6rLwrSUGvoATkq22GGJEYJdfNczs5ZPLLCgGfg7y7uqEb1xu3z2_KS0jP2iOyAzV-U/s2048/karma.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi0_lYgF8IdzTLkHm6mVX9QXeraNikwa15HiWJukBzGHD_JUJEk6BUNNo-b1Ekk-UIfOePNu7Oh6rLwrSUGvoATkq22GGJEYJdfNczs5ZPLLCgGfg7y7uqEb1xu3z2_KS0jP2iOyAzV-U/s320/karma.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>My favorite Sunday mug.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>In your lifetime, have you ever felt that you were destined to "do" something? Something special, something great, something meaningful? I used to think that, whatever I did or would do, it'd have something to do with music, for it has always been a part of my life. I thought, at one point in my young life, I was destined to be a concert pianist or vocalist. I practiced hard, performed, competed. I've been a music director/conductor, composed/arranged, did the Nashville scene, etc. Music has always been a part of my being, and always will be.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>I also have a passion for [freelance] writing. When I was a kid, my parents couldn't keep enough pens and paper around. I wrote on literally everything (including my desk, walls and outside the window sills, LOL) I've been a columnist and reporter for a few newspapers, had a news blog in Amador County, CA...even started this blog, a platform where I can freely share my thoughts<i> du jour.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>I've had several jobs along my journey that had absolutely <i>nothing </i>to do with music or writing. An aerospace company, an electronics firm, a few law firms, an architect firm, a hospital, hospice, a window/glass company, modeling...was a temp as an administrative/office assistant for many companies, did a lot of data analysis/entry. Very fast learner with several computer programs. Wherever I went, whatever I did, I hit the ground running.</div><div><br /></div><div>I also developed many hobbies and interests. There was a time where I was a recreational runner, eventually trained and ran the Chase Manhattan in San Francisco. I've scuba dived (PADI) in Monterey, Cancun, Lake Tahoe...abalone diving at Fort Point...went tuna fishing off the CA coast...was an avid trail hiker, explorer, nature buff. Loved taking my kids to Santa Cruz!</div><div><br /></div><div>Some hobbies and interests stuck with me throughout my whole life. I love traveling, road trips...stopping at historical markers, museums, tourist traps, greasy spoons. I used to go rock and fossil hunting with my grandparents, aunts and uncles. My mother and grandmothers instilled a love for cooking and baking. Our family always had a huge garden, every year...and when I moved back home to stay, many of the loves and passions inside of me were awakened and embraced. I still love cooking. I love gardening. I love road-tripping. I'm no pro at photography, but I do love to take photos for what is meaningful and purposeful to me in the moment...and <i>very </i>much appreciate those professionals who have a passion for and make a living in capturing subjects and images as an artform.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've been married, been in relationships. I've raised children; I have a grand-daughter. I have experienced and survived many dramas and traumas, some that would probably make your skin crawl. I've been in the hospital many times, had many surgeries. I've learned the easy ways and the hard ways. But I know that (and I've said this before)...if I died today, if there were no tomorrow for me, even at the ripe ol' age of 54...I can rightfully say I've already lived a very full and meaningful life.</div><div><br /></div><div>This weekend, as I pondered my past and present, I've come to realize that the common thread(s) through all of the experiences that have made my life meaningful are the <i><b>people I've met, and the friends I've made</b>. </i>Some have remained true for life. Some have served merely as a warning to myself and others. Still others I may have only met once, but made a lasting impact, in one way or another. </div><div><br /></div><div>In some ways, moving back here to my hometown of Riverton, Wyoming has proven that my life has come full circle. Yet, in so many other ways, being "born again" into my Third Life has created so many more adventures and challenges. I often ask myself what it is I'm doing that might be "great", might be meaningful, might be special...</div><div><br /></div><div>When I worked in hospice, it was mainly about comfort. It was about families and loved ones making difficult, but necessary decisions. These days, I find myself on the other end of the spectrum; those I work with are those who are emergently saving lives. They see humanity at their worst, on their very worst days (and varying levels in between)...and they do it on very little sleep, little respect and little pay. What you read in the newspapers and the media about Emergency Medical Services (EMS), it doesn't even scrape the tip of the iceberg of what these Providers are doing and have to deal with, on or behind the scenes. Sometimes I count myself fortunate that my own job doesn't require me to experience what they do, first-hand...but that's not to say what they go through does not impact or affect me. As they come into my office to spill their guts on any given subject or scenario, I try to do what I do best: <i>Listen</i>. Sometimes they just need me to be there to laugh, to cry, to vent, to hang out...be sarcastic, be funny, be real...be a bitch, be an asshole...and they know that I will not judge. I've learned so very much as I live <i>vicariously </i>through them, that at the end of the day, my only hope and wish has always been for their own safety and the safety of their patients. I feel this very deeply.</div><div><br /></div><div>I am involved in several projects and sit on several committees in my community. I do these things because throughout my life, I've discovered that something "special" or something "great" has to do with <i><b>people</b></i>. As so many political decisions are made over our heads (so many of which are out of our control), my heart has always been for those on the front lines. Our <i>local </i>providers, our <i>local </i>small businesses, our farmers and ranchers, our artists and musicians, our restaurants and cooks, our oil workers, our mechanics, our stores and boutiques, our doctors, our nurses, our school teachers and coaches, our mail and delivery services, our indigenous neighbors/tribes...<i>those who are the very backbones and heartbeats</i> of our hometown economies. For any entity or power to define or decide who or what is essential, or who or what is not (as my Dad would say) "really tans my hide". <i>No </i>one should <i>ever </i>minimize what an individual brings to their tribe, the pack, their community. Who or what we do, who or what we are, what we bring? It's <i>all </i>important. <b>We're <i><u>all </u></i>essential!</b></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>The fate of our ambulance services in Fremont County lies in the hands of those we voted for and in whom we've placed our trust. No RFP or contract will be "perfect"; there are <i>always </i>compromises to be made; <i>always </i>that good ol' give and take. My jobs/experience with attorneys (as well as my own in representing myself) ring loud and true in situations where <i>someone </i>needs to come to the defense of those who cannot defend themselves. Back then, in my case, it was my children. In this case, it is those who are on the front lines...doing what they do best. Doing what is great, meaningful and special.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>"Never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option."</i></div><div>- Mark Twain</div><div><br /></div><div><span><i>NOTE: The opinions expressed in this blog piece are my own and not necessarily those of my employer and their associates.</i></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Carol Harper, Community Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368908696928606392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528294704877241284.post-29840708190555962112021-01-17T14:33:00.025-08:002022-04-05T15:36:22.252-07:00History Lessons: A Day With Dad<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yesterday I spent the day driving to Buffalo with my Dad
to see the newest members of the family: <b><a href="https://cowboystatedaily.com/2020/12/28/buffalo-family-sees-support-from-community-after-triplets-illnesses/" target="_blank">Aspen, Everleigh and Everett</a></b>. It was a
long day of driving through Wyoming landscapes, canyons and mountain ranges (oh, darn! LOL), simmering with excitement to see the absolute </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">darling</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">, healthy triplets who had been through
so very, </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">very </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">much since their births in November. Visiting family is a
high priority on my 2021 “To Do” list, and though there were a few ice patches
as we travelled through the Big Horns, it was a beautiful day to get that list
off to a great start.</span></div><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPR8Xoalc_OeKrkXgqcOdOo9WcGC7Ut27IPR1mcVD4urhd9R98np_ASy1QD0RDv60cwoa5IJ3kAoVabo9pU6XZe_ZVSPVH7W9H5uueZbpuZ-pW8lkKYG1xNJOZug9WP1ELIIODdOhyphenhyphenaTQ/s2048/IMG_20210116_122208.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1785" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPR8Xoalc_OeKrkXgqcOdOo9WcGC7Ut27IPR1mcVD4urhd9R98np_ASy1QD0RDv60cwoa5IJ3kAoVabo9pU6XZe_ZVSPVH7W9H5uueZbpuZ-pW8lkKYG1xNJOZug9WP1ELIIODdOhyphenhyphenaTQ/s320/IMG_20210116_122208.jpg" /></a></div>On the way
there, Dad and I had quite a few great discussions generated from articles we've read online and in the newspapers on the “state of the union”. Sometimes we
would trail off into conversations about Mom, childhood memories, work
projects, our struggles and triumphs...some serious, some humorous. What made
me laugh until my stomach hurt was...just as we were on the other side of the
mountain approaching Buffalo, Dad randomly belted out “<b><a href="https://youtu.be/QQvdOlDhaVU" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Sioux City Sue</span></a></b>” and “<a href="https://youtu.be/fHDxV7x_Hx4" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: blue;">Timberjack</span></b></a>”. Laughter tears are the absolute
best! The very <i>best </i>medicine. What <i>really </i>got me was when he sang: <i>"...eyes of red,
hair of blue..."</i> (I held it in, but what I <i>really </i>wanted to say was: <i>'Okay, Dad, you're killin' me...pull over, I gotta pee.'</i>)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The visit
was absolutely <i>wonderful</i>, but what I really enjoyed was the journey home as we
started on the US Constitution--from the very beginning with the Preamble and
quite well into Article I. I would read each section aloud, and then we’d
discuss. By the time we reached home, we <i>almost </i>got to Article II. With
our brains going 100 miles an hour (without getting stopped by the thought
police, LOL...that’s an inside joke with sort of a double-meaning), I was taken
back in time to where our whole family went through the US Constitutional study courses. I was surprised at how much I comprehended <i>then </i>versus <i>now</i>,
and how my own story and history lessons have ultimately culminated into a true
sense of “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”. I had to hold back the
tears as Dad said that is all he ever wanted for his posterity. That was
the ultimate takeaway from that day trip, and it will forever live in my heart,
mind and soul.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>For me,
nothing is more satisfying than having conversations with family and friends
about <b>Life</b>. On our trip, Dad would tell me stories about when he and Mom
Thelma lived in Thermopolis back in ‘55 (something I <i>didn’t </i>know!) and
was a crew worker on the highway through the canyon...how they’d pack the
explosives, move the big boulders, clear the railroad tracks, etc. We talked
about how amazing it was that those rocks in the canyon were billions of years
old, and it triggered a thought about how our own lives on this planet are just
micro-blips on the Universal screen. I thought about how it took just <i>one
</i>asteroid to destroy Life, and so many millions of years to evolve...which led
to the thought about how many thousands of years of wars, genocide and misery
that destroys Life, and as many thousands of years it takes to rebuild.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The
casualties and sacrifices made for <b>Liberty</b> number an unnervingly <i>countless</i>. I did a
search and found <b>“</b><b><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/528294704877241284/6218070606279123124"><span style="color: #1155cc;">List of wars and
anthropogenic disasters by death toll</span></a></b><b>” </b>(Wikipedia).
I thought I wouldn’t be surprised, but my jaw literally dropped...so, of <i>course</i>,
I also had to do a search on riots, massacres and murders. Wars are waged for
two things: Power and control over "something". But after the war,
how are the masses controlled? Through lawmaking and by force. So when the laws
are unjust, the taxes unreasonable, slavery becomes unbearable (social,
cultural, financial or otherwise), society corrupted and immoral...<b>Liberty,</b>
or “<i>the quality or state of being free”.</i>..can no longer exist. Criminals
get off on a technicality. Victims are imprisoned (and not all prisons have
bars). We both agreed that, in court, the only ones who win are the
attorneys:<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><i>“Woe unto
them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light
for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter.” (Isaiah 5:20)<br /></i><o:p> <br /></o:p>As parents,
we want to see our children go out and do well in the world...to “live long and
prosper” (had to put that in, LOL...sorry, it’s the Trekkie in me). All the
Founding Fathers (parents) of the US Constitution wanted for their and our
posterity was the very same. If they were alive today, the words
“disappointment” and “shame” would be putting it <i>very </i>lightly, but most
of all, I would be willing to bet that our Founding Fathers would feel as if
they had failed. The truth is, <i>We the People </i>are the ones who have
failed <i>them</i>...we have failed our children and we failed our own selves. We failed
with our extremism, our systematic beliefs, our programmable algorithms.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We have
fed...and continue to feed...the wrong Wolves.<br /><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/528294704877241284/6218070606279123124"><b><span style="color: blue;">https://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/TwoWolves-Cherokee.html<br /></span></b></a><o:p> <br /></o:p>I know, I
don’t speak for everyone. Everyone has a story, and believe me, I’ve made <i>plenty
</i>of mistakes and bad judgment calls along my own timeline. Nobody’s perfect,
right? But those who have been raised without the love and care of just basic <i>human
decency</i> and <i>respect</i> become casualties of an invisible war led by
hurt people who hurt people. There is no freedom to be found in that. There is
no justice, there is no mercy, there is no moral compass. There are no
“rights”. No <b>Liberty</b>.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>But there’s
always that <b>Pursuit </b>of something good because let’s face it, all anyone
<i>really </i>wants is to be <i>happy</i>. To dream, create, and thrive. To be
loved, understood and accepted, even praised for what one brings to the world,
to their community, to their neighborhoods, to their jobs, to their homes, and
to their families. Happiness is not achieved by selfishness and our own
gratification(s), but I can tell you right now, the <b>Pursuit</b>...the
Journey...to happiness leads to true <i>peace</i>. Doesn’t mean it’s always
easy. Oh, HELLZ no! But it <i>does </i>make for a very interesting journey!<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>On so many
levels, there will <i>always </i>be unrest. I look at my own DNA and see Native
American, Hispanic and Welsh...my Three Wolves. Sure, I may have three, but <i>none</i>
of them define me. No one Wolf rules my life.<i> I decide</i> who I truly am
and want to be. No political party defines me. No religion defines me. No tribe
defines me. No propaganda defines me. I am a human being <i>first</i>. Is it a
struggle? YES! These Wolves are <i>constantly </i>bickering! But who is in
control? <i>Me</i>. I may not have control of all of the collective,
"sheeplistic" mindsets that are out there, but I don't have to control <i>them:</i> I need to control <i>me</i>. What
I <i>do </i>know is that if I want peace on Earth, it begins with <i><u>me</u></i>.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><i>“Hi, honey. How are
you doing? How are you holding up? What are you doing these days? Need any
help? What can I do?” </i>Questions
that Mom Marilyn would always ask me, listen to my answers with a gentle heart, and
respond with such profound wisdom. How I miss her. How I wish I could have just
one more day with her. What I wouldn’t give.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>A Day with
Dad was enough for me to get back on track and find my place with <i>We the
People of the United States...in order to form a more perfect Union...</i></span></div>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>Carol Harper, Community Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368908696928606392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528294704877241284.post-20556030935732072342020-11-30T16:00:00.011-08:002020-12-01T05:52:33.147-08:00The Nouns: Time Is All We Have<p>This Thanksgiving, I road-tripped it out to my CA home in Amador County. With everything that’s happened this past month (well, quite frankly…YEAR!), I wasn’t going to go. I had a difficult time leaving responsibilities behind, unresolved issues, etc…but with so many friends and family convincing me that I <i>had</i> to go, I <i>needed</i> to go…I did, and I’m so very, <i>very</i> glad.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span><b>I love road-trippin’!</b> Coffee…the open road…coffee…making stops along the way to visit friends…coffee…making new friends along the way…coffee…standing in line, six feet apart in a line of truckers at the Flying J and cracking jokes…coffee…eating greasy junk food and getting sick, LOL…coffee…stopping to soak in an amazing view, a sunrise, a sunset, a mountain, a valley, a star-filled sky…and coffee…</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span>But what really convinced me to go was my very own Soul. <b><i>Time </i>really IS<i> all we have!!</i> </b>If I had known that the very last time I’d see my Mom was the night before she was whisked away in an ambulance to the hospital, I would have broken every single freakin’ one of the “COVID rules”…ran up behind her, hugged her in the biggest bear hug ever and told her I loved her so very, <i>very</i> much. But the Time slipped away, like it does. We think “<i>See you tomorrow</i>” or “<i>See you next time”…</i>but there may not be a tomorrow. There may not be a “next time”. <i>That</i> changes you..it grieves you, riddles you with <i>tons</i> of regret.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span>So I spent Thanksgiving in California with my BFF-Sister, Tory, and her family and my son, Kevin…went to the Tree Lighting in Jackson, CA…shopped until I dropped in Sutter Creek…scheduled out an entire two days in order to <i>try my very best</i> to see as many friends as I could…just to spend some Time catching up with them. Just looking at them; catching that "mind-photo". Laughing and crying with them. <i>Would it be the last time I see them?</i> Who knows! But at least I wouldn’t have the regret of not running up to them, hugging them from behind in a great big bear hug, and telling them I love them so very, <i>very</i> much.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span>Road trips give me a whole lot of time to think about the Nouns in my life. People, Places and Things. I know there are so many People who hurt, in some way or another, and I want to be there to listen, maybe help in some way. There are Places to go, Things to fill the senses. There’s nothing like cranking my music/playlists, singing at the top of my lungs to so many tunes that trigger memories, good and bad. <i>Good</i> for obvious reasons…bad because of lessons learned.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span>Now the Christmas holidays are upon us. 2020 has been the year from Hell. Masks. Distancing. Isolation. Quarantine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a year of so much toil, struggle and strife, I pause to reflect upon what is most important…</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span><b><i>TIME!</i></b></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span>Spend some <b>Time </b>with those you love! Spend some <b>Time </b>with your local small businesses who are and <i>have been struggling</i> to keep their doors open! Spend some <b>Time </b>in a soup kitchen, a food bank, a homeless shelter. Spend some <b>Time </b>with your family, loved ones, neighbors, friends…even if you have to mask up, even if you have to stand outside their window, 6 feet away, in the freezing Wyoming cold. DO it!</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span>And when I say spend some “Time”, I mean giving it some <i>thought</i>. Maybe you just <i>can’t </i>spend Time at a homeless shelter, but...spend a few minutes giving a donation, no matter how large or small. Maybe you just <i>can’t </i>spend Time with your family and friends, but spend a few minutes sending a card, video chat, message or text that will show that you are thinking about them, that you love them, that you have taken <b>Time</b>, just for them. Maybe you can’t stand outside in the freezing cold for long to chat with a loved one in an assisted living facility, but you know what?</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span>If that was going to be the very last <b>Time</b> you saw them…</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">No matter where you are on this planet called Earth...time is what we have. So make it about Love rather than hate. Good than bad. Strength than weakness.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">I love you all...and I do mean, ALL!</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i>"I'll be gone...in a day or twoooooo!"</i></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Carol</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i>NOTE: The reason I post this YouTube...is because it has a story behind it. At one of the lowest points of my [First] Life, I told myself that if I ever got to a point to where I had a convertible/sunroof in my car, sunglasses and a scarf blowing in the wind on the open road...I would open it all up and crank this song. I dedicate this to my BFF-Sister Tory. I love you!</i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/djV11Xbc914" width="320" youtube-src-id="djV11Xbc914"></iframe></div><br /><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></p>Carol Harper, Community Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368908696928606392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528294704877241284.post-4286556609435234862020-09-27T12:08:00.070-07:002020-09-27T19:47:01.272-07:00Coffee With A View: Failing By Default<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><b>“It
is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so
cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all, in which case, you
fail by default.”<o:p></o:p></b></i></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><b>-JK
Rowling</b></i></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
just watched "The Social Dilemma" [ironically, <i>only </i>on Netflix] finally, in its entirety...without
falling asleep, LOL. </span></span><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit;">None
of it contained anything I didn't already know...<i>yes</i>, we're all just numbers made up
of algorithms for advertisers, investors, etc. <i>Yes</i>, we are <i>all</i> traded as
"human futures"....and "They" all need "a lot of
data" about us.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Whatever</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Blah, blah, blah. For those intelligent enough to understand that we are all being used, it's really not such a big deal. But for those who are ignorant to it, I can see how it can be an <i>"OMG! The sky is falling!" </i>Chicken Little eye-opener.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But
hey, Big Brother...can Your idiots grow a fantastic garden? A beautiful beefsteak
tomato? A crop of sweet, delicious corn? A ripe cantaloupe, ready for
breakfast?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Can
"You" knit or crochet a beautiful, homemade afghan?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Can
"You" write/co-write a song in a songwriters' circle and play an instrument that delivers that song?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Can
"You" make beautiful jewelry? Have "You" spent countless
hours doing intricate beadwork, with your own <u><i>hands</i></u>? <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Are
"You" an Artist? Creating art that is <i>meaningful </i>and <i>timeless</i>?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Can
"You" make an awesome batch of venison jerky? An award-winning pot of chili? LOL 😉<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Can “You”
do my hair <i>the way I want</i>? Massage my neck, shoulders, back, arms/legs the way
I really need <i>and </i>want?</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;">Can "You" <i>really </i>escape to the lakes, the mountains, the tropics, Alaska...<i>without </i>WiFi<i>/</i>cell service?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;">Can "You" help a person on the side of the road with a flat? Help someone that needs their lawn cut, their snow shoveled? Someone who is in trouble and may just needs a listening ear from someone who is a<i> live body</i>, not some auto-bot "customer service"?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;">Can "You" really find me a true companion...a <i>best friend</i>...that is compatible for <i>me</i>, NOT just based on a dating profile or app? Swipe left or right?? (Lame.)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Can
"You" even hear, taste, smell or touch?</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Can
"You" ignore all of the political propaganda...the party hype...the
fake news, conspiracy theories, etc...without any thought of compensation, in
<i>any </i>form...monetary <i>or </i>trade...and bask in something that is called, um…<b><i>HUMANITY? </i></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>I CAN!</i></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I primarily use
Facebook because, quite frankly...<i>most </i>folks do...to connect with friends and
family, to share our lives...share our glories and triumphs, our mistakes and
failures...our thoughts and beliefs...reaching out for help, answering the
calls...<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">However,
I pretty much ignore the advertising and propaganda a whole HELLUVA LOT! Especially the
Left and Right party bullshit. (Sorry to say, you're <b><i style="text-decoration-line: underline;">all</i> </b>morons.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm
no fool. I <i>know</i> we're on the brink of a Civil War. I’ve known it for
quite a while now. </span></span><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit;">But
it’s not about left or right politics, or about racism…it’s not about Trump or Biden, or who is in the seat of President or power. It is not about who has the loudest voice, clanging in our ears or burning our eyeballs out of their sockets, every f***ing day.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">No, this has come down to a fight of <b>good versus evil</b>…and the "truth" that lies somewhere in the middle, lost in the chaos. If you adhere to a religion that helps you sleep at night, I can't blame you one bit. But for me, it's <i>going to take a lot</i> <i>more </i>than any belief system to fight on the front lines against what is <i>right </i>and <i>good </i>on this planet we call Earth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm the Mom of two US Marines. They have <i>both</i> fought on horrible battle fronts that no one will ever know about. They won't talk about it, and <i>I know why</i>. I also work for our local EMS services. While everyone is decorating assholes above their heads, most of the ground troops "know" what it's all about: </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Image.</i></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">While
most folks think I'm a "fence-dweller" as a Moderate, I tend to
think: <i>"Good! Go ahead and think that."</i> </span></span><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit;">But...don't
think for<i> one second</i> that a "Boston Tea Party" could never, ever happen again. </span><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit;">Where
will I be when that happens? Who knows. Most of all, what would it really <i>mean, </i>in the grand scheme of things?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We
just finished up the Fall Harvest Festival in Riverton, Wyoming. We all came
together as a community of families, friends, neighbors, tribes, politicians
and businesses. </span></span><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit;">We
came </span><i style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit;"><b><u>together</u></b></i><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit;">, despite our politics, beliefs, differences...and had a </span><i style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit;">great</i><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit;">
time!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Proving, once again, that Life
is <i>more</i> than the addictions we’re being fed by “Them”.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Shame
on those who don’t think past the politics…corporate <i>or </i>governmental.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Shame
on those who are simply jealous of those who want and succeed at living their
lives in peace and prosperity...<i>way </i>past "high school" socialism.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Shame
on those who <i>think </i>they “know” better than everyone else, just because they skim the
“news” every day and share their biases…because quite frankly, they really don’t “know” <i>anything </i>at all.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">They've already failed. <i>Epic </i>fail. They just don’t know it.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I am a <i>human being</i>. Not an algorithm.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And <i>there</i> is the Civil War.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uaaC57tcci0" width="320" youtube-src-id="uaaC57tcci0"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p>Carol Harper, Community Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368908696928606392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528294704877241284.post-39869323842164748012020-09-17T21:01:00.020-07:002020-09-18T06:17:12.044-07:00Coffee With A View: America the Hateful? Seeing the Elephant<p>I recently ran across an interesting post by my ex (David Harper) that caught my eye. For those who knew us when we were "us"...David and I were pretty much your atypical "American Family" (at least for a while). Both of us had pasts riddled with drama, divorce, financial difficulties, joblessness, homelessness, etc....several circumstances that went out of control at several points...but through it all, I am glad to say that we have remained friends. Enough of that (LOL)...</p><p><b>So here was David's post:</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic",sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 12.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I don't know who wrote this but it sounds on
the money to me.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic",sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 12.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Why do people continue supporting Trump no
matter what he does?"<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic",sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 12.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A lady named Bev answered it this way:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic",sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 12.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>“You all don't get it. I live in Trump
country, in the Ozarks in southern Missouri, one of the last places where the
KKK still has a relatively strong established presence. They don't give a shit
what he does. He's just something to rally around and hate liberals, that's it,
period. He absolutely realizes that and plays it up. They love it. He knows
they love it. The fact that people act like it's anything other than that
proves to them that liberals are idiots, all the more reason for high fives all
around.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic",sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 12.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>If you keep getting caught up in "why do
they not realize this problem" and "how can they still back Trump
after this scandal," then you do not understand what the underlying
motivating factor of his support is. It's fuck liberals, that's pretty much it.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic",sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 12.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>Have you noticed he can do pretty much
anything imaginable, and they'll explain some way that rationalizes it that
makes zero logical sense? Because they're not even keeping track of any
coherent narrative, it's irrelevant. Fuck liberals is the only relevant thing.
Trust me; I know firsthand what I'm talking about.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic",sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 12.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>That's why they just laugh at it all because
you all don't even realize they truly don't give a fuck about whatever the
conversation is about. It's just a side mission story that doesn't matter
anyway. That's all just trivial details - the economy, health care, whatever.
Fuck liberals.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic",sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 12.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>Look at the issue with not wearing the masks.
I can tell you what that's about. It's about exposing fear. They're playing
chicken with nature, and whoever flinches just moved down their internal
pecking order, one step closer to being a liberal.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic",sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 12.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>You've got to understand the one core value
that they hold above all others is hatred for what they consider weakness
because that's what they believe strength is, hatred of weakness. And I mean
passionate, sadistic hatred. And I'm not exaggerating. Believe me. Sadistic,
passionate hatred, and that's what proves they're strong, their passionate
hatred for weakness. Sometimes they will lump vulnerability in with weakness.
They do that because people tend to start humbling themselves when they're in
some compromising or overwhelming circumstance, and to them, that's an obvious
sign of weakness.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic",sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 12.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>Kindness = weakness. Honesty = weakness.
Compromise = weakness.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic",sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 12.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>They consider their very existence to be
superior in every way to anyone who doesn't hate weakness as much as they do.
They consider liberals to be weak people that are inferior, almost a different
species, and the fact that liberals are so weak is why they have to unite in
large numbers, which they find disgusting, but it's that disgust that is a true
expression of their natural superiority.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic",sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 12.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 12.5pt;">Go ahead and try to have a logical, rational
conversation with them. Just keep in mind what I said here and be forewarned.”</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic",sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 12.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><b>Here was my comment:</b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background: rgb(240, 242, 245);">I moved back home to Wyoming, after being gone for about 35
years, most of that time (as you know) was spent in CA. As I agree with most of
this, I personally have had to take a look at where I was in my Past, and now
in my own Present and the people who are in it. I was born and raised in a
conservative state; spent 25 years in a liberal state. I've learned a lot about
people and their circumstances along the way, and how we all deal with our
issues/problems. Politics and socio-economics aside...it all comes down to how
we TREAT each other: With respect, or disrespect? I've known hateful people on
BOTH sides, conservative AND liberal. But when shit happens…like a wildfires,
hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, stock/housing market crashes, etc. I have seen
the goodness in people. People who will give the shirts off their back, but not
only that…pull out an ox in the mire on a Sunday. So for every hateful person, thank
the Universe that there are more loving ones who step forward in times of trouble.
It doesn’t matter who the President is, really. It’s about how WE are in the
communities WE live in that will make the difference. The fight between good
and evil is real…and I’m not talking about anarchy, but I am talking about
America as we envision it to be. Be good. Be nice. Be strong.</span></p><p>---</p><p>I think that perhaps many of us who call ourselves "Moderates" struggle (at least, to some extent or another) this 2020 Election Year. Besides the fact that we're called "fence-dwellers" and have been mercilessly ridiculed as such...the truth is that no one really knows anything except for...</p><p><b><i>How we were raised.</i></b></p><p>There are those who have been raised in wealth or poverty...or perhaps somewhere in the middle. There are those who have been raised in strict religious and cultural traditions. There are those who are "working class" and "high class" or "no class". There are those who are raised to be pridefully racist..and those who are raised to be respectful, tolerant and accepting. There are those who are Native Americans, and those whose ancestral heritages are United States Revolutionary...those who <i>absolutely despised t</i>yranny and initiated that "Shot Heard Around The World". For those who mock marches and protests by so-called "liberals", consider those Revolutionary roots.</p><p>I don't know what cloud has been put over peoples' eyes to blind them from the harsh realities of the human condition, but being "conservative" or "liberal"...a "Republican" or a "Democrat" is quite minute and laughable in the grand scheme of things. I muse at the social media postings, left and right battles and babbles. So many chefs in the kitchen...so many bad dishes being created and presented for human consumption to glug down.</p><p>Do we not <i>all </i>breathe the air? Drink the water? Eat the food? Work the fields, hunt the forests...mind our stores and shops, whether online or storefront? <i>Give </i>of ourselves, <i>work </i>ourselves to the bone? Wonder at the sun, moon and stars above us? How soon we forget where we came from...not only how we've been raised, but how we've faced the trials and troubles along the way.</p><p>And yet, do we not ALL have time, talents and treasures that we <i>uniquely give </i>to our families, friends, neighborhoods and communities, because "that's just the kind of people we are", regardless of race, color, gender, religion and creed?</p><p>For those who don't know...I was out for about a week from my day job because I had a couple of what was considered "COVID symptoms". Congestion, respiratory problems. I was eventually tested negative (shocker, LOL!)...and could finally return to work. Yes, I lost a few days of work. Yes, I was a bit frustrated with my employer at one point,, however...because I can see <i>many </i>sides of the proverbial "Elephant" (which, I must say, has been both a blessing <i>and </i>a curse throughout my life), I can, once again, move forward and contribute to the ups and downs and craziness of this thing we call Life...and know that it will all work out, as long as I am consistent in being good, being nice, and being strong.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9A6cI3MjCNFEpf5jACZ8Jzfw7Lx8bWNrQLhHMChvKn4dITNMk04fbfotU4Mctqmstv0ZHAKP-SjnNDfxnLufCgN9fh0evuZ2Tn148zdX_tNq6bYXNNNkXwkGE8kCaOAX9v6lY3DWBBew/s2048/favemug.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9A6cI3MjCNFEpf5jACZ8Jzfw7Lx8bWNrQLhHMChvKn4dITNMk04fbfotU4Mctqmstv0ZHAKP-SjnNDfxnLufCgN9fh0evuZ2Tn148zdX_tNq6bYXNNNkXwkGE8kCaOAX9v6lY3DWBBew/w300-h400/favemug.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>This (to the left) is my <i>very favorite </i>coffee mug. I have 50+ coffee mugs that I've collected over the years, but this one has <i>always </i>been my daily tried and true. Would I be sad if it ever broke? Oh, yes. But Life would go on.<p></p><p>It's a plain and simple mug. Nothing special about it, really...except that I <i>love </i>it. We all have treasures we cherish, for whatever reason(s). But...could we let them all go,<i> at any moment, at any time? </i>Better still...could we <i><u>accept </u></i>what is broken and find the love and strength within our own selves move forward and make things better?</p><p>Change is inevitable. Maybe we could see the Elephant in a way that will bring us <i>together</i>, rather than tear us all apart. Being <i>better</i>, not bitter.</p><p>In the mean time...my biggest worry these days is what to do with all of these potatoes. This garden has been out of control! 😉</p><p><i>Be good. Be nice. Be strong.</i></p>Carol Harper, Community Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368908696928606392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528294704877241284.post-67152162591589570052020-07-31T18:53:00.045-07:002020-08-01T07:39:11.290-07:00The Nouns: The School Closet (Anyone Want Zucchini?)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxfCJ4pNJXjlw1ec-5rmKu-K6QYsl-vUvAl7tWACGGr-B30fCiSUTaHX4IDUBHyABcpuwBZ0mf5b-1HwVyoMEnjcSxQucvsc-Zwu45xD1NTmuPi9FaboK5jpnhuzypeGr9C_fnh4WVS_4/s2048/CarolsZuchinni.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxfCJ4pNJXjlw1ec-5rmKu-K6QYsl-vUvAl7tWACGGr-B30fCiSUTaHX4IDUBHyABcpuwBZ0mf5b-1HwVyoMEnjcSxQucvsc-Zwu45xD1NTmuPi9FaboK5jpnhuzypeGr9C_fnh4WVS_4/s640/CarolsZuchinni.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>So if you've been following me on<b> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/carolrharper">Facebook</a></b>, you know I have a <i>huge</i> garden that, if not contained by a [deer] fence, could probably take over Riverton, Wyoming's entire North Main. I'm convinced that the zucchini and cucumbers <i>alone </i>could do it. In expectation of a hot weekend, I'm watering in the morning <i>and </i>the evening...the coolest times of the day. Mornings are best, because in the evening, the bugs come out and I never know which one of them are hungry for human flesh. Haven't seen a murder hornet yet, but...at this point, I'm sure that if it bit me, I'd know!<div><br /></div><div>I've learned a lot more about gardening this year, thanks to not only my avid gardening gurus and friends, but...my own father. I've learned <i>so </i>much from him, that much about gardening and farming is about the wisdom derived from, not just trial and error, but...<i>patience</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Patience</i>. What a virtue! Where many are running around with their hands in the air, convinced that the "sky is falling"...there are still many who have seen worse times, worse diseases/viruses, worse economic instability, worse injustices.</div><div><br /></div><div>I now live in my Grandparents' home. Albert and Doris Lund. Survivors of the Depression Era, they weathered many of the storms and trials (literal <i>and </i>figurative) of their time. There were no laptops, no cell phones, no Internet. Cars were a luxury for many. So was a television set. No Netflix, no YouTube, no XBox.</div><div><br /></div><div> In our home, we had what my Mom called the "School Closet". A closet filled to the very top shelf with toys, books, puzzles, games, cards, blocks, tiles, musical instruments, tools, matchbox cars, crafts, crayons, paints, paper, etc. This Closet became my escape on <i>so many </i>occasions. Even when my brother and I were in trouble and/or grounded (which was a <u>LOT</u> of the time, LOL!)...the School Closet was <i>never </i>off limits. It was the <i>one </i>place we could go to satisfy our imaginations...calm our fears...play without boundaries. Might think that being "grounded" in our home was not so bad! LOL</div><div><br /></div><div>Now in my Third Life, I can most certainly get caught up in a lot of drama and issues, at work <i>and </i>in the community. I get on Facebook and can laugh, shed a tear, roll my eyes, get my dander up on politics, social issues, etc. But I <i>also </i>think about what is now in my own "School Closet" and very much try to fill my mind with The Nouns that resonate within <i>me</i>. Not persuaded or influenced by outside forces, but a true refuge that shuts out all of the noise.</div><div><br /></div><div>I know. This might all sound a bit naive and fairytale-ish. But if you knew the kind of life I had to live to get here, now...you might think twice. Because I've seen, felt and have experienced a lot of ugly, and who wouldn't want to escape and create a School Closet? A place where you and your mind and imagination rules. A place where you're not judged by the color of your skin, race, gender, spirituality or class. A place where you're "grounded". A place where you can be <i>you</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div>I hate Election Years. It's a time where political parties are trying to persuade and tell you how to think and move. I know that the word "hate" is a very strong word to use, but...I do use it (pretty much) every four years. Everyone has a bandwagon and an agenda. Everyone has a PR/Marketing plan to bait and lure. Everyone has their own "thing" where they try to influence and solidify their own "base" and masses.</div><div><br /></div><div>Me? I'm not a "sheeple". Lately, I pretty much configure myself to the "<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr6GbKciNCY">Island of Misfit Toys" </a></b>when it comes to Election Day. Both parties - the Left <i>and </i>the Right - have become absolutely and fundamentally <i>ridiculous</i>. Those who cannot see this, I feel sorry for. For those of us in the Middle (Moderates), we bear (and have had to accept) the burden of "Balance". It's really not fair, but..<i>.what, in the grand scheme of life...ever is?!</i></div><div><br /></div><div>The "Dog and Pony Show" aside...I think of my Grandparents. Out here, in the rural towns of Wyoming, no one really thought - on a <i>daily </i>basis - how things might pan out. They were just workin' to make a livin'. Trial and error. The powers-that-be "above heads" may be in control, but...we all have our own "School Closets" to escape to. To read and ponder. To think and discuss. To shed the present "musts" and "have to''s...and dream of the "might be".</div><div><br /></div><div>Lately, I've been binge-watching <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation" target="_blank">"<b>Star Trek, The Next Generation</b>"</a>. I had followed and watched it religiously in its time, but...I'm watching every episode again. What a <i>brilliant </i>series...where money/currency has no worth...where race, color, gender or religion has no power/control...where a mixed crew goes into the galaxies of the Universe "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where_No_One_Has_Gone_Before"><b>where no one has gone before</b></a>". After I watch each episode, I wonder: <i>Why does it take a science-fictional TV series for us to finally understand?</i></div><div><br /></div><div>You might believe in Jesus; you might believe in Allah. You might believe in the Great Spirit...in the gods/goddesses...or any other Entity, and I <i>completely </i>respect that. But so many terrible things have been done and said in the name of Jesus and Allah. So many "gods" and Nouns throughout history have plundered and destroyed. So much hate, so many beliefs in lies and half-truths have been programmed into the human heart and mind, that it takes a Power greater than religion or tradition to overcome them...and that Power is: <b>Love</b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Love</b> can cause a <i>rise and</i> <i>fall</i>. It can both <i>build</i> and <i>crumble</i> empires. It can <i>heal</i>. It is <i>patient</i>...and it is <i>kind</i>. For those who try it out, it can change their lives. For those who choose otherwise, the chaos and destruction continues. It's crazy that a tiny virus created such a chaotic paradigm shift in attitudes and behaviors. I wish that Love could have done that long ago.</div><div><br /></div><div>My own "School Closet" is filled with a lot of Love. But I admit, my <i>patience </i>is running a bit low these days. So when I start feeling that overwhelming anxiety because of all the negativity and noise, I find a calming refuge in the beauty of a sunrise or sunset...a blue sky filled with clouds of all shapes and sizes...the smell of rain in the air...a garden filled with vegetables...a pot filled with flowers of all shapes, sizes and colors. The sound of birds in the morning. It all brings me back to "me" again. Grounds me...heals me.</div><div><br /></div><div>What do you fill your "School Closet" with?</div><div><br /></div><div>(That said...anyone want zucchini?) 🤣</div><div><br /></div>Carol Harper, Community Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368908696928606392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528294704877241284.post-30126573182791298532020-07-19T20:44:00.021-07:002020-07-21T12:27:38.462-07:00History Lessons: ReunionsWell, it's been a few weeks since writing...a lot has happened and has been going on in good ol' Fremont County, WY this month, despite the "'Rona". Dubois Friday Night Rodeos are still goin' on. Fourth of July happened with a "pirate parade" in downtown Lander (what pirates have to do with Independence Day, I have no idea, but yo, ho, ho and a bottle 'o rum and I suppose it's legit...I don't know, I was in Casper for a BBQ and fireworks). If Johnny Depp had shown up in full Captain Jack, I probably would've cancelled everything and made it Destination Lander. 😉<div><br /></div><div>July 11 was <b><a href="http://rivertonhappydays.com/" target="_blank">Riverton Happy Days</a></b>. This event was planned, prepped and executed within a month's time, and I am <i>so very </i>glad to have been a part of that committee, as I've met some very awesome, beautiful key people here in Riverton. I'm still so very bad with names, but I'm happy to say that quite a few have helped me get up to speed on the community's "dynamics". As with most small towns, there is always a certain level of political, business and social issues that might create a few bottlenecks, but for the most part, I have been <i>very </i>impressed by the strength and community spirit that really hasn't budged since I left over 35 years ago. Back in action, I am proud to call Riverton my home. It has and always will be home.</div><div><br /></div><div>This weekend was the <a href="http://rhsallclass.com/" target="_blank"><b>2020 Riverton High School All Class Reunion</b></a>. as well as my own Class of 1985 reunion BBQ. Busy weekend, and I'm so sorry to those I couldn't stay to chat with and reminisce, but I figured that my role was to step back and take photos for the sake of memories. So I was doing the "back and forth" thing...buying food...taking photos...prepping food...taking photos...close my eyes for a second's nap...taking photos...etc. I've now ended up with probably 500+ photos to sift through.</div><div><br /></div><div>I think I've mentioned this before, but I don't do well in crowds. I have a certain level of anxiety that kicks in. Only I know when it does and it sets off the "red flag" alarm. Remember, I have Three Wolves...the Extrovert inside of me wants to get out and be social...the Introvert longs to be in her pajamas, comfy on the back deck watching the sun set/rise with a nice cup of coffee...and the Wolf in the middle must be a cat! LOL</div><div><br /></div><div>I do think a lot depends on the people who presently surround me. I have several Circles of friends I <i>thoroughly </i>enjoy because I have a past AND present connection with them. However...there are those I <i>didn't </i>connect with in my Past, and they are <i>still </i>not in my Present. Yes, we often share our lives online...on Facebook or other social media...but it's not the same as being face to face, and "dealing". Being in my Third Life, the "ghosts" of my First and Second Lives seem quite foreign to me now...and I learned this weekend that some have really never left high school. For those I encountered, all of my Wolves just felt this strange and utter feeling of pity...and I suddenly realized why most of my classmates don't attend reunions.</div><div><br /></div><div>So I leave, and go where I'm wanted and needed, and that's okay. Sure, I might be rustled from time to time, and then for some reason (I don't know, maybe it's just how deal with that kind of shit these days)...I'm actually quite <i>good</i>, because I know that those who have stuck with me through my First, Second and Third Lives will always have my back, no matter where we are in the World...and that's a great feeling to have! You know who you are...and I love you.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's my brother's birthday today. It's also his daughter's birthday (my niece)..and it's also the birthday of my grand-daughter, Alivia. My Facebook's cover page reads a Mark Twain quote: <i>"The two most important days in your life are the day you are born, and the day you find out why."</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Those of you who have found out why have my greatest respect.</div><div><br /></div>Carol Harper, Community Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368908696928606392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528294704877241284.post-91649688884123082622020-07-05T14:44:00.007-07:002020-07-25T07:49:12.201-07:00History Lessons: We The People - Our Independence Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpWedudvUBIh9rZmxu2VEQWaRyuCZZSpg7fKTlun24humO7AQyCikgPWO120_Gdh5o-QR3UYeS5PgAxzXisiHbLOH_P-eHTQeC54ut8d61qj4XaIXQ9ueZOGsPccDMFRmRknZFZFGJWk/s4032/flaginflowers.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpWedudvUBIh9rZmxu2VEQWaRyuCZZSpg7fKTlun24humO7AQyCikgPWO120_Gdh5o-QR3UYeS5PgAxzXisiHbLOH_P-eHTQeC54ut8d61qj4XaIXQ9ueZOGsPccDMFRmRknZFZFGJWk/w300-h400/flaginflowers.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>I had an <i>awesome </i><font color="#b51200">Independence </font><font color="#3367d6">Day </font>with my "family" in Casper. A steak BBQ (cooked to perfection) with the most <i>awesome </i>potato salad...chips and dip...strawberry shortcake for dessert...and, of course, a 4th of July in Wyoming wouldn't be complete with out fireworks/firecrackers! These are the things memories are made of...past and present! I felt like a kid again...lighting fireworks in the street, watching the teens light fireworks for the first time (yep, we were "those neighbors", LOL!). Makes me so happy to be living back home. <div><br /></div><div>Independence Day means a lot to me as an individual with a mixed heritage, both Native and Immigrant. Every year I ponder upon whether or not America has become the kind of country our Founding Fathers would've truly wanted it to be, and I often hesitate to answer that...because their very dream of "a Perfect Union" seems to have become more of a nightmare these days, and it saddens me.</div><div><br /></div><div>Election years always complicate things for me as a Moderate voter, and as I drove back home from Casper to Riverton, my thoughts turned to that very hope and vision our Founding Fathers had. The monarchical rules and laws that were broken...the aristocracies and politics that were born and escalated...the blood that was spilled...the prices that were paid. I think of the very opening line of the Declaration of Independence: <i>"We The People..."</i> and I stop right there.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>We...the <b>People</b>.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>What kind of "People" have we become? Where are our consciences, our minds, our hearts? Have we forgotten our histories so much that we deny and rewrite history to our own liking? Are we so focused on trade, power and the almighty dollar that we forget that so much has always been thrust upon the weary backs of those who have and <i>still are</i> paying the price?</div><div><br /></div><div>We talk about slavery as if it's non-existent...but it most certainly is not. It is, and has always been, alive and well. We are <i>all</i> slaves! We are <i>not </i>free...we are <i>all</i> still bound to the gods of money, greed, power and control. Those at top still care nothing about those who dwell within the prisons of "the bottom line". Problem is, we've just accepted it...downright "Stockholm Syndrome"-accustomed to it. Those who fight for true liberty and freedom are ridiculed or silenced. Those who are blinded by it, gravitate towards it for the sake of their own survival. As human beings for tens of thousands of years, we do have this innermost desire for peace; however, the hope and vision of our ancestors and forefathers has become a mere illusion.</div><div><br /></div><div>But we <i>still </i>celebrate holidays and Solstices...birthdays and anniversaries. Why? Because of our Conservative or Liberal party affiliations? No. Because our skin is red, yellow, black or white? No. Because religious traditions, doctrines and beliefs dictate that we must? Still, no.</div><div><br /></div><div>We do it because it comes down one thing: <b>Hope</b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>We hope for something <i>better</i>. We hope for future generations, that they'll do it <i>better </i>than we did. In our pursuits of life, liberty and happiness, we hope for a <i>better </i>peace and prosperity for all of our tomorrows.</div><div><br /></div><div>Have we failed? Yes...<i>so </i>many times. But is there still Hope?</div><div><br /></div><div>Ah yes, there's <i>always </i>Hope! The other day, I was thinking about "do overs". If I could "do over" a few things in my own life, would I? To tell the truth, I'm not entirely sure. Some things, yes. Others? No...because I experienced valuable lessons on my Journey that I may not have learned otherwise. However, no matter what...it has always been The Nouns - the <b><i>People</i></b>, places and things - that I allowed into my life, yet also had to <i><u>let go</u> </i>in order to learn those valuable lessons...in order to form a more Perfect Union of my own heart, mind, body and soul.</div><div><br /></div><div>What if America could push the "reset" button? Do overs? How would we do it different than our Founding Fathers? Would we allow people to divide into political, economical or social parties? Tories and Whigs? Conservatives and Liberals? The Haves and the Have Nots? The Christians and the "Non-Believers"? Would <i>all </i>lives matter? Would we allow <i>any</i> type of slavery, in <i>any </i>way, shape or form?</div><div><br /></div><div>In the grand scheme of things, how necessary have these divisions been in achieving [some sort of bizarre, chaotic] "balance"...and just how has that been working for us? Yeah, not so great.</div><div><br /></div><div>United we stand; divided we fall...and great will be the Fall. We let so many little things divide us...whether we should or shouldn't wear a mask...whether we vote our party...whether we're Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, Atheist, Agnostic, Pagan......whether we're straight or gay, red, yellow, black or white...whether we eat meat or are vegans...whether we are rich, poor or middle class. Etc. etc. If all humanity were wiped out by aliens in huge spaceships, or by a tiny virus invisible to the naked eye...what would it all mean, in the grand scheme of things?</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm just going to leave that question out there for you to answer, and on that note, I will end today's blog post with a quote in the movie by "President Whitmore" (Bill Pullman) <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1E7h3SeMDk" target="_blank">from the movie "Independence Day</a></b>":</div><div><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background: white;"><i>"Good morning. In less than an hour, aircraft from here will
join others from around the world, and you will be launching the largest aerial
battle in the history of mankind.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i>Mankind.That
word should have new meaning for all of us today. We can't be consumed by our
petty differences anymore. We will be united in our common interests. Perhaps
it's fate that today is the Fourth of July, and you will once again be fighting
for our freedom.</i></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i>Not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution… but from annihilation.
We're fighting for our right to live. To exist. And should we win the day, the
Fourth of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day
when the world declared in one voice: We will not go quietly into the night! We
will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to
survive!</i></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i>Today we celebrate our Independence Day!"</i></p></div><div><div><div><br /></div></div></div>Carol Harper, Community Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368908696928606392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528294704877241284.post-36078038304413798212020-07-02T06:16:00.001-07:002020-07-05T12:03:33.359-07:00Coffee With A View: "How Was Your Day, Dear?" <p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 18.6667px;"><i>This next post comes from a friend I met many years ago, and, like many I've met along the way on my Journey, we've kept in touch solely on Facebook. I read his posts often because of his sarcastically-amusing sagacity that generates a depth very well worth the thought and consideration. I am most privileged to introduce him here on Coffee Pong, and hope that someday soon we'll be able meet again over the best java in Reno.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 18.6667px;"><i>And now, I give you: Reno J. Dinero!</i></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 18.6667px;"><i>______</i></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14pt;">"How was your day, Dear?" I don't even
have one of those at my house. In one sense, it makes answering all the more
easier:</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">"Challenging."</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">For those of you
who might not know (or even care) my business is entertainment. More
specifically, business management of union labor for entertainment,
conventions, special events, etc.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">I have been in this
business for almost all of my adult life. I have managed production for arenas. I have been a Technical Director for a university theatre; I toured as a Stage
and Production Manager. I now am the Business Agent for IATSE Local 363 "The
Mighty #363" in Reno, NV. I started in this business loading trucks at the
Lawlor Events Center for $3.38hr. in 1983. I have done television, movies, live
sporting events including two Super Bowl pre-game shows and Thanksgiving Day at
the Silverdome in Pontiac, MI, with <i>Third Eye Blind</i>. That was the first live
televised performance at halftime of an NFL game, other than at the Super Bowl,
by a major artist ever.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">In all that time,
and in many different capacities, I have seen a lot of things... but I have
never seen anything like this. Period.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Our industry was
shut down March 17, 2020, like no other.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Coincidentally,
that was the day my Mom passed away. Suffice it to say, I will never forget
that day for the rest of my life. But there are many days from my life that
hold that same distinction. Both good and bad.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Right now, I have
300+ people sitting on the sidelines unable to work. There are countless
numbers of my friends and colleagues around the world who are at home instead
of being out on tour. Performers, production folks, ticket takers, CEO's, truck
drivers, from top to bottom our industry has been affected like no other. We
need large crowds, large working groups, many of us are in the high risk groups
for COVID-19. Devastating doesn't even begin to crack the meter as to where we
find ourselves today. Tomorrow? My crystal ball is on PAU as well. No one has
an answer for us.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">I understand my
business. I started at the bottom and worked my way up. I know what it takes to
be successful for just about any production you can imagine.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">After 36 years in
the business, like anyone who has been in their chosen field for that long, I
kinda am getting the hang of things. I understand.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">What I don't
understand is all of you civilians out there who have become contrary. You
fight about everything. Wouldn't matter who was in office, or popular in
culture, which team is hot; you argue vehemently about trivial pursuits daily.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">This is not public
discourse. This is not standing up for civil liberties. This is not exercising
your right to assemble or free speech. This is ignorance. Willful ignorance.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">You talk about
shooting each other. You argue whether to mask or not to mask. You rage at a
percieved hoax or question each other's validity in the facts of your
arguements. All the while, situations have gotten way beyond what's acceptable
or should be acceptable. You lash out at those that oppose your viewpoint, or
worse, take violent action against them. You riot. You damage innocent
businesses. You steal. Then, you leave. It's out of control...and it's got to
stop. Or <i>be </i>stopped.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14pt;">Because the only thing I see stopped right now is my
people. My industry. Your entertainment. Get it together. Think about someone
besides yourself for a change. Lead, follow, or get out of the way. We have no
time for sidetracks, if you want to ever return to seeing concerts or the Super
Bowl or anything entertainment-related, ever again as you knew it, start doing.
Or you can kiss that and "How was your day, Dear?" goodbye. This ain't
about your or my day. This is about us our existence.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><i>Reno J. Dinero</i></span></span></span></p><br />Carol Harper, Community Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368908696928606392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528294704877241284.post-393773330858709402020-06-13T08:10:00.009-07:002020-06-13T09:12:57.514-07:00Coffee With A View: Make No Excuses, and Rise Above<div><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><font size="2"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0LFAzIjS2ZrxJw7cXlnL-OlepWqkRpk6HLbSVb3HS3iPmZyCjf-lMb133pK0eFHIudVt8l7BZfRDkZ5wRgmLGDMGX0zgEvePAB2uHwifikbJFIsUWoM9w7T-D5l5roqWDeUcWFMuwBVo/s400/CP13.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="254" data-original-width="400" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0LFAzIjS2ZrxJw7cXlnL-OlepWqkRpk6HLbSVb3HS3iPmZyCjf-lMb133pK0eFHIudVt8l7BZfRDkZ5wRgmLGDMGX0zgEvePAB2uHwifikbJFIsUWoM9w7T-D5l5roqWDeUcWFMuwBVo/w400-h254/CP13.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>So today's "Coffee With A View" comes from an exchange on a childhood friend's Facebook wall. Let me tell you a bit about Cody...</font></span></div><div><font color="#1d2129" face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" size="2"><span style="background-color: white;"> There are several people in my lifetime that I have admired because of their astonishing beauty. Cody is one of them. I've known her since grade school, and one of my fondest memories was when we partnered up for Mr. Breen's photography "class". I think I still have some old black-and-white photos from that...I don't know, I'd have to dig through some boxes. I know I have a few...</span></font></div><div><font color="#1d2129" face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" size="2"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></font></div><div><font color="#1d2129" face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" size="2"><span style="background-color: white;"> When you're a kid growing up in a small town in one of the most sparsely-populated states in the Union, you are [or at least, appear to be] wild and care-free. That lasts for a time, and then, as a teen, it's the age-old story. You feel awkward, geeki-ish...hope to find some sort of "acceptance" in <i>some </i>sort of clique or crowd. I've always been a music nerd, so along the way, it was inevitable that our "crowds" would separate. But <i>also </i>along that difficult "Teenage Wasteland" way, there were those who would gossip, backbite, look down their noses at me...be a total and complete <i>bitch </i>to me. I very well know I was the brunt of not all, but some of it...however, there were a choice few in high school who <i><b>never </b></i>did that. Cody was one of them.</span></font></div><div><font color="#1d2129" face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" size="2"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></font></div><div><font color="#1d2129" face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" size="2"><span style="background-color: white;"> Being back home now, <i>some </i>things have changed, but I've run into just a few local "Riverton Lifers" who think they're <i>still </i>back in high school, suspended in time. The thing that is most refreshing for me is to see classmates all over the country, all over the <i>world</i>...living their own Journey...the rises and falls, the falls and rises. The trials, challenges and tribulations. The losses accounted for, but the amazing wisdom and strength gained.</span></font></div><div><font color="#1d2129" face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" size="2"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></font></div><div><font color="#1d2129" face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" size="2"><span style="background-color: white;"> Cody is one of them...and I thank her for, still...after all these years, being a part of my life.</span></font></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><font size="2"><b><br /></b></font></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><font size="2"><b>Cody:</b></font></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><font size="2"><b><br /></b></font></span></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><font size="2"><i>"So sad that this great country is literally destroying itself. Now we want to rewrite history on top of it. I'm sorry, but every single American has the same opportunities upon birth. It's up to each and every individual to grab that American dream and take flight. It doesn't matter what color your skin is, or even what social class you're reared in. Make no excuses and rise above. I want PEACE above all else."</i></font></span><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><font size="2"><br /></font></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><font size="2"><b>Carol:</b></font></span></div><div><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black;">I was just listening to a song that had the phrase,
<i>"If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride..."</i> I didn't
understand how profound that phrase was until I read your post. I believe it
takes a lot of work to make that "American Dream" come true. Unfortunately,
we have several generations who have been raised to believe that they can just
get a free ride on the work horses. At the same time, there are those who have
been raised in privilege (regardless of race) saying: <i>"Let them eat
cake." </i>and have no clue or understanding as to what it means to be
homeless, destitute and looked down on because of the color of their skin.
Myself? I feel as if I've lived a thousand lifetimes in my meager [almost] 54
years, and Life has always come down to choice. Decide what you want to do, and
what kind of person you want to be...and then do the work to achieve it. No one
else is going to do it for you...and there is no shame in asking for help, as
long as the goals and objectives of the Dream is clear to both giver and receiver.
Two (or more) heads are better than one!</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> But to
"force" our government(s) and work horses to continually give and
give without oversight and responsibility is insane and it only sucks the Life
out of everyone! Then it's no longer a dream, it's a nightmare. Also...where
are the corporate churches and "ministries" that take and take tithes
and offerings...for what, a "feel good" sermon, inspiring music and
pat on the head? The poor are still among us...and according to Jesus, always
will be (John 12)...so what wisdom does the poor have to impart? I think it
would behoove us all to at least finally listen and understand. Thanks for
letting me comment...</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Miss ya!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiewMpWzKJg6BhfkvKbrsPP8sDcmBkxKgWt6B8TDcq7ktAO62PGzvofhgrZxV77thVway8IO2R_Ul-aRlCCJp2q2lEeK1C1_cjh0C7u_CVtPPwpMYJe_1qLyGFiAjIUaIjNKtq8t9c4JVU/s820/coffeepongCover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="312" data-original-width="820" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiewMpWzKJg6BhfkvKbrsPP8sDcmBkxKgWt6B8TDcq7ktAO62PGzvofhgrZxV77thVway8IO2R_Ul-aRlCCJp2q2lEeK1C1_cjh0C7u_CVtPPwpMYJe_1qLyGFiAjIUaIjNKtq8t9c4JVU/w640-h244/coffeepongCover.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></p><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><font size="2"></font></span></div>Carol Harper, Community Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368908696928606392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528294704877241284.post-85419046014412511612020-06-07T08:27:00.019-07:002020-06-07T14:39:58.439-07:00History Lessons: "The Ways" - A Paradigm Shift<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSi56vKlIq9-6PgWja3E0ESkYEIjGW0POUcVLiMioA1IZSr-79bDcl2GsaHxq_YMVjW1lF_T6aNL64BZgm3PviGQJs2wlKJEjrg7eSo37UbTXLZMlW0ho6jS4XT-aRU69Sf0DF8F-7Uuo/s4032/B%2526W+mug.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSi56vKlIq9-6PgWja3E0ESkYEIjGW0POUcVLiMioA1IZSr-79bDcl2GsaHxq_YMVjW1lF_T6aNL64BZgm3PviGQJs2wlKJEjrg7eSo37UbTXLZMlW0ho6jS4XT-aRU69Sf0DF8F-7Uuo/s320/B%2526W+mug.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I own about 45 coffee mugs, but today...I chose this mug for a reason. Not because I wanted to make a statement that the cup is mostly white and the base is black. Not because white is on top and black is on the bottom. I chose this mug because what I am going to put <i>into</i> this mug is going to be one of the most delicious cups of freshly-ground, brown-roasted coffee, with a bit of sweetness and half-and-half to start my Sunday morning with joy. Those who have visited my home know I have "'mugs of many colors." </div><div><br /></div>On the tail of my last post, I've had some time to ponder on solutions. In order to do this, I've had to go back and really think about where it all went wrong...go back in my own "time machine" and not grieve over what was or has been...but <i>hope </i>for what<i> could be.</i><div><br /></div><div>Many tribes, cultures and religions have a Genesis story. A story or legend of "how it all began", be it a story to tell children when they ask, a spiritual response to ease a troubled mind, or a question to spark an adventurous journey. Eventually, facts and truths are uncovered and emerge that either coincide with what we've believed all along, or put us in a rut of denial for our own comfort and, yes...survival.</div><div><br /></div><div>Whatever you believe about humankind's Genesis...there was a point in time where "we" (humans) became aware of Powers greater than our own selves. A tornado, a hurricane, a volcano would indicate that Something...the "gods"...were angry with us, that we did something wrong. We would try to appease these gods with offerings, tithes and sacrifices. We would worship in fear, huddle in refuge.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thousands of years go by, and in that time, other "Powers" evolve. Acquisition. Commerce. Greed. Hierarchical classes and regimes...which evoked battles and wars that resulted in great suffering for the masses. There were no considerations for civilian casualties (to use military jargon, "collateral damage"). Pillage, plunder and destroy (often in the name or names of Diety), and those who survived would be in servitude to those Powers That Be. All races, cultures and religions are guilty of this.</div><div><br /></div><div>Eventually, so much bloodshed and violence gave rise to Revolution. I think of the French Revolution and the American Revolution off the top of my head, but there have been <i>many </i>renowned revolutionaries who have made history...however, many will and may never be known in humankind's chronicled history. Nevertheless, they all fought for truth and justice...only to be suppressed and silenced by the Powers That Be.</div><div><br /></div><div>I love Marvel and DC movies. I'm no comic book collector, but when I was a kid, I <i>did </i>watch Saturday morning cartoons with Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and Aquaman. The Justice League! I even had a blue blanket "cape" that I'd safety-pin together and run around the house and yard. All I lacked was that golden lasso! Wonder Woman was one of my heroes. Why? Because I admired her power and strength in a world of men.</div><div><br /></div><div>As children, we grow up in our families and households, knowing some, but little truths about the world outside of our little Petri dishes. We believed what were taught because we believed and trusted those who taught us. We've prayed to distinctive "Powers That Be", because that is what the history of humankind programmed us to think and do. But now, in an Information Age...we are short-circuiting because the ways that the "Powers that Be" have been doing things are no longer working. The "Christian Way". The "Jihad Way". The "Indian Way". The "Republican" or "Democrat" Ways.</div><div><br /></div><div>We are at the cusp of a great Paradigm Shift of "The Ways". How will this all pan out?</div><div><br /></div><div>At the core of every human being is the knowledge of what is right and what is wrong. Even if you've been in horrible, abusive situations, you "know" and "feel" what is right and what is wrong...and if you chose "wrong" to simply survive in your environment, who could blame you? <i>You were a child!</i> It's not your fault. I myself was in a situation where I thought it would be better to die than to live. I didn't know who my "friends" were. I didn't know who I could trust. But I knew what was right and wrong, so I started trusting my heart, mind <i>and </i>soul, and made decisions in my life where the Journey would eventually lead me home.</div><div><br /></div><div>Some think I've become Atheist. Not true. Some think I need to be "saved" (again). Not true. Some think I'm a "fence-dweller", a "coward", "milquetoast", " ...because politically, I'm a Moderate, neither left nor right. If categorizing me as such helps you sleep at night, then at this point, I hope it gives you insomnia. Because for me, it's not about politics anymore. True <b>love </b>has always been my answer to hate. Too many...in my own history, and human history...have taken advantage of that love and have minimized it, twisted it and have nearly destroyed it <i>and </i>my faith in humanity. Can you blame me, or those who feel the same?</div><div><br /></div><div>I made a promise to myself that I would "Be <b>good </b>(don't be bad). Be <b>nice </b>(don't be mean). Be <b>strong</b>. (Rise to the challenges.)" I'm certainly not perfect by anyone's definition, but that is my "religion", and it gives me hope in a world that continually insists on the "definition of insanity". It all comes down on how we are and will <b>BE</b>. Not because or our race, culture, religion or species...but how we <i>are </i>to each other as creatures that crawl upon the same Planet.</div><div><br /></div><div>This Paradigm Shift...this Revolution...is now the epic battle between <i>good </i>and <i>evil</i>. Between what is <i>right </i>and what is <i>wrong</i>. This is a challenge for the "Powers That Be" to finally have to deal with. I actually feel a [tiny] bit sorry for <i>all </i>of the "leaders" of the world right now. The weight of wrong decisions have finally caught up with us all, and it's not a pretty sight.</div><div><br /></div><div>If they had only studied their history lessons...</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/F2AitTPI5U0" width="320" youtube-src-id="F2AitTPI5U0"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Carol Harper, Community Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368908696928606392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528294704877241284.post-11303125629026999142020-06-06T09:17:00.006-07:002020-06-07T06:17:18.855-07:00Coffee With A View: The Time Is Now<font face="times" size="4"><span style="background-color: white;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA2VORTPwjlMBhR8F31cFlxGH2IXSmVDyXbmxBO6JsD8YgVOilQBdcFlszAWVAxNYRS2DKTmHNwqDuSGqUc5oCy9UflGfD-hcM-5tNhQdnrhhkQ_7CgmZtau1EQCVY3W2aj-OhrDBzj_w/s4016/CP12.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2546" data-original-width="4016" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA2VORTPwjlMBhR8F31cFlxGH2IXSmVDyXbmxBO6JsD8YgVOilQBdcFlszAWVAxNYRS2DKTmHNwqDuSGqUc5oCy9UflGfD-hcM-5tNhQdnrhhkQ_7CgmZtau1EQCVY3W2aj-OhrDBzj_w/w400-h254/CP12.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Hello, Coffee Pongers! I love to read my friends' Facebook posts on current issues and events. Sometimes I comment, sometimes I don't...</span></font><div><font face="times" size="4"><span style="background-color: white;"><br />I recently posted a Candace Owens video on my own Facebook wall, and didn't expect anyone to comment or message me about it (a hot topic). It's been <i>very </i>tough being a Moderate these days. But my beautiful friend, fellow musician, and thoughtful writer, Lisa Montes, recently posted something on her own Facebook wall that sparked a response, and I wanted to share it with you all this weekend.</span></font></div><div><font face="times" size="4"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></font></div><div><font face="times" size="4"><span style="background-color: white;">Thank you, Lisa, for putting up with my rants <i>du jour</i>! I love and respect the heck outta you, too!</span></font></div><div><font color="#1c1e21" face="Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></font></div><div><font color="#1c1e21" face="Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">____________________________________________________</span></font></div><div><font color="#1c1e21" face="Helvetica, sans-serif" size="4"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></font></div><div><font face="times" size="4"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Lisa:</b></span></font></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><font face="times" size="4">"Trump... Candace Owens... people praising and supporting
both...</font></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><font face="times" size="4"><br /></font></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><font face="times" size="4">I am disappointed
with both because of how they choose to speak about important human values and
humanity issues (often times with great callousness and condemnation towards
populations and people, and seeds of prejudice or words that elicit that in
others,) and I am disappointed with those that praise them and praise people
like them who choose division over unity.</font></span></div><p class="MsoNoSpacing">
<font face="times" size="4"><span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Everyone has the
right to their opinion and b</span></span><span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">eliefs, yes. And this is mine.</span></span></span></font></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><font face="times" size="4"><span class="textexposedshow"><span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white;">So many people just
missing the point about true injustice and the history of racism and inequality
and brutality that has lived and breathed and been acted upon for years upon
years and is perpetuated and encouraged by people like these public figures
with their words </span></span><span class="6qdm"><span style="background-size: contain; display: inline-block;"><span style="background: white;">😔</span></span></span><span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white;">... and then inevitably domino effect trickles
down and is spread by those who support and believe in the same words these two
speak... whether intentionally or not, it spreads. I just can’t...</span></span><span class="6qdm"><span style="background-size: contain; display: inline-block;"><span style="background: white;">😢</span></span></span></span></font><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><font face="times" size="4"><span class="textexposedshow"><span class="6qdm"><span style="background-size: contain; display: inline-block;"><span style="background: white;">-----</span></span></span></span></font></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><font face="times" size="4"><span class="textexposedshow"><span class="6qdm"><span style="background-size: contain; display: inline-block;"><span style="background: white;"><b>Carol:</b></span></span></span></span></font></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><font size="4">"The problems ARE on both left and right, and there is so
much the public does not see! Murder is a horrible thing. Rioting and
destroying is a horrible thing. Injustice is a horrible thing. The White House
"Resident" is the worst one ever. I agree and disagree with Candace
Owen on some things, but one thing I do agree about is stark REALITY.</font></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><font size="4">Races and
cultures cry "Injustice!" and march, riot and murder...yet there is a
truth that no one wants to deal with, and that is: Too many do not look inward.
Too many use "injustice" as an excuse and not a spark for solutions.
Too many watch Corporate media for their position on prejudice and racism. On
the Wind River Reservation, I tend to observe those who are silent more than
those who are in protest. Why? Because I know of the horrors every single DAY
that our EMTs and Paramedics are called to...Native AND White! The media
doesn't actually "see" the abused babies and children. The media
doesn't actually "see" how women are treated by drunk, high Native [and white!) men with fists, knives and guns. No, they can only speculate and empathize.
Then the media spins and influences, left or right to appease their advertising
bases; the public blindly swallows their pills.</font></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><font size="4">The public and voters DO choose
the wrong people to put on pedestals! Several.bad apples...even just ONE...can
ruin it entirely for EVERYONE. How are true, solid solutions supposed to be put
into play when African Americans ignore the wisdom of Martin Luther King, Jr.?
When Native Americans ignore the wisdom of their ancestral chiefs and their
Elders who actually experienced abuse and injustice, first-hand? When Native
American Tribal Councils themselves reek with alcohol, drugs and corruption?
When so many white folks glorify a "Resident" that openly embraces a
Nazi-like character [and] "values"?</font></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><font size="4"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">No...it's not about what is unjust. It
is about what is TRUE! And no one wants to deal with the TRUTH and admit they
very well may be a part of the problem than the solution. That's why we are
where we are, time and time again...in protest, riots and murder. That's why
the problems of injustice never get solved. No one wants to look in the mirror
and say, "<i>Am I a part of the problem or the solution...and what is the
best approach to SOLVING the problems and contributing to the solutions?"</i>
Because we don't vote for leaders who are true and just! Because no one
actually reads and studies their voter handbooks, they just get on bandwagons
and blindly follow their party choices. They are easily persuaded by corporate
media and some random Facebook posts. Marching and rioting has been
historically proven to be UNproductive. Not a solution anymore. It has been proven
to make things worse; not better. I'd rather actively focus more on those who
bringing peaceful, positive solutions and make a difference for the cause of
[what has apparently become a matter of] human survival. They are out there.
(Thanks for letting me rant on your page!)"</span></font></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="caret-color: var(--primary-text); font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">-----</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><font size="4"><span class="ncl"><span style="background-position: 50% 50%; background-size: 16px 16px; caret-color: var(--primary-text); display: inline-block; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="display: inline-block; transform: translateY(-3px); z-index: -1;"><span data-offset-key="aobe-1-0"><span data-text="true"><b>Lisa:</b></span></span></span></span></span></font></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-color: white;"><font size="4"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">I hear you and
I respect you.</span></font></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-color: white;"><font size="4"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">I think you speak and feel the
emotions of so many of us who are frustrated in so many areas of what is
happening in the world and to people.</span></font></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-color: white;"><font size="4"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">
</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">And you’re right, there is a lot
many of us don’t see or have ac</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">cess to so we may miss a portion or half of the story or miss it entirely
if it’s not put in our focus.</span></font></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-color: white;"><font size="4"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br style="content: "";" />
Frustrations produce anger, and if used correctly anger produces desire for
change and action - hopefully in the positive sense.</span></font></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-color: white;"><font size="4"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br style="content: "";" />
I think precisely because so many are ready for change and vision and justice
in all these different areas, we are all expressing ourselves and taking the
actions we see best to use.<br />
Are our efforts always fruitful? Perhaps not always in the way we wish, but
they are efforts and first steps, and they are evoking discussions and thoughts
and actions towards positive change.</span></font></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-color: white;"><font size="4"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br style="content: "";" />
People who don’t feel heard or seen...want to be heard, seen, and counted when
decisions are being made on their behalf or that affect them and others. So
efforts are now being made by many in all ways and methods and directions to
make that happen.</span></font></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-color: white;"><font size="4"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br style="content: "";" />
These are challenging times and if we are being completely honest with
ourselves they always have been challenging times... we simply have not done
the intrinsic and external work to truly always learn from them and make
change. The time is now. </span><span class="6qdm"><span style="background-size: contain; display: inline-block;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "segoe ui emoji", sans-serif;">❤</span></span><span class="6qdm"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">️</span></span></span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p><font size="4"><span class="ncl"><span style="background-position: 50% 50%; background-size: 16px 16px; caret-color: var(--primary-text); display: inline-block; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="display: inline-block; transform: translateY(-3px); z-index: -1;"><span data-offset-key="aobe-1-0"><span data-text="true"></span></span></span></span></span></font><p></p>Carol Harper, Community Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368908696928606392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528294704877241284.post-57251075766090297912020-05-31T07:58:00.078-07:002020-06-01T12:22:22.592-07:00History Lessons: That's Not Our "Way"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eRgG7XHEaoU/XtPGMWS9HJI/AAAAAAABUlU/nLSxyPdz4Y0X5c4T5FcGMYiQgNsfeXBBQCK4BGAsYHg/00100dPORTRAIT_00100_BURST20200531072507678_COVER.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eRgG7XHEaoU/XtPGMWS9HJI/AAAAAAABUlU/nLSxyPdz4Y0X5c4T5FcGMYiQgNsfeXBBQCK4BGAsYHg/s320/00100dPORTRAIT_00100_BURST20200531072507678_COVER.jpg" /></a></div>We all have our stories...our traditions and rituals. There is a story of how I received this mug.<div><br /></div><div>Sundays include church-going for a lot of people, and it was for me for over 40 years. As an organist, pianist and/or Music Director for most of my life, Sunday mornings required a lot more than just showing up, playing/singing a few hymns, and socializing with family and friends we hadn't seen during the week. It meant prayerfully preparing service and worship music for the congregations who relied on being uplifted and inspired for the new week ahead. <i>Pressure</i>? (Insert a sarcastic "Nooooo!" here.)</div><div><br /></div><div>But I'm not going to write about or speak for folks on the subject of what happens on Sunday mornings for the majority. No...this week begs for a perspective that may offend some, but...nevertheless, it's the truth. And we all know that the truth can be difficult to admit.</div><div><br /></div><div>I attended via Zoom, the 2nd Talking Circle hosted by the Riverton Peace Mission on Saturday, May 23. The [timely] subject matter was racism. The question for discussion was: "<i>What did you learn from your grandmother about racism?" <b>Wow</b></i>. That's a loaded question, because I had several Grandmothers. I kept my notes:</div><div><br /></div><div>On the <b>Starks </b>side of the family (Lutheran/Methodist...basically Reformation). I viewed my Grandma Starks as a mild-mannered, gentle woman. It was on the family farm on Sunday afternoons/evenings where I developed my love for bluegrass music. My Uncles would brandish their instruments on the wrap-around porch of the farm house, and sing (in harmonies, I might add) the old traditional hymns, Depression-Era folk songs, blues, etc. Most of the time, my Uncle Earl and Aunt Sharon would lead, but sometimes they'd all just spontaneously break out into some serious jams! My Dad would break out his ol' Horner harmonica. My Uncle Ralph would bust out in song, and though his singing voice wasn't exactly "American Idol"-type quality, it didn't matter. If he didn't know "Red River Valley" like the back of his vocal cords! I would sit on the porch...in my little Sunday dress and black patent-leather shoes, and <i>listen</i>...after running through the prairie with my brother Mike and my cousin Tim, who would tease me mercilessly about one thing or another. I would climb trees and spy magpie and robin eggs. I would run all over the lawn, barefoot, feeling the green grass under my feet. I would go upstairs and read my Grandpa Starks' collection of <i>Peanuts</i> comics and Louis l'Amour paperbacks. My Grandma Starks didn't even have to announce that the cookies were done. We could smell them from a mile away. When we'd leave, my Grandpa Starks would slip me an extra cookie and say:<i> "Don't tell your Grandma."</i> I never did.</div><div> My Grandma Starks was big on the Golden Rule:<i> "Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you."</i> Seemed simple enough. Treat others as you would want to be treated. "Great! Can I go out and play now?"</div><div><br /></div><div><b>On the Lund side of the family (Lutheran, I think)</b>: I learned all kinds of things from my Grandma Lund. Most of all...how to sew doll clothes. She was an avid doll collector (and that's putting it very mildly), and I would spend literally <i>hours </i>with her, learning how to make little doll blouses, shirts, pants, skirts. Seriously, I thought I would go insane. Until she would say, <i>"Time for lunch!"</i>...and she'd stop everything, go up into the kitchen and start on her homemade biscuits. She would get salad from the grocery store (mainly the seafood salad), but those biscuits?!?! O..MG. None compare, to this day. I have the recipe!</div><div> What I learned about racism from Grandma Lund? A lot of derogatory swear words...and they were pretty colorful. I remained silent as she would talk about her views about [N-word], "Nips", and those "filthy Indian drunks". <i>"Oh, but I don't mean <u>you</u>, dear." </i>And I believed her....because I know that she truly did love me. But I was young, and the truth is...you really don't say those kinds of things to a young teenage girl who is already greatly confused about her own identity.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>On the Northern Arapaho side:</b> My Grandmother, Loretta, gave me my Indian name: "Sweet Singing Woman". The amazing thing is...she had never heard me sing. I know that my entire Northern Arapaho family watched in silence as I was raised in a white, Mormon household. Yes, I am a product of White privilege. Whenever my (adopted) Mom and I would go out in public (like to Bi-Rite or Woolworths)...I felt eyes on me. I would hide behind her. But she would say: <i>"Don't be afraid. Just wave and say 'hi'!</i>" So I did. Little did I know that this was a White-Indian competition. I felt like an experiment.</div><div> As I progressed musically (several piano and music competitions)...I didn't think about how I poured everything from my inner self, frustrations, emotions into the 88-keys before me. Music was the only avenue I had to express my confusion.</div><div> I think my Grandmother Loretta knew this when she saw me for the first time in <i>many </i>years, on a Christmas Day when I was a pre-teen. She brought me everything she thought I would need as a Native Woman. A simple shoebox full of deodorant, tampons, toothbrush, toothpaste, pretty rocks, a strand of sagebrush with a ribbon tied around it. I've always <i>loved </i>the smell of Wyoming's sagebrush.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>On the Welsh side: </b>My Grandmother Richards (an Atheist) was a very intelligent, strong woman. From what I gathered from my biological father's side...there is a great affection for animals. My grandfather, Dr. Eugene Richards, was the Director of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Cedar Sinai. My Grandmother, however...was an advocate for animals, and I remember her saying: <i>"Humans have the ability and intelligence to look out for each other. Animals in this world, however, cannot. Who will speak for the animals? It is us."</i></div><div><i> </i>I've felt a crossover from my Native roots to my Grandmother Richards. She had a particular interest in my daughter, because she watched her, like my Grandmother Loretta watched me. We are all connected in some way, and we all hope for the very best for future generations. I sensed that, at the time I met my Grandmother Richards, she could tell that I was <i>very </i>conflicted...mentally, religiously and spiritually. I like to think that she and Grandmother Loretta connected in a way that only the generations of women can.</div><div><br /></div><div>Am I a "Tribal Elder"? <b>No</b>. I wouldn't even, <i>ever </i>assume to be, in the Northern Arapaho sense. But am I an Elder of Life? <i><b>Yes</b></i>. Those of us who have lived out our histories know we have Wisdom to impart beyond our years. Time is all we have. </div><div><br /></div><div>So my contribution to all of the chaos that is happening right now is:<b><i> "Didn't we tell you so?"</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Didn't we <i>tell </i>you that racism and violence would raise its ugly head, over and over? Didn't we <i>tell </i>you we wanted <b><i>peace </i></b>instead of war? Didn't we tell you that the greed of money would not bring you happiness, and be the demising legacy you would <i>not </i>want for Planet Earth? When will this <i>end?</i></div><div><br /></div><div>I've learned, since being back home...that there is a certain definition that confuses the boundaries between the "Cowboys and Indians". Drunks, druggies and gangs. "Park Rangers". <u><b><i>Not </i>the Native Way!</b></u> One and several bad apples can ruin it for the entire barrel...but <i>do not judge the entire barrel by those those bad apples! </i>The WRIR struggles enough without the added conflict.</div><div><br /></div><div>That goes for white folks as well! What is the "White Way"? We know <i>full well </i>that there are those who do not tolerate racism and the injustices against Natives. But we also know that there are organizations and religions that have doctrines that are steeped in racism from their very genesis. The Mayor of Riverton is a White, LDS (Mormon). I hope that he doesn't view American Indians as Book of Mormon "Lamanites" (dark-skinned) in need of "saving" or becoming "pure and delightsome". There will always be a resistance against such a Nazi-like theology/doctrine. But beliefs <i>aside</i>...<i>no one </i>should tell <i>any </i>Native culture what or who they are, nor what is and what isn't. This might make me a bit unpopular with religions that have shaded histories they aren't proud of (genocides, crusades, inquisitions, extermination orders), but...it's the truth. We need to <i>end </i>prejudice and division, once and for all. Be that person who breaks the chains of a slavery that has disparaged hearts, minds and souls for centuries. <b style="font-style: italic;">It starts with me, it starts with you, it starts with <u>us</u>. </b>The time of burying heads in the sand and sweeping critical issues under rugs is <i>over</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div>That said...I am glad to take a moment to remember what my Grandmothers taught me, good <i>and </i>bad.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was recently told by a good friend: "<i>It is the women of our societies who will save us."</i></div><div><br /></div><div>I've read so many articles on the subject of racism lately...isn't it time that we are <i>better, instead of bitter?</i></div><div><br /><b>Be good.</b><i> Don't be bad</i>. Don't destroy.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Be nice.</b> <i>Don't be mean.</i> Don't burn the bridges that generations before you have tried so <i>very hard </i>to build.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Be strong</b>. Because the Nouns of Life are going to hand us <i>all </i>a lot more challenges than we know.</div><div><br /></div><div>Don't despair. Karma is aware.</div><div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background: white;"><b><i>“There comes a time when one must take a position that is
neither safe nor politic nor popular, but he must take it because his
conscience tells him it is right." - Martin Luther King, Jr.</i></b></span></p></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Carol Harper, Community Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368908696928606392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528294704877241284.post-51524346255106422882020-05-10T08:17:00.010-07:002020-05-10T19:30:31.258-07:00Coffee With A View: Trial and Error<p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ZuZJBDhyK-o7HOslnkDcppsFkCLzcVn0xNbYwOay04dwrW3IzyoDVZBmfJNY5ppr01mpQe0VTY4zb7Adea0uTrjJ-YyNiexM1h6U4j6M5uzlCD3gYSUz0MXSNEOguC50VBWDN1c1hf4/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ZuZJBDhyK-o7HOslnkDcppsFkCLzcVn0xNbYwOay04dwrW3IzyoDVZBmfJNY5ppr01mpQe0VTY4zb7Adea0uTrjJ-YyNiexM1h6U4j6M5uzlCD3gYSUz0MXSNEOguC50VBWDN1c1hf4/w480-h640/mothersday2020.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><b><i>Happy Mother’s Day! </i></b>This morning I am enjoying a
<i>wonderful </i>gift from my daughter…a rich, exotic Tanzanian Peaberry. It’s so <i>very
</i>smooth, I’m drinking it black today, no cream or sugar is needed!<p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Yesterday, I planted my all of my flowers and herb pots.
It’s been dipping into the 30s at night; had to take advantage of the sunny spots
and be wary of any wind gusts. Last year, I forgot to bring my seedlings in,
and when I came home from work, I found that the high winds had blown the
starter flats all over the property. I salvaged and planted whatever I could find,
but I have to admit, my garden last year was pretty pitiful.</p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><i>Trial and error.</i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Next to my mug this morning is my daughter’s Navy
Achievement Medal. When she gave it to me, she said, <i>“Mom, you are the true
Marine.”</i> It is one of the most precious gifts I’ve ever been given, and
when I take it out to look at it, tears fill my eyes as I ponder upon what a “true
Marine” really is. My own daughter is my hero…she has been a little fighter
from the day she was born and has become such a strong, beautiful woman. The
NAM often reminds and humbles me.</p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">My son served in Iraq, and when he came back, he went
through many trials and errors of his own. <i>“Life will kick you in the ass
more than anything,” </i>and sometimes that ass-kicking can generate positive
results. He went on to get a degree in Audio Engineering; we’ve even recorded a
few projects together. We “talk music” a lot…he sends me things to listen to, gives
me sound and recording advice, recommends audio equipment, etc. We chat [most]
every Sunday to catch up. I look forward to every call.</p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">If you had told me about 30 years ago that both of my
kids would become US Marines, I would’ve probably laughed in your face. I was <i>so</i>
young when I became a mother and had absolutely <i>no clue </i>how motherhood “worked”.
Sure, I got advice from my <i>own </i>mother and mother-figures throughout my life...but looking back, I can say right now that <i>nothing ever really prepares you
for it. </i>I personally believe that it’s not fair, throwing mothers and
children into the same soup of cluelessness. Then again…who ever said that Life
was fair?</p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Imagine if you will, being on a battlefield where
communication, Intel, strategy and tactics are pretty much useless or completely non-existent.
Things can and <i>will</i> change, minute by minute. There are no reprieves;
there is little, if any, <i>real</i> sleep. It’s 24/7, 365. You have to be alert,
on guard and ready for whatever bullshit is thrown at you from the moment you wake
up until you fall in a heap at night…and then it starts all over again. Like a “Groundhog
Day” with recurring theme and variations…day and night.</p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I worked three jobs at a hospital…was a General Assignment reporter…a Columnist/Copy Editor of a local newspaper…the founder/editor
of a daily news blog…served 30+ years as a Music Director for several Christian
denominations (so Sunday mornings were always busy). I sat on several boards and
committees of groups and organizations, causes I really believed in. Along the way, I've also seen and have been a part of a lot of trauma and drama in my life...failed marriages, relationships, friendships...choices that made me learn lessons the hard way...</p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>Trial and error.</b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Motherhood in action is a juggling act with a myriad of glass
plates thrown in the air, and needing to have the <b>faith, hope, courage </b>and <b>strength</b>
that you can catch and place them all in order, nice and freakin' straight. Motherhood
in action is lying awake at night, brain going 100+ MPH, wondering what fresh
hell you have to face the next day…and the day after that...and the day after
that. Motherhood in action is like throwing spaghetti on the wall, hoping it
will stick: <i>“Don’t touch the stove, it’s hot”…”Don’t skip class”…”Quit doing
that”…”Homework much?”…”Great, how much is </i><u>that</u><i> gonna cost me?”…”You
little !@#$%”! </i>It’s ALL trial and error.<b> </b>We are not “trained” for Motherhood,
and I don’t care what fluffy books by the “experts” you might read, what sermon you might hear, what "Life Coach" podcast you subscribe to while you’re
pregnant and waiting. <i>There IS no boot camp!</i> There is <i>nothing</i>
that prepares you <i>and </i>your children for the battlefield called <b>Life</b>.</p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Oh, believe me...I wasn’t the “perfect” mom. My own trials and errors
spilled over into the raising of my kids. I was right there along with them...learning
about what The Nouns of Life could dish out from day to day. Mistakes were made.
Battles were lost. Retreat was necessary. But what has always
been stronger in me has been <b>patience, caring, loving, protecting</b>…and
most of all, <b>hope</b>. Sometimes, all it takes is a little cream and sugar when
things go dark, and you <i>know </i>they will. Sometimes the spaghetti <i>will</i> stick, and
there comes a time when, as a Mother, you have to let go and watch your young
fly on their own...experience their <i>own</i> trials and errors, and we know that it breaks our hearts, minds and souls. But that
doesn’t mean you are not “present and accounted for…”</p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">It means you have become the “true Marine”...and I share my medal with you.</p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">My mother passed away July 30, 2005. She was also a “true
Marine”. One of the most difficult things to do in my entire life was to sing
at her funeral. I figured, if I could sing for an event like that, I knew I could
sing for <i>anything</i>. I’ve had several women in my life who I call my “Mom”
(you all know who you are)…and I am so richly blessed because I can continue to
sing my own song of Life…because of <i>you</i>.</p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Happy Mother’s Day!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span> </span><o:p></o:p></p><br />Carol Harper, Community Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368908696928606392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528294704877241284.post-12758773991296169882020-04-24T15:38:00.001-07:002020-04-24T16:40:48.503-07:00Coffee With A View: Angels in the Outfield<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-dZaDFuhuk5f5-UIeoncm5n2Rc4Mj1pvUVmGjw8m5PqbXPkBDZ1aYwqbSMA46AtBW4Lebk3Yfzvc9DP1LSj3wetEM2JobLbZhCqQPT-LGv1HECMZfzm6hpeK5KJt42CMg9SbC8qrHFw/s1600/rainthruthebranches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="768" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-dZaDFuhuk5f5-UIeoncm5n2Rc4Mj1pvUVmGjw8m5PqbXPkBDZ1aYwqbSMA46AtBW4Lebk3Yfzvc9DP1LSj3wetEM2JobLbZhCqQPT-LGv1HECMZfzm6hpeK5KJt42CMg9SbC8qrHFw/s320/rainthruthebranches.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">I call this photo "Rain Through The Branches". I shot this after a long day at work, after the Wyoming rains had their time. I know, no photo can do Wyoming's beauty justice, but...that evening, the droplets of rain...the branches on the tree...the wonderful sunsets I experience, every night...always applicable to my subject matter.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">This is not a "usual" post on Coffee Pong. This post today deals with a few "reality checks"...</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">When a community’s economy is focused so much on tourism
and local events, it can be challenging when something like COVID comes along
and, quite literally, takes it down. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;"><b>So here are my thoughts <i>du jour</i>, right off the top of my head:</b></span><span style="background: #F2F3F5;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">I’m bummed that I can’t frequent <b>my favorite farmers
markets</b>, but…I’m a resourceful person, and have found local farmers who produce
what I need and want. For eggs, milk and meat...</span></li>
<li><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;"><b>I <i>love </i>earrings</b>, and I have <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/DragonflyBeadsz/">Cheryl Payton of Dragonfly Beads</a>
</b>and Kathleen Davis of <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/ZeeBlingsbyKathyZee"><b>ZeeBlings</b></a> to custom-make my earrings.</span></li>
<li><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">I can’t have my monthly massages anymore, but I’ve remembered
everything that <b><a href="https://amadorwellnesscottage.com/">Brandy LaRae of the Amador Wellness Cottage</a></b> and <b><a href="https://www.massagebook.com/Ogden~Massage~LD">LaTonya Dykes in Ogden, UT</a></b> have taught me about relaxation techniques and essential oil combinations
that really “speak” to me.</span></li>
<li><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">I have seeds to plant a <b>garden</b>…and space to plant it in.</span></li>
<li><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">I have <b>candles, fuel and firewood.</b></span></li>
<li><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">I have plenty of <b>coffee</b>! LOL</span></li>
<li><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">I have a <b>shotgun </b>that I hope I never need to use. Let that
be a warning…</span></li>
<li><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">I have a Hybrid <b>Prius</b>. Just filled it up for $17…after 2 months. Don’t
need a fancy sports car or a gas guzzling truck. I’m good.</span></li>
<li><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">I thought ahead and developed <b>my 72-hour kit, food and
supply storage.</b> There are still a few things I need to make it how I <i>really
</i>want, but…all in all, I’m pretty set.</span></li>
<li><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">I <i>want </i><b>Pho </b>in a restaurant that really knows how to
make it, but I’ve learned to make it myself, and that’s ok! </span></li>
<li><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">I wanted to attend a<b> Holi Festival </b>again, but every
morning, I dance around my living room instead. Hail Cardio! LOL</span></li>
<li><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">I was and am very much happy to have <b>not just one, but two Moms</b> who
have blessed my life with wisdom and guidance.</span></li>
<li><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">I am blessed to have a <b>Dad </b>who often says, <i>“You might
wanna…” </i>I know, I know. Gosh...</span></li>
<li><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">Still waiting for my <b>awesome, beautiful fire pit</b> from my brother, Mike. Hehehe...check them out on Facebook at <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/dickscustompits/">Dicks Customs Pits.</a></b></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;"><b>That said…</b></span><span style="background: #F2F3F5;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;"><b>I don’t need video games. I don’t need books;</b> got plenty
already in my own library to catch up on!</span></li>
<li><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;"><b>I don’t need a decorative doohickey or a functional thingamabob</b>
to keep up with “The Jones”. Never had that mindset, <i>anyway</i>. I don’t care what
you have that I don’t. Never have. Never will.</span></li>
<li><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">I don’t need the <b>latest phone upgrade.</b></span></li>
<li><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">I don’t need another refrigerator magnet, another coffee
mug, another product branded with <b>your marketing logo.</b></span></li>
<li><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">I don’t need <b>alcohol</b>. Don’t get me wrong, I <i>want</i> alcohol!
LOL But I don’t <i>need</i> it. Now, Amador County wines? Temptation to the max...<i>damn </i>you, <b><a href="https://amadorwine.com/">Amador Vinters</a>!</b></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">So let’s admit what we, as consumer-driven societies, don’t
want to admit:</span><span style="background: #F2F3F5;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">This caught us ALL off-guard</span></i><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">…sometimes even our own very own local shops didn’t and never did see this coming...and they didn't, never did and <i>still </i>don't carry what we needed <i>or </i>wanted in the first place.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">Let's face it. We really don't want to dress in a mask
or full PPE to go to the only place in town we can get everything in one fell
swoop: <b>Walmart. Costco. Sam’s Club. Grocery store chains. </b>Pain in the ass, (but
another "reality" these days.) Does anyone really want to do this? Raise your virtual hands. Not that I'm counting...LOL.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;"><b>So...</b><i style="font-weight: bold;">are we really going to judge those who do commerce
online? </i>Sure<i style="font-weight: bold;">, w</i>e may be scrambling around</span><span style="background-color: #f2f3f5;"> to find local producers who offer what
we want, whether online or "six feet apart", but...</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">You know what really matters to me right now?</span><span style="background: #F2F3F5;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<ul>
<li><b><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">Communication & The Internet.</span></b><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;"> That I can communicate
with <i>all of you</i>, right now, via this blog and on Facebook.</span></li>
<li><b><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">Electricity</span></b><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">. Solar power sure is becoming a thing now,
isn't it?</span></li>
<li><b><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">Emergency and health services. </span></b><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">Goes without
saying.</span></li>
<li><b><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">Transportation</span></b><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">, not just for me, but our truck
drivers, our delivery services. I can spray down my packages with Lysol, or set
them outside for a few minutes/hours. No big deal. Do not discount those who deliver products via your doorstep.</span></li>
<li><b><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">Music</span></b><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">. That I can make <b>and </b>create it.</span></li>
<li><b><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">Family and friends,</span></b><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;"> who come by and check up from
time to time.</span></li>
<li><b><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">All essential workers!</span></b><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;"> I have family, friends and friends of friends in
assisted living communities, and I <i>truly </i>worry about them. If your State calls EMS services “non-essential”. I would <i>totally </i>beg to differ right now.</span></li>
<li><b><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">Prisons</span></b><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">. Yes, that’s a touchy subject, but it’s a
reality of what we have done as far as the incarcerated...and have ignored.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">This is a <i>short</i> list, folks. All that said…</span><span style="background: #F2F3F5;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">This is a time of <b><i>testing </i></b>of us as human beings on Planet
Earth.</span></li>
<li><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;"><b>There are so many who don’t have what they need.</b> So many
who have so <i>little</i> and need so much.</span></li>
<li><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">There are those who are desperately looking to the <b><a href="https://coffeepongmedia.blogspot.com/2020/01/coffee-convo-systems-that-have-failed-us.html">systems that have repeatedly failed us all</a></b>…through every election, every court hearing
and every tax season.</span></li>
<li><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">There are those looking to “family” and “friends” who turn
their <b>backs on them, abused them, failed them miserably</b>. Shame on you.</span></li>
<li><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">There are so many who<b> say that they will “pray” for them</b>…and
do <i>nothing</i> more. Out of sight, out of mind. What are your prayers <i>really</i>
worth?</span></li>
<li><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">There are so many who have <b>multiple holes in what they
thought were their “safety nets”</b>. Who will repair them?</span></li>
<li><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">There are <b>so many who truly want to help</b>, but can’t because
of governmental or corporate rules and legalities.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">So what is to be done?</span><span style="background: #F2F3F5;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;"><b>I readily admit...</b><i><b>I don’t know</b>. </i>All we can do right
now is examine what kind of human beings we <i>really</i> are and be a <i>leader</i>
in those capacities, Because you can’t <i>make</i> someone <i>not</i> go out into
public. You can’t <i>make</i> someone wear a mask. You can’t <i>make
anyone do anything</i> that may help or hurt during these times.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">Yes, we as Americans are “free”. But free to
do…<i>what</i>, exactly? Time will tell.</span><span style="background: #F2F3F5;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;"><b><i>“This is a test of the Emergency Broadcast System…”</i></b></span><span style="background: #F2F3F5;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;"><b>If you believe in angels, guess what? Now is the time to <i>become
one.</i></b> And the road <i>is</i> and <i>will be difficult,</i> I’m telling you
right now. We need to be Angels in the Outfield...because the Outfield just became pretty damn important.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">But do not despair in the mission you may be, are or will
be called to. And please, I don’t mean “angels” in <i>any</i> religious sense <i>whatsoever</i>.
The faith of Atheists is just as powerful.</span><span style="background: #F2F3F5;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: #f2f3f5; color: black;">Think about that…</span><span style="background: #F2F3F5;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Carol Harper, Community Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368908696928606392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528294704877241284.post-85803911171119041912020-04-19T08:46:00.005-07:002020-04-19T10:22:12.765-07:00911 & The Single Life: A Beautiful...or Terrible MindI recently shared this post on my Facebook wall (from the "I Might Be Funny" page):<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSTZoFE_pUYrRQIndsZvDDW9Yhqxyrpmdnsixye2UAUmyHZEBQIvLTMJM_9tuRNJp3UgRYtyDcYLX1NLMU3G2kiyX8pSWjvS7PYrDkzUwBWryByGVfiIMIiMC0ck8bEuMbCebqNk0wxc/s1600/momsnerves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="505" data-original-width="545" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSTZoFE_pUYrRQIndsZvDDW9Yhqxyrpmdnsixye2UAUmyHZEBQIvLTMJM_9tuRNJp3UgRYtyDcYLX1NLMU3G2kiyX8pSWjvS7PYrDkzUwBWryByGVfiIMIiMC0ck8bEuMbCebqNk0wxc/s400/momsnerves.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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There have been thousands of gifs and memes joking about social distancing and self-quarantine/isolation. Most know me as a very social person...I love to meet friends for coffee and catch up, occasionally "get outta Dodge" for the weekend, shop at my favorite stores. But I've also created a haven here in my home...I love to cook, love to enjoy the fantastic view of the mountains and valley from my back deck. Like I've said before, I'm the most "extroverted introvert" I know! So at first, I was thinking:<i> "C'mon, Carol...how bad can this be?"</i><br />
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Jokes aside, the mind can be a beautiful...or a terrible thing. When this outbreak first began and was confined to a closed-door office, I thought "<i>Maybe now I can finally get some work done!" </i>Days went by, and it wasn't too bad. I <i>did </i>get a lot of work done. A few weeks go by and I've realized just how much I interact with the crews on a daily basis and how frustrating it is to have limited, direct communication and limited visibility on station ops. Now it's been over a month, and as I look back and the ups and downs of my mental state, it told me a lot about how my mind works, to the point of thinking: <i>"Ok, Carol...how bad can this </i>get<i>?</i><br />
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There was an <b><a href="https://county10.com/suspect-sustains-fatal-injury-during-the-riverton-standoff-on-april-15th/">incident here in Riverton, Wyoming on April 15</a></b> that was made public through our local media. I sat listening to the dispatch radio, worried about the crews on-scene. I know that it was just another "day in the life" for them, as they're always called to shootings, stabbings, assaults, domestic violence situations, etc. But now, with situations intensified in correlation to this outbreak, my worry for them that day increased to a certain level of fear.<br />
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For personal reasons, I rarely talk about the subject of the crimes of abuse and domestic violence, but I feel it appropriate now. In my past Lives, as a survivor of domestic violence, I had been diagnosed with clinical Depression, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and PTSD. I've attempted suicide, twice. On top of that, I had crippling Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, which was devastating for me as a pianist. I've had several surgeries throughout my life. So to say the very least, my mind has not always been a "beautiful thing".<br />
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In my Third Life, I've promised myself that I would learn from my History Lessons and listen to the wisdom gained from the previous Two. Judging from my experiences alone...if the rate of abuse and violence was high even <i>before </i>this outbreak, it is - and will be - even more intensified now.<br />
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Our police officers, EMTs, firefighters, First Responders...all have a very great burden on them. They may or may not have known the extent of it when they signed up for the job, but nevertheless, they take every 911 call seriously because (believe me!) they <i>never </i>know what they're going to see, find or witness when they arrive on-scene.<br />
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I believe that this outbreak is revealing the best and worst of human behaviors and mentalities. The beautiful <i>and </i>terrible minds. Today, if I was in a situation with an abuser, I would find a way to escape and call 911 <i>immediately </i>if it were physical abuse; I would call a domestic violence hotline if it were prolonged mental/emotional/verbal abuse.<br />
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There are programs and resources available in every community. Looking back, I wish I would have thought about my own self-worth and actually <i>used </i>those resources. But I would always end up thinking: "<i>It's all my fault...he's just tired...I should've done what he said...but I 'love' him...I can't make it on my own..." </i>Stockholm Syndrome-type thoughts that were short-circuited by a weary, abused, depressed and poisoned mind. At the very <i>least</i>, I needed to have a safe place to go and figure it all out later. I needed to have a friend who was aware of my situation and would be there to help me if it ever got to the point where my life was at risk.<br />
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COVID-19 is doing its thing; humans are doing theirs. This past month has been a challenge, even for this single lady! How we interact with our family, friends, loved ones, employers and co-workers ultimately shows how we truly are as human beings. We need to <i>help</i>, not hurt...but if you've been hurt, get to a safe place and call those who are there to help:<br />
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<b>CDC: Daily Life Coping</b><br />
<b><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/managing-stress-anxiety.html">https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/managing-stress-anxiety.html</a></b><br />
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<b>National Domestic Violence Hotline</b><br />
<b>1-800-799-SAFE (7233)</b><br />
<a href="https://www.thehotline.org/help/"><b>https://www.thehotline.org/help/</b></a><br />
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<b>Child Advocacy Centers of Wyoming</b><br />
<a href="https://www.wyomingcac.org/"><b>https://www.wyomingcac.org/</b></a><br />
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<b>Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault</b><br />
<a href="https://www.wyomingdvsa.org/"><b>https://www.wyomingdvsa.org/</b></a><br />
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<b>Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration</b><br />
<b><a href="https://www.samhsa.gov/disaster-preparedness">https://www.samhsa.gov/disaster-preparedness</a></b><br />
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<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Call 911 when...</span></b><br />
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<li><b>When you "feel" a situation is escalating.</b> If you are fearing for your life, call. <i>Immediately</i>.</li>
<li><b>You've been physically assaulted/injured.</b> If you can't, tell someone to do it. <i>Immediately</i>.</li>
<li><b>If you are witnessing the abuse</b>. Call anonymously if you need to, but call. <i>Immediately</i>.</li>
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<b><i>A final note...</i></b><br />
<i>It is better to try to escape an abuser or domestic violence situation and call 911 than to fight back. If you fight back, you may become a part of a situation that only gets more complicated. You could die...or you could go to jail, right along with your perpetrator. Remember, First Responders aren't there to determine guilt or innocence; they're there to do their jobs and report what is happening, on-scene.</i><br />
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<br />Carol Harper, Community Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368908696928606392noreply@blogger.com0