She is strong and fierce
She knows the power of her mind and the gentleness of her touch
She recognizes her insecurities and wrestles with her vulnerability
She stands up for the respect that she deserves
And does not lower her voice to coddle a man’s pride
She understands the aspects of society that try to undermine
The beauty and artistry of a woman
It cannot be fabricated
It cannot be replaced
A woman that knows her worth
Has the power of the world behind her
Humans are odd. Sometimes I have a hard time believing that other people are made of the same breed as I am. Some people are so mean, disgusting, awful…
My sister started a new job probably about a month and a half ago. She works in a paint room painting gates and fence that welders put together. My sister is an artist – she knows her way around paint. She loved the job initially. She got along with everyone in the paint room and would come home with high spirits and tell me all about the good day she had.
But then it stopped. I don’t know all of the details, I’m not there. But from what she tells me the “manager” of the paint room has been targeting her. They bully her and pick on her and point her out. It’s absolutely disgusting. I don’t know if they are threatened by the good work she does painting or what, but she gets threatened daily. They pick up her time punch-in card, watch her, and even told the boss that she rounded down TWO MINUTES on her time card when she was late after lunch.
She just called me crying because this same manager is being absolutely disgusting today again. She loves the job, but cannot handle the bullying. I don’t know how she has put up with it for so long. She has talked to the bosses and they don’t help. I don’t know what advice to give her, because I want her to be without a job, but I also don’t want her be targeted and treated so unfairly. Even if she has a role in the mess, no one deserves to be threatened and put down and targeted at work. It’s disgusting and it makes me sick. Her manager is a thirty year old woman, and my sister is 21 years old. I don’t know what power trip she is on, but I’m at a loss of words.
People are nasty. I don’t know how anyone gets joy or pride out of being a “manager” that treats others like that. I won’t listen to any more of it. I will go up there and talk to the owners if this crap doesn’t stop. Ridiculous.
When we were kids, my uncle would take all of us out to the garage to watch a big storm roll by. We just so happened to live south of what seemed to always be the path of the storms. So we would get our lawn chairs and flip cell phones out and have a fun night.
Times were so much more simple back then. We would laugh from the adrenaline running through our bodies – being so close to a storm yet so far away, you never know what could happen. We would gather around the weather radio and listen to where the rotation of a tornado was spotted. The garage was facing the right direction to see the storm go by and not have rain blowing in on you. There were no true worries back then. Those were the nights we were the closest. Those were the nights we came together. I wish I could get those childhood memories back. Now we’ve all grown up, split apart, and started our own families.
Tonight my own little fam sat in the garage and listened to the radio forecasts and watched the storm roll in. It was nothing too serious, but it did make me feel happy to share memories like this with the family I made. It connected me to my roots, and I’m thankful.
“I wish somebody would tell you you’re in the good ol’ days before you’ve actually left them.”
the birds are back
thank you, nature
for working in a way that helps us
appreciate what we have
after it’s been taken away
the quiet, dark mornings
have been replaced
with songs from birds
in every direction
I didn’t know I missed the sound
until I realized it had been
a long while since I’d heard it
My daughter is getting so intelligent that it’s beginning to pain me. She is no longer the small infant that we goo’ed over not so long ago. I remember when we first brought her home, I would put her swing right next to the couch and just watch her sleep all day long. I held those little fingers and toes in my hands and marveled over the idea that my body made hers.
“Sleep when the baby sleeps.” Yeah, right. Have you seen this perfect babe? And your advice is quite literally the advice that all parents get and CHOOSE to ignore.
I now enjoy the old pictures of how small and fragile she used to be, because it reminds me of how strong, capable, and smart she has become. We have so many wishes for our children, but they always somehow turn out better than we could have ever imagined. Where my daughter once cried for the things she needed, she is now belting out requests with confidence. Her vocabulary has expanded and I’m often wondering, ‘How did she learn that word? I didn’t teach her that word!’ It’s hard to grasp that she is learning from the world around her, and the world around her isn’t always with me.
Another thing about this time period, is that she is becoming less of something we own or have responsibility of, and more of her own little human with her own little human beliefs, wants, and interests. When you first have a baby, it feels almost like an object you own. You feed it and bathe it and take it with you wherever you go. It doesn’t do much, doesn’t say much. But then… Before your eyes, this little gift you lugged around with you is no longer helpless. It’s getting bigger and smarter and needing you less.
I have talked to my fiancée about this, because it’s probably one of the coolest things to witness firsthand. One day you are meeting them for the first time, and the next day you realize that they have developed favorite TV shows and favorite foods, they’ve met and loved people that you don’t know as well they do, and they even know what they do and don’t want to do! The amount of things that they are doing and feeling and learning that don’t rely on you teaching them is getting smaller and smaller. It’s scary and beautiful and amazing.
I’m on a learning curve. I am aware that her independence is going to make some things harder for me. I have learned that if she won’t put on her shoes when I ask, that all I need to do is grab another pair of shoes and let her choose which ones she wants to wear. All of a sudden, the decision to put on her shoes was completely her idea and I get to play along with my own wisdom. I did this with a shirt the other day too, and it worked. I’m learning – it may take awhile before I learn all of the cheats, but hey! Progress is progress, right?
Life feels like there is a sheet over top of it
It’s not too hot right now, but there isn’t much to look at and
nothing is really happening.
I guess that could be a good thing. People claim, “No news is good news!”
But how can we be too sure?
This sheet may be blocking it all out. But I don’t know how to get it off.
I’ve tossed and turned, and thrown my arms up in perplexity
The sheet doesn’t halt me, it’s more of a nuisance.
I know it shouldn’t be over top of me, but the comfort of its hug is nice.
Maybe the sheet is keeping all of the bad out?
But maybe it’s not letting the good in?
For so long it felt like there was always something new to worry about
We had to keep our eyes open. Our hearts guarded.
Life is finally starting to feel like it’s calming down.
And maybe that is why I don’t want this sheet off of me.
I’m scared that once the sheet is removed, I’ll be tossed back into chaos
I can’t go back
I need the normalcy of a schedule
I like to plan the future
Uncertainty gives me anxiety
Please, oh, please
Don’t tell me the only thing keeping all of that away
is this sheet dawned over me…
I feel like my life is stagnant.
I feel like I’m lacking something. I have so much to offer this world, but I feel like I’m being held back.
I have so many goals and dreams, but it always seems like I’m too poor to accomplish any of them. No money means no success around here.
Not sure how to dig myself out of this hole. I work my ass off but it never seems to be enough.
I won’t ever give up, but damnit, sometimes I feel like I’ll never be on top
The temps have seemingly brought warmth that is here to stay. We spent a majority of the day “spring cleaning” the garage. It had an entire winter of piled up trash and dirt. We had cardboard from Christmas out there that was long overdue to be thrown away. Our daughter played while we cleaned, so it was a good day.
We wrapped up the night with cooking some ribeyes on the grill. I gave Della a bath and we snuggled up on the couch. Snuggles are hard to come by these days, so it had my heart full.
Dylan started a fire in the fire pit and he and some friends are outside drinking some beers. I’m exhausted so I’m on the couch watching old seasons of Survivor. I don’t imagine I’ll be awake too much longer.
Hope you all had a good day. Goodnight! 🌙
Today marks FOUR years that I’ve been on WordPress. I’ve explored all sorts of writing; from fiction, to poetry, to biography. I’ve made some “blogging friends” and shared my words with those around me.
I haven’t been as active on here lately and I apologize. Buuut I have some exciting news to share in the very soon future!
Stick with me, we have so much more to talk about. See you all very soon!
Between the Lens 