Trump Wives Matter!

That's a bad one. He won more States. Trump may be the official representative candidate for the Republican Party for the most powerful office in the US. The Presidency.

Seriously, America?

I don't usually get into politics in my blogs but this one pushed my buttons so hard, it would hurt to NOT comment. I'll begin by saying I can't get behind any of the candidates of either party. It doesn't mean I won't vote. That's a civic duty we all have and have no right to complain if we don't.

There will always be differences of opinion amongst humans. There will always be conflicts. I'm not looking forward to how badly situations will get in this country now that the Reality Show, bankrupt businessman with a racist, misogynistic, cruel view of the world makes his way to the final lap of running for President of the United States.

He said he LOVES the poorly educated.....and they CHEERED!

He said he'll build a YUGE wall to keep foreigners out (aka Mexicans) and they cheered and no one asked who will pay for The Great Wall of America. Who will do the 'distasteful' jobs they do? As someone pointed out, if there were no immigrants, Trump would never have been married. Ooh. That came out wrong. Oh, well.

He said his daughter has a great body and if she wasn't his daughter, he'd date her. Uh. Ew.

Has our World become so lacking in awareness of right and wrong, we don't see through him?

He has made a mockery of the US and our democracy and it's starting to piss me off!

We may not have been perfect, ever, but, in my opinion from reading our History, we've never been faced with the mere possibility of having such a person in the highest office in the land making decisions. Our President should represent our country with a modicum of class, at least.

Trump has shown his behind several times to his supporters and the World has been watching him lead them to destruction. There is no way you can attack, dismiss others, yell hateful comments, and follow someone who is so consistently boastful, rude, vain, unqualified, and prone to lying, and still be able to sleep at night. Surely, a conscience will bring this matter up at some point to your brain and you'll wake saying, "What did I just do, Lord?".

Sure. We didn't have a great choice of nominees on either side. As my husband says, you just pick your favorite crook. But, People, come ON! Is it that you think he'll give you more money in your pocket? Share his? Not gonna happen. Do you think he's gonna keep those awful Muslims (ALL of them) out of the country to keep you safe? Not gonna happen. PLUS keep in mind he's saying ALL, not terrorists. We have terrorists right here that are US-born, native unstables we need to identify and to help. Those poor souls have shot up schools, businesses, government offices and for some reason, we still haven't called them what they are....terrorists. Are we ashamed and only want to point out one group as a problem?

There are troubled Souls all over the planet willing to take others with them for however they believe they've been wronged or for what they believe. Waco, Guyana, and Oklahoma are coming to mind right now. Those were not Muslims.

Trump is a fear-monger and carrying along those who are buying his Carnival act. He might as well be trying to get you to shoot down the spinning ducks with a crooked rifle for money, or in this case, your brain and your votes. Ask any of his followers why they support him. You will receive the same rhetoric he spews on any stage...or a struggle for an answer. "He'll make America great again!" Really? Think about it. Please think about it. Is America truly only for a few or as our Constitution states for all men, created equally. Testing knowledge of Constitution, Constitutional Laws and U.S. History, Foreign Policy and U.S. Economy, most can't even nail down when the country WAS great last. During the 1800's? 1900's? Now? When, in your opinion? Before the English arrived and Native Americans had no wall to stop them? Yeah. I went there.

(Whispering now) Has anyone considered he knows he won't win but will walk away with a pile of money and options for books, speeches and more riches? That is the businessman side of this fable. Maybe that is his actual goal. You still won't get any of the money. (You can't see but I'm shaking my head.)

Anyone who supports, increases, and pushes hatred in an ignorant, fearful, needy population, who even his own party recognizes as unqualified, lacking self-control, and is undesired, I have a little advice. Ya kinda wanna stay away from that brand of evil. I've seen the videos and photos of those at his rallies and the darkness in their eyes and distorted facial features. Its frightening. Anyone who's buying his schtick, I pray for as my Brothers and Sisters. Jesus is all about Love and wants peace for us. This man appears to have no idea what either of those words means.

Sigh. Abraham Lincoln said, and he was a Republican when it wasn't bad to be one:

"You can fool all of the people some of the time,

and some of the people all of the time,

but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time."

I think Mr. Trump is testing that theory. Hm?

The Good, the Ugly, and the Why Did I Buy This?

Our previous discussion, I believe was about starting or 'trying' to adapt a minimalist lifestyle. I want to laugh and cry at the same time. But I've got it going, People!

Procrastinated as long as I could while I didn't have writer's block, took every call, ran every errand, and cooked every meal. I did my best until I just couldn't ignore the closet one more day. It called my name in the middle of the night....three weeks ago. Not my fault! Somewhere in there was a trip to Quebec and a bout with bronchitis. Who wants to clean a closet like that?

I am not too proud to say there were items in that closet from the early 1990's. On the other hand, I found my favorite lipstick in a pocket that I thought I'd lost! Gotta look on the bright side!

This was a mind-freak I wasn't completely prepared for. If anyone else is tempted to do this, you must know you are going to have some 'feelings'. Feelings about inanimate objects is something I thought I was beyond. Well. There ya go. In separating items into sell, donate, and keep as most de-cluttering TV shows tell you to do, you've got to be ruthless. I don't have a ruthless bone in my body! What is more important, in the technique I've learned is to keep only  the objects you love. Keep the objects that fit. Keep the objects that make you happy. Keep those things. There's a logic in that and it appealed to my sense of practicality...until I started. Then I became one of those people on the other shows with the 'problem' where everything is loved and a professional must be called in.

That lasted the first hour as I pulled every item of clothing from the dressers, from the closets, from the den, and anyplace else I'd marked my territory. When you see the amount of clothes you actually own laid out on your bed....No, covering your bed, completely! You realize something. You've got to get this done and soon or you'll have nowhere to sleep! So, I stepped up my game. Had to. I became the Terminator after that. I was back. You! Black t-shirt! Come with me if you want to live! You, too, other black t-shirt, and you 5th black t-shirt! There's a place for you all with the half-dozen white t-shirts. Can't you all just get along? Why do I have so many flippin' t-shirts?

There were items from Forever21 on up to Liz Claiborne hiding in one closet that I'd forgotten about. There were items with PRICE TAGS on them!  Clothes worn once or never worn. Bottom line is that it became easier and easier as time went on to make the pile grow with only what I really wanted and to make the piles grow larger with items to sell and donate. Tis the Season. Lent is the time to give alms, charitable works, so perfect timing. I didn't even plan that!

One of many stacks I created. Ugh!

No, I didn't finish. But I have a bed to sleep on. It's surrounded by clothes on hangers, but it's reachable. I still have the shoes, boots, purses, belts, and scarves to sort. It was a beautiful (is that too much?) feeling to see my drawers with neatly folded items, sorted, and ready to use. Ok. Maybe that was a bit much. I have got to get a life!

Mostly, I'm beginning to see that people, including myself, have learned to live with way too much and still believe we don't have enough. This is why we need to look around the rest of the World and see what others are forced to live with, or rather, without. There are those in our own backyards that don't have a change of clothing. Coincidentally, I met a kid outside of a fast food place (not for myself, believe me!) who asked for money for food. Again, remember I said my mother tells me I talk to others too much? I bought him a meal and gave him $5. We sat and talked. James was in high school. He said he just wanted something to eat before he went home on the bus.

"Did you go to school today?"
"No, Ma'am." He dropped his head.
"Why not?"
"Because I wore this to school yesterday."

It turned out although what he wore was clean and he was properly groomed, thanks to his grandmother, he was teased by others in his school for not having lots of clothes! He was also bullied for being overweight. I contained my rage at how awful people can be to others. We chatted about his goals for the future. I assured him that the things that bother him now, he may not remember later. I told him those same kids won't be paying his bills or signing his paycheck in the future, and their 'opinions' didn't matter. As with any kid, he knows the present only. I tried another tactic.

"James. I want you do try something. Take this five dollars and put it away. Save it. From now on, whatever money you get, save it. Don't buy candy or fast food or junk....save it. Then, when you have what you need, you can buy yourself a new shirt or pants, even if it's from the thrift store. Then you start over again saving.. Can you do that?"

He looked at me as if that had never occurred to him before and agreed to do just that. That little seed planted in his head will keep him out of debt in the future, too. That's the upside.

Let's just say it was the kick in the backside I needed to begin my journey to Minimal-Land by donating a massive pile of usable clothes to St. Vincent DePaul. .

What progress did you make on the challenge from the last post? Anyone? Anyone? Ferris?

Reboot Challenge? Get the closet done. St. Vincent DePaul, Salvation Army, Goodwill, Churches, and more are all waiting and need your goodies for the needy!

Cleaning House In 2016!

I could make this all about house-cleaning given the title. Gotcha!

The last thing anyone wants to hear about is cleaning a house!

HOWEVER....I have stumbled, perhaps a little late in the game, upon the concept of Minimalism.

That word has scared me for years. It conjured up the old childhood feelings of Mom throwing things away that I wanted while housecleaning, of the 1970's white rooms with a chair and a table and no stuff, and of a bare and soul-less existence. I have to get rid of all of my BOOKS? My mementos? My works of art? All of my clothes that are out of style or don't fit well? All the papers and notes to myself? Every gift anyone has given me, EVER????

Calm down, Honey. Bring it down.

The idea is not to get 'rid' of things but to keep the things you treasure the most. If you think of it in that way, it's not as traumatic. If you are a hoarder, of course, everything is a treasure and everything stays. In that case, you get professional help. I'm not joking.

I've decided to tackle my closet, first. There is NO way, my daughter is going to use my wedding dress. It goes. I have bridesmaids dresses I've worn that are going, also.

They say you only wear about 20% of what is in your wardrobe. That would be a smaller number for me, personally. I'm actually excited about ridding myself of anything there that does not give me a pleasurable feeling. I know there are tons of things there like that. That is the reason I can stand there looking at it all saying, "I don't have anything to wear!".

It's clothes. They aren't human beings. They aren't children. They are replaceable. Things don't matter. People do.

Once that connection to them is broken, as is that addiction to shopping for more  items is broken, it makes for a happier existence. The shopping part has never and will never be a problem for me as I've stated before, I lack that shopping gene. Dressing daily will be a breeze as you will have only what you love and looks good on you to wear. You can practically reach in with your eyes shut and find exactly what you need! Well. That's what the idea is. Then, if you buy something new, it should be to replace something no longer wearable (worn out, ripped, unrepairable) or a piece that will fit in with what you have in your wardrobe. The best of it, to me, is that everything you have is functional, wearable, fits, and you love it!

It's suggested that you go through your laundry bin or basket and start there. The items there are the ones you wear, obviously, or they wouldn't be there.  Le duh!

So, that's where I'm starting. Not today. I've already done my laundry for the week.

Therein lies the rub. I'm a procrastinator. I put off today what I can do tomorrow, or the next day, or next week. I'm only partially kidding.

I realize what will happen when I start. Life happens.

I want to start and I want to finish. I'm the type of person that if I begin any project, i.e. a portrait, painting, sewing, and writing, I will stay awake and finish it, however long it takes. I was that kind of a worker, once. If it came across my desk, I wanted to handle it once, be done with it, and never see it again. I would tell co-workers, "Here ya go. Don't ask any questions about it."

I have a head-start because of that attitude. That's what is recommended. Take EVERYTHING out and deal with it and be done with it. That's my philosophy so we are of the same mindset, at least. Therefore, when life gives me a day to deal with the closet and drawers throughout the house, meaning ALL of my clothing, I will.

The books will be last. I'll keep you up-to-date.

Reboot Challenge? Join me in cleaning out 2016 of the things we don't absolutely treasure or need in our lives!

Bring Pastor Lim Home

Because it's the right thing to do.

There is a petition with Change.org for every ill happening in the World, it seems. This one sent to my e-mailbox is one I want to share and comment on but won't be the last, I'm sure.

According to the website, and here is the link, http://www.change.org/p/get-canadian-humanitarian-out-of-north-korean-prison-freepastorlim-bringlimhome, this man has made over 100 trips to North Korea to orphanages, nursing homes, basically doing what we are all supposed to be doing in caring for our brothers and sisters. Last January 2015, he was arrested and only last month received a life sentence to be served out in a labor camp. Where was his country in this?

This man is in his 60's and is a Korean-Canadian. He admitted his guilt. He absolutely did commit what they call crimes. And I'd do the same in his place. There have been many martyrs for the Faith in History that never had a petition to free them. Here's a chance now that a way exists. I'm with him! If you will find me guilty of being a Christian, so be it! It is admirable to me what he has done. I hope I'd have the Faith and strength of purpose to do the same thing. This man is ready to die for what he did. Who else would do that?

Do we feel that way about anything these days? Do we rise up only in ways and for causes that are convenient? Do we only feel anger against injustice in our own lands and not, generally, for everyone who suffers on our planet? Are we so distanced from what's outside our front-door that all we can do is complain on Facebook and blast the "other side" with memes, misinformation and the blame-game?

But there's an election coming up and the Super Bowl.

We have some easily led 'odd' people who are convinced they are patriots in Oregon right now that are doing something. Unfortunately, what they are doing is, well, crazy. The people they are there for, the Hammonds and others in that area, have even distanced themselves from the 2 dozen gun-toting guys out there. The Tea Party has even been suspiciously quiet.

These men are lighting a fire under others to join them and it, we can all make the prediction, will end badly. There's no doubt in my mind. It won't be because the government is being held hostage! It's not that the government has responded with force, yet. If that was the case, it would have been done in the past 3 days instead of 'monitoring the situation', to date. It's because the crazies in the Wild Bunch out there will start a massacre before they give up. I say they'd better take names and pics of those out there before they scatter or die over Federal land that belongs to the people of the United States and technically, to NATIVE AMERICANS.

My opinion? They should have started a petition. (Insert sarcasm here.)

Meanwhile, others are seeing the differences in black and white and Muslim and Christian and constantly seeking the differences instead of similarities. The pot is boiling.

Our President just announced his War on Guns. Good luck with that. The previous President had a War on Terror. You can't fight an abstract. I'm not smart enough to have all the answers but I think the heat has just been turned up some more on that pot I just mentioned.

For every evil deed that occurs, someone somewhere with a loose screw, death wish, or misplaced sense of duty, feels they have permission to do their worst to the nearest victim. That, Dear Friends, is what I fear. And I don't fear much, normally.

Yeah, sure, I've been interested, lately, in Korean Culture but this was purely coincidence. A bad one.

You can't fight every battle, especially not with arms, but you can choose one that matters to you and go for it. Fight it with justice, with love, with righteous anger, and with Peace.

When did we stop using our words?

It's just a petition, you say? Guess what? Petitions actually work! They have in the past and they do now. North Korea has released people who've broken their laws in the past. Mr. Trudeau just needs to get serious about this!

And, we have to get serious about what matters to us. It should be everybody.

Reboot Challenge? Sign the petition. Then, find a Cause to devote your life to, like World Peace. Social Networking is a 'tool'. Use it well.

*****Update: Video Released*****
https://www.change.org/p/get-canadian-humanitarian-out-of-north-korean-prison-freepastorlim-bringlimhome/u/14921130?tk=10gPOoD6bh2jM3BKtqUY_Bx4k2UM-Z2XcIjmwpdk3Ic&utm_source=petition_update&utm_medium=email.