Author Archives: Andrea

It’s been a hectic last two weeks

I just got the February Horizons Magazine to the printer Monday so I get to goof off for a day or so.  It felt good to work out at Planet Fitness for an hour for the first time in days, then I went to the Palm Bay Road Walmart and found my new fave World Market Brown Rice and Flax Seed crackers, in several flavors and also picked up some ground turkey for picadillo.  It was an adventure navigating the store since it has a different floor plan than the one on Malabar Road.   I stopped in at electronics and learned a little about iPads, actually it was a customer who was dressed like I was and buying accessories for an iPad which is why I asked her, knowing she was not sales staff.  I’m getting urges to buy an iPad and I don’t even know what one is really.  Anyway, back in grocery they did not carry the Earth Balance dairy spread I use, and I forgot green olives until I was back in the car.  I stopped at Publix on the way home, since I planned to make my low fat Cuban style turkey picadillo for lunch and for me, the green olives are a must.  I know I’ve been stressed when I look forward to washing and chopping vegetables.  I’ll go outside after lunch and begin picking up all the oak and pine deadfall from the last windy week.  Doing that and stacking kindling is a never ending job around here.  While I’m out there, I’ll check out the squirrels since that’s their time to dance and play in the tree canopy.  Now, into my afternoon.  I so dig my life.

No more fu manchu and goatee… for now

No, not mine

I pride myself on letting my facial hair grow and keeping it trimmed so I don’t look like the bearded lady at the circus. Hair is there for a purpose and I like facial hair on me.  Not all my friends do and when we’re in person, some are quick to point out I could use a tweeze.   I just laugh and let them know I grow it on purpose.  Hey, the hair is blonde and smooth and fine, so you have to be right in my face to even see it.  A good friend and spiritual brother is going through several austerities right now.  An austerity is, among other things, an extreme practice undertaken during an ascetic or monastic period of one’s life.  We share a spiritual practice, so when he did a head shaving, I cut my bangs.  When he removed his beard, I got out the Nair and removed mine.  For a month. I know that sounds like no big deal to most, but I’m very into symbolic practices and sharing this was important.   Continue reading

A taste of what religious fanaticsm brings about

This is what fanaticism brings about

I posted on Facebook a diagram of  a giant hole left by the Christian Dark Ages, with the caption:  “Just think, we could have been exploring the galaxy by now.  This is what fanaticism brings about.”  I got a lot of knee jerk responses and  Nick Ribecca chimed in correctly with, “Easy folks, I believe Andrea is talking about “fanaticism” not common everyday Christians. Remember how we are reminded every day that there are millions of decent everyday Muslims who pose no threat to civilization. But, Holy Wars by those calling themselves Christians, and Jihad by those calling themselves Muslims both wreaked horrific havoc on the world.  The problem is the fanaticism, not the Religion.”

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The White Lie Cake — God is Good!

Have you ever told a white lie? You are going to love this, especially all of the ladies who bake for church events:  Alice Grayson was to bake a cake for the Baptist Church Ladies’ Group in Tuscaloosa , but forgot to do it until the last minute. She remembered it the morning of the bake sale and after rummaging through cabinets, found an angel food cake mix & quickly made it while drying her hair, dressing, and helping her son pack for scout camp.  When she took the cake from the oven, the center had dropped flat and the cake was horribly  disfigured and she exclaimed, “Oh dear, there is not time to bake another cake!”

This cake was important to Alice because she did so want to fit in at her new church.  Being inventive, she looked around the house for something to build up the center of the cake. She plunked in a roll of toilet paper and covered it with icing. Not only did the finished product look beautiful, it looked perfect. And, before she left the house to drop the cake by the church and head for work, Alice woke her daughter and gave her some money and specific instructions to be at the bake sale the moment it opened at 9:30 and to buy the cake and bring it home. Continue reading

Struggle is good! Why the Butterfly has to break thru the cocoon on its own

Waiting to break free - aren't we all?

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further.  So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.  The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.  Neither happened.  In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.  What the man, in his kindness and haste did not understand, was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required to get through the tiny opening were nature’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings. It would then be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.   Continue reading

Friday the 13th and a Recession-Proof Life

Just another lucky day

Friday the 13th has always been a lucky day for me. Maybe that’s because as a teenager I went through that rebellion stage where I wanted to think and do the opposite of everything I was told.  That included making Friday the 13th be a lucky day for me.  I see now that by me doing that, I was each Friday the 13th constantly looking for the positive aspects of the day.  I was anticipating days before wondering what kind of good things would come my way.  So was it really my lucky day, or did it just become my lucky day due to my belief that it was and my expectation that it would continue?  Either way, I won. Continue reading

If only the innocent will survive the pending Armageddon, why not just clean up my act?

For my buddies who spend their time on Facebook posting scary warnings about ET’s and impending doom, economic collapse, new world order and takeover by the “bad” aliens:  Cut out the stoopid sh*t and get your act together before you call that all down upon yourself. You’re already  unhappy with your life.  If only the innocent will survive the pending Armageddon, why not just clean up your act and then begin focusing on what you want and what you’d like?