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It’s safe to say I lost the bet. 

When this whole shit-storm started in March 2020, we started discussing at work how long this would last. And in the beginning, you had so many opinions – even at the top of the political spectrum – on what was going to happen. 

All any of us truly had to go back on were the things that had happened over the past decade or two that never resulted in what we are currently going through. 

We had just had schools closed down when this discussion took place. Heck, there weren’t even mask mandates or anything in place yet. 

Several people thought the schools would be shut down through the end of the year. Me, being an optimist, said there was no way they’d allow graduations to not take place. So I thought … meh, mid May or so. We’ll be back and spring sports will go on. 

Little did I know. 

Here we are nearly two full years later and we are still in the middle of a pandemic. The cases go up, we all freak. The cases go down, we all relax. 

Well, maybe not all. 

The problem with COVID is there’s not a lot of middle ground. One side thinks we should be living as free as possible – it’s just a cold. The other side thinks we should be living in a bubble and shutting things down until this virus goes away. 

We can’t get along well enough to compromise. I mean, hell, political people’s careers are on the line! They have to cater to their people!

So here we are. And who knows when this will end. I mean, it’s never going away. So there has to be a point where we realize we have to all just do our own thing. 

I know this – I’m pretty good about wearing masks. And being I work in two school districts – and schools are cesspools for germs – those masks have kept me healthy. I don’t care what people say. I know how long it’s been (knock on wood) since I’ve had a cold. And it’s been a truly long time. So they work for me. 

I’m also vaccinated, with the booster. My choice. 

So, if you don’t want to wear a mask – your choice. But it’s also the choice of a business if they don’t want to serve you. Remember, it goes both ways. Businesses can also choose to refuse to serve people who wear a mask. So don’t complain on either side of the fence. Private businesses are just that. Private. 

If you don’t get vaccinated – your choice. Same for me wanting to be vaccinated. But again, in the world we are in … if a private business (remember, places that hold sporting events and concerts usually are private companies) decides to mandate the need for a vaccination, that’s how life is. 

No matter what you choose, please don’t be a hypocrite. 

The “my body, my choice” argument is fine. But remember that same argument when there are other controversial issues with the “my body, my choice” argument. I’m sure you all know what I’m talking about. You are allowed your opinion and I fully agree with the “your body, your choice” argument. But you can’t then turn around and try and tell people what they should do with their body. 

This pandemic has really divided society. We were on edge before this as it was with the political spectrum. But add this to the mix and we’ve gone really over the edge. 

I’m sticking with my “May” prediction for when this ends. But, please note, I never truly specified a year! I’m ready for this to be over though, with the hopes that maybe people can get along again.

How about all of you? What do you think about all of this as it still goes on?

This post is part of the 2022 20 Days of Chill Writing Challenge hosted by A ‘lil HooHaa. Please check out the links (intro I themes) if you’d like to see the setup and  themes! You don’t have to do every theme if you don’t want to! And for those participating, take a moment and check out the other participants!

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When I was a kid … 

Life was so much more simple. 

You could be care free. 

Run and play. 

TV was a luxury, not a way to waste time. 

When I was a kid …

You could have toy guns without the fear of people thinking they were real. 

You could play in the woods and run through creeks without worrying about getting kidnapped. 

Playing video games was a reward at the end of the day, not a “sport.”

When I was a kid … 

The internet wasn’t around. 

Smart phones were when you got a push-button phone instead of a rotary dial. 

Walking to school was normal. 

When I was a kid … 

You played outside. 

Youth sports consisted of a pick-up game in the park. 

Summer swimming was great, until adult lap swim kicked you out every hour for 15 minutes. 

When I was a kid … 

Our parents watched us without hovering. 

We could scrape our knees without somebody thinking our parents were failures. 

We knew we were loved and cared for and didn’t take it for granted. 

When I was a kid … 

The world didn’t seem so crazy. 

News wasn’t always depressing. 

You didn’t stare at a screen all day. 

When I was a kid … 

I couldn’t wait to become an adult. 

I wanted a job to make money. 

I couldn’t wait to grow up and do more.  

Now I’m an adult …

Oh to be a kid again. Not in this day and age, but back when you were allowed to be a kid in the truest sense of the word. 

This post is part of the 2022 20 Days of Chill Writing Challenge hosted by A ‘lil HooHaa. Please check out the links (intro I themes) if you’d like to see the setup and  themes! You don’t have to do every theme if you don’t want to! And for those participating, take a moment and check out the other participants!

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I’ve been working on learning new things, which includes woodworking. I can’t say I am some sort of an expert, but I’m learning tools and what they do and how to use them etc. 

I’ve never been much of a handyman. And truth be told, I probably never will be. But, with things like YouTube out there, and having friends who are awesome woodworkers, I see no reason I can’t learn to  do some things. 

It’s important, too, as I will need certain skills in the future for different things. Plus, why should I worry about buying things when I can build them. They might not be as shiny as something out of the box, but I’ll bet it’s a more sturdy setup than if I bought something from a big box store. 

So over the course of the year, I’ve purchased a lot of tools. I honestly had nothing, so I was starting from scratch. My “tool chest,” so to speak, has grown much larger now. I have most of the basics, as well as some power tools. As I start using each of these, I learn new things. Those learned items can be anything from basic use to safety, to tips and tricks. 

My goal, eventually, is to build some furniture for the house and my place. I have all sorts of DIY plans. Originally, I had dreamed of building a “man shed,” but I’ve backed off on that because of space. Instead, my goal is to build a smaller outdoor shed for everything I need to keep outside, and then have a patio/pergola sort of thing for a place to hang out with Harper when outside. 

Now, that’s still a bit away. I’m learning afterall. 

But, since I started this DIY thing, I’ve had the chance to work on some things with some friends. What that’s allowed me to do is watch them work, but also be hands on in helping with a build. That has included some shelving and a few benches. I now have some leftover pieces of lumber that I plan on messing around with. There are some tools that I really need to learn and understand that will make this process a bit easier. 

On one of the benches, I had to make some alterations after it was originally done. That allowed me to have to think the situation out, figure what I had to do to fix it, and then carry it out. I also realized when done originally there were some things I would have done differently, and I did that with the fix. 

I’ve enjoyed the aspect of learning and I look forward to making more items. There’s so much to learn! From selecting wood to stains and paint to tools and what they do to the process as a whole. I know a lot of items I’d like to build (let’s say I have a very big DIY list on YouTube as well as Facebook … I should probably start one on Pinterest, too) and I want to find a way through a lot of these items. 

How about all of you? Are you DIYers? If so, what kind of things do you work on?

This post is part of the 2022 20 Days of Chill Writing Challenge hosted by A ‘lil HooHaa. Please check out the links (intro I themes) if you’d like to see the setup and  themes! You don’t have to do every theme if you don’t want to! And for those participating, take a moment and check out the other participants!

Link up: 

As a society, I don’t think we say thank you enough. That’s not to say everybody is like that, rather some people. 

It’s kind of funny, in a way. 

I work in two school districts and with my job, I see a lot of different people. The ages can range from pre-kindergarten, all the way up to those on the cusp of retiring. I will say that most people in the schools are polite and courteous. Not all, though. You have your kids who just think they are above such things. Oftentimes, it’s a reflection of parents. 

I do, however, have some hope for the future. 

And we need hope with how things are these days. 

I’ve seen more and more people be more thankful for where we are. While true that we aren’t back to normal, we are getting there – slowly. And when kids and staff are in the actual buildings and going to school, I think you can feel there’s something good there. 

I hope, anyway. 

When you hold a door open for kids and they acknowledge it with a thank you, that’s a good thing. Maybe there’s hope yet. 

But now take a step back and ask yourself how you respond to situations. How often do you say thank you?I’d like to think that I am on top of that quite a bit. My parents taught me well. 

If somebody does something for you – no matter how big or small – thank them. A small gesture like that can make a person’s day. It’s a crazy world we are in, that’s for sure. So maybe we should do our best to brighten it. 

I don’t believe in resolutions at the beginning of each year. The reality is, if you do that, you are just going to find a way to break them. 

I mean, how many people swear they will go to the gym more, eat better, and lose weight? 

Sound familiar? 

I like to try and set goals. My goals, though, aren’t just for the said year. They are usually things I’d like to improve on in life and beyond just a year. And yes, that includes losing weight. 

This year, my goal was to be more happy. That started last year when I got Harper. To be fair, it took a long time for me to feel happy with her, but it’s coming out of me. 

Happy, though, isn’t just based on one thing. My goal is to improve life overall. That can be going for walks with Harper, exploring new places, going to a baseball game, brewing a beer, going geocaching, binge watching a series on Netflix, building some new DIY item, or countless other things. 

Basically, I want life to become a bit more simple. 

This challenge, so far, has made me realize how much I enjoy blogging. A few years ago, I blogged every single day. It didn’t make me happy … it burned me out and my blog suffered in the years to follow. 

But there’s a happy medium to all of that. No, I won’t continue to blog every single weekday once January ends, but I have been writing down ideas and thoughts. I want to do more of it again as it makes me smile. And I want to visit other people’s blogs as well. I miss doing that more. 

I also find when you are happy, you are more grounded and thankful. 

That often leads to many more thank yous. 

Thank you all for reading and following along. Let’s make life happy! 

This post is part of the 2022 20 Days of Chill Writing Challenge hosted by A ‘lil HooHaa. Please check out the links (intro I themes) if you’d like to see the setup and  themes! You don’t have to do every theme if you don’t want to! And for those participating, take a moment and check out the other participants!

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Four paws on the floor seems to be key. 

I am sure many of us have pets. Growing up, we always had a cat.

To me, cats are a great animal and pet. When they want attention, they come to you. When they don’t want attention, they do their own thing. What’s that old saying? Cats don’t have owners, they have servants? 

So true. 

Also, once a cat is house or litter box trained, they are pretty self reliant, as long as you give them food and water. That makes travel easier, too, as you can usually just get somebody to come and feed them once or twice a day and maybe play a bit with them for a few moments. 

But then I got a dog. 

Needless to say, training is a bit different for a dog than a cat. Also, it’s an ongoing thing. But the one thing I’m really working on?

Four paws on the floor. 

Harper gets overly excited in many situations. At eight months old, she’s still a pup, so it’s understandable. But it gets hard to have her out for a walk when people go by us.

She wants to go to those people, she pulls and lunges and will sometimes get off the ground. And it’s not in an aggressive way, rather in a way that she is like “Hi! I’m Harper! Pet and play with me!” 

Alas, she has to learn she can’t always get the attention. She needs to have a little bit of self control. We’re working on it the best we can. 

She’s truly a smart dog. She has a lot of the basic commands down, and we’re working on things like her recall and such. But she is usually on a leash, unless she’s in a fenced area, or in a place it’s safe for her to be without. There aren’t many places like that. But we work on everything we can. 

I have a book of 101 tricks I’ve been reading. There are some I think she’ll be able to do, and others I don’t want her to know for various reasons.

She will definitely have more things, though. And being treat motivated, we keep working and working 

Jumping up, though, is coming along slowly. 

So she will get there

Four paws and all. 

This post is part of the 2022 20 Days of Chill Writing Challenge hosted by A ‘lil HooHaa. Please check out the links (intro I themes) if you’d like to see the setup and  themes! You don’t have to do every theme if you don’t want to! And for those participating, take a moment and check out the other participants!

Link up: