SOCS, March 4, Wild Animals

Linda Hill challenges us on SOCS this week with Wild Animals. Well, technically these are wild but…they were too comical with how they had tied in with humans. The animals I am referring to…the California Sealions at San Francisco. They had commandeered the marina at Pier 39. My daughter and I spent 5 days in San Francisco and the seals were visited daily. Very entertaining.

They reminded me of my daughter’s basset hound where they would bellow and make lots of noise but would not bother sit up.

The wetter seal just came on the dock disturbing those already sleeping causing much bellowing but nobody really get up.

Occasionally you would have a faceoff of two males proving who was the “baddest”. There would be noise, huffing and puffing, and the occasional snapping about…

But then after sufficient noise, they would all lay back down and go to sleep, usually with a head laid across the other. Maybe man should take notice of how seals settle their arguments, ending in peaceful slumber.

The most comical wild animal at the pier was actually a seagull. I was kind of amazed of how much trash was around the area and in the water, especially when they speak of the damage the humans are making by throwing debris into the oceans. But back to the seagull…someone had thrown a small rubber ball in the water and the gull was having a blast. There were about 15 humans being fully entertained by this bird. He would take the ball, throw it in the air, watch it bounce, and then chase it to throw it again.

Sometimes he would throw it in the water and then go after it, bringing it back onto the dock.

It was all very entertaining watching the “wild animals” at Pier 39. But it gave me pause to see how easily animals and humans interacted with each other creating joy or sorrow at the same time. We all need to be more mindful of God’s creation.

I close with a reminder on the value of kindness and that it doesn’t always have to be towards humans. All of creation needs to be dealt with kindly in every way that makes sense. And in my mind, Kindness always makes sense.

Animals understand kindness as well. Always be kind

All photos at top of post are my own. ©Anita’s Hope
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.

Photos at end of post concerning being kind are downloads from Google

SOCS, Nov 5

I fully realize today, in my time zone, is Friday morning BUT I loved the idea of tomorrows SOCS prompt. My Saturday is going to be out of control busy so I are doing it today.

My favorite word is a word of action or an expansive adjective, and sometimes it can be an adverb. Its a word that is uses in every language on earth. Its an action that is used by every creature ever made that shows our inner hearts. It is a characteristic of one of the nine fruits of the spirit mentioned in the book of Galatians. It is the forerunner of all things beautiful. I close every post I create with it in some form. That word is….Kindness.

Kindness in any of its many forms, like kind, kindly, kinder… etc. is a base word for growing beauty. Think of all the actions you do on a daily basis but kindness is where you start from…like love, sharing, gentleness. It is a word we should always have in our pockets to use at any given moment. The dictionary has 197 synonyms and antonyms for the word kind proving the power of this one tiny word. Animals use it within their family units but how often do you hear about an animal reaching out to a different specie with an act of kindness and even protection of the other specie. I could tell you countless stories I have read, the most recent from National Geographic about a diver and a whale. It happens more than we know.

Kindness can be as simple as sharing a smile, a soft hello to someone scared, or a much needed hug from which you also benefit. It is a word we ALL benefit from so let’s use it often and help the world become a better place.

Always Be Kind

SOCS, July 23

Tomorrow is going to be crazy busy, so I am popping in tonight since its been awhile since I played with SOCS.

Since this is my week to do the phone devotions/encouragements for the church, I have a bunch of encouraging books on my desk. A random peak in the closest one to me, top of page 34…

“With God, nothing is impossible.”

In this world of chaos, disappointments and anger, its important we do not forget this truth. God loves us ands wants the best for us in all that we do. I think people have a tendency to belittle their abilities and allow the negative energy around them to dampen the beauty of what we see and do. So surround yourself on positive energy and expect good things.

And as always, remember the positive affects that kindness can bring into your life. With one true kind word, you can brighten the lives of others as well as yourself.

The Collar, #SoCS

Control or Not Control, That is the Question

The Collar

A ring of control around our neck,

This one lay empty upon the deck

Some are made of metal, some of leather

Some are heavy or light as a feather

The ones worn by dogs are not for pretend

The ones by humans may be a fashion trend

The better way of control may be a harness

Where it holds your body from a major mess

But we as humans must truly confess

It is not our body that we need to control

but a small component that drops us in a hole

It is our tongue that spews gentle or mean

A component that is hard for us to keep clean

A component that we must learn to control

For this should forever be our life long goal.

Linda G. Hill Stream of Consciousness Saturday has given us a fun prompt of “collar”.

Come join in on the fun and see how we all tackle this challenge. And as hinted to in the poem above remember the value of being kind. This should be a goal for all of us.

Pros/Cons, SoCS

There are always two sides to any argument. Some will always agree with you and some will fight you about it letting you know you are so wrong. Today I am going the do the pros and cons of a concept that while everyone may agree with the cons, they are far outweighed by the pros making everyone…well, you will see.

The Pros and Cons of Dogs….how can their ever be a con? Well, okay, walking them in the rain is a con…

Processed with VSCO with c1 preset — Look at that precious face…

but it’s better than them going in the house…

dog accident — Oops, sorry…but its raining outside…

Then their is the con of pet hair on you clothes… but the pro is you are making a fashion statement.

dog-hair-on-pants — Black hair on white pants is even better…

Beside the obvious attributes that can be cons, lets talk about the gut wrenching emotional pros…like cuddling

Cuddling, touching, companionship is a powerful pro for dog ownership.

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And their love is timeless. They are all in with their owners. Totally devoted to us.

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And their devotion sometimes make us laugh temporarily forgetting the day’s trials.

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So very true…they give us an emotional support that sometimes surpasses anything we may run into during any given day.

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We just have to make sure we are deserving of that devotion and try to mirror that love and devotion out into the world showing the world it possibilities through kindness as was first started at creation. Always be kind to all kinds.

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Come join in on Streams of Consciousness Saturday with Linda Hill and all who play with this prompt.

More, SOCS

More Beauty to Be

More beauty to see, this is what I know,

Of sky so bright, clouds changing as they go.

Some say is just sky, but it’s so much more,

It’s part of creation, a thing we should adore.

There’s birds and flowers and bees to see

Big yellow moon shining through the tree.

More beauty to share, in what you may hear,

Trickles of water fill the streams for deer.

How about old owl up high in the tree

Calling out his song, with love soon to be.

Of buzzing bee moving from flower to flower

In hope of more honey for him to devourer.

More beauty again is the beauty to feel

As it touches your skin, and knowing its real.

It can be gentle or harsh, depending on touch

Let not is emotion become your new crutch.

Remember the breeze as it flows in your hair

Reminding you always of many who care.

More beauty in smell, mouth watering’s to tell

Of homemade goodies, that we know so well.

The smells of danger that warn us to run

That rob us of beauty and loss of much fun.

The smells of remembrance, those we love best,

Are memories we hang onto when life is a test.

And last but not least we taste the next treat

Of more wonderful memories that can’t be beat

With family all close and holding us near

Reminding us that life is nothing to fear.

We enjoy all these gifts of senses each day

More love for each one as we go on our way.

Anita Neal

In response to Linda Hill’s SOCS. Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “more.” Start your post with the word “more.” Enjoy!

And as always I remind all of us of the value of kindness to all of creation.

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“SoCS”, Want

What an interesting topic from Linda G Hill with SoCS with us all in shutdown mode. I want people to be safe, I want people to have common sense but since I can’t take pictures of that so we will go with a more visual/tangible want.

I want my yard fenced in. The first guy backed out so I resorted to a guy who had done work for me in the past…a bad idea, out of his realm of expertise.

First off I wanted the post 4′ on center…close but no gold ring. Plus they did not fill in the dirt once the concrete was dry, I had to do that. I didn’t need to be moving all that dirt but I got it done. Grateful they didn’t crush my baby rose or azalea bushes.

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Then I called to have the lumber, the lattice and hardware delivered because I did not want to have to haul them in my car(SUV). Instead of the 21 boards I ordered, that were on the packing slip, they delivered 12. Guess who had to go get the rest, after much noise, I promise.

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Needed everything here by Friday since Saturday was the day they were coming to put up the lattice…Its 11:28 and they have still not arrived. Going to rain this afternoon.

I really want this project complete for lots of reason, the biggest being my safety in not being tripped by a dog on a wire tie out.

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But we will see if anyone shows. I can do it myself but it won’t be easy. I am not 30 anymore where I did this kind of stuff all the time. For now we just look at a half finished project and WANT for the best.

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Come join in with the prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday of “want.” Make the word “want” the first, second, or third word of your post. Have fun!

And as always, remember to be kind…even when its hard…

be kind

We are in Deep in the Trenches…SOCS

It’s Saturday right? Its hard to keep up with the day, not because we are so busy because we are so unbusy. We are a creature of habit and routine and when those get flustered, we seem to get lost.

lost

Linda Hill has challenged us with posting something for Stream of Consciousness Saturday reflecting the word deep.

Well, I have deep thoughts for you today – some of you will agree with it, some you won’t, and that’s okay. Do I believe this global pandemic was caused by God – No way. Do I believe God is using this global pandemic to his advantage – you betcha. People who have long forgotten to pray because they have been to busy…well, now they are not so busy. And look at all the people who are praying in parking lots, lifting each other up on the internet, facebook and other social platforms.

They are praying in parking lots, praying on tops of medical buildings, lifting each other up across skyscrapers – the media is full of all of us coming together as one – in caring concern and prayer.

This issue is a wake-up call to remind us we don’t need all the stuff we think we need. We don’t need to be busy doing all the busy things that keep us occupied. We need to realize we need each other regardless of country as we are all in this together as one world, one consuming crisis. And to get through it together, we need to be in prayer. Prayer, if coming from your heart, can be the most powerful tool you could have.

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Again, this verse looks condemning like this happened because of our behaviors. Again, No. If you believe in God, then you understand we are all sinners and are all in need of healing – not just from this pandemic but from just being who we are. But right now, the entire globe needs healing from this virus and if we all dig down deep in our hearts and lift prayers above, He will hear them and Lord willing he will heal our lands.

And if you are not a praying person, then you can still help this situation by being kind. This is a scary time and we need a lot of kindness spread all around. Kindness at a distance is still kind. Be safe and be blessed.

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The Fun We Expect & Beauty Too, SoCS

Linda G Hill challenged us to write something for Stream of Consciousness Saturday with words including ect, so here we go….

The exceptional subject matter photographers use here on WordPress are an amazing way to enjoy the perfect beauty of this world we live in – even with all of it disrespectful ugliness. So today I post some respectful beauty from bloggers here, one I respectfully downloaded. I expect you to at least enjoy the picture if not the short notes.

Foggy Sunrise — Photo by Irene Tron of Heaven’s Sunshine

Fog

Like smoke

Fills the forest

In the eerie morning

Quiet

Jez Sunrise — Photo By Jez Braithwaite of Jez Photos

Dawn

Brightly emerges

On open sea

To start a new

Day

From FaceBook of Lake Altoona in Georgia

Beautiful

Orange sky

At day’s beginning

To help us enjoy

Life

And in all things remember the value of kindness and let it fall expectantly from you.

sun rise

The Best Kind of Snow, JusJojan, #SoCS

It is January which means it’s winter in the northern hemisphere which means in some areas the “S” word has arrived. We try not to say that word much here in hopes it stays away. Yea, that didn’t work for Halloween this year with 4 inches and low 20 temperatures. But I have for a picture of today’s snow, the best kind of snow – Snowed all night but due to the warmth of December, the roads were still warm and therefore the roads are still clear. So the trees were beautifully covered. The sky cleared a short while before turning back to winter gray and I was able to grab this picture.

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It is amazing to me how hard wood tree twist and turn their limbs for their leaves to get the best sunshine. Even nature knows what is best for it and it tries to get there. We humans sometimes over think things and go way in the wrong direction.

As we push into this new year guiding ourselves in the direction we think is best, let us take a cue from nature and find the best direction.

And as we search for that direction, think of the beauty of fresh fallen snow, its purity and beauty and remember to cover everything with kindness.

Kind snow