“Adult.” I’m starting to believe that this is the word that makes us forget that the above two words are still possible.
I love being called a “dreamer” even though some of the people that call me that don’t necessarily mean it as a compliment, but more as someone with no grasp on reality. That’s so not true. It means that I still believe that all things are possible.
And “magic?” I believe in it. I have seen it on the faces of two people in love, and heard it in the laughter of a child. I have tasted food that reminds me of my childhood and smelled the familiar scent of a loved one that’s passed on. Those things are magical!
And” adult?” This is a term used to depict our age but I believe that we’re as young as we feel. All too often the labels we’re given dictate who we are, what we do or even what we believe in.
I believe that growing old is a gift and believing in dreams and magic is a blessing.
I am a person who is grateful to be growing older as a dreamer who still believes in magic.
I’m always amazed when life offers you a “you don’t see that too often” moment! I had such a moment this morning. The windows are all open and I decided to finish my book while having my morning coffee. I heard a car stop right in front of my porch and three men hopped out with a crate. One of the neighbors was walking by and I heard them say to her: “Do you want to watch us release our homing pigeons? We’re really excited!” Of course, she said “yes” and I immediately put my book down and went out onto my front porch.
They gently opened the crate door and two beautiful white pigeons, also known as “release doves,” flew out. I watched them fly far away and within minutes turned back. It seems that one was completely trained and is teaching the other one to return home. They lived a few miles from here and were going back home to where they would return.
This was truly one of those “you don’t see that too often” moments in my life because I have never seen that before.
It was such a beautiful sight to see, and I read that two doves flying together represent peace, harmony, companionship, support, hope and love. What a beautiful meaning!
Happy Sunday and I hope you have a “you don’t see that too often” moment in your life.
My desk is in front of two large windows in my house, giving me a wonderful view of the neighborhood. This morning as I sat here writing with my windows down enjoying the cooler weather, I saw a neighbor from down the street come walking towards another neighbor walking their dog. Their exchange was right in front of my windows.
The neighbor down the street walks up to the woman walking her sweet Bichon and hands her something that she dropped in her yard. The woman, who recently moved in here, thanks her with a smile.
I thought that this was a nice encounter between two neighbors, but it wasn’t. The woman begins to lecture her in a very nasty tone, telling her never to walk through her yard again and that it’s against the rules. The woman apologizes yet the other one keeps going at her.
This is a person that lives a few houses away that has a negative and nasty attitude towards her neighbors, including me, and for no apparent reason.
Why do people have to be mean and unkind?
I feel incredible sadness when people are not kind, whether it’s to me or to someone else. I truly don’t understand why anyone would choose to be cruel to another human being but they do.
I will never understand how someone can find pleasure in intentionally hurting another. I know that there are plenty of reasons WHY they’re like that, but they have a choice NOT to be like that. Life has handed me some painful and hurtful situations but I never let them turn me into a mean person. I don’t care what has happened to me in my life, I would never intentionally hurt someone else. I know how it feels and it’s extremely painful to be abused, be it emotionally, mentally or physically.
Be kind as often as you can.
And to my neighbor down the street: “If you can’t be kind, please be quiet.”
And that goes for anyone else who is unkind to others.
I believe that this year is going to be one of awakening. I believe that the Universe already has plans in place for us, that everything that’s happening in our lives right now is the beginning of what’s to come. It’s like a playbook for a football game hoping to get a touchdown. I believe that what’s happening in life right now is preparing us for what’s to come.
And I mean that in a good way.
I choose to believe that my PTSD is here for a reason. I believe it’s to show me that I still have more healing that needs to be done. I have decisions and choices to make that I may not have been able to before. Whatever the reason, there’s a lesson in it.
We’re only a few days into 2025 and I can feel that change is coming. My intuition has been on an all-time high for quite some time and now is no exception. I think that this year is the one in which we have to look deeply into ourselves and see why we’re feeling the way that we are. I know that many of us are feeling “out of sorts” and I’m one of them. I’m trying to figure out why I am.
I think that I’m still trying to find my place here in Florida. I felt valued back in Jersey but not so here. I had a great job, I wrote every day and I was blessed to see the ocean every single morning on the way to work. My book launches were filled with awesome people and I had a group where I was helping others to write and get published. It’s different here and that’s one of the reasons I feel “out of sorts.”
So this year I’m doing what it takes to find my place and my value here in Florida. Writing is like breathing to me and I need to find that motivation again. I’m sharing my most intimate feelings and thoughts with you because I know that I’m not the only one in the world that feels like I do and that together we can support one another through such times.
The house is so quiet tonight and my thoughts are loud so I decided to write them. Thank you for “listening” to them.
Do you make a list of things you need to do? I do and I don’t have just one! I have the shopping list, the list of bills that need to be paid, a list of doctor appointments that need to be made and so on, and so forth. I must go through all the lists I’ve made at least once a month to check off what I’ve done and what still needs to be done.
But what about this? What about making a list of things you need to do each day just for YOU? Why not make a list of “reminders” of important thoughts and actions you need to live your best life?
Here’s a “life list” I started making for myself for this new year of 2025:
The moment my eyes open in the morning, and before I get out of bed, I stretch and say a prayer of gratitude for another day to do things better than the day before.
Each morning that I have my first cup of coffee (or tea) I sit and meditate for the day. I keep my thoughts positive and remind myself that I am worthy of all good things.
I want to devote time each day to reading a book with a cup of tea and relaxing.
When my thoughts start racing into a negative direction I will stop and take some deep breaths and refocus my attention on something positive. (This is an important one while dealing with PTSD)
And each day I want to embrace the gift of another day to laugh, to dance, to hug another and to count my blessings.
The list can go on and on but you understand what I mean. We tend to get so caught up in life that we forget to enjoy it and it’s time that we change that!
I wrote this poem a few years ago and you can find it published in my book, “Each Breath Along the Journey.” My apologies for not posting it on New Year’s Eve but the message still holds true even after.
My wish is that 2025 holds magic and adventure for all of you, that the lessons your learned from last year hold true in this year and that all your wishes come to fruition.
Happy New Year! Happy 2025!
And thank you for your love, support, and for sharing your life with me. I am forever grateful!
(Here’s an excerpt from my book, “Each Breath Along the Journey) Every year I notice that as the New Year approaches, people start talking about their “resolutions.” There are things they want to do and things they want to change in their life, so they make a list of “resolutions.” I threw that concept out years ago because to me, resolutions were nothing more than making promises to myself that I couldn’t keep. They were goals for sure, but seriously, how many of us actually stick to those resolutions? I always tried, failed at some, then beat myself up for not doing what I had wanted. So, years ago I realized that the only way for my life to change was by learning the lessons that life had handed me, by learning from my mistakes, learning from my experiences, and so I decided to have my “New Year’s Revelations!” I ask myself some important questions throughout the month of December: What opened my eyes this past year? What did I learn about myself? What type of people are in my tribe? Am I taking care of myself and loving myself enough or giving too much of myself away? And what do I need to let go of that has no place in the New Year coming up and in my life? These are the questions to ask yourself and answer honestly. You see, when you have those “revelations” about yourself and the year that’s about to come to an end, you take those lessons and truths with you. You begin the New Year with a better understanding of yourself, your life, your situations and the people in it. When you do that, the New Year will bring all that you want it to: love, happiness, joy, adventure, new beginnings, and new opportunities. The possibilities are endless. Don’t put added stress on yourself by making “resolutions.” Take the time to think about your “revelations” and begin the New Year in a positive light. All things are possible if you just believe in yourself! It’s a good thing. Wishing you love and light, ~Anne Dennish~
My heart and soul hurt. It’s a pain that I have no control over because it’s caused by people I love the most: my family.
I understand that I can’t control the behavior of others, but how do you stop them from constantly doing things that they know hurt you? Why do they isolate you from the people you love? Why don’t they care what they’re doing to you?
I was diagnosed with PTSD years ago after a difficult marriage and divorce. I spent years doing what needed to be done to heal myself. It worked, or so I thought. That’s the thing about PTSD; it can come back in an instant and it did.
I used to believe that there is nothing more important than family, but I don’t anymore. It has been close family members that have caused most of the trauma in my life.
Most of my family never really accepted me for who I am. They can’t understand how I can be faced with hard things in life and still remain positive. Their lack of understanding of who I am may be the reason for their behavior towards me.
They prey on my empathetic personality and think nothing of doing what they can to hurt me, and I don’t understand why. I’m no threat to them or anyone else. I’m just this girl who wants to share her experiences with the world in the hopes that someone can relate and know that it will be okay. I’m just this girl that wants to try to change the lives of others and the world for the better. I’m just this girl that tries to teach people that kindness matters and that we are all important.
I have very little contact with these people, yet they know how to get their point across to cause pain.
I’ve always been open about my life and I felt that it was important to do so now. Yes, my PTSD is back and I’m doing what I have to do to heal. I’ve tried to tell one of those family members about how much their behavior hurt me only to be told that I deserved to be treated that way.
No one deserves to be treated badly. No one deserves to be hurt intentionally, and no one deserves to feel worthless because others think that they are. Isn’t there enough pain and heartache going on in the world now? Why be a person who intentionally causes that to others?
I keep telling myself that their behavior towards me is their own insecurities about themselves and that they have to hurt me in order for them to feel good about themselves. They are the narcissists and abusers of the world and sadly, they are part of mine.
I’ve begun my journey of healing. I have to forgive them so that the anger doesn’t continue but I do NOT have to forget what they’ve done to me, and I never will. Unfortunately, family is connected in one way or another so cutting them out of my life is one thing, yet the connection is still there.
This is not the way that I intended to end 2024 yet I have learned so much with all that’s happened
that it’s time to begin 2025 without them.
I’m grateful for the life lessons, painful or not, that have placed me on this journey of healing. I intend to embrace each and every step along the way.
And for any of you going through something similar, I’m here for you. Together we can help each other to heal and hopefully, we can heal the world!
December is always a time for me to reflect on the year that’s about to end. I think about what worked and what didn’t, what was worth the effort and what wasn’t, and most importantly, I think about what I’ve learned about myself.
I take all these thoughts and put them into my “New Year Revelations,” because I don’t believe in “resolutions.”
“Revelations” invoke change in us because we’ve learned lessons that we don’t want to forget.
“Resolutions” are promises we make to ourselves that most often get lost midway through January.
So I’m gathering up my thoughts and writing them on paper. They will become my “New Year Revelations.”
And I’m looking forward to taking them all into 2025 with me.
How about you?
Forget about making resolutions. Think about your revelations from this year.
Today is a day of sadness for some and happiness for others, yet we need to remember that no matter what, we’re all in this together. We don’t have to agree on everything but we have to respect our differences. The world would be a boring place if we all believed in the same things but the world isn’t boring. It’s exciting, it’s filled with promise and opportunity and made up of people that have a choice to make a positive impact in this world.
We don’t have to agree on politics but we can agree to do our part in making this world a better place.
I’ve seen so many people telling others that unless you agree with their beliefs and follow along with what they want then you’re not their friend and that you don’t love them. How can anyone say that?
I don’t agree with everything that my friends and family say and do but I would NEVER tell them that they had to agree with me or else I wouldn’t want them in my life. That, to me, is judgment and control. Why would you tell someone what they should feel and what they need to believe in?
The bottom line is this: we all live in this world and it’s up to us to work together to make a difference in it. Politics are politics. They don’t control how we, as human beings, act towards one another. Politics don’t make us unkind or unloving toward one another and politics don’t make us hate one another.
We do that all on our own and WE ALL HAVE THE CHOICE to NOT let politics split us apart.
I understand that today may be a difficult day for some but at least we have the day. We’re here. We’re alive and we can continue to move forward in this world in the best way humanly possible.
Please, be grateful that you woke up today.
Spread love and kindness, not hatred.
And remember this: spreading love and kindness is 100% in your control, NO VOTE NECESSARY!
Anne Dennish - Writer/Author 