Just.Let.Go.

Posted on December 12, 2014 by simplygiselle

You never really know what you are made of until you are faced with the challenges and choices you fear.

When faced with life altering choices do you play it safe or look at it as an opportunity for more and chance it – let the ‘gods’ play with you (as it were) as if you were a chess piece in the game of life?

Am I being face with such an ordeal because I have had it too easy, too content, for too long and now life plans to give me a taste of what others have to deal with on a daily basis or is it a turn of events-the next new path to exploring and growing?

I read a book many years ago, it was called, The Reluctant Messiah (great read). In simple terms, it says to just let go… stop fighting the stream’s current, be the blade of grass that stops clinging to the rock, and let the flow of water and energy take you for the ride of your life.

Much easier said than done… or is it? When is it time to just let go? When do we have enough faith in ourselves that we will be happy no matter what comes into our lives?

I am currently faced with the proverbial fork in the road and can’t decide. Clinging to the rock is comfortable; I know where I stand, I know what is coming from upstream and how to handle it. At the same time it is exhausting to continue holding on so tightly and not let myself be tossed around against the stream’s rocks, logs, and occasional slimy frog.

When? When will I know it is time to ‘just.let.go.’ ?

Springtime on our minds

Posted on December 2, 2014 by simplygiselle

Although officially the first day of winter occured just yesterday, here in New England we are anxiously awaiting the first days of spring and thoughts of warmer days, the smell of damp dirt, and the pop of color, that will come just when we think Mother Nature has abandon us. Enjoy these flowers from my father’s garden and think of the sunshine washing over your face….

Vivaldi’s Four Seasons

Posted on November 21, 2014 by simplygiselle

Vivaldi’s Four Season is the prime background music – isn’t this what life truly is? Spring Summer Autumn Winter? Close your eyes and listen to the music. Vivaldi brings out the essence of each season with every note: spectacular!

We are born and everything is fresh and new… green and smells like the dew drops in the Spring… colors bursting with the excitement of what is to come… growing and learning and spreading our wings to eventually leave the nest (insert Cyndi Lauper’s Girl’s Just Want to have Fun).

Summer comes and we are in our prime, we have hit our stride, we are trying to enjoy life while finding the perfect balance of family, friends and work (insert Shinedown’s: Shine from the Inside).

Slowly we realize Autumn is upon us. Our hair turns gray as do the leaves change colors. Temperatures cool and we find ourselves needing another sweater. Funny, when we were younger how the temperature change would not affect us so drastically.

We look to the Winter months knowing it is not too far away. We try to cram as much family-time into a short of a period as possible. How quickly time has passed and it feels as if we never really had any time with them at all. Our children’s lives have become filled with their own family friends and ‘Summer’ (Incubus’: Wish You Were Here)

As the snows from Winter keeps us in our homes and secluded, so does the ultimate and infinite hibernation arrive. (Pink Floyd’s: Time – “far away across the fields, tolling on the iron bell, calls the faithful to their knee, hear the softly spoken magic spell…”)

Response to the question of the day:

Cue the Violins

If your life were a movie, what would its soundtrack be like? What songs, instrumental pieces, and other sound effects would be featured on the official soundtrack album?

The Perfect Wave

Posted on November 20, 2014 by simplygiselle

A loaded question today as I start to sip my second cup of coffee on a 20 degree F morning . I have to say it completely depends on the time of year and if I won the lottery. Let’s just say for conversation sake, I did not win the lottery and it is midsummer.

My perfect day off would include sleeping in by just an hour and then load up the Mini and head to the beach. I like to leave early (to the dismay of my daughter or friends that accompany me) but I getting the perfect place on the sand is essential! You will find me up against the sea grass to limit the unruly beachgoers that don’t pick up their feet and kick sand all over the blanket and ultimately in my head and face. Once the perfect spot has been claimed in the name of Her Majesty Giselle, the blanket comes out (using shoes, the cooler and other objects to weigh down the corners), the chairs are set up (and slightly spread out to keep the late arrivals at a safe distance), the book is dropped onto the blanket, and the lathering of the suntan lotion shall commence.

For the next few hours before the beach gets overrun, it is all about relaxing… listening to the waves crash on the shore, watching the toddlers run in and out of the water laughing and clapping so hard they look as though they would explode from happiness, sizing up the college kids skipping a summer course or playing hooky from their summer job at the coffee shop or restaurant (hmmm you don’t look sick…), laughing at the people who put too much faith in nature and leave their chips out for just a moment to grab a drink while a bold seagull does a ‘fly by’ grabbing a free snack and fending off other gulls at the same time, and lastly letting the warm sunshine wash over me.

It’s always a beautiful day at the beach. No stress of work, no phones ringing, no emails to answer and the only surfing to take place is by the young men and women looking for the perfect wave.

Seals off the Cape

In response to today’s Daily Prompt question:

Sparkling or Still

What’s your idea of a perfect day off: one during which you can quietly relax, doing nothing, or one with one fun activity lined up after the other? Tell us how you’d spend your time.

Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge

Posted on November 18, 2014 by simplygiselle

The Leonard Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge can be seen from many angles but this one was taken by me while on our boat underneath (!) the bridge.

The bridge serves as the northern connection from and to Boston and is one of the widest cable-stayed bridges in the world.

During the summer we take the boat down the Charles River (love that dirty water) past the Harvard Yacht club, Boston College, the Hatch Shell, the Boston Museum of Science and finally through the locks which lead into the Boston Harbor. It is a lovely ride and beautiful view. If you ever come to Boston be sure to take a Duck Tour so that you can experience the Charles River and see the Boston outline with a completely different twist.

Let Freedom Ring!

Posted on November 17, 2014 by simplygiselle

One thing to be said about living in Massachusetts, most of the time the bleeding heart’s win and sometimes they lose – and when they lose in a big way, I want to sing the National Anthem until everyone’s ears bleed!

The Board of Health in the sleepy little town of Westminster, MA (more trees and deer than people = sleepy) tried to ban tobacco in town. Apparently the Board members have not heard of the Boston Tea Party where people get mighty ticked when you mess with their rights as citizens.

Nearly 500 people packed a hearing at a local elementary school on Wednesday night held by the three members of the Board of Health. Passions ran high, and the hearing became so unruly that the board chairwoman could not maintain order; she shut down the hearing 20 minutes after it began.

The crowd started singing “God Bless America” in protest as the board members left under police protection. Angry residents circulated petitions demanding a recall election for the board members.

Tobacco is not illegal and trying to ban it from town, thereby forcing its tobacco users to buy in the adjacent town, simply takes money (and according to recent studies more than just a few pennies, try one third of their revenue on the whole!) out of the local retailer’s thinly lined pocket.

Roughly 15% of the town’s populations (as of last week) have signed a petition to stop the madness with only 17% of the townspeople admitting they use tobacco products. Even the town selectmen have voted unanimously to oppose the ban!

Here is what one towns person had to say:

“They’re just taking away everyday freedoms, little by little,” said Nate Johnson, 32, an egg farmer who also works in an auto body shop, as he stood outside the store last week. “This isn’t about tobacco, it’s about control,” he said.

Is it unhealthy? Science has proven it time and time again, yes it most certainly is. Is it proactive to try to keep the youth from lighting up and creating more health care financial burden on the future citizens? Yes, that is true too.

But the Board of Health has completely overstepped their boundaries and even stated that they have a moral obligation to try to stop the young people from smoking. Really? Since when? Is Westminster now a dictatorship with the Board of Health presiding?

I am not for tobacco products, I have my own vice; wine. And if I lived during prohibition times I would set up a speakeasy in my cellar, secret entrance word and all.

So to the smokers and townspeople in Westminster, MA I say – –

LET FREEDOM RING!

this is just one of the many articles you can find online about this subject but is being cited as to where I was fired up enough to write about it and lifted some of Ms. Seelye’s info. http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/disgusted-by-smoking-outraged-by-a-plan-to-ban-tobacco/ar-BBejwhZ?ocid=mailsignout

Embrace the rain

Posted on November 10, 2014 by simplygiselle

Fill in the blank: “Life is too short to _____.” Now, write a post telling us how you’ve come to that conclusion.

Today’s prompt question seems to have such a negative connotation to it so I had to tweak a bit:

Life is too short NOT to….. enjoy it, embrace it, think of at least one thing every morning that makes you smile, to travel and meet as many people as you can and listen to all of their amazing stories, to simply say yes…because who knows where it will lead you, who you will meet, what incredible adventures and memories it will leave to you.

I am far from being that ‘turn that frown upside down’ person but I also recognize that being negative doesn’t get you anywhere and is completely unproductive. It wastes so much energy and you haven’t gotten anywhere; you are still in the same exact spot…only miserable.

Is it easy to see the silver lining on the dark cloud? Not at all, but if you can…be patient and try really hard… the silver lining seems to sparkle a little shinier and the rain seems to taste a little sweeter as you stand in it…let it wash over you and cleanse you, rather than run from it while looking for a dry place to stand.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/no-time-to-waste/

Press 1 for English

Posted on November 7, 2014 by simplygiselle

Welcome to Venting Vendredi – pull up a seat…

At some point during this past week, I read a blog that addressed the American’s distain for having to press 1 for English. She was very accurate in pointing out the U.S. does not have an official language, that is 100% true.

So where does that leave us? Very frustrated.

I would hazard a guess that all the fuss and complaining about calling a company and being greeted by the prompt – press 1 for English -may have has something to do with the fact that the only other language presented in the prompt is Spanish – seems a little biased don’t you think?

If society wants us to believe that the U.S. is a melting pot (to co-exist, to welcome diversity) that should accommodate all races, than you have to actually accommodate them, otherwise it is prejudiced (some may say racist) resulting in (wait for it…) pissing off a whole lot of people. English is not the official language, nor is Spanish. The government, the companies, society, etc. do not have the right to cherry-pick two languages to represent the country as a whole.

Do the hundreds of thousands of people on the Mexican border, throughout southern California, parts of Florida and many other areas with a heavily populated Spanish/Latino culture justify Spanish as the second language choice? The northern border counts too. Drive through parts of Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire and you will see signs in both English and French. Visit the Ogunquit shore in the summer and you will be surrounded by both vacationers and residents speaking French.

What about Chinatown in Boston, New York, Chicago and elsewhere? They don’t count either?

THAT’S why people get pissed. Because offering only one other choice is insulting to all the other races and cultures in the country.

How can you accommodate all the other languages? How about using the dial pad to spell out the language you wish to use? Companies use this type of system all the time. “If you know the last name of the party you wish to be connected to, please dial the first four letters of their name…” There has to be more than just Rosetta that has multilingual software to help the caller get to a person to assist them.

Let’s get some smarty-pants MIT students on this pronto!