Let Me Lean on You

Keep your eyes upon me,

keep me in your sight.

Help me down the crooked road,

lead me to the light.

The road I'm on is dark,

I'm not sure I know the way;

Yet with you right beside me,

I'm certain I won't stray.

Protect me from the world,

I know we'll make it through.

Give me all the strength I need.

Let me lean on you.

Megan Stroup

I am....

I am a lemon with a twist,

I am a dewdrop full of mist,

I am a child filled with bliss,

I am but a gentle kiss,

I am invisible but I show,

I am a burned out lamp that still does glow,

I am bold, though you may not know,

I am the hort that does not blow,

I am used, but still brand new,

I am a mystery without a clue,

I am falst, but forever true,

I am me and also you.....

I am a flower opening my buds,

I do not fight with fists, but with hugs,

I am a push without the shove,

creeping, oh, so softly, I am love.

I am deaf, but I can hear,

I am afraid, but I have no fear

I am forever constant throughout the year,

I am smart and my actions make it clear,

I am with the dork who was thrown in the corner,

I am at the funeral standing next to the mourner,

I am with the sad, small boy who people call a slow learner,

I stand beside the person who is rejected because he is a foreigner,

I hear the cry of a small boy saying saying his prayers,

I see the hearts of a million set up in flares,

I taste the bitter words and the nasty stares,

I can touch the small girl and feel her many tears,

I am with the stressed out man living in strife,

I am in touch with the husband who lost his beloved wife,

I am stopping the man who is holding a knife,

creeping, oh, so softly, I am life.

Khendi White

This has been one of my favorite poems for years. It has so much meaning, so much truth. 

First Love

First love.

It's advantages.

Tune in........

Couple time.

Love now.

Trusted love.

Isn't it time to

move way from you?

Lose the bad.

Keep the good.

It's okay.

You can take

it with you.

Take it!

It's over.

Goodbye.

There's an emptiness

inside of you.

FILL IT!!!

Gibberish

Finding that love.

Saying what's hard to say.

Ask, Are you getting what you want?

Could be so.

Do you follow your head or your heart?

Then.....the kiss!

Open opportunity.

The true story of one man's quest

for love, lust, and adventure.

 Grab him and hold on.

Penny for your thoughts

I am sure that all of us have something strange and/or interesting that we used to do when we were younger. My friends and I had our number of things that we did, but I will share with you just this one. I had a close group of friends in junior high. There were four of us. We were not the popular kids in school and we didn't care to be. We weren't the super smart kids, but we still did good in school. We weren't connected to any particular group. We were just us. We didn't care what other people thought. We had each other and that was all that mattered. Each one of us was so different from the other that we were constantly learning something new. One of the things we loved to do to express each of our individual characteristics was cut random words and phrases out of magazines and put them together into a collage of word vomit. Most of it doesn't make sense to anyone but us, but that's the beauty of it. Express yourself.

I don't want to come down from this cloud.

The hill lets us discover good speed. Ready? Go.

I welcome you to the deepest snug chamber.

To run out of paradise

is to be ready for all perfect lowlifes and

easy day dreaming.

 Who will survive?

Someone.

Don't depend on him, the buzz........
the sneaky way the girl next door naps.

Lady tip-size it up!

You're melting.
And for your boy?

A dose of get it straight.

Write this down.

The guys not worth it!

You've got zero time for a skeeza.

That's why there's plaid music.

Are you tuned in?

Hey girl, no hugging on campus.

Take life head on.

Who wants a boyfriend?

You?

Wrong.

Ge the cure.

Go on a fuzzy independent rebel streak.

You can do anything now.

Shimmer from every angle.

And sugar?

Dreams do come true.

You are a wild precious bubble

between fiction and time.

You will look out on hidden bliss

with fresh plastic movement.

Like a shadow you bounce

for mad heat heat on a long day.

Party back on inner vision of summer whip.

Get under stump daylight for good instincts.

From the side of dork city

inspired woman plastic perfect for Hollywood.

Get out now and change the new picture.

Movies are not cool.

Now watch as we buzz these winky young friends

into a lot of tough love as we make them stand

this tang beyond happy light.

With benevolent power I catch your lies

by groovy talent.

I was hit with a large weed.

Love Box

Two posts ago I shared some of my earlier writing. There are a few other favorites I have come across that I would like to share. This poem that I am going to share is one that I wrote for my first love. I was 16 at the time I wrote it. Everyone knows that when you are in love at 16 that everything good and/or bad is magnified and intensified by 10. The fact that he ended up breaking my heart worked out in my favor. I got a lot of good writing out of it. To be honest, I think I still do. Everyone remembers their first love. We all put our memories of them into a box in our heart. This poem doesn't tell about everything in my love box for my first love, but it's a good start.

Push across the large load of hard emotions and give a little touch.

Don't let the stingy mind of the average bastard rip your spacious love box in half.

You have all the time to explore new horizons.

Don't break off your path so soon.

There's more on the bumpy, curvy, and cofusing road, of needs and wants.

All of the sudden, there's a burst of gracious combustion that I can't withstand.

This grease bomb had poured it's juices into my viens of love.

What is this frightening disaster going to spit onto my pathway?

There's only one way to know. Be graciously gooshy with it.

But, don't ever let it take up too much space in your love box

with all of it's unbearable mistakes. 

Change

Sometimes things can never go back to the way they were....they can be better.

Old Treasures are Remarkable

In the midst of going through some of my junk boxes I found a lost treasure. I have this blue journal that says Dreams on the cover. I have used for some of my writing over the years. It has some of my happiest words and some of my darkest, within just a few pages of each other. I can still feel the dents from the pen and it takes me back to each moment. The entry I want to share with you is from a completely different time in my life, but it somehow molds itself into my current situation. That's the beauty of writing. We all want manuals for life. Writing down life's experiences and feelings gives you your own life manual. It's there to guide you through situations that will arise again later in life. No need to make the same mistakes twice. Share your manual. Look in it often. Maybe someday you'll be looking back at your old treasures and find the inspiration you're in need of. I did.

Life...melting down to oblivion.All that is in me now shrinking to extinction. Where is that so called happy medium? How do I get there? 

I have taken a path of exploration and divine bliss. I'm scared of all the darkness. Who will guide me? You? No, just me. I whisper over and over the words of strength. I just take what I have and make it all mine. Share with who? Me, myself and I.

I look back at the dispersing image of the nail that pinned me down. Acknowledge all the advantages of your freedom filled eyes. 

What do you see out in the open fields of opportunity? Perhaps a small growth of life. This growth yells out for extreme maintenance. No slacking! You must nurture this sometimes frightening growth.What's the greatness in it all? Extraordinary streams that will feed you endless happiness.

-Ashley Remarkable

Remarkable LOVE

I have endured some of the hardest times of my life, so far, most recently. I feel like I have many reasons to be cynical or become an eternal pessimist. What I choose to do instead is the four L's: live, learn, laugh and love. I will be better than fine. I will be happy. I have the greatest friends and supportive family that are there to remind me that I am love daily. I am grateful for great people in my life. I am grateful for all of life's tender mercies. I am grateful for life's lessons. I am grateful for love.

Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow; Don't walk behind me, I may not lead; Walk beside me, and just be my friend.
Albert Camus 

Thank you to all of you who have taken the time to just sit next to me and be my friend.-Me

A friend is someone, who upon seeing another friend in immense pain, would rather be the one experiencing the pain than to have to watch their friend suffer.
Amanda Grier 

I have actually had a best friend of mine say almost this exact thing. Unconditional love is a great feeling.-Me

Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Others stay awhile, make footprints on our hearts and we are never, ever the same.
Source Unknown

I will always love and I will never forget.-Me

When it hurts to look back, and you're scared to look ahead, you can look beside you and your best friend will be there.

Source Unknown

Been there. Done that.-Me

As the rest of the world is walking out the door, your best friend's are the ones walking in.
Source Unknown

Couldn't have said it better myself.-Me

Who is driving the steering wheel of your life?

No one can make you feel a certain way. You are the one that is in control of you. Start acting like it.

The one I wrote for you

I wrote this about 5 1/2 years ago for the love of my life. I look at it now with happy thoughts because remembering the good times is what life is all about.

The Path

A new day to live

A different path to explore

Dreams to seek

Behind each closed door

So much to be done

Many feelings to grow

Lessons to learn

Places to go

Through each passing day

I want you by my side

I want you as a lover

A friend and a guide

Together we'll have

Some good times and bad

Some things will make us happy

others will make us sad

No matter what happens

With each tear or mistake

Each moment will be

A memory we'll make

Even through our troubles

The won'ts, can's, and will's

We can make it over any mountain

Across any river and over the hills

I want to share my thoughts

My pain and my strife

I want to share my secrets

My dreams and my life

I want to give you

All the love in my heart

I can't wait for my life

With you to start

Ashley Remarkable in a nutshell

Things I don’t like:

-Mushrooms

-Chocolate

-Ice cream

-The color orange

-Mornings

-Chocolate chip cookies

-Raisins

-Peanut butter

-Mayo

-The smell of rain

-Watermelon flavored candy

-Roses

-Valentine’s Day

-Chicken

-Change

-When people are mad at me

-People touching my pillow

-People touching my face

-Feeling lost

-Bad listeners

-Lakes and Oceans

-Pure darkness

-Cooking

-People who interrupt

-Heights

-My legs

-The smell of swiss cheese or subway

-Watching baseball or golf

-Being rushed

-Maple syrup

-Not having a plan

-Having to make too many decisions at once

-Mtn dew

-Going longer than two days without shaving my legs

-Vacuuming

-Snakes

-Crickets and grasshoppers (worse than spiders by FAR!)

-Having my world turned upside down

Things I love:

-The smell of clean laundry

-Sleep

-Music

-Dancing like no one is watching

-Traveling

-Making people smile and laugh

-Giving hugs

-Laughing

-The color green

-Capturing life’s little moments on camera

-Watching Jazz games with my family

-The sound of the washer and dryer

-The sound of the dishwasher

-Home cooked meals

-Going on Sunday drives

-Writing

-The smell of babies

-Quoting movie lines

-The movie Elf, Sweet Home Alabama, Dirty Dancing, and Little Mermaid

-Songs with piano

-Playing the guitar

-The feeling of sand squishing through my toes

-Birthdays

-Olives

-Carbs

-Getting my hair done

-Making new friends

-Pepper

-Reading

-Walking around Barnes and Noble

-Coats

-Fall leaves

-My leg pillow

-Visiting old friends

-Traveling to new places

-The smell of coffee

-New York

-Taking naps in the middle of the day

-Bubble baths with eucalyptus bubble bath

-Spearmint gum

-Surprises

-People who can make me laugh until my stomach and face hurt

-Diet coke with lime and wild cherry pepsi

-Saying its fine when really it sucks ass

-What I love most is having the best friends in the entire world who love me for me and don’t stand behind me or in front of me, but beside me. 

Remarkable YOU

A few quotes I stumbled over today that made me smile.

Absence sharpens love, presence strengthens it.
Benjamin Franklin
  
As we must account for every idle word, so must we account for every idle silence.
Benjamin Franklin 

By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.
Benjamin Franklin

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.
Benjamin Franklin 
(Favorite one of the day!)

I didn't fail the test, I just found 100 ways to do it wrong.
Benjamin Franklin

Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, half shut afterwards.
Benjamin Franklin
(Amen!!!)

Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.
Benjamin Franklin 

Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.
Benjamin Franklin
(When I have kids I want to hang this where I can see it to help remind me how to be an effective parent) 

"To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world."
(Second favorite of the day :) )

Love yourself

Thanks for sharing Moni!

February 28, 2011, 5:26 pm

Go Easy on Yourself, a New Wave of Research Urges

By TARA PARKER-POPE

Stuart Bradford

Do you treat yourself as well as you treat your friends and family?
That simple question is the basis for a burgeoning new area of psychological research called self-compassion — how kindly people view themselves. People who find it easy to be supportive and understanding to others, it turns out, often score surprisingly low on self-compassion tests, berating themselves for perceived failures like being overweight or not exercising.
The research suggests that giving ourselves a break and accepting our imperfections may be the first step toward better health. People who score high on tests of self-compassion have less depression and anxiety, and tend to be happier and more optimistic. Preliminary data suggest that self-compassion can even influence how much we eat and may help some people lose weight.
This idea does seem at odds with the advice dispensed by many doctors and self-help books, which suggest that willpower and self-discipline are the keys to better health. But Kristin Neff, a pioneer in the field, says self-compassion is not to be confused with self-indulgence or lower standards.
“I found in my research that the biggest reason people aren’t more self-compassionate is that they are afraid they’ll become self-indulgent,” said Dr. Neff, an associate professor of human development at the University of Texas at Austin. “They believe self-criticism is what keeps them in line. Most people have gotten it wrong because our culture says being hard on yourself is the way to be.”
Imagine your reaction to a child struggling in school or eating too much junk food. Many parents would offer support, like tutoring or making an effort to find healthful foods the child will enjoy. But when adults find themselves in a similar situation — struggling at work, or overeating and gaining weight — many fall into a cycle of self-criticism and negativity. That leaves them feeling even less motivated to change.
“Self-compassion is really conducive to motivation,” Dr. Neff said. “The reason you don’t let your children eat five big tubs of ice cream is because you care about them. With self-compassion, if you care about yourself, you do what’s healthy for you rather than what’s harmful to you.”
Dr. Neff, whose book, “Self-Compassion: Stop Beating Yourself Up and Leave Insecurity Behind,” is being published next month by William Morrow, has developed a self-compassion scale: 26 statements meant to determine how often people are kind to themselves, and whether they recognize that ups and downs are simply part of life.
A positive response to the statement “I’m disapproving and judgmental about my own flaws and inadequacies,” for example, suggests lack of self-compassion. “When I feel inadequate in some way, I try to remind myself that feelings of inadequacy are shared by most people” suggests the opposite.
For those low on the scale, Dr. Neff suggests a set of exercises — like writing yourself a letter of support, just as you might to a friend you are concerned about. Listing your best and worst traits, reminding yourself that nobody is perfect and thinking of steps you might take to help you feel better about yourself are also recommended.
Other exercises include meditation and “compassion breaks,” which involve repeating mantras like “I’m going to be kind to myself in this moment.”
If this all sounds a bit too warm and fuzzy, like the Al Franken character Stuart Smalley (“I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me”), there is science to back it up. A 2007 study by researchers at Wake Forest University suggested that even a minor self-compassion intervention could influence eating habits. As part of the study, 84 female college students were asked to take part in what they thought was a food-tasting experiment. At the beginning of the study, the women were asked to eat doughnuts.
One group, however, was given a lesson in self-compassion with the food. “I hope you won’t be hard on yourself,” the instructor said. “Everyone in the study eats this stuff, so I don’t think there’s any reason to feel real bad about it.”
Later the women were asked to taste-test candies from large bowls. The researchers found that women who were regular dieters or had guilt feelings about forbidden foods ate less after hearing the instructor’s reassurance. Those not given that message ate more.
The hypothesis is that the women who felt bad about the doughnuts ended up engaging in “emotional” eating. The women who gave themselves permission to enjoy the sweets didn’t overeat.
“Self-compassion is the missing ingredient in every diet and weight-loss plan,” said Jean Fain, a psychotherapist and teaching associate at Harvard Medical School who wrote the new book “The Self-Compassion Diet” (Sounds True publishing). “Most plans revolve around self-discipline, deprivation and neglect.”
Dr. Neff says that the field is still new and that she is just starting a controlled study to determine whether teaching self-compassion actually leads to lower stress, depression and anxiety and more happiness and life satisfaction.
“The problem is that it’s hard to unlearn habits of a lifetime,” she said. “People have to actively and consciously develop the habit of self-compassion.”

Past...Present...Future

Today I could share a load of negativity running through my mind,but I will share this quote with you instead. 

 "One day at a time--this is enough. Do not look back and grieve over the past for it is gone; and do not be troubled about the future, for it has not yet come. Live in the present, and make it so beautiful it will be worth remembering." Thomas S. Monson