Month: May 2016

Social Media’s “Mean” To Me…and Other Untruths’

On By The Exceptional LifeIn Faith, Monday Musings6 Comments

Hello Friends. We’re halfway through 2016, and I pray the year’s been especially kind to you. Wishful thinking?

On what I’m calling a journey towards living a more purposeful, intentional life I’ve finally embraced that while we can’t change our pasts, we can absolutely change the course of our future! About time I blogged something profound and useful wouldn’t you say?  Well sharing is caring, and with my newly acquired knowledge it’s time to “put my money where my mouth is.” Sayings like these literally make me double over with insane laughter, but I get it. Translation: put up or shut up.

In my past I’ve violently avoided social media. For all sorts of silly, zombie apocalypse, and downright bizarre reasons, I attach magical, mystical attributes to the virtual community. Well no more hiding I declared, and on April 1st aka April Fool’s Day, I created a personal Facebook page. Before the week was finished I prayed with every ounce of my being for an undo. It was just TOO MUCH! Too many tasks to complete, friend requests to accept, pages to like. Yada, yada, yada.

DepressionMan
Me after one week of Facebook…

THE RED BUTTON KEEPS POPPING UP! By day eight, the FB notification button had the ability to take me to DEFCON 1 (maximum readiness, nuclear war is imminent). My loving husband patiently held my hand as I looked at my computer screen in terror. Then he did something marvelous. He turned the blasted thing OFF. Bam, no more alerts, pop ups or notifications, and once again I felt empowered enough to crawl along at my own pace. From my pain I present to you, drumroll please, the top 3 myths (busted) since joining this particular social media platform:

  1. This (insert social media site) HATES me! Image result for emoji faces

    This was a biggie for me, and probably came out of my mouth every time I went to my page. Really, why are you so nosy and demanding FB? Click here, like that! I get it, but it’s going to take time to develop mastery of your program. I’m a flip phone hold out, and a letter writer. No, I didn’t say email…I write actual letters IN CURSIVE to people, lick stamps and mail them off. Plus, I’m only on your site on the weekends. Does that make me a social, social user? We’re at the end of month two, and I can say at this point I’m starting to enjoy the updates from Grandma, and reconnecting with friends and classmates.

  2. No likes equal no love. Image result for emoji faces

    The verdict’s still out on who’s more shocked by my 180 degree social network embrace: me or those dearest to my heart. Those who know me well AND embrace my idiosyncrasies are convinced they’re being catfished by someone using my persona. Perhaps it was the day I chose to say howdy to my circle. However, with all my oddities, a true head scratcher I’ve encountered has to be when one of my new friends, friend of friends, or acquaintance (whatever you’re calling me on your little drop down tab) gets angry, depressed or withdrawn because there’s not a quick enough response to one of their many, many posts. I know how you feel because you actually type out: I’m feeling depressed/angry etc. and then proceed to tell all of cyberspace exactly why you feel a certain way. Don’t you work? Oh…you’re online while at work. Get off social media before your boss finds out! Then chill out, go back and read #1. Finally, wait until Saturday for a thumbs up if you’re counting on my response. Which brings me to my final point…

  3. I’m sorry/Not sorry.  …Image result for i'm sorry emoji faces

    Dear friends, remember the #1 rule concerning the internet. Anything you post now belongs to the floating world of cyberspace. FOREVER. Remember my phobia on social media’s magical, mystical powers that I can’t explain to you in this post? You laugh at me, but are willing to spit on a Q-tip and mail your DNA off to complete strangers in a third world country who “promise” to tell you your ancestry. Hmm, I digress. Let’s just finish up by saying I can’t even to all the veiled (and blatant) posts I’ve seen threatening to unfriend folks for the most trivial reasons.  You’re telling me if I won’t: buy your product, support your dreams, type amen to what you like, or share your profanity-laced views on any and everything (straight vs. gay, weave vs. natural hair, Hillary vs. Bernie) we can’t be friends?  Again I say knock it off, go back and read #1. You are entitled to your thoughts, but remember they are your opinions and not facts.

    Let’s remember why social media was launched in the first place. So we could create, share, and exchange our wonderful information and ideas, over the internet. Using it responsibly at home enhances our ability to network in business and beyond. Irresponsible behavior may land you in the following undesirable territory.

facebook-jail
Be nice! Avoid being blocked from social media.

Still Friends,

CED

Featured image credit: http://rismedia.com/2015/02/12/5-ways-to-avoid-facebook-jail/

Image credit: http://images.military.com/media/veteran-jobs/security-clearance-jobs-form/anxiousbusinessman.jpg

Image credit: http://circleofdocs.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/facebook-jail.jpg

 

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Memorial Day 2016

On By The Exceptional LifeIn Faith, Photography, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Yesterday while driving home for the long weekend, I looked out my car window at a startling site.

So many flags gently waving in the wind. I thought about the people who took the time to place them all there.  Did they volunteer for flag duty to remember loved ones, or honor men and women in their community who died protecting our freedoms? As I continued my drive I reflected on Memorial Day, and what it means to my family.

Yes it’s a holiday, and many people celebrate all holidays the same, with food, family and a lot of fun! However, this is a different day for my family . We do not celebrate Memorial Day, we observe it and educate our children on its importance. May I share its true meaning with my friends at The Exceptional Life?

As Memorial Day approaches, it is time to pause and consider the true meaning of this holiday. Memorial Day represents one day of national awareness and reverence, honoring those Americans who died while defending our Nation and its values. While we should honor these heroes every day for the profound contribution they have made to securing our Nation’s freedom, we should honor them especially on Memorial Day.
In this time of unprecedented success and prosperity throughout our land, I ask that all Americans come together to recognize how fortunate we are to live in freedom and to observe a universal “National Moment of Remembrance” on each Memorial Day. This memorial observance represents a simple and unifying way to commemorate our history and honor the struggle to protect our freedoms.
Accordingly, I hereby direct all executive departments and agencies, in consultation with the White House Program for the National Moment of Remembrance (Program), to promote a “National Moment of Remembrance” to occur at 3 p.m. (local time) on each Memorial Day.
Recognizing that Memorial Day is a Federal holiday, all executive departments and agencies, in coordination with the Program and to the extent possible and permitted by law, shall promote and provide resources to support a National Moment of Remembrance, including:
  • Encouraging individual department and agency personnel, and Americans everywhere, to pause for one minute at 3:00 p.m. (local time) on Memorial Day, to remember and reflect on the sacrifices made by so many to provide freedom for all.
  • Recognizing, in conjunction with Memorial Day, department and agency personnel whose family members have made the ultimate sacrifice for this Nation.
    William J. Clinton

As grateful citizens my family honors our country’s heroes for their courage in making the ultimate sacrifice. Along with a grateful nation we will remember and reflect on Memorial Day.

Blessings,

CED

Photo credit: http://www.usmemorialday.org

Whose Report Will You Believe?

On By The Exceptional LifeIn Faith3 Comments

First, I’d like to wish a Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mommy readers waking up this morning. It’s your special day! I hope that you’re treasured today and told how wonderful you really are. I mean really…as a scientist, can someone explain to me how any of us could physically be here if it weren’t for our Mothers? As a mother, I’m all the more humbled and appreciative of my own, and can begin to understand her sacrifice.

Mothers Day 2012 (2)
Sending Happy Mother’s Day Love to My Special Lady. Love U Mom!

Years ago I attended a wonderful church in Virginia, USA and the Pastor would say in his sermon,

Whether your birth was an “oops” or planned, you were born and that’s all that matters now. The circumstances surrounding your birth are in the past, and you cannot change them! But you CAN change how you live your life today. You CAN choose how you live your life and how you spend eternity.

That’s odd I thought, because I actually knew people whose parents told them they were accidents, unplanned or unwanted. If you’ve ever met someone who’s still struggling to overcome the damage of a traumatic childhood, then you know that those warped “confessions” cause scars that run deep into adulthood, and can overshadow any great personal success or professional achievement.

So I’m sitting in church and listening/thinking… Hey, don’t judge, you do it too! Pastor’s wrapping up, but over the course of the year I hear the same things: let go of the past, make better choices, and choose wisely because response is key. Then this call and response song from my days in the children’s choir starts periodically humming along in my spirit, and the lyrics are,

Whose report will you believe?

We shall believe the report of the Lord

His report says I am healed

His report says I am filled

His report says I am free

His report says victory

-Ron Kenoly Whose Report Shall You Believe

So in usual fasion, I’d like to circle back to this subject and deep dive into it with my friends at The Exceptional Life. There are men and women who’ve overcome more bad and terrifying experiences before adulthood than any of us will experience in a lifetime. But as my Pastor put in my spirit, we are here now.  Alive, all grown up and able to make our own choices!

For some, the realization that life isn’t fair starts in childhood. As a young adult my early emotional life resembled a ship without a captain on the open seas. I felt ill-equipped and constantly knocked around when the storms of life created incredible highs and lows, and had few periods of calm. But as I sat in church God began to softly knock on the door of my heart and ask, how long will you hold onto bitterness and hatred toward anyone who’s ever done horrible things towards you? I was afraid because on my own I wasn’t strong enough to let go of those bad times and memories, but through prayer and faith I trusted my heart and mind to the Lord and completely surrendured. In my mid thirties I finally decided I was too old to hold other people responsible for my pain, and took full control of my future and destiny! Ten years later I’m still praising God everyday for setting me free from mental, emotional and spiritual turmoil and bondage.

My life has purpose and direction now, and isn’t that what we all strive for? To live a victorious, exceptional life? Yes, there’s the occasional cloudy day, and you and I will still experience times of conflict, but these days my response to defeat and stinking thinking is this,

   …”Everything is possible for one who believes.”       Mark 9:23 (NIV)

Blessings,

CED

Featured image: My Mom and I. Washington, DC. 1972.