Fairytales

Once upon a time there lived a young girl who believed in fairytales.  She believed in magic, and dreams, and most of all true love.  In her heart of hearts, she knew that one day her prince would come, just like the stories told her he would.  So she kept her heart open, and watied patiently for Prince Charming to walk into her life. 

As time went by, the young girl grew, and interacted with the wicked world.  And while most people would have been discouraged by the heartache, and sorrow she encountered, our heroine maintained her faith in dreams, and managed to keep her heart intact.  She remained true to herself, and her beliefs; even though others mocked and ridiculed her. 

As the years passed she began to wonder where Prince Charming was, and why he hadn't found her yet.  She had met other Princes, some good, some bad, but she hadn't met HIM.  She still believed he would find her, but she was beginning to become impatiet.  She wondered if maybe she should start kissing frogs, to see if one would magically turn into her prince.  She wondered if she should attend as many balls as possible, and leave shoes behind, to see if he would find her.  She wondered if she needed to be poisoned by an apple, or a spinning wheel so he would come and wake her with true love's kiss.

Just as our heroine was about to become discouraged, and give up hope she had an epiphany!  She already knew her Prince.  He had been in her life all along.  He thought the world of her.  He loved her unconditionally.  He was always there for her.  He was her biggest supporter.  He was always with her, day or night, and He never gave up on her.  And most importantly, He loved her so much that He would die for her.  In fact, He already had. 

And her Prince promised her that one day He would bring her her Prince Charming. That there WAS someone out there searching for her.  And that when she found him, he would be everything her heart desired.  Her faith in dreams restored, she walked the wicked world again, safe in the knowledge that she was never alone, and that fairytales really do come true.

Negative Nellies vs. Positive Pollies

Ok, so I'm a huge fan of dreams.  Not just the dreams that occur while your snoring loudly, and drooling on your pillow.  But the dreams you have for your life.  To me, if you don't have a dream that you're working towards, then life is kind of boring.  So I like to have lots and lots of dreams.  Blame the ADD, but it seems to work for me.  Now, some of my dreams are silly, for instance the one where I'm running for president and my campaign slogan is "Oh dear! Four more years?" is most likely never going to happen.  But the dreams I have of becoming a published author, a wife, a mother, a business owner, now THOSE dreams, they could happen. 


So lately I've been trying to take steps to make those dreams come true.  I've been writing like there's no tomorrow, and I've recently decided to try my hand at catering.  I love, love, love to cook for others, might as well make some money at it right?  And the wife and mother part, well we'll just have to wait and see. I figure God's in control on that one, so we'll just leave it up to Him!  But while I've been doing these things I've noticed something....anythime you try to step out in faith and accomplish your goals, there are going to be people that try to stand in your way.


This is a phenomena that is sad, but so true.  And what makes it even worse is that the people that will try to dreamblock you are usually people you care about.  This is something that is hard for me to understand.  I don't get why people would want to be a negative force in someone's life.  I like to think of myself as a Positive Polly, so this type of behavior just baffles me.  So I had to do some thinking, and I've come up with a survival guide when dealing with Negative Nellies.


First~ You need to realize that their unhappiness is not your problem.  I know that sounds kind of cruel, but it's very true.  This lesson has taken me a LONG time to learn.  Someone I love is a very unhappy person.  And I honestly felt guilty if I was happy, and they weren't.  It's like I thought I had to be unhappy too, in order to keep things fair.  That's just silliness!  You can't force people to be happy.  You can encourage them, support them, love on them, and be there for them, but ulitmately they have to choose to be happy. 


Second~ You can't let them get inside your head.  This is a tough one.  Negative Nellies are known for spreading their negative energy.  They will do whatever they can to get you to feel the way they do.  And a lot of times they don't know they're doing it!  That's just how they roll.  You know the type I'm talking about.  The person that when you tell them you've won a free trip to England, they're like "Well, I hope the plane doesn't crash" instead of just saying congratulations.  In most cases, the negativity is way more severe than that, but you get the idea.  It's like they have to tell you everything that can go wrong, so you start doubting what it is you want to do.  DON'T!!  Then you'll find yourself stuck, and you'll run the risk of becoming one of THEM.  You have to shut out all the voices that tell you you can't, and listen to the voice that says you can. 


Third~ You can't let them see you squirm.  Negative Nellies look for a reaction.  They want to see that the doubts they've placed inside your head have hit home.  You can't allow that to happen.  Recently I've been battling a Negative Nelly.  And man, they were winning!  But I got some advice from a very strong person in my life, and he told me to just stand my ground and when the Negative Nelly starts in on me, to just ignore it.  He told me not to walk away from the argument, because then it looks like I'm weak, but to sit there and pretend I'm deaf.  And you know what??  It works!!  My Negative Nelly loses all steam when I just act like I can't hear a word they're saying.  Before, when I reacted, it was like handing over a victory.  Now, my Negative Nelly rants less, because they aren't getting the anything from the discussion. 


Fourth~ Stay positive!  Don't let their negativity spill over into your life!  I admit, I used to have a problem with this.  I would let all the negative energy get to me, and I woud run and hide(really mature, I know). But now, not matter what they throw at me, I stay happy.  Don't get me wrong, I have my moments, but then I pray about it, reset my mind, and move on.  I've never been happier in my life, than I am right now.  And I very easily could succumb to negativity, I've got my issues, but I choose to focus on all the good things in my life.  So don't let anyone get you down! 


So there you go.  Hope this helps all my Positive Pollies out there!  You all just keep on keeping on!!

Things my Doormat Taught me

Recently it's been brought to my attention that I suffer from something called doormat syndrome.  Oh yes, it's a real disease, let me assure you!  Symptoms of this mysterious illness include: habitually putting others needs before your own, being way too accomodating, way too passive, and basically letting people walk all over you.


When I was first told I was a victim of this disorder, my first instinct was to deny, deny, deny!!  They say denial is the first step, right? Well I guess I've been stuck on step one for years, because it's never even occured to me that I might be a doormat.  No, I always just assumed that I was a good person, and that bad things happen to good people, and that's why so many people seemed to treat me badly.  That's why when I was first diagnosed, I thought for sure someone had bought me a one way ticket to crazy town, because there was no way that I was a pushover!


But then I started thinking about things, and then I guess at some point I moved on to step two.  You know, the step where you....ok, so I honestly don't know what the second step is, I never made it that far(I'm pretty sure I have ADD). Anyhoo, I started to realize that there might just be something to this doormat thing. And in hindsight, the multiple shoe marks all over my face and torso should have been a dead giveaway!  So I finally accepted the fact that I was a doormat, and then I had to figure out what I was gonna do about it.


At first, I decided to go the Rambo route.  You know, be all assertive and let those fools know that nobody messes with the Kasinator!  But then I realized that there was no possible way I was going to be able to pull that off.  I'm too nice.  How sad for me.  So then I thought, ok I'll go the passive aggressive route, and be all sneaky like a ninja.  I'll be a jerk, but no one will see it coming.  But, alas, that wouldn't work for me either.  I'd feel all guilty, plus I'm way too clumsy to be sneaking around.  Worst ninja ever in the house!  Holla!


So what's a girl to do, I ask you?  I mean, here I am a complete and total doormat, and it looks as if there's no way to change it!  So I started thinking: is it possible that I could turn this doormat syndrome into a good thing? Yes, everyone talks about it like it's something to be ashamed of, but is there a way to change that stigma?  So I did some research.  Spent countless hours interviewing my doormat, and here's what I came up with.


First, doormats are tough, they have to be.  Think about it.  Whether your an indoor or an outdoor doormat, you've got to be one tough cookie.  People of all shapes and sizes are gonna step on you.  Shoes with wicked heels, spikes, and tough soles are gonna stomp on you, and you have to be able to take it.  And if your an outdoor doormat, you have to be able to weather all kinds of storms.  You have to be there when it's sunny and bright, as well as when the world turns upside down and the storms are raging.


Second, doormats are dependable.  Your doormat is never gonna let you down.  It's always going to be there for you.  Even when it's ragged and worn out, you know that it's still going to be right where you left it.  Waiting on your front step, or inside you front door, just to welcome you home after a rough day.  And your doormat will never tell you not to step on it, it wants to know that it's there for you when you need it most.


Third, doormats don't judge.  Your doormat doesn't care what you've stepped in.  It won't judge what follows you home on your shoes.  It never tells you your feet are too dirty, that they stink, or that they're not good enough.  It welcomes you with open arms, no matter what burden your carrying, because that's what doormats do. 


Fourth, doormats love to make you happy.  When you pick a doormat, you don't pick it soley for it's functionality.  You choose a doormat that fits you, and one that helps express who you are.  So when you see your doormat, maybe you smile, or you get that feeling of home.  And that's what a doormat is all about.  Your doormat wants to know that it has helped you in some way.  That maybe it brought a smile to your face, or brought you some comfort when you were feeling out of sorts.  And when you step on it, it doesn't feel the pain, it just feels the satisfaction of being there for you when you needed it.


To some people being a doormat may be a bad thing.  It may even be a sign of weakness.  But to this girl, being called a doormat is a compliment.  Because yeah, I might get stepped on, I'm pretty sure most people will take me for granted, and I know for a fact people are going to hurt me.  But no matter what happens, I'll always be tough, I'll always be there for people, I'll always accept people for who they are, and I'll always find a way to make others happy. 


So, go ahead and walk all over me.  I can take it!

Invisible

I am not invisible, yet people walk on by.
They pretend not to hear me, they do not hear my cry.


I am not invisible, yet I am ignored.
They pretend not to know me, they refuse to let me come forward.


I am not invisible, yet no one listens to my words.
They think I am unimportant, so I remain unheard.


I am not Invisible, yet they treat me like dirt.
They seek to destroy me, but someday they will feel my hurt.


I am not invisible, I am a person too.
And when my time comes, my suffering will be through.


I am not invisible, and soon I will be heard.

And when that day comes, they will hang on every word.


I am not invisible, someday I will shine.
And when that day comes, the world; it will be mine.

Beautiful

Once upon a time there lived a beautiful young princess. She lived in a beautiful castle, had beautiful things, had beautiful friends; her whole life was beautiful. Then one day a dark cloud formed over her beautiful world, and it began to rain. As it rained, all of the princesses beautiful things were washed away. The trees were stripped; their leaves wasted away. The sun no longer shined. Even the birds ceased their happy chatter as the color dripped from their feathers. Everything went silent, and the princess was frightened to find herself in a colorless wasteland that was anything but beautiful. The princess called out to her friends to come comfort her, but heard no reply. She was all alone in an ugly, dark, drab world. As the she looked around at the colorless, sad world, a huge wind came and swept across the land, flattening everything in its path. As the wind came closer, the princess tried to hide. But the wind knew where she was, and found her. As it tore at her clothes, and began to pull her up, ready to destroy her, the princess cried out a name. Immediately the wind was banished, and she fell to the ground crying. From her tears there bloomed a single red rose. It was so beautiful that the princess couldn’t help but smile. In the midst of despair and bleakness, hope bloomed. Finding comfort in the rose, the princess stood and began to walk through the wasteland. She didn’t know where she was going, or how long it would take to get there; but she did know one thing. She wasn’t alone. He was with her. And that knowledge, was, well…Beautiful.