Being Alone Vs Being Lonely
I’m an extreme introvert. I prefer to stay in, rather than go out.
Almost everywhere is too peoply for me.
(grins)
I get a lot of pressure from extroverts (other than my Dear Wonderful Hubby who now understands and accepts me) and…well…society to go out, be with people, be social.
(grimaces)
They associate being alone with being lonely.
Which makes me a bit sad for them.
Because those two things are not the same. At all.
I’m usually not lonely when I’m alone. I know there are other people out there in the world. I know I can associate with them if I want. That’s as easy as standing in my front yard for a couple minutes.
I LOVE being alone. And it is a choice I make. Often.
I spend the time happily reading or mucking around in the garden or watching the Colin Firth Pride And Prejudice for the gazillionth time.
(smiles)
It is glorious.
If you feel lonely, yes, take action. Go to the library and talk with people. Pick up a phone and call a friend. Volunteer at a food bank. Chat with the cashier at the grocery store.
If you are alone and you are enjoying being alone, know that it is okay.
No, it is more than okay. It is a wonderful life experience. Relish it. Savor it.
Ignore the extroverts and be happy.
Topics: Cyn-Sights | Comments Off on Being Alone Vs Being Lonely
Make A Budget Meal A Comfort Food
I grew up very poor. Every meal we had was a budget meal.
But some meals (like spaghetti noodles with a little bit of tomato sauce) were always associated with happiness, with celebration, with fun and laughter.
And now, when I need comfort, I make those ‘budget meals.’
Because they aren’t budget meals in my mind. They are comfort meals, happy meals, meals that remind me of fun and laughter and they make me feel smile when I eat them.
We can all do this.
A budget friendly soup can become a comfort meal, a source of happiness, if we always pair it with bad joke telling. A stir fry made from leftover, wilting vegetables can be a celebration if we always cook and serve it to music.
Associate joy with a budget friendly meal and, during tough times, that joy will remain.
This is an investment in future you. And future you deserves this happiness.
(smiles)
Topics: Cyn-Sights | Comments Off on Make A Budget Meal A Comfort Food
Find Beauty In The Darkness
It is really easy to see beauty in sunny, well-lit places.
It is much more challenging to see it in the darkness.
But it is there, my friends.
Beauty is all around us. It is in the sparkle of the stars above our heads. It is in the curve of a tree branch as it crosses our view in front of a full moon. It is in the flash of lightning across a stormy sky. It is in the reflection of light in a loved one’s eyes.
Find the beauty in your darkness.
(smiles)
Topics: Cyn-Sights | Comments Off on Find Beauty In The Darkness
Delight In Small Wonders
Some people only celebrate big events – birthdays, graduations, new jobs, vacations, others. They hinge much of their joy around these events or achievements.
I celebrate just about everything.
(grins)
I believe a great life is a combination of small joys, tiny wonders, little bits of happiness.
I saw a ladybug yesterday, for example, and that spotting delighted me. I was smiling for hours.
The Dear Wonderful Hubby sang in the shower this morning. He does this when he’s super happy. That put me in a great mood also.
Sure, the world is far from perfect.
(laughs)
But allow yourself to be happy, to be amazed, to revel in small wonders.
You deserve that joy!
Topics: Cyn-Sights | Comments Off on Delight In Small Wonders
Stop And Look Around You
The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I were strolling along a pier in a smaller town near the southern tip of Argentina.
We looked down and saw these two cute little friends (I think they’re seals).
Many people walked by them AND us. Some of these people had stickers on their shirts which indicated they had been on tours, tours they had paid for, tours that likely took them out to seen animals like these, tours that might not have been successful in that mission.
Here were two of the creatures they wanted to see.
And they didn’t see them.
Because these tour takers weren’t looking around them. They were focused on their destination.
Every so often, if you have a spare minute, stop and look around you. Notice the plants. Look up at the sky. Search for the unusual. Enjoy the wonder.
That might be the best one minute you’ve ever experienced.
(smiles)
Topics: Argentina, Cyn-Sights | Comments Off on Stop And Look Around You
Take An Internet Break
I know. I know. The world is changing so quickly. We think we’ll be ‘left behind’ if we walk away from the fast and furious news cycle for even a minute.
But we do NEED breaks from it. This is important for our mental and emotional health.
And there isn’t much the average person can do to immediately change the situation anyway. Hearing the news now or in two hours won’t make a huge difference to most of our lives.
So turn your phone or computer (or brain – grins) off and trek (or wheel if you are in a wheelchair) about the block (or merely sit on the front steps).
Look at the flowers. Say hi to people (and squirrels) you encounter. Listen to the birds as they narrate your progress. (laughs) Breathe deeply and lower your shoulders.
You deserve this break! You NEEED it. Take it!
Topics: Cyn-Sights | Comments Off on Take An Internet Break
Investments Anyone Can Make
I believe in investing in the future, preparing, putting something away that I can benefit from later.
Wait! This isn’t a financial post. Money is tight. I get it. Stars, do I get it!
The fact that we automatically link investing to money is a bit sad.
Because there are a gazillion types of perhaps even more valuable investing we can do.
That free article you read about how trees communicate?
THAT is an investment.
You’re investing in your brain, in your mental database of facts, and that is priceless because it is yours to keep (depending on how good your memory is). No one can repossess that information.
That container of mint you’re growing on your windowsill?
THAT is an investment.
It could supply you with mint…forever. (Because mint is nearly impossible to kill.) It could give you something to trade (the mint harvest) if times get tough. Studies also show tending to plants extends your life and reduces your stress. That is a great investment.
That coffee break you spent with a friend?
THAT is an investment.
You are maintaining valuable connections. You are giving and receiving love. You are reducing your stress and adding joy to your life and both of these are shown to help us live longer.
There are so many little investments we can make today that will ‘pay off’ later.
Invest in your life today!
Topics: Cyn-Sights | Comments Off on Investments Anyone Can Make
Do You LOVE It?
I once read a study that revealed
the more we use an object
the more emotionally attached we become to it.
I have a t-shirt I’ve worn at least once a month for many decades. It wasn’t anything special when I first received it. But now it is soft and worn and I love it. I love it so much I’ve repaired it a couple times.
If I had bought that t-shirt (I didn’t) and I had known I’d be wearing it hundreds of times (I didn’t), I would have put more thought into which t-shirt I purchased.
I think of this t-shirt whenever I make a purchase.
Is there a possibility I’ll be wearing or using the purchase multiple times?
If yes, do I LOVE it?
Or is there a different object I’d love more?
Surround yourself with things you love, my friend.
And then cherish those things for as long as possible.
Topics: Cyn-Sights | Comments Off on Do You LOVE It?
Be Kind For You
When I was bringing in the garbage bin for a rather grumpy, sometimes hostile neighbor, another person said to me, “Why do you bother to do that for him? He won’t appreciate it.”
I didn’t do it for him.
I did it for me.
I’m kind for me. I want to live in a neighborhood where neighbors help neighbors, where people take a minute out of their day to be kind for no reason other than being kind.
And I feel good helping others. I feel kinder, less angry with the world.
IMHO, that’s the BEST reason to be kind.
Be kind for you, for YOUR soul.
It doesn’t matter if other people see or know about or appreciate the kindness. YOU see and know about and appreciate it.
And you are more than enough, my friend!
Topics: Cyn-Sights | Comments Off on Be Kind For You
Influencers And What We See Online
A lot of what we see online, especially from professional influencers, is staged. The gardens are staged. The homes are staged. The vacation photos are staged.
They are the best possible scenario.
Some gardening influencers stick plants obtained from garden centers into the ground right before filming. They pull the dead or dying or diseased plants. They weed the garden. They show the best angles, the best spots.
There ARE influencers who are pushing back on this. They ARE showing some dying or diseased plants. They DO talk about their failures.
But they are rare.
And even these influencers don’t show us a lot of their failures.
That’s understandable.
Many people watch them BECAUSE they are a success. These people don’t want to see failures or imperfections. It makes them doubt the influencer’s credibility.
Remember this when you look at photos and videos. Very few people show their failures but I can guarantee with 100% certainty they are experiencing them.
Because even professionals have failures.
Even professionals make mistakes. They aren’t first year newbie mistakes. They are no one could have predicted or stopped this mistakes. Or they are I was too busy/tired when I made this decision mistakes. Or they are I tried something new because I’m always trying to improve and it didn’t work out mistakes.
You could be the best gardener in the world, for example, and an unexpected hail storm will still take out much of your outdoor garden (and we won’t even talk about the constant battle against slugs – grins).
Professionals have failures. Influentials have failures. You and I shouldn’t be surprised when we have failures also.
Failures are part of this wonderful journey.
(smiles)
Topics: Cyn-Sights | Comments Off on Influencers And What We See Online
