ARE… YOU….READY?!

The #MonthlongCelerationofGolden starts tomorrow (May 1st). It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

I could explain to you why we do this but Golden did it perfectly when we first started this blog so why recreate the wheel …. Read her post here …

What I will tell you is why I celebrate it. I celebrate it because Golden deserves it. She’s a hard working, fun loving, amazing woman who has battled more demons than even she would admit to and is still fighting. When they told her you’ll have to retire by 30 she was like "nah … fuck that" and proved them wrong. Her body has fought her every step of the way, yet Golden just powers through it, with minimal complaining, but frankly for what she's going through the little bit of complaining is justified.

She’s literally the strongest person I know. I am proud to call her my friend, I am proud to be in her corner and I’m proud to spend a month celebrating all the awesome that is Golden. I've said it before and will say it again, I'm so happy that the AU Housing Board made us suitemates our Freshman year, many random things came together to make that happen and I'm forever grateful for those random situations.

My mother and her mother constantly tell me not to encourage her in this insanity but it’s not insane. It speaks to her personality and for once allows the spotlight to be on her, something she typically shy’s away from. I am making it my mission that this be the best month long celebration yet, cause let’s face it each one has to be better than the last right. Some of my friend’s get week long celebrations but Golden gets an entire month. From May 1^st through the 31^st (her actual B’day) it’s all about Golden !

Throughout the month I’m going to post some of Golden’s “best” blog posts as well as a few new ones of my own as part of this month long celebration cause if we aren’t going to use this blog to build one another up then what we are using it for?! Who knows maybe I’ll get her to come back to the keyboard for a post this month.

So join me won’t you as we celebrate this month by sending her tweets of love and encouragement. It doesn’t take much, a goofy picture that made you smile, which might make her smile; a note to just say hi; any acknowledgement really is what we are looking for so let’s get it going … and kick off Monday May 1^st the right way as we start the #MonthlongcelebrationofGolden     (could we have used a longer hashtag?!)

Thanks,

Marcy @beaslma

Golden @theonlygolden

Growing up different… not just for kids

Growing up different I was more than familiar to what bullying was. I think the things that surprised me most about the practice of bullying is that 1. Children...sweet, innocent, new to this world, fresh faced little cherub, light of our eyes children … are complete assholes; and 2. Bullys don't go away. They just grow up and become bullying adults.

Now that I am adult my “different” has increased ever more so and I find times that I am still getting bullied by both kids and adults. But fuck them, I learned to blow it off years ago….Bullshit. It still hurts. I've just learned to suppress it. But this response isn't about me. I work with mentally ill adults and since doing so have noticed the bullying trend not just from people on the outside of the spectrum making fun of the mentally ill, but that the Mentally ill themselves are starting to bully each other more frequently. They are looking for and finding differences amongst each other to create an imaginary platform to elevate some against others.

I've seen bullying between…

Mentally Ill and Intellectually deficit…

People who have put themselves in the Mental Health System vs. Court ordered to be here…

Court ordered violent offenders vs. Non-violent offenders…

Diagnosis vs Different diagnosis…

People born with their illness vs. those whose illness was caused by head trauma….

and it goes on and on and on. So...why? If we are all in the same place, if we are all dealing with the stigmatism of mental illness, if we have all been down into the worst of ourselves, how can we not recognize the human need to act as a collective and see ourselves and our struggle in others and raise up to offer support to those that have been there. So, based recently on an indecent at my work, I was asked to give a response to our residents about bullying. Afterword’s, as I went to delete the file, I decided to instead post it to this blog in the hopes that maybe it will help someone, out in the interwebs, where it is often hard for people to get away from bullying, who may need it. 

Always remember talk to someone if you are in need. I have included a few hotline numbers at the end of this post for quick reference. Never forget you unique, you are beautiful, you are loved.

-Golden

                                                                                                                  

Offering support

Response to bullying within the community

As we grow we find that life is often harder than we expected, especially when you live life with a form of mental illness. According to NAMI statistics, approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. (which is 43.8 million or 18.5%) experience a form of mental illness. There are a lot of us in the world, yet we still feel so alone.

Sometimes there is safety in numbers…

The positive thing about having so many experiencing some form of mental illness is that, even though we are all different and have different journeys, we can still offer support to each other. Everyone, at one point in time, knows what it feels like to suffer through their illness, and sometimes having someone just shake your hand or pat you on the back and tell you “you got this” can help.

Everyone of us walk a different path, even if you have the same diagnosis as someone else, your stories are not the same. There could be two people, twins, with the same diagnosis but show different symptoms and require different medications. Some people’s symptoms range from mild to severe and can often times vary within a few days. That can make daily life hard. That's why I try and talk to you about your medications so often. If your meds are not working for you, THAT IS NOT YOUR FAULT. You won't get in trouble for something you can't help. Not all medications help everybody and can sometimes, even cause more side effects than they are worth.

A lot of people are afraid to talk to their doctor and admit that they are still experiencing/displaying symptoms of their illness. Instead of going through a med change. Why would you want to take something that doesn't work? Having your medications adjusted is not a failure.

I often hear people brag that they only have to take 2 pills while others take 18. If what you are taking is working and allowing you to be the best you possible, what does it matter if you are taking 5 pills instead of 2? Taking several medications does not make you a failure.

We are all here and we have all had to go through periods of adjustments, so if you see your friend, neighbor or roommate going through something, offer them the support you wish someone would have offered you when you needed it. Offer them the respect they deserve and the encouragement to stay strong.

Living with mental illness is a journey that can be hard but we don't have to make it hard on each other. And every one of us is a work in progress, just because you may need a little extra support doesn't mean that you are not going to be a great success, it just means that you have to make it through and when you do, you will know how to offer support to the next one in need.

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Bullys exist everywhere, not just in the Mental Illness community. If you need someone to talk to, to help you through times of doubt regardless of situation here are a few resources. Remember no matter how lonely you feel, YOU   ARE   NOT  ALONE!

§  Adolescent Suicide Hotline: 1-800-621-4000

§  Adolescent Crisis Intervention & Counseling: 1-800-999-9999

§  AIDS National Hotline: 1-800-342-2437

§  CHADD – Children & Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders: 1-800-233-4050

§  Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-4-A-CHILD  (4-2-24453)

§  Cocaine Help line: 1-800-COCAINE (1-800-262-2463)

§  Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233

§  Drug & Alcohol Treatment Hotline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)

§  Ecstasy Addiction: 1-800-468-6933

§  Eating Disorders: 1-888-236-1188

§  Family Violence Prevention Center: 1-800-313-1310

§  Gay & Lesbian National Hotline: 1-888-THE-GLNH (1-888-843-4564)

§  Gay & Lesbian Trevor HelpLine Suicide Prevention: 1-800-850-8078

§  Healing Woman Foundation (Abuse): 1-800-477-4111

§  Help Finding a Therapist: 1-800-THERAPIST (1-800-843-7274)

§  Incest Awareness Foundation: 1-888-547-3222

§  National Center For Learning Disabilities: 1-888-575-7373

§  Missing & Exploited Children Hotline: 1-800-843-5678

§  National Allianceon Mental Illness (NAMI): 1-800-950-NAMI (6264)

§  Panic Disorder Information Hotline: 1-800-64-PANIC (72642)

§  Post Abortion Trauma: 1-800-593-2273

§  Project Inform HIV/AIDS Treatment Hotline: 1-800-822-7422

§  Rape (People Against Rape): 1-800-877-7252

§  Rape, Abuse, Incest, National Network (RAINN): 1-800-656-HOPE (1-800-656-4673)

§  Runaway Hotline: 1-800-621-4000

§  Self Injury (Information only. This is not a crisis line, info/referrals only): 1-800-DONT-CUT (1-800-366-8288

§  Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673

§  Sexual Abuse – Stop It Now!: 1-888-PREVENT (773-8368)

§  STD Hotline: 1-800–227-8922

§  Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

§  Suicide & Crisis Hotline:1-800-999-9999

§  Suicide Prevention – Trevor HelpLine (Specializing in Gay & Lesbian Youth) 1-800-850-8078

§  Teen Helpline: 1-800-400-0900

§  Victim Center: 1-800-FYI-CALL (1-800-394-2255)

§  Youth Crisis Hotline: 1-800-HIT-HOME (448-4663)

Golden @theonlygolden

Let's get social!

My self imposed Social Media Ban for Lent is nearing it’s end. This time next week I’ll be back online and back at it … maybe. I have to admit I’ve enjoyed this break. This unplugging experiment has done me so much good, that’s not to say I haven’t been busy. I have found some new music, watched my nephew get inducted into the Junior National Honor Society, got to help with an Easter Egg hunt, got to help my office with a City Park clean up event, and of course went to Auburn for a weekend. That’s not to say that it hasn’t been easy not sharing some of those things, not to mention my older nephew going to the Jr/Sr Prom with his super awesome girlfriend. I mean they looked great together and not seeing the pictures he, my sister-in-law, and brother posted in real time was tough. I had to remind them to e-mail them to me so I could see them, which meant I saw them 2 or 3 days after the fact. ☹ boooo hisss! 😊 I also didn’t get to participate in the season premiere of Blackdog Salvage on DIY something that I’ve really missed. I love chatting with those guys via Twitter as I watch the show. I’m very much looking forward to tweeting with them next week. I wonder if they have wondered where I am?! Join us! 😃

However, the main thing I have missed is Golden. Between our work schedules being exact opposites, her new furbaby Mighty taking over the house, and her cell phone coverage being shit I have missed conversing with her through twitter. We’ve texted a little bit but I understand Mighty isn’t a fan of Golden’s cell phone. Don’t worry Auntie Marcy will have a chat with Mighty first chance I get about how cell phones are friends not food. Because of all those things I’ve missed Golden and I think she has missed me too.

There have also been several times I’ve thought man I haven’t heard from so and so in a while and realized just how much we have come to rely on Social Media to stay in touch with our everyday people. Sure I’ve emailed more than I usually do but often those people don’t check their mail or like I used to would see the message pop up, read it and think I’ll reply later then never did. I’ve also missed talking to my twitter friends from a far and have wondered how they are doing but with lack of e-mail addresses for them I haven’t been able to get in touch with them. I wonder if they have even missed me ?

So while this “break” has been far easier than I’d have thought it would be I do miss the connectivity that social media gives me in my every day world as well as with the people who I’ve connected with that without Social Media I wouldn’t know at all. I often say that we have forgotten that this social media is supposed to be about being Social and I’m realizing just how much social goes into my media. I plan to keep that mantra in my mind as I re-log into all my accounts and keep the social going cause without it what’s the point. So join me won’t you as I get social again ….. let’s use this medium the way it was intended.

Have a fantastic week and if you celebrate it … HAPPY EASTER!!!!

Marcy

Falling into the Ed Sheeran rabbit hole

So…. In my self imposed Social Media Ban I have talked about my part in spreading negativity on the internet and my part in spreading positivity on the internet but in this one I’m going back to my roots a little bit. I am jumping on the bandwagon of an artist many have known about for years, looking at you Melissa, but whom I recently found thanks to a gift from a friend (looking at you Katie) so I'm waving the banner of this artist for people like me who thought they knew about him from the radio and had it just so badly wrong. 

So a few weeks ago I helped a friend, Katie, with something and in return she gave me an Itunes gift card. I’m kind of sick of everything I’ve been listening to lately so I decided to use this as an opportunity to find something new. I decided that the first thing I saw I was going to buy without even checking it out. The week that I was given the card was the same week that Ed Sheeran released ÷ (AKA Divide), something that wouldn't have normally hit my radar. When I 1st opened my Itunes store the first thing I saw was Ed Sheeran’s ÷ in the banner and I clicked on it to buy it before listening to a single track as was the deal I made with myself.  This deal ended up costing me way more money than the Itunes card was for.

For full disclosure I HATED Photograph by Ed Sheeran not because it was a bad song, not because it was a good song but because it was ALWAYS on the radio. Like literally every single time I’d flip around the dial (yes I’m that old to remember when there was a dial) this song was playing on at least 3 or 5 stations. I hate that. I always feel like when they do that they are trying too hard to get me to like someone and I rebel so hard it’s not even funny. I still don’t like the song, but now I can at least say I’ve given it a fair shake it’s just not my cup of tea. That being said after listening to ÷ I have jumped both feet in to the Ed Sheeran band wagon. The guy is brilliant. The way he puts a song together very much makes me think of my good buddy Eric Erdman, an artist who deserves so much more love than he gets. Their brains just see the world differently and my ears love every second of it. However Eric has to wait for another post this one is all about my falling into the Ed Sheeran rabbit hole.

To those new to this blog when I get a new album I have a rule; I push play then don’t touch anything until the last song plays. I want to hear the album as the artist/producers intended before I start jumping around to the tracks I really like. I have to admit that with ÷ I didn’t love every song right out of the gate, some I still don't. Actually on the first listen I was on track three thinking about track one and why it was called Eraser. It was quite challenging to move past actually and I still don’t fully understand it, but have decided to not overthink it and just ride with it since it’s a good song.

My favorite songs on ÷ include Happier, New Man, What Do I Know, Supermarket Flowers, and Nancy Mulligan. Tho I admit that Supermarket Flowers makes me cry … every.damn.time. It’s an ugly cry too … the picture he paints of his mom walking around her mother’s room essentially saying goodbye burrows into my head and a little mini movie plays that gives me all the feels creating tears at the same time as the goosebumps. I LOVE IT when that happens!!!!! Tho I'm sad for the circumstances that led to the song, I LOVE when a song does this to me.

There are some tracks I blow past now when they come on, but mostly because I can’t wait to get to other tracks. Like Galway Girl, I love the flow of the track but often find myself not really in the mood for it so I skip it. The first time I listened to New Man I thought dude who are you kidding, then realized I know nothing about this man so who was I kidding. Now it’s one of my favorites. Dive is the same way for me, sometimes I’m not in the mood for the slow soulful feel of the song but I like it and it’s the perfect song for work when I’m editing a document and need to focus. That’s not the case with Shape of You, or Perfect, if I never hear those again I’d be ok. Tho I did go on a trip with a friend and put Perfect on repeat during the night and slept like a baby which was nice, until the next day when it was like an ear worm that wouldn’t die.

As a self-professed Music Skitzo I love the mixture of rap/story/pop whatever you want to label it that Ed Sheeran brings to the table. He’s not really trying to fit into anyone’s mold but in doing that he’s creating his own mold but taking all his musical influences and creating his own genre for people to model future music by and that’s a testament to the influence he brings to the table. To this point, he posted every single song on his youtube channel with full lyrics in the information section so people could really dive into each song the way he  truly intended.

Check out the entire album here ….

After diving into ÷ I then dove head first into his entire library of music on Itunes. It was quite pathetic actually how hard I fell for this man. Like I can’t get enough of his voice, I can’t get enough of how he puts lyrics together and I really feel like he’s put everything he can into a song before giving it to the world. He’s definitely an artist who seems to care about what he’s putting out and isn’t at all putting things out simply cause he has a deal and he can. If that’s not the case I don’t want to know. Some of his earlier tracks that have made my ear holes incredibly happy are U.N.I., Wake Me Up, Homeless, Even My Dad Does Sometimes, Where We Land, and the list goes on and on.

I even bought his “live” albums and that is saying something cause I’m not a live album person. Often it takes away from the experience for me when I actually see them live, but in his case I feel that you really get a taste of who this artist is in front of an audience and he sounds like he’s having so much fun on stage you can’t help but fall in love with him if you haven’t already.  I apologize for being late to this party but damn I’m glad I finally got an invite …thank you Ed Sheeran my earholes haven’t been this happy in years!

Once I get back on Social Media, two more weeks, I have a list of things to do and first is follow Golden's new furbaby, Mighty, second is following Ed Sheeran so I can tell him personally how amazing he is, like he'd care what I think. If you are interested here's his information:

Twitter

Instagram

You Tube

Until next time .... have fun listening! :D

Marcy

Auburn, a fun destination that still feels like home

My self imposed Social Media ban has been surprisingly easy, however I do admit I missed it so much this past weekend. I took last Friday off and one of my work friends and I took off to Auburn for a short but sweet trip. I got to eat at my favorite places, and watch the Auburn Gymnastics Team flip on Senior Night and marveled at how much the place had changed since I left it so many years ago. I probably do not get back to Auburn as much as other alumni and admit that it has been a while since I went for a sporting event.  Pulling off the interstate it was like stepping into another world of businesses, apartment complexes, restaurants, and so much more that now lines the streets of the town I used to call home. Where is the freaking grass I kept thinking to myself. However when we got into the heart of campus I felt this immediate calm wash over me as I was back where I belonged. The place that literally gave me the foundation that would shape me into the person I am today.

It was a fun trip and I hated not sharing it with my social media friends and family. Prior to the meet we ate a delicious cheese burger at Cheeburger Cheeburger (with fries and onion rings cause I'm an adult), yes they have bigger mason jars now and no I didn't steal one but I really wanted to do so. I'm grown now and I guess I know better. I knew better then too but let's not focus on that or the fact that there's at least one jar in my cabinet (maybe two). Then we walked up to the famous Toomer’s Drug Store for some shopping at J&M Bookstore, and Tree appreciation time before going to Tiger Rags, must stops for any Auburn fan. We also decided to catch a movie while we were in town since we had some time to kill and we love movies. I'll watch anything as long as I have popcorn. Too bad a. the popcorn was kinda stale, and b. I accidently dropped it before the previews were done and lost half of the popcorn on the floor. We went to see “The Shack” which I have to admit was better than I thought it would be even if there were things about it that I didn’t like and I'm sorry .... Tim McGraw was a distraction. I never fell into the movie enough to know that wasn't Tim McGraw and frankly he annoyed me during this movie.  It’s one of those movies that I’m glad to have experienced but not one that I’m going to rush to Amazon to buy the book, or get it on DVD so I can watch over and over again.

Last time I focused on my lack of negativity via social media and this time I was reminded of how much positivity I tend to throw out there too. This week’s Auburn Gymnastics meet celebrated “Senior Night” and to not take a moment to tell the Senior class what a joy it has been to watch them work was hard was really hard.

So I'll take the time now, MJ (Psychology), Lucia (Pre-Med), Kelsey (Mechanical Engineering), and Kullen (Aerospace Engineering) it has been an honor to watch each of you work and I'm sure whatever path you walk...tumble...down next you will be amazing at it if you only show HALF the dedication that you have shown to this Auburn Team. Thank you for your time, your dedication, and the memories, War Eagle and happy graduation! (side note, I included their respective majors cause I wanted to give a shout out to how smart my Tigers are as well as talented and strong!)

These ladies give up so much to wear that Leotard from time with family, with friends and with loved ones to the amount of time they train, study and support each other it seemed wrong to not acknowledge it. The meet we went to was between Auburn and Pittsburg, not exactly an SEC clash of the titans meet but Pittsburg had a great meet. The Pittsburg team was staying our hotel and while we only saw them for a few minutes the interaction I had with them was very positive. They looked like a great group of young ladies and they definitely put on a show for the Auburn fans Friday night. I would have liked to have tweeted to the team’s twitter handle to tell them how much I enjoyed their performance. They definitely came to play as did the Auburn Seniors in their final night before friends, family, and fans in an Auburn leotard in a home setting.

The season is not over but for those Seniors that’s a night they will always cherish. I also loved how the entire team came out to each of the exits to talk with fans, take pictures and sign autographs (let’s see the football, basketball, baseball teams do that and I know their tickets are more expensive). Watching these ladies with their fans was fun, watching little boys and girls afraid to approach but then be welcomed with a hug and a picture was heartwarming, you got a sense that they appreciated us being there as much as we appreciated what they do. Those ladies are pretty amazing! Next up for the Tigers is the SEC Championships in Jacksonville. This young team has the opportunity to do well at the championships, they have been knocking on the door all season with great scores they just need solid scores, hitting their routines and they could have a great night. Don’t get me wrong I don’t harbor this insane idea that Auburn will win it all, that’s between LSU and FL (my money is on LSU) and you can never rule out Alabama but I think Auburn could be the dark horse no one is watching to come in and finish 5th. This team is building and with a young team they have a bright future ahead of them.

After the meet we went to one of my favorite places in the world to eat “Willie’s Wings.” It was a mainstay in my student life and they deliver! They are only open from 5PM until about 1AM so it was the perfect late night place to go for some good hot food that wasn’t pizza. A college kid can only eat so much pizza. I was so excited to walk into the Resturant and was immediately transported back by the smell. I couldn’t wait to get that sandwich in my belly. Western Sub with Tots, I’ve tried to recreate it at home and I come close but NOTHING compares to Willie’s Western Sub with Tots. With a fully belly I slept like a baby.

On Saturday we got up frolicked around campus some more, sent Golden a note from Biggin Hall (her home away from home while at Auburn) and hit the road to head back home. It was a great weekend of conversation, fun, food, and laughter. I can’t wait to go back. I wonder if my boss would let me take every Friday off to spent 24 hours in Auburn, better yet I wonder if they want to open an “Auburn branch” with me as their first employee. I could move back there in a heartbeat. In a few years my nephew, Lord willing, will be at Auburn and I just might have to make more of a point to get up there and make sure he’s not making the same mistakes I did while in school. Auburn will always have a special place in my heart and I hope he’ll feel the same way after he gets his degree. It’s so much more than a place or a school it’s the atmosphere, the people, the area itself and until you experience it I can’t explain it to you. So I’ll leave you with this …

WAR EAGLE!

Marcy (C/O 01)

Death to all the flies

I am on the most wanted list, that is if Flies have a most wanted list. I literally just killed over 20 flies in my house. I feel like that one fly that I let get away went back to wherever the flies gather and had to tell the other flies that … well Steve, Brandon, Stephanie, Jack and all the others didn’t make it back. Then like one angry fly dad hollered at the Lord of the Flies …. Insert your laugh here … What did we gain by sending them in there like that … what were you thinking? Then the fly that got away, whom I’ve decided is named Jeffery, not Jeff but Jeffery, pulled out his cell phone (flies have cell phones) and said I got the giants picture and shows it to the crowd. I look a lot scarier when seen by 55 eyes (I imagine there’s a group of at least 11 that can clearly see Jeffery’s cell phone) all of whom are starring at the phone in horror, I mean Jeffery didn't even get my good side, assuming I have one. I will never get the sound of all the moving and buzzing as the flies died out of my head. It was like they were yelling or maybe yelling to one another to stay clear. I did at least give them a proper burial, I shoved them into a plastic cup and tossed them into the trash. I just know they are down there coming up with a revenge plan, as long as they don’t team up with the roaches I think I can take them, tho it may require a trip to the store for more bug spray.

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I’m off from work today, down here in the south our young and young at heart gather on Fat Tuesday to celebrate Mardi Gras. It's supposed to be a day of excessiveness. Hence the name. Maybe my excessiveness centered on Flies ... who knows. The aforementioned excessiveness includes food, drink, revelry, and I'm sure good things too like laughter, hugs, family time etc., My boss, who is from New Orleans, has been celebrating Mardi Gras since last Friday when he left the office, granted he’s been going “home” every weekend all month but it got in full swing last week, both here and there and we won't get into the argument who started Mardi Gras cause honestly I don't care.  I have several friends in Mardi Gras organizations that are celebrating the day. While I like to look at all the pretty floats, I myself am using it to chill.

I slept until 8 (instead of my alarm getting me up at 5:30), had breakfast, played on my computer a bit, and well of course murdered a bunch of flies, now I’m killing some time in front of my computer screen again. I know that technically my self-imposed Social Media ban doesn’t start until tomorrow but I kind of started on Sunday for me. When I killed off all my notifications my phone stopped vibrating nearly immediately. It was not uncommon for my phone to go off several times throughout the day as a tweet would come in or a FB message would hit me. Not getting the notifications has made me not want to check my different feeds.  It’s also surprised me what I’ve done instead. I have played games on my phone (nothing new really because I play a lot of games on my phone) but I’ve also READ more news articles than I have in the recent past. Most of the time I skim an article hit share and move on to the next article. I find myself reading more of the article and paying more attention to what I’m reading. There are several things that I have thought this is interesting I should share it then realized I couldn’t. However, I’ve also realized I’m not the only person to read that article and I’m not responsible for making sure the rest of the world reads it. That was kind of freeing. I realized that if I was interested in it, likely my friends were too and the odds are we all found the article … I think this break might cut down on my “shares” or RTs which I’m sure my followers for lack of a better word will enjoy.

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That’s not to say this self-imposed Social Media ban hasn’t been tough. There were several times I wanted to reach for my phone and send out a tweet or post of Facebook but then didn’t. Yesterday I tried to go to lunch, I say try because I went to 4 different fast food places none of which were very fast and none of which seemed to care if Marcy ate lunch. These were named restaurants who all had about 5 or 6 cars in line that were not moving. Normally I’d send a tweet tagging said restaurants in them wondering what was going on. Then I finally ended up at a place got lunch and proceeded back to my desk in record time. Upon reflection, it hit me that I didn’t even think about sending a positive tweet about my lunch experience at the place where I walked in and out very quickly getting my lunch in record time but was nearly obsessive about sending the negative ones to the places that didn’t seem interested in my lunch needs at all, much less my timeline allotted for lunch dictated by my employer. That too has taught me about what I post and how I post. Most people like to be told they are doing a good job, most people would be infuriated to be blasted for something out of their control. Maybe these places were having problems inside the store, maybe the car in front of me rolled up with an order of like 35 burgers for an office. Maybe they were short staffed due to illness …. Whatever the reason they don’t need me and my negativity in their face by telling the home base what a screw up they are on this particular day.

So my point is that I’ve only been doing this since Sunday (today is Tuesday) and I’m already reducing the negative energy on the net, so this should be a good experiment for me, and it’s teaching me a little bit about what I post and how as I am thinking more about posting not just reacting.

Then again you will have to deal with ramble posts from me until April, so maybe it’s not a win for everyone.

Have a great Mardi Gras everyone … stay safe!

Laissez les bons temps rouler AKA --- Let the good times roll! :D

PS Prayers to the Gulf Shores High SchoolMarching Band who didn’t get to start or complete their parade today when a guy plowed through the band in his car. I pray for them and I pray for the man who did this and I really pray it was a horrific accident, nothing more. People are scary out there.

Marcy

Giving up Social Media for Lent

 Lent (Latin: Quadragesima: Fortieth) is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends approximately six weeks later, before Easter Sunday. The purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer through prayer, doing penance, repentance of sins, almsgiving, atonement, and self-denial. In Lent, many Christians commit to fasting or giving up certain types of luxuries as a form of penance. Many Christians also add a Lenten spiritual discipline, such as reading a daily devotional or praying through a Lenten calendar, to draw themselves near to God

So for a while I’ve been pondering killing off all of my social media, from Twitter, to Facebook, to Instagram, all of it has become too damn much. I wake up in the mornings and check it, I scroll through my timeline before shutting everything off and going to bed and all it’s doing is stressing me out. So I’ve decided instead of going cold turkey and killing it off all together I’m going to take a break. I’ve decided that I’m giving up Social Media for Lent.

I’ve created this very social thing that has recently been used to tear things down, to bitch about things we can’t control, and to complain about it all. I recently went through my follow list on Twitter and killed off some of the negativity but it’s still very powerful and all in my face more than I’d like. Yes before you send me a thousand messages there is some positivity on the net right now, like the hospice worker who sings to his patient, free music, free food… and kids, kids are always adorable. However right now the negative aspects of Social media are out weighing the positive.

So I’m walking away. From March 1^st through April 15^th I’m done. I’m turning off all notifications, I’m deleting the aps from my phone and I will see you all on the other side. My life is not to the point where I can't not check my e-mail so if you need me and know that address …. Feel free to contact me.

This is truly a sacrifice because I mostly use Social Media to keep up with people, like Golden and my favorite musicians, sports figures and my family but I just …. Need a break from everything else. From the republican VS democrat BS … from the media vs the President BS....., from my cause is more important than your cause...... and of course the Presidential BS in general. I just need to walk away.

I’ve never really “given up” anything for Lent, so here’s hoping I can make this work. I hate it tho cause on March 10^th I’m going to Auburn for a Gymnastics meet with a friend of mine, my nephew will be inducted into the National Junior Honor Society, and some things at my new Church that I hope to help out with like the annual Easter Egg hunt and Bible School for the little ones. These are all things that I would post about, but hopefully by doing this “break” I’ll be more present in these things and enjoy them more. I have recently been told that I often overlook how my actions affect the people around me, and part of that is that I’m more connected to the people who live on my social media feeds than the people who live in my everyday world. I’ve decided that focusing on my everyday world people more would make my everyday world better cause there’s not a lot about my social media world that I feel I can control anymore.

So I’ll see you guys on the other side, maybe I’ll put that social media energy into this blog, maybe I won’t… frankly I’m looking forward to unplugging and see what happens.

Have a great few weeks and take care of yourselves out there and if someone could … check in on @theonlygolden every once in a while for me!

Thanks

Marcy (@beaslma)