April 2, 2008
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Kween of the Queens challenge: The Most Important Gift
Kween of the Queens challenge: The Most Important Gift
Jeri Dee over at the Kween of the Queens blogsite has issued a new challenge, thought up by Rita (REDPOPPY1)
“What’s the most romantic gift you’ve ever received?”
The Parameters: Gift can also mean a verbal / or written,anything that comes unexpected, a gift which is not for a special occasion like birthday xmas etc. Something that’s totally out of the blue!
Specifics are up to you!I haven’t participated in a blogring challenge in a while so was looking forward to this one, which was posted on 3/30 and has already generated 13 responses. I always seem to be able to write something inspirational (or at least I make the attempt) on blogring challenges. Trouble is, I’m single. I’ve never been married, and have never been in a long term relationship. Plus, I’m a guy, so I would be wont to be the “giver” instead of the “receiver” of a “romantic gift” , and I have given a few of them over the years. It isn’t the action of giving, however, that is being asked for but the action of receiving.
So, I hope Jeri Dee and the gang don’t mind that I am going to change the wording of the question a bit, so that I might participate, and begin commenting on the already posted entries. Herewith:
“What’s the most IMPORTANT gift you’ve ever received?”
Over the years; and the longer one lives, more and more of them pile up unawares; one receives a multitude of gifts from family members, friends, lovers, and acquaintences. From the first gifts we receive during our mothers’ “Baby Shower” while we’re still in the womb, to the flowers and thoughtful trinkets found around our casket when we pass from this world, we are receiving gifts all through our lives.
Some of these are tangible, wrapped up with ribbons and given to us on birthdays and piled under the tree at Christmas. Some of these are expensive, willed by deceased relatives, or sprung on future fiances along with a proposal of marriage. Some are small, and some are large. Gifts can be intangible as well, such as the gift of faith, or the gift of unadulterated pure love. We can even receive gifts from our pets. We receive gifts of comfort from our parents. We receive gifts of social interaction from our friends. We even receive gifts of eprops and minis on our blogging service, along with nice comments.
The “greatest gift” means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. We receive the gift of life itself from God and the cosmos. We receive nurturing in our early experience from parents, godfathers and mothers, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. We receive somewhat less great gifts like envy from our siblings, or peer pressure from our rivals. We keep getting gifts all our lives, and some are more important than others. Depending where we live, We might have the gift of free will, imposed by government or community. We receive and possess the gift of choice, of purpose, of meaning. We live our lives however long reciprocating in the exchange of love, information, and friendship.
What is the most important gift I have ever received? As a creative sort who has been able to write, sculpt, draw, look through a lens artistically, entertain, and hopefully enlighten others in my sphere, I could say the most important gift I have received would be this creativity, inherited from my mother especially. I’ve always written that Mother was not necessarily talented, but very creative, and this gene was passed to her progeny in spades. Brother Daniel is a painter and theater set designer. Sister Marijo is a published writer of children’s stories. I dabble a bit in everything.
But the most important gift I’ve ever received is not creativity itself. It is the encouragement I have been given throughout my life to enhance, emboss, and embellish my creativity. Without encouragement, I am not so sure I would have been able to brag about having one of the largest personal websites on the internet, filled with creative juices from every fiber of my being.
From the earliest times I can remember, my dear mother encouraged me with first drawing, then writing, acting, public speaking, the whole gamut of creative endeavor. I never received harsh criticism or stifling words from her, but always a steady stream of compliments and constructive criticism, aimed at bettering my output. I started writing in earnest, as I say in my profile here on the blog, at the age of 14. I still have my original handwritten or typed poems and stories, and my first finished novel, “The Sands of Time”, with handwritten encouragement from my mother written in the margins. “Don’t change a thing” she wrote at the end of the novel.
Mother’s encouragement spread when I attended school. Most every teacher who sat at the head of a class I attended, added encouragement to my nascent budding mind and heart. I was encouraged to read at a higher level when in elementary school. I was encouraged to use a Thesaurus and expand my vocabulary by my 7th grade English teacher, Mr. Gardner. In high school, I was encouraged to try out for and act in the all school plays. Encouragement from my journalism instructor, Mrs. Bortz, resulted in my ascencion to the job of editor of the school newspaper while still a junior, a feat still unmatched at that pariticular high school. In church I was encouraged by the pastor to become a preacher myself.
It is this encouragement throughout my life which sustained me during the time of family crisis when I reached my 20s and Dad died after Mother suffered the bilateral stroke that would eventually kill her.
In my 30s, I was encouraged by my bosses at various jobs, to strive to become better, stronger, more organized. I feel I have had success in business, in life and in art. I don’t think I could brag so much if I had not been given the encouragement.
I created my website in 1999, and my first blog in March of 2003. From the beginning of my online adventure, which has been going on for almost ten years now, I have received a shot in the arm of creativity by the large amount of encouragement I receive from my readers. I get chills sometimes going back and reading the wonderful comments I’ve received from some of you here on Xanga. I attempt to pay it forward, by encouraging those writers, artists, and photographers who grace the “pages” of the blogosphere. Perhaps some of this encouragement will rub off.
Yes, we give and we receive, and the greatest gifts are sometimes those which don’t cost anything, and are given with affection and love. Thanks to encouragement, I thrive and survive, and even at the age of 54, which will turn another “life odometer” click on May 1st, to 55, I don’t “feel” old or inconsequential. I feel energized, ebullient and excited about what is going to come next.
I encourage you all to help me give thanks for this wonderful gift.
Half Empty or Half Full Department
COMMENT UPDATE from Featured “Xangapedia” entry, March 27th, 2008. The entry was posted Thursday evening. It gained the top spot on the top five on Friday morning, the 28th. It stayed for a day, and then started it’s descent, and finally “fell off” the top five on April 1st. As of April 1st, the entry generated 311 comments, 57 recommends, 87 star votes (It did not finish with five stars) and a first for me, 11 email sends. When I first put email addresses on my website AllThingsMike in 1999, I always included the phrase “I answer all emails” on my sites. When I started this Xanga blog I promised the same thing. I will “return all comments.” If you leave a comment here, I will attempt to “get to you” as soon as I can. That includes when I am featured. Last time that happened was in the “Credit Card Roulette: The Money Game” entry posted on 9/21/07. It got 148 comments, and I spent the better part of a week answering them all. As much for myself as for anyone else, I am lisitng the people to whom I’ve commented and the ones I have yet to visit.
I have definitely responded to the following 121 commenters.
Drakonskyr, TheTheologiansCafe ,RaVnR .viscosityofwords , japanika .larjw91 .BoureeMusique .The_Palantiri .FreeeVerse , another_rebel_without_a_cause .NightlyDreams , travelerblue , FlameofSalvation .goshjustnevermind , JandJinJapan , jessie623 , seedsower , ladywolf_aq , MsCatbert2You , chesspieceface , Saadias_World , bellflower5507 , porcupinesol ,jerjonji ,amanda_cake ,awth44 ,XoBoMBSHELLWiFEoX ,adifferentkindofbeautiful .LyraSky , ktandie , Direshark , GailThePainterly , DonnaLou , renaissancelady , FlashFosgitt , EstherN , redfox81 , llibra , eadie , angi1972 , Botolf , Steffs_Confessions , Juanita_pingu , xquizit_anga , goodbyedinner , fee2bme , Zeal4living , TeacherPerson , trebleclef402 , closethippie , Get_Real_64 , theblackspiderman , phil_leafman , tialoca13 , Got_Takoyaki , couldquitepossiblybeme , o0_Gina_0o , Legendairy , letwoebegone , XINERGY , deskperienced , Ladyblue1 , curtainsopen , cotaroba , SadnessPart1 , askdante , purpleritz20 , Lmoisan , jewelianna2008 , silence_of_words , FairyBunnyPrincess , gots__thepoison , AmyinVA , JoBros4ever , Aloysius_son , indigolady , o_Dirty_Blonde_o , Glassheart , TheFuzzyPuppet , MochaSprinkle , notforprophet , I8it , MuseErato , morrighu , Moofaja , ckaka121025 , pwunderthebus , edlives , tricia_says , boredjm , squeakysoul , Jenavee , llamalam , eeyore17026 , ChinaFACEEx , its_lisa , Scrooge0 , Renaissance_Phoenix , rodentgeek , lesannejenk , affectator_de_veritas , cApNhOwDy , vexations , phoenixlives , beetifulbug , lilyqueen777 , styxx374 , CdllcEnthus , Gizzella_Orangespunk , GunStarHero1988 , King_of_the_Worker_Monkeys , Whyerd_Neighme , SHiLLySiT , goddessladyj , beebeak , xforwardmotionx , juneblue , iknowHimdou , come_a_little_bit_closer , Passionfruition , DarkAngelKat00
I still have to visit and comment the following 104 bloggers. This is taking a lot longer than expected, but I am not shirking on writing the kind of comments for which most of my readers know me. I’m also attempting to get around to my “regulars” as well. Now I’m participating in a blogring challenge, and I usually make a concerted attempt to comment, star, and now recommend those blog entries that deserve it.
(just_anonymouschica , ehamel , PiratesPrayer , Amandasbiggestfan , DrkAngl91 , Fio92 , tunatacosryumi , karila , Through_The_Lens_Visionary , kingofblur , poetrybox , Tenacious83 , QweenCat , priorities , xXxchi_cchickxXx , stalkdebbie , polleekin , nuanniel , DuckLordsOfTheSith , NDM , wowselesta ,) EDIT 4/03 5:26am pdt. I just commented on all the posted KOTQ entries and commented on the 21 sites in parentheses. Hope it’s nice out on Saturday. I’m gonna take a break this weekend and get away from the computer! tenshii_rage , verdestone , oh_mother_may_I , MaximMan , gl1tt3r_n1nj4 , xbreak_dance_NOT_hearts19X , Jeri_Dee , sammjane , A___Beautiful___Disaster , BenjimonYetAgain , kewlstoopidgurl , RebeliciousDesignsx3 , momofjenmatt , smiley_uknow , Rosewulf , prettynosyarentu , ying__419 , LetMeGoToo , MandMsMom , Adamission12 , EDIT: 4/04 9:00am pdt. Now I’m up to here. musicmom60 , RT_184 , theresturantmanager , penny1966 , abbyleigh , ichigo705 , barbaradesmond , livingfortommorow , roangie2988 , FogOfConfusion , PPhilip , StarlahMantra , taken_dream_41 , CancerAbuse , purple_orchid14 , klaw125 , kikai_soul , lala_land86 , soeyleung , Dog_Lover_4_Life , mr_beebee , TANGENA , creepyleech , EDIT: 4/06 7:00am pdt. I’m up to here now. endlesssummer128 , NanaLana , Grampa_David , soobee72 , apennieformythoughts , dessa_pinkangel , Stoical_Laughter , Krissy_Cole , RainbowBlue2008 , Li_Chu3n , Prim_Prim4488 , fullmetalbunny , gwennieg , pray14me , hochuen1120 , flamingaardvark , Frespirt , hitetrel , Vitamin_D , tingting86 , anth0nyc , animmortalwound , EDIT 4/08 7:33am pdt. Only 39 to go! EforCarol , hidden__love , shanaaa87 , the_greatest_pip , Driger1778 , Lanihoolei , Naoko_Ai , Nutter13 , TalesFromTheVan , wolf_faerie , trustnoniggahh0587 , hellokitty11284 , xvermillion , moosespitz , saidolalalove , SnowMonkey4ever123 , findingliberty , Queenelizzy , stuff_about , lhotsedog , StedfastOsprey , EDIT 4/10 7:13am pdt. 18 more comments and I’m ready to get featured again. ginaforever331 , CrazyKey123 , ihsankhairir , h1t5uj1 , donshare , reckless_eagle , setfree2day , Purple_Harlequin , danteCARAX , beli_grrl , kimbrock11 , Legi0nnaire , Femme003 , yakky , CharsisT , EminemsRevenge , JennySavedTheWorld , lizzerarrrgh
Until next time, this is your correspondent, Michael F. Nyiri, poet, philosopher, fool
Comments (53)
wow mike. you work really hard at this! good going
:fun:
Wow, good luck with that. :eprop: :eprop:
Man, you’re kicking ass and taking names, huh, Mike?
Encouragement, for me, is such an important thing, and yes, it’s a gift too. I agree with you!
And wow… your comment-replying. You’re really good. Seriously.
GO MIKE!
Addy
Yeah, go Mike, it’s cool how you reply to every comment! You don’t have to reply to this one though, since it’s just approving your effort and not intended to make you more effort by doing this.
You leave the best comments on all of xanga no doubt because when reading them you just know that you actually read the posts in full and to me thats a great gift thanks my your an inspiration…
Glad to see you enjoying your popularity. I didn’t care for it much myself. I suppose it’s true, I am anti-social. I never wanted fans, just friends.
you’re the most dedicated blogger i know, dear Mike.
Dear Mike,
Now… First off I must say that women can and do give guys romantic gifts.. which they may or may not appreciate… For instance I have written poems for males. Romantic? I think so… I have made that special desert on that special day for my special someone. Romantic? Hmm – many women listed being prepared special dinners as their most romantic gifts. One Valentines I went out and bought new red sheets, big fat candles and strawberries for hubby & me.. to set the romantic mood… So it’s certainly not true that men or generally the givers. Speaking of my hubby – he doesn’t have a romantic bone in his entire body.. Well, maybe one.. the tinest bone. So that being said….
I think encouragement is one of the most wonderful gifts a person can give another. I agree with that one. It’s the type of gift that keeps on giving and prompts us to strive for so much more.. Knowing someone believes in us is such a HUGE thing… I like that you said your mother is creative though perhaps not talented. Being creative is a gift indeed and the passing on of that has flourished in you quite well! Wonderful post. Have a great day.
peace,
Jane
hahahaha, I like DMV’s remark.
Interesting that the “greatest” gift and “most important” gift are not the same. This is interesting and makes me wonder, what is meant between “greatest” and “most important”. If a particular gift is physically larger than the other, than I suppose that would qualify it as greatest, but at the same time, if a gift were most important, I would assume that that would make it pretty great as well. It was a good peice and I loved the message, but this particular aspect of it set me off a little bit. I’m not trying to be overly critical or anything, I suppose I am just hoping for a bit of clarification.
~Eadie (the confused one)
with all these new found readers, be careful. if you’re cornered in a dark alley by someone claiming to be a “xangsta”, just say no. it may be a glamourous life at first, but the downward spiral of consequences is unspeakable.
@paison_de_moot - Dear Ben, I’m glad you’ve commented on this entry. When I wrote: “I get chills sometimes going back and reading the wonderful comments I’ve received from some of you here on Xanga” I was thinking specifically of comments like the first one I ever got from you. (dual comments, one from bodiddly and another from you.) I’m at work so can’t make the time to go searching, but it was shortly after I started my blog in May of 2004. To paraphrase, bodiddly said he visited from a comment I left on another site, and said “You must know everything about everything.” So as not to make me think that he was calling me a know it all, you commented and apologized for the way he wrote the comment. It’s encouragement from true artistes like you (no matter how much you might negate your artistry of words) that counts the most to me.
@peacenow - Dear Jane, It’s just difficult for me to think of any “romantic” gift that anyone might have given me. I haven’t had a whole lot of romance in these almost 55 years. Lots or relationships. Lots of sex (in the 70s) But very little if any romance. I don’t discount that the rest of the world has been exchanging romantic gifts since time immemorial, but it hasn’t happened to me. I gave one of my girlfriends over 5 thousand dollars to get her out of debt. That was in 2000. If she ever pays it back then I guess that would be romantic. I told her when I gave it to her that I didn’t expect it back. I got her out of a hole because she was with me at the time. (That was a six month relationship, pretty long for me.)
@eadie - Dear Walter, The prompt was “most romantic gift.” I changed it to important. I would say in this case greatest and most important would be synonyms. The term “greatest gift” is usually used to describe the gift of the “Word of God” in Christian theology.
ryc: yeah, I noticed that you changed it from most romantic to most important.
But the reason I asked that question, is because in this post, you mention that the greatest gift you recieved was your creativity, but the most important gift you recieved was your encouragement. Therefore, in this case, “greatest” and “most important” couldn’t be synonymous because “creativity” and “encouragement” are not.
Wow, you definitely are a busy man! At least on the Internet anyway. All these comments must eat up a lot of your time.
Your creativity is definitely an important gift. I wish I had your level of creativity; it would definitely help me with my photography! Sometimes, I try to do an unconventional shot, and I can do it, but it takes me a while to figure out how to line things up. I can definitely say I’ve improved though. What used to take me 500 shots, is now down to 50. Well anyway, I’m glad you have taken your time over the years to let us see your creativity shine and encourage ours through your liberal use of comments. Thank you very much!
Troy
@baldmike2004 - I was just jealous of how self-assured you always seem. Even if you are seemingly in a bad way, you are always professional and erudite about it. You write some damn fine poetry too. I suppose mostly I’m jealous of your dedication though. No matter what you write here, there’s never any doubt it means a lot to you. You’re never frivolous or sarcastic, although, often times you can be rather facetious… funny even
That’s pretty amazing to me. Just you keep writing and I’ll keep reading.
@baldmike2004 - Dear Mike, (I’ve never done this reply thing – heh)… I think that’s sad you can’t think of a romantic type gesture from anyone through the years… But as I think about it if my husband was asked this question he wouldn’t be able to think of that Valentines or special desserts or any of the other little things. His mind doesn’t work that way. And that’s why something from my husband wasn’t part of my post! ha. Any romantic thing I’ve gotten from him was more or less asked for (not “go get this for me” but lots of hinting and talking about something until my kids told him or putting it on a Christmas gift etc). But I hope you have your romantic gift yet to come. We all need that to look back and smile on. peace, Jane
You can comment to all those people, I know you can.
Btw, did you ever get my comment on the new term ideas I gave you, or did my computer lie and I have to retell you?
THANK YOU FOR STOPPING BY MY SITE.I personally have never had encouragement from my mother or father, always told me that I wa stupid…This adjective was fundamental in remembering the humliation, the hurt I would feel so MY CHILDREN WERE AND STILL ARE ENCOURAGED BY ME, AND AND my pupils as well. I am self taught, through determination to prove that I was not “stupid”.
Thank you for an “encouraging ” post. I am not old either, still an adolescent at the tender age of 63..19 May.
RITA :sunny:
Wow, what a great read. Thanks for posting this, it surely brightened my day!!! Great job!
MiLord,
I do like the change you made, and a gift (constant it would appear) such as encouragement is a wonderful one indeed! I enjoyed reading this and am happy that you’ve received so much positive feedback over the course of your life! You’ve been linked and starred. ~Kween
P.S. I also reserve the “recommend” for posts that inspire me.
Mike,
Give and it shall be given to you. You have always (or at least the last 7 months that I have been here) been very encouraging in your comments to me. Thank you for that. I agree that encouragement is a wonderful gift. With just a few correctly chosen words your day can go from bad to good. Keep doing what you do…You have given me many good reads.
Lmoisan
How does one get featured? That answer has always eluded me.
I agree with you. Encouragement is definitely one of the most important gifts that we can receive. It doesn’t cost a lot to give someone a little encouragement but it means so much. I know personally that I would have never gotten through a few very hard periods in my life without some encouragement. Looking back, all that I received still means the world to me.
Encouragement is a wonderful gift. So many people don’t ever get that from anyone and that is sad. Great post, thanks !!
Friends are gifts, gifts which we as the human race overall sometimes take for granted. I try hard not to commit that error…
yes, things most important are free but also priceless.
A person’s time.
Encouragement goes a long way and is one of the few things that can help to rebuild damage that has been caused by emotional abuse.
ah-an interesting way to skew the perspective of the writing assingment! I like the message you are sending out in this post!
thanks for ypur courteous visit comment on my post for the same writing challenge. I guess you an tell from my entry, I feel very much like “the shorter, the sweeter”.
What a wonderful answer to the question. Encouragement is such a great gift that many people often overlook. I would assume the comments you left me are representative of the others that you have left. I must admire your creativity and insight into how to reciprocate the greatest gift you have been given. I wish you the best in getting around to all the remaining comments. I can’t even begin to imagine the time it must be taking.
Wow, if I had that many commenters to comment back, I’d give one general all-around comment. Your dedication impresses me, feel free not to comment me back any time. I’m overwhelmed just looking at all the names! Good luck with that, and have a good week.
Hi there, :wave: thanks for stopping by, thanks for the compliments on my poetry. I will come around to read more here.
The Signature Of A True Human Is The Smile He/She Brings On The Face Of Others.
LonelyPoet
Dear Mike, I can’t imagine how much time you spend online to comment to those xangans who previously commented on your xangapedia post. I saw your allthingsmike.com and the Morph thingy is very interesting. RYC: i didn’t have any idea what username to choose, I don’t want to be stalked though, it’s just a username out of the blue, i don’t know why i chose that name but I’m workin on changing it by earning 10,000 credits. yeah I’m a credit hoarder. LOL
Can I ask you one question? Why do you call yourself a fool?
Cheers!
Debb
i think i have yet receive the most important gift.
probably i’ve not acknowledge it yet.
but comparing to others,
it may be education without worries on tuition fee
very grateful to my parents. =)
You are my 500th friend!
@nidan - Dear Jimmy, The easy answer is that you get enough recommends so the Xanga team notices, or else someone can ”nominate” your entry on the Featured Weblogs site. You can also nominate yourself on the FW site’s chatboard. From the Featured Weblogs site: “Write about something interesting to everybody, not just to your friends and subscribers.” Of course someone on The Xanga team needs to notice. Invite John, Sean, Chris, or any of the others to be your friend, and then they get your entries in their universal inbox!
@stalkdebbie - Dear Debbie, I wish I had a quarter for every time I’ve heard that question in the last 10 years. Obviously I write poetry, so I call myself a poet. I have a philosophical blog called “The Universal Blog” which details the philosophy of the Universal Mind. The third comes from a line in Shakespeare’s play “As You Like It” (spoken by the Touchstone, the Fool) “The fool may thinketh he is wise, but only the wise man knoweth he is a fool. ” I hope that is self explanatory.
Commenting me is like throwing a ball at a brick wall. It’s gonna come back to you right away. =]
And here is some more encouragement….I love everything you write
and WTG on keeping up with the comments you have and have not made!
well here you go again Mr. Superblogger…
OT: i miss bodiddly. i know i should be telling ben that, but you just reminded me of him. he was(is) a great encourager of me as well. as you are. encouragement is one of those great gifts that make us stronger, better, wiser, and a bit more brilliant. it seems to me without real encouragement, most of us wouldn’t take the risks we take, go the places we go, or even see the things we see.
romantic gifts fade with time, but the real gifts of love, encouragement, and patience last a lifetime. i think of it as someone believing in me when i am unable to believe in myself (something i know i struggle with but i don’t think you do very often). i envy your self-assurance and ability to keep giving 100%. when i’m fighting the doubt gremlins it’s nice to know that ppl like you and ben believe in me. that is a great big gift as far as i’m concerned!
ps… well said!
Encouragment is so meaningful – you have often passed it to me and I much appreciate it. You are one of my oldest and dearest Xanga friends Michael!
@llibra - Dear Linda, I wrote a poem once called “Not Superman.” Whether at work, at play, in life, or on the internet, I attempt to always top myself, and make it look easy.
@jerjonji - Dear Jeri, I’m always thinking to myself that I don’t visit you as much as I should, in case I “miss” something. Not the Asian cultural stuff. I know you enjoy that, and I appreciate a lot of it, but I do love you writing, and consider you one of the best writers on Xanga. In fact, this email will go out to Linda above, who was looking for good female writers on Xanga in a post the other day. I don’t think I recommended you in the comment, so I will here. (Gosh, I absolutely LOVE the reply feature.) Thank you for this wonderful comment. (Xanga should let us recommend comments….no……going a bit too far.
@MsCatbert2You - Dear Pam, Not only are you one of my oldest readers/correspondents, but you’re my #11 visitor of all time, according to Fishcan. You’d probably be higher, except they list “screaminginmyhead” and “MsCatbert2You” as two separate entities. Stupid computer program. And because Jeri and Linda are included in this comment reply email, I’ll make mention that Jeri is #5 and Linda #9, so you gals are among my top visitors and have supported me throughout my ”Xanga career”. (which could be getting more interesting, since I seem to get more creative when I get more comments, for some “encouraging” reason.
My god man. Such a busy schedule.
I think your idea of a great gift is admirable. Most people would list something tangible or even superficial, but yours is one I connect with. It’s something that most of us could use and helps develop children and teenagers. A motivational tool as a gift? I agree.
Thank you for welcoming me! Hope to be reading more of your interesting posts in the future!
People don’t often realize how much we desperately NEED approval and encouragement. I know I could sure use that in my job right now…I feel like I’m swimming against the tide.
GOOD JOB on the entry…heehee. :fun:
Mikeppf,
Been busy so I hadn’t caught this sooner, but was looking forward to it as it was recommended. It didn’t dissapoint! Encouragement’s not something I’ve thought of before as a gift, though I do enjoy giving or receiving.
A round of applause for you (and if you can picture me moving my hands in a circle ala Girl Scout camp 10 years ago, all the better – I must be having a fond memories day – first Joe Cool, now Girl Scout camp. Thanks for being the impetus!)
~come_closer
Encouragement is a wonderful gift, and you were blessed to have it growing up! As a mom of two teen girls I try to remember that even the slightest discouragement can crush a spirit, but I try to temper enthusiasm with realistic expectations. Not always an easy balance to strike.
Wow you have been pretty busy on Xanga.
Oh to have the time again to read blogs. Ah well.
Great entry. I find it hard to believe you’ve never received a romantic gift, sir. We shall have to remedy that one day.
Encouragement is a great spring board. A little goes so far, doesn’t it? A bigger gift would be to believe in yourself. People are fickle and always opinionated. The only opinion that should matter is your own. If you have the ability to believe in yourself, then the sky is the limit. So many people don’t trust themselves and rely on other people to build them up and determine their value. Know your own value and trust it. I love ralph waldo emersons quote : “When I go into the garden with a spade, and dig a bed, I feel such an exhilaration and health that I discover that I have been defrauding myself all this time in letting others do for me what I should have done with my own hands.” It feels great to find out that you can believe in yourself without anyone else’s opinion in the way. You are wonderfully creative, but I think that you already know this!
Thanks Mike, great blog.
what is the driving force behind to keep you on