Broken Bones

Have you ever broken a bone?

I haven’t had many broken bones, but I’ve had a few broken bones, or rather hairline fractures. I have always had horses my entire life, and sometimes they stupidly step on your foot, so I broke a couple of toes here and there from horses stomping on me. I also once was in a riding accident where my horse and I miscommunicated about the jump, we were jumping and he fell on me. I cracked my ribs and one of my hips. But that is basically it. Knock on wood. Lol. Oh, and I remember I once broke my toe because I accidentally hit my foot on the edge of the bed and broke my pinky toe. I think that probably hurt more than anything 

The Park Near My House

Every morning I take my two Jack Russells for a 3 mile walk. Most of the time I begin my walk in the park down the street because the park is shaped in almost a perfect square, and there’s a sidewalk that runs the perimeter so it’s really easy to get a good walk in. Every morning I see pretty much the same people and we exchange pleasantries, sometimes I stop to chat with a couple of people because they live on my street and we have gotten to know each other. Most of the time people walk past and say good morning, or say something nice or funny, and then they move on and so do I. However, there are some characters in this park and they don’t seem to have good boundaries.

Flashback to three years ago when we were still coming out of Covid, so people were not quite back in the gym yet full-time, and a lot of people in my neighborhood were walking around the perimeter of this park. Most of the time we would all walk the same direction and then somebody might say “OK let’s go the other direction”, and we would all turn around and go the other direction. There was a system and it worked quite well until this woman showed up who seemed to want to take control of things. She would get offended that we wanted to switch directions, or that the little groups that were walking together didn’t want to invite her to walk with them, and that people didn’t want to have long meaningful conversations with her and listen to all of her problems every morning. This woman began to harass people in the park, including myself. I started to walk through the neighborhood because I just did not want to start my day listening to this woman make passive aggressive comments in my direction because I told her that I just wanted to get a really good walk in with my dogs. This woman became so aggressive with someone one day that the police were called. This was the first of several times the police would be called to the park because this woman was screaming at people in the park. last July was the last time she harassed anybody because the police told her at that time that if they had to come to the park because of her that she would be taken away in handcuffs the next time. And that seemed to stop the harassing behavior for a while.

Fast-forward to about a year ago, I was down to just walking my younger dog because my older dog could no longer do the 3 mile walks. This other woman appeared in the park and she started trying to talk to everybody in the park just like the other lady. The first woman minded her own business for the most part, only talking to a few people who seemed to want to put up with her crap. The other woman was trying to talk to people, and she was getting the same response that the original woman who talks too much was getting, and she started to become angry one day. The original woman approached her and the two of them became fast friends and they started walking together in the park. That seemed to solve the issue of either one of them trying to talk to anyone in the park because now they have each other to talk to. Or so I thought…..

The two women seemed to get into arguments and then they would not speak to each other for days. And I am 100% positive that when the two women were getting along that the original woman told the second woman about me and how I told her just to leave me in peace. And the reason I know this is because the second woman started to make comments in my direction which I ignored. Until one day, right after I had to put my older dog to sleep, I was walking the younger dog in the park and she wanted to leap at the squirrels that were running in the grass, and I would have to pull her a little bit to get her to leave the squirrels alone. Apparently this infuriated both ladies, and the second woman who had only been walking in the park for a year came over and started yelling at me that I needed to quit jerking my dog around the park. First of all, I definitely was not jerking my dog around the park. I was pulling on her and asking her to come with me so she will leave the squirrels alone. And at the time this woman came up and started screaming at me my husband as we were on our way out of the park because there was too many squirrels, so we decided to walk through the neighborhood instead. This woman did not come up to me and say excuse me, or talk to me in a kind way at all. In fact, she came up and started screaming at me and telling me that I needed to put a harness on my dog, and I didn’t know how to walk my dog. She started to go off on me while blocking my way, and she would not let me pass. So I attempted to step around her and I told her, “Get the fuck out of my way and stop yelling at me you Crazy Bitch!!“ This caused her to hesitate for a second, but only for a second, and she got right back up in my face and got really close to me and started screaming at me and waving her finger in my face about putting a harness on my dog. My husband stepped in and told her to knock it off. And this woman replied that if he touched her, she was calling the cops, and then I told her that if she didn’t get the fuck out of my face, I was gonna call the cops on HER! This time she backed off and let me pass and as I walked past her, she called me a fat bitch. So I told her likewise you fat bitch. Ironically I am not overweight, but she is…… so I found it interesting that she said what she said. And I was a bit upset with myself that I responded that way because I am not like that at all. So my husband and I left the park and we went walking through the neighborhood. I did not walk in the park again for quite some time after that.

Fast forward a couple of months and I decided that I was not going to avoid the park anymore because of these two crazy ladies. By this time I had gotten another puppy so now it was back to having two dogs to walk, and I took my dogs and started walking the perimeter of the park again. The two ladies were still there and they were walking the perimeter and they were talking. I just made sure to know where they were at all times and avoid them. There were a few other characters in the park, including a man who walked his dog with a friend. As I passed the two guys, the man with the dog exclaimed that my dogs were so cute and he was wondering if his dog could say hi to them, so I obliged because I was actually trying to socialize the puppy who at this point was old enough to meet other dogs. The three dogs had a great time saying hi and this became a ritual every morning that my two dogs would say hi to the cute little Pomeranian. this seemed to infuriate the two crazy ladies.

After about two weeks of me being in the park again and me stopping to chat with the two men, and the dogs saying hi to each other, the lady who has been in the park for three years, started making passive aggressive comments behind my back as I walked, and she will call me a bitch and tell me she was going to kick my ass. I ignored her. And I did not want to leave the park because I did not want her to think that she could chase me out or that I’d even heard her. Every day it was the same, if I was still walking in the park when she arrived, she would come and find me and say passive aggressive things to my back as I walked. And I would ignore her. Then she started telling the two men that I was a big mean, nasty bitch, and that I had attacked her friend some months ago. And the way I know this is because the two men told me that, but they had been in the park that day that the woman had screamed at me so they knew the truth. These two women started to harass the men walking the dog, and seemed to want to talk about me all of the time. I avoided the park again.

Present day…… I have been walking my dogs in the neighborhood and avoiding the park unless it is a time of day when that crazy little group is not in the park. When I came back to the park, I noticed that the two women were no longer speaking, and it seemed to avoid each other. The two men with the dog told me that they had gotten into a huge fight, and when someone threatened to call the police, they both got their cars and left. So now they’re not speaking and they are avoiding each other. However, they both still talk to the men who walked the dog. Last week, the one who screamed at me told the men that she is afraid of me because I am a big bully. And I was thinking to myself I haven’t even been in the park, how am I a bully to you? So she takes off, leaving the park saying that I’m a big bully and that she can’t handle being in the park. The one guy with a Pomeranian tells me that he can’t handle the park politics. So I said, “Well tell that to the other two because I’m not talking to you about anything. I’m just here to say good morning.” And he said that apparently my presence in the park is causing a disturbance and he does not want to be involved. So I looked at the two men, and I was trying to think of something to say, but all I could think of was it’s so ridiculous that I haven’t even been in the park, and these two women are saying what they’re saying, and this guy is backing them up. So I guess now there’s a little group of bullies in the park…..the 2 crazy ladies and these 2 men.

And now I guess I will go back to walking through the neighborhood unless I get to the park early enough before the little group of bullies appear…… it’s so interesting how people twist things. This morning after the two women and the guy with the Pomeranian left, the other man came up to me, and he said that the two women have been telling the guy with the Pomeranian and all of these things about me. and I told him it’s absurd because I haven’t even been in the park for almost 2 months, and they don’t even know me. They don’t even know my name or anything about me. Apparently, the guy with the Pomeranian has been believing what they’re saying, and so now he’s offended by me. LOL! Well, OK then! And the man told me that the guy with a Pomeranian actually does get really offended very easily and that he has accidentally offended him and had to apologize. Well, I’m not apologizing for something I never even did. This shows how people can just make stuff up and believe some crazy narrative. Very interesting.

Okay then, tomorrow I will have a nice peaceful walk very early in the morning and avoid all the craziness 



My five favorite fruits

List your top 5 favorite fruits.

This is easy to answer because I love fruit. My number one favorite fruit would have to be a banana because you can do so many things with it like put it in a smoothie. And it’s nice just to eat it by itself or even make a banana and peanut butter sandwich.

My second favorite fruit is blueberries because they taste so good. And they’re a nice snack to have with nuts. Also good to put in smoothies and they are nice snack to have instead of candy.

My third favorite fruit would have to be raspberries because they taste really good with chocolate. Or they’re really good to eat by themselves.

My fourth favorite fruit would be grapes. It’s really nice to eat a handful of grapes on a hot summer night. Or they are great snack to eat with cheese and nuts.

And finally, my fifth favorite fruit would have to be watermelon. It’s so refreshing to eat on a hot day, and it tastes really good when you find the right watermelon. 

I Hate to be Asked What I do for a Living

What is one question you hate to be asked? Explain.

I don’t think that most people care if someone asks them what they do for a living. In fact, I think that most people probably like to talk about their job. However, in my case, when someone finds out what I do for a living, it can backfire. Thankfully no one really asks me what I do for a living very often.

There was one time where someone asked me what I do for a living and I have to admit I was amused by the response. I was at a barbecue that was being thrown by some friends. The party was a celebration for all of our kids who did karate together, so all of the karate parents and kids were there. Most of the parents I knew pretty well, but a few I did not know that well. One of the moms always did interesting things, and I had a few run-ins with her because she was one of those moms that thought her kids were the best at everything and she wanted to take control of the karate studio. She and other parents had some interesting interactions. Let’s just say she would fit right with any of the Real Housewives or Dance Moms. So, all of the parents were talking and somehow the conversation turned to what I do for a living. When the intense mom found out that I’m a psychotherapist her eye got big, and she said: “Oh wow, I do not know how to act now. I feel like you’re judging me”. And then she says: “I’ve done some really embarrassing things in front of you, have you been analyzing me??!!” And I laughed and before I could answer her, she said that she was going to get something to eat, and she ran away from me and avoided me the rest of the evening. LOL!!

Sometimes I get weird reactions like that, and sometimes no one cares, and other times people follow me around and ask me questions and ask my opinion about things. One of the top questions I get asked is: Are you always analyzing everyone? I always reply: “I can’t just go around analyzing people all of the time because that is exhausting. I just want to do things like everyone else. Plus, in order to analyze someone they need to tell me all about their life over time, and I don’t want to deal with that in my personal life. Unless you dance naked on the table with a lampshade on your head, I really don’t care what you do. But if you decide to dance naked on the table, I will definitely laugh at you”. And they always just kind of look at me and laugh nervously or laugh with me.

The Animal I Compare Myself To…

Which animal would you compare yourself to and why?

I hadn’t ever really thought about comparing myself to an animal, but I suppose if I were to compare myself to an animal, I would compare myself to a horse. And for those of you who know that I have horses and love them, you’re just laughing right now and nodding your head because of course what else would I compare myself to.

So, if I compare myself to an horse I suppose the similarities would be my determination matches a horse’ determination, and the need and want to be active and work hard. And on the other hand both a horse and I can be lazy and just want to lay around and eat. I have nice hair like a horse’s mane. LOL!!

But I would have to say that I am also like a Jack Russell Terrier too in that I can go all day like the Energizer Bunny, and I can have lots of enthusiasm about life, and I don’t really get tired, but at the end of the day I am done and crash, just like my two dogs.

My two JRT’s are pictured and I would have to say that my energy does often match theirs. Haha

My Store of Choice on a Shopping Spree

Where would you go on a shopping spree?

I have horses and I am always needing something for them, so my store of choice for a shopping spree would be what we call a tack store. The equipment such as saddle, bridle and other gear is called tack, originating from the word tackle which refers to equipment used for a specific activity, hence the name tack store or tack shop.

A tack store is where you will find just about everything you need for your horse, and usually there are clothes for the rider too. So, when I go to a tack store I might buy new riding boots, riding jeans, shirts etc or I might buy things specifically for my horse. Some tack stores sell jewelry with a horse theme, earrings etc. Many times I go to a tack shop and find cute shirts to wear, and I have bought some really nice earrings.

If I were to go on a shopping spree, can tell you that currently I need new halters for my horses, I could use some new jeans and t-shirts, and I always look at the saddle pads because you can never have enough saddle pads, and I am kind of a saddle pad junkie. LOL. Maybe I would pick up a new bridle which I definitely do not need, but I would buy one because why not. And I have horse shows coming up so I probably would buy some new shirts to use at the shows, and I actually need a new Stetson, so I would buy a new hat.

Pictured is my younger horse Max.

How Failure Has Helped Me

How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success?

Someone might ask me how can failure help me? I can tell you how failure helped me, and that was to show me the mistakes that I need to correct, and how I could do things better in the future.

Failure showed me how to get better at managing my time.

Failure showed me to how start small and work my way up to bigger things.

Failure showed me what I definitely do not want to do again, and what I would like to do for sure in the future.

And failure means that I tried something, learned from it when it did not work, and it means that I attempted something so I didn’t have questions about should I or shouldn’t I do it…… I did it, failed and now there are no more questions.

And now I can move on.

Starting Over

I started this blog a couple of years ago, and at first I was really enthusiastic about writing almost every day. I love to write, and I love to share my thoughts and experiences, so writing a blog has always been easy for me. But then….so many things happened…My father passed away and I was dealing with all that goes along with the death of a loved one. And then, our older house needed a lot of repairs, and we opted to just renovate it due to so many issues, and that renovation took up most of my free time, and I was still trying to work full time. So many things were happening, and the blog was one of the first things that got put to the side. But hopefully this time, even with life’s stressors and regular day to day life stuff, I can manage my time better and continue to maintain a consistent flow of writing.

Something else that I manage to start was a podcast, but again, I only recorded one episode because of all of the things that were happening in life, and I think I was trying to have expectations for the podcast that were too high. I think that I was trying have a recoding schedule that did not make sense to me, and I need to rethink how often I can manage to record a podcast. My end goal for the podcast is to not only have a platform where I can have an outlet to share funny things that happen in my life, but to also hopefully bring up topics that people can relate to. One day, I would like to be able step away from being in more of a therapist role, and take on my creative side, and probably integrate the two…..just have a mix of things that I am doing to keep it interesting.

Today’s excerpt is short and sweet only because I told myself that I would write something just to accomplish something and to get my blog back up and running again without too much pressure. And my theme for this week probably this month, is to manage the things in life that are important to me and not allow those things to become overwhelming that I give up.

I think the things to take away from reading (and writing) this excerpt today is to start small, especially when starting over, don’t have huge expectations, make it simple, and make it doable.

What Everyone Should Know

Everyone should know how to communicate effectively and how to listen. And I don’t mean listen to respond; I mean listen to hear and then see if a response is necessary.

I also believe that people need to learn how to be kind because so many people are no longer kind, and in fact, they are downright mean. People are no longer courteous and just go about their business without thinking about how their actions affect others.