Calling Cards

Macaroni and Cheese Isn’t So Bad

~ memeethemuse ~ 3 Comments

via The Ninth Life
Author: K.L. Register

macWho’s ever met a dentist who didn’t love to talk? Well there may be a few party poppers out there, but I’m certainly not one of them. While at the office, I absolutely adore talking to my patients about everything under the sun. There’s not many topics I can’t or won’t talk about. My patients and I indulge in daily conversations about life, travel, news, fashion, entertainment, sports, food, and let me dare not forget: teeth.

Well, a few days ago a patient and I were discussing foods that we each disliked. And anyone who really knows me knows there is one food I absolutely dislike the taste of: macaroni and cheese. So of course, I didn’t have a problem telling her that it was my least favorite food. And she didn’t bite her tongue responding back with, “Doc, you aren’t really Southern if you don’t like macaroni and cheese.”

“What?” My southern accent and southern ego had both been insulted.

Who could be anymore Southern than I was?

I was born and raised on a farm in the deepest part of Georgia. If you go any further South, well if you stayed awake in geography class, you already know where you would end up. Obviously she didn’t know that I had grown up along side chickens, hogs, and goats. Obviously she didn’t know I had tasted fruit from the trees of the Garden of Eden. And, yes the fruit was delicious! At that very moment, she had me questioning my own “Southern-icity.” (You didn’t recognize that word, did you? Yeah, I just made that one up.) After several hours of reflection, I did what any other normal person would do. I pulled out my laptop to do a bit of research. It was time to take this one to Facebook.

Login. Type. Post. Too late. It was done. Continue reading →

How Do I Survive the Weekend?

~ memeethemuse ~ 1 Comment

via Brighton Bipolar
about the author

Brighton Bipolar header

This weekend my husband and I are heading off with another couple for two days in France. Triggered by my recent depressive slump, they thought it would ‘Cheer me Up’ to get away for a short break.

Whilst I appreciate the thought, words can’t express how terrified I am.

I’m in a depressive phase, which means I have very little energy and sleep A LOT. My moods are cycling rapidly and can turn from anger or confusion to deep sadness in a very short space of time. Today I didn’t Wake up until 2pm and am still exhausted. It’s the need for sleep/lack of energy issue that causes me the most concern with this weekend trip.

I have to be up and ready to leave at 5am Saturday morning – lack of sleep tends to make all my other symptoms worse and the couple we are traveling with could end up facing some of my more ‘Antisocial’ behaviours. I’m also not sure it’s safe for me to be on the back of a motorcycle for hours on end when feeling dizzy, confused and exhausted.

What happens if I have ‘An Episode’? – Usually a long depressive phase like the one I’m in now culminates in a huge meltdown, which is not pretty. It’s been almost a year since my last Episode and I’m terrified that I’m due another any time soon. Whilst my husband has seen me through many of these breakdowns before I’m positive his friends don’t want to be saddled with a screaming, crying, hallucinating harpy literally punching and kicking anyone within arms reach. Although I wouldn’t normally hurt a fly, my Episodes can often be very violent towards those around me as well as myself.

What if my mood turns Manic? – When in the clutches of Mania I come across as the life and soul of the party, talking a mile a minute and making very dubious choices. People would describe me as ‘Fun’ and ‘Bubbly’ as I throw caution to the wind and take dangerous risks without fear. During Manic phases, I am invincible and my naturally flirtatious personality turns into Hypersexuality. Yes, I become a slut. I’m not proud of my behaviour when in the throws of Mania but at the time, I’m feeling great and function on instinct rather than rationality. Hypersexuality is one of the myriad symptoms of Bipolar but isn’t really talked about, the shame and embarrassment we feel about these moments isn’t something that’s easily shared.

What happens if I have ‘An Episode’? – Usually a long depressive phase like the one I’m in now culminates in a huge meltdown, which is not pretty. It’s been almost a year since my last Episode and I’m terrified that I’m due another any time soon. Whilst my husband has seen me through many of these breakdowns before I’m positive his friends don’t want to be saddled with a screaming, crying, hallucinating harpy literally punching and kicking anyone within arms reach. Although I wouldn’t normally hurt a fly, my Episodes can often be very violent towards those around me as well as myself.

What if my mood turns Manic? – When in the clutches of Mania I come across as the life and soul of the party, talking a mile a minute and making very dubious choices. People would describe me as ‘Fun’ and ‘Bubbly’ as I throw caution to the wind and take dangerous risks without fear. During Manic phases, I am invincible and my naturally flirtatious personality turns into Hypersexuality. Yes, I become a slut. I’m not proud of my behaviour when in the throws of Mania but at the time, I’m feeling great and function on instinct rather than rationality. Hypersexuality is one of the myriad symptoms of Bipolar but isn’t really talked about, the shame and embarrassment we feel about these moments isn’t something that’s easily shared.

I don’t want to disappoint my husband and his friends, but am terrified they may get a glimpse of ‘The Real Me’ behind the mask I put on daily. People often THINK they know what living with this condition is like but are nowhere near prepared for the reality. I’ve scared off friends and family before and have lost count of the times I’ve been referred to as ‘Crazy’ or ‘Psychotic’. It breaks my heart that I am so terrified of ‘Me’.

 

 

You Just Had a Baby

~ memeethemuse ~ Leave a comment

via Where My Heart Resides
Author:  Ashlee Gadd

To: myself, and anyone else who needs to read this.

Ashlee & Her Inspiration

You just had a baby.

I know your jeans don’t fit. It sucks. I know you tried on seventeen pairs at Nordstrom Rack last week and almost cried in the dressing room. I know you went to Gap after that and tried on fourteen other pairs and almost cried in that dressing room. I know the only thing you bought that day was a pair of sweatpants and a loose white t-shirt. It’s okay.

You just had a baby.

I know your to-do list is never finished. I know you’re worried about things like savings accounts and college funds and life insurance and making a will. You don’t need to do any of those things today. You’ll do them soon enough.

You just had a baby.

I know you’re trying to balance your dream job (which pays nothing, yet), and your regular job (which pays a little), and trying to figure out how to pay for daycare and how to find a daycare and how to not feel guilty about using a daycare. I know more than anything right now, you want help with your super active toddler who needs to run, run, run while you need to sit, sit, sit and breastfeed, again. It’s okay.

You just had a baby.

I know you’re trying to figure out how to cook meals that are not scrambled eggs and how to stop running out of milk at the end of the week and how to get your toddler to poop in the potty. I know you secretly just want 100 hours of babysitting so you can make a baby book and create a meal plan and go to Costco and organize your closet and shave your legs and write overdue thank you cards and clean off your desktop and cut your fingernails and vacuum every room and maybe, just maybe, watch a movie? With popcorn? And milk duds? It’s okay to wish for those things.

You just had a baby.

I know everyone is starting Whole30 and making 25 resolutions and setting goals and choosing One Word for the year. I know you’re eating peanut butter cups in the bathroom and making resolutions you don’t even think you’ll keep and trying to think of One Word that isn’t SURVIVE but it’s the One Word you keep coming back to because damn, this two-kid thing is hard.

I know you’re exhausted. And frustrated. And overwhelmed. And sleep deprived. And thankful. And grateful. And happy. And tired.

You just had a baby.

I know everything feels undone. I know being a grown-up sucks. I know your house is a mess. I know you have writer’s block. I know you feel behind. I know you wish you were superwoman. I know. I know.

But.

You just had a baby.

So, let’s stop pretending like that didn’t just happen.
And let’s give you some grace and permission.

You don’t have to answer every e-mail, every text, or every invitation that comes your way. You don’t have to keep your house clean or make fancy dinners this week or plan your family vacation for the year. You don’t have to take your toddler to the dentist or figure out how to save for college right now.

Let it be.

Eat a bagel. Heck, eat two bagels. Let your baby nap on your chest. Pretend to be a dinosaur with your toddler. Go to Target by yourself and look at all the things. Watch Parenthood and cry a little. Go to brunch with your friends. Rest.

You’re fine.

And when you go to bed tonight thinking of the 63 items left on your to-do list, feeling unaccomplished and disappointed in yourself, I want you to repeat after me.

I. Just. Had. A. Baby.

A baby!

Relax. You’re doing great.

Love,
Me.

☀ ☀ ☀ ☀ ☀

If you just had a baby, please visit Ashlee’s blog and let her know that this blog post helped you make it through your day! And, blessings, congratulations and happiness to you and that sweet bumpkin of yours! — Memee

Tweet: #Blogger Ashlee Gadd lovingly supports new mom's in today's calling card.

Trouble

~ memeethemuse ~ Leave a comment

via The Haunted Lullaby
Author:  Jarrod Champagne

Trouble is one of three winning poetry submissions for last month’s poetry party: How Do I Love Thee? It was submitted by The Haunted Lullaby blogger, Jarrod.

Image courtesy of: http://www.eyedoctorguide.com

I met a young lady late last night,

She was as brunette as she could be,

With the most piercing green eyes I’ve ever seen,

I extended my hand to ask her name,

With a snicker and a giggle she told me,

”Whatever you want it to be”,

I could sense it was all part of a game,

With a wink, she informed me if I had some money,

She would allow me to call her “honey”,

And with a wicked smile, asked me if I’d like to join her in a drink,

With a reach of my hand, she gave it a squeeze,

To me, she seemed like the ultimate tease,

With a sparkle in her eye and a smirk on her face,

She asked my story: where I came from, what I’ve done,

Things like, who am I seeing and what I hoped I would become,

When the drinks were gone and the talking done,

She slammed down her glass,

“I hope I see you again someday”, she whispered, with a little sass,

Turned and began to walk away,

As I watched the sway of her hips,

She turned once more puckering her red devilish lips,

A smirking grin spread across her face,

She squinted her gleaming emerald eyes at me,

And said her name was spelled “T – R – O – U – B – L –E. “

Trouble original poem © The Haunted Lullaby/Jarrod R Champagne, 2013-2015. All rights reserved.
Image courtesy of: Eye Doctor Guide
Trouble post: © Memee’s Musings/B.L. Memee, 2015-2017. All rights reserved.

Memee’s 1st Poetry Party a Poetic Success!

~ memeethemuse ~ 3 Comments

howdoilovethee trophyThat’s right, you read it in the title, #memeespoetryparties is a successful, once-monthly reoccurring event happening right here, at Memee’s Musings. You can participate by submitting your original theme-fitting poetry and/or vote for your favorite poem each month.

We had a great sampling of Love poems this month and Wow, I cannot believe the quality.  Each and every entrant claimed to be a novice, a new poet, but each and every poem was surprising, magnificent, real and heartfelt.  Whether it was about love of yourself, a family member, a love interest, be it the discovery of first love or the loss of your love, regardless of whether the love was good or the love was destructive each and every poem was truly meaningful and they all brought out true emotion in me as I read them.

I believe we all grew as writers, as poets, as bloggers, as humans and I know we each enjoyed reading the poems that were submitted alongside our own.  I hope each and every one of you enjoyed mingling and getting to know one another.  I sure am honored that all of you joined my event and I am inspired by the poetry each of you created!  I hope you will continue in joining me in the challenge of writing and appreciating poetry.

And for those of you who are reading this who did not participate, either through submission of an original poem or voting for the submissions I hope you’ll consider joining us in mid-March!

And now, on to the How Do I Love Thee Poetry Party door prizes!

In no particular order, the door prizes went to:

Jarrod, author of the blog, The Haunted Lullaby

Blair, author of the blog, People, Things, and life

Eloise, author of the blog, Tea with Ellie

Each of their winning poems will be published on this website as a Sunday Calling Card. The three winning poets are invited to be Sunday Callers (aka guest writers) for an original piece* for exclusive viewing at Memee’s Musings later this year. All of my party attendees had fun, enjoyed excellent feedback and gained exposure resulting in new followers.

*The original piece can be of whatever genre desired. Sunday Callers are featured every Sunday and the Calling Cards they leave behind are published not only on my website and on WordPress, but also on Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, Facebook and BlogHer.

The Real Keepers

~ memeethemuse ~ 3 Comments

via Words4jp’sblog.

♥

“We believe we hold their lives in our hands,
but
may the truth be told…
It is they who hold our souls in their paws.”

♥

♥

Dog Paw and human foot
Big Pee and Little Pee

To read more of Kimberly’s poetry please check out her blog: Words4jp’sblog

♥

Thank You Seattle from a Packer Fan – 55 (Orlando)

~ memeethemuse ~ Leave a comment

This was posted to Craigslist, Author unknown.

First of all what a great game yesterday. Both teams had their ups and downs and as a Packer fan I must say the end was not what I expected. The reason I am posting today is to let others know of the kindness shared to my 10-year old son by a 12-year-old girl from Seattle at the game. My son lost his best friend in the world last week after a short illness. He grew up with Boo from about one years old. Boo was my son’s dog, his best friend, the one who played with him, shared most all home meals with him and loved him no matter what. About 3 months ago Boo was just not himself and after a vet visit we all learned his time on Earth was very short. Well, Boo went to dog heaven last week and my son knew for the first time in his short life the feeling of losing someone you love. I was lost as how to help him heal, and out of nowhere a dear friend offered us two tickets to the game in Seattle. I got the tickets, bought the plane tickets and called a friend of mine in Seattle to see if we could bunk for the weekend. All was ready so I told my son. He was very excited and for a minute seemed to be doing better. Off we went and boy what a great time we had. Seattle is such a wonderful city and to see our much-loved Packers play could it get any better. Sunday arrived and off we went to the game. Great seats, loud, exciting, nothing better than this I thought. We were seated next to a large family of Seattle fans so what joy we were having kidding them as our Packers run off to a lead. My son was sitting right next to a young girl of 12. They talked and seemed to be having a great time. Well, we all know that the Packers played a great game, but a win was not to be had. After Seattle scored in overtime I noticed the young girl was crying and still sitting in her seat. Her father talked to her and gave her a hug. When we were leaving I asked the father if the girl was crying for joy by the win and to my shock he told me no, she was crying because she wanted the Packers to win because she knew my son had lost his dog and she thought he needed this more then she did. I kept this to myself on the flight home. While my son was having our dinner meal he looked at me and said he was glad that Seattle had won. I was surprised and ask him why. He looked at me and told me the girl sitting next to him had lost her cat to a dog attack only the day before and he wanted her to have something to help her feel better. Football will never be the same to me. So Thank You Seattle for the great game, and Thank You, God, for putting so much love for others to these two young people. Wishing Seattle only the very best but know the Pack Will Be Back!!!!!!!!

I have a dream