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My humorous thoughts about life.

"My Humorous and Helpful Thoughts About Teaching / Educational Resources for Your Classroom / Music and Random Fun"

Sunday, June 7, 2020

You are Not Alone #MotivationMonday

Motivation Monday


As Monday rolls around again, I'm tasked with giving you advice to motivate you; however, I'm struggling with motivation myself. There is so much trauma in today's world that many of us have a hard time focusing on what needs to be done. My post today is to tell you, that YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

I've seen people discussing failures in my health journey group as well as various
Art by Ron Leishman
other groups such as focusing in business and work. There are so many difficult situations reported in the news, and I confess to being a news junkie who listens to it all.

An analysis of today shows us that we are reliving not one but three difficult historical times, all at once. First off, we are flashed back to the 1960s. This was a time of racial turmoil when individuals fought for black rights. I have to wonder, are we any better than we were in the 1960s? I hope so. For one, many people of a variety of races in cities around the world have joined together as one voice. This is huge since the mistreated people are no longer alone in their protests. But we have serious trouble with police violence toward black people. Sensitivity training, social workers helping people in trouble, or something else must be done! Twelve nights of protests have brought about some change, but we have so much further to go. How do we get motivated to do anything with these bigger concerns? I don't know.

We also have many living like post 1929. This was a time when many have found themselves out of work or struggling to make ends meet. People who have never sought out help or thought they would ever join a food line have come forth for a bag or groceries or a bite to eat. Furthermore, our government sent one bailout check to Americans in need. But for many, this is not nearly enough. If you don't know how to pay your bills, you're probably not motivated. I understand.

Art by Ron Leishman
We are also fighting a pandemic, just as our grandparents or great grandparents fought in 1918. True that COVID-19 is different than the Spanish flu, but horrible, nonetheless. A main difference is the attitude about the disease that has killed over 110,000 people in our country. Many do not take this seriously because they do not believe the numbers are accurate or are convinced it is not a problem for them.

If you have no one close to you who has had the disease and hear only 1% or 2% of people die, maybe you think this is media hype, too. Please believe that being among the 20% with symptoms, and maybe even surviving, is no picnic, either. Back in March, my sister was sicker than she'd ever been in her life. We worried about her daily and wanted that text message or call telling us she was okay; however, there were some days when she was too weak to let us know about her health. Although  she recovered from the disease after over two weeks, her cough lingered. She also had trouble regaining her sense of smell. Even in her days of recovery, she felt like she had just finished a marathon. If someone you care about is ill, or you worry about people who are compromised, it's tough to be motivated to do anything.

For these reasons, it's hard for me to get motivated to do anything. Hopefully, you have more motivation than me. Also, please understand that YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

Monday Music Moves Me

The theme for this week's Monday Music Moves Me is songs that start with /J/. One song immediately came to my mind, especially in light of how the world is today and what we need. We actually saw these old men perform in Tunica, Mississippi several months back.

Here is "Joy to the World" by Three Dog Night. Did you know that a three dog night is a night that is so cold that you have to sleep with three dogs to stay warm?



Next up is "Jaded" by Aerosmith. People become jaded when bored or annoyed, which seems to fit a lot of us these days. We have had too much bad news, so here is "Jaded."




Finally, here is a song by the Eagles called, "James Dean." Dean was an actor, known as a rebel, who tragically died way too young in a car wreck. Since so many are feeling rebellious, I saw this J song as fitting with my theme.





Sunday, May 31, 2020

Black Lives Matter on #MotivationMonday and Music

Black Lives Matter

Yesterday, I saw a black man jogging through my neighborhood, and for the first time, I wondered if he was safe to do so. I thought about Ahmaud Arbery who innocently did the same in Atlanta and what I'd heard about a neighbor of mine who called the police on a worker because he was black. Each night, I watch images of the riots throughout the country due to a policeman kneeling on a man's neck even though he said that he couldn't breath. Why didn't the cop get off of him? Why would people come into a private home and start shooting? I've often felt confused about the injustice of different water fountains or people told to sit at the back of a bus, in the past, but we still have current ugliness that must not be tolerated.      

#blacklivesmatter #motivationmonday #teachersfollowteachers

Some people say that "All lives matter." Sure they do, but we don't need to be reminded about everyone. Police do not abuse white people. I am safe to walk down the street without being shot because of the color of my skin, so why even mention other lives when black lives are the ones in danger? 

Although I do not agree with violent protests, I understand the anger. It's like the Boston Tea Party or the expression, "The squeaky wheel gets the oil." Now, are people squeaking enough to make a change?

How about a bit of music?

First up is Bob Marley with "Get Up, Stand Up." These little kids are sooo cute!



Next up is Marvin Gaye with "What's Going On?"




And finally, here is John Legend with "Glory."






Sunday, May 24, 2020

Guest Blogger Hostess for Wellness

My daughter, Judy, sent me a great article that she wrote for a post. I am sharing it with you!

Guest Blogger

Hi everyone,

This Wellness Wednesday took me on quite an adventure. I wanted to do something fun and figured a wellness beverage could do the trick.  Little did I know the history of the smoothie in America is a complex story intertwined with scientific breakthroughs and counter-culture. (You got stuck with a history major for this Wellness Wednesday!)  The smoothie has been around in different cultures well before it made it to the US.  India has the lassi which combines mango, yogurt and spices for its treat. Additionally, with their plethora of tropical fruits, blended fruit drinks have been around in Latin America for a long time often referred to as “fruit slushes”  

The history of the “smoothie” is connected with the invention of the blender in the 1930s by  Stephen Poplawski. The blender was then perfected in 1935 by Fred Osius and called the Waring Blender. Osius claimed his machine would “revolutionize American drinks!”

The popularization of smoothies also relates to the start of  health food crazes and workouts popularized by Fred Lalanne. “Lalanne was the first person to open a combination health-food store and gym, the first to come up with a weight loss breakfast meal replacement drink and to advocate weight training and nutrition.”

But I know the most important question, and what brought along this research project in the first place is *drumroll* where did smoothies get their name!?

Steven Kuhnau opened his first Smoothie King in Louisiana in 1973. Kuhnau was lactose intolerant and felt a little jealous he couldn’t enjoy a milkshake like his friends. He decided to create a yummy beverage that was safe for his sensitive stomach. “Kuhnau didn’t invent the name. He just branded it, [he said] the first time he heard the word was in reference to fruit and fruit juice based drinks made by “hippies” in the late 60’s. Prior to Kuhnau’s “Smoothie King”, the name “smoothie was used to describe everything from women’s bras and girdles, to ball point pens, car paint and machinery. There was even a band named “The Smoothies”! It wasn’t until Kuhnau opened his health food store and called his drinks “smoothies”, to appeal to the already health conscious hippies who knew what the term meant, that the name took off.”  

So as the weather gets warm and we start looking for some healthy treats, the smoothie drinkers in the fund development team would like to share our favorite smoothie recipes with you! Cheers! Feel free to send photos of all of your concoctions  J
Rainbow Smoothie | The First Year
The Logan:
½ cup OJ
1 cup frozen berries
Handful of spinach
1 whole banana

The PJ Baytarian:
1 cup soy milk
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 banana, broken into chunks
14 frozen strawberries
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar

The Judy (inspired by the Anna at Beyond Juice):
½ cup blueberries
½ cup of strawberries
½ banana
Coconut water
Squirt of lime juice
Scoop of peanut butter
A dash of Orange Juice
(honestly my measurements are guesstimates, use your best judgement!)


To read more on the fascinating topic, check out some of my resources J

Stay safe and healthy and enjoy this beautiful weather today. J

Judy Lansky
Director of Corporate Initiatives
Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan

G.I

Musical Monday Moves Me

Musical Monday's theme is flowers, so I'm posting a classic. There is no flower song more beautiful than the Waltz of the Flowers by Pyotr Ilyitch Tchaikovsky. Tchaikovsky was one of the best composers of all times, so I'm sure you've heard this one, even if it was on an episode of The Munsters. LOL! I'm curious to see if anyone else chooses Waltz of the Flowers for this theme. I hope you enjoy this classic!