First let me say welcome to day 16 of my 30 day blog challenge, WHAT??  Are you still with me?  If you are I will have to give you a medal.  Who knew when I started this challenge that the world was going to go crazy!!!  So I have been feeling a little out of sorts with all of this virus news.  The challenge post today was about, My Thoughts on Education.  I will get to that in just a minute. But first, my motivation.

I got up this morning and watched the news.  It was scary but it actually made me feel motivated.  A plan must be done for my workplace.  I think I have mentioned many times that I work at a tourist attraction.  We see approximately 150,000 people a year.  So of course with all the spring breaks going on around the country we are busy!!!

Now, do we act like business as usual and have all of our staff come in and proceed with the day as we usually do? or do we heed the warning of the CDC, our local government and President and practice this “social distancing” that we know we need to be doing?

So here was the plan: We started the day with reduced hours, this only pissed people off, we reduced the number of people being let into our attraction, this really pissed some people off, and finally we shortened tours.  This was just the final straw for most people and they were not happy.  It was easier to explain to people that we were closed than try to explain all the other.

I had a one hour conference call with about 20 other attractions that are in our southern area. I am so grateful for them.  After hearing their decisions, well most of them, to close their businesses it made our decision a little easier to just go ahead and close our attraction for a couple of weeks. We really hated to do it but felt it was the best all the way around.   No I do not get a two week vacation.

So needless to say, what a day!!!  I felt like I was a zombie going into my house, feeding the babies, walking the babies, feeding me, etc.  I think I was on auto pilot.  Calgon take me away!!!! (Only those of you who are old will know what I mean by that ha ha) I actually did a post about Calgon if you want to check it out here.

So here are my thoughts on education.  I believe that education is so important.  I live in a rural Appalachian area where education, unfortunately, is not always the most important or the most sought after goal.  I was actually 28 years old before I finished my college education.  I didn’t have money growing up, my parents didn’t have money to send me to college.  I had to work my way through and I did.  Sometimes working 40 hours a week and carrying 22 hours at school.  Oh and let me throw in there, I was newly married so I really didn’t have a clue.

I believe in getting all the education  you possibly can if that is what you want for you.  I have also seen many of my young employees not know what they want to do and go into college directly after high school, without a plan, and fail.  I think it sometimes takes age to know exactly what you want.  I do not regret being older and being in college.  It helped me to know exactly what I wanted or didn’t want to do.

I don’t think that everyone is meant to go to college.  There are wonderful trade schools out there.  Many people are happy with doing specialty classes and learning a trade.

So my thoughts on education are, use your judgement or let your child be able to make a decision that may benefit them for the rest of their lives.  If they truly feel that they are not ready to further their education, then they probably aren’t going to, and a lot of time and money will be wasted. But the true fact is, education is learning. Learning something every day. So never stop learning. Learning is powerful!!!!

My thoughts only,

Always remember,

Love your day your way!!!

Several weeks ago a storm came through our area and blew over a huge tree in our backyard.  It barely missed our deck and house.  We were very fortunate that nothing was damaged.  Shortly after the tree fell the rain set in and it rained off and on for days.  We did not have a chance to cut up the tree and get it out of the yard.

Just look at that!!!  This was the morning after the tree fell.

So as I said with rain and our jobs and everything, we had not had a chance to get the tree cut up and removed.  On Monday there was no rain and Mark did manage to get half of the tree cut.  I couldn’t  believe it when I got home and half of the tree was gone. But trying to cut the tree and the horrible vines that had grown around the tree, which was probably what killed it to start with, took him half the day.

So today Mark planned to get the rest of the tree removed.  I was very excited to help.  We just recently purchased a new electric saw.  Now I know you are probably having your doubts about an electric saw that has to be recharged but I am a believer.  The saw is an Echo and it takes a minimal amount of charging to be ready to go.

So this morning being Saturday I had my usual Saturday morning things to do.  I had to buy groceries.  Not because of the virus or anything but Saturday is my day to get groceries.  I also had a few other errands I had to get the mail, get gas, and put some air in one of my little bitchy tires that has a slow leak.  I will have to take it in on Monday but I am trying to wait until then.  I then went to the grocery store for groceries.  I was prepared for whatever I might see.  Maybe there would be no groceries left, maybe there would be no one at the store.  But no, things were as usual.  Now I will admit there was no tissue paper or paper towels but I wasn’t after those anyway.  As far as everything else it was pretty much business as usual.  I felt comforted by that.

Once I got home I grabbed a quick lunch and put on my work clothes and headed outside to help Mark with the tree. I was also dying to use the new saw.  It is AHHHHHMaaaazing!!!  You don’t have to pull a cord or anything like that.  You simply push a button and squeeze the release and it is ready to go. As I said I was skeptical about how long the battery would last but it lasted for several hours.  I was impressed.  I cut and cut and cut and cleared and pulled vines until my body was worn out.  The day was about 60 degrees and overcast.  It was a wonderful day!!!  Just what I needed to get my mind off of things. Physical work, physical energy, I so needed that.

But I am totally off topic my blog is supposed to be about 3 healthy habits, I am on day 14 of the 30 day blog challenge,  so here are my 3.

1. Get physical.  I cannot tell you how much I believe in this.  I am not saying I always do it but I totally believe in it and am at my best when I work hard and use my body.
2. Listen.  Listen to what your body is telling you.  Listen to what your loved ones are telling you.  Listen to what the world around you is telling you and learn to keep what you need and discard the rest.
3. Be True to Yourself.  Whatever  that may mean to you in your existence.  Eating well, living well, being well.  Be True to you.

So that is 3 healthy habits that I think are important.  How about you?  What do you think?

Always remember,

Love your day your way!!!

It is finally Friday.  Following along with my 30 day blogging challenge I was supposed to be blogging today about the contents of my refrigerator.  Well I’m not going to do that.  First of all I am not really sure what all is in my refrigerator and I think I would find that about as interesting as watching grass grow so I can only assume you would find it even less so.

This has been quite a week.  With the Coronavirus updates constantly, closings, the rush on tissue paper and hand sanitizer and every other scary thing it’s just been too much.  I feel exhausted just thinking about it.  I feel like I want to go to a remote area and just be for awhile.  Wait!!!  I do live in a remote area so that much is already taken care of.  But the constant threat and fear that is consuming the nation is growing and growing by the hour.  I am a christian and I have faith but it still doesn’t keep me from being concerned.
I am more concerned about the hysteria and loss of common sense by people than the virus itself.

I work at a tourist attraction.  Will we be shut down because of the amount of traffic we have coming and going?  If that happens how long may we be out of work?  How will this affect me and my co workers?  Who in our family will get the virus? how will they be affected?  Will regular medications be readily available?  My husband takes immunosuppressants will he have any problem getting those?  I know I am not the only one with these concerns there are literally millions of day to day concerns by everyone.

My mother in law lives in an assisted living center, it is currently on lock-down.  They are not allowing visitors. She doesn’t seem to be too upset by this yet.  I am sure if goes for much longer she will become very unhappy and agitated.  I am calling her everyday so that she will have a connection to us.  She doesn’t have a cell phone, she doesn’t face time or anything like that so I am sure she is feeling somewhat isolated. I do know however this is the safest things for the residents.

Along with all of the coronavirus issues it has been less than two weeks since the Tennessee Tornado that ripped through much of Tennessee, killing, wounding and leaving many many people homeless.  Volunteers are still working around the clock to get people back in their homes or relocated.  The area hardest hit was about 3 hours from where I live.  I see the faces on the news of the ones who lost their lives several of them were children.

So tonight I came home from work and snuggled my family I will just sit and enjoy being near them realizing how much I appreciate everything that I have.  My heart hurts for all that is going on.  I guess we will all just have to take it one day, one hour, one minute at a time.

So you can see that the contents of my refrigerator are not as important to me at this very moment. I’m sure they’re not to you.

Always remember

Love your day your way