thefouramigosblog

Who is your favorite historical figure?

She along with Susan B. Anthony were the leaders of the suffragette movement in the United States.

She was an activist in the 1800s long before women even had the right to vote.

She was also an abolitionist, fighting for freedom from slavery.

Why I admire her is that she was the foundation of Women’s rights which started a trend toward giving women the right to vote and also no longer being property of their husbands.

She was married and had seven children but still fought for Womens freedom. I probably should give kudos to her husband for supporting her and he was also an abolishionist.

She wrote several booksmost notably the History of Woman Suffrage.

She died in 1902 but all her children were educated and continued with her activism.

Write about your first crush.

Actually, I believe my first crush was when I was really young, maybe four or five, and he was a friend of my father’s. Not anything sordid. He wasn’t inappropriate but I remember I was always happy when he was visiting.

I had three siblings and they tended to be out in the spotlight. But this man, Jim Morrison, not the Jim Morrison spent time with me. He noticed me. He talked to me. So was that a crush? I don’t know. I just know I loved him.

What countries do you want to visit?

Now the question should be what countries haven’t I visited? I’ve been traveling since retirement 9 years ago. We’ve been around the world twice.

However, we have not been to India, China or Russia. They are big spots on my world map. I’d like to go to India but not sure about the other two. Although both have many things beautiful for the traveler to see.

I am going to Iceland in two weeks. That’s a bucket list item.

I still have to venture into Austria and Germany. They will be next year.

So still some places I want to travel to if my health and mobility hold up. That’s always key.

But things like climbing volcanoes I think I’m finished with. As well as ancient ruins, After Olympia, we decided we had enough rocks.

There’s also a few places in Canada I’d like to visit by train such as Lake Louise. If you’ve never been to Quebec City, give it a try. It’s like being in Europe but not so far.

And on the homefront, I live in Florida and haven’t explored the West Coast. That I plan to do in the fall, barring any major hurricanes.

Traveling is my passion and there are still so many adventures to be taken.

What’s your favorite thing about yourself?

When I was younger I would have had a difficult time answering this question. I was fraught with negativity about myself. My looks, my hair, my personality, my voice. I hated it all.

As I grew older and I worked on my self-esteem I learned to care about myself. I went from hate to not bad.

Now I look at myself and say I love me and all of me. So what is one of my favorite things?

I’m a really good listener. I pay attention. What people say is important to me. I read their body language. I read expressions. I ask questions. By listening to others, I tell them, “You matter!”

I notice that many people don’t listen. Often they are just waiting their turn to speak. Sometimes not even that. Sometimes they interrupt. Often they are thinking what they will say and not hearing what was said. So listening is a very good quality. It’s something to work on if you don’t have it.

Sitting down with a person over a cup of coffee and truly listening is a heartwarming event. Try it!

How do you want to retire?

I had several careers in my lifetime. Not just a change of jobs but a change of what I did.

I started out after high school as a secretary. I went to college and became a communication specialist, in general, a writer of articles, brochures, speeches, and whatever.

Then I became an addictions counselor and opened a treatment facility.

Then I retired. And I love it. My husband and I travel everywhere. We have a map on our wall with pins showing where we’ve been.

If I want to go to work, I’m sure I can find something but for now, retirement has been all that it’s cracked up to be!

What’s the oldest thing you own that you still use daily?

It’s a simple little book. It’s not an antique. It’s not even 50 years old. But it’s something I read out of every morning with my cup of coffee. It has comforted me. It has brought me insight into life. It has given me things to think about on a daily basis.

Describe one of your favorite moments.

Wow! This is a motivation for deep reflection. I’ve had many moments over a lifetime.

Starting as a young child, a mime t that I sat in fear in the classroom knowing I had failed the exam, only to be handed back a paper with an A. The fear faded away replaced by exhilaration throbbing through my being.

The moment my daughter was born not out of joy that she was alive and healthy but that the ordeal was over. It was so funny the doc asked, “Don’t you want to know the sex?” Over 40 years ago you didn’t know the sex.

Marrying my second husband with all our children around us. It was a warm and tender moment for me.

I can go on and on. Special, sweet moments with those I love. Moments when I felt confident in myself. Moments when the beauty of nature was so inspiring that it left me awestruck.

Life is but a collection of special moments to be cherished and brought to the surface as reminders of how lucky I am to be alive.

What notable things happened today?

I just woke up! I guess that’s notable. The sun perked out for the first time in days. That’s notable.

I live in sunny Florida and it’s rained and rained and rained for days. Streets are flooding. Ponds are flooding. So sun for the few moments I saw it was amazing.

Now I’m blogging as I drink my coffee – not so notable since I do it every day.

I finally booked my plane fare to England in July. No points or miles. I have to build up my reserves. I spent more than I usually do and we are traveling in economy. What’s notable about all this is I usually get a better deal. Oh well. The flight to England is direct. That’s a plus.

Has anyone traveled to Iceland? That’s where the ship goes. I’m looking for ideas about what to do.

Anyway, enough of my stream of consciousness! Onto my day!

What are you passionate about?

So many things to be passionate about when you are into living your life fully. But living life fully means there is chaos and confusion. How do you deal with that?

That is my passion now. I love the peace where when I was younger I thrived on the chaos. I have learned when the chaos is fast approaching I no longer put on my armor and prepare for war. I gently sit back, still my mind, reflect on positivity and the storm will pass.

I’ve learned that life is always filled with ups and downs and ins and outs weaving through the fabric of my being. It is not that this stops happening but that I learned to change my perception of things.

Instead of looking at it as bad, awful, life altering I look at it as life altering in a positive way. I learn to sit and be still. Such a hard concept in the younger me.

So passion, many passions but maintaining my peace is the most important for balance in my life.

What is your favorite season of year? Why?

I live in Florida so for those who know Florida, especially South Florida, its summer all year long.

We may get a peak at spring or a touch of autumn, but mostly it’s summer.

So I travel to places to see the four seasons but I live in only one. And maybe that’s why I love them all.

I love the changing of the leaves and the smells of sweet apple cider and pumpkin pie.

Then we have winter. I do miss a fireplace and curling up cozy and reading a book. Or playing outside in the snow. What I don’t miss is shoveling or driving in it or watching it turn black on the side of the road. This was a glacier in South America in the Chilean Fjords.

Of course, spring is beautiful with all the plants in bloom. Tulips are my favorite and this photo was taken. In Holland at the Keukenhof Gardens.

And summer fun which is my year-round season. However, this was Biondi Beach in Australia.

So yes I love all the seasons if I can visit them!