Tell all Tuesday

Today is Tell all Tuesday here at the Diva Journals!  I’m getting a little more personal and sharing a tiny secret; my vice is I am obsessed with Corner Bakery Cafe.  Now it’s not for the pastries and bread, the pasta, sandwiches or homemade soups (even though they too are super good) but for their doggone COFFEE!  There! I said it!

I have managed to position myself near a corner bakery if I’m home or at work; if I’m just out and about I have googled the closest location.  If there is a meeting at work, I have my mouth under the cardboard coffee carafe (well not really, that would be extremely gross) (but once everyone has theirs and they don't want seconds....) If I’m traveling out of town, I’m looking to see if one is near.  At my favorite one, one of the servers have seen me and my family members so often she now knows the gender of all five of my grands…okay the ages too.  It’s a problem, I know it, I like it! 

What can I say!  In the words of Stockard Channing in the movie Grease, “there are worse things I could do!” 

Hey, I got issues but you got em too!

Enjoy your Tuesday! Make it terrific

Image from Corner Bakery catering

Motivational Monday

Can you hear me back there?  Is the mic on?  Yeah?  Okay!

Hey yawl, Glad to see you, glad you’re here, glad I’m here with you.  It’s Motivational Monday at The Diva Journals, and the message we have today is: Take your dreams seriously and work hard to achieve them. 

Some of us are walking this earth with dreams worth more to us than sleep, but we are also walking this earth with dream killers walking alongside us disguised as friends or people who care for you; you know the ones whose fears have killed their dreams and hopes so they under mind your dreams and goals instead of helping you achieve and celebrate them.   

Let me be clear, crystal clear in fact! And please, please, please understand this: 

📣 your dreams are important, so please take them seriously.  Did you hear me?

Remove yourself quietly, or bold and loudly if you prefer, from dream killers.  Continue to wake up with determination, continue to dream big, and dare yourself to fail. And anyone who is not in your corner and does not wish to see your dreams come into fruition, then do yourself a huge favor and separate the BEST from the rest!

Happy Monday!  Be motivated. 

5 Fun and interesting facts

Fact. The first oranges weren’t orange.  In Southeast Asia the original oranges were a hybrid of tangerine and pomelo (a large green citrus fruit similar in appearance to a grapefruit). Hmm hybrid food.  Should I leave it right there? I think I will.

Fact. Q is the only letter of the alphabet that doesn’t appear in any U.S. state name.  Not a one! 

Fact.  Peanuts are not nuts, they’re legumes! ooohhhhkkkkkk

Fact.  Octopuses lay close to 56,000 eggs at a time.. Whoa.  And get this the mother doesn’t eat for six months because she’s protecting her eggs; she’s one helluva mum!

Fact. The Pope can’t be an organ donor!  Per the Vatican, because the Popes body belongs to the universal Catholic Church the Pope’s entire body must be buried intact.  In-ter-resting.

For these fun facts and more visit Reader’s Digest 100 Fun and Interesting Facts.

Change.

Creature of habit.  That’s how I would describe myself and my routines.  I always find what works, and I do the same thing in the same way for as long as it works.  Problem with that is change is a constant in life and I should become better at embracing it so that I can continue to excel and learn something new.  Sounds good?  Yea I didn’t think so either! It’s not so much that I don’t like change or the transition, I don’t like the dummy period; that time when a change has taken over and you don’t know jack about what’s happening, how to deal with it or live with it.  

Once I conquer that period I’m sure I can become a great agent of change.

With all that being said (whew) I had to change my hair care/upkeep regimen.  I fell prey to the myth that shampoo and conditioner that I’ve used for years were fighting against my hair and my hair in retaliation, developed a tolerance to it, and that was the cause of all my hair problems. Not true, what is true, is my regimen had to change for my hair care products based on other things, like my excess exposure to elements, my scalp conditioning and dehydration, and some needed dietary changes.  So, I had to enter the dummy period, which made me nervous about …. Dun-Dun-DUUUUN!!!! change.

You all wouldn’t believe how long I’ve been researching; reading review articles, product labels, and watching videos on hair products, causes of ailments, foods!  (if you knew me, you wouldn’t be surprised at all).  But hey, now because I have studied and looked closer at me and my situation, I’m armed with my info and I’ve made an informed decision/investment and change didn’t hurt at all.  

“A lot of people resist transition and therefore never allow themselves to enjoy who they are, embrace the change, no matter what it is; once you do, you can learn about the new world you’re in and take advantage of it.” -Nikki Giovanni

I say whatever it takes to get you to a higher level, do it. Do it afraid.  Just do it. 

I changed those hair care products by the way, and because I did, more and more changes came up for me and I went along with what is to become my new regimen.    You ever had those times in life?  Drop me a line or two in the comments below, and let's all become bosses in the process of starting something new.

Life.

Life.  Let's talk about it. This remarkable thing that wields us into motion.  So much force and control at times, then again so loving and gentle.  If given a chance, it teaches us to grab hold of it and run with it, instead of chasing it, take care of it instead of abusing it because we only get one.  We only get one.  We only get one.  

Life pushes us into existence.  It takes us from a structural cell to a vital and functional being.  It stimulates, gives us the ability to reproduce, to transcend, to release, and to evolve. All of that.

Life has been referred to as being the shortest thing we'll ever have.  “Life is short” is what people say when, motivation is needed to live more fully, or when death strikes, but I feel, life is the longest thing you’ll ever have.  Think about it. What do you have that’s longer?

But what if life was something else?  

Like backwards? 

What Tina? 

Don't freak out, ride with me for a minute.

One day while reading, (avid reader of all things good) I stumbled across Urban Dictionary.  On their site, a writer that only went by “J” posted on August 13, 2004 the following about life: 

“The most unfair thing about life is the way it ends. I mean, life is tough. It takes up a lot of your time. What do you get at the end of it? A death! What's that, a bonus?!? I think the life cycle is all backwards. You should die first, get it out of the way. The you go live in an old age home. You get kicked out for being too healthy, go collect your pension, then, when you start work, you get a gold watch on your first day. You work forty years until you're young enough to enjoy your retirement. You drink alcohol, you party, and you get ready for High School. You go to primary school, you become a kid, you play, you have no responsibilities, you become a little boy(girl), you go back, you spend your last 9 months floating with luxuries like central heating, spa, room service on tap, then you finish off as an orgasm!!  Uff.. Now that’s what life should be!!”

Well then. Now think on that. What if life was lived in reverse?  J! whoever you are!  You might be on to something!  At least you gave me a good ole belly chuckle.  

Wednesday's Words of the Week

Hey Peeps, It's Queen She Known as Me here with some Wednesday Words of the Week. 

Hyperbole

hy·per·bo·le

noun

exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

Synonyms: exaggeration, overstatement, magnification, amplification  

Hypnosis

hyp·no·sis

noun

the induction of a state of consciousness in which a person apparently loses the power of voluntary action and is highly responsive to suggestion or direction.

Synonyms: mesmerism, hypnotism  

Integrity

in·teg·ri·ty

noun

the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.

 Synonyms: honesty, uprightness, probity, rectitude,  

Irony

i·ro·ny

noun

the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.

Synonyms: sarcasm, dryness, causticity, sharpness  

What'cha Reading?

A Diva checking in on her online journal just to be nosy and to see what good reads are out there.

Diva's and Gents!  Happy Friday!  Queen She known as Me here and I want to know what'cha reading!

I think I told you, I'm an avid reader and I love all things readable; I mean I could read the label off the back of a small fry at McDonald's and feel like I've been enlightened.  Seriously.  I'm that kind of  reader.  

I wasn't always like this, in fact it was a struggle for my mom to get me to read.  I would write in journals all the time, but reading I only wanted to do when necessary.  Hindsight, this made absolutely no sense at all, but hey, I am who I am. Mom did the same with my baby sister as she did with me; took us the library, preached literacy, (and good handwriting) (another blog post) because she has always been a reader.  Don't know what happened with me, but my lil sister, well one word comes to mind when I think of her...INGENIOUS!  

Of all the literary genres, self- help materials are my least favorite, but I'm reading one now that's different from the "stand in front of the blackboard teaching" self help materials that I'm accustomed to, plus it's just plain ol hilarious.You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life  by Jen Sincero.   Having a great time thus far moving on through it.  

Drop me a line below in the comments and let me know what you're reading, or suggest a good read for this journaling Diva!