Category: weekendcoffeeshare

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Please! Come on in to my writing studio and join me for coffee, tea, or hot chocolate! It’s cold this morning – in the 30s. It has finally gotten cold here in the Ohio Valley. I think most of us here are welcoming a bit of normal weather for this time of year. I always welcome some cold in this age of global warming. It kills the bugs that would plague us in the spring. We will have a hard freeze tonight, I suspect.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that I have my normal selections of coffee and tea to offer you, including chicory coffee and green teas. I also have, as something new for you, matcha green tea which I received as a gift this week. I would love to share it with you. Are you familiar with matcha? Matcha is a specially grown tea. It is grown in the shade for just three weeks and then ground into a fine powder. It is sort of a Zen thing as it supposedly calms the mind. But, the interesting thing about matcha is that it has unparalleled health benefits. One cute is equal to 10 cups of regular green tea. It is packed with antioxidants and nutrients. Check it out! Please let me make you a cup!

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If we were having coffee, I would tell you that it has been an interesting and disturbing week in the United States because of our Presidential election. It was a contentious election and campaign. Many people are very happy with the outcome. My hope is that they knew exactly what they were voting for in terms of policy. Almost as many people were very disturbed at the outcome of the election. Those of us who are fearful of what could happen have to keep an eye of things and organize into groups that can lobby for our positions, such as women’s rights. I think we all realize that the international community thinks the U.S. has lost its collective mind and I’m not sure they are wrong. I find myself in a wait and see mode. I will try to keep all of you up-to-date here and with my blog postings, though I won’t post about politics very often.

If you are wondering about Americans leaving the country and relocating, I would say that many feel like I do – they will take a wait and see attitude. No one wants to abandon America. It depends on how untenable things become…..if they do. If we see any signs of the rise of Fascism at all, we will leave the country in droves, I am confident. Not all of us necessarily to Canada. There are other countries that would be attractive. Younger people would stay and fight but older people…..it would be hard for us to do that.

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If we were having coffee, I would tell you that Veteran’s Day was also this week. So many Americans had family members who fought in one war or another, from World War I through World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Desert Storm, and all the Iraqi/Afghanistan conflicts. I think Veterans’ Day meant something to all of us.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that I find myself thinking about Eastern Kentucky today. They voted, almost exclusively, for a man who has threatened to take away services they depend on, such as Medicaid. He also promised to bring back coal mining, a promise that there is no way he can keep because that industry is dying.

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If we were having coffee, I would tell you that I’ve spent the week writing. I’ve written many posts for this blog but I have also spent time working on my novel. For those of you also working on a novel, I have found an excellent novel writing program. If you are going to write a novel of around 80,000 words or so, the file on Microsoft Word just gets too big and difficult. It becomes too unwieldy to move scenes around. There is a program for those using a Windows-based computer called yWriter that helps you keep everything in order. For Apple computer users, the best novel writing program is Scrivner. You can download both off the Internet. I’m currently learning how to use yWriter. If you are using yWriter, get in touch and we will figure it out together!

To all the American writers. Regarding the Trump administration. Remember that we can write…..and write and write and write. There is power in the pen if we see this administration going off the rails.

I hope all of you have had a good week! Back to writing. Please come for coffee/tea/hot chocolate next week! #amwriting #amblogging #writing #coalmining #EasternKentucky #realDonaldTrump

*This blog post is sponsored by parttimemonsterblog.com

Thanks, Diana!

#weekendcoffeeshare 11/12/2016

Posted in Appalachia, Drug abuse, Poverty, The Economy, weekendcoffeeshare

#weekendcoffeeshare 11/5/2016

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

Continue reading “#weekendcoffeeshare 11/5/2016” →

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Good morning, everyone! It’s good to see you this Saturday morning. Won’t you please come in and join me for coffee. I also have tea for my fellow tea lovers. You can choose from regular or decaf coffee. I can offer you arabica or if you really want a kick, robusta. I would be glad to make you an expresso. I have black flavored tea which is delicious – hot cinnamon spice. I also have the green tea equivalent in both regular and decaf. You will love it. I happen to have a little special tea today. It is called Pur-reh and it is an ancient Chinese fermented tea with a very earthy taste. Please help yourself!

If we were having coffee today, I would share with you that my writing studio is basically finished! It was hard work, but it is ready to start the month of November and NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month. Of course, I’ll also be blogging from there. So, I’d like to share a few pictures with you because some of you have asked for them. Here goes:

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A big desk with computer equipment although not all has been moved in yet.

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A bookcase waiting on its books.

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The writing studio’s mascot, my dog, Betsy, lying on MY comfy couch.

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Every writing studio needs a rocking chair, sitting beside an old-fashioned heater.

So there you have it – the bare bones of my writing studio, though there is nothing “bare bones” about  my dog! Soon, it will have books and papers stacked all over it and Betsy will be lucky to find a place to nap. Right now, I am just focused on doing some outlining of my novel and getting ready to start characterization and writing in earnest, aiming for a first draft by early December.

I hope others of you are going to participate in NaNoWriMo! It will be a busy month. Thanks for taking my tour! #amwriting #amblogging #writing #NaNoWriMo

*This post was sponsored by Diana, at http://parttimemonsterblog.com

Thanks, Diana!

 

 

 

#weekendcoffeeshare 10/29/2016

Posted in Lifestyle, Uncategorized, weekendcoffeeshare, Writing

#weekendcoffeeshare 10/22/2016

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

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If we were having coffee today, I would be so excited to see all of you! I would want to know what is happening in each and every one of your lives. I feel like I’m getting to know so many of you and I’m interested in what’s going on with you. We are quite a community, I think!

If we were having coffee, I would offer you regular coffee or decaf along with regular tea or decaf. You would have your choice of green tea, black tea, or oolong tea. Sometimes, I switch over to oolong as it is a nice change. I have an excellent green tea from China that some of you might enjoy. I have a strong Russian black tea that is serious business if you really need a jolt this morning.

I also have an excellent chicory coffee as I know some of my guests love chicory or you can choose from several blends of coffee including a maximum strength or a lighter breakfast strength.

I have added hot chocolate as it is getting cool here where I live. Please pour yourself whatever pleases you. We’re having our beverages in my dining room today. Please join me!

If we were having coffee today, I would tell you about the project of converting my sunroom to my writing room. It is almost finished and I am now in the decorating phase. My biggest challenge was heating and cooling but I was able to solve that problem. I still have the issue of window coverings. RIght now, I’m only using window shades, but I want something more insulating and decorative than that. Does anyone have any ideas? If you do, please let me know in your comments and I appreciate it!

I was able to fit a small bookcase in my new writing room. That’s where I will put all my dictionaries and other books on writing. Sometimes, I still like to consult hard copy books. I had to have another electrical circuit put into the room due to the high electrical usage in there. Not only will there be more than one computer operating at the same time, plus a lot of lights, but also a pretty powerful electric heater in the winter and a window air conditioning unit in the summer.

I’m concentrating on artwork for my writing room. I’m using some funky and odd things I’ve picked up. My friend gave me a beautiful shell coaster for my tea. I’m also using pictures I have edited myself, then had them printed and framed. Most of these pictures have been taken during my travels. I’m gradually looking for pictures I took in Europe during my visits there.

I’m thrilled that I’m actually going to be able to have some plants in my writing room. My house is dark since I live in the forest but the writing room is filled with natural light. I know I want a beautiful Boston fern hanging over a window. Any suggestions for more hanging plants or a nice plant to sit on top of my desk? The room gets morning sun. I would love it if you would give me suggestions in the comments.

That’s all that has been going on with me. I would love to hear what is going on with you. If you have suggestions about plants for my writing room or window coverings, please let me know in the comments. Thank you!

I’ve so enjoyed having you for coffee. Please come back next week! #weekendcoffeeshare #writing #amblogging #amwriting

This post is sponsored by Parttimemonsterblog.com

Thank you, Diana!

Posted in Eastern Kentucky, Travel, weekendcoffeeshare, Writing

#weekendcoffeeshare 10/15/2016

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

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My friend, Jenn, is back from vacation and she is coming for coffee this Saturday morning. Since we are having coffee, I’d like to invite all of you to join us! It’s still warm in my part of the world (global warming) so we’ll have our coffee and tea on the deck. I see Jenn pulling in the driveway right now. Let’s all go out on the deck. I have all kinds of coffee and tea, including decaf, for you to choose from. I even have a new green tea some of you might enjoy.

“Hello, Jenn! It’s so good to see you. Help me carry out these trays! I hope you had a great vacation!”

“Hello,” Jenn says. “Yes, we saw Greece and Turkey. It was an awesome trip. Very romantic for my husband and I. When I have my pictures, I will tell you all about it. What’s been up with you?”

“It’s been a good week, Jenn. I’ll tell you about it.”

It’s always a good week when you get to spend time with friends. I was able to have lunch with a friend at a good restaurant in Lexington one day this week. They had the best food and it’s always so nice to see Pam. After lunch, Pam had things to do and I had shopping to do. I visited a couple of my favorite stores. I have to replace winter clothes and made a trip to the mall and some other spots. Even shopped for some girly stuff like makeup, perfume. I hadn’t done that in a long time since I usually shop online. Betsy, my little dog, was being groomed by my friend, Anne, while I shopped and she looks beautiful now.

The next day, Pam, Janet, and I went to Keeneland which is always so much fun. I wrote a  blog post about that so I won’t repeat it all here. I could go to Keeneland every day and enjoy it!

The rest of the week, I have been getting ready to take a little trip this coming week. Just a short trip but I really need it! I’m going to Virginia Beach for a few days and will be leaving on Monday. I’ve been to a lot of the beaches up and down the East Coast of the US but I’ve never been to Virginia Beach. So, a friend and I decided, just on the spur of the moment, to take a few days off from life and drive to Virginia Beach while it is still warm.

I think we’re mostly going just to get away, walk on the beach, and sit and look at the waves and the horizon. We’ll probably do a little sightseeing but we haven’t decided exactly what we’ll see yet. We’ll just do serendipity and go and do whatever pleases us at the moment. We were lucky because we were able to get an oceanfront hotel room!

I have been amazed because we heard so much about how Hurricane Matthew damaged Florida and the Carolinas but we heard nothing about how Hurricane Nicole, which almost wiped out Bermuda, impacted Virginia! I’ve heard no news coverage of that at all. The concierge at our hotel told me that they had water in some of the guest rooms, a lot of wind, beach erosion, and even a road closed. The hurricane was hundreds of miles off the coast. Lucky for us, the hotel has been able to get everything repaired so we can go on with our visit. We’ll be back at the end of the week. I’m really looking forward to the trip!

I’m making excellent progress on getting my sunroom converted to a writing room. After I return from Virginia Beach, it will only take another week to get it ready to go, if that. We’re working on the heat and air conditioning. I have the furniture, some of the art work, some tapestries for an extra dose of warmth, and I’m still on the fence about window coverings. I want the windows as open as possible but I also need to be able to cover them when necessary with something insulating. If anyone out there has a suggestion, please send it along!

I’m really excited because I plan to spend the remainder of 2016 writing my book in my writing room. I hope to have it completed by the end of the year and off to the publisher.

I don’t usually do much for the holidays, so while everyone else is doing the holiday thing, I’m going to just write. The holidays have been a down time of year for me for years since I lost my parents at Christmas and don’t have much family left. Writing will bring me comfort this year. I usually just sort of suffer through it and pretend I’m in the holiday spirit even though I’m usually not. I’ve also had some other problems this year and I’m trying to deal with those. Problems make the holidays difficult so I’m hoping to avoid that.

That’s about all that’s been going on this week except I think everyone is worried about this crazy Presidential campaign that we have going on and what the outcome will be. The second debate was disturbing. Who knows about the third debate?

Maybe, Jenn, next weekend, we can share vacation pictures and I’ll tell you about Virginia Beach! I’ll hope to see you next Saturday, along with all my friends who read this blog! Have a great week, everyone! #amwriting #amblogging #writing #VirginiaBeach #Keeneland #travel

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Posted in weekendcoffeeshare, Writing

#weekendcoffeeshare 10/8/2016

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

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Good morning! How are all of you this morning? I would like to invite you in for coffee or tea? I have Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, regular roast, breakfast roast, and chicory. I also have tea. Hot cinnamon spice, apricot, Paris, and several flavors of decaf. Just take your pick! I would love to hear about what you have been doing this week.

A couple of things have been going on with me. I’m setting up a writing room for myself as I am working on a novel. The writing room is going to be in my sunroom. It is only in the planning stages right now but I hope it is ready within the next month. It will have my big knotty pine desk facing outward toward the windows so I can have the view of my beautiful backyard and the forest. My sunroom is surrounded by windows. It will have two sofas for comfort and possibly a recliner. Several big shaggy rugs will cover the short pile carpet that is on the floor. I will have strong lamps for excellent lighting. I want a microwave and room for my tea. Possibly even a small refrigerator.

I have to improve the heating and air conditioning systems in the sunroom, but it doesn’t look like that will be too difficult. I want it warm in the winter and nice and cool in the summer. A friend suggested that I have tapestries hanging, particularly in the winter, to improve warmth and I like that idea. I may have a screen to block off an area that I don’t want to see. I will decorate the walls with art pleasing to me plus cute signs relevant to the challenges writers face. Marty, the sign you just sent me will be perfect. I want a book shelf – a small one – to hold my writing books.

Of course, I will have a dog bed for my little dog, Betsy, and some of her toys in my writing room so she can be with me as I write. Betsy is a velcro dog and doesn’t leave my side. Fortunately, there is a door from my writing room out to the deck and backyard so she can go in and out as she pleases.

I am really looking forward to using my writing room. It is apart from the main part of my house and will give me privacy and quiet so I can do my work. It won’t be too quiet, however. I will have my music there with me. Of course, I will have the electrical outlets necessary for all my computers and electronics as well as a WiFi modem. I wanted to tell all of you about it! I have a very creative friend when it comes to the decorative part of things and I hope she will help me as decorating is not my strong suit. Pam, I hope you’ll help with this part!

Fall is coming and winter won’t be far behind here in Kentucky in the U.S. We have four definite seasons and I will be able to watch them change in my writing room with all the windows. I hope that will give me inspiration. Since I will be looking at a forested backyard and a deep forest beside and behind it, I will be able to watch the wildlife and revel in the different types of foliage and fauna. It will be a beautiful view as the leaves change and when it snows.

In other news, my friend, Pam, and I visited the most lovely little boutique in the city nearest me this past week. Sometime, I will write an entire blog post about it. It is called Jerome and it has been in Lexington for more than 50 years. Owned, still, by the original owner. It’s one of those shops you don’t find anymore with all kinds of personal attention by the proprietor and sales people. Jerome has the most beautiful clothes and accessories. They will special order anything you want. They also provide “beauty” services for women. Jerome provides a valuable service in that they have high quality wigs for women who have a hair problem such as those who have gone through chemotherapy or have other issues. It’s always fun and a pleasure to shop at Jerome and to take advantage of the beauty services they offer women. This kind of boutique is hard to find in any city these days.

My fellow bloggers here on WordPress are writers, many professional writers. I would love to hear about where you write. Tell me about your writing spaces in the comments! Have a wonderful week!  #weekendcoffeeshare #beauty #writing #writingspaces #amwriting #amblogging

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Posted in weekendcoffeeshare

#weekendcoffeeshare 9/24/2016

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

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My friend, Jenn, with whom I normally have coffee on Saturday, is still out of town today. So I’d like to have coffee with you, my friends, as I did last week. I can offer you Apricot blended black tea or the coffee of your choice, chicory or regular.

If we were having coffee, I would ask you to be patient with me while I tell you that a disturbing week last week has continued into a disturbing week this week, although for different reasons. I have lost a very important friendship. I surely can’t call this a highlight of the week though it has been the most of what has been on my mind. I guess it has been the lowlight. My friend was here one day and literally gone the next which causes a bit of a feeling of a panic. No sympathy needed, but thank you. It may be for the best. Whether the friendship was a good or bad thing, it is a blow whatever the case.

People can be quite cruel to one another, even those they call friends. Some people don’t seem to be able to just talk straight to their friends. That was the case here. Instead of just telling me that the friendship wasn’t working, my former friend set up this rather elaborate ruse. Though knowing my friend, and already having picked up on clues, I was able to see through the ruse quite easily once the shock wore off. It’s a hurtful world out there. Be careful who you trust.

The good news is that, in hard times, you learn who your real friends are. I had wonderful friends step to my side and I appreciate them so much.

Some good news this week has to do with my writing career. I’ve been a writer for over 15 years. Actually longer than that, but during my career as a professor, I did mostly academic writing. Then, I had a stint where I wrote only in my field of finance for a number of different outlets. Now, my writing career has morphed into an interest in fiction. I have been able to put together the first draft of a book proposal this week that I’m excited about. It will be published by Amazon.com, hopefully by the end of about two months from now. I’ll keep you up to date on my progress!

There is always something that is right around the corner when you are a homeowner. Some cracks in tile led to an investigation under the house and it seems that improper floor supports may have been used in the construction of my home. Right in the middle of my home so tile is cracking and so is the drywall in that part of the house. I’m going to have to hire a crew to come in and repair both the damage to the inside of the house and shore up the floor supports. It’s always something in the Adventures of Homeownership.

We are now past the fall equinox and summer continues to hang on in my part of the world. We’ve had many 90 degree days this year, more than any time in recent memory. Accompanied by high humidity. High humidity is not my favorite weather condition. I like to walk my little dog daily and she and I both wilt a little in high humidity. Betsy, in fact, wilts a lot. We will be happy when cooler fall days arrive. That weather is usually here by this time of year. Not this year. I live in a deciduous forest and there is no sign of the trees even starting to change color yet although other plants, such as the perennials in my garden, seem to realize that the time to go to sleep is near. You would never know it by walking outdoors or looking at the forest.

The deer do seem to have lost the velvet on their antlers. They aren’t as plentiful at the feeding troughs as they were earlier in the summer since the babies are growing up. Soon, they will vanish entirely for awhile only to return as winter comes.

I was lucky enough this week to get to see and spend some time in the city with my girlfriend. We spent an afternoon shopping, which is always fun. Retail therapy is some of the best, don’t you think? She was amazingly restrained and I was not! Then, we went to dinner at a favorite restaurant and met another friend. Even though the week had a tough start, I feel fortunate to have people around me who are supportive and who genuinely care about me.

Time to clean up these coffee cups and get some work done on the book. Thanks for having coffee with me today! #weekendcoffeeshare #amwriting #amblogging #writing #friendship #weather #livingintheforest

#weekendcoffeeshare is brought to you by DIana at Parttimemonsterblog.com

 

Posted in weekendcoffeeshare

#weekendcoffeeshare 9/17/2016

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

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If we were having coffee this morning; actually, I would be having Hot Cinnamon Spice tea and serving you coffee, I am hoping you won’t mind if I whine a little about what a tough week I’ve had. Since you are my friends, and we share our weekly experiences together, I’m sure you will understand. It’s actually been both a good and a tough week.

Fall is coming to my part of the world. The leaves aren’t really getting color yet, but it is very dry here as it often is in September. The leaves are turning brown on a lot of the hardwood trees, like the oaks, and they are falling to the ground. I’m worried about some of my perennials. The leaves on my beautiful peonies are browning. I am watering them and I surely hope it isn’t too late to save them. I will be anxiously awaiting their arrival come spring, if I am still living here in the spring.

I planted a new little white birch tree this past spring and it has had its share of trouble. The wind has broken off parts of it twice. It is valiantly trying to survive. I know it can survive the winter as white birches survive the bitter cold in the north. I’m worried about it surviving the remaining heat and humidity, along with the dry weather here, before winter arrives. Like with the peonies, it is getting daily watering. I always like to have a white birch tree in my yard, though they are hard to grow here. It reminds me of my roots in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where they are so plentiful and beautiful.

I mentioned that I might not be living here when spring comes. Perhaps unfortunately, we all go through life changes and I may be about to go through a big one. It’s not the time for details yet but it could involve moving from my home. I will talk more about that to you when i know more. I do hope that I can stay here where I’ve been for 18 years. But, if I have learned one thing over the course of my life, it is that the only thing that is certain is change.

The change I may be facing is not one that I’ve wanted to happen but it may be necessary. I’ve been very sad about this change over the last few days. Enough said about that for now.

I am contemplating a new job in business consulting along with my writing career. I have been attending some meetings with regard to this job and it is fascinating. The changes in my life will have some impact on how involved I get in the consulting practice in the short run. I will keep writing as it is a catharsis for me. I have all kinds of new ideas for fiction and a plethora of ideas for non-fiction pieces. I’m excited to get started on these ideas. I don’t quite know what to write first!

I don’t know what this coming week holds for me, but I do know that I will be writing here on my blog. I hope all of you enjoy your coffee this morning. Thanks for letting me talk with you. Have a wonderful week! #weekendcoffeeshare #writing #amwriting #amblogging #dailyprompt

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Posted in Creative Nonfiction Essays, Uncategorized, weekendcoffeeshare

#weekendcoffeeshare 9/3/2016

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

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Time for this week’s #weekendcoffeeshare and since my friend, Jenn, can’t join me for coffee this week, I would like to share my coffee with all of you. So, grab a cup, pull up a chair, and help me deal with a subject that has made me quite contemplative this week.

That subject is mortality. A subject that makes most of us, including me, uncomfortable. But, bear with me. This week, I have had a dear uncle and the father of a first cousin, once removed, pass away and mortality is quite on my mind. First, my uncle. He was my uncle by marriage. You couldn’t find a better man. He had been chronically ill for years and passed away at age 85. A good long life for a man with more chronic illnesses than you would wish on your worst enemy, let alone a fine man. Then, my cousin’s dad passed away at age 79. He, too, had been chronically ill for years, some of his illnesses possibly brought on by lifestyle, and he, too, had a good long life.

My uncle was a church-going, spiritual man or that is the way it appeared on the outside. He was good to his family and friends and lived life as he seemed to want to live his life. My cousin’s dad would probably have been described as “fun-loving” back in the day when he was still well. He was described as living life “on his own terms” which is really just another way to say that he did what he damn well pleased. I’ve thought a lot about those descriptions of these two men – both of whom I liked immensely.

A question tickles my brain. Given what I’ve just told you about these two men, didn’t both of them “live life on their own terms” even though it was only my cousin’s dad, the fun-loving guy, who was usually described that way? I’ve found that when someone is described in that way, it may be derogatory. Not always, but often. But, my uncle, a religious man, probably lived life on his own terms as well, though they were different terms and perhaps more socially acceptable than those “terms” under which my cousin’s dad lived. Who’s to say my uncle didn’t have just as much fun in his own way? Or that my cousin’s dad wasn’t spiritual in his own way?

I’m tired of placing people in boxes and stereotyping. We don’t know what goes on in other people’s heads. I am sure both of these men had good and bad qualities as do we all. They had flaws and wonderful characteristics. They were just different. Let’s give each other the benefit of the doubt and a break. #weekendcoffeeshare

Posted in Uncategorized, weekendcoffeeshare

#weekendcoffeeshare 8/20/2016

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

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As I waited for my friend, Jenn, to come by to have coffee this Saturday morning, I thought about the concept of disappointment. That’s been on my mind this week as I have friends suffering fairly significant disappointments right now. At least they are significant disappointments to them and seem to be to me. There she is!

“Jenn!” I said, “I’m on the back deck.” She was just getting out of her car. “Do I need to bring the coffee and tea back to the deck?” Jenn asked. “No,” I said. “It’s right here waiting on us.” Jenn made herself comfortable at the table and we made small talk for awhile. Then she asked me what was wrong. She, being a good friend, could tell something was on my mind.

I confided in Jenn that I had friends who had suffered disappointments recently and I  was struggling to figure out how to help them deal with their issues. Jenn gave me some helpful advice. She said that when she had suffered disappointments about people in her life, she had done a lot of thinking about her expectations of those people. Sometimes, she had found that her expectations were out of line with reality — with what was really possible. She had tried to shift her expectations regarding those people and it had helped lessen her disappointment in them.

Jenn also told me that it helps her to make herself get up, stop dwelling on the disappointment she has suffered, and do something positive – something she enjoys. She said she tries to something she enjoys every day. The disappointment is always in the back of her mind and doesn’t go away, but she feels better.

The thing about disappointment, in this blogger’s opinion, is that it is such a complex emotion. It involves sadness, anger, bitterness, and hurt. Sometimes, the person who disappointed you may not even be aware that they did so you’re in this alone. One of the first steps in putting disappointment away is to let it out. If you can’t express it to the object of your disappointment, express it to a good friend or family member. That will help you gain some perspective on the situation. How important is your disappointment in your day-to-day life?

Now comes the hard part. Are you going to live your life driven by what happens to you or are you going to live life on your own terms, in a positive manner driven by what you think and your core value system?  If you have a strong core value system, it will help you deal with disappointment.

Last is another hard part. You can’t control what other people do. There is really only one choice. You have to practice acceptance. You may be disappointed and hurt. Of course, this blogger knows how that feels. But, eventually, as you work through these stages of something similar to grief, you should try to move toward acceptance. If you can eventually accept that you have been disappointed and move forward, you will avoid bitterness and resentment that can negatively affect your life.

After Jenn and I discussed these points concerning disappointed, we wrapped up our #weekendcoffeeshare. We had a good talk as usual. #amwriting #writing #blogging #weekendcoffeeshare

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