My Musings: 1- 5

 

Greetings! The Unleashed One here. Before I proceed, I would like to send honor, respect, and thanks to all Veterans on Veterans Day.

I have a mental list of some things I would like to address on my blog, and I hope to get to those topics before 2023 bids its farewell. However, since half of them have weight, I pondered whether I wanted to speak on one of them today.

Nah, it doesn't feel right ... I usually Soul Speak on Sundays.

Yet, I did want to write, since I haven't been back here since before my birthday. Plus, there are some things on my mind and in my heart that feel too great to remain in those places.

1. I am starting to think that "being neutral" has become one of the new rules of social etiquette "do nots". Neutrality is also getting clumped in with indifference.

There are certain topics that I don't weigh in on, and it has nothing to do with not caring. For the most part, it has to do with a local awareness of the strife that I've seen on a day-to-day basis that isn't at the forefront of the powers that be.

I am on the side of the preservation of innocent lives. I am on the side of peace. It sucks no matter how many times the U.S. has been shown what can happen due to bad decisions (reading the world's temperature), it repeats itself.

One can read into that statement what one will.

2. Some of the same people who say "trust the science" when it comes to climate change throw science out the window to appease the radicals of the rainbow community.

I believe that the acceptance the community fought so hard to get from others has lost traction because of what radicals are doing. There is an obnoxious insistence and a righteous indignation that I just cannot get behind. 

In my opinion, the best way to get others to accept you is to operate with an energy that is open and willing to educate on topics that others may not understand. However, one also has to realize that just because you have demands doesn't mean you can make a person heed them.

I believe in science.

I believe in biology.

I reject any prefix in front of my biological existence.

No twisting of words to match talking points is going to eradicate my existence.

3. The structure of women's clothing needs an entire overhaul. 

I was thumbing through a clothing magazine, and I noticed the number of models who had curves was scant. Even if they did have curves, there wasn't a situation that made it seem like "top-heavy" vs "bottom-heavy", you know.

For me, even with weight fluctuations, I still have top heaviness. I strength train, so my biceps and triceps are more defined. My thighs are pretty pronounced; they were like that even before I went on my health journey.

It has been a challenge to find clothes that can provide a great fit while giving stretch and extra room where needed.

The women's tops I've encountered don't account for muscle, so I have to size up for that, along with my breasts, which I was doing anyway.

With some of the jeans/pants, they are great on the calves but don't stretch enough for the thighs and the behind. Or, I size up to accommodate the thighs and rear but there's the dreaded waist gap and a wonky fit in the crotch.

All-in-all, the struggle is real.

4. I'm over Holiday Shopping.

Confession: Although I do like pleasantly surprising people and giving gifts, I have never liked the whole shopping experience in a store.

When online shopping became a thing ... absolute blessing!

One year I tried this holiday activity that was supposed to be fun, but I observed that people were too caught up in what the gift was as opposed to the enjoyment of the game.

For one, not all rules of the game were followed (as it pertained to the value of the gift), and two, there are different interpretations as to what one feels is an appropriate gift and what others feel is not.

It was seeing the behaviors that was a turn-off for me because getting a gift isn't a right nor is it what the spirit of the holidays is about.

As for me, I tend to do homemade cards and gifts. If that's not you, provide me with a list. Otherwise, I'm just going to send you a gift card or cash and keep it moving.

That is, if you are on the gifting list (and that list is small).

Also, times are beyond tough out here, so if a $20 gift is too "low vibrational" for you, then maybe you need a lump of coal in the stocking instead of the new iPhone.

But wait ... you weren't on the list anyway!

Also, I'm more concerned about the Holiday food budget than the gift budget. 

Do with that what you will.

5. Speaking of food, I am really looking at what I consume and asking myself if that item is an absolute must.

I could not put coffee on the chopping block. It is one of my small luxuries. Since I am not one that goes to (insert coffee place here) every day, I can continue to invest in K-Pod, ground, or whole-bean coffee.

I still do my best to wait until there's a sale ... can't bring myself to spend over $10 for Green Mountain ... I have my limits.

Microwave meals have become more expensive, so I have started seeing if there are more canned items that can satisfy me. Admittedly, some canned items (even when getting the low-sodium options) have more sodium than the microwave meals I've purchased. On the days when I have downtime to cook, I do my best to have the ingredients on hand. Goodness knows it makes my butt itch to think all of the items are in the house, only to discover they aren't.

Needless to say, money for groceries is the modern universal chess game.

Okay, I will pause here for now. I will do the rest of the list later today.