Month: August 2022

A great saying.  What does it mean?  Something is too difficult to manage or cope with, or a situation too dangerous to proceed with or escape from.

I’m in neither, but it’s been a trying few days—LOL—again.  Just when you think life might just once move along smoothly, it doesn’t.  It refuses to.  So, once again, you have no option but to opt to go with the flow.

Unfortunately, that flow means not finding the time to post . . . yet, here I am, writing a quick one about my dilemma and inability to do so.  😊  That’s worthy of recording.

What do we do when we’re stuck or taking the tiger by the tail (much to its undoubted displeasure)?  We persevere.  Perhaps laugh at the absurdity of it all.  I mean, if things never seem to go right, isn’t it worth sticking your tongue out at and saying “naw-naw-naw-naw-naw, you’re so not going to <bleep> me off today”.

Think about what lies ahead—what can you do, what can’t you do? 

Do the things that you can and take pride in those accomplishments. 

Holler.  There’s nothing better than venting—screaming, shouting, smushing a muffin or flinging it across the room (no, you can’t do that to a loved one or fur baby, definitely not), or jumping up and down.  I rather enjoy shrieking at the top of my lungs, and who cares who hears me?  Just let it out!

Recognize that circumstances will change.  Maybe not tomorrow, but sooner or later they will.  Nothing remains as is forever.  That is a fact.

Do not believe the powers that be have it in for you.  Consider trying times as challenges and lessons; they happen for a reason and enable you to grow.  It’s all good, even if you’re not seeing that at the moment. 

Walk away for a wee while.  Take time to switch gears / alter perspectives.

The list could go on, and you’ve likely seen “tips” like these before.  The point is, when you can’t blog or write on schedule, when life gets in the way, step aside for a time.  It’s okay.  Take a few deep breaths.  Take a break.  Take a walk.  Take whatever you need to rebalance.

And there you have it, taking the tiger by the tail . . . very gently . . . with eyes wide open . . . and a gleeful grin.

Don’t put off  until tomorrow what you can do today, is a great quote by Benjamin Franklin.  But Mark Twain’s may be even better.  Never put off till tomorrow, what you can do the day after tomorrow. 

Do what’s best for you in the chosen moment.

It seemed apropos to provide a sequel post in case some of you thought I might—buk, buk, buk—chicken out.

True, I did enter the tattoo shop (and a very nice, upscale one it was, with fabulous staff) feeling “pukey nervous”.  The maturity (o-l-d) aspect—some might call it you-should-know-better insight—ought to have quelled the anxiety (or had me running for the hills).  I may not have buk-buk-buked (or is that bukked?), but my stomach sure as heck was doing flapjack flips.  Still, Ms. Warrior being who/what she is, persevered and ambled to the (oh-so-comfy) chair with head and shoulders held high . . . and tummy hoping not to liberate the grilled cheese sandwich it had happily welcomed a couple of hours earlier.

As the saying goes: you only live once.  So, embrace what moves you.  And move the tattoo gun did (providing some quasi discomfort, but not out-and-out pain).  Four-plus hours of outlining and shading was weathered with scarcely a blink or a tear or a flinch . . . until the last hour, when several calming breaths proved necessary.  Still, said and done with [relative] grace.

For those contemplating getting a tattoo, consider—very seriously—what you want.  Select something that reflects you.  It’s a representation of your soul and core . . . history . . . road through life . . . desires/dream . . . strength and conviction.

Regrets?  I’ve had a few, but this is not one of them.  As soon as my “badge of courage” is healed, I’ll display it proudly.  😊

Not quite sure where the “root-a-toot-toot” came from, but it popped into my head in terms of the title.  After the first draft of this post, I looked it up.  Besides being the title of a book, it means “something noisy, riotous, or lively, specifically in the early style of jazz music”.

Interesting.  And so not what this post is about.  Which, by the by, is in no way related to writing/editing, blogging, or the pretty private eyes from the Triple Threat Investigation Agency.  It’s a this-is-what’s-happening-in-my-life one.

. . . I’ve opted to get a tatt on my arm.

It was supposed to be a small one on my lower inner arm.  But the artist explained, if it’s small, it can’t be as detailed as I’d like it to be.  What I was hoping would be around 1½” is now going to be around 3-4”.  An in-your-face tatt.

For quite some time (years), I’ve wanted to get one of a honu (Hawaiian turtle) and hibiscus flowers—nothing terribly clever or unique or spectacular, by any means, but … pleasantly pretty.  It was to serve as a tribute to my love of Hawaii and my writing (the “gals” at the agency), but it’s become more than that.

It’s a tribute to my (ever so) slowly emergence/development—as my own person.  This woman is finally embracing the life of an individual, not an extension of someone else, not being molded (controlled) by another.  Finally, I am ambling down that winding pathway, toward that light at the end of the tunnel, to stand alone, tall and tough, (though I will undoubtedly wobble now and again).

While this really has nothing to do with tatts, it’s a fun little [uplifting] root-a-toot-toot vid.

It’s going to take five hours (perhaps you’ll hear me wailing over the waves).  But, once said and done—and pain and tears subsided—I’ll wear it like the badge of courage and strength it will be.