Mic check, Mic check, Three Four, Three Four...

*** This post was originally "drafted" in January 2012. Apparently I never finished/published it. The topic is still relevant though so I thought I'd finish and publish it today...some 5 years later.***

Ok, so I would've titled today's post "Mic check, Mic check, One Two, One Two...", but I've already done that before.

I've been at this blogging thing for about a year and a half and although it's meant to be a DIALOGUE...99.99% of the time, I'm still talking to myself.

Am I discouraged? A little bit.
Am I going to stop writing? Heck no!

I can't.

Because the moment that I stop writing will be the moment that comes right before my breakthrough. So I press on.

No, I'm not big on the political issues of the day, so I don't write about those.
No, I'm not an expert on any ONE particular thing, so I don't focus on one thing. My blog is reflective of my thoughts...all over the place.

I'm simply a woman with a passion and desire to write, and to hear what YOU have to say.

So how 'bout we get some DIALOGUE going?!?

Let the DIALOGUE begin: What's on YOUR mind?

Talk to me?

Til next time...

Just Keep Posting. Just Keep Posting. Just Keep Posting, Posting, Posting...

Somebody hand me a tissue...I think I'm about to cry!

I had just finished writing today's post about a completely different topic than this one.

As soon as I posted it, I had an urge to check and see how many more posts I had to go before reaching 600. I knew I had to be close. Well wha'da'ya'know...THAT WAS my 600th POST!!!

WHOA!!!

Once I realized that, I knew I had to start over and write THIS one.

600 POSTS!!!

May not mean much to any one else, but to ME...WOW!

This blog, The Dialogue Den, has been like a fourth child.

I haven't tended to it as well as I should have. At times I have been neglectful...going WEEKS...maybe even as long as a MONTH without posting. The reason...was DISCOURAGEMENT. I had periods where I simply felt like NO ONE was reading. And since this blog was created to spark DIALOGUE, it became disheartening when there was no outside interaction. I was simply talking to MYSELF. The DIALOGUE felt more like a MONOLOGUE.

Here lately, more folks have commented. To each and EVERY one, I say THANK YOU!!!

I still have for more posts WITHOUT comments, than those WITH. That's okay.

I finally came to the acceptance and realization that even if I am only writing to "An Audience of One", I must continue. That "Audience of One" is God. He is the one who gave me the desire as a very young girl, to write. So I must HONOR what He gave me.

On the days when I don't write...I don't feel right. I become restless. Writing is my therapy (although thankfully much cheaper). Good day, bad day, otherwise...I pour it all out right here...and feel so much better after.

I still wonder why it's been so difficult to get folks to support me in my writing efforts. I'm not talking strangers. I'm talking about folks who actually know me. I've made numerous pleas on Facebook...simply asking that they "like" the page. Doesn't cost a single solitary penny...just "click the button" PLEASE. That's all. That one simple (yet HUGE) act of support would mean so very much to me. It would mean that folks have faith in what I am doing and want to see me do well with it. After all...that's what friends do, right?

I have other friends with blogs and I admit...my style is quite different from theirs.

One writes a lot about female empowerment...knowing and exploring one's body. Loving "freely", and things of that nature.
The other writes in flowery philosophical prose.
I, write about anything and everything.

The beauty of us ALL is that we do not HAVE to write in the same manner. Our writing styles are as unique as each of us are. So there's a little somethin' for everyone.

Anywhoo...I am proud of myself and my accomplishment. 600 posts have been no easy feat. To YOU, my fellow Dialogue Den'er...I THANK YOU for reading. Maybe you pop in occasionally...maybe you read EVERYDAY. Either way...I want you to know how greatly appreciated YOU are.

I am very excited about the future ahead. One day, SOMEONE is gonna land on this blog and say, "Hey...this chick's got skills. I like the way she thinks. Let's work with her." THAT'S the day that I look forward to. That's the day that I must continue to BELIEVE is coming. Until then...I will keep writing.

Now...enough about me. Let the DIALOGUE begin: Do you have a blog? And does it have a Facebook page? If so...how 'bout YOU "like" mine, and I'LL "like" yours. Deal?

Talk to me!

Til next time (post # 601)...

Damaged Wings Still Work

Saturday night I had a great time with a friend. We went to the Marina del Rey Christmas Boat Show (BRRR!!!) and then dinner.

My friend is a fantastic photographer. I love her work because she loves nature as much as I do, and does a great job capturing its image.

While we were at dinner she handed me a couple photos that she had taken and urged me to pick the one I liked. The pics were of various butterflies. All beautiful but one in particular caught my attention. It was brown, which is one of my two favorite colors. I told her that if she had taken a pic of a blue and brown butterfly (my favorite color combo) I surely would've chosen that one. Nevertheless, I was happy with the one I chose and immediately named the butterfly "Brownie." I know...not the most creative but that's what I was feelin' at the moment.

My friend looked at the pic and said, "I'm surprised you picked that one. It's wings look like it's been in a fight or something."

We both laughed at the thought of "butterfly fights."

But I said, "No. That's the one I want. I actually want it even more now that I see the damaged wings."

You see, even with its damaged wings, that butterfly is still flying...doing what God created it to do. And much like that butterfly, my wings have also been damaged, by so many things...mostly by the hurtful actions of others, yet...I'm still flying, doing what God created me to do. Living...and trying to be better each day than I was the day before.

So yeah...I'm almost certain that when my friend took the photo, she didn't realize that there would be such a powerful message behind it. But as I've said before, I find lessons and messages from God in so many things...especially in His creation.

This simple little butterfly reminds me to remember the words of 2 Corinthians 4:8

"We are pressed on every side by troubles, but not crushed and broken. We are perplexed because we don’t know why things happen as they do, but we don’t give up and quit."

Let the DIALOGUE begin: What's your FAVORITE butterfly?

Talk to me!

Til next time...

16 Weeks

Heart's kinda heavy today. Wasn't really sure what to write about so since my Mom is in my thoughts EVERYDAY, I decided to write about her. Today marks week 16 since she left this life on Earth. Everyday hurts. Most people see me smiling and overall I am a genuinely happy person. But in those quiet moments (and I have LOTS of quiet moments), thoughts of my Mom occupy the empty spaces.

I just miss her.

I remember sitting by her bedside during those last months...sometimes just to watch her sleep. Many of those times she didn't even know I was there. She was sedated a lot...but I still just wanted to be by her side. Sometimes she'd open her eyes, see me, smile, and then go right back out. That was enough for me. I just needed her to know that I was there.

I remember her arms and how terribly bruised they were. Purple, black, blue...from being poked so many times. I was almost afraid to touch her because I knew that those bruises had to be painful. And she got so thin. My mom had always been a full-figured woman, but in the end...she was so small. Frail.

Sometimes I'd be visiting and nurses would come in to run tests, take another sample, do another poke...and they'd announce themselves to my sleeping mother, letting her know what they were about to do. I found that odd and considerate at the same time. She wouldn't respond and they'd then proceed to poke & prod her, while she remained asleep through it all.

I also remember putting on gown after gown, gloves and more gloves each time I went to see her. The very first time I had to "suit up", I felt like I was gonna melt. Everything made me so hot. Interestingly, after months of "suiting up" my body adjusted and the gloves and gowns just became additional pieces of clothing. No one should have to get used to that, but I did.

I always wonder what my Mom is doing in Heaven. I realize that I'll never know until I finally get there myself. I just know that she's happy, an she's not sick. Those two things are all that matter.

On Facebook I posted some pictures of my ancestors and her pics were of course included. Many pictures were of her as a little girl, about 5 years old...so sweet, so cute...my Momma.

Anyway...it's been 16 weeks and I'm beginning to realize that this just isn't something that one "gets over". At times I wonder if I should see a therapist, but I doubt that would do me any good. Seeing a therapist won't bring my Mother back, and I don't know that I'd really want her back anyway. Not here. Not in this messed up world we live in filled with hatred and injustice. I'd much rather get to where SHE is than to have her be back here. Although I am thankful for each day that God gives me, this life is HARD...so if I close them one night on THIS side and open them on the OTHER side...it will be well with my soul...really...it will be. Not trying to do anything to rush the process, but if the Lord so chooses, then so be it.

Now before I sign off, I'm gonna pat myself on the back and say CONGRATULATIONS TO ME for this being my 400th post!!!

. Although my blog hasn't taken off nearly the way that I had hoped when I began writing it in 2009, I do have a HANDFUL of faithful followers and for them, I am THANKFUL. Not sure what it's gonna take to gain WORLDWIDE RECOGNITION, all I know is that I must keep writing, because writing is what I do. Praying that I don't have to DIE in order to be discovered. I'd like to have my flowers while I yet live so that I can enjoy them. That's not too much to ask, is it?

Let the DIALOGUE begin: Is there something that YOU'VE been doing for years that you're just waiting to take off yet it just hasn't happened yet?

Talk to me!

Til next time...

A Year's Worth of Posts

As of today, I have written enough posts here at The Dialogue Den to last a whole year. Yes folks, this is my 365th post. How 'bout that! Yay ME!!

My blog has been quite a labor or love. I still haven't figured out how to get it to "take off" and generate the following that I had (and still) hoped for, but if I am only writing for an "audience of One", that's enough for me, and so...I keep writing.

So my weekend has been great and there's lots for me to write about, but with most great weekends come exhaustion, and right now...I am exhausted.

How 'bout you sit in the driver's seat tonight?

Let the DIALOGUE begin: What have you created that you had hoped would "take off" and be success, yet just hasn't happened yet?

Talk to me!

Til next time...

Looking for Caller #...

So get this!

Pretty much everyone who knows me knows how much I LOVE music. And I especially love hearing music performed LIVE in concert. When my favorite artist, Teena Marie was alive, I saw her perform as often as I could. I will always remember the very last time I saw her. She was performing at a school fund raiser as a favor to a friend. I was so close up front I could almost touch her. As a result, I got some great pics.

I think that event may have been in May. That December, she left us. December 26th to be exact.

Since then, I haven't really found a new "FAVE" but there are a few artists that I'm kinda diggin'. One of those is Leela James. She's fairly young (31) with a sultry soulful sound that is taking her up the music charts. Hers is music the way it used to be. Music the way it should be.

So today, as I was out running errands, I pulled into a parking lot and just sat for a minute before I went inside the store. I was listening to my favorite station, Radio Free 102.3 KJLH. Saturday mornings are great because they play a variety of old skool classics.

The song that was playing ended and the radio announcer said that he was looking for "Caller #23" to win 2 tickets to see Leela James in concert.

WHAT?!?

I started dialing.

Busy.

Hung up. Tried again.

Busy.

Hung up. Tried again.

Ringing.

He answered, "You are caller #14."

Gasp.

Dialed again.

Busy.

Dialed again.

Busy.

Dialed again.

Ringing.

He answered, "Hello. Who is this?"

"Am I caller #23?"

"Yes, and who am I speaking with?"

I tell him my name.

He asks, "Do I know you?"

"No, but we can be friends."

He laughed and asked, "Have you won anything from this station in the past 60 days?"

"No."

He then proceeded to take all of my info and told me when I could come by and pick up the tickets.

HOW EXCITING!

Now...I just need to figure out who I'm gonna go with. I have someone in mind, so we'll see how that goes.

In the meantime, here's the song that I am sooo looking forward to hearing her sing LIVE:



And with that...Let the DIALOGUE begin: Who would YOU like to see in concert?

Talk to me!

Til next time...

101 and Growing!

Yesterday I experienced what it feels like to set a goal and actually REACH it. I gotta tell ya...it feels INCREDIBLE!!!

Although The Dialogue Den has been in existence sine June 2010, I just recently introduced it to the world (as in, my friends and family) this month via Facebook.

Sometime shortly after the beginning of the year, I set a goal for The Dialogue Den's Facebook page to reach 100 "likes". At that time I believe I had 34.

The outpouring of support was amazing. Once I let folks know about the page, it went from 34 to 78 "likes" in just 24 hours. Wow!

Once I saw that the "likes" could reach 78, I was certain that 100 "likes" were attainable, BEFORE THE END OF THIS MONTH.

So, I kept writing, posting, and putting the appeal "out there".

Well, persistence paid off and yesterday, shortly after noon, WE did it! The Dialogue Den reached 100 "likes". YEAH BABY!!!

I was overjoyed!

Now I say that WE did it, because this blog has never been about ME. It's always been about ME sharing my random thoughts with YOU and then hearing what YOU have to say...hence the word DIALOGUE.

And, in case you've never noticed, the tagline for the blog itself says this: MY random thoughts + YOUR comments = The Dialogue Den

So you see folks, I need you in order for this blog to be successful. I am committed to doing MY part by sharing those random thoughts, and I'm counting on YOU to do your part and chime in. Fair enough, right?

In the process of reaching 100 "likes", I was reminded of something. SOME goals, you can only reach by yourself (like climbing a mountain, learning a language or how to play an instrument, etc.) OTHERS you can only achieve with the help of others.

So to the 101 of you (yes, one hundred AND one) who have "liked" the page, I greatly THANK YOU and appreciate your support. Knowing that you all are out there inspires me to keep writing and to give you something fresh and new EVERYDAY (except for "Flashback Fridays" when I post from the archives).

So...Let the DIALOGUE begin: Do YOU have a page on Facebook that you'd like the world to know about? If so, tell us about it.

Talk to me!

Til next time...

Going Once, Going Twice, Going Lots of times...SOLD!

In March of this year, I decided to try my hand at eBay to see if I could get anything for the many clothing items that my kids have so quickly either grown out of or tired of.

Wasn't really sure about how it all worked. For how much should I price my items? Should I offer Free shipping or should I charge shipping? How many days should I list the items?

So many unknowns.

What I found over time was that I had to sell the way that I wanted to sell and not worry about how other people on eBay were selling their items.

I mean really...I can't get into their minds to figure out how they came up with the price that they wanted to charge, etc.,etc. So it was just easier to "eBay MY way".

One thing that eBay'ing has taught me is to be patient and not give up. Case in point...just TODAY, I sold a shirt (pictured here) that I've been relisting since March.

I'd list it, relist it and relist it again. Finally, my persistence paid off.

That listing taught me a lesson (and if you know me well, I find a lesson in pretty much EVERYTHING).

I've learned that I'm going to need that same persistence in many other areas of my life...this blog, my career search, weight loss, love. Yes, I'm going to have to be persistent in order to get the things I desire. And you know what...I will!

Let the DIALOGUE begin! What have you been persistent with? Has that thing come to fruition yet, or are you still waiting?

Talk to me!

Til next time...