Started another year with the family tradition of blackeye peas. Not the favorite of some but I insist and they humor me and do it. Being the Mother and Grandmother has earned me this right.

Quote for the day:

How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours." Wayne Dyer (Season 10 Episode 8)

I have a thing for the show "Criminal Minds," especially the quotes that start or end the show.  I really like this quote as it sums up my attitude towards all the people I come into contact with on a daily basis. It's along the same lines as the idea that it takes 2 people to make a fight - the first words may be an attempt to provoke an argument, but its the second words (the response) that make it a fight.

It's human nature to defend oneself when "attacked" or accused however this response is often pointless. If you're wrong, then you're wrong, regardless, you own your response just like the person with the fighting words owns their words. It's something like your karma versus their karma.

I remember an argument I used to have with someone in a previous chapter in my life. He would get angry and say and do some pretty awful things and always said I "made" him do it. I'd say that I accept responsibility for making him angry; however what he did with that anger was all on him. His response to his anger was all on him, his responsibility. Needless to say, my argument never went over well and I suppose, is a good reason this person is a past chapter.

This lesson was a critical turning point for me. Accepting responsibility for my words, actions, choices ... and for those people or situations that really mattered, it made all the difference. Beyond the obvious, no one makes you yell, say mean or hurtful things, break things, storm away ... all the things people do when a situation starts to spiral out of their comfort zone and control. Typically loss of control begets more loss of control, inappropriate reactions and desperation and blame ... "it's your fault" I feel this way. And where there is no accountability, all hell breaks loose. Bottom line, we are responsible for how we react to any situation. It's your karma. I have learned the hard way, experience. I think I was the biggest "you made me do it" or "it's your fault" person ever, in my younger days. I had a temper. I yelled. I ran away. I broke things. It wasn't pretty. It never resolved anything and one day I realized that and just stopped. I'm just an ordinary person but I learn from my mistakes and rarely repeat them. This one took me a long time but I learned. I am 100% accountable for my choices and decisions. I'm not always right  but I always try to have sound reasons for my decisions/actions. It's hard to say, "I was hurt and didn't handle it well" but it gets you so much further than "you made me do it."

Lastly, but not least, I'd like to introduce Layla, my writing assistant. Her full name is Layla Jingle Paws (my granddaughter said Layla needed a last name and since Layla was a Christmas present, Sophia decided Jingle Paws was appropriate. On a side note Sophia got Layla's brother as her Christmas present. His name is Milo Meow Playful Tiger Paws - a mouthful!)

Anyway, Layla loves to help with the blog. She unplugs the laptop, she walks across the keyboard and adds her 2 cents, and chews on whatever she can get her little mouth on.

Tomorrow's quote: "Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without the words, and never stops at all."