If You're Afraid to Go It Alone, Don't Read This!

If you don't need the bed all to yourself, don't read this! If you love sharing the milk jug in the refrigerator with someone who sneaks a slurp or two, don't read this! If you don't mind living with a slob, don't read this! If he's insanely jealous that you having male friends in addition to your female friends, don't read this! If he's so adorable hogging the remote and being the master controller of the thermostat, then . . . well?

There are those who believe that if you are not in a relationship and prefer living alone, you just exit and don't really live. Yes! When it's five below zero in the middle of winter and he insists on sleeping with the bedroom window open, now, that's living! Is that guy the Prince Charming you waited for all of your life?

Those who try to influence you with fear and negativity will never understand the strengths of flying solo. They're bullies who never experience the possibilities because they don't want to know. It may be true that there are some who are really living life and those who are just existing, but the latter is not true for the majority of singletons and factually, countless men and women end up just existing when locked in a marriage.

Um, is this 2013?

Guess what? No matter what the cowardly bullies say, you don't have to be one half of a couple to feel complete. Single people who have chosen to remain single are actually enjoying life, especially in the way they choose to live. Single men and women have been labeled many negatives, but until you embrace the possibilities, you'll never know.

You may want to try living single for a period of time before you enter into another relationship and you're bound to discover who you truly are. In this so-called sophisticated and evolved society, people will knock you down for managing your life on your own without a spouse or partner. It's true that single parents cannot possibly give equitable time, energy and creativity compared to what two parents can do. However, life goes on in the same manner as when you're the sole grocery shopper, mower of the lawn, changer of every light bulb and air-filler-upperer of every flat bicycle tire. It all gets done and you are a champion.

If you're like some women who convince themselves that they can tolerate mediocrity with a condescending mate, then why are you still reading this? One of the saddest moments you can experience is when you've realized how lonely you are in a relationship. No matter what you have tried to stay committed, communicate or make an effort toward building your relationship with your partner or spouse, you discover that you've wasted precious time. Your time- your life.

Doggie Doo and Cat Vomit
I will admit that it would be nice for someone else to handle a few chores now and then, especially when the gross things that cats do make it impossible to get the stains out of the carpet. Hair balls aside, there is one great benefit to having sole responsibility of walking your dog. You get fresh air, exercise and both you and your buddy cherish the time you've spent together. You may have to convince yourself now and then that you'll survive when your Golden Retriever is taking ten minutes to pee on one bush and the frost is developing into icicles on your eyelashes. It is most definitely true that what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. It's huge. Taking the first step across the threshold into single status is all about strength and courage.

Serenity is the Key
In what is probably the most complicated and challenging times in our world, peace and serenity are hard to find. If you're ready to make a change, find the happiness you deserve and not laden yourself with insurmountable guilt, it's time to go and you have had the key all along.

From "Single 101, 101 Reasons to Celebrate Being Single", remember Reason #24- you never have to be afraid to go it alone. Thanks for reading through to the end!

From our Friends at Purina

I have to share this wonderful story recently published on Purina's PetCetric site!

The Perfect Friend
by Rebecca Desfosse

Marni can't wait to get out of work each day. No, she doesn't hate her job or dislike her boss. She's just crazy about her dog. "When I pull up to my house and see that adorable face in the window, all the stress and irritation of the day are just gone." Marni's gaga over her pet's love.

Forget that old cliché of a single woman and a gaggle of finicky felines. Marni, a single woman living in New Jersey, is all about dogs - namely, her cocker spaniel Chico. Why is Marni crazy about Chico? Well, she'd love to name the reasons.

"Now that I have a dog, I get more exercise." Chico and Marni go for long walks on the boardwalk and like to go hiking. Since Marni adopted Chico a year and a half ago, she's lost five pounds. That's mostly thanks to daily walks around the block with Chico in addition to the longer walks they enjoy on the weekends. "He gets me moving," she says.

He's also great company. "With Chico, I don't feel alone. He's my constant companion," Marni admits. That makes spending the holidays as a single woman much more bearable. It also means extra security at home. "I just feel safer with Chico around," she says. It's true. Chico acts like the perfect guard dog - barking at anyone who walks past the house. He's very protective of her. He also loves to greet Marni at the door after a long day at work. "The second I walk in the door, I'm showered with kisses from Chico."

However, she's not overly close to her dog. Pets love human attention, but they also need time on their own. Marni loves Chico a lot, but she'll leave him home to go out on a date or with her friends. He's also not a stand-in for a kid. She avoids what she calls "baby talk" at all costs. "I realize I need to go out and socialize - it can't all be about the dog," she says.

She go to lengths to socialize on her own, but Marni sure spends plenty of time spoiling Chico. He eats the highest-quality organic food, wears a pricey leather collar, and gets a monthly grooming session at the local pet salon. "I definitely spend a lot of money on Chico," Marni says. She also brushes his teeth each day, hoping to keep him healthy for years to come.

Will Marni adopt another dog? She's not sure. With Chico, she feels like life is complete. She might get a second though, just to give Chico a friend. "Sometimes I think he must get lonely all day by himself," she says. Pets love the company of another animal throughout the day. A new pet won't take the place of Chico in Marni's heart, however: "No other dog can take his place. Though there's always room for more."

Rebecca Desfosse
Adoptive mom to two dogs and a cat, Rebecca Desfosse understands life with pets and why we love them.

A Letter to the President

So many of us would like to have our voices heard.  Maybe you've wanted to write to the President of the United States, but procrastinated, thinking it would end up in an oval office shredder.

This is one woman's recent correspondence.

April 17, 2013

Dear President Obama,
In a recent press conference, you stated, "As humans we can identify galaxies light-years away. We can study particles smaller than an atom, but we still haven't unlocked the mystery of the three pounds of matter that sits between our ears."

On April 1st, surgeons removed a 7.5 lb. mass from my abdomen and three additional cysts from my left fallopian tube. Pathology results proved the same conclusion, another mystery of life. My mother, who has stage four breast cancer had surgery in February to remove a cancerous tumor, along with her left breast. A second surgery looms for her, but we don’t know how much time she has.

We have survived the recession until this point, although I’ve needed to borrow funds to keep my self-employed business alive, incurring more debt. Within the last two months, we have hit a wall with no work, medical bills arriving and facing home foreclosure. We have had my mother’s home for sale since 2005 and I know that I will have to prepare to lose my own home as well. Every application I have completed with Federal and State government agencies who have been designed to help the elderly and the disabled are finding us ineligible.

I am 59 years of age, challenged with rheumatoid arthritis for the past twenty-five years and my mother is 85. My SSD and her SSI is unsubstantial for survival. Our economic challenges, rise in the cost of living, gas and utilities are shutting us out, dividing us from those who get through the doors of new opportunities.

Will our government’s $100 million investment in new research of the brain unlock the area that will lead us to answers for our survival? Will we be more intelligent and wiser? Are there any programs forthcoming to help Americans like my mother and I bounce back or recoup what we have lost? We are among the countless American citizens who do not want to leach off of the government. We don’t need a hand-out, just a leg up and who will keep us from being written off? Will studies of the brain produce new solutions for people like us?

Hoping for your personal attention and reply.

Sincerely,
American from Ohio

Sunshine and Me

It's finally here. "Sunshine and Me" by Celeste Friedman.

A heartwarming story of cat rescue and happy endings.

Now available for download to Kindle and Kindle Fire: http://www.amazon.com/Sunshine-and-Me-ebook/dp/B00B1WDHR4

　

Here are a few excerpts and a peek inside . . .
 . . . His routine was the same, showing up every couple of days or a week later.  What he was putting me through! He wasn’t my cat, but was he my cat?  Still, I was concerned for his welfare daily.


 . . . Sunshine continues to be pressed for time, as if he’s late for an appointment or a date.


 . . . At this point, I have reluctantly kept Sunshine’s adoption ad updated and as beautiful as he looks in his photo, no one has inquired. Maybe no one was supposed to.


 . . . There is a new lady in his life, an all black long-haired beauty with brilliant green eyes and very chatty. He escorts his new love to the deck and up to the back door, as if it is necessary to be ceremonial about it. Sunshine puts his front leg, forearm, if you will, around her neck and grooms her face. He is smitten, for sure. 

　
. . . Suddenly, the big day arrived. It was a hot August afternoon and I happened to be near the door to witness Midnight leading the kittens into my backyard. Following obediently behind her in a straight line, they parade across the lawn and up the steps onto the deck.  Midnight lies down in the middle of the deck and stretches out, content, yawning and ready for a nap. The kittens stay near to her, watching and waiting for her next move. They are a bit spooked by me and keep their distance.  Sunshine comes around the corner of the house and stations himself on the top step of the deck. They appear to recognize him immediately. I know in that moment that this is not my house anymore.

　
. . . Sunshine continues to linger on the railing of the deck in the evenings, gazing off into the distance, either waiting for someone or daydreaming. We both ponder about survival. Feline or human, we possess instinctive ways of smelling the coming rain or sensing changes on the horizon. Of course, he’ll never understand my concerns of finding work, paying the bills, keeping our house and being able to afford the cat chow. Regardless, he has become the architect of my greatest priorities.