I don’t always understand my dreams. This morning, I woke up after having a dream about four people who we are thinking about dying. Well, actually three of them were thinking about it, one was already on life-support. One of them, a younger person, was terminally ill. To break it down; Two adult males, that were of older parental age (40-50), one person, female, on life-support, and then a young girl about mid to late 20s who was terminally ill.
They were all somehow related, but I could not quite remember, or figure out, how the relationships all worked out. I do know, however, that they had decided to all pass away at the same time. It was in such a bizarre way though, the one who was on life-support was going to remain on life-support and they had a note asking whom ever walked in on them to stop her life-support after they were all gone. The other three had decided to lay in shallow pools of ice slowly bringing their core body temperature down until they grew weary and eventually pass away.
The three all had a normal conversations, talking about other family members, and did not seem to be freezing as they all laid in the ice. As the talking slowly drifted away, and they began to think about their own lives, my dream began focusing on just one of the men. My dream showed him starting to think about some things he didn’t get finished, about someone else in his life he hadn’t seen in a while, and even about one of his pets. As his thoughts continued about all the good things, the happy things, in his life, he realized, he wasn’t ready to die. As he felt his eyelids getting heavy, he said out loud, “I’m not ready to do this”, and he stood up.
The other adult male glanced over at him, and asked “why”? “I don’t know” said the man, it’s just not time. The other man stood as well and decided perhaps he to rethink the decision and reasons. I know more happened before he rethought it, I just don’t remember the details.
They glanced over at the terminally ill young lady, realizing she had not said anything throughout their exchange. She had, indeed, already passed away. The woman on life-support had also quietly passed away. While the men were sad at their passing, they also knew it was the right time for them.
I woke up completely confused; confused about why I had a dream about death, why I had dreamt about suicide, because that is indeed what it was, and why there were four people in my dream I did not know at all. It started making me think, that because they had chosen something that was so slow and within their control somewhat, is this the message I was supposed to share. If more people who were contemplating suicide had the time to reflect on the good things in their lives, on the things not yet completed, and on the thing that made them happy, would they second-guess their decision?
Too many times in our society, especially with social media today, we are used to knee-jerk decisions and reactions. I think it is time for us to understand how important it is to not do a knee-jerk reaction, or make a knee-jerk decision. Take time to think about the consequences of your actions and your words before you do or say them.
Sadly, when someone chooses to take their own lives with suicide, they don’t have the time to reflect, to reconsider their actions. I am not a trained professional, I do not claim to have all of the answers… So if anyone is reading this, and they are considering suicide, please think about reaching out to those who love you, or reaching out for professional help. Think about all of the things that make you happy, the moments in your life where you smiled or laughed, focus on those times until you can have a conversation with someone who can truly help you.
As I said at the beginning, I don’t always understand my dreams, but this one seemed important enough to share. I can only hope, that if it even helps one person, then there was a reason for the dream and the push to share it.
I wish everyone reading this many wonderful years of happiness and laughter. Reach out to those in your lives you love. Let them know you are there for them.
I recently watched a video being shared on Facebook regarding Donald Trump being a racist. I know the intent was to show a protester not fully informed about the subject of his protests, but I saw so much more.
Screenshot of Dennis Michael Lynch’s video regarding Black Lives Matter protester
As you can see, it has been shared over 8000 times. People are reacting in many ways to it.
This is an example of too many issues in our country today. Not just with racism or Donald Trump…we have a society where people jump on bandwagons without truly knowing facts. They follow crowds, spouting off “facts” that may or may not be true. Stop following others. Stop sharing things you do not know are true. Do your own research from sources OUTSIDE your comfort level. I’m not a Trump fan because he encourages the racial division and the violence that follows, because he knows it helps hype him up. He’s made a living over sensationalizing media moments and he continues to do it with his political campaign. Encouraging racial division for media sensation IS NOT the same as him being racist. Maybe he is, maybe he isn’t. I don’t know because I haven’t done enough research on that topic. I know he LOVES Omarosa for all the money she helped make him when she was on his show, so he can’t be 100% racist LOL. The point is….verify before you spout off. Don’t just be a follower. Before you jump on a bandwagon, know what the band is playing!
#knowthefacts
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I understand I may make some angry with this post. It is NOT my intent. Please read the WHOLE blog before you form an opinion about me, about the flag, or even what your real argument is about.
I recently had a conversation with a non white male about the confederate flag and all of the drama around it. So many people are focused on the Confederate Flag and how it represents so much hate and horrible ideas but as the discussion continued between the two of us, I stated to him the “N” word is just like the Confederate Flag and the conversation got even more intense.
His argument: The Confederate Flag is a representation of hate and was designed around white supremacy, and therefore should be gone.
My Argument: The Confederate Flag is a representation of Southern Pride and / or of country life, and has nothing to do with hate except for those who allow hate and racism to enter their lives.
His Argument: But the history of it shows it represents something else.
My argument: But history shows the true meaning of the word Negro and the “N” word and why it should not be used by ANYONE but there are those who choose to ignore it and give it it’s own meaning. How is the “N” word any different than the Confederate Flag, it’s just different groups supporting the two sides.
Now mind you, I was driving across state heading from Michigan to Missouri so I couldn’t take the time to break it down with facts about the Confederate Flag and I wanted to refresh my memory of the N word before I stated facts.
Please understand, I am not trying to divide the races even further, but rather to get everyone to understand similarities exist, even when we don’t want to see it.
Let’s look at some true facts first…..the term “Confederate Flag” is used when people are talking about this flag:
This is the Rebel Flag, not the Confederate Flag
But the Confederate Flag actually looked like this:
Actual Confederate Flag
William Thompson, who designed the Confederate Flag DID say it was the “White Man’s Flag” but the Rebel Flag, causing all the uproar right now, was designed by Willliam Porcher Miles. Was Miles racist? Probably. He was a Southern man living during a time when the country was divided. Yes, he was known as a slave owner, but so were some of our earlier presidents and key men in our history. I’m not here to discuss slavery.
The history of the Confederate Battle Flag or Rebel Flag
The Confederate Battle Flag was just that, a battle flag. It was NOT a representation of slavery, it was just the battle flag of the south. There have been people saying it flew on slave ships. Not true. The south NEVER owned any slave ships. Technically, the slave ships were from the New England State, the dutch, and the Portuguese, NOT the south! It wasn’t even a southern NATIONAL flag, it was JUST a battle flag. When racist groups, such as neo-nazis and skinheads choose to use this flag as “their” flag, they are, in fact desecrating the Confederate Flag and technically have no right to use it. There are southern men and women who lost their loved ones, their ancestors, who died under that flag flying. While we may not agree with WHAT they were fighting for, they have every right to want to respect the flag that represents THEIR history. You don’t have to agree with something to respect it. Black men, of their own free will, chose to fight under this very same flag that everyone is saying represents white men only. So not true. There are a lot of myths surrounding the Civil War. It wasn’t as simple as the north was free and the south was slavery. It goes so much further.
Before I get into my deep comparison, think of a tradition such as “jumping the broom” that was passed on from ancestors to today. A white person living in a predominately white town may have no idea what “Jumping the broom” means, but that doesn’t make them hate it or fight to have it removed from the weddings of those who choose to keep that tradition. Yes, I understand there is a difference between someone choosing to have a tradition at their wedding vs a flag flying high on a government building. All I’m trying to say is to understand the meaning TODAY behind something before you get upset, not the meaning the media or hate groups want you to believe.
47% of those polled only think of the Confederate Battle Flag as a symbol of pride in the south. They don’t even know the history of it other than that.
This leads me to the N word…..
Negro comes from the Greek word Necro meaning dead, empty of life, corpse. Now, I can say I choose to never use the N word or the word Negro but there are those who choose to use it as a sign of empowerment, indicating that, by using the word, they are taking it back and taking the negativity away from it. But it comes with rules. It is not OK for EVERYONE to use it. Who decides? At the end of the day, some use it almost like a word of pride. I personally don’t understand how a word representing death and empty of life is a word to be proud of, but it’s not for me to understand because it isn’t MY history.
At the same time, I would hope those who CAN understand the pride that goes with the N word for themselves or those they know would look deep in their hearts to understand how the Confederate Battle Flag can be a source of PRIDE for those with Southern Roots.
The south wasn’t the only one who owned slaves. There was slavery in the north as well. In fact, there were some slave owners in the north that tried to ignore the laws even after Emancipation Proclamation.
At the end of the day, we don’t have to agree with something in order to be accepting of it. Try to gain a little better understanding of WHY one group supports something, even when you may not and ask them to understand the things you support. By taking the time to understand and appreciate another point of view, there will be less knee jerk reactions to all situations.
All I ask if for you to think about it, consider what I’m saying, and try to understand a point of view different than your own; it might just help make the world, and relationships with others, a little better!
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don’t ask others to accept you until you accept you
In today’s society, where acceptance doesn’t always come easy. Bully’s hiding behind keyboards, will attack anyone or anything not comfortable to them, make it difficult to always see the GREAT in ourselves. Stop! Be happy with who YOU are. Understand you are unique. It’s OK if you are different from the average. Once you accept who you are, others will as well. Laugh at your differences. Love your uniqueness.
If you meet others who are different than you, embrace them. My general rule of thumb is; as long as they don’t bring harm to children, animals, or other people, I can accept them.
Acceptance isn’t the same as liking the person. You don’t have to like someone to accept them. You don’t have to be everyone’s friend. You should, however, accept yourself and like yourself! Try it. You’ll be surprised how much easier it is for others to accept and like you as well!
The Duggar Family of TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting have been on television for over ten years now. People love them or hate them. Now the latest news is Josh Duggar was guilty of child molestation when he was a child himself. I read quite a few of the articles and some of the “hate” articles that are quick to follow whenever anyone in the limelight gets caught doing something guilty.
Now, the latest news is that TLC has removed the show from their schedule. While it is no surprise because we live in a society filled with knee jerk reactions, it still disappoints me. Why does it come down to everyone trying to please everyone. It isn’t possible!
I want to break down some of the stuff I found out about regarding this story and give my take on it.
Josh Duggar was 14 when all of this happened. 14 twelve years ago is not the same as 14 year olds today. According to the stories, some of his sisters and others were affected. Other stories say it was just his sisters. Then another story says it happened more than during just one time and affected Jim Holt’s run for the senate. So many different stories…..you have to wonder WHAT is the truth and what is fabricated to make for a better story. The story is that he fondled (not raped) the girls while they were sleeping. Does this make him a child molester or a curious, horny teenager who took advantage of the situation around him and explored with the girls around him. Yes, it is horrible that it was his sisters along with others, I won’t deny that, but again, he was 14. He recognized it was wrong and he admitted it to his parents when asked. He didn’t lie, he didn’t deny it. At 14, to recognize he had done something horrible and to want to take ownership of it says a lot.
His parents, being parents, did what they thought was best to help their son. Did they handle it correctly? Honestly, who are we to say yes or no? What parent doesn’t go above and beyond to help a child in trouble? Did they choose protecting their son over protecting their daughters? No one knows. There has been speculations that they stuck to the teaching where women are submissive so they had to just accept his apology, no matter what. Perhaps that type of teaching doesn’t work for everyone, but it does work for some. Who are we to question whether they forgave him because of their teachings or they forgave him because he openly asked for their forgiveness. When someone apologizes SINCERELY, each person has the right to accept it or not. It isn’t our place to speculate WHY they accepted it. I’m sure many readers would admit a family member has done something wrong to another family member on one occasion or another and had to apologize.
I personally know women who are HAPPY to be in a submissive relationship and it isn’t based on religion, it is based on choice. They are happy, healthy, and do not feel abused. Take the word “Religion” out of it and no one seems to have a problem with it or seem to even realize it is happening, but the minute you put the “religion” label on it, then people add hate to it. I have my own thoughts on organized religion but it doesn’t mean I automatically think everyone is wrong because their beliefs are not necessarily the same as mine.
They took Josh to a state trooper who gave him a “stern talking to” and sent him on his way. While I agree this may seem strange, for anyone who is familiar with Arkansas, and how much it has changed over the last 15 years, you really wouldn’t be surprised. Add to the fact the state trooper Josh was taken to is now in jail himself for child pornography isn’t the Duggar’s fault! I can not believe they would be ok with someone who was into child pornography. It is just another example of how everything handled in this case may not have been the best way, but not due to the Duggar’s actions.
The parents discussed it with their church elders who gave them advice. Did they give them poor advice? Again, I’m not saying it is right or wrong, but the parents WENT and sought advice and then followed the advice. Who isn’t guilty of going to someone we trust for advice and was given bad advice, yet we started to follow it or DID follow it. They sought advice from those they thought would be helpful to them. Clearly they didn’t hide this, it seems, by all counts, to be pretty common knowledge to those in their circle. That doesn’t sound like parents who are trying to sweep it under the rug and make it disappear. Did they want it out and discussed all the time? Of course not! Who would want a family’s dark moments discussed over and over again? NO ONE!
I see posts who complain about Josh Duggar being around his three children and everyone should be worried. Are you kidding me? He isn’t a pedophile!!! He didn’t go after pre-pubescent girls when he was 14. It was girls his age. It is that kind of thinking that truly brings harm to others. That type of thinking who gets the emotionally minded fired up to take dangerous actions because they can not think for themselves and just act on emotions.
One last thing I read that made me laugh is that Mama June of Honey Boo Boo threatened to sue TLC if they didn’t cancel 19 Kids and Counting because their show was canceled……ummmmm how about the difference is one was a CONVICTED CHILD MOLESTER….that means the adult sought out children. Not QUITE the same thing! Come on, we are such a litigious country.
Do I think the Duggar family is perfect? No, of course not. What family is? Do I believe they are above being held responsible for their actions? No, of course not. I don’t agree with their beliefs towards gay marriages and I personally believe every Christian would be accepting of gay marriages if they looked at it like I wrote here……but at the end of the day, whether I agree with them or not, I don’t believe they deserve the HATEFUL comments towards them, in this latest situation or in any of the others.
TLC shouldn’t pull the show in a knee jerk reaction. If their followers CHOOSE to not watch because of this, then TLC can not bring them on for another season, but it should be left to the ratings, not to the haters.
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We seem to love labels. I don’t know if it’s an American thing, a world thing, but the idea of saying, “I’m just not sure, I’m still figuring it out” doesn’t seem to be used enough or accepted enough.
I had a conversation last night with a friend and we started discussing religion and family. He has stated many times in the past he is agnostic but I have also heard him use the word “atheist” in the past.
The conversation took place because he wasn’t planning on going to church with his mom on Mother’s Day. Now I don’t care if someone goes or doesn’t go to church, but it was his reasoning behind why he wasn’t going. He said it was because he’s “atheist, agnostic, or whatever” (his words not mine). You can’t really be Atheist, Agnostic, or whatever. I called him out on his choice of words!
If he was, indeed, agnostic, going to church really would be no problem at all. Going to church with family would be no different than going to a family member’s house you don’t really care for, but you go out of respect or expectation. As an agnostic person, you aren’t against the concept of a God, you’re just skeptical or non-committal towards the idea of God. If this is the case, then suck it up, make your mom happy, and go to church. It shouldn’t be an issue and you’re mom is happy.
His issue isn’t with God or even the existence of God, it is with the labels and expectations, mostly associated with organized religion.
I decided it was time for us to discuss this further and help him understand why others have difficulty respecting his stand when his stand is always changing.
I try to understand other’s points of views, even if I don’t always agree with them. Because of this, I try to use words or terminology which will fit the person I am talking to. If I’m talking to a Christian, I state I am a Christian, I just have difficulty with organized religion. If I’m talking to an Agnostic person, I state I most identify as a Christian but all it means is I believe in a higher spirit, just not necessarily organized religion. It is the same thing, I’m wording it for the best comprehension.
I accept and respect ANY religion which does not bring harm to others. Yes, even the understood “Christian” religions who choose to kill “in the name of God” aren’t doing it because of God, they are doing it because of some organized religion directing them to do so.
How many of us know someone like this?
Why does anyone think their religion is better than another’s, when, in reality, it is all the same?
Imagine, if you will, going back hundreds of years and talking to a Native American about his religion. Now imagine you are a Christian determined to convert him to Christianity because you believe in it so much. First you tell him his religion is wrong because he prays to a “spirit” to bring rain. He is wrong because he believes in Gods and Godesses and there can be only ONE God. You tell him all this and then proceed to tell him about YOUR God, your religion. You tell him about God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, Jaweh, King of Kings, etc….Ummm can you see how that information could make a head spin??? Tell me again what the difference is? Never mind the fact BOTH believe in an ultimate higher being. BOTHbelieve in human immortality and an afterlife. Just because someone puts different words to the same concept doesn’t make it wrong or give it a different meaning! When a Christian is experiencing a drought, he prays to God for rain but I sure the term “Mother Nature” has been said at one point in time, either by them or by someone they know. Why is it so easy to accept Mother Nature but not another person’s terminology for God?
Religion isn’t easy. It is the desire to accept something that is not felt, not touched, not seen. Then we (humans) come along and make it more difficult by wanting to wrap our beliefs, the way WE understand it, up in a pretty box and put a bow on it because we cannot accept the fact it is all the same, just summarized differently.
The next time you want to have an issue with someone else’s beliefs, take a minute, ask them to explain it, or use the Internet to get a better understanding, if it is completely different than your own, respectfully explain your belief, your understanding….but in the end, if your belief or theirs brings NO HARM or DISRESPECT to others, accept it as theirs and move on. One is not better than the other.
When respect and acceptance of differences begin to be a norm, society will be a much better place!
As I was reading an article today about a a German Shepherd trained to sniff out thyroid cancer, it make me realize we are not using our natural resources as well as we should. We have animal shelters overpopulated with dogs waiting for forever homes, many of them are smart dogs, dogs who should not be in a shelter, all they want is love and companionship.
We have an unbelievable number of homeless and underprivileged in the US right now. There are currently over 600,000 homeless Americans as of 2013. Many of them do not take the time to seek medical help or, in some cases, do not have the time to go to a free clinic. Having done volunteer work with organizations that help the homeless and underprivileged, I know the care in the free medical clinics still need a lot of help. In many situations, there is an expectation of arriving early so you can get your spot on line, only to sit and wait all day.
My proposal is to have teams of dogs trained to go to these clinics, to walk the streets of the homeless, to be the first level of diagnosis for cancer. Dogs can also be trained to detect low blood sugar, low blood pressure, notification of a seizure coming on, and, in some cases, the onset of a heart attack. While some of these abilities wouldn’t help in a clinic setting, the whole point is to get involved with partnering the right dogs with the right handlers to work in areas to cut down the costs of the medical testing.
Using a dog’s ability to detect via scent would help with less evasive screening tests. It would also allow the handlers to walk the streets with the homeless, those not able to afford a bus or a a way to get to the clinics.
Would it solve every medical problem? No, of course not, but it is a start. It is a way to give more dogs in shelters work and a purpose, it is a way to help those less fortunate just a little more.
In addition, more dogs can be trained to detect seizures and oncoming heart attacks, and be given to those in need along with free food and pet care. In the long run, this care would be cheaper than the medical costs a person will incur IF they have a seizure or if they have a heart attack and it isn’t caught quickly. There are so many wins to this!
For further information, here are some good articles to read:
Have you been a fan of the Elephants at the circus? Well you better hurry up and go see them, because they are being pulled from all of the Ringling Brother’s shows by 2018.
It appears they have had a lot of negativity on the use of the elephants in the show. For some reason, people are ok with domesticated animals being part of a show, but not wild animals. The shift is for more human acts, more dog acts, etc.
In addition to the loud protesters, cities have jumped on the bandwagon and said they do not want a circus with elephants. My question would be, why?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for animals being treated well. I don’t believe any animal should be abused. IF, in fact, the problem is the animals are being abused, that should be what is addressed, not getting rid of them entirely.
Kids LOVE the elephants. Elephants are majestic creatures and love to work. It is obvious when you see them helping out in countries where they are not necessarily in captivity, but are still used similar to how horses and donkeys are used here in the United States. I like watching the elephants perform. Again, I am not saying I want animals to be abused, and I do not CONDONE animal abuse in any way. All I’m saying is, why can’t we have the Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My….but with proper care and consideration for the animals?
Yes, it is enjoyable but it also builds awareness of the plight of so many animals. If Ringling Brothers would keep the elephants and put so much of their profit back into trying to keep those that are in the wild safe, instead of so many being killed for their ivory, I think they would have a much better response then just getting rid of them completely.
Not only that, but they eat a lot. If they aren’t performing, WHO is going to pay to keep them fed and alive? They have a median life span of 17 years. I just think sometime, people yell without thinking about the whole picture. I wonder how many of those who are cheering over this decision don’t look back and remember fondly, their trip to the circus when they were children, complete with all the animals!
Let’s work to keep animals safe, both in the wild and in captivity. Stop poachers. Stop buying fur. Stop buying ivory. That is the true tragedy!
I really don’t like to give Kanye West more attention than he is already getting, because, let’s face it, he doesn’t need any more attention, but I read yet another story about him tonight and I have to share my thoughts.
First, I want to go on record of saying I am an HUGE fan of the Kardashians. I’m not here to dispute the pros and cons of the family. I admire their family togetherness, being from a large family myself, I understand how they can be mad at each other one minute and then band together the next minute when one of them is going through something. Love them or hate them, I think it is clear, to anyone who has watched more than one episode, they are truly a family first and foremost.
Kanye West is not a Kardashian. He married a Kardashian. Just because he married one doesn’t mean I automatically have to like him. I’m not a huge fan of Kim’s anyway, so it’s easy to not like him.
Here is my issue. I really do not like self-absorbed people. I know it is easy to sometimes get so caught up in our own feelings and life that anyone of us can come across as self-centered, self-absorbed from time to time, but he takes it to a level I cannot even comprehend.
Tonight the news is all abuzz about him tweeting an apology to Beck. Isn’t that nice? He tweeted an apology. So big of him. Are you kidding me? So he tweets an apology and everything is all good and happy with the world again? Does he truly think that is all it takes?
Let’s look back to the VMAs back in 2009. Taylor Swift was announced as a winner for best female video. It was clear she was truly honored and excited to win this award. Here was a young artist making her move from country to pop, accepting an award she was EXCITED about and out comes Kanye West, interrupting her acceptance speech with bad English “Imma let you finish” and then went on to say Beyoncé had the best video of all time. How dare he? How dare he believe he had the RIGHT and the AUTHORITY to take away something so precious to Taylor Swift just because he felt she should not have won? Who does he think he is? Moments are to be treasured, and he stomped on Taylor Swift’s moment. Yes, she wins awards, yes she wins lots of awards, but it doesn’t matter. What mattered on that day back in 2009 was her getting to say thank you and he interrupted it. He hands the microphone back to her and walks off. She is silent. What is she supposed to say? What did he THINK she would say? Her moment is dashed by a pompous, arrogant jerk. Beyoncé tried to make it better by giving Taylor some time when she was given an award, which was sweet, but doesn’t give a moment back. What I find ironic is he takes to his blog shortly after “apologizing” to her in the most in sincerest way possible. He says he is sorry, then goes on to say Beyoncé’s video was the best of the decade! Are you kidding me? How do you call that an apology? It wasn’t. It was just a way to save face. And to bring his mother into it, saying she would have corrected him. He should have apologized for the horrible apology, but that wouldn’t be sincere either, so why does he even bother to waste his breath?
Kanye West has been a jerk prior to this event, in Europe at an MTV awards event. Clearly he is a poor loser, even when the loss isn’t directly related to him.
Fast forward to this year. The Grammys…..West, once again, thinking he is better than EVERYONE else in the room, interrupts Becks Acceptance speech for Album of the Year. West then plays it off like he’s just joking and walks back off the stage. Now, before we even talk about what happened in post interviews, let’s talk about this moment. It was BECK’S MOMENT, not Kanye West’s. Kanye West has no respect for anyone but himself. You don’t take away someone’s moment with the thought, “Oh, I can just apologize later and make it better”. To have such a level of disrespect for others and such a high sense of self is truly disgusting.
Beck was a perfect gentleman and handled it gracefully, but he should not have been put in the position in the first place.
In the post-show interviews, West went on to, surprise surprise, talk about Beyoncé again, saying she should have won.
I just know that the Grammys, if they want real artists to keep coming back, they need to stop playing with us. We ain’t gonna play with them no more. And Beck needs to respect artistry and he should’ve given his award to Beyoncé.
I find it interesting he uses the word respect yet has no idea what the word means. What is his love affair with Beyoncé? If I was Jay Z (Beyoncé’s husband) I would be so mad. It is clear West has an obsession with Beyoncé. Then the truth comes out he hadn’t even HEARD the album by Beck. So, he had nothing to compare it to, yet felt he could open his mouth? Why do they let this man continue to come to award shows? In my opinion, they should ban him for a whole year from all of the awards and tell him when he grows up and can be respectful of others, he’ll be allowed to attend the shows again.
Of course, now it’s coming out he’s apologizing. He’s stating he’s going to record with Taylor Swift. He’s saying how great of an artist Beck is, etc. All this is saying is he realizes he was, yet again, a disrespectful jerk and has to play nice to pretend he really cares about others. At some point, when are people going to realize he’s just a jerk? He’s not going to change. He’ll act out like a child, then apologize when a parent tells him to, until he does it again. It also shows how much of an adult Taylor Swift is, trying to put the past behind them and move on.
Of course, West doesn’t stop his attacks on just other artists. He thinks so highly of himself to believe he has the RIGHT to MAKE concert goers stand up when he commands them to. At a concert in Australia in 2014, he is filmed saying everyone has to stand up unless they are handicapped. Then, when two people don’t stand up, he doesn’t just keep going, oh no, he has to send his security team to make sure they were, indeed, handicapped. News Flash jerk….not every disability is visible! How about you don’t draw attention to people who probably have unwanted attention drawn on them every day anyway? Oh that’s right, he doesn’t care about other people’s feelings, only his own. It was sweet of his wife to stand by her man saying that he qualified who didn’t have to stand up. Really??? Come on! If someone wants to pay unbelievable amounts of money to see a pompous jerk, then they have the right to stay seated if they want to. As much as he want’s people to believe, he isn’t a god. He doesn’t control other humans.
We have to stop rewarding bad behavior people! We have to stop allowing these celebrities set the tone for disrespect. The question is WHY do we keep saying it’s ok? Why do we shrug off the bad behavior when it so blatantly steals another person’s moment(s).
We need to start focusing on respect and truly understanding what the word means, then start showing it as an example, not an exception.
I love travelling with my two dogs. They are part of my everyday life, so it only makes sense I enjoy them when I am on the road as well. When I moved from Michigan to Missouri eleven years ago, I learned how to travel better with my one dog, Jake, because I was on the road so much for work. Even traveling home for a visit, I had to plan accordingly because it wasn’t always easy to find a place to stop if I drove. When I flew, Jake had to be in a travel carrier and travel as cargo. I hated it. I was always worried something would happen to him. It caused me to choose car as a way of traveling instead. A thirteen hour drive without stopping can make for a long trip, especially when I was traveling after working all day.
Then I discovered the LaQuinta hotel chain! They quickly became my go to hotel chain of choice.
Let’s discuss the reasons why:
LaQuinta currently operates over 830 locations throughout the US, Mexico, and Canada. I know they have grown quite a bit over the last few years, so they are becoming easier and easier to find in a location I am traveling to. Of course, I have emailed them more than once to open one up in my home town of Port Huron, Michigan so I can stay there when I go home to visit family. Maybe one day! They may not always be in the prime spot in the city, so if you are hoping for an ocean view room, or a location right in the heart of the city you are traveling to, then you may want to consider a different hotel, but they are usually within a close proximity of where I want to be.
LaQuinta is affordable! Yes, cost is a huge factor for me when I travel. I try to find the best priced location when I travel and I have found LaQuinta to participate in many of the travel discounts available. This is an important side note, LOOK FOR DISCOUNTS!!!! You should NEVER pay full price for any hotel. Don’t always assume the discount option you chose the last time is the cheapest option this time. I will write another blog about traveling on a budget later.
The rooms are nice. Now, I do want to put in a disclaimer. If I am not familiar with the location, I will call them to find out if they are a corporate location or a franchise. If they are a corporate location, I will book with them in a heartbeat. If they are a franchise location, I will first look to see if there is another location within the same proximity. If there isn’t, I will go and look for reviews, study the pictures, and I will have to consider if I still want to book at the location. Not every franchise location is bad, but there has consistently been a difference in the quality of the rooms between the franchise locations and the corporate locations. The corporate locations have been redesigned. The rooms are nice, the colors are cheery, the staff always seem to be friendly.
Speaking of staff, the staff is another reason I like to choose the LaQuinta hotels when I travel with my dogs. With the exception of one location in Georgie, I NEVER feel like traveling with my dogs is a pain to them. I never feel like I have to hide the fact my dogs are with me. The staff seem genuinely happy to see them. They greet them. They smile when they see them.
All of their locations, with three exceptions, are dog friendly in the US. I have never travelled outside of the US with my pets, so I can not speak for their Mexico and Canada locations. I was told the reason the three do not is because of where they are built, there is no grass for the dogs to be taken outside, so they cannot be welcoming of pets.
They have a great rewards program. If you do any traveling, always look into the hotels rewards program, but I can attest to LaQuinta’s being great. It is so easy to earn free nights or turning the points into gift cards, airline miles, charitable donations, magazines, or even luxury resort partnerships. I use mine for free nights except one time I turned it in for a gift card. Redeeming for a free night is extremely easy. You can do it on their website or by making a phone call. I have never had a problem redeeming points, even at midnight ten minutes before I arrived at the hotel because I was driving overnight and got tired.
Their rewards program is on a tiered system, where the more you stay, the quicker it is for you to earn points towards a free night. I have been at the Platinum level every year except this year. I am not traveling as much so I am not staying in any hotel as much as I used to. Another nice thing about their rewards program is you usually receive a follow up survey about your stay. While you do not earn any points for filling it out, I can speak from personal experience someone DOES indeed read them and follow up. On the rare occasion I have had a bad experience, I receive follow up rather quickly and even received a partial refund on my stay because of the situation. I can probably count on one hand how many times I have had a bad experience, so when it does happen, it doesn’t deter me from the brand, just that location.
One of the best reasons for choosing LaQuinta when traveling with pets is because they do not have a breed restriction, a size restriction, or a number’s restriction. They are just as happy to see my 100lb Neapolitan Mastiff Bella as they are to see my lovable, Jack Russell Terrier Zipper. Of course, Zipper wins them over because he constantly tries to jump up on the counter (a bad habit he was taught at a LaQuinta we frequented often shortly after I adopted him). There are a few locations that ask you to fill out a pet release where you include your cell phone number. There are some that state the animal can not be left in the room unattended. I find these are usually at the franchise locations. I have never had a problem at a corporate location.
Most of the corporate locations have designated areas to walk your dog, including pick up bags. The property is usually well maintained, so you don’t have to worry about stepping in messes left from lazy dog owners. The dogs are not allowed in the breakfast area, for obvious reasons. They do not want dogs in the area where food is served. They are usually welcomed in the lobby area provided they are behaving and leashed. Again, the only exception I have ever had is the location in Georgia where I was clearly informed they were not allowed in the lobby and I had to remove them. It stunk because I was with a large group, my entire family was staying there, so I would have preferred to have my dog with me instead of locked up in the room, but I respected their wishes.
Speaking of breakfast areas, they have a decent continental breakfast. There are always waffles, one of their signature items, but then, depending on the location, they may have biscuits and gravy or hard boiled eggs, in addition to the traditional continental breakfast items.
So, the next time you are getting ready to plan a trip and your fur babies are going with you, consider staying at a LaQuinta if one is available in you area of travel. You can visit their site, which is easy to navigate, at LQ.com. It is important to remember, as pet owners, you are responsible for your pet. If they have an accident on the floor, CLEAN it up. If they are chewers on doors, don’t leave them unattended. Even if your dog is well behaved off leash, when you are staying at a hotel, USE A LEASH! Not only is it probably a requirement where you are, but you also don’t know what other dogs are going to be traveling. Just because a dog travels, doesn’t mean they are dog friendly. My Jack Russell is not dog friendly. More than once, I have had to tell a dog owner to recall their dog because it comes running up to mine off leash. I am always quick to say he isn’t dog friendly from a distance but too many owners say, “Oh, my dog gets along with everyone.” Those are the owners who ruin it for everyone else.
I want to note I wrote this blog completely to help other owners. LaQuinta was not aware of this blog at all. I do want to say a special thank you to one LaQuinta. I never formally thanked the La Quinta Inn Little Rock at Rodney Parham Rd 1010 Breckenridge Dr., Little Rock, AR for their amazing support towards me and my late Rat Terrier Jake. Jake was suffering with cancer and our last trip was to Little Rock. We had been there many times, so the staff knew him and me very well. I am sure the same staff is not there as this was back in 2008, but his last couple of days here, he lost control of his bowels. He stopped eating. He, sadly, had a horrible accident in the hotel room. I knew the end was near. I took him to a veterinary down there and they were able to get him rehydrated and we took the chance of getting him home to Kansas City, to his cancer specialist. When I told the staff about the accident and offered to pay extra for cleaning, not only did they tell me to not worry about it, but they were genuinely concerned about him and me. When I notified them of his passing, many of them I had encountered throughout my stays signed a card and mailed it to me. I have never forgotten how wonderful they were. I had ever made a collage for them to hang up, but circumstances happened and I wasn’t able to return for a couple years. By then, they had a new manager and it didn’t seem fitting to give them the collage. Even with new staff, that particular location will always hold a special place in my heart.
Zipper in Little Rock.
I hope this helps the readers the next time they are getting ready to travel with their pet(s).
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