Reading

Isn’t it wonderful to have a mother or parent who loves their child so much and who invests the time and effort into the ultimate welfare of providing for their child?

One of the most beautiful things to share with a child at an early age besides care and attention is a book.

Early learning and development is one of the most important bestowments that a parent can offer to their child along with it being another way to enhance a familial bond.

My mother always had books around me as she was an avid reader and she taught me how to read by the time I was two and a half years of age.

Reading is so conducive as it takes one’s mind on a journey to discovery, contemplation, imagination, adventure, and communication.

I loved the numerous types of books that my mother had purchased for me and I’d read them over and over again. One of my favorite childhood literary anthologies was the Bank Street Readers series of books.

My mother often took me to the library to borrow books that held my interest, and for the study of autobiographical book reports that I had to turn in during my elementary school years. It was both fun as well as educational.

Till this very day one of my favorite hobbies is to read. I was even presented a gold pen when I was eight years of age for being one of the best readers within the entire school.

All is owed to having a parent who prepared me for the world ahead of time.

 

 

Exercise

I never considered myself an exercise person due to the fact that I don’t exercise.

Then, I had to remember and realize how walking is a major form of exercise that I’ve done frequently for quite most of my life.

I use to enjoy walking to a high degree so much that on days of beautiful spring and summer weather I’d walk home, and to a relatively long destination, instead of taking a cab or public transportation if the stroll was within a considerably reasonable distance and location for me to attain.

I don’t do arobics or stretches the only type of stretching I do is when I wake up in the morning or to flex when my limbs and body gets stiff or tired.

Nevertheless, I am very energetic and I get a workout from the exertion of my everyday activities, especially while I’m at work and constantly on the move.

So while some of us are not into the strenuous or disciplined acts of routine exercise we have the unintentional ability, and result, of being bodily toned and healthily fit simply by doing our regular movements through out each day.

 

Not So Hygienic

I have a long history of working in retail. I’ve worked at JC Penney’s, Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, Sears and Roebuck, Burlington and a few other retail outlets.

I’ve held multiple positions within the stores and one thing I found appalling was when it came to people trying on shoes and clothing.

I’ve worked in fitting rooms, the shoe department, the storage rooms, on the sales floors, central wrap/packaging and shipping, and so on.

I use to see people come in trying on underwear and swimsuits that would be placed back on shelves and racks for others to try on or to purchase.

Other apparel such as pants, dresses, and shirts would be tried on while people were sweaty and smelly then placed back onto racks to be sold. They would even leave behind deodorant stains. Not to mention how many items of clothing ended up piled upon the store floors from day to day, and night to night, just to eventually be sold and taken home by some unsuspecting individual who had no idea what the clothing had been through.

Apparel and underwear are usually turned inside out, stepped on, dragged, thrown down, and mishandled only to be recovered and neatly replenished back onto the sales floor shelves and racks as if nothing ever happened.

Handbags and accessories would also be disheveled and scattered about.

People would try on shoes with dirty and smelly feet, the inside of the shoe department storage room often reeked of funky feet because the loud odor from numerous people’s feet lingered behind.

I personally don’t want to put on and purchase a bra or panty that someone else has tried on the idea is disgusting, and such a turn off. When I was coming up stores didn’t allow this to be done.

My bra and underwear always came inside sealed boxes and packages I never bought loose underwear that were on hangers or piled onto shelves.

Working at these stores, I had access to the brand new items of merchandise since I handled unopened boxes that were shipped in daily for me to stock and to place out upon the sales floors so I made sure to get my hands on items that had never been touched or worn by anyone If I planned on buying anything inside the store.

The experience also inspired me to be extra cautious at how I purchase at stores from then on, knowing how careless many establishments operate.

It’s a shame these stores fail to incorporate higher standards of conduct within reinforcing a proper rule and responsibility of maintenance among and toward customers, store associates, and the goings on behind the scenes.

 

 

 

Tea And Milk

I love tea with milk, I use to drink the beverage this way frequently in my younger days.

I don’t drink tea too often right now, currently, lately I haven’t ingested any of those beneficial brewed leaves.

I don’t remember the last time I had a hot cup, although, I do have unopened boxes of herbal teas lingering around my home waiting to be consumed.

It’s been months back I think since I’ve had tea and It has definitely been a few years since I’ve actually had black tea. I avoid caffeine as much as possible so if I drink any regular tea it is very sparingly.

Herbal tea is, of course, naturally caffeine free, and even though black tea comes decaffeinated there is still a little remainder of caffeine left behind in the manufacturing.

However, tea with milk will always be a great favorite of mine, whether with a plant-based milk or with a plant-based cream.

There was a So Delicious brand french vanilla (my favorite flavor) creamer that I first tried last year. I drank the beverage straight out from the container with a straw. It was nice, cold, and tasty, so I know how good the drink would taste poured in a hot cup of tea. It was made with coconut milk.

 

Biscuits And Soup

I love biscuits. I love them plain, I love them buttered, and I love them stuffed with any hot or melted delicious preference of choice.

Biscuits make great appetizers to the experimentive and creative mind.

Soup is another versatile meal. We can have soup with biscuits as well as with crackers.

Soup is a wonderful flavoring to dress over foods as a gravy, and it is a delectable adornment, giving certain dishes a pretty appearance.

I would frequently pour my garden vegetable or minestrone soup over white rice, or mix the rice into a hot pot of soup once both foods were done. It turns out to be such a good meal that I’ve enjoyed for years.

Puppy Love/Doggy Days

I eagerly took good care of all the puppies and dogs that I’ve had throughout my life.

Canines bring such joy and richness into our lives so I made sure the one’s who came to live with me were enriched and well pleased.

It came natural, who could help from treating an adorable puppy or dog with ultimate love, and genuine care?

I remember when I was in my teens I tried to brush one of my dog’s teeth yet she made it impossible as she constantly licked the toothpaste.

While I kept my canines teeth and gums healthy in other ways, Milk Bone puppy and dog biscuits was an excellent remedy for helping to keep her breath fresh, and mouth happy.

In fact, Milk Bones were the only type of dog food my canine would touch, except for a special high quality dog food I use to feed two of my canines that brought out a gorgeous sheen to their already healthy coats.

She was strictly a table food eater.

 

Curry Rice And Chicken

Last night I colored my rice with curry powder, not too much, because I’m not fond of food too spicy, just enough to give my rice a nice yellow tint.

I added some rosemary, basil, and thyme, then boiled a separate pot of two chicken thighs lightly salted and peppered.

I like my chicken, shrimp, and fish once in a while as I predominantly eat vegan.

Last night I ate pollo pescetarian and I healthily enjoyed myself.

Spaghetti, I’m Ready!

The night before last, I made two delicious pots of spaghetti with garlic, basil, oregano, and tomato sauce.

I just love spaghetti, I buy the thin spaghetti, and I break my noodles up small.

It’s been a while since I had tomato sauce over my spaghetti as I like to change things up a bit with my food as I experiment with flavor and recipe.

Lately, I’ve been sprinkling herbs and spices over my noodles then dressing my dish in olive oil or plant butter.

I love my spaghetti noodles mixed with shrimp on occasion.

Working With Alzheimer’s And Dementia

I’ve had extensive training in cognitive function and disorders as I worked in facilities and homes with those living and coping with forms and stages of dementia.

I’ve also observed hours of expert Teepa Snow footage through one of my past company’s orientation and training sessions.

I was trained under the supervision of a nurse to administer out medication and to evaluate and monitor the behavior of clients that I and others were assigned to while we occupied overnight shifts on the floor of the Alzheimer’s and Dementia unit.

There would be two of us on duty in charge of thirteen patients that we had to check on every hour when they were in their beds.

In general, those with dementia who repeated the same things over again never annoyed me, and if they’d get frustrated, or non compliant, I’d just wait until everything was all fresh and new to them again.

In more severe cases one just had to have patience and use interpersonal skills of effective method and technique.

In dealing with individuals who have Alzheimer’s and Dementia, everything begins with the proper way in how to approach and communicate with them, and this comes with understanding the nature and progression of their disease, and the way in how they process and react.

 

Unsanitary/Sanitary Practices

I’m a germaphobe to a certain extent.

I don’t touch outside doorknobs, hold onto transportation poles, press elevator buttons, or use ATM machines without holding onto a tissue or piece of paper towel within the process, environments are just too nasty and hazardous.

I’ve seen people sneeze into their hand then use that same hand to swipe their metro cards into the same apparatus as everybody else.

There was a woman who went to kiss a male associate right after giving another man a blow job, if he hadn’t been warned ahead of time of her actions by others who were present, bodily remnants of seminal fluids would have lingered onto his face or mouth.

Long before I ever worked in the health care field I took extra precautions. I always kept my body and hands clean, I never let people or strangers freely kiss on me, and I carried disinfectant wipes or tissues/paper towels with me constantly.

I never sat on public toilets without placing toilet tissue or disposable toilet covers over the seats, I do the same upon using the toilets in peoples homes. I don’t take any chances in this day and age.

I watched a lady client of mine years ago dip her hand down into her pants, and literally scratch her pubic area, she then used that same unwashed hand to use her telephone. The exact telephone I had to clock in and out on to verify my attendance and scheduled assignments.

I didn’t touch anything within her home without wearing vinyl, latex, or nitrile gloves back then, and that is the genuine truth.

 

Bullying

Bullying doesn’t just only happen amongst children, many adults bully, and go through the oppression and torment of other domineering adults.

I don’t understand the intimidation and submission as I’ve never let anyone bully me with bullshit, the notion is very inconceivable to my logical reasoning.

I’m the extremely stubborn type, born under the zodiacal sign Taurus, no one could ever persuade me to do anything I didn’t want to do, or to go along with, I dared anybody in general to coerce me. They’d deeply regret it.

As a child, when I was in the fifth grade, I remember a girl by the name of Sandrine Adams. She was of Caribbean descent, and she was black and bruisy-looking, ugly and doofy.

She, with the help of unnatural circumstances, that was negatively occurring around me at the time, turned all of the other children within our classroom against me in order to scare me into joining her group of “colored kids”.

I, of course, refused as I would not subject myself to one ethnic group of children simply because I was also a shade of brown skin.

My mother had bused me out to a predominantly caucasian elementary school to learn at my high pace with all different spectrum of nationalities and ethnicities, not to be subjugated and segregated.

Who was this disturbed fellow student trying to divide up other students, and why were other children within her influence following behind her? The audacity had really pissed me off, and the situation had me all the more determined to stand, and hold my own ground.

I wasn’t a passive kid.

The need to control and to harass other people, especially at such a young age, stems from insecurities and/or mental issues arising from deep within.