How Much Is The Internet Really To Blame?

I attended church this morning, where the minister was saying that in the 1980’s there were 33,000 mental health counselors in the United States and that there are now 1.3 million.  He blamed the Internet, which I supposed has become rather trendy since it is common to “friend” someone the requester does not know and perhaps never expects to actually met.  Yet I remember a customer in a coffee shop that I worked in in the 1980’s saying with such sadness that everything was aimed at making a buck and that there was no sense of community so clearly the sense of social isolation is not new.  I would love to know how many people agree with the minister that the Internet is the primary cause and how many would say that that customer so long before the Internet was in common use had the right idea.

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The Kindness Of Death

I have been visiting with a neighbor who was severely disabled, and he used to beg me to come more often.  I was with him Thursday night when his ability to breath went south, and I called an ambulance for him while he wanted to wait until the next day to go to the hospital on the bus.  He said it was because he could sit up on the bus while the paramedics would make him lie down in the ambulance so that then he couldn’t breath.  He left with the paramedics who were rushing while I was left there to look for the keys to lock up his home.

 

My neighbor has died according to the nurse in ICU.  I never got to see him after he told me before I called the ambulance that he wanted for me to come visit him in the hospital because I was his best friend.  I barely knew the man, but I could tell how lonely he was, and he admitted that there was no one else that he could depend on.  I am sorry that he died among people who did not know him at all, but I am wondering whether death came as a friend to someone who was very sick, very lonely, and very isolated because he could not leave his home without the portable oxygen tanks that only last 20 minutes.  He admitted that he went only to two stores across the street or up to the front of the building to pay his rent.

 

I have not heard from his daughter, whose number my neighbor gave me only about an hour before I called the ambulance; but she lives out-of-state.  With her being his only family and then a neighbor he had known less than six months (that’s me) being the one he considered his best friend, I am wondering how he lived so long.  Loneliness is more deadly than smoking or being overweight.

Life can be very cruel.  Death can be very kind. 

Which Diet is Best for You?

Sending this to make sure that I can find it again since I am rather clumsy on this site where I have been looking for interesting things to read.

I can sa on thing for sure on this subject. It is not for nothing that the first syllable in dietician is “die” because following those sadists advice will starve you to death.

Life in the Boomer Lane

Moderation, a diet consisting of eating whatever one wants but in reasonable portions, is considered stupid and BORING. It assumes that we would actually agree to eat a large piece of salmon and a small piece of chocolate, or a large portion of vegetables and only a bite or two of chili cheese nachos with guacamole and extra sour cream. The American public has not only soundly rejected this diet, but the governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley, is now in favor of a bill to allow citizens to not only be allowed to carry their handguns in bars, but to use their weapons to soundly beat anyone seen eating a balanced diet in a South Carolina restaurant.

This leave us in a quandary, even greater than that posed by having to choose between pepperoni or Italian sausage on our deep dish pizzas. Namely, what kind diet do…

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Social Security Disability

I am someone whose doctors say that she will never be able to return to full-time work and must therefore seek disability.  I have applied, even though I did not want to.  Are there any bloggers here who are like me?  I would like to have some discussion about this.  Where can I find you?

What Would You Write In Your Own Orbituary?

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Celebrations of Life

There is a pop psychologist who used to be on television who was right on the money when he said that “You wouldn’t worry so much about what other people think of you if you realized how seldom they do.”  He might still be on the air, but I wouldn’t know since I have not had a television in years.  Yet it does raise an interesting question that I think people would answer candidly if allowed to do so anonymously.

 

My question is how you think of yourself:

If you were to die today and your last deed was to write your own orbituary, what would it say?

Attracting Traffic: Tips for Writing Great Blog Post Titles

This is interesting as I love to know what motivates people. Reading their posts is sort of like the market research work that I used to do. People’s thought processes are endlessly fascinating.

The Daily Post

You’ve been working hard on your blog: you put thought and effort into your About page, your site title and tagline, and you’ve even picked a funky blog name. You sweat your photography. You read and re-read your drafts to make sure they’re just so.

With over 1.4 million posts published on WordPress.com every day, how do you make sure your work stands out in the crowd? Crafting strong post titles is one way to snag reader attention, pique interest, attract followers, and earn repeat visits. Here’s a few ideas to think about as your write titles for your posts.

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Cooking for Diabetic Guests

Sending to self as a diabetic hosting other diabetics.

Sugarfree Sweetheart

OK, you know the theory behind the diabetic diet and eating healthy. So, what do you do when you have a diabetic guest coming over?

Here are some quick and easy tips for Cooking for Diabetic Guests!

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What to Cook?

• Make at least one dish with vegetables. It could be the main dish, a side dish, a salad, or just some roasted vegetables. Just avoid the starchy veggies (potato, yam, etc) for this dish.

• Make at least one dish with a healthy protein. It helps to know what your guest can eat in terms of protein and of course, it also depends on what you can cook with! If you are unsure of their requirements, try to include a variety of sources.

• Choose good carbs – whole grains or whole grain flours or vegetables. You could serve sweet potatoes, cauliflower “rice”, brown rice, quinoa, whole-wheat rotis, mixed grain…

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Do You Have Any Choice of Which Advertisers.

I don’t actually expect to get readers here.  I am actually here to look for blogs written by others so that I can read.  I am greedy when it comes to getting information.  However, I have noticed the spot that says that advertising may appear upon what we have written.  Does anyone writing here have any choice about what this advertising content may be?  I don’t think that it will affect me personally as a writer, but I do think that the principle of the thing is important.

The National Friendship Crisis

I was just floating through this site and came upon this post, which I am placing in my section in order to make sure that I can find it again later. Aha! This blogger has caught my issue. Big time! I am more of an in-person kind of person. I don’t feel like someone online is my friend until after I have met this person in person. Maybe I am just funny that way. Yet I have noticed that so many people claim those whom they have met in person are their friends when these “friends” are, in fact, just clients. I long for a sense of community in a world where everything is aimed at making a buck. Maybe I expect too much because someone who truly was a good friend once told me that we are all monkeys grabbing grapes.

Life in the Boomer Lane

You know the 450 Friends you have on Facebook? The ones who comment on all the photos of the babies and puppies you post? The ones who are wearing out their thumbs liking every thought you share from your daily inspirational calendar? The ones who never seem to forget your birthday? They are a myth.

According to the latest research on friendship, our true friendships are as fleeting as those encountered by your average despot, when the military comes knocking at his door. The finding will have you reassess every time someone says, “I’m here for you,” then jets off to Cancun.

According to getlifeboat.com, 75% of Americans are not truly satisfied with their friendships. Sixteen percent are not confident in their friendships. Four percent have best friends who have turned them in to the police on at least one occasion.

While Gen Xers are the bottom of the barrel…

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What Is Hospitable About Industry?

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Disney World, hospitality, Universal Studios

Since I have made my living off of tourism and market research, my current thoughts may smack of hypocrisy.  Yet I cannot help thinking them.  When did hospitality become an industry instead of something that we show our friends?  I had difficulty calling customers guests while I worked in theme parks, even though I was instructed by supervisors to do so.  How can I treat people like guests while I am charging them?  A guest does not pay.  A host pays!