BLOG CASTS. Archives - Life Views 101

September 23, 2024September 23, 2024

Plastic People, Plastic Robots.

Hello this is Kris, and welcome to my blog. Today I am re-releasing a blog I wrote several years ago. I feel this blog says today, what it did back in 2017. And it starts with the question, “why are all these stars cutting up their faces to look like some creature out of a toy story?” I must ask, are we real or imagination? Does our skin melt away only to be replaced by plastic? Is this a dream? Foolish questions really, but when I look at many of the stars and people of “importance.” I am seeing plastic dolls. What has happened to their faces?

I will not name names here because I don’t want to get my butt kicked by said people but, after viewing Yahoo time and time again with its many pictures of the stars, I am shocked at what stares back at me from the pages. I see stars that I haven’t seen in years, and I don’t recognize them. What the hell are they doing to their faces? Who wants a face that looks like it is frozen in time with a mouth like Heath Ledger from Batman? Even the men are in on it. Some of my favorites look hideous. Do they even look in the mirror when the plastic surgeon is done with their face?

I am disgusted with the stars as there is nothing wrong with getting a little older. Our bodies are going to do what it does as it ages, and that is wrinkle and sag. I bet underneath a lot of the dresses and suits their skin is just as marked with age spots as mine. The flesh on their thigh’s sags just like mine because that is what it does, it loses its elasticity and sags. And their skin is just as thin as mine even though their faces are frozen in some weird time period. Do they think that that we don’t know they have a neck like a Turkey with those scarves and high button collars?

What about all that face paint and blinding white light that these producers douse their announcers and stars in? These people are cast in bright lights so we can’t really see all the lines and wrinkles. And it hides their necks,

They use to call me shrimp, after leg surgery I am called Tall.

What is wrong with just being ourselves? When I look at some of the stars that I stood in awe of with their frozen looking faces I am so disappointed. How can we look up to them when they refuse to remain human and grow old like us?

We have all seen the pictures when plastic surgery has gone wrong for some of these famous beauties. There isn’t one of them that looks natural and lovely. Oh, if they do a tiny little bit, they get by with it, but once they get started, they come away looking like something out of a toy factory. Some even look like they are wearing a mask!

I don’t go to the movies or watch a lot of television so it might be years before I see one of my favorite stars again, so when the show comes on and I see what they have done in the last several years I am often shocked, and a little pissed! Where did the person I fell in love with go? Who is that standing on stage?

Now I would love to look beautiful all the time, but it goes against nature, and I would rather have my health than look in the mirror and not see me anymore. If some news person would do a slideshow of some of these famous people as they aged with their plastic surgery and showed what they have done to their faces over the years, it might even shock these stars. I know it does me.

Who says all of us must look like dolls out of Walmart? When did all this start and why do we buy into it? We are amazing creatures! No, we are not all brilliant or beautiful, or talented but, we are all wonderful, unique, and very special in our own way. We should not strive to be one of the “Stepford” wives, but instead let our inner self shine through.

How can we teach young girls and boys to love and appreciate themselves when all around are these walking, talking dolls trying to look perfect in every way? The sad thing is we know that this is not really how they feel inside. No way. If they did, they would not cut away pieces of themselves to fit into a certain mold

Did I tell you I can see into the future? What I see is that we will be able to walk into a designer shop somewhere and pick a face off the wall just like we can pick out a wig we want to wear, and that is who we will become instead of who we are. It will be like a Stephen King movie. Steven don’t steal my idea!

This is another frightening thought as I have never been in a plastic surgeon’s office but, I would imagine the plastic surgeons have books just like the beauty shops so you can pick out your cheeks, eyes, lips, breasts, and buttocks. Anything that can be replaced is offered.

Maybe they could open a big shop like a Walmart only call it Plastic Mart where all they sell will be the things you could hope to replace on your body through surgery or just try out the replacement parts like face mask, bra stuffers, and booty pants.

Sadly, while I’m trying to be humorous, I am sure it will happen at some point in time. Did you know that in China they have made a female robot that is lovely, walks, and converses with you? There is also a company somewhere where you can order your own favorite robot star doll to have as your companion. And, on Yahoo awhile back some organization or such reported that it is predicted by the year 2030 humans will be marrying and mating with robots. What do you think of that? Not only will our parts be replaced, but we will be replaced as well.

None of us are perfect and we shouldn’t want or expect that from each other. Our own uniqueness is what puts such flavor in the world. If we were all dolls out of a factory, I think humanity would come to a standstill. Don’t let any institution sway you to change how you look and feel. Do not let them take away your specialness. That is what we love about each other, that is the attraction. If we take away what is us, we might as well be mating with robots!

I say it’s time to take control and be who we are through our real appearances, and our behaviors towards each other, period. I’m going to steal someone’s saying here or part of it and say, “people will not necessarily remember how you look, but they will remember how you made them feel.” Make us feel happy, excited, and glad to be part of humanity. Leave all your parts in place and focus on giving your inner loveliness to the world. And if Hollywood doesn’t like it, then form your own company called “Real People”, and use real people, not plastic looking dolls. So, for today appreciate your beauty and the beauty in others, and as I always say, have a great day today, you and I deserve it!

January 26, 2024January 27, 2024

Expectations

I screamed at my bird this evening. He was out on his perch playing like he does most evenings, and I lost it. Coco is an African grey parrot who likes to imitate the beeping of my alarm clock, my cell phone, and even the microwave. He has a whole array of noises he likes to share whenever I’m trying to sleep or take a nap and he thinks I should be up. Well, there I lay sprawled on the couch trying to get some shut eye and that bird was filling the silence with his whole vocabulary. Did I mention that he also talks, but not as much as he likes to make sounds. I will reveal his less polite sounds like burping and farting, noises that sound just like my granddaughters, the little pigs.

I’m not sure if you know that I usually work nights which is probably the worst shift to work for any human being wanting to get a good night’s sleep. I’m one of those people that can only nap for about 3 hours. My body won’t let me sleep any longer even with a little medicinal help. I wake up and then take a two-hour nap before I leave for work. Giving me a grand total of five hours of sleep a day that is usually split up. Do I need to admit that sometimes I am a GROUCH. Understandable, right.

I also have a very ailing old dog and I’m goanna admit that sometimes my patience runs thin with her needs as well. And I don’t know what was wrong with me today but for sure I yelled at the bird, yelled at the dog, got up angry for being disturbed then yelled “Oh my God can I have some peace and quiet” and then I realized what I was doing.

How can we expect anything to be other than what it is? Why would I expect my talkative bird to be quiet when I’m sleeping during the day, and it’s his wake time. It’s cruel to try to get my dog to not bother me when I’m lying around trying to nap. She needs love, affection, food, and potty breaks. I felt like such a meanie.

Imagine how people must feel in the human world when others around them expects them to be something other than what they are. The song about rose colored glasses is really true because until we take those glasses off, we don’t see clearly. We may not realize who or what that person is before us in our relationship until we remove the glasses. Our expectations of who they should be often outshines who they actually are, and eventually if that is the case, we become disappointed, grumpy, and annoyed, which is crazy, a bird is a bird right!

If you are having relationship problems, I want you to stop and look at that person. I want you to see who you” think” that person should be. Are you seeing the real person or the one you imagine they should be? Ask yourself is this a clear picture of this person or am I just putting my desires of what I need onto their shoulders. I believe this is what happens in many relationships. We expect the other person that we share our life with to be different than who they are. We see those rose-colored glasses come on and love gets in the way as our heart fills with joy, blinding us like a ray of sunshine. But, when the clouds come overhead, and we get a good look and we realize we might have imagined these elements of who they are we start picking, and picking, and picking.

I was married to my second husband for thirty something years. We are still friends. He is the same person he always was. And I can tell you that when we first got together, I had some heavily tinted glasses on. Along the way as I grew up and grew older, I realized that just because I had expectations of who this person was supposed to be, did not make it so. That was a very enlightening “ aha” moment because we were going through some serious storms in our relationship.

It takes time to really get to know someone, be it friends or sweethearts. The main reason is we usually put our best foot forward trying to impress and win over that special person we want in our life. Eventually though the glasses come off and we see what we see, and that may not be a good thing for anyone.

But here’s where I come to my ex-husband’s defense and say that he was being 100% of who he was with all his little flaws, all his little kindnesses, all his bias ideas, and I was not going to change any of that by throwing a tantrum or pulling out the silence card or withdrawing from him because he was who he was and he didn’t understand why I didn’t understand him. He was just being himself. A bird is a bird!

Eventually I came to understand that we cannot expect other people to change to please us. If there is a change in a relationship it must come through a change in ourselves. We have to change our expectations and make them real. We must open our eyes and be fair to that other person.

Our marriage didn’t work out as the differences were too difficult, but I did learn to accept him for who he was, and we are still friends. I have my flaws, he has his flaws, and we care about each other. I came to realize how unjust I was being by expecting anything else.

Now I’m not saying that things can’t change in a relationship, but it has to be something you both agree on. Things can’t change if one partner is saying “ it has to be my way” or saying “if only you would do it this way, if only you were that way, if only you were more thoughtful, if only you were neater or kinder or cleaner or happier” or whatever it is that we are trying to lay on their shoulders that we think would make us a happier person, and that’s wrong.

All we can do is learn to change ourselves to find peace within. To accept others for who they are and accept ourselves or if we don’t like what we see improve what we find wrong within in ourselves, not criticize the other person.

They say when you look at other people in your life you are seeing reflections of yourself. I tell myself that often if I’m struggling or being too judgmental. I say that is me looking back at me and that is what I need to take care of, perhaps what I need to change in myself.

If you believe in the ripple effect, I wrote a piece about that, you might get lucky and that other person may change a little bit too, but it won’t be because they see that we think there is something wrong, if may be because we have become a better person to be around therefore they are able to relax into who they are and enjoy our company, hopefully we can enjoy their company too.

Yelling at my bird didn’t solve a single thing. If birds could think, and I don’t know if they do, he probably thought I was crazy. I think his little birdie brain was saying “Doesn’t she know I always do this when I’m out and about. What’s wrong with her, why’s she’s so grumpy today.” Okay that was too much dialogue for a bird, but I will admit that I felt ashamed of my reaction to both of my lovely pets. I was upset with my bird for being a bird, and my dog for being dog. Please don’t be angry at those in your life be it people or pets for being who are. Be angry with yourself because you have the wrong expectations leading you astray, and it’s causing conflict in that relationship. The fix is for us to change our outlook, our reactions to life so that we can be a happier people. And may that happiness reflect outward, and hopefully others will find joy being with us. So, as I always say, have a great day today, you and I deserve it!

October 9, 2023October 9, 2023

Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Hello, this is Kris, welcome to my blog cast, this is part two of my rant on breast cancer awareness month.

Sometimes the monster starts as a little tiny bump, a lump or scratch. Sometimes it catches our eye right away, and at other times it goes unnoticed for days, weeks or months. But once that creature has caught our attention we are very aware from then on that there is something abnormally wrong inside our bodies, be it small or large. It could even be some funky lab results. Whatever!

If you have paid attention to Yahoo or any of the other news networks there have been a plethora of stories telling about doctors who missed the boat and misdiagnosed patients for months, even years as they slowly died or almost died from cancer.

I cannot tell you the number of people that I have personally known, because the list has gotten very long, that have had something abnormally wrong in their bodies and were told to watch and wait.

Some days I just want to scream when I hear the stories of women and men who have been told “ let’s watch it” and then were later diagnosed with cancer. Young mothers told they were “just tired.” Young men who were scoffed at and told to come back in a few months. The list goes on and on.

I had a lump in my breast. I noticed it one time when I was showering, isn’t that the story we always hear, it’s true. And I did what anyone else would do, I watched it for a few months. Did I mention that the lump was tender, it was, so I assumed I had hurt myself helping my son move.

The first thing my doctor said was that I needed to have a mammogram as the lump shouldn’t be there as if I didn’t already know that. I had the test which showed a small lump in my right breast. I followed recommendation after recommendation after recommendation for almost two years. I had ultrasounds, mammograms, saw a surgeon who told me it was nothing “it’s too tiny to even bother with.” I saw a breast specialist in Kansas City at a great cancer treatment center which I was so excited about because that is the place to go, “right?” the specialty place. That’s where they will get things right!

Let me just say I was dumbfounded when she told me it was “nothing, nothing” and treated me as if I was a great bother to her. She informed me when I mentioned that my lump was tender that “breast cancer isn’t tender, it isn’t tender, that is why we teach self-breast exams, it isn’t tender.” Well God Dam it, mine was tender and stayed tender until they cut the bastard out. Excuse my language.

Sadly, this specialist treated me like I was a complete idiot bothering her with this tiny lump. She told me to go ahead and quit my job of 21 years with good health insurance to go to school and have horrible health insurance which is exactly what I did as I heard her voice saying, “it is nothing, nothing.” She even stated that if it was her that she would do just go to school. Now I will share that she said, and I swear this is true, “I can go in and traumatize your body, but if it was me, I wouldn’t bother.”

Can I ask who out there would say, “oh, okay, yeah, traumatize my body.” My reaction was hell no I don’t want you to traumatize my body if there is no reason. I just want to go to school. I just want to get my nursing degree, and in my second full semester I also got to do chemotherapy which almost killed me, and radiation. What a success story! And what hell those months were for myself and my son.

So, the theme for today’s blog is that if you have something wrong in your body rather it’s a lump in your breast, in your testicle, in your neck, under your armpits or in your groin have it checked out, please.

If your doctor says let’s watch it, that’s OK. It’s OK to wait a little bit and see what happens, but my push for you is that you strongly encourage your doctor to run tests and find out what this abnormal foreign body is inside of you.

It could just be a fatty cyst, but a fatty cyst can grow and attach to the muscle causing you problems. If it’s just a swollen lymph node watch it and figure out why the hell it’s swollen because our lymph nodes shouldn’t be swollen. If it’s your blood work and your labs are abnormal go back for your rechecks. Don’t wait!

I must admit as a nurse I know patients who do not return for their follow ups like they are told, and honestly doctors are too damn busy to chase you down.

My book is about taking action, doing something now, don’t just watch and wait and wait and wait. Almost two years after I found that lump, I finally found out what it was. Need I say I was so furious. This lump that had been so small in the beginning had grown because I did as they said and “watched and waited.” By watching and waiting it had grown, moved out of the duct into the breast tissue resulting in me suffering through chemotherapy and radiation in my second and third semesters of school.

There is more to the story that I will cover through the month of October, or you can read my book that is for sale on Amazon. The most important thing for you to understand is to take action sooner rather than later so that you don’t have to fight the monster in your body.

Let’s start a new mantra this year, and for all the years to come. Let us shout it from the rooftops, TAKE ACTION NOW against any cancer so that you will live another day and not have to fight the demon that may be hiding out in your body. And as I always say, have a great day today, you and I deserve it..

August 11, 2023August 15, 2023

What You See

Hello, this is Kris. Welcome to my blog. It has been quite a while and I must apologize. There are no excuses, only things that got in my way or distracted me from talking with you.

Sadly, I lost my sister recently. Her death came quickly, we only had two months to prepare, but considering her condition of health, and the cancer that was devouring her, I can only say she’s in a better place. If they let her in that is (that was her kind of humor.) When the hospice place first rejected her, she said, “it’s because my foot’s not far enough in the hole” and actually at that moment she was correct. Six weeks later she was gone.

I brought some of her little belonging’s home with me and throughout my house are little reminders of her. We lived quite a distance apart, over 1000 miles, but we saw each other almost every year so we stayed close and had many adventures.

I was the one who had to go through all her belongings and clear out her home to prepare her estate or should I say to prepare her mobile home to be sold. She had lots of little special collections that she loved and had gathered to herself over the years. Pretty little things that brought her happy memories. Collections of stuff that didn’t mean much to me or her friend but were special to her. Some of those little bits and pieces I brought home not because I wanted them but because they were part of her happy memories.

Most of her things went to charity which broke her and my heart. She couldn’t believe that all her cherished mementos meant so little to others. I did not have the time to stay around to find a good home for them. Sadly, out the door they went.

After her passing I was suddenly hit with the realization that I am the last of my family. Of course, my parents are gone, I’m 72, but now so are my siblings. I am the last of the litter. That is a scary feeling and brings home the age factor to me. As I told my son, I’m no spring chicken. Now I must admit it.

Something that I came to recognize as I put my grubby mitts in her cupboards and drawers is that sometimes we develop preconceived ideas about others. We look at people, form impressions of them by what we think we see, and sometimes miss out on who that person really is. What we think we know about people is a one-sided notion and the impressions may not even match who that person is before us. It is like looking at a flat piece of paper. We only see one side. We don’t see the whole book. We don’t see all the pages.

I believe we are influenced by our life experiences, who we love, how we love, and how we grew up and formed our personality. There are so many sides to our stories, but people only see one side, the side we want them to see, not the other pages and layers. We are one dimensional in our inclusion or exclusion of others. I can honestly say that I don’t think we know most of our family and friends as well as we think.

When we look at a stranger, let’s just say someone we think is well off and doing fabulously because they may have everything we desire in our life. We may feel envy or anger at their advantages. We may be jealous of their good looks, their obvious good luck, but what I want to say is that what we see of each other is only the outer shell of who we are. We do not see the inner self, the things that have occurred in that person’s life, the things that may have been done to them or all the people who have been a part of that life unless they have shared that story.

We can look at a person and assume by the way they behave and the way they are dressed or how they live if they have been lucky in life. We can assume through appearances that they have probably never been mistreated, but instead given all the luxuries of life. But what we may not know is if they have been depressed, suicidal, or abused because we really don’t know what is encased in that shell. The life events that have meddled and meshed to form who they have become. We are so much more than what is seen by others, we are not just the things around us.

Regarding myself, I keep secrets. I don’t always tell the truth when others ask how I am. I don’t let people see what has come before. And, I have very few in my life who know “my” whole story.

What I wanted to bring to your attention, and what has come to mine, is that we don’t know all the bits and pieces that are there when we look at someone. They may have a wealth of money, and a lovely home and car, but their life could be the shits for them. Maybe they grew up with terrible parents. Maybe they had a terrible childhood. Maybe their school years were terrible, or they were bullied. One thing is for sure, they survived all of that to become who we see before us.

When we look at you at each other we really don’t know what is there and I suggest we pause and analyze what we see when we start to judge others. That person we see is the bits and pieces of all their life events, and all their reactions and feelings to those life events.

I know that as I sit here, I’m surrounded with all the stuff I thought I wanted and needed, but as it turns out it is just a multitude of useless items that should I die in this moment nobody would want. When I was going through my sister’s belongings it broke my heart to see all the things that she had saved and collected, pictures she had and things that honestly meant nothing to me. Things that mean nothing to the one son that has survived her.

What I discovered is we don’t need all this stuff around us. I certainly don’t need all this junk I have collected over time. And after being at my sister’s I’m going to clear out the cupboards in my house because I do not want my children to have to go through the things that they could care less about or want as part of the death process when I pass.

I can honestly say that the real things that are the most important and will be the most important to each one of us is the time we have spent together. The laughter we may have shared, the pranks and jokes we’ve told, not the stuff that sits around and fills our empty corners.

If I was going to offer one bit of advice, and I am, it is that it is our connection with people, with our family that is the most important aspect of our life. We need to focus on creating happy, wonderful memories with each other, not buying another trinket or doda that will just be thrown in the trash when we turn to dust.

I’m not a wizard, brainiac, therapist, or anybody who has the right to tell you what to do, I’ve just lived 72 years of life experiences, and come to realize that I need to stand quietly and observe and appreciate my network of friends and loved ones more than all the things that surround me.

We’ve all heard the line “tomorrow’s another day” but I say stay in this moment, be present now, be present with the people today that are in your life and let them know through your actions and words how much you appreciate them, how much you love them. At the end it is not the stuff, but the people we will miss the most. And as I always say, have a great day today, you and I deserve it.

April 9, 2023April 9, 2023

Sexual Assault: National Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

(released again this year)

I am not sure if you are aware that April is “National Sexual Assault Awareness month.” Quite a mouth full I know.. This month is devoted to raising awareness, educating the public, and supporting the victims.

I would like to know if you have seen any promotions for National Sexual Assault Awareness month on your news stations. My inclination is that you have not. I have not either. I became aware of this national month by accident, it was attached to another article I was reading.

Sexual assault, molestation, and incest are topics that most people shy away from. Many do not want to talk about these kinds of heartbreaking stories. The horror that goes along with these acts are difficult for many to bear. I challenge you to image how the victims feel.

Sexual assault and molestation are deviant crimes against so many. If you look at the statistics, it is a worldwide epidemic. Crimes against young girls, boys, women and man are happening every hour of everyday, somewhere in this country, and in other countries.

The only way that people will become more comfortable, and I am not sure that is the right word, maybe I should say more open to addressing these types of topics, is if we actually talk about them. If we bring these stories out into the open. If we talk to each other. If we talk to victims. We need to get the information out. We need to get the stories out, and we need to follow through and get the perpetrators punished.

https://www.joyfulheartfoundation.org/

There is a wonderful foundation called the “ Joyful Heart Foundation” that was started by Mariska Hargitay from the hit television show, Law and Order Special Victims unit. In one blurb about her said that the actress said:
“The actress founded the Joyful Heart Foundation in 2004 to help “heal, educate, and empower” survivors of sexual assault. “People don’t want to look at sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse that are so pervasive in our society, and I felt like I needed to do something about it,” she says.”

Mariska and her spouse have been advocates and educators for many years promoting awareness on these difficult topics. The ‘Joyful Heart Foundation” is a great resource for those who want to get involved.

This site list important hotlines, offers educational information, and suggestions of how others can get involved and help. Please take a look at their website. There are so many victims out there who need our love and support. Image if this was your daughter, sister, mother, or friend.

I was the victim of incest many years ago, I really haven’t talked about it, this is new. I will admit that those events have haunted me for 62 years. Just because the trauma is over does not mean that the nightmares stop. They do not. Just because someone tells you it is over, does not mean that everything is OK. It does not mean that each person that has been traumatized in this way does not continue to have waves of panic and sadness wash over them.

I will tell you that most, if not all of the statistics you see about sexual trauma, molestation, and incest are big fat lies. Why would I say that? I say that because MOST cases of incest, rape, and molestation go unreported. The numbers you see do not even scratch the surface of the number of crimes that are really happening.

I was a child of incest. I told no one. When the story came out at a family gathering no one talked to me about what happened. The events got buried, but the memories and emotions of that trauma have lived inside of me all my life.

After years of being haunted by those memories I have written a book to quell the ghost, and to encourage others to tell their stories. We must talk about what has happened to us, and we need to talk about what is happening now to others. As a society, we must find a way to stop the monsters.

My book is out on Amazon. I wrote my book because I needed to tell my story. I wanted to encourage others to share theirs. And I want to encourage everyone to help the victims of sexual assault, rape, incest and molestation find some peace, as I know that they are haunted by the trauma that has been inflicted upon them. Below is a little section out of my book. I would love to share my book with as many victims as I could possibly reach as they need to know that they are not alone. And as I always say, have a great day today, YOU AND I DESERVE IT.

Incest and rape are not things we usually chose to remember. Often these memories come uninvited into our conscious minds, poking and prodding, pulling and tearing away the scab that keeps them from us.

Sometimes our memories float to the forefront of our mind like clouds in the sky. Some good, some bad. Some pretty, some ugly.

Mine have slithered out of their hiding places to assault my well being at many inopportune moments, bringing forth a flood of tears.

At other times, the memories of my father’s molestation burst forth like little volcanic eruptions, opening that place where they lay dormant.

I have had the scent of body powder suddenly fill my senses. Body powder was a tool my father used when he began his little bathroom games.

I do not ask to remember. I do not want to see into the past for that is where the child in me has kept things hidden for so long.

But I will confess that these memories, these real events need to be told because of the harm they did to the child, and for the way they have haunted the woman. It is time to tell my story. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0936CRZDX

And it is time for all of you to tell your stories as well. https://www.joyfulheartfoundation.org/