breathe . . . Just Let Me Breathe . . .

breathe by Becky Hemsley

She sat at the back and they said she was shy,
She led from the front and they hated her pride.
They asked her advice and then questioned her guidance,
They branded her loud, then were shocked by her silence.

When she shared no ambition they said it was sad,
So she told them her dreams and they said she was mad.
They told her they’d listen, then covered their ears,
And gave her a hug while they laughed at her fears.

And she listened to all of it thinking she should,
Be the girl they told her to be best as she could.
But one day she asked what was best for herself,
Instead of trying to please everyone else.

So she walked to the forest and stood with the trees,
She heard the wind whisper and dance with the leaves.
She spoke to the willow, the elm and the pine,
And she told them what she’d been told time after time.

She told them she felt she was never enough,
She was either too little or far far too much.
Too loud or too quiet, too fierce or too weak,
Too wise or too foolish, too bold or too meek.

Then she found a small clearing surrounded by firs,
And she stopped…and she heard what the trees said to her.
And she sat there for hours not wanting to leave,
For the forest said nothing, it just let her breathe`.

~ Becky Hemsley ~

Gal reads poem on instagram, if you'd like to listen to the poem.

"This Is My Story . . . "

Incredible story of a random shooting - shot 8 times! And he LIVED!!
If it doesn't come right up, scroll down and find the title on the lower left hand side -
"This Is My Story" - he tells you the whole incredible experience!!

Click Here to see the post on youtube dated Feburary 14, 2024

Click Here to see post on Instagram dated June 17, 2024

marcusastanley youtube account

marcusastanley Instantagram Account

THAT Explains It!!!!

 

The Illusion Of All Illusions - Can YOU see?

This is called 

The Coffer Illusion

In this image there are 16 circles

Can you find them?

The Coffer Illusion is a fascinating example of a visual phenomenon where the observer's perception alternates between seeing shapes and not seeing them.

In this specific illusion, the image contains 16 circles, which are often not immediately noticeable.

This occurs because the human brain is more attuned to processing straight lies and angles in this context, rather than curves or circles.  As a result, the circles, which are formed by the arrangement of other shapes and lines, become "Hidden in Plain Sight".

The Coffer Illusion highlights the complex ways in which our visual system interprets and organizes visual information, demonstrating how easily our perception can be deceived by clever arrangement of simple geometric shapes.

Here's a hint:

Once you see it, you can't unsee.
Concentrate on the Vertical lines between the boxes, the circle is in the center of those lines.

I could not see the circles until I enlarged the photo!

This came from instagram page: howeverythingworks   on May 29, 2024

"Gathering Courage Every Single Day"

When you learn that it's about what's inside of you, 

instead of what's outside of you, 

THEN YOU'VE GOT POWER"!!

Strength is not on the outside.

When you have strength in here, 

that's when you've got the power.

 

Meryl Streep Shares "A Momentous Moment"

This is me coming home from an audition for King Kong where I was told I was too 'ugly' for the role. It was a momentous moment for me.

That ill-intentioned opinion could have shattered my dreams of becoming an actress or forced me to pull myself together and believe in myself.

I took a breath and said, 'I'm sorry you think I'm too ugly for your movie but yours is just an opinion out of thousands.'

To this day, I have 18 Oscar nominations.

- Meryl Streep

Riddle of the Month

 

Ready for a tidal wave of confusion?

Use your super sleuth skills to solve the viral

"There's a woman in a boat" riddle.

Our phones offer endless forms of entertainment and education, and what better way to fill a few minutes of free time and exercise your brain than a simple riddle? There’s one viral brain teaser that has people staring blankly at their screens wondering if they need a second cup of coffee to activate those cognitive skills. The viral “There’s a woman in a boat” riddle is a popular puzzle that has people who can typically solve hard riddles super stumped.

Unlike many riddles that challenge your smarts, this head-scratcher becomes a bit more simple when you see that the answer is in the riddle. While some riddles (like “If I had four eggs…”) test your math skills, the “There’s a woman in a boat” riddle is more of a mystery to your cranium’s creativity. Good luck!

There is a woman in a boat, on a lake, wearing a coat. If you want to know her name, it’s in the riddle I just wrote. What’s her name?

The Hint
Read the riddle a few times, and the answer will appear. It’s not a long riddle, so you can look at it in small parts. Focus on the beginning of the riddle. Don’t overthink the teaser. The woman’s name is not a common one and could be replaced with your name or your best friend’s name.

The Answer
“There” is the woman’s name.
“There’s a woman in a boat” riddle revealed

The Viral
“There’s a woman in a boat” riddle achieves the primary goal of a good short riddle: It leaves you confused and hunting for the solution in places that take you further away from the answer. While “There” is not a traditional moniker, it serves the purpose of having you swimming for answers in faraway waters. Once you figure out the riddle, it seems super silly, but you’ll probably ask a few friends to try to solve it.

Did you enjoy this riddle? If so, you’ll love our other viral riddles and brain teasers. And if you really want to give your brain a workout, try our more challenging riddles.

See original from Reader's Digest HERE

Riddle of the Month!

TRY TO FIGURE IT OUT BEFORE YOU READ BELOW!!!

This is a deceptively tricky riddle! 

If your first thought was that Mr. Smith has eight children, you’re not alone. Lots of people think that each daughter has one brother, making four daughters and four brothers, which equals eight children. 

But nope, that’s not right! 

The riddle seems like a math test on the surface, but it’s actually all about reading comprehension.

The answer to the riddle is … five. 

Mr. Smith has five children. Each of his daughters has a brother, but they all share the same brother. Therefore, four daughters plus one brother equals five children in total. Grammar nerds might have gotten this one right before math lovers!

Of course, it’s called the “Mr. Smith had four daughters” riddle, so you could interpret that past tense “had” in two ways: 

First, that Mr. Smith had four daughters—i.e., that four daughters were born to him. 

Or you could read it to mean that Mr. Smith used to have four daughters, they all died, in which case the answer to how many children he had might be one.

However, the more commonly accepted interpretation is the first one: that Mr. Smith has four daughters and one son, making five children in total.

From Reader's Digest - original HERE

I Gave You My All

By Joanne Boyle

I gave you my eyes, 

so that you can see,

that each piece of you,

is a piece of me.

I gave you my heart,

so that you can know.

I am with you,

wherever you go.

I gave you my voice,

so that you can speak,

and say how you feel

each day of the week.

I gave you all of my pieces,

but you fill each hole.

You are My Child.

My Heart and Soul.

You can find the author

HERE

PAUL HARVEY'S LETTER TO HIS GRANDCHILDREN

We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse. For my grandchildren, I'd like better.

I'd really like for them to know about hand me down clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover meat loaf sandwiches. I really would.

I hope you learn humility by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty by being cheated.

I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn and wash the car.

And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen.

It will be good if at least one time you can see puppies born and your old dog put to sleep.

I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in.

I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother/sister. And it's all right if you have to draw a line down the middle of the room, but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he's scared, I hope you let him.

When you want to see a movie and your little brother/sister wants to tag along, I hope you'll let him/her.

I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely.

On rainy days when you have to catch a ride, I hope you don't ask your driver to drop you two blocks away so you won't be seen riding with someone as uncool as your Mom.

If you want a slingshot, I hope your Dad teaches you how to make one instead of buying one.

I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books.

When you learn to use computers, I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head.

I hope you get teased by your friends when you have your first crush on a boy / girl, and when you talk back to your mother that you learn what ivory soap tastes like.

May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on a stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole.

I don't care if you try a beer once, but I hope you don't like it... And if a friend offers you dope or a joint, I hope you realize he/she is not your friend.

I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your Grandma/Grandpa and go fishing with your Uncle.

May you feel sorrow at a funeral and joy during the holidays.

I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through your neighbor's window and that she hugs you and kisses you at Christmas time when you give her a plaster mold of your hand.

These things I wish for you - tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness. To me, it's the only way to appreciate life.