FRENCH WORD-A-DAY

My brainguard pretends to be an expert in judo. She claimed to have a black belt, but she was lying. Sigh........

Merci pour vos mots.

My friends calls these "thought attacks" especially when they get you in the middle of the night.

J'entretiens de grands espoirs de parler bien en francais ....
Is that positive or negative? One never can be sure.
(my keyboard is american...)

Thanks for putting in the link to The Secret Door to Success. I like how it states, "There is indeed, a wilderness to pass through before your Promised Land is reached." Somewhere in that statement you should throw in a few mistral winds, too.

J'entretiens de grands espoirs! -

that one day I will know why French has these willy-nilly mixes of singular and plural!
It is "de grands espoirs" and not "des" - and there is a rule for this, of course, one the thousands ...

Love this post. It is the seesaw effect - now you see the horizon and now you don't. But it is definitely there, receding as we approach it, beckoning to follow. What would life be without hope? So on we go - and follow your wonderful blog! Thank you so much for your wonderful posts.
Laura

Something wonderful is about to happen.

Hi Kristin-- On a personal note- have you had your thyroid checked lately? At your age, weight gain and mild depression can be a symptom of hypothyroidism. A TSH blood test by your doctor will tell you if it is off-- it should be between .5 and 3.0. I suffered similar symptoms until my doc did the test and my TSH level was 13... as soon as they put me on thyroid medication the negative thoughts started to lift. Hope this helps!

Hi Kristin!

Thanks for the photo and your question:
---> Are you seeing the broken glass... or the pretty watermelon building in the back?

To be honest with you, I saw both. The pretty watermelon colour doesn't prevent me from seeing the broken glass … I keep looking at both.
I can also see the paint of the first building looking a bit miserable and in need of care and attention, and at the same time, I cannot miss the bright blue sky of 'high hopes' in the top right corner. I cannot detach one detail and miss all the others.
However, I may, deliberately decide to embellish one detail by changing the mood of my eyes and the chain of my thoughts (if that makes sense to you) – such a procedure allows me to see 'beyond' the simple reality that pleases or displeases me at one particular time, opening up a world with brighter light.

Keep your eyes hooked on the horizon -your 'Land of Hope and Glory' lies just beyond it- while keeping your feet firmly rooted into the ground. It helps!

Hi Kristen,

I see other people have mentioned possible physical problems to you, so I want to chime in and tell you that this took me back about 20 years when I too started having the demon thoughts and emotions. I also started waking up in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. This came and went for six years with varying degrees of intensity. My problem was age related and I learned that many women go through this. If you like I can tell you the things I did to help myself, but I don't want to offer advice unsolicited. I hope you have a good day and demon thoughts take a really long break.

I love todays post .
" my thoughts have a mind of their own " is a line I will use today
with your permission .
Pets [ Cats in my case ] work, gardening , sex, all are determined
agents of stupid thought destruction.
Every day we are alive is a day to celebrate , trite but true .
Ken

Salut Kristin,

This is not an original thought, but life’s highway will have it’s speed bumps and detours. They add excitement to the trip and satisfaction upon arriving at your destination.

A couple “thinking outside of the box type” questions:

Is the glass broken or does the person inside have a different way of opening the window to enjoy fresh air and aromas of summer?

Do a couple of extra pounds make you too fat or too short?

À bientôt

Herm

Bonjour Kristin,

Sing out! Singing makes you breathe deeply, which is the core of Yoga practice, a path to serenity. And like it or not, the voice carries our emotions. So use it, and set yourself free. Whether you are so happy you feel about to burst, or so sad that you just want to curl up in a ball somewhere out of sight, or anywhere in between, singing will release your emotions, fill your lungs, steady your heartbeat, and bring you back to a place of peace.

As for negative thoughts, they are just symptoms of anxiety. We all have them. They do not mean we are somehow less worthy or less brave or less virtuous. They just mean we're human. We all find ways to deal with them and keep moving forward. So keep singing and writing and sharing your world with us.

And do have your thyroid function checked. My daughter had the same issue in her early thirties; the medications brought her metabolism back into balance, and her life along with it!

Johanna

High hopes, high hopes... I didn't know the song of the ant and the rubber tree. I found the lyrics on the internet and now, when I re-read the ending of this newsletter, I get the right image and see all the connections! Great!

In 'Idylls IV, written by the Greek bucolic poet Theocritus, 3rd century BC, Corydon says to his fellow herdsman: 'Be comforted. Good luck comes with another morn; while there’s life there’s hope; rain one day, shine the next' ---> which is the origin of the old French proverb:
“Tant qu'il y a de la vie, il y a de l'espoir”...

However, high hopes may feel unreachable, and may create a lack of certitude in our mind. Uncertainty may generate plenty of negative thoughts. They stand on the enemy side and are an integral part of the destruction game. We all have to keep chasing them, in our own way, lift up our spirit, work hard and do our best, look up for a bit of luck, for things to brighten up, for that change we've been dreaming about. Negative thoughts attack our confidence, widen the gap between us and our hopes and make us tired - so, more vulnerable to further attacks. Vicious circle!

Kristin, you describe your negative thoughts in such an amusing and animated way!... You take us to your own battlefield in bright daylight! These negative thoughts have become fictitious characters, marching out to 'get you' in such a 'picturesque' manner! (a mini story in its own right). The whole scene of the attack, up to the bridge, led by your determined 'brainguard' (who can sometimes fall asleep ...) is brilliantly funny.

May your brainguard/soul keep its strong determination and may your high hopes & wishes turn, eventually, into bright reality (as long as you are not 'asking for the moon', of course).

PS ... still thinking about your fictitious funny old goat wearing espadrilles...

Hi Kristin and Newforest,

I wonder about the “espadrille-shoed chèvre” also. Here is something else that needs to be considered: Is it a billy goat or a nanny goat . . . un bouc ou une chèvre? You know how the French are about gender! Also, if there are both children and baby goats in the "Kristin" story, will the kids be able to go out and play with the kids?

How about a goatee? Hmmmm . . . un espadrille-shoed chèvre avec une barbiche! I think we need some sketches.

Herm

Hi Kristen- the key is to feed your mind with truth...so that you can recognize the lies that society AND Satan would have you believe.
Memorizing and meditating on scripture help me. Then I can say with all the force of Almighty God, I CAN do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
My verb for the summer is REMEMBER - what God has done in my life, what He promises and what His character is like. That helps fight the lies.
I, too, echo the remarks of your other readers. I love your essays and pictures. And I learn a lot of French. I usually save the phrases to a Word file for me called : New French Words for Maria

After looking once again, I spotted the broken glass, dont worry
about it , I'm a Glass Artist .... I can fix it . [ although the amber color must go, it's so 70's ]
Ken Boyd
Napa Valley

What a powerful message! I have been having a lot of negative thoughts concerning French and the state of Tennessee. First, they announced that the Univ. of TN would no longer offer French. They favor Chinese as the more useful language for this day and time. Then the local Memphis paper had an article entitled "Is French fini?". Again, Chinese. So I chose to register at our local university for a French class (while it was still offered) and was told it would take a bit because I was evdently so old my records were "down in the basement", probably molding away. Anyway, my real concern is that the educational system seems to want to nudge the language of culture right off the life raft. Is that happening everywhere?

Kristin-One word, Premenopausal-there-ask your Doc. about this time in a life. The weight gain is not hard to deal with a Zumba dance and fitness class. This is a time when exercise helps with menopause. Also perhapes you have too much on your plate and need to slow down.Have your vision checked too-this is also granny glasses time-June at Superstition

Our Dean (Episcopal) said in a homily recently that demons" are not little red creatures perched on our shoulders but negative thoughts, so we need to "exorcise" them with positive thoughts. I know the more I think about the 5 pounds I've gained since last summer, the more cookies I eat. Time to fall in love with fruit instead. It's hard to be a writer and not have negative thoughts because you are very sensitive and tuned in. Your talent takes its toll sometimes.
When all else fails, call in Smokey, the most positive face in town!

J'entretiens de grands espoirs, grands amours, grands amis, et belles lettres.
Keep writing, Kristin, you are very talented.

I love your blog, and the photos are always great.
I get mine at work so am not able to obtain outside accesses so when you don't write how to pronounce - which is great - I miss it. Like today.
Love the dogs !

salud Kristin!!! your blog on "self image" or the lack thereof is timely and very inspiring...thank you .............Patz Sala