Melting Snow

Motivational Monday: A Ticket to Ride, Change, and Cool Down

Monday, July 18, 2016

"The actions of men are the best interpreters of their thoughts."
James Joyce

The Motivational Monday prompt for "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" 
One of my all-time favorite quotes is from Hunter S. Thompson  ..."Buy the ticket; take the ride." For added context, go here  . How much does "Buy the ticket; take the ride" apply to you? Are you a "get what you signed up for" type? Or someone else?

How does Mr. Thompson's quote apply to me? Well the day I was conceived I got a ticket to ride the roller coaster of life. I didn't purchase the ticket myself because it was a gift from my parents. While I was in my mother's womb I just went along for the ride. When I was born then the roller coaster started going faster and became scarier. Somewhere between birthday number fifty and sixty, the ride became a little less scary, but increased in speed. Periodically the ride slows down enough for me to catch my breath and glance at the scenery. I know I have to continue the ride until the end, so I have to make the best of it. I have to learn to enjoy the ride while dealing with the stress that is part of living on the material plan. The good news is that I have some control over my emotions and the way I deal with what life throws into my roller coaster cart.

A Ticket to Ride

"Buy the ticket; take the ride."
Up on a Ferris wheel or down on a slide
Then scream on a roller coaster
Or get dizzy on a carousel
Before the Grim Reaper rings your bell.

The "Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise"  prompt for DAY 862
What kind of experiences or thinking makes a person change his ways, either from good to bad or from bad to good?

The answer to this question depends on the person. Sometime a person need a life threatening shock to change them perhaps a near death experience, a lightening strike (either literally or figuratively) or an experience of awe that penetrates the person's ego scattering their concept of self and the world around them. Any experience can be a life transforming event because of an individual's perception of the event. We, as human beings, see or rather perceive reality from our own minds which is located withing the human brain. Scientist can map the brain but they haven't been able to map the mind nor can they locate a specific area in the brain that holds the mind.

I know (at least I think I know) the transforming events in my life that changed my behavior from good to bad or from bad to good. I can name the traumatic, the struck by lightning events, that began to transform my thoughts which then transformed my behaviors. A person's behavior can't be transformed until their thoughts are changed because a thought, even an unconscious thought, precedes a person's actions. I a person's thoughts are transformed then a person's actions can't be changed.

The "Blogging Circle of Friends "  prompt for DAY 1342
We've experienced triple digit days here in Las Vegas. It' about time for the monsoonal moister to arrive so we'll be experiencing triple digit days with high humidity. Write a recipe for a Summer Cooler. It can be drink, food, or any other way you cool down on days with high humidity and triple digit temperatures.

I like to place a place a 16.9 FL Oz plastic bottle of water in the freezer. I leave the bottle in overnight so that it freezes solid. Then I take the bottle out and place it in a crochet bottle holder/carrier. I take this with me when I go for walks or go shopping. I also like sweet or lemon flavored ice tea. In fact I like any type of cold tea in the summer. Floats are my favorite cool down summer recipes. Three of my favorite summer floats are (1) ginger ale float with any type of ice cream, (2) root beer float with vanilla ice cream, and (3) a purple cow, which is grape soda with chocolate ice cream.