Last Let It Go Friday 2023

Posted on December 29, 2023 by Positively Alyssa

Today is the final Friday of the year and is leading to the last weekend of the year. I hope you had a good week and are looking forward to the weekend. No matter what might have gone wrong during the week, today is the day we must let go of negative emotions, and we can enjoy the final weekend in 2023! Anything that was not accomplished during the past week will still be there next year for us to handle, and there is no use wasting your time feeling any distress about it. Letting go of negativity and anger can open your life to many amazing new things, which I did not realize until I did just that😊! All the things we have no control over means it is best to move on and focus on what is controllable. Honestly, there are still a few things that I am working on letting go of, but these issues are for another post!

Letting go of stress and stressful situations is very challenging, but once you do it one time, you will begin to understand the benefits and learn to do it more often. Of course, it takes time and patience, but it is an important lesson to learn and continue to do as much as you need to♥. What good does it do anyone to hold onto stress and stressful times in life? There is no use, and it does nothing good for anyone. Stress has often been viewed as a silent killer, and even though I tend to keep myself under constant stress and it has not killed me yet, it could shorten my life drastically. Over the years, I have gotten better at controlling my stress because I know it is unhealthy and causes additional problems with Multiple Sclerosis, but I have not mastered this art yet♥! I think the truth is that we all have faults that we are constantly working to improve on during our lives.

Now that the week is coming to an end, do you have any plans for the holiday weekend? From what I know at this moment, we do not have any plans for the weekend. My husband works on New Year’s Day, so we will probably take it easy this weekend and might have a mini celebration at home with the two of us and our cats😊! I think we are getting too old to go out to celebrate the New Year, and things get a little too hectic for my taste. I am also still recovering from whatever made me feel so awful for a few days, and I want to ensure that I am 100% so we can go on the snowboard birthday vacation for my husband♥. I prefer not to risk feeling bad during his birthday celebration.

Thank you for stopping by my site today. I hope you enjoyed what I have shared, and I look forward to reading your comments. I will respond to all comments as quickly as I can. I do have a few ideas and things I want to write about and plan to try getting the posts completed soon, but please bear with me because if I start feeling awful again, it might take me a little longer than expected. Please never forget I am always sending y’all LOTS of love♥, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Magic of Christmas

Posted on December 22, 2023 by Positively Alyssa

As the Christmas holiday approaches at warp speed, we should try taking a few moments to reflect and remember loved ones still present, and others who passed away. What do you remember most about this holiday? Can you recall your excitement as a child waiting for Santa Claus? How would you describe the meaning of Christmas now? Many little ones tried all year to make it on Santa’s list, hoping everything they asked Santa for would be under the tree on Christmas morning. Before life as an adult with stress and responsibilities, we were those children with astonishment and excitement. Many children are so excited for a visit from Santa Claus, that they wait as long as possible to hear his sleigh bells before collapsing with exhaustion.

Who hears the Christmas wishes for the millions of homeless, abused, and neglected children? What would these innocent children wish for at this time of year? Children should never live in fear, without a warm bed to sleep in, without safety from neglect and violence, without food, or anything else many people take for granted. While many children wish and ask Santa Claus for the latest toys, the less fortunate may only ask for love, food, and a safe home. At the end of 2023, in the United States, it was reported a staggering 2.5 million children become homeless each year. Why, in the wealthiest country in the world, does homelessness continue to increase at rapid rates?

When was the last time you thought about the magic of Christmas? Do you remember being excited about Santa Claus coming and leaving milk and cookies for him? I am sure there once was a time when I believed Santa Claus was the one who left presents under the tree. Of course, even as a little girl, it did creep me out that a strange man would come into my home late at night while I was sleeping. I could not understand how he got inside when we did not have a fireplace, but all my friends believed this, and I went along with it.

As adults, we no longer ask Santa Claus for things we want because we know better now. Christmas is a magical time to spend with loved ones and enjoy seeing children’s faces light up on Christmas morning because they think Santa came. Many people, not only in the United States, continue struggling due to various unplanned reasons and have also forgotten what Christmas used to be and should still be. This holiday should be more than a meaningless consumer-filled time. Instead of thinking about the wants, many more musts are circling the lives and well-being of others. Unfortunately, there is an increasing and unrelenting escalation in the number of people suffering.

I wish I had thought about this earlier than three days before Christmas, but instead of spending ludicrous amounts of money on everyone, we should put some of the money we would typically spend on those who have plenty and spend some on those in need. Nothing is impossible, but it might be hard for people to decide where to donate money or what they want to do for those in need. If it is not possible this year, it can be food for thought next year or just anytime during the year to decide to help others. It is not to get praise or recognition but to help another person in need.

Thank you for stopping by my site today. This Christmas post was not the most positive, but I was being honest about the challenges. Yes, this time of year is supposed to be joyful, but struggles and hardships can cloud our perspectives, causing situations to seem darker than necessary. Hard times happen in everyone’s life and can skew our logical thoughts, which may cause emotional overload. I appreciate you reading this post, and I would love to know what you think in the comments. I will respond to comments as quickly as I can. Please never forget I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

The Week Before Christmas

Posted on December 18, 2023 by Positively Alyssa

Happy Monday, y’all! I hope you had a lovely weekend. Can you believe that Christmas is one week away? I might have figured out why it is hard for me to get into the Christmas spirit. Since I moved from Vermont, where we always had snow on Christmas, to the southern part of the country, where there is rarely snow ever, nevertheless on Christmas, I have always just dreamed of a white Christmas. It was emotionally challenging my first Christmas in the South, and it never gets easier. I guess it is one thing that has always been missing, and until we get out of the South, always will be missing☹. I know it sounds trivial and not important, but for me, it makes getting into the holiday spirit nearly impossible.

There are many other reasons why I am ready for Christmas to be done and over. I know I sound like Scrooge, and many people love this holiday. There are so many loved ones who have passed away and will be dearly missed. Other loved ones are at a distance and will be missed as well♥. Not to mention, I am still looking for a job, and I have been unemployed for way too long. I do not do well with the job situation where some might be enjoying the time without a job. The holidays are supposed to be happy and filled with love, but too many things have gone wrong over the past month. All I want for Christmas is for there to be snow on the ground and to have a job. That is not asking for too much, right?

How do you typically spend the holidays? Do you have a family tradition, or do your plans change yearly? I tend to be a perfectionist and always want things to be perfect, but that is nearly impossible. What is perfect anyway? I do not think it is a real thing in this world. The only important thing is to do what makes us happy and spread as much love as possible at the end of the day; love♥ is the most important thing in life! Regardless of if perfection is possible or not, what is your perfect view of Christmas? I am pretty easy to please and all I want is a white Christmas and to have a new job to start!

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you have a wonderful day, and your week is filled with happiness and beauty. The year has gone by so quickly because once we are through Christmas, it will be New Years. It does feel like 2023 just started, but let’s hope that 2024 is even better. I am looking forward to reading your comments, and I will respond as quickly as possible. Although this post was a little different than I normally do on Monday, I hope you enjoyed it. Please never forget I am always sending y’all LOTS of love♥, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Tranquil Tuesday

Posted on December 12, 2023 by Positively Alyssa

Hello Tuesday! Can you believe we are less than two weeks away from Christmas? I am rarely in the holiday spirit, but this year has been a little worse because I still have not found a job. I know it could be much worse, and I understand the right job will come when the time is right, but I still wish it would hurry up. I have had a job for as long as I can remember, except when I was laid off from my last job. Before being laid off from my previous job, I had a steady job and never had to rely on anyone else. I like having a routine and a schedule to maintain, so not having anything I must do during the week is driving me crazy, which is not a very long drive😊! So many people have told me to enjoy this time, but I am not finding it easy. Everything will work out, and I will miss these days without a job!

The only good thing about not having a job currently is the massive pain and lack of sleep I have been experiencing. I am sure one reason for the lack of sleep is stress, which could contribute to massive pain. I think everything in life leads back to the root cause of things. Of course, I have mentioned this before if I ever woke up one day and did not have any pain, I would not know what to do with myself. Seriously, pain has been an aspect of my life for as long as I can remember. Yes, some days are more intense than others, but it is typically not something I cannot deal with. I must believe there is hope♥ and things will balance out. No matter what, things could always be worse! I try to remember this and never feel sorry for myself because that does not help anything improve!

Are you looking forward to the upcoming holiday? Do you have any plans? There is one thing I always wish for on Christmas, but in the south, it rarely happens. I miss having a white Christmas♥. I grew up in the north, and there was always snow on the ground, which was beautiful. I am sure most people around me would hate me for wishing for snow because when it snows a little, the city will shut down for a week. It is funny that I never appreciated the snow when I was around it all the time, and now that I hardly ever see it, I miss it. Over 20 years ago, my first Christmas in the South was so sad and challenging for me. I sprayed the windows with fake snow to make it feel more like the Christmas I was used to.

Thank you for stopping by my site today. I hope you enjoyed what I have shared today, and that you are having a good week. I am trying to continue doing a post once a day, but sometimes, my mood is not up to it, and I only want to share happiness and positivity. I am looking forward to reading your comments and will respond as quickly as possible. Please never forget I am always sending y’all LOTS of love ♥, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Keeping Pets Calm during the 4th of July

Posted on July 4, 2023 by Positively Alyssa

The 4th of July can be exciting and much fun for us, but traumatic for the pets that we love. Many animals do not enjoy loud noise, but it can cause them fear and anxiety. As loving and caring pet owners, it is our responsibility to make the 4th of July holiday as stress-free as possible. You are probably aware I have three of the best cats in the world, but I am partial and think they can do no wrong. All three of our cats are frightened by the fireworks and even a lawn mower outside. I believe the reason they are like this is because we maintain a calm and quiet home. In this post, I am going to share some tips to keep your pets, both cats and dogs calm during the festivities that will be taking place tonight.

Of course, as a cat owner, I know they can be feisty and fearless, except for one thing, which is loud noise. It seems any loud noises can startle cats, causing them to jump, run, and hide. The following tips may be beneficial to keep your cuddly and precious kitty calmer during the fireworks and any other loud noises.

It is best to refrain from scolding any of your pets. Remember, our sweet pets do not understand what is going on outside of their homes, or why it is so loud. Only about 34% of cats are terrified of fireworks, and your cat may or may not be part of this 34%. With loud noises, they might become scared and act out (more than normal😊). If you get upset with your cat due to their behavior, understand they are anxious and are unable to verbalize how they are feeling. Scolding or disciplining your cat will make matters much worse and should be avoided, as this will only terrorize them further. Keep calm, and remember your cat feels they need to defend themselves and are in survival mode.

We should offer our kitties a hiding place. We all know our cats’ behaviors, and they all have their “secret” hiding places. Cats tend to take refuge in dark places when they are scared, as this makes them feel safer. Some cats may remain out in the open but curl up beside you or on your lap when they are scared. Others will prefer to hide when they feel stressed pr threatened, and it is best to allow them to do so. It is important to NOT force them out of their safe space and handling them during their stressful time as this can cause more stress.

It may seem like a reasonable thing to do to close your cat into one part of your home when they are stressed, but we should never confirm our cats. One of the worse things to do is to leave your cat alone when they are stressed and scared, as this can do more harm than good. Allowing your cat free access to the house allows them to roam around and go wherever they feel safest and most comfortable.

I understand becoming upset and stressed when we know our pets are in distress, but we need to remain calm. If we act overly concerned or show our cats too much attention, it may cause them to think there is something they should fear. Cats are very intelligent and can sense our emotions. Acting casually around the house as we normally would show your cat there is nothing to be feared, and they are safe. It is common for cats to be scared until the noise stops, but if you are calm, it will help them to not panic more than they already are.

Provide your cat with the comfort they want, and need during the times when they are scared. It is possible that your cat does not hide when they hear the fireworks and instead, follow you and cling to you. Maybe they will climb into your lap or bury their little head in your neck as this makes them feel safe and content. Other cats might not want to be touched, but they also want to remain close to you. Just let your cat set the pace, and gently, and slowly pet them.

No matter their size, dogs are also afraid of fireworks for two main reasons. The first reason is the most obvious, they are loud. Dogs have extraordinary hearing. They can hear twice as many frequencies as humans. With their hearing being so outstanding, the second reason dogs fear fireworks are they are unpredictable and random. The randomness and unpredictability make a dog hide, run away, or possibly become aggressive.

All dog owners understand the behaviors of their dogs, but should still know when they are in fear, they can be unpredictable, just like humans. The following tips may help your effort to calm your dog during tonight’s festivities.

1. Regardless of whether you keep your dog inside or outside, during the 4^th of July holiday, it would be ideal to keep them inside, especially at night.

2. Offer your beloved dog a safe and comfortable space, preferably away from windows. An ideal place would be in a basement if you have one as this would be away from windows and the sounds would not be as loud.

3. Of course, dogs need to be walked for exercise and to use the bathroom. It would be best to walk your dog before the sunsets, and the fireworks begin.

4. Provide your dog with love and comfort. This could mean petting them with long, and firm strokes, or however, they prefer for you to pet them.

5. Another way to comfort your dog during the 4^th of July festivities is to play white noise, such as a TV or a radio to mask the loud fireworks.

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope the information that I shared will help you and your pets to enjoy the 4th of July a little easier and with much less stress. I know my neighbors have been setting fireworks off since last Friday, and they are terrorizing our cats, but we are doing the best we can to keep them calm and know they are not in any danger. I look forward to reading your comments, and I will respond as quickly as I can. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Last Friday of the year

Posted on December 30, 2022 by Positively Alyssa

It is hard to believe that 2022 is almost over. Today is the final Friday of the year and the last day of the workweek of the year, so hopefully it will be a good one! I hope you have had a good week and you are looking forward to the weekend. Do you have any plans to celebrate the New Year? We do not have anything exciting planned to celebrate the New Year and will probably do the same thing we have done for many years, stay home and watch the ball drop from the warmth and comfort of our home with our sweet three fur babies! We are going this morning to get another COVID booster, so we can be protected from getting sick while we are on vacation celebrating my husband’s birthday.

This is going to be my last Friday post for the year and I wanted to share a quote that I found for the year almost being over. If you are anything like me, you are hard on yourself when something did not go the way you had planned, which is an awful way to be. Anytime I think I have done something wrong or not good enough, I will beat myself up for days, if not weeks. I fail to remember that tomorrow is another day, which is another chance to try again!

I hope you have had a nice week! I am planning to do another post later about the 2nd COVID booster experience, so please stay tuned! I remember the last time we got the booster, I felt awful all weekend and I am hoping this time will be different. In a way, I am glad I reacted to the last booster because it made me believe I was even more protected from getting COVID, but I am not looking forward to going through that again. I do understand people are still getting COVID, even once they are fully vaccinated, but it is preventing hospitalizations and the worst from happening. I know I mentioned a few weeks ago that both my mother and her husband got COVID and they were both fully vaccinated, and did recover quickly without ending up in the hospital.

Thank you for visiting my site today! I hope you have a wonderful day and a safe, and amazing weekend! I hope you enjoyed what I have shared and you found the quote to be as great as I did. I am looking forward to reading your comments and will respond as quickly as I can. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Tuesday after a holiday

Posted on December 27, 2022 by Positively Alyssa

The Tuesday after a long weekend and a holiday always seems like a Monday on a massive amount of steroids. Of course, work for me has not been all that busy, so I am sure today will not be too bad. The only hard part is going back to the same old work week. It never fails, even on weekends I still wake up at the same time, but at least when it is the weekend I do not have to sit in front of a computer for eight very long hours! I hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend and you enjoyed yourself safely!

Lately, when I can do posts, I have been writing about things that are on my mind and troubling me. The quote I am sharing with you today is in a sense following the same kinds of things that I have written about. It does not matter which country we live in, we are all living in the same world. With that said, we should want a peaceful life without conflicts and violence. There is nothing positive that comes from hate, violence, and conflicts. It is important, to be honest, but it is also extremely important to realize how much our words and actions can harm another person. I have always believed that if I do not have anything nice to say, it is better to stay silent. We cannot take our hurtful words back or the harm we caused another person.

The weather has been slightly crazy and very unpredictable. The past few days have been super cold around the country, which over the holiday weekend caused many some additional challenges. Unfortunately, there were many that had to manage without power in the incredibly chilly temperatures. With as cold as it was, all I wanted was there to be snow. That is something I ALWAYS miss at Christmas because as a child I always had a white Christmas. How have you been dealing with the weather challenges?

Thank you for visiting my site today! I hope you have a wonderful day😊! Try to remember that anything we cannot do tomorrow is another day to try again😊! Instead of thinking about how busy you are today and how much you were not at work, think about your amazing weekend, celebrating the holiday. I look forward to reading your comments and I will respond as quickly as I can. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Merry Christmas to all

Posted on December 25, 2022 by Positively Alyssa

I have had a hard time getting in the Christmas spirit for over 20 years because I was accustomed to having a white Christmas. I will never forget my first Christmas in the south because it was so hard for me to celebrate the holidays without snow and family. I sprayed this snow-looking spray all the windows and bought fake snow to sprinkle around my apartment just so I could see something that looked like snow. I know people that live in the south would hate the fact that I always wish for snow because everyone hates snow in the south.

We have had a few Christmas that were not completely normal because of COVID and we are finally starting to be able to celebrate the holidays like normal. It is still a little uncomfortable because from what I have been told, COVID is miserable to deal with. I am not sure where you live, but it is incredibly cold where I am. I do not think I have dealt with temperatures this cold since living in the north or when my husband and I go snowboarding. The bitter temperatures have caused many people to lose power, which thankfully, we have not and hope we do not.

Thank you for visiting my site today and for all your continued support with the posts I have been able to do. I hope you and your family have a wonderful and safe Christmas. Christmas seems to have a new meaning to many and it is all about spending money, which is not the true meaning of Christmas. Let’s remember the loved ones that are not with us today and honor them always. Keep those who have recently lost a loved one in your thoughts because today might be a painful day for them. I look forward to reading your comments and I will respond as quickly as I can. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Christmas Eve 2022

Posted on December 24, 2022 by Positively Alyssa

Today is Christmas eve, but what does this mean to you? Do you have any traditions for this day and if so, what are they? It is the day before Christmas, so do you have all your Christmas shopping, holiday decorations, and everything prepared for tomorrow? For years, I did have specific traditions for both Christmas and Christmas eve, but they have changed for a few reasons. Unfortunately, one of the reasons is due to COVID, which we cannot change. The other reason is that my mother lives several states away, but I do think her move was a good move and I believe she is happy with her husband, which makes me happy😊!

During the holidays, I think we should try to be thankful for our lives. We should not have regrets and should try to focus on what we are grateful for. It is sad to think some so many people do not have a loving family, a roof over their heads, or food on the table. To know so many people are homeless, especially when the temperatures have taken a turn towards bitter cold. It is shocking how quickly the weather has changed and how insanely cold it has become, even in the south where I live. With how cold it is now, the only thing that would make sense is to have snow on the ground and give us a white Christmas!

Whether you are in the United States or another country, I hope your holiday weekend is wonderful and you stay safe because COVID is still around. Thankfully, things are much better with COVID than they have been in the past few years and most people are vaccinated. I may not have left the house much over the past few years, but I am glad that my husband and I have not had to deal with how awful COVID makes people feel. Some people might say that we have been overly cautious, but with a deadly virus infecting and killing so many I do not think you can ever be too cautious. We are planning a snowboarding trip for my husband’s birthday at the beginning of January, so we are planning to get the 2nd COVID booster next week to protect us from the virus.

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas and that you enjoy the weekend! I look forward to reading your comments and I will respond as quickly as I can. If you must drive far to visit with your family, please drive safely because I am sure traffic is going to be crazy. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Food For Thought

Posted on December 22, 2022 by Positively Alyssa

The holidays are “supposed” to be a time for joy and happiness, but it tends to make me feel sad. While I know how insane this may sound, I do have my reasons. I think about those who have lost loved ones both recently and not so recently. Unfortunately, most of us have lost someone we cared deeply for and the empty chair at the dinner table during the holidays is another reminder they are gone. It does not matter how long it has been, the loss of someone we loved is a pain that stays with us.

I feel heartbreak for people I have never met that I know who lost someone they loved. Recently, there was a tragic loss for a wife and her children, when Stephen Boss, also known as “Twitch,” took his own life. Another celebrity who recently lost her life was Sonya Eddy who played Epiphany Johnson in the soap opera, General Hospital, which I have watched since I was a child. I think about the families of these two people and how they will get through the holidays without them.

During the holidays, I also think about my late Grandfather and my husband’s late Grandparents. Even though my grandfather and I did not see each other as often as I would have liked because we lived several states away from each other, I do always miss the sound of his voice when we talked on Christmas Day. Since my husband and I have been together, which is now going on twenty years, we always used to spend Christmas Day at his Grandparent’s house before they passed away, which is the house we now live in. The one thing we will all always have, no matter how many years since our loved ones passed away, is amazing memories.

I cannot help but think about the many people across this world that will face the upcoming holidays for the first time without their loved ones. So many will deal with pain and sadness over the holidays, and it fills me with sadness. Maybe I am being overly emotional, but I also think about the millions of people that are homeless and do not have the opportunity to enjoy a hot family dinner surrounded by loved ones. Too many people are doing the best they can on the streets, trying to find shelter and food, which should never be the case, no matter why they are in the situations they find themselves in.

I might overthink things too much, but there are so many questions that keep running through my head. Why do some people have to struggle, especially in a country as wealthy as the United States? Why do the ones who are not struggling financially and would not miss a few dollars not offer to help the underprivileged more? There are so many struggling with mental instabilities that cannot find the help they need and why is this? Why do people have to suffer and starve? Why can the world not be fair and provide equal opportunities to everyone? If you saw a young man or woman on the street in the cold, would you try to help them or would you turn your head and walk away? It is not possible that I am the only person who has these thoughts and wants to help.

Thank you for visiting my site today. I know this post was not as uplifting as I normally try to be, but this is how I am feeling and needed to get these feelings out to others and give them something to think about. I feel that sometimes it only takes a few people to think about the bigger problems in life and make small strides to do something to help. I hope you are having a good week and there was something that I have shared in this post that resonated with you. I look forward to reading your comments and I will respond as quickly as I can. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!