The Christianville Spirit: ANTs in My Head

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Encourages

September 28, 2016-TCS # 513

Happy Autumn, My Readers! Sorry Guys, I forgot to wish you a Happy Autumn last week. So, Happy Autumn anyway. I like that word, Autumn, it actually sounds better than Fall. Anyway, on to This Week’s Newsletter. So, when I scroll through My Facebook News Feed, Interesting Stories pop up (I call them “Push Backs” because I send them to Safari and I read them after I get done with Facebook) that I find to Read. Most are about Travel or Romance. But, This One got to Me. It was an Article from a Special Needs Advocate Blog called “The Mighty”. This Article was about What It is like with High-Functioning Anxiety. That basically means that I can do a lot by Myself but, We have Anxieties to go with it. I am thinking that Anxiety is a common trait of People with Special Needs and that includes PTLS. Don’t get me Wrong, I Love PTLS, I Love having PTLS, I would never trade it for The World. Do I wish that There were Certain Attachments (or Clauses) that I would edit or get rid of? Sure I would. The Biggest Attachment I would want to get rid of, is You guessed it, Anxiety. Anyway, This Blog post on “The Mighty” explained in My Head, Perfectly what it is like with Anxiety being a High-Functioning Person with Special Needs. It mentioned also to Blog about It to Help You, as well as Others Understand, and That is what I am doing. So, When I am Anxious, according to My Mom, You can usually tell. If I am Anxious about a Certain Event, I get different ranges of symptoms, like a little Gagging (when I was little or in extreme situations), Throwing Up (in real extreme situations), Sweating, or Digestive Issues. Usually, My Mom can tell I am Anxious because I have a “Look” on My Face that says it all. We call it the “Something is bothering me/Face of Fear/I’m going to be Sick” Face. But, What about Anxiety Stress, I believe that The Article was referring to? Well, when I am stressed I tend to act different than What I normally do. I am more Quiet when I am normally Talkative, I ask a lot of questions, I get Headaches more often, Most of This Stuff I have written about before, and then Something that I have never mentioned is Something I like to called “My Curiosity thoughts”. Basically, They are, as My Mom says, “Intrusive Thoughts” that Everyone has normally, that usually goes in and then Pass Through, like how new parents worry about dropping a baby while they are holding them. They know they will not do it, but the thought “Pops” in their head. But, For Me, It “Pops in” and then I obsess about it, and Then I have to let it Out somehow. It really bothers me when these Thoughts Pop in. I know they will not happen, but They sure are Bothersome. The Best Way I have found to let them out is either Blurting it Quickly, Say “Sorry Mom”(even though my mom did not even hear what I said), Hug, and Move on or I say it in a Joke form. Other Times, I would tell it to “Shut Up” and hope it goes away, and Get it to Pass Through. It can range anywhere from “Should I say or do this?”, and Not-So-Nice Words. Now, I would never actually do or say any of those things because I have No Mean Bone in My Body and I hate when They come in. It really Annoys Me when I have a “Curiosity Thought”! I have realized that When I am Anxious about Something that is going to happen that I am Not sure about, They start to show up more than I would like them to. I am wondering also if I am Imitating things that I see or hear about. Considering that I watch The News everyday to hear about What is going on in The World, which I use to Teach me things about How The World works, it is not good. I am struggling to even write this because It is hard to explain What is in My Head. My Mom looked it up one time about The Thoughts and Told me that It is common for those that have Autism to have those “Curiosity Thoughts”, but I read that Those with Autism tend to follow through with The Thoughts, where I would not. It makes me wonder though, It is a Little-Known but, Common Theory for those PTLS as well. The Article mentioned that You tend to have Self-Damning (If You will) Thoughts like Your not good enough, Your a Bad Friend, Your a Loser, Your Pathetic and It is basically Energy that needs to get out somehow. They say to Exercise, Walk, Run, or Just talk it out. But, Not to go all Psychology on You, but, Those Kinds of Thoughts are Common for Everyone. It is how “The Enemy” (as I explained in a Previous Newsletter) tries to Get you, to Upset You, and Pull You away from Your Destiny, that is his (It sounds better) job. I am thinking “It” should get a New Job. I often worry that I will have those Thoughts even in My Future, with My Future Wife around. I am sure that She will change that, at least I would think. I will always have some kind of Anxiety but, I would rather get rid of that one. All in all, I hope that You understand that It is Hard to get what is in My Head out for You can Understand.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. We all have ANTs (Automatic Negative Thoughts) in Our Head, Get a Hug and Let them go.

The Christianville Spirit: In Search of Chip and Joanna

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Encourages

September 21, 2016-TCS # 512

Hej, My Readers! That is a Greeting in Swedish. It means Hello in Swedish and It sounds just like You are saying “Hey”, only said Twice. Can You believe that It has been a Year since I actually went to Stockholm, Sweden? Yeah, I can’t believe it either! I actually really miss Sweden, it was so Wonderful! Anyway, on to This Week’s Newsletter! So, Girls and Boys, It’s time for another edition of Story Time! Sort of reminds me of The Days in Elementary School where Story Time came around and It was like “So, What did You do This Weekend?” And, Boy do I have a Funny Answer with a Twist for You. I’ll call it “In Search of Chip and Joanna” So, First of All, There is a Show that I got hooked on called Fixer Upper on a Channel called HGTV (that means Home & Garden Television, for those Outside The US). Anyway, This Show, Fixer Upper stars This Lovely Couple, Chip and Joanna Gaines. As You can tell, They fix Houses, Very Brilliantly, by the way. Basically, as They describe it “We find the Worst House in The Best Neighborhood and then, We turn it into a Masterpiece!” Something like that. It really is amazing how They can turn a Run-down House with either too many Trees, Not-so-Great Walls or Structure of The House into an Amazing House, that is still the same house. They are like “Extreme Home Makeover” only more Down-to-Earth and Much more Funnier. Unfortunately, They only do their Show and Work down in Waco. In Fact, Because of them, They are causing People to want to move to Waco and It is causing Waco to start to thrive where It once did not. So, Why not Drive down to Waco and see, shall we? My Mom and I have been wanting to drive down to see the Things that They do anyway! So, We arrive in Downtown Waco and See that There is This Nice looking Country Restaurant called Jake’s Texas Tea House. We walk in... Are Chip and Joanna here? Nope, but Surprise! There are Two PTLS Family Members sitting there! One that We get to see often and the other friends were in for a quick visit. Holly, Dan and Susie?! Wait...What?! Yeah, I got ya there didn’t I?! Okay, so really, We planned to meet Dan and Susie for lunch, and they wanted to meet up with Holly too. So, We met in Waco! (A cool place that was central for all of us to drive to). Let’s Bare in Mind that Other than Stopping for Food in Waco on the Way home, back in the “Driving halfway to see My Dad Days” (Waco was our trade off point), I had actually never been TO WACO. So, Anyway, The Food at The Restaurant was really good! We did not know at The Time that The Food was served Family Style. So, Out came these Huge Chicken Tenders and Chicken-Fried Steak, both of them are Texas Things. Our Eyes got Big, not realizing Just how Big The Food actually was. After Lunch there, We took a little walk down the Street to The Candy Store. We asked what was around, so we we could take a walk, and they said to go down to the Old Fashioned Movie Theater or to go to The Candy Store. Did I mention that We went on a Sunday, when a Lot of things are Closed. Anyway, To Candy Store we went! Now, I did mention about Chip and Joanna to one of The People at the Store, since we were hoping to see them, and that They said that They knew who Chip was, and that They were Friends with them. I am sure that Everyone in Waco knows who they are, it is just not that Big of a Deal, at least not to them. So, after We met with Holly, Dan and Susie, we drove to Magnolia Silos and Marketplace. Really cool shopping! I honestly wish I had more time with Dan because He would be someone to talk about Travel and Geography with. I will talk more with him next time he is in town. Anyway, on The Way Home, I wanted to see where Chip and Joanna work, so We drove by The Magnolia Market even though They were Closed. I guess You could say that That was as Close as We got. Maybe better luck next time. However, it was fun running into our Friends and hope to meet them there again soon. All in all, We did have a Fun Time while We were in Waco, and Waco has a lot of Potential, as Chip and Joanna become More and More Well-known. 

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. You never know who You are going to Run into.

The Christianville Spirit: Grandma Honey is Moving!

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Encourages

September 14, 2016-TCS # 511

 Guten tag, My Readers! So, This is a New Greeting! Guten tag means Hello in German. Did I ever tell you that My Mom’s Side of The Family is Part German, Part Italian? Yes, that is true. So, I am part German and Italian on My Mom’s Side and Puerto Rican on My Dad’s Side. I like The Italian side better, only because Italians have a Great Culture and Great Food too. So, on to This Week’s Newsletter! So, I briefly mentioned in Last Week’s Newsletter about My Grandma Honey moving. So, Considering that She is moving This Friday, I should explain about it. So, This Grandma Honey Moving story has a Background Story, like Many of My Stories, it is just better that way. So, My Grandma Honey has lived in a Apartment-like Complex but It is considered a Condominium. She lives in a 3-Floor Complex that is really The 2nd Floor by reaching it. She has lived in This Place for Well over 20 Years, a Long Time and a Heap of Memories! She had the Best Situation and to calm your worries, She still has The Same Situation. She lived close to Her Neighbors and She would have Daily, if not, Evening Chats with Her Neighbors about Ongoings and What is going on their Life. My Grandma Honey is like that, She is sort of like a Swede except for The Reserved part (She is NOT Reserved at all!), but Once You become Her Friend, You are Her Friend for Life. Honestly, that is How it should be! Anyway, Her House was really cool and My Favorite Part, of Course, was Her Sunroom that We of The Smith Family referred to as “The Tree House” because You could sit in The Sunroom and Look outside and It was as if You were in a Treehouse. But, as The Years went by, Grandma Honey started to realize that Climbing the Stairs in all sorts of Weather mind You, It started to get harder for Her. Now, Believe Me, This is a Lesson I am learning from Grandma Honey herself that The Fact of Aging isn’t always Pleasant and It affects People in various ways and Climbing Stairs is Most Definitely One of Them. Pause for a Second! Climbing Stairs is not easy even if You are Physically Fit (Honestly, I hate that Word because No One can be perfectly “Physically Fit”) Unpause! Anyway, so Grandma Honey was considering her Options of Does She stay there? Does She move in with My Uncle Bruce? Or (Dramatic Music) A Nursing Home?! NOOOO! Well, I will tell you that a Nursing Home is likely going to be The Absolute Last Resort! and, It should be The Last Resort! Use any other way Possible before Jumping to that Conclusion! Anyway, so A Couple Months Ago, Grandma Honey found out that Her Lovely and Tolerating of all of Grandma Honey’s Parties Neighbor downstairs (2nd Floor but, Really The Ground Floor) was moving as well. Bonus! God Send, I tell ya! That was the Perfect Way for Grandma Honey to Move but, also Stay within Her Brilliant Neighbor Situation. The Last Time We went to Atlanta, which was in Spring of This Year, Me and Her are sitting on Grandma Honey’s Porch (again with a Treehouse-like View) and She asked me The Question that I knew I would have to answer in some Fashion, “Should I Move or Stay?”, I figured that The Best way to answer that was to Be Honest and I told her that Yes, I would really Miss Her Old Place; and, Yeah, We will be Sad about it but, At The Same Time, The Thought of Her climbing up and down the Stairs as She got “Younger” was a Matter of Life or Death and that Theory was Simply Very Frightening. So, After She discussed with all of Us, She made the Decision to move Downstairs. Now, The Bonus of This whole Move is that The Downstairs Condo is pretty much like Her Old Place only down a Floor. So, She will still have The Treehouse but, as I envision it, It is sort of like Her Old Treehouse but, A Magic Elevator moved it down One Floor. In The New Treehouse, You can see more of The Forest Floor than You did upstairs and If You want to see The Leaves, Just Look up! As for The Stairs, She would only do One and a Half Stairs which She already does along with The Upper Stairs. So, Grandma Honey can live Comfortably without Stairs, Roughly the Same Condo as before (Only Lower and Just Slightly Different), and Yes, She can have Her Notorious Parties AND Invite her own Friends who had The Same Issue with The Stairs. She has checked the list and checked it twice (if You will) with Her New Upstairs Neighbor. And, Yes, She will be Adjusting to Her New Place and Getting everything into Her Normal Routine again. Now, The Nursing Home part, She says that Her New Place will pretty much be The Nursing Home when She needs Help. All in all, As Sad it is, I am Happy to report that She will No Longer have to Climb those Frightening Stairs again! I am Extremely Proud of Her!

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Sometimes Change is a Good Thing!

The Christianville Spirit: Meeting The Famous Deb

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Encourages

September 7, 2016-TCS # 510

Great to See You, My Readers! Boy! It has been quite a Busy Year for Me this year, probably more Busy that I have been in Year’s Past. Between going to Colorado to see My Brother to A Trip (along with a little Side-Trip) to Help My Grandma Honey move! Oh, Did I forget to mention that? Yes, My Grandma Honey is Moving! Pause for Dramatic Effect! Actually, by a Very Blessed Chance, She is moving One Floor Down from where She presently lives. We figured that She would not have to climb the Stairs anymore (The Worry of that, will be Gone), and We can help her if or when She needs it, and Extra Bonus! Her Friends can go visit Her now. Well, not Now at the present moment but, In a Few Weeks. But, It will benefit us all! Anyway, so on to This Week’s Newsletter! So, in My Life, I have been Blessed (A Word not to be used lightly) to have met Brilliant People in My Life. Whether They come from My PTLS Family or Somewhere in My Personal Life. As I mentioned in Previous Newsletters, Mrs. Bachman & Mrs. James, Lynee’s Sister, and Lynee’s Mom among Many Others but This Person, I feel is More on the Not Only Brilliant side but, also Extraordinary! As In People like This Woman come Very Rarely into Your Life. You only get a Few chances of Extraordinary People in Your Life that does include Your Soulmate. Now, No I can’t tell you that I met My Future Soulmate, Bridgett but, More like a Non-Romantic Soulmate. You See, There are Soulmates as in Romantic and Non-Romantic Soulmates which could be Anyone like Your Best Friend, Your Dog, or Even a Family Member could be Your Non-Romantic Soulmate. For The Record, on The Chance that Bridgett is reading this and Wondering who This “Deb” person is, You have Nothing to Worry about! Anyway, The only way that You would know is They are Your Soulmate of any kind is that You are Pretty Much on the Same Wavelength, thinking the Same thing, Having a lot in Common, or Just Understanding each other in a Special Way. Meet My Friend, Deb. Now, I have briefly mentioned her in My Newsletters a Few Times. In the “My Brothers Moving Again!” Newsletter (Refer to that Newsletter) mentions her as “My Friend, Deb” or “The Rationale Voice of Deb”. I did mention her in a Shoutout as “My Dear Deb”. So, Besides to say that She is Extraordinary, if I have to say One Thing about Deb is that She talks, like a Lot! And, That is not necessarily a Bad Thing. She is the kind of Person that You would not say “What’s Up” followed with “Not Much or Nothing” and then, Awkward Silence for several minutes before You could find something to Talk about. If You can’t think of Something, then I guarantee that She will. I am perfectly okay with that! Because talking to Someone and You don’t want to talk to Someone in an awkward silence is Just Awkward! You pretty much stare at them until One of You two come up with Something. With Deb, it is not like that. She is One of those People that You can talk to about Anything with. So, How did I even meet Someone like Deb? Well, I actually met her via PTLS Family Member, Kristin. I refer to Her as “My Kristin” (again, I mentioned her once in a Shoutout!). Deb is The Aunt to “My Kristin”. To be Honest, It took me a while to figure all that out. Anyway, Me and Deb have been talking on Messenger since July of 2014. She basically sent Emails to My Mom wondering if She could talk to Me. At First, I think it was because She wanted a little insight to “My Kristin’s” Son, Diddy. So, Talking about General Things and about PTLS, became talking about Deeper Topics. To say the least, Deb is led quite an Interesting Life with many Great Friends along. We stopped talking in like September of that same year and in November, I started wondering “What happened to Deb?” So, I thought, The Easiest Way for Me to remember to talk to Someone on a Regular Basis was to Schedule a Time of The Week to Talk. Again, I am Very Routine oriented! So, It helped to Have talking to Deb in My Routine, after all, Deb is a Fun Person to talk to. So, We finally started talking again and Wondered why We stopped. After a While of Talking, I figured that We would have a little fun and have a Radio-like Show that I then called “The Discussions with Deb Show”, Now known as “The Conversations with Deb Show”. Our “Radio Show” is usually on Saturdays and it lasts for 3 Hours. Between Deb and I, We have realized that Even though We talk about a lot of Different Things on Our “Show”, sometimes 3 Hours isn’t enough! So, What do We talk about? Many different things like Love/Destiny, Movies, Music, Television, Whatever is going in Life, and Of Course the Funny things that occur when Her Mom comes around. So, This is Where the Story gets interesting, so Deb’s Mom who I refer to as either “Deb’s Ma” or Just simply Ma, was following along with Deb and I were building our Bond. She grew very fond of Me and The things that Deb and I would discuss. Unfortunately, because She was aging when I first met Deb online, Ma had passed away. Now, that did not stop her from Wanting to follow along with Me and Deb. I will tell you though, Ma is probably The Strongest Angel that I have met and I am sure that in Everyone’s Lifetime, They experience or should have to experience a Strong Positive Force. There was a Time and It still happens every now and then, Where I saw The 11s on Every Hour, Every Time I would look up, It would say Hour and 11. That’s not the end of it, I see 11:11 and 1:11 and 11 (or 1s) in Most Places that I look. It really is amazing! Also, There are Times when She likes to mess with My Computer, Deb’s Phone (as well as Deb’s Family Phones), The Radio, The Lights, and Anything Electronic. To be Honest, It is quite Funny to Me when It happens. Anyway, Back to Deb. After Two Years of Deb and I talking online, This Weekend Deb and I finally met in Person. I have a hard time even wrapping My Head around that, Deb and I actually met in Person. In case You are wondering, We did part of Our Show live when We met. All in all, I am Extremely Blessed that I have Deb to talk to because She is an Awesome Person to talk to!

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Everyone should have a Person like Deb in Their Life.