Grab Bag

Today I want to write about things I’ve been thinking about for a couple weeks. My thoughts are still evolving on these issues but sometimes I don’t know what I really think, or see errors in my thought process until I write them down.

We’re not seeing a whole lot of news coverage of about the whole Facebook scandal anymore. However, I’ve been ruminating about that situation and have some thoughts I’d like to share.

I’m never a fan of people, companies, or governments who put money before human beings. We’ve suspected, if not known for certain, that Facebook was really more into making money than helping their subscribers connect with each other in positive ways. We could blame Mark Zuckerberg, call him greedy, uncaring, and not willing to take responsibility for the havoc he’s caused by not quelling the extremists using his platform. Some of that might be true, I don’t know because I didn’t listen to the whistle blower testimony. I just know it’s not my place to judge him.

My point about using social media of any kind is that we must take responsibility for our own choices. If I’m going to use Facebook or Instagram, I need to be careful about the people and groups I follow. I’m responsible for how I interact with my contacts and for the things I consume on the platforms. It’s kind of like there is a whole potluck of possibilities and we must be picky about what we choose to pay attention to. If I want only positive things showing up in my Facebook and Instagram feed, I have to make choices about who I connect with online. It’s not that I don’t want to know what’s going on in the world, it’s just that I want to get my news from reputable news outlets. 

When I do read or listen to the news, I also get to decide if I’m going to descend into fear about those events or not. I choose not to go into fear because I don’t think that’s productive. I can’t help change the world if I’m paralyzed fearing about what’s going to happen next. It’s all kind of a balancing act. 

There ARE horrific things going on in the world, and I do experience fear from time to time. On the other hand saying prayers and sending positive energy is helpful. Scientists are proving that our universe is made up of energy and what we place our attention on does change things. Knowing that, I choose to focus on as many positive events and even my own emotions as much as I can. It’s challenging work, but I also monitor my thoughts. Am I being cynical? Do I use negative language or think judgmental things about others? When I realize my thinking is out of whack, I work on cleaning up my act.

The bottom line is, what happens to us personally and out in the greater world is a result of what we think and feel in our heads and hearts. It’s about the story we tell ourselves. So we have be diligent about clearing out the old conditioning to get to a happier place.

The second thing I’ve been thinking about is just how much assistance we have access to if we choose to ask for help. You can call the assistance God, or whatever you wish, but we are definitely not alone. I’m sad when people think it’s them against the world because in my experience that’s just not true. But, the entities who want to help will not act unless we ask for it. How many times in a movie, or book have we heard a character, who supposedly doesn’t believe in God, say something like, “God, if you’re there, I need help?” And the help comes.

Here we are with so many problems happening in the world, we can’t keep up with them. And yet, help is available. All we have to do is say, “I’m depressed and I don’t know how to cope with all the stress. Will you help me?” The key to getting the help is not just asking, but then looking for the signs that it’s there.

There is a character in Ted Lasso, Sam Obisanya, one of Richmond’s star players, who is wined and dined by a billionaire futbol (soccer) enthusiast from Ghana who wants Sam to come play for his all African futbol team. For many different reasons Sam’s on the fence about whether or not to accept. He calls his dad back in Nigeria for advice and his dad says, “Ask for a sign.” To which Sam says, “Ask for a sign? What do you mean?” And his dad tells him of a time when he needed to make a big decision. He asked for a sign about what he should choose and when he looked for the sign, it came and he never regretted following the guidance he got. Sam thanks his dad and hangs up. He says to himself,”I need a sign!” And there in the soccer pitch in the field next to the sidewalk where he’s standing are several players wearing Richmond jerseys with his name and number on the back. He just smiles. He got his answer only seconds after hanging up with his father. His good decision is confirmed when he tells the billionaire that he has decided not to leave Richmond. The billionaire throws the biggest hissy fit. Sam and everyone in the locker room just stare in amazement at one of the riches men in the world acting like a five year old. At the end of the episode we see that Sam has purchased a building which he is planning to turn into a Nigerian restaurant. 

If we’re open to it, signs for our welfare are everywhere. We just have to practice asking for and watching for them.

The third thing I want to do is ask for your help. I’m still in the exploration stage of this, but I’m thinking of starting a Patreon community where for a small monthly fee my followers can support all my creative endeavors and get exclusive extra content that only they have access to. I have a couple of ideas of what some of that content could be, like a story club, where once a month we can chat for an hour or two about stories we’ve consumed and share them with the group. Or maybe I’d share snippets of my novel and ask for your comments to help me improve it.

I’m interested to know, if you were to join my community, what kinds of things would you like to read, or participate in? I don’t know about you, but sometimes it’s just nice to hang out with like minded people and have a great conversation. It’s one of the things I love about doing Story~Power. I get to have fantastic conversations with people from all over the world. Let me know what you think in the comments below, or send me an email if you want to keep your thoughts private. Thanks in advance.

Welcome to my new followers. I’m happy you found me. Feel free to share this blog, or my podcasts with your friends. I hope all is well with you in your part of the world.

Blessings to you all.

Lucinda Sage-Midgorden © 2021

Lucinda is the author of The Space Between Time, an award finalist in the “Fiction: Fantasy” category of the 2017 Best Book Awards.

Have you ever experienced life shattering events? Yeah, most of us have. In The Space Between Time, Jenna Holden gets slammed by her fiancé walking out, her mother’s untimely death, and losing her job all in one week. But she receives unexpected help when she finds her three-times great-grandmother’s journals and begins the adventure of a lifetime.

The Space Between Time is available in all ebook formats at Smashwords and for Kindle at Amazon, or you can find the ebook at iBooks or Barnes and Noble. If you prefer a physical copy, you can find a print-on-demand version at Amazon. Stay tuned for news when the audiobook version is published.

Lucinda is also the host of Story-Power a podcast where she and her guests discuss their creative endeavors and/or the stories that have changed their lives. It’s available here on Sage Woman Chronicles and on Apple, Google, and Spotify podcast apps. Please rate and leave a review. It helps people find me.