A friend and former Muzak client would look at that headline and say, “okay … let’s unpack this.”
I’m behind in the #AtoZChallenge. I’m in the midst of searching for the file at work that I’m not sure of what I’m looking for. I have a senior night game to prep for, for which the other team has only eight players – and I’m trying to channel my inner Mother Teresa.
(So I don’t put 11 on the field and smoke them anyway.)
And the X in the challenge was supposed to fall on a Saturday which was like weeks ago. And it’s tough enough to find words that start with X. How about words in a pre-harvested list of great posts to share? I was lucky to find Xs in the words!
So that’s that.
Here are three noteworthy reads – one from one of my most favorite blogs of all time, and I consider the Gospel writers the first bloggers. If we can have 1 p.m. first pitch during weekday baseball, we can have weekend reads on a Tuesday afternoon.
Week 43: A Dog Named Dexter
By Corey, of Everyday Nostalgia
In recent years, I’ve come close to bringing a dog home. It hasn’t worked out. There was the night Rufus, the escaped fighting dog, hid in our backyard until animal control could retrieve him. This post makes me hope someday I’ll get it right.
When Dex first came into our lives, he was just a dog. Yet the passage of time, as it often does with pets, quickly turned him into so much more: For 10 years, he was a companion. For 10 years, he was a friend. – Corey
11 Signs You May Be Experiencing a Spiritual Awakening
Power of Positivity
I found this at the onset of my latest spiritual growth spurt. Looking back, SO much had begun to align for me back then. Synchronicity. Feelings of oneness. A desire to change my work. (No. 11, not so much. I’m eating Easter candy now.) Have you felt these things?
Real spiritual awakening is not all sunshine and rainbows. It can involve removing some very ugly, and painful trapped negative emotions and energies from our past. With your continued new-found awareness, allow for these old karmic energies to be released and replaced with the light. Resistance to moving forward causes depression or pain – a physical manifestation of the energetic resistance.
Crazy Ex
Priya, on Medium
I’ve not experienced this first hand. It’s a compelling read in the same way a Stephen King novel can be because it could happen. It did happen, to this author. Love is awfully strange, it seems.
He says there are voices inside his head, minor demons. He doesn’t say this dramatically: the way you would say such a thing. He says it casually, as if he’s talking about mice in his house. “They’re not always there. Sometimes they’re quiet. And sometimes they’re not.” – Priya
Which of these reads resonated most with you? Let me know in comments!
A to Z Challenge:
A is for Almost (and also At Last)
B is for Baggett (as in Laura, the actress, and #GirlsRock interview)
C is for Cursive, Cats, and Chinese Restaurants (Go Ask Daddy about them)
F is for Fieri, Falling in Love, and Focus (Weekend Reads IV)
G is for #GoAskDaddy: An interview with realtor Kristen Foxx
I is for I Shot the Sheriff, Item Lifting and other Illegal Activity (Go Ask Daddy)
J is for Journalist, a #GirlsRock Interview with Esther Robards-Forbes
K is for Kickass Kindness (to go with #gratitudeandshit)
L is for Low Self-Esteem, Life Sucks, and Electric Lit (Weekend Reads V)
M is for Manifest your dreams? No thanks. (Here’s why.)
N is for a new path (and why you don’t need one)
O is for old people, other police dogs and one business day (Go Ask Daddy!)
P is for Patience (and how to procure it)
Q is for quality (and other #gratitudeandshit items)
S is for Superpowers (a guest post from Cindy of Simple Steps)
T is for Three Hundred Writing Prompts (Guilt)
U is for using up all your subs (Go Ask Daddy)
W is for What Remains (#gratitudeandshit)
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Just a dad ... 
X is a tough one, but you got there! I like the Dexter story best! Never really sure how I feel about having a dog…love them, but couldn’t live with one!
I loved the Dexter story too – you should check out her other stuff, because it’s stellar.
All three…
1. Dogs have been a part of my life as an adult for the last 20 years. As a kid I had a dog but did not truly appreciate her in the same way. I was a kid and I did not understand what part an animal can play in your life. Now I can’t imagine my life without one. More on Grace later…
2. I have been on somewhat of a spiritual journey of growth and authenticity for about 10 years. I have seen a lot of change in myself and who I am. I look back at my younger days and things I said or did and I am mortified that I was so unaware of my actions and my words and the lasting affects they have had on people. I am still struggling, but I am better. I wish I had a time machine
3. Unfortunately, that one really hits home right now because my son-in-law has an evil little demon that sits on his shoulder and torments him and in turn, my SIL torments my daughter. It is an awful situation. He is in a lot of pain and can’t/won’t deal with it. He needs serious, deep counseling but that scares the hell out of him because he isn’t sure what will happen. In the meantime, their marriage is in serious jeopardy and I would be lying if I didn’t say I wish they would divorce. But on the other hand, my daughter going through a divorce would be hell on ALL OF US. So there’s that… *sigh*
I know in X word you didn’t think of that you are probably familiar with since your girls play sports… Xray!! LOL!!
Have a good one! 😉
???
Dont even tell me my very long comment didn’t go through. What the heck, internet?!
Anyway. I know that one day you will be an incredible doggy dad. And also I am not sure if I’ve ever mentioned it but I love how you string a story together. You are a wonderful writer, eli.
Hope you are having a most excellent week, my friend!
What the actual hell, internet? Damn.
Glad you gave it another go, Charlotte. I hope to fulfill your doggy-dad prophesy. Thanks so much for the kind words! I told soccer parents at dinner tonight that people think my writing is a gift sometimes – but what they don’t realize is that I can’t perform math at a basic level, am shit at the Periodic Table and my social studies skills are decidedly anti-social.
I love Corey’s work so I would definitely say the Dexter one was my favorite. Especially when I hope the have a dog someday!
Doesn’t she rock, Beth? I want a dog, too!
I am going to click through and check out these reads right now. Thanks for sharing them. P.S. I’ve often wondered why we even have a letter “x” in our alphabet anyway… ::scratches head and ponders::
They’re good late-night reading, Lecy. Let me know what you think! P.S. Ever tried to play the alphabet game while on a car trip? X is the worst! It’s as expendable as pennies, really.