Yes, it’s an award but……
Before you say “But she said she wasn’t going to do posts on awards” This is different, and I did say I may post some that are slightly different. Anyway, it’s my blog!
Fhaye of Photodito passed this on to me. Thank you Fhaye, I enjoyed doing it.
This is the ‘Honest Scrap’ award
With this award I must list at least ten honest scraps about myself. It’s not easy to list things that I haven’t already shared here, but I managed to come up with ten new things.
1. I come from a very large, and somewhat colourful family. Our family history could not be mistaken for ‘ordinary’ by any stretch of the imagination. I grew up with a toleration of differences that maybe I wouldn’t have, if our family had been more ’so-called’ ordinary.
2. Everything I do, by way of hobbies, Is totally self-taught. Playing the guitar, drawing, painting, photography etc. I never read books, or go to classes. I may well get the same results, through experimenting, but it no doubt takes me much longer than it would if I’d had lessons. I feel that if I’m taught, I miss out on the experimental journey, which is half the fun for me.
3. I have never used facial creams in my life. Not anti-wrinkle, or moisturizer, or any other cream. Other than soap and water, and the odd face mask when I was a spotty teenager, my face has been totally beauty product free! No comments please!
4. I am not very tolerant of people who, every time you see them and say “Hi, how are you?”, sigh and proceed to list all of their ailments and problems. Once, or even twice, is reasonably acceptable, but if that’s all I ever get, I will usually say something positive in an attempt to stop them. If that doesn’t work, I will stop saying “How are you?” replace it with “Hi” and move on. There are far too many people in this world with real problems.
5. I am a very optimistic person. Life has taught me that most things work out for the good long term, and no amount of worrying will change the outcome. You may as well go through whatever it is with a light heart. If you worry that something might happen, and it doesn’t, you’ve just wasted part of your life in an unpleasant state for no reason.
6. There are many things in this world that I feel deeply about. All of them are caused by man’s greed, and most end up with man’s inhumanity to either man or animals. The worst thing is that man never learns from the past, he just repeats the same atrocities using a different label.
7. I love animals, and have always wanted a tiny little elephant of about 3 inches high. One that I can hold in my hand and play with. I know, I’m weird.
8. I’ve always been painfully shy and would never speak to people I didn’t know. Once I became a Christian, and learned my true value, I no longer worried about what judgment I came under from strangers. I find that most people are just waiting for someone else to make a friendly gesture, and they respond well.
9. I am only 5′1″ and I have always wished I could have been taller. Being short has definitely been a drawback in life, especially in business. I was once told by a client that he was generous to have given me the opportunity to win his account, for two reasons. One that I was a female and the second was because I was short. Can you believe that? He said that most other people wouldn’t have even given me the chance to try for it, let alone give me the account. I went up against several other designers – all male, and all taller than me, and I won it through my work, not my height! And I held on to the account for 21 years! That made me so mad!
10. I love to make people laugh. Either by being funny or being teased. It’s as if somehow I encourage people to laugh at me and tease me. Everywhere I go people tend to do that, in the most loving way, of course, and I don’t mind at all. In another life I might like to have been a comedian. I would so love to be able to write good humour! That is hard.
I also received two other awards. Both from people that I didn’t know read my blog.
I received ‘The Lemonade Stand’ from The Matthias Chronicles
and ‘The Butterfly Award’ from Rambler @ Lofty Matters
Thank you both.
Stumble it!
Subscribe by Email
Carole
| 11 January 2009 at 2:41
The awards are well deserved, and I enjoyed your Ten Honest Scraps! I particularly liked number 4, and I LOL at “There are far too many people in this world with real problems.” So true, so true!
Carole´s last blog post..Thoughts Too Short for a Whole Blog Post
DrowseyMonkey
| 11 January 2009 at 6:50
You write very tall. LOL For some reason I always thought you were really tall. That is weird.
I never knew people didn’t give jobs because of height, that’s weird. 5′1 isn’t that short, I’m 5′3 and have never thought of myself as short. People are weird.
I’m with you on the tiny elephant pet! What you bet some mad scientist is trying to create one!!!???
DrowseyMonkey´s last blog post..Mellow Yellow Monday #1
DrowseyMonkey
| 11 January 2009 at 6:51
Wow … I said “weird” a lot in that comment didn’t I?
Weird.
Daisy
| 11 January 2009 at 11:20
Congratulations on your awards! I would love to have a tiny elephant, too. My Mommie is 5′ 9″ and feels like an ungainly giraffe sometimes. She thinks it would be neat to be petite.
Daisy´s last blog post..Sunday Comics with Daisy!
Lady Banana
| 11 January 2009 at 12:20
I love your 10 scraps. To me they are way more than scraps, they all have a lot of meaning.
I really should take heed of number 5.. I worry way too much.
Lee
| 11 January 2009 at 13:43
I see so much of myself in your responses to this post…except I’m male and 6′2″ tall.
As for the moron who made the comment about giving you his business despite your being short, you should have stepped right up and punched him in the kneecap. (Just kidding)
As far as feeling strongly about things, I think some of that comes with age and the wisdom of experience. But with that also comes the realization that there is so much in life we have absolutely no control or influence over.
Great post, Babs.
Lee´s last blog post..PhotoHunt #144 – Aftermath
beetle
| 11 January 2009 at 14:06
Carole: Thank you. Yes, that is one of my pet hates
beetle
| 11 January 2009 at 14:09
Drowsey: That is so funny! I thought Kathy was tall also! I like that “You write very tall” hahaha! I’ll be one of the first in the queue for the elephant
beetle
| 11 January 2009 at 14:11
Drowsey: Very weird!
beetle
| 11 January 2009 at 14:22
Daisy: Giraffe’s are very elegant, tell your mummie. Such grace! Us humans always want what we don’t have. You kitties are far more content with your lot.
beetle
| 11 January 2009 at 14:30
Lady Banana: Yes, I learned not to worry after a ten year struggle with stress related problems. never again!
beetle
| 11 January 2009 at 14:38
Lee: Punching him on his kneecaps is just about all I could have done. He was a very tall man
I agree that wisdom and experience does have a lot to do with how we think and feel. and yes, sadly, our wisdom also shows us that we don’t have the power to change many things.
JD at I Do Things
| 11 January 2009 at 15:37
Wonderful! I’m so glad you decided to “do” this award. I loved learning all these things about you — especially your desire for a tiny elephant. How funny!
“If you worry that something might happen, and it doesn’t, you’ve just wasted part of your life in an unpleasant state for no reason.” SO TRUE! And if you worry, and it DOES happen, you’ve still wasted time, because where does worrying get you?
Loved this, Babs!
JD at I Do Things´s last blog post..I Put Bacon in It so you don’t have to
beetle
| 11 January 2009 at 17:31
JD: Now you know what I want for my birthday – a three inch elephant swimming in a bowl of macaroni cheese! With or without bacon
Swubird
| 11 January 2009 at 17:54
Babs:
You deserve all the rewards you get. It’s a great site.
As far as scraps, I like you number six. Ditto for me.
Happy trails
Swubird´s last blog post..PEEPING TOM
Jaffer
| 11 January 2009 at 18:11
I had to read twice to before I came back to comment. I would have put down quite a few things that you did.
My family used to be a large unit but as I hit my teens things began to change and people began to drift apart. Some families even stopped talking one another.
The rest of my teen years were largely grey and today I feel I lost/wasted those valuable years by all work and no play.
I love to hang out in the library and pick out an instructional book. And do try many things the books offer but I still remain master of none.
I am so optimistic and cool headed that I sometimes scare people around me. I show no worry even in the worst of situations and keep smiling.
I only loose my cool when someone shouts at me and when someone doesn’t listen to what I tell them to do.
I’m a very shy person and I admit I have lost opportunities due to that. But I’m coming around
And Elephant was never on my list. Although I still think of owning a Horse.
I’m 5′7″
Jaffer´s last blog post..Twitter and bad weather can make you do (bad) things
Eric "Speedcat Hollydale"
| 11 January 2009 at 22:09
I love number 8!
You might find this a bit surprising, but in my youth I was fairly shy myself. Not everyone is accepting, but by being open and friendly you gain so much
Eric “Speedcat Hollydale”´s last blog post..Special Announcement of Returning Chickens
beetle
| 11 January 2009 at 23:18
Swubird: Yes, that’s a sad fact. When we are younger, we think we can change the world. As we grow older, we realize we can’t change much.
Jaffer: I learned not to look back at the years I lost. The here and now is more valuable. I also decided that being a ‘master’ isn’t as important as giving something your best shot. Just keep working on the shyness, although a little shyness isn’t always a bad thing.
Speedy: I somehow knew you would like No 8
I agree that not everybody is accepting, but it has made me view life, and people in a totally different way. People in general are no longer a threat, and certainly don’t make me feel nervous any more.
Kathy
| 12 January 2009 at 0:14
What are you talking about, sweetie? You do write good humor! Always makes me smile coming here. And I’ll have you know that your attitude about worrying is what got me through one of my hardest public speaking engagements. Your kind email beforehand really got through to me. It made so much sense. Worrying wasn’t going to help me do any better. It’s only a giant time waster.
I was an extremely shy child and it extended into my early adulthood, too. So afraid of my own shadow. I try not to think about all the things I never tried due to my shyness. Now, I try to make up for lost time!
I hope you get a tiny elephant some day. Everyone needs one in their lives. See how funny you are?
Kathy´s last blog post..Gynecology and Banking Do Not Mix
beetle
| 12 January 2009 at 0:43
kathy: That was such a lovely comment! Thank you. I’m glad my email helped you. It just goes to show that it’s never too late to learn and change! So many talented and outgoing people, who have commented here, said that they used to be very shy!
My great niece painted me a little elephant. She said that she knew I would never have one otherwise
Ivanhoe
| 12 January 2009 at 14:50
Congrats on those awards – very well deserved, Babs!
I have to work on my “attitude”. I’m not one of those people giving you a long list of what’s wrong at “How are you?”, but I grew up with a pessimist & a worry-er (my mother) in a communist country. I’m trying to be different and better. It works most of the times, but still is a work in progress
)
Ivanhoe´s last blog post..Monday Rant
beetle
| 12 January 2009 at 15:44
Ivanhoe: Growing up in a communist country must effect personalities, although worrying seems to come naturally to most of us
It’s certainly worth working at stopping though. Life is so much better (and problems are smaller) when worry is kept to a minimum 
Lauren
| 12 January 2009 at 17:00
That was fantastic! From one shorty to another.
Comedy Plus
| 12 January 2009 at 18:13
I wouldn’t have pegged you for shy. What a great meme. I learned a lot about you today.
Have a terrific day. Big hug.
Comedy Plus´s last blog post..The Jogger
beetle
| 12 January 2009 at 19:55
Lauren: You too? I guessed you to be about 5′6″ at least.
amy lilley
| 12 January 2009 at 22:09
I am 4′10″…smaller than you! At some point I realized that being a ‘flight attendant’, a Rockette and an ER dr., might very well be out of the question, but, things have worked out…I’m like a Jack Russell and I think I’m much bigger than I really am…lol…I too, was painfully shy as a child, but even as a late bloomer, I’ve grown out of that and w/ the Lord’s help, I’m good to go….this was a wonderful post…
blessings to you,
Amy
amy lilley´s last blog post..Baubles!!
beetle
| 12 January 2009 at 22:54
Amy: Oh now I feel tall
It’s totally different now, but 30-40 years ago, being a woman was a drawback in the business world, unless you wanted to be a typist or telephonist. A female graphic designer was unheard of, so I had a really hard time getting any clients! I was once told I should dress sexy and flirt in order to gain work. can you believe that? Being short and shy didn’t command respect. A Jack Russell is good 
beetle
| 13 January 2009 at 1:23
Sandee: I’m a lot better now but I was painfully shy when I was younger.
Jay
| 13 January 2009 at 4:17
Congratulations, Babs! I rather like the Honest Scrap award – you learn such interesting things about people!
But if someone asks me how I am, I tend to tell them, because I figure they’re interested to know! I hope I don’t go on, though, and then I want to know how they are, too.
I’ve met people who make you not want to ask. Often they’re lonely, like the lady in our village I prevented from walking into a pole one night at about 9pm, and asked her if she was okay. I was still there at gone eleven! OH gave up and went home, but I didn’t feel I could abandon her – she’s elderly, practically blind and lives alone. Trouble is … if I have limited time, I now sneak past the poor woman because I know that if I utter the fateful words ‘how are you?’ I can kiss goodbye to the next hour.
beetle
| 13 January 2009 at 13:09
Jay: If I asked you how you were I would expect a truthful answer, but I would hope that at least now and then the answer might be “I’m fine thanks” and smile – wouldn’t it? It’s the people that have a life many would envy, yet always complain about trivia that I mean.
I know what you mean about avoiding people who keep you too long. It’s sad because if they only kept people for ten minutes they would probably have more people talk to them.
meleah rebeccah
| 14 January 2009 at 4:30
Oh Good For You! Congrats sweetheart!
meleah rebeccah´s last blog post..Help! Quick!
Liudmila
| 14 January 2009 at 17:20
It’s funny to think about own qualities. I did not think it could be useful, but it is.
By the way, if you would come in Nocera and would see the growth of one part of the population that is about 1 meter -1,20, I think. They are not dwarfs, they say they are discendants of etruscs…
Liudmila´s last blog post..Old New Year
beetle
| 15 January 2009 at 3:03
Meleah: Thank you
Liudmila: Wow! That makes me feel tall!
Vampy Vic
| 16 January 2009 at 11:21
I don’t really know how I missed this one.. must have had an off day but wow I agree with you on sooo many things!!
hehe
I’m sorry…
no.2… no4.. ohh I hate that too!! hate even!…no5.. I totally agree.. even if it does, then it turns to the spilt milk, where you just pick up and fix and carry on….6&7.. hehe just given.. and no.10… oh yes that is me! though I think most of the time they are laughing at my failing the joke rather than the actual joke, but it does make it hard at parties becausee people always gather around you for company.. arrggh pressure! hehe
They were great!!
Vampy Vic´s last blog post..Not really a "post"–
beetle
| 16 January 2009 at 22:10
Vampy Vic: Surely there can’t be two of us ha ha!
MJ
| 30 January 2009 at 14:21
congratulations on your awards… happy blogging and keep up blogging…