Teenagers Not a Poem by me

Not a Poem by Joanne Utke 

I really don't know what this is lol! But I am writing it from my heart and my own mind based on my life experiences. I am not into poems or rhyming so I won't even try it here. Song writers impress me, but I am not among them :) So for whatever this is worth here is my not a poem about Teenagers. After all I was one and I have some. 

Teenagers

teenagers keep you on your feet

they challenge you

they make you worry

just don't hurry

for them to grow up

but when they do 

they may surprise you

remember to support them

listen to them

learn from them

love them

teenagers need lots of love

but not the huggy kissy kind 

they need the kind of love

that lets them know you are there

no matter what happens to them

tell them you love them and

watch their eyes roll back

just ignore that stuff

when they talk to you just listen

don't argue with them too much

listen to their words

don't focus on the words being used

try to figure out the meaning

behind the words

remember when you were a teenager

don't you ever forget that

you could relate to them once

you still could if you tried

above all

teenagers are capable

smart and funny

they are trying to figure out this crazy world

this world that makes little sense

be kind to them

lead them with example

treat them like

an equal

with respect

love and kindness

when they grow up

they will know

and hopefully 

take care of you

when you're old

Thank you! 

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New Year New Life!

 Greetings to however is going to read this :) 

Here is to a New Year, New Day and a New You! 

God bless you and your family! I really need and want to write more often. The truth is I often will get into a writing mood and do a lot more. It is where I need to do the work. Last year I started 15 minute a day writing challenge and got some good content in. Then I get lazy and stop doing it consistently. And sometimes I am not in the right mind set to write down anything lol! 

But I am starting it up the 15 minutes a day writing challenge and for this article I want to focus on a New Year and a New Life! About a year ago I created my new motto. This new one is a lot like my old one that I had since I was a teenager. That one is basically a daily mantra, "today I will be better than I was yesterday!" That is my motto :) 

Over the years I will admit that I failed on this motto at times. I have had some stressful times, personal freak outs, sadness, and times of extreme depression. I am not here to lie to you or sugar coat what I have been through. I have had to learn of tough lessons in my life and this was not without pain! I know you can relate. If not praise God! But let us also praise God for that pain because without it I would not know what I know now, and I would not be the persona that I am today. 

For many others as well as myself the 2020 plandemic fiasco was at times extremely stressful. I don't know about you, but it brought on some feelings of depression for me. This is not to say that other times in my life I have had the same problem. I am also very sorry for those who have lost loved ones I know how stressful that can be. 

But for me the last couple years was at times difficult for me in other ways. It was after all this that I created my new motto to help me and hopefully others to live their best life now. I decided that life is too short to spend any more time on sadness, depression, regret, self-loathing, fear and anger! And I know all of this very well I can admit. Oh, the time in my life that was wasted on all this negative attitude and emotions. 

I decided that I'm done, and I will LIVE MY BEST LIFE NOW! And a new motto was born, LIVING MY BEST LIFE RIGHT NOW! Not later, not tomorrow, not next New Year, but today, and right now! 

Best life now is not about the things we cannot change, but about the things we can change in our own everyday life. I have written a couple articles about this already and I will link them below for you. If we look back at our life, what would we want to change if we could? 

In the past I thought that was certain people in my life, but these thought only brought me more pain and sadness and did not make me a better person. I don't want to elaborate on that because that would not be productive to my message or my best life! Long after I'm gone these words may still be here for those to read as long as no one deletes my blogs. 

I learned a long time ago that regret is evil and only produces depression and sadness. In fact, the devil loves regret. When we regret our past no matter what mistakes we have made, we are saying that God doesn't have a plan for our life, that He doesn't have a purpose for our suffering. This of course if false and the devil loves it when we live by a lie. The devil is the father of lies (John 8:44) and every lie separates us from God.  

But to answer the question, when I look back honestly what I would want to change is my attitude, my thoughts and my feelings. And it just so happens that I, and you are in control of those things always! Never mind the past mistakes that have been made, we can't change that now. If you have hurt someone in the past go to them and apologize, do what you can now to make things better. But we cannot change what we have done in the past, but we can change what we do right now!

And that is where we need to spend our time, energy and efforts. I don't know about you but I waisted too much time in my life being upset about things either out of my control or upset about things that were in my control, but I did nothing to change it. Living our best life now is about empowering ourselves and knowing that our best life starts now! 

It starts with our thoughts, words, and actions! And that is something that we can control right now to give ourselves that gift. No more time wasted when we are living our best life now! 

Anyway, that is my 15 minutes plus much more spent on this. I hope that it was a blessing to you!

 Please let me know what you think. There is more to come! 

Thank you! 

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Best Vegan Bluberry Muffins

The Best Vegan Blueberry Muffins Recipe I have ever made! 

  I have made this recipe for my family. many times. This is the absolute best vegan baked goods recipe that I have found! My family is not vegan but I'm always looking for healthier vegan versions of the foods they like. If I can make something yummy without eggs, meat and dairy then that is what I want to do! 

I also believe making foods like this fresh from scratch at home is the best if you're going to eat it. That way I can control what is in it and what I am giving to my family. These have become my go to blueberry muffin recipe! Sorry the picture isn't too good/ I will replace it with a better one when I make these again. Taking imperfect action and getting this post done for you :)

  These muffins are easy to make and don't taste vegan at all. This is a recipe that everyone is sure to love. These are great for breakfast, or any occasion. For this recipe I didn't use the soy milk suggested in the recipe. I prefer to use other plant-based milks like almond milk and cashew milk. 

  My muffins turned out great using these nut milks instead. I stay away from soy and soy containing products if I can. This is another reason why you should always make stuff like this from scratch since most premade, packaged foods contain some kind of soy product in them. 

The recipe suggests using vegetable oil, which is actually soybean oil and another soy product that I try to never use. I used same mounts of softened coconut oil with good results. Coconut oil is much better oil to use, and it may have some health benefits that other oils do not. You can also use corn oil or a light olive oil if you don't like soy-based oils either.

  This recipe says to use fresh blueberries, but I have used the small size frozen blueberries right out of the freezer with good results. I usually have frozen blueberries on hand, so it was easy for me to use what I already had. 

  I want to try this recipe as a base for other variations. Instead of blueberries I want to try diced strawberry and maybe a shredded zucchini for another version of the best vegan muffins. I will let you know how that turns out. 

I also want to try using whole wheat pastry flour instead of the white flour another time too. Or even a good gluten free flour to make them gluten free. For now, give these vegan blueberry muffins a try using the recipe. I found this particular recipe at My Darling Vegan. You can print it out via the link.

I think you will love this recipe too! 

Let me know in the comments and as always God bless you wherever you are in your life! 

Thank you! 

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What kind of person do you want to be?

 I have often asked myself this question. 

What kind of person do I want to be? At times in my life, I don't think I lived up to who I wanted to be. I went along with my friends, or I allowed the world to tell me what to think. As I grew older and started to investigate things for myself, I started to become more of who I wanted to be. I think we all go through this kind of journey. It is how we grow up and become who we are meant to be. As we grow, I think we change a little every ten years. 

  The experiences we have in life also can change us for the good or worst. It is our choice how we allow circumstances to change us. We can regret mistakes and close our self-off to learning more. We can learn from our mistakes and discover ways that it can make us better. I have done both lol! But I keep coming back to that same person that I always was just a little wiser every year. I just turned 42 and still have a long life ahead of me even though I might be halfway through it lol! I don't know exactly where life will take me, but I know that I will keep growing into the person that I want to be. I am not going to just wait for life to happen to me anymore. 

  I want to make life happen for me. Do the best that I can with what I have right now! And never stop improving on things and making my life better. Every day is an opportunity to change something about your life. I see a post today and the women said to make three goals for the day and do it. I think this is a good idea and can bring us closer to our bigger goals in life. 

  For me every day my three goals are the same and I do pretty well at accomplishing them. I am not perfect but every day that I practice being the person that I want to be. I get closer every day to my bigger goals. Just got to improve a little every day. 

  What kind of person do I want to be? I want to make my own choices, I want to create an income from home helping others, I want to achieve my health goals, and most important I want to be happy. In the past I spent too much time eating like crap and being unhappy. Not anymore! I had to nearly lose everything to get this. Sure, some days I get angry because I wish some things were different, but I do believe that everything happens for a reason. I had to learn, and I keep reminding myself of that. Then just do what I can and don't worry about the things I can't control.

  Anyway, that is my 15 minutes today and a short post. These are my thoughts for the day. I hope that it can be an encouragement for you. I know it is for me and a reminder to keep moving forward. Life is what we make it, so let's make it a good one!

By Joanne Utke

What do you think? 

Are you the person that you want to be? 

 Let me know in the comments.

Thank you! 

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The token with a purpose ZELDA INU (ZLDA )

   Doing this post today just to spread the word about this crypto currency that is right now in its infancy but already making a big difference. 

I am all about self-help and doing things for yourself. And achieve the life you want. Investing is just one way we can do that. I thought this little token was worth telling you about. If for nothing but the information. Maybe you have no clue what a crypto coin or token is. 

I am just learning myself. I am not an expert, but I can blog about what I know as I learn it. Comment below and tell me what you think. What topics would you like to see me wright about? Is investing something that you want to learn more about? 

Invest in a Crypto that makes a difference! 

ZLDA INU (ZLDA) is a coin with a purpose to help pets in need! If you are an animal lover, you will want to pay attention to this. It's a MEME coin that is around 0.02 cents currently. It's a fully transparent token with a mission to help dogs in need by funding the rescuers that do the work. We're talking rescues, shelter, helping dogs who really need it. Donations have already made a huge difference the lives of many dogs. Donations totaling $26,000 and counting. And that's a great start! This is a crypto worth investing in! Go to zeldainu.com for videos, and more information. Invest your money into something that makes a difference. Learn how to get this token at zeldainu.com

Check it out at Coin Market Cap. I have included a screenshot. If you click the image, you will be able to view the whole chart at Coin Market Cap. This token has been at as much as .10 cents so far! And at 0.02 cents currently and has huge potential. We haven't seen the last of this decentralized crypto currency! Crypto being a digital currency. Some Crypto like this one ZLDA, was designed for a purpose with a purpose. With the potential to make a lot of money. Decentralized means it is not governed by any central authority. I suggest going to YouTube and watching a video that can explain it all to you. This particular one is in the MEME category. MEME coins are a crypto currency that is inspired by an internet MEME, started like a joke. But ZELDA INU is far from a joke. It is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping as man dogs as they can. 

Check it out and see for yourself. 

If you want to get started investing and help dogs, this is for you! Go to zeldainu.com to find out how to get it and where. You're going to want to read the site, learn all you can and get started! The sooner the better but it's never too late to start your investment portfolio. 

With just a $100 investment you can get about 5,000 coins at the 0.02 cent price point. If the price goes to 0.10 cents as it has before, your $100 will turn into about $500 That's a nice return for you and more dogs that can be helped. Now imagine if that 0.10 cents turned into $1.00! Are you starting to see the potential? 

DISCLAIMER; This post is for informational purposes. These are hypothetical figures based on the current price, I make no claims. Trading crypto can be risky as is any worthwhile that you can do in this world. You can lose money. As always do your research and don't invest money that you need for something important. 

Also don't fall for an imposter! For every opportunity out there, there is a scam to follow. Make sure that anything you do involving your personal information is done at a crypto trading platform. Use Coin Market Cap as a source for your information regarding the charging of this crypto. 

If this is something that you would like to invest in just go to the Zelda Inu official website and follow the instructions via the "how to buy" tap at the top of the page. There is definitely a learning curve when it comes to investing, especially crypto and MEME coins but it could prove to be worth the effort. Do your own due diligence and happy investing! 

Thank you! 

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What does it mean to live your best life now?

     If you see this in LinkedIn or seen my first entry, in the 15 minute a day writing challenge, you know that my motto is LIVING MY BEST LIFE NOW, or BEST LIFE NOW! I created this to remind myself that life is too short for stress, anger, resentment and just being unhappy! In this post I wanted to explain what "BEST LIFE NOW" means to me. Maybe it can inspire you to live life more in the now rather than in the past, like so many of us seem to do. I've been heard saying "the past is gone, the future doesn't exist yet, all we have is right now!" 

     In the catholic tradition we have a prayer called The Hail Mary, which I love. This prayer has given me much comfort throughout my life. In this prayer we say, "pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death." We say "NOW" because that is the first most important time of our lives. The choices and decisions we make now will affect our tomorrow! The only way to change the future is to make those necessary changes right now. We are reminded to ask God for that guidance, willfulness and diligence in making the right choices, now. We say "death" because that is the second most important time if our life when we look back on our life, judge our self and go on to our eternal reward or punishment. 

    But what do I mean by Living your best life NOW? I mean not waiting to make those necessary changes in your life. Often, we wait until you "feel" like it. It's about not waiting until tomorrow to make your life what you want. Have you ever fell into the Monday complex? I have for sure that's how I know about it. You know you got to lose weight or start eating healthy. Here's the scenario, it's Friday but you say, "I will start on Monday." And then on Wednesday you realize that you didn't eat as healthy as you know you should have. So, you tell yourself, "I'll start on Monday." Before you know it the month, or year is over, and you are no closer to your goals than you were on the first Monday you said you would change. 

    This is a never-ending cycle of what I call the Monday complex! We will do ourselves well to get out of that way of thinking. The important changes that we need to make life better are just too important to wait, we need to do it now! This doesn't mean that the results will happen instantly or that it won't take time to get where we want to be in life. It just means we start now, not tomorrow! We don't procrastinate on a better quality of life or making those business calls that you need to make. 

    This is a cycle that we could avoid if we just LIVED OUR BEST LIFE NOW! Sometimes on YouTube I listen to a lady entrepreneur names Mel Robbins and she is big on not waiting until you feel like it and just doing what you need to do now.  She says, "you're never going to feel like it!" This is true you will never feel like exercising or eating a salad instead of tacos. No one wants to do the work that it takes to have the best life possible. We just want it now without the work but that is not what I am talking about. Sure, it would be great if we could snap our fingers and the work is done. But not how it works in the real world. 

     Life is what we make it, no one else! We need to begin the work now; we need to make better choices now and not wait for Monday to feel like it. This is what I think about all the time, so I decided to dedicate this post to it. We don't even know if tomorrow will come so why not live our best life NOW? And live life to the fullest and have the best quality of life we can. We don't have time for stress, anger, resentment, and being unhappy. I always tell my kids that if you want to be happy, be happy! Happiness is a choice that we make right now no matter what life throws at us! If you think life has to be perfect until you can be happy, you will never be happy. I am not saying to be happy about the horrible things happening in your life or the world. I am saying to find peace and happiness in spite of that stuff.

    That is a choice I had to personally make for myself. I realized that I spent way too much of my life being unhappy and not seeing the good in what was happening in my life. I chose to be happy in spite of it and my life has been much better for it. I still have a lot to work on but these days I want to make my life my best life, and I don't want to wait for it. I touched on this in my previous challenge post. I am 42 this month and if I die at 82, I'm already halfway through my life, and most people don't get that much time so what am I waiting for? I want to make my next 40, 50, 60 years my best ones! I would never want any different for anyone else. Let's LIVE OUR BEST LIFE NOW! 

    Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope you are taking the 15 minutes a day writing challenge. You can start a blog or just crab a pen and paper. Get your thoughts down, at the very least it will be something to leave the kids. Maybe it can help someone think a little differently. It can certainly help you stay gowned and on track with your goals. It is not good to keep it all inside. Comment below to tell me what you think. As always God bless! 

By Joanne Utke

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Thank you! 

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Write 15 minutes a day challenge!

The 15 minute a day writing challenge!

    I recently saw this challenge posted to the social media platform LinkedIn which I recently started using again. I deleted my first account but was not using it anyway. I decide to get back on and see if I could find some opportunities. Anyway I saw this challenge to write on any topic for 15 minutes a day. I think this is doable goal and probably something that I need to be doing anyway. I do like to write and desire to get better at it. So, here it is my first entry in the 15 minutes a day writing challenge! I need to outlet my thoughts daily and writing is a great way to do it. It helps to stay grounded and get those thoughts out into the world. Lately I been busy with my family as always, and spending time with them. I did recently do a post to my Natural Health blog the other day and I think it is a good one. It is called Addiction and the foods killing you! If you are interested in reading it. 

    Writing is one of my passions and I'm always looking for ways to make money doing it. I also have an interest in natural health and helping people. As a mom I feel like I'm naturally drawn towards helping others. I just wish I could help those closes to me even more. I feel like it is harder to get through to your loved ones but I do think I impact more than I know. God knows! I want to keep improving on myself every day and writing about what helps me. My prayer is that I can be a positive influence in people lives. This year I turn 42. The time has gone by so fast and I think back to all the time I wasted on being angry and unhappy. I was thinking the other day that if I die at age 82 I am currently half way through my life. If I die sooner then I have even less time. This is a scary thought but also motivating for me.

    I don't want my next years to be filled with pain, anxiety, stress, and anger. Although in the last few years I have made great improvements in those areas. And I feel positive about life again. Especially since 2017 when I got back on my health journey. Before that I really didn't have a desire to live or improve on myself, at least there was about 10 years there where I didn't. Life just beat me down in many ways! But beginning to losing my health, and my mind a bit got me back to improving on myself again. That is what I been doing once again. I started out so good as a young adult but life has a way of moving through you and if you let it, it can destroy your true self. Not yo mention robbing you of your peace.

      Anyway having the thought of being half way or less through my life so far, it led me to want to make the rest of my life, MY BEST LIFE! So my new motto is LIVING MY BEST LIFE NOW! It was Today I will e better than I was yesterday, and still is. I want to remind myself and others that it's never too late to live well, gain health and live your best life. The past is gone, the future doesn't exist yet, all we really have is NOW! 

 By Joanne Utke

Thank you! 

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