One of the most important aspects of our health is the environment we live in and how we’re taking care of it. That’s why this week I thought I switch gears and acknowledge that March 18th is Global Recycling Day. If you’re not doing much recycling, the time to start doing it is now. Most substances we throw out in the garbage have a high potential for reuse.
The easiest way is to start recycling is starting at the place you live. There are plenty of simple recycling ideas for home. To help you jumpstart your project, here are just 4 simple activities you can do on Global Recycling Day.
Dispose of Things Properly
Whether we’re in a restaurant or at a park, we have to be mindful of how we’re disposing of items. Unfortunately, we don’t always put the right items in the correct bins they’re supposed to be in. But this can be resolved if we learn to put plastic items in the right bins separate from glass or paper items. Don’t recycle the wrong type of item or else a truck full of recyclables will be going to the landfill. That’s a lot of things we could’ve reused or repurposed going to the garbage. Our plastic resources are being collected this way and are harmful. So dump waste properly so that it’ll be recycled correctly.
Disposing of things properly is vital to effective recycling
Reuse Items such as Carboard Boxes and Glass Jars
Another simple thing to do on this day is to just reuse or recycle items like cardboard boxes and glass jars. Turn that cardboard box into something you can use for storage. Reuse those old grape jelly jars as storage for your hair or beauty products. Don’t throw away newspapers or those old books of yours. Take these things to your local recycling center or one of those book bins which are usually located by some grocery stores. There are plenty of items that could be good recycling ideas within your home.
Stop Throwing Away Old Clothing and Household Textiles
If you have some old clothing and household textiles, don’t throw them away. You can recycle these items at your local Goodwill or Salvation Army stores. It’s estimated that 6.5% of all materials going into landfills and/or incinerators are clothing and textile products that could’ve been recycled. Donating or recycling your clothing is a better choice for the environment and you’re helping people as well. Besides donating to your local thrift store, you can also contact Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART) to find out where to donate.
Encourage others to Recycle
Encouraging others to recycle more is another good thing to do on Global Recycling Day. When you’re convincing people to recycle and reminding them about the importance of doing it, it motivates you to continue doing it. Educate young people in schools about how recycling is beneficial to the planet. Give them examples of different items they may have that could be recyclable besides plastic and aluminum. Why not share with them different ways they can change recycled items into art projects or gifts? By encouraging people, both young and old, to recycle, you’ll be showing how fun of an activity this is.
These are just some of the Global Recycling Day activities you can participate in. With this day falling on the 18th, go out there with your family and friends to recycle your used plastic, aluminum, clothing, and toys today. If you have a unique, interesting story about recycling you like to talk about, be sure to do so in the comments section below. As always, be sure to like or share this post with the next environmental-loving person you know.
We’ve reached the end of another year. Because of this, it’s time for me to count down my 5 favorite stories of 2022. I enjoy posting on this blog once a week and I hope to continue to do so next year. Without further or do, here are some of my favorite posts I’ve enjoyed writing about this year.
I learned about a new disorder that inhibits people from verbally expressing themselves clearly. The actor Bruce Willis is reportedly diagnosed with it. It is called aphasia. One of the interesting things I’ve learned about aphasia is that dementia is one of the conditions that cause it. There are so many little-known conditions out there and we must remain aware of them by educating ourselves.
I came across a headline in my Google News feed that working from home was one of the biggest things that happen this year. Despite many companies opening up and making their workers go back into the office, this trend still isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. However, sometimes you could develop a little fatigue during remote working and this post shared some useful tips on how you re-energize yourself.
I’ve enjoyed interviewing best-selling author Herschenia Brown about another form of emotional abuse called narcissistic abuse. It’s always nice to meet experts and learn about different health disorders. This occurs when an abuser uses words and actions to manipulate their partner’s behavior or emotional actions. She also shared some insight into her new novel.
It’s always nice to get away sometimes. But it’s even nicer to experience vacationing on a cruise ship for the first time. I’ve had a great time on Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas ship. It was nice to visit Italy, Spain & Portugal. I can’t wait to experience it again when I go on another cruise, this time in Alaska, next year.
This post was hands-down my favorite one to write about this year. It also was heartfelt. In this post, I shared how significant Christ’s ransom sacrifice was to all of us and how meditating on it helps us not take it for granted.
Those were my 5 favorite posts I’ve enjoyed writing and learning about this year. Do you have a personal favorite post of mine that you liked this year? If you do, feel free to share in the comments section below your favorite post from my Good News for the Soul blog. As always, be sure to like or share this post with the next person you care about.
For the past two weeks, My mother and I went on a beautiful 13-night Spanish Transatlantic Cruise. A large group of our friends went with us as we flew on American Airlines from sweet home Chicago to Rome, Italy. We explored some of the sights, sounds, and smells of this big, busy city including the Coliseum at night, the delicious pizza with fresh mozzarella, and a very popular tourist attraction called the Trevi Fountain.
Beautiful Coliseum at night
Rome was a very busy, hectic city filled with street peddlers selling us scarves, phone chargers, and selfie sticks. Some of us did buy a nice amount of them, too. The sidewalks were made out of cobblestones and were like high hills. You need to have some good shoes to walk their streets. The ambiance and feel of Rome reminded me a lot of New York. A lot of people bombard the streets during the day and night.
We stayed two nights in “Roma” in a seemingly old cute hotel called Hotel Raffaello. Their breakfast was really good. I love how they served their coffee, tea, and cappuccino in small porcelain cups. Rome was truly a beautiful place for all of us to visit, shop, and eat.
Cute, petit teacup in Italy
It’s Cruise Time
October 31st has finally arrived and it was time for us to hop on our Royal Caribbean Cruise ship. We were transported to our Odyssey of the Seas ship at Civitavecchia, Italy after going through COVID-19 tests and passport checking. It was finally time for us to settle in our staterooms, enjoy our balconies, navigate around the ship, and eat a smorgasbord of food lol.
During our 2-week cruise journey, we stopped at 4 ports. The first stop was at 3 beautiful villas near Florence, Italy- Portofino, Rapallo, and Santa Margherita. We had a tour guide take us around these gorgeous towns where we did some shopping and ate some amazing gelato. I even got the chance to try a seafood risotto at a restaurant for the first time when we took a boat ride from Rapallo to Portofino.
Our adventure continued on the boat with interesting menu choices from the main dining room-some good, some not-so-good, and a live music performance almost every night. I’ve never viewed or sung so much karaoke in all of my life. It seemed like most of us got our little moments in the spotlight as we sang our favorite tunes. Early in the first week, I got the chance to sing the first song that popped up in the Royal Caribbean karaoke book for me- New Edition’s “Mr. Telephone Man” lol. It was a lot of fun singing that song. I learned some new lyrics to it that I didn’t know were in the song. That’s kinda the cool thing about karaoke.
Crossing over to Spain
We sailed away from Italy and arrived in our second port Valencia, Spain a couple of days later. I liked Valencia. I liked that the streets didn’t seem to be as high as it was in Rome. The weather was just as beautiful there as it was in Italy though. My mother and I took some cool photos, bought a few souvenirs, and even saw a mechanical dinosaur in a park.
Dino in Valencia
We briefly got a little lost on our way back to the tour bus. But we figured it out with a little help from some locals who can speak English and going past some familiar places. Needless to say, we didn’t get lost in Valencia, Spain lol. The bus brought us back to our ship where we enjoyed some more dining, live musical performances, and you guessed it, karaoke.
Malaga Fashions
We crossed another city in Spain where we did most of our clothes shopping- Malaga. I bought a couple of beautiful blouses and a dress in Primark for only 3 euros. My mother bought a few nice things, too. But eventually, all this shopping and site seeing had to come to an end, and back on our tour bus we go. Better make it to the tour bus on time because it will take us back to our ship. From what I’ve heard, the ship doesn’t wait on anyone.
Malaga, Spain
4th and Last Port- Madeira, Portugal
The beginning of our second week at sea brought us to Madeira, Portugal. What a beautiful city with many houses on high hills! I was down to a few Euros and bought a few souvenirs, a rum mixed with honey, lemon, and passion fruit, a churro, and some really nice boots. I like the fact that these were blue boots. My mother bought some nice gray boots at this cute little shoe store we encountered in Madeira. Along the way, we met some local Portugal brothers and sisters doing some public witnessing and took some photos with them. After some more photo-snapping, site-seeing, and retail-buying, it was time for us to be on our way back to the ship. Fortunately, the bus didn’t take us too far from it and we were back on the boat in no time.
Meeting the friends in Madeira, Portugal
Away at Sea during the Second Week
During the second week, we were mainly sailing away at sea and didn’t make any stops. But there were still plenty of activities, events, food, and theme nights being held to keep us busy. My mom got a real kick out of some of the movies being shown in our stateroom. I enjoyed breakfast in the buffet area called the Windjammer and got some exercise around the running track on deck 15. I also attended some really interesting seminars on this cruise such as how the way you walk has an impact on your back health or posture. I discovered I was flat-footed by the way. There were even free massage demonstrations and a sampling of skin products. But it wasn’t until Wednesday that I got the chance to attend their “Fun Dance Classes” which turned out to be some Zumba-esque exercise classes. This was cool, but it sort of misled some people in the Royal Caribbean app into thinking it was a line-dancing class lol.
Friday evening was very interesting because it was the night when we got the chance to eat at one of the specialty restaurants on the ship for free. Me, my mother, and a friend of ours chose to eat at Giovanni’s Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar where we ate some healthy Italian portions including a leading tower of lasagna, which I was crazy enough to ask for (see the picture below). All in all, it was a lot of food for us to handle.
What was I thinking asking for this leading tower of lasagna?
Giving a Witness Wherever We Go
Despite the fact it was a fun-filled, incredible European cruise, we still never forgot who we represent. At some point, I gave a witness to one of our waiters, who happens to speak another type of Creole language from what I speak called Mauritian Creole. My mother even had a nice conversation about the Bible with a fellow cruiser while relaxing on one of the higher decks. We even made friends with some fellow Witnesses’ from Maryland, Colorado, California & Memphis. It just goes to show that we are truly a united brotherhood all over the world.
As I write this blog post, my mind is still on vacation from this two-week journey although I’m physically back in cold Chicago. I feel so refreshed after coming from this vacation. I understand why people become so depressed about the last day of a cruise because they know they have to go back to their regular lives. No more being waited on hand in foot or being served drinks or food! I felt like a queen for the past two weeks. Now I feel just like regular ol’ humble Brandi. Well, at least until the next cruise vacation lol!
Have you ever been on a cruise ship vacation? How was it? Who did you go with? Was it as long as mine? Feel free to share your cruise ship experiences in the comments section below- the good, the bad & the ugly. As usual, be sure to share or like this post with the next cruise vacationer you know.
We all as women go through difficult setbacks in our lives. Sometimes, we need encouragement to help us endure or get through our issues. That’s what good, loving friends are for. If you’re a woman, you probably have some dependable girlfriends who are good for this. We can all be there for each other in various ways. When you see a dear friend of yours going through a rough time, try doing the following things.
There are several ways we can be there for our girlfriends when times get rough.
Give Them a Phone Call
This is something we know we must do. But sometimes, we can fall into a habit of not doing it. When you know a friend who isn’t doing too well, be sure to give them a call. It’s one of the most important ways to reach out to a person. You’ll also be making them feel good by letting them know that you’ve been thinking of them. Every person wants to feel wanted or acknowledged. Sometimes people like to know if there’s somebody out there who cares about them. So don’t forget to give that friend of yours a phone call.
Be a Good Listener
If you want to be a better friend, being a good listener is essential. People like to be listened to and not ignored. Being attentive to your girlfriend’s concerns and issues shows that you’re empathetic. Even if you can’t personally relate to what they’re going through, try to make a habit of letting them know that you care. Being quiet and listening to what they have to say shows that you’re there for them.
Give them a Hug
Another important thing to do when being there for your friends is to reach out and give them a big hug. Even when you don’t have the right words to say to them, just reach out and give them a big hug. Physical touch will help them feel loved and needed. Sometimes, people need a warm hug to help them get through the day. A warm hug is also a good confidence booster for someone who is discouraged. When you have the chance, give your girlfriend, mom, daughter, or sister a hug. You’ll both feel good after this warm embrace.
Give them a Gift
Who doesn’t love a nice gift sent to them now and then? To make your girlfriend feel a little better, giving her a simple, nice gift should do the trick. It doesn’t have to be anything expensive because the thoughtfulness behind your gift is more important. Could only afford something from the Dollar Store? Buy something from there. Even handmade gifts, such as a sweet little greeting card, are some of the best ones. Give your friend something that’ll make her laugh, smile, and feel loved.
I have been doing a little greeting card creating in the online design software program Canva. Get two of my free Thank You Card Printable creations here. Print them up or send them to somebody you’re thankful for. If you have anything further to add on how we could support our girlfriends in times of distress, be sure to drop a line in the comments below. As always, be sure to like or share this post with the closest girlfriend you know.
For these past two months, I’ve watched our Bible-based convention from home for the third straight year. It was faith-strengthening, encouraging, upbuilding, etc. With another convention in the books, I feel it is best to take a little break from my usual health and wellness posts and dedicate this week’s post to the “Pursue Peace” Convention. We all took something from this convention and here are 4 steps we must live by in maintaining peace in our various relationships.
Focus on our Good Qualities
Because we are imperfect, it could be so easy for us to focus on our negative qualities. But if we strive to focus on the positives of each other, we would achieve unity and peace. Most of us have a human tendency to talk negatively about one another to other people. However, we were reminded through these online discourses to confront that person we have a personal problem directly. It could be a messy situation when that person finds out others are gossiping about them. So we all must make a habit of speaking positively about each other to avoid disrupting, unnecessary conflicts.
Strive to Keep the Peace in the Family
This convention examined all aspects of how we can promote peace. It discussed how we maintain peace within ourselves, our friends, and our relationship with Jehovah. However, one of the most important relationships we must maintain peace is with our family members. Because we’ve known these people our whole lives, it could be so easy for peace to be wrecked. Nobody knows you better than your mother, father, sister, brother, etc.
However, we can still maintain peace with each other by keeping the lines of communication open. Husbands and wives could work effectively as a team by continuing to keep Jehovah and his Word, the Bible in their marriage. Parents and children could show each other love and respect by being quick to apologize when we have hurt each other. Children must treat their parents with respect.
Peace in the family can be accomplished through good communication and showing love and respect.
Freely Forgive One Another
Another aspect of maintaining peace in our relationships is being freely forgiving of one another. We must be willing to forgive our trespasses. A chance to forgive is a chance to imitate Jehovah and his son, Jesus. If someone has hurt us deeply, try praying for that person. Proverbs 19:11 says that is beauty to overlook an offense. As imperfect humans, we all make mistakes, whether they’re big or small. So instead of harboring resentment towards each other, we must be forgiving one another freely.
Don’t be Too Proud to Apologize
I’m sorry- those are humbling words we must utter. Those words are humbling because they could be difficult for us to say. But these two words must be said for us to heal the wounds of a fractured relationship. These words help repair a relationship between a husband and a wife, a brother and a sister, etc. Apologizing to someone means not being too proud to admit you’re wrong. It means making peace with our brothers and sisters. That’s more important than deciding who’s right and who’s wrong in a disagreement.
Maintaining peace within ourselves, our families, our friends, and with Jehovah is not easy in this world, but it could be done. There were so many more gems from this convention that I also could’ve talked about. But I’ve pinpointed these in particular because we need these reminders from time to time in our lives. One day, we will be truly saying the words, “Peace at Last” if we work on maintaining it in our relationships with each other.
What part or parts of the “Pursue Peace” Convention stood out to you? How did you like the dramatizations? Share your thoughts about this event in the comments section below. As always, be sure to like or share this post with the next person you want to make peace with.
This week, I’m taking a break from talking about the usual women’s health issues. Instead, I will be discussing one of the most precious gifts given to us in the world. This gift is none other than God’s ransom sacrifice of his dear son Jesus Christ. On April 15, 2022, me and my dear friends from all over the world will be commemorating the death of the greatest man who ever lived. One of the most important aspects of commemorating it is meditating about his loving ransom sacrifice. What does it truly mean to us? What benefits do we receive by meditating on his ransom sacrifice? Let’s examine these questions further.
Let’s all take some time to meditate on Christ’s ransom sacrifice recorded in the Bible
Draw Close to him and his Dear Father
When we deeply meditate on this precious gift, it causes us to draw closer to Jesus and his heavenly Father, Jehovah. The ransom sacrifice helps us to deeply appreciate all that they have done for us. Jehovah allowed his precious Son to give his life for us so that we may live. This is shown in the Bible scripture at 1 John 4:19. Because of this ransom gift, we now have the prospect of everlasting life. Who wouldn’t want to live forever?
We might think as imperfect humans that we may not be worthy of having someone sacrifice his life for us. But despite our imperfections, we can still enjoy a close relationship with Jehovah and Jesus by means of this ransom sacrifice.
The Ransom Gives Us Hope for the Future
Because of our Lord giving his life as a ransom sacrifice, we are also able to meditate on a hopeful future. This future involves true blessings that will come our way soon. Many of us have lost a loved one in death. I have lost many dear friends and family, the biggest one being my earthly father. However, because of this ransom gift, we all could see our loved ones again.
Our God Jehovah never intended for people to die. His original purpose was for people to live forever. This is why he promises in 1 Cor. 15:26 to bring death to nothing. If we exercise faith, or show appreciation for this ransom, we can welcome our dead loved ones in the near future.
How Can We Show Appreciation for the Ransom?
You’re probably asking, “How do we show we appreciate this gift that Jehovah has given us?” There are a couple of ways we can do this. One way is continuing to work on ourselves by resisting temptations. When we are tempted to do bad things, we must develop the courage to say “No.” As imperfect humans, it could sometimes be hard to stand up against things we know are wrong. However, if we pray to Jehovah to help us, we can be successful in fighting any hurdles.
Another way to show appreciation is to show genuine love for our brothers and sisters, but also people in general. We pray for people going through a hard time. We help our brothers and sisters when they are enduring personal trials. We’re praying for our brothers and sisters in the country of Ukraine right now. We strive to forgive one another and not hold a grudge. These are some of the best ways we can express appreciation for the ransom.
Continue to Meditate on this Gift
As we all get together this Friday to celebrate the greatest act of love that was ever shown, let’s take some time out of our busy lives to reflect on it. Show appreciation for the ransom sacrifice by striving to live our lives the way Jehovah and Jesus would want us to live. Help our brothers and sisters endure a personal trial, such as a health problem or an economic issue. Pray for anyone you know going through a hard time, whether it is a co-worker or schoolmate. Freely forgive one another because that is what Jehovah will want us to do.
Share your thoughts and expressions about Christ’s ransom sacrifice in the comments section below. Be sure to like or share this post with someone you love and care about. Enjoy your Memorial!
With the end of Black History almost in sight, I decided it would be nice to do a short profile on three African-Americans who have made impactful contributions to energy efficiency and conservation. There have been several fascinating inventors who have made devices that allow people to be more efficient in their use of electricity, train travel, and railroad lines. Let’s examine these inventors and why they are vital to the history of energy efficiency.
Granville T. Woods
This inventor was known as “Black Edison”because of his many inventions including the development of the telephone. Granville T. Woods’s railroad engineering background has led him to invent overhead electric railroad lines. Woods invented the troller, which is the grooved metal wheel allowing trolleys to collect electric power from overhead wires. In 1889, he filed his first patent for an improved steam boiler furnace. He did this after setting up his own company to develop, manufacture, and sell electrical apparatus.
Lewis Howard Latimer
Another inventor whom helped in creating the longer-lasting lightbulb. Lewis Howard Latimer was an inventor and engineer who helped patent the light bulb and the telephone. He also designed several other inventions such as an early air conditioning unit. Latimer’s deep knowledge of electrical engineering and patents made him a strong partner of American inventor Thomas Edison.
Lewis Howard Latimer helped patent the light bulb.
Elijah McCoy
Elijah McCoy was a 19th-century inventor who invented a lubrication device to keep steam engines moving. He trained as an engineer in Scotland as a teenager. But it wasn’t until he accepted a position as a fireman and oiler for the Michigan Central Railroad, he started developing his first major inventions. He invented a lubricating cup that distributed oil evenly over the engine’s moving parts. This lubricating cup allowed trains to run continuously for long periods.
Those were three inventors who made a significant impact on the field of energy efficiency. If you have a Black History fact or story you like to share, feel free to share in the comments section below. As always, be sure to share or like this story with someone you know.
In last week’s post, I talked about the benefits of a fresh start. I shared how it could benefit you mentally and physically. This week, I’m going to build on that and talk about how we could break something we all want to break. This are called old habits.
We all have an annoying habit we want to break. Sometimes, these habits could be hard to do away with. Let’s look at four good ways we can start replacing these habits with newer ones with ease.
Work on One Habit at a Time
Whether it’s at the beginning of the year or during another time, sometimes we could go overboard to change our habits. But I’m here to tell you that it’s okay to take things slow. It could be overwhelming to work on multiple old bad habits. Try working on one at a time.
Consider picking one keystone habit. I’ve learned that this is defined as one behavior or routine that could pull your life in order on its own. One good example could be weightlifting. By following this routine every week, this could lead to improved eating, sleeping, and concentration. This one habit led to a fully healthy lifestyle for you.
Work on one habit at a time to avoid being so overwhelmed.
Change your Environment or Association
People are more apt to change their bad habits when they experience a life-changing eventlike moving to a different place. New situations could cause people to switch up their routines. Why not consider doing the same and change your environment? Have you ever thought about moving to a new house or a new city? Change could be healthy and influence you to adjust your habits.
Another good thing to do is to make some adjustments to who you hang out with. Try widening out in your friendships with people. Become friends with people who may be older than you or a different race from you. Having good friends could help you in breaking those old habits.
Write those New habits down
If you have some new and better habits you want to start, such as sleeping 8 hours a day, why not try writing them down? Writing things down allows you to keep track of them. It also helps you remember them better. They have certain lists where you could jot your new habits down called a habit tracker. In a habit tracker, you could keep up with your new habits you’re trying to work on doing more, learn how you’re doing with them, and how you could improve in practicing them. You’ll feel more organized and replace your old habits with new ones at the same time.
Feel Confident You Can Break those Old Habits
We all heard of the old saying- If you believe it, you can achieve it. That could ring true when it comes to trying to end those old habits of yours. If you believe you can do away with any habits you dislike, you will likely end them. All you need is a little faith you can develop better habits and you should be fine.
Take baby steps in breaking any habits you don’t like. Consider making some adjustments in your environment or association. Make a note of those new habits you want to adopt in your routine. Feel confident in knowing you can finally break away from those old, nagging habits.
Have any old habits you want to break from? Feel free to share them in the comments section below. As usual, be sure to like or share this post with someone you care about.
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