google storage says I’m running out of room

me when I start decluttering …lol
Bloganuary writing prompt
Where can you reduce clutter in your life?

In an ideal world, I would reduce a lot of clutter in my life if my emotionally supportive ex husband moved out. I can’t kick him out though cause my children would cause a ruckus and hate me. Plus, I’m trying to be patient and give him time or find some way we can live apart (I’ve been set on this goal for years), I guess I could find other ways to reduce clutter. I could go through my closet and dresser and get rid of clothes I don’t wear anymore and donate them to goodwill. I could also go through my bookcase and donate books. Honestly, I need to go through my room and the entire downstairs of my house and do a deep decluttering and cleaning. I could also through my google storage and delete the videos, pictures, and files I don’t need since I’m always running out of google storage so this is something I really need to do. My problem is that with little free time I have off, I like to get lost in writing poems, reading, or watch TV and have no desire to do adult things unless I absolutely have to. I guess I could add it to my 2024 goals.

Harness the Power of Adversity for Personal Transformation

Harness the Power of Adversity for Personal Transformation by Julia Mitchell

Imagine a life where every challenge paves the way for personal growth. In the journey of life, facing adversity isn’t just inevitable; it’s a crucial ingredient for personal development. Here, Life on the BPD reveals how encountering and overcoming obstacles can remarkably transform you.

Cultivate Resilience

When adversity knocks, resilience is your shield. It’s about bouncing back from setbacks with a stronger resolve. Every struggle you face teaches you to adapt and overcome. Through these experiences, you gain a robust mental and emotional fortitude that prepares you for future challenges, turning you into a resilient warrior in life’s battles.

Increase Self-Awareness

Adversity acts as a mirror, reflecting your deepest values and motivations. In these moments of self-reflection, you discover the essence of who you are and what truly matters to you. This heightened self-awareness often leads to significant life changes, aligning your actions more closely with your personal values and aspirations.

Sharpen Problem-Solving Skills

Challenges are the gymnasium for your problem-solving muscles. They force you to think critically and creatively, pushing you to find innovative solutions. This honing of problem-solving abilities is invaluable, equipping you with the skills to tackle future challenges more effectively and with greater confidence.

Nurture Empathy

Experiencing hardship often deepens your understanding and sensitivity towards others. This newfound empathy allows you to connect more profoundly with people, understanding their struggles and offering compassion. This connection fosters stronger, more meaningful relationships, both personally and professionally.

Rethink Life Goals

Adversity often serves as a wake-up call, prompting you to reevaluate your life’s direction. It encourages you to pursue paths that are more aligned with your values and passions, leading to a life that is not just successful but also fulfilling and meaningful. This reassessment can lead to significant changes, whether it’s a new career, a renewed focus on personal relationships, or a dedication to a long-neglected passion. It’s an opportunity to realign your life’s trajectory with your true self, ensuring that your future endeavors are not only prosperous but also deeply rewarding.

Transition Careers Smoothly

In the face of job loss or career stagnation, adversity becomes a motivator for change. Crafting a standout resume becomes your tool for transformation. Online templates and resources can guide you in showcasing your skills and experiences, aligning your professional profile with your career aspirations, and opening doors to new opportunities.

Ignite the Entrepreneurial Spirit

Adversity often serves as a catalyst for entrepreneurial ambition. In the wake of challenges, the idea of starting your own business becomes not just appealing but a viable path to reshape your future. To start a business, you should begin with these key steps: develop a business idea, create a business plan, secure financing, and develop a marketing plan. Forming a Limited Liability Company (LLC) or LLC offers numerous benefits, including limited liability protection, potential tax advantages, less paperwork compared to other business structures, and operational flexibility. Turn to Zenbusiness to form your LLC for a cost-effective and straightforward way to launch your business. 

Embrace adversity as a transformative force in your life. Whether it’s in the realm of business, personal development, or relationships, challenges are not just obstacles but opportunities for profound growth and transformation. Remember, in every adversity lies the seed of an equivalent advantage. Use it to your benefit and watch as you emerge stronger, wiser, and more fulfilled.

Image via Pexels

mr.jingles

Fiercest cat I met…mr.jingles in all of his glory
Bloganuary writing prompt
What is your favorite animal?

my favorite animal is a cat. I love them because they’re confident AF and mysterious. they’re also gorgeous creatures. I’ve also had cats as pets in childhood and for a short while a few years ago (that turned out to be a disaster-that’s another blog post-lol). Anyways, one of my most favorite cats was Mr.Jingles, this huge gray and fluffy cat one of the most recent exes had. For the back story, me and this ex were super chaotic and toxic. I think I went there for two reasons, one was to spend time with his cat and the other, well-that’s a story for another time. Anyways, Mr. Jingles had a big personality and always greeted me when I went over there. Also, my ex had him spoiled, and so Mr. Jingles slept in the bed with us also. He was so playful all of the time. He was a big boi, but that didn’t stop him from climbing everywhere. He could also be very sweet at times. I’ve recently been in touch with this ex(another long story, we’re friends now), and he told me that Mr. Jingles met his untimely demise when some dogs got to it. My heart broke in half because I was so fond of this cat. I hope he’s somewhere in cat heaven with all the good ones, including my cats, fluffy and slinky malinky.

poetry: same,kid,same

I wrote this poem in January of 2023.

the moment that inspired this poem

They laid him on my breast and told me,
“Meet your baby boy” and I was in shock
the alien on top of me is mine?
this wasn’t supposed to be part of my adolescence
I’m only seventeen and some days I barely remember
to brush my teeth
and now I have this great responsibility
and his beady and angry eyes questions
as to why his comfort was disturb-he already hates the world
and I think , same, kid, same

another writing prompt

shoutout to twitter for being there when I’m drunk and want to overshare
Bloganuary writing prompt
In what ways do you communicate online?

WordPress, twitter
Instagram, facebook (ew)
tik tok (cringe)
and email(when necessary)
and occasionally tumblr
it’s how I share my art, my beauty,
my vulnerability with the world

poetry: contacts and glasses

I wrote this poem in January of 2023.

still cute in my glasses

I go between contacts and glasses to fit my different personas-
in my contacts I’m a pretty woman with makeup and a dress
I become the kind of woman men are nervous to be around
or get intimidated by
In glasses I don’t care to capture the male gaze or even mine
it’s when I work that second job or I’m at home
it’s when I allow myself to just exist
not caring about the pressure to be attractive
or allow my social conditioning to take over
and tell me since I’m this crazy, I need to be pretty, sexy, charming
to validate my existence
Lately I prefer my glasses, lately I want the freedom to just be

bus trip to Oxapampa

I remember being super excited and happy going on this bus ride because going to Oxapampa has been a dream of mine for quite some time. Oxapampa is the town my dad was born in and raised. When my dad talked about it, it always seemed picturesque and like something out of a fairy tale. I was also excited to meet my dad’s relatives (aunts and uncles) who helped raise him and the cousins who he played with. His relatives also seem to be larger than life characters who were genuine and good people according to my dad’s description of them.

my feet and legs on the most comfortable bus trip I’ve ever made
Bloganuary writing prompt
Think back on your most memorable road trip.

when I think about my most memorable road trip, I think of my 10 hour bus ride I made from Lima to Oxapampa when I went to Peru last spring. It was memorable in a good way. The company we booked the trip with was wonderful and me and my son were mostly comfortable. So the trip to Oxapampa meant going up into a high altitude of 5951 ft above sea level from the 528 ft above sea level altitude in Lima. We were advised to consume coca leaves before going to prevent motion sickness so we went to the pharmacy and they gave us coca leave in pill form.

the pills we took to prevent motion sickness

Our seats themselves were super comfortable and we could recline into an almost bed so we slept super comfortable. They also had screens where we could watch American movies dubbed in Spanish. One reason we were super comfortable was because we were on the upper deck of the bus which had more space for seats. Of course, we paid more for this V.I.P seating but damn , it was well worth it. Unfortunately and fortunately, it didn’t have WIFI so I just listened to my downloaded spotify playlist. There was a lot of Conan Gray and Taylor Swift I played on my way there. We went at night so we slept most of the way there but I did manage to capture some short videos of what I saw outside the video. We went through a lot of provinces and small towns. Here’s a short video of going through Pasco. This was shortly before we arrived.

going through Pasco…

I also want to mention that going on this bus ride was also kind of exhilarating because some of the roads are treacherous and narrow and sometimes we were going on terrain that was high. That meant if the driver lost control of the vehicle, we were SOL. Haha. It’s a good thing that a lot of drivers in Peru start driving between the ages of 12 and 14. There’s probably more I will write about this trip. So when we arrived, my great Aunt picked us up and we stayed at her air b&b on her property. Where we stayed had this rustic and magical vibe. I’ll probably write more about this trip that was life changing and healing in so many ways but for now, I’ll just answer the prompt for bloganuary about memorable roadtrips.

the sign for my great aunt’s air b&b
this long entrance looked like something out of fairytale…like going into a magical forest

poetry: music and lyrics

I wrote this poem in January of 2023.

kid krow by Conan Gray-This album was on repeat in 2023 and it either hyped me up or destroyed me -it was wonderful

music and lyrics have always given me a sense of home-
it’s how I’ve grown and evolved
It’s how I learned to express my emotions
when I couldn’t make sense of anything
it fills my soul with love and creativity
it makes me feel a sense of belonging in this world
that looks down on dark and tortured souls
it eases off my loneliness
that sometimes makes me crumble
and leaves me in shambles

chili cheese fritos

me and emotionally supportive chip I had to give up
Daily writing prompt
What snack would you eat right now?

If I had my gluttonous way
and I wasn’t counting the sodium content
in fucking everything
I’d devour an entire bag of chili cheese fritos
in between purchase orders and writing poems
I’d stress eat the fuck out of them
I’d even offer some to my friends
everyone needs to taste this salty and crunchy treat
everyone needs to get addicted to this devilish snack
that had me buying 4 bags at the time when it was on sale
me and Chili cheese fritos were the most epic poem,
a match made in consumerist heaven
until middle age and genetics brought on high blood pressure
and my addiction to chili cheese fritos had to end abruptly
so for now, I’ll write silly poems about how I can’t have the one thing
I once was addicted to and still crave
and hope that once I get my blood pressure under control
I’ll be reunited with my comfort snack
and we’ll be together again as I write, as I cry
as I lay on the couch binge watching
some depressing show on netflix

poetry: voodoo doll

I wrote this poem in January of 2023.

if I’m going to be a mess, might as well be a hot mess

does someone have a voodoo doll of me and stuck pins inside my head-
inside my heart-because lately I’m finding it hard to breathe
as my emotions consume and control me-
and I feel like the biggest failure and imposter for allowing it to happen
even though I still function well enough to mask
the mountain of turmoil and grief that’s currently residing me

 piñatas

I would provide baseball bats too!
Daily writing prompt
Come up with a crazy business idea.

A crazy business idea I came up with this morning is making custom made piñatas. They’re not any old piñatas. They’re piñatas of things or people you absolutely hate. I would also have a private and safe room where you can beat the shit out of the piñata. I’m not sure if they’re anything like this out there in the world. I have seen a piñata of Trump online before so who knows. I imagine that people with anger issues and disposable income would maybe go for this idea. The safe room I’d provide to beat up the piñata would include music tailored to the client’s taste or my own personal rage playlist. I would also decorate the room according to the clients needs. I know that there are things like rage rooms out there, but, do any of them have custom made piñatas?

poetry: jealousy

I wrote this poem in January of 2023.

talk about double standards

Jealousy is a normal emotion of the human condition
and shame shouldn’t be associated with it
everyone feels it
I used to run away from it
but now I sit with it
ask what it needs
Sometimes it’s me projecting an insecurity
or sometimes it’s a legit feeling
And that’s okay too-
and jealousy doesn’t have to destroy anything
as long as I know how to acknowledge it
and don’t allow it to consume me

Dandee

the famous Dandee-push him and out came a lullaby
Daily writing prompt
Describe an item you were incredibly attached to as a youth. What became of it?

An item of my youth I was incredibly attached to was my doll Dandee. I actually had two of these dolls given to me as a young child. The first Dandee was given to me by my aunt shortly after me and my family immigrated to the states when I was 5. This was in 1986. What happened to the first Dandee? Well, it’s a sad story of trauma. When me and my family first moved to the states, we moved into the apartment next to my aunt C and her family. The living situation there was not ideal. Actually that’s the understatement of the year. Here’s a poem I wrote about her:

poetry: target

Anyways my aunt C owned the apartment we were renting so she was our landlord. She was also the one who was giving sponsorship for our green card. At the time we immigrated, we had done so four years earlier than we were supposed to so we lived undocumented for four years. So my Aunt C took advantage of the situation because A) with a call to immigration she could deport all of us back to Peru and B) she was our landlord so she also held control and power over where we lived. It was a terrible situation. Aunt C had a massive 3 year old son J. He was probably one of the most terrible toddlers I’ve ever encountered. Aunt C would not control him and when he would bully me, either hit me or take away my toys, Aunt C would say, “dejalo, es chiquito” which basically translates to “allow him to do whatever because he’s small”. It was hard for my mom to say anything to her or protect me because of the living situation we were in with Aunt C. The best she could do was take me somewhere else. Shortly after Dandee was given to me, he became my most favorite toy in the world. He was given to me by my favorite Aunt Luz. That toy went with me everywhere. However, one day, Dandee was taken away from me by my cousin J, and he wouldn’t give him back. My aunt didn’t do anything to remedy the situation. According to my mom, this broke my little 5 year old spirit and I was inconsolable and cried and cried for days. My papi was upset that my mom wouldn’t say anything to Aunt C. He hated to see me cry every day for that damn doll so even though they really couldn’t afford it (it was an expensive doll), papi went to the toy store and bought a brand new Dandee for me. I was a happy child again taking that doll everywhere with me. Playing with him and my imaginary friend Calincha. Anyways, a few months went by and I was at my aunt C’s house with my mom. I was playing with Dandee and my cousin J came up to me and started trying to take the doll away from me. The adults weren’t doing anything and I got angry. My five year old self could not take the bullying from J anymore and was not going to allow him to take my doll away from me so I punched him and he fell to the floor. I wasn’t punished for it and went back to playing with my doll. My mom tells me that her and my aunt C were surprised by what I did and had no idea until that point that I had a temper. I was always such an obedient and quiet child, it was shocking to them that I had it in me to fight back. Needless to say, my cousin J never messed with me after that day.

So fast forward to 37 years later, that Dandee sits in my bookcase in my room next to the baby Yoda I bought for my youngest son a few years ago (that he didn’t want anyways cause it looked creepy). When I look at Dandee, I’m reminded of my fierce and fiery spirit at 5 years old that I’ve carried with me since then. When I told my sons the story of Dandee, my oldest son said, “Dandee carries your 5 year old warrior girl spirit” and that felt empowering to me. Dandee taught me a lesson in how to take my power back from a situation I thought I had no power or control in.

facts!!!

poesía: desmadre

here is the link to the english version of this poem:

Ser poeta es una locura, una aflicción
es un desmadre que hago cada vez
que palabras de ira, de amor, de desgracia
aparecen en mi página
solo a una loca maldecida
se le ocurre hacer poesía
de sus aventuras y tragedias de su vida

mission

Being the mom he deserves is part of my mission in life
Daily writing prompt
What is your mission?

when it comes down to it, my mission in life is simple, it’s to be a good person and a good mom. that means being able to sleep at night with a clear conscious at night and knowing that I have done my best that day. that means giving my children the best of me most of the time.