Excuses . . . Excuses . . . Excuses

Excuses . . .  Excuses . . . Excuses

In today’s society  people tend to have  an answer for everything they do,  or say.   For the longest time  I realized yes I had been doing that too,  however . . . it wasn’t until I was sitting in an office at work, waiting to start my one on one did I notice a little  plaque  that had a saying on it that really hit me. 

“The difference between excuses and a reason is:

If I take away a reason you’ll move forward;

If I take away an excuse another will follow”

Now this really got me thinking, too many times anything we say is not really a reason but an excuse.   Does anyone really have  a reason for what they do or has the world become nothing but excuses?  Don’t get me wrong,  I am in with the people who have excuses,  I wont deny it at all.

But first lets take a look at what an excuse is:  Dictionary.com  states that an excuse is:

1. to regard or judge with forgiveness or indulgence; pardon or forgive; overlook (a fault, error, etc.): Excuse his bad manners.


2. To offer an apology for; seek to remove the blame of: He excused his absence by saying that he was ill.


3. To serve as an apology or justification for; justify: Ignorance of the law excuses no one.


4. To release from an obligation or duty: to be excused from jury duty.


5. To seek or obtain exemption or release for (oneself): to excuse oneself from a meeting.

 Now in seeing this definition, some things come to mind,   really how I see an excuse is a idea for not doing something.  In a way, it is like trying to take the blame off of ones self and placing it either onto someone else or an object or anything else.   Excuses come way too  easily  to most people,  they rather  remove blame from themselves instead of  standing up and apologizing for it.  What can people be a real adult and if you made a mistake,  or have a problem  then  don’t make excuses for it.

A reason, as defined by Dictionary.com

1. a basis or cause, as for some belief, action, fact, event, etc.: the reason for declaring war.

2. A statement presented in justification or explanation of a belief or action.

3. The mental powers concerned with forming conclusions, judgments, or inferences.

4. Sound judgment; good sense.

5. Normal or  sound powers of mind; sanity.

Now a reason is legit, like for example the reason I did not come to work on time was that I feel and broke my ankle.  Now if you removed the broken ankle,   then you would have still came to work on time if you hadn’t.  Sure it would be looked at as an excuse, but it’s a legit one.  An event out of your control caused you to miss something.  Had you purposely broke your own ankle to get out of something, then not only are you crazy but then it becomes an excuse.  

It’s really how you look at it, if done on purpose it could be an excuse, if done by accident, something just happened is it a reason.  I just know that excuse has been used way to much now as ways to get out of things that people do not want to do, or do not want to take the blame for.

Now back to the quote, this quote, I took a good look at and realized that I in fact make way to many excuses.     I realized that I in fact ended to change.  Now this worked out for a short bit, however, then I fell back into the excuse habit again.  But upon recent events, I realized that I hate excuses and its time for this habit to be officially broken.  So once again its back to work on fixing this issue/

Now back to the Thank you topic, been observing this for the past few days and some days are worse then others, you can tell the bad days from the good days for people but then you still have to wonder are they really having a bad day or are they the type that does not say thank you at all.

The Mythical World of Facebook Friends and Family

Ah social networking sites, a good or bad thing?  Really it can go both ways, depending on how you use it.   Using it to keep in touch with family that is far away, or friends you use to go to school with but lost touch, even work buddies, nothing wrong with that.   It also can be a great place to kick back, pay a game or two, or just escape from reality to plow a farm for a period of time.    On the social networking site Face book,   a person can post statuses, or links of things they like, poke a friend, or post on their wall.  It really should all be in good fun.  Seeing pictures from long ago or even recent ones, another way to display those Vacation photos or brag about children.  Don’t get me wrong I do enjoy going on Facebook,  I like to look at photos, play scrabble and a couple other games;  but in actuality   Facebook is like an over grown high school . . . some days, junior high.

I have heard stories of people breaking up over facebook, or killing themselves, or even cyber-bullying, and it makes me wonder really what is this world coming too?  And then there is those people who have the 250 plus friends,  I know some people are out going and I know some people   who are older may  have added everyone they have met in  their life time, but come on really.  Can a person keep in touch with those people?   And forget just the 250 . . . I know people with well over 500.   Do you really know all of those people, really how many have you met?

Me, I have 126 people on my list as of this morning, 10 I have not met.  One yes is for games, two are family members I have not met, but talk to through PMs.  A couple are friends of my best friends, was put on for games but find their statuses interesting and such.  So out of my whole list, I know about 87% of the people.    I wont lie, a few of them are only on my list because they are family and even a few are on my list because they are “friends” (another paragraph, will continue with that thought).

 Now facebook is one of those things that you can’t make everyone happy, changed settings, change appearance.   People post rants and articles that they want to share nothing wrong with that.  Have relationship fights and post stuff up that really should be kept quiet.  Now really when did facebook start to rule our lives?  

I remember when I first joined facebook, and how I said I wouldn’t hang out there a lot, now I find myself on it way to much, it’s even on my PHONE!  I say enough, I am challenging myself to taking some time off of it.  I will take a couple of days to finish up a few games of scrabble with  some people,  and sent out a message or two to people who I talk to but only on facebook, giving them other means of getting a hold  of me,  but I am going to challenge myself for  a week of no facebook.  I am sure its not going to be easy but  it is not the way I want to live.

Now in the same regards to facebook,   there are people on my list that really I would love to remove,  either have nothing to do with or just  tired of the garbage they post.  Yes I could just block the stuff, but these people have made it very clear where there I stand with them.  One not even important enough to go to my grad or my birthday party ( a new GF got in the way).  The other   wasn’t even a friend enough to support me when a family member died.  With the claim of, I was too depressing (hello uncle died) and she was doing one of those FML   things (repetitively with claims she was homeless etc (she wasn’t but things have to look worse to gain attention)).   And then after she had already told me she was going to drive me to the funeral, she never showed.  She never called, good thing I drive and can take myself.    I wasn’t supposed to know this; a friend slipped up and told me.  There are even a few family members I would like to remove but I don’t want to rock the boat so to speak, I do not want to cause issue and such.  Issues because friends are suppose to except each other’s faults but how much abuse does a person need to take?

On a separate note regarding the thank you post; Sunday    I was shocked, going into Wal-Mart, I got thank you(s) everywhere . . . and it was Wal-Mart.  Going into a few other stores again thank you(s); but once the week started it has all gone down hill from there . . .   brings to mind the idea  is saying “Thank you”  too difficult to do,  or are we just to stuck up to be polite ?

Ninety - Nine Things

99 things....

Here are the rules:

Bold the things you’ve done and post this list on your blog then leave me a comment and tell me you did this I can go see. I bet this has gone around the blog world already, so if you've done it, let me know.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyworld
8. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Written something that was published
11. Bungee jumped or parachuted
12. Walked across the Golden Gate Bridge
13. Been in a fist fight
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Seen the Rings of Saturn with a telescope
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when not ill
24. Built a tree house or snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Fired a gun
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Visited the Leaning Tower of Pisa
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal
44. Visited Africa
45. Cried yourself to sleep
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Visited the Eiffel Tower
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Pretended you cooked something from scratch when you didn't
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie or commercial
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold something door to door
62. Gone whale or dolphin watching
64. Donated blood, marrow, etc
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Held onto a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten frog legs or caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Time Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been let go from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Done something illegal
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Sang a solo
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Climbed a mountain
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had surgery
89. Directly saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Seen a loved one die
94. Given birth to a baby
95. Visited the Alamo
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Sent a text message while driving
99. Been stung by a bee

THANK YOU

A  New Year, a new blog; but first off I just want to wish everyone a Happy New YEAR.

I wanted to start this blog and year off with something that has been going on in my life. 

Been really thinking about this:

What happen to Thank You(s)?   Are there now etiquette rules that tell us when we should or should not wish a thank you? 

I know many times people say a true friend or family does not need a thank you;   but does that refer to only them being there for you?  Is it considered a separate issue for presents?  If I gave someone a gift for their birthday or Christmas,   is a thank you no longer necessary?  And say that person was not there to receive the gift from me but was passed to the receiver from a second party . . . does that mean a person does not have to call up, or drop a quick note of thanks?  

I know people say no thanks is needed or  when the saying does say a true friend does not a thank you . . . is it still not proper to give that thanks?  Is it a generational thing?   I know growing up,   please and thanks you(s) were drilled into me,   to which I am grateful.  But to others my age I have seen a rather large lacking of this social politeness.   And yet people in the generation below mine seem to be doing alright with it, while some in the generation above me seem to be lacking.  

Really what has caused this issue?  As the world’s expectation inflated and has a person’s right to defend, and protect them selves caused us to leave taking care of ourselves and disappeared to just be selfish or self centre?  I use to admire people who could say no to others, since it’s not something I normally did.  At first I use to see this as selfish and then I realize maybe it wasn’t.  But upon starting to take time for myself, I realized to some extent, depending on how far people take it, it is selfish.   Now I personally believe everyone has a right to be a little bit selfish, however; many people take it way too far.  

Now I know that was a bit off topic but in away it does go hand in hand.

Before we really get into depth of thank you(s) what does it really mean?  According to Dictionary.com   Thank you means –

1.)  To express gratitude, appreciation, or acknowledgment to:

2.) Thank God - usually to express relief, thankfulness, etc

3.)  Usually 0 a grateful feeling or acknowledgement of a benefit, favor, or the like, expressed by words or other wise.

4.) Thanks – used as an informal expression of gratitude, appreciation,

Upon taking a look at this, really it seems simple doesn’t it?  Then why is it lacking in society today?    Just the other day I waited at a door because I seen a co worker coming, so I was being polite and holding it open for her.  What does she do after she walks through it, but gives me a dirty look.  No thank you or any acknowledgement.  I could have just kept walking, I could have just let the door go in her face, but I was not raised liked that.  I did make a comment of “Your welcome, have a thankful New Year”.  Snotty I know but really three minutes could have had me on the Elevator going down, who’s to say my bus may not have already been there.  She was a generation ahead of me,   in her late 40s or late 50s . . . Now although I have noticed that she isn’t the most approachable person in the office, a thank you couldn’t be that difficult could it?   Maybe it is really just me. 

Am I making too much out of nothing?   And yet really it’s not nothing is it? A simple thank you can be just as affective as a smile.  It can make a person’s day to know that you appreciate their actions, or the gift or anything.

Things have been happening in my house regarding a thank you.  A family member of mine was given Birthday and Christmas presents this past year.  No one heard anything from this individual who could not make it to Christmas but the presents were delivered.  Now finally after not hearing anything   a member of the family asked if they liked them.  What she got back started some issues in the family; never have I know a person to tell their own parents that they hate the presents and proceeded to tell them why they hated them.  Really, do people really do that?  Well this person did  . . .  there are such things as little white lies; and that is another story. 

I would to issue a challenge to the world;    go through a day and see how many thank you(s) you get . . . see where I am coming from; if you get more then one congratulations that just could be a new record.     Look at it this way;   put yourself in the shoes of the person you lack.   Really how would you feel?

Thank you for reading