By SheelaR

Welcome to the launch of the new and improved Thoughts of A Wordinary Girl blog! My name is SheelaR. I am an art consultant, foodie, world traveler, amateur photographer, and former ballerina. I’m excited to share with you more of what Wordinary Girl has to offer! I’ve got tons more thoughts, inspiration, and information…than ever before.

I wanted to start by telling you why I recreated my blog, what you will be seeing more of in my posts, and my overall experience of revamping my blog. I initially started my blog as therapy, a way to deal with stress. Writing is quite therapeutic for me. However, before I started my blog, I thought that blogs were a waste of time, and I could not have been more wrong. After a little reach and a lot of encouragement, I decided to take the leap; I couldn’t be happier.

With every post I’ve made friends, inspired, and informed on my way to self-discovery. I’ve also been the benefactor of copious amounts of support and advice. I’ve finally realized all of the benefits that blogging can bring.

This blog was originally started so I could do some journaling, but I decided to move to Blogspot. WordPress then became a place to blog my photography. I’ve decided to move my writing back to WordPress, which means all the content from Blogspot will moved back here. Any photography I do will be posted on my Instagram account. What you will be seeing more of in my posts are social commentary and stories of my personal successes and struggles. Occasionally, I’ll throw in a post or two about my first love, art.

Please feel free to always share your advice and communicate with me along the way! I hope to inspire and be inspired. I’m looking forward to sharing so much more in my new writing space and on my new journey.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton

Downtown Detroit 📸cr:SheelaR

By SheelaR

2017 Post – Update for 2018

2017 has been a year full of new challenges, good and bad. However, I could not be more happier and thankful for the experiences. Remember, your year is what you make it. Learn lessons, take risks, fail hard, nurture yourself and your relationships, and move forward. If you constantly find yourself in negative a space, try doing somethings differently. The small things make a world of difference in the bigger issues. Put yourself in front of negativity. Believe in yourself! It’s the only way to positive change and progression.

Every year, I set new goals for myself. Some I make and others die quietly. All we can ever do is our best, right? Make that a goal and everything else will fall into place. Set your mind to it, today! Remember, measure your failures and successes in increments. With all the negativity we’ve experienced in 2017, we have to do our part to make 2018 kinder and gentler.

As you go forward into the new year, give your fellow humans the benefit of the doubt. Regardless of color, sex, career, or religion, we are all part of one world. We have all been conditioned to judge, hate, and seperate ourselves from one another. Tribalism has no place in our global deeply world. We must be committed to spreading love, not hate…by starting small and building big. I love you all!

Onward to 2018! Happy New Year!

By SheelaR

http://www.aclumich.org/article/chained-no-more-told-too-late-story-juneteenth

By SheelaR

I really miss writing for my blog, but I’ve not had the energy or ability to string together a coherent thought lately. The time I normally spend writing, I’ve spent drawing, doodling, and trying to sleep. I’ve fallen back into a pattern of working too hard. I’ve simply lost my new-found sense of balance. 

However, I’ve also managed to take more vacations. Albeit, they’re never long enough. I’m always in a hurry to get home and immerse myself in business. Every time I try to make some sort of drastic change I always end up back were I started…overworked. However, next couple of weeks is going to be filled with some travel for my business and then a couple of months of time away from the office. 

I’ll soon be traveling to Hawaii, Wisconsin, and Idaho. All previously uncharted territories for my art consulting business. I’m actually excited about Idaho and Wisconsin. The thought of the unknown is fascinating. I’ve got all these preconceived notions on what to expect. I hope to be pleasantly surprised. What I’m not happy about…missing Art Central Hong Kong.  Maybe next year 😦 I can’t do it all and it’s not cost prohibitive this time of the year. International travel is very expensive. 

Well… I’m doing what I said I wouldn’t do. I’m going out to eat. I’m in search of an amazing turkey burger.

By SheelaR

Here’s why Congressman and civil rights legend John Lewis is right that Trump “is not a legitimate President”:

1. Nothing, including an arcane, racist section of the constitution, can change the fact that 3 million more Americans voted for Hillary than for Trump. It’s either a democracy or it isn’t. If he had won by 3 million, I would sadly admit that Trump is the President the American people wanted. But that’s not what happened.

2. He is not well and needs help. He has a number of serious mental disorders that make him unfit to hold office — and they are on display every day in one cringe-worthy tweet after another. He is a full-blown malignant narcissist. He displays sociopathic tendencies. He will say one thing and 30 seconds later say the opposite. He is disconnected from the truth. And he has a stunning lack of human empathy. These behaviors make him a truly dangerous occupant of the Oval Office.

3. The Russians interfered with the election in order to get him elected. Even Trump now admits as much. That alone makes the election tainted and should be voided. We spend trillions on ridiculous weapons and ineffective police state-style homeland security measures to defend us against those who would “destroy our way of life” — but we are to remain silent when a foreign government is caught trying to get THEIR candidate elected as OUR president? AND they succeed! This is a joke of monstrous proportions — and the fact that conservatives, Republicans and patriotic good ol’ boys are actively defending this foreign aggression into our country confirms to me what I’ve feared all along: that they really hate our form of democracy, our Bill of Rights, our belief that “All men (sic) are created equal,” our one person-one vote system, that whoever scores the most points wins and that people of all religions are welcome here. They don’t believe that, and I’d respect them so much more if they would just simply admit it.

4. The FBI clearly chose sides, and FBI Director Comey’s interference in the 10 days before the election most-definitely helped tipped the balance to the FBI’s preferred candidate, Donald J. Trump. That our own federal police would so brazenly attempt to throw the election to the person with the least votes is mind-boggling, frightening and must be stopped. Attorney General Lynch must immediately, today, appoint a Special Prosecutor to investigate what to me appears to be a criminal offense. If this is true, I want to see FBI Director Comey in handcuffs and behind bars. Short of murder and a few other heinous acts, is there a worse crime in our democracy than the highest ranking cop in the land attempting to throw the election?

5. Trump has nominated in Rex Tillerson the most powerful corporate CEO in the world as “our” Secretary of State. Why would the quarter-billionaire head of the world’s richest corporation want a “government job?” So that he, a personal friend of Putin’s, can get the US sanctions lifted off Russia so that his company, ExxonMobile, can get back to their exclusive oil deal with Russia — which will eventually net ExxonMobile three TRILLION dollars. This is nothing less than a bold, audacious robbery in broad daylight — and it says a lot about you and me that they think they can get away with it.

6. Trump has potentially committed a number of felonies — and a felon simply can’t sit in the Oval Office (I can’t believe I even have to state that). From his admitted sexual assaults to whatever he’s hiding in the tax returns, to possibly evading taxes, to his committing fraud with Trump U, to his long list of conflicts of interest — the chance of us having to suffer through his impeachment trial in the Senate is just too much to bear.

Donald Trump is, as John Lewis said, NOT a legitimate president. He is unfit, unstable and was elected with help from the Russian government. John Lewis has announced he will not attend the Inauguration, and eight other members of Congress today have joined him. Call (202-225-3121) or write your Congressperson and insist he or she not attend the swearing in of an illegitimate president. It’s the least you can do short of standing in front of this runaway train.  — Michael Moore

By SheelaR

I wanted to go on some psychotic post election rant, but I honesty don’t have the energy for it. I want to move forward on positive energy only. I’d like to inject some light into all this darkness we’re experiencing. I don’t want to spend the next 33 years of my life wallowing in my disappointment with the world. Someone once said… Be the change you want to see in the world. 

My short-term goal is to get my non-profit up running. During my one or two moments of clarity today, I completed the necessary paperwork to make that happen. I’m about five years behind on this, but better late than never, right? Success and happiness doesn’t mean anything if you don’t share it. It’s no longer enough for me to simply throw money at causes. I want my impact to feel more personal.  More palpable. 

He who shall remain unnamed, has propelled this country into chaos. We must dedicate ourselves to fixing this mess…one soul at a time. Well, that’s all for now. I’m logging off before my wine infused thoughts take over and the tears start to flow. Last but not least… Thanks for all the birthday love ❤️ I’m older, wiser, happier, and always hopeful.