Tuesday, May 29, 2018

The Man With The Golden Arm

This post may contain affiliate links, by which I may be financially compensated. See Disclosures.


Today I'd like to share an uplifting story about a man whose actions  impact the world positively.


James Harrison has made a difference in the world through the ripple effect.

What is the ripple effect? Have you ever seen a pond, where the surface of the water is calm, and then you throw a tiny pebble into it? That pebble *plunks* into that pond, and then ripples extend outward from that one point where the pebble entered the water all the way out to the shore.
Photo by zhang kaiyv on Unsplash

So what does it mean when a person has a ripple effect? That person has taken one action that has had rippled extensively outward from themselves, and that effect can be felt in a widening area throughout their community, their city, their state, their country, the world.

James Harrison is one such person.

James nearly died during surgery when he was in his teens, and a blood transfusion saved his life. At that time, he expressed the desire to his parents that he would want to help others the same way he was helped by blood donors. When he reached the legal age to start donating blood, James began to donate in his home country of Australia.

But James wasn't just ANY blood donor. Turns out, James' blood had a rare antibody that could help expectant mothers whose blood is incompatible with the blood of their unborn child, which causes issues such as still births, miscarriages, or birth defects. This syndrome is called Rhesus D Haemolytic Disease (HDN).

What happens is that if a woman with RH-negative blood is carrying a baby with RH-positive blood, the mother's blood attack's the baby because the mother's body thinks there is a foreign body in her system. The answer to this issue is to inject RH-negative mothers with a medication that averts that reaction from happening, and they need that injection every time they carry a child.

The  Anti-D immunoglobulin injection was developed through the plasma donations of people like James Harrison, who have that rare antibody.

If you've heard of this, did you ever wonder how that all started? Isn't medical science fascinating?

It is estimated that James, over the course of 60 years, has saved MILLIONS OF BABIES' LIVES.

MILLIONS!

2.4 million babies saved, by best estimates. How's that for a ripple effect?

James was forced to retire from donating blood when he reached the age of 81. However, his contributions were celebrated on his "retirement" day. He was thrown a huge party and  met several mothers and their babies who are alive today due to his donations.

His contributions were so great that they nicknamed James "The Man With The Golden Arm."

This story is so incredible to me, because you never know as you take that first step in donating your time, energy—or blood, even—how much impact you will have.

I hope this story serves as inspiration to get involved with something. You never know who you're going to affect, or how your contributions will raise goodwill among others!

Is there anyone inspiring you'd like to see featured here? Drop me a line and let me know!  And thank you, Mr. Harrison, for being a blood donor and having such a amazing impact in the world!! 🐝

 ~positively b.e.e. is on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Follow me there!~

SourcesToday / NYT / Australian Red Cross




Friday, May 25, 2018

Fortune Cookie Friday: Confusion As Pathway Into The Soul

This post may contain affiliate links, by which I may be financially compensated. See Disclosures

Hello everyone, and happy Friday!

Talk about squeaking in under the wire—due to a lot of crazy circumstances this week, Fortune Cookie Friday almost didn't happen this week, but I pushed through!

So without further adieu, let's get right to our fortune for today:


Even in the greatest confusion there is an open channel into the soul.

Is that deep or what? 

This is going to be one of those posts where I use a situation in my own life to connect the dots on this fortune.

I think there are at least 2 types of confusion (if not more):

There is "specific" confusion, meaning, confusion about one topic or theme. Maybe you're trying to learn something new and the topic is bewildering, or maybe you're putting together some furniture from IKEA and the directions (drawings, really) are utterly baffling. 

And then there is "generalized" confusion, such as: what direction to take when presented with two options or what you want to be when you grow up. 

I've been through the former instance (specific confusion) pretty much all of this week as I struggled with some tech issues while, simultaneously, other things beyond my control (such as a power outage) were happening. The project I was working on had a steep learning curve for me, and the additional issues on top of that weren't helping, AND I had a deadline. πŸ˜–

I knew that my confusion could be resolved by finding the correct answers though diligent but efficient research, discussions with colleagues, and commitment to solving the problem or finding workable solutions.

It seemed, though, that the more I clicked on various help topics to read documentation and Q&A, or the more people I talked to, or the more things that were out of my control happened, the more confused I got! This threatened to lead to exasperation when my problem wasn't getting solved as quickly as I'd hoped. I felt a lot of frustration, almost overwhelmingly so.

This situation says more about me than about the problem (or its solution), though. At the end of the day, the problem itself doesn't really matter; it's how I handled it that does. 

At various points throughout the week, I was in danger of letting my frustration hamper my ability to think my way clearly through the problem. I was also in danger of letting the whole week be tanked by this stuff. Fifteen years ago, I would've been the kind of person that just threw her hands up, said "But I can't! Wah!" and just stopped trying. I'd have washed my hands of the whole thing when it stopped being easy to fix.

But I didn't do that this time, and I don't, typically, any longer. 

Why? 

Because there was a great opportunity for both soul work and learning new skills as I worked through it. I know that that I am easily frustrated at times, so instead of letting it all get to be too much, I used this as an opportunity to practice mindfulness, embraced doing the research, took breaks to do some calming breathing exercises, and even gave myself a few pep talks along the way. I did my level best to take the road blocks in stride, and also looked forward to the day when I could look back on this and say "Wow, I got through that. And now I know how to do X, Y, and Z." 

I knew that at the end of the day, I'd be capable of solving it. And I did solve it. But it wasn't easy. I had to dig deep. I even thought about crying once or twice. And during the power outage, I couldn't do a darn thing about it. Not one thing! I just had to sit there and lump it...

...so I lumped it like a champ! I turned on some LED candles. I finished reading a book. Then I started another book. I let my brain turn over the problems in the background while I read these books by fake candlelight. Sometimes you just have to shut down and process, as long as you promise to get back to the problem when you are able.

So anyway...is there a point to all this? Yes, I promise you, there is! Let's tie it in with the cookie: "Even in the greatest confusion there is an open channel into the soul." 


There are a lot of pathways into the soul, and some of them are easier than others. 

The moments of confusion, or frustration, or what-have-you, can be just as impactful (if not moreso!) than the easy lessons in life. Those easy lessons may be a cakewalk, but do they really have that much positive influence on our overall growth or well-being? 

We can use any confusion we may feel to seek out the lessons, to do the work, and enrich our lives. Frustration, anger, and quitting when things get difficult can hurt our souls. When I kept quitting back in the day, I was passively harming myself: my sense of confidence and self-worth were pretty low. My ability to grow was stunted. Instead of using those lessons as ways to move myself forward, I stopped dead and stagnated. FOR YEARS.

We all have the power—not just the ability, but the POWER—to heal ourselves if we embrace the difficulties, the confusion, the messiness...ALL of it. 

I contend that through confusion, we can know ourselves better, accept that we are worthy and capable and all those other things we cut ourselves down about, and bolster our self-confidence when we figure it all out eventually.

You've heard the phrase "deep work?" Well I call this "deep soul work." Deep, deep soul work is absolutely accessible to us in these moments. 

Confusion doesn't need to be a roadblock. It is, indeed, an open channel. It's up to you to follow that path where it leads. And it'll be so worth it, even in the midst of any uncertainty you may be feeling, to navigate your way deeper into your souls, into your essences as human beings, connect with your true selves, and then find your way back out again and bring those attributes forward into your day-to-day lives. 

I have faith that you can do it. πŸ™Œ


I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on this! Leave a comment below or drop me a line if you have any additional takeaways from this cookie's message, or about anything I touched on. Maybe you have a completely different interpretation? Let's explore this concept together!

For Americans, have a great Memorial Day Weekend! And for the rest of the world, have a great regular weekend! 😊🐝 


 ~positively b.e.e. is on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Follow me there!~



Wednesday, May 23, 2018

GDPR Changes

This post may contain affiliate links, by which I may be financially compensated. See Disclosures.

Hello everyone!

This is a housekeeping post, but it's important, so please read below. 

Partially due to GDPR (EU data privacy law that dictates how any site can handle EU users' info) and partially due to some folks letting me know that the old way of signing up for emails was onerous, I decided to change my email subscription service from Google's Feedburner to MailChimp. This will help ensure I have explicit permission to email you, be within GDPR compliance, and make subscription management more efficient going forward.

How does this affect you?
If you are currently an email subscriber, and you had verified your email address using the former double opt-in system: I will be migrating the list over. You will receive an email asking you to confirm opt-in from MailChimp, so the only thing you'll need to do is click to confirm. If you decide you would like to stop receiving emails, you can simply not confirm, or you can unsubscribe at any time.

If you were one of the people who had trouble signing up: there is now a much better way of doing this, so if you'd like to try again, the steps are super-easy:

1. Go to the homepage: positivelybee.com
2. Wait 5 seconds for a form to pop-up.
3. If you'd like to get email updates when the blog has updates, please fill out the form. Make sure you click on "email" at the bare minimum if you want blog updates delivered to your inbox.
4. You will receive an email asking you to  confirm your subscription, so please make sure you open that email and do so, or else you won't get email updates.

Here's what the new subscription form looks like:

Cute b.e.e. gang logo designed by my husband!

If you change your mind, no worries: you do not have to confirm, or you can use the handy unsubscribe link in any email you'll get from me.

On May 25th, I will be shutting off Feedburner's handling of emails and deleting the old list completely, so please make sure you take the necessary steps if you would like to get emails.

Additionally: there is now a privacy policy on its own page with disclosures. Please take a moment to check it out.

Thanks everyone for your support, and I'll see you next post!
🐝

 ~positively b.e.e. is on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Follow me there!~



Friday, May 18, 2018

Fortune Cookie Friday: Riches Coming

This post may contain affiliate links, by which I may be financially compensated. See Disclaimers & Policies on my About page.


Greetings, fellow fortune lovers! I hope this week has treated you well!

Today's fortune was sent in by a reader, and not only is it a good one, it looks delicious, doesn't it? I don't think I've seen a chocolate-covered fortune cookie before I saw this one!

There are riches headed your way.


(If they meant rich chocolate, they weren't kidding!)

Anyway, all joking aside, I think this one is about what we value in our lives.

How do you define "riches?"


To me, "riches" doesn't refer only to money or tangible goods. It can mean many intangible but worthwhile things, such as family, friends, and experiences.

I've said it before: our mindset will set our expectations. I'm not the only person out there who knows that words have power, or that how we think affects our reality.

To apply those concepts to this fortune: if we value things other than money, we'll always be rich.

For instance, I believe I am rich because:
  • I am loved.
  • I have friends.
  • There are beautiful flowers blooming and spring is finally here!
  • There's a really cute bunny in my yard right now.
  • I have 40+ years of experiences to reflect upon, with more new ones to be created each day.
These are just a few examples.

I know this is one of those mind-bendy things that is so simple it seems hard. I didn't always think this way, and it has taken me some years to get there. It started with a regular gratitude practice and then went from there.

But I'll let you in on a little secret: from that work has come more peace. πŸ•Š

And for me, peace is one of the most valuable of the "riches."


Thanks to the reader who sent this one in! If you'd like yours to be featured, please send a clear photo of your fortune cookie fortune through the Facebook page. Drop me a line and let me know what you think of this one! I'd love to hear what riches are in your lives! 🐝



 ~positively b.e.e. is on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Follow me there!~



Thursday, May 17, 2018

The Voices You Will Hear—So Tune In!

This post may contain affiliate links, by which I may be financially compensated. See Disclaimers & Policies on my About page.

🌟 Today is the day! 🌟

I've posted this on social media, but now that the episode is out, I can blog about it.

You may recall a post in which I talked about a podcast I've been listening to: The Voices You Have Not Heard. A few months ago, Ms. Spearman started her podcast in order to highlight people you may not have heard of, but who have something of value to share with the world. I've enjoyed this podcast because the short, digestible episodes contain a lot of wisdom and inspiration.

If you've been reading for any length of time, you know I have a specific mindset about life. I truly believe we can accomplish our goals by having a willingness to step out of our comfort zones and not place artificial limits on ourselves. Ms. Spearman wanted to know more about how I started this journey, and invited me to appear on the podcast.

You can hear it here or on iTunes.

Kick back, give it a listen, and drop me a line to let me know what you think! 🐝

Photo by Eric Nopanen on Unsplash


 ~positively b.e.e. is on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Follow me there!~





Monday, May 14, 2018

Your Monday Motivation Dance Party: Can't Stop The Feeling

This post may contain affiliate links, by which I may be financially compensated. See Disclaimers & Policies on my About page.

Mornin', sushines! 🌞It's Monday, and I hope you all have an AMAZING week! Let's start things off on the right foot with a dance party!

Today's video is from Justin Timberlake: Can't Stop The Feeling.




I love every single person in this video. The dance moves are great, and everyone seems to be having a good time. The joy you see here is sure to get you bouncing along! I'm dancing at my desk so hard right now, my chair is rolling on the floor. 🀣

Drop me a line and let me know what you're doing to make Monday great! And wherever you are, I hope that you're dancing along and having fun! Go slay this week!
πŸ’›πŸ

 ~ positively b.e.e. is on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Follow me there! ~
You can get this song for yourself, if you like!







Friday, May 11, 2018

Fortune Cookie Friday: The Roving Bee

This post may contain affiliate links, by which I may be financially compensated. See Disclaimers & Policies on my About page.

Hello, and happy Friday! I hope you've all had a great week. It is Fortune Cookie Friday, so let's see what today holds:


It's the roving bee 🐝 that gathers honey. 🍯

First of all, I'd like to start with a side note: I love how my house is a virtual scavenger hunt when it comes to fortunes. It's fun for me when I find them. I have these things tucked away in all kinds of tiny little places, and it never ceases to amaze me when I come upon one that seems to speak exactly to what I'm thinking at the time. This one was tucked away in a drawer, with a rusty old paperclip on it. I have no idea what it used to be clipped to, by the way, but I took the clip off to take the photo, and it left those imprints on the paper. I don't even know how long I've had this one, but it has probably traveled with me through several moves over several years. :)

Anyway, here's my take on today's message:

In order to reap the benefits available to us, sometimes we have to get out of our comfort zone. Nothing changes by doing the same thing. So if you're looking to get some more honey (abundance) into your life, switch up the routine and do something different.

This can apply to career/work decisions, feeling stuck on personal goals, or wanting to learn a new skill. I'll give you an example:

The only reason I never went into business for myself in the past is because I wasn't willing to learn the secondary skills necessary for that. What does this mean? It means that I can be the best proofreader or writer or what-have-you out there, but if I'm not willing to actually learn how to market myself, learn social media, learn how to make a website, learn accounting, etc., then the likelihood of success I would have as a proofreader or writer or what-have-you is minimal.

And I won't lie: the reason why I wasn't willing to learn them is because I was a little bit afraid of business parts of the thing. For instance: I'm an introvert, but I have to go out there and network. And I'm not fond of math and expenses and keeping track of all that stuff. For that reason, something I felt drawn to doing years ago never happened until this year because FINALLY, I was willing to get out of my comfort zone and just do the thing, whatever it took. The funny thing is, I'm finding out that I'm actually pretty good at all of that secondary business-y stuff, so now that I'm actually doing it, it's just not that big a deal!

What if you're holding yourself back from doing something you've always wanted to do, because you're afraid to push your limits or get out of your comfort zone and learn something new to do it? Where's the fun in that? You may surprise yourself if you try!

Drop me a line and let me know: what is something you want to do, and what is holding you back from doing it? What comfort zone do YOU need to get out of?

GO GET THAT HONEY, my fellow bee-peeps! πŸ’›πŸ



 ~ positively b.e.e. is on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Follow me there! ~
Want some fortune cookies so you can play along? Get them here.



Friday, May 4, 2018

Fortune Cookie Friday: 50th Post Anniversary Edition!

(This post may contain affiliate links, by which I may be financially compensated. See Disclaimers & Policies on my About page.)

Today positively b.e.e. has reached another milestone: this is my 50th post since starting the site last August. WOOHOO! 

In honor of that, here is today's fortune:

🌷Greet your friends with open arms and happiness will come to you. 🌷
I can't agree more! This one is pretty straightforward. I consider myself rich when I think of all the wonderful friendships I have made over the years. There are so many happy memories that I cherish with friends old and new.

If you haven't in a while, consider reaching out to an old friend to reconnect, or make some social plans for the weekend.

Also: I hope that this blog brings YOU happiness. It makes me very happy to write it.

And thank you, friends, for making positively b.e.e. a success thus far. By continuing to share these posts, commenting, and interacting on social media, you not only spread positivity, light, joy and gratitude to others, you add to my happiness, too!

Let's continue to grow the message that there is value in greeting life—and friends—with open arms! 🌻

Tell me: what is making you happy today? Drop me a line on social media or leave a comment, below. I can't wait to read your responses!

Until next time,
b.e.e. 🐝


 ~ positively b.e.e. is on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Follow me there! ~


Want a fortune cookie? πŸ₯  You can get them here. If you'd like to submit your fortune to be featured, please send me a clear photo through my Facebook page.

Reflections on 2020

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, by which I may be financially compensated. See  Disclosures  for more info.  It’s finally...