Bob Oren Bass

 I was at the checkout of a local Walmart.The cashier rang up $46.64 charges.I gave her a fifty dollar bill. She gave me back $46.64.I gave the money back to her and told her that she had made a mistake in MY favor.She became indignant and informed me she was educated and knew what she was doing, and she returned the money again.I gave her the money back — same scenario!I departed the store with the $46.64.

They Walk Among Us! …..

I walked into a Starbucks with a buy-one-get-one-free coupon for a Grande Latte.I handed it to the girl and she looked over at a little chalkboard that said ‘buy one-get one free.'”They’re already buy-one- get-one-free,” she said,”so I guess they’re both free.”She handed me my free lattes, and I walked out the door.

They Walk Among Us! …..

One day I was walking down the beach with some friends,when one of them shouted, “Look at that dead bird!”Someone looked up at the sky and asked, “Where?”

They Walk Among Us! …..

While looking at a house, my brother asked the real estate agent which direction was north; because, he explained,he didn’t want the sun waking him up every morning.She asked, “Does the sun rise in the north?”When my brother explained that the sun rises in the East,and has for sometime; she shook her head and said,”Oh I don’t keep up with all that stuff.”

They Walk Among Us!! …..

I used to work in technical support for a 24/7 call center.One day I got a call from an individual who asked what hours the call center was open.I told him, “The number you dialed is open24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”He responded, “Is that Eastern or Pacific time?”Wanting to end the call quickly, I said, “Uh, Pacific.”

They Walk Among Us! …..

My sister has a lifesaving tool in her car designed to cut through a seat belt if she gets trapped. She keeps it in the trunk.

They Walk Among Us! …..

My friends and I went out to buy beer and noticed that the cases were discounted 10%. Since it was a big party, we bought two cases.The cashier multiplied two times 10% and gave us a 20% discount.

They Walk Among Us! …..

I couldn’t find my luggage at the airport baggage area,so I went to the lost luggage office and told the woman there that my bags never showed up.She smiled and told me not to worry because she was a trained professional, and I was in good hands.”Now,” she asked me, “has your plane arrived yet?” So I replied, “No Ma’am, The Pilot told us we’re circling the airport, 3rd in line to land” …..

They Walk Among Us! …..

While working at a pizza place, I observed a man ordering a small pizza to go.He appeared to be alone, and the cook asked him if he would like it cut into four pieces or six..He thought about it for some time before responding.”Just cut it into four pieces. I don’t think I’m hungry enough to eat six pieces.”

Yep, they walk among us…. bless their hearts

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CynthiaBaileyRug

When a person faces serious health problems, they change & not only physically.  Their personalities change, too.  That is normal.  Sometimes the personality changes can be very bad.

A dear friend of mine lost her husband some time ago after caring for him for several years.  Not long before he died, she told me some very disturbing things about his behavior.  This once good, kind, loving man was suddenly exhibiting many narcissistic traits.  In particular, he didn’t want his wife to be with other people, including their children.  It was bizarre since narcissism doesn’t suddenly show up, like when you catch a cold.  The more we talked about things, the more I thought of something… 

After I survived Carbon Monoxide Poisoning, the hospital gave me no information & even said my elevated carbon monoxide levels “weren’t so bad.”  They also said I had no brain injury in spite of showing many signs of a concussion from hitting my head when I passed out.  The hospital said I could return to work two days later, but by that time, I still felt just as miserable as I did when I left the hospital.  I was lost, so I started researching my condition.  I also joined a traumatic brain injury group on Facebook.  I noticed immediately most people in the group showed a LOT of narcissistic tendencies & were very insecure.  I left the group quickly, but I realized something.  I was starting to behave much as they were!  I wanted my husband to be with me non stop & was very annoyed he wasn’t.  I knew he had demanding, elderly parents with health problems, plus a full time job which all left him exhausted much of the time, but even so, I was annoyed he didn’t spend more time with me.  Realizing how selfish I was behaving was a real wakeup call!

I told my friend about my experiences plus what I witnessed in that group & in time, we realized what happened with her husband was much like what happened to me.

The reason I’m sharing this is so many people are affected by serious health concerns either in themselves or in those they love.  Whether you are the person with the condition or someone you love is, it’s vital to understand that serious health problems can change someone’s personality drastically.  The condition doesn’t even need to be something that affects one’s brain directly like Alzheimer’s, stroke or traumatic brain injury for this to happen. 

When you become seriously sick or injured, you become scared.  Even if you’re getting the best of care & have a great prognosis, health problems are terrifying. 

Add in that you can’t do things you once took for granted & are forced to rely on other people for help.  That too can make you feel afraid, especially for the person who has always been self reliant, & is a serious blow to the self esteem.

Having to rely on other people also can make you feel like a burden, which unsurprisingly is terrible for one’s self esteem.

Feeling like a burden can make you feel that you need to put your best face forward & not show others just how miserable you feel or how much you’re struggling.  There is a very difficult balance in this situation.  If you act as if your symptoms aren’t as bad as they are, or not happening at all, people often think you’re faking the health crisis.  But, if you are honest about it, people often think you’re exaggerating your symptoms, feeling sorry for yourself or looking for attention.

Feeling insecure & afraid naturally change a person.  Many people get angry.  Many others talk about their illness non stop in an effort to educate people, which often alienates them because people get tired of hearing about this topic.  Most people though seem to become insecure, some even to the point of displaying narcissistic tendencies.

If you are the person who is ill & behaving this way, please work on healing!  You are only hurting yourself & those around you!  I know it’s hard but you can change!  Watch your behavior, & change it accordingly.  Apologize when you mistreat someone or have unfair expectations on them.  Stop expecting people to meet your needs & focus on God to do that. 

If you are the person in a relationship with someone who is behaving this way, remember, you can’t change their behavior.  They have to change themselves.  But, you aren’t helpless.  You need to have good boundaries in place & enforce them.  Talk to this person & explains that their behavior hurts you.  Non-narcissistic people will respond to that!  I know it seems hard to believe if you’ve dealt with a narcissist, but it’s true.  Remind yourself that their behavior isn’t personal.  It’s their illness making them act this way rather than something you are doing wrong.

Whichever position you are in, remember to stay close to God. Nurture that relationship.  That is what will help you more than anything else!

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Related

Is Narcissism Really A Disorder?November 23, 2016In “Abuse and the Healing Journey”

Narcissism: Is It Really Mental Illness?September 19, 2020In “Mental Health”

There Is A Demonic Element To NarcissismJanuary 16, 2017In “Christian Topics and Prayers”

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Filed under Caregiving, Christian Topics and Prayers, Mental Health, Miscellaneous

Tagged as behavior, caregiver, caregiving, cope, disease, disorder, emotional, health, illness, injury, insecure, insecurity, jealous, jealousy, mental, narcissism, narcissist, narcissistic, relationship, sicknessMy Linkedin Page My page on Linkedin

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A German Retirement Community did a calendar where seniors amazingly recreated famous movie scenes.

The Contilia Retirement Group in Essen, Germany made what is probably the best calendar ever, with a few of their seniors.

According to German press, 5000 calendars were printed.  They were given out to residents of the Senior Center, relatives & staff.

The calendar models were interviewed about the project and said it was a ton of fun to dress up as their favorite actors.

The shoot was done with professional stylists and photographers to make sure everything looked as cool as possible.

The oldest senior involved with the calendar was 98 years old!

JANUARY

James  Bond

Wilhelm Buiting, 89

 
FEBRUARY

Breakfast  at Tiffany’s
Marianne Brunsbach, 86

MARCH

Titanic
Erna Rütt, 86, and Alfred Kelbch, 81

 
APRIL

Rocky
Erwin J von der Heiden, 80

 
MAY

Mary  Poppins
Erna Schenk, 78

JUNE

The  Seven Year Itch
Ingeborg Giolbass, 84, and Erich Endlein, 88

 
JULY

Blues  Brothers
Lothar Wischnewski, 76 and Margarete Schmidt, 77

 
AUGUST

Cabaret
Martha Bajohr, 77

 
SEPTEMBER

Giant
Joanna Trachenberg, 81 and Horst Krischat, 78

 
OCTOBER

Saturday Night Fever
Irmgard Alt, 79 and Siegfried Gallasch, 87

 
NOVEMBER

Dirty  Dancing
Johann Liedtke, 92 and Marianne Pape, 79

DECEMBER

Easy Rider
Walter Loeser, 98 and Kurt Neuhaus, 90

‘Growing old’ is mandatory,

‘Growing up’ is optional!

  AND AS THEY SAY IN THE CLASSICS…

If you haven’t grown up by the time you’re FIFTY

Well then, you don’t have to!

An 87 Year Old College Student Named Rose

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t already know.

I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned round to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.

She said, “Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I’m eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?” I laughed and enthusiastically responded, “Of course you may!” and she gave me a giant squeeze. “Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?” I asked.  She jokingly replied, “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids…” “No seriously,” I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.  “I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!” she told me. After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake. We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months, we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this “time machine” as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.

Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.  At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I’ll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium.

As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor. Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, “I’m sorry I’m so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I’ll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know.”

As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, “We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die.  We have so many people walking around who are dead and don’t even know it!There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up.

If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old.  If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight.  Anybody can grow older. That doesn’t take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change.  Have no regrets.

The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets.” She concluded her speech by courageously singing “The Rose.” She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives.

At the year’s end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.

Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it’s never too late to be all you can possibly be .When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family, they’ll really enjoy it!

These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE.

REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL.

We make a Living by what we get, We make a Life by what we give.

~~~~~~~~

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Go for the juggler

A juggler on her way to a performance got pulled over for driving too fast. The cop was startled when he saw some of the juggler’s props lying on the front seat of her car.

“What are those machetes doing in your car?” asked the cop.

“I juggle them as part of my act, officer,” the juggler replied. 

The cop was skeptical. “Oh, yeah?” he said. “Let’s see you do it.” 

The juggler obligingly got out of her car and started juggling the machetes by the side of the road. A guy who happened to be driving by slowed down to watch the spectacle.  

When the man got home, he said to his wife, “Am I ever glad I gave up drinking! You wouldn’t believe the test they’re giving now!”

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#Humor

Love this. 🙂