Noodle Bowl Time Machine

2025/12/19

I slept quite well last night. I think I may have begun waking a little early, though. I had been praying as I fell asleep. I had a lot I was thankful for in my prayers...hehehe My upstairs neighbor was being a bit loud, though. So I used my white noise. Before I knew it, I was out. When I started to wake this morning, it was still dark. So I kept on praying. All of my prayers were of gratitude and blessings for people in my life and all that is happening in the world right now. Instead of being angry, anxious, or worried, which often leads to anxiety, I went to God with literally everyone and everything on my heart. Even the President and all who are following him. The next thing I knew, my white noise ended and it was time to rise... hehehe

I was craving a Panera cookie for my evening coffee tonight. So I made a quick trip over there after watching "Die Hard"... hehehe I had to wait a moment when I got there and that gave me time to browse their other bakery options... LOL The bagels caught my eye for my breakfast tomorrow. And they have these little crème brûlée bites that I hadn't ever noticed before. They are basically mini cupcakes. Very cute! When I ordered, I said I'd like a pumpkin cookie unless they had a mitten one left. They did not... hehehe Then I asked if she thought a bagel would still be good tomorrow. She said yes and so I asked for an everything bagel. Then I said I'd like to have a crème brûlée bite if they had any left and I said I had never had one. She described it as one of her favorites and asked me how many I would like. I said one and explained I just wanted to give them a try. She rang me up and then went to fill my bag while I paid. She came back with a smile and said she gave me an extra crème brûlée bite as she was sure I'd love them. That blessed my heart and made me so happy ❤️

I was talking with Tyrese this morning about journaling as I had remarked about a dream she had a year ago about Animal Kingdom that she felt was inspired by what I had shared with her a few days prior last year. I mentioned I had journaled about it because I cherished the memory. She said she absolutely loved that I saved that in my journal. I explained to her the same as I did Matt the other day. I'm like a time traveler. I cherish the memories and re-read journals. I enjoy and live each moment in the present as it happens. And I have hope and joy for the future. My life, past, present, and future, is like a metaphorical bowl of noodles where time and space from my life all interconnect. I get to travel through time this way. There remains the bad stuff from the past, not so fun things in the present, and I still have anxiety and fear for the future. But seeing how full my life actually is, it gives me a perspective to face anything that comes my way. It's a gift from God to be a time traveler. I'm quite grateful for that gift.

It was also a year ago when Cherie shared with me a poem she had written for me, "Garden of Memories." It was a sort of sequel to "New Flowers" she had written the year before. Then this year she wrote "The Strangest Flower." These three beautiful poems feel connected somehow. I love the way she writes and how deeply I feel the words as the reader. In a way, I empathically feel her feelings through the words of the poetry. But I also have my own relatable feelings. Especially with these three pieces. It helps that I've been by her side on the journey that inspires these poems, but there's more than that in my heart. The flower and garden metaphor speaks directly to my heart and soul. Thank you, Cherie, for sharing your beautiful poetry and inviting me on your journey ❤️

A few other memories of note from a year ago include my "Grateful" mug and how I'm alone but not lonely. My Mom sent me the mug along with coffee they gave me for Christmas. It's one of my favorites and remains my banner in various profiles. And it was a year ago when I realized I was no longer lonely. Like, at all... LOL I was simply alone. God is always with me and I'm in consistent contact with those closest to me. I share my life and they share theirs. My life, and my heart, are full ❤️

One other thing I wrote about a year ago, that I have new perspective on, is the Marine Family Christmas of 2021. I had painted and gifted a Navy portrait of Grandpa for Grandma. One of my aunts said, "Well, Greg just won Christmas..." At the time, and even a year ago, I felt as though she was making a sarcastic remark. As if I had ruined every other gift Grandma had received. I now think I may have been wrong about that. Over the course of my many visits since last Christmas, I've interacted with my aunt a few times. I've gone over that night in 2021 and compared our interactions this year, along with a lifetime of other memories with her. What I felt that night does not align with every other memory of moments we share. My noodle bowl time machine has given me a new perspective on that night and how I feel about it today.

Now back to the present... hehehe I received 2 gift cards from work today. One from the CEO. The other from my boss. The corporate one was preempted by an email that said it was coming and that it wasn't spam. They wanted us to be on the lookout for it since it was coming from a third-party service. You have to be careful with those emails, you know... LOL I'm glad they warned us. As for the one from my boss, I received no such heads up... LOL Late last night, I received a text from an unknown short code number saying "Ross" was thanking me for a great year and there was a link to click. Nope! I don't do that! The URL appeared to be Amazon's short URL. But still... hehehe So I texted him this morning to verify if it was legit. He was off today. So, about 8 hours later, he responded... LOL It was, indeed, legit... hehehe I combined the 2 gift cards at Amazon. I'll find something to get soon to represent these gifts ❤️