Tag: Positive

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The Book of Think Pieces is Two Years Old

Two years of learning. Two years of growth. Two years of adapting and evolving. Two years of writing and blogging. Through the ups and downs, I just want to thank you all for the support over these last two years.

Two-year anniversaries are represented by fiber and cotton. Due to cotton’s durability and flexibility, cotton gifts are given to married couples to remind them to stay interwoven and close with each other throughout their marriage. If I can translate this into blogging for a second then my goal for year two is to remain strong in blogging amongst changes. I must withstand any changes that brings negativity my way and continue this journey of blogging for the reward is greater than the expectation. Not only must I face outside changes, but also changes from within myself. When those feelings of doubt and intimidation start to attack from within, they come to change my confidence in the work that I perform. However, when my confidence is interwoven with faith I am able to drive out those confidence-killers and withstand the forces that are working against me.

As I close out this blog post for the two-year anniversary of The Book of Think Pieces, I encourage all of you who are reading this to be interwoven with your confidence. Let it be such a strong binding together like clothes made of cotton. It may become worn with time, but those fibers of confidence are built to last. Protect your confidence and go out into the world wearing it proudly!

Preston T.

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Allergy Blog Blogging Fitness Healing Health Healthy Hope Lemon Lifestyle New Perspective Positive Season Spring Strength Water

Seasonal Allergies vs Lemon Water

Written by:  Preston Thompson

               Who loves Spring weather? I do! It may be unpredictable sometimes with cold mornings and mild to hot afternoons and evenings, but after a true Winter season is over you can enjoy the warmer weather. It’s just something about the Spring that says, “I want to start new and clean out all the junk I had stored in the colder months.” It also tells us, “Now is the time to rearrange my life!” Activities from walking the dog without wearing layers to little league baseball with the children to barbecues that leave a nice-smelling aroma around the neighborhood make Spring one of the best times of the year.

We human beings are not the only creatures participating in the Springtime fun. Nature, of course, gets involved in all the Springtime activities. As soon as the vernal equinox gifts Earth with more hours of sunlight, nature takes its course. Since the beginning of time, nature has a natural affinity for the Spring. The grass starts to wake up from its six-month dormancy, the animals begin to roam more, and oh yeah, pollination reaches its peak during the Spring months. Trees, ragweed (weeds), and grass begin their mating season by releasing pollen into the atmosphere in hopes that it catches its mate to germinate and produce more offspring during this time. Then the bees, nature’s most valuable player, play a major role in most plant cycles.

               This sounds like the best time to be alive, and it is…unless you have springtime seasonal allergies. As soon as the first signs of warmth hit the atmosphere and the plants begin to release pollen, our sensitive immune systems become active! Immunoglobin E (look it up) is our own antagonist for the perfect Spring. One of five immunoglobin antibodies involved in allergic responses kicks into high defense mode when our body detects an allergen (for this blog, the allergen will be pollen). It fights pollen by releasing histamines from the mast cells (can you tell I took a biochemistry class before?). Our responses include watery itchy eyes, coughing, sneezing, itchy skin, rashes, snotty noses, itchy throats and mouths, swelling, and enough mucus to keep the paper wipes manufacturers in business. In extreme cases histamines can cause fevers. People with asthma suffer from difficult breathing when allergens are present at high levels thus producing more histamines that tells the body to create more mucus in the lungs.  

               And if you are like me, my best friends are the antihistamines during the Spring months. Thanks to today’s smartphones I am looking on the Weather Channel App and Pollen.com to see the predicted pollen count from day to day. I have had most brands of antihistamines throughout my life from Allegra to Zyrtec. Year after year I am telling myself just make it to June, the Summer will come and the pollen count will not be as high, yet manageable. I get that 12 to 24-hour relief when I pop one with some water, but I have had situations where my immune system developed a tolerance to the antihistamine and had to switch up the brand. It is an uphill battle for many of us allergy sufferers.

               Please note I do not work in the healthcare industry nor am I a dietician, but I found a sidekick that alleviates most of my allergy symptoms in an unexpected way. On my path to becoming healthier, I wrote a blog or two about running in 5K’s and how I want to continue running in more so I can stay disciplined on my path to become healthier. So, one day in February my coworker told me about how he drinks lemon water for more energy. I thought to myself that I should give it a try. I do love lemons, and if it can give me energy then I want to take my chances.

               Spring started a few weeks earlier this year. As pollen counts begin to rise, so did the allergy symptoms. Day after day I took Zyrtec and a nose shot of Flonase as a part of my daily routine only to see those symptoms of springtime allergies return hours before the 24-hour relief ended. Thinking to myself this cannot be my entire Spring. By the first official day of Spring, I maintained my routine with the addition of lemon water.

The mixture is very simple. I cut one whole lemon in half followed by squeezing the juice with a handheld lemon squeezer into a cup. Then, I pour the lemon juice into 7 ounces of water. Next, I stir or cap and shake for a minute then drink. Some experts recommend drinking lemon water twice a day in the morning and at night before bed. I typically drink lemon water everyday during allergy season in the morning and go about my day.

SKIP THIS PARAGRAPH IF YOU ARE SQUIMISH: The first week of drinking lemon water I noticed I was coughing up lots of mucus, thick mucus at that. My sinuses were constantly draining mucus out of my nose as well. Within a week I noticed my allergic symptoms reduced, and the expelling of mucus from my nose and mouth decreased.

NOW YOU CAN CONTINUE READING:  After one week of drinking lemon water, I was skipping days of taking allergy medication as the forecasted pollen count was rising by the day. I was able to do more outdoor activities with little to no symptoms from the pollen allergy. For even better relief I began adding natural honey to my lemon water for a soothing feeling.

I still use allergy medication from time to time, but since drinking lemon water daily I have not been as dependent on it as I was in previous years. What I like most about this lemon water is not only has it minimized my allergy symptoms to pollen, but this home remedy is so easy to make for the on-the-go person. Since lemons are a good source of vitamin C, it can help reduce risk of heart disease and aid in digestive health. And did I not mention since drinking lemon water daily I have more energy to juggle my busy life.

Please note I am no dietician, nutritionist, or work in the medical field. Everything I wrote in this blog is self-observed improvements I have experienced within my own body as a person who suffers from seasonal Spring allergies associated with pollen. Human physiology comes from the years I took courses in Human Anatomy & Physiology and Biochemistry. Talk to your healthcare provider about the benefits of drinking lemon water before deciding to stock up on lemons from your local grocery store and/or farmer’s market. Your healthcare provider knows what works best for your health and has developed a plan to make you healthier. If drinking lemon water is part of that plan, then I say give it a try.

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Blogging Hobby Hope Lessons Milestone Motivational Thankful Work Writing

After 100 Likes

If you haven’t figured it out by now, let me say this again. We love to celebrate milestones here at The Book of Think Pieces no matter how big or small it maybe. It takes courage to share your work with the world, so each milestones builds onto our encouragement. It encourages us to keep blogging, keep promoting our work, don’t give up. That major milestone is coming one day, but for now, let’s celebrate every milestone like we won a championship.

The newest milestone to add to the list is 100 likes! It took a year and almost a month to reach this milestone. With more followers, 20-something blog post, an iPhone, and advertising each blog through social media with no actual page, it’s safe to say this particular milestone means I am doing something right with this blogging.

Most important, I did not reach this milestone on my own. YOU, yes YOU, made this possible. My wife and son who are my inspiration to keep writing. My extended family’s who support me. My friends, coworkers, and subscribers. Thank you all for reading and liking my work.

After 100 likes I believe promoting my work has become easier. At first I had to give myself a “you can do this” pep talk just to share on Facebook. Too focus on the “what ifs” I would often delay sharing when all I needed to do was share and send. I put too much emphasis on writing a caption thinking this would capture my followers attention. Now, after I finish a blog, I keep my captions short with a link. The right people will click and like. And…Twitter played a big part to promoting my work. #Writerslift and #bloggertribe really came through. It helped me network with other bloggers and content creators in return for support of their work.

Still growing, still learning, but most importantly, enjoying the blogging journey. Closing out I encourage all content creators to not get discouraged when your best does not get likes. Keep working hard, and one day you will see your hard work has finally paid off.

Thank you all for the likes,

Preston T.

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Blog Blogging Hobby Hope Lessons Motivational Perseverance Perspective Positive Strength Thankful Thinking Thoughts Work Writing

After 1000 Views, What’s Next?

Written By:  Preston A. Thompson

               Once again, I cannot thank you enough for the views, love, support, and subscriptions to The Book of Think Pieces. This blogging journey has been enjoyable, and I have not hit one year yet! Sure there were some ups and downs, a few setbacks, delays, and plenty of writer’s [bloggers] blocks, but I kept going. I kept seeing the good in this blogger’s world and used it as motivation to keep writing. To Kenya, the country, thank you for your views. Then to #writerslift, #writingcommunity, #blogging, and other creative writer’s hashtags on twitter, I thank you! I did not forget about you previously.

               So, after reaching the 1000 views milestone, what is next for The Book of Think Pieces? What do I have in store for the views and subscribers?

               …Well, the answer is simple. I will keep writing, keep hustling. I will think of more content to blog about. As I mentioned in my previous blog After 1000 Views1 I have to keep blogging because I love to write and keep my main audience engaged. I may write about something that creates a debate, or I may write about my experiences. Maybe write a fictional short story or two. But most importantly, I want to do this because writing is my hobby. I want to keep being original. As I gain more followers, I want to support my fellow bloggers. Most importantly, I want to share my work through promoting online.

               I thank you all again for the views! I attempt to inspire and uplift my viewers through blogging. I also like to give my viewers a unique perspective about several topics. In the meantime, I hope you all have a great day. Stay great and stay positive. Remember, there is only one you in this world, and you only have one life to live, so make the most of you and take care of yourself along this journey we call life.

Be on the lookout for my next blog post coming soon…thank you!

Reference

  1. Thompson, P. (2022, March 26). After 1000 Views. The Book of Think Pieces. https://bookofthinkpieces.com/2022/03/26/after-1000-views/
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Blog Blogging Hope Lessons Life Motivational Opportunity Perseverance Positive Strength Vibes

Be Patient:  Your Day Will Come

Written By: Preston Thompson

              It is that time of year again. Yes, it is tax season, but I am not talking about that. It is annual raises and promotions season. This year, however, is different. You worked hard all 2021 to be the best employee you can be. You took on extra assignments, put in overtime, and went above and beyond to prove you deserve more than a raise. All year fellow employees praised your work ethic, and finally after putting in the hard work all 2021, you feel that promotion coming.

The day has finally come. You are sitting in the boss’s office as he or she tells you how great of an employee you are, and the organization is happy to have you on board. After minutes of talking, you notice the boss said nothing about a promotion. You get nervous wondering if the job is giving them out this year. Then, you receive the raise, but no promotion. What happened? You do not want to ask what went wrong because it maybe frowned upon and hinder future promotions.

Feeling a little disappointed you go home to forget about it. Remember, with The Great Resignation of 2021 and employers struggling to find help, it is great to be in an organization who gave some raise. Everything is fine, and you are at peace with it. “Next year will be better.” You tell yourself. “I need to work harder.” Then, you log into Facebook and see someone got the promotion you rightfully deserved. Mixed feelings begin to circle your mind as you replay your year at work to see where it could have failed. “Did I do something wrong? Where can I improve? I am happy for this person, but when will I get mine?”

              

If you are reading this and no one has told you, just know I am here to say that you are doing an excellent job! You, yes you, Champ! You are not the only one to get excluded from an advancement. We have all been there, overlooked sometime in our lives for someone who did not put in nearly as much effort as you did.

You are closer than anticipated. It may not be tomorrow or next year, but just know your day to excel and not fail is coming. Continue to strengthen your character and build on your growing profile. Count everyday as a victory. You woke up this morning, you are reading this blog and comprehending what I wrote. You have money in your account despite the rising prices across the US, you have health despite the doctor’s report. You are a champion of the little things that we often take for granted. Every small victory count towards a major win. So what if you did not get that promotion, just know one is on the way. Keep working hard and fitting in where you are most wanted. So what if you are living paycheck to paycheck. With hard work and a little financial management, you will one day be able to achieve financial freedom. So what if you do not have the Instagram body and likes, you are noticed by the people who know and care about you. Who cares if you did not lose thirty pounds last year. If you can walk a mile without getting tired, just know that is a small victory leading up to a 5k run.

Just remember, you are an everyday winner! No one can take that away from you. Focus on being a better version of yourself and working towards your goals. It will all pay off in the end. Trust and believe. Be encouraged!