Kathiey's World

Monday Morning Motivation:Fear of the Unknown Brodie and the Grocery Bag On your typical day, my dog Brodie is not afraid of bags. He is not fearful of handbags, grocery bags, or trash bags. He is not even scared of tea bags. But this was not your typical day. It was cold, and the sky was gray. There was a slight breeze, just enough to transform a plastic bag into an object of fear, at least for Brodie. We were taking one of our multiple daily walks when Brodie’s confident gait altered. His tail went down, his fur began to stand on end, and I heard a low guttural sound that I only heard when the UPS truck stopped in front of the house. I scanned the horizon in search of the cause of this behavior, and there it was, a small plastic grocery bag in a bush swaying in the breeze. I knew what it was, and because of this, I felt no fear. On the other hand, Brodie saw something that he could not interpret, and because it was an unknown, he was struck by fear. Do I think that we will never expe...

  Post 1 of the Joy Series The day my husband of 37 years walked out, joy didn’t just fade. It vanished. Completely. Like someone had quietly switched off a light that I had no idea how to turn back on. I had no idea it would take me more than a decade to find the switch again. I want to tell you that story, because if you are reading this and joy feels like a distant memory right now, I want you to know something before we go any further: the fact that you are still looking for it means it is not gone. It is waiting. And the fight to get it back, as long and as hard as that fight may be, is absolutely worth it. What Joy Actually Is The Oxford Dictionary defines joy as “a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.” But here is what I have learned from living inside the absence of it for years: that definition is incomplete. Joy is not just a feeling. A feeling is temporary. A feeling comes and goes with your circumstances. What I discovered, through a long and painful journey, is tha...

  When the Heat Index Hits 100: A Practical Guide to Staying Safe This Summer in NC Y’all, it is   hot . And I am not talking about a regular North Carolina summer kind of hot. I am talking triple digits, humidity so thick you feel like you are walking through warm soup, and a heat index that WRAL meteorologists are warning could push close to 110 degrees over the coming days. Tomorrow, my daughter and I are taking the grandkids to a museum with both outdoor and indoor activities. And honestly? I almost rescheduled. But then I thought, no. Life does not stop because of a heat wave. We just have to be smart about it. So here is everything I have learned about staying safe when the temps go extreme. I hope it helps you and yours too. Plan Your Day Around the Heat, Not the Other Way Around This one is simple but powerful. If you are going somewhere with both outdoor and indoor options, do the outdoor stuff first thing in the morning, then move inside when the heat peaks between 1...

  Dating has evolved a lot over the years. Back when I was a teen, meeting someone often meant crossing paths at school or church, with a simple invitation to go out—easy and straightforward. Today, while some connections still happen face-to-face, many people are navigating the world of dating sites and apps. For those of us stepping back into the dating scene after decades of marriage, it can feel overwhelming and confusing. Questions like “Which dating site is right for me?” and “How do I stay safe?” are just the beginning. I’ve decided to dive into the world of dating and gather advice from those experienced with online dating to offer helpful tips. In my research, I’ve come across many articles recommending thoughtful first date ideas for meeting someone new. One of the most popular suggestions? A coffee date. So, let’s explore what makes the perfect coffee date and why it’s such a great way to connect. There are plenty of ideas out there for a first date when connecting throu...

Have you ever finished a book and thought, “I wish I could actually  live   inside this story for a little while”? Same. That is exactly why “Books, Beverages and More” was born. This is the place where pages meet real life, where a recipe simmering in chapter three becomes something I am actually making in my kitchen, where a destination a character longs for becomes a trip worth planning, where the world inside the book spills right out into mine. Whether it is a novel that wrecked me, a classic I finally got around to, or a film adaptation I cannot stop thinking about, I find a way to bring it home. Pull up a chair. Pour yourself something good. Let’s bring these stories to life together. Now, I absolutely loved “The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires.” Grady Hendrix managed to do something I did not think was possible: make me laugh out loud and then immediately look over my shoulder. Set in 1990s Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, this book is essentially “Steel Ma...