The world is a mess. And the internet has made is even messier. Everyone has a voice now and sadly, instead of using it for love and appreciation, far too many use it for hostility and venom.
A friend and client of mine has been in the national news lately. Someone posted an article on my personal Facebook wall about her, and within a day, there were over 2,000 of the most hateful, disgusting comments I have ever seen. It is so disheartening, yet it has become the norm.
You don’t agree with someone? Call them a dirty name.
You lean on the opposite side of the political fence? Spew your vile.
Your team lost the big game? Degrade the players.
Heck..when I started the petition about getting the Super Bowl Ad removed, total strangers flooded my social media and called me every derogatory name in the book.
I had one person follow me on Facebook simply so he could say “Please…just kill yourself.”
And why? Because I asked for one sentence to be removed from an ad? Who does that???
So in light of all of the unpleasantness out there, today’s post is all about love. There is so much to love about this world and the people and things in it. It’s time I call them out.
I love Mrs. Dude and my Dudettes. That goes without saying, but it cannot be said enough.
I love Bruce Springsteen; his music, his voice and the fact that we come from the same home town (Freehold, NJ).
I love being a voice in the gluten-free community. I feel like I’m making a difference in my small little corner of the world.
I love working for myself.
I love a cold gluten-free beer on a warm summer morning night.
I love when Mrs. Dude makes me dinner and there are enough for leftovers the next today.
I love my Aunt Carol, who has gone from a second mom to a great friend.
I love the DVR so I can fast-forward through commercials.
I love Jennifer Esposito; her passion, advocacy, friendship and food.
I love Rangers hockey and Giants football.
I love the gluten-free community…the best bunch of folks.
I love my puppies, Ozzy and Zoe.
I love my in-laws, who treat me like a son.
I love when my older Dudette comes back from college to visit.
I love Maddie-Daddy time with my younger Dudette.
I love my memories of summers on Long Beach Island.
I love my power walks with Mrs. Dude.
I love asparagus.
I love the beach.
I love asparagus on the beach.
I love having vivid dreams.
I love the smell of napalm in the morning (name the movie).
I love getting lost in a great song.
I love my Uncle Tony, who may not be with us much longer.
I love gluten-free bread that has no holes.
I love my brothers and sister-in-laws.
I love a great movie.
I love exercise.
I love Jon Stewart.
I love my morning coffee.
I love my afternoon coffee.
I love catching up on all of the days events on my iPad.
I love Lucy.
I love my winter vacations with the crew.
I love my Uncle Titos (vodka).
I love making lists about the things I love.
I love my convertible. May she rest in peace.
I love my NJ and PA friends, who have supported me through it all.
I love green grass (as Mrs. Dude will tell you. She says there is a little Forest Gump in me.)
I love my Scrabble Saturday nights.
I love Mrs. Dude and my Dudettes. Definitely worth mentioning twice.
And finally, I love having celiac disease. It has given my a voice and for that I am grateful.
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See? Showin’ some lovin’ is a piece of cake. So then why do so many choose hate?
Tell me…what do you love today??
I LOVE……
this forum – my boys (2 legged & 4 legged) – the new STAR WARS trailer – the Nature’s Path GF Pumpkin Spice waffles I found at Target the other day – having our Chrstmas tree up year-round – that my PT is helping me get my artificial knee in working order – the other on-line group I’m a part of that makes blankets for shelter dogs – the sun shining in my living room window right now – that my husband is happy & my son has a passion for his career choices – pineapple – the books of Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child – knitting – that there are advocates like you and Jennifer who are seemingly tireless in making yourselves heard – this excercise in gratefulness – and things too numerous to mention.
Oh, and I LOVE LUCY, too.
Thanks.
π π
I love… reading an uplifting post from Gluten Dude when I’m in a “crappy” mood, ( into my 5th week of incarceration, chained to my lovely powered room, with some godforsaken reaction that cannot possibly be gluten related?). Sigh…
Hang in there…
I LOVE:
My dad, who has always been there, even when I was a little shit.
My sibs, who have fought through way more than I ever have and are still happy and healthy.
My nieces, nephews and grand nieces, who make me smile, even from far away.
My mom, Aunt Dolores and sister Mary, who we lost way too early, but the impact they had was immeasurable.
My diverse, brilliant, and kind group of friends
Music
Doing my radio show and giving unknown bands an outlet for people to hear them
Playing with trains for a living
Medium rare steak with sautΓ©ed spinach and roasted potatoes
Making my own damn bread
Bacardi and ginger ale with lime
Down east Cider (have you tried it? I’m not a huge cider fan but this stuff is great)
This page and the everyone who contributes to it.
Well done Ken. And I’ll have to look for Down East Cider.
I forgot the cats. They’re pissed.
Oh and now I love that my nephew’s new workplace sells Glutenberg and he gets a 25% discount.
I LOVE my sweet new grandbabies, a cold margarita and fajitas, my 3 kids, especially my naughty wild 25 yr old girl, sighhhhh. I love Maui and a drink with an umbrella. I love my 80 yr old mom who just got a Day of the Dead skull tattoo on her arm, to go with the palm tree on her leg. Lol I love good food , my pals of oh so many years, my sweetheart who just turned 88 and is going fishing today before he plays tennis. AND we all love Gluten Dude
Ok…now I love your mom too!
I love my kids, my furry kids, my husband, God, music, and sometimes I love Celiac, it forced me to learn how to bake, which has become a new love. Sometimes I don’t ‘love Celiac’, but I have spent the last 2 years teaching myself how to be positive, so I stop, and look back at myself 4 years ago, and then I love Celiac again. Because without that being known, I’d be on my way to dead by now.
I love the internet and social media, and how we can all connect and learn and teach one another. I love writing stories, and writing music. I love sunshine, and the rain, we need them both. I love strawberries fresh off the vine, and coffee mild and sweet. I love stevia, since that much sugar is atrocious for me.
I love my mother, who Thank God, must be the most stubborn person on earth, which saved my life as a child, and again as an adult.
I love advocating for Celiac, not just gluten-free, I love teaching people that I do not ‘miss’ out, and that it is necessary but acceptable for me to eat GF.
I love the look on peoples faces when they taste my food, and do not believe me it is GF. Yes, it tastes different, but people have to learn that different can taste good!
I love fishing, it is fun, relaxing, and at moments adrenaline pumping.
I love the family God has given me, the blood ones, and the rest.
I love reading GlutenDude blog, and I thank you for this one, we all need that reminder to remember the good and while we shouldn’t forget the bad, we should not focus on it!
Well said…thanks.
I think I can speak for all of us when I say I love your strength to keep posting and calling people out even when you’re met with jackassery and hatred.
Jackassery is now officially my favorite word π
That quote…from Bobby Duvall in Apocalypse Now!
And I LOVE that you included it here!
π
I love you and your work on all our behalf; I love Julie and Cassie and mom, my friends, my Toastmaster buddies, the really cool people who work at Red Apple Market, and at Flying Apron GF cafe. I love Red Robin and Outback and PF ChanGs for willingness. Did I mention I love Cassie? Our precious cat, who is a miracle and loves me. I love Bangkok Basil Thai who are scrupulous at making sure my food is perfect, while smiling and being so kind. I love music, singing, teaching voice, and my fabulous keyboard that can sound like any instrument. I lI’ve Seattle downtown and Redmond Wa, ((my home) and our house. So much more.
Mostly people like you. What a great idea like you who encourage us to see beyond our problems, and realize our lives are full of beauty and joy, and mostly, to be kind to each other. Thank you Gluten Dude, and blessings on your family!
Kindness…becoming a lost art. Have a great weekend.
A very nice sentiment, Gluten Dude! Just as I think EVERY day should be Earth Day, so should everyday be a day we celebrate the things we love and are grateful for. Here are a few of mine.
I love my awesome amazing supportive husband who lets me fly but keeps me grounded.
I love my parents for always supporting me and being there for me even when we don’t agree.
I love my father for telling me that I could do anything because I believed him and I don’t listen to those who say “you can’t”; and for telling me when things are rough, “no matter what, you’re daddy always loves you.”
I love my dogs because they gave me reason to get out bed every morning when I really didn’t feel like it and continue to give me unconditional love.
I love my watching our chickens and ducks roaming the pasture.
I love eating our free-range chicken eggs.
I love helping other people (I learned this from my parents example)
I love Live Soda (kombucha), especially root beer and orange flavors.
I love my brother for being a big goofy teddy bear that always makes me laugh.
I love my other brother even though he’s been like a grumpy old man since he was 18 (he really should get tested).
I love that having Celiac disease makes me more sympathetic to others and less judgmental, and helps me to understand what my young niece is dealing with.
I love the fact that I am alive to write this post.
I love that you created this forum so we can all share our feelings – positive and negative.
Love it.
I love what you do for the Celiac community! Thanks for keeping it real!
Thanks Elyse.
Great post for a grey, rainy day!
I love my fur baby, my family, ny job. I love my adorable niece, who makes me sing her to sleep, smiling and head-bopping in her bed to the songs. I love my nephew, and the copious amounts of drool he produces bc he’s teething. I love that Im going to Portland for work next week, and love that my coworkers there are so cool about restaurants being GF for our team dinners. I love that I’m going to see Cascadia Gorge :))))
Love the hummus I made the other night – so much better than store bought! Love the thought of no snowbank a in sight (maybe by July, but we’re getting there).
Have a great weekend!
I love this! Definitely a great thing to do when you’re feeling down. Hope you and the Mrs. have a great weekend π
Totally…thanks!
I love this blog.
And I love the Cheryl’s birthday logic problem. For once, something with an intellectual bent has gone viral rather than some fame-and-fortune-seeking troll acting like an idiot and being celebrated for it.
I’ve seen it but haven’t tried to figure it out yet. I’ll add it to my weekend to-do list π
It’s a toughie. I couldn’t figure it out at all and it even took me a while to understand it when I heard the solution explained, but eventually I got it. It came from an academic competition in Singapore aimed at some of the very best math students in the world, so it was never meant as an easy problem.
But I was glad to see something this intellectually deep appearing in the headlines this week instead of say, some pop star wearing an edible dress.
Tito, yeah.
What time is it, anyway?
It’s evening time somewhere. π
5 o’clock somewhere….. π
I love it that I’m not the only one that makes lists like this. And, of course I love the Gluten Dude’s blog. π
“Good morning Vietnam!!” I miss Robin Williams … but I love all of his movies.
And I love to read the blog posts at Gluten Dude … he always gives me a laugh, even when his post isn’t about what he loves.
I love my city!! Best place in the world to live.
I love Spring and being able to get out in my garden and plant seeds and tiny little plants that I will, in the not too distant future, love to be eating.
I love my dogs.
I love my cats.
I love books!! And sometimes I love to read books.
I love the DVR, too π
I love The Gluten Free Bar.
I love Artisana Organic Raw Coconut and Cacao Bliss.
I love the beach … I love sunsets at the beach even more.
I love asparagus, too (I grow it in my garden).
I love my children and my grandchildren, and my Aunt Jeanie who is the best fill-in Mom/friend a person could ever have.
I love my husband for trying to understand that he has to keep his food away from my food and, for the most part, doing a great job of it.
I love the GF community that I found at this great blog site.
And I love the fact that you did this today … I needed an “I love day” … Thanks!
I LOVE that there are people who still know there is good in the world
I LOVE smiling
I LOVE my 5year old (even when I don’t)
I LOVE the people who take time to care for you even when you feel like there’s no hope
I LOVE the beach the sun the waves
I LOVE standing on a surf board and feeling free
I LOVE music (yes all of it)
I LOVE that everyday is a NEW DAY
I LOVE mistakes
I LOVE my dogs never will you feel unconditional love the way they show you it everyday
I LOVE my life,it is simply lived in peace joy and love for those around me
I LOVE that you can always have a second third chance to get things right ( wether people choose to believe it or not)
I LOVE my family through all of the tough times in the past three years they have all been there with love support and a shoulder to lean on even at my lowest
I LOVE that there are people like you who make it possiable for the cealic community to feel understood and not CRAZY
I LOVE knowing about myself my body and how to live a healthier life for myself my daughter and my loved ones.
Finally…. I LOVE this post and you bet your ass I am going to highjack it for my own FB page!
Thank you…..βΊοΈ
I love that I can now go to the store and find a selection of GF breads. I remember over a decade ago when I found a frozen loaf, miniature in size, in a health food store I jumped for joy. I would ration it out since it was about $8 for the loaf and it was a treat. In between I tried to do about anything you could do to a rice cake and a corn tortilla. On that note rice cakes don’t cook or toast, and corn tortillas frequently curl up if cooked too slow. I agree that having holes in Udis sucks, but again when I got to buy fresh bread again I almost wanted to cry as I had not had it in years.
I love the beach and will always be a Jersey Shore girl at heart.
I love Jimmy Buffett, hula skirts, and sand between my toes.
I love Fridays at about 6pm, even more when they start a vacation.
I love the strength Celiac has given me and that it taught me the true meaning of grace.
I love that I just spent three hours cuddling my two-week-old grandbaby. Does life get any better than watching a newborn’s facial expressions?
I love my 8.5 month old little boy who continues to amaze me every day and whose giggle is the best sound in the world. I love my husband who cooks and bakes me the most amazing gluten free food, goes to weird gluten free restaurants with me, keeps our house free of gluten and really truly understands celiac. I love my mom who always makes sure there’s lots of safe food whenever I visit, has re-created all of our old family recipes into gluten free and who only serves gluten free food when I’m around. And I really love food. And chocolate. And red wine. And the beautiful spring weather that has finally arrived in my neck of the woods.
I love having a blog like this to go to after a long day and know that it will make me smile! π
I love my husband, who always keeps me safe in restaurants and never tires of trying to get me to promote #CoeliacSafe instead of #glutenfree
I love my baby girl Jen, and now Joe, and their amazingly beautiful baby Bree
I love my family, and I love my friends that are family
I love music, and singing, and dancing. I love reading, and watching movies, and hearing the stories.
I love sunshine, and water, and sand, and being in Hawaii. I love living in Australia.
I love that having Coeliac Disease has made me more tolerant to other people with all kinds of differences
I love that there are other people out there who will ring out their voice for the rest of us who are too shy to do so.
I love the fact that so many other people all have so many common items on their lists, and so many people have things I never would have mentioned!
I love how much Gluten Dude loves his wife and girls.
I love being part of the Coeliac community.
Thanks everyone.
I love Coors Peak Copper Lager.
And I Love Tom Waits, who actually wrote the ‘Jersey Girl’ lyric up top that you attribute to The Boss…
I Love…
My fiancee and soon to be husband, partner in crime, other half, shoulder to cry on, brings the best out in me man,
My siblings
My parents
My soon-to-be in-laws OMG I am grateful that I am marrying into an AWESOME family!!
My friends (my other family – the one I get to choose)
My community (celiacs, fitness friends and animal lovers)
My dog Moose(my 2nd furbaby but my 1st dog- I have a giant portrait of this dog and me on my living room wall -it makes me smile)
My dog Cocoa (my beagle I adopted- loving and sweet always)
My cat Merle (my second cat I adopted named after the great Merle Haggard)
My cat Malibu (my 1st furbaby- my “road dog”- been through all the ups and downs with me)
My tea collection- people talk about coffee addiction – mine is tea
Collecting handmade wooden spoons
Baking delicious gluten free goodies for myself, friends and family and having them request it on special occasions! *yay for gluten free being delicious!*
Reading my favorite blogs every morning whilst drinking my tea
Lifting heavy things and putting them back down
Tom Petty and his music… how it can put me in a good mood no matter what
Afternoon naps – no explanation required.
The cartoon Archer
Historical romance novels (yep.. guilty pleasure)
Watching youtube videos every night while winding down
Screaming goat videos π
I am grateful that you are hosting this awesome gratitude journal entry.
Yea!!!! So awesome and you reminded me of two blog posts I’d made a while back – 50 things I love about my mom and 50 things I love about my dad. Your list was fabulous (I related to the vast majority of it – from asparagus to Jon Stewart!) and I loved going back to my own lists. http://jennstwosteps.blogspot.com/2014/06/50-things-about-my-dad.html
I love a normal bm. They don’t happen often, but they are pretty awesome when they do. <3
π
You continue to give me hope. I’m not alone in this. Thank you.
Thank YOU.