God ... Who Knows Why?

God ... Who Knows Why?
By Gloria Faye Brown Bates/aka Granny Gee/@grannygee

Gift from our Friend, Cindy ... she made it for us.

I spent a lot of time in the 'dark world' ... I call it that because ... I know no other words to describe it.

The dark world is a place where I went to (I'm sure many, many people have been there ... but, I can only speak for myself) when I've been in shock, deathly ill, and when I lost my only child.

This is a place where I went to ...  didn't have to face the world ... my mind, body, soul was numb.  I could no longer be me ... as others knew me.  I wasn't able to function, make decisions, talk, be around people in a strong, good, healthy way.

I wasn't able to help myself, excepting for the personal things as bathing, such things.  Whatever was happening to me at each time ... was ... too much to bear.

My soul, body, mind had been stunned, shocked until I was only able to stay in the darkness that protected me.  A safe mode in a way of speaking.

I stayed in darkness to hide until the day came that I could be strong enough to begin coming back out to the light.  All the time ... death is/was close by ... hoping to find a way to take me away.  Somehow, no matter what ... I have been stronger.  I still live.

Truthfully, I wasn't aware of time going by ... I was seeing inward ... not outward.  I don't truthfully ... know how I knew when it was time to come out.  When I did, I would face yet another battle to ... stay out of the darkness.

Life, light so harsh met me ... to the point I would want to go back into darkness, not face it.  I made it each time ... I'm here now, as you can see.

I have faced many 'bad' things on my roads to travel in my life.  I have traveled on  a lot of those treacherous roads to realize that ... that kind of life wasn't for me ... when I turned to come back, start over ... no one would believe the obstacles placed on my paths.  I beat them ... I am here now.

Nothing was easy ... ever.  How am I here today ... just from life's roads I've been on, should have never begun to travel in the first place?  Then ... from all that's happened through time as I got older.

I have experienced many 'bad' things.  The normal person never goes through so much.  I don't know if they could ... be here now ... and be all right.  I am here now, and I'm for-real all right.

As a young person we are fooled by wonderful things ... we are seduced by people who are older, richer, 'somebody' in life'.   They are 'God' ... like a Pied Piper ... we follow them as they whistle through life, never seeing ... knowing until ... we are woke up.  Shock, pain ... grief.

We believe, we trust ... as a young person ... in the wrong things.  They cause us grief later.  Things have a way of coming back, biting us in the ass.  We were too innocent to see it coming for us.  We learn our life lessons the hard way.

Only the ones who have had a perfect life wouldn't understand this.  I'm not even talking to you.  I don't have any interest in you ... your life can't in any way compare to mine.  We don't have a thing to talk about.

So, you stay in your wonderful, perfect world where you are safe, protected from life, people ... stay packaged in your soft cotton world.  I've never known such any longer than 5 minutes.  I've always walked the tightrope in life ... somehow, I stayed balanced even when I fell ... but, it's never been a fair battle.  Besides ... I had darkness to protect me until I could face the light of the world again.  No cotton, only darkness.

But, damn it ... I'm still here.  What is so special about me?  I've seen so many for-real good people die during my time ... they had so much more going on in life than I do, or have.

A young person is faced with many choices in life ... they don't realize that all that glitters, beautiful, looks rich and inviting ... isn't always good in life.

A young person doesn't realize their peers, the ones they idolize ... look up to ... aren't perfect.  That's how a young person like myself was seduced into traveling on dangerous, scary roads in life ... blindly.  Trusting ... and oh my God, so innocent.  So ... damn innocent, so damn trusting.

I have been in shock so many times it isn't funny at all.  I have faced so many things ... how in the world am I here now?  You would never believe that I went up against the lion ... many times.

How can I brag about it when all I feel is gratefulness to be here, to have a life ... now? I feel so ... so humble.  How fortunate I am to be here today.

Once again, truthfully ... 'who am I to be here now' ... 'what is special about me to be here now'?  I'm nobody ... some people may think I am ... I'm only myself.

'Myself' ...  meaning if you are thinking 'Gloria Faye Brown Bates/aka Granny Gee' is perfect ... go bark up another tree.  Just because I try to be a good person doesn't mean I am perfect ... I make many mistakes and I learn over, and over in this life of mine.

I am nobody but, me.  You are going to either like me, or not like me.  I'm not going to mind either way ... I'm old enough to know that real people, no matter how good/bad they are ... recognize another person who has been through life in many battles ... they are the ones to  like people like me.

I have plenty of people who like me ... in a honest way.  That's the only way ... honest meaning that old saying we've all heard through time ... I'm sure I'll get it backwards ... I always do when trying to repeat old sayings, but ... here it is:  'to know somebody is to love somebody'.

People can look into another person's eyes ... see something there the average person doesn't have.  I can 'see' it ... people can 'see' it in my eyes.

I won't describe what it is ... because something so real ... can only be seen, felt by others 'who have been there' ... who know life in the real way.  In a way the average person never does.

A tip ... hint to what 'it' is ... you will only know the secret to it from experiences you, yourself have in life.  Experiences you actually feel, see, hear all the way to your very soul.  You will begin looking for ... that something ... you will see, recognize in a person 'who has been there, too'.

I look 'deeply' into a person when they talk to me.  I pay attention to their actions when they don't know that I do.  I listen.  I know we can't always judge another just doing these things ... because we all have a bad day sometimes.  Like today ... I had a bad time when I knocked a glass of tea over.

It pissed me off to no end.  I stomped into the kitchen to get a towel, saying ugly words under my breath.  Now ... how ugly is that?  How would that appear to someone if seeing or listening to me?  See what I mean?

The past used to eat at me until years ago I learned ... I can't even remember how I learned ... to begin putting things into the past, leaving them there.  I couldn't change them  ... I could go forward though ... being the best person I could be.

All I can be is what I let myself be.  I have chosen to be good.  Oh God, suppose I had chosen to be bad ... I feel sorry for some people if I had chosen that road to stay on.  I'm being truthful.  Thank God, I have a clear conscience.

My Heart is full of love even if I don't like someone ... I still care.  Know how to test me?  If I don't have anything to do with you and you know I don't like you ... get the nerve to come speak to me ... you'll see me speak to you with respect, caring ... I'll never not speak to you.

In rare cases will I not speak back, talk to you.

If I don't speak back ... that means you and I both know ... you are truly 'bad to the bone' in the most awful way.  I don't want you in my life.  Oh ... you don't want me in yours, either.

I never knew I would be here today ... yet, I did know.  Each time I took up my battle to live ... it was with the intention of living.  I meant to live.  When I came out of shock ... darkness ... I became aware of focusing ... on seeing me doing something in the future 'when I got better'.  I got to do those things, eventually because ... I got better.  This is when I was deathly ill with cancer (non-Hodgkins lymphoma).

Where does that strength come from?  How does one know they have it?  Why do some have it, others don't?  How did ... I ... have such strength?  Why do I have it?  Who am I to have it?  Another thing, just last week the oncologist told me that I'm a cancer survivor of 16 years ... he said 98% of patients aren't here now ... who had the same thing.  Why aren't I crazy as hell 'now'?  Life has been tough.

I'm smiling at this moment.  It is a wonder I'm not crazy as hell.  I'm not ... I'm just as normal, and everyday as you ... though your life probably was most normal, average always.  I reached this point in my life by having to come the hard way.  You got here quicker, but ... I made it through all the obstacles placed in my path.  I look back, how in the 'Sam Hell' did I do it?

You can't even tell it by looking at me ... I'm so glad.  I look normal, everyday ... I promise you my life is like a movie ... it's not been like yours.  I was never a figurine to be packed in cotton, protected from all the hard things in life to crush me.  I've had to be ... real.

I began telling you about the dark world, darkness.  I ended up telling you about traveling the storms in life, surviving them.  I'm not sure I envy the people who have lived in a 'cotton-packed' world.  They are blissfully aware of only happy, wonderful things ... and expect only that.  How did their worlds get to be like that?  Who in their world was looking out for them?

Who in my world was watching out for me?  I smile, think ... I know who.  I've been shaken, rattled to the core many times in my life.  I've had to put myself back together again like Humpty Dumpty ... it's a wonder things don't just plain-ass fall off when I'm walking.  You know ... the broken parts.  :)

Yes, I know who ... has been watching over me.  I just don't know why I was chosen to be one who came this far in life the ... hard way.  God ... knows why.

I never wanted to ever be thought of as bad, mean, ugly ... I try never to be ... sometimes, like you I have had to be.

If I have had to be ... just know someone truly did something awful (I usually never bother to explain, let people think what they may ... they are going to anyway).

This brings to mind something that used to hurt me deeply, no longer does.  It happened several years ago ... it's hard to remember things since Tommy (my only child) died.

I'm thinking of a brother, and his wife, and son here ... how unfair they were to me.  I didn't have a chance to defend myself.  I have a receipt, plus family members to show I am honest.

This was when my step-father died ... he left a $5,000 policy to take care of his funeral arrangement.  He left it to me because he trusted me not to spend it when getting it ... and keep my promise.  He told me in his own words 'why' he didn't make certain ones the beneficiary of the policy.   The sole purpose of his insurance plan was to not put a burden on anyone when it came time for funeral arrangements.

I can honestly say I kept my promise ...  felt good inside about it all.  I let my step-father's sister and brother spend the money the way they wanted to at the funeral home ... there was several hundred dollars left ... his sister told me to keep it.  I did.  My stepfather had already told me that many years ago when he first took out the policy.

I'm thankful I did right ... I don't have to feel bad at all.  I was told that that the wife of that brother was angry because they didn't get the policy to spend ... she began to spread rumors saying I spent the money.  I can't tell you how stunned I was to hear that she said that.

She should have come to me, talked to me.  She didn't.  It's sad because during all the years others didn't like her, I defended her.  I always loved her ... I didn't know she hated me.  Wow ...  that does sadden me.

It hurt me deeply when I met her and her mother in the local Walmart ... both turned their backs on me.  I didn't deserve that.  I truly didn't deserve to be treated that way.  More grief on top of grief ... this shouldn't have been.  I still love her.

I don't tell Skip ... it hurts him because he knows I'm in the right.  He has always said my whole family 'hates me'.  Why?  We were born to be like that, raised up in pure hate, anger, distrust.  Especially if someone dared to be different, or tried to be a little better than where they 'came from'.  I just wanted peace in my life.

I would have been loved very much if I'd been taking drugs, or been an alcoholic, and been very loose with men.  I could have done it all ... even went down the different roads in life ... just far enough to be afraid, know I didn't want any part of that kind of life.

I can say this ... I've mistakenly thought the wrong thing about someone, felt terrible when so much time passed by, found out I was wrong.  That's an awful feeling, so much wasted time.  I hope one day she can realize that ... I don't need an apology at all.

Another thing ... she believes what she thinks ... she can't help it.  Until many years down the road will she realize she thought wrong.  So, how can I hold that against her?  We are only human.  I make my share of mistakes all the time.

Jealousy does bad things to one.  Today, after all this time ... it no longer hurts me to have been done wrong ... it no longer hurts me that I never had the chance to share the receipt.

I can say all one has to do is go speak to my step-father's sister, brother.  They are still living.  I'm sure they would be surprised this ever happened.  I never told them.  It's petty, ugly ... most of all ... sad.

I am glad to say I still have the receipt anytime someone wants to see it ... even after all these years.  I even put it on my blog several years ago so, they could see it.  No one ever told me they felt that way until one of their friends came to us ... told us.

Their friend said they were talking 'bad' about me.  They said some things that their son said ... so, I had to believe what I was told ... why?  Because the son said some of them to me on my Facebook page ... in public.  He said things he'd heard said.  He didn't know any better ... so, how can I think bad of him?

I'm going to say I'm glad their friend came to us ... I'm glad now ... they know better.  As soon as they were told ... they knew what the truth was.  See ... that friend is a friend of ours, also.  They knew better and hoped they weren't telling the truth.

Can you imagine my surprise, and Skip's when told that?  It was awful.  Have you ever been thought of in a bad way ... never knowing it?  Been innocent of those bad thoughts?  What is worse ... is when you loved them with your Heart.

This is what I meant when I said 'people are going to think what ... they want to think ... no matter what'.  I'm not ashamed of 'telling the world' about this.  That's why I used it as an example.

I'm sure a lot of you have such in your life ... in fact, I know a lot of you do.   For a time when learning such ... it can really make one feel just awful ... then time goes by ... and you get past the shock, pain ... that's where I'm at 'now'.  I feel good inside ... that's something you can't possibly fake when it's ...  'in your own Heart, soul, mind'.

Shocks, bad things, rocky roads, battling death, darkness ... the worst in life can take a person down.  A lot of people don't get back up from them ... they give up ... go on to die.  I almost didn't have the will to live a lot of times ... I wonder where my fighting spirit came from?

I can look back to see at times when I was aware I was going to fight to survive ... I can remember my very thought, it was a simple thought but, felt throughout my whole body ... it was ... 'I mean to live'.

I began then, to 'see me living' ...  to do some simple thing ... see myself doing something as simple as using a broom when my hands forgot how it felt to hold a broom.

I'll never forget the time I got out of bed, wanted to do something I used to do ... I went to the pantry, got the broom, stopped in surprise ... stared at the broom in my hands.

The broom felt hard in my hands ... my hands didn't recognize that they'd 'held many a broom' in them.

Shock ... have you ever been so close to death for so long ... to feel ... shock ... at such a simple thing?

My God ... my hands didn't know what a broom was anymore.  I walked out on the back porch.  I saw a hoe propped close by ... I remember putting my hands on it ... surprise at how it almost hurt my hands to touch it.  It felt so rough, ridges ... awful to my hands.

I remember looking up into the sky at the sunshine ... I was feeling the medicines in my body, my eyes couldn't focus good ... I went back to bed ... it wasn't time for me to do things ... yet.

If you haven't experienced these things ... you can't possibly understand my words.  In fact ... you might not can understand a lot of my words.  I promise you ... real people who live real life ... can.

People who have had Death waiting in the shadows to grab their life at any moment ... can understand.  People who have had unfair, wrong doings or something said to/about them ... can.  People who live in the real world ... no cotton packed around them to protect them from the harshness of real life ... can.

I'm speaking of real life ... about as real as one can get.  Shock, pain can numb a person's mind, body all the way to their soul.

If a person can somehow find the strength to fight like Hell ... crawl back up into life ... fight to survive each time ... no matter how many times your ass gets 'thrown again' ...  get back up, 'dust them pants off'!  you can live ...  another day!

Why?  Just why would anyone want to fight to live, you say?  I love life, I want to live.  No matter what, I'll face it head-on ... I want to live.  Why?

Something good might happen, I might be a part of it.  I might make a good difference in others' lives.  I have someone to live for ... my world, Skip and The Pups.  (Kissy and Camie).

Who knows why?  God ... knows why.
...............................................................................................................................................................



Note by this author:

All photos/stories are owned, written by me ... Gloria Faye Brown Bates/aka Granny Gee/ @grannygee

Another thing ... I shared something here that troubled, hurt me deeply.  I've often wondered 'why' it had to be like that regarding the insurance policy to take care of simple funeral arrangements?  Why did it have to affect my life in a negative way?  It's all so damn sad.

You Wouldn't Know Death Was Lurking over my Shoulders ... If I Didn't Tell You

    

Gloria Faye Brown Bates ... can you see Death looking over my shoulder?  Can you see the warrior in this photo?  Can you see that all isn't as it appears?  Did you know that for 16 years I couldn't look at these photos?

................................................

You Wouldn't Know Death is Lurking over my Shoulders ... If I Didn't Tell You

By Gloria Faye Brown Bates/aka Granny Gee/@grannygee

I have been digging up old photos that I'm even fortunate enough to still have.  The house fire of December 28, 2004 burned all of our belongings.

The photos were in a big suitcase upstairs in the big, historic house we lived in.  The man who owned the house put a new box on the outside of the house, didn't replace the old, out-dated wiring in the house.  He told us after we moved in.

The stairs were burnt, and unstable after the fire.  I wanted to go up those steps to see if there was anything at all to save in Tommy's room, and to get the photos.  The fireman wouldn't let me when it was burning.

I waited until I was the only one at the house to salvage through the rubble to find anything that was left to show we had a life there.  There was very little.  I meant to go up those stairs ... go up them I did.

The sad thing was we were looking for what was ours in the burnt shell of the house, on the ground ... everyone was driving by, stopping to see what they could find that was ours ... and taking it with them.

People were stealing from a house that burned down ... stealing anything they thought was of value.  Some people didn't know me ... I watched them steal.  Why didn't I tell them to go?

I was in shock ... if you've never been in shock ... I can't tell you how it does one.  You aren't yourself ... not at all.  You are in a world where everything is quiet, far away ... you are in a vacuum that is trying to protect you.  You see, hear ... at a distance even if you are ... right there.  Your soul is numb.

I would never have the nerve to let my face be seen doing at someone's home that had just burned down ... stealing.  The sad thing was ... I knew some of them ... if you are reading this now, I won't ever forget.

Not only that, our neighbors were also, telling us who stopped to look for anything to take away with them.  Shame on you for stealing, kicking someone in the face while they were down.

Truthfully, it doesn't matter any more ... I let go of that anger several years ago ... when Tommy died, I forgot everything.

I went up those stairs, grabbed the big, heavy suitcase.  I prayed that the weight of it, and myself ... wouldn't go crashing through the steps.  The suitcase was dripping water ... water from the firemen's hose.

The photos were ruint ... there was black, wet and messy charring, and soot.  I took the photos out and began trying to separate them.

They had stuck together ... it took weeks to salvage as many photos as I could.  I had to cut, trim photos.  I put them in a pan of water to try to get them apart.  It was awful, but I managed to save a lot of them.

So when you see damage of any kind to a photo of mine ... know that it's from the house-fire.  I'm lucky I have them to show we had a life prior to the house fire.

I found about 4 photos I never could look at closely.  Why?  Well, they were taken at a time I didn't want photos taken of me.  I didn't have any hair ... and I'm a female.  The photos hurt me deeply ... I knew I could never let anyone see them ... even let myself look at.

The strange thing is I just discovered the photos .... they were taken during the 3 year period of time I battled cancer.  My enemy was non-Hodgkins lymphoma ... I fought like Hell to win.  I won.

I was just told by the oncologist last week that I shouldn't be here ... well, I've survived 16 years and 98% patients died from what I had.

The photos ... I made myself look into them ... look into my face.  I couldn't believe it ... I couldn't see Death lurking around me, but ... it was.

I couldn't see that the photos don't look bad at all.  I couldn't see that I didn't look hideous with the beautiful human hair wig Skip chose for me to look like my own hair.

I never looked at the photos until 16 years later ... during the past several days.  Now, I can see that those photos aren't awful at all.  I look normal ... you wouldn't know I had a beautiful wig on unless I told you.

You wouldn't know Death was lurking around me when you looked at them ... if I hadn't told you.

Note by this author:  I own all photos you see on my stories, posts, blogs.  All stories I write in my words, I also ... own.  Gloria Faye Brown bates/aka Granny Gee/@grannygee

I'm on the Brink of Being a Swinger!

I'm on the Brink of Being a Swinger ...
By Gloria Faye Brown Bates/aka Granny Gee/@grannygee

         

I watched as the guy who has become our friend ... build the frame on the back porch for the new swing a special friend gave me for Mother's Day.

He used 4x4's, one for each side ... one at the top. Sturdy bolts, chains, swing ... it's one of the nicest swings I've ever seen put up. I'm proud it's ours.

He's very good with anything he builds... he built a boat that is used on the ocean ... a huge boat! The boat takes out fishing parties today.

I look forward to swinging ... Skip and I.  Swinging, talking ... relaxing on the summer evenings. I was thinking about the fall evenings, also. Even on winter evenings one could grab a little blanket, come sit on the porch to swing.  

Back and forth, back and forth ... soothing, comforting.  Nice!  Sort of like being rocked as a baby :)

I have the nicest swing of all times. It's built well. We will get it painted in the future, add happy-colored cushions.  I'm thinking I'll paint it a Italian sage green color.  Or I might paint it red ... who knows?  I will do the same with the chairs, table so, all can match.  

I'm ready to make the porch cozy, comfortable.  The swing is the perfect addition!  I'm on the brink of being a swinger! :)  

A Sign From Tommy?

A Sign From Tommy?
By Gloria Faye Brown Bates/aka Granny Gee/@grannygee

Galileo Thermometers ... Tommy gave us the shorter one before he died.  The tall Galileo thermometer is the treasure I found today.  Unusual ... you don't just see these thermometers anywhere, much less in a second-hand, Goodwill store.




Today I had to run an errand, decided to stop by the Goodwill store.  I love to go to the Goodwill store to buy books.  Gracious, one can get practically new books cheap ... 49 cents for soft backs, 99 cents for the hardbacks.  That's a deal!

I looked at the shelves of books ... I didn't find a treasure today.  I decided to just walk along the wall to look at the things displayed on the shelves.  I hoped to find a treasure, something fun, exciting that was 'trash' to someone else ... and a special treasure to me!

I stopped when I saw something sitting on the top shelf.  It was about 21 inches tall.  Oh my!  That's special.  I recognized it for what it was.  I took it down all the shelf to admire it, and I was thinking ... Tommy got one like that for us before he died.  The one he got us is about 12 inches tall.

What an unusual thing to find in a second-hand store!  They are expensive, and you don't just find them in any store.  Look up Galileo thermometers to read about how they work.  It's too complicated to tell it about it here.  I just want to tell you about finding a treasure today.

I felt I was led to that Galileo thermometer.  I began smiling in a soft, special way ... who knows ... maybe Tommy led me to it.  This is the month Tommy died (on the 29th).  It would take something unusual for me to think 'Tommy' ... this certainly was.  Not only that, I wouldn't have recognized what it was if Tommy hadn't given us one.

Now it's sitting behind glass beside the Galileo thermometer Tommy gave us.  It makes me feel good to look at them ... yes, I think it is a sign from Tommy to let me know he was close by.  What do you think?  A sign from Tommy?



Photos are of the Galileo thermometers ... the shorter one Tommy gave us, the tall one is the treasure I found today.  Photos/story owned/written by me.  Gloria Faye Brown Bates/aka Granny Gee/@grannygee

I Want One! I Bet You Want One Too! (See my 'Beautiful' Photos :)

By Gloria Faye Brown Bates/aka Granny Gee

(NOTE:

My photos will go to dust one day ... there will be no one to treasure them.  I have no one in this world but, Skip and our Pups.  After us ... there's no one.  I will continue putting my photos online, at least to not let them be in vain.  They were of a person ... myself.  A good person ... I'm proud to be me ... I'm not perfect, never have been, never will be ... but, I know I'm good, honest, decent.

They'll be here online for my granddaughter, grandson to see one day.  If they are anything like their father, and Granny Gee ... neither 'hell or high water' will keep them from finding me (Granny Gee) ... dead or alive.  

My grandchildren will be able to read me enough, see me enough to 'get to know me' as a person.  It doesn't matter if their mothers keep them away from all Tommy's family on both sides ... to know only their parents.  

People ask me why don't I take it to court ... why don't I fight it ... why don't I do this ... do that?  I don't fight it because I know how it is to grow up in such ugliness.  

I'm not an ugly person unless pushed too far.  I love peace, quiet, good, happy-soft ... beautiful things in life.  I'm not going to fight it.  My grandchildren will find me one day ... I'll smile big on that day, if they find me in death ... I will smile along with the sunshine, making their day brighterGloria Faye Brown Bates/aka Granny Gee/@grannygee)

NOW ... to my story ............

I just saw the coolest thing.  Instantly all kinds of possibilities came to mind.

If something happened to one ... it could be documented.  No one would ever know it ... until their ass was caught.  How are they going to know?  We don't walk around looking up.

If you happened ... to look beautiful ... you know 'just right' to have many photos taken of you on a particular day ... why there would be a record of how you looked ... no effort required.  You don't even have to 'aim, pose, click'!  How about that!

You could be out hiking, running, biking all day ... later that night ... you could see all around you as you did those things.  You could see how close you were to danger ... what was going on around you as you hiked, biked, ran ... and didn't know.  Now, it's possible!

I could watch our Pups all during the day when they came out to play in the yard when I wasn't home.  I could see who came while I was gone.  (I know that anyway ... when I'm not home).  This would actually make photos of it.

How, you ask me?  Now, there are drones that can fly around taking selfies all day ... of who else? You!

I really don't care about having one.  When younger, it would have been such fun ... you know when one's young, beautiful doing exciting things!

You know how it is when you look your best, it'd be wonderful to have photos one day to validate such.  Like my photos of the past  .... I used to be beautiful ... I used to be pretty ... I used to be ... I   used to be!  You have those photos just as I do ... at least all of us 'has beens' who 'still are' only in a more attractive, older way!

I didn't have a drone flying overhead to get all those photos.  I'm fortunate I had a suitcase full of photos to 'mount' one day.  They were all water-damaged in the house fire that claimed all our belongings. 

I'm fortunate to have a lot of my 'beautiful' photos so, I can 'prove to the world' ... hey, I used to be a fox, too!  :)  'You don't have nothing on me'!  Ha! Ha! Ha!  

People hate it when an older person can show them they were something otherwise than an older person you see today.  I love seeing older people's photos, see how young, vibrant they used to be.  My, my ... how much 'life' they had in their bodies at one time ... how their personalities could come through the photos!  

No matter someone think us vain ... we want the world to 'see, we used to be beautiful, too'!

Just think with a drone that flies overhead all day just to take selfies of us ... one wouldn't have to pose 'just right', and try to capture their own photo.  

Oh, let me delete this photo ... I wasn't holding my mouth right.  No!  Not this photo, it has to be deleted because damn it, it shows my double chin!  Oh no!  Delete this one, I look too fat!  Oh ... we are all so vain. :)  

Wait a minute ... let me pull my blouse out just a little so, no one can see that bulge!  Look closely at all the selfies we see ... we don't even have to say we took those photos ... we took them 'just right' of ourselves.  We are so vain!

Don't you see it in all the selfies of everyone, including ourselves.  We have to look just right ... to present ourselves to our online world.  Oh my God, is that a new wrinkle ... no, I can't take a photo today!  Maybe it won't be there tomorrow!

Today ... maybe I'll just leave the drones that fly overhead to take selfies all day ... to the young and beautiful.  I would be too boring a subject ... quiet, conservative, private.  :)  

I don't want one ... but, I wonder if I would on a particularly 'good' day?  I want one!  Ha! Ha! Ha!  I want one!  I bet you do, too!

All my Beautiful Photos/article owned, written by Gloria Faye Brown Bates/aka Granny Gee/@grannygee