Maybe you’re noticed my cover photo and don’t think twice about it.
Maybe you have and decided you don’t like me and haven’t even met me… Maybe you think my language isn’t *good and proper”
Well, that’s fine and dandy because I really really do GIVE A DAMN!

I give a damn about the small business owner that’s struggling to get clients.

I give a damn about the single mom that is selling her house because she can’t afford to keep it.

I give a damn about the artist that spent hours creating a painting to have the person “change their mind” and not pay for the work they requested.

I give a damn about the teenage boy that asked for a hug with tears rolling down his face because everyone is “social distancing” and he hasn’t had a hug in months.

I give a damn about the waitress that works 3 jobs to pay her bills and cries with surprise when I give a 10$ tip on a 20$ order.

I give a damn about the elderly man that said “I didn’t fight in 2 wars to be told to wear a mask at the grocery store or be told not to have a gun”

I give a damn about my children and grandchildren, and about the other children and grandchildren out there that need someone to give a damn about them.

I give a damn about the deaf and hard of hearing people that feel even more isolated because they can’t see the lips of people.

I give a damn about my business, my passion, my art and craft. My business provides for other families, and when people get massages at my place, we turn around and support other local businesses. It’s a beautiful ripple effect.

I give a damn about my LEO, Firefighters. Veterans and those that love them.

I give a damn about the overworked and stressed out nurses and hospital staff.

I give a damn about the people that have to be isolated for health and safety reasons. I give a damn about the people they are missing and the things they can’t do anymore

I give a damn about the baby that teaches out for me to interact because his daddy is playing a game on his phone and ignoring the best thing ever.

I give a damn about the litter in the parking lots from lazy people that toss masks and trash as they walk to the car.

I give a damn about buying Christmas gifts that mean something special.
I give a damn about good music and good food.
I give a damn about saying what you mean and doing what you say
I’m relentless.
I’m fearless.

I was raised this way

I’m never giving up.
You know why?
Because I give a damn and you should,too!

myownwords #damnstraight #jeannasoul

Heard this song

It made me laugh

Too much truth

Just had to shake my head

Older I get

Better I am

At giving instead of getting

When I was young

I was always just a little “too much”

Told to have more control

Not to be some kind of wild thing

And I listened

But that was then

And now, I’m one of those

Older women

I’m much better at knowing

What I want and what I don’t

Carry myself with the air

That I know just what I am

One of those women

That knows and understands

👣♥️ Jeanna’ Mead

11.24.20

Just imagine, if you dared to say “yes” instead of automatically turning down invitations, just allow yourself to experience the dance,the taste,the sip, the chance to do something different.
Everything doesn’t have to be the same and there can be a beautiful order to the chaos, even with Covid and maybe because of Covid, if we are brave enough to whisper, “yes,yes,yes!”

That’s what my intention is for my life .. to say, “yes” more and find reasons instead of excuses.. to live fearlessly and spontaneously…
#musicandmassage #loveyourjournrey #myowmwords #writingmyheartout

I love this story from Katharine Hepburn’s childhood; in her own words.
“Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus. Finally, there was only one other family between us and the ticket counter. This family made a big impression on me.
There were eight children, all probably under the age of 12. The way they were dressed, you could tell they didn’t have a lot of money, but their clothes were neat and clean.
The children were well-behaved, all of them standing in line, two-by-two behind their parents, holding hands. They were excitedly jabbering about the clowns, animals, and all the acts they would be seeing that night. By their excitement you could sense they had never been to the circus before. It would be a highlight of their lives.
The father and mother were at the head of the pack standing proud as could be. The mother was holding her husband’s hand, looking up at him as if to say, “You’re my knight in shining armor.” He was smiling and enjoying seeing his family happy.
The ticket lady asked the man how many tickets he wanted? He proudly responded, “I’d like to buy eight children’s tickets and two adult tickets, so I can take my family to the circus.” The ticket lady stated the price.
The man’s wife let go of his hand, her head dropped, the man’s lip began to quiver. Then he leaned a little closer and asked, “How much did you say?” The ticket lady again stated the price.
The man didn’t have enough money. How was he supposed to turn and tell his eight kids that he didn’t have enough money to take them to the circus?
Seeing what was going on, my dad reached into his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill, and then dropped it on the ground. (We were not wealthy in any sense of the word!) My father bent down, picked up the $20 bill, tapped the man on the shoulder and said, “Excuse me, sir, this fell out of your pocket.”
The man understood what was going on. He wasn’t begging for a handout but certainly appreciated the help in a desperate, heartbreaking and embarrassing situation.
He looked straight into my dad’s eyes, took my dad’s hand in both of his, squeezed tightly onto the $20 bill, and with his lip quivering and a tear streaming down his cheek, he replied; “Thank you, thank you, sir. This really means a lot to me and my family.”
My father and I went back to our car and drove home. The $20 that my dad gave away is what we were going to buy our own tickets with.
Although we didn’t get to see the circus that night, we both felt a joy inside us that was far greater than seeing the circus could ever provide.
That day I learnt the value to Give.
The Giver is bigger than the Receiver. If you want to be large, larger than life, learn to Give. Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get – only with what you are expecting to give – which is everything.
The importance of giving, blessing others can never be over emphasized because there’s always joy in giving. Learn to make someone happy by acts of giving.”
~ Katharine Hepburn

This is such a beautiful story that I had to post it here… To read again.. to ponder… To become.

I walked into a store
Asked for a simple dress
Lady offered two
A black and a gray
I shook my head and said, “No, thanks, that’s not what I want to wear.”

Shop owner had the nerve to say
“You’re out of style. This is what is in nowadays”

Well, I’ll be damned

If I’m going to change
Wear something unflattering
Just because someone else says

“This is in style”

I don’t wear gray, it’s such a dreary shade.

I like my jeans low and not high on my waist

Like my shirts to fit, not make me look like I’m due anyday

I still wear the cowboy boots
A family friend bought in 1976

I might be out of her style but I damn sure got mine.

👣❤️ Jeanna’ Mead
11.3.20. 4 45 a.m

She knows she should be sleeping
She knows it’s what she needs
But she’s been tossing and turning
Wrestling with the sheets
Her body aches

From the day
Her mind races
With things she wants

To say and to do

It seems like nighttime
Brings out

All the things

She manages to get through
During the day

👣❤️ Jeanna’ Mead
11.3.20. 4 19 a.m

I feel
the same pain
Losing Mema
Changed me
I feel as if
I’m lost
And alone
She knew my soul
Better than anyone
She made sure
I felt loved
Every single day
I have not felt
That way
Since
She went away
To dance
In Glory
Far from me

👣♥️ When my friend, Beth, the Mystic Hillbilly, begin to share her poems.. I felt the door open, an invitation given, to write my own heart with the words she stirred up inside me.

This is word play .. Between artists and writers.

It’s a dance.

October 18 2020 7 01 a.m