Lowell, MI- I’ve noticed a pattern of interest in different stories over the years. There is a good old journalistic saying, “If it bleeds it leads.” That goes for traditional media.
That is true for news stories on major TV networks and in newspapers. People are hungry for crime, tragedy and its impact. They’re glad that it didn’t happen to them. It’s psychology at its best.
Second comes in weather, and glamour takes the third place. Sometimes these two are interchangeable.
The digital world is different, where technology posts take the first followed by everything that is connected to IT. Then comes everything else.
In my own little world of EW Emma’s Writings, this is how my posts fared from bottom to top on a scale of 5 to 1.
5- Alphorns at the Grand Rapids Octoberfest in September 2015. It was a well-rounded German event with Erdinger on tap and schnitzel with potato salad on the menu.
4- The page About local entrepreneurs & artists takes the fourth place. It profiles regional inspiring people from entrepreneurs to staple artists in the West Michigan area.
3-The Kropf Apple Farming legend. A touching story about an apple farming family spanning four generations while overcoming the big Chinese apple juice dumping crisis in the late 90s and early 2000s.
2- The home page/archives takes a second place. People like checking this one out periodically. That’s why periodic posting is important. It’s a very popular station.
1-Top post with 113 views on Sept. 28 about local entrepreneur Nancy DeBoer. The post about the owner of Station Salon, a popular beauty shop in Lowell, won out of 160 posts in 2015.
The above ranking of top posts shows me that human interest stories have the most views.
It warms my heart because I came to the same conclusion in print media after years of experience. On a long term basis, not at a particular second, people prefer the human over the dead, success over failure, tenacity over weakness, continuity over the beat of the day.
Copyright (c) 2015 Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
The destructive habit of comparing ourselves to others
By Emma Palova
Lowell, MI- I must admit I don’t have this problem. I don’t know who I would compare myself to? And mainly I don’t know why I would want to do that in the ever-changing world of trends. Today on twitter trending could be Justin Bieber, Billy Bush or whoever.
Thai wind 1 by Kacey Cornwell, Art Prize entry
But, I know most people do. They want to so desperately fit into whatever just flies at the moment. So, then they have to refit to a new trend. And they’re never themselves.
They’re so afraid what other people are going to say about them. It’s called insecurity or conformity.
You don’t have to compare yourself to others to feel confident and secure. It’s your own set of values that matters. You stand behind them and defend them, not other people’s values.
Establish a set of values that matters to you and stick behind them. Don’t sway away or wander off on a tangent only to imitate others.
List your values today on a piece of paper and carry it with you no matter where you go.
My set of values:
1-family
2-friends
3-writing
4-entrepreneurship
5-country
6-freedom
Your values will carry you forward in good and bad times, just like in marriage.
Lowell, MI- How appropriate theme. I just had this conversation with my son Jake. It’s time to do something about the violent situation and fear we are all living in. That means to do something peacefully like Mahatma Gandhi, Vaclav Havel, Mother Teresa or Gorbachev.
Violence breads more violence. Going to war or buying weapons is not the answer. Increased consumerism is not the answer.
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The following paragraph is from an interview with Marilyn Manson used by Michael Moore in the film Bowling for Columbine.
“Because then you’re watching television, you’re watching the news, you’re being pumped full of fear, there’s floods, there’s AIDS, there’s murder, cut to commercial buy the Acura, buy the Colgate, if you have bad breath, they’re not going to talk to you if you have pimples, and it’s just this campaign of fear and consumption and that’s what I think it’s all based on, the whole idea of keep everyone afraid, and they will consume.”
Within two minutes apart we’re watching how Xarelto is good for you and then how you should join the lawsuit against Xarelto that can even cause death. Really? A drug approved by the FDA can even cause death.
Since the Paris attacks we see Opdiva advertised on the NYC buildings.
We’re living worse than animals. They wouldn’t put up with this.
A strong leader has to emerge amongst us and do something about all the mess in the world.
I know it probably should be each one of us. And collectively, we should start dialogues to spread the message. Let’s start in coffee shops and by writing about this.
I lived through the Velvet Revolution in 1989 in former Czechoslovakia. i participated in the demonstrations on the plazas and squares. I rang my keys and lit candles into the night. It did make a difference.
It’s our moral responsibility to take action, otherwise we’re a part of the problem.
To hear JB’s response to Trump’s speech against the Muslims is unacceptable to humanity. Trump shouldn’t have said it, and JB should have kept silent because he gave us the answer.
“We cannot offend our Saudi allies,” he said.
So here we go again. Big money and friends.
First of all I did not know that Saudi was our ally. I just know that they have oil that we want, And second, you always offend someone out there by any action you take.
How different nationalities use Facebook to express themselves
By Emma Palova
I’ve always wanted to write about this. Now, I can. It took some time to analyze it. And that is how different nationalities use Facebook to express themselves.
I consider myself privileged that I am both on American and Czech public and private groups on Facebook. I am on Michigan Authors on the Grand, Learn to Blog, 30 Day Content Challenge & WordPress support group. I created my own Writers Loop and Fallasburg Today public groups.
Czech dolls
I am on Czech groups I love Czech Republic and Czechs & Slovaks on Facebook.
I speak and write both languages fluently which is very important because a lot gets lost in translation. It doesn’t matter which translating service you’re using, it is not accurate.
You have to know the culture of that particular country to know what they are talking about on Facebook.
I grew up in former Czechoslovakia and got my university education there.
On the other hand, I went to middle school in Hawkins, Texas and mom Eliska homeschooled my brother Vas and I in Sudan, Africa. I also lived in Saskatoon and Montreal in Canada.
There is a striking difference between the usages by both nations that reflects the difference in cultures.
A Czech person uses Facebook to vent their feelings, anger and to fight. You can easily find 250 comments on one post. If they don’t agree with something they will swear at you and call you names. These threads turn into long pointless discussions.
An American person uses Facebook to show daily experiences followed by at the most 20 comments, if it is a heated subject.
A Czech person is funny and shares jokes on Facebook. We laugh out loud with my husband Ludek, as he reads the jokes to me in the evening from his IPhone.
An American person is inquisitive and functional, so he or she uses riddles or questions to find out how smart you are.
“Where was this photo taken,” posted local photographer Bruce Doll.
The photo looked like a Kiss concert all in blue and smoke, but I know Bruce.
“At the Impact church,” I posted.
“Yes.”
A Czech person turns emotional on Facebook and shares four Advent candles a thousand times.
An American person asks for prayers when needed.
A Czech person sometimes turns to sex to see how you react.
An American person uses Facebook for business to see how you react.
A Czech person doesn’t do selfies.
Americans love selfies.
Neither one in particular partakes in sharing tragedies until the recent Paris attacks.
Both cultures share the same love for photography.
I will continue to explore this interesting theme into the future. Watch for more observations.
Okay, I am over the shootings and the violence. I cannot change anything. By looking at it, I am a part of it. I’ve become a part of the problem, because I am not willing to do anything about it. I’ve become a part of a violent society.
My Alma Mater taught me better. Do something about it.
I led a heated debate at the Parnell General Store about, “What is the purpose of the gun?”
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We didn’t come to any conclusion. Just like the situation in the Middle East, it has no resolution.
We even had a Rumanian born American Sniper there who said weapons are necessary to kill. He killed his first person when he was 10 years old.
The owner of the store brought out an unloaded shotgun Erica.
You have to respect the weapon.
On the other hand I have a respect to the pen.
I’ve always had that. And I use it on daily basis to give hope to others.
I am meditating on today’s theme “When the inner fire goes out and meeting another human being rekindles it.”
This is a big one because it has happened to all of us. We are sharing a common human experience.
It has happened to me many times in life and then I suddenly met a person who sparked the fire in me again. I recall them all. They were editors, fellow writers, business owners, store managers and directors.
Kathleen Mooney’s abstracts.
Most recently it has happened to me on the Internet with the 30 Day Content Challenge. I went into the challenge on Nov. 17 after finding out about it only on the previous day totally burnt out from years of writing.
I could have plain ignored it like I have other challenges. But, this seemed important.
Why was it important to me? It wasn’t to showcase anything or to prove to myself that I can do it. It wasn’t for the exposure either. It was because of the special bond these challenges create, they teach you discipline and you are helping others move forward. By helping others you are also helping yourself.
My weakness is the lack of discipline in everything. I like freedom without boundaries. But, that creates also problems. I can overeat, overwork and overdo. And after that I need rest to recharge my batteries. It’s like a vicious roller coaster.
Yes, the 30 Day Content Challenge rekindled my inner spirit. I found new passion for writing, met new people, made new friends on Facebook and twitter and I got new followers on EW Emma’s Writings.
So, in the end even though I wasn’t seeking exposure, I got it.
I found gratitude to those who led the challenge and helped out.
I found the writer in me who will never go away even when I try to throw that character out.
A note for my regular readers to avoid confusion: I am participating in a 30 Day Content Writing Challenge by Learn to Blog. All posts are relevant to how I feel and write about today’s world including my own.
Not afraid on day #4 of the content challenge
By Emma Palova
Lowell, MI- I wish I could say that I am scared, but I am not. It would be a lie to conform with the rest of the world. No, I didn’t go to Cabela’s to buy an AK47 known as Kalashnikov or a Beretta, and I don’t shoot deer either even though it’s the firearm hunting season in Michigan.
However, I did tell my daughter Emma Palova-Chavent, MD who lives with her family in France and loves to travel to lay low.
“Don’t go anywhere,” I said.
“Should I buy a gun,” she asked.
“No.”
Violence breads more violence.
Help, collaboration and diplomacy are the way to go in this chaotic world that honors and respects nothing. Local Michigan college Grand Valley State University wants to allow guns on the campus to show the terrorists they’re not afraid.
Well, who really is scared? The Republicans who passed a bill not to allow Syrian refugees into the most compassionate country in the world or the kids on the campus who want guns?
Lowell, MI- Experts say there are two great fears in this world. And they are interchangeable: the fear of dentists and the fear of public speaking. The fear of dentists translates to fear of pain, while the public speaking fear is about our image; how we look in front of others.
But, I know of a lot more. On top of the above mentioned fears, I have a fear of open heights and time. Not of aging, but of time when it’s displayed in front of me on a clock or on a calendar. That’s why I cannot wear watches or have alarm clocks.
I recently I found out that some people are afraid of technology.
I find that very interesting, that is the fear of technology. It should take us forward, but sometimes it seems like it’s taking us backwards like with the recent violence and evil in Paris.
Amaryllis
Now, the government wants access to our phones in the name of security.I am starting to feel like in Nazi Germany that I know from movies and stories.
How much more freedom will we have to give up in the name of security and safety? How safe can we get when everybody wants to know the location of our phones or you don’t get access to different Internet services? And the terrorists are running loose all over the world.
Some people on Facebook are suggesting that we arm ourselves with AK47s known as Kalashnikovs.
I can picture this now. All of us walking with Kalashnikovs into the theaters, operas, work, churches and stores. Wow, that’s like in the Middle East and people still get blown up in coffee shops.
We’ve taken a huge step backwards and lowered ourselves to the level of terrorists, to their tactics and way of life. Paris and NYC look like war zones.
And basically all this is over religion. When did any religion start preaching violence?
Big business likes to use scare tactics and security pretense to keep us consuming.
“Keep them scared and they will keep consuming,” goes the saying.
Modern societies have to reject violence in all its forms immediately. No one can thrive in fear and under constant threat of not enough security. That’s exactly what the terrorists want for us to be scared.
Note: This is the fourth installment in a feature series about Inspiring Women. It is dedicated to all women who are trying to make a difference and better other people’s lives, as well as their own. In putting together this feature series, I was inspired by several moments in life that in particular stand out.
No.1 A dedication of a Relax, mind, body & soul book by Barbara Heller from my son Jake: “I dedicate this to my inspiring and motivational mother.” Kuba
No. 2 While on a story before Mother’s Day, I dropped in at Ace Bernard Hardware to talk about the prizes with owner Charlie Bernard. We talked also about the Lowell Area Chamber and its director Liz Baker.
“You know what I like about Liz, she keeps re-inventing herself,” Bernard said.
No. 3 Again on a story for the International Women’s Day I talked to Sow Hope president Mary Dailey Brown.
“If you want to make a difference in this world, seriously consider helping impoverished women. Helping women is the key to unlocking poverty.”
No. 4 At a parents teacher conference at Cherry Creek Elementary in Lowell in mid 1990s: “Mrs. Pala, we do not give up,” teacher Karen Latva said.
Lowell woman completes North Country Trail to memorialize daughter
Name: Gail Lowe
Occupation: retired intensive care nurse
Residence: Lowell
Hobbies & Interests: hiking, reading, writing
By Emma Palova
EW Emma’s Writings
Lowell, MI – It’s never easy to lose a parent, but to lose a child is a traumatic event beyond imagination.
Gail Lowe calls herself “Hiker Babe”, and she truly is a veteran hiker of 10,000 miles with just one fear left. And that is she won’t be able to hike anymore because of aging and related health reasons.
Gail Lowe on a mission walk in memory of daughter.
On Thanksgiving of last year, Lowe completed the most difficult hike of her life. It was “Becka’s Hike” to memorialize her daughter Rebecca Carrie Lyons, 46, who died of breast cancer in May of 2013.
Lowe is working on a book “My Best for Becka” about the end of her daughter’s life.
“It’s like opening a scar and an old wound,” she said. “It’s very difficult.”
It is Lowe’s hope, that the book will help the grieving process and foster personal growth.
“Becka’s biggest fear was that she would be forgotten,” Lowe said. “I wanted to make sure that would never come true.”
Rebecca Carrie Lyons
So, Lowe embarked on a 4,600-mile long hike of the North Country Trail (NCT) on March 18, 2014. She wanted to complete it as a thru hike which means in one season.
“It was a hike with a mission,” she said.
Lowe had previously hiked twice the Appalachian Trail which is only half as long as the NCT.
One of the most difficult parts of the hike was in the western half of the Upper Peninsula, where the trail was overgrown.
“I had to do a lot of bushwhacking,” she said. “I was attacked by a raptor. I saw two wolves and bears.”
Lowe who has also hiked in Alaska, said, the UP part of the trail was much more remote than the one in Alaska.
On the other hand, probably the easiest part of the hike was through North Dakota.
“People welcomed me immediately,” she said. “I was dreading hiking there, but it was easy and it is a beautiful state.”
Victorious Gail Lowe at the end of 4,600 mile hike.
But, what was even more difficult than the length of the hike, was the extreme solitude. Lowe said that on the other trails people camp at night and share shelters together.
“I was it, there were no other hikers,” she said. “The loneliness was overwhelming.”
To fight the loneliness, Lowe went to as many towns as she could to meet with the locals and to reach out to them.
And that was mutual, because Lowe had the help of more than 100 “trail angels.” Trail angels are people who help hikers either with shelter, food or transportation from the trail to towns and back.
“The hike was truly blessed. People took me in for the night,” she said. “It was mind-boggling. Sometimes they did meet me along the way.”
Staying in a tent at 20 F would have been hard, if it wasn’t for the Methodists who opened their doors to Lowe.
“They truly practice their faith,” she said.
Lowe had planned her hike to start and to finish in Ohio. Three couples helped her by taking her back and forth between the trail and the town, so Lowe didn’t have to carry the “rock” or the big backpack.
“I could just use the day pack for four to five days,” she said.
Even though by now after thousands of miles of hiking, Lowe has it down to a science. She carries 26 to 28 pounds on her back.
She averaged 30 to 35 miles a day, before her health became an issue. Lowe came down with mononucleosis and had to make three trips to three different emergency rooms. Her average mileage was down to 15 miles.
“I was exhausted with respiratory infections,” she said. “There really is no treatment for it. I took massive doses of vitamin c.”
Mission accomplished
Against all odds including the nasty 2014 weather, Lowe finished the thru hike in one year as the only woman in the USA. She received major publicity including TV, NPR radio and 40 to 50 articles.
“It was a combination of being the first woman to do it in one hiking season and in memory of my daughter,” Lowe said. “I asked myself how do I want to finish this hike.”
Lowe wanted a quiet finish just between her and Becka. That’s why she planned the last two miles on Thanksgiving Day.
“I could sneak in under the radar and have the type of finish I wanted,” she said.
But, Lowe also wanted to know that Becka was with her all along.
“I told myself if I find a quarter on the ground I would know Becka was with me,” she said.
On the last two miles of the last day, Lowe looked down and found a quarter.
“That was a message she was with me,” Lowe said. “The outcome of the hike is that the entire nation is aware of Becka. The mission was accomplished.”
Her major motivation for a hike that took 8.5 months to complete remained Becka.
“I consider myself a bad ass in hiking,” Lowe said. “I almost drowned, had a surgery and encountered a man with a gun. But knowing that it was in Becka’s memory carried me all along.”
Lowe’s advice to those thinking about hiking the trail is not to tackle it in one season.
“The mileage is daunting,” she said. “There are unmarked areas and the solitude, it can be overwhelming. Give it at least two years.”
Because northern Michigan still had snow in May, Lowe had to turn back to Ohio and hike east and wait for Michigan to thaw.
How did Lowe succeed in spite of all the challenges?
She trained for two months before the hike walking 10 miles a day with an over weighted backpack.
Lowe turned 65 on the NCT hike on Sept. 4th, and she still wants to hike the Continental Divide trail to be the first woman with a quintuple crown award.
Gail Lowe shows a quarter as a message from her daughter
“Hiking is my passion, my church,” she said. “I feel closer to higher power. It has given me strength, freedom and confidence. It has come with tears, sorrow and joy. My trail name is Chosen. I am living out my destiny.”
Lowe said she will do the Continental Divide trail ASAP, before the aging process takes over and makes it impossible.
“My hiking days are numbered,” she said. “I have learned that it’s not the best motivator just pounding out miles, but the most inspirational was the kindness of the people and making lifelong friends. I could feel love coming over me like an ocean of love washing over me.”
Lowe says about herself that she is not religious, but she is spiritual.
“None of us does a hike like this alone,” she said. “I can picture a chain of people holding hands and those are the people who came out. I didn’t do it alone.”
Lowe calls her hikes pilgrimages.
“It’s a time to reflect, it gives insight and introspection,” she said. “The greatest fun is succeeding at your goal, finishing what you start. It gives me incredible accomplishment and confidence.”
Lowe ignores negative people in order to accomplish her goals.
“It’s my responsibility to step over them and keeping my eye on the goal and not let them affect my ability of moving forward,” she said. “I’ve become strong mentally, physically and spiritually.”
Lowe’s final advice:
“Don’t quit, no matter what.”
However, as far as the grieving process itself, Lowe says there is no closure on grieving, ever.
“Becka was my best friend, and when all was said and done, we both forgave each other everything and loved each other dearly,” Lowe said. “I miss being able to do the simple things with her like talking on the phone, going out to eat together, going “thrifting” at thrift shops, travelling together, and listening to her sing at karaoke. She lived for music and had an amazing voice! I miss being able to touch her and kiss her face.”
NCT runs through Fallasburg Park in Kent County, Michigan.
Since the establishment of NCT in 1980, only five men have completed a thru hike of the trail and Lowe was the sixth person, and the only woman in the USA.
NCTA executive director Bruce Matthews said Lowe’s hike elevates the awareness of the North Country Trail.
“It fires people’s imagination and makes the trail more accessible to women,” he said. “It expands the horizon. It is unusual to complete it in one season.”
Matthews hopes that the experience Lowe has had will inspire other people to follow in her footsteps.
“You have to be prepared,” he said. “NCT is different from the Appalachian or the Pacific trails.”
What distinguishes NCT from the other trails is that it runs through different environments, and it does not follow a mountain range.
“Trail angels will be looking for you ready to help,” he said. “You can share experiences and volunteers make the routes more scenic.
On the theme of the extreme solitude on the trail, Matthews said:
“Solitude is part of the NCT experience,” he said.
On the psychology aspect of the strenuous hike, Dr. Daniel Ehnis, professor at Cornerstone University, said that taking on this challenge aids the healing process in a few ways:
“First of all, it helps the mother to do something extreme and distracting, rather than sitting by helplessly.
Second, the mother’s agony and suffering helps her transfer her psychological pain into physical pain. The physical discomfort can be easier to manage than the emotional turmoil from the loss.
Finally, her daughter’s wish to not be forgotten would take something extraordinary to honor that request.”
authoremmapalova 