Linda's Relaxing Lair

Family friendly personal blog. A very warm welcome to you! Thank you so much for taking the time to visit. My purpose for having this blog is to offer a place of serenity, encouragement and to hopefully brighten your day from the hustle and bustle of life. This is a blog where everyone is welcome, and all ages are welcome. From near or far, children to the elderly, I hope to provide in my posts a chance for you to relax, smile, laugh or just take time to unwind, to live in the moment.

Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Struggles, Pain, Encouragement

Hello dear friends and fellow bloggers! A very warm welcome to you all! Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to come and visit me here! I really appreciate you all!

Here are today's selections, which I hope will brighten your day!

Keep calm and purr on. :)

Cat Wisdom 101

Nothing lasts forever. Everything is temporary, even pain. No matter what your brain is telling you, the pain will subside. You can get through this.

The Latest Kate

I'm inspired by your resilience and determination. Keep up the great work.

Once all struggle is grasped, miracles are possible. - Mao Zedong

Motivate Amaze Be Great

The best medicine for suffering is laughter. Luckily, it's free. - Robin Williams

Life Architekture

If I had never experienced the pain I've gone through, I never would have become who I am today. And I'm quite fond of myself. (for the most part)

Life is a circle of happiness, sadness, hard times and good times. If you are going through hard times, have faith that good times are on the way.

Bright Drops

When you finally learn that a person's behavior has more to do with their own internal struggle than it ever did with you...you learn grace.

Mind Journal

Bad brain days just happen. You won't always feel like this.

The Latest Kate

It's okay to struggle - you are doing better than you feel like you are.

The Latest Kate

I'm sorry it's a rough time. Not every day will be this bad.

The Latest Kate

Always remember, you have it within you to rise above whatever may presently be bringing you down.

Karen Salmansohn

My experiences remind me that it's those black clouds that make the blue skies even more beautiful. - Kelly Clarkson

Louise Myers Visual Social Media

Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength. - Arnold Schwarzenegger

The Healthy, A Reader's Digest Brand

If you treat every situation as a life and death matter, you'll die a lot of times. - Dean Smith

Louise Myers Visual Social Media

You're going to be okay.

The Positivity Blog

The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of those depths. - Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Hub Pages

It may look as if the situation is creating the suffering, but ultimately this is not so - your resistance is. - Eckhart Tolle

The Path of Self Realization

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. -

WikiHow

The following photos are my own, which I took today with my cellphone. This first photo is a bag that I purchased for just $5 at a thrift store! It is brand new and I don't know what the regular price of it would be, but I know it is definitely higher than I paid for it, so I was happy! :) Chat Noir (Black Cat) is a French theme, and I love the colours...and of course I love cats, so I had to buy it. It is waterproof, like all the shopping bags I have. You can click on any image to see a larger view.

I went out today, it was beautiful, -4 Celsius and sunny. I took this photo while I was in a bus. As I have mentioned in past posts, this is Quebec, so most signs are in French. So I will translate this so that you can understand what it says.

Threatening, striking (hitting) or spitting on...assaulting a driver is criminal.

Since in 2020, all buses have a plexiglass separating the driver and protecting him or her from any violence, being spat upon, etc. And of course from germs which can pass around. Before Covid, there have been (sadly) instances where bus drivers have been beaten or spat upon. This is why they put the sign there to remind people that this is a criminal act, that violence or aggression is unacceptable, and that such behaviour will be dealt with accordingly.

The following video is a (Juste pour Rire in French) done here in Montreal. Enjoy! :)

by The Original Caste (Theme from )

still visits lady 7 years after rescue (Cuddle Buddies) Okay, this video can be seen by clicking on the link and going directly to YouTube. When I post videos, I have no way of knowing which ones can be seen remotely (directly on my blog) and which ones cannot be. Thank you for your understanding.

The bravest member of the police team (meet , the police cat) :)

Thank you all so much for visiting me here! You can leave a comment by clicking on the comment link at the end of my post. Please do not put any hyperlinks or website links in your comment. Please note that comments are moderated to deter spam, which is why your comment will not appear immediately.

Sunday, February 1, 2026

Storms of Life, Calm

Hello dear friends and fellow bloggers! A very warm welcome to you all! Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to come and visit me here! I really appreciate you all so much!

Here are today's picks, which I hope will brighten your day!

It never hurts to keep looking for sunshine. - Eeyore

A calm mind helps ensure the urgent doesn't constantly triumph over the important. - The Dalai Lama's cat

Purrs of Wisdom with Ingrid King

There are times when we stop, we sit still. We listen, and breezes from a whole other world begin to whisper. - James Carroll

Not all storms come to disrupt your life. Some come to clear your path.

Sometimes a storm in your life is what will blow you to the place you are longing to be. -

Sermon Quotes

Breathe is the power behind all the things. I breathe in and know that good things will happen.

One of the best lessons you can learn in life is to master how to remain calm.

Karen Salmansohn

Keep walking through the storm. Your rainbow is waiting on the other side. - Heather Stillufsen

The Health Sessions

"I can't believe they said that".

Your reaction to an event can hurt you more than the actual event.

Sketches in Stillness

Within you, there is a stillness to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself. -

Reader's Digest

He who has peace of mind disturbs neither himself nor another. - Epicarus

Daily Quotes

I love storms. They let me know that even the sky screams out loud sometimes.

Poetry and Quotes from my Heart

Keep calm and be healthy.

Vecteezy

For it's not light that is needed, but fire; it's not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind and the earthquake in our hearts. -

Pass it On, The Foundation for a Better Life

Sometimes it feels so good to just sit by yourself, relax and not talk to anyone. - Kristen Butler

Lessons Learned in Life

If you have good thoughts, they will shine out of your face like sunbeams, and you will always look lovely. - Roald Dahl

Quotes Gram

Slow down. Calm down. Don't worry. Don't hurry.

Calmness is the cradle of power. - Josiah Gilbert Holland

Purrs of Wisdom with Ingrid King

Cats don't calm humans emotionally. They calm us neurologically.

The following photos are my own. These are tops that I have and enjoy wearing! They are called "", because they are actually uniforms that are often worn by nurses, as well as veterinarians or vet technicians. Although I am retired and not working, I love these tops because they are comfortable, wash and dry very nicely and have large pockets on either side in the front. They all have a V-neck, and I get many compliments from even strangers when I wear any of these. As well, when I wear one of these scrubs, people can see that I love animals, and this makes me very happy. :) You can click on any image to see a larger view.

The following video is a (Juste pour Rire in French) done here in . Enjoy! :)

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Sweet woman becomes neighborhood duck lady (The Dodo) :)

Thank you all so much for visiting me here! You can make a comment by clicking on the comment link at the end of my post. Please do not put any hyperlinks or website links in your comment. Please note that comments are moderated to deter spam, which is why your comment will not appear immediately.

Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Change, Listening

Hello dear friends and fellow bloggers! A very warm welcome to you all! Thank you so much for taking time out from your busy day to come and visit me here! I really appreciate you all so much!

Here are today's picks, which I hope will brighten your day in some way!

Animals are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms. - George Eliot

Cats are a mysterious kind of folk. - Sir Walter Scott

We change the world not by what we say or do but as a consequence of what we have become. - David R. Hawkins

Change is inevitable during the seasons, but it can also bring about great new opportunities. - Anonymous

Your inner voice may be quiet, but it's rarely wrong.

Listening is a positive act: you have to put yourself out to do it. - David Hockney

Slightly leaning towards the other person is an indication that you are actively listening, while leaning away may be interpreted as disinterest. - Liam Jackson

Genuine empathy requires that we listen, understand and feel what is happening so that we can create a targeted solution. - Whitney Goodman

Nothing happens until the pain of remaining the same outweighs the pain of change. - Arthur Burt

True life is lived when tiny changes occur. -

Don't persuade, defend or interrupt. Be curious, be conversational, be real. And listen. - Elizabeth Lesser

God gave us mouths that close and ears that don't. That should tell us something.

Snow Pants :)

Meanwhile in Canada

Embrace uncertainty. Some of the most beautiful chapters in our lives won't have a title until much later. -

Change before you have to. -

You can't change what has already happened. So don't waste your time thinking about it. Move on. Let go and get over it!

Listening is an art that requires attention over talent, spirit over ego, others over self.

's skills for active listening

1. Focus on being interested, not interesting

2. Start by asking questions

3. Look for commonalities

4. Tune in with all your attention

5. Communicate you are listening with a nod/sound

6. Paraphrase what the speaker says

7. Validate the speaker's emotions

8. Maintain eye contact

9. Let go of your own agenda

10. Turn off the TV

Listening is an attitude of the heart, a genuine desire to be with another which both attracts and heals. -

When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen. -

Buzzle

You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or where it's all going. What you need is to embrace the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith and hope. - Thomas Merton

Purrs of Wisdom with Ingrid King

The following two photos are my own, which I took on January 19th with my cellphone...this is a park in Montreal. It was snowing when I took these photos, and people were skating on the paths that the city made a skating rink of, it was so nice to see people out and enjoying the snow and lovely weather, and getting their exercise at the same time. You can click on any image to see a larger view.