My (fake) interview with Ellen

My (fake) interview with Ellen Degeneres by Michelle A. Moore, 9-17-17

I am writing this post because I don’t expect to EVER be on the Ellen Show, so why not have some fun and write a dream piece? In my world, I can do anything, be anything, and go anywhere, so why not be on the Ellen Show?  Here’s how it would play out.

We are two weeks into this season, Ellen’s 15^th. It’s the same as always: fun, motivating, thought-provoking, and she makes me laugh while bringing joy to the world AND doing great deeds. By the way, my first articles printed in a local newspaper were called, “Good People Doing Good Things” when I lived in Lake Orion, Michigan. I am not a professional writer, but I thought it was important to let everyone know about the noble stuff happening in our community and possibly motivate others to do the same.

My goal in life is to help and also inspire others to be the best they can be, which started at a young age. I have always been called Smiley because I found that the simple act of smiling can do a lot of good and make people feel better. In junior high, I signed a greeting card with “Take care, Michelle” and people thought it was so sweet for a child my age to write ‘take care’ so I continued to use it. We are molded and shaped by everything that touches our lives. I have always been too emotional and compassionate, and I still want to cry when I see an expired animal on the side of the road. I cannot work in an animal shelter because I would take them all home with me. I donate and fund-raise for them, and I do adopt my furry friends from shelters so right now I have the sweetest, most playful and loving, three-legged kitty around. I named her Lefty Lucy, of course! See photo below.

Where did my upbeat, positive attitude come from? God, my parents, family, and friends - I’m not sure, but I’m glad I have it. It has seen me through a lot of challenges, given me hope, helped others, and I pray that it never goes away. I have been accused of living in a dream world, wearing rose-colored glasses, and not being realistic, but every day I get to choose my attitude and ‘looking on the bright side’ seems best to me.

So this year Ellen has brought on celebrities like Pink, her friend and writer of the show’s cheerful theme song (Today’s The Day), and Channing Tatum, who hilariously attended the Magic Mike show with Ellen and her crew in Vegas, was a good sport to fulfill Halle Berry’s challenge to dress up like a princess and sing, and also inspired Ellen’s new name game What is Channing’s Tatum? Those who didn’t know what a wenis was, learned something new that day. By the way, it is a term for the extra skin that covers the tip of your elbow. As a librarian, I believe in lifelong learning so the educational component wasn’t missed by me. Jessica Biel danced on to the show to the Dirty Dancing song with tWitch and set off a new contest by Ellen to give $10,000 to a charity chosen by the winner. *I will win this, see interview below. Ellen frequently brings on regular people who are doing good in their communities, because she supports everyone and brings attention to these important matters. That is exactly what I want to do too. Minus the humor part because I can’t tell a joke to save my life! So here is my (fake) interview on the Ellen Show, consult the TV Guide for show times!

THE ELLEN SHOW:

Music plays “Today’s the day I’ve been waiting for…”  I come in dancing amazingly well, because your normal/non-celebrity guests usually just walk in and give you a hug. My dance is even better than Jessica’s Dirty Dancing intro, so you vote me as the best normal/non-celebrity guest dancer ever and offer the $10,000 to my favorite charity!  Wow, Ellen, I am so honored and you are so generous. Thanks for not mentioning my two left feet and outrageously awful coordination! You say, “Well if I had known about it, I would have” You are SO funny and never let an opportunity get away from you.

And I say that even with the fact that I have 2 left feet, I found a way to do it. AND THAT IS THE WHOLE POINT OF MY BEING HERE ON YOUR SHOW, ELLEN. I am not rich and famous, I am not beautiful, but as a fairly normal person, I AM THE LUCKIEST PERSON IN THE WORLD! And I want to share this attitude and empowerment with everyone who needs it!

I AM HERE - TO SHARE THIS ATTITUDE AND EMPOWERMENT - WITH EVERYONE WHO NEEDS IT. J

I just earned $10,000 of your hard-earned money for my favorite charity. Despite the fact that I am an awful dancer and have a partial knee replacement surgery coming up. Mahalo, Ellen, for having me on your show. It is a dream come true! J

At this point you will probably say something like, “You said you’re not beautiful, but I think you are.” And when I stop blushing from your compliment-which may or may not have been my whole point of saying it-I state that everyone IS beautiful in their own way. I was married twice, so at least 2 men have found me absolutely adorable, wink-wink, but I prefer being single. And because I am single, and my daughters are practically grown, I was able to run away to tackle a new adventure. I earned it though. I worked hard and I made it happen. At this point you would say, “Yes, hard work is important. Remember that kids, stay in school.”

You ask “Where did your upbeat, positive attitude come from?” And I say, I’m not sure, but I’m glad I have it. It’s a part of me, it’s internal and must be from God, my parents, family, and friends. I feel blessed to have it AND I want to share it. It has seen me through a lot of challenges, given me hope, helped me to help others, and I pray that it never goes away.

My mom has an amazing green thumb, but I didn’t get that in my genes (which is my dad’s name by the way, Gene-not Eugene-my grandmas were cool ladies.) I did however get the “sunshine” gene and “do good” gene from my parents.

Picture a small, cute, happy home with me and my daughters, Celeste and Olivia, sitting in the living room. You’ll see a fireplace and TV, a popcorn machine, a slushy maker, and a comfy couch, but not one plant to be found. So my mom brought to me a lucky bamboo plant and it worked! Not only did I realize I was the luckiest person in the world, I ended up in Hawaii – paradise – and I never dreamed I would make it there, just like being a guest on your show. See how lucky I am? This upbeat, positive, optimistic attitude is a very important part of my life and I want to tell everyone, regardless of your situation or challenges, you can do this.

Dream it, do it; Shoot for the stars… – Oh, how I love inspirational quotes and breathtaking photos. It’s cheesy, and my staff at work would like to beam me up to the Enterprise every time I pull out a new one to share, but they work for me. I am full of advice: find what works for you and use it. My dad would say, use the right tool for the right job. Other advice I give, take care of yourself so you are more able to take care of others. Many people ignore this to avoid seeming conceited. My next advice: stop worrying about what other people think.

My go-to advice for everyone: Always Look on the Bright Side (name of my blog) and Do good, Be positive. Follow this and you can’t go wrong. If you do go wrong, learn from it and be better.J

You then say, “You are so entertaining and I could listen to you all day without having to speak.  I will just sit here and still be funny, because I am that good!” And I say, but Ellen, this is your show, go ahead and ask me a question.

You say, “You danced in even though you are not a dancer and earned $10,000 for your favorite charity, Congratulations. Who would you like to support?”

For years we have supported The American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. What a great concept. People are fighting cancer 24 hours a day so it’s incredible that so many people will come together to pledge money & time to walk, talk, listen, work, fundraise, and celebrate those fighting cancer for an event which lasts literally 24 hours. Sadly, we have a few important personal reasons why we were pointed toward this charity. I will bring in my 2 awesome daughters who are huge fans of yours and also the biggest reason I consider myself the luckiest person in the world. (They need to join in the fun since this is a dream interview, after all.)

I introduce my oldest daughter, Celeste, who is an opera singer (and Ellen tells everyone, “You will hear her sing later in the show”) who married into the amazing Peake family, and now lives in Chicago, and then I introduce Olivia, my baby who has dedicated her life to serving and helping others by joining the Army, and who will graduate from the University of Michigan in April with a nursing degree.

They speak with you about Relay for Life, the wonderful people who inspired us, and the importance of doing what you can to help others. You gush over how amazing they are and they gush over how amazing you are!

Then I explain more reasons why I am the luckiest person in the world. I talk about how I divorced my husband after 15 years, raised our daughters to be intelligent, compassionate, optimistic, helpful people, found a way to go to grad school to fulfill my dream of being a librarian to serve my calling to help people, and still remain positive to be a cheerleader and inspire others. Life is a journey filled with ups and downs. Challenges really do make you stronger and everything happens for a reason. You say, “Don’t I know it, but please continue Michelle, this is fascinating.”

Since you insisted, J I speak about my philosophy L L L L E E H: Live, Love, Laugh, Learn, Experience, Enjoy, & Help. One of the many tips and tricks I have learned for navigating life includes taking a deep breath and listing 3 things that I am thankful for. I also surround myself with photos, mementos, and things I love. One of my favorite quotes right now is, “The best things in life are the people we love, the places we’ve been, and the memories we’ve made along the way” but I haven’t found the owner of this statement. There are numerous methods that are quick and easy ways to improve a life - and everyone can do it.

Since you find my interview so significant, you decide you want to extend it beyond one show and ask me to give encouraging life tips all week. I can’t believe it, but I say yes. This is exactly what I have been dreaming of: A real platform to spread the joy and reach a lot of people. Ellen, you’re the best. This is a fake interview and I can dream up anything so let’s go all out and have you ask me to join your crew and work alongside you to bring happiness to the world. I can also earn more money to pay off my student loans and bills so I can dedicate more time to helping people without the stress and worry of money. I am the luckiest person in the world.

Ellen, I have always dreamed of being on your show because I love you, your attitude, your courage, and your humor, which is so needed in this world – thank you, thank you, thank you (you need three, just one isn’t enough). I am blessed to be here because I never thought I was good enough to be part of your show, but that’s the point, everyone is. I am a regular person who, like many others, has made it through life by persevering, overcoming adversities, learning, growing, sharing, and surviving everything that comes my way. If I can help others with what I have learned and show that despite the challenges you can still see beauty in life by adjusting your attitude, I will be happy. J This is another reason I consider myself to be the luckiest person in the world. Even with challenges, every day I can count my blessings and appreciate life.  

You say, “Michelle, thank you for being on my show. You are an amazing person with a kind heart. I applaud your goals of working to inspire and help others in any way you can.”

I say that You are a true original and I am grateful you expanded your guest selection to include me and my daughters. Thank you for all you do - and I’ll see you tomorrow :) 

You finish with, "Here is Celeste" and she amazes everyone with her beautiful voice.

3 Things

Today is a new day and I am still hoping for good news, relief from my pain, and the guidance to make the most of every moment (after all, I am the luckiest person in the world!). Gotta keep going because this is life! And I thank God (everyday) that I can experience the problems, pain, and frustration of life because the alternative is worse. I heard someone say that if you want to be where no one has stress, go to a cemetery. That seems harsh, yes, but if you think about it, it’s true. The bad may be over, but so is the good. And how many people do we know who wish family members could still be here to cause problems, pain, and frustration? 

The flip side is that life also allows beauty, love, laughter, hope, sunshine, and rainbows.

I will say it again, and I’m sure I’ve said it about 1000 times now, life is attitude. You choose it, you live it, you can’t blame anyone else for your situation. If you don’t like it, change it. Okay, so it’s not really that simple, but it can be done. Set a goal, work toward it, and you may reach it or end up somewhere better than where you started. And as a bonus you've learned along the way. One of my favorite quotes is "Shoot for the moon, even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars" by Les Brown.

Life is similar to a game; play it, but play it well. Let your conscience be your guide. As TobyMac sang, “I don’t want to gain the whole world and lose my soul.”

Christian music is one of my three. Three what, you ask? ‘Three’ is a technique I use (one of many) to handle stress. I stop, take a deep breath, and remember 3 things (blessings) that bring me joy. Today it is Christian music which is uplifting, brings me closer to God, and just feels good. I mentioned in the last post that the local K-Love station was not broadcasting on the Big Island for a week and it had an impact. The impact was really felt by others who had to hear me sing the songs I was missing and I apologize a thousand times over! Despite the fact that I was in choir and drama in high school, I never got a solo - and for good reason! I enjoyed singing and the fellowship of great people, but it was best when my voice blended in with the crowd. I was smiley and encouraging, the way I’ve always been, but I was never a good singer. After high school I kept my positive, upbeat attitude, but my voice seemed to get worse every year (again I apologize to those who hear me sing!)

My daughters, however, were blessed with beautiful singing voices. I listen to their performances all the time, even those from middle school and high school years. Where Celeste continued training her voice in college, and will star in her first lead opera role in Chicago this November, Olivia chose to concentrate on her nursing skills and Army leadership. Of course she still sings - she leads worship and sings her heart out for Jesus each week - but she did not make it a career like her sister.

Another blessing for this morning: SOCKS! I moved to Hawaii 15 months ago and still can’t bring myself to wear pants, long-sleeves, and shoes with socks unless I have to, because I am always hot!  And because two fans on me while sleeping wasn't enough, I bought an air conditioner; I named him Frosty. He increased my electric bill, but also my love of the tropics! I turn him on at night to cool down the apartment and then I sleep blissfully cool, sometimes with covers or socks on! See photo below :)

HGTV magazine was my third blessing for this morning. I love the station, the shows, the people - who are my rock stars (along with the Food Network and Cooking Channel folks!) and I would wait in long lines to get in to see them before I would a Journey concert. Oh wait, I did stand in a very long line, for a very long time at a library conference in Chicago and I was in the front row to see Giada DeLaurentiis - SOOOO worth it! I was able to see her the following year as well, she didn’t come to a conference, but the conference came to her. The American Library Association’s annual conference was held in Vegas and Giada had just opened her restaurant in The Cromwell. I urge you to go if you haven’t yet! Her food is as amazing and vivacious as she is. 

***My photos with Giada outrank the ones I took with Rick Springfield.

Back to my blessings. Be warned: I can talk until someone duct tapes my mouth, especially about libraries, so I better get back to the current topic. My three blessings this morning are Christian music, socks, and HGTV magazine which I like to read in the morning with my coffee. Here’s my advice to you: find what works for you. Research, experience, enjoy, try new things, ask -  especially if someone else may be able to assist you – boy, I sound like a librarian, yeah? If there is anything I can do, please leave a comment. My purpose in life is to help.

Keep looking on the bright side! Michelle :)

LUCKIEST PERSON IN THE WORLD!

Hi, I am Michelle and I AM THE LUCKIEST PERSON IN THE WORLD!

My motto: "Do good, be positive" and always look on the bright side.

I am not rich and famous. I am, however, rich in blessings and love (family & friends). I have a stressful job (but I am needed here), I am in pain and need a knee replacement, and while on vacation I found out I was a victim of identity theft. 

My daughter laughed at me at the end of that day when I had called/contacted employers, credit bureaus, banks, etc. because I basically said, "well, that's a bummer" - she thought it was the best response to the situation - and only her upbeat mom would say that!!!  By the way, both of my daughters carry that positive, sunshine gene that I passed on to them and got from my parents! :)

Here's how I get by... I look on the bright side and count my blessings everyday.

My goal in life is to continue being a "cheerleader" and inspiring others. God has graced me with a positive attitude along with the love of helping and supporting others, and I want to share it with everyone who could use it. 

Find your purpose, follow your passions, and above all else...Do good, be positive

Many blessings,
Michelle, Shelly, Shel-bel, Merm :)

Today's Tip for Inspiration

If you love beauty and inspirational quotes (like me) check out Momentum by Google.

The Momentum program is a personal dashboard that changes daily to keep you on track. It cycles through beautiful and interesting photos from around the world and features an inspirational quote at the bottom of each page. 

I love GOALS and this page makes it front-and-center. List your main focus as well as others on the cute little to-do list provided. Google is awesome and I love the colorful home page with the blue, red, and yellow Google lettering, however I prefer Momentum with the photos and kind words as my opening page in the Chrome browser. 

Below is my page for today.

Today's Quote:

“If you don't like where you are, change it. You're not a tree.”     Jim Rohn

Simple, yet says a lot! 

Check it out here: https://momentumdash.com and add a little inspiration and motivation to your day! As always, keep looking on the bright side. Michelle :)

Eco-Friendly

Life is different in Hawaii in many ways. The obvious ones include the sunshine, ocean, flowers, rainbows, and tropical bugs. The eco-life was more of a surprise to me. I wasn't prepared to become someone who keeps the lights off when they aren't REALLY needed, or cringe when I see someone throw away an item that is perfectly good for recycling or re-use (large glass peanut butter jars with the screw top ROCK for re-use - they are perfect for so many things!)

And did I mention the tropical bugs? This requires that flour, sugar, cereal, and basically anything that is open be stored in air-tight, Fort Knox packaging, or simply kept in the refrigerator. My fridge is packed with rice and mashed potatoes which makes it is a bit more difficult to access one of my coconut creamers. As I live on an island with limited land space, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and everything takes time to ship here, and I can't drink my coffee without creamer, it can be a fight to the death for certain items in the grocery store. So when I see my favorite flavor available in the dairy case, I stock up. I have purchased 6 large Coffee-Mate Coconut Creamers at one time - I always keep a spare for back up (and by spare I mean 4) after all, I have to keep the library stocked too.

I will post a separate story on the outrageous food prices, but luckily Target grocery offers the best price on my creamer (when in stock) and many other items I purchase regularly - LOVE TARGET! And by the way, I didn't have a Target store close by in Northern Michigan, and as a bonus this one has a Pizza Hut and Starbucks inside :)

Shopping at Target brings me to my next eco-point: plastic bags are scarce, nowhere to be found actually because they are banned to promote the zero-waste project on the Big Island. You get in the habit of grabbing a reusable shopping bag from the trunk and carrying it with you when entering stores or farmer's markets. If you're lucky, the store will provide a free paper bag, but mostly they just sell bags to you because how else are you going to transport all your items (a good deal for the store!) Murphy's law still applies when you bring one bag for a quick trip to the store only to purchase 3 bags worth of items! Has this practice helped? I don't know, but I hope so. I am much more aware of my surroundings and the impact I have on them now. In Michigan, life was beautiful and abundant. In Hawaii, life is eco-friendly.

Until next time, keep looking on the Bright Side :)
Michelle

Communication sure has changed!

Let's say I'm 12-years-old and want to talk to a friend. Our brown, rotary-dial telephone is attached to the wall in the kitchen. I would stand, or drag a chair over to the wall to talk, and sometimes stretch the cord to the table or down the hall.  Dialing took a minute to complete, especially if there were 8's, 9's, or zero's in the number. One nice benefit is that I usually did not have to dial the area code.

When the phone rang back in the old days, you picked it up to find out who was calling. You questioningly asked, "hello?" because you didn't already know. It could be for you, your siblings, your parents, or even a wrong number. No one had their own number, let alone carry it with them at all times.

Today I usually send a text when I want to contact a friend, but the choices are almost endless. We talk, text, email, and instant message, but also use social media sites and special applications such as What'sApp, You get the point. Just how many ways do we need? Apparently more, and they must have video. The world is definitely closer when I can see my family and participate in holiday dinners in Michigan when I now live in Hawaii.

So, send me a Snapchat and we'll talk!

Day One - of my adventure of a lifetime!

"It's day one of the rest of my life, it's day one of the best of my life..."an inspirational song from Contemporary Christian musician Matthew West.  Music, especially Smile FM or Family Life Radio, keeps me looking on the bright side.  The songs are uplifting and inspirational - which is how I choose to live my life.  I do love country (hello Luke Bryan!) and most other types of music, but my soul soars with Francesca Battistelli, For King and Country, Mandisa, Jason Gray, TobyMac, and Sidewalk Prophets.

I have been blessed with a life full of love, wonderful experiences, and miracles from God. Even the not-so-wonderful times have taught me lessons I needed to learn. I am grateful for my life, and this wonderful opportunity to begin a new adventure.

So today is day one of my new adventure.  A dream job, in a dream location...it wasn't a difficult decision.  I am going to take you on my journey from Michigan to Hawaii.  

Today I began sorting through clothes because I won't need the crazy amount of sweaters, sweatshirts, and jackets that I own and why do I have 3 robes and 2 sets of footie pajamas! 

My goal for my house is to get rid of 50%, store 25%, and bring 25% with me.  I will also sell my house if anyone is interested :)

Always look on the bright side.  Michelle :)