Ashley Grey

Tag Archives: stories

bonding over our bonfire on new year's eve

Bonding over a raging New Year’s Eve bonfire! And what a bonfire! Wild camping or should I say beach camping eating and chatting with amazing folks! What’s not to love? The beach is still a popular travel destination more than ever as restrictions are lifted and the world opens up. Beach lovers, say aye! There was music, singing, dancing, and fun games.  This little guy, Emmanuel beat me at a board game. Ouch! He’s quite skilled. Who knew? Not me. So, I lost. Getting to know Philldel, another smart kid was a pleasure too and I think what a blessing to have these special moments. Moments later, two riders on horseback appeared and stopped to chat, drawn by the bonfire. I thought their horses were elegant. The horses are still up at this hour. What? I watched as one of them led his horse into the water, pretending, they were…

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travel experience

Hacks deliver the best experiences and these 8 tested hacks for the best travel experience are worth remembering as they save precious time and money and make a trip memorable in a pleasant way. That said, I must add that a great attitude makes for a great travel experience.Someone shared a story some time ago about taking a trip on a public bus and described the experience as “the bumpiest and most bizarre journey of my life.” Chickens strolling casually and nibbling toes, goats strapped on the roof of the bus, and the driver playing an ABBA tune for 3 hours.Guess what! The storyteller loved the experience. What can I say? A great attitude goes a long way. Doesn’t it? By the way, taking public transportation is a good way to learn quick facts about the city you are visiting. It takes some courage though because you never know what…

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Real experiences: how to create your happy workplace

Looking to create a happy workplace? We need more than ever to learn how to create a happy workspace in order to be more productive, and what better way to learn than from real stories of people at work? The workplace can be both a dream workplace and a productive one too, right? Like me do you wonder why some people work at a place for so many years? Some as long as 15 or more years. Pretty long, huh? Perhaps, they learned to recognize a potentially toxic environment like the one described here. Hmm! Let’s dive into the subject of this post, shall we? Real experiences to help create a happy workspace Manny says “Friendly colleagues, stop to smile and say hi! My input counts. Successes are acknowledged, and even when something goes south, there isn’t any yelling or unpleasantness. These make me look forward to going to work.…

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Where can I find kefir?

Where can I find kefir or kefir grains? For the love of the nutrition that’s in kefir, I’d climb Afadjato again. Er! Not really. That mountain hiking experience was grueling and you can read about it here. But, hopefully, you get my point about how I hold nourishment in high regard. Sure, yogurt is great but if there’s something more nourishing out there like kefir, I’d go for it. Sort of give yogurt a rest. Eating should be an adventure too, I dare say. So, where can I find kefir grains in Accra to make kefir? Jack Sprat could eat no fat. His wife could eat no lean. And so between them both, you see, They licked the platter clean. Nice nursery rhyme about a couple’s eating tradition there! They don’t seem that adventurous with meals, do they? Do I digress? What’s the deal with Kefir and where can I…

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how to be amazing: the no shame uncommon life.

How to be amazing, live an uncommon life, and have no cause to be ashamed, is something isn’t it? Each day presents hopes as well as challenges! A preacher once remarked about a certain widow, who dismissed what she had by saying “I have nothing except this jar of oil.”  Well, guess what? That jar of oil multiplied. The best part was the averted shame and disgrace from lack. Want to read the full story here? Indeed, our thoughts and the glass through which we look matter. We can live our best lives in spite of our fears or crippling thoughts. In this post, I share a social worker’s perspective about living an uncommon life. Maybe we can learn to walk or stay on the path to the no BS, fulfilling life that we seek. Well, let’s get to it, shall we? A Fulfilled Life? “You only live once, but…

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Accra Coconut Festival:

The International Coconut Festival taking place in Accra is indeed off to a good start. I was not quite sure what to expect. Perhaps, an unlimited supply of coconut food. Sure! Maybe floats made from coconut husks? We’ll see! A coconut festival should mean a fresh, creamy, delightful experience with juicy coconuts. Right! That was good enough for me. The coconut festival idea is intriguing. Also, I get excited about subjects that inspire green, and organic living, so, I went to check out the event. Nuts for the coconuts! There weren’t any floats of coconut pods. One can only hope, yes? Attendance was good though. There was learning. There are huge dividends to investing in the coconut industry because of the versatile nature of the fruit. Not to mention the different species and varieties available. We get oil, water, and milk, and make smoothies from the fruit. The list of…

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Blogging and business growth

I began blogging to share my thoughts, express stuff I am passionate about as succinctly as possible, and hopefully, inspire readers to be free, happy, and successful. It’s been over a year. Going on two since my first post. I have learned a few things on the journey and I share them with you. So, let’s dive in, shall we? blogging is nurturing The HitsI learned about hits and look out for them. Sometimes, the numbers go up. Other times, not so much and may lead to self-doubt from wanting more traffic. But a growth process is visible. I see growth in the lows and highs and I think this is good, which leads me to the next lesson I learned. Blogging will make one patient. It takes patience and some planning to enjoy the rewards of blogging; in the process, you learn patience. Farmers understand nurturing to fruition and…

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Authenticity is tough. Our fears, and need for acceptance, make it difficult to be our real selves sometimes. I wrote a cover letter some time ago. I felt a sample cover letter I found online was a good copy. Not quite. Looking back, I presented myself differently from my true personality. That was neither authentic nor my best self. authenticity is freshness. What does authenticity look like? Often, humans have the innate ability to spot originality and the inauthentic, don’t we? After all, they are as different as night from day.  So, I will say watch for when the goal is not people-pleasing because then uniqueness emerges. Uniqueness isn’t common, is it? Now I am reminded of stronger verbs and sentence structures. I will explain. Mary went to an evening class to find out if she could make her writing better.Mary attended an evening class to discover if she could…

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Choose a good name.

A quote by George Carlin in Brain Droppings attests to the fact that a good name is desirable. There are women named Faith, Hope, Joy, and Prudence. Why not Despair, Guilt, Rage, and Grief? George Carlin Indeed, why not? Easy! Names stick and we want to get them right. Why bear the name “Despair” and not “Hope”? “Guilt” sounds depressing already, doesn’t it? SASH-T, sent in this account of a choice she made a few years ago. I imagine that it couldn’t have been an easy one to make.  Choosing right in the face of overwhelming situations is often, not convenient.  But she was rewarded as we will see. Her story, I hope, encourages someone who might be facing something similar. I share it below.        I was following up on my application for a job and this is what the then acting director hesitantly asked me. “Did…

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9/19