Tag Archives: writing

April 27, 2010 · 10:33 pm

Choose

We all come to a certain point in our lives where we have to make a choice that will alter our life as we know it.  The choice can be subconscious, deliberate, spontaneous or well thought out but we all face a time when we are forced to decide.  I am at this intersection now.

I am happy and comfortable in my teaching job, working with five-year-old children, inspiring them, comforting them and confronting each day with the wonder of these children, awaiting the next discovery, surprise, or a book that is destined to become their favorite.  Teaching is a wonderful career, but lately, a new seed of an idea has sprouted in my mind.  It is the writing calling me to the keyboard, to the world of pages.   I choose to write. I choose to take action to propel myself forward into the world of author and book.

My choice opens my eyes to author events, book signings, new books, magazines, and the literary circle that welcomes me with open arms.  I choose to take this path and will discover where it takes me.


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April 11, 2010 · 10:19 am

Change

Change can be empowering, frightening, enlightening, depressing, difficult or exciting.  Often change is all of these emotions at the same time, which is possibly why so many of us are hesitant to voluntarily take change on.  Usually change happens “to” us, or we are forced to change against our will.

I have always been emotional during life-stage changes such as children growing up and entering new phases of their lives, weddings, births, deaths, and moving on, either to a new home, new job, new place in my life.  Change does not come easily because it places us in an uncomfortable unknown place and we crave the familiar.

At some point though, we begin to crave change.  We look in the mirror and say “enough!” Or we see an opportunity to grow intellectually, spiritually or to improve our health or our surroundings and we say “yes.”  We initiate the change, and that is a huge step to insuring its success.  Change embraced is change most likely to be effective.

I am embracing change.  I have three areas that I will focus on:  health, spirituality, and responsibility.  I will change my health habits to protect my body and to assure my health by exercising daily walking, with yoga, strength training, pilates and Qigong (my new-found exercise area of interest.

I will focus on spirituality through meditation (One Moment Meditation), connecting with people I care about, and those I want to help and self-reflection.

I will focus on responsibility by taking responsibility to educate myself about the things I need to take care of myself and live the life I want to live.  Those include financial responsibility, staying connected to those I care about, performing my best at my job, challenging my intellect and being there, emotionally and physically, for my friends and family.

Change is not something that comes easily to me, it is an area that I chose to work on.  My life is not stagnant and my self-initiated changes are more likely to have a positive impact on my life.

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March 25, 2010 · 10:06 pm

Finding Time

Where does the time go?

I am searching for time.  Recently I seem to be dwelling in an abyss of obligations, commitments and sleep deprivation.  Time eludes me and when I do find it, it travels swiftly through the hourglass, reminding me of that old soap opera, The Days of Our Lives.  How can I accomplish what I need to and what I want to?  I am convinced I have to restructure time and set new boundaries for myself.

1.  Limit time on the computer, specifically on social media.  Computers are time suckers.  They seem so efficient and helpful but in reality they are magnets that attract you and then hold you fast.  There is no such thing as “quickly checking your e-mail.”  To attempt to quickly do anything is to enter the labyrinth of the cyber world.  Exiting is a tricky task.

2.  Walk every day.  Walking allows for time to think, plan, wonder, imagine and enjoy the world.  Walking may seem like a time-consuming activity, but the benefits outweigh the time commitment.  The benefit of good health, improved attitude and clarity come along with the obvious benefit of the exercise itself.

3.  Learn to say “no.”  Saying “no” in order to stick to your own plan and your own schedule is different from saying “no” just because you are selfish, or self-involved.   You can help people, and do favors, but just learn to put yourself first and take care of your needs.

Three new rules are enough.  They provide the structure I need and if there were more rules, it would just take too much time anyway.



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February 7, 2010 · 10:34 pm

The Sun Came Out

Vroman's Bookstore: A book lovers fantasy.

Today, for the first time in a week, the sun was out when I woke up, providing rays of hope for a day filled with energy and productivity.  This is the first day in the three weeks since “the fall” that I have had enough energy to stay in an upright position for the majority of the day.  I decided to do a bit of belated Happiness Project goals from January in the form of moving energy, i.e. cleaning my cherished writing area of the massive amounts of clutter that have accumulated in three weeks and concurrently, I decided to de-germ our home since we have been under the influence of a nagging cold for the better part of the week.  I carefully listed the areas to be cleaned and I am happy to say I actually made good progress.  I can see the desktop, as well as the surfaces of a few random tables.  Papers have been filed, are waiting to be shredded or are resting comfortably in the trash bin.  I have (gag) paid bills, deleted e-mails and sent communications and now am finally settling in to write my latest thought.

I have decided that I want to be a featured author/speaker at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena.  I have fallen in love with this quaint store that is old (1894), classic in its independence and it’s style:  two-stories, sporting wood shelving and paneling and featuring real booksellers.  Yes, the people who work there are actually booksellers, not retail salespeople and they know of which they speak, their love and knowledge of books permeating the store.  The store features events:  book groups, talks, signings, and readings all listed on its informative website where you can find everything you want to know about this amazing store, past, present and future.

The Pasadena area is a great place for a field trip too, pedestrian friendly with many interesting places to eat.  The community is old and established, the home of the famous Rose Parade and the Rose Bowl its streets lined with mature trees and lovely, stately homes.  Traveling to Vroman’s is like taking a little visit back in time to days when times were simpler, technology was less and books read in their proper form, typeset on paper hardbound with sturdy jackets to protect the binding and flaps of information to entice the reader.

I can visualize myself upstairs in the area reserved for book events, presenting my new book to an enthusiastic crowd who waits patiently to have me sign their newly purchased copy of the book and perhaps pose with me for a picture.  A day when I will sit in the little café in Vroman’s and sigh, “I did it.”

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January 28, 2010 · 9:08 pm

Commiting To Happiness

I made this butterfly cake to celebrate Hope's wonderful journey described in her book The Possibility of Everything.

Last night I spent the evening surrounded by some of my favorite women in the comfortable, serene atmosphere of my friend Sue’s home.  We had delicious potluck (somehow with this group there is always the right combination of food) and conversation followed by a great talk and description of her journey by Hope Edelman.  Her book: The Possibility of Everything is a fascinating story of trust, alternative viewpoints and hope. Hope writes in a most compelling way, and I felt involved in her story on many levels.  First of all, as a mother, I felt compassion for her struggles with her daughter and her commitment to help her daughter come out on the other side.  Secondly, I related to her role as a mother/wife/writer who has temporarily lost her sense of self.  Thirdly, her struggles with her relationship felt all too familiar, balancing time and the energy it takes to support modern lifestyles.  Hope inspired me to write more and to find out what my story will be.

Gretchen Rubin and Me at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena

Monday night I had  another literary adventure attending the book signing of Gretchen Rubin of The Happiness Project at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena.  First of all, as my friend Danielle and I entered the store, audible gasps could be heard from us as we took in the amazing variety of wonderful things, books, cards, gifts and more books.  And, it’s two stories of wonderfulness!  We made our way upstairs in the elevator and enjoyed listening to Gretchen describe her realization of her need to create more happiness in her life. Reading both her blog and her book has motivated me to appreciate more, create what I need and to focus on happiness. We waited for the line to go down and got her signature in our books.  I even managed to have her write a note to my sister-who was unable to attend.  Spreading the happiness.

As we were leaving, we noticed that Friday night, Elizabeth Gilbert of Eat, Pray, Love fame will be talking about and signing her new book, Commitment.  We got two books and two tickets and are looking forward to another night of book talk.

I want to be surrounded and embraced by books, words, new thoughts, random punctuation, other worlds and unforseen experiences.  And through some serendipity, I am.  My next task is to visualize myself as the writer, the creator and eventually the person giving the book talk.  Everything is possible with a commitment to happiness.

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January 17, 2010 · 6:55 pm

Slowing Down-Six Weeks in a Cast

There is a saying that things often happen for a reason and while I usually believe it, I don’t always need such a blatant reminder to slow down and appreciate the more mellow side of life.  Yet, that is what I know must do, thanks to DWP and a faulty, sunken water meter.

As I walked my dog Charlie, a slow walking dog of 10 years, around my neighborhood, quasi-training for the Avon Breast Cancer Walk I will be completing in September, My foot twisted painfully as I stepped on what I thought was level sidewalk, but was instead a 3″ drop.

The Evil Water Meter

So, as I lay on the ground, Charlie staring at me quizzically, I pondered my choices and decided I had none but to limp the 30 minutes home.  My, that tennis shoe was tight by the time I got home!  I was sure it was just a sprain, so I wrapped it tightly and continues with my usual active life.

Finally, Tuesday, my husband suggested quietly that I might want to see a doctor-since my foot was quite purple.  The doctor thought it was most likely a spain, but she would call the next day if the x-rays showed more.  At noon the next day, while eating lunch in the staff lunchroom, my phone rang and I was requested to show up at the orthopedic doctor the next morning.  After 2 hours I left with a lovely bright pink cast.

The lovely cast covered by a "sock" because my toes are freezing! I have a walking boot too!

I can no longer hop up and down multitasking, turn on a dime, maneuver effortlessly through my kindergarten classroom or sadly, walk Charlie.  My training for the Avon Walk is on hold, as is yoga class.  What is left?  I can plow through that ominous stack of books, write, balance my budget and take control of my finances, sit sipping green tea and work on my Happiness Project. It actually is possible to slow down.

When they say that everything happens for a reason, I guess my reason is to take the time to stop and appreciate things because after all, it is hard to focus on things when you move so quickly that life is a blur.

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January 7, 2010 · 11:03 pm

Literary Magnetisism

I suddenly realize that the reason I cannot get things done is because I am a literary magnet.  I am heading towards the end of my three-week winter break and I am looking around at a house with tables covered with papers, remnants of the past holiday in the form of scented pine cones in baskets, a credenza that refuses to show its surface and various environmentally friendly bags hanging randomly on knobs of all sorts.  The conclusion I have come to is that the reason I am not successfully cleaning my house, organizing my papers and clearing surfaces is because I cannot stop reading.

I am hopelessly addicted to books, beautifully and artistically stacked on my side table, my desk, my night table and the credenza, and am reading 3 concurrently, but it does not end there because I have a mirad of magazine articles I have saved to read and my latest addiction:  Blogs.  It is such a treat to read the musings of so many wonderful writers, like small appetizers that fill up my time while I await my main course of one of the books tempting me.  I am hopeless and cannot stop!  I am staying up way too late and have had to buy a small reading light to allow my husband to sleep while I read into the wee hours.  Sadly, some people have to get up and go to work.

I am beginning to panic at the thought of going back to work next week as I have totally adapted to life in the pages.  Luckily the reading inspires writing so I am not falling too far behind in that area, but I worry about the panic I am likely to feel Sunday night as I realize I didn’t carry out the household tasks I listed at the beginning of the break.  Life is short though, and time well-spent reading is my dessert.

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December 31, 2009 · 11:14 pm

Collaging The New Year

Simple New Year’s traditions are habitual for me.  I relish creating goals, lists and most recently, collages-visual representations of my hopes for the new year ahead.  I drag my family into this activity, but secretly I think they love the creative, artistic escape of sitting around the big kitchen table with piles of magazines torn apart in the search for the perfect picture or word.  This mellow time of sharing, hunting together and putting our hopes and dreams for the future out on the table, stuck to small boards with white glue, is one of the few rare times we all sit engaged in a common activity that doesn’t require electricity.  I often yearn for a technology-free day of time spent sharing an activity that requires personal interaction and the time we spend creating our New Year’s collages is a close as I get.

Before I can create my collage I have to consider what I want to visualize for the new year and that can be inspired by magazine images or ideas I’ve had floating around for a while.  Setting goals is organized ambition and my inspiration after reading my daughter’s blog is to think of three goals and bring them to life with visual images that will inspire me during the year.  I usually put my collage in a prominent place where I see it first thing in the morning and remind myself to be cognizant of my actions.  So here goes,  this year’s goals are:

1.  To Write-I want to write blogs, journals, poems, stories, comments, and articles.  I want to improve and grow as a writer.  I will read, a lot, to be inspired, to learn, to be entertained, to relax and to escape.  I think that reading and writing go hand in hand and surrounding myself in the literary world will help me create a place for myself in that world.  It also is much nicer than watching mindless TV, although at times, mindless TV comes in handy too.

2.  To Walk-I want to keep my commitment to walk an hour each day both as a great health goal, and as training for the Avon Breast Cancer Walk I will be participating in next September.  Walking provides time to think, to listen to music or motivating walking CDs, or to watch a little of that mindless TV if I am on the treadmill at the gym.  Walking connects me to the world, my neighborhood or places of nature and I feel better after walking thanks to increased endorphins.

3.  To Move Forward-I am ready, more than ready, to move forward and away from 2008-2009 and towards a decade of increased awareness, a plan leading to goals, a life that is more in line with what is important to me:  family, friends, health, and personal creativity.  I am ready to accept help in getting started on my yellow brick road from any good fairy willing to help, and I do know that I have the power within me to make the changes, and start the walk down that road leading to my own version of Oz.

This was the quote from Creative Catalyst today:

“The masters at the art of living make little distinction between their work and their play, their labor and their leisure, their minds and their bodies, their information, their recreation,their love and their religion. They hardly know which is which. They simply pursue their vision of excellence at whatever they do – leaving others to decide whether they are working or playing.”

~James Michener

With that in mind, here’s to a year of playing!  Happy 2010!



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