Practice Practice Practice

Yesterday I had a visit with a good friend over tea. We set some specific writing goals to work on during the Lent season. I am also currently taking an online writing course through writers dot com. The instructor is great and the focus is on consistent writing practice. The challenge for me is still to apply ‘chair glue’ and get the writing down, work on every practice assignment instead of just THINKING about writing. That may sound strange but it’s the truth. It comes down to the action once again. So I’m just thinking out loud on the page and reminding myself to stick with the practice every day because that is the only way my writing will improve. PRACTICE. PRACTICE. PRACTICE.

On a different note, I came across this book “Not Buying It, My Year without Shopping” by Judith Levine. She and her partner Paul decide to forego consumerism for a year. I love this idea because I find myself trying not to accumulate too much. I actually wrote about this back in January about clearing stuff out. But this concept deals with the flipside, not buying more non-essentials! This book chronicles her experiences for one whole year based on that decision.

February 22

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday I love you
Happy Birthday to you.

Rainbow

We left Bernardus Monday afternoon and hit quite a bit of rain on the drive home. Somewhere before Half Moon Bay the sky was very dark gray and this large arch of rainbow appeared. It was beautiful, this picture does not do it justice. Aside from the rainbow being God's promise to never flood the earth again, it is such a miracle to see them. I sense God's presence in his beautiful, visible promise and it brings joy to my heart.

Bernardus

Last weekend we went to Bernardus Lodge in Carmel Valley. It's about 2 hours south of San Francisco. We enjoyed a beautiful room equipped with a fireplace,that was probably the size of our whole apartment! An amazing dinner in the Harvest Room, a luxurious bath tub, a morning walk, coffee in the lodge/lobby, a yummy breakfast in our room and a deep tissue massage to top it off.

chopped

Remember this haircut scene in "Roman Holiday"?

Inside the hair salon Ann sits on one of the seats in front of
the large mirror, holding up her long hair as the hairdresser
(Mario Delani) fastens the cover around her.

MARIO DELANI [speaking rather hesitant English] What a wonderful
er, hair you have. [He asks her something in Italian].

ANN. Just cut, thank you.

MARIO DELANI. Just cut? [Takes the scissors from his hair] Well
then, cut, er, so? [he holds the hair at a certain length].

ANN. Higher.

MARIO DELANI. Higher? [He holds the hair further up] Here?

ANN. More.

MARIO DELANI. Here?

ANN. Even more.

MARIO DELANI [impatiently] Where?

ANN [she holds her hair at the shoulders] There.

MARIO DELANI. There. [Snapping his scissors nervously] Are you
sure, Miss?

ANN [emphatically] I'm quite sure, thank you.

MARIO DELANI [he turns he round in the chair, taking her hair in
his hand] All off?

ANN. All off. (MARIO DELANI [uncomfortable as he
starts cutting off her long hair] Off.) Ann sits in the salon
still, her hair covering her face.

MARIO DELANI [pulling apart her hair to see her] Are you sure?

ANN [impatiently] Yes.

MARIO DELANI [dropping her hair back over her face] Yes. [As he
cuts her locks off, working his way round] Off! off; off...[wipes
his forehead with his arm]. Back in the salon, the
hairdresser cuts of the last lock of her hair.

MARIO DELANI. Off! [He stands to the side of her as they both
study the end result as Ann moves her head slightly from side to
side. She looks down at something but, engrossed in her, the
hairdresser jerks her head back to the centre to get a better
view].

ARIO DELANI. You musician, maybe? You artist, aha? Painter...? I
know: you model! [She smiles, flattered] Model, hah?

ANN. Thank you.

MARIO DELANI [says some Italian] Finito. It's perfect.

ANN. Oh.

MARIO DELANI [as the hairdresser turns her round from side to
side, looking in the mirror] Y-y-you be nice without long hair.
Now, it's cool, hmm? Cool?

ANN [turning her head to the side, playing with the ends] Yes,
it's, it's just what I wanted.

(This is from the actual script of Roman Holiday I found online.)

Well that was a little how I felt yesterday! It got a new, short haircut! About three or four inches gone. It was time for a change and I am happy with it.

Replenish the Soul

I have plenty of my own words I need to write but those will have to be on another posting, because I was moved by this part I read in "When the Heart Waits" by Sue Monk Kidd today:

"The soul craves experiences that offer it the rich depths of God. Silence, solitude, holy leisure, simplicity, prayer, journaling, the Eucharist, rituals that touch the space of the Mystery, symbols and images, the Bible, laughter, delight in the divine Presence, deep encounters with creation, and the merciful coming together of human hearts. All these feed the soul, producing energy for living the transformed life.

When I fail to feed my soul, I soon notice that I have less strength for living authentically. At times my energy becomes depleted. Weakened, I'm more apt to revert to old patterns. That's when I need to return to the deeper pockets and replenish my soul. There's truth in Psalm 23: allowing oneself to be led by still waters really does restore the soul."

JANUARY 22

Dear Michael Hutchence,

I remember when I first heard “The One Thing” and “Don’t Change’ on the airwaves in the early 80’s. INXS became my favorite band. The music, the lyrics, your charisma, the Australian accents, just everything appealed to me! I feel fortunate to have seen you in concert at least eight times circa 1982-1997.

It’s still hard to believe that you died nine years ago. When I hear your voice or see you singing on video, I can hardly fathom that you tragically left this world on 11/22/97. After a number of years, I’m glad the band decided to continue. They deserve to pursue and share their gifts and passion, being such talented musicians. I admit that I’m not all that fond of their new singer, J.D. Fortune. I choose to remain in the era of the band with your vocals. I still enjoy all of your many, many songs and continue to find inspiration in your music.

I found a number of videos, live performances and interviews of you on You Tube! You indeed live on. I know there are so many other fans out there and you touched many lives in your all-too-brief life. Happy Birthday on what would have been your 47th year.

Quote

"We are at our very best, and we are happiest, when we are fully engaged in work we enjoy on the journey toward the goal we've established for ourselves. It gives meaning to our time off and comfort to our sleep. It makes everything else in life so wonderful, so worthwhile" - Earl Nightingale

More lovely Audrey

Inspiring Audrey

There is a whole You Tube universe out there! This is Audrey Hepburn reading from the Diary of Anne Frank.

Go Patriots!

Good game, Tom Brady, Serra boy!

Arctic Cold

It's really cold here!! They say were have a freeze warning in effect tonight thru Saturday morning. Got to bundle up!

Justin

Happy belated birthday cute nephew. Lots of love and good wishes for a wonderful 11th year!

2 things

I saw 2 good ideas on other blogs this week:

1) Stop buying non-essential things for a specified time (Jan. 8 posting "Stop Buying Crap") http://www.crazyauntpurl.com/

2) Save money to travel (Jan. 10 posting "Travel as a Tool for Spiritual Growth") http://www.travelingforever.com/blogs/

Clutter be gone...again

I started reading “It’s All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff” by Peter Walsh, from TLC's Clean Sweep (which I’ve heard of but never seen, we don’t have cable.) He has an optimistic approach to clutter. He asks you, “How do you imagine your life?” and some other good questions. Clutter is not only physical; it affects us on an emotional/mental level too.

So I made my rounds through our little apartment and managed to purge even more. I copied the remainder of my CD’s to the computer & ipod (w/G’s help) therefore; eliminating the last CD rack which opened up some space under the table where it sat for a couple years. I instantly felt the ‘breathing space’ once it was gone. Did some sorting and organizing, even tossed some old art & calligraphy supplies I haven’t used in years, along with some books and magazines which are a bit more challenging because I LOVE books. Every time I get a new one(s), I try to discard the same amount or more, in fact that is one of his principles for various items with limited space.

When I looked in my closet yet again, I asked the question and went right to a black suit I’ve been holding onto which was only used for job interviews years ago. Turns out, I don’t see myself wearing a suit and it went in the donation bag. It’s interesting to imagine how you see your life and what you how you want to use the rooms in your home. I want more travels and experiences, and I want our home to be cozy, colorful and supportive of both our dreams and goals, which I’d say it pretty much is.

It’s an ongoing process but I feel like I’m finally getting closer to having less extraneous stuff, and more things that are useful and have a purpose.

faith-plus-action

I want my word to be the opposite of fear. My instinct was the word FAITH. I remember an acronym (For All I Trust Him) and truly, if that is how I lived, I don’t think fear would be such an issue. I would believe and trust that I could handle all that comes my way. Therefore, free to try something, take risks, overcome, succeed and even fail because that’s part of learning. Also, faith that everything will ultimately be okay and work out as it should whether I understand or not. Faith to let my loved ones be all they are and do all they need to do, sans worry.

But there’s more.

I need ACTION for anything to happen. Seek, go, and do. For example, get back on track and drop a couple pounds that crept back on, start a yoga practice, write (already signed up for a class on writers.com!) , fellowship & service, and travel. Really these are my same interests and plans that just require some a-c-t-i-o-n.

So my one word is now three:
FAITH-PLUS-ACTION

words

Happy New Year!

I just read in the "aezine" email from Ali Edwards about choosing a word for the year to focus, meditate and reflect upon, while going about daily life and learning to incorporate that word. I really like her idea. Ali writes:

"Can you identify a single word that sums up what you want for yourself in 2007? It can be something tangible or intangible. It could be a thought or a feeling or an emotion. It can be singular or plural. The key is to find something that has personal meaning for you. This is not your mother's word or your spouse's word or your child's word - this is YOUR word.

One little word can have big meaning in your life if you allow yourself to be open to the possibilities. And here's one thing that is totally interesting: sometimes a word will pop into your brain and it will not make any sense to you right now. Give it some time. Let it percolate a bit. I have often found that our hearts speak to us in very unique ways. Maybe this is a word you need to hear but just aren't ready for it yet. Again, be open to the possibilities."

I have an idea about my word, just need to moodle (Brenda Ueland's word, sp?) a little and get precise. It has to do with adventure & risk! What about you?
Ali Edward's site is at: http://aliedwards.typepad.com/

Santa Cruz & Capitola

Adobe on Green

Back from our get-away to Santa Cruz. We stayed at a great B&B, the Adobe on Green. A quaint, quiet place to stay walking distance to shops, cinemas and restaurants. You never see the staff here, you're on your own once you arrive. They leave your key and all the info you need and provide access to a computer and wireless access for your own laptop, a DVD library, a sitting room by a fireplace, and access to a nice kitchen where they serve a breakfast buffet. The room has a separate tub and shower. The tub has jacuzzi jets in it! It's a beautiful location and quiet, we definitely recommend it. (www.adobeongreen.com)

Alaska cold

Today was beautiful. Cold like Alaska, but very clear out. Taking care of business and getting ready for a new year. Next is a family visit and then a romantic get-away w/George. I upgraded this blog and will be adding links and lists in the sidebar soon. If I don't get back here to share before Monday, I wish you a happy New Year!

My latest Haiku:

Short days of winter
Possibilities abound
As a new year dawns