Just Another Life Transition...

My life is a series of transitions. Times where things shift in such a way that it requires a period of adjustment. I'm in one of those times now. As usual it requires a willingness to let go of the familiar and embrace the confusion of this moment. I'd like to say I know where I'll come out, but the reality is, I don't. 

It's been my experience that the less I attach myself to the familiar the easier the transition is. With transition comes confusion. I struggle to come to terms with what's changed and what will stay the same. Letting go of old patterns of thinking and embracing the new ones isn't easy. There's an anxiousness. A burning need to see what's on the other side. The unknown. 

One of the things I'm going to have to let go of for the time being is my blog and, sadly, my reviews. A sabbatical of sorts. While I don't know many specifics of the change, there are a few things I do know.

+ I've begun a new area of study. I'm currently completing course work through the Celebrant Foundation and Institute.

+ Ritual has always been important to me.

+I've struggled to create a sense of spirit in my life after choosing to leave 
  organized religion behind.

+ This new work will engage my writing, and creativity to provide meaningful
   ritual and personal ceremony during important life transitions we all 
   experience over and over again in our lives.  

As I enter this labyrinth of change, unsteady and anxious, I am confident, that like the many transitions that have gone before,  I will emerge a better person. My desire to serve others in meaningful ways and connect with others on a deeper level will be improved and I'll become truer to the person that I am, the person I want to be. 

There are a couple of loose ends that I will need to tie-up. 

On July 24th, Project Madison's 2nd birthday, I will be releasing the second edition of the first book, under a new title, If Dogs Could Blog. 

Next week I will release the new cover design, with chances to win copies. This new edition features illustrations by both the original artist the same creative gals that did It's NOT Just A Dog! 

I have a few more Author to Author interviews that I will be posting down the road.

When I will return to a more regular blogging schedule and what that will look like still remains a mystery. But, rest assured...I will be back...

In the meantime, I'll be lurking around my favorite blogs, finding new ones and periodically, when I have something worth saying I may pop on for some dialogue.

Thank you for your understanding. 

I hope this resonates with some of you. If so, let me know, it would be nice to hear from others that have or are going through a life transition. 

Celebrating Teen Read Week: Dive by Hannah Safren

In support of ALA's Teen Read Week I'll be highlighting a new TEEN read each day! Don't miss one!

Published: April 12th 2013
ISBN: 1938912284
Genre: YA
Publisher: Write Bloody Publishing
Themes: baseball, friends, family, coping, change
Add it on: Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes And Noble/ *Indie Bound*

About The Book: The empowering story of one female athlete's incredible discovery of what it means to truly feel alive. Based on Reba Tutt's heart-wrenching life and fight, Dive details the painful, yet empowering process of healing. The murder of Reba's older sister, Ari, fuels painful flashbacks and unstitches eight years of Reba's healing. With just two months to go before graduation, Reba is consumed by the past, lost in the present and hesitant for the future. With the support of her boyfriend, Pittsburgh basketball player Ronald Ramon, the guidance of her father, and the need to keep her final promise to her mother, Reba learns what it means to accept and persevere through life's many challenges.

First Line: That winter I didn't know if I'd make it.

Quotable Quote: "Surviving is simple. It's nothing more than breathing, moving, eating, and sleeping. Living, however, requires far more than just being alive; it requires feeling alive. It requires a sense of fearlessness and an urge to grow- not just because the days pass, but for a reason, for a purpose." (Chapter 13)

What Other's Are Saying: "I couldn't see the main problem here. Well, yes I know Reba Tutt was trying to move one, but that was just it. I remember couple days ago my lecture said that the main character can't build the story by itself, supporting characters are important. But in this story, the supporting characters had nothing to do with the main topic. So the story is just all about Reba Tutt. In each chapter, Reba brought out a piece of her journals. This is what I liked the most, the journal! There are so many inspiring words on them." —Awesome Nerd

Plays for the Pittsburg Panthers

What I Thought: This was a wonderful non-fiction about overcoming obstacles. I loved how Reba used her sports to relieve her stress and give her something to focus on. It would have been easy for her to just give-up and succumb to her sadness. Even though the story is a bit thin on character and plot development, the journal entries are enough to propel this to a great read for teens. Especially, anyone facing adversity. The message: Life is more than just surviving. 

More about Reba:
WP Sports
Pittsburg Panthers
Twitter
Google News

About The Author: 
Hannah Safren
Website
Facebook
Twitter

A Tribute To My Aunt Jean

It's hard to put into words how I feel about Aunt Jean's passing. Of course the natural emotions of loss and nostalgia pure over me, but there's something else. A strange sense of frustration as I try to bring to mind her facial expressions, her voice and most of all her personality. We were robbed of all or most of that years ago as multiple sclerosis ravaged her body. How can we not feel a sense of unfairness? The utter waste, as each year more of Jean disappeared.

I can't help wondering why it is that some are snapped up in an instant. They're here one moment and then their gone. Why others linger, trapped in a body that no longer serves their soul, and we mourn each lost faculty, one heartbreaking moment at a time. 

You won't hear me reciting familiar, age old Psalms about comfort and peace. I won't justify it all with a simple, God works in mysterious ways or she's in a better place. Not because I don't feel those things, I do. As a matter of fact I envision Jean painting, moving her brush across the canvas of the sky, tilting the light between the leaves just right. I feel her warmth in the sun on my face, the squeeze of her hand as I caress my grandchild as he sleeps. 

I don't have any answers. Any more than I understand the suffering around the world and how a loving God could stand by, let alone watch. I'm saddened by the greed and pride that wreak havoc on our world. It's easy to feel despondent, lost upon the sea, as others yell their judgements, calling unbelievers sinners and puff themselves with pride that they have all the answers. 

But I don't need any simple answers. I don't need to understand all the mysteries of why some are born with sight and others never see. I'm content with what I know. Which isn't very much. 

When I think of my Aunt Jean, I think of light. How her life, however stifled it appeared, still brought joy to those around her. She may not have been famous or discovered something new, but her energy of spirit drove all that's right about this world. 

So when I'm sad or frustrated I can think of my Aunt Jean who always made me feel so special, like a little princess in her care. I remember sitting still in a chair as she gently brushed my hair and pinned it up. She whispered in my ear how fun it was to have a girl since my cousins were all boys. Once or twice while attending USU, I popped into their church service and surprised them with a visit. She introduced me proudly, beaming ear to ear. I've never forgotten her artist eyes, always bright and open wide as if she didn't want to miss a moment of the beauty of this world. There was an energy within her, a light that never wained. She gifted that to us, to all of us that knew her. I'm proud to carry a small part within my heart.

Jean's been on my mind for the last few months and I regret not reaching out, there was something I was sensing, a kind of soul connection. I hope someday, when I feel those tugs of spiritual communion, I'll be more inclined to act. I want so badly for her to know how much her life meant to me. 

There is something I can do. I'll bring more joy to those around me, help them see the beauty that she saw. Because when all this earth has passed away—all we really have are our connections to each other—they're what matter in the end. 

What i know...

Today I'm attending the unexpected funeral of my dear father-in-law. He was a very special man and will be very missed. It is at times like these you are forced to think about what is really important. Sharing this post again, felt appropriate. Enjoy! I'll be back on Monday...

     There was a time when everything was simple. I was either right or I was right. Remember that? We believed that what we knew was the way it was. Concrete, black and white, wrong and right. People either fit into my world because they agreed with me or I didn't care to hear their point of view, because it would be a waste of my time. Right?

    I'm sure you have heard the saying, "the older I get the less I know". Well, I am here to tell you that not everyone gets to that point. There are some that never arrive at a point where they are willing to either listen or admit there could be another way. Those are the people I feel sorry for. Those are the ones that fail to see the purpose of creation. 

     The artist knows that a true creation is a living breathing piece of life. Even the master artist continues to adjust his point of view. A writer soon realizes that the beginning of his work is really somewhere in the middle and the end is only a temporary stopping place. 

      So when I look at my life, I see a series of moving pieces always adjusting to new information. Some would say that living your life this way is "wishy-washy" or without commitment. However, I would argue that spending time maintaining stasis when life is all about change is just plain ignorant. Just as the scientist has his hypothesis that is proved or disproved, I am constantly learning new perspectives that naturally change my point of view. I like it that way. I am comfortable with the fact that there is so much that I don't know. I am happy in my quest to learn that never ends and my adventure that is always continued. 

     Do I need to know what happens next? Not really. 

Why? I've learned that you can never know, so instead of forcing the issue, I have learned to adapt and change. 

When I get to a point that I am satisfied, no longer interested in a new point of view... only then will I be old. As long as I'm learning I will be forever young. *starts singing Rod Stewart* 

What new discovery did you make today?

Never, never give up...Except when it's time

N is for Never

I once believed that I could do anything, go anywhere, be anybody. One day I found out that wasn't true. What I do know is winners sometimes have to lose before they win. Not sure what I mean?  Let me see if I can explain it. Stay with me. To get to the other side of this it will require some trudging through the muck.

As children everything is possible. We soon realize that we have limitations. Some say those limitations are only in our minds, maybe. This was the reality:  no matter how hard I tried I couldn't run fast enough to compete with the best runners. Miles and miles later it hit me that I really didn't enjoy running my guts out. The obsession with getting miles in, pleasing my coach and beating my competition had lost its pull. So I quit. Amazingly, after getting over the initial feeling of failure, I actually felt better, less anxious. I was free to turn my attention elsewhere. My writing.

Years later, after burning and ruining things I had to face the fact that cooking wasn't my forte. Heaven forbid a homemaker that had serious problems in the kitchen. For awhile, I thought something was wrong with me. Why was this so difficult for me?  I must not be smart enough, trying hard enough and I definitely wasn't fullfilling my "role" as a woman. Then one day it hit me; I don't like to cook.  I discovered pre-cooked foods and didn't fret if all we had for dinner was a sandwich. Once over the guilt and embarrassment I had courage to admit that I didn't like laundry, organizing shelves or cleaning. That was when I accepted that clean was good enough everything didn't have to be spotless. If my children had full tummies and had clean clothes on, it was enough.  I felt relaxed with my children, less stressed out about not getting everything done perfectly. Reading and playing with my children became a joy instead of a bother. And I had time to write.

What does this have to do with writing? Stephen King wrote, "The biggest part of writing successfully is being talented, and in the context of marketing, the only bad writer is one who doesn’t get paid. If you’re not talented, you won’t succeed. And if you’re not succeeding, you should know when to quit."  Harsh! My son once said he was "thinking" about being a writer but decided he doesn't really like to write. If there is no passion for what you do, you're probably doing the wrong thing.

So, to boil down to the essential message of this post. Never, never give up until you realize that it's time to try something else. Failure is when you keep doing something even when 1)You have no talent.  2)You do it for the wrong reasons. 3)Or you're so out of tune with who you are and reality-- to move on. I still don't know if I'm going to be  a "successful" writer but I do know I live to write!

Have you ever had to quit something after you realized it wasn't the thing for you? How did you feel? Or do you think I'm full of @#$%?

Update: Why Letting Go Is Difficult...

      When you climb the incline on a rickety wood coaster there is a moment right before the drop that you think, "What the hell was I thinking?".  At the moment your first real labor pain grabs your abdomen for a split second you think, "What have I done?." and if your the father watching that first moment when a life begins you shake your head and think, "Now what do I do?"  

     These are ego moments. A pause in the experience where we question our ability to get to the next step. Getting beyond this moment requires a "letting go", an acceptance that deep down you have everything you need to carry you through.

    On the coaster we raise our hands and scream with delight, in labor we push with all our might and marvel at our bodies ability to do what it needs to,  as a parent we stare into the eyes of our newborn and trust that we will know what is best. The difficulty is real, we want to know what happens next, we want to know what to expect, we want to know if we made the right choice. 

     We like to think of our lives as arrivals and departures, but in reality those are of little consequence it's the journey in between when all the magic happens, the creativity begins.

    Deepak Chopra has three statements that encompass the "letting go" required to truly discover the soul--the true you:

                     I understand things in a new way.
                     I greet each day with fresh energy.
                     My life feels more whole. 
                                     (See Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul by Deepak Chopra)


                                                            
      If I can't connect with one of these statements I know I'm not tuned in. This month I have been working on achieving this tuned in state. It's been challenging (I suck at meditation) but ultimately rewarding.

How do the statements above make you feel?
How do you "let go"?
  
    

What I Know...

     There was a time when everything was simple. I was either right or I was right. Remember that? We believed that what we knew was the way it was. Concrete, black and white, wrong and right. People either fit into my world because they agreed with me or I didn't care to hear their point of view, because it would be a waste of my time. Right?

    I'm sure you have heard the saying, "the older I get the less I know". Well, I am here to tell you that not everyone gets to that point. There are some that never arrive at a point where they are willing to either listen or admit there could be another way. Those are the people I feel sorry for. Those are the ones that fail to see the purpose of creation. 

     The artist knows that a true creation is a living breathing piece of life. Even the master artist continues to adjust his point of view. A writer soon realizes that the beginning of his work is really somewhere in the middle and the end is only a temporary stopping place. 

      So when I look at my life, I see a series of moving pieces always adjusting to new information. Some would say that living your life this way is "wishy-washy" or without commitment. However, I would argue that spending time maintaining stasis when life is all about change is just plain ignorant. Just as the scientist has his hypothesis that is proved or disproved, I am constantly learning new perspectives that naturally change my point of view. I like it that way. I am comfortable with the fact that there is so much that I don't know. I am happy in my quest to learn that never ends and my adventure that is always continued. 

     Do I need to know what happens next? Not really. 

Why? I've learned that you can never know, so instead of forcing the issue, I have learned to adapt and change. 

When I get to a point that I am satisfied, no longer interested in a new point of view... only then will I be old. As long as I'm learning I will be forever young. *starts singing Rod Stewart* 

What new discovery did you make today?