Writing should be as easy as.....

Just saw the new Nicholas Sparks movie and as I was driving home my thoughts were rambling here and there. It was a great movie and yes it was my romance fix for the month but I describe this movie as not just a silly romantic movie as for me it had heart if that makes sense. But back to the topic of writing and specifically about writing this blog entry tonight. For me this sort of writing is hard and I was thinking, I wish that writing for a blog, for something that I am publishing freezes me up. I would like this sort of writing to be as easy as talking with my friends where I feel I can say anything that pops into my head and not worry about what they will think. Because if they look at me a little weird at what I say, we all just laugh about it. Here on this page I feel I need to be more buttoned up and not just write about any old thing that pops into my head as there may be many people that will be reading it and who know what they may think?

And then I thought to myself why not just write like that? All who read my words are family and friends and those who I hope will be friends. And those who think I am weird, well maybe they are right!  :o)   But I am me for better or worse and as long as my hand moves across the page and spills out my words and thoughts and feelings, it is all good!

So here are some meanderings as I was driving home from a great movie. Its about 7PM and most people have eaten dinner and are getting out as it is a warm spring dusk after a week of chilly cold weather. I drove past a Father and daughter walking their bikes after what I assume was a great bike ride. Passed a local park where people were doing laps around a trail. A Mom was sitting on a park bench watching kids plays on a junglejim. A couple were walking their dog. A great time to be outside when things are settling down for the evening, people are relaxing after a long work week. Just a nice time.

I hope your evening passes as easily and lazily and you all have a fantastic weekend!

Being Fine .............

Let me preface this video that it is not the F -bomb in the talk but the word Fine.
I love TED and the great speakers that show up at their conferences. Mel Robbins gives a wonderful talk about getting what you want - what it takes to be more than just "fine".  I know I have said that way more than once in my life to explain how I am feeling when I am not fine. I agree that this is a much over used word that smooths over how we feel about ourselves- our jobs- our relationships- our lives- the world. It is like how the frosting on a cake is used to cover over the cracks and imperfections. It just smooths things over so it looks all uniform and hides the things that are wrong!
I know that I want to be more than just fine in my life- I want it to be great and awesome and fantastic! I want to jump out of bed every morning and be ready for anything that comes up! But first I need to be ready and get up and not push that snooze alarm and go back to sleep. I have found that I push that snooze alarm way too many times as getting up into a cold room and starting another day can be uncomfortable. Like afew posts ago when I wrote about our fears, not of not being good enough but of being awesome and powerful. Those seem to be the places that scare us so we go back and hide under the covers. Feeling that we are more powerful beyond words is scary as then we have no excuses to hide behind and have a great responsibility to live up to our success.

I want to have an influence in this world and make a difference in people's lives. I have this business called Ritual Waters and I want this to be my contribution to the world. I want it to be more than just soap and bath products although they are great if I do say so myself- tooting my own horn I know. :o)  For me they are healthy for your body but also I want them to help the body and spirit calm down when used in the bath for  relaxing. I want people to use them to feed the outside of their body and for my customers to also be selfish by feeding their souls in creating rituals for de-stressing. As one lathers on the soap- you are caring for your body and caring for your self and your spirit. I want them to stop and smell the soaps as one is to stop and smell the roses- stop and take some time out of your quick paced life to just stop and be still. Take some time out of the craziness of their life before it slips away. I want to spread these ideas around and for others to share how they calm down and listen to that still small voice inside that knows what they want and how to get it.

What do you really want ?



Filling your Gas Tank

I came across this interesting article about  filling your gas tank and thought I would pass it along. Sort of the same ideas as far as taking time for yourself to recognize when you are running on empty and some suggestions on what to do to fill yourself up. The best are the notes to self to not feel guilty for taking care of your Self and to not feel selfish but self fulfilling. You cannot be there for others if you are not there for yourself!

Fill Your Gas Tank

By Betsy McGuire

 

I've been pretty burned out lately; not unlike many of you. My husband has been working long hours, the kids activities are in high gear, work is busy - you know the story. I've noticed I've been pretty low on energy, patience, and love. When I'm burned out, I find it difficult to do everything from keeping the house clean to paying attention to the kids to writing entries for this blog.
So, I got sick of feeling this way and realized what I already knew; if I don't fill up my personal gas tank on a regular basis, I am not much good to anyone else. I hadn't filled up in a while; a little here and there, but certainly not enough. How do we know when were running on empty? Here's the great thing: we have a built in gas gauge if we'd just look at it once in a while. Our gas gauge is how you feel. Are you energized, patient, and filled with love and inspiration? That's a great indication that your tank is full. If you're worn out, tired all the time, uninspired - you probably need some gas.
So, if you need to take an afternoon off and watch 4 hours of a guilty pleasure TV show or read a book, you've gotta do it! If you need to feed your family frozen waffles and fast food for dinner for a couple of nights in a row because you just can't face cooking for a little while - do it. One week will not create a lifetime of bad eating habits. If you need to hire a babysitter and just go veg on a park bench for an hour - do it. If you need to let your house go for a while, it will still be there when you're feeling better. You know yourself. You know what will help you fill your tank. Just do it!! For me, I had to take some time and watch some inspirational TV. I have a little stash of programming that I keep to inspire me and lift me up. Needless to say, I hadn't watched any for some time. I'm getting caught up now and feeling much better.
People may get angry with you or disappointed if your behavior does not match their expectations of what you should be doing. Somehow you need to find the strength to say - that's ok. It's ok if people have the perception I'm selfish or lazy. I know the truth. I know that my actions are meant to fill me up with positive energy, patience, and kindness so that I can serve others and be the person I'm meant to be.
Our greatness cannot shine through if our spirits are depleted. Our spirits hold all the resources we need for love. It is our responsibility to protect, feed, and nurture our spirits.

Betsy McGuire invites you to visit http://www.chickpeawellness.com/ and sign up to receive her mind, body, and spirit blog the day entries are made. You can also "like" Chickpea Wellness on Facebook and receive new articles on your wall.
Copyright 2012 Chickpea Wellness, LLC

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Betsy_McGuire

Filling the Well....



Filling the well is a term Julia Cameron uses in her book, The Artist's Way. The well is your pool of creativity, your dreams, ideas, inspirations, images and so forth. As your creative juices flow with tasks, projects, ideas you deep into that well or pool and start emptying it out. One must refill this pool otherwise you will be empty. I have been feeling like that lately with all the blogging activity I have been engaged in since I committed to the Ultimate Bog Challenge- 30 blogs in 30 days. I also find myself working on empty when my day job ramps up gets busy beyond belief and I need to come home and work on Ritual Waters - my real creative passion. So here I am in front on the computer and wondering what to write as I feel I am on empty and the bottom of the well is feeling abit crusty and damp instead of overflowing with cool water.

So one thing I did tonight to help settle my "monkey mind" that keeps interrupting me was to take a nice long hot bath with just a candle for company. This seemed to help me slow down somewhat and settle. Another thing I could have added about 10 drops of Lavender or Chamomile to the water which I thought about now instead of when I was in the water.  LOL

I also need to take the time to start writing morning pages again and dumping all the stuff on the page so I can get down to the good stuff. Like clearing out the mud and silt so what water there is will clear up.

One last thing I need to do for myself is to go on an artist's date and do something fun for myself- been way too serious lately. I need a play date with myself.  Maybe go to a nursery and get some flowers or herbs for the flower beds and be outside in the sun to plant them! That sounds like a great weekend project!

What do you do to fill your well to be creative ?

Creativity and education....

I wanted to share with you all a fantastic talk about creativity and how schools are killing that creativity by requiring that we color inside the lines. I have seen where budget cuts are happening all over and the programs that seem to be cut first are almost always the arts and music. The school system seems overly focused on educating the students to pass the tests as that is what provides government funding and are now also the standard for how teachers are being evaluated for their job performance. I feel that the children are so getting lost in this shuffle of grades as being the measuring stick for education. All that seems to matter is that one side of the brain and not the whole child as being important. My granddaughter is graduating from High School this year and wants to become a teacher.Here's hoping things change for the better when she gets into the school system or maybe she can help change it.

I have added a link to a another TED talk given by Sir Ken Robinson and I believe you will enjoy it as he is a great speaker. Please enjoy!

 

Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity | Video on TED.com

http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_sa...

TED Talks Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity.

Toward the end of his talk he speaks about a conversation he had with Gillian Lynne who when she grew up was in the Royal Ballet. She also worked with Andrew Lloyd Weber to choreograph Cats and Phantom of the Opera. I think you will find this video fascinating. Thank you for letting me share it with you.

I love hearing the birds in the morning.....

I usually awake early every morning, about 5am during the week and about 6am on the weekends. 7am is late for me on the weekends.  LOL The wonderful thing about waking up that early is hearing what I name as "the birds calling up the morning". I love listening to them which I did this lovely morning. I was hoping to find an audio of this wonderful sound and was very happy when I did. So, just in case you are not early risers please enjoy!

I also find that the best time to journal is in the wee hours of the morning and the birds singing up the morning is such a great accompaniment. I term this writing my morning pages and started doing them after reading Julia Cameron's book  The Artists Way . This is a wonderful book that is a 12 week program to awaken one's creativity and one of the techniques is to do morning pages every day. You write 3 pages in longhand and not on the computer. You need to get that flow of "your hand simply moving across the page." This physical act puts you in touch with yourself that typing on a keyboard does not- at least for me. As Julia has written there is no right way or wrong way to do them, simply keep your hand moving across the page.

I hope you will check out her book as I have read and re-read that book and I think I need to read it again. I picked it up when I was living in NY a long time ago in 1998 and joined a group of women who were reading it. When I moved down to NC in 1999 I was thinking I needed to re-read it again and low and behold I saw an ad for a group at the local art school. How serendipitous was that ? I met a wonderful group of fellow artists and from that group 2 members started working and leading other groups and it spread!

So what's holding back your creativity? Come and fill your well of creativity !

5 Things You Can do to Touch Your Soul and Regain a Positive Attitude - Guest Blog Post

When we get down, sometimes it’s hard to find a way back to happiness. There are some little things we can do though, that can make a big difference in how we feel on a regular basis. These little things will increase your positivity and create more happiness.

1. A hot bath on a cold day – or for that matter, a hot bath on a stressful day will work too!

2. Our favorite scent – There’s a lot of evidence that suggests emotions are linked to smells. When I smell cut grass, it immediately takes me back to when I was growing up. Sunday afternoons spent in the yard were always happy so the smell of cut grass always puts a smile on my face.

3. Good food- Now this can be both a good thing and a bad thing. You’ve probably heard of comfort food, that food that you want to eat most when you aren’t feeling at your best just to hopefully make you feel a little better. However, the best food to eat to make you get back on the right track to a more positive attitude is healthy good food. Learn some great recipes that combine really great tastes with health. Then make those your go to recipes.

4. Massage – If you have a loved one, getting them to give you a massage with a great lotion can be just what you need to reverse a negative attitude! Just remember to return the favor.

5.  A walk in nature – whether it’s snowing outside or the flowers are in full bloom, getting out and back in touch with nature and stopping to smell the (literal and figurative) roses will allow you to take pause and rethink some of what is bringing you down.

We can’t control everything that happens to us in our lives but we can control our reactions to those events. Having a little box of positive attitude tricks can help you out in a pinch when you really need to overcome some negativity.

What is your favorite little thing to do to make you feel more positive?

Nicole Bandes is the bestselling author of Positivity on Purpose: Intentionally Create More Abundance, Wealth and Happiness. Go from negative, unhappy and miserable to positive, excited and extraordinary in just 30 days with her Positivity on Purpose Transformational Challenge beginning  April 23^rd. Learn more and register at http://goldeneaglescoaching.com/poptc/.  You can also read more articles by Nicole at http://goldeneaglescoaching.com/blog/.

Bathing Rituals- Kumbh Festival

I wanted to share this video as it pictures how  people in India use the symbol of water and bathing as part of their religious beliefs. The Kumbh Mela is a major festival of the Hindus where many make a pilgrimage for the purpose of bathing in the Ganges River as a way to cleanse away all their sins. This act is seen as a way to break the cycle of reincarnation and attain enlightenment for those with firm belief in this ritual. Many millions make this journey and endure hardships from travelling great distances. The images of joy and feelings of spirit being expressed are moving to watch.

This belief in the power of water and bathing to cleanse the spirit is also seen in the Christian faith in the Baptism of young children and adults. Ritual bathing and cleansing whether it is the washing of hands or full immersion has touched all religions throughout the world.

Bathing and water and creating a space for washing away the worries of your day so you relax and be at peace is something we can do in our homes and in out Ritual Spaces. This is where we can create a sanctuary of peace in our very busy lives and renew our spirits.

Roman Baths in Bath, UK

In May,2009 I was able to take a trip to England, got my first passport and was a real tourist. I visited the town of Bath since bathing is one of my favorite things. Could you imagine bathing in a place like this - it was called The Great Bath.
We had a tour guide who was dressed as a Roman Legionaire and walked us through all the various rooms. There were rooms that were set aside for different temperatures- for tepid water tepidarium, another one for warmer water caldarium, one for hot water aconicum and lastly a cold pool frigidarium. There were dressing rooms, rooms for exercise, massage and classrooms. What an amazing experience!

"The way in which a civilization integrates bathing into its daily life, as well as the type of bathing it prefers, yields an insight into the inner nature of that period..." Fikret Yegul Baths & Bathing in Classical Antiquity

I would also want to add, yields an insight into the inner nature of the soul of that period. Greek and Roman times promoted baths and bathing as a way to general good health and to relieve ailments such as rheumatism and digestive disorders.We all know that a good soak in the tub with epsom salts helps tired and sore muscles and rejuvenates the body and calms the spirit.

In this time of jumping into the shower and then jumping out and rushing to get dressed and out the door we have lost that ritual of the bath. I feel we have also lost that time to connect with ourselves also. We don't need an elaborate building to create this space but we can close the bathroom door, run some water, light a candle and play some music and enjoy our time to reinvent for our selves a ritual for the bath. So what is holding you back?

Join the bath challenge!

I saw this picture on Pin-Interest and had to share it. I have always dreamed of having a clawfoot tub in my bathroom and hopefully one day that will happen or a garden tub. But a tub big enough to spread out and relax and not have my knees under my chin so much.  :o) So I am dreaming of this tub !  But I do have lots of candles and music and take that time when people are out of the house to grab the tub while all is quiet for some very important me time!
What sorts of baths do you have and what is your bathtime like?
I would love to have some feedback and hear what you all have to say with a picture of your bath and one that you love.  I am getting excited about this.
How about a challenge for the best bath story and we can start it next Monday 1/23 and end it 2/6. The winner will receive a jar of Lavender Bath Soaking Salts and a bar of Lavender Soap. Are you game ?

Creating Sacred Space

Start by running your bath water and putting on some meditative music. Light some candles, focusing on creating a sacred space for your bath. Sacred in that you are holding a space for you to celebrate your Self. Next place a totem next to your candles- a shell, stone, picture or whatever item means peace to you and your heart.
Pour some bath salts or bath oils into the filled tub and swirl the water with your hand to disperse. Settle yourself into the fragrant water- close your eyes & calm your thoughts. Slowly take three cleansing breathes inhaling through your nose deeply & exhaling out through your mouth and relax....

Be aware of your breathing in & out and relax. Smell the fragrance of the water and relax...

Wet your soap & inhale its fragrance and let your mind drift over things that have been crowding your thoughts- things that you want to let go of. Imagine that as you soap up your cloth that you are gathering the energies together to rid yourself of these negative thoughs. As you wash your body,know you are cleansing your body of all negativity and are purifying it. Relax in this new space you have created.

When you are ready, release the drain to let the water out, know that your cares and worries are also being released and carried away leaving you refreshed and renewed.