My Happy Dance List

Today, I feel happy! Not sure why—and after coming out of a long, sad spell, I am just thrilled to feel this way! Starting last night, I have just felt like doing the Happy Dance! This morning, I have been blog surfing, which has added to my happy feelings and given me ideas for things to write about. On Zazazu's blog, she writes about lists and how she loves them. A few of my other favorites-of-the-moment, like Days at Buttermilk Cottage and some others had a grouping/listing theme today. So, here is my Happy Dance list today:

• Starting the Artist's Way group
  
• Sunshine
  
• October starting—it's my birthday month, and I've always felt like it is just the most beautiful month of the year
  
• Turning leaves—red, orange, gold, gorgeous
  
• Warm air with a crisp edge
  
• My granddaughter sewing and loving it
  
• Dancing
  
• Snickerdoodles
  
• Feeling the stirring of fresh beginnings
  
• Reading blogs—they feel like interactive magazines or letters from pen pals
  
• Revival meetings at our church this week—Brother Danny Whetstone is an amazing preacher!
  
• My African violet that started blooming after I had given up on it
  
• Writing
  
• Reading about people restoring decrepit old houses and turning them into warm, welcoming homes
  
• Vintage stuff
  
• My growing collection of woven picnic baskets
  
• Actually getting something written that I can post—and then posting it!
  

Hope you have a Happy Day!

New Artist's Way Group

I was reading Rebecca's blog, Voyage of DISCOVERy the other day and found a link to a new on-line group that is going to work through The Artist’s Way beginning 10/1. I am so excited about this. I have wanted to do this with a group and I’ve always missed out. And when I try to work through the book on my own, I tend to fizzle out after a few weeks.

For those who aren’t familiar with The Artist’s Way, it is a book by Julia Cameron. She outlines a twelve week/twelve step program for unblocking your creativity. It involves morning pages, artist dates, and different exercises and practices for each week. You would also need a copy of the book.

Here’s the link:
http://theartistswayblog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/october-1-2010/#comments

Let me know if you join. I think it will be fun—and hopefully productive!

Family Speak

Tess at Life at Willow Manor has a wonderful entry about the made-up language that families use, those words that become commonplace and unnoticed until someone uses them in the company of strangers. The entry and the comments are well worth reading. They made me laugh and think about the words my own family uses.

We ask for hang-goomers since my young nephew (who is now an adult) couldn't say hamburgers.

We talk about monkey neck sweaters since my then four-year-old daughter begged me one day "Please, Mom, please. Don't make me wear those monkey neck sweaters. I hate having them up around my neck!" No more turtle necks for us—or monkey necks either!

This same daughter always asked for a little snack between meals to "tidy-me-over." She thought that was what Grandma said.

My aunt was always so sad to hear when a woman had to have a hector-mector. I think it sounds much less serious and more fun than a hysterectomy, don't you?

When I was a young girl, my three-year-old cousin had to stay with us for a few days while her mom was in the hospital. She was not a happy camper. Uncle Harold promised her that he would come back for her on Friday afternoon. All week, she kept saying, "Is it Pidey acker noon? My daddy is coming on Pidey acker noon!" So anytime after, when we were waiting for something that we were sure was coming, we would say "It will be here on Pidey acker noon!"

Right now, I have a four-year-old granddaughter and a three-year-old grandson, so I know that we will soon have more goodies to add to our vocabulary. How about you—do you have your own "family speak?"

Thankful Thursday

These are some of the things I am thankful for on this Thursday in September:

 

• Crisp weather
  
• Easier breathing
  
• Reading blogs
  
• Vintage treasures
  
• A granddaughter's excitement about learning to sew
  
• Sweet three- and four-year-old grandchildren and their extravagant love
  
• Feeling the family love
  
• Books
  
• Writing
  
• Warm sunny days
  
• Laughing with friends
  
• Friends who write
  
• Sewing patterns on sale for $1.99!

Group Writing Practice

I belong to a Journaling Group, a Fiction Writing Group, and have been attending a new Mystery Writing Group (even though I mostly read mysteries rather than write them). People sort of understand the writing/critiques groups, but they always ask why I would want to journal in a group. Since our group is going through another transition period, a time when even some members are asking why we do this, I wrote down my reasons. And in the process, I gained clarity and inspiration myself! So I thought I'd share this with the blogosphere.

We are a writing practice group.  We practice writing. We write. We practice. We share and we learn.

We write together to share the energy and new ideas that other writers bring.  We journal to learn how to respond to different prompts, how to pull up memories that may be hiding under the surface, how to write using all the senses, how to see things from other perspectives, how to keep putting the pen to the paper even when you think you can't, how to share the joy of writing, to share the energy generated, to just be with other members of our tribe who understand this compulsion to write, write, write. 

Try it—you might like it!

Listening to My Body

Friday, June 11, 2010—where has this year gone? It seems like yesterday was January 1^st, and now the year is half over. Then we shivered in the below zero cold, wished for warmth and didn't believe that it would ever come. Now we swelter inside oven-like heat with 100% humidity and wonder if we were ever cold!
In the last few weeks, I have discovered Zhan Zhuang, the practice of standing still, which seems to be a precursor of Tai Chi. I discovered this through the blog, Voyage to DISCOVERy; the author has links to Zhan Zhuang video clips and I practice along with them. I have also read Geneen Roth's new book, Women, Food and God, which advocates listening to your body.
The combination of these two things has led to greater body awareness, to ways that I am hunching my shoulders, twisting my legs, or curving my spine. I find myself coming back to center during the day in quiet moments. I also feel more stamina since following Zhan Zhuang, and I am able to breathe easier.
One of the ideas that Zhan Zhuang advocates is practicing outside, close to trees. I am really more of an inside girl—I like nature in theory, and in practice I am squeamish around bugs, heat, plants that make me itch, breezes that blow my papers around, etc. This morning, I decided that I would take my Zhan Zhuang practice outside in the early morning; I would greet the dawn and fill my lungs with fresh air. I stepped outside in the lightening darkness, performed my warm up movements and assumed the position of stillness. Within three seconds, I was a morning feast for the mosquitoes! I could almost hear them calling out to their friends, "Hey, guys, look—it's breakfast!" I could see them flying around and feel them biting me. Right away, I incorporated Geneen's advice to listen to my body, which said, "Run back in the house! Now!" I did. Then I resumed my Zhan Zhuang while pondering that age-old question: Do they have mosquitoes in China?

Passion and Joy

What do I feel passionately about? What makes my heart sing? Today I do one thing that brings me joy.

The question above comes from a month-long series of questions posed by Kathryn Antyr, the Collage Diva, on her True North Arts blog. I have been answering these questions on my own, and as I wrote today's answer, I thought, Hey, that's a blog entry! So here it is.

What do I feel passionately about? What makes my heart sing? Today I do one thing that brings me joy.

Right now, I feel passionately about fellow bloggers who can write about daily life in a way that makes my heart sing. Gigi received a gift—a beautifully wrapped, creatively wrapped gift. She photographed it and wrote about it in a way that just made me feel like I was right there with her as she opened it. The person who wrapped the gift, Sande, has a blog about gift wrapping (go figure!), and she writes about wrapping gifts in a way that makes me alternately think Hmm—maybe I should try doing this! and Oh, my goodness—these are exquisite—beyond anything a mere mortal could do. The gift wrapper also wrote about how important blogging is to her because expressing our words is what is most important. And when we express our words, someone will hear and respond. And this is what is important.

Reading these blogs nearly makes me weep. To think that these people exist, that they think like this, that they are willing to be who they are and then share that with the world. It makes me weep with joy, with relief, with recognition, with hope.

I want to be a part of this group. I feel the same way when I am with my Journal Group. As the women and lone man read, I think, Oh, I am so privileged to be in this group. Each person brings beauty, fun, freshness, and humor to our group. Each one is so different, yet in vital ways we are the same. We all love to write, love to share, love being able to say what is on our minds and in our hearts.

That sounds a lot like bloggers, doesn't it?

So, today, one thing I do that brings me joy is to read my favorite blogs. The three I mentioned above are just a small sampling of my favorites. Even the ones listed on my sidebar are a small sampling which needs updated. I encourage everyone to read and connect and enjoy—share what you can bring to the party—then we will all participate in the joy!