Starting fresh

Starting a new year gives us the excuse to wipe the slate clean, to start over, to begin again!  Given such an opportunity, many people decide to take on huge challenges.  The top 10 resolutions that people make are:

1. Lose weight
2. Get out of debt
3. Quit smoking
4. Get fit
5. Spend more time with family and friends
6. Enjoy life more
7. Quit drinking
8. Learn something new
9. Help others
10. Get organized

Quitting smoking and losing weight make it into the top 3 resolutions that people make!  One of these I have managed to do successfully now for 18 years, and one, well . . . not so much . . . so I know from experience that either of these is like trying to quit breathing!  They are a huge, HUGE undertaking and I give all you people who are trying to do either of these things kudos and encouragement!!  One second at a time, right?!  Don't look too far down the road or you will panic and reach for your nemesis!  Just relax and lean into it!  You're doing great!

For all of you who are taking on equally huge challenges, keep up the great work!  Remember you are doing this for many reasons and one of the main ones is that you are doing this for YOU!!

For myself, I have decided that I need to exercise more, and on a regular basis.  I also need to start eating a more healthy and local diet.  In taking on these two things I hope that I will lose some weight!  As some of you know, depression kept me prisoner for over 10 years, and I self medicated with food.  Those old habits die hard!  But now with depression a part of my past, and a wonderful new year poised in front of me, I feel empowered.  During my illness I looked to others for strength and solutions.  Now, my strength has returned, my head is screwed on straight and I feel I am in control and can actually handle whatever comes my way!  What a liberating and invigorating feeling!  So now that I am ready to take on the world in my mind, I have to get my body ready as well.

I will check back with you over the next year to fill you in on my follow through and progress!  I love starting fresh!

Tis the season

Now is the time in which we have a chance to show our true colors.  We have an excuse, a chance, an opportunity to practice what we really want to be.  We all carry an ideal "me" inside.  Now is the time to really try and be that person we admire and wish we could be.  Why not make an effort during this time of forgiveness and rebirth?  Why not choose to smile at strangers and help them with their packages instead of walking by as they struggle?  Why not open the door for someone you don't know and let them ahead of you?  Why not tip a little more and help those that help us?  We all have so many gifts and blessings!  We certainly have enough to share with someone who does not have enough!  Shouldn't we be willing to give to those Salvation Army folks who stand in the cold and wish us a happy holiday instead of rushing by trying not to make eye contact so we don't have to put money in their little pail?  Why not celebrate what we have right now and be thankful for it, and not begrudge giving a little of it away?  Can you imagine the eyes on the child who gets to sleep in a warm bed for the first time in months?  Or the happy tears of a father who is able to give his family a warm dry room again?  Or the joyful hugs of a mother who is able to give her children a warm nutritious meal?    How is it that we try to avoid eye contact with something like that?!  Instead of judging those in need, why not open up a little.  Yes, they may be a troubled soul who will squandor our generosity, but then again. . .

Now is the time to shine.

Can depression make you a superhero?

I can't help but let people know about this post on 'My Space' that has gone viral.  It is about a 91 year old Hungarian grandmother whose photographer grandson saw that she was lonely and depressed and decided to try to cheer her up by taking her on a zany and humerous photo shoot.  It is a tale of family love and concern, mixed with a great sense of humor and some spandex!

Through the holocaust, depression and loneliness . . . Look! Up in the sky!  It's a bird!  It's a plane!  It's Super Mamika!
See it here!  ENJOY!!
Superhero Mamika

Slow it down!

Do you think that if we 'slow' down enough, we will not only see radiant beauty surrounding us, but will discover true meaning as well?  Slowing down, breathing, meditating, appreciating . . . all are the beginnings in the journey to healthy spirituality.  I feel there are 3 primary areas that make up each of us.  Our physical self, our emotional (mental) self, and our spiritual self.  All three together define who we are.  Each of these three selves needs balance and health for us to remain truly healthy.  If any of these areas is not 'fed' something healthy and conciously maintained, it will grow weak and frail.

The challenge is finding that balance that allows health to flow freely between all three areas.  The phrase, "Moderation in all things." comes to mind.  So, I need to boost up my moderate exercise just a bit, and maybe meditate more, but work less. . . be with my kids more, clean my house more, be on my computer less . . . slow down more, breath more, waste less. . . drink more water, eat less ice cream, hug more, drive less . . . garden more, eat more vegetables, heat and cool my house less . . .

Okay.  WAIT!  This is what gets me all messed up.  I need to start out with moderation too, yes?  How about I just look at the clouds in the sky as they skid across the afternoon sky, and breathe.  SLOW it down!

Did you all know that there is an election going on tomorrow?

It is always good to have good strong healthy opinions, no matter what they are. It is also good to be able to have a say in how the opinion of someone else impacts each of us. We need to ensure that the power of our voices is not eroded or worse yet, voted out of existence by politicians who have corporate agendas as their priority rather than that of the People! No matter what you have to say, whether for or against whatever issue there is . . . you need to let your opinion be known!


I have been politically apathetic too much of my adult life. I always felt that my vote had no power anyway so why even vote?  When (and if) I went out to vote, I wasn’t prepared. I was so confused about the issues and distracted by the mudslinging, that when the time came to vote, I didn't have a clue.  Many of the names on the ballots were strange to me and I had no idea how they stood on different issues. I remember one time I was so befuddled I voted because I liked the way a name sounded. Most of the time I just leaned heavily on the party line, trusting they would represent my opinions and beliefs. But all this time I have failed myself and my country. I have failed because I was just not motivated enough to learn about the issues, and hoped that someone I was voting for would know my mind and do my bidding without my having to do a thing! Here I was being given choices, and I was too busy and [tired, uninformed, unmotivated, uninvolved, uncaring, unresponsive, oblivious . . . ] unprepared to take a moment to vote and alter history and its impact on me, my children and my as yet, unborn grandchildren!

Now, FINALLY, as a mother and a business woman, I cringe at my past behavior! How could I let just anyone get elected and expect my concerns to be addressed??! Why did I risk the development of everything around me; the government that controls my neighborhood, my city, my county, my parks, my streets, my taxes, my schools (where our real treasures go to learn)?? Why did I leave it all to chance?? Wouldn’t that be like hiring a caregiver for ones child without interviews and background checks?? Or maybe it would be like hiring a person to be in charge of your finances, house, business, or other critically important aspect of your life without meeting them or reading their resume! That would be just plain reckless and negligent, right?? So why don’t people take voting as a grim and serious responsibility. Why is it that so many people see it as optional?? Remember, complacency will only deliver our freedoms, our interests over to people who WILL take action, and it most likely will not be in OUR best interest!! That is how we have gotten to where we are! Too many people assuming our government leaders will just take care of us without our having to do anything.

Well, it is NOT optional!! It is everyone’s DUTY to vote!! Not only that, it is everyone’s duty to vote in an informed way!! There is to be NO 'throwing darts' at the ballot form to help in making your selection! Do your research!! Be informed!! Yes, things are much more complicated than they used to be.  The issues are much broader, deeper, reaching further and weaving into other issues, etc.  But it is still so important that we take responsibility and educate and inform ourselves about the issues, and their impact on our daily lives and the lives of those yet unborn.  We can't do this while we are standing in line at the voting center. It is becoming more and more imperative that we all need to educate ourselves about the issues and participants ahead of voting day and then we need to get out and vote!

We still can be that great nation that Lincoln referenced in his Gettysburg address. We can still revive that awesome country where the government is again "of the people, by the people, for the people”! We can again have a government that will actually do the things that are in OUR best interest instead of the interests of rich corporations who are paying big money for lobbyists to sway politicians. But we ALL need to get out Tuesday and every election day and SAY SOMETHING OF SUBSTANCE!!!!

SLOW Magazine

Something wonderful has just happened in my life and I am going to share it with you!  I have been PUBLISHED in a magazine!!  I kind of backed into an opportunity to write an article for a magazine in Australia called, "SLOW Magazine" (www.slowmagazine.com.au).  Almost a year ago the editor of the magazine had gone onto a Green forum on the Internet with a request for thoughts and ideas for articles that would be of interest to feature in their magazine.  I just recently ran across this request and responded, not really thinking anything would come of my ideas not only because of the late date, but also because the Internet is such a gigantic arena, and one's voice is, more often than not, lost in it's labyrinth.  To my surprise and amazement, the editor, Jacqui Mott, wrote back suggesting that I send in a submission, and they would see where things went.  She had read my blog entries and thought that their topics and quality would be perfect for their magazine!  WOW!  I was floored! . . and excited!!  Almost immediately I sat down and wrote my first submission.  Now mind you, I have never submitted any of my writings to anyone!  well, okay . . . there is this blog.  But hardly anyone reads this do they?  The only person to have read anything that I have written was my mother when I was writing weekly 3-page thesis papers for my 11th grade English teacher, Mr. Mraz.  So, with no ego involved, I thought I would submit my article, the staff at Slow magazine would shred it and I wouldn't hear anything more.  Just yesterday, Jacqui sent me an email saying they were going to use my article in their next issue of SLOW magazine!!  WOW again!  My mother, bless her librarian heart, would be so proud!!

I take much delight in writing about what I am thinking.  It has been something that I have enjoyed doing since elementary school.  I have always liked being able to craft my words, with thoughtfulness, before revealing them to someone.  Speaking the words does not allow me to do that, and words tend to tumble out of my mouth, with me often wishing I could scramble after them, clutching them back into obscurity.  But the written word has clarity and it's own space, making it take on a depth that the spoken word does not have.  Both can be interpreted in any fashion, but only the written word can be truly studied, to reveal it's depth and intent.  Crafting with words is a challenging process, trying to tease an idea out of many, and bring definition to it, so that one's original thought is there in clear, abundant, literal, black and white!  All too often, a thought is just too wispy and ethereal to capture in text, but therein lies the challenge that all writers face.  And as of yesterday, I can count myself as one of the members in the league of writers!

I will update you when the issue is circulated!

But can forgiving and accepting imperfection be good??

We are in a world of Getting Things Done!  We are required to be Productive at work.  So we push ourselves to accomplish more in less time for our paycheck.  At home we feel the pull of Productivity in having to get things done so we don't get overwhelmed with the piles of laundry, or the dust bunnies that scoot across the floor. 

We want to enable our children to have the best experiences in their school or extracurricular activities so we add more to our Productivity list, and become coaches, or volunteer at the school library.   In order to get all of these things done we have opened the door to the beast called Multi-tasking.  We cross things off our list with a sigh of relief, only to replace it with yet another task that we can accomplish on our way to bringing the kids to soccer practice and grocery shopping. 

And it seems that along with Multi-tasking and Productivity goes Perfectionism. We are told from a very young age that if we can master all of these we will be akin to God himself!

So we set ourselves up for failure, by striving for the impossible, each of us thinking that it will be ME that conquers that 3-headed dragon! We risk health, marriage, friendship, family, and wealth and dedicate ourselves to honing these three skills.

But isn't it a wonderful gift to be able to forgive imperfections, and accept them still as beautiful?!   The burl wood that is known for it's beauty and richness is actually the part of the tree that results from some sort of stress or malignancy.

Yet we treasure the wood from this part of the tree and consider it most beautiful.

Isn't it at the crossroads of nature's perfection and imperfection  that we find fascination and awe?

I know that in my own life the balancing of Multi-tasking, Productivity, and Perfectionism is a skill that needs constant monitoring.  In the past, I had tended to throw myself into perfecting something to the point of ignoring productivity or multi-tasking.  But when I couldn't achieved perfection, I have thrown it down in frustration and have never gone back to it.  For a while, I was getting a lot of piles of imperfect and unfinished projects.  But as time went by, I realized that perfection may not be the point after all.  And that the Attempt is the valiant thing.  Growth does not happen from the perfecting of something, but rather in the Attempts!  With this realization, I was able to let go of the constant voice in my head that demanded that everything in my environment be just so, and all that I accomplished was perfectly executed.  I realized that I didn't need to be constantly busy in order to be productive, and that multi-tasking actually dillutes my participation in any one task thereby negating whatever pursuit of perfection there could have been.  Why spend time on a task that you aren't doing well?  By letting go of perfection and doing one task at a time, I became more daring, more focused, and more accepting of things that didn't turn out as I had visualized them.  I began to examine what I did do and see the beauty in it, and then go on from there.  Perfection by definition seems to require a certain sameness or symmetry.  To accomplish perfection requires vast technical skills. . . but creativity is lacking.  The way I see it, creativity happens first, with perfection happening after the creative thought has already been born. 

Now, I no longer strive to get my list done so much as I try to focus on each project, really entering into it and learning from it.  Making a cup of coffee becomes a sensual experience and dusting a shelf becomes a lesson in physics.  My projects no longer require perfection, but rather they require an 'intent' towards perfection.  Although I still strive to do things perfectly, I know that the journey and the subsequent growth is the point on which I need to focus rather than the destination.  Imperfection and I coexist, and I find myself learning more and pushing my limits even further.  Now, even though I accept imperfection, I have found myself becoming a deeper person and am happier for it.  I am finding that imperfection is part of the interesting fabric of life, and that each little slub is a story of growth, and each flaw is a look into the soul of humankind.