Welcome to July with a little Tao on the side!

Welcome to July!!  The second half of the year has begun!  I am dumbfounded at the thought that six months have gone already!  Time to take inventory:

Questions for the past six months:

What were my highlights?
Starting painting and writing on the regular, talking to new friends

What things am I glad I did?
Tried hard to get into the Art Institute, even though I didn't make it, went to the Renaissance Fair even though at first I thought it was weird

What worked for you?
Believing in myself and trusting my friends to support me

What small moments brought you delight?  
Taking naps with my boyfriend and puppy, eating dinner at the table instead of the couch, funny texts from my siblings

Who did you connect with?
New people!  New friends!  Online and in real life! :)~

Questions for the rest of the year:

How can I be a litle kinder to myself?
By looking at myself in a positive light, instead of living in a shadow.
Can I give myself permission to have more fun and less pressure?
This is a toughy, but I'm going to try.
In what small way can I pay attention to small delights?
By just keeping my eyes and my heart open to joy.


Now for a little Thursday Tao:  (#36 from Tao Te Ching as translated by John C. H. Wu)

What is in the end to be shrunken,

Begins by being first stretched out.

What is in the end to be weakened,

Begins by being first made strong.

What is in the end to be thrown down,

Begins by being first set on high.

What is in the end to be despoiled,

Begins by being first richly endowed.

Herein is the subtle wisdom of life;

The soft and weak overcomes the hard and strong.

Just as the fish must not leave the deeps,

So the ruler must not display his weapons.

        

This week I'll let you come up with your own ideas about what this 'proverb' means to you.

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  Also, it is National Ice Cream Month!

          Who doesn't love them some ice cream?  I'm sure there are a few, allergies and such, but come on and celebrate!!  This gives me an idea.....more to come.

Anyhoos, thanks for reading, hope my questions help you with dealing with your half of the year that is gone, and preparing for the next half to be wonderful!!

Toast of the Day:

Here' s to laughing so hard you cry!!

Focus

I don't wait for moods.  You accomplish nothing if you do that.  Your mind must know it has got to get down to work.  --Pearl S. Buck

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Now I don't know who Pearl S. Buck is, but they sure knew what they were talking about.  I am notorious for flying by the seat of my creative pants, which is all well and good, WHEN it happens.  I had set a task to write everyday, no matter what, and I've failed at that.  Why?  Because I wait for inspiration to come.  Bad Charlie!  So I'm taking this Pearl person's advice and getting down to work!  I've got too many WIPs and not enough focus!  And you never know, maybe I'll accidentally come across something inspiring during my hard work!  Good luck to you all!

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Toast of the Day:

Here's to accidents that result in unexpected creative destinations!

Fun Fact:

 On this day in 1498, the toothbrush was invented in China!  Ha!  How about that?!

--Charlie

Tao Thursdays

It has been quite awhile since I did Taoism Thursday, and in fact I only did it once.  But today I'm feeling quite introspective, so here is some wisdom from the Tao. (Tao Te Ching as Translated by John C. H. Wu)

#22
Bend and you will be whole.
Curl and you will be straight.
Keep empty and you will be filled.
Grow old and you will be renewed.

Have little and you will gain.
Have much and you will be confused.
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That is only part of that one, but to me it is the most important part.  This "proverb" means so many things to me: be humble, be open, be unexpecting.  On top of that, just be and all will be well.  Whether you are 'bent' or 'curled', 'empty', 'old', or 'with little' all will come to be.  I love this 'proverb' and it helps me in my everyday life.  "How would I apply this to writing?" you may ask.  Well I think that if you don't force the writing, your true talent comes to fruition in the form of a masterpiece!  Now of course not always are our writing ventures successful, but definitely when things are allowed to flow naturally true magic happens.  I hope this wisdom can help you all in your adventures through life!

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Toast of the Day:
Here's to surpassing expectations!

Journal Juju:
If your life was a box of Crackerjacks, what would the prize inside be?

Tingle on Tuesday

My fingers are tingling on this fine Tuesday.  From what you may ask?  From the amazing verbage flowing from them!  I wrote close to 2000 words today in my WIP, O Negative, and I feel fantastic about it!  Tingly in fact! LOL  My main character is fleshing out well, the plot is coming along, however I do need a little work on my descriptions and flow.  Overall, things are moving in the write (right LOL) direction. 

Anyhoo, just a check-in.  How are you guys doing with your progress?


Toast of the Day:
Here's to enthusiasm!

Unavailable Thursday

Yes, I am unavailable.  I am unavailable because I am doing nothing. N.O.T.H.I.N.G. Nothing. NOTHING!!!  It is blissful, quiet, tranquil, and AWESOME.  After this blog post I'll really be doing nothing and it will be even more AWESOME.  And just when you thought it couldn't get better, it does.  I have the house to myself - which is AWESOME in its own right.  What would you do if you could do nothing?  *wink wink*  NOTHING of course!!  Here's my toast of the day:

Toast of the Day:
Here's to NOTHING!


I hope all of you get a chance to experience some nothing every once in awhile.  And not the nothing that's in The Neverending Story - that's a scary sort of nothing.  Just the quiet, peaceful nothing that peeks out from between the curtain that is life.

Wrapped up in Wednesday

Welcome to June! ( a day late, but oh well )  It finally feels like summer here in Denver, getting up into the 90's and all the beautiful sunny days are changing the way I look at life.  It's literally brightening my day!  How is the weather where you are at? 

Also, from my trusty Awe-Manac, it's National Candy Month!!  I-i-i-i-i-i want candy!!!  :)  Get a piece of your favorite candy right now!  Munch on it!!  Savor it!!  My favorite candies are Skittles!!  The purple bag of course.  What's your favorite?

Today is also Wednesday, as noted in my title.  Wednesdays are almost always overlooked, as just another day in the middle of the week getting in the way of reaching Friday.  Wednesdays are forgotten in the rush to see our weekend - never getting the respect it deserves.  Wednesday is underestimated as the just the middle of the road, when its possibilities can lead to magical adventures!!  Monday and Tuesday are gone by the time we reach Wednesday.  But there still remains Thursday AND Friday until the weekend.  There is still time to start a project or catch up on something you didn't give yourself time to do on the two prior days!  Relish in Wednesday's gift of time and get to doing stuff!  Maybe add some Wednesday words to your WIP!  Paint some Wednesday into art!  Sing a song about Wednesday!  Okay, so maybe I'm a little over dramatic about Wednesday, but am I wrong?  :)

Lastly, here is an inspring Wednesday quote:

I never think of the future - it comes soon enough.

-Albert Einstein

Remember to live in this Wednesday.  Thursday is only a few hours away.

Toast of The Day:

Here's to those pens that make your writing look better than it usually does!

Paintings, Mom, and Toasts!

Hello All!  I haven't blogged in over a month.  I guess I sort of fell of the earth for awhile.  I needed some time to gather myself,  I was getting a little overwhelmed with life - as it so happens sometimes.  Trying to get my house ready for a lease-renewal inspection, applying for school, and dealing with family issues all at once.  So I took to a lot of reading, painting, and relaxing.  Here are a few of my new paintings:

Hope you enoy them!  I know I do, and my mom at least. Haha!

Anyway, it's Mother's Day, so Happy Day to all of you moms out there!  My mom is having a hell of a time right now, travelling from Washington to Denver in a motorhome.  She's all by herself with just her two little dogs, and her motorhome keeps breaking down.  First she ran out of gas from a broken gauge, then a flat tire stopped her, next the ignition went out, and now she's parked from her breaks and steering giving up.  But she's not giving up - even though she didn't make it to me in Denver by Mother's Day.  She's a strong woman, so I hope she can hold it together along with hoping her motorhome holds together.  Just twelve more hours and she'd be here.  I just hope she gets here!

So here's to everyone else hopefully having a good Sunday and Mother's Day! 

Toast of the Day:

Here's to a moment of relief.

Noteable Notes:

Today is Billy Joel's birthday!  Also, it is Lost Sock Memorial Day!  Look out for those lost socks! :)

Silly Saturday

Silly Saturday is all about everything silly, off the wall, crazy, and senseless.  I have some books from the series of "imponderables books" by David Feldman.  They are titles like "How Does Aspirin Find a Headache?" and "Why Do Clocks Turn Clockwise?".  I'll pick a question or two from these books and educate you all on something silly! 

Silly Question of the Day:
Do Snakes Sneeze?

     Norman J. Scott, Jr., zoologist and past president of the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles told Imponderables, "As far as I know snakes don't sneeze with their mouths shut, but they do clear fluid from their throat with an explosive blast of air from the lungs."

     Snakes don't sneeze very often, though.  In fact a few herpetologists we contacted denied that snakes sneeze at all.  Bu John E. Simmons, of the Americcan Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Information Committee, insisited otherwise:

     "Snakes sneeze for the same reason as other vertebrates - to clear their respiratory passages.  Snakes rarely sneeze, however,and people who keep them in captivity know that sneezing in snakes is usually a sign of respiratory illness resulting in fluid in the air passage."

                                                            
Submitted by Sue Scott of Baltimore, MD. 

Thanks also to June Puchy Lyndhursst, Ohio.
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There you go!  Now you know that snakes most likely do sneeze, and if they are sneezing, they could be sick.  Silly, eh?  Hope you enjoyed this Silly Saturday.

Journal Juju:

Make a lundry list of everything you are glad you did in the past few days.  Then celebrate your awesome accomplishments - even if they are just errands!!

Toast of the Day:

Here's to the promise of Spring!!  (Today is the first day!!)

Favorite Friday

I'm working out the kinks for Favorite Friday, but today it's going to be about my favorite thing today.  Today in Denver, Colorado it is snowing its' proverbial brains out!  It's blowing sideways snow - the kind that gets into your ear when you're walking outside!  I just got about two pounds of ear snow while leaving work.  So my favorite thing to do when it's snowing like it is, is to cuddle up under a blanket with a good book, all cozy and comfy.  What book should I read today?  And what is your favorite things to do when it's snowing all crazy?

                                                    comic courtesy of chickengiggle.com

Toast of the day:
Here's to the first sip of that perfect hot cider or cocoa!!  (Cider - also a favorite thing to drink when it's snowing!!)

Just Wednesday

Just going to start off with a few good writing quotes:

"I love writing.  I love the swirl and swing of words as they tange with human emotions." -James Michener

"Everybody who writes is interested in living inside themselves in order to tell what is inside themselves.  That is why writers have to have two countries, the one where they belong and the one which they live really."
-Gertrude Stein

The Middle Part:

Today was a tiring day, so I don't have much energy to impart.  Just keep on pushing through! It's already Wednesday!






Journal Juju:
Write about "envy" - what associations does the word bring up for you?  Write about what people might envy you for and what you envy in others.  Then remember to appreciate all the amazing things you accomplish every day!

Envy for me is a dangerous game.  It leads to me doubting my capabilities, which is just downright self-destructive.  Lately I find myself envying all you writers who write, or who have mulitple books written, or have books published!  I know that it's a long, hard road, so I keep on pushing, hoping that one day I'll have someone who might envy my accomplishments enough to use them as inspiration!

Toast of the Day:
Here's to the feeling of receiving a genuine compliment!!

Back to Work Monday

"If you always take time to stop and smell the roses, sooner or later, you'll inhale a bee." - Anonymous

This quote reminds me to keep working amongst all the fun of life.  Slack off too much and it'll eventually catch up with you.  It's been a few days since I've put pen to paper, so to speak, or more correct fingers to the keyboard, and I have to start again!  It's Monday!  Time to get back to the grind of working.  Just in moderation, cause I'm still gonna take time to smell some roses along the way!

In addition, my Awe-Manac tells me it's Rude Awakenings Day.  So my Journal Juju for the day is this:

Any rude awakenings lately?  List any from the past and elaborate on at least one.  Use your daily soul vitamin (provided in the book) for inspiration.

Daily soul vitamin: "Never take counsel of your fears."  -Andrew Jackson

Journal Juju:
I've had quite a few rude awakenings lately.  One in particular being the fact that I am merely a speck of sand amongst a worldwide beach of people.  Not putting myself down, I just realized that if I want to make a difference and do more than just exist I must actually try at life.  But taking inspiration from Mr. Jackson up there, I can't be afraid of trying!  So off I go, trying to make a difference with my smallness!  :) 
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One more thing before I go, I'm starting Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice today!  So excited to be reading a super classic!  Wish me luck!

One last last thing I'd like to implement from the Awe-Manac:
Toast of the Day:
Here's to finding a twenty dollar bill in your pocket!