Tuesday Tickle: The Consequences of Creativity

Tuesday Tickle: The Consequences of Creativity

There are five primary areas of practice to the Writer Wellness plan. Every other week I will post an idea for relaxation (Monday Meditation,) creative play (Tuesday Tickle,) fitness and exercise (Wednesday Workout,) journaling and misc. (Thursday Thought,) and nutrition (Friday Feast.)

This word “consequences” has mistakenly gotten a bad reputation in my opinion. Lots of people equate it with punishment for an action. That’s one way to look at it. Another way is to appreciate that for every action there is a reaction. What a scientific thing to say about something as karmic as consequences.

Being creative has its consequences. The degree of reaction to one’s creativity is directly related to our perspective, how we view things. Is everything black and white, a rainbow of color, or some shade of gray in the middle? Every view is creative to a certain point, some more creative than others.

The Either/Or Creative Soul: For example, some person’s degree of creativity is to see everything as either/or. It’s black or it’s white.  Is that a rigid viewpoint or a distinct one? Perhaps it’s just clean-cut and easy to classify. There are less containers to worry about and less brushes to clean up after an artistic episode. It’s a simple yet creative in a basic sort of way to live. Caution: with so little variety in this form of creativity boredom is a real danger.

The Rainbow Creative Wacko: Another type of creative personality sees a rainbow of colors and possibilities regardless of the situation. Maybe a bit Polly-anish for some of us, a tad too optimistic, but this persona fills a need in the circle of creativity. Without this person, the rest of us might never see the options. There’s always another way, and the rainbow creative does not recognize boundaries ever. Caution: fatigue easily sets in to this personality because the answers to questions are endless. Whew.

The Delicious Middle Ground Artist: Then there is the middle creative personality who keeps the rest of us in check, holds us together like the yummy center of an ice cream sandwich. But on hot days, middle-of-the-road-creatives melt down pretty quickly because they are never really sure about anything. Caution: this might be a depressing place to be over and over, day after day. Buy some rose colored glasses for a change of pace.

Do you recognize your creative personality in one of the above? Take heart, we can be them all anytime we want.

Happy Note: Book signing and hatha yoga demonstration Saturday, June 25 at Borders in Vienna, WV, 2-4 p.m. Will I see you there? Bring your yoga mat!

Meanwhile, remember to look for a digital or print copy of Writer Wellness, A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity at Who Dares Wins Publishing, http://whodareswinspublishing.com.

And check out these great blogs for ideas to keep your writing and publishing healthy and prosperous.

http://writeitforward.wordpress.com/ Bob Mayerhttp://jenniholbrooktalty.wordpress.com/ Jenni Holbrook

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/ Kristen Lamb 

http://inspiration4writers.blogspot.com/ Inspiration for Writers, Inc.

http://pentopublish.blogspot.com/ Natalie Markey

Have you subscribed to this Writer Wellness blog yet? Get email updates when a new post is added. Click “subscribe” and leave your email. That’s it and thanks in advance!

Be well, write well.

Monday Meditation: The Consequences of Meditation

Monday Meditation: The Consequences of Meditation

There are five primary areas of practice to the Writer Wellness plan. Every other week I will post an idea for relaxation (Monday Meditation,) creative play (Tuesday Tickle,) fitness and exercise (Wednesday Workout,) journaling and misc. (Thursday Thought,) and nutrition (Friday Feast.)

Things change. Whether we want them to or not, everything changes. To bring this to the attention of myself and my students, I close every yoga class with these words:

“With every breath we grow. With every breath we change. Every breath is precious. Until your journey brings you back to me, remember to breathe. Namaste.”

It’s my way of saying, “Change is a natural part of our existence. Fighting change causes stress. Embrace the concept of change and you will know less stress.” But how do we “embrace” change? I don’t have a practical answer, but I do have qualified experience because I practice yoga and meditation regularly. One of the consequences of regular meditation practice is the ability to readily embrace change and not be as stressed about it. The more you practice watching things come and go during meditation, the easier it is to watch things come and go in life. We may not wish to see things come and go, but it happens. One of the consequences of meditation is less stress because we understand that everything comes and goes, and it isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

One of my favorite descriptions of the sensations of living as the result of meditation and yoga comes from yogi Mukunda Stiles in his book “Structural Yoga Therapy.”

Symptoms of Inner Peace

1. A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than from fear

2. An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment

3. Loss of interest in judging others

4. Loss of interest in judging yourself

There are other symptoms or consequences of meditation listed by Stiles. Just as everyday is a beginning, so is every meditation practice. It’s a place to start learning to watch things come and go without fear or stress.

Have you noticed any consequences as a result of your meditation practice?

Happy Note: Book signing and hatha yoga demonstration Saturday, June 25 at Borders in Vienna, WV, 2-4 p.m. Will I see you there? Bring your yoga mat!

Meanwhile, remember to look for a digital or print copy of Writer Wellness, A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity at Who Dares Wins Publishing, http://whodareswinspublishing.com.

And check out these great blogs for ideas to keep your writing and publishing healthy and prosperous.

http://writeitforward.wordpress.com/ Bob Mayer

http://jenniholbrooktalty.wordpress.com/ Jenni Holbrook

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/ Kristen Lamb

http://inspiration4writers.blogspot.com/ Inspiration for Writers, Inc. 

http://pentopublish.blogspot.com/ Natalie Markey

Have you subscribed to this Writer Wellness blog yet? Get email updates when a new post is added. Click “subscribe” and leave your email. That’s it and thanks in advance!

Be well, write well.

Time To Leave Your Comments!

Arrived Friday afternoon. Four hours of car does awful things to my mood, energy, etc., but the hotel has a dynamite fitness room. I checked in and changed clothes to my workout duds. The recumbent bike and some Sun Salutations saved the day and the evening was great.

There are scads of bookmarks and other goodies that I’m collecting for the prize drawing. All you have to do is leave a comment once this weekend and you’re entered.

Book sale and signing in a few. Have to run.

Be well, write well.

Joy

Lori Foster’s Reader & Author Get Together

I’m excited to be going to Lori Foster’s Reader & Author Get Together in Cincinnati, OH this weekend to meet readers, editors, and other authors. Will you be there?

http://www.lorifoster.com/community/readergettogether.php

I’ll be posting updates here over the weekend. Check in and find out how things go. And I’m holding a contest for those of you who can’t make the weekend with me! Leave a comment on at least one of this weekend’s blogs and you’ll be entered in a prize drawing for a Writer Wellness goodie bag. Can’t wait to hear from you! (US residents only.)

Be well, write well.

Friday Feast: Egg Salad and Blog Mash-up

 

There are five primary areas of practice to the Writer Wellness plan. Every other week I will post an idea for relaxation (Monday Meditation,) creative play (Tuesday Tickle,) fitness and exercise (Wednesday Workout,) journaling and misc. (Thursday Thought,) and nutrition (Friday Feast.)

I promised this egg salad recipe to a good friend who shared a recipe with me last FF for guacamole.

“Joy’s Egg Salad Delight”

 6 hard boiled eggs, peeled, mashed

3 Tablespoons light mayonnaise or canola mayonnaise

1 stalk celery finely chopped

¼ red onion finely chopped

2 Tablespoons red pepper relish (found in the pickle aisle at the grocery)

1 Tablespoon fresh dill chopped (1/2 tsp. if using dry)

Salt & pepper to taste

Mix everything together, cover in an air tight container and cool immediately. Because of the mayo this can’t be left out for long periods of time. Serve on toast with a piece of crisp romaine lettuce.

Friday Blog Mash-up

Here are the great blogs I’ve visited this past week. Check them out.

http://www.eatmovewrite.com/ Interesting blog about the trials and tribulations of a freelance writer.

http://www.creatingkeepsakesblog.com/index.php?s=art+journaling Nifty site with some good basics about art journaling.

http://www.onewomanswrite.blogspot.com/ Linda Rettstatt’s excellent blog about life as an author.

Do you have a recipe to share with Friday Feast?

Meanwhile, remember to look for a digital or print copy of Writer Wellness, A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity at Who Dares Wins Publishing, http://whodareswinspublishing.com.

And check out these great blogs for ideas to keep your writing and publishing healthy and prosperous.

http://writeitforward.wordpress.com/ Bob Mayer

http://jenniholbrooktalty.wordpress.com/ Jenni Holbrook

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/ Kristen Lamb

http://inspiration4writers.blogspot.com/ Inspiration for Writers, Inc.

http://pentopublish.blogspot.com/ Natalie Markey

Have you subscribed to this Writer Wellness blog yet? Get email updates when a new post is added. Click “subscribe” and leave your email. That’s it and thanks in advance!

Be well, write well.

Thursday Thought: Journal As Memory Maker

There are five primary areas of practice to the Writer Wellness plan. Every other week I will post an idea for relaxation (Monday Meditation,) creative play (Tuesday Tickle,) fitness and exercise (Wednesday Workout,) journaling and misc. (Thursday Thought,) and nutrition (Friday Feast.)

A journal is a “home away from home” for our thoughts. Thoughts run the gamut from accomplishments to worries, and our journals are bound to catch all sorts of our ideas eventually. There are no rules for what should and shouldn’t be kept in a journal. That’s up to the keeper. Here are some ways a journal is helpful to just about everyone.

1.Place to keep track of life events. Just jotting down what happened on a particular day and what the weather was helps us review our lives whenever we take moments to go back through and reread entries. We feel a sense of accomplishment and self-satisfaction which contributes to our overall feeling of positive self-worth.

2.Goals and wishes vault. The journal is a fantastic place to write down dreams and future plans. Write it down, make it happen really works because when we see our wants in writing it gives us a fresh perspective on their value and importance. Dream lists in a journal keep us focused and this refreshes our energy because we have something to work toward. Focusing on goals keeps depression at bay.

3.Creative projects tracker. Writers and artists often have a journal per book or art project which serves as a place to dialogue and document the work. Outlines, lists, resources, and comments are really important to the final result. They serve as a sounding board and a file for information and compliment the end product nicely. Many popular writers keep project diaries and publish them years later as “the making of” books to keep their works popular and interesting. This practice allows the safety and freedom an artist needs to make the inevitable mistakes that happen along the way to a creative endeavor.

Journals have a way of taking on a life of their own in a very short time. They are friends, confidents, and idea generators in many ways. In what way does your journal support your life and work?

Meanwhile, remember to look for a digital or print copy of Writer Wellness, A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity at Who Dares Wins Publishing, http://whodareswinspublishing.com.

And check out these great blogs for ideas to keep your writing and publishing healthy and prosperous.

http://writeitforward.wordpress.com/ Bob Mayer

http://jenniholbrooktalty.wordpress.com/ Jenni Holbrook

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/ Kristen Lamb

http://inspiration4writers.blogspot.com/ Inspiration for Writers, Inc.

http://pentopublish.blogspot.com/ Natalie Markey

Have you subscribed to this Writer Wellness blog yet? Get email updates when a new post is added. Click “subscribe” and leave your email. That’s it and thanks in advance!

Be well, write well.

Wednesday Workout: Rembering to Exercise

 

There are five primary areas of practice to the Writer Wellness plan. Every other week I will post an idea for relaxation (Monday Meditation,) creative play (Tuesday Tickle,) fitness and exercise (Wednesday Workout,) journaling and misc. (Thursday Thought,) and nutrition (Friday Feast.)

Yes, there are days so packed with whatever we can actually forget to exercise. Here are some tips for working exercise into your schedule so a day never goes by and, “D@^n, I didn’t exercise!”

1.Mini-exercise breaks: there are “teachable moments” in school and there are “exercise breaks” in your day. Right this minute, take a deep breath in and out five times in a row while raising your arms overhead as you inhale and lowering them as you exhale. I’ll wait…

That was an “exercise break” and it probably took only one minute. Do that ten times a day at your desk and you have accomplished ten minutes of exercise. Change up the movement daily. Tomorrow stand up and march in place or do knee lifts for a minute ten times during the day.

2.Actually find ten minutes when you can leave the desk or situation and take a walk. Getting outdoors for those ten minutes increases the benefits in many ways. Two ten minute walks a day is twenty minutes of exercise. Please don’t talk on the phone while walking.

3.Keep a stress ball on your desk and in the car. While the Internet is doing its typical spoiled brat routine or you’re sitting at a stop light, squeeze the stress ball ten times in each hand as many times as you can. Make a quick mark on your desk pad of how many squeezes you have (wait, that didn’t sound good,) of how many repetitions you’ve done. Repeat until you have 100 squishes recorded for the day. Carpal tunnel folks squeeze the ball slowly and try it palms up and palms down to see what works best for you.

Combine all these ideas on days when the schedule is really packed and at the end of the day you can successfully check off your workout for the day.

How do you squeeze in exercise on the really busy days?

Meanwhile, remember to look for a digital or print copy of Writer Wellness, A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity at Who Dares Wins Publishing, http://whodareswinspublishing.com.

And check out these great blogs for ideas to keep your writing and publishing healthy and prosperous.

http://writeitforward.wordpress.com/ Bob Mayer

http://jenniholbrooktalty.wordpress.com/ Jenni Holbrook

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/ Kristen Lamb

http://inspiration4writers.blogspot.com/ Inspiration for Writers, Inc.

http://pentopublish.blogspot.com/ Natalie Markey

Have you subscribed to this Writer Wellness blog yet? Get email updates when a new post is added. Click “subscribe” and leave your email. That’s it and thanks in advance!

Be well, write well.

Tuesday Tickle: Memories as Writing Gifts

One of the most memorable gifts my husband has ever given me was a packet of letters. We were going to be apart for three weeks, which is a really long time for us. I won’t go into the mushy details, but neither of us looked forward to the lengthy separation. On the day I boarded the plane, he handed me a stack of large white envelopes with a rubber band around them. On the front of each envelope he had written “Day 1”, “Day 2”, and so on.

“What’s this?” I asked.

“It’s something we did in the Navy when we were gone for long periods of time,” he said. “Wait till you get there to open the first one.”

I couldn’t stand the suspense, but I waited and it was worth the wait. He had written a brief letter to me for everyday we were to be apart. Every morning I would open another envelope and read a story, a poem, a wish, a memory, a joke, or plans for something we wanted to do when I returned home. It was absolutely the most romantic thing ever. I loved it and returned the favor the next time our schedules pulled us apart for several days.

Letters are a foreign language to some people in this age of emails and social networking. Technology pales, however, to the warmth and power of words prepared just for a special recipient. The letters from my husband were funny, charming, sexy, and interesting. And when I sat down to create a packet for him to take on a trip, the challenge was bigger than I expected. It required me to think forward and backward at the same time. I wanted my letters to be meaningful and interesting, and I wanted them to be something he could enjoy on his trip.

People love getting letters. Is there someone in your life who is taking a trip in the near future? Want to tell them they are loved? Prepare a packet of letters in advance of the trip. The letters don’t have to be lengthy, just meaningful in some personal way that you share with the receiver. Here are some ideas:

*Write a quote a day at the top of each letter.

*If you have plans while the person is away, tell them in the letter for that day. “Today I’m scheduled to see the dentist. I hope he has purple toothbrushes this time!”

*Copy poems about travelers or journeys

*Draw pictures or include photographs

*Send jokes

*Remind them to visit your blog on a certain date and include a note to them in your blog post

*Include any special dates they should remember while they are gone like birthdays and anniversaries

*Tell them how much you are looking forward to their return

This is an example of a writing gift that makes an incredible memory for friends and couples. Have you ever done this before? Any similar ideas that you’ve experienced with writing gifts?

Meanwhile, remember to look for a digital or print copy of Writer Wellness, A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity at Who Dares Wins Publishing, http://whodareswinspublishing.com.

And check out these great blogs for ideas to keep your writing and publishing healthy and prosperous.

http://writeitforward.wordpress.com/ Bob Mayer

http://jenniholbrooktalty.wordpress.com/ Jenni Holbrook

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/ Kristen Lamb

http://inspiration4writers.blogspot.com/ Inspiration for Writers, Inc.

http://pentopublish.blogspot.com/ Natalie Markey

Have you subscribed to this Writer Wellness blog yet? Get email updates when a new post is added. Click “subscribe” and leave your email. That’s it and thanks in advance!

Be well, write well.

Monday Meditation: Memories and Meditation

There are five primary areas of practice to the Writer Wellness plan. Every other week I will post an idea for relaxation (Monday Meditation,) creative play (Tuesday Tickle,) fitness and exercise (Wednesday Workout,) journaling and misc. (Thursday Thought,) and nutrition (Friday Feast.)

As I sat on the meditation cushion one day last week counting breaths and truthfully minding my own business, a memory from my childhood popped up out of nowhere. I was around eleven years old and my precious Grandma Joy was staying with us as she did on a regular basis. Many of us have a “traveling granny” who lives out of a suitcase from house to house checking in on her children and grandchildren. In this memory, grandma was angry with my father for some reason. I don’t remember why or if I ever knew. I witnessed them exchange sharp words for the first time in my life and watched my dad leave the kitchen by way of the sliding screen door onto the back porch. My grandma picked up an unopened bag of sugar from the counter and hurled it at my dad just as he closed the screen. The bag bounced off the screen and splattered sugar all over the floor. I swept it up while marveling at grandma’s arm, and she got her suitcase to the front porch to wait on my aunt to pick her up. This scene replayed itself in vivid detail during my meditation and needless to say, I lost my train of relaxed consciousness and ended the sitting with a deep breath and a “Namaste” immediately. But the long, and I thought lost, memory contained a message for me. This isn’t an unusual circumstance. Meditation is often a time of revisiting memories and not all of them are pleasant.

Like dreaming, meditation allows our brains to soften and it sometimes takes the opportunity to “clean house”, do some necessary filing of information collected recently, or present us with a memory that gives us the chance to understand something  presently going on in our lives. After several days of thinking and wondering why my brain chose this particular memory to replay at this particular time in my life, I have decided it was meant to remind me that my father was a stern man and set in his ways. And he was seriously outnumbered by estrogen in the family dynamic. Lots of strong women in my family on both sides. Poor guys have trouble sometimes getting a word in edgewise. My father died four years ago and lately I’ve been trying to come to terms with the way some people have differing opinions about him. It’s a long, long, long, long story, but not everyone remembers my father like I do. None of us are perfect. And that is what I think the memory, as unsettling as it was, meant to remind me about. Love is not dependent on the perfection of self or others. It’s about acceptance as difficult as that may sometimes be.

What do you do when a memory bubbles up to the surface while meditating? Allow it to happen but above all simply witness the memory. Don’t get embroiled in old dramas. Just let it flow by. Thinking about it later is possible but not necessary. Most important, don’t allow memories to keep you away from the meditation cushion. Be brave.

Have you ever experienced a memory during meditation practice? What happened?

Meanwhile, remember to look for a digital or print copy of Writer Wellness, A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity at Who Dares Wins Publishing, http://whodareswinspublishing.com

And check out these great blogs for ideas to keep your writing and publishing healthy and prosperous.

http://writeitforward.wordpress.com/ Bob Mayer

http://jenniholbrooktalty.wordpress.com/ Jenni Holbrook

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/ Kristen Lamb

http://inspiration4writers.blogspot.com/ Inspiration for Writers, Inc.

http://pentopublish.blogspot.com/ Natalie Markey

 Have you subscribed to this Writer Wellness blog yet? Get email updates when a new post is added. Click “subscribe” and leave your email. That’s it and thanks in advance!

Be well, write well.

Friday Feast: College Food & and Blog Mash-up

There are five primary areas of practice to the Writer Wellness plan. Every other week I will post an idea for relaxation (Monday Meditation,) creative play (Tuesday Tickle,) fitness and exercise (Wednesday Workout,) journaling and misc. (Thursday Thought,) and nutrition (Friday Feast.)

When I first came across Rachel Ray and her 30-minute cooking, I shouted, “Hooray!” Here was everything I needed in the right place at the right time. When I get home from teaching yoga, I’m STARVED. The slow cooker is really helpful on those days because I get home from the studio after 7:00 p.m. I can’t cook from scratch that late at night and have it ready before midnight. But slow cooker recipes seem too heavy some days so I like to do quick meals that are satisfying in many ways, the most satisfaction being it is done in a hurry!

Now that my daughters and their friends are in college they have all learned snap cooking, and I have recently been amazed how simple and healthful some of their recipes are. Maybe they were listening all those years I said, “Corn chips give you zits!” Here are a couple of their stand-by foods that are really healthy and quick to prepare. (Thanks Aurora and Pam!)

Turkey Fingers

Turkey cutlets, egg wash, canola oil, flour, bread crumbs, and Grill Mates (trademark)seasoning of your choice.

Put the seasoning in a bowl and mix with bread crumbs. Cut the cutlets into strips, toss lightly in flour, dredge in the egg wash, then the breadcrumbs. Fry in about 1/4 inch of canola oil, until golden brown turning only a few times.

Serve with sister’s honey mustard: honey and Gulden’s (trademark) brown mustard mixed to taste. 

Super Delish Guac

3 hass avocados
.5 small red onion
.25 chopped fresh cilantro
2tbs lemon juice
1 tsp minced garlic
.5 tsp cumin
.25 tsp salt

Mash avocados and mix with everything else.

**

Here’s the stupendous mash-up of blogs I’ve haunted this week.

http://www.onewomanswrite.blogspot.com/

http://bethtrissel.wordpress.com/

http://www.patyjager.blogspot.com/

Meanwhile, remember to look for a digital or print copy of Writer Wellness, A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity at Who Dares Wins Publishing, http://whodareswinspublishing.com.

And check out these great blogs for ideas to keep your writing and publishing healthy and prosperous.

http://writeitforward.wordpress.com/ Bob Mayer

http://jenniholbrooktalty.wordpress.com/ Jenni Holbrook

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/ Kristen Lamb

http://inspiration4writers.blogspot.com/ Inspiration for Writers, Inc.

http://pentopublish.blogspot.com/ Natalie Markey

Have you subscribed to this Writer Wellness blog yet? Get email updates when a new post is added. Click “subscribe” and leave your email. That’s it and thanks in advance!

 Be well, write well.