Posts by Joy Held

Thursday Thought: Procrastinaor Juror Beware

Posted on by Joy Held

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.)

Three weeks after sitting in a court room for over two weeks as a spectator in a murder trial, I get a jury summons of my own in the mail. I’m being “considered” as a juror for U.S. District Court. Well, okay. I believe in the civic duty of serving on a jury but I have personal and moral issues with being the person who casts judgment on another human being. Granted, there are human beings who have committed deadly sins, as in the case I attended in February, and their problems and actions warrant judgment. I am just not thrilled with the prospect of making decisions about the penalties someone should suffer because of their choices. I believe karma will take care of it for me.

So I had blocked out the questionnaire sent in the mail decreeing that I must answer the questions and return it in the prepaid envelope considerately provided within ten days or suffer my own consequences. The explanation of the penance is I may have to go to the office of the U.S. Circuit Clerk and answer the questions there if I miss the deadline.

As a journalist the word deadline has great meaning to me and always has. The history of the word includes the fact that California prisons in the 19th century didn’t have enough money for fencing and guards were told to shoot fleeing prisoners once they reached “that line of sage brush, that’s the dead line.” Not wanting to be shot in the back, I have always made it my business to meet deadlines in a timely and cheerful manner no matter how much I prefer to procrastinate. That’s right, put it off until tomorrow.

Years of meeting deadlines and making daily to-do lists have empowered my brain to overpower the lazy limbic system where the urge to be easily distracted is created. Yes, our brains are wired to find the easy, comfortable way out of everything and that contributes to why it is so easy to procrastinate. But in my case, years of alternate brain training woke me up at two o’clock in the morning from a dead sleep to remember I hadn’t filled out the damn questionnaire yet.

After searching the house for a bloody number two pencil (I seem to only have disposable mechanical pencils in the house,) I have successfully finished my jury questionnaire in pencil which unnerves me. What if somebody changes my answers? Worry. That’s another blog.

I plan to put the questionnaire in the mail TOMORROW.

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

Be well, write well.

Wednesday Workout: I Don’t Like To Wear Shoes

Posted on by Joy Held

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’ve shared my thoughts recently about how important it is to practice yoga in bare feet. I really like to go without shoes.

But even though I don’t like wearing shoes, they are a safeguard against the many things that would invade the comfort and stability of our feet. Sometimes in spite of shoes we are accosted by invaders as when I stepped on a rusty nail in a board and it sent pain riveting through my body to my brain. Zowy! It was nothing compared to the tetanus shot, however. So, I buy and wear shoes with several things in mind. The most important job of my shoes is to completely and totally support my feet, particularly my arches. They are strong and high from years of ballet and yoga, so if my arches aren’t happy, no part of me is happy. I buy shoes sparingly and only if they are practical and supportive. 

I needed a new pair of tennis shoes (the style of shoe I wear the most) and I tried on shoes in two cities and five different stores over the last two weekends before settling on something I didn’t want to buy. Really. I never wanted to buy into the marketing hype that a pair of tennis shoes can tighten and tone your butt just by wearing AND walking in them. But I now own a pair of Reebok Simply Tone shoes in a size 6 ½. http://www.reebok.com/  Because they formed to my arches and didn’t push down on my big toes the first time I put them on in the store.

I love shoes for the protection, but I hate them for the imprisonment they impose on my feet and I also dislike how much shoes cost. The Simply Tones weren’t inexpensive, but more than I normally pay for a pair of tennis shoes. I’m a coupon hound and the shoes were on sale and between the two incentives they were close to what I consider reasonable expense for footwear. And I wore them for Saturday’s errands and housework. When I took them off at nine o’clock Saturday night to watch a basketball game on television, I realized I had worn them for ten hours straight. That’s a record for me. And the next day my feet felt alive, energized, and exercised. Thrilling. 

When our feet are happy, our whole system is happy. Bare feet are great, but put some serious time and thought into all your shoe purchases, especially the shoes you wear for exercise, and notice the subtle improvements in your overall wellbeing. Similar experiences with happy/unhappy feet? Do tell. 

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

Be well, write well.

Tuesday Tickle: Creative Play Date

Posted on by Joy Held

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.)

Creative play is the focus of Tuesday Tickle here at Writer Wellness. It’s an intentionally vague topic to allow me lots of juicy wiggle room to explore whatever I want. And that’s exactly what creative play is all about. Exploring whatever we want that pumps up our creative salivary glands and gets us back in the groove of writing.

I call it creative play because I recommend messing around in fun stuff and each one of you gets to define what fun stuff means to you. Creative play is also the primary means of filling the well when it’s feeling dry. That’s of sign of the dreaded writer’s block creeping up behind us. And although the world acknowledges the existence of writer’s block, we don’t have to be hypochondriacal and sit around and wait to catch it. With regular experiences with creative play, writer’s block is completely avoidable, and no prescription drugs are required to bolster our immune systems (sorry.)

Creative play is a simple prescription: do something creative. That’s it. It must be creative and must be enjoyable and it counts as creative play if it is capable of filling your well and keeping you juicy and filled with ideas for writing. And less fear. How’s that? Writer’s block is fear based in my opinion. Expectations, deadlines, pressures, and bills to pay can sure wreak havoc on a writer’s psyche and cause us to feel overwhelmed and incapable of writing. Participating in creative play is a great medicine for alleviating the fear. But most of us need a permission slip to participate in creative play because we have gotten into the nasty habit of thinking that writing is work. It is, but it’s supposed to be work we love. We are one of the few professions that can genuinely claim that we work at something we love. Getting paid is a bonus.

So, here’s your permission slip:

I, Joy Held, give YOU permission to enjoy a regular creative play date to do something fun, crazy, enlightening, and relaxing. 

Here are some ideas from my own recent creative play dates:

I attended the local college student art show at the museum. Saw some really great beginning works that reminded me that we all start out the same way: with a crayon. Also discovered a new artist whose work is very powerful and I intend to look into more of her projects.

Woke up on Saturday and decided to paint every wooden clothes pin in the house. Spent a few minutes gathering them up and used assorted colors of spray paint to decorate a hundred clothes pins. Now when I’m hanging laundry or securing a bread bag, my colorful day of painting in the sunshine comes to mind and refreshes me.

I read and write reviews for a lot of young adult books. Just recently I read the latest collection of short stories from fantasy author Tamora Pierce TORTALL AND OTHER LANDS, A COLLECTION OF TALES. The stories included new and old characters and even a tale entitled “Huntress” that I heard Pierce read aloud at a convention in 2005 before it was published. Reading outside the genre I write keeps me honest and respectful of the craft. Here’s the link to the review:

http://teenreads.com/reviews/9780375866760.asp

What do you do to stay healthy and avoid writer’s block?

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

 Be well, write well.

Monday Meditation: Lessons In Living

Posted on by Joy Held

 

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.)

We are each living our daily lives as we would like to experience our deaths.

“Whoa! Hold on,” you’re saying. “I don’t like to think about dying. I’ll deal with it when it happens.”

It happens a little to everyone every day. Awareness of that tiny fact creates a huge relief in those who notice it. Yoga has a particular gift in this area. It’s a pose called ‘Savasana’ which is Sanskrit for ‘corpse pose.’ The end of every decent hatha yoga class is spent in this one pose for up to 20 minutes. My students call it “the present at the end of the yoga workout party” because with practice ‘Savasana’ is truly a gift on many levels. One of those levels is the practice of our death.

“Okay, too morbid for me. Next blog, please.” 

That’s the normal reaction to a discussion of death. But this is a discussion of the appreciation of life.

I was raised in a ballet school and had to perform on stage quite a bit. Recitals, “The Nutcracker”, and benefit performances used to make me nervous. As a young dancer, I sometimes got so ill I couldn’t go on with the show. Nowadays that’s called “performance anxiety” and the study of it has shown that sufficient preparation and practice of an activity completely alleviates the stress caused by having to perform in front of an audience. I taught myself to practice more often and rehearse my dances in my mind over and over by visualizing the movements night after night before falling asleep. When it came time to perform, no sick stomach or sweats, just a great experience for me and the audience. The dedicated repetition in the studio and in my mind gave me the confidence to perform without tension and without worrying about the expectations. I knew I was doing the best job I possibly could because I had practiced a lot. 

In his brilliant book The Inner Tradition of Yoga, A Guide to Yoga Philosophy for the Contemporary Practitioner, author and psychotherapist Michael Stone explores some of how ‘Savasana’ is an honest, stress-free practice of “life structured by death.” In a pure and simple sense we all make daily living choices that lead us along the path of how we will experience our endings. In the regular practice of corpse pose we gently, slowly, and gradually choose in a small way to live and pass peacefully and with respect toward our world and others. Relaxing deeply in the gift of corpse pose at the end of a good hatha session is an opportunity to make a tiny practice about how we would like to leave this existence. It’s normal to resist death but the miniscule and regular practice of accepting it peacefully builds a reserve in our mind. We can call on those peaceful reserves when faced with stressful expectations and the results will be better for all concerned.

According to Stone, “Yoga teaches us that the dance of all we perceive happens in front of awareness, not inside or behind it.” Yoga helps us practice the dance in front of the audience and with repetition we are not afraid. About the two arenas of life and death he adds, “The ‘practice of dying’ is a matter of learning to live the tension ‘in between’ these two dimensions of existence.” Corpse pose enables us to experience a small death with appreciation for living because after the pose we are graciously given the opportunity to stretch our arms and legs, take a deep breath, and go back to our world. The idea is to take the appreciations learned on the mat in corpse pose and practice those lessons in our lives off the mat.

Visit Michael Stone

http://centreofgravity.org/

Learning to appreciate corpse pose as more than a physical relaxation is learning gratitude for life. Don’t be afraid.

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

 Be well, write well.

Friday Feast: Spelt-the Other White Flour

Posted on by Joy Held

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.

After a mouthful of spelt flakes cereal, my outspoken teenage daughters proclaimed, “The first man who ate this spit it out saying, ‘Splet!’ and that’s where the name came from!” I still cook and bake with spelt in spite of the girls’ drama and it’s paid off in the long run. For ten years they’ve eaten cookies, bread, and pasta made from spelt instead of bleached white flour or whole wheat and no one’s digestive system is complaining. In fact, everyone is much leaner, healthier, and happier. What is spelt?

 Today’s whole wheat and white wheat flour are descendants of spelt grain. It’s an ancient grain that has come back into vogue for gourmet cooking and to help wheat intolerant persons continue to enjoy pasta and pastries. Most people who suffer from celiac disease can eat spelt because the gluten in spelt is more easily digested. This doesn’t apply to all celiac patients, but many people who cannot eat wheat find spelt a tasty, simple alternative to going without bread and pasta. Even some gluten free people can eat spelt without complications. 

When the book Eat Right For/4 Your Type by Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo was published in 1998, many people took D’Adamo seriously and cut whole wheat and white wheat from their diets. I and my family switched to alternative grains and we’ve been happier ever since. It’s taken a while to get a handle on the differences in baking times and a slightly different taste, but overall spelt is a delicious substitute for wheat. http://www.4yourtype.com.  

Spelt is full of flavor, protein, and B vitamins. It’s much easier on the digestive system and because its popularity continues to grow, it’s now easier to find in health food groceries and online. (See resource list below.) 

Spelt noodles cook faster. Pastries made with spelt flour have a heartier texture. Spelt foods are more filling so you eat less while feeling satisfied. Spelt is a bit more expensive but it balances out when you don’t eat as much to feel full. After ten years of baking with spelt, my family takes it for granted that every pasta, cereal, bread, and cookie is made from spelt flour and they’re right! The extra effort is worth it.

Kitri’s Favorite Iced Spelt Oatmeal Raison Cookies

2 ¼ cups of white spelt flour sifted

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 cup oats (not instant)

1 cup dark brown sugar

½ cup white sugar

1 cup salted butter half melted

2 Tablespoons honey

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 ½ cup raisons

Icing

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

4 Tablespoons half and half (use more liquid if necessary to acquire desired consistency)

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Sift the flour, salt, and baking soda together in a bowl.

In a metal mixing bowl, melt the butter half way in the oven while it is preheating. Take out the butter and blend the sugars with the butter then add the honey, vanilla, and eggs one at a time until a grainy paste is reached. Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture mix lightly then add the oats and raisons.

Drop by rounded teaspoons onto a parchment paper covered baking sheet. Place the cookies in the freezer for 10-20 minutes to reset the butter. Bake one sheet at a time for 18-22 minutes checking regularly. Spelt bakes faster than regular wheat. As soon as a light brown is visible around the edges of the cookies, remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for one minute before removing to a baking rack. When cookies are medium warm, drizzle icing over the tops. Store in airtight plastic containers with parchment paper between layers of cookies. Cookies freeze well for up to two weeks.

Resources

www.spelt.com

www.purityfood.com

www.berlinnaturalbakery.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.

 Be well, write well.

Thursday Thought: Stuff

Posted on by Joy Held

 

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’m convinced we hold onto our Stuff because in some awkward way it validates us. In a world crammed with people and their Stuff, our Stuff gives us proof that we exist. If we have Stuff and proof of our existence, we can claim some sort of history, some kind of evidence that we matter now, did then, and will matter in the future. Even if we aren’t physically here (in the future.) Our stuff will be proof that we were here.

Stuff is also a symbol. Some people and weird, scary television shows about people unwilling to let go of their Stuff, say that the Stuff is a status symbol, a message to others that we have succeeded on terms supposedly acceptable to the general populace. “I have Stuff. Therefor, I am.” Am what? My sister has a coffee mug in her sewing room that says, “She who dies with the most fabic wins.” The reality TV shows about people with piles and piles and room after room of Stuff are popular because deep in our bellies we all know it’s a symbol of greed. The contestants in life who race to have the most Stuff are afraid they will be forgotten. It’s a natural sensation. We’re afraid that after we die, no one will remember us except they will have our Stuff to clean up for us so they’ll never forget us. Huh?

I visited the home of an elderly woman once who had been retired from the U.S. Postal Service. She spent the next fifteen years shopping yard sales. You could not walk through any room in the house. Even the bathroom was stacked with things so you had to walk on piles of sheets and towels to get to the throne. After she died, it took her daughter eleven years to sort and sell just the Stuff. The house sold in a matter of months once people could see the ceilings.

As the executrix of my father’s estate, it’s my job to simplify his belongings and liquidate the property and convert everything into cash for the heirs. I love my Dad, but he didn’t do the best job organizing his Stuff before he passed away and I’m still wading through paperwork and details and bureaucratic b.s. almost four years after his death. Believe me, once you have to do all this work after someone has passed away, you will organize and simplify your own life and paperwork in a hurry…unless you want to leave a nightmare behind. That isn’t how I want to be remembered. To be fair, my poor father died suddenly and the work to “clean house” and organize his estate was in progress at the time of his death, but it wasn’t complete. The work is amazingly complicated and depressing. I am doing everything possible NOT to leave my children the same Stuff.

It seems pretty simple to say, “Get rid of it,” but reality is a bit more of a hard bite when it comes to choosing what to through out. I have the same problem everyone else has with getting rid of Stuff, but I’m working on it. Got three boxes in the van for Goodwill right now. I driven there twice and haven’t dropped it off yet. I’ll do it. I’ll do it. Will you remember me without my Stuff as a reminder?

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.

Be well, write well.

 

Wednesday Workout: Bare Footin’

Posted on by Joy Held

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.)

Ever seen an infant stick their toes in their mouth? Later, those same infants are adults who are challenged to bend over and touch their toes, and they certainly would never stick their toes in their mouths even if they could reach them. Ick. These facts are a sad statement on how little we tend to care for our feet once we are adults. Yoga is a Sanskrit (ancient Indian language) word loosely translated to mean “union” or “yoke”. It’s a program of bringing into balance the body, mind, and spirit including the feet. But the bare feet principle is a turn-off for many people who would otherwise glean benefits from yoga if they would only take off their socks and shoes and try it.

There is mythology and science surrounding the practice of yoga in bare feet. It’s the oldest known practice of organized physical exercise dating back to the days when shoes weren’t as popular or as readily accessible as they are today. Maybe just because the originators of yoga didn’t have shoes that’s why it’s still done without them today. Many, many yoga poses require balance, even with both feet on the ground, and it is better with bare feet because the student can equally press down with all parts of the foot thereby increasing stability. Perhaps the reason is balance.

Advancement in yoga calls for attention to the feet in all poses and learning to arch the feet, point the feet, and/or spread the toes is important to succeeding in certain levels of poses. Perhaps shoes get in the way when moving from yoga pose to yoga pose as smoothly as possible. Maybe shoes and socks represent a shroud, a curtain separating the student from a part of the body that is important to every pose, even if the feet are in the air! Is going barefoot in yoga a lesson in awareness of all factors when practicing? Is it just simpler, lighter, and more economical not to require special footwear for this form of exercise? Are there yoga poses where the student is required to grab their toes (eventually!!) Do bare feet send a natural, wholistic message?

All of these factors are important on some level to the need to practice yoga bare footed. It’s been part of the practice for thousands of years but it remains the one thing that’s a deal-breaker for many would be yoga students. “I am not taking off my socks.” So I wait. Sometimes years for some students to remove their socks and practice yoga. If the student practices for a long time with the socks still on, I am quiet, but I don’t change the lesson plan to accomodate their socks. I still insist they grab their toes through their socks for Reclined Head to Big Toe Pose. It isn’t easy with socks on and neither is balancing or holding Warrior I pose because their knees are out of alignment because their feet are slipping because they still have on their socks. But I wait.

And if they continue to attend class, one day, quite without fanfare, they sit on their mat at the start of practice and quietly slip off their socks. They (the socks) are always rolled into a neat little ball and placed right next to the yoga mat…never far away. But once they try a yoga class barefooted one time, they never go back to the dark place of unenlightened feet.

NAMASTE*NAMASTE*NAMASTE

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.

 Be well, write well.

Tuesday Tickle: Love/Hate Relationship

Posted on by Joy Held

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.)

Found this on a group recently and just had to share whether it’s fictional or not. It’s just for giggles.

For all of us who feel only the deepest love and affection for the way computers have enhanced our lives,  read on.

At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated, ‘If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon.’

In response to Bill ‘s comments, General Motors issued a press release stating: If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics (and I just love this part):

1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash……. ..Twice a day.

2.. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.

3… Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.

4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.

5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to
drive – but would run on only five percent of the roads.

6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single ‘This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation’ warning light.

I love the next one!!!

7. The airbag system would ask ‘Are you sure?’ before deploying.

8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.

9. Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.

10. You’d have to press the ‘Start’ button to turn the engine off.

PS – I ‘d like to add that when all else fails, you could call ‘ customer service ‘ in some foreign country and be instructed in some foreign language how to fix your car yourself!!!!

Thanks to Joyce Henderson for sharing this.

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.

 Be well, write well.

Monday Meditation: Ruby Slippers

Posted on by Joy Held

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.)

“If I’m such a legend, why am I so lonely?” ~Judy Garland

I decided a long time ago my alter ego was ‘Dorothy’ from the Wizard of Oz. As I grew, I found one dog that would be my only dog and three men with exactly the issues of the Scarecrow, the Lion, and the Tin Man. Like Dorothy, I attached the most to the Scarecrow. I love a man with brains. I have always loved red shoes. They don’t have to be sparkly, just red. And I have never stopped believing love is the answer to every question. And again, like Dorothy, I have recently encountered wickedness and overcome it with love.

While this may sound like an over simplification, that’s exactly the point. Life is complicated, hectic, erratic, and staccato for just about everybody. Applying a simple principle to every aspect is one way to achieve a sense of “I can do this.” We all have moments and days and hours and weeks where we think, “I’ll will never get this done.” By adopting a simple mantra or basic idea such as love, truth, or beauty, our lives and our brains will relax because we have a built in coping mechanism. No matter what the question is, having a base foundation to approach everything is comforting and provides tranquility and strength. When you have one or two primary ideals and you strive to achieve every goal with them in mind, then everything has some degree of positive outcome.

It’s similar to the “Six degrees of Kevin Bacon” theory or game.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_degrees_of_separation. The idea for the game came from Bacon claiming he had worked with everyone in Hollywood. To play, you name people, places, etc. to connect with Kevin Bacon in no more than six steps. It is taken from the theory of six degrees of separation popularized by Hungarian author F. Karinthy who called it a chain. We are all connected, goes the theory, by no more than six steps or degrees or concepts. It’s a small world.

To adopt and apply a simple life principle such as beauty literally colors your perspective so be careful not to pull the wool over your own eyes. Be realistic, but regardless of the trouble, try to see how your guiding life principle can eventually be applied and see if your reactions and stress levels diminish. No matter how ugly, find a quiet moment to see the better, hopeful side of the situation.

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.

Be well, write well.

Copyright Joy Held 2011. All rights reserved.

Friday Feast: Celebration Dessert

Posted on by Joy Held

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.)

Food and celebrating often go hand-in-hand. We celebrate a night of rest by having breakfast. We pay homage to a morning of work with lunch. Accomplishing another full day of love and work is recognized with dinner. Every meal can and should be savored and respected. That equates to healthy choices and moderation coupled with plenty of exercise to monitor the effects of over celebrating, if you know what I mean!

It is a documented and publicized fact that many chronic diseases in America can be challenged successfully with proper nutrition and exercise. Good nutrition does not mean cutting out all the tasty, fun flavors that are naturally found in fruits and juices. This recipe can help those who are looking for ways to honor good food choices with a light, refreshing dessert that doesn’t over-do the celebration factor of a good meal. While this dessert contains sugar, it is not in excess. In food as in life, it is excess that sometimes leads to problems. If you can’t eat sugar, try using a sugar substitute and choose juices without added sugar. Again 100% juice without added sweeteners is the best. To avoid the sugar in the sparkling juice, use club soda.

For a festive, easy, and inexpensive treat, Celebration Gelatin Dessert is the winner. It looks like a glass of chilled champagne but is friendly to everyone because it’s made with sparkling juice. The sparkling juice naturally makes a fizzy top that resembles the bubbles in champagne and everybody will get a tingle on the tongue as the gelatin sparkles all the way down. Cheers! 

Celebration Gelatin Dessert

1 package or 1 Tablespoon unflavored gelatin

1 cup 100% white grape juice, chilled

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 cup non-alcoholic sparkling white grape juice (any flavor sparkling juice will work)

4 chilled champagne glasses

Pour the chilled white grape juice into a sauce pan. Sprinkle unflavored gelatin on the surface of the juice and let sit for one minute. Preheat stove burner to medium-low while gelatin is dissolving. After one minute, heat the gelatin mixture stirring with a whisk. Once liquid is slightly hot, whisk in and dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. 

Slowly add the sparkling white grape juice while whisking into the gelatin mixture. Room temperature sparkling juice creates more foam and adding it slowly retains the foam for a bubbly champagne appearance. Pour the mixture into chilled champagne or dessert glasses. Chill in refrigerator for approximately 6-8 hours. Serves 4.

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. 

Be well, write well.