Sharing the process of creating a book…
Yes, this will be easy. Just put the class into a book. It’s already written.
Oh, no, where’s that drawing? Does it even exist anymore?
I don’t like that part, or that part, and that part needs rewriting.
What a mess.
I need a whole new chapter 8!
Now that heading should be on THIS page, not that page. Why won’t it move?
Stupid computer program! Why the heck won’t that picture go there?
Oh, it looks good. I like this.
What do you mean the drawing isn’t 300dpi? I changed it three times. It SHOULD be 300dpi.
Head really, really hurts.
That font looks awful. Why does that font look awful? I don’t know. Time for cookies.
It’s really coming along!
I should have added this. But if I add this, I need to add this.
Still hate that chapter. How can I fix it?
That’s what I forgot to include!
That picture still looks weird.
Now I have to move everything around again. Pages aren’t lining up. Why do I do this? Am I crazy?
I can’t even look at it today. Where’s the cookies?
Wow, I like how it’s coming along. Everything is flowing nicely. It all looks seamless.
OMG! There’s a huge typo! Why didn’t I see that? Am I blind? What else did I miss?
Two friends don’t like the title. Crap.
Cute title! That will work.
Why didn’t it upload? I sat here for hours and it didn’t upload? I need to smack someone or something.
Almost done.
What if no one reads it? What if ends up in the discount pile bin in Walmart? Maybe I should tweak it a little here, a little there.
Time to just jump into the fire. It looks good. Reads well. I need to stop picking at it.
One more change…
Couldn’t sleep. Wondered if I should add a paragraph to chapter nine.
I think I just had an entire dream I edited the book in my sleep.
Ah, acceptance. It’s completed. Uploading and ready to go.
Well, that was easy. Let’s do it again! Next book…
what I DO like – my Girls
We are all trying to “find” ourselves underneath the masks, the mud, the shoulds…
I am discovering… that a very strong voice inside of me is emerging. It’s vocal right now, and it’s loud.
We all have that voice. It’s our soul, sometimes whispering, sometimes screaming. And screaming can be through our bodies’ cries of illness or through the complaints from our rebellious spirit.
I am discovering…that there are a lot of things I should like that I really don’t like, and I’m tired of saying I like it. Perhaps you can relate. In no particular order here’s a small list:
- I should like Twitter, but I don’t. It’s like a fast-moving escalator with everyone screaming at once with no real connection to each other. Sometimes, there is a voice that comes through the madness you can hear but it’s like finding someone waving in a crowd in an airport. That’s too much work to find them. I also hate new followers that already have 300,000 followers and don’t give a crap who I am or what I do.
- Many vegetables. I eat broccoli, but it doesn’t taste great. I only like green beans that come in the can and have salt in them. I do like salads because you can add all kinds of yummy things to them and they are interesting visually.
- Being friendly to people I don’t like. I have come to the conclusion from age and experience that you don’t need to be nice to mean or jerky people. They don’t understand it and they don’t appreciate it. Often, being nice is an invitation for them to take advantage of you.
- Cleaning.
- Parties. I HATE small talk. I bore easily which is probably not a good trait. I like to talk about things in depth or hear people’s stories.
- Okay, I don’t like hearing stories about health issues. Really don’t like that. I am visual and empathic so I don’t need to hear about your last stay in the hospital where they cut into your stomach and ripped out all the bloody parts.
- Insensitive sensitive people. These folks may not be truly sensitive, or maybe they are and they become so hardened to protect themselves they have become the insensitive people who say ridiculously insensitive stuff that comes out of their mouths like projectile vomit.
- Surrender. It’s probably the definition I don’t like that is incorrect. And there’s lots attached to it including TRUST, but when you’ve trusted and it went horribly wrong, it’s super hard to do. Goes along with the one line I hate more than anything, “God only gives you what you can handle.” Bull poopy. The biggest bull poopy I’ve ever read. Then you feel guilty you are strong.
- I always bitch about this. I was even thinking about making a weekly post of spiritual sayings I found that don’t really say anything, or worse, are unrealistic. They usually fall into the category of “don’t worry and just be calm and at peace even though your house is on fire,” or “think and be like a monk even though you have bills to pay and a ton of responsibilities.”
- And finally, I’m supposed to like Facebook Biz pages…
I bitched the other day here about Facebook and ended up in the New York Times Small Business page “freeing myself from Facebook”. I think my rebellious, inner spirit called out to the rebellious spirit of the writer of that page. It was an interesting nod from the Universe/God that it’s okay for me to object to things I “should” like because everyone else says I should like it. It’s even okay to be negative! Wow, what a spiritual concept! It’s freeing. It’s empowering. Because by doing so, you walk your own path, and you learn who you are under all the mud.
and for something fun…What I Learned from the Movies…
I’m a big movie fan and from watching lots of movies I’ve learned a great deal. There does seem to be distinct differences between the movie world and ours.
- If you are being chased by a homicidal maniac, do not trip and fall. If you do fall, do not just lie there and shake, get the %$# up and run away even faster.
- If you ever hear scary music playing in the background, know that something bad is going to happen or someone who is evil or the “bad guy” just entered your picture. (Wouldn’t that be amazingly great if we were warned like that?)
- Everything that is playing out in your life right now is like one big story. Look at the connections and the symbolism/metaphors to figure out what’s really going on.
- Some folks are really just catalysts or bit players in your life, even plot devices, to create big action that creates big change in the end.
- We can ask for happy endings or at least work towards them.
- Some folks are just here to play the villains this time around. Be free to say BOOOOOO when they are around.
- Popcorn really does make the stories in your life look more interesting. At least it tastes really good.
- Your life might start out sad and upsetting, have lots of trauma and crisis in the middle, but in the end it all makes sense in some way (or at least makes a good movie).
- In movie world, everyone is more productive. Unfortunately, in real life everyone has to stop and take a pee or needs to eat a few times a day. I can’t imagine Harrison Ford stopping in the middle of being chased by an enormous ball to ask where the nearest bathroom is, and in some movies, you wonder if the main character ever eats at all.
- And in that movie world, everyone can go to sleep and wake up with their makeup on. I find this fascinating because the times I did this, I rashed out and looked quite wonky in the morning.
There you have it. Movies are very helpful in giving us a better perspective of our lives, and provide at the very least, a gratefulness that we can eat real food.
image: Dreamstime.com
Looking at 2012, I keep quite a few notebooks and art journals. I’ve been spending the day perusing them and looking back at the year. Here’s my top 10′s.
Top 10 Annoyances in 2012 that Kept Me Off Path
- Loud music from the neighbors. As I write this my poor hearing impaired neighbor is blaring his music so loud I can dance to the pounding. I think we should all pinch in and buy him a hearing aid, don’t you?
- Negative or Mean People. The Ann Coulters of the world are the schoolyard bullies who just grew older.
- False Gurus.
- Boxed-in thinking: “That’s just the way it’s done,” realistic thinking that is just negative, rigid point of views that exclude people and wasting my energy getting pissed about it.
- Maya prophecies and portals opening over Sedona.
- Politics that give people reasons to separate.
- The past. Mine really, really sucked those last five years. I have no desire to relive any of it anymore.
- Bad support and bad experts.
- False hopes.
- Dog poop and Sarah wandering.
Top 10 “Fabulousnesses” in 2012 which Kept Me On Path
- Music (not my neighbor’s), especially Bruno Mars’ MOONSHINE and Anthony Mazzella’s REMEMBER THE DREAM.
- Real support from fabulous friends in person and online. Finally.
- My girls and boys. I adore you all and your fuzzy bodies. You are my life preservers.
- Letters from Bill screaming growth, learning and tenderness.
- Full Sail Certification Program was such an enormous gift to me in so many ways.
- Emails how my books, classes, or writing/art has helped or inspired others. Bliss.
- My MAC computer. How did I go without one for so long?
- Making videos.
- Nature. Always.
What I leave behind willingly
SOCIOPATHS, BEING THE SCAPEGOAT, HEAVY, OTHER PEOPLE’S FEARS, OLD LESSONS LEARNED, POOR SUPPORT CREATING CARRYING, UNDERVALUING, BAD MATCHES, HIDING, FLIGHTY, ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL, ORGANIZED RELIGION THAT HURTS, SH, MONEY SHAME.
Your turn…How about you?
All fields and communities have their own languages to communicate to each other. In the classes I’m taking in Grad School I am learning about new technologies. In the technology world, at least in school, everything seems to be abbreviated. There’s PLEs and ETCs and BPs. I’m pretty confused at this point, but I would guess in about a month, I’ll be an old pro at this language.
This experience brought me to my thoughts of the metaphysical community. There’s a language there all it’s own. There’s lots of talk of energy and vibes and such. I like things simplified and easy to understand, after all, my job as a translator with animals and Spirit is taking the complex thoughts they send over and translating it into down-to-earth english. So, here’s some new age concepts defined.
New Age Speak:
- BAD ENERGY. If someone has BAD ENERGY it usually means someone is a jerk, or really negative all the time and feels like a Debbie Downer, or they can feel scary and dark like a walking horror movie.
- 2012. 2012 is the end of the world according to the Mayan calendar. Many metaphysical folk think that this will be a time where some will move into a light dimension and others will stay here. Sounds like other religions’ beliefs. I see it as gradual change that is already happening. Obviously, we are seeing lots of folks waking up and becoming more aware of themselves and their surroundings, because look at all the people who are hanging on to dear life of the 1950s in fear in resistance to change. And women, don’t you just want to go back to the 1950s and take away all your rights and your ability to think or speak?
- Your thoughts become things. There is truth in this statement but it’s also a great way to beat yourself up even more! Something bad happens? It’s all your fault! You created it! Bad you! You thought wrong. My idea about this is, you know how you think about red cars and all of a sudden, there’s red cars everywhere? There’s ads on tv, someone hands you a magazine with a red car on it? You basically focus on that car and filter out the world like a giant computer and pull to you those images or even only notice those things. It’s like a giant Google search.
- Lightworkers. Another word for healers born on planet earth to try and clean up the mess we’ve made of it.
- Downloads. This is usually a dump of information into your brain and all of a sudden, you are super-wise. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always last and you can go back to being confused and bumping into furniture hours later. But, if it’s good information you can use and you integrate it, you can have some really good change in thinking and your perceptions of your problems, and even have solutions you didn’t think of.
I’m sure you have your own definitions and translations. Want to share?
