Q Is For… Quit!

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Contributed by Tina Holland.

QUIT – I know that doesn’t sound like a very positive word in month full of posts about Inspiration and Renewal.   But it is an important step.

I’ve been reading a lot of books about time management and watching blogs on authors who are Resetting and Quitting.  Well, not the writing part, but everything else.  Two of my favorites are Sarra Cannon and Becca Syme.

Sarra Cannon is doing a whole Reset on her YouTube Heart Breathings Channel and she speaks frankly about letting things go so she can focus on writing this year.

Becca Syme has a book out called Dear Writer, You Need to Quit.  I haven’t read Becca Syme’s book but I do follow her Quitcast on YouTube.

Both of these women talk about letting stuff go to focus on writing and letting stuff go.  It sounds easier said than done and it is.  It can be difficult to get rid of toxic people, unused things and useless tasks.

Though it is hard, at times it is absolutely necessary for our own sanity and safety.  I will say for me it has always been easier to get rid of Unused things and Toxic People, but tasks – that thing I can validate with a checkmark or give myself a sticker.  I find those the most difficult, because you know, I’m getting stuff done.  But is it adding value?  Is it taking up more time than it should?  Do I love it?  I’ve started to evaluate these things more and more as I age.

Each person must decide for themselves what they should Quit.  But I encourage you to Quit those things that don’t meet the criteria for your well-being and don’t move you towards your goals.

We can’t move forward if we don’t Quit the things that block our path.

P is for… Patience!

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Contributed by Adele Fasick.

The old proverb “Patience is a virtue…” is quoted most often by parents trying to calm the urgent requests of children. The version I used to hear was “Patience is a virtue, possess it if you can. Seldom in a woman, and never in a man.” This sentiment has been around at least since the fifteenth century probably because people still find patience a difficult virtue to practice.

One place where we almost never find patience is in government. Voters usually want results quickly and politicians try to respond. But a few figures in American history have been willing to work patiently for years to achieve their goals. Frances Perkins was one government figure who did just that.

Frances Perkins was born in Boston in 1887 into a prosperous family, but she spent most of her life in New York and Washington D.C. Like many women of her time, she was given a good education but was not expected to use her education in a job or career. Her destiny, as her family saw it, was to marry a prosperous husband and raise children to follow the same path as her mother and aunts. But Frances saw life differently.

After Perkins graduated from college, she became a social worker in Philadelphia and New York, but a dramatic fire in 1911 changed the course of her life. The Triangle Shirtwaist fire, which caused the death of 146 workers, occurred in her New York City neighborhood. The workers died because bosses had locked access to the elevators in the building. This terrible accident opened Perkins’s eyes to the overwhelming unfairness of the problems faced by workers. She realized she could do more through political action than she could through providing care to individuals as a social worker and so she became an activist. She started to work with government agencies in New York City.

Frances was a young woman, just turning 30, when she decided to work in government. She soon discovered that most of the men she worked with were uncomfortable confronting a young, well-dress woman and didn’t know how to behave with her. Should they flirt with her or treat her like one of the boys? What would their wives think? Frances took an unusual approach to help them. She deliberately tried to appear older than she was. She began to wear somewhat dowdy clothes, and to project a motherly image. This was her way of not frightening off her male colleagues and she became famous for looking like someone’s middle-aged wife rather than a politician.

Patience worked for Perkins. When Franklin Roosevelt was elected President in 1932, he asked her to serve as the Secretary of Labor. Choosing a woman for that post raised an uproar. Labor leaders opposed her because she had never been a union member. She was supported by the League of Women Voters and other women’s groups. Her appointment marked the first time a woman had served as member of the president’s cabinet.

Frances Perkins became a major partner in Roosevelt’s introduction of the New Deal. She was responsible for some of its major achievements—including the minimum wage law, unemployment insurance, and Social Security. She even tried to introduce healthcare as a benefit for all workers, but the American Medical Association killed that provision. Nonetheless, Perkins’s patience led to some of the policies that have made life better for millions of Americans over the years. Perhaps that demonstrates that patience is indeed a virtue.

You can read more about Perkins and other memorable women in my blog Teacups and Tyrants.

O Is For… Creating “Opportunities”!

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Contributed by Alexandra Sissulak.

A space, a moment in time, where both mistakes and miracles alike can flourish, frolic, and play together is where opportunities are created. This is where the best things happen. Opportunities for love, success, and happiness, to name a few.

Depending upon whatever mindset is applied, the abundance and availability of opportunities are potentially limitless.

If only we knew where they are??

Maybe we’re stuck because we believe no one will give us a chance.  Being given a chance isn’t the same as having an opportunity. While quite similar, there are a few subtle, yet key differences that separate the two: action, or involvement, engagement, and intention are required for an opportunity; chance will happen whether it is experienced or not. Also, an opportunity doesn’t always appear in the form of a gift, or chance, you might say. Largely opportunity is associated with positive outcomes, with some nuance and a small thing called “perspective” that certainly comes into play. Another element is time, which generally presents the greatest obstacle to overcome for most, if not all of us. Because time, while often coming up short, is the greatest equalizer of all. Opportunities can only be taken as they present themselves, not yesterday or tomorrow.

Lastly, in order for an opportunity to occur, you need to be present.  Staying preset and aware of your surroundings and maintaining a balanced awareness of yourself during any given moment is where opportunity can be found. If you aren’t present when opportunity becomes available, it was never yours to begin with.  To find opportunities with outcomes leading in the direction of your choosing, you need to know where to look.

Where the heck do I do look!?!

Inside yourself.

You look at your values and what matters most to you and who matters most to you; the “when” and “how” will follow.

You need only to direct the ship, point the finger, flip the page, scribble that last thought, and dream your biggest dream.

Now you’re cooking with gas!!

Light that flame, get the engines burning hot and ready to engage. And then point your whole self into whatever direction you love most.

Open the doors to opportunities yourself, in a way that resonates with you and your values.

Ask yourself, “What’s on the other side of opportunity’s door?”, or “If I could create any opportunity, what would it be?”

This is the most important step: Answer the question.

Then, turn the handle, walk in, and repeat.

N Is For… New!

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Contributed by Rachel Wilder

I, like many others, adore my rut. It’s comfortable and has great carpeting. I really don’t like trying new things and have no desire to send an application to be on Amazing Race or anything remotely like that. Humans tend to be creatures of habit, as the saying goes, and I think that’s very accurate.

But life can become stagnant, lead to depression or cause you to look back and wonder what you did with your life. So even though it can be hard I urge everyone to try something new.

A new look.

I decided to become a redhead.

A new hobby.

Perhaps, coloring- meet my happy yak, Harvey.

Or try a new trail on your next walk.

Boardwalk Path at Wetlands Park in Las Vegas

Because staying in your rut or comfort zone might lead to regrets. You have the possibility of discovering something new to love…or not. You don’t have to do it again, after all. Because the ideas are endless. If you have trouble finding one, ask a friend. They are probably excited about sharing something that they love and enjoy with you.

Just try.

Put in the comments what you’re considering.

I’d love to know,

Rachel

M Is For… Muse!

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Contributed by Tina Holland.

It seems strange to look for a muse in the modern age.   I have an elderly dog that wants to hang out with me when I write.   His name is Kaiser and he’s a chocolate lab.   When my husband comes in, he will often say,  “I see Kaiser is musing” (yep he made it a verb).  This usually means Kaiser is napping in a nearby corner or at my feet.

Another phrase common in creative circles is, “Feed your Muse”.  This generally refers to doing something to fill your creative well – You’re not doing the “thing” but you are doing a thing related closely to it, like reading (for a writer) or something you love (I like scrapbooking).  Occasionally, in these moments you will find inspiration for your current work or maybe a spark of something new.

The modern muse can be an illusive entity.  In our modern world we have so much pulling us in different directions, it can be hard to find time for ourselves, let alone inspiration.  How do we change that?

What I’ve done when I’ve been blocked or overwhelmed is to make a conscious effort to carve out time for myself.  For me that means no distractions – No TV, no phone, no tech at all and I settle in with a book or a craft project for a couple hours.  I don’t even think about writing, because honestly when I’m blocked, I’m too fragile.  And looking at a blank screen when words won’t come makes me feel like a failure.

I’ve added more time to this creative block over the years and it does help me find inspiration and my muse and Kaiser usually joins me in all things so he enjoys a day without all the tech too.

L Is For… Leaving Things Out

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Contributed by Laura F.

We live in an age notable for many things, and one of those things must surely be our shared obsession with “de-cluttering,” “minimalism,” “voluntary simplicity,” whatever other name you choose to give it.  The interiors held up for our admiration are those that have been stripped down to essentials: bare, airy, uncluttered.  If “decluttering” is the activity urged upon us as virtually a moral obligation, then “uncluttered” is perhaps the ultimate word of praise.

I have certainly done my share of decluttering, some of which I heartily regret, but I have never achieved an uncluttered look in my living space, and I have no desire to try.  You see, there is a counter-balance to the gospel that an uncluttered, almost naked space leads to a healthy mind and a pure spirit.  The counter-balance is advice that I have found to be true: it is easier to pursue activities if your living space is set up to make those activities easy to jump into.  Some zealots go so far as to advocate packing your gym bag the night before or even sleeping in your gym clothes (!!!!) so that in the morning you will jump out of bed, grab your bag (or not, if you’re already dressed for the gym) and be on your way to a vigorous workout.

Please do not imagine that the “you” in the preceding sentence is being used as an all-inclusive pronoun.  I have never even owned a gym bag and the thought of sleeping in gym clothes sounds as bizarre to me as the thought of showering in gym clothes.  That would save time, too, wouldn’t it?  But would it really be a good idea?

No, let’s put all thoughts of gym firmly to one side and leave them there.  I’m thinking instead of such things as what I witnessed last Christmas, when my mother agreed to let my older sister spread out her jigsaw puzzle on our “fancy” table, one we only pull out to its full extent at major holidays.  We had our ordinary meals in the kitchen, as usual, but the “fancy” table stayed out in all its glory after Christmas dinner was over so that my sister could keep working on the puzzle.  It took weeks for her to complete the fiendishly difficult puzzle, but she finally triumphed over its challenges.  Imagine what a frustrating experience it would have been if she had had to put the puzzle away at the end of each visit and re-assemble it the next time she came over!

Jigsaw puzzles, of course, are an extreme example, but almost any activity benefits from being literally easy to “pick up.”  Does any reader actually put a book neatly back in the bookcase after each reading session?  Who among us does not prefer to have a book handy on the bedside table or by the side of our chair?  After we’ve read the book entirely through, then it can go back in the bookcase.

One of the greatest of sewing luxuries is the ability to leave a sewing project out on a table.  As for those people who actually have to put not only their fabric pieces but even their sewing machine away after each use, I salute their dedication but I suspect that less dedicated people would gradually sew less and less.

I myself am a tremendous devotee of coloring books and it is a true pleasure to be able to leave a coloring book open, with a tempting array of coloring agents (pens, paints, etc.) by its side.  For me, coloring is a great way to relax.  Sometimes all I need is to color for ten minutes, or even for five, and that is enough to soothe whatever little upset ruffled my spirits.  If I had to take out my coloring book and colors each time before carefully putting them away again, my opportunities for quick “peace breaks” would be much more limited.

In short, although plenty of people will tell you that a completely uncluttered space is crucial to mental health, I’d like to propose that sometimes leaving things out has valuable mental health benefits of its own.

 

K Is For… Kinetic Kindness!

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Speaking of movement.  I was fortunate to be assigned to the letter K. Hmm, so, Kinetic Kindness—I googled these two words together and found oodles of optimistic blogs, websites, teacher resources and more about movement and kindness (not always at the same time). Here’s my take on Kinetic Kindness:

What and who is Kinetic Kindness?

Kinetic refers to non-verbal emotional communication through movement and facial expressions. Kindness is generous, friendly consideration.

Think of kinetic kindness as a combination of non-verbal expression of movement and being of a positive giving nature (which paradoxically will often contain verbal communication). Then I suppose we are getting into the realm of Kinesthesia. Anyway, let’s have some fun with that concept.

Think of an encounter you have had while briskly walking, running, or bicycling on the trail with the person coming toward you. What has been your experience? Someone could offer a kinetic kindness with something as simple as a nod or a bright wave “hello.” A kinetic kindness could be your delightful pet bringing you a dirty sock and dropping it at your feet while staring lovingly up into your eyes (not sure if I’m anthropomorphizing here or not; but doesn’t that feel like kindness?).

Why Kinetic Kindness?

Why not? Supposing that kindness as a noun can be a stationary state; how does one offer kindness without movement? Food for thought and for another essay sometime in the future (or not).

Ways to live in Kinetic Kindness:

I wonder if you could offer kinetic kindness by purchasing or painting a happy painting that shows something, or someone, in motion or draw a drawing (with the intention of giving it as a gift or hanging it in a place that can be kindly shared with others) that has many bright colors and “motion.” Here’s a hint: it can be a realistic or abstract painting like this one from Wassily Kandinsky:

or it can be a flower waving in the breeze or a bird or animal in motion like this little squirrel I sketched:

Whatever your skill level or whatever your media or subject matter, make it m> o> v> e>_>_> across the surface of the painting or drawing then share it.  Get how that combo of concepts works?

Another way to practice kinetic, well, uhm, kinesthetic, kindness is through sound. Not everyone can see a painting or a wave. Could you call out a friendly hello? Could you invite someone to sit next to you on the train with both words and a physical gesture such as a hand movement toward the empty seat (that covers auditory and visual movement)? Could you share a kindness by playing or creating or singing a song that illustrates movement. What comes to mind for you? Do you have any tunes like this on your current playlists? Jeramiah was a Bullfrog comes to mind. What are some songs that you can share that depict movement and kindness?

What are some of your ideas to live in kinetic kindness?

BTW I totally made up this goofy fun concept, kind of works though, doesn’t it?

By JaeSage
Iowa Druid and Kinetic Kindness Practitioner
2023

 

J Is For… Justice!

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Contributed by Adele Fasick.

Everyone has heard of Daniel Boone, but his daughter Jemima, is almost forgotten, although she too played a part in settling the western states.

Jemima’s great adventure started on July 14, 1776, when she was 13 years old and living with her family at Boonesborough, the settlement her father had organized. She and two other teenaged girls took a canoe out on the Kentucky River, which flowed close to the settlement. Seeing flowers on the opposite shore, the girls decided to paddle over and pick some. As they drew close to the shore, a group of Shawnee and Cherokee Indians appeared, seized the canoe, grabbed the girls, bound their hands, and marched them away from the river.

It wasn’t long before the settlers in Boonesborough heard voices calling and realized something was happening. They ran to the river where they found the empty canoe floating in the water. The girls had disappeared. Daniel Boone quickly organized a few men as a search party. Although both Shawnee and Cherokee Indians travelled often through the area, their trails were well hidden and Boone had no idea which way they might have gone.

Fortunately, Jemima and her friends were familiar with the difficulties of tracking people through a heavily wooded area so they did their best to leave traces of where they had gone. The girls were wearing long dresses, which made it difficult for them to walk through the dense woods, so the Indians cut several inches off the bottoms of the skirts. The Indians buried the leftover fabric so it wouldn’t be found, but the girls were able to tear pieces from the ragged skirts and attach them to bushes along the path. When the Indians noticed what they were doing, they ordered them to stop, but some pieces of fabric were left.

Jemima was wearing a bonnet and she realized the bonnet strings could give information. She tied knots in the string to indicate the number of Indian braves who had taken them—five in all. Because the girls were clever enough to leave clues, and because Daniel Boone and his party understood them, it took only a few days to rescue the girls.

Despite the worries of other settlers, the girls were not injured by their captors. In fact, the girls seem to have established congenial relations with several of the Indians. They reported that they had been well treated. Daniel Boone negotiated with the Indians and reached an agreement on where the settlers could hunt and fish. The girls were released, and everyone was satisfied.

Jemima and her friends became famous. Years afterward, James Fennimore Cooper wrote about their adventure in The Last of the Mohicans—one of the most popular books of its time. Unfortunately, Jemima was never able to read the book. Like most pioneer women, she was never taught to read. Reading and writing were considered necessary only for men. So, although Jemima found justice from the Indians, she did not always get it from her own family.

You can read more about Jemima’s story in my blog Teacups and Tyrants.

I Is For… Inspiration!

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Contributed by Alexandra Sissulak.

Be Open for “Inspiration”

Our days are filled with so much to take in and absorb, we are constantly bombarded with the stimulation asking, begging, or pleading for our attention and asking us to take some kind of action.  Between news and social media, marketing and advertising, our eyes and ears are getting tired from seeing and hearing the same madness all the time. Walking through life without the energy or bandwidth to consume the everything being flung in our direction.  It really is no wonder we’ve become nearly blind to the limitless inspiration all around us, surrounding us in our everyday life.  It has been so overwhelming that some of us began to isolate and estrange ourselves from everyday society; barely hanging on….

One day, we catch a flash of something that tugs on our head-strings, makes us vibrate with excitement, or compels us to think creatively.  It comes from a song we hear, engaging with someone we love, or looking for a solution to help do the things we enjoy and the tasks we dislike better, easier, or more efficient.

We are drawn to it like a moth to a flame. All it takes is a spark, a flicker that ignites, the only light bright enough to pierce through the thick cloud layer of fog, dust, and other shattered debris; flowing energy radiating outwards, sweeping indiscriminately, gathering momentum.

Inspiration can be found lurking and hiding within our environment or around the people with whom we interact, like an elusive hidden gem. However, it must be given before it can be received and vice versa; very similar, remarkable, and divine as love. Further, it needs a place to go to be received, and vice versa…

Here’s the rub if one isn’t open to receive inspiration it can’t get in. It has nowhere to go, because the entrance has been shut tight, boarded up, and barricaded to drown out the constant chaos of modern life. Inspiration can knock, or ring the doorbell all it wants but if the door isn’t open, nothing is getting through.

“The most impenetrable barriers between ourselves and our
own happiness are those that are self-imposed.” – Me

So how do we overcome this, get back into the flow of giving and receiving inspiration?  Blasting away those barriers can be as simple as changing your perspective as well as reminding yourself who you are, what you’re here to do, and most importantly why you do it.

First, we look within. We analyze our values. Maybe we have a list lying around that has a was handwritten in chalk somewhere on the driveway last summer or crumpled and lying on the bottom of our desk drawer… ya know what? Never mind, the outcome is far better when you start all over again anyway!  If you’re looking for help figuring out what your values are, you’ve entered the wrong line; there are plenty of other posts out there in the digi-verse you might be lost for days though…so

Great, now that we’re back and we’ve been sufficiently reacquainted with everything gives us enough reason to live we’d die for it, let’s continue.

Second, start by creating, doing, or making something, anything, that makes only you, and ONLY happy. Whatever it is, intend to impress no one. Your happiness is always defined by you.

What happens next is amazing!!!  The door for inspiration to come pouring back in is blown wide open and balance is restored.  Life starts to flow again, fueling yourself and others with infinite inspiration.

When the door opens, what kind of inspiration will find you… and vice versa?

H Is For… Hummingbirds!

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Image from Creative Commons, used under Creative Commons license.

Hummingbirds make me happy.

We have a feeder right outside my office window, so I can see them coming and going. During the Spring migration, we have to refill the feeders (we have two; one by my office, and one out on Grandpa, an ancient broadleaf maple in the yard) every two days. During normal non-migration times, about once a week will do it. We have native the “Anna’s Hummingbird” here; they’re tiny (even for hummingbirds) and greenish metal color.

Do you have hummingbirds in your valley? If so, do you feed them? If not, what birds do you have that live near you?

Some resources for the bird-challenged:

  1. Merlin Bird App: https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/
    1. This is one of my favorite apps, because it lets you record bird sounds and the app will tell you what the likely culprit is that’s making the noise. There’s more info on Audubon (see below), but for straight up identification I like this one. My local library turned me onto it.
  2. Speaking of, check out your local public library. They may have classes on birds, especially right about now; our library did a class last year on “online options for outdoors,” which covered all sorts of things – bird apps, nature tracking apps for trees and bugs, even astronomy apps.
  3. Audubon Bird Guide App: https://www.audubon.org/app
    1. If you want to learn about specific birds, this is a great repository of information. Once you know what birds you have in your area, you can come here and read up on them.
  4. Seek, by iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/seek_app
    1. This is a fun one – it tracks not just birds, but bugs and plants too. They have challenges, and you can track what you find on your nature walks. This is a great tool – especially for our urbanites! You’ll be startled by just how much nature is right around you, even in the concrete jungle.

 

What are your favorites?