The Power of Prayer

I have faith, not religion. And I believe in the benefits of prayer even if there is nobody to hear. It grounds me, improving my attitude if nothing else.

That said, is it wrong to do most of your praying naked? I realized that truth not terribly long ago. ~shakes head~ I guess the action of showering shuts off this writer's inner fictional dialog.

I do like to think God has a sense of humor. How else can you explain the platypus?

Still, what if my odd tendency annoys who or whatever is out there? Maybe I should set aside a meditation period after my Julia Cameron style morning journal time. What do you think?

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Software Glitch or a Message from the Universe?

Before my muse kicked my writing back into gear I used to spend a lot of time playing games on my Kindle Fire (even more than reading, I’m ashamed to admit). Yesterday, I decided to play a few games of FreeCell.

Well, after perhaps my third round the screen locked up. This is the actual image, my favorite model as the customized background...

At Least I Won

I had to laugh and show my partner. Granted, all I needed to do was turn the Kindle off and back on to clear the issue, but it made me think of Julia Cameron and her “Artists’s Way” notions about the universe sometimes pushing us in the right creative direction.

Was a ghost in the machine telling me to quit screwing around and get back to rewrites? What do you think?

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Passing On Positivity

For some inexplicable reason I spent this morning feeling anxious. Julia Cameron, whose creativity workshops like "The Artist's Way" aid my attitude in all sorts of situations, would tell me to do the next right thing. Today that meant cleaning bathrooms and mowing the back lawn.

The latter takes only about fifteen minutes, most of our backyard otherwise landscaped. And it would have been wise to head outside before the day heated up. Yet I found myself wasting time playing card games on my Kindle Fire. I needed to break that cycle.

So, what did I do? I turned on my laptop, telling myself I needed to verify which area of the house was scheduled for deep cleaning this week. Of course I'd been right about the bathrooms.

Did I start my chores? No.

I read blog posts. As it turned out, however, Vidya Sury's "Joy is in the Routine" got me motivated. As you can read for yourself, she overcame sickness and frustration with positive action. The lovingly home-cooked lunch she packed for her husband made me both happy, harmonious, and hungry. It was like the sun rose on my heart.

Maybe Not As Glorious As When I Stood Here... ~grin~

Without physical discomfort aside from anxiety symptoms, I got up and got busy. Now it's early afternoon, my home has two clean bathrooms, a mowed backyard, the front mowed, vegetable garden watered, and organic weed killer sprayed where necessary. It feels great.

Now I know that folks with legitimate reasons for depression and/or anxiety may well need more help. This fact only makes me feel more blessed. I'm looking forward to a pleasant afternoon and evening with my partner and cats. I hope anyone reading can say much the same.

Brain chemistry. It can be annoying. Is there anything that helps when your mind mysteriously drags you down?

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By Popular Demand...

Well, since two dear commenters asked to see my fledgling artwork with chalk pastels I decided to share. It's all in fun, so please don't judge me too harshly. ~grin~ Here goes...

A Crabby Day at the Beach

The important thing is that I enjoyed myself in this endeavor. And I'm sure Julia Cameron would approve of that. In the meantime, I'm studying more advanced techniques than my initial YouTube discovery offered.

Have you played today?

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The 90 Day Novel

I'm so excited to have joined a daily novel workshop created and published by author Alan Watt - "The 90 Day Novel". Some friendly local authors will be meeting weekly during this summer project, and now I'm actually facilitating the workshop online!

This is a new venture for me. It's my hope to encourage creativity in others as well as to write a complete novel length manuscript over the next three months. Whatever happens, I like the idea of getting on the page and having fun telling story.

Thankfully, I have an emotionally safe place for my debut facilitation. The Writer Zen Garden has been my online home for many years now. The people are talented, open-minded, and generous. Let's hope I do right by them.

It helps that Alan Watt seems to have the same gentle approach to creativity as Julia Cameron. And my beloved Zen Garden forum group has not only invited me to join in on Ms. Cameron's various workshops but encouraged me to guest host one. Writing some of those essays gave me a little experience, at least.

Do you have any exciting plans over the coming months?

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Tuesday Tidings for May 12, 2015

A month or so ago, my fellow authors on the Writer’s Retreat blog decided it would be a joyous thing to start sharing five blessings every Tuesday. They might be intimately personal issues or have more of a world view, and items may vary from the silly to the profound. It’s all about bringing some positive energy into the world. I hope you enjoy my inaugural entry:

I’m thankful:

1. my home is filled with laughter.
2. I enjoyed a wonderful week visiting the Atlantic Ocean.
3. the spring weather appears amenable to planting annual flowers and vegetables (note the operative word ~grin~).
4. it’s still early enough that I can visit the YMCA and achieve some other chores before lunch.
5. for plastics which, despite various negative connotations, make my modern life so much more comfortable than I can imagine without the stuff.

Since my daily journal entries open with five blessings per Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way” teachings, I hope to keep the lists varied. It’s a rare day that nothing comes to mind even if there are perennial repeats I cannot avoid.

At any rate, the title for this came to me shortly before rising for the day. Is “tidings” too antiquated a word? I’d appreciate suggestions, as well as reading what blessings you can name today.

When we have a group linky set up on the Retreat, I’ll share that here and you are welcome to add an entry from your own blog if you wish. Happy Tuesday!

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A is for ActivTrax – Motivation to Move

Kicking off our A to Z April blog challenge, ActivTrax fitness software seemed ideal. The service, available at my local YMCA, is almost like having a personal trainer. Though you do have to provide your own motivation. (Thankfully, I have that. At least for the time being. ~crosses fingers~) An initial strength evaluation with a health club staff member got me started. She took my information and set up an online account.

Using the software is easy as pie. Of course, the exercise itself is a challenge. That’s the whole point. Sometimes, however, the challenge extends beyond healthy.

For example, I once tried inadvertently to enact a scene from the movie “Dodgeball”. Like pulleys mangled poor Justin Long, the elastic Resist-a-Band basically mauled me. After two embarrassingly awkward attempts, I listed that little piece of malevolent equipment as a restricted exercise. The same goes for stability balls. I’m sorry, but breaking my neck is not on my agenda.

Now that I’ve been doing this for a while I feel pretty fantastic, mentally and physically. Both swimming and the weekly outdoor walks Julia Cameron prescribes in her “Artist’s Way” workshops fit nicely into days I don’t visit the YMCA.

I’m thankful for the ability and energy to do this. It is certainly good for a writer to get out of her head now and then. Don’t you agree?

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