How To - Writing, Step 3

Your notebook is gapes open with scores of ideas scribbled in no particular order - organized chaos speaking volumes to the author.  An outline beckons you to fill in the gaps and fatten its skeletal framed entity into a fat, juicy story.

...Now for the fun part....

Today is a day of genesis - the birth of your characters.  In stillness, take your mind and spirit to sit with the main character of your story.  What does he/she/it look like?  What is their scent?  What does this character eat?  How do they cry and what do they laugh over?  (or can that character laugh?).  Describe every single detail as if you were living that character's existence.  Experience in completeness the very being of the character.

Write it down.  Write and write and write until each and every nuance of that character is recorded.

Then do it again...with the next character and the next.  Be sure to leave space to include detail that may inadvertently crop up as the manuscript unfolds.  Keep intricate notes and know these characters intimately.  It's imperative!

There is very little that will be as rewarding as the actual creation of the characters in your story.  You assume great responsibility, almost altruistic in nature, when you create these beings.  You are meant to relish the experience, savor creation at its fullest.  Enjoy!

Now...go create.....

 

 

How To - Writing, Step TWO

A few weeks have passed and the little notebook, kept inseparably attached to your writing pen, is rapidly filling with notations, sketches, thoughts and images.  Random though these may appear, you now have the opportunity to create an organized story out of the scrolled chaos scribbled over the pages of that precious little book.

The assembly of your cacography into a coordinated thread of ideas is the next step...aka: creating an Outline.

(This is actually my least favorite step!)

Typically, once an author has a fair number of pages filled with ideas, he also has a relatively good idea about what his story will become.  At this point, the great temptation is to begin the act of writing the actual story, bypassing the important step of outlining the plot - including character devlopment.  I am one of these authors who have been unmercifully enticed into skipping the outline in lieu of writing the story.  However, this is never a good idea....particulary for me!

I learned a valuable lesson from a very famous, very successful author - someone I admire tremendously.  J.K. Rowling understood the importance of the outline.  For FIVE YEARS, Ms. Rowling outlined the Harry Potter series, beginning with that infamous train ride sketching ideas on napkins as she travelled through Scotland the day Harry Potter was created.  Not only did J.K. Rowling outline the plots, she also outlined the details of each intricate allotment in her stories, ie: the type of feather used in each wand, the smells and tastes of the food consumed in the dining hall, the rulebook for Quiddich, the color of the woodwork in Snape's office, etc.  My admiration for the dedication of this talented writer allowed me to take a step back, breathe deep and begin the process of outlining my own series. 

Initially, outlining your story will feel an arduous task.  Fortunately, the notebook you have compiled will assist you and as your outline progresses, the skeletal portion of your story will take shape.  Start by identifying the conflict and subsequen resolution.  What ultimate antagonism will your hero/heroine face and how will they overcome it (assuming they do)?   The events that occur prior to this climax and those that follow are the rest of the outline.

Creating the basic blueprint for your novel is worth your time and dedicated effort to complete.  My advice is to follow the example of those who have proven successful - such as J.K. Rowling.  There will be much more to add to this outline in time but without it, detail will be lost and the spine of your story will be soft. 

So here's to the strength of a well-written story!  Here's to the OUTLINE!

How To - Writing, the First Step

"So Marti, what is the very first step to writing a novel?"

If I had a dollar for every time I've been asked this question....but what an honor to be asked!  The same question escaped my lips not many years ago as a fledgling-author attending the first writer's seminar of my life.  My guess is that every writer has been similarly perplexed at some point during their career.  Fortunately, we are all part of a thriving team of creative thinkers seeking the same "correct" process.

So what is the first step?

Anyone asking that question will receive as many varied answers as there are stories waiting to be written.  Let me give you my take on the subject.

To begin, open your mind and lose any expectations.  I say this because stories have a magical way of weaving their own tale when the author is willing to step aside and allow the plot to evolve.  Ideas are genuine and valuable even when they make no sense at all.  Eventually, the fabric of creative thought weaves itself into a beautiful quilted story.  Because of that phenomenon, it is critical for every author to be prepared to capture ideas, thoughts and images as they reveal themselves.  The method for being the "tool", whose job it is to capture these revelations, varies with each author.

As a "tool", I chose to write with a pen on actual paper held within the confines of a plastic cover...aka: a notebook.  Indeed, I keep a notebook with me at all times and have been known many-a-time to pull over while driving to jot down dialogue that suddenly sounds or an image that appears, all within the confines of my very active mind. 

The notebook - my lifeline within the pool of imagination I swim in daily.  There is freedom that comes with having the ability to allow creativity at any time, in any place.  This freedom comes with having some way to facilitate the ideas that present themselves.  Of course, if the "tool" is not predisposed to writing long hand, anything else that allows some form of note keeping works.  It is simply a means to record the ideas as they come to mind allowing the author to draw on these documented ideas at a more convenient time. 

To say that my notebook is invaluable to my writing is the grossest understatement.  So many revelations are inscribed there.  I am thankful daily for the chance to preserve creative thought as it is gifted to me. 

And so this is my offering - the first step - a keeper of ideas documented within a journal. 

Happy writing and may creativity be gifted daily ~
Marti

The Necessity to Write

Only recently have I realized the correlation between the breath and my need to write.  Both are events which occur without much thought until the desperate moment when my soul become starved from lack of it.  Indeed, as the industrious Captain Phillips experienced when cast overboard, the survival instinct surfaces as oxygen is depleated.  Writing becomes oxygen and a fight-or-flight instinct to sit in silence and create is no less the survival process for an author.

Many have contacted me asking what to do when that urge to create bubbles.  Unaware of the "tools" needed to write, these talented authors struggle to "breathe" life into their story.  How to do it is the question..."how do I survive with this story screaming to surface?"

The thought crossed my mind that perhaps my brief experience as a published author, screenwriter and now producer might be of benefit to some.  The resulting shift in my intention for this blog site steers a different course for the words to be written on this site.  That intention will be to write for authors, historians, film creators and those who hunger for the means to release their story.  My hope is that I can offer something of substance to you.  This is done in humility and with the sincerest desire to share experience only, never assuming that you (my very learned collegues) are lacking.  In fact, the opposite is the case....I desire to learn from you as well and hope this blog will become a forum for authors, writers, visionaries, creators and imaginations everywhere.  Indeed, that is the title of the blog and the intent from the beginning.

Please return and partake of my experience, learn from my mistakes and successes and let's move forward as creators and imaginaries together.  Until the next post....

Namaste ~

Resolutions? Not for THIS Girl!!

2013 just arrived and I'm taking a new approach.  NO more resolutions!!  No way, no how!  I don't know anyone who has ever kept their New Year's resolutions so I'm not doing it either.  Actually there is a good reason for my outspoken offense about this annual tradition - I believe in Intentions.

For the past several years, the power of intention and positive thought has been a subject of interest to me.  I believe in this...call it "faith".  Pure, unadulterated, let go and let be FAITH.  The sheer strength of the power of faith has manifest itself over and over again in my life, more recently than I remember from my earlier years.  Perhaps this is because my altruistic belief in my own invincibility has waned somewhat with age and experience.  I've been forced to turn to a higher power and have faith that there is someone or something more powerful than me that loves me enough to create the exact experience I am meant to have during this lifetime.  The concept blows the mind. 

Looking back over the last two years I can see events that came into my life creating exquisite pain, turmoil and self-doubt.  Out of those events bloomed opportunity and the knowledge of self ability and worth.  Specifically, a story generated in my head one summer during the deep, dark star-filled nights which was discovered and now slated to become a feature film.  It never would have happened had I not lost everything I had hoped for, subsequently turning my life course in a different direction entirely.  At that moment when I felt the most despair at the prospects facing me, I opened my soul to whatever my higher power had waiting for me.  That moment of abandonment, the instant when there is no plan and life is turned over to the outstretched hands of God waiting to accept everything, is the moment of Faith. 

Letting go and letting God.

Resolutions are self-controlled, self-driven projects that occasionally produce our limited ideas of what success is meant to look like.  However, I propose that the power of Intention (asking for that which is wanted from the deepest places within our hearts - then letting go of the outcome, knowing what is exactly perfect for us will be given) brings true success and immense accomplishment, joy and peace.  This is my intention - along with a few specific tangible "wants", like the film production and the release of my second book.  Ultimately, I know whatever is exactly perfect for me will be mine in 2013 if I simply let go and believe...have Faith.

And so, my 2013 will exist with Intention -

Happiest New Year!

 

This Time of Year Totally ROCKS!

 

This is my favorite time of year!  Ask my kids and they'll tell you there is nothing like Halloween at my house.  Initially, my intentions weren't pure but rather those of a desperate single mom attempting to keep her five rambunctious kids off the street.  It worked, actually.  Our yard became a giant cemetery with something created (by hand of course - another day designated to keep those kids busy and out of trouble) each year - a "new addition", so-to-speak.  Glow-in-the-dark tombstones, red satin lined coffin and gum eyeballs made quite the impression on the neighbors.  I was impressed myself with it all until one year we went a little  over-the-top, I guess.  Speakers for the sound system were wired on top of the roof (surround sound screams were amazing), a bonfire in the middle of the driveway in a very urban neighborhood broke all the "rules" and a 7-foot tall grim reaper wandering the grounds was definitely the "creme de la creme" that year.   No one came.  Yup, too scary.  Dutiful parents rushed their trick-or-treaters past our driveway to the next house while I sat despondently holding all of those eyeballs.

So, the next year we turned our skeletons into pirates.  I don't know what became of the satin-lined coffin but it was gone.  Everything else morphed into an 18th Century Caribbean artifact.  The timing worked well for my book's promotion too.  Plus, my kids stayed home.  I'd hit the trifecta!

Pirates stormed my yard to include a 17 foot ship (thanks to Brett, Mike and Danny...and Home Depot), two fog machines, a treasure chest and those amazing eyeballs.  Life was good and we had scores of trick-or-treaters once again.  Even the media showed up to film the merriment.  Huzzah!  I was in my Halloween Heaven.

This year as I pull out the Halloween bins and prepare to set up the grotto, there are no kids to boss me around, set up the ship and re-dress the skeletons.  I'm sailing solo on this Halloween stuff and doing my best to keep dry eyes as I decorate this house with memorabilia from days long ago with five kids and a night of threatened trouble.  I think I've done okay this year.  The treasure glints from underneath the lanterns while empty sockets grin under tricorn hats and cutlasses.  Below the balcony, I hear gasps from kids as they pass, taking in the detail of an 18th Century grotto.  The effect is the same as it was years ago and I smile inside remembering happy times with my rambunctious five.  I'm sure Rich, Jeff, Brett, Rachel and Brooke will be celebrating in their own tradition, hopefully a pirate will be amongst their decor in honor of their mother.  But whatever happens, kids are the same this year as in the past - pounding the pavement dressed up on the one legal night to pretend, collecting candy and looking for that scariest costume or house - perhaps even a pirate grotto that hands out those amazing eyeballs!  I'll be waiting.....

The Age of Aquarius - 2012

A paradigm shift and the Year of the Dragon blends as we move into the Age of Aquarius.

2011 was a rough year for me...and I'm not alone.  So much anxiety with economy declines, loss, illness, traumatic events in the world, (I could go on). The earth itself groans under currents of change bringing about nature's calamities. Yes, 2011 was a tough one and I'm ready bid "adieu" to the last twelve months.

As the image of myself waving "good-bye" to 2011 flashes in my mind, I see the image pivot as the approaching year comes into view, ready to be greeted with celebration.  Of course, that's what most will be doing on Saturday night, celebrating the arrival of 2012.

But what does that mean?  What awaits us all in the 365 days of the approaching year?  The answer lies with a dragon.  It's the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac and true to its name, we can look forward to a year of ambition.  Unafraid of challenges and ready to take risks, this year will be one displaying itself in grandeur.  Success, passion and unbridled determination follow those who live under the sign of the Dragon and 2012 will be no exception.

Indeed, major changes are occurring even now all over the world, preparatory to moving into the progressive age ushered in by the Dragon, 2012.  Vibrant and positive are the characteristics of this new age, a time sung about in the annals of the late 1960's - the Age of Aquarius.

Best described as a creative period, Eric Rankin defines the Age of Aquarius this way:

"...we are shifting away from old, fear based habits and imagining a whole new reality for ourselves - a reality based on hope rather than despair, of abundance rather than lack, of peace rather than war, of contentedness rather than yearning, and of connectedness rather than separation.  We are awakening to the fact that a new era is upon us, and we have the ability to co-create the hopeful future we desire for ourselves and this planet."

Hope, creation, content, abundance and connections.  These are the energies we will greet in 2012.  Now is the time to begin.  Now is the time to take up your creative genius and move ahead with that dream.  Resources will present themselves to you as you open yourself up to the endless possibilities awaiting you in this new year.  Let's face it with welcoming arms and move with grace into the powerful Year of the Dragon and the innovative Age of Aquarius!

Self Survival

 

January is the month for Capricorns and I always tend to think about this sign every January. The reason isn't really as random as it may seem, I have two Capricorns in my family. The are amazing men; assertive, intelligent, self-disciplined, driven, hard-working and hard on themselves. Their Saggitarian brother (born only a few weeks earlier) is my "surfer son" whose laid-back approach and live-in-the-moment attitude is a flagrant contrast to his sibling brothers.

As I researched this month's moon and planetary signs for the Pirate Prophecy (yes...I really based the piratical horoscope on actual planetary predictions for this month), I realized the personal trait of being hard on oneself isn't relegated to just Capricorns. We all do it. In fact, we tend to be so hard on ourselves as human beings that we drive ourselves to placate the guilt and injury that results, sometimes in self-destructive ways. Why is that?

Once upon a time...I heard a speech that changed my life. The speaker asked us to visualize ourselves at a very young age, say 3 or 4 years old. Once that image was captured and we were looking into the eyes of our very young selves, we were asked the question: "Would you treat that child the same way you treat your adult self?" Powerful! I wept when I thought of it and vowed to never be cruel to that little girl with big blue eyes again. Of course, it's been difficult because she's tucked away deep in my spirit, but she's still there and she still cries when I hurt her. So, the task is to protect, respect and love ourselves. Value who we are and know we are precious. Our actions could shift to a more spiritual awareness of ourselves when approached this way.

There is a famous saying that sailors are known to recite (you all know it):

Red skies at morning, sailors take warning

Red skies at night, a sailor's delight

Perhaps as we look for our own Red Skies, we can recognize the signs that fall with the "Red skies at night" and look for those delightful times. Should the morning raise crimson, it is my hope we will protect, defend and love that which is most dear - choosing joy and kindness for ourselves.

Fair Winds Be Yours ~
Marti

Happy New Year

Wishing you health, happiness and peace for 2011

There's a Blizzard Outside and I'm Hunkerin' Down

This afternoon, I was sitting in my office catching up on some reports and injecting late-comers with the seasonal flu vaccination at about 2:30 pm today. An email "alert" came across my desk that stated hospital officials supported state weather alert warning by offering over-night accomodations for staff that would not be able to return home after their shift due to the storm. Flash-back to the 2007 Firestorms in San Diego! My mind immediately began to subconsciously check off our "emergency preparedness" supplies at home in anticipation of hybernating for the next few days.

Fortunately, I was prepared with food, water, comfort "treats", lanterns, first aide, etc. if needed. We could lose power, water and the ability to be mobile at any time and still be okay (of course, we'd definitely feel the effects of losing the TV and DVD player with the power loss, but hey...BOOKS are in the many bookcases lining this house!)

There is a feeling of peace that comes with being prepared. There is joy in "hunkering" down with family in a cozy home that is filled with love and laughter and good food! I sit here, right at this very moment, watching a downpour of white snowflakes blanketing everything outside of my cozy "four walls" and I feel safe, warm and happy.

Surviving the storms in our lives make us strong and bring confidence that the next storm will be conquerable. Finding joy and putting color in a flat-light moment attests to our power to overcome.
I wish for you the ability to be prepared for whatever life may hurl your way, strength to overcome and peace in knowing who you are and what you can become.

Happiest of this Thankgiving holiday!

Marti

Mindfulness and Difficult People

This afternoon, I had a patient enter my office with long, bold strides, interrupt my work and demand to "speak her mind". I thought her overtly aggressive entrance was appaulling and sat, I'm sure, staring with wide-eyed wonder at this rude woman intruding on my time and space. Fortunately, I was not in the mood to confront her offensive behavior (I had just come from teaching a meditation course and was still feeling very "mellow" from it all), so I inhaled and sat quiet for a moment. The sound of Japanese wood flutes played softly from my computer, encouraging stillness in the room.

 

I spoke only her name. She looked at me rather abruptly and literally fell into the chair behind her, exhausted from expelling so much negative energy.

It was an interesting experience.

 

Tonight, I ran across a wonderful post in Pema Chodron's blog. Her title is nearly copied on this blog, as the words written carry the reader down a new path to dealing with the difficult people in our lives. One line from her blog, I would like to quote for you:

"If we can learn to open our hearts, anyone, including the people who drive us crazy, can be our teacher."

(Pema Chodron)

 

What an interesting concept. I still have not grasped it but hope to meditate on it and come to a better understanding of it through this week. This will be my challenge, one I hope you will share with me. Let me ask the same questions Pema asked, "Who in you life drives you bananas? Can you put yourself in their shoes, seeing their pain, and begin wishing them well? What does this teach you about yourself?"

 

So I ask myself, how did this patient become my teacher this afternoon and what did she need to teach me at that moment? I have not found the answer yet, but I will let you know when it comes. I hope you will too...


Namaste ~

Marti

Saying Goodbye

I have been delinquent with blogging and want to apologize to those of you who look for this every Sunday and Wednesday. I have a good excuse though....

This weekend was a quick trip to Denver, dropping off my dearest four-legged companion with my daughter-in-law (the reason for this is another blog...). The weekend flew by with happy moments spent with Miss Izzy and Miss Abby, and of course Kindall. Delightful to have my granddaughter climb onto my lab and cuddle with both tiny arms wraped snug around my neck as we watched college football.

 Unforgettable as bright blue eyes looked at me with a whispered "ohhh" as her sister discovered once again the bright lights of a familiar toy.

Such joy cannot be contained!

Then came the "goodbyes" and I pulled each of them into my arms, kissed them and promised "HuHu will be back again very soon". I blinked quickly as tears welled and hugged my sweet beagle who looked at me with trusting eyes. I knew these three innocents could not comprehend that this woman they loved would return or what the words whispered to them really meant. Only I knew the depth of the promise left to them. So, I said goodbye and walked away from them, tears now spilling as I saw three faces watch me go wondering why they weren't going along.

How treasured is the trust and faith of the innocent. I felt it yesterday and comforted my feelings of abandonment and guilt through a new resolve to make the trip out to visit again soon, as I promised. That promise is real to me and hoped for by them. 

Until that blessed day when I can gather them all in my arms again...

Marti

All Hallow's Eve



Fall is truly my favorite season! So many traditions make it that way for me: the evening air turns crisp and paints nature a vibrant array of colors, football season dominates the weekends of sports fans, eating yellow vegetables is totally cool, scary stories and tales of ghosts pulls me into the pages of my favorite books, cemeteries are my favorite haunts and humankind waits for Halloween when tricks and treats stalk the streets as adult and children alike shed their daily image and don a new identity.

Year after year, from times earliest record, All Hallow's Eve has been a night of tradition. Fires burned in ancient Celtic rituals celebrating Samhan, hallowed Saints were honored by Christians and European folk traditions collaborated to create the Halloween we celebrate today in America.

Of course, I am one who has grown up loving "The Great Pumpkin" with Charlie Brown and was always the first in my family to create the perfect costume for trick-or-treating through Millcreek. Too soon it seemed I was designated as "too old to trick-or-treat". Yet as an adult, there is still a compulsive draw to the mystic moons and creepy cemeteries that become "appropriate" when Fall makes it appearance.

Why is that, do you think?



I don't have the answer of course, but the desire is there and excitement builds as I anticipate becoming my favorite alter-ego, a pirate, and my house converts to a grotto filled with treasure, an authentic wheel from a ships' helm (held by a long-dead helmsman whose skeleton features send chills down young kids' spines as they watch him sailing a sunken vessel in a foggy night). Torches will burn and lanterns will flicker, lighting the path to the candy waiting for any mate who'll come aboard shoutin' "Trick-or-Treat!"

May ye all be safe an' have a most Happy Halloween!

M'Lady Marti



Rain on a Full Moon Weekend

Rain is falling on a full moon weekend! Spooky times ahead and pernicious pirates make mischief this month~

That has been my "theme" (if you will) for the past few weeks. I like how those words work together, they just sound good when spoken aloud. But more than that, I love the meaning.

October always brings a hint of mystic mindset and wide-eyed eerie watchfulness, particularly so when the moon is full and it's a little hazy outside at dusk. That's how its looks outside my window right now and when the sun fully sets, a full moon will rise and cast a pale glow, throwing shadows in places seen only out of the corner of the eye.

Only four days until our annual Cemetery Stroll and I can hardly wait. My sisters (mainly Shari and I - Mindy has already stated she's "NOT going!  It will give me bad dreams!"...'nuff said) and our children stop at the local Starbucks to fuel up for a chilly, spine-tingling evening walking among the dead. Mostly, we just laugh and scare the you-know-what out of each other and take lots of photos. Some of those photos can be viewed on Shari's site.  Note: the pic of Shari with her head chopped off and lying on a tombstone that has TAYLOR inscripted across it.  These are memories in the making and definitely not something for the faint hearted (or loose bladder).  The photos, I will definitely post!

In the meantime...enjoy your eerie autumn weekend. May you stay warm and happy (and a little bit on edge!)


Marti

Tears, Rain and Things That Don't Make Me Cry



I am sitting here in the most beautiful office overlooking Millcreek as it's raining. The tree in front of my office window was just about as tall as me, the last time I saw it. Now, that same tree reaches with long sturdy branches across the manicured lawn, an umbrella shading delicate flowers and ivy running along the creek bed. The creek's current cascades over stream rocks creating a rushing sound that soothes me while the raindrops dance on the water's surface. All of this I am able to view through the framed large window in front of me as I sit here warm, awed and peaceful.



Well, almost peaceful...I just was stabbed by a very old piece of wood panelling, a tiny sliver imbedded in my ring fingertip. It's painful reminder pulls me back from my serenity each time I tap an L or O or the period key.

My life is sometimes like that. I realized today what an amazing gift I have to choose joy almost unconsciously as I go through the events of my day. Joy that is alot like the view outside my window: natural, peaceful and fulfilling. That is...until something stabs my consciousness and reminds me that all of life isn't pleasant.


I don't think these types of "reminders" are meant to destroy our experiences, although they easily could when focussed upon long enough. My grandma is a perfect example of this. She is 97 years young. She cannot hear, has suffered several heart attacks (and still occasionaly mentions the "headache right here" - pointing to her chest - that "bothered me just a little last night but it's gone now", along with the many accumulating maladies that accompany a 90+ year old body. These little "stabs" in her life do not seem to trouble her as much as my sliver is troubling me as I type this blog. Her days are filled with studying old journals, writing new journals, organizing photos and family history, football and tatting (not in that order). Right now I can hear her upstairs watching old home movies put onto DVD's, the volume so loud the neighbors can sing along with Glenn Miller's Orchestra as it plays. She is laughing and cheering and pointing to faces of loved ones long gone from this life, waiting for her to join them. No, those little "stabs" in her life don't distract her. Life is "grand" as she would put it, should you ask.


My sister made the same observation in her new blog, which I highly recommend you take time to read. She is hysterical and has a very dry sense of life. The perfect antidote to "stabs". Her website is: http://www.everydayshari.blogspot.com. In fact....I'm off to read her latest post and forget about this sliver!

Namaste ~

Marti

Dynamics

Ahhh...the dynamics that dance between adult human beings as we mesh our lives together. Sounds so philosophical, rather "heavy", but it's a true phenomenon that occurs as time creeps forward in subdued steps.



Over the course of the last few months (since the book was released to the public), I've had the oportunity to reunite and reaquaint myself with friends from my past. What an amazing experience it has been to meet once again and share stories of our lives absent from one another. So different, and yet really the same, we tell the same tale of struggle, joys, triumph, hopes, and so on. Kindling the old relationships is life altering, bringing us full circle in one part of our journey. These aren't accidents.
I am convinced we have people in our lives for a purpose. Agreements made and promises fulfilled over and over again, we find our way to each other to enrich and support each other as friends, family, nemeses, lovers. So interesting really when I stop to think of how each of the individuals surrounding my life have touched my life over and over again.



Last night at the book launch party, I was joined at one point by "sisters", not blood family but spiritual friendships, that had blessed my life at one point in my history. Several of these amazing women I had not seen for more than ten years! We hugged each other, spilled our secrets and enriched each other once again in just the brief time spent together.


The power of love is so binding. May I suggest a moment to pause this week and take notice of the people who have chosen to surround you, nurture you and bless you with their friendship. Feel the binding energy that is present when you are near them. Give thanks for the blessing you have been given of reuniting with that person in this lifetime.

I am so thankful for my "people"

Namaste ~
Marti

Flu Shots



Yes...tomorrow is the big day for my work place and I am in charge of it all - the annual Flu Shot Clinic.

Due to the 0515 wake-up call and the late evening end-of-shift anticipated, I doubt there will be any blogging going on. My apologies to anyone who looks forward to Sunday & Wednesday (blog days). Especially, my apology to Kaycee, my daughter-in-law who will, no doubt, text me to remind me I'm a slacker this week. Maybe with enough encouragement, she'll blog for me....we'll see.

So, let me put in my medical 2-cents here. YES! Definitely get your flu shot this season, stay healthy, happy and busy enjoying time with family, friends and a good book!

XO
Marti

Walk the Talk

I'm a day late blogging and I apologize to anyone anticipating a typical Wednesday night post. So much is going on around here right now I can't even begin to get clever or inspirational...I'm holding on with my fingernails myself!


Interesting how after only a few months of posting my thoughts about life and "riding the wave", God sees fit to give me another little TEST! My wave just fizzled out and I'm almost too exhausted (and scared) to turn around and face the next one...even though I've been promised it's going to be a FABULOUS ride!
Not easy getting back into life! So not easy saying "goodbye" to family as they move off of their own wave and turn around to face the next, particularly when I'm not included on the ride.

So, to myself and my loved ones...have a great ride and I'll see you one the next one hopefully.
Namaste ~

Marti

9:30 am rolled around this morning and my emotions shifted. I was sitting comfortably in the floral sofa with the big soft pillows that I love to nestle into to write. Kathryn was dodging and weaving the slice of cutlasses, when all of the sudden everything stopped.

Where was I only nine years ago at this very moment?

I asked myself that question almost subconsciously, that's what 0930 on each September 11 has caused me to do for the past nine years.

Ahhh yes, sitting on the edge of my bed watching in horror as the second aircraft plunged into the still intact tower.

My stomach lurched in response as it does each time I replay the visual of that horrific moment.
Today as I drove home from Target, I noticed a red jeep decked out in five US flags, his reverence for this day unmistakeable. As I turned into my neighborhood, the guy across the street had decorated his yard in US flags of various sizes, showering his lawn in red-white-and-blue. It is important to me to show this same kind of rememberance on this day and so I pulled out the flag and stuck in in the planter, straightened the military star flag (there are two on mine) hanging in my window and sat down to write this message.

Remember, please remember those whose lives were lost on this fateful day nine years ago. Remember the valiant sacrifices made by the police, firefighters, civilians, neighbors and strangers...US citizens, my country, my family.
Thank you to those who serve our grand country now, those home and abroad. Thank you for sacrificing your time, comfort and memories with your own loved ones as you serve.

Today will be another Saturday, somber with significance. But as I go back outside to trim the summer's overgrown bushes, my grandson riding his big wheel oblivious to the significance of this day except he is aware of one thing...his daddy isn't here. He's serving in some foreign land because of what happened nine years ago.

No Bloggin' Tonight

I wanted to blog tonight but have somehow "tweaked" my neck and am feeling rather sorry for myself.  The whole affair has forced me to be somewhat guarded with my movements, slow down, be still.  Right now, I am lying on my bed with a pillow propped up to support my head, barely moving anything but my fingers on the keyboard...in a receiving mode, as-it-were.  The sounds of evening are singing to my quieted ears, thoughts have dissipated to just what is for this moment. The pain is bringing me to center and I am becoming renewed by it. 

Sounds so "Zen"...but it's true, I swear on a stack of Buddhist quotes!

I'm thinking life is a little like this.  The pain we experience in our hearts and souls brings us back to "what's most important".  Perhaps the experience of pain itself is cleansing.  I supposed I should be grateful for the acute pain in my neck, grateful that there have been painful experiences and trials throughout my life which give me clarity and character.

So, to my painful neck...."bring it on!"

Marti