Ladies and Gentlemen, I Present … YOU

If you had the privilege to be an honoured guest at an amazing event that you have always dreamed of attending, your first thought may be ‘what will I wear?’

When we go to fancy places, or have an opportunity to see people we admire, we pay attention to how we present ourselves.

Yet, when we don’t have any plans, or any where to go, we tend not to care how we look, how we behave, or how we are perceived.

It’s true we shouldn’t depend on others’ views, but in a world of social media and strong opinions – others’ views can make or break us.

“You should treat everyone like the Queen of England,” my uncle once told me. I was too young to understand what he meant. So I dismissed his advice.

It boils down to a personal value system. Who is worthy of our best, and who can we dismiss as not being important, valuable, or worthy of our time?

I don’t always present my best. These last two years have really proven that to me. The comforts of old shirts and sweat pants have been my go-to wardrobe. I never bothered to take the time to wear clothes that are more presentable because “I was just going here, or just going there.” That doesn’t mean I didn’t care about the people I saw, I just didn’t think much about it ~ I guess I dressed according to how I was feeling, which was un-energized and un-inspired.

One of my favourite storytellers is writer, filmmaker, director and producer, Steven Spielberg. An opportunity to meet with him would have me running around like a chicken with its head cut off. That would inspire me to wear my best, be on my best behaviour and present the best I have to offer.

This is what my uncle meant. Though many people don’t care for monarchies or political leaders, there is someone You admire. Someone you would dress your best for, and want to present your best to.

Saving our best for that one chance meeting seems like such a waste of time. It’s too bad we didn’t have the energy or desire to be our best everyday for everybody.

Everyone is worthy of being treated like kings and queens ~ I hope someone presents their best to you to show you just how worthy you are.

Convenient Times

Looking back on my grandmother’s era it’s hard to believe how much society has advanced. She was born before cars were on the road and died shortly after the Blackberry made its debut.

All of our grandparents lived a hard life. They physically struggled. They worked so hard to make our lives better. I wonder if any of us really appreciate their efforts.

Most of us would love an opportunity to go back in time to experience their life style. A weekend of inconvenience is probably all most of us could handle. [Survivalists excluded of course.]

Think about it, using simple tools they cleared lands and farmed fields. They raised barns and dug wells. They rode horses through woods to get to the next town to buy and sell their goods. And what do we do?

We turn up the heat when we’re cold. We turn on the air conditioner when we’re warm. We turn on the tap if we’re thirsty. And, if we’re hungry; call Grub-hub.

It’s hard to appreciate all these modern day conveniences because we have grown so accustomed to them. We rely on them. And if reliance = needs. Needs = basic necessities. Then why doesn’t every third world country have these basic needs?

Are modern day “conveniences” considered luxuries or basic needs? Who decides?

Flexing My Muscles

Trying new things seems to get harder with age, especially when it comes to high-tech gadgets and gizmos. But I knew I had to bite the bullet sometime. And late, is better than never.

Since March 2020, Covid has prevented me [understandably] from going into the schools to promote my books. I patiently waited over a year for an opportunity to do Author Reads of my children’s book; Did You Call For Me?

Not knowing when that day may arrive, I knew I had to look at other avenues. And today I can say that I have achieved success! [Well, that’s what the website told me, so I am taking their word for it]

I managed to create an e-book and uploaded it onto the kobo online bookstore.

Kobo Writing Life links ….

https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/did-you-call-for-me

After uploading my children’s book, I went straight to work creating an ebook of my short story; Forever Green. Forever Green is now available as well.

https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/forever-green

So if I can manage to do that – then You too can step out of your comfort zone and try something new!!

~ I hope this inspires you

A Penny For Your Thoughts

After we joyfully make a wish and playfully toss a penny in a wishing well we curiously watch where it lands before we walk away feeling satisfied.

It isn’t long before distractions consume our thoughts. Long line-ups at the check-outs, noisy traffic, the neighbour’s cat clawing at your garden, etc.

As days turn into weeks, and weeks turn into years we wonder where the time went and worse, we question what we accomplished in all that time.

A feeling of dissatisfaction looms overhead urging us to want more out of life. We focus our attention on strategies and plans. How can I get ahead? Where can I find the career I want? When will I be able to enjoy my life?

Then we remember that wish we made years before. We can still picture that penny resting on the bottom. We put so much hope, enthusiasm and excitement into that penny – then we walked away.

Just remembering the moment stirs joyful memories and boosts our spirit. Oh the satisfaction we could feel if that wish were to come true.

If we truly want to thrive, then we need to put our attention and energy on the things that we already know will bring us joy and satisfaction.

Make a wish, toss a penny and then work toward making that wish come true.

~ I hope this inspires you

All Roads Lead To Here

So many young adults are struggling at the fork in the road. Which way should they go? They feel an urgency to decide today what their destiny will be. I had a discussion recently with someone and it seemed to alleviate some of this pressure.

I told them I didn’t know what I wanted to do after high school either. So I got a job as a cashier in a pharmacy. I was hoping I could save money for art college. I learned some skills [through lots of trials and plenty of errors] and they learned a few things about me. They saw I had the ability to draw. Within a year I was offered a job in head office illustrating products for their monthly flyers!

Computers were brought in to the art department. We were stunned. How on earth are we supposed to use these to create flyers? If you are familiar with type-setting machines and cutting red ruby you could imagine my concern. I find it amazing how quickly you can move past your own resistance to change when you start to see all the advantages of using new methods, new techniques and new technology. A willingness to consider and try something new is a key to expanding your horizon.

A night course in graphic design earned me a diploma. However, when I had reached the cap to my salary – meaning they were not willing to increase my pay. I had to decide, do I stay here knowing I will never again get a raise, or do I move on?

I got a job at a print shop. Again, a lot of trials and plenty of errors – but I learned, and I was good at it. A “Temp” began working with us. He was a student who needed to work in the print shop to complete his degree. He was also taking a night class in classical animation – it wasn’t long before I signed up as well.

Before I had completed the course I was offered a job in their studio! Yup, I leaped at the chance. Fast forward to being married and with a child on the way I had to make a decision. Do I stay home to raise my child, or do I go back to work to make money to pay a stranger to raise my child? It was a no-brainer for me.

As a stay-at-home-mom, I began doing editorial cartoons for local newspapers. I volunteered at my children’s schools. I got involved in dinner theatre. I joined a writers’ group and before long, I started writing my own plays.

Looking back at my timeline it is easy to see that the skills I have learned over the years have all been pointing toward my destiny. But I didn’t get here on my own. I didn’t decide this would all happen. There were plenty of people along the way who deserve the credit. They were the ones who offered the jobs, taught me the skills and told me about opportunities I never would have known about.

We can’t decide our future until we step out into the world and explore what it has to offer. The preferences we have help us to choose what we like and don’t like. Dentistry? Veterinarian school? Art college? Our own interests can lead us to open doors where we meet people who will guide us to new places.

Today I write and illustrate children’s books. It is easy to see how all roads lead to here. But I know there are more roads that lay ahead.

I don’t think everyone needs to make a weighty and permanent decision today of what their future will be. Who knows what tomorrow may bring? I truly believe small daily choices will help lead you to your destiny … and beyond!

~ I hope this inspires you

A Sense of Self

We are all aware of the five senses we humans have, and some believe there is a sixth sense that we possess, but I think I found another – a seventh sense!

We feel, we taste, we smell, we see, we hear, and sometimes we know we know something without really knowing why we know it. We don’t always make a comment about these things we feel, taste, smell, see, hear or know. We may notice them with a smile, or a frown but they seem to come and go like a gentle breeze. I wonder if that’s because another sense takes over – the sense of self.

I could be wrong, but I started to wonder if the sense of self, and how it interprets the sights and sounds, overpowers the other senses.

I think therefore I . . . lose the beauty of the rose and it’s amazing fragrance because I thought about it more than I simply enjoyed it.

If we put our sense of self aside and placed our whole attention and appreciation on the rose, would it look more beautiful, would it smell more amazing?

I believe it would.

The next time I am out in nature I am going to try to see, feel and hear more of my surroundings, by accepting and appreciating things as they are, and try to think and interpret less.

~ I hope this inspires you

A New Beginning

I discovered my method of doing things has not been working out too well.

I procrastinate when I don’t want to do something. And I stubbornly forge ahead when I do. This only leaves me dissatisfied. And what do grumpy dissatisfied people naturally do? They complain and blame. “Well if it wasn’t for …” “If I had more time I could have …”

I started listening to my complaints – trying to find out where I felt the most disadvantaged, or unable to accomplish what I wanted to do.

And in my pondering, I recalled reading something about a Greek God, referred as the Wounded Healer. He had the ability to heal others, but was unable to heal his own broken leg. This left him both physically damaged and spiritually broken. He lost faith in his own abilities.

But his story didn’t end there. He, in his brokenness, had decided to heal others. He had a tremendous amount of compassion for others who were suffering similar physical and spiritual injuries and this drove him to help where ever he could. And in helping others, he helped to heal himself.

I can’t tell you if this story of the Wounded Healer is a myth, but I find the lesson it offers life-changing.

If you need a job and can’t seem to find one, try helping someone else find one. If you are unable to write your novel, try helping someone else get started on theirs. Whatever it is that you are struggling with, help someone else who is experiencing the same.

The results are always the same; when we take the focus off our own pain and suffering and we reach out to help someone else, our attitude changes from negative to positive, our thoughts turn to helping someone get out of their misery rather than re-living our own misery, and lastly, going to someone else’s aide gives us a sense of purpose.

~ I hope this inspires you

Exploring the Superhero’s Story

Recently, while working on a comic-book, I completely zoned out while drawing and found my mind drifting toward the ‘average’ person in a story, and began relating them to ‘everyday people’ of today.

Their identity was my main focus. Prior to becoming a Superhero most of these super-heroes-to-be have an identity that is flawed and not very appealing.

The best stories make us root for the ‘reluctant hero’ – the main character who is forced into a situation where they are obviously uncomfortable. The audience is on the edge of their seat hoping they will succeed – but they can’t – not quite yet – it can’t happen until they change their identity. They have to become the Superhero. This is their journey – their ultimate quest – to discover what they are capable of, and to find out who they really are.

That’s when I had one of those eureka moments. I was considering anyone out there who is struggling, feeling like an underdog, feeling frustrated and under-appreciated. Can the outline of a typical superhero story inspire them to discover themselves and become their own superhero?

We all have an identity; a mom, a dad, a sibling, a student, a clerk, a taxi driver, etc. And with this identity [label] are habitual routines – we get up at a certain hour, we repeat our day [for the most part] and go to bed knowing the next day will be more of the same. This, although can be boring, it is also familiar. Anything that is familiar brings a sense of comfort and security because we know what to expect.

But a routine is how we get caught up in a robotic and dissatisfying style of life. It’s not living. It’s getting by, or in some cases it’s merely existing. In many situations, we aren’t even trying to become more – we’re just hoping more will come to us.

To add to the dreariness of hum-drum, our days are often layered with a hidden, or rather, a not fully acknowledged, frustration. This frustration stirs a deep-seated irritation or a secret desire for more – but we feel stuck, trapped, unable to move out of, or overcome our current situation.

Believe it or not, it’s our identity that can be our own worst enemy, or nemesis. It keeps us stuck. We are attached to it. The more we come to resent our circumstance, the more we search for a reason or another person to blame. “They won’t let me, he won’t help me, she took that from me …” We feel helpless and alone which makes us cling more to the one thing we have that we think we can rely on – our identity.

This is the spot where almost every superhero movie begins. It’s the point of frustration – where the hero-to-be just can’t take any more bad news. They have had such a stream of bad luck and we seem to meet them for the first time when they are most vulnerable or at their worst. Their situations vary, maybe they discover they are being sued, or they are suddenly jobless, or homeless. These unexpected situations forces them to act, to do something. As much as they may feel inadequate or incapable, their desire for more is stronger than their willingness to surrender.

But you and I don’t have to wait for that ‘unexpected situation’ to happen, we can begin to make improvements now. We can start re-directing our own movie now.

Moving into a new situation can be scary. We are not familiar with anyone or anything. We know we’re going to stumble. We will make a few mistakes – that is the natural process of learning. But once we learn the ropes, and get a grip on our new situation, we will slowly start to feel a bit more comfortable and a lot more confident. But this is usually the time when our identity can sneak up on us and get in our way.

Just like the heroes in the movies, we too arrive at a new location or situation with our Old Identity. These old habits, attitudes, and preferences can be our downfall. They can do more damage than any villain out there. We can’t be the hero to our own movie if we are out all night getting plastered, or gossip all day about our co-workers, or spend all our money on foolish things rather than be responsible and pay the rent.

Reflection period; like in the movies when the hero finds themselves still struggling with old issues, they go off on their own; to drink; or to go back to their childhood home; or visit a grave site to reconnect with their past before deciding how they want to move forward.

We also need to examine our identities. We need to see what is working for us and what no longer helps us. We need to be clear about what we want to do and where we want to go. What matters to us? What is our deepest desire? That desire is the key to our happiness – it’s the cape – it’s the superhero’s secret identity. We need to figuratively don our invisible superhero cape and become the person we want to be.

But wait. We can’t simply buy a new wardrobe and show up at our new job trying to be someone we don’t identify with. The disconnection between our real identity and the wanted identity will prevent us from gaining any ground. We can’t become what we want to be until we explore who we truly are, and take responsibility for our current situation.

Half way through the movie the real journey begins when the hero decides to overcome their current situation. They confront their ‘demons’ and they use all the lessons they learned from their mistakes and mis-steps to their advantage. They make a conscious effort to move forward and they willingly accept the task / the mission, knowing there will be a few risks involved.

The old identity never disappears completely, there are benefits to every experience the hero has lived through – but the new identity has new attitudes, new experiences and new perspectives that serves the superhero’s new situation much better and the chances for success are much greater.

You don’t need a new wardrobe, a new car or a new home to become a superhero – all you need is a good attitude and the willingness to become more than your old identity.

~ I hope this inspires you

Stirring the Pot

Sometimes it’s hard to be joyful when our thoughts are constantly focused on worrying. I learned an interesting approach to negative emotions years ago that is very helpful. When sad, make someone else feel happy. When hungry, feed someone else. It’s amazing how doing for others lifts you up and makes you feel better inside.

But in this era of social distancing it may be a good time to focus on You. Remember when we were kids, and we knew we were going somewhere exciting. Before we were out the door we allowed the experience to begin. We didn’t need to be in the pool, or at the beach, we were excited by the mere thought of going. That’s what we need to do; mimic that child-like-on-the-edge-of-our-seat-excitement!

This is what I call, stirring the pot. Allowing a thought to raise our enthusiasm. We can do this sitting at home. We can raise our energy to a high level of excitement simply by thinking of an exhilarating experience we are about to partake in.

Worrisome thoughts do the opposite. They deplete our energy. They pull us down and make us feel heavy with dread. It’s hard to shake these feelings off.

Imagine a hallway with several doors. Every door opens into a messy pile of dreaded thoughts. One door is family, another is work, another is … you get the picture. You could go in and out of these doors all day long spending too much time in each of these dark rooms – OR – you could look ahead to the end of the hallway where a well lit stairwell leads you upward to a massive sunny room where opportunity awaits you! Fill that room with your most hopeful dream. Wood working tools? Drafting tables? Computers? A theatre stage? Medical equipment? Musical instruments? Fabrics? Sheet metal? Car parts? Whatever interests you and brings you joy.

Want to take it a step further? Consider this; Mind, Body and Soul are the building blocks to creativity. The Mind thinks it, the Body builds it, and the Soul experiences it. The problem is, when the Mind heads this project, little gets done. The Body has a hard time performing when the Mind drifts into doubtful thoughts. If Worry steps in, the project gets delayed and the Soul never gets the opportunity to enjoy it. And the rest of the world never gets a chance to appreciate or be inspired by your creativity.

So let’s change the process. Let’s put our Soul in the lead! Let’s allow the Spirit of Creativity to take charge so the excitable anticipation will stay alive inside us.

Get excited, think big, let your imagination fly! Then let the mind plan it and the body build it. And any time your mind starts to take over the project with negative thoughts, go back to your original soulful desire. Your desire is your cornerstone. Write it down on a piece of paper and post it somewhere to remind you that a wonderful experience is about to happen. And enjoy every minute of the process.

Yoda, once told Luke Skywalker, “The Force is with you.”

I tell you, “The SOURCE is within you.”

Be well, stay positive, and stir your pot often!

~ I hope this inspires you