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Same Image, Different Feelings

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We suffer primarily not from our own vices of weaknesses, but from our illusions. We are haunted, not by reality, but by those images we have put in their place.” ~ Daniel J Boorstin

Isn’t it strange how one photo shown to two different people illicit different feelings?

gym uniformsDo you remember these physical education class uniforms from the late nineteen-sixties? Mine was yellow and skirted. When I see this picture the first thing that comes to mind is a time in my life when I felt I didn’t measure up. These feelings come from what I thought this uniform made me feel like when I put it on as an adolescent girl. As an adult, I know differently – we can take charge of our own emotions and cultivate positive feelings within ourselves.

If you showed this gym uniform from the same era to my husband the first thing that would come to his mind would be buoyant feelings of a time in his life with “stardom and awards.”

Isn’t it strange how people traveling down the road of life at the same time can have two very different experiences? That is what makes reading personal narratives so interesting! Sometimes memoirs are fascinating because we can so closely relate to the characters or the story and other times we do not relate at all, but we find it intriguing to see life through a different heart. Yet somehow through books and stories we often connect with others on some level.

Coming this spring will be a new publication, a personal narrative, authored by me, the blog mistress of All Things Fulfilling.  This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Book for Reluctant Teen Readers

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The secret of education is respecting the pupil. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Experienced writer Linda Collison knows something about relating to the hearts and minds of young adults when creating a good story. She made her first big break as an author in 2006 when her first novel Star-Crossed, published by Alfred A Knopf was chosen by the New York Public Library as one of the best Books for Teen readers in 2007. Her coming of age story With a Little Luck won the Grand Prize at the Maui Writers Conference in 1996.

Collison’s latest novel, Looking for Read Feather, was published by Fiction House, Ltd. Although written for teenagers, the book is for anyone who has a youthful spirit and can remember what it is like to feel invincible and determined to seek one’s own path toward personal fulfillment.

 looking for redfeatherLooking for Red Feather is about the three teenagers who take to the road for different reasons. Yet the truths they discover in their travels will make you want to pack your bags and take to the highway across country with your friends on a whim. The author’s dialogue is so authentic to the feelings that come with the age she writes about. Collison also accurately relates throughout the story the difference in culture between East and West attitudes because she’s lived in both parts of the United States. Like myself, Collison is a Baltimore native. However, she migrated west when she was 24 years of age.Click for info & ordering

This book is highly recommended for adolescents who are at the age where they are becoming reluctant readers. I’m confident that Collison’s well-crafted tale will grab your teens attention and hold them until the end of the story.

Do return to All Things Fulfilling tomorrow, I will give you a little more insight into my memoir.Click for info & ordering This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Dialogue Adds Dimension

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“Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from…”  ~ Rita Mae Brown

Happy Thoughtful Thursday!

Last Wednesday evening I went to a book event for three local writers at our independent bookstore here in town called Off the Beaten Path. Of course, fellow Steamboat Writers Group authors and supporters were in attendance. One of the members, Larry,  asked me “how my book was coming?” He mentioned now that I am finished reading my book to the group, he misses hearing the voice of one of my characters.  What a lovely and thoughtful compliment! Those words alone, to me, meant that I was successful in incorporating into my writing an authentic voice of my main and stellar character.

two people talkingYou see, when I started writing the manuscript it had no dialogue. The writers group encouraged me to reach deeper and include my memories of conversations with family members. They were so “right on” in suggesting that I go back and insert dialogue because it added another dimension to the story that was not there previously. The extra time it took was well worth the effort. The story is so much richer for it because through dialogue the culture, historical era and a sense of place shines through in my narrative.

Thank you, Larry from  the Steamboat Writers Group. That is why I came and read the entire manuscript aloud. That was the kind of feedback I was looking for! And Larry’s words reminded me how important it is for writers to encourage others who are going through the process.

See you tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling. This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com, the place where independent thoughts, words and views are all part of the business.

Nostalgic Images Stirred

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“When people…rethink their personal stories, they begin to build a sense of connection and responsibility…they begin to view their personal stories as intertwined with history.”~ Paul Rogat Loeb

I have kept it no secret that I have been writing a memoir over the past few years. For those who knew me in my early childhood days, they’ve asked “has writing a life story  been painful?” I have to laugh.

I laugh because as I have written the personal narrative, it has stirred and returned me to some fulfilling memories of an era that has gone by and will never come again. That’s life. That’s progress – ever moving forward.

I realize how woven history is with my story. I am a survivor and have lived through times of great historical importance. As an author, in telling the story, I’ve tried to capture those nostalgic times. If you are of the baby boomer generation, what societal changes do you think has had the most impact on life in America since the 1950’s? I’m interested in your opinion.  

This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. The space where independent thoughts, words and views are all part of the business. See you tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling.

Give to Extended Family

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“No act of kindness, no matter how small is ever wasted.” ~ Aesop

Christmas catalogues are beginning to arrive in the mail. Last week I received one that stood out among the others. You know, all the regulars,  such as Land’s End, L.L. Bean, The Territory Ahead and my favorite – Pottery Barn.

The catalog that interested me the most was Samaritan’s Purse. Not only because you can order gifts that fit every budget, but also because of the humanitarian benefit that comes with giving from it. It’s fulfilling to know that each present gives the receiver a sense of hope.

The images below are a just a few of the 43 choices that that particularly struck me on some level, I suppose it has something to do my life values  that were taught to me by my parents. But, there isn’t a gift on the list that doesn’t uplift  the lives of others – and that’s a good thing!. The catalog is available on-line through this link. http://bit.ly/1bfZ9hh .

Extend the love beyond your family this holiday season, by giving a much needed gift to people in other places around the world.

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This blog brought to you by www.AllThingsFulfilling.com, the space where independent thoughts, words and views are all part of the business. www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

New Found Treasures

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“Treasure your relationships, not your possessions.” ~ Anthony J D’Angelo

Peeps writing to Meems in armyFamily photos are some of the greatest treasures we could ever own. Last summer, my parents gave an unexpected gift to our family by revealing some never before seen photos they had gotten out of storage. The image that really stole my heart more than any other is this image of my father writing a letter to my mother (as he did almost daily) when he was in the army. On the crude wooden desk, made with 2” X 4”s was a framed picture of the love of his life, my mother, looking right at him as he wrote the letter.

My parents were childhood friends beginning at 10 or 11 years of age. They grew up one street apart from one another. That childhood friendship developed into a love relationship that has lasted, in a marriage, for 65 years. But what transpired throughout the course of their lives and some of the things they coped with as very young adults and newly-married is part of the treasure in my own personal narrative that will be published in spring 2014.

As I look at this image of my parents, it fulfills me to know that from the union of my father (who was an only child) and my mother (who had one brother), our family has become very large. Each person added by birth or marriage is like newly found treasure – each contributing to the whole with individual interests and passions that make for beautiful gatherings. The conversations when we are all together range from custom home building and architecture, to fitness, food and fashion design, to homeopathics and neonatal nursing, to boats, marine logistics and shipping, to writing, publishing and filmmaking. (How is that for a run on sentence?) And lest I forget – we now have a student of equine medicine in training! Diverse and widespread interests all in one family. But what binds us all together, besides the caring, is the love of books and reading, first nurtured by my parents.

If you are wondering how to instill a love of reading in your children, here is an article with 11 great tips.http://bit.ly/19RMGTO

And all these years later, despite every life challenge and obstacle, my parents are still each other’s best friends. Isn’t that an ultimate love story?

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. Do return tomorrow to All Things Fulfilling.

Youth and Philanthrophy

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Children are great imitators. So give them something great to imitate.– Barbara Bush

How do you teach young children to value what is inside of them selves rather than material objects?

colors of cakeSome parents are teaching their children the importance of giving to others by throwing “no gift birthday parties.” There is still cake and ice cream, balloons, games and other makings for a day of celebration, but the guests are asked to bring a donation, rather than a toy.

The birthday boy or girl gets to decide where the donations are sent. It is important that the child is in on the decision-making process so they understand where the money is going. The cause should be something the child is excited about, so they feel fulfillment in the giving.

How do you explain “no gift birthdays” to your children without them being resentful? Sometimes it is not very hard, children sometimes “get it” if they can relate to the cause.  Make a Wish Foundation is just one suggestion to partner with. There are many other worthy foundations also. http://wish.org/ways-to-help.

What are your thoughts? Do you think “no gift birthdays” would help instill values in your children – a sense of what really matters?

This Thoughtful Thursday’s blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. See you on Friday on All Things Fulfilling.

 

Fulfillment of Career Dreams

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Everything worthwhile in life is work.  But if it puts a smile on your face, it doesn’t feel like work. ~ Unknown

world university games 2013 ItalyI am very excited for my husband! He has an opportunity coming up that not many in his profession get to experience. He was just selected to be one of the ski coaches at The World University Games in Trentino, Italy. These are the Olympic Games for college students. Coaches and athletes from all over the world will be attending!

He is deserving of it because over the years he has used his great motivational skills in helping young people to understand that there is value in working hard. His message to his athletes is that even if you don’t come home with top prize, knowing that you did your best there is great reward in that – called personal fulfillment. His universe, outside of his family, has been the world of ski racing. He would say “His career of working with very high-level performance athletes has been very fulfilling.” I can not imagine him doing anything else for a lifetime career.

ski racerPeople think that coaching ski racers is all glamour and fun. Hardly! Have you ever tried standing out on a mountain, at a high elevation where the air is thin, in blinding snowstorms day after day with your hands and feet so frozen that your toe nails fall off at the end of the winter season? Or have you tried driving thousands and thousands miles each winter in a van packed with athletes and gear after a long day on the mountain, on roads so treacherous that if you blink at the wrong time you’ll end up in a ditch or worse? That’s exhausting and a lot of responsibility.

The World University Games officially kick off November 9th, and guess who will be lighting the torch? Pope Francis! To read more about the World University Games, please visit this website. http://www.wugusa.com/pope-francis-will-trentinos-torch/.

Congratulations, Terry! You will represent ColoradoMountainCollege with honor, as well as your colleagues – the other coaches in your profession. Enjoy it. It’s your reward for all the years of your service to a demanding profession.

Return to All Things Fulfilling tomorrow. The blog of www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

A Welcome Greeting

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“Positive anything is better than negative nothing.” ~ Elbert Hubbard

This summer, when I was in Maryland, on the Eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay, I walked into a salon to get a haircut. There wasn’t an attendant in the reception area when I arrived, so I sat down and picked up a magazine. Some time passed, and I looked up at the counter, and there was still no attendant, but I noticed something on the counter that I hadn’t seen when I entered. There was an upright sign that had been posted in a clear glass frame that said, “Good Morning, this is God. I will be handling all your problems today. I will not need your help. So just relax and have a good day.” 

Hmmm….I thought, “Wouldn’t life be great if things were that easy? Having faith is a wonderful thing. It does help us  feel as if we can relax a little when we’re stressed because “someone’s got our back.”  But let’s not be too simplistic and unrealistic – we do have to take an active part in living up to our potential and making our own lives fulfilling.

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This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. The space where independent thoughts, words and views are all part of the business.

Fulfilling Potential

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“The choices you make now, the people you surround yourself with, they all have the potential to affect your life, even who you are, forever.”   ―     Sarah Dessen, The Truth About Forever  

Do you feel like this Weimaraner puppy – up a tree without a paddle? Knowing you are not living up to your full potential?

up a treeYou are not alone. There are many people feeling the same way you are in this economy. It may not be a good time to quit the full time job or change careers, but that does not mean you are stuck forever. Above all, maintain the faith that better things are in store for you, believe it and work toward it.

Next, recognize that change begins within ourselves There are always little things you can do to make your life more fulfilling. For instance -perhaps you’ve always wanted to be a hiking guide but are stuck in corporate America. It may not be a good time to let go of that full time job – but maybe you can get outside everyday to take a jog, a walk or a hike around the block before or after work. On weekends or on days off, take to the hills – no excuses!

Here is an article from Shake off the Grind about finding something positive in every situation. http://bit.ly/1cmCuq1. The tips might help you.

Remember, change begins with little things. What is it that makes your heart zing?  What ever that is find a way to do it!

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This blog is brought to you by  www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. Come on back tomorrow, and we will see what else we can get into that leads to All Things Fulfilling.