Berlin. Maryland, that is.

Leave a comment

Posted on August 17, 2015

Happy Monday! Glad you are with us!

Today, we are taking an on-line road trip to Berlin, Maryland. Join me over the next few days as we take our journey down memory lane on All Things Fulfilling. America’s Coolest Small Town is indeed “historically charming & artistically alive & eternally young.” I love this community which is only seven miles from the natural beauty of Assateague National Seashore.

Don’t forget to turn on the modern-day record player by listening to the music from this You Tube audio as you scroll through these images.

I wish I could feature an individual story on every business in Berlin because they all contribute to the overall good feelings that I got when I walked the charming streets. Do return tomorrow there will be a myriad of images that will illicit memories from the past. Hopefully the pictures will stir up thoughts of only the good times in your life.

Thi blog is brought to you by the author of the three time award-winning book Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and short stories Lessons of Heart & Soul.

Balance of Power and Economy

1 Comment

Posted on August 12, 2015

Before you become a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others. ~ Jack Welsh

Beth Macy, author of the National Best Selling book Factory Man, held an author talk and book signing in Steamboat Springs, Colorado a few weeks ago. I attended and bought the book. It is a narrative non-fiction about Bassett Furniture Makers. The story is jam-packed with complicated family relationships, history and a whole community of people whose lives depended upon the livelihood of the textile and furniture industry in the town of Bassett, Virginia.

At the foundation of the story is a “full of himself” character who often strained the family dynamic with his leadership style. Add to that the exodus of industry – furniture products being manufactured overseas more cheaply, and the battle that ensued in saving an American town. What do you have? An impressive and fulfilling tale to tell.

A very well-researched book that award-winning journalist Macy writes in a compelling and “you’ve gotta hear this style.”

Business people in every industry at all eschelons of power will glean something from this story about a multi-generational family furniture dynasty.

This blog is brought to you by award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard.

Bubble Gum, Bobby Socks, Malt Shops

Leave a comment

Posted on July 10, 2015

“The best things in life comes in threes like friends, dreams and memories.” ~ Mencius

It’s Friday! Let’s have a little more fun thinking of the past.

Yesterday’s blog motivated me to dig up some more nostalgia that I hope you baby boomers will enjoy. I don’t know about you but, when I think bobby socks, I automatically think bubble gum. Who among you remembers these lyrics?

Does your chewing gum loose it’s flavor on the bedpost over night?

Does your mother say to spit it out, and you swallow it in spite?

For those baby boomers who are considering writing memoirs and are having troubles getting started, I am giving you a few writing prompts in today’s blog. Here’s your homework over the weekend. Chose one of them and jot down your thoughts.

I know, you don’t like homework and I can hear y’all whining now “What a drag! The teacher gave us a heap of homework over the weekend. I was going to go down to the malt shop for a frappe and hang out. Then to the sock hop. Now I’ll have to stay home and write!”

Well, here is a little homework help. If the picture and lyrics weren’t enough to stir your memories, perhaps this video will.

Have a great weekend everybody. This weekend shake a leg and get your own T-W-E-E-T, T-W-E-E-T thing going. See you right back here on All Things Fulfilling on Monday!

This blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, award-winning author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and short stories Lessons of Heart & Soul.

Bringing Memories Alive

Leave a comment

Posted on July 9, 2015

We do not know the true value of our moments until they have undergone the test of memory.” ~ Georges Duhamel

Today on Thirsty Thursday, I’m sharing this video purely for a little fun and with hopes of stirring your memories. If you are a baby boomer or even more mature than that you may remember this little ditty. If you remember the song and the era, celebrate! That means you still have some of your faculties intact. Hip-hip hurray!

As you listen, scroll through the images below. What do you associate these pictures with? Write your thoughts down. Ready, set, get started!

That’s all for today on All Things Fulfilling. I don’t want to give our aging readers sensory overload. We will dig up some more nostalgic images and share them in the near future!

This blog is brought to you by the award-winning author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and short stories Lessons of Heart & Soul.

Yankee Doodle Day

Leave a comment

Posted on July 4, 2015

Happy 4^th of July everybody!

Thankfully, PBS broadcasts our nation’s Capitol 4^th of July for those who must witness it from afar. When I get home from the local fireworks, I automatically flip on the channel. If you have never been to Washington, DC, you are missing something significant. It’s a gift of a lifetime trip that every American should be privy to. The museums, statues and other landmarks are all free, so no one is left out from seeing the attractions as long as you can get there.

When 9/11 happened, the USA rallied and we Americans showed our support for one another by decorating our homeland. It’s a shame many of the flags, banners and other signs of patriotism have since disappeared. They are good reminders of the freedoms we enjoy and are worth, literally and figuratively, fighting for.

And, why do we save our patriotic songs for Independence Day? In my opinion, they ought to be sung more often! Here are 100 patriotic favorites. How many do you recognize? Many of the tunes tell the tale of our country’s heritage, and it is important that all generations of Americans know the most famous anthems.

Have a Yankee Doodle Dandy kind of day! On Monday on All Things Fulfilling, I will share reflections of my 4^th of July celebrations from Ski Town, U.S.A.

This blog is brought to you by the author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and short stories Lessons of Heart & Soul.

Next Generation Americans

Leave a comment

Posted on July 2, 2015

It takes an endless amount of history to make even a little tradition. ~ Henry James

Over the course my lifetime, there have been many changes to my homeland. America has been built on the diversity of its people, yet sometimes I feel as if I no longer see the values this country was built upon. I expect the conundrum between progress and tradition but, I struggle with the fact that the good ole U.S.A. is vastly different than the country of my youth.

I can’t help but look at these pictures and worry whether wearing red, white and blue and stars and stripes will someday be banned in the U.S.A. forever. After all, it seems a crime to hang an American flag on one’s own property, on American soil. What’s up with that?

What will our country look like for the next generation of American children? I’m airing just a bit of what I have been pondering this week. It’s an appropriate subject to consider on All Things Fulfilling during a month when we celebrate independence and American patriotism.

This blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, award-winning author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and short stories Lessons of Heart & Soul.

Exploring Roots and Characters

Leave a comment

Posted on June 24, 2015

I believe that the memoir is the novel of the 21st century; it’s an amazing form that we haven’t even begun to tap…we’re just getting started figuring out what the rules are.” ~ Susan Cheever

Have you ever considered how our lives are made up of stories? Everyone has stories to tell and some people are natural storytellers. However, sometimes getting stories down on paper is not as easy as telling them orally.

Think about family stories for a minute. Unless these rich narratives are written down and published, future generations will never know them. The characters who sprouted from the family tree will be lost.
Not to be overly-dramatic, the truth is that unless we share family stories through the form of memoir writing, in a few generations down the road we risk becoming like be a nation of adoptees who don’t know who their parents or grandparents were.

The good news is, we are living in an age where ordinary people can write and publish their stories independently. You don’t have to have a big family name behind you or sensational story to tell in order to become published. Resources are freely available for ordinary people.

Publishing a story for personal fulfillment is reward enough. But future generations will greatly appreciate knowing something about their family narrative because so many tales just get lost.

This blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard. Author of an award-winning memoir Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and short stories Lessons of Heart & Soul.

Protect and Defend Wholesome Values

1 Comment

Posted on June 22, 2015

Unity is strength… when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved. ~ Mattie Stepanek

The mission behind All Things Fulfilling has always been a multi-media approach to sharing information about things that make my heart zing – what fills my heart with joy and happiness. That includes information on what has become my career and passion since 1998 – independent publishing.

I seldom make strong statements on All Things Fulfilling because we don’t need another platform on which to air controversial opinions all for the sake of being heard.

This statement I am going to make is about valuing human life and it really doesn’t matter where you stand politically. We need people in this country to discover and fill open spaces in their hearts with what brings them personal fulfillment, not evil and violence.

Dr. Ben Carson recently said about the recent occurrences in Charleston, South Carolina that the “heart of the matter is the heart.” In my opinion, he was referring to what’s missing in the lives of the American people.

No matter where I find myself on the political spectrum, I can’t argue with Dr. Carson’s statement. The fact is we need more stories of people living by good, wholesome virtues. We can restore faith in one another by sharing stories that show the decency of the American people and how America’s fine character helped us to become a powerhouse nation.

Division is ugly. We need to get back to our roots and to a United States that our service men and women are proud and willing to protect and defend.

That’s enough about what we need. What can you give of yourself to help unify people?

This blog is brought to you by award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard, the author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and short stories Lessons of Heart & Soul.

Reading and Happiness

Leave a comment

Posted on June 16, 2015

“Surrounded by darkness yet enfolded in light.” ~― Alan Brennert

There is an interesting article in the New Yorker Magazine about the connection between reading and happiness. Researchers say when we read that there is a neurological process that takes place in our brain that transports us away from our everyday life to feeling as if we are in the place in the story, right along with the characters.

Bibliotherapy (reading books to make people feel happier) can be traced back to 1916 when the term was used in an article in the Atlantic Monthly. “Books,” the article said, can be used as a “stimulant or a sedative or an irritant or a soporific. The point is that it must do something to you, and you ought to know what it is. A book may be of the nature of a soothing syrup or it may be of the nature of a mustard plaster.”

I had to laugh when I read that quote because I am currently reading a novel called Palisades Park by Alan Brennert. Through the story I have been transported to the famed amusement park in New Jersey and I have been eating hotdogs with mustard and sugary cotton candy in my imagination from the Midway. My mind has been spinning in circles as I’ve imagined the Cyclone roller coaster and the tilt-a-whirl and all the other rides. Every bit of the book has heightened my senses, as it’s stirred nostalgic memories of my youthful visits to the amusement park at Hershey Pennsylvania and Gwynn Oak Park in Baltimore.

Brennert’s book has done well in taking me to Palisades Park during the height of it’s popularity, in the 1930s. He has helped me understand the value of such entertainment in uplifting the American spirit during war times. All four of my senses have been fulfilled through his rich descriptive writing of tastes, sounds, smells and site of the historical times and events in his novel. You’ll hear the cacophony of calliope and shrieks. A sensational nostalgic summertime read! Highly recommended.

If you are looking for other good reads that will transport you back to another historical time Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and short stories Lessons of Heart & Soul, will remind you of the times when life was much simpler. This blog is brought to you by award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard.

The First Nostalgist

Leave a comment

Posted on May 26, 2015

Nostalgia is a file that removes the rough edges from the good old days. ~ Doug Larson

There is an interesting article in the New York Times about nostalgia and the value of it.

According to the article being nostalgic used to be associated with “physical or mental maladies.” However, researchers have found that nostalgia, more often than not, is associated with fulfilling feelings rather than bad. Nostalgia gives us a sense of rootedness and continuity in our lives.

And according to Dr. Sedikides, a psychologist, there is a difference between homesickness and nostalgia. He says one of the first nostalgists was Odysseus, “an itinerant who used memories of his family and home to get through hard times.”

Last week, I had a wonderful couple of days in Park City, Utah with my husband. While he attended a conference I traveled around the area. I came across memorabilia that although much of it was Western in nature, and I am an East Coast gal, it gave me warm feelings of this homeland called “The United States of America.”

I hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane. I shot these photos at Pinto Pony Designs in Heber City and Park City Clothing Company. Park City Clothing Company is another outstanding shop that is fun to poke around in. I love the Coca-Cola memorabilia. The store is in the heart of historic downtown in Park City.

Thank you to both places for letting me capture these images for our readers of AllThingsFulfilling.com

Above photo – My twin sister and I had a Kat Kat Clock identical to the black one hanging in our bedroom when we were children. Talk about bring back memories!

This blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, award-winning author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and short stories Lessons of Heart & Soul.

All Things Fulfilling

Writing Focused on Fine Art & The Humanities

Category Archives: History

Berlin. Maryland, that is.

Balance of Power and Economy

Bubble Gum, Bobby Socks, Malt Shops

Next Generation Americans