Tag Archives: Writing

Sweet, Satisfying Summer

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“Memory is a complicated thing, a relative to truth, but not its twin.”                                          ~ Barbara Kingsolver

When was the last time you witnessed someone rocking their day away in a hammock reading a book? I have  not seen anyone lollygagging this way since – well… since… I don’t know when! Too many people consider this too much of a luxury – there is too much to do, too many places to go, too many sites to see (on the internet, of course). The practice of taking out time for our selves has been overtaken by electronic communication device demands – cell phones ringing, emails to answer, texting, faxing and blogging! It has become a second, third or fourth job, for many! Humans have become their own worst enemies by creating ways to communicate 24/7. I have resisted in all ways that I can – but unfortunately, doing business today, requires keeping step with all the rest!

For today, I am going to take great pleasure in recounting summertime memories of my childhood. Come on along, and feel free to add to my list, of what you remember from your days as a child:

  • Hearing the Good Humor truck coming down the road
  • Dousing myself with Muguet des Bois cologne, made cool by refrigerating it before spraying my body.
  • Playing badminton or croquet with neighborhood children
  • Playing “Mother, May I?” or hopscotch on the paved walkway at my Grandparents house
  • Building tree forts with my sister and two brothers
  • Sleeping in the back of the station wagon as my parents watched “Gold Finger” at the Drive-In Movie Theatre (I only peeked once or twice).
  • Sipping delicious, homemade, root beer that our neighbor concocted annually
  • Playing Jacks and pickup sticks
  • Reading Nancy Drew mysteries and the Bobbsey Twin novels
  • Learning to do the swan dive and cannonball jumps into the pool.
  • Playing softball with the neighborhood families on the 4th of July.
  • Catching lightning bugs in jars
  • Snowballs (snow-cones) with Thunderbird or Tutti-Fruity flavored syrup
  • Taking a class at the YMCA on drawing with pastels (I was pitiful!)
  • Helping my mom deliver Meals on Wheels to inner city elderly people.

Ah, the good ole days! I hope children of this generation will be able to look back and have childhood memories of simple pleasures. Take time to share a memory of an activity that was fulfilling to you as a child, in the good old summer time. We would love to hear from you!

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Offer it Up

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“There is no such thing as a ‘self made’ man. We are made up of thousands of others. Everyone who has ever done a kind deed for us or spoken…”                                    ~ George Matthew Adams

How many times throughout your life have you heard the expression “you never know until you try” ? So many times throughout my life, when I have been pondering “I want to” or “ought to”, this little adage has popped up in my mind, forcing me to take action. As much as I dislike hearing it time and time again, I am glad it has been my constant companion! I try to always remember – all things serve their own purpose!  Without remembering this adage, often I would never have taken action and opportunities would have passed me by.

A few days ago, I blogged about the freedoms we enjoy in this country and about the importance of legal immigrants obeying the letter of the law. I received a comment to this blog, Striking Gold, from a faithful reader of this site. She shared that she and her Mom want to share their family’s story of immigration. Her relatives have built successful careers in their new lands and have tales to tell.

I would like to encourage my faithful blog reader to take advantage of one of the freedoms of our country, independent publishing, to share her family’s tales, not just for her own family’s sake but for the sake of others. There will be many others interested in learning of her family’s accomplishments, their strife, opportunity and their feelings as they arrived in this country and Australia, trying to start life anew.

And like every thing in life “you never know until….” So, go for it, Marie, go for it!  Your relatives did, and so can you!

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Continuing Thought

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“Many men go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after” ~ Henry David Thoreau

The other day, I picked up a book from the shelves of my mom’s library that was faded with age. It was authored by several editors of the New Age Journal and published in 1984. The book is called “Chop Wood, Carry Water: A Guide to Finding Spiritual Fulfillment in Every Day Life.”

As I began to browse the pages, I realized that many of the subjects addressed in this book written 25 years ago, are still among hot topics today. Those seeking knowledge on spiritual healing, information on understanding truths through the body (by practicing yoga, martial arts, massage and judo and the like), writings on understanding astonishing occurrences through miracles, finding rewarding careers with slants toward social consciousness, interpreting dreams for wisdom and guidance, and more can all be found in this book.

Answers to living a life fulfilled, has been on the minds of people for ages. Over the years, new schools of contemporary thought  expand and deepen our understanding of the human psyche, and I for one, have always enjoyed reading new books on psychology and spirituality.

It does make me wonder, however, why books of this nature have such great appeal. It has been said that all the answers we need are within ourselves. It is the search for such answers that lead people to a lifelong quest.

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Finding Answers to Loss

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“The most wonderful of all things in life, I believe, is the discovery of another human being with whom one’s relationship has a growing depth, beauty, and joy as the years increase ….”  ~ Hugh Walpole

After many, many, many of months of not having time to read for pleasure, I have finally found a little time each evening to pick up a book I have been yearning to read. This book is all about the reasons of how and why a book that had a mere $200 marketing budget can make it to the #1 New York Times best seller list. It has attracted the attention of 7,000,000 readers around the world.

The Shack by Wm. Paul Young is as thought provoking a book as I have read in a long, long time. This book is about loss, transformation and enlightenment. It is about doubt, a divine relationship, light and healing. This book holds all the elements that draw you into a story. It raises possibilities of answers to questions that people from all countries, ages, social class and religious backgrounds have asked for generations.

To give you more information on this book, would rob you of what you need to determine for yourself – how this book’s message applies to you and your life. I suspect this is the reason why this book has become a masterpiece. For more information, please visit www.theshackbook.com.

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Striking Gold

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“The two hardest things to handle in life are failure & success.“ ~   Anonymous

I was so disappointed last night not to find on TV, the National team’s baseball game. I wanted to watch first draft pick Stephen Strasburg, make his debut as a major league pitcher. I love all stories about finding personal fulfillment in life and career paths. And Americans have had as many stories about finding success and satisfaction in our personal gifts as you could find anywhere else. It is the land of opportunity and the freedoms we enjoy in this country provide a stage on which to rise to heights unknown if you are willing to work for it.

Many immigrants have come to this country pursuing their dreams. I am always in awe of those who have left their native land behind in search for more. It is not an easy thing to do. A suitcase full of determination, vision, good work ethics, dreams and focused aspirations is what is needed for the good life in America. Demanding that all legal immigrants pack living by the laws of our Constitution in their bags, is not too much to ask, is it?

Our country’s pastures, green with opportunity, will remain healthy and productive if our laws protect the freedoms that we enjoy. Do you have a Made It in America story you can share through independent publishing?

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Ride a Indie Publishing Express

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“Art is not a thing, it is a way.” ~ Elbert Hubbard

Imagine what disadvantaged kids could do if given a chance. Wife of the late and great, John Lennon is giving a ticket to many children to hop aboard the publishing express! Helping kids write and record songs, is what the mission of the John Lennon Educational Bus Tour is all about.

In honor of John Lennon’s 70th birthday in October, the bus is traveling the country to continue John’s legacy and to provide music education and mentorship opportunities for underserved kids.

It is from opportunities such as this, that kids often discover their true talents and passions in life. I say “Kudos to Yoko Ono for this inspiring idea and for providing a roving space for kids across the country to experiment with independent music production.”

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Visionary Artists

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“Visionary people are visionary partly because of the things they don’t see“~ Unknown

The other day, I wandered the exhibits of Baltimore’s American Museum of Visionary Art. As all art should be, the art was extremely thought provoking. But all the work was created with more invention and very apparent raw emotion than any art I have probably ever seen before. Many of the exhibits were created by inmates in prison art programs and many mentally disturbed individuals.

To my way of thinking, all artists are visionaries. However, the American Museum of Visionary Art defines visionary artists as the following:

  • untrained and self taught
  • their spiritual and personal vision is expressed through art as a result of their condition
  • they often  do not consider what they do as art
  • they create art only to suit themselves
  • their art is wild and untamed

I was most struck by the art of a prisoner who through pen and ink drawings depicted his life, before prison. Many of his drawings included memories of my own childhood, scenes of ferris wheels, drive-in movie theatres, eating frozen custard (soft serve ice cream, as we know it today), juke boxes and more, that I was able to relate to. As I left the exhibit, I thought “how could this extremely talented artist’s life go so wrong? From a life of innocense of childhood, to a life of 40 years in jail staring at four walls?”  What I found most inspiring is the proceeds from the sale of this visionary artists work will go towards Make a Wish Foundation to give children stricken with cancer, their last wish to take a trip, attend a baseball game or fulfill their wildest dream before they leave this world.

If you are ever in Baltimore, make sure you put this museum on your list! It has been billed as one of  the top five museums to visit. The address is American Museum of Visionary Art, 800 Key Highway, Baltimore, MD.


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A Sweet First!

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“Take a chance! All life is a chance. The man who goes the farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare” ~ Dale Carnegie

Today, June 1st, 2010 is a very special day and reason for celebration! It is the first time, in all my years of living, that I do not  have to share a birthday with someone else! I can finally claim a birthday all my own. You see, being a twin I have never had a birthday to call my own!

Today is not the birthday of my natural birth, however. One year ago today, I became the author of this website. How sweet it is! It has been an extremely rewarding year of communicating with writers, artists, filmmakers, musicians and others all across the globe who believe in fulfilling their dreams through independent publishing.

Every once in a while, like today, for instance, my thoughts and writings have journeyed into other independent, fulfilling territories. Far away from the intent of this blogsite. Today – I’ll once again exercise my right to independent thought. No one has a say in how I spend this birthday! I don’t even have to share my birthday cake with anyone! I can even blow out the candles all on my own!

It’s my party, and I’ll write what I want to,

Write what I want to,

You would write too, if it happened to you!

I may be alone in my blogging today, but never lonely. Thanks to readers like you! It is because of your interest in this site and your interest in fulfilling things from the independent publishing world, I am kept motivated and engaged in my livelihood!

In honor of my blogging birthday, over the next few days I will be taking a break to take in some art and culture. A change in scenery and a break from the everyday, is good for the soul and for the writer. See you soon!This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Stuffed Brain and Seafood

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“In the same way that music inspires us to certain feelings, space can do the same thing,” Sarah Susanka

I can well understand the attractiveness of the Delmarva region on the Eastern seaboard for artists and writers. The abundant shorebird habitat, marine life, the Chesapeake Bay and it’s tributaries, provides an outstanding array of subjects to paint, through words and pictures. A waterman’s way of life is all I need, for food for fodder, during my time here.

Yesterday was graduation day for Naval Academy cadets, and I sat aboard a boat on the Severn River watching the flyover of fighter jets indicating the end of the college training for the graduates and the beginning of a new troop of dedicated and honorable countrymen.

To a gal who has resided in the mountains for the past 30+ years, my visit to the Delmarva, allows me to gather all I can of experiences, sights, tastes until next time I arrive here on the shores. During my stay, I hope to wander the halls of the Baltimore Museum of Art or the Cone Collection at the Walters Art Gallery, then head down the road to Washington, DC and take in Rose Frantzen’s exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery. If I get there, I will report my findings along the way.

I hear a table full of Maryland blue crabs calling my name, so for now, I must go!

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Displaying Heart and Soul

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“All forms of self expression are linked.”  ~ Alexandra Stoddard

On a very basic level, the reasons for independent publishing are to educate, inspire, inform and entertain others. But independent publishing provides an avenue for writers, filmmakers, musicians and artists to share their craft with others on a much deeper level too. Through independent publishing you are able to:

  • Share unique perspectives on the world
  • Craft uniquely stylized compositions of writing, music or visual self expression
  • Express oneself truthfully – baring heart and soul.
  • Capture the human condition and the world through words, pictures and sounds.
  • Translate emotion, feelings, thoughts and ideas.

These very deep needs for self expression are often lost in the editorial process through traditional publishing. Although sales are important to the independent publisher and traditional publisher alike, the need for authentic expression is often the force behind the reasons for independent publishing.

What are your reasons for composing, writing or otherwise artistically expressing yourself? Perhaps the independent publishing industry can help you reach your goals and dreams.

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