That's me.
I run too fast sometimes, and too far. Do you?
Today, for all practical intents and purposes, I will finish my new historical, "The Man from Stone Creek." I've worked especially hard on this book, battling a persistent case of bronchitis and a certain tempest in a teapot in the midst of the process, and now that I will be writing those final pages, I find myself immediately focusing on the next book.
Wait a second!
"Stone Creek" is a marvelous accomplishment. I want to take time out to celebrate a little. I'm not talking about going out honky-tonking, or anything like that. I'm referring to an internal pat on the back. A little savoring.
I need to stop and breathe.
I forget to do that. Do you?
Maybe I'll light a candle. Maybe I'll say thank you, to the universe and to myself.
I don't want to be a lump in the middle of the street.
But I don't want to be a roadrunner anymore, either.
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Monday, July 04, 2005
Independence Day
Today, let us celebrate the gift of Freedom.
Who gave us this gift?
Well, inititally, God. He planted the yearning in our hearts long ago.
But after God came others, who spoke up in spite of their fear.
They framed the Constitution.
They fought and died to establish, sustain and preserve the great gift.
Do we truly have Liberty and Justice for all?
No.
We've got work to do. Fortunately, we don't have to be perfect at it.
We must tend our own gardens. We must practice compassion. We must open our hearts and our minds to the cries of others. We must value those who take the opposite view, for without them, there would be no balance.
Let us remember:
The forgotten child, in the inner city.
The mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, grieving for that fallen soldier.
The people who are--gasp--DIFFERENT. (Remember that guy I mentioned yesterday, the one with the shopping cart, who lives under the freeway, and beams as he begs?)
We must make room for everyone to stand proudly inside the circle defined as 'us'. (Or U.S., if you will.)
We are far from that goal, and yet I feel great hope for this nation, and all free nations. (If you don't believe we're really free, try spending a day in Afganistan or Iraq; you'll soon see the difference.)
What shall we do?
Remember the code, inspired by God.
Liberty and Justice for all.
We shall keep marching. We shall keep trying. Keep hoping and praying.
You see, it's not the destination that matters so much. It's the journey.
Let us travel with integrity, with courage, with fairness of mind.
Let us seek the Light. It will lead us.
Who gave us this gift?
Well, inititally, God. He planted the yearning in our hearts long ago.
But after God came others, who spoke up in spite of their fear.
They framed the Constitution.
They fought and died to establish, sustain and preserve the great gift.
Do we truly have Liberty and Justice for all?
No.
We've got work to do. Fortunately, we don't have to be perfect at it.
We must tend our own gardens. We must practice compassion. We must open our hearts and our minds to the cries of others. We must value those who take the opposite view, for without them, there would be no balance.
Let us remember:
The forgotten child, in the inner city.
The mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, grieving for that fallen soldier.
The people who are--gasp--DIFFERENT. (Remember that guy I mentioned yesterday, the one with the shopping cart, who lives under the freeway, and beams as he begs?)
We must make room for everyone to stand proudly inside the circle defined as 'us'. (Or U.S., if you will.)
We are far from that goal, and yet I feel great hope for this nation, and all free nations. (If you don't believe we're really free, try spending a day in Afganistan or Iraq; you'll soon see the difference.)
What shall we do?
Remember the code, inspired by God.
Liberty and Justice for all.
We shall keep marching. We shall keep trying. Keep hoping and praying.
You see, it's not the destination that matters so much. It's the journey.
Let us travel with integrity, with courage, with fairness of mind.
Let us seek the Light. It will lead us.
Sunday, July 03, 2005
The best trick I ever learned...
For generating ideas, I mean.
And ideas come in handy, don't they?
Not just story ideas, but ideas for living, for solving problems, and making dreams come true.
Are you on the edge of your seat yet?
You should be.
Now, breathe....
Here's the trick. (I learned it from Brian Tracy, motivational speaker and self-help writer extraordinaire. I want that clear up front. It's his idea, not mine, and IT REALLY WORKS.)
It's the list of 20.
When I first get a concept, or a character, in mind, I ask myself, pen and paper at hand:
What are twenty things I need to know about this character?
What are twenty things that could happen in this story?
Then I write.
As with the Morning Pages, this is a stream-of-consciousness thing. You go as fast as you can, and you don't judge along the way. The first few ideas, in fact, are usually stupid. Great. You've got them out of the way, so you can get to the good stuff, the stuff you wouldn't even have thought about, if you hadn't been willing to wade through the sludge first!
Do you see how this technique could be used for anything?
What are twenty things I'm not facing?
What are twenty things--little things--I could do right now, today, to feel better?
You take it from here.
And ideas come in handy, don't they?
Not just story ideas, but ideas for living, for solving problems, and making dreams come true.
Are you on the edge of your seat yet?
You should be.
Now, breathe....
Here's the trick. (I learned it from Brian Tracy, motivational speaker and self-help writer extraordinaire. I want that clear up front. It's his idea, not mine, and IT REALLY WORKS.)
It's the list of 20.
When I first get a concept, or a character, in mind, I ask myself, pen and paper at hand:
What are twenty things I need to know about this character?
What are twenty things that could happen in this story?
Then I write.
As with the Morning Pages, this is a stream-of-consciousness thing. You go as fast as you can, and you don't judge along the way. The first few ideas, in fact, are usually stupid. Great. You've got them out of the way, so you can get to the good stuff, the stuff you wouldn't even have thought about, if you hadn't been willing to wade through the sludge first!
Do you see how this technique could be used for anything?
What are twenty things I'm not facing?
What are twenty things--little things--I could do right now, today, to feel better?
You take it from here.
Saturday, July 02, 2005
For me, it's music
What have you been denying yourself? What small, nourishing pleasure? What touched you too deeply, so that you thought the best thing, the only thing, to do was back away?
For me, it's music.
I love music of all kinds, everything from Gregorian chant to the Beatles. Music stirs my imagination, energizes my body, lifts my spirits. For some complicated, unconscious reason, I have a tendency to deny myself anything I love that much. Why? Because I was afraid of the total abandon I sometimes feel when I listen to music.
I am giving myself a gift. I am going to listen to music, in the morning while I write in my journals, while I work, and just before sleep. (It's got to be an improvement over cops-and-robbers TV!) And I am going to listen to music for sure when I'm resisting it, because that's when I need it most.
For me, music is the Voice of God.
Music soothes. Music heals.
More music, please.
(Keep this quote in mind: "Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will rule your life, and you will call it fate." Carl Jung.)
For me, it's music.
I love music of all kinds, everything from Gregorian chant to the Beatles. Music stirs my imagination, energizes my body, lifts my spirits. For some complicated, unconscious reason, I have a tendency to deny myself anything I love that much. Why? Because I was afraid of the total abandon I sometimes feel when I listen to music.
I am giving myself a gift. I am going to listen to music, in the morning while I write in my journals, while I work, and just before sleep. (It's got to be an improvement over cops-and-robbers TV!) And I am going to listen to music for sure when I'm resisting it, because that's when I need it most.
For me, music is the Voice of God.
Music soothes. Music heals.
More music, please.
(Keep this quote in mind: "Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will rule your life, and you will call it fate." Carl Jung.)
Friday, July 01, 2005
About drums and soundtracks
Let's start with soundtracks. Your movies, of course, have them. They usually go something like this:
You'll never make it.
Who do you think you are?
It's selfish to think of yourself first.
Something will always go wrong, so why try?
If you really love me, you'll....(fill in the blank. It's always what the manipulator, often well-meaning, wants.)
I could go on, but I think you get the drift. Those voices in your head are the soundtrack of a lot of self-defeating mind movies.
Who SAYS you'll never make it? Just because it hasn't happened yet, it can't happen, ever??
Lies!
Who do you think you are? Well, you're a creation of Almighty God, THAT'S who you are. And I guarantee you, you came into this life with an important mission to accomplish. Everyone did, even that guy under the viaduct with a shopping cart full of junk. (Clue: He may be an old soul, or even an angel, and know exactly what he's doing. Don't dishonor him with your pity.) But unless I miss my guess, you've gotten so caught up in your mind movies that you forgot all about your personal marching orders. How do you find out what they are? ASK. God, aka the Universe, is eager to help you out on this one.
Selfish? It's very unlikely that you're selfish. I see you sitting there, with your warm heart and those secret dreams of yours, the ones you've put on hold to please other people. You do so many things for so many others, especially your family. Here's a hint: a little healthy selfishness can be a good thing. If you don't take very good care of yourself, you won't be there for others who need you. (Also, remember that in some quarters, calling you selfish is a time-honored, sure-fire way to get you to do what the accuser wants.) Don't buy in!
IT'S A MOVIE, and these are the soundtracks.
As for the drums, well, that refers to the things you say over and over to yourself. This habit is usually so ingrained that it has become unconscious, automatic. You establish a beat, and it becomes so steady and rhthmic that you get hypnotized. You forget who you are. You forget that you have a mission. You forget that Somebody loves you, big-time.
Stop beating the same old drums! Get some new thoughts. How? By doing what we talked about yesterday--get started on those morning pages! Get to know yourself. It will be a fascinating journey, full of surprises. Yes, you'll uncover some things you'd rather avoid, but where has avoidance really gotten you? Those very things, those hidden things, are the drumbeat of your life. It's a universal law. What is hidden will be revealed. Why wait until the whole thing gets so big it explodes?
Do you want to march to that kind of drumbeat? I don't think so.
You'll never make it.
Who do you think you are?
It's selfish to think of yourself first.
Something will always go wrong, so why try?
If you really love me, you'll....(fill in the blank. It's always what the manipulator, often well-meaning, wants.)
I could go on, but I think you get the drift. Those voices in your head are the soundtrack of a lot of self-defeating mind movies.
Who SAYS you'll never make it? Just because it hasn't happened yet, it can't happen, ever??
Lies!
Who do you think you are? Well, you're a creation of Almighty God, THAT'S who you are. And I guarantee you, you came into this life with an important mission to accomplish. Everyone did, even that guy under the viaduct with a shopping cart full of junk. (Clue: He may be an old soul, or even an angel, and know exactly what he's doing. Don't dishonor him with your pity.) But unless I miss my guess, you've gotten so caught up in your mind movies that you forgot all about your personal marching orders. How do you find out what they are? ASK. God, aka the Universe, is eager to help you out on this one.
Selfish? It's very unlikely that you're selfish. I see you sitting there, with your warm heart and those secret dreams of yours, the ones you've put on hold to please other people. You do so many things for so many others, especially your family. Here's a hint: a little healthy selfishness can be a good thing. If you don't take very good care of yourself, you won't be there for others who need you. (Also, remember that in some quarters, calling you selfish is a time-honored, sure-fire way to get you to do what the accuser wants.) Don't buy in!
IT'S A MOVIE, and these are the soundtracks.
As for the drums, well, that refers to the things you say over and over to yourself. This habit is usually so ingrained that it has become unconscious, automatic. You establish a beat, and it becomes so steady and rhthmic that you get hypnotized. You forget who you are. You forget that you have a mission. You forget that Somebody loves you, big-time.
Stop beating the same old drums! Get some new thoughts. How? By doing what we talked about yesterday--get started on those morning pages! Get to know yourself. It will be a fascinating journey, full of surprises. Yes, you'll uncover some things you'd rather avoid, but where has avoidance really gotten you? Those very things, those hidden things, are the drumbeat of your life. It's a universal law. What is hidden will be revealed. Why wait until the whole thing gets so big it explodes?
Do you want to march to that kind of drumbeat? I don't think so.
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