Category: no fear

Dance Party

by Karen, posted in Music, no fear, Party for one

Something unusual happened today: I have my empty house to myself! The planets must have aligned! This is as rare and as exciting to me at 53 as it was when I was 16.

coffee table

As a matter of fact, the first time I was ever allowed to stay home alone in my house was when I was 16. I think my parents went out for an hour or two. I was giddy. I didn’t know what to do first. What I did end up doing was dancing on the coffee table.

Dancing. On. The. Coffee. Table.

Sadly, I can’t remember what the song was.

Anyway, to celebrate my good fortune, and to honor my 16 year old self, I decided to dance on my coffee table today, too (definitely a challenge-my present day coffee table is so much smaller than the coffee table of yore).

I do remember what the song was today: 

Dancing with Myself by Billy Idol

What song would YOU choose for your own 5 minute dance party?

 

My soon to be published book

by Karen, posted in author, books, NaNoWriMo, no fear, The write words at the write time, writing

bestseller…soon to be published, as Blondie so fabulously put it, one way or another. The most important step, to FINISH it, is done!

My next step is to send out a query to an agent. Yep; I’m starting with just one. I’ll go from there. The one I am sending it to is with an agency that was recommended to me by someone who has read (and liked! and did I mention: liked?!) my book, which I am taking as a hopeful sign.

Since I finished the manuscript, you may be wondering what I am waiting for.

Here’s the thing: the planet Mercury has been retrograde all month and so I have been waiting for it to turn direct. Which it did today around 3pm.

I understand, however, from my extensive You Tube research :), that it can actually take a few days for Mercury to really, really be going direct again, to get it’s mojo back after being retrograde for so long.

Why not control what I can? Set myself up for success? The new moon is in Gemini (my sign!) on the sixteenth of June. I have decided that this is the most auspicious day to launch it.

Just for more good luck, I am putting the title out there:

Why Buy the Cow?

Fingers crossed.

Disney

by Karen, posted in family, no fear, teens, Travel

me space mtnI went to Disney once before, in 1989 (or thereabouts). There was one ride I wanted to go on then: Space Mountain. I have no idea why, but I was fixated on it. When we got there, the first thing I did was ask where that ride was and, guess what? Space Mountain was CLOSED. Yep. I know, right? Unbelievable.

Fast forward (OMG-I just had to use a calculator to make sure this number was correct) twenty-six years to the present. Twenty-six years during which all of my friends and family were subject to hearing that story. Over and over.

And over.

I was going back to Disney with my daughter. It was her first trip there. It was her birthday present. It was all about her.

Except for this: this was all about me. I had a FastPass for us for Space Mountain. We got there. I made her take my picture in front of it. We found the FP entrance and went in. We got in line and…my daughter freaked out. She didn’t want to go on it! Now I had a moral dilemma. After twenty-six years, I was finally going to put this urban legend to rest, but am I the kind of mother would force my distraught daughter to get on a ride when she didn’t want to?

You bet I am.

The only way out of it is through it.

I think this is a good lesson for life in general.

N.B. In my defense, afterward she said it turned out to be her favorite ride at Magic Kingdom.

🙂

Reiki, baby

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, Meditation, my one word, no fear, Reiki, SoulCollage

crystals and rocksI have just completed my Reiki II class and I loved it! Chris Ann from Wells was my teacher. Truly, there is nothing like spending a day with like-minded individuals to make the time fly by. At no point did I even feel the urge to see what time it was. I didn’t even think about eating lunch until Chris mentioned that it was about 12:30 and asked when did we want to eat. Please note: I never am not thinking about food! Except when I am fully absorbed in what I am doing. Like when I am spending time with family or friends, or working on my SoulCollage cards, or reading, or writing…now I can add practicing Reiki to the list.

What I didn’t expect was that the class would incorporate so many of my favorite things!

 

  1. I am a member of the ‘First do no harm’ branch of health care (yes, we are a small group…small but growing), and Reiki is perfectly aligned with my philosophy.
  2. We can use crystals in Reiki healing (I. Love. Rocks.) I am a collector of rocks and crystals. They are all over my house. In the pockets of most of my clothing. On nearly every window sill. Scattered on my desk. Edging my bookcase. I have a heart rock garden. No plants…just heart shaped rocks. 🙂
  3. Meditation is part of the process. Mediation is my new BFF.
  4. Did I mention being with like-minded individuals is awesome?
  5. Aromatherapy can be incorporated into Reiki healing sessions. I have studied and used Aromatherapy for more than twenty years. Lavender, Tea Tree, and Peppermint are part of my daily life. A bottle of Lavender Essential Oil shares the windowsill (with the rocks) in my kitchen (you know, near the stove?) and is my go-to remedy for burns. Okay, so I have two bottles in the kitchen. Better safe than sorry.

Those are just some of the great bonuses I received along with my attunement Sunday. The biggest bonus, however, is this: I am stepping out of my comfort zone this year. I am being brave and taking chances. I am remembering “My One Word” this year for more than just the first month.
🙂

 

My 100th day

by Karen, posted in health, no fear, yoga

IMG_0933Today is my 100th consecutive day of meditating.

One hundredth. Consecutive. Day.

I know, right?

Prior to this, my meditation practice never lasted more than a few moments, if it occurred to me to do it at all, and then sometimes it consisted only of the thought,”Gee, I really should meditate,” or even better (or worse), “Meditate”.

But this time I really did it. Every day.

What I learned:

  1. There really are benefits to a daily meditation practice.
  2. I notice myself taking long, deep, full breaths now throughout the day, autonomically, not purposefully.
  3. I can be calmer during (some) storms-during an awful situation recently, I had the very clear thought: “Even though this is happening all around me right now, I am okay.” Of course, at first I was annoyed that I couldn’t remember what the circumstances were but now I see that this forgetting is the gift. Remembering that I knew that I was still OKAY, THAT is the lesson. The upsetting events don’t matter in the end.
  4. Like I learned with NaNoWriMo, I am a gal that needs structure. The structure of giveit100.com.
  5. My blood pressure prior to the 100 days was hovering around 180/110. Midway through it had dropped to 118/76. Hello? Can you say NORMAL? For the first time in years?

My yoga teacher and friend, Kristen, told me that meditation would be good for me and that I should make it a regular part of my yoga practice. Seven years ago.

Who says I’m slow to change?

Oh yeah, my husband. So, shhh.

 

 

 

Organization (or lack thereof)

by Karen, posted in books, gardening, italian, knitting, no fear, writing, yoga

office clutterOrganization? Thy name is not Karen.

I have stuff.

A lot of stuff.

I have decided that I am ready to let stuff go.

Keep it simple.

Stupid.

I have so many recipes and such that I have cut out, ripped out, torn out of magazines and newspapers and NEVER MADE. I should just throw them out, right? You’re right. You’re right. I KNOW you’re right.

And I have so many writing projects! How to organize them all? OMG. need a computer and desk dedicated just to that. Just to writing and the associated paraphernalia.

Then there’s the yoga stuff, the knitting stuff, the spiritual stuff, the Reiki stuff, the scrapbooking stuff…oh, and the Italian stuff! Folders for learning the language, cooking the food, traveling to the country.

The household stuff, bill paying stuff, the warranty stuff…oh! And all of the holiday stuff! Not just Christmas, but Christmas stuff does take up the most space. Wrapping paper, cards, decorations. Stacks and stacks (and stacks and stacks) of books. Plus the books on the actual (much too small) book case. (Note to self: my books are underserved.)

Nursing stuff! Stethoscopes, scrubs, clamps, bandage scissors, paper tape measures for measuring wounds…even though I am no longer a bedside nurse, I have learned the hard way to never say never and thus I am loath to release any of these things even though it’s been about two years since I’ve needed any of it.

Then there’s the Go and Do files. Some are filled with stuff we already Went and Did. Should I keep those or toss them? What about my idea file? I just read an article on FB (sorry, author of said article, I do not remember your name) that it’s good to write down ten ideas every day. I LOVE THAT! If I keep this file, then I’ve already got a head start!

Many things are in their own folders already, and it seems sort of organizational…but there are multiple folders for writing and yoga and knitting….and did I mention there is no place to put these files?

I think I need professional help.

Anyone? Anyone?

My one word 2015

by Karen, posted in movies, my one word, NaNoWriMo2014, no fear, quest for the best, The write words at the write time, writing

IMG_0743I have written about My One Word (MOW) in the past. The premise is this: you pick just one word to inspire you all year long.

If you are a writer, the appeal of only writing ONE WORD in a writing session is seductive.

It is, however, also deceiving. It’s harder to choose just one word to write down than you might think. There’s actually an entire website devoted to this topic, with a section devoted to just choosing your word.

When you can only choose one, you want it to be the best word ever.

The contenders this year for me are, in no particular order:

Write Meditate Breathe Focus Declutter

I thought I had a good list from which to choose when I made the mistake of visiting the MOW website’s ‘Pick your word’ section and another word, a bright and shiny new and different word, popped out at me: BRAVE. This word, this BRAVE word, showed me that I had unconsciously been thinking that MOW must be a verb. Every word that I thought of was a verb.

But Brave? Brave can be an adjective or a verb! Or even a noun! And Brave is a big, important word. There’s an entire Disney Movie about that word! I have written other blog posts that contain that word!

Oh, I just thought of yet another (verb) word:  Decide.

I think maybe I just did. 🙂

What do you think about choosing One Word versus making New Year’s Resolutions?
What would YOW (Your One Word) be?

If you are BRAVE, please comment below with your choice!

 

Long time no see

by Karen, posted in Angels, family, good grief, Midlife Crisis, no fear

dad (1)I went to see Melissa at Deep Blue Truth in Kennebunk today. I go every year (at least once) near my birthday as a present to myself. I always get messages from one or more of my friends and relatives that have died, and today was no exception.
When they come through, they always talk about something that is personal to me and to them. Something that helps me know that it is really them. Something that no one else would know. They give some kind of a sign.

Today, someone named John came through. Okay, so John is my dad, so that’s a no brainer. Melissa told me that he kept telling her to say ‘matches’, to talk about striking matches.

!

Last night, I was talking to my husband, telling him I needed to get some more matches to light candles, that I was down to my last 2 books.  I joked that I was just coming to the end of my dad’s stockpile of boxes of matchbooks that we found in his house after he died…in 1998.

Pass the kleenex.

One brave thing, part 2

by Karen, posted in fitness, health, local fun, Midlife Crisis, no fear

I went to the Aqua Yoga class on Monday morning, despite my trepidation. I got my big girl pants on (read: found a bathing suit that fit) and I went. I pulled up to the door at 8:59am. This is significant because usually I am at least a half an hour early for everything. Because it was so late, though, I didn’t have time to hesitate. I just got out of my car and went right in.

As soon as I entered the pool area, I knew I had done the right thing by finally going. The instructor was playing music for the class and the song that was on was this: “Happy” by Pharrell. People that know me know that this is my new favorite song!  Because I heard the Happy song, I was immediately put at ease. I took it as a sign that I was in the right place.

Two other positive signs:

  1. The instructor, Jennifer, reminded me of one of my best friends, Karyn.
  2. One of the other women in the class reminded me of my one of my grandmothers.

So how did it go? It was hard! It was fun! Everyone was so nice! I wish I had started going (like the other women had) six months ago!

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One brave thing

by Karen, posted in no fear, yoga

Today I am going to an Aqua Yoga class.

I have been thinking about going to this class for weeks-maybe months. I have been practicing yoga for years, so it’s not the yoga part that has been an obstacle for  me.

It’s the aqua part.

Why?

  1. I took childhood swimming lessons, but they didn’t fully take to me. I know how to swim, but am not very good at it. How much swimming might be involved was high on my list of reasons for putting off going.
  2. Also, I wear glasses. Glasses+pool=no confidence in the pool.
  3. And another thing: I am not a good small talker. I don’t know a soul in this class. Since I have also put off checking out the Toastmasters, this is yet another obstacle to me going to this class.
  4. Finally, Hello, extra 5 pounds? Meet last year’s bathing suit. Not pretty.

Today, I decided to feel the fear and do it anyway.
I’ll let you know how it turned out.

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