Get Rich!....A Secret To Absolute Wealth

Oh, yeah, baby...I'm rich!

I'm the richest person I know...And I'm richer than I've ever been in my entire life! I have everything I've ever wanted and more...

Why?

I'm blessed.

And I feel more and more blessed each and everyday.

How?

I'll let you in on a little secret. I have close to nothing and almost everything, all at the same time.

"They may not have a lot of material things, but that doesn't mean they are not successful," says A Cherokee Feast of Days, a daily meditation book by Joyce Sequichie Hifler. "The Elders say that what everyone really wants is to be happy and have a peaceful mind. Material things by themselves do not bring happiness and peace of mind."

Therefore, when you define true success in the peace, love, and happiness that you feel and share, there are no boundaries to how rich you can be. So...share the love :)

I don't have a lot, but I always give away almost everything that I have. And - somehow, some way - all that I need just comes along. I think it's the Universe's way of saying, "Thank you for your generosity" with a smiling handshake.

Charles Eastman once wrote, "When I was younger, I knew the love of sharing. Since I have become civilized I have lost such wisdom." Today, we are so consumed with consuming - building our own little castles of stuff, collecting every thing that we can buy - that most of us have lost a bit of what it is to be human. We are all struggling with something (or someone) and if we just helped eachother out a little more, all the woes we feel would be greatly alleviated.

Giving is also a way we can live harmoniously on and with Mother Earth. She shares with us everything we need to live and survive. It's all about being like fruit, and living life like a Three Sisters Garden - the corn, bean, and squash - sharing with eachother nutrients, shade, and support thus creating a strong and healthy harvest.

I feel that by sharing everything you have - whether it's left over compost or simply just the love and compassion in your heart - you will not only be taken care of, somehow, some way, but you'll also feel richer beyond your wildest dreams.

The moment you stop being consumed with your own needs and start reaching out to others and sharing all that you have - all that is you - and helping in any way you can, you'll instantly feel it. That richness will fill your life, your soul, your spirit.

You will be blessed.

:)

No More Emotional Stalling...Time To Move On! :)

I'm so excited to report that, starting today, I'm starting to edit chapter three! Phew!

I always knew chapter two was going to bite my ass...

Editing chapter one was a piece of cake. I changed the tenses, fixed the POV and DONE! It was only a few days going...

Then came chapter two...this is where my MC finds something from her past that jolts her awake, leaving her with a choice: keep on keepin' on, or mix things up!

Yes, the POV had to be changed...the past tenses fixed. But it wasn't a grammatical stalling that kept me from editing chapter two, or keeping me from wanting to edit chapter two. It was totally emotional. Remember, this novel is a Roman e Clef. This is MY story.

And there are some hard parts to relive...

When I started this little (now big) venture, I didn't think ahead at all the time I'd spend opening old wounds, rehashing, and reliving things that I'd rather not have a second go around with... Least to say, it's been a very painful yet cathartic journey. I just hope it all translates into the wonderful book that I feel it is becoming!

And I've been letting blogging about nothing in particular, chatting away on facebook, and dreaming about my soon-to-be garden get in the way...But it's editing for crying out loud!

Is there anyone out there that really enjoys this part?!

What Did You Say?...Make Your Body Language Heard

Ever email a friend and, due to their incorrect interpretation of what you sent, that friend turned into a foe? Ever receive a text message and get instantly perturbed because, lo and behold, the actual meaning didn't really come across exactly crystal clear on your 50x50 pixel screen?

Some say the art of communication is becoming endangered. Others argue it's already dead. Well, at least that's what they write anyway.

The problem? No one talks anymore.

"Wait a minute," you say. "I talk to my friends all the time!" Yeah, in emails, facebook chatting, text messaging...

Ah, but we're missing the most important ingredient to the art of communication, the part that helps us see the truer meaning behind the words: body language.

It's easy to see who's attention you have and who's you don't when you're talking face to face...or rather when you're talking and they are looking at their cell phone, waiting for it to ring, or (how many times has this happened to you) they are texting someone while you are talking!

Oh, yeah. Body language does say it all.

But, what happens when you take away the face to face and there's a misunderstanding? How often has an otherwise easily understood meaning gotten mistaken and someone is left with the question: what the hell was that supposed to mean?!

Years ago - when the web was new - it was awesome to talk with my cousin who rarely picked up the phone, thousands of miles away, yet answered an email from time to time. However, since she was so new to the technology she didn't quite understand the language yet. One false move on my part - adding a (sp) after a couple words I wasn't sure I had spelled correctly - and wham! My four little characters were considered as an insult (namely, she interpreted it as though I was saying that she couldn't spell) and she didn't talk to me - email or on the phone - for months.

Petty? Yes. But this is only one small innocent example of the many misunderstandings I've had in my life due to these non-verbal miscommunications types (no pun intended). I won't entertain you with the more brutal ones...some days I feel as though I'm still rebuilding those bridges.

Anyway...

So this example brings up an interesting point! Maybe the art of communication isn't actually dead yet. Maybe we have merely created a new way of communicating! And body language really isn't left out of our new language either...

Emoticons!
Smilies!
Italics!
just to name a few...

Emails, texts, and chatting may be just simply characters on a screen, but they can sure become an imaginative fun way of talking with eachother ;) If it wasn't for this simple yet prolific way of communicating, I wouldn't have been able to get back into contact with numerous friends that I've had all over the world (yep, I'm a military brat!) Any time of the day, all I have to do is pop onto my facebook page, check my email, or text a friend, and wham! I'm talking with them, wherever they may be, whatever they may be doing. It's so much easier nowadays to be contact with just about anyone! Even those whom you may never actually see again...

Everyone has their own way of staying in touch. Some of us prefer face-to-face conversations. Some of us just don't have the time or the energy to talk to anyone after a long busy day. And some of us are land somewhere in between. But no matter how you do it - in person or via your blackberry - make sure your body language is speaking loud and clear.

Oh. And if there is a misunderstanding on one or both of your parts...don't let it go unsaid. We're human after all. No one is perfect...No one.

;)

What do you do in YOUR bed?

el lugar más importante del mundo" - the most important place in the world.

Seeing how everything wonderful in life can happen in bed - from sleep to conception to birth - its easy to see how they came up with the beautifully coined phrase.



Too bad we live in a country that would rather make money off of having us live in fear of this wonderful life experience - implanting a picture in our minds of birth as being unbearable pain, needles, drugs, screaming, and worse.

Wouldn't it be out of this world to see this ad on TV her in the US? We are in dire need of a come back to more human ways of going about experiencing life. How much healthier a nation would we be if our next generations were born into calm peacefulness of a loving embrace, rather than bright sterile lights, strange hands poking and prodding...

The Easy Green To Do List... Making Every Day Earth Day

Happy Earth Day, everyone!

I hope that you have a chance to get out and do something for people and planet today in a very green way ;)

And as much as I love a whole day devoted to celebrating and taking care of our beloved Mother Earth, I think it much more meaningful to make EVERYDAY Earth Day. And why not?!

So...To make everyday Earth Day, I am posting this easy green to do list I received from a wonderfully eco-conscience friend of mine. Do your part today and every day...enjoy!

The Easy GREEN To Do List

In the kitchen...

• Set the refrigerator temperature between 38 F and 42 F.
• Set the freezer temperature between O F and 5 F.

In the dining room...

• Use napkin rings and cloth napkins.
• Use washable plates, cups and silverware.
• Recycle containers by serving condiments in them.

In the laundry...

• Wash and dry only full loads.
• Wash with warm water instead of hot.
• Rinse with cold water instead of warm.
• Hang wash out to dry.

In the bathroom...

• Shut off the sink while brushing your teeth.
• Shut off the shower while soaping or scrubbing.
• Install a low-flow shower head.
• Reduce the volume of water in your toilet tank.

In the living room...

• Switch off unnecessary lights.
• Dress cool: don't turn on the air conditioner.
• Raise shades on winter days; lower them in summer.
• Install ceiling fans to use for summer & winter.

In the yard...

• Compost leaves and grass clippings.
• Avoid pesticides, use nontoxic alternatives.
• Water the grass early in the morning.
• Plant a tree.

Make Everyday Earth Day & Enjoy Mother Earth today :)

Paint it Green! :)

Back in 2005 I started a venture: beGreenDesigns, a custom painting business...

Well, actually, it wasn't all that green to begin with. I - nor did the majority of the us - know all the harmful effects that VOC's (volatile organic compounds) did to us or the environment (they cause your indoor air quality to be worse than the most polluted outdoor air!) However, while painting two years later - and unknowingly pregnant - I started to feel their effects and thought to ask my brother if there were any harmful effects of being in close contact with all these chemicals.

Ah, yeah! Duh!...

Not only were they carcinogenic and I was in close contact with these chemicals for hours on end day after day, I was also putting my clients in danger of breathing in these harmful fumes for years! (the darker the pigment, the longer the off-gassing...)

He thankfully pointed me in a greener direction, showing me the multitude of green paints and supplies that were out in eco-land. I was already an eco-woman at heart. I just didn't know - or think about - the harmful effects of something deemed benign - household paint!

Thus I created beGreendesigns - eco-friendly, non-toxic custom painting by yours truly :)

So... (here comes the shameless self-promoting plug) if you're in the neighborhood of needing some custom painting, give me a ring! I always handout free estimates...and I'll toss in a discount to all my blog readers as well...why not ;)

Will You Be My Friend?...

Late one evening back in high school, a friend came to my door and asked if I'd take a walk with her. She had never asked me for anything like this before and, from the expression on her face, I could tell that she was in need. Some years ago another dear friend showed up on my doorsteps early one rainy day with the same look in her eyes. Other friends call at all hours of the day, night with the same tone in their voice.

They are in need...in need of a friend.

Someone who will listen.
Someone who cares.
Someone who you can lay your woes upon, keeping your secrets safe.

Friends are wonderful people. They sacrifice their time and energies for us, and we do the same for them. Even if miles upon miles separate us we know that, if the friend-symbol is shone up into the sky, they will be there for us in a blink of an eye.

We too have many acquaintances in our lives, people we see during the week and have conversations with. Some may even come to a dinner party or two. And as wonderful as they are, we know and feel the distinction between them and our friends.

A friend is someone that you share a common commitment with. One that binds you to eachother, for better and for worst. In the hustle bustle of our busy lives it is difficult to find and secure a real true friendship. So when you have one, it makes it all the more important to nurture it with kindness, respect, and honesty. To be there for eachother. That's a good friend.

"Once you make a friend, a friend never leaves you, even to death.
So a friend is really hard to find."
~ Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA

Once, an Elder told me he made a decision to be my friend. He said this friendship wasn't based on my behavior or how I acted; he said the friendship was based on his decision. He decided to be my friend. This friendship has happened like he said. Even if I don't see him for a long time, or if I get mad at him, he has never changed his decision. This is true friendship.

Great Spirit, I'm glad you are this kind of Friend.

That in green is taken from the book A Cherokee Feast of Days.

New Month, New Goals

Ok, I've dilly dallied long enough! Although I completed the first draft of the novel and gone through and done a first round of edits, I have yet to put them into the computer. Slacker that I am, I've been spending way too much time on facebook and mothering.com!

I did, however, solidify chapter one and I am excited about it! Instead of starting at the beginning and going all the way through to the end, I've decided that instead my MC (main character) is going to start at the beginning of her new journey - her quest - and right before she boards the plane she thinks back to the initial journey of the last year that has brought her to this point in life - the full circle. I'm still working on the past/present tense issue...so if anyone is good with grammar...help!!!

So...new month, new goals (and I'll post them here so I'm guilted into doing it on time!)

April Writing Goals:

1. fix POV change
   I initially wrote them in third person but, having written the rest of the book in first person POV, can see that the 1st person POV is so much better for this book. It's a personal story. Has to come from the horses mouth...
   
   
2. solidify chapters 1-5
   I have chapter 1 solidified, so I think this will be an easy one for me...however I'm also spring cleaning, planning out my spring garden, AND painting a baby's room...I might be aiming too high. But if I aim for 5 and only get 3 done, it will be better than aiming for 3 and only getting 1 done...KWIM? ;)
   
   
3. Let someone read it!
   Oh, the horror! I've let some of my online writer buddies read my fixed chapter one and it was very well received! So happy about that - AND they want to read chapter two! So that is promising. I must have done something right ;) HOWEVER...online friends are just that: online. I need to let someone read it that sees me often and that I can get actual feedback from: body language, eyerolls...that sort of thing. Then I'll know if my rave reviews were the real thing or just online fluff. (I was told that my grammar sucks and that I'm too in love with commas, so I'm thinking the nice words were just as sincere ;) However, if my mom reads it, I'll be sure to know the truth!

So, those are my goals for the month! Can't go back now. Doesn't seem like a whole lot to do, so I am going to stay positive and press on...oh, and stop going to my online social clubs first! I think that'll be the hardest to do since I've been stuck indoors all winter long and, well, I've got a bit hooked with yacking it up online with my fellow peeps ;)

The Sausage and the Stool

One morning long ago, I came downstairs dressed in my uniform ready for school when I smelled something wonderful: sausage. My mother had cooked up a batch and was about to set a plate of them onto the table. Eager, I propped myself up at the table. Fork in hand, ready to pounce.

"Now, now. Only two per person so we have some left for tomorrow," my mother lightheartedly - however seriously - warned me. Doing the calculation in my head, I deemed there to be more than enough sausages on the plate for everyone to have at least three, if not more. Why on Earth was my mother saving sausages? What good could come from not eating them right away?

When it was my turn, I took the two biggest sausage links that I could find and scarfed them down. Of course we had had scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast that morning too. But it wasn't enough. Those sausages - so plump, so juicy - were the crowning jewel!

Eyes growling along with my stomach, I watched as my brothers carelessly toyed with their portions. One even let a whole sausage link fall to the floor! Unfortunately, my mother cleared away their plates before I could attempt a steal-n-save of the remaining treat.

"Time to clean up, gotta leave for school soon," she said as she picked up the dish of leftover sausages and set it high up on the kitchen counter.

"Mom, can I please have one more? Just one?"

"No, because one will turn into two and before you know it we won't have any left! Now get your book bag and meet me out in the garage."

Defeated, I did as I was told. Grabbing my book bag and coat, I pushed my arms through the sleeves just as another waft of sausage aroma swept over me. Just one more, I thought to myself. What harm could one little sausage do?

Knowing everyone was elsewhere in the house getting ready, I walked over to the kitchen counter and reached. And reached. On tippy toes I could see them. However the dish was way out of reach. Then, out of the corner of my eye I saw something: a stool.

A small yellow stool just left of the refrigerator. Quickly, I dropped my book bag and grabbed the stool. Second grade may have not gotten me much height, but in smarts it had! Plopping the stool down in front of my soon-to-be treasure, I paused only for a moment to ensure I was alone.

Licking my lips, I stepped up onto the stool. Boy, was I tall now! And, more importantly, I could really see them!

Leaning into the counter I was almost there.

On tip toes, my fingers glanced the side of the dish.

Just a bit more...

I leaned and tip toed until I could touch one...

...and...

BAM!

With a sudden slip of foot on stool, I came crashing down onto the floor and landed on my wrist. I screamed. I cried. My mother ran into the room, soothed me and set me in the dining room with my wrist on ice. I watched as my mother paced back and forth, calling the doctor to find out what to do, every-so-often checking on me to see if I was ok.

And as much as she was not ok, I was. Yes, yes, I was in pain. This was the second time I broke my wrist in two years' time. But the pain had greatly diminished with my smile.

Why?

Because my loving and all knowing mother knew exactly what would make me happy and keep me calm: a nice plate of sausages...all to myself.

:)

Be Green & Save Green: LiveGreen's Spring Savings :)

50% at LiveGreen?!?! That's like free music to my frugal ears... ;)

The Multipurpose Bag
My most favorite eco-friendly shopping bags are on sale - I'm stocking up, and why not? Everyone deserves a good supply of durable reusable bags. And, since these bags have a wonderful green message on the front, I enjoy using them multipurposely: as a diaper bag, an overnight bag for the kids going to Grandma's, the all useful library bag, perfect for the Farmer's Market...and of course for food shopping too. And whenever I go to the big box stores, it's so much easier and continent for me to use a slew of these bags to transfer goods home rather in the myriad of cardboard boxes they provide.

Doubles As Gift Wrap
LiveGreen also carries an eco-friendly wine tote. It's so much nicer to use this when leaving the wine store than carrying home that paper wino-bag. Also, what I love to do with these bags is to use it as gift wrapping. Housewarmings, holiday parties. I purchase some good ol'local organic wine and put them in a wine tote that the host can keep and use!

Perfect Companion
LiveGreen's reusable produce bags are essential for going to the Farmer's Market and the grocery store. I don't have to bring home wonder fruit and veggies wrapped in plastic bags that'll clog up my fridge, recycle bin, or (dread) the landfill. These bags have endless uses, are reusable, and your food finds won't suffocate and go bad quickly. What's more, you're fridge, if you decide to leave your food in the bags, won't be filled with plastic wrap. These bags come in yellow and orange - I love festive colors ;)

I Love My SKOYs!
And last, but not least, is the Skoy - the eco-friendly cloth. My family uses the heck out of these invinsable cloths and they just keep on...working! Made from biodegradable material, this 7"x8" cloth will biodegrade in 5 weeks under composting conditions and is washer/dryer safe. We put ours in the washing machine AND the dishwasher whenever they need to be cleaned and none of them have started to breakdown in the year that we've had them.

Ok, going to go fold laundry now...had to pass on the sale info...happy spring savings! :)

Breastmilk is GREEN milk!

"Breastmilk is one of the few foodstuffs produced and delivered to the consumer without any pollution, unnecessary packaging or waste, whereas the production, shipping, and preparation of formula and bottles requires large amounts of water, fuel, glass, plastic and rubber -- and produces significant amounts of garbage." - www.breastfeeding.com

Breastfeed! Best for Baby, Mom, & Mother Earh!