by Leigh | Sep 30, 2016 | Stories |
My secret to happiness is this: Journaling.
(I know, “journal” is not a verb, but “writing in a journal” is sort of cumbersome.)
Flashback to 1978. A little girl opens a Christmas gift. It’s a Holly Hobbie diary—small and new—with a little brass lock and so much promise. I wrote in in faithfully … for three days. This happened over and over until around 1994 when I found a book entitled, “The Artist’s Way.”
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, is a new-agey, self-help book that aims to help creative people become unblocked and become their best artistic selves. It came into my life at a time when nothing was working. I had tried almost everything to get my life, my relationships and my career in order. I was willing at that point to do almost anything.
Unlike so many of these kinds of books that you read and quickly go back to the way you were, The Artist’s Way teaches you to change by doing. There are contracts to sign and all sorts of assignments, but the core of it resides in what are called, Morning Pages.
Morning Pages are non-negotiable. It is a commitment to journal every day no matter what. You are asked to handwrite three pages of stream-of-consciousness unedited drivel. Do it first thing in the morning. No exceptions. Ever had writer’s block? Well, this is the cure. It’s also the cure for any creative block. Possibly the cure for any block, period.
I urge you to try it. I can attest that it works. The years that I made it a habit changed my life in every way imaginable. I learned about who I am, what I want and what I don’t want. And, voila, I created the life I always dreamed of. And I am recommitting myself to it today. Let’s do it together. Here are the guidelines:
- Write three pages — longhand
- Write without thinking, without stopping, without editing
- Write first thing when you get up — set an alarm if you need to
- Don’t, at first, go back and read it
- Don’t let anyone else read it
- Don’t judge it, just do it
- You don’t need a fancy notebook to start
- If you “mess up” just start again
by Leigh | Sep 27, 2016 | Stories |
“Bucket List” is a term that I use way too much. As in, “I just had my very first Pumpkin Spice Latte! #bucketlist”
We all have things we dream about doing.
Like buying a classic car. Last year my husband bought a 1966 Mustang. (And I get to drive it.) He had been talking about it for as long as I’ve known him.
Not everything on your “list” has to be a big thing. They could be anything that you’ve always wanted to do that will bring you joy. But, I’ve found that writing down big dreams can really help you to attain them. Some things happen easily, some things take a while. Some things will evolve. You may realize that you don’t really want something after all or that in reality you already have it.
Lately I’ve been thinking of things, out of the blue, that I’ve never done. This month I drank my very first Pumpkin Spice Latte and went to a demolition derby.
Things that are currently on my things-I-have-never-done-before list:
- Go see the Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Learn to play a song on the guitar
- Go to a rodeo
- Go see a UFC match
- Go to a Nascar race
- Go to the horse races
- Play golf
- Go snowmobiling
- Go dogsledding
- Go fishing
- Go to Scotland
- Donate blood
- Run half marathon
What’s on your bucket list?
by Leigh | Sep 27, 2016 | Stories |
“Bucket List” is a term that I use way too much. As in, “I just had my very first Pumpkin Spice Latte! #bucketlist”
We all have things we dream about doing.
Like buying a classic car. Last year my husband bought a 1966 Mustang. (And I get to drive it.) He had been talking about it for as long as I’ve known him.
Not everything on your “list” has to be a big thing. They could be anything that you’ve always wanted to do that will bring you joy. But, I’ve found that writing down big dreams can really help you to attain them. Some things happen easily, some things take a while. Some things will evolve. You may realize that you don’t really want something after all or that in reality you already have it.
Lately I’ve been thinking of things, out of the blue, that I’ve never done. This month I drank my very first Pumpkin Spice Latte and went to a demolition derby.
Things that are currently on my things-I-have-never-done-before list:
- Go see the Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Learn to play a song on the guitar
- Go to a rodeo
- Go see a UFC match
- Go to a Nascar race
- Go to the horse races
- Play golf
- Go snowmobiling
- Go dogsledding
- Go fishing
- Go to Scotland
- Donate blood
- Run half marathon
What’s on your bucket list?
by Leigh | Sep 15, 2016 | Stories |
Ah, Fall.
I tried on a ton of clothes trying to come up with a few options I liked. You’re welcome, because it was a lot of work. I really did it for me, though. Now when I get up I have some idea of what to wear in this season of 80°-90° F “Fall” days.
I thought a lot about what to write for this week’s post and in the end I decided to write about what I’m most interested in. So even if it seems boring or superficial, I’m being true to myself, right?
Whenever I go through my closet like this I find things. Some of these items I don’t wear that often, but realize I should (Hello chambray shirt.) And I was happy to be able to “shop my closet” and not run out and buy a lot of new clothes because it’s Fall. So, yay me. Some pieces and some combinations did not make the cut. I edited my shots down to my absolute favorites.
Note: I started this blog in order to learn how to blog, and learn more about WordPress. I’m a graphic designer, not a model. And I don’t make money from my blog. Unless you count the $1.05 from Ad Sense, which I don’t. I do love blogs, and fashion, and sharing ideas. I added links (if the items are still available) because I find it really helpful when other bloggers do. It helps fuel my shopping addiction! So, that’s where I’m at, for what it’s worth.
Here they are:
OUTFIT 1 Gap Dress | Lucky Shoes
OUTFIT 2 LOFT Dress | Nine West Shoes
OUTFIT 3 Banana Republic Shirt | J. Crew Pants | Banana Republic Shoes
OUTFIT 4 LOFT Shirt | J. Crew Pants | Banana Republic Shoes
OUTFIT 5 J. Crew Shirt | J. Crew Jeans | Lucky Shoes
OUTFIT 6 J. Crew Shirt | Gap Chinos | Marc Fisher Shoes
OUTFIT 7 Lucky Shirt | Citizens of Humanity Jeans | Dr. Scholl’s Shoes
OUTFIT 8 LOFT Shirt | Citizens of Humanity Jeans | Nine West Shoes
by Leigh | Sep 9, 2016 | Stories |
I have never been big on cosmetics. I just don’t… well, I just don’t care. Or maybe I’m just lazy. I also dislike going to the cosmetics counter. It’s intimidating. I feel like I don’t “speak the language”, that I can’t seem to communicate what I want.
What do I want?
I guess I want to look radiant, beautiful, healthy. With very little effort.
Let’s back up a little.
The first brand I purchased was Clinique. If I bought anything it was always Clinique. Skin care and Make up (I’ll talk about make up in a future post.)
Years later, a friend asked me to buy Mary Kay. For some reason, up until then I had always resisted buying a system, you know, “cleanse-tone-moisturize.” I tried it.
Another friend was selling Arbonne. I tried that. She got me hooked with the free sample. It had everything: cleanser – toner – anti aging cream – eye cream – SPF moisturizer – night scrub – night cream. It really seemed to make a huge difference. I bought the whole line. But when it came time to re-up, I couldn’t bring myself to drop $275 again. I replaced a few of the items. (I do love the orange-y smell.)
I filled in the gaps with recommendations I got at Sephora or ULTA: from new-to-me brands like Lancome, L’Oreal, and Dermalogica.
Over the summer I just got lazy. And my skin was not looking younger.
Then, just last month, another friend invited me to a Beauty Counter party. I ended up trying a mascara and the Balancing Face Oil.
So now I have this strange, incomplete mix of products:
Clinique eye cream. Clinique moisturizer. Clinique make up remover. Arbonne eye cream. Lancome exfoliating cleanser. L’Oreal anti aging cream. Dermalogica cleanser. Beauty Counter Oil.
I was really impressed with Beauty Counter, especially their commitment to using only healthy ingredients. I’ve only tried the oil and I haven’t used it a lot. I’m trying to decide if I should invest in more of their products.
.
While I was at the party, my friend told me about this new App. It let’s you look up or scan products to see how many toxins are in them. Not all beauty products report on their ingredients (they don’t have to), but you can find a lot.
So that’s where I am. Kind of in skin care limbo. There are so many options out there. I want something that works, doesn’t cost a fortune.
And it has to be simple.
I think I’m ready to grow up a little bit and really take care of my skin.
by Leigh | Sep 1, 2016 | Stories |
my favorite place to meditate. this is what meditation looks like for me.
Do you meditate? Do you want to (in theory) but can’t seem to ever get around to it?
Over the last few years meditation has become more and more essential to my health and well being than anything else.
Every time I forget this fact, something comes into my life to remind me.
The first time I really ever meditated was in a yoga class (around 2001.) Most of you are probably familiar with Savasana (my translation: “lie flat on the floor and do nothing.”) It’s at the end of class when you get to relax. It was a rare experience to be still and quiet. I was always moving, always thinking.
Then, over the next 10 years or so, I would make a half-hearted attempts to meditate. I knew a guy named Dan who was always telling me how great it was. He was the one who told me it was okay to lean against something, with or without my legs crossed, when I meditated. I didn’t have to be uncomfortable. He also gave me a copy of a CD of Pema Chodron and a CD of A New Earth by Eckart Tolle. I tried again to make meditation a regular thing but I didn’t stick with it.
I occasionally went to a meditation group. I found that it’s very different meditating with other people. There you are, sitting in a room, with all these other people and all sorts of sounds and distractions, with your eyes closed. It’s odd at first. Then it’s amazing. I was instructed to focus on my breathing, to watch my thoughts come and go, but keep returning to my breathing. I would always drift off to some story, or a to do list. I couldn’t quiet my mind. I always felt like I was failing.
It helped that a lot of people I knew made regular use of meditation. It wasn’t like some weird 70s commune thing. It was a normal way to manage the stress of life. I’m constantly coming across articles that explain how meditation changes you, mentally, emotionally, physically.
I kept trying.
My (Lutheran) church offered a 6 week class in “Centering” or “Contemplative Prayer.” It was nice. We did some singing and some guided meditation. I’d always thought of meditation as being an Eastern Religion thing, but obviously there are plenty of Christians who meditate.
About a year ago, a friend invited me to try Quaker Meditation. I’d been to a Quaker service, so I had an idea about what it would be like. This was not the same as Quaker Meeting on a Sunday morning. This is called Experiment with Light. There are readings interspersed with silence. The second half of the hour people speak about their experience. I was immediately hooked. It didn’t hurt that it is held in a 300 year old building that feels absolutely steeped in spirituality. Every week is basically the same small group of incredibly kind, welcoming people who don’t seem to mind that I’m not a Quaker. Here are a couple links if you’re interested. The first one is the text written out. The second one is an audio file you can use to try it at home. Or you can seek out a Meeting house near you.
http://www.experiment-with-light.org.uk/medits/modind2.pdf | http://www.experiment-with-light.org.uk/medsta.mov
Then, last month I read The Dharma Punx by Noah Levine. I was convinced more than ever how important this was!
Every time I drifted from regular meditation, life got crazy. And every time something would be put in my path to remind me: MEDITATE. I know. I will. I promise. Why is it so hard? It’s actually very easy. But hard. My mind is too loud, too busy. Exactly. Which is why you have to get quiet. I keep trying.
I think we make all these rules about how it has to be. It doesn’t have to be any particular way. As you experiment, you’ll find out what works for you. My advice is: just do it! Do it:
- for just 5 minutes
- eyes closed or open
- siting on the floor or in a chair
- on a cushion, or 3
- on a sofa
- flat on the floor
- walking
- listening to a recording
- alone or with a group
- focusing on breathing in and out
- being non-judgemental about your thoughts
- even though your surroundings are not quiet
I hope some of this is helpful. Make a start. You’ll be amazed.
