Silent Sunday

Ordinarily I would only share a photo and not write anything when I entitle a post as “Silent Sunday,” but I just finished reading this book and somehow it still felt fitting…

It’s a book about silence, hence the ‘Silent Sunday’ – get it?  😉

I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned to you guys that I work in a library.  Many various books pass through my fingers each shift that I work and this one literally shouted at me when I came across it.  Funny that a book about silence would “shout.”  But seriously, the vibes – I just knew I needed to read it… the feel of it in my hands, the soothing color, simplicity and minimalist design of its cover, and the smooth, creamy texture and thickness of its pages, all spoke to me.  (If you also have ‘a thing’ for books, you might relate to what I’m talking about there.)  But it was the subject matter that called to me the most…

Earlier this past spring I had been feeling an almost desperate need to escape and get out of the noisy city.  It’s one of the reasons I arranged several different little adventures for this summer.  (Except, after the extreme heat and high humidity we’ve had this summer, I have now decided that I’d prefer the majority of my future little adventures to be in the fall instead of summer.)  Although my adventures were mostly out of the inner city and out in nature, I still didn’t really feel like I escaped all the noise.  Traveling creates its own sort of ‘noise.’  But I did have little moments along the way when inner silence found me.  And that’s what we’re really talking about, isn’t it?  And that’s the main point of this book.

The inside front jacket cover reads: “What is silence? Where can it be found? Why is it now more important than ever?  In 1993, Norwegian explorer Erling Kagge spent fifty days walking solo across Antarctica, becoming the first person to reach the South Pole alone, accompanied only by a radio whose batteries he had removed before setting out.  In this book, an astonishing and transformative meditation, Kagge explores the silence around us, the silence within us, and the silence we must create.  By recounting his own experiences and discussing the observations of poets, artists, and explorers, Kagge shows us why silence is essential to our sanity and happiness – and how it can open doors to wonder and gratitude.”

It’s a different book than I’ve ever read before.  I’m not even sure how I would categorize it – I think I would call it philosophical more than anything else, and I enjoyed it very much.  It’s a short book, but one to read slowly, as to absorb all of the profound little nuggets of insight sprinkled throughout.

I had an interesting experience happen to me at one point while reading it.  I’m not entirely sure if it was related to what I was reading, but I suddenly experienced what I can only call a heightened sense of awareness.  I was reading it out on my patio – so, in this noisy city, when suddenly my sense of hearing changed.  All of the city noise became muffled and subdued, almost like my ears were plugged or I was under water, but it was only the ‘noise’ that was muffled.  It’s hard to explain… I could still hear completely clearly – the sound of the rustling of the trees was as clear as ever.  So I guess it was more like a shift in my awareness rather than a change in anything audible I was hearing or not hearing.  And there was an acute awareness of the plants in my garden, almost like I was sensing their life energy or something.  The big, heavy leaves of my zucchini were waving to me in the light breeze as if they ‘saw’ me.  I know that sounds weird haha!  I’ve had that happen to me one other time with regard to the trees.  I may have shared it here, I don’t remember, but it was a profound and deeply meaningful experience, and I was excited to have something similar to that happen again.  Like I said, I’m not sure if it was related to what I was reading or not, but it could’ve been.  Ya never know.  It could also just be that I’m weird…

Anyway, so I guess for this “Silent” Sunday I’m giving you guys a bit of a review on a book about silence.  And perhaps also a little insight into my weirdness!  🙃

 

Wishing you a wonderful, beautiful, blessed day!  May it be filled with moments of silence and peace.

 

My zucchini says “Hi!”

😉

 

 

✿~Peace & Love~✿

One Last Time

I’m so excited!  My sister and I are taking a little trip to Middle Earth today one last time!  We’ve been “there and back again” many times over the years and it’s been a wonderful adventure!  😀

In case you’re not a nerd like me, and didn’t know… the third and final segment of the Hobbit movies came out on December 17th.  As with any movie that is based on a book, the films are never as good as the books, but I think they’ve done a great job with them and I’ve really enjoyed watching my most beloved story come to life on the big screen; first with the Lord of the Rings, and now The Hobbit.  I’m a huge fan of Tolkien and the wonderful, imaginary world he created in his stories ~ best reading adventure I’ve ever experienced!

And it’s all thanks to my big seester.  ❤

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, my sister introduced me to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books, and I fell in love with the story of Middle Earth.  Then when the first film came out in 2001, her and I traveled there together ~ to the theater, and to Middle Earth.   😉

We were so excited and went on opening day to the very first showing.  We got to the theater hours ahead of time to be at the front of the line in order to get the best seats.  In my opinion the best seats are the ones in the middle of the middle ~ not too close, not too far, and smack dab in the middle, full front on with the screen.  Ordinarily I’m not such a stickler about my seats, but this was different, this was going to be an epic movie, of an epic story, my favorite story, of all time, so it was big deal, and we were so pumped!

And wouldn’t know that 3 minutes before the movie was to start, with the theater completely packed, only a few random single seats remaining, these two guys come in (did I mention it was 3 minutes before the movie was to start?) and expect us to move over a few seats so they could sit next together.  The audacity of some people!  Don’t come into the theater on opening day of the first showing of an epic movie 3 minutes before the movie is going to start and expect others who arrived hours ahead of time to get THE perfect seats, to move over for you!  Yeah… I said “no.”  And not very politely.  I may have seemed rude, but honestly, I thought they were being rude.  Sorry, but my laid back, good natured attitude has its limits, and apparently that was its limit.  😉

Needless to say, that was certainly a memorable movie-going experience.  My sister and I went to see the other two Lord of the Rings movies together as well, but thankfully, without any unpleasant seating arrangement incidences.

Today I’m not feeling quite as possessive about my seats (although we are planning to get there early), and it’s not the first showing on opening day, but I’m feeling almost as excited for this last Hobbit movie as I was for that first Lord of the Rings movie.

And I’m filled with nostalgia.

Feeling a bit of sadness at the ending of a movie journey in Middle Earth, and also feeling sentimental about precious memories from the various adventures that I’ve had with my big sister over the years.  Plus, it’s Christmas time.  ❤

Well, I had better get off this computer and go and get ready…

 

 

I’ll leave you with this clip of the movie.  Did I mention how excited I am to see it?!

And with this photo I snapped of what I’m sure is a “Hobbit hole” that we found while on one of our adventures through the Hoh Rainforest back in 2005…

I wonder if it leads to Middle Earth…?  😉

 

Hope your day leads to wonderful and magical places today!

 

 

 

✿~Peace & Love~✿

25 Random Things To Do During a Winter Storm…

The recent winter storm has now passed and the lovely blue skies have returned.  But with the winter season now clearly upon us, I thought I would share a list of 25 random things one can do during a winter storm.  You know… just to be ready for when the next one hits.  If you’re in Minnesota, it will probably be one day very soon.   😉

Some of these are taken from or related to previous posts of mine, so if you click on the photos or the links, they’ll bring you directly to those, but most of them are just random things that popped into my head as I was making this list.  Well, without further ado, here they are, in no particular order…

 

1.  Bake

One of my favorite things to do on a snowy day!  We made these chocolate chip cookies yesterday and they were so delicious!

2.  Read.  Here’s what I’m reading at the moment…

Well… not at this exact moment.

3.  Read with your pets

Or should I say try to read with your pets while they make themselves comfortable on top of your reading materials. 😉

4. Watch TV with your pets

5.  Take a nap with your pets

While your daughter creeps on you and snaps a picture of it.

6.  Creep on the squirrels outside your bedroom window

While they’re creeping on you.

7.  Listen to music

8.  Or make some music of your own…

9. Light some candles

“Come on baby light my fire.” Oops sorry, I’m still on the music thing. 😀

10.  Knit a scarf

Even if you have no idea how, and it ends up turning out a bit deformed.

11.  Paint your toes

12.  Paint your leg

13.  Paint the walls

14.  Talk on the phone

An oldie of me and my sister. She’s the one on the phone and I’m the little mischievous looking one. These days it’s with each other that we’re talking on the phone, rather than me creeping on her.

15.  Write about your dreams

16.  Or write about 25 things you can do during a winter storm  😉

17.  Work on home improvement projects

18.  Contemplate all the mysteries of the universe

19.  Or just contemplate the reason why someone would invent a gumball container shaped like a pink brain.

20.  Stare at your lava lamp

21.  Stare at shadows flickering on the wall

22.  Color in a coloring book.   I just bought this one the other day…

And I can’t wait to color in it!  Because yes… I am an overgrown child.

23.  Shop online.  Here’s the last thing I bought online…

This stuff smells freaking amazing!

24.  Play World of Warcraft

And die a painful. miserable, virtual death over and over and over again.  But really… it’s fun!  😉

And last, but not least…

If you can’t beat em, join em…

25.  Go out and play in the snow!

 

And I’m about to go out and do just that.  Well technically, I’m going out to run errands and will be driving in it, but I still plan to try and have fun while I’m at it!  😀

 

Hope your day is filled with fun, and with…

 

 

✿~Peace & Love~✿

Things Rainy Days Are Good For…

Ordinarily I don’t get too upset over any particular type of weather, I like all kinds ~ be it snowstorms, thunderstorms (my favorite) or what have you.  It’s one of the reasons I like living in Minnesota ~ weather variety, and we certainly have that.  Sometimes we even get to experience all 4 seasons within the span of just one day.  Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a little bit, but you get my meaning.

Well, I’ve been finding myself getting a bit down about our weather lately.  First it was the extraordinarily long winter we had, and now it’s this seemingly unending rain.  Don’t get me wrong, I actually love the rain, I really do ~ the sound of it, the smell, how it makes everything so lush and green, but I need a sunny day or two here and there in between.  And that has been seriously lacking, the perpetual overcast sky gets depressing after a while.  It’s really something how the weather can affect ones’ mood and outlook on things.

I consistently strive to be content in any circumstances, even when it comes to the weather, and I think it’s helpful to try and focus on the positives of a situation, rather than the negatives.  Finding things to be thankful for and having a sense of gratitude every day is essential for me in living a joyful life.

But with this dreary weather… maybe it’s endurance that I lack, or perhaps it’s simply the monotony of it all that I’m finding so difficult, I don’t know, but ugh.

Anyway, in my customary ” try and look at the bright side of things” attitude, I’ve decided to make a list of some of the things that rainy days are good for, and I’m making you come along with me as I consider them.  😉

Rainy days are good for…

Napping

Omygosh is there anything cuter than a pile of napping puppies?!  I love this picture I found on deviantART!  I wish I had this adorable pile of puppies!  ♥  Yesterday the dreary weather made me so tired, I couldn’t hold out any longer and went to lay down.  Once I gave in to it, I wondered why I was resisting, it felt so nice to climb into bed and snuggle underneath the covers on such a cold, dreary day.  I didn’t have any puppies to nap with, but my cats soon followed my lead and came to join me, it was quite a comfort.

~

Rainy days are good for…

Reading

I saw a quote that said “Reading is like dreaming with your eyes open” and thought… yes, that it is!  I love reading, but often feel like I don’t have the time,  so rainy days are perfect for catching up on my reading.  If I don’t get too sleepy and end up taking a nap instead.  😉

~

Rainy days are good for…

Lighting candles

Lighting candles is one of my favorite things to do, no matter what the weather is.  The glow, the scent, the warmth, so cozy.

~

Rainy days are good for…

Watching a movie

I snapped this with my cell phone one evening quite some time ago.  My daughter and I were watching Finding Nemo, when my cat Sugar went and sat on the arm of the couch to get a closer look.  So cute!  Rainy days are perfect for snuggling on the couch watching a movie.  With or without a cat.  😉

~

Rainy days are good for…

Cleaning, organizing and getting indoor projects done

With remodeling my mom’s house, there is no shortage of indoor projects to do.  If only this dreary weather didn’t completely sap me of all energy and motivation.  😉   Although, I did repair our vacuum the other day (with my own two hands!)  *Patting myself on the back*  And I am doing laundry as I write this, if that counts…

~

Rainy days are good for…

Baking

S’mores cookies!  Mmm don’t these look freaking delicious?!  *Drools*  I’m gonna try and bake these one day.  (Click image to go the website I got this from)

~

Rainy days are good for…

Doing crafts

I love doing bead work, and bracelets are one of my favorite things to make.  I’ve gotten away from it recently, but I definitely plan to get back to it at some point.  Maybe I’ll even make this bracelet, it is purple after all.  😉  (Click image to go to the website for the free tutorial on how to make this bracelet)

~

Rainy days are good for…

Writing

Like writing a blog post.  😉

~

Rainy days are good for other things too, but these are the main ones I can think of at the moment.  I’ll have plenty of opportunity to discover more of them too, because the last time I checked the forecast, this drab, dreary weather is expected to continue through the weekend.  But the weather here is forever changing so maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised…

What do you like to do on rainy days?

Communication

Isn’t it wonderful when you read a story or watch a movie that touches your heart in just the right place?  That goes down to that deep place inside of you and resonates in such a way that it actually inspires you to want to do something in your real life or change something in your way of thinking to help make you a better person or improve your life?  Or hasn’t that ever happened to you?  Heck, maybe it’s just me, I know I’m a bit weird and somewhat different from other people.  😉

But seriously, gosh, to be that good of a writer or movie director to be able to tell a story that has that kind of power to truly influence others in that way would be so amazing!  I think it’s all about being able to communicate effectively.  To be able to convey a thought or a feeling using words or pictures and have it reach another person in a way they can understand and relate to.  And there are sooo many different ways to communicate.  Oh how I love when I’m watching a movie and the mere expression in an actor/actress’ eyes tell it all.  Or when I’m reading and the words being used to describe something paint such a vivid picture in my mind that I can actually see it, and feel it.

Being able to communicate in that type of way is truly a gift, I wish I had it.  I have all of one segment written down of a nearly entire story that lives inside my head, and it took such great effort to get it written down and worded somewhat properly that it may never get any further than that.  Trying to write a made-up story is completely different than writing about and sharing the ins and outs of every-day-life type of stuff.

Communicating well and connecting with others is so very important to me, and whether it’s through writing or while talking, I think for the most part I usually do a pretty good job.  Although, every once in a while a misunderstanding or miscommunication is bound to happen.  The key is to be a good listener.  I think I’m a good listener, at least I hope I am.  I know that sometimes I need to be careful not to get so intent about something that I want to share that I fail to listen properly.  I can be a bit on the hyper side at times, especially if I’m excited about something.  😀

But it really is so important to be a good listener.  To me, being a good listener means to sincerely care about the other person and what they are saying.  I saw a quote once that said something like “The first duty of love, is to listen” and I really like that.  Sometimes showing love to others isn’t only about what you do for them, it’s about just simply being truly present there with them in their own moment as they share.  And not only listening, but hearing.  Communicating well goes both ways, it’s not just about expressing your own self.

Anyway, I don’t really know what my point here is…

How’s that for communicating?!  Hahaha!

I guess I’m just feeling all mushy because I like it when I feel things when I’m watching a movie, and I’m wishing I could do such a thing as to inspire others and make them feel stuff too.

Ya know, we all have these blogs as a forum to express and share our thoughts, feelings, interests, etc. with others, and we can only hope that our posts affect and influence others in some way that touches their lives with meaning.  Well, that’s why I have mine anyway.  Whether I accomplish that or not still remains to be seen.  I have tons of drafts that I’ve never published because sometimes I’m embarrassed to share them, thinking “oh my followers don’t want to hear about that” or because I don’t want to be a depressing downer when I’m feeling low because I always want to be a source of light and encouragement to others.

But maybe, just maybe, all of that doesn’t really matter because the thing about the internet is that you just never know who may happen across your path (blog) and just perhaps what you may have to say on any given day (even the embarrassing or depressing stuff) could possibly make them feel something that makes all the difference in their day.  Even if it’s just a laugh,  just a tear, or even just a slight sense of relatedness, to have any sort of affect on another person by what I have to share is a big deal to me.

And one last thought…

It is my firm belief that words are powerful and should not be used carelessly.  Another quote comes to mind here…  “Words and hearts should be handled with care, for words when spoken and hearts when broken are the hardest things to repair.”

Adventures from Unplugged Week

I’m on week four of a twelve week creativity course called “The Artist’s Way” and for this entire week the instructor has assigned reading deprivation.  No reading whatsoever.  I know… horrifying right?!  But wait there’s more… for me this also includes unplugging from the Internet and TV.  Just kill me now and put me out of my misery!   I am allowed to write however, so I thought… should I not happen to survive this week, I would write about the adventures that led to my untimely demise.  😉

Day One:

Got my hair colored and added more purple!  Just a subtle little streak on my left side-burn over my brunette color, so it doesn’t show a whole lot.  But oh goodness I love, love, love the way my stylist colors my hair!  She also fixed the hideous haircut that I got from a different stylist earlier.  Okay I’m exaggerating, it wasn’t really hideous and usually I like the way the other stylist cuts my hair, but this time she had cut my bangs too short and didn’t blend them with the rest of my hair.  I hated it and it made me crabby.  I have this obnoxious cowlick in my bangs that causes me  serious mental issues and I have slight OCD with needing my bangs to lay just right ~ which they rarely do… which explains my periodic bouts of insanity from time to time.  Well, that explains part of it.  Hah!

Then me and my gorgeous new hair went out to eat at Olive Garden (my fave restaurant) with my daughter & my mom.  Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy my spaghetti 😦 ~ should have known better and gotten my usual fettuccine alfredo.  It was still fun though and I had a coupon!

After dinner we went to a thrift store where my daughter found a few fun things.  When we went to pay we were pleasantly surprised to discover that particular thrift store offers an extra 25% off everything on Tuesdays.  Today is Tuesday… so bonus!

When we brought my mom home she showed us something very special and sentimental that she found in her basement earlier that day.  My dad’s accordion!  We thought it had been lost over the years, but there it had been all along… pushed way into the back of the far reaches of her basement like a long forgotten buried treasure!  My daughter is quite musical so we put it in her arms to see if she could figure out what to do with it.   Which ended up being not much, but she gave it a good effort.  It’s too bad my dad wasn’t able to show her how to play before he passed away.  With tears in my eyes I snapped this pic with my cell phone’s less than stellar camera…

♥

~

Day Two:

Went to Como Park Zoo today!  The zoo… in January… in Minnesota…. who woulda thunk it?!  Apparently not too many people because we basically had the whole place to ourselves ~ which was wonderful!   It was around 30 degrees and the sun was shining much of the time so it was a beautiful winter day.

All of the animals were active and up close to the observation areas ~ the most exciting for my daughter were the wolves…

There is also an absolutely wonderful conservatory there and my daughter and I just wanted to go and enjoy some green and growing things ~ the perfect antidote for those winter blahs…

Their Sunken Garden area (the most flowery part) was closed off for maintenance, but we did happen upon some other blooming beauties…

And did you know that chocolate grows on trees?!  We came across a tree that was identified as a chocolate tree and this sign was posted next to it…

So interesting!  The zoo was the perfect place to nurture my inner artist child. 😀

After the zoo we went to pick up my mom and went out to eat again.  This time to Baker’s Square, where we hadn’t remembered it was “Pie Rush Wednesday” so we had the unexpected surprise of getting a free slice of pie!  So much for my diet…  But it was free!  😉  And it was very yummy!

Also today… I reluctantly returned all of my library books since I’m not allowed to read for a whole week and didn’t want to be tempted.  😦

~

Day Three:

Ran errands with my sis today.  I had only planned on going to Costco, but as per usual when my sister is involved… sometimes you just have to “follow the force Luke” so we ended up going to several other places along the way.

And I’m glad too because one of the places we went was to the Mississippi Market Co-op near my apartment and now I am enjoying a delicious salmon burger for dinner. 🙂  I also bought some beautiful brightly colored, fresh organic fruits and veggies ~ they were simply too pretty to resist.  Plus, I gotta try and make up for that unhealthy pie I ate last night.  Although, I’m sure that’s not how it works.  😉

Another place we stopped at was the fabric store because my sis needed to pick up a few things.  While we were there I wandered off into the bead area.  I have many lovely pieces of jewelry that I’ve made over the years, but have gotten away from it with all of the other things that have been going on in my life.  It was so nice to walk among the rows of beads and dream about all of the pretty things I could make with them.  And then… I found a really cool medallion that would be perfect for making a necklace to go with my new renaissance costume!  And it was only $3.99!  Score!  I’m so excited to have a new beading project to work on!

I’m really missing my reading, my Internet and my TV right about now ~ wanting so bad to just veg and relax for the rest of the evening.  I’m also terribly missing my Facebook friends too.  😦  The adventures I’m having are fun, but it’s also hard…

Is 6 p.m. too early to go to bed?

~

Day Four:

After writing a bit and playing with my cats for a while, I really did try to go to bed at around 6 p.m. last night.  It didn’t work out so well.  I slept good for a few hours, but then it was all a nightmare after that.  Literally!  I tossed and turned restlessly throughout the night while having all sorts of bizarre dreams and nightmares.  Also, my night owl of a daughter kept coming into my room multiple times chattering excitedly about a new breed of dog that she wants to get.  Even after she went to bed she was waking me up by texting me about it.  My only solace was having my warm, chubby, purring kitten laying next to me.

Today was very low key.  After spending the last three days being busy and out and about, I didn’t really feel like going anywhere.  But with not being able to spend at least parts of my day relaxing with a book, being on the Internet, or watching TV ~ not gonna lie… I got a little bored.  I know I could have cleaned out a closet or organized something, but I just wanted to relax.

So to try and relax I burnt some of my favorite incense, sat listening to music and petted my cats.  I spent a significant amount of time throughout the day just talking with my daughter and to people on the phone.

I spent most of the evening writing and then I played few board games with my daughter.  That was fun ~ it’s been quite a while since we’ve done that.  ♥

~

Day Five:

Got together with a good friend of mine today and had a FOUR hour lunch! 😀  We always go so long in between getting together that we have lots to catch up on.  The food was yummy, but it was the company I enjoyed the most ~ so thankful for the good friends I have in my life and especially this friend in particular!  Love you Shmeb!  ♥

Oh my goodness there was a beautiful sunset this evening!  The brilliant shades of purples, pinks, oranges and blues painted a glorious backdrop behind the city’s downtown skyline.  It was the kind that you not only see with your eyes, but also feel with your heart.  I loved watching as it changed colors as dusk settled in ~ which was extra pretty against the white snow.  So different from the sunsets I enjoyed when I lived out in the country, but every bit as breathtaking.  A delicious feast for the eyes…

I fell off the wagon tonight. 😦  The TV captured my attention while I was over at my mom’s.  I tried to resist, but it was like a magnet to my eyes and sucked me in.  I blame my daughter!  The funny part of all of this is that both my daughter and my mom have also felt the repercussions of my being unplugged this week, because ever since my dad passed away last June, one of the routine things the three of us do together is watch TV at my mom’s house.  My Mom records programs on her DVR and my daughter and I go over there a couple times a week and watch them with her.  We did spend a considerable amount of time together doing other things this week, but we’ve all felt the loss of our TV time.  My daughter had had enough TV deprivation and rebelled and turned it on while we were over there doing some laundry tonight.  I was trapped and there was no way out ~ “resistance is futile.”

I also emailed someone today, but even though that is using the Internet, it’s not technically the same as being “on” the Internet.  Right?

Oh well.  Either way, I have two days left of this and am resolved to finish strong!  Or die trying…  😉

~

Day Six:

Went to church for the first time in ages today.  Eventually at some point I will probably write a post to share about some of the reasons for that, but not today.  Anyway… today is the 30th anniversary of the day that I became a Christian and I couldn’t think of a better way to commemorate it than by going to church.  😀

There wasn’t a usual sermon, instead one of the former pastors shared about a few of the church’s missions outreaches.  He wasn’t a very good speaker, nothing about him was particularly interesting or engaging, he definitely was not charismatic in any way and even his voice was monotone and boring sounding.  But I was so moved by what he was saying and I found myself crying several times while he was talking.  I was just so aware of how truly blessed I am.  How fortunate I am simply for just being born in the United States.  Complain all you want about the corruption and injustice.  Complain about our government, our health care system, our educational system, or any other system that you think is messed up, but despite all of it’s faults… you are still extraordinarily fortunate to have the privilege of being born in this country!   But these people ~ these fellow human beings who are born in third world countries… live in such conditions that we cannot possibly imagine.  I know that nothing I have ever had to go through in my life thus far even remotely compares to their suffering.  I think we tend to become somewhat desensitized to the images of the starving children we see on TV and so the reality of the terrible suffering these precious children endure doesn’t have as big of an impact to stir us into action.  It’s when you hear a first hand and personal account of someone’s experience in relief type work that you get more of a glimpse into the gravity of the situation for these people.

I could go on and on from here, but I think I’ll save the rest of my thoughts on this for a separate post.  I know in trying to cover an entire week’s happenings this one is already getting pretty long.    Hang in there with me ~ only one more day left!  😉

~

Day Seven:

Very long, but fun day today.  🙂  Took off first thing this morning to go shopping with my mom for a few things for my daughter’s 20th birthday that’s coming up this weekend.  Originally we were just going out to order a cake and some balloons, but my mom had a few other ideas up her sleeve.  I should have known!  My mom is the most generous person I know and when it comes to her only granddaughter, her giving knows no bounds.  I can’t reveal what the day entailed because I don’t want to ruin the surprise in case my daughter reads this, but I think my mom’s ideas will help make her birthday feel extra special.  ♥

Kinda sorta fell off the wagon with TV again tonight.  My daughter insists on week after week in subjecting me to the sheer and utter torment of watching The Bachelor.   Try as I might to make myself otherwise occupied… there was no place to escape it in this tiny apartment.  So although I tried not to pay any attention to it ~ I  succumbed.   Oh and guess what happened on this episode?  Women cried.  Shocker!  Annoying…

~

So what did I learn from my week of reading deprivation and being unplugged?

I don’t really know…

In relation to the course I’m doing, this week was meant to help my creativity.   To sort of shut out all of the other voices in order to hear my own.  To be forced to get in touch with myself by cutting off all of my escape routes.  The creator of this course believes that art is born out of reality, not fantasy.  And it is in getting in touch with our reality that we are truly able to express ourselves artistically.

Guess we’ll just have to wait and see if any “art” was born from my week of torture…  I mean reality.  😉