It's spring and spring has sprung!

This is a succulent growing in our garden in the southwest.

Spring is in the air-it is a lovely southwestern day! Springtime may be a great time for you to clear out the figurative cob-webs in your mind, home, closets, car, or office. Time to reduce (donate, sell, or give-away), reuse (repair), and recycle (transform) items that are cluttering your life. Clear the decks; create spaciousness in your living environment. You may be surprised to discover that spring cleaning and clearing has a ripple effect at work and in your personal life.

Check out the link below from Sue Rasmussen at Making Room for What Really Matters. Plenty of suggestions and support.

http://www.unclutter-organize-transform.com/sue-rasmussen.html

The quote for today is :  "I think people want very much to simplify their lives enough so that they can control the things that make it possible to sleep at night."
Twyla Tharp

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Have a Lovely Holiday/Joyful Day!

In Peace and Health, Nan

Reframing My Vision, Immersion Communication

I recently discovered Frank Rose's book, The Art of Immersion  How the Digital Generation is Remaking Hollywood, Madison Avenue, and the Way We Sell Stories. As a blogger and freelance writer, his title captured my interest and I read the book. Rose's vision of media/advertising/gaming in the recent past, today, and in the future gives me much to ponder. Some salient points I discovered are that interactive stories/games can be used to provide information, hook readers, movie-goers, and web consumers and sell in the new age of "hyper-connectivity" by positioning an item, person, or concept in all the right places. In the age of "emotional connection through social media," we can look forward to instantaneous modes of communication where we are an integral part of the show.

The quote for today comes from The Art of Immersion.  http://www.artofimmersion.com


"We share information. Sometimes we overshare. But why do we share at all? Because life is a constantly functioning information exchange." Frank Rose

Free Time, Leisure, How can I relax and renew?

I like to be productive and thrive on activities that create order and enable me to complete projects at work, home, and in my personal and social life. That being said, today I want to take a break from "doing" to relax, restore my spirit, and just loaf. However, this is a challenge for me. My underlying work ethic tells me to keep on pursuing my goals, striving to fulfill my obligations, and proceed with whatever tasks I think are on my plate for the day. Luckily, an inner knowing I call my wise woman, tells me to take time to look at the clouds, savor a moment of stillness, and breathe.

Using Grammar Correctly?

A little more than a week ago, I met several interesting people at a meeting of the Society of Southwestern Authors in Tucson. Today, I want to share about one, Ron Mead. I found out that he combines his skills as teacher, speaker, and author to support his mission. "To raise the literacy level by encouraging All people to read more and to overcome common writing and grammar errors." Please check out his website to learn more about this worthwhile goal: www.ronmead.net

Quote for the day: 
“Literacy is not a luxury, it is a right and a responsibility. If our world is to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century we must harness the energy and creativity of all our citizens.” 

^{- President Clinton on International Literacy Day, September 8th 1994}   

            ^{Quote from www.readfaster.com/LiteracyQuotes.asp}

Availability, Giving of Myself

The quote for today is: “The capacity for delight is the gift of paying attention.”

 Julia Cameron quotes

Today I am determined to rededicate myself to expanding my horizons by looking inward for personal growth, insights, and learning. The start of a New Year creates space for me to set an intention to be more fully available (emotionally, intellectually, spiritually, energetically) to myself and others than I was able to be last year.

Upon reflection, I surmise that in order to move forward toward this goal, I may need to practice non-judgement, kindness, gratitude, and living in the moment. Let me tell you why...

My default setting for new adventures is, at first, fear. With non-judgement, I can acknowledge my feelings, check to see whether my fear is justified, and/or consult with a trusted friend to hash things out. With kindness, I can be gentle with myself and others in any situation, as I encourage us along. With gratitude I can appreciate progress and recognize the power inherent in learning by trial and error. By living in the moment, I can truly honor myself and those I interact with, by planting my mind, heart, attention, and energy into the soil of whatever I am involved in. Here are some ways I've thought to work on this.

1. Do only one thing at a time.
2. Plan for one day at a time to reduce the "doing too much" syndrome.
3. Listen to my secret longings, dreams, and preferences when determining time-choices.
4. Deal with minor irritations before they turn into explosions.
5. Consider others' needs, but don't forget to focus on my priorities.
6. Laugh at myself and lighten up.
7. State boundaries directly and simply, without attachment to another person's reaction. 
8. Refrain from offering advice to anyone who doesn't ask for it.
9. Reserve time and energy for exercise, relaxation, spiritual pursuits, and fun activities.
10. Practice flexibility by being willing to regroup, re-frame, recycle, or shelve.
11. Act only when fully cognizant about my motives.
12. Appreciate all my blessings and acknowledge the wondrous gift of being vitally alive.