Tag: creativity

Five Minutes of Fame

Every two weeks in the city where I live, a small group of bloggers and affiliates meets at a locally owned coffee shop to chat, troubleshoot, or share tips and ideas. I had been blogging somewhat consistently for a couple of weeks and wanting to keep the momentum; I finally made it to a meeting. As luck would have it, a journalist from a local news outlet had just surprised the group facilitator to do a story about Blogging and was asking to interview a few group members – today.

In one serendipitous moment, I found myself as one of only two bloggers to show up for the meeting today. I agreed to interview as an honest to goodness “blogger” with about ten posts under my belt and a page in the middle of reconstruction. The interview went well considering it was spur-of-the-moment. I was surprised at how relaxed I felt as I enthusiastically spoke of my “Self Censored” page for my five minutes of fame.

I watched the segment air this morning which caused cobwebs and dust to blow around those corners of my mind. I remember watching myself after another interview in what seems to be another lifetime. My dark brown hair was blown dry in a smooth shoulder length bob with professional, understated makeup. The dark gray skirt suit that I wore to important meetings was freshly out of the cleaners, and I wore a royal blue sweater because everyone still tells me that is definitely my color. I was to talk about a new independent living housing program for our clients and a family group which would help everyone with the transition. I had practiced and had index cards, and yet I froze. If not for my co-worker’s help, I would have been completely lost – what a disaster I thought. Whose idea was this anyway?

Today as I watched myself, I chuckled. I looked so comfortable in my own skin. My hair is short, gray and wild. My clothes were not pressed or laid out from the day before; plus my voice was still hoarse from a recent bout of laryngitis. I wasn’t prepared for the TV that day; I was flying by the seat of my pants, and yet I wasn’t afraid.

All is not perfect. My GPS doesn’t work very well, and the road is still crooked with plenty of bumps and ridges. I am content in my journey though, and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s around the bend. I think my younger self would be proud and relieved.

How would you answer the age-old question? What would you say to your younger self?

The lovers, the dreamers and me

For this assignment, I try to conjure up a visual of who will read my blog- my audience. I’ve spent the past couple of days visiting other writers, looking at style and content while trying to imagine their respective audience. I find that there are some fabulous sites out there and I try not to be intimidated by the talent or expertise that I see. I know that I tend to enjoy sites that have a personal component even though it may be a business page. I decided to focus on MY passion – why am I writing? I’m writing to tell a story – simple as that.

Someday I may publish these writings for my granddaughters. However, I am envisioning my reader today, and that person looks something like me – in my soul. Regardless of gender, it will be someone who understands that there are great treasures in our simple moments.  It’s not an original idea I understand. I’ve seen memes that say “we do not remember days, we remember moments.” or “Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.”  I’m sure you have too.  I picture my reader as someone who just needs an interruption, a break from this crazy, fast and furious train ride that we call life.  That someone is looking for a pause button– a quick light, read to go with a cup of coffee, hot tea or a glass of wine at the end of the day.

When I was a young adult, every weekend my siblings and I would take turns visiting our grandparents. During a difficult work week, I started to look forward to the day when I would drive my mother to her parents’ house – especially when my grandmother’s younger sister was in town. She was sassy, and her green eyes sparkled. She knew how to bring a blush of color to my mild and meek grandmother’s cheeks.

It was that time when people still sat on the front porch to talk and greet the neighbors as they walked by. We had an unspoken appointment with my mother’s sisters and every now once in a while one of my uncles or another cousin would join us. We would sit for hours and have a beverage with a delicious treat from our favorite bakery.  My grandparents took turns with weekly news updates about the extended family which included anecdotes of comparable events of long ago and almost always ended with the question “What is the world coming to?” This simple statement would lead us down a crooked path filled with the twists and turns of current events and politics.

I came to treasure those afternoons filled with stories. I felt connected to the generations before me who had overcome hardships that I couldn’t even imagine and yet, they sang and laughed and wrote poems.

As I was thinking about the mood and the spirit of my blog, the melody of the “Rainbow Connection” kept playing in the background of my mind and I hummed along as I wrote.

…Who said that every wish
Would be heard and answered
When wished on the morning star
Somebody thought of that
And someone believed it
And look what it’s done so far
What’s so amazing
That keeps us star gazing
What so we think we might see
Someday we’ll find it
That Rainbow Connection
The lovers the dreamers and me…

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/S2DTLbTQj0I 

 

Because Expurgate Sounds too Dramatic

I’m enjoying the assignments at Blogging: Learning the Fundamentals.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/blogging-university/blogging-fundamentals-materials/#day2

As I work on my second assignment, I am already one day behind. This task was to take a look at my title, play with other ideas and publish a post explaining the outcome. I’ve decided not to change the title, but I have changed the tagline to reflect a slightly different focus.
I’d been a bit skeptical about the title. I wasn’t sure it was conveying the spirit of the blog, so I clicked on my dictionaries looking for options. I’m writing about me, which would make it “Self-Centered” but while that title would certainly raise eyebrows, it’s not really me. I am aware that everyone around me has a personal story to tell and I’m generally mindful and sensitive to that. I believe effective communication is important in any kind of relationship. We maintain an active open dialog by listening without imposing judgment or pushing our ideas on others. One of my favorite fables growing up was Aesop’s “The Wind and the Sun.”  https://fablesofaesop.com/the-north-wind-and-the-sun.html    “Kindness effects more than severity.” 

This brings me to the “Censored” part.

Expurgate is a synonym for Censored offered by my thesaurus. To edit something by removing offensive parts. To remove words or passages considered offensive or unsuitable from a book before publication.
While it can be an appropriate word, it seems too much like Exorcise, which is definitely not what I was going for. I was raised on conservative and fundamentalist values. Although my own ideas and opinions have evolved, I still have family and friends that I care about deeply that abide by that way of life. This blog originated as a place where I could rant and rave without offending. I have decided instead to tell the stories of those snapshots in my head. I will be truthful but I will not rant much, and I will try at least not to offend most. I have decided to keep the title “Self-Censored” A blog about me –verbal snapshots of a simple life.

Learning the Fundamentals

Assignment 1

As I was growing older and wiser, I would tell myself – “when you retire, you can devote time to writing”. I did retire, but one thing led to another, and I put writing on the high shelf in the storage closet for a bit longer. I enjoy writing, and I’ve started blogging at least 3 times before. I took the Blogging 101 course a couple of times, but after it was finished, I had a hard time staying committed. I like working in community, so I’m back to fundamentals, brushing up my skills in order to start a writing challenge.

In trying to zero in on my purpose for the blog, I went back to look at unfinished projects on my computer. I think I will stick with the subject about me. My blog is “Self-Censored.” I’m not sure the play on words comes across – maybe I need to work on that. I hope blogging will get my juices flowing. I had been thinking of self-publishing a book about the “snapshots” of the life that I’ve lived with family and friends. When I look back at a snapshot in my mind, I try to envision how we each experienced that moment in time.

Old photos of my mom show a beautiful woman with style and poise, flawless skin- regardless of age and sparkling greens eyes. She always held her head high, defiant and fearless-usually looking straight at the camera. Outside of that frame, we knew she suffered a disabling neuromuscular disease, legal blindness and finally was taken from us by cancer at age 54. In spite of all her physical problems, her spirit WAS like the image in the pictures – beautiful and strong. People came to her for help and advice and she gave them whatever she had.

I believe this is s a universal experience. I am different things to different people. Each person has a version of the ME that they are comfortable with, a behavior or reaction they expect of me, but my Core is one. We all play different roles in a variety of situations, but we are always the star or protagonist in our own movie. We are mothers or fathers, children, lovers, bosses and underlings, angels or demons but no one knows what is truly in our hearts, what really motivates us- except ourselves.

I plan to share these verbal snapshots as I’m calling them and explore the characters in each scene. All stories will be based on real life but some will be edited, colored and “photo-shopped” with my imagination.

I hope you join me on my journey. I appreciate your feedback and assistance.

The Way We Were is Actually the Way We ARE!

 

This past week was my mother’s birthday. She would have been 86. Her cousin, who shares the name of their paternal grandmother, celebrated her 90th birthday the week before. As I saw FB posts of Cousin celebrating with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, I felt a selfish sting of jealousy and longing for my own mom. On her birthday I wanted to honor HER and started down the proverbial rabbit hole looking for new pictures to share.
I had one particular photo in mind but didn’t find it where I thought it should be. One box led to another, and I was lost for a week! It’s not as bad as it sounds… but whenever I had a moment, I was lost in my thoughts and “misty colored memories.” There were celebratory baseball cards from the Miracle Mets, slogan buttons for different causes and love beads. There were old notes and letters from friends about the most recent love tragedy or gossip -“Remind me to tell you when I see you later.” We passed notes to each other as we crossed in the hallway between classes in high school. I re-read letters sent from my mom and little sisters during my first year in college. They always added with love from Dad, Brother, the Dog and any stray cat they had named and were feeding at the time. I’m glad I kept these. They brought me back beyond the smiling faces of old photographs to the way we really were – to the struggles, the tears, and the adventures – now after having lived almost another half-century, they sound adorable and feel like a walk in the park on a spring day.
One of the treasures I found was my old yearbook from Intermediate School 88. Our advisor had included a couple of my writings – not the best entries in the book but certainly reflected the feelings of coming of age. “My Trademark” it was called and prompted me to write this blog today. As I went through the boxes, I began to realize that our hopes, dreams basic sense of who we are, remain the same. My little sister still loves animals. She and her husband bought some land when their kids were little, and despite her allergies, through the years they have had a variety of farm animals in addition to several dogs and her beloved cats. Her twin remains passionate about protecting and giving her all to care for those she loves most. My brother continues to do his own thing perhaps in the search for the next big adventure. My friends have lived and moved forward in the same way. Their strengths or weakness in academics and social settings more often than not reflect who they are today.
As for myself, my trademark also remains the same… the girl in the background observing, the one who will be the “homework helper” to the kid no one likes, the one who likes to talk to my older relatives and the “missionary” who is not afraid to take a stand for my beliefs. By far the greatest gift to my present-day self was seeing a couple of McGovern/Shriver ’72 pins in my box. Through the years I doubted my strength as an independent thinker. Growing up in a fundamentalist church and attending a bible college during the year of my first presidential election, I truly didn’t remember who I voted for – probably because I couldn’t talk about it openly. I often wondered if I had buckled to pressure and voted for Nixon but in that box of my secret treasures, I found my answer. Like the 2016 elections, my candidate did not win, but I don’t regret my choice.

Back at it again

Here I am trying to start blogging again… you know “fall off the horse and get back up”; “you only fail if you fall and don’t get up”… You get my drift.   Last time I was in a Blogging 101 I began following other writers.  I still get emails of posts from people from 2 or 3 years ago.   Looking for inspiration I decided to log into the page and go beyond the emailed Weekly Digest for Impromptu Promptings and peculiar ponderings.

https://promptlings.wordpress.com/2018/03/16/friday-favorites-grace-paley/

A couple of her posts inspired me today but in this particular post she asks –  Have you ever had one of those epiphanous moments when something triggers a childhood memory and suddenly you experience your inner child waking inside you? I’ve had SO many over the last few years that I’ve been digging around in my cave on this blog. In fact, I’ve had one very similar to the poem Paley wrote. Lots of memories came tumbling out of the past when I read it.   

Yes!  This was quite timely for me.   I had just the thing to get my juices flowing again.   It’s a piece I wrote many years ago as I was getting ready to enter my half-century marker.   Truth be told the 50’s weren’t bad for me but I didn’t know that then.  My mom had died at 54 and I couldn’t help but wonder.   One crisp winter night in New England as I was leaving the gym, I had one such “epiphanous moment”.     I need to work on my presentation and appropriate reposting but just wanted to get this out.  Please come with me, tell me what you think.

Angels in the Snow

She was here today,
And almost got away.
Every now and then she tries.
But I won’t let her have her way.
Can’t you know—I’m too old!

The snow mounds were soft
Each flake sparkled with light.
The air crisp and enticing.
“It would only take a moment,
And who was there to see”.

Awakened, Restless,
She stirred within my soul.
But her jailer I’d become,
Forbidding, stern, and unmoving.
No chance to break and run.

In the lot, boys packed
Two arsenals of snow
With giggles in camouflage
Waiting for the battle cry-“CHARGE!”
Was the coast clear to start?

They glanced at me there,
And her eyes looked back.
Awaiting still her release
From the open cell of time and
This society’s constraints.

Don’t stop, keep moving.
No snowball fight for you,
And think not for a moment
That middle-aged women can
Make angels in the snow.

 

 

Taking control of my First Impression for my blog

Blogging 101- Assignment #2

This time around I’m pretty satisfied with the title of my blog. I’ll spare you a repeat of my post on how I got to this name from the original “Swirling Around in My Head”.  I find that this title simply describes me and what the blog is about.

Truth be told as I get older, I censor less of my thoughts and ideas. Its quite liberating, I have you know. I consider it perks of getting older.  It’s really not in my nature to be rude, cruel or careless but I do intend to explore different topics inspired by the world around me and the people in it.  Names and relations may be changed to protect the innocent.  After all, I don’t want to totally alienate my family and friends.

The visual presentation is plain, that’s where I will really need to work on and get creative.

If you want to know more, please feel free to take a look at my original posts from the previous Blogging 101.

Getting to know my blogging neighbors- Assignment #3

Day three and Blogging 101 is turning out to be quite fun.  I’ve checked in on other bloggers in the class and thoroughly enjoyed myself.  As someone else mentioned- it can be a full time job!  I’ll check out more new ones again at another time.

I find that I prefer light hearted musings of everyday life. There are quite a bit of really great ones with great pictures and creative storytelling.  Some already look quite polished.

What have I learned from the experience that I will use in my blog?

  1. There is no end to the possibilities!
  2. Take my camera out more or figure out a good place to get good stock photos that won’t break the bank.
  3. Be creative, have fun and don’t make it a chore
  4. A complicated topic needs to be dished out in increments or the reader may zone out.
  5. Use the preview button

Hope to see you around some time.