Scarred Middle Fingers, Julia Child, and Goals: The Journey Begins

The week I turned 30, I cut both my middle fingers so badly that each required a trip to the ER. And stitches. Seriously? Double sling and all, I rued that week long after the swelling, itchy stitches were removed from both hands. This was a message to me, I was convinced, but what did it mean?

Now that I'm four years beyond that experience, looking back I think I get it. Yup. The Universe was trying to tell me to slow down. Smell the roses. Figure out where I'm going. I didn't listen.

It's hard to listen. So, the big U sent me more messages. A layoff, asthma, and a chronically sore back.

"Stop! Think about what you're doing!" it pleaded as the seeming set-backs piled on. But no. I carried on. It's a curse really. I have the gift of imagination and forethought and can work toward a goal, nearly "tasting" victory as I toil right from the start. There's no time to stop and smell the roses when there are places to go, things to do. I have been known to spend hours at my desk, "holding it" until I find the best possible stopping point that will allow me a bathroom break. Yeah, stopping has never been something I've considered.

Until now. I have smelled the roses. I have been thinking. This Friday, I am taking a vacation day just for me to spend time writing. It's me. It's what I want to do. Stop, reflect, think, write. I'd love to someday teach college kids about literature and writing, be a published author, and hold my phD. I know there's a lot of work between here and there.

Here's to the journey! As my mother reminded me, Julia Child was in her 50s when she started the trip toward learning that would make her famous. Her first step was experimenting and learning to wield her tools. So although both middle fingers are slightly scarred, I respectfully pick up my pen and and let the journey begin toward achieving my true goals.

Writing and a sense of purpose

I had an amazing writing session last night--getting out a lot of material that I had come up with in my mind but hadn't gotten down on paper. What a sense of purpose this gives me. The only problem? Now I just want to write!

But alas, off to work I go. At least I'm doing some writing there now.

RIP "Nanna" Parella

Today, as I was driving home, I thought very clearly about Andrew's grandmother, Nanna. I knew that she was quite ill and suddenly felt this great sense of relief from lung issues. Joanie called to tell me that she had passed mid-afternoon. It was wonderful to know that I had sensed this relief and release into the white light. RIP Nanna.

resolved message in intuitive dream

I've had several dreams about my now passed landlady, Maud, recently where she's told me she's not happy with how her inheritance was handled. Not sure what to do with this information, I drove by her old house this past weekend with my husband and son. It had been sold to a developer, rather than passed along to a family member. The place had been totally gutted—gone are its early 20th century woodwork, cherry paneling, gorgeous 3-story stair way—all except the outer walls and slate roof of the old Tutor-Style in Harvard Square was removed. When I saw it, an intense sadness came over me. I knew this is what Maud was upset about.

Later that afternoon, I went out back at my house to cut and arrange some cherry , peach, and apple blossoms in a vase to bring inside. I felt Maud next to me. She had always admired my ability to arrange flowers, calling my sense “Oriental”. I heard her tell me that she loved my arrangement and felt her strong approval—a thank you from beyond, for understanding her message.

Live the Creative Life

The universe has put us all in such an amazing space right now--things are righting themselves and righting reality into truths.

While we're both back working full time again, it seems that the message from the Source is clear--keep plugging away. Make yourself creatively useful, feel good about what you do, take care of yourself and family, and all will be well. Essentially, keep true to all that is right and life will turn out well.

I am reading, "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho (HarperCollins copyright 1993) which has had some amazing passages right from the start. It's a short book, but packs a punch. It's one of those that it couldn't be a better time to read it--it's so appropo. A few sample passages that have been meaningful for me:

"The Soul of the World is nourished by people's happiness. And also by unhappiness, envy, and jealousy. To realize one's destiny is a person's only real obligation. All things are one." p. 22

"...for her, every day was the same, and when each day is the same as the next, it's because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises." p. 27

Just found "Women's Running" magazine while I was helping a friend register at the Boston Marathon today. Seems interesting. If I like--perhaps a subscription?

Be creative,
Cate

Learn something new everyday

Okay, so this might not be the newest thing to all, but to me, it's great. I just got an ".ase" file from a client. Puzzled by it as the client told me it would open in Illustrator, I couldn't get it to open with a drag and drop. So, I Googled it and came up with this: http://tiny.cc/Y4Ga1

Apparently, a ".ase" file is a palette (much like a library item) that shares between InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop C3. Not sure yet if it'll work in my CS4, but assuming so.

Learn something new everyday. Do something creative, daily.

Writing effective blog entries and other discoveries this week

I stumbled on a great piece about writing effectively for blogs this week when I was working on helping my husband and a client learn to write content that positions their blogs for the ultimate, quick indexing.

Basically, this is what it boiled down to for them. (I wrote up a tips and tricks sheet based on this for my clients):

• Base the blog entry on one or two keywords. This will help Google and other indexers know what your writing is about and make it available to those who use those keywords for search terms.
• If you can afford to, use a service with a monthly fee as a blog platform. I advise customers to use Typepad. (I have worked to set up many custom blog designs on this platform and find it's easy to use for even the most hesitant computer users.) These sites index well and use "excerpts" and "keywords" fields to optimize search engine submission. There is even an option in the set-up that allows for automatic submission to Google and Technorati.
• Use linked text wisely. That is, be sure that your words are linked, rather than using commands like "click here" to contain your links. Linked text and bold text are highlighted terms (keywords in your blog) that let the "bots" behind search engines.
  
• Use alt tags for images. When you place an image in your blog, be sure to include an alt tag. That's the text that appears when a user hovers over a photo or image online and another place that search engines use to detect keywords for blog entries.

It takes a little adjustment to write in a style that focuses on a keyword-based blog entry, but once you get the hang of it, it's like second nature.