BACK IN THE WRITING GROOVE AGAIN

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Sometimes writing becomes a struggle between ‘will I’ or ‘will I not’. Yet it really doesn't take much (as anybody would know that) if a bit of passion goes along with the writing. It comes easy when you love what you’re doing. As in other things whether that be cooking, singing, dancing, acting, playing an instrument, traveling, reading, teaching, painting, and many more. Not even a hundred horses or a thousand can take you away from that, right?

Yet sometimes too I can think of three good reasons NOT to write….

Top on that list ----- the absence of an idea for writing or in more romantic terms – an inspiration. Some call that the writer’s block. There may be dozens of ideas churning inside my head but nothing seems to stay still long enough to make some sense of it. That’s why inspiration does play a great role (to my mind at least) because it is able to sort out things and knit them together to form a better-understood-whole.

Secondly ----- the excruciatingly hot weather makes it impossible to sit on the chair longer than I can say the word ‘supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’. And I don't even know if I spelled that correctly. My butt’s on fire more often than I want it.

Thirdly ----- there’s something I’d like to do too. Have you an old pair of jeans lying somewhere inside your closet? I do. So why not sew a bag out of an old pair of denim pants. Yup an idea that caught my mind when one day I saw that I had about 3 or 4 worn out denims lying inside the closet for ages now. Since ‘tote bags’ is another passion, I decided to put the denims to better use and at the same time find out if Mom's creative sewing talents rubbed off on me. Been toiling at it on certain days... the measuring, cutting, and the final sewing – by hand and not with a sewing machine. I have a portable sewing machine here but I prefer not to work it. You see, I'm bad with machines although I have managed to drive a car before. I hope that counts. Well, the bag is now ready with only the zipper and the handle to attach. Now I'm figuring out how to do the zipper because it looks like a tricky thing to do on a bag. Or maybe use Velcro instead of a zipper...... hmmmmm... (Took the photos below of the finished items for you, ladies, to see that you can do it too.) 😃

But there's a fourth one ----- Oh well, it's got something to do with great movies and TV shows – if there's a good one in town my family and I go see it. Too on television there's The Voice, CSI, NCIS, The Good Doctor, Hawaii 5O, MacGyver, CNN Philippines (and our local news too), Discovery channel, How'd They Do That, Amazing Race, Ellen DeGeneres .. And all those other interesting stuff like reruns of great movies (old and new) which gets your eyes glued to the box. And along with that perhaps a nice cup of coffee, or maybe iced tea, then again a lemonade, or some ice cream and chocolate cake while sitting on a nice comfy couch.... and too have your family around you.

And a fifth one ----- read a book! Oh never mind if it’s an old one, if it’s good I will take it down from my tiny library and read it again. And again if need be. There’s The Purpose Driven Life, 1000 Stories, Tuesdays with Morris, Dare To Fail, Laugh Again, All I Really Need To Know I learned In Kindergarten, Jacob the Baker, The Alchemist, The Aladdin Factor, Traveling Light, and other books too that didn't make the best seller list but are just as engaging to read.

 

So maybe what I'm trying to say is there's life outside the writing and blogging. And truthfully, I'm saying that I'm having the best of both worlds. The writing gives me so much pleasure indulging in such a rewarding activity with the added bonus of wonderful friendships found in that journey. It’s a good life and creates my greatest of blessings. Huge thanks to the Big Guy upstairs.

I guess it would be alright to say that with this post I'm back into the writing groove again after a brief hiatus. Love to be here with you again, lovely people. Sending you big hugs and generous blessings from the heart of God. ❤️🌹

FRIENDS DON'T LEAVE - THEY COME BACK. BY GOD'S DESIGN

 

 

 

 

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A best friend from high school back in Tacloban City sent me a private message here in Facebook. She stumbled on my fb page but was hesitant for a bit quite unsure if I was the girl she once knew. So she cruised down the Photos and saw that picture of my kid brother and his girlfriend. That then sat the wheel in motion of forgotten-friendship-now-found.
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'Forgotten' wasn't really anybody's fault. Life as its nature always takes people away from each other and into different adventures, directions, and pursuits. She had hers and I had mine. The friendship took a backseat as we wrestled with our challenges and with our lives, respectively. But who would think that our paths would cross again several years after.
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As expected, we threw questions back-and-forth at each other.... about family, children, old friends, joys, sadness, travels, frustrations, successes, and every other stuff best friends would talk about. Then she asked me if I was still designing dresses, gowns, particularly. I replied that it had been quite a long time that I hadn't done any. In fact, had forgotten all about it. It was a hobby that was indulged in whenever the mood presented itself or after homework was done with back then. I had also lost my sketches in the big flood which hit the city in that particular year. Everything was swept away or destroyed by the rains, my high school photos included.
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Occasionally though I would take up a pencil and sketch pad and leisurely do a sketch or two in the years that followed. But not as regularly as I should have because life gave me other things to focus on and do.
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She asked.. "Have you some in your file now?"
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"Nowww?... why do you ask" I countered with my interest tweaked.
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"Well, there's an event I'm preparing for and I'm looking for something to wear." "I'd like to see them." she wrote.
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Okayyyy... I'll email them to you." I offered.
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"No! Now. Here in fb." 

Gosh, she hasn't changed a bit. Just like an old song goes.... 'whatever lola wants --- lola gets'.  But other than that she's a darling. And she doesn't mind my writing about it. I even suspect a chuckle or two from her right now.
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So bear with me, folks, just for this post and for my friend. But wait.... I think it would be nice to share the sketches with everybody, too. So here they are.
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By the way, friends don't leave (even if life takes them to America); they just wait for the right time to come back into your life again. By God's design.
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Blessings, everyone!!

TALENT CAN HELP YOU BECOME A LOT MORE OF WHO YOU ALREADY ARE

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"Ala.. ala ako niyan." (I don't have that.) My friend was referring to 'talent'. With an apple in one hand I was on the phone with her listening intently to this morning's whining. It was only mid-morning but already she felt so bored with her day. (Oh but I can understand that. I also have my boring days. Everybody does, right?) So I suggested a hobby or something else similar which she could do to ward off boredom. And she gave me that reply..... "Ala ako niyan." Well, to cut a long story short, the chat ended with her boredom unresolved and it led me to my laptop.... thinking.
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No talent? I don't buy that. Aside from the god-given gifts of abilities and skills used for life and living we also are equipped with talent. My friend has talent though she doesn't know it yet nor have tried to find out. I hope she does soon.
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Life has taught me that talent or aptitude, capacity, knack, flair or other similar names it is called can be or make that difference to your day and life. The combined work of your ideas, energy, effort, and time can renew that sparkle in your eye.... recharge your spirit.... and rouse other interests for creative effort. It helps ease the weariness and seriousness of daily life. It's an equalizer which gives you that feel-good feeling in spite of worrisome concerns of the day or of life in general. It helps clear the cobwebs in your mind..... allows rest for your physical body..... and peace to your weary heart.
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It's all the good reason to want to indulge in it.
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So how do you know that you have talent?
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First off, believe that you do!
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Then, seek it doggedly until you find it. It's like job-hunting knocking on many doors until one is opened to you. Talent is just there inside of you waiting to be found... waiting to be released out to the universe. So find it... and
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When you find it, know that it is uniquely yours; appreciate it as God's wise gift to you.
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Then work to hone it, expand it, harness it. In return the universe will happily respond to your effort and help you blossom to bigger and better things... to a better you.
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Whatever God gives us is meant to make us better; better than we were yesterday everyday.
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Blessings, folks! 

 

 

 

WHAT MORE CAN I DO?

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." ---- Oliver Wendell Holmes

I used to bother about what had gone past and what was yet to come. The questions always fell on 'was it good the year that passed?' or 'what's up ahead in the future for me?'

Then I learned that... i was asking the wrong questions. I should be asking myself instead... 'what more can I do?' When you get satisfactory answers to that, then you can rest easy that it was indeed a good year that has gone by... and ...that future which you seek will be right there for you. You don't have to look elsewhere, it's all inside of you to create the life you want for yourself. God didn't create losers but winners who shine both within and out to the waiting world outside. Now let's make God proud.

Okay, "what more can I do?" Here's my tiny bit... at 64 - widow, mother, sister, friend, and others more God has lined up for me to do. :-)

As you may already know I do landscape sketches with pencil, some posted here in the blog. But have long toyed with the idea of painting in water color, just for the fun of it. Have never tried that before, after all have had no training whatsoever for the art; but it always had been a dream. 'Been drawing since I was a kid but that isn't a guaranty (as most in the know would say) that something on a bigger scale other than a sketchpad would come out fairly nice or a wee bit closer to that in the least.

So a few days ago, at the insistent prodding of my youngest daughter (like I said our children know us better than most people do..), 'took out the canvass 12"x14" (she always has a supply of one or two on stand-by for her occasional dabbling at the art) and borrowed her water color set, placed the canvass on the computer table leaning on the monitor, sat on the computer chair... and began!

Well, not quite immediately. First had to have an image of what to paint. And nature was and has always been the first choice for the drawings made.... and again this time. Remembered that one wallpaper on the desktop which was simply so pretty. Well, to make a long story short... here's a beginner's first honest step in water color painting :-) Am tip-toeing on this one.. Lols!

And my tribute to 'what more can I do'. And this I can truly say, 'have enjoyed myself immensely; 'had lots of fun with it. I guess that's what truly matters. A big bonus if that makes God smile too. Lols!

Hope to hear 'bout your own experience soon. :-) .. crocheting, knitting, cooking, biking, trekking, writing a book -- anyone??

GET A HOBBY!

A friend once told me that all she ever knows is work, work, work. That didn't impress me at all, even if she managed to take home a fat no fatter paycheck. Because what I saw was a person all dried up, withering away as the years were adding up wrinkles on her face. So I said 'get a hobby!'.. and she replied 'I don't have any!'. Can you believe that?!

So okay my point in telling you about her is to say to you.... "GET A HOBBY!" Whatever it is -- needlecraft, photography, cooking, scrap booking, gardening, writing, etc. -- make room for your passion and creativity. Indulge in it because you got it, it's in there just waiting to be tapped or brought out to the surface... by you!

I have a niece in New York who loves to draw and I hope she gets to read this. The best way to draw is to -- draw!! Draw till your fingers drop. And if it's designing clothes... put your ideas down on paper immediately when the idea comes to you. It may look odd, absurd, or grotesque but it doesn't matter. The puffed skirt was grotesque when it first came out, but look how it's become a big influence in fashion now.

Well, not everybody will become a fashion czar or a famous artist but do it because you love doing it - it's your passion and that's all that matters.