What Are You Doing?

Get close to me again.

Let me fill you with inspiration,

That turns you into creative joy.

Let the words flow through,

As they were meant to be.

Don’t let me hide away,

Let me out into the world,

Where I can touch curiosity,

And become sparks that ignite the soul.

This is for you and beyond,

If you let it be.

I am here for you,

But you got to be there for me!

From my writing to me.

Live to Tell

Thank you for this given Grace

To switch my perspective and my face

That the bigger picture is what stands

No matter what the circumstance

Trust that all will be good

Is what needs to be understood

Even on a heavy downer day

Keep going, don’t lose your way

It will feel lighter

Even on a different day

Keep working on continuous

Mind, Body, and Soul

Lessons from all experiences

Ready to unfold

Tell your story. Live to tell.

How to Instantly Reset

Prompt: Write a List of 20 Things That Emerge

Another volume done. Begin the next…

I followed a prompt from another writer, who always inspires me @openskystories on Instagram, to write a list of 20 things that emerge. I wrote the list without overthinking (that much). I instantly felt so aligned while I understood my next steps.

In this exercise, I forced myself to look around, then suddenly my senses took over and flowed onto the page – the very last page of my Volume 5: Book of Inspiration – Reinstated.

Senses Coming Through

My senses came through in waves until it flowed intuitively within these 20 things:

Wednesday: Free from teaching homeschool for April Break – and no work tonight!

Sunshine: In the middle of a gloomy week – break from overcast yesterday.

Breeze: Spring breeze coming in from the open screen door by my desk.

Spring: It’s warm, it’s cold, it’s stinky, it’s refreshing.

Grass: Green right now.

Tingling in my hand: From writing, squeezing so hard.

Gazebo: It’s a story of how we got 2 for the price of 1.

Backyard: Our oasis that hubby envisioned.

Outside: Reset.

Feeling free but not quite: So many things to do. Don’t want to do it but I keep thinking about it.

Birds singing: Sounds of Spring. Reminds me of 4am chirping when I cue for my sons to stop gaming and go to bed! Hard truth we are night owls.

My workspace: Love it. Sensible, do-able, perfect.

My writing: Passion but also demise.

My work: Start Volume 6: Confessions of Dr Jekyll Mommy Hide: Professional at work, Freak at night.

Organized: It is but doesn’t look like it.

Unorganized: It looks that way but my space is organized. I feel like this until I write. Organized chaos.

Messy: The dirt around it.

Clean: Is what I should do.

Whatever: It’ll get done at some point!

Be: Go with the flow.

Reset

This 10-minute exercise helped to reset my mind and mode. It’s OK to be light and airy and not stuck waiting for the perfect deep transcending topic – which actually did show itself in the end. Follow your senses, trust your instincts.

Try it, I guarantee it will get you to your next page! What came up for you?

How to Claim Your Song

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

This morning my son’s grade one virtual class had a dance party for their first body break. It lasted for half an hour.

It was the best morning we’ve ever had! (for virtual school).

I was so curious by the DJ. Who was producing this fantastic morning mix?!

Someone who understands the love of rhythm and beats from the 90’s era.

Let me get off my seat and check it out.

Great mix of hip-hop, reggae, reggaeton, soca, pop!

YES, definitely feeling the vibe!

Dance party with Saidat and K.Z. On a mission to set the tone right!

Every school board needs this special duo. Full of life and inspiration.

I’ve never served juice while spinning and sliding side to side!

My son’s favourite song came on. He bulged out his eyes, but he didn’t budge.

I turned to him and shrieked, “What!?! This is your song!!!”

He still didn’t budge.

“It’s OK, it’s a dance party, it’s your body break. Get up and move! Show that this is your song! Sing it! Claim it!”

Too late soca’s on. Put up your hands. Jump up. All around.

We grabbed hands and danced in the middle of the kitchen like no one was watching. Hands up in the air, leg work springing into action!

We were sweating. We danced for half an hour. We claimed it!

Mood: Aligned and Well. We’re Happy bursting with Great Energy!

I forgot how music soothes the soul, moves the soul, fills the soul, saves the soul.

Put on some of your favourites and let the tone set your mood and day.

It’s a powerful thing to have “music, movement, and motivation”.

This is happening every Friday morning, right?

Re-Discover: Volume 1

Photo by Grafixart_photo Samir BELHAMRA on Pexels.com

I wrote this to myself after I jumped ship, shortly after 9/11, from a corporate software company where I wrote software manuals. I found another position to maintain graphical user interfaces and write engineering processes.

No, this wasn’t doing it for me either.

It was the third page of my new journal that I committed to writing to figure out answers for my next steps to finding a balanced work life – meaning a work life where I was not always so bitter!

I didn’t want to have that constant cringing feeling every day going in to work. I only lived for the weekends. Was there something more out there?

I recently gave it a title in the summer of 2020, when I re-searched myself to start cataloguing content. After a deep conversation last night, this one’s for you:

Re-Discover

I feel good when I accomplish

No stress, no frustration

That’s where I’m my best

When I’m equally balanced

And things are handled

Not left to be abandoned

Deal with things as they come

Work until the deal is done

Clear the aura without the huff and puff

You gotta take the shit when it gets rough

But when it’s over, it’s smooth sailing from there

There’s a clear sense of aura in the air

There’s a way to accomplish peace in your life

Try not to be bitter and do what’s right

Only you can justify your actions

Don’t blame the world

For ignorant reactions

It all starts with you

And how strong you are

If you believe in yourself

You will get far

Reach for the top

See how far you can soar

See what you can accomplish

Then you’ll be bitter no more.

You to Me, Me to You

This is a tribute to you for giving me a dose of inspiration.

Thanks for your gifts of beautiful blank journals to encourage me to keep writing. I’m telling the story of how your gifts helped me to harness mine:

It was Christmas 2017. We were working at our old building site of the children’s treatment centre. It was our last year there because we were moving into a new state of the art building within a few months. As ghetto as the building was, our team made it the best of times.

It was our first Secret Santa since I’ve ever worked there. We were all getting emotional because it was our last Christmas as a small group before amalgamating into an even more corporate structure.

We wanted to make this one different.

My gift was already on my desk waiting for me when I got there in the morning. I took out the pretty, off-white journal from the bag. It had a pretty image of a bare tree that had hints of snow on the edges of some of the lower branches.

I’ve never had a journal with regular sized pages. So much space to work with. Oooh so pretty. It goes well with the coffee card and scented candle. So me.

I knew it was you as soon as I entered the second-floor office. When you saw me and looked away but you were smiling with your eyes.

Endless Creation

The feeling of endless creation of whatever I want, whenever I want, is what I feel every time I see journals, pads of paper, pens, markers, post-its, white-boards, and so on.

It’s exciting to open the book to a blank page! Every day. I write the date and go! Cluster, list, paragraph, prose…whatever goes.

It’s exercise for the mind and soul.

Which is what I hope to provide to others when I pay forward the gift of journals.

A blank canvas of space waiting to be used in any way purposeful. All together with a few good pens (YES, it matters)! Powerful ways to effortlessly use your mind to coordinate whatever moves you.

That same week, I got another surprise. When I saw you standing there, I was confused, “For me?”, I thought when you handed me a gift of appreciation with a message in a card that read, “Thank you so much for going above and beyond. You were a life line for me when I felt like I was drowning. Your support and efforts in his success is truly appreciated. Happy Holidays”.

That message kept finding it’s way into my hands every time I opened my journal (where I kept the envelope). It confirmed for me every time that I was still on the right path as a Communicative Disorders Assistant or Speech-Language Assistant but now realizing a little bit more. It inspires me to document the formula of my approach and share the handouts of information.

Years later, we reunite to where I can do therapy up close and personal (before Covid). You gifted me a beautiful black journal with an image of a mom and baby elephant with cool trunk designs. Who doesn’t love elephants?!?

This one was there for me during the beginning of the pandemic and throughout. It holds research, quarantine recipes, reminders to self, homeschool scribbles, numerology, prose, doodles, ripped pages, content brainstorm, emotions, mantras/affirmations, lists, things I did and how I felt.

Empowerment

Empowerment is what I love to teach because when we teach families how to interpret their child’s interactions with one another, the ultimate goal – no matter what – is to get the best back and forth with everyone happy. Finding ways to advocate that is part of the journey. These are all the teaching moments.

I continue to write in my Book of Inspiration where I’ve committed to a writing routine that keeps me going. Hyping myself to share because it IS about the back and forth that makes connections so real and encouraging.

No matter what the connection is, appreciate the value. It’s special when explored.

Exploring feeds curiosity, expanding our minds when ready to transform. When we help transform each other, we serve so much more! Dump your heart and soul into it. Journals shouldn’t be left ignored!

Be open to the tools of wisdom to keep heightening, expanding, growing, wondering, imagining, creating, and inspiring!

From you to me, now from me to you, with lots of gratitude. Inspired by all writers who need readers, and by readers who need writers. This is a good cycle to be in.

Turn Self-Talk into Self-Magic

Photo by Alina Vilchenko on Pexels.com

What I share with you are notes to myself.

Messages of mantras and affirmations to filter out the negations and pressures from the inside and outside of yourself.

Balance that shit out.

And continue to create, create, create.

It started with a little black book, and then another. Progressed to different sizes and styles.

Inside with messages with so many themes in so many different layers:

  • Paradigm shifts within myself and the ripple effect.
  • Following dreams and passions –
    • If you want to do something, think of it, and do it.
    • Vocation and career goals
  • Following intuition
    • Intuitive empath
    • Claircognizant (clear-knowing) and clairsentient (clear-feeling)
    • Angel numbers
  • Family life
    • Marriage
    • 3 kids (elementary school-aged)
  • Creative flow –
    • Morning writing ritual
      • Coffee with flavoured cream
      • Mantras and affirmations
      • Breathing (when I remember – work in progress)
      • Daily dump as in writing dump
        • Dump onto paper or keyboard
        • Raw concepts that keep brewing
        • Filter to edit and share
      • Interpret my dreams
      • 7-minute writing prompt
      • 20-minute writing prompt
      • Post if satisfied
    • Feel and write, write and feel
      • Daily reflection
      • Revelations
      • Affirmations
      • Prose
  • Knowledge
    • Speech and Language Communication
    • Books and culture
  • Self Development
    • Self-Talk
    • Self-Empowerment
    • Steps to transform and grow
  • Manifest – Think it
  • Create – Do it
  • Flow – Be it

…………….MAGIC…………….

Use your self-talk to stride one step at a time.

It’s a powerful phenomenon when you decide to tap in.

Open a page in your book and make your creation!

Writing Paragraphs

Writing a paragraph is an important skill for young learners to express a series of thoughts or ideas. We build upon this foundation to help organize our thoughts when we share written information. The following is the basic structure on how to build a basic paragraph with ideas on how to connect ideas with your five senses.

When tutoring young learners, I teach this formula as a foundation for ideas to be simplified, as well as for skills to be progressed. Use this outline as a way to help organize thoughts for re-tell and story-telling.

What is the Title or Topic?

1. Brainstorm (10 mins)

  • Point or Number Form

1.

2.

3.

  • or Spiderweb Circles

2. Rough Draft (10 mins)

Include at least 5 points like:

What?Who?What Else??
Where?How?It reminds me of…
When?Why?I wonder how…

Include your 6 senses:

SeeHear
SmellFeel/Touch
TasteWonder

3. Good Draft (15 mins)

Clean up your work. Each thought should end with a period. Use the checklist:

CapitalsPeriods
CommasQuestion Marks
Check SpellingSPACES BETWEEN WORDS

Example:                              Title

  1. Introduction: What is it about?
  2. First… Description:
  3. Next… Description:    
  4. Then… Description:
  5. Last, it reminds me of…
  6. I wonder how … why ….?