All in all, 2011 was fairly decent with a few lows and many more highs. As we say “so long” to 2011 and hello to 2012, I felt the need to be self indulgent and review my year with you!
2011 was the year my book, Unfinished Projects published by Main Street Rag, debuted. I traveled about 5,000 miles this year promoting my book throughout the Carolinas along with visiting New York’s Book Revue Bookstore and the St. Louis poetry scene. I met so many fantastic people on all of my road trips, but my favorite gigs were in Charleston and Waynesville, NC. I don’t think I laughed so hard in Charleston after the Monday Night Poetry and Music show in April—ever. (I think it involved not getting caught on Spruill Ave, Hurricane Katrina and Star Wars tattoos—thank you, Aaron, Kevin and Katrina!) Waynesville (about 20 min west of Asheville) was also a trip and a half. My hosts from the Mountain Writers Club took me and my best buddy/honorary poetry roadie Jane to the Sweet Onion where the conversation was a lively as an electric eel. Stay tuned for more road trips in 2012 when I visit Columbia, SC, Asheville, Charleston and Hickory to promote my new book, After the Steaming Stops, coming out in March or April.
2011 was the year I cut my hair. I was so bored with my long hair and tired of strangers telling me I looked like Kathy Griffin, the comic. So I got my hair cut in mid-May. It was a good cut, but so…different. I couldn’t style my hair like before and my husband kept calling me “Prince Valiant.” Oy. The good news was that folks said I looked younger than my 29 years. I’ve got my hair now to about my shoulders after 7 months and I want to go long again. Another part of the good news is that I found a curling iron that keeps up with my style even in bad humidity and my long hairs don’t clog our sinks anymore.
2011 was the year I became a Reiki Level II practitioner. Reiki has helped calm me down—but only so much since as you all know I’m a very intense person. I’ll be training to be a Reiki Master this spring! I’m using my Reiki to be more aware and intuitive, plus with my hair growing longer, my intuition will only get stronger! (there’s a theory that the longer your hair, the better your psychic abilities)
2011 was the year I called 9-1-1 after my three-year-old daughter Erin severely sliced open the bridge of her nose when she jumped from the bathroom sink onto the edge of a plastic trash can. I guess she was practicing for a role in Spiderman? I remembered my health ed classes and kept steady pressure on her wound. She was cool with everything and found it interesting that her older brother practically fainted when he saw her five stitches. 2011 was also the year my son wandered into the deadly April 16 Raleigh tornadoes—I wrote a poem about it. He ended up safe but you should have been a fly on the wall when my husband, who was at work at the time, asked me where Daniel was and I said, “IDK!” and then he said, “Well, the roof of the Lowe’s in Sanford just blew off!” Daniel followed a neighbor with Chihuahuas back to her townhouse to ride out the storm. Oy vay.
2011 was the year I got Craig-Listed by my boss. I was the editor for a fledgling magazine for three months and the publisher (I use that term loosely) put my position up on Craig’s List with me still in the job! I quit the next business day. I have to say I met SO many awesome people in that position that it was worth the time. But I realized I don’t want to take a “jobby job”—I’m having too much fun as an entrepreneur where I set my own hours and have the opportunity to increase my income. Take this job and shove it!
2011 was the year I sang in public for the first time in 10 years. I got the singing bug back, so watch out! I want to take singing lessons next. 2011 was the year I gave blood again after 10 years. And 2011 was the year I took a humor workshop AND wrote and performed five humor-themed speeches. I used one of those speeches in my emcee duties at the CHERUBS Angels Masquerade Ball for babies born with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH), but I cheated since I made fun of Charlie Sheen the whole time.
2011 was the year I visited the Ozarks, Fort Smith and St. Louis for the first time with my husband. In St. Louis I saw my first cousin KC after 17 years! That was cool. 2011 was the year I took up running again and published a blog post once a week—do or die!
2011 was the year every single one of my dresses, save one or two, came from the boutique consignment store, Our Friends Closet in North Raleigh off of Durant Road in Falls River Town Center. 2011 was also the year of teaching fantastic writers in my memoir workshops, fiction editing workshops and blogging workshops (both in person and online)—may the knowledge continue in 2012! I taught poetry at the Nazim Hikmet Festival in April, sponsored by the American Turkish Association and the Town of Cary, and will return to teaching at the Festival this year as well. I do it to be invited to the crazy Turkish after-party, but please don’t tell anyone that!
Well, goodbye 2011 and I know 2012 will create a wealth of good memories and fun! In 2012 I’m going to keep posting my blog once a week, memorize a classic poem every month and practice my singing and comedy routine, along with writing some more riveting poetry—so watch out!
Your Turn:
How did you survive 2011? What are your promises to yourself for 2012?
Goodbye 2011! Here’s My Year-End Wrap Up
December 31, 2011 by Leave a Comment
All in all, 2011 was fairly decent with a few lows and many more highs. As we say “so long” to 2011 and hello to 2012, I felt the need to be self indulgent and review my year with you!
2011 was the year my book, Unfinished Projects published by Main Street Rag, debuted. I traveled about 5,000 miles this year promoting my book throughout the Carolinas along with visiting New York’s Book Revue Bookstore and the St. Louis poetry scene. I met so many fantastic people on all of my road trips, but my favorite gigs were in Charleston and Waynesville, NC. I don’t think I laughed so hard in Charleston after the Monday Night Poetry and Music show in April—ever. (I think it involved not getting caught on Spruill Ave, Hurricane Katrina and Star Wars tattoos—thank you, Aaron, Kevin and Katrina!) Waynesville (about 20 min west of Asheville) was also a trip and a half. My hosts from the Mountain Writers Club took me and my best buddy/honorary poetry roadie Jane to the Sweet Onion where the conversation was a lively as an electric eel. Stay tuned for more road trips in 2012 when I visit Columbia, SC, Asheville, Charleston and Hickory to promote my new book, After the Steaming Stops, coming out in March or April.
2011 was the year I cut my hair. I was so bored with my long hair and tired of strangers telling me I looked like Kathy Griffin, the comic. So I got my hair cut in mid-May. It was a good cut, but so…different. I couldn’t style my hair like before and my husband kept calling me “Prince Valiant.” Oy. The good news was that folks said I looked younger than my 29 years. I’ve got my hair now to about my shoulders after 7 months and I want to go long again. Another part of the good news is that I found a curling iron that keeps up with my style even in bad humidity and my long hairs don’t clog our sinks anymore.
2011 was the year I became a Reiki Level II practitioner. Reiki has helped calm me down—but only so much since as you all know I’m a very intense person. I’ll be training to be a Reiki Master this spring! I’m using my Reiki to be more aware and intuitive, plus with my hair growing longer, my intuition will only get stronger! (there’s a theory that the longer your hair, the better your psychic abilities)
2011 was the year I called 9-1-1 after my three-year-old daughter Erin severely sliced open the bridge of her nose when she jumped from the bathroom sink onto the edge of a plastic trash can. I guess she was practicing for a role in Spiderman? I remembered my health ed classes and kept steady pressure on her wound. She was cool with everything and found it interesting that her older brother practically fainted when he saw her five stitches. 2011 was also the year my son wandered into the deadly April 16 Raleigh tornadoes—I wrote a poem about it. He ended up safe but you should have been a fly on the wall when my husband, who was at work at the time, asked me where Daniel was and I said, “IDK!” and then he said, “Well, the roof of the Lowe’s in Sanford just blew off!” Daniel followed a neighbor with Chihuahuas back to her townhouse to ride out the storm. Oy vay.
2011 was the year I got Craig-Listed by my boss. I was the editor for a fledgling magazine for three months and the publisher (I use that term loosely) put my position up on Craig’s List with me still in the job! I quit the next business day. I have to say I met SO many awesome people in that position that it was worth the time. But I realized I don’t want to take a “jobby job”—I’m having too much fun as an entrepreneur where I set my own hours and have the opportunity to increase my income. Take this job and shove it!
2011 was the year I sang in public for the first time in 10 years. I got the singing bug back, so watch out! I want to take singing lessons next. 2011 was the year I gave blood again after 10 years. And 2011 was the year I took a humor workshop AND wrote and performed five humor-themed speeches. I used one of those speeches in my emcee duties at the CHERUBS Angels Masquerade Ball for babies born with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH), but I cheated since I made fun of Charlie Sheen the whole time.
2011 was the year I visited the Ozarks, Fort Smith and St. Louis for the first time with my husband. In St. Louis I saw my first cousin KC after 17 years! That was cool. 2011 was the year I took up running again and published a blog post once a week—do or die!
2011 was the year every single one of my dresses, save one or two, came from the boutique consignment store, Our Friends Closet in North Raleigh off of Durant Road in Falls River Town Center. 2011 was also the year of teaching fantastic writers in my memoir workshops, fiction editing workshops and blogging workshops (both in person and online)—may the knowledge continue in 2012! I taught poetry at the Nazim Hikmet Festival in April, sponsored by the American Turkish Association and the Town of Cary, and will return to teaching at the Festival this year as well. I do it to be invited to the crazy Turkish after-party, but please don’t tell anyone that!
Well, goodbye 2011 and I know 2012 will create a wealth of good memories and fun! In 2012 I’m going to keep posting my blog once a week, memorize a classic poem every month and practice my singing and comedy routine, along with writing some more riveting poetry—so watch out!
Your Turn:
How did you survive 2011? What are your promises to yourself for 2012?
What Does Your Ringtone Say About You?
December 24, 2011 by 4 Comments
Does your ringtone blurt out your favorite Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” or is it Tom Jones’ “She’s a Lady”? Or maybe you don’t have a song for your ringtone—instead you opt for the silent feature or vibration. Because it’s Christmas I have the theme from “The Nutcracker,”—and thanks to wanting this ringtone so badly I learned I was delinquent in my iOS 5 update!
Before getting my iPhone last year I had a variation of “Canon in C” or “Swan Lake,” and I mostly kept my phone on vibrate so I wouldn’t embarrass myself any further than I had to. But with my new gadget, I couldn’t wait to download iTunes and get personalized ringtones for my friends and family. You have to know I have a certain penchant for movie themes that lean to Westerns and adventure flicks generated from the mind of Spielberg.
Let’s see, my husband’s tone is “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” because that’s what marriage is like after 10 years (get off of my back—he selected it), my friend Dave Baldwin has the theme from Bonanza, because he always calls me with exciting news, my friend Barnsley has the theme from Magnificent Seven, because when we meet she brings optimism and ideas. I feel my endorphins elevate when I hear “Nutcracker” or the Raiders of the Lost Ark theme or CCR’s “Lookin’ Out My Back Door.” What was life like before song ringtones? This summer I had the theme from “Jaws,” but I had to switch to the theme from High Noon: “Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darlin’” (which hardly anyone is familiar with and I like being obscure) because I started dreading picking up the phone. It’s not good when you cringe every time you hear your phone ring. That’s why you’ll never hear the theme from Psycho or Omen on my phone.
Your Turn
Do you put a lot of effort into selecting your ringtones? If so, tell me what you have! Have you ever been embarrassed when your phone rings and it’s a song you wouldn’t want the other person to know you like? You know like, “I Just Called to Say I Love You,” or “Hello”? C’mon, tell me! It’s just between us:)
Take A Jump With Me: Skydiving with Coach Olga
October 19, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Today we welcome back Coach Olga Monroe who blogs about taking a big leap~Enjoy!
Last month, while attending the Yoga Synergy Workshop I worked with a new friend, Jamie. While making casual conversation, we each asked what the other had been up to recently. It turns out that Jamie had just gone skydiving for the first time in her life and she was planning on going again over the 4th of July holiday weekend. A mixture of curiosity and excitement got the best of me and I immediately asked her if I could tag along the next time she went. So, about a month later, on Sunday morning, July 3, Jamie and I headed out to Triangle Skydiving Center for my first skydiving experience.
Knowing for the past month that I would finally go skydiving caused a reaction in and of itself. My old system of “agreements” consisted of nervousness, fear, and eager anticipation—the equivalent of swarms of butterflies fluttering throughout my system. In the past, I might have rambled on about my anxiety as a way of seeking others’ opinions, energy, and feedback. This time, I chose to keep the adventure to myself and, of course, Jamie. This gave me the luxury to create my own experience versus my old tried-and-true approach of having others create it for me. Trust me that this was not easy!
I have been exercising this new muscle of self-containment over the last couple of years. I am happy to say that it paid off in spades when the time finally came to go skydiving. My new approach was also instrumental for the friendship I was developing with Jamie. While we drove out to Triangle Skydiving Center, we both learned a lot more about each other, which further deepened our connection and awareness of one another.
When we got to the Center, the first thing we had to do was go through a series of waivers and watch a DVD designed to disclose, frighten, and “talk you out of” taking the jump. Guess they leave little room for any lingering doubt! Once the formalities were behind us, we went to the observation deck to watch other skydivers take their turns. Eventually, our names were called and we met our Tandem Jumping Masters. Jamie’s partner was the owner, Greg, and mine was John.
As John went through the process of fitting, securing and checking my equipment, he taught me the basic how’s, why’s, and what’s of skydiving. John had spent years in the medical profession and turned his skydiving hobby into a profession.
“Why do you skydive?” I asked him.
“While I am up in the sky, there are no problems, bills, issues, or DRAMA!” he said.
I felt as if I understood his statement perfectly, even without having tried the experience myself—yet!
I listened intently to every instruction that John gave to me. Eventually, we all went to the hangar, boarded the plane, and took off to the sky. I felt a combination of security, calmness, and excitement throughout the flight. I felt comforted by John’s instructions and the knowledge that everyone around me had already done this before—I was the only newbie. I also noticed that the experienced jumpers around me were more relaxed and joyous than most people I know day-to-day walking around on the solid ground.
So, armed with the affirmation that everything was going to be OK, I soaked up every detail that my senses could process. At first, I was focused mostly on the visual aspects of the experience, but when the plane got to the desired altitude, my visual, emotional, and kinesthetic senses all clicked together at once and came in sync.
All of a sudden, jumpers started rolling out of the plane like people escaping a fire through the nearest exit. Then, it was my turn to take the plunge. THANK GOD for John. We were attached as closely as Siamese twins. As we crept to the door, my mind kept repeating his directions like a spin cycle on a washing machine—right knee down and keep my sight to the sky.
Next thing I knew, we were free falling through the bright blue, vivid, and rich sky.
WOWIE ZOWIE!!!
I have to admit that the first few seconds included the tiniest drops of fear, but the love, beauty, and joy of the moment naturally flooded the fear out. It was simply the purest, most thrilling, and exhilarating experience ever! Knowing that I was so high above the ground and floating in the sky—a place so seemingly faraway and only “reachable” when I am in a plane—was surreal! We were all laughing, breathing, and enjoying this beauty of this experience and bonded by this unforgettable moment.
Eventually, John pulled the ripcord and our parachute opened.
There was a sudden jerk as it captured the air beneath it and proceeded to support us as we floated over the Earth. That is when I truly started to relax, look around, and slowly process what was happening. Oh, the expansiveness of the ground below me! I was able to take in the lay of the land, the limitless sky, and the surrounding atmosphere with absolute serenity. I noticed that without the parachute, I was completely in my body with only the air, and my fellow jumpers, around me to connect me to this world. When the parachute opened, I was able to maintain my sense of connection, but I also was able to add in my visual, mental, and emotional senses to the experience.
I am proud to say that I successfully followed all of John’s directions and even learned to land ourselves. I also got a superior report for the first entry in my Skydiver’s Logbook! But nothing beat the rush I felt of falling through the sky at 120 mph after jumping from a perfectly good airplane. Skydiving is an exhilarating and intense adrenaline rush. I now understand why John didn’t know—or need to know—what a Life Coach is. John exuded a happy, lighthearted, and exuberant energy. Thanks to him, I felt excited, safe, and aware of everything happening and what to expect. I felt I was living more “in the moment” than I have in a long time—and I loved it!
After I was safely back on solid ground—both feet firmly planted on the soil—I started wondering how I could hold on to this experience and learn from it, apply it to my life, and harness the feeling I felt while I was in the sky.
Your Turn:
What other lovely, beautiful, and joyous events are available to us, here on Earth, which we can use to strengthen or override the fearful, anxious, and nervous emotions that often throw us into inertia or depression? How can we add more adventure to our lives, or go outside our comfort zone to learn about ourselves a bit better?
About Coach Olga:
Olga is a Certified Professional Co-Active Life Coach and Mentor who passionately inspires and motivates clients desiring to realize and achieve their life purpose to their fullest potential through a system of perspectives. She encourages her clients to see the world and its many opportunities in a new way by learning to step fearlessly into their roles as leaders at work, in their family, and within the community. Contact here here 919-604-0104 www.chickswhoknow.com
Download Olga’s free Guided Meditation of Your Future Self now at www.yourrichesilluminated.com
