Sunday Evening Blues

We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them. ~Albert Einstein

I have to admit... the Sunday evening blues have set in again in my mind.  It always seems to happen to me around this time on a Sunday evening.  My husband and I have enjoyed another lovely weekend together and Monday morning looms on the horizon.  There's still so much we want to do, as well as just rest and relax, but alas... time always seems to slip away so quickly.

There are so many thoughts in my head that I find myself struggling to make sense of and sort out.  It's very tempting to lament over everything undone and everything I had hoped to "get around to" do or experience.  It's all just so tempting to fall into a negative way of thinking, but I recently wrote about choosing not to avoid having the lizard brain again and am committed to watching my words and thoughts.

Paul Foreman continues to capture my attention through his great blog posts and mind maps.  This particular blog post gives some great insight into 100 ways to rise above negativity.

Mr. Foreman has captured some great thoughts and suggestions here.  Surely there's something in his writings we can latch on to and rise above any moments of melancholy.  After all, joy and happiness tend to be right underneath our nose on any given day, ready to be found if we'll just take the time to look.

So, I challenge you to be a positive rebel today!  Share with us ways you've found to rise above the blues to a more positive way of thinking and feeling.

No more lizard brain for me!

Seth Godin wrote a recent blog post that hit me right between the eyes.  He was so right about the "lizard brain" speaking up, constantly sending us on that downward spiral of thinking about not having any good ideas, followed by not having enough time.  When you come right down to it, it's our choice of whether or not we are going to let the resistance win.

I must admit that I struggle with procrastination often.  Sometimes things just seem so overwhelming and I really am not sure of where to start.  Perfectionism reduces me to frequent "all-or-nothing" thinking.  What's underneath all that isn't pretty... fear of failure and fear of not having anything worthwhile to say or share.  Being a very detailed-oriented person, it's often easy to get caught in the weeds.

This year it's my goal to consistently break myself out of this grid-lock.  There are ideas and stories inside of me just screaming to get out.  My husband and I even recently launched a second blog about Pomegranate Janet ... a fictitious comic strip about amusing thoughts and happenings along a journey of weight loss and fitness.  Now not only am I stretching myself with the written word, but also now forcing myself to pick up my pencils and sketchpad again and just draw.  Seth Godin sure got it right... "... don't tell me you don't have any good ideas."  No more lizard brain for me!

A Favorite Childhood Toy

As the sun colors flowers, so does art color life. ~ John Lubbock 

It's a cool winter's day outside and a long workweek lies ahead.  I'm finding myself thinking back to another lovely day a few months ago where it was just heavenly being out in the fall Florida sunshine.  If you ever find yourself in Orlando in mid-November, you simply must check out Disney's Festival of the Masters event in Downtown Disney.  The 35th annual festival was the most recent one we took in, and it was the 4th year in a row we've been.  It's become a fond tradition for us to go wander about the hundreds of artisan exhibits strewn about the complex on what always seems to turn into a perfect autumn day.

2011 Festival of the Masters at Downtown Disney in Orlando, FL

Since the first year we visited the Festival, I've had my eye on this artist's incredible kaleidoscope creations.  Not only are they exquisite pieces of art, they're simply breathtaking.  I could easily pass hours and hours staring at all the color combinations these scopes create.  My sweet husband gave me one as a gift on this last visit and I've been enjoying it immensely.

Here I am pictured with the artist from Kaleidovisions
who created my single scope creation from curly maple wood.

What's so special about a tube of mirrors and a handful of small trinkets?  Wikipedia has a great account of how kaleidoscopes were developed.  Like so many things in life, it came about not as a result of direct intention, but as a happy coincidence of work on something else.  I love what the word "kaleidoscope" means in the Ancient Greek... "observer of beautiful forms."  They always make me think back to one of my favorite childhood toys... a simple kaleidoscope made of a cardboard tube and pieces of colored plastic in the scope.  It was a basic model for sure, but still brought me hours of enjoyment.

As I've been playing with my new toy, I've tried combining my interest in photography to capture some of these amazingly beautiful images.  Here are a few I hope you'll enjoy.

And lastly, just for fun... try out this online Kaleidoscope Painter for yourself.  It's great fun and stress relief to take a few moments to focus on those "beautiful forms."

On this cool winter's day when a bit of winter gloom hangs in the air, thoughts of these colorful images bring a bit more warmth to my mind.

Tell me about one of your most favorite childhood toys that brought you great joy.

A multitude of small delights constitute happiness. ~ Charles Baudelaire 

Have You Ever Stopped to Think...

... and forget to start again?  Or so, the funny saying goes.

Operations of thought are like cavalry charges in a battle -- they are strictly limited in number, they require fresh horses, and must only be made at decisive moments. ~ Whitehead 

Well, I made it through the first week back in the office after the holidays somehow.  This weekend has been a good time to pause and reflect on things.  Life passes so quickly and if we're not careful, it's easy to let life pass us by altogether.  So, as I enjoy the last bit of our wonderful weekend which has been quite enjoyable, I'm conserving my energy and beginning to rally the troops (in my head) to secure those fresh horses.  Like the New Year, tomorrow is another day and a new week to make things happen. There are challenges ahead and I'm thankful to God above for giving me the gumption to try and rise to the task.   As I think Teddy Roosevelt once said in his Rough-Riders days... "CHARGE!!!!"

Have a great week everyone!

Trying to Find My Own Voice

To gain your own voice, you have to forget about having it heard. ~ Allen Ginsberg 

It's time for me to just write, write, write.... who cares who reads, right?!

Well, I still care who reads.  And I care how I come across to others.  But at the same time I feel paralyzed sometimes, waiting for that perfect moment or perfect situation to describe.  Tonight I sit on my balcony looking out on the canal leading out to Old Tampa Bay - knowing how very many opportunities I've let go by without even trying to find my own voice.  The perfect moment in our minds often is always in the future.  How many "perfect moments do we disregard by not taking advantage of the perfect moment that really already is at hand?

I fear I have let many opportunities slip by.  So may blessings have befallen me and I've been numb to that own special voice rising up within me.  No more!  It's time to set things in motion again and start talking about this daily joy that is to be found.  Thanks to my Hubby who has given me some special tools to help me be more productive on the go too.  I am so blessed!

If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. ~ Charlie Parker (Two and a Half Men)