Profound

I am back to writing on this blog. But...but...but... I don't have anything "profound" to share. Do I really need "profound" moments to share? Isn't my everyday life "profound" in itself?

This past week I have slept in my car at rest areas and store parking lots. In a hotel and a friends' house. Taken a shower in a community center that I stumbled upon. While living this nomadic lifestyle for the past year and a half, a warm shower is something I seek after and rejoice in. The simple things mean so much. The time alone was just what I needed to restore the resources that I had depleted in my life.

I went to a singles dance in Illinois and danced and laughed, then swam in the hotel pool the next morning. Chicago Mermaid love! dance....laugh....swim...

Ventured Chicago way on Sunday to watch the Bears/Packers playoff game with "my people". After taking the ORANGE line from Midway Airport to Roosevelt, I walked with the masses of people heading to Soldier Field, equally Packers and Bears fans! I paused often when I felt the energy level at a very high, just soaking it up! After walking around the stadium, touching it, kissing it (yeah I did!) I went in search of somewhere warm to watch the game. Looking for the sports bar where I had watched a Bears/Vikings game a couple of years ago. I knew it was close to Soldier Field just not sure where it was located or what it was called. Not exactly sure which way to go I said to my spirit, lead me. I head on the metal ramp that winds out of the area, passing people telling me that I am going the wrong way.

The thought just occurred to me HOW? can they knew which way I am suppose to be heading? They
are not me! They do not know what MY spirit is saying to me. They do not KNOW my hearts desire! How often have I thought or even said to someone "you are going the wrong way!" When I am not them, HOW? do I know which way THEY are suppose to be heading? HOW do I know what THEIR spirit is saying to them? I don't KNOW their hearts desire!

Back to the story about finding "my people". As I come out on the street it all starts looking familiar. YES I am heading in the right direction! Only a few blocks more and I see the corner bar AND it has a line down the street to get in. Oh, I don't want to stand out in the cold streets. But the nudge was there to wait. Laughing and chatting with those in line, the wait did not seem long. Inside it was standing room only, elbow to elbow. My belly growls, I AM HUNGRY, how am I going to get some food? I go up to the hostess stand and she tells me I can put in a to go order, whoohoo! While waiting for my food to make an appearance, I spy two spare chair sitting by the railing, you know when they take them away from tables because their party does not need them at their table. There are coats on them with a guy standing watch, I ask him if I can sit in one, he says sure! I have a SEAT! When they call him to a table I notice an older lady looking at the seat longingly. I wave her over and we chat while she is waiting on her table. Very well educated, with a kind spirit, "my people". A gentleman with gray hair peeks around the corner saying to us, I think you have the best seats in the house. I would have to agree. I tell him that she is getting a table and I can save this seat for him if he would like. YES he would! I put my coat on the chair until comes to claim it. He tells me he is a Packers fan, WHAT? I saved a chair for a Packers fan! He tells me his name is Dave, WHAT? I saved a chair for a Dave! (my ex's name). He talks about his wife, WHAT? I saved a seat for a married man! All pressure was off, we could have fun and we did, talking about our adventures in life and our dreams. He happened to be there because his daughter worked there and he was visiting her from the upper peninsula of Michigan.

Dave THE Packer fan laid his hand on my shoulder to console me after my Bears were defeated and gently reminded me that "it was just a game". Very well educated with a kind spirit, "my people".

I received good service from his daughter, and a free drink! 
a~bun~dance
dance! dance! dance!

Even though my Bears lost in the Championship game and would not be going to the Superbowl, I smiled all the way back to my car. What a wonderful time!

Notice!!!!

WARNING: Any institutions or individuals using this site or any of its associated sites for studies or projects-you DO NOT have permission to use any of my profile or pictures in any form or forum both current and future. If you have or do, it will be considered a violation of my privacy and will be subject to legal ramifications. It is recommended that other members post a similar notice


NOTICE! Any institutions or individuals using this site or any of it's associated sites for studies or projects-you DO have my permission to use any of my profile or pictures in any form or forum both current and future. If you have or do, it will be considered my greatest honor! The Universe has blessed me with it's generosity and now I pay it forward! LOVE TO ALL! It is recommended that other members post a similar notice!


I saw this first "WARNING:" on a facebook's profile pictures. Not liking it at all I decided to write the second! Probably one of the reasons I decided not to be an attorney! I have been so blessed in my life and want everyone to be as blessed! There is more then enough a~bun~dance in this world to go around! All my needs are always met! dance! dance! dance!

November 25, 2008 Chicago Mermaid blog

Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Artist Way
Recently I have been consuming books from the library. I have read
The Dance of the Dissident Daughter: A Woman's Journey from Christian Tradition to the Sacred Feminine by Sue Monk Kidd. I picked it up because I have been into dancing lately and I have read a couple of her other books and loved them. I was touched the core of my being while reading this book. I needed to see that others were fed up with the patriarchal thinking in the Christian church and how they danced this spiritual journey to freedom. I have always felt the spiritual part of my being in a strong way. Yet while in the Christan church I sensed that by being a woman I was a second class citizen I have felt it in society at times as well. The weekend after reading this book I encountered two former male pastors and I did not feel anything bad towards them. This was a true miracle.

I have read Sacred Contract by Caroline Myss. I felt led to it by my journey back to my spiritual being. In the first chapter she talked about the DVD The Power of Myth with Joseph Campbell. I had checked out that same DVD with the book. This sent sparkles through my body as well has some dancing feet. While doing the Sacred Contract wheel from the book I cast my artist archetype in my spiritual house. It is starting to make sense to me. My spirituality is connected to the artist in me. That is why when one is messed up it so strongly affects the other. Then I watched the DVD and Joseph Campbell says that artist are the myth tellers of modern day. Again artist intertwined with spirituality.

I noticed a book in my case at home entitled The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron. Oh yeah I was going to read that book someday. Well Sunday November 23rd 2008 is that day. I knew meshing artist with spirituality was the stretch of road I am on now. While flipping through it I noticed that I had written the date that I had purchased it in the front cover, it was November 28th, 2003.

It came flooding back to me, this was the Friday after Thanksgiving 2003. This was two days after I had buried my18 year old son Andrew. I had gotten up the courage to go shopping or better yet to go out in public by myself. I could do this.... or could I? Just "go" I told myself. I did it. I wanted to say to people who were so busy shopping and going on with their lives that "what you are doing is NOT SO IMPORTANT...I just buried my son." It just felt so unreal. I was very proud of myself I did not disrupt any ones black Friday shopping experience. I guess I thought I needed some art therapy to heal through this experience. My intention with a degree in psychology was to do art therapy.

I am beginning this 12 week Artist Way program that the book takes you through. Starting today I am purchasing a new notebook to get started on the morning writing that is one of the requirements of the course. Another one is an artist date. Where you take the artist within you on a date every week. I already have an idea for one of the dates...going ice skating...aka dancing on frozen water...winter mermaid.

I will keep everyone updated on the journey. I will have completed the path to higher creativity course at the beginning of March. I was thinking about taking some classes and this will be a good winter one.

From my Chicago Mermaid blog!

Monday, November 3, 2008
A Bun Dance
Been doing a little bit of dancing lately. I read the book Law of Attraction a few months ago. They talked about abundance in our lives. When I saw it, I saw the word "A Bun Dance". I love to dance. Well when I have something fun or exciting happen in my life I have been doing the "A Bun Dance". Thought I would share by little dances from yesterday.

I dropped off some chairs at Bethany's house last night and I went into her little garden that had been left for the previous renters and picked me some free tomatoes...a little "tomato dancing" here!

When I worked at Family Express we had some incentive things pop out of the lottery machine, you had to register on the Hoosier Lottery site to be in the drawings. Well they sent me a little birthday coupon for a free $2 scratch off. Well I went to Meijers to purchase some groceries so I redeemed my coupon. The machine said it was a $3 coupon so I "had" to get 2 tickets one $2 and one $1. I did not win anything on the $2 one but low and behold I won $20 on the $1 one. I did the "I won the lottery dance". I had just been at Gordman's checking out the new styles and saw a shirt I loved for $20. Yeah! Yeah! Happy Birthday to me!

Then I have this addiction to ice cream... I don't need it but I want it...oh yes I do need it since it is an addiction...(hehehe!!!) Well I tell myself I won't get it unless my kind is on sell. Well I go to the frozen food section and do the "ice cream is on sell dance". Happy Birthday to me!


Hoping to start a blog soon to share all of my A Bun Dancing!! (when I figure it all out!) I would like to hear the A Bun Dancing everyone is doing in their lives.

Longing

I met SARK!! She is a wonderful inspirational artist/author/speaker/person! One of the points she made in her presentation was to feel your feelings. Feel them don't push them away. What are they? I began thinking back to my alone time in my magic little house in Lafayette IN. I was longing for some friends and maybe some dates. This longing led me to a site called Plenty of Fish. They were having a singles dance in Danville IL and I signed up to help with it. Some SOCIAL time I was so excited! This longing led me to many new friends. Dave Youhas was the leader of the singles dance and he was also the leader of the singles group on a Meetup Group site. I met many new friends through this Meetup Group. One friend is Lisa Hardwick, who I recently went to Celebrate Your Life with in Chicago where I met SARK!! Look what my longing and listening to it led me to. There is nothing wrong with having feelings and longings. You have them for a reason. They are to direct you to great things. YOUR HEARTS DESIRES!

Intuition

Listen to it! Take the time to know your intuitions voice. Then begin listening to it. You will be surprised where it takes you and what blessings it bestows upon you. 7 Jars of Peanut Butter is the result of me listening to that voice following it and seeing the awesome results. I probably hear and listen correctly to that voice 90% of the time. 10% of the time I am wrong. None of us like to be wrong. But being on the right path 90% of the time is awesome. Before taking off on this chapter of my life I kept hearing my intuition voice  telling me to go to a certain store. I tried to ignore it and tell it I don't need anything else. I had given away all my "stuff" except what fit into my car. I did go to that store and found 7 jars of natural chunky peanut butter on their clearance rack for .53 each. That is my favorite kind AND it was my manna from heaven so to speak. With little money I headed to California to a Mermaid by the Sea workshop. Starting out on my journey to being a full time artist.  Everyone said "so you are going to be a starving artist?" I said no with the reassurance that all of my needs were met. I have met some very awesome people since I left Indiana on 4/20/2009 (the 11th anniversary of us finding out my mom had leukemia) I find signifiance in that day. Her journey was only 4 months after that day. I don't know how long my journey will be but I do know it will be for the rest of my life. I plan on living each day as if it was my last. My hopes are to INSPIRE others to live up to their fullest potential through creativity and humor. Many have asked me to write a book about my journey. Upon thnking about it the title 7 Jars of Peanut Butter came to me. Of course! I am trying to write daily and I decided to start a blog about it.

Healthy Mother/Adult Child Relationship.

Below is what I used at the Domestic Violence shelter when I worked there. I thought this could be translated to a mother/adult child relationship. One of my goals for 2010 is to strengthen my relationship with my children. Let me use the tools I know to accomplish this.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP

Let's you be yourself.


Let's you be together as a couple(mother/adult child), but without you losing your sense of self.

Brings out the postivie qualities of your partner (adult child) and yourself.

Invites growth in each other.

Encourages each other's self-sufficiency.

Appreciates what the other person does for them.

Respects the need, when and if it arises, to end the relationship.(not going to happen in my lifetime, space yes but the relationship will not end!)

Does not attempt to change or control you or your partner(adult child).

Allows you to say how you feel at the time you feel it.

Let's you express feelings without fear of your partner's(mother's/adult child's) reaction.

Welcomes closeness and risks vulnerablilty.

Affirms equality of yourself(mother) and partner(adult child).

Accepts limitations of yourself (adult child) and partner (mother).

Feels the freedom to express needs.
 
 
 
 
 
YOU HAVE THE RIGHT!   In a  Mother/Adult Child relationship!
 
To be treated with respect


To be responsible for your own life

To be listened to and taken seriously

To have and express your own feelings

To feel happy, satisfied and at peace

To take care of your body, mind and spirit

To make mistakes

To ask for information and/or help from others

To say "no" without feeling guilty

To relax, to let go, to "do" nothing

To set your limits

To have healthy relationships or change relationships

To choose NOT to assert yourself