Wisdom of Johnny Depp

 

. . . and I second that, Mr. Depp.  Weird might just apply to most creative people.  At a certain point in life, it becomes a compliment! 

Free Audiobooks!

Dancing on Mars publisher, All Things That Matter Press, is giving away audio books!  Get details at the link below.  While you're at the site, check out all the titles offered by ATTM.  You'll find some compelling reads there.

  #Free #Audiobook promotion from #ATTMPress starts 10/1 at http://www.allthingsthatmatterpress.com/attmpresspromotions.htm

'Tis True

(from the Virginia Woolf page - Facebook)

With a Little Help from My Friends

Actually Dancing on Mars is the result of a lot of help from generous friends.  And the help hasn't ended, even now.  Only today my friend Sue Willis surprised me by posting a plug for the book and this blog on Facebook!  Thank you, Sue.


I've been thinking about power, personal power, and wondering what would happen if all of us were to use our personal power in some way to make the crazy world a better place.  A lot of people DO use their power for that purpose.  But some of us put our personal power away for one reason or another and then forget to reclaim it.   Others of us don't recognize that we have power, that we have choices.  Sometimes the choices we face are clearly good and not so good; sometimes they're bad or worse than bad. But there are choices, almost always. 

        (Image from changetheworldorg.com, posted on Facebook)


Today, September 4, 2013, there's a New Moon.  A good time for beginnings.  For fresh starts.  My "New Moon wish" is that all who have forgotten their power will claim and embrace it.  And use it wisely.

Paying Attention

(

(from Hippie Peace Freaks/Facebook)

It's all about paying attention, isn't it?  Being mindful in the unfolding moments of life.  Noticing the "little" things which usually turn out to be the "big" things.  This is one of the themes in a wanna-be book I'm working on now.  And this morning I'm remembering that we're all teachers and students for one another. 

Good Advice

(Image from Mary Costanza A Woman's Heart and Soul/Facebook)

Especially in tough times we need to be gentle with ourselves.  Need to give ourselves the kind of nurturing love we'd give a child who's hurting.  There's enough hardness in the world to wrangle with.  No need bringing any of it into our own self-judgment.  Agree?

 

Cherish yourself today and every day. 

Thank Heaven for Little Girls!

And especially for this brave, smart, fun, and funny girl—my Bliss Bringer.  Yep, her arm was badly broken.  There were two nights in the hospital and a surgery that took longer than anticipated.  Quite a break.  And quite a courageous kid, this eight-year-old granddaughter of mine.  She's a Leftie all the way around, so I can only imagine the challenges she and her parents are facing at the moment.   Amazing softball player, too. Luckily the season is over and still a couple of weeks until school.

Today she got the hard cast.  They added some glitter just in case people couldn't see it.
Hope she gets some good autographs.

Speaking of courageous girls, The Huffington Post page on Facebook posted this excellent food for thought.  I make it a point to edit myself when my first impulse is to tell a pretty girl she's beautiful.  Instead I ask questions about what she's reading or what sports she enjoys playing.  Here are some excellent suggestions along that line:

Review at Goodreads

Just discovered a review of Dancing on Mars, beautifully written by a woman named Mary Clark.  http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/582518519.

There's an opportunity to rate the book on the same page as the review, so if you've read it, I hope you'll rate it.

Thanks and keep dancing your own dance, wherever you are!

Generous Words

I intended to share this much earlier.   Sent by a young woman-friend who's an excellent writer and admirable community activist in Ohio.

What an amazing creation your work is! You are a beautiful writer, and your subject matter is so meaningful and timeless. Everything you have written in this book has been done with such kindness, such grace, such respect, and such honesty. I know many women of many ages who would love to read it. You are an amazing talent. Don't stop creating and sharing it with the world!    ~  MRD

Morning Musing

(Image on Facebook/via Pete Sercer)

This thought touches on a primary Dancing on Mars theme.   Authenticity is the key to being "comfortable in our own skin."  Getting to that point was sometimes as difficult as walking in those heels would be today!   

 

Sunday confession:  There are still times I care a little bit when someone doesn't like me.   But it's a lot easier to accept.

Speaking the Truth

(Image from Asheville Yoga/Facebook)

 

My "voice was shaking" as I wrote certain parts of Dancing on Mars.  It's especially challenging to tell hard truths sometimes when people I love—or have loved— are part of the story.  And I couldn't be sure how they would react to my sharing my story and their part in it with the world.  I weighed all the parts that made my "voice shake."  I did that by asking myself (1) Is it necessary for me to tell this part of my story?  (2) Am I speaking from my own perspective rather than guessing someone else's point of view here? and (3)   Am I being kind in my truth-telling?    If I could answer those questions in the affirmative, whatever was in question became part of the book.  

 

I hope you enjoy some excellent reading this summer.  And if you enjoyed Dancing on Mars, I hope you'll recommend it when friends ask for book suggestions.  It's a good one to take on vacation.  And it was recently released as an audio book (Amazon, Audible).   It's also available in paperback and Kindle at Amazon and Nook at Barnes and Nobel.  

Memorial Day 2013

On the brink of Memorial Day I'm thinking about my father's good fortune and the tragic fortunes of so many war heroes.

 

I tell this story in Dancing on Mars: Serving in the Navy during WW II, Papa was scheduled to ship out when an ear infection intervened. His eardrum burst, and his orders were cancelled. The ship departed San Diego on schedule and shortly afterwards came under attack; there were no survivors.

 

My father must have experienced some survivor guilt as many humans do; he definitely felt grief about his mates who were killed. And he was always grateful his own life had been spared.

 

I think of the men on that ship and of my hometown friends who fought in Vietnam and never came home. Every Memorial Day, I'm thankful for my father's long life—and I feel gratitude for all the courageous men and women who have lost their precious lives in the service of our Country.

Audio Book Released!

Now in audio!  Amazon/audible.  I learned about the release yesterday when All Things That Matter Press posted it on Facebook.  At one place on Amazon it correctly specifies that I'm the author and Frances Fulmer is narrating.  On the page that has been dedicated to print and kindle versions of the book, however, it says:  by Lucinda Shirley and Frances Fulmer.  As if we both wrote it.  That's the place where readers can see or write reviews, too.

I'm told that's the norm for by-line presentation with producer-created books.  It seems it wouldn't be a bad idea to change the norm so it's apparent who spent over a year writing the book and who is simply reading it aloud.  Of course I'm happy for readers to know the author is not the person reading the audio version.   I hope you enjoy the book, whatever version you choose! 

Helen Keller Blisters Book Burners

In "The Vault" at Slate you can find Helen Keller's "blistering letter to book-burning German students."  Keller's grit went far beyond the admirable courage it took simply to live an active life without sight or hearing.  Be reminded of who she was as a woman in this fascinating piece. 
 

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_vault/2013/05/16/helen_keller_her_scathing_letter_to_german_students_planning_to_burn_her.html

Ready, set, write!

 It's a wonderful thing to tell and share our stories.  I enjoy encouraging and supporting people who want to write a life legacy as a gift to loved ones and friends.  That's what my Writing Coach hat is for. 

(Image from Facebook via life-redefined)

Good Question!

From Charles Schulz Museum via Facebook.

Letting Go Again and Again

Image Source:  Becoming Minimalist Facebook page.

  This image and the words could be a wonderful object meditation, couldn't it?

New Review - by a Man

So, fellas, Dancing on Mars isn't for women only!   Two guys who read it said it helped them understand women better.  In a message to me rather than reviews.   Incentive enough to give it a read? 

An Excellent Read for Woman or Man, March 24, 2013

By 

George Cappelmann -Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dancing on Mars (Paperback)

Lucinda Shirley has turned her spiritual and psychological journey into a real adventure for the reader. It is a page turner about the efforts and courage involved in leading a real and complete life. Dancing on Mars is funny and intelligent. It has a light touch but is also profound which is quite an accomplishment for any writer. I especially liked the greek chorus of very good poems. Smoke and Mirrors and The Unknowing amoung others come to mind as being exquisite.

Words for Reflection

(from Sun Gazing page/Facebook)

Audio Book

Great news!  My publisher, All Things That Matter Press, let me know that Dancing on Mars has been selected to become an audio book.  That means Amazon, Audible, iTunes and . . . .

 It should be ready to go around May 29.  Stay tuned!

Valentine's Day Quote

Sacred partnership is a rich and deep friendship between equals that brings us sanctuary, soul growth, and sizzle.  ~   Sue Patton Thoele, author of The Woman's Book of Courage.

Sharing for Valentine's Day

The minute I heard my first love story
I started looking for you, not knowing
how blind that was.

Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere.
They’re in each other all along.

                           ~  Rumi


More than once I’ve loved blindly, “casting my pearls before swine” as my grandmother would say.  Now there are days when I still find myself loving foolishly, if not blindly.  There also are days  I forget there is nothing to be feared in love; fear is all about losing love. Sometimes I forget that we can't lose love; it’s impossible, you know.   We can only take ourselves outside of love—by closing our hearts and removing ourselves from love’s all-encompassing presence.  

Perhaps the difference—in extending love today— is realizing how precious my own love is.  There is a generosity about it, expansiveness and richness, as I believe there is in all unconditional love.  Love of self and love for others are parts of what I call Universal Love.  I like this way of describing Universal Love (also called God as well as by other names):  It's as if Universal Love is the ocean and each of us is a drop in that ocean. We are love.

There is wisdom in opening oneself to love.  There’s strength in feeling the fear and finding enough courage to hold its hand as we cross the bridge from “Never again” to “I’m  going to allow myself this experience of loving.”  The chasm under the bridge is wide and deep, the bridge shaky with nothing to hold onto.  Don’t look down. What’s down there is ugly and incompatible with you.  It’s incompatible with who you are today, with what you’ve found in creating, in expanding, in loving.  The goblins under the bridge are the same—but you are no longer the same.  You have been growing toward unconditional Love.  Perfectly imperfectly growing in that direction, the way a flower grows, reaching toward the sun.

 

     [Image from Little Bird You Are Enough/posted on Facebook. Visit this beautiful site]

Feel your feet taking one step at a time.  Go as slowly or as fast as your body wants to go. Feel your racing pulse; make friends with your damp palms.  You will arrive when you get there.  Remember,  expectations are premeditated resentment.  Let them go, smiling as their echoes are silenced in the abyss.

There are no guarantees.  No promises you can be certain will hold.  Are you sure the bridge you’re crossing will hold?  Of course not.  But here you are on it, getting closer to the other side.  It has taken a long time to make this journey, no?
 

Once I reached the other side, I needed to keep remembering I have no power; that is, no power over my Beloved and very little in our Relationship.  It was, and is, complicated. And though I have no power, I have great power.  My power lies in Universal love and Self love,  love that makes other love possible.   Power lies in my own thoughts.

I say to my Beloved, “My love for you is unconditional.  A relationship with me is not.”   I must take great care of Self in opening more and more to this terrifying, trusted, painful, deep, sweet, delicious, fiery, gentle, exhilarating, difficult, joyful, awe-inspiring Love. I must set boundaries to ensure my well-being, in and apart from our relationship.  I must remember to let go of new expectations every day.  Sometimes every hour.  Otherwise, there will be pain. Premeditated resentment.
 

I continue to enjoy the loving company of friends, allowing the inner presence of my Beloved to inspire me toward greater joy each day.  I fill most of my days with creative work, enjoying a childlike enchantment with nature, with writing, with being.   My Beloved and I inspire one another in creativity.  As a mutual friend described his talent: “To simply describe him as ' an artist' is like saying the Grand Canyon is just a hole in the ground.”

A different friend said, “I want so much more than this for you”—meaning she’d like to see me in a less-complicated relationship, perhaps involving someone coming home every night, sharing the day-to-day.  A relationship in which I would be top priority in his life.  While that would be lovely,  I tell her, “There is nothing more than this.”  This is me claiming the other half of my heart.

We all know there are difficulties to resolve, challenges to meet (and some that can’t be met) any time two people seek growth in and through their love.  Especially a love layered with complexities.  I’m grateful that my Beloved and I have the precious gift of honesty between us.  Honesty has brought us to the comfort and safety of being authentically who we are when we’re together.  No matter the circumstances, we won’t close our hearts to one another.   “This will not change,” he says.  Even when we change, our Love can be trusted to hold steady, like the sun can be trusted to rise and set.

Friends, if you decide to cross that bridge again, you can count on me to cheer you on.  I will remind you not to look down, not to look back.  I will remind you to ignore the naysayers begging you back to the “safety” of where you were, where you lost your belief in Love.  Naysayers always want company; they’re not our responsibility.  I will remind you to listen only to the the sound of your footsteps taking you closer and closer to the glorious experience of Love.  I will remind you to follow your heart and honor your mind.  And I will cheer as you open yourself once again to the only thing worth living for.
                                                 
                                                                  * * * * * * *

I’m smiling now, encouraging you to “dance on Mars” and wishing you a lovely St. Valentine’s Day.

Good Advice

(from followyourdreamsandachieve page on Facebook)

Serious Words from a Favorite Funny Man

                                       (from Truth Beckons/Facebook)   I concur!

Powerful Truth Economically Expressed

                               (from Women Illuminating Women/Facebook)

Indeed!

                             .  .  . and that's a GOOD thing! Let's embrace our uniqueness!          

 (from Women Illuminating Women/Facebook)

"Dancing" with Rumi

(Image from Rumi Quotes/Facebook - great page.)

                  
                                             Dancing is not getting up any time painlessly
                                             like a speck of dust blown around in the wind.
                                             Dancing is when you rise above both worlds,
                                             tearing your Heart to pieces and giving up your Soul.
                                                                                               ~Rumi


[I'm thinking the word "loving" might replace "dancing" here— and in these thoughts they just might share the same meaning.  What do you think?]

Inspired by Susan Shapiro

The Dixie Dove shared Susan Shapiro's recent NYT article about making the reader worry you're not okay; in fact, she requires her students to write what she calls "the humiliation essay"

Shapiro says: 

Over 20 years of teaching, I have made "the humiliation essay" my signature assignment. It encourages students to shed vanity and pretension and relive an embarrassing moment that makes them look silly, fearful, fragile or naked.  You can't remain removed and dignified and ace it. I do promise my students, though, that through the art of writing, they can transform their worst experience into the most beautiful. I found that those who cried while reading their piece aloud often later saw it in print. I believe that's because they were coming from the right place - not the hip, but the heart.

 

This interesting piece helped me see, clearly, that I didn't tell as much as I could have—should have if the objective was to sell books and make readers want more.   I have miles to go to reach the point where I care more about my work than about hurting or humiliating others.  Sadly, some of the people I protect aren't nearly as protective of my feelings!  Shapiro adds these words which get a standing ovation from me:

 

This brings me to my one caveat: while readers will applaud your brave, tumultuous disclosures, your relatives won't. The first piece you write that your family hates means you found your voice, I warn my classes. If you want to be popular with your parents and siblings, try cookbooks.

  

Now that gem inspires me. Next time I write first-person nonfiction, I'm hoping the relatives all hate it.  Some of them judged DANCING ON MARS and tried to make me a reservation in Hell; they enjoyed feeling superior.  Next time my goal is for them to hate it!  Maybe I'll even plug them in to some memories of humiliation and self-loathing.

Susan Shapiro's piece was from the New York Times opinionator blog, 12/31/12.  Apologies that the link I had doesn't work.  No clue why.  Didn't want to scrap this post because of that shortcoming.  I'm sure you'll find it if you want to read it all.  Cheers!