April 20, 2006
April 20, 2006 Issue #26
Welcome to the newsletter where playing more and stressing less is taken seriously. It's written with the intention to support you in living a life with more passion and play and less worry and work.
IN THIS ISSUE...
A Lesson on Listening
The Urban Dictionary & The Kite Runner
New Things for Spring
Giggles & Guffaws
Ways to Play Today:
Illustrate Your Point
Stare at Something Worthwhile
Something to Ponder:
Are you listening or not?
"Mistakes are portals of discovery."
~James Joyce
My Playground
The article, the message, the thing to make you go hmmm...
~A Lesson in Listening~
In last month's newsletter, I made mention of a writing assignment I was quite excited to be working on. It involved a lot of traveling and collecting of information. I had the opportunity to visit places I'd never seen before. I stayed in lovely accommodations and enjoyed fabulous meals. As I met wonderful people and heard their stories, my job was to capture the essence of who they were and what they have to offer to people. Everything about this project had gone smashingly well. Even the considerable amount of time I spent researching and turning my handwritten scrawls into a creative and coherent form was enjoyable for the most part, until late Friday night.
I thought it would never happen to me. I never open suspicious emails. I hit the "Save As" button frequently. I take good care of my computer. None of these things mattered though when the blue screen of death visited my trusty Toshiba this past weekend. I was in the midst of making final edits to my 9,000 word document when I noticed my computer began slowing down. Within a few minutes it went from a fully-functioning laptop to a nightmare of worldly proportions. My transformation was somewhat similar. Cool, confident freelance writer one minute to half-hysterical, loopy lady the next. In those moments of impending doom as my computer lost all control, I followed suit. After two hours of trying to remedy the situation with my limited knowledge of modern technology, I realized that neither whimpering nor swearing profusely was going to bring my gadget back to life. Needless to say, I didn't sleep much that night.
In the morning, a computer technician performed a miracle and not only was my writing project recovered, my computer emerged from this traumatic ordeal virtually unscathed. I, on the other hand, am a changed woman. Here's the thing...I had been considering purchasing a back-up hard-drive for my computer several months prior to this weekend's ordeal, but I'd ignored the little voice in my head that told me to do so. I came up with all kinds of reasons not to and had convinced myself it wasn't really necessary. It got me thinking about all the other things my little voice tells me that I don't give credence to.
Like the first flowers of spring, it's a beautiful thing when we listen.
My point in sharing this story with you is to remind you of the importance of listening to that voice within. It's there for a reason and more often than not it won't lead you astray. Whether it's telling you to follow that long-held dream of yours or make an appointment to see your doctor about that pain you've been experiencing recently, it will not go away until you do something about it. That dream won't go away because it wants to be realized. That pain will stick around because your body is asking to be healed. The key is to be wise enough to listen sooner than later so that things like broken hearts, health concerns and computer crashes don't became major catastrophes just minor inconveniences.
Make a list of five things that voice of yours has been telling you that you've been ignoring AND write down how you're going to listen up.
1) My voice has been telling me...and this is my plan to listen...
2) My voice has been telling me...and this is my plan to listen...
3) My voice has been telling me...and this is my plan to listen...
4) My voice has been telling me...and this is my plan to listen...
5) My voice has been telling me...and this is my plan to listen...
Sometimes the things we plan to do and the things we actually end up doing are different. That's okay. That's life. However, it's NOT okay to continue to fool ourselves into thinking we're immune to certain things happening to us. Had my computer and all its contents been destroyed, I'm sure this would have been a much different article arriving much more than two days late. After experiencing the whirlwind of emotions due to this weekend's events, I know I would have felt much better being prepared than being lucky. I'm getting my back-up hard-drive this week. What are you going to do?
Check it Out
Personal Recommendations for books, music, websites and all resources fun!
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
I was intrigued by the title and the talk surrounding this book and after consuming it in two day's time, I now understand why it has received the glowing press it has. It is a stunning work of fiction for a first-time novelist. Beautifully-written and fast-moving, this story of pre-war Afghanistan and a man's ultimate redemption is both gripping and haunting. Hosseini's language is lush and sometimes descriptions are so vivid it's heart-rending to continue turning pages. Read on and you'll be rewarded with a satisfying ending that will likely leave you seeing this war-torn country in a different light.
The Urban Dictionary
During this weekend's computer crisis, I'll admit I was not at all lady-like in my use of the English language. I spewed quite a few choice words as well as creating some news ones that I'm not able to repeat here. This website not only provides new words and their definitions, but a demonstrative sentence is included for further word clarification. You can be a word wizard and create your own, add your two cents on a word's meaning or enjoy others' latest and imaginative (not to mention darn funny) takes on already existing words. I'll warn that much of what you might read has a higher than PG-13 rating especially concerning any political terms. Of course, that is where some of the funniest stuff is. Enough said.
What's Up at Playful Spirit?
Spring has sprung and with it comes new beginnings, new ideas and new adventures. I've been operating under what I deem controlled creative chaos lately. With only so much time in a day, prioritizing what needs to be done versus what wants to done has been a challenge. Knowing what you're committed to helps when it comes to making decisions.
My new blog, Life of Play has been put on the backburner due to my recent writing project, but I imagine it will be in my creative throes again soon and will be making its internet debut within the next month or two. I'm finally beginning to craft my book's outline and I'm strongly considering writing an e-book as well. I had a conversation with a friend a couple weeks ago who has inspired me to stop talking and just write the damn thing. Thank you, Sid Smith!
On a more personal note, I'm working my way towards having "Bridal Biceps" before my wedding day. Many pushups and triceps dips will be had between now and then. And last but not least, I'll be traveling to New Zealand and France in the coming months and I look forward to bringing you traveling tales from afar.
Giggles & Guffaws
An amusing story, joke, anecdote or picture to tickle your funnybone
Needless to say, I had quite a day when my computer crashed. Comparing the hell I experienced to these humorous internet offerings cheered me up a bit.
You realize that you just sprayed spot remover under your arms instead of deodorant.
You call your partner and tell him/her that you would like to eat out tonight and when you get home there is a sandwich on the front porch.
The restaurant check has been on the table for ten minutes...and no one has touched it.
You realize that you have memorized the back of your cereal box.
Everyone loves your driver’s license picture.
The gypsy fortune teller offers to refund your money.
Ways to Play Today
Why not...draw stick figures to illustrate your point?
Sometimes words just don't work. Fortunately there are more than just words we can use to communicate with others. We often use non-verbal cues such as facial expressions and physical gestures to help us get our point across. Alas, sometimes those don't work either. When you really want to be heard, trying something unusual might be just the ticket to being understood. The next time you find yourself engaged in a conversation or argument where your words aren't working, grab a pencil (or better yet a crayon) and draw your way to what you want to say. If your stick-drawing skills are sketchy and the person still doesn't get you, at least you'll have had some fun trying to communicate differently. Consider this bonus; you now have a really nice picture to hang on your refrigerator.
Why not...stare at something worthwhile?
If you can't remember the last time you stood naked in front of a full-length mirror, now's the time to do it. This playful suggestion isn't meant to be kinky, but it is meant to provoke you. As the body ages and we begin seeing changes in our physiques, we may not like the reflection we see as much as we did in our younger years. Some of us may even go to great lengths to avoid mirrors altogether. There is so much to appreciate and love (and make fun of) in ourselves, we just have to be daring enough to really look at what we're seeing and then be grateful for the unique-looking creatures we are. Observe your lines and curves. After you double-check the blinds are closed, jump up and down and make faces. I bet a smile or giggle happens sooner than you think it might. Don't blame me if this becomes a regular pastime.
Something to Ponder
Questions designed to stimulate your thinking AND encourage you to take action towards what you want.
How frequently do you discount your voice within?
Is there something you don’t want to hear or pay attention to?
Care to share what these questions stir up in you? Need some support around how to listen more closely to that voice within AND take action around what it's telling you?
Send me an e-mail.
I welcome your thoughts and will respond to all e-mails received.
If you want to find out more about the work I do as a facilitator, writer and coach check out Playful Spirit Make sure you come back and visit every so often as you never know what kind of resources and fun stuff I'll be playing around with and adding to the website.
Thanks for reading this issue of Lighten Up! If you enjoyed it, please pass it along to your friends, your family, your co-workers...You get the idea. Until next month, consider how you can begin paying more attention to that voice of yours and take the steps that will help you in being more prepared to handle just about anything. Be well, be happy and play more.
See you on May 15th!
Lisa
~Playful Spirit's mission is to empower women and men to acknowledge and express their unique gifts in the world. We help people rediscover their passion, purpose & sense of play.~
lisa@playful-spirit.com www.playful-spirit.com