tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214343372024-03-13T17:34:11.784+00:00More to Me"One day you finally knew what you had to do, and began" - Mary Olivermeghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041527732133374839noreply@blogger.comBlogger324125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21434337.post-69572541227892453882009-11-27T12:17:00.004+00:002019-08-26T16:36:46.463+01:00a new home<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: left;">
I have moved ~</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.meghangenge.com/">Please come and see me where I am here</a>. </span></div>
<span style="color: rgb(102 , 0 , 204); font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: rgb(255 , 0 , 0);">xo</span></span></div>
meghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041527732133374839noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21434337.post-68607442040012361462009-10-06T08:06:00.004+01:002009-10-06T08:16:03.628+01:00Creating Wings<h3 style="text-align: center; font-weight: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><em></em></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: center; font-weight: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>“The world is what you think it is.”</em> – Serge Kahili King</span></h3><br />It's a big day! I am thrilled to announce that Jamie Ridler is featuring me on her podcast: <a style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);" href="http://jamieridlerstudios.ca/creative-living-with-jamiemeghan-genge">Creative Living with Jamie</a> today! It was such a treat to get to talk to her, and I was really honoured to be included. Thank you Jamie!<br /><br />AND....<br /><br />My new site is live! I'm so excited about it! It's been a real labour of love, but it is finally real. There are a few pages that don't have very much on them, but you can be assured that I will soon fill them with as much inspiration as I can get in there. It's called <a style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);" href="http://www.creatingwings.com/">Creating Wings</a>. Please come over and take a peek!meghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041527732133374839noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21434337.post-76693738972162662812009-10-04T08:50:00.004+01:002009-10-04T09:43:23.696+01:00Happy Anniversary<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />"I felt it shelter to speak to you." </span>- Emily Dickinson<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_EHRuceMJh9Zh4WFToz4dEWy2fSrvsOSRBUo7yqBn5Ls5u_Tm6BX2Zr2eMJWf5bFoPxJYKGZLGsI3aqcZ3y6CeKqUHLnpABBCsIimxHqshhfgmt6I12iMzZDAMPrtcxbMx_jd/s1600-h/DSC00151.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_EHRuceMJh9Zh4WFToz4dEWy2fSrvsOSRBUo7yqBn5Ls5u_Tm6BX2Zr2eMJWf5bFoPxJYKGZLGsI3aqcZ3y6CeKqUHLnpABBCsIimxHqshhfgmt6I12iMzZDAMPrtcxbMx_jd/s200/DSC00151.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388652099676468146" border="0" /></a>A year ago today <a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);" href="http://meggenge.blogspot.com/2008/10/wedding.html">we got married</a> under a canopy of trees. The party was blissful chaos, the ladies wore hats, we were surrounded by love, we ate ice cream even though we could see our breath, and it was the very best day of my life. <br /><br />There are some times that I take what I have for granted, and occasionally I forget how truly blessed I am. But those are more than made up for by the moments when I sit in the middle of my life and realize that I have the most wonderful family in the world, and now a big part of that family is my husband. (Yes, it is still weird to say!) Happy Anniversary my love, thank you for saying 'I do!'<br /><br />xomeghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041527732133374839noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21434337.post-37576053745748395432009-09-30T07:21:00.004+01:002009-09-30T07:30:14.165+01:00September 30.<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />“One evening a Cherokee elder told his grandson about the battle that goes on inside of people. He said, “My son, the battle is between the two ‘wolves’ that live inside us all. One is Unhappiness. It is fear, worry, anger, jealousy, sorrow, self-pity, resentment, and inferiority. The other is Happiness. It is joy, love, hope, serenity, kindness, generosity, truth, and compassion.”</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?”</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”</span><br />~ Marci Shimoff from Happy for No Reason<br /><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">This morning I am up early to work on my new website, and I have gotten so wrapped up in it that I am likely going to be late for work. But today, I don't care. It's a big day for me. Today is the last day of September. October, my birth month, is just around the corner. On the 25th I will turn 35. This weekend I am hoping to launch a brand new website focused on... well... you'll see!!<br /><br />So that is where I am. I'm feeling like a huge door is opening in front of me, getting ready for this next step. Today I am going to walk to work through the beautiful crisp autumn air. I am going to breathe deep and enjoy the world around me. I've been feeling incredibly connected lately, but I think it is simply because I have been paying attention. So I hope to enjoy this last day of September even with my swirling brain. I'll see you again this weekend!<br /><br />xo<br /></div></div>meghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041527732133374839noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21434337.post-69886135040449389592009-09-28T19:36:00.003+01:002009-09-28T22:16:51.714+01:00Nothing<div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"The effect of the Joy Diet is to shine a light into our hiding places, allowing us to see and remember ourselves and our reasons for being."</span> - Martha Beck<br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(Hello there! I am sorry I have been away for so long. I've been told my blog over the past few weeks was boring - giggle - I know it's boring to come and see the same old post, but all I can say is that I promise to make it up to you very very soon.)</span><br /><br />I've been meaning to begin Jamie's <a style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);" href="http://www.tnc-thejoydiet.blogspot.com/">new book group</a> ever since last week. The trouble is that the book is <a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);" href="http://www.amazon.com/Joy-Diet-Steps-Happier-Life/dp/0749924276/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1254169098&sr=8-1">The Joy Diet</a> by <a style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);" href="http://www.marthabeck.com/">Martha Beck</a> and the first thing that you have to embrace is nothing. That's right, you have to do nothing for a few minutes every day. It sounds so easy to type it here, but it has been so hard.<br /><br />I tried to get up early and do nothing in the morning. But it turns out nothing + early morning + jet lag equals sleep. I tried to do nothing when I got home from work - but there was always something! Then, without actually meaning to on Friday morning (a full week after I should have been doing it every day) I did it. I woke up on my day off and didn't immediately get up. I realized that nothing is something I actually do once in a awhile already, but I have always called it filing. When I have been really busy, sometimes I find myself lying in bed and just thinking. I can almost hear the files slipping into place in my brain as I make sense of what has been going on in my world.<br /><br />So it turns out that I shouldn't have tried to do nothing, I should have just done it because I already know how to do it. And now I just need to keep on doing nothing at least once a day.<br /><br />Giggle. Maybe Truth will be easier.meghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041527732133374839noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21434337.post-35295631454581232542009-09-03T18:09:00.004+01:002009-09-03T18:37:09.306+01:00Is all of this hoping healthy?<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"From the urgent way lovers want each other to the seeker's search for truth, all moving is from the mover. Every pull draws us to the ocean."</span> -Rumi</div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://emmas.blogg.se/2009/august/saturday-sweets-1.html"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 158px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfV7DBawCc7DXeKzb_W-eoMNSEHVue5HH8mqGvpn24wXn-FadsCQNTT75bs-OW0k36fB9R2I56YPfqh9usVS9xrEnO6MriWSW759TvvUMev4PE4X5Jej1KwFsgzq6UXZzu4-Om/s200/12_48538260.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377290276222001634" border="0" /></a>I remember having a conversation once with a friend about wanting. I remember her saying that she sometimes wished that she could just be one of those people who was <span style="font-style: italic;">content</span>. The word content gushed out of her mouth with equal amounts of desire and contempt. For her, content had somehow come to equal boring, but also freedom from the constant state of longing that had come to pervade her life.<br /><br />I could relate then, and I can relate now. I am working at a job that could easily be a career, but I am hoping to get my book published and make a living from that. I am trying to love myself as is, while still trying to lose 40 pounds and make my body healthy and my self vibrant. I am happily married to a wonderful man, but a large part of my heart lives in a completely different country. At no point in my life do I ever sit down in my chair and look at my life and think, 'yes.' I always seem to have something to do to get me somewhere else. It is exhausting.<br /><br />I have to wonder if I should just stop already. Should I just focus on the career and leave the big dreams of publication? Should I admit to myself that I am going to be heavy forever and forget my hopes of health? Should I ignore my hope that someday I am going to take care of orphaned baby elephants or do a book tour or run workshops for women, or be able to travel whenever and wherever I want to? Should I stop looking forward in my life and start living in it right now? Is it possible to do both?<br /><br />Is all of this hoping healthy?meghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041527732133374839noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21434337.post-56500013407818315292009-08-29T08:35:00.004+01:002009-08-29T08:56:53.471+01:00Writing advice from Sharon Olds<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />"Would that we could write about ourselves."</span> - Sharon Olds<br /></div><br />Last night I dashed home from work so that I could make it to Bath. <a style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="http://inkonmyfingers.typepad.com/">Susannah</a> and I had tickets to see <a style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);" href="http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/205">Sharon Olds</a> read poetry, and I didn't want to be late. I need to give a full confession here and say that I don't read a lot of poetry. I can only read one or two at a time or I get too tired. But listening to poetry is a whole different thing. When poetry is written by someone who really loves it and read by that same person, listening to it can feel like a meditation.<br /><br />She had us sitting in the palm of her hand from her first soft words. There were troubles with the microphone and she had to tie her hair back, commenting on how she had to lose her 'shawl.' Later when the microphones were sorted out, she pulled it free and told us that now she felt safe again. From that moment so did we. We knew that we were in the company of a real person, but one who was about to give us an incredible gift.<br /><br />After she read some of her poetry she sat in discussion with one of the organizers. I couldn't get very much down, but here are a few of the things she said. When asked about why she draws in her letters she said, "The pen just wants to do different things." She also said that "We as humans have a need to write poems." But my favorite thing (and you'll have to excuse me as I can only give you the gist) was when she talked about her writing process.<br /><br />She writes longhand in spiral-bound notebooks so that she doesn't get intimidated by beautiful blank books (there was a lot of laughing with recognition in the audience at this one.) She writes quickly, scribbling words out as she goes. She said, "I don't want to put a word in to hold the place of another word." She said that each word has a sound, and it calls other words with a similar sound to it. When you put a word in to hold the place of another word it makes the work into something, and if you go back and change the word to the one you actually want, the whole thing goes wrong.<br /><br />I needed to savour that a little this morning - that each word has a sound that calls another word to it - and think about it in relation to my own writing, and indeed the way that I think. Not allowing a word in that isn't drawing its like to you and your work is a very powerful decision.<br /><br />Thank you so much Ms. Olds. You have inspired me enormously.meghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041527732133374839noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21434337.post-2947134727301067572009-08-27T20:48:00.004+01:002009-08-27T20:53:07.894+01:00I guess this means go.<pre><br /></pre><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)</span>: What life will you be living at noon on September 1, 2014? Who will you be? How thoroughly will your dreams have come true? What kind of beauty and truth and love and justice will you be serving? Will you look back at the time between August 27 and September 21, 2009 and sigh, "If only I had initiated my Five Year Master Plan at that ripe astrological moment"? Or on September 1, 2014 will you instead be able to crow, "I can truly say that in these past five years I have become the president of my own life"?<br /></div><pre>- <a style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);" href="http://freewillastrology.com/horoscopes/">Rob Brezsny</a><br /></pre>meghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041527732133374839noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21434337.post-19943939269717250532009-08-23T22:12:00.004+01:002009-08-24T17:48:49.545+01:00My alter-ego<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />"A woman must find her own voice."</span> - Maureen Murdock<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisdvLBbhLaNMSCkQZK65R88EZvvDDCpiszw_YqXC3EFuTHVvv-hwg5W_LJ7Y8g3_7yFcgalVOjYz5pwQpbPZDji07wiz0Yoz_UkCwF340WSjeyG4ZadqT0v2UOSR8yqYSf88QM/s1600-h/cost_shoe_far_con50g_s.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 157px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisdvLBbhLaNMSCkQZK65R88EZvvDDCpiszw_YqXC3EFuTHVvv-hwg5W_LJ7Y8g3_7yFcgalVOjYz5pwQpbPZDji07wiz0Yoz_UkCwF340WSjeyG4ZadqT0v2UOSR8yqYSf88QM/s200/cost_shoe_far_con50g_s.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373270614268840146" border="0" /></a>If you were to meet me on the street, you would see one version of me. I would probably be wearing jeans and a fleece or a sweater or a t-shirt. I'd be dressed practically and sensibly and ordinarily. You might be able to see from the sparkle in my eyes or the book I was carrying that there was more to me. You might not.<br /><br />What you wouldn't see is this crazy alter-ego that has begun asking for a voice. You wouldn't see the me that used to scoff at pink who is now looking at pretty floaty dresses on line. You wouldn't notice that I have a secret desire to own red sequined heels (or converse!) And you definitely wouldn't see that I sometimes debate buying rock chick t-shirts and biker boots.<br /><br />Has anyone else found themselves growing up and growing sideways at the same time?<br /><br />Shall we have an alter-ego party? I'll host.meghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041527732133374839noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21434337.post-46612922463085705382009-08-17T20:48:00.004+01:002009-08-17T22:21:02.608+01:00Fantasy Dinner Party<div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"Who would you invite to your fantasy dinner party?"</span> - just about everyone</span><br /></div><br />This is the prompt at Sunday Scribblings this week. Even though I am the co-host, I don't usually do the writing. It's too much pressure to get around and see everyone. For some reason, this felt like something fun to do this time. So... who would I invite to a<span style="font-style: italic;"> fantasy</span> dinner party?<br /><br />I suppose it depends on what you want. Imagine having dinner with a load of true comedians - the Pythons, John Candy, Billy Connolly, Peter Kay, etc. Or you could have a serious meal with interesting women. Wouldn't it be nice to find out what it was really like from Marie Antoinette, Amelia Earhart, Frieda Kahlo, Emily Carr, Katharine Hepburn or Anne Boleyn? Another good one would be a table full of Hollywood Stars. Imagine dining with Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, Jimmy Stewart, Humphrey Bogart, Greta Garbo and Cary Grant! I would also love to share a meal with several generations of my family. As for writers and artists - oh heaven's, there are dozens, living and dead that I would do anything to spend some time with!<br /><br />But, dear readers, at this stage of my life, on this night, I have an entirely different dinner party in mind. <span style="font-size:85%;">(Note: Dear Universe, consider this a cosmic order!) </span>The dinner party I would most love to host would be: <a style="color: rgb(0, 51, 51);" href="http://www.mavenproductions.com/estes.html">Clarissa Pinkola Estes</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 51);">, </span><a style="color: rgb(0, 51, 51);" href="http://www.nataliegoldberg.com/">Natalie Goldberg</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 51);">, </span><a style="color: rgb(0, 51, 51);" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Oliver">Mary Oliver</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 51);">, <a href="http://jonimitchell.com/">Joni Mitchell</a></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 51);">, </span><a style="color: rgb(0, 51, 51);" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_Leibovitz">Annie Leibovitz</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 51);">, and </span><a style="color: rgb(0, 51, 51);" href="http://www.peerspirit.com/about-peerspirit.html#christina">Christina Baldwin</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 51);">. </span>Imagine the discussions we could get into about creative process, beauty, and passion. I have goosebumps just thinking about it! (What would I serve? I'd get it bloody catered - I wouldn't want to miss a thing!)<br /><br />Please, universe?! Please?!<br /><br />xomeghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041527732133374839noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21434337.post-88767345201941989012009-08-05T09:31:00.003+01:002009-08-05T09:35:27.091+01:00The Vision According to Toast<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />"If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes."</span> - Andrew Carnegie<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuqPYtCFuF6ggrPLz1JkdbjYTOoefkCIzAiUhk6dK6Qaxw49jDw3u7b9d20SxGDF2IlHIs-1fuFYfzofNyslhaCWniRM4yM2mmJ83ttqtbJJLOgiwydnIzvzHDn6tUcKZ5InvQ/s1600-h/IMGP0596.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuqPYtCFuF6ggrPLz1JkdbjYTOoefkCIzAiUhk6dK6Qaxw49jDw3u7b9d20SxGDF2IlHIs-1fuFYfzofNyslhaCWniRM4yM2mmJ83ttqtbJJLOgiwydnIzvzHDn6tUcKZ5InvQ/s320/IMGP0596.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365727921107546018" border="0" /></a><br />After several years of cutting pictures out of magazines, collecting images, reading self-help books, perusing catalogues and creating vision boards, I thought I had enough shots to make a proper This-is-What-I-Want board. Then the <a style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);" href="http://meggenge.blogspot.com/2009/08/brit-bloggers.html" target="_blank">BBC*</a> came over, bringing with them a NEW pile of magazines and catalogues and in the space of one afternoon I had it. My vision. And it all (except the word *giggle*) came from the same place: <a style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);" href="http://www.toast.co.uk/" target="_blank"> Toast</a>.<br /><br />Boy do they get it, those <a href="http://www.toast.co.uk/" target="_blank">Toast</a> photographers and stylists. They tapped right into my psyche (and lots of other psyches at the same table!) They know what I want. I just want to be happy.<br /><br />So what do I want to create in my life? Freedom, Creativity, Abundance, Serenity, and Health, with a little Laughter thrown in. Doesn't that sound good?<br /><br />Sigh.<br /><br />Yes.<br /><br />(For more Dream Boards, go <a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" href="http://jamieridlerstudios.ca/full-moon-dreamboard-the-full-sturgeon-moon" target="_blank">here!</a>)meghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041527732133374839noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21434337.post-55969554641537923292009-08-03T13:29:00.005+01:002009-08-03T16:16:02.994+01:00How to Make a Vision Board<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />"If you have trouble seeing your goals, use pictures, images, and symbols you collect to keep your conscious and subconscious mind focused on your goals."</span> - Jack Canfield</span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgitziImR56Np5qMyZtVBaZvGORfsR4dUwJlrktZtmo-LxHMr7iXC3EaSL_h-qfY2PTxAJiRyotpV-c7PMy5Wmy-s7Fhc3ZWeX-dsM1uQcPsX9OUkmx66lvDIR-9H2lBv0Rdsd/s1600-h/IMGP0591.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgitziImR56Np5qMyZtVBaZvGORfsR4dUwJlrktZtmo-LxHMr7iXC3EaSL_h-qfY2PTxAJiRyotpV-c7PMy5Wmy-s7Fhc3ZWeX-dsM1uQcPsX9OUkmx66lvDIR-9H2lBv0Rdsd/s400/IMGP0591.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365715207483371650" border="0" /></a><br />What you need to create a successful vision board:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">1. </span>Do not be in a hurry. It takes great patience to go through piles and piles of magazines!<br /><span style="font-size:180%;">2. </span>A huge pile of magazines.<br /><span style="font-size:180%;">3. </span>Scissors, endless cups of tea and a glue stick or two.<br /><span style="font-size:180%;">4. </span>Clarity. It's no good just cutting out pictures of the <span style="font-style: italic;">things</span> you want. You need to know what you expect those things to bring you. The funny thing is when you boil everything you ever want down to its essence, all any of us really want is to be <span style="font-weight: bold;">happy</span>. Deliriously, gently, deeply, lastingly happy. So get really clear. What does <span style="font-style: italic;">happy</span> look like for you?<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">What do you want to create in your life?</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:180%;">5. </span>Time. Cut out pictures, words and phrases that you like and then leave them for awhile. Come back to them and sift through the pile. Take some away. Go away again. Find another magazine and cut it up. Send away for catalogues. Look at the pictures: would that be what happiness looked like to you? Make collages of things that you want and live with them for awhile. (Like vision boards in training!)<br /><span style="font-size:180%;">6. </span>When you have some pictures that you know are just right, start making your vision board. Play with it. Enjoy it.<br /><span style="font-size:180%;">7. </span>When it is finished, put it somewhere where you can see it every day.<br /><span style="font-size:180%;">8. </span>Practice paying attention. Be aware of appreciation. Be grateful. (...and keep clipping things out! Sometimes all you need is one picture for the a-ha moment!)<br /><span style="font-size:180%;">9. </span>Repeat as necessary.<br /><br />(I'll show you mine if you show me yours!)<br /><br />For more vision board inspiration: <a style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);" href="http://jamieridlerstudios.ca/full-moon-dreamboards/online"target="_blank">Jamie</a> hosts a monthly dream board session, and to take it a step further, Jennifer Lee has an <a style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);" href="http://www.unfoldingyourlifevision.com/"target="_blank">amazing kit</a> to help you with your vision.meghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041527732133374839noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21434337.post-74987739172282130442009-08-02T16:39:00.008+01:002009-08-02T19:51:29.265+01:00Brit. Bloggers<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"There are things you do because they feel right & they make no sense & they may make no money & it may be the real reason we are here: to love each other & to eat each other's cooking & say it was good." </span>- Brian Andreas</span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAwdvKyAOB_n_AH_J99B8UJqIAbxKVP8GGx1Ugg8k4QaRSit6nikbq-6EL-wMD2PYB1oySHVUm6q1z0OjPhlJQ_rtAm-FUY359oUNKUI_l6u8JFyViBJngre2V9yaTHRIFEVWe/s1600-h/IMGP0566.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAwdvKyAOB_n_AH_J99B8UJqIAbxKVP8GGx1Ugg8k4QaRSit6nikbq-6EL-wMD2PYB1oySHVUm6q1z0OjPhlJQ_rtAm-FUY359oUNKUI_l6u8JFyViBJngre2V9yaTHRIFEVWe/s400/IMGP0566.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365406131235632114" border="0" /></a><br />At 11:20am they began to appear at my garden gate. Laughing, talking, carrying bags of food, piles of magazines, and dressed like summer, they soon filled my little house. I have been off sick for over a week now, and they were all just what the Dr. ordered!<br /><br />Something wonderful happens when bloggers meet, and when bloggers meet that have met before it is magic! We eased back into conversation like we had seen each other yesterday, dancing between topics as big as our dreams and as normal as shopping. We laughed, took hundreds of pictures, talked about <a style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);" href="https://www.toast.co.uk/"target="_blank">toast catalogues</a>, love, life and began <a style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);" href="http://www.unfoldingyourlifevision.com/"target="_blank">unfolding our life visions</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTo-vJjlWUpRwFgl-e3v42Wv4rNao73OM3Y0i_cYuzvj0VHNzZU6RpDf3fX76jYMrt0-q9YcgbmNb_rKAa7zwqXtS1SaR-iPGvjO1YxjX6z8BIS_v67hqiO8q9HxAM86lsYa5L/s1600-h/IMGP0561.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTo-vJjlWUpRwFgl-e3v42Wv4rNao73OM3Y0i_cYuzvj0VHNzZU6RpDf3fX76jYMrt0-q9YcgbmNb_rKAa7zwqXtS1SaR-iPGvjO1YxjX6z8BIS_v67hqiO8q9HxAM86lsYa5L/s400/IMGP0561.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365407285964622882" border="0" /></a><br />I have lots more to say about them. I want to tell you how truly beautiful (inside and out) <a style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);" href="http://the-penny-has-dropped.blogspot.com/"target="_blank">Penny</a> is in real life, and how <a style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);" href="http://www.inkonmyfingers.typepad.com/"target="_blank">Susannah</a> sparkles and fills the room with her energy. I would like to tell you how <a style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);" href="http://blog.verdandi.co.nz/"target="_blank">Leonie</a> shines from somewhere deep inside, how <a style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);" href="http://www.shapeshifting.me/"target="_blank">Jo</a><a href="http://www.shapeshifting.me/"> </a>is one of the wisest fiercest women I've ever met, and that <a style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);" href="http://emmabradshaw.blogspot.com/"target="_blank">Emma</a> makes me feel like anything I want to do is possible. But I am sleepy now. I have to do the dishes, clean up bits of magazines from the floor and smell the roses that once lived in Emma's garden.<br /><br />It was a good day.meghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041527732133374839noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21434337.post-85117474010486451162009-07-26T12:46:00.004+01:002009-07-26T14:26:52.519+01:00Light Dawns...<span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"It's time to start living the life you've imagined."</span> - Henry James<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsn3Yfz-gmdCLCVkA_ZQRACtgvhjLncQt4VeA6mVHwMMpYI0-5jiz4ugdRCIdWRXHP5eL3omkD8cSDQ0Q_7FOwHLq0RkJqnrVy4lgdl8DtZrip1hjnhz-ts3dUvnk0R-_tmvqk/s1600-h/meg1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsn3Yfz-gmdCLCVkA_ZQRACtgvhjLncQt4VeA6mVHwMMpYI0-5jiz4ugdRCIdWRXHP5eL3omkD8cSDQ0Q_7FOwHLq0RkJqnrVy4lgdl8DtZrip1hjnhz-ts3dUvnk0R-_tmvqk/s200/meg1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362759716651977458" border="0" /></a>At some point in the past, my monkey-brain set out a list of rules and regulations for me. Despite numerous attempts to change, I have been frustrated over and over again when I slipped back into old ways of being. I had tried to change the tapes, why was the song always the same?<br /></div></div><br />Yesterday I realized that it is not the tapes I was <span style="font-style: italic;">aware of</span> that are the problem. I was blessed with an unexpected whole day of solitary confinement (quarantined for possible Swine Flu) and spent it sorting out my office. In the reorganization, I came across two things. One was the folder I had put together shortly after reading <a style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);" href="http://www.thesuccessprinciples.com/"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Success Principles</span>,</a> and the other was a mass of composting pages covered in inspiration.<br /><br />My copy of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Success Principles </span>is dog-eared and fiercely underlined. I really believed as I read it that I would do it - and then I didn't. Disappointment with myself always sets me back. At the time I couldn't figure out what was wrong with me - why couldn't I just do what I knew needed doing to get where I wanted to be? Why do I never follow through with a plan? Obviously I am just lazy.<br /><br />My pile of inspiration is also dog-eared and underlined. Some sheets are nearly transparent from being folded and unfolded so many times. Notes from workshops, quotes, e-mail, e-books, affirmations and motivations all come to the top of the pile every time I clean, and then just go right back into the pile. Even as I sat on the floor and sorted, the folder went on one side of me and the inspiration went on the other.<br /><br />That's when light dawned. For some reason all of this time I have believed that the business-<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">focused</span>-driven parts of myself couldn't co-exist with the inspirational, magical side. As I sat there I realized that I did not value or even acknowledge all of the parts of myself. I realized that I can't focus on hard-nosed, serious goals. I am not that person, no matter how much I would like to be. It does not mean that I am lazy. It means that I am different, and I need to do things in a way that works for me.<br /><br />So I created a folder that encompasses all of who I am on this path. I have a space for goals and a space for inspiration. I have created an ultimate goal and using all of my inspirational tools, I can create smaller, meaningful and do-able goals to create happiness in my life. The upside of it all is that after years of trying to write a mission statement, one came to me loud and clear and simple the minute I had finished putting it all together (I'm not going to tell you yet!)<br /><br />So it seems that my monkey-brain was right all along. I <span style="font-style: italic;">was</span> doing it wrong, but it was because I wasn't working with all that I am. Hopefully now that I've got it all working under the same cover, it'll be a book worth writing in.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">P.S. The photograph of me was taken by <a style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);" href="http://inkonmyfingers.typepad.com/ink_on_my_fingers/">Susannah</a>. I like the determination she captured!</span><br /></div>meghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041527732133374839noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21434337.post-7338629063135200102009-07-25T19:28:00.003+01:002009-07-25T20:02:59.621+01:00Impossible Things<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"...sometimes I have believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." </span>- Lewis Carroll<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixBV8ac8Pd_fGczvQgsgbwkC1hv-Dny_sSmyd0LmRCSd_5FlKgtlmSRkGq8JczlC76Eyhf1PUj-IKQM022hjG3Gkl1uyeoZq0mCFOSt7D1Ks1GYg8ufFtYPgOePbwv6BP5AmLo/s1600-h/IMGP0471.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixBV8ac8Pd_fGczvQgsgbwkC1hv-Dny_sSmyd0LmRCSd_5FlKgtlmSRkGq8JczlC76Eyhf1PUj-IKQM022hjG3Gkl1uyeoZq0mCFOSt7D1Ks1GYg8ufFtYPgOePbwv6BP5AmLo/s400/IMGP0471.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362468330808235042" border="0" /></a><br /></div>If you asked me ten years ago what my dreams were, I wouldn't have been able to tell you. One reason was that I was afraid to say anything out loud just in case I 'jinxed' it. I also was afraid of wanting something too badly and not getting it, or of getting it and realizing that it wasn't as exciting or as wonderful as I hoped it would be.<br /><br />If you asked me at any given point in the last five years what my dreams were, I still would not have been able to tell you. Oh, I've had goals and hopes and wishy-washy ideas about what I wanted. I have journal after journal filled with proclamations of, 'This is it! This time I...' But fuzzy, watery decisions to lose weight or get published do not translate into concrete actions.<br /><br />The irony is that the things that I have really wanted - and worked for - have come to pass, often without me realizing until it was over. When I am specific and do my bit, it happens. Often I think afterwards that I wish I had just been a little bit more clear about the details, because I <span style="font-style: italic;">did</span> get what I asked for. More than once lately I have wished that I'd remembered what I was doing and asked for more! But then I realize that if I'd asked for more I might not have believed it - and it might not have ever happened.<br /><br />Impossible things. Why is it easy for us to allow some things and impossible for us to allow others? Where do the blocks come from? SARK writes that impossible means, "I'm possible." I think I am going to adopt that as my affirmation this week. Whenever I feel myself doubting the potential in something I want or something I am doing, I am going to say, "I'm possible!" I have no doubt in the Universe, but all kinds of doubts in me. Hopefully by reminding myself that I AM possible and that I am powerful, I will begin to be able to ask for and expect the very best. <br /><br />Believe as many as six impossible things before breakfast! Roar!<br /><br />xo<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">'Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">'That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,' said the Cat.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">'I don't much care where -' said Alice.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">'Then it doesn't much matter which way you go,' said the Cat.</span><br /><br />-Lewis Carroll<br /></div>meghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041527732133374839noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21434337.post-13752454093807308472009-07-18T12:52:00.004+01:002009-07-18T13:15:35.714+01:00arms wide open.<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"Don't look at the ground! The ground hasn't changed since the last time you looked at it."</span> - <span style="font-size:85%;">Biggest loser UK</span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Pz_e4NZ-9oiLRRF8wXKHZfBADh7-qOjiyAgUGnzPUiyFI94Xpfhp_y4QXMyT85klVwngybDIEHEkO4zGxFALdgEfOMT-DsVRwebiPPR-rJk5jRFsMMKrQ2O9e8q3I2UbumSo/s1600-h/DSC00489_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Pz_e4NZ-9oiLRRF8wXKHZfBADh7-qOjiyAgUGnzPUiyFI94Xpfhp_y4QXMyT85klVwngybDIEHEkO4zGxFALdgEfOMT-DsVRwebiPPR-rJk5jRFsMMKrQ2O9e8q3I2UbumSo/s200/DSC00489_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359767549057470610" border="0" /></a>I have been here less because I am working on three projects. One of those is a brand new website that is all mine! I'm designing the header at the moment and part of that has been scouring the creative commons at Flickr and istock photo for inspiration. Late late at night in a fit of<br />desperation, I typed in 'spiritual' as part of a search.<br /><br />Imagine my delight when image after image came up of people with their arms flung open wide in joy. In amongst the more anticipated photographs of religious icons and images, people stood with their arms flung wide in surrender and celebration. <br /><br />Intrigued, I checked iphoto to see whether or not I had a picture there of that feeling - and I did! I was alone when I took this shot, but I remember wanting to capture the feelings of beauty and expansion and gratitude that I was feeling in that moment on a walk home. That is a picture of joy. And flung-open arms, it seems, is a common way to show that feeling.<br /><br />So what about you? When was the last time that you felt compelled to fling open your arms to embrace the space you were in? When was the last time you expressed that much joy? Do you have a picture in your archives of someone with their arms out like that? Is it you? I'd love to see that shot. I'd like to know you've felt that way too!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"Maybe in time, you will find, your arms are wrapped around the sun."</span> - Deb Talan (Big Strong Girl)<br /></div>meghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041527732133374839noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21434337.post-52369096295174458842009-07-16T20:33:00.004+01:002009-07-16T21:54:21.074+01:00practically a fruit bat!<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"You were made and set here to give voice to this, your own astonishment." </span>- Annie Dillard</span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj42nJccf1MfMS2_jf6fBOcNV131z2tFiTwQhyphenhyphenYp_ENBJkLOmpsWMpzoiVlAvQ7EYujzwpkCJNth_3Akk4RpQ4jLEcoD7DFH3SNsmdwuGpAU4XimNhQwGSJ21lfrMS6sNvZobj/s1600-h/IMGP0458.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj42nJccf1MfMS2_jf6fBOcNV131z2tFiTwQhyphenhyphenYp_ENBJkLOmpsWMpzoiVlAvQ7EYujzwpkCJNth_3Akk4RpQ4jLEcoD7DFH3SNsmdwuGpAU4XimNhQwGSJ21lfrMS6sNvZobj/s400/IMGP0458.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359154208774003986" border="0" /></a><br />Before I was diagnosed as a coeliac, I had a lot of trouble with food. Dairy, wheat, peppers and peanuts are all quite tricky things to not be able to eat, but I dealt with it. The hardest thing for me to avoid was fresh fruit. If it was fresh and raw, it was not my friend.<br /><br />Two days after my official diagnoses we packed up and went on vacation to Grenada. I had no idea that I would be able to eat fruit when I stopped eating gluten, but about four days into the trip I started to crave fruit. I started small, dipping into the papaya and watermelon at breakfast. When that went well, I made Mark's Dad pull over at a roadside stand and we bought an enormous bag of passion fruit. That night we had fresh mango covered in fresh passion fruit, and I have never looked back.<br /><br />So this is the first summer in a very long time that I have been able to enjoy fruit. I've been eating every berry I can get my fingers on - sometimes twice a day - and I have been loving it! I can't get enough. The riper, the drippier the better!<br /><br />Tonight as I type with fingers sticky from the juice of my first nectarine in years, I would like to wish you the simple wonderful delights of a bowl of your favorite fresh fruit. If I could have you here to enjoy it with me, I would. <br /><br />Mmmm... I wonder if there are any cherries left in the fridge...<br /><br />xomeghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041527732133374839noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21434337.post-17798103371432067062009-07-08T06:57:00.002+01:002009-07-08T07:12:05.250+01:00Jamie Ridler Studios<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"This is the leap, when you’re ready to share your gifts with the world, to take the risk and say, “Here. Here is who I am. Here is what I’ve created.” It’s a bold time, a brave time, a time full of risk and of joy. This is when you embrace the deepest truth of who you are and step fully into what you want to bring to this world."</span> - Jamie Ridler<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://jamieridlerstudios.ca/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 120px; height: 120px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiojry2H4LDuw4yM9euHmx3DDwRGPXSyh5HJxd4pY5C8FZBmjSKDl0mk6rKjKXiLkJFp7U3wXAlpzp4tjRCCrH0gFnxCZciJivFz1TgedW4BqJaP-1IDlUWZhwfoXWClyVSpEfd/s200/jrs-badge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355964888424336690" border="0" /></a>The first week I started blogging I was looking around for creative souls and people who I could connect with. I can't remember how I found Jamie's site. I think I found a comment that she had left for someone else and was charmed by her. When I went back to her blog I discovered that we had both started our blogs at the same time and that her site was as charming and inspiring as her comment had been.<br /><br />I tentatively reached out, hoping that she would comment back, and an immediate connection was made. We have been friends ever since. (Friends who have never met in person - a situation I hope to remedy this fall!) I have been excited and proud to watch her create a life and a place that is true to who she is and what she wants to give to the world. Today she is taking that a step further and launching her <a style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);" href="http://jamieridlerstudios.ca/">new website</a>!<br /><br />I hope that you will pop over and meet her if you haven't before. You will soon see what I saw in her back then. She is a feisty, creative, magical inspiration.<br /><br />Good luck, Jamie! I can't wait to see what you do next!!<br /><br />xomeghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041527732133374839noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21434337.post-88747515539696618942009-07-07T13:26:00.004+01:002009-07-07T14:51:51.537+01:00The power of music<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"Don't be shy, just let your feelings roll on by - And don't wear fear, or nobody will know you're there..."</span> - Cat Stevens</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRI_6nJLDgp-YoXWtAuqbFbjGgED_V0e9ceVcALLwcFWFRz4UCYsKmpIiaJMcq3rRzuMN6JrLk2Le2y0EKSvKwEVs8Ca1s3OotkZfunrTfrawC68ENDApsgKNyK2EVxdN1WJVL/s1600-h/SNF06BIZELE_380x550_819592a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 276px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRI_6nJLDgp-YoXWtAuqbFbjGgED_V0e9ceVcALLwcFWFRz4UCYsKmpIiaJMcq3rRzuMN6JrLk2Le2y0EKSvKwEVs8Ca1s3OotkZfunrTfrawC68ENDApsgKNyK2EVxdN1WJVL/s400/SNF06BIZELE_380x550_819592a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355696608568007138" border="0" /></a><br />Two weeks ago I went to see the band<a href="http://www.takethat.com/"> Take That</a> in concert. I don't remember listening to them the first time that they were a big deal, but they have reformed and released some really wonderful songs. When I told people I was going, I had mixed reactions. It felt almost like a guilty pleasure to go. But 50,000 people had the same idea. It was a wonderful show. In this world that is filled with doom and gloom, four guys who put on a magical show complete with songs called 'Greatest Day' and 'Shine,' acrobats and a full sized elephant coming out of the ground and walking around are pretty special in my book. I got goosebumps. In fact, I remembered something. I remembered how much I had been missing magic. (Thanks guys for reminding me!)<br /><br />The next day I took my little ipod with me on my way to work. I listened to 'Greatest Day' over and over and over (am I the only one who does this?) until my soul was singing along again. Then I let the ipod play me what it thought I needed. It is usually bang on. (Note: as I typed this my computer is on shuffle and it just started playing 'Greatest Day!' I love it when synchronicity happens!)<br /><br />Today I have been messing around with my playlists, and I wondered if I was missing anything! What song do you put on and listen to over and over and over until it heals you? What songs do you put on when you are needing to feel wonderful? What song reminds you exactly of who you are?<br /><br />(ADDED: I Double Dare you to download 'Don't be Shy' by Cat Stevens, lie on the floor or the ground and play it loud enough to let it seep into your bones. Bliss.)<br /><br />My go-to favorites? (of the 1268 songs to choose from?)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">For sassy:</span><br />Happy Girl: Martina McBride<br />Beautiful: Carole King<br />I'm Coming Out: Diana Ross<br />I Can Do Anything: Caleigh Peters<br />Deb Talan, Deb Talan, Deb Talan!!!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">For nudging:</span><br />Don't be Shy: Cat Stevens<br />Beautiful Flower: India Arie<br />I'm Gonna Do it All: Karine Polwart<br />Greatest Day: Take That<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">For wonder:</span><br />Beautiful World: Colin Hay<br />All I know: Art Garfunkel<br />All this Beauty: The Weepies<br />The Indigo Girls!<br />Love You: Free Design<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">For biting in:</span><br />Valerie - Mark Ronson<br />Speed of Sound: Coldplay<br />Better Get to Livin': Dolly Parton<br />I Choose Life (acoustic version): Keisha White<br />...or there's always Alabama for good old fashioned fun!<br /><br />This is just a few - but I'd LOVE to know what songs get you. Any guilty pleasures? What makes your soul sing along? What's your go-to for help? Joy? Wisdom? What should I give a listen to?<br /><br /></div></div>meghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041527732133374839noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21434337.post-71728292786826090582009-07-03T18:12:00.003+01:002009-07-03T18:25:39.580+01:00a rambling return<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><br />"Writing is about getting something down, not about thinking something up."</span> -<span style="font-size:85%;"> Julia Cameron</span><br /></div><br />I can't remember which book this is in, but one of the things SARK wrote that resonated with me the most was something about when she was feeling depressed, it clearly meant that she needed to express something. That has been echoing through my head for days now. I have been busy. I have been overworked and stressed out and irritated, and I have not been writing or creating in any way. I tried to figure out what was wrong a few days ago and that thought came back to me.<br /><br />I need to express something.<br /><br />I need to get creative!<br /><br />It's funny how the longer you leave a blog the harder it is to come back to it. I have thought about blogging many times over the past few weeks but once I started back I knew I wouldn't be able to stop. Frankly I didn't have the energy to commit to something else. I didn't have the energy to find a quote and upload a photo (my computer is sloooow!) and then write something about it. HA! So I am not going to. The quote found me and the photo will have to wait, but I am here now. I have broken the ice, and it feels good. It feels good to be back. <br /><br />Yes, I think I will come back here again.meghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041527732133374839noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21434337.post-83049132930744871242009-06-15T12:55:00.001+01:002009-06-16T07:15:09.566+01:00have a great day.<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/o5rhhQbyYV0&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/o5rhhQbyYV0&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>meghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041527732133374839noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21434337.post-79908982403625731472009-06-15T11:41:00.004+01:002009-06-15T12:04:53.752+01:00Perspective<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTyxvLxlemi98WFjrhxqqtAFJyyTXFdWoGgChyphenhyphenIErMkt9wixgzgz4XC_hfzChoT_NW_JYtkKA6ckK6C4Q0HcYavjV12pxvVaHZ83Ha793ZBrDFU6fk30f82_jpCRPIV1V6x2z/s1600-h/glowworm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 231px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTyxvLxlemi98WFjrhxqqtAFJyyTXFdWoGgChyphenhyphenIErMkt9wixgzgz4XC_hfzChoT_NW_JYtkKA6ckK6C4Q0HcYavjV12pxvVaHZ83Ha793ZBrDFU6fk30f82_jpCRPIV1V6x2z/s400/glowworm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347503679402072498" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I've posted this picture before. I got it in an email years ago and had it up in front of my desk for a really long time. I think it was the look on his face more than anything that made me love him. I'm feeling the need for a little light relief. I have been in that weird place of low-level stress where you feel like everything is okay, but you can also feel this weird tension growing. I've been waking up realizing that my jaw aches and my shoulders are tense. I know you know what I am talking about.<br /><br />So this morning as I tried to download photos, write an email and deal with a crisis all at the same time, my computer and my brain crashed at exactly the same moment. I sat and just looked at the little colour wheel spinning endlessly in front of me and then shook my head and laughed. I laughed the absurdity of my brain. I laughed at the unnecessary pain and strain that we put on ourselves. Why on earth <span style="font-style: italic;">when we know better</span> do we let ourselves get wound up in knots over ridiculous things? In the grand scheme of life, how does this tension help?<br /><br />I know lots of ways to live a creative/ full/ inspired/ abundant life. My bookshelf is groaning under the weight of all of those ideas. But what good are those ideas if I forget them when I need them the most? I think that that is the question I need answered most of all. How do we hold onto that part of ourselves that can see the stars when we are swirling in the ordinary?<br /><br />How do you do it? How do you keep hold of your perspective?<br /><br /></div></div>meghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041527732133374839noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21434337.post-85035766207754987832009-06-14T18:48:00.006+01:002009-06-14T19:00:18.228+01:00sometimes the truth hurts<div style="text-align: center;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/1712/hepburn/kate01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 379px; height: 480px;" src="http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/1712/hepburn/kate01.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><br /><br />"Life is to be lived. If you have to support yourself, you had bloody well better find some way that is going to be interesting. And you don't do that by sitting around wondering about yourself."<br /></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-size:100%;" >- Katharine Hepburn<br /><br />(I wonder what she would have thought about blogging...)</span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"></span><br /></span></div>meghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041527732133374839noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21434337.post-8974991532028756842009-06-09T17:20:00.005+01:002009-06-09T20:53:38.159+01:00It's me! It's me!<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />"I pretty much try to stay in a constant state of confusion just because of the expression it leaves on my face."</span> - Johnny Depp</span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOPoRVj_MGy6XcvGskWVhq1EiT4-TnuetgI5QL4lYjaIz_pur-Dxv7l5dBBQxRUWeTtQjgMzM5_klEXVztLUzxXNrSjk-n5Yg8Hxv4l3cSKKds_at9uDWPha_efxqR0GAonc4T/s1600-h/IMGP0356.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOPoRVj_MGy6XcvGskWVhq1EiT4-TnuetgI5QL4lYjaIz_pur-Dxv7l5dBBQxRUWeTtQjgMzM5_klEXVztLUzxXNrSjk-n5Yg8Hxv4l3cSKKds_at9uDWPha_efxqR0GAonc4T/s200/IMGP0356.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345367621173581298" border="0" /></a>Yes, your eyes do not deceive you, there is a new post from me! The internet appeared as a series of small green lights at just about 11:00 last night. It's slow, but it's ours and we are not talking too loudly in case we scare it away!<br /><br />It's been an interesting few weeks, but without going into work or life too much, just know that I have missed you!<br /><br />Better late than never, the winners of the giveaway were... <a style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);" href="http://reality-insanity.blogspot.com/">Genie Sea</a>, <a style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);" href="http://hybridj.blogspot.com/">Hybrid J</a> and <a style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);" href="http://www.hundredandonethings.blogspot.com/">Hundred and One Things</a> - YAY!!!! (If you reply to this post with your email included, I'll send you the possible books and you can send me your address in return.) To those of you who didn't win: I still have a pile of books to find good homes for, so keep in touch and I'll do the draw again soon. And pay attention because who knows what those clever bloggers will cook up to giveaway on their blogs!<br /><br />Now I am off to get back in touch - ahhhhhhhhhh, connection!!!meghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041527732133374839noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21434337.post-23007096611314016572009-05-23T12:26:00.005+01:002009-05-23T12:52:26.240+01:00Paying it forward - a Draw!!<div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Artwork: <span style="font-style: italic;">Lotus Rising</span> by Celeste Johnson</span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=73287"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 157px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJoDBWGmEvx6TG9E7sOvg9s190t1y7WPYK0KT7KbCz3AwYEiWXJA-iKBG4v-fPZGfmGeD0mk9nrB7NWkMWlRp6uAdDqOr_Ell-fVG6KzVpoun6Bvtia9Ma9BPsQZFw1edHDKHk/s200/IMG_1983.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338980867682630178" border="0" /></a>As I write this I am sitting on the floor of my old flat. We have come back to finish getting it ready to rent. I’ve been dispatched to write an article for<a style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);" href="http://www.randomlychallenged.com/Home.php"> our new website</a>, but I have been so long away from writing anything, I needed to warm up a bit before leaping back into the fray.<br /><br />We’ve moved! We are now living in a cute three bedroom cottage in the rolling hills of Somerset. It has a lovely big kitchen, some period features and a fabulous garden of the sort that would make a 9 year old boy delirious with exploratory joy. But we still don't have any internet... and I am so addicted to the internet.<br /><br />So I’ve missed you all very much, and I know that when I finally get connected properly and fire up bloglines, I shall find that I have been completely out of touch with you all. But as a way of sticking my toe back in, I am going to finally take my turn to pay it forward.<br /><br />A few weeks ago I won a draw on <a style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);" href="http://celestesenchantedart.blogspot.com/">Celeste’s</a> blog for a beautiful print of one of her paintings. (It’s the one I have included above, isn't she beautiful!? I get to own that print!!) She in turn had been inspired by a draw that <a style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="http://djkreutzer.com/moments">Darlene</a> had run on her blog. The only rule is that if you win, you must pay it forward in return and offer something of your own. Now, I am not an artist or a photographer or anything, so I cannot offer you something like that, but what I DO have is the biggest pile of inspirational books in the world, and a deep desire to not have to move them all again. If you have read this blog before you will know that I look on my books as very precious, so you know how much this means to me!<br /><br />So if you leave a comment on this post by May 30, I’ll enter you into a draw for something delicious from my library. (And believe me, I have some good stuff!!!) I’ll have Mark draw three winners and then write to you with a list of books you can choose from. All you have to do if you win is give something away on your blog in return.<br /><br />Hope you are all doing well, and I’ll see you again when we have the net!meghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041527732133374839noreply@blogger.com22