Fade to Grey

Yesterday morning I was looking at a shirt that was previously white. Now it was whitish with hues a blue and grey from where my blue jeans rubbed off on it. It got me thinking about how that applied to life. People are a lot like that white shirt. As we go through the struggles of living and becoming something that we can be happy with, the things we are closest to often rub off on us, coloring who we are and what we become.

I could end the post here, because that is the small insight I had yesterday. But insight is no good if you don’t apply it.

With the above inspiration in mind, I thought about how to apply this to my current situation. Since I am working on becoming a “real” writer that is of course where my thoughts naturally went, well second only to how it affects my nephews.

Here is what I came up with:

1.) Read the books you want to write. Style, genre, content, whatever it is you want to become as a writer. Read it.

2.) Surround yourself with supportive people who will encourage you to achieve your dreams. If you want to stay excited, find people who are just as excited as you. Whether they are excited about you or writing in general, they will rub off on you. (A nice balance of both is awesome!)

3.) Find author’s you admire and read their blogs, follow them on twitter, facebook, myspace or whatever social media site you use.

4.) Having supportive people is wonderful, but you also need to find those people and the things that challenge you. Maybe it’s sharing your work with others, (it can be scary at first) or a critique group or partner, or trying something new like submitting your work to see if you stack up.

Hopefully in doing these things, you’ll find that the right shades have rubbed off on you a little, helping to make you into something that you can be happy with. For me finding the wonderful writing community on twitter has been invaluable. I do not think I would have remained as excited about writing without my cheerleaders, or believed I could actually, hopefully someday be published.

Good luck, and keep me posted!

Weight Loss Experiment

A friend kindly offered me his old entertainment center. It is a hand crafted beautiful piece that breaks apart into three pieces. Two of which I plan to use as book shelves. I also plan to put them in my room since space is at a premium in the rest of my house with a friend’s house packed up and moved in.

In order to get these new pieces moved in I needed to do some rearranging, which requires reorganizing. (My least favorite thing to do.) In doing this I re-discovered something I already knew. I have A LOT of clothes. Most of which I do not wear anymore. So I carted in so bags and starting sorting through the clothes, making piles to give away. I am a pack rat by nature or nurture, not sure which since both parents suffer this debilitating problem.

As I was sorting I found there was some stuff I still wanted but has grown a little too tight to be worn. This is where the idea spawned for this blog post. I already decided I need to lose some weight. Now with the clothes sorted into separate piles. Clothes that fit, and clothes I’d like to fit again. I decided that I would make myself accountable to the world. (Or at least the 8 followers I have.) Accountability always helps me to stay on task.

So starting today, my goal is to lose 20 pounds by March 31^st. I know that is three months and I could probably could shoot for 20 pounds in 2 months, but I’m being honest with myself and giving a little wiggle room. (I need wiggle room or I’ll be overwhelmed and shut down.)

I will not post how much I currently weigh, and probably won’t post my final successful goal weight when I reach it. But I do intend to keep you up to date on my progress and anything I learn along the way.

GOAL: 20 pounds by March 31, 2010.

*Help keep me going! Lend support via comments or email, post any successful tips and tricks. Join in with your own goal and fill me/us in on your progress. A joint effort always helps me.

Bald is Beautiful: Lessons from a Shaved Head

New Years day I looked in the mirror and was surprised to see that I had hair. Not just any hair but girly hair that brushed against my shoulders and turned up because it is now long enough that it should drape just below my shoulders.

You might be wondering why that would be an odd thing, since I am a girl. I used to have long beautiful hair that came all the way to my butt. It had a life of it’s own. On more occasions than is normal, people who have no claim to my life would tell me I better never cut it. When I changed shampoo brands, a guy told me that he only ever came into my place of work to catch a whiff of my previously scented shampoo. (I worked in a remote site, where there were very few women. It seems a little less odd with that knowledge.)

What I am trying to say is that my hair was a huge part of my identity and how others saw me and how I saw myself.

Well almost 2 years ago now, I shaved my head bald. Yes completely, to the skin, bald. It was for a good cause and I donated it all to Locks of Love, a wonderful charity that makes wigs for cancer patients. I would do it again if the circumstances were right.

Doing this though had many expected and unexpected side effects. I had a few days before I did it to mourn the loss of my hair. I knew it would change how people saw me, but I was unprepared for how it would change the way I saw people.

At first people tried not to look at me. I did not wear wigs and only wore hats when I was outside. I couldn’t really hide it, so I bore it with pride. Quickly though my hair grew into stubble and then short boy hair. It was amazing the way people treated me, even those who knew why I’d done it.

For a while people stopped looking at me at all. Then when my hair was long enough to try and style, the looks returned. Only they were not what I expected. People stared openly, especially when my best friend and I, who also shaved her head, were hanging out together.

It was quite an eye opener to go through the stages of re-growing my hair. I learned a lot about the world and how many people see others around them. More importantly though, I learned how much the way other people see and react to us, effects how we see and feel about ourselves.

It is this lesson that I am most grateful for and why I would recommend trying it to any woman who asks if they should. It is both frightening and liberating to learn you are more than your hair, or your looks. You find inner strength you didn’t know you had, but more importantly you find strength through the unexpected support of those around you.

Doing something unexpected will always bring both criticism and praise. This experience was no different. But it gave me so much more than I could have imagined. So going into the New Year I am going to try to remember how amazing doing something frightening can be.

The Way I See the World

Recently I read a blog that talked about the ways you see people, and how they can sabotage your writing. The blogger started off by talking about ethnicity immediately. Then he listed out ways of seeing people that can sabotage your writing and I immediately thought to myself: This is not how I initially see people.

I know that we all have our unique view of life. That is awesome. It’s what makes the world interesting. Maybe I’m sharing a bit too much here, and you will all finally see just how off I really am. My brother keeps telling me I am. So maybe it’s true. You be the judge.

Last week while passing the smokers that litter the front of the bus station, I walked past a man who had a wide face with cheeks that sagged so low they formed pockets at his jaw line. He also had a long, swooping white mustache. From my description what would your first impression be?

My first impression was: That man looks like a catfish. And in my head he was a catfish. I filed him away for future use as a character because I’d never seen a catfish man before. In my head he has already taken on the characteristics of someone who is wise and has lived many lifetimes, maybe an oracle of sorts. We will see.

Back to my point. I do not see people as most would. I am grateful for the imagination God has granted me. My world is one of color and beauty where strangers get to be oracles, or the guards of monsters, with kind hearts who ease the suffering of the condemned.

Is this the world of all writers? Or am I one of the lucky few, who’s life sometimes feels more like one of those Clorox commercials than reality? (I’ve provided a link to one of the commercials, in case you’ve never seen one. They are awesome!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIn5cS2eVbg