The Parisian Writing Goal

The end result of a promise kept

I finally turned over my calendar page to a black and white photo of one of the most recognizable structures in the world – the Eiffel Tower. My daughter extracted a promise from me a few years ago, that I would take her to Paris. I will. And she knows that I will. We lived in Italy for three years, and we did that because I wanted to.

Looking at that photo brings calm to my soul. I love Europe. I love the people (although I’ve heard stories of wicked Parisians purposely sending tourists in the wrong direction when asked the stock question of “where is……?”) I love the constant exercise that is naturally worked into your day because walking is the most common mode of transportation. I love the food that is not GMO enhanced (tell me that hasn’t caused Americans to gain weight! When I returned to the USA from Italy, all the fresh food here tasted like metal. It took me weeks to get the taste out of my mouth – reacclimation to GMOs I guess – and a subsequent weight gain without changing my eating habits – tell me our government doesn’t have a hand in the obesity problem!)

Back to the picture of the Eiffel Tower. My first morning glance to my future travel destination reminds me of my goal and why I get up every morning and slink down to my writing desk, hoping just once that the coffee pot has developed a smart chip and the sweet nectar is already waiting for me. Yeah, no. It takes me about 15 minutes to get myself together in order to take my first glance at the computer screen. With the image of the Tower still in my mind, I begin work relaxed and focused on the work that brings me one day closer to taking my own photograph of that impressive structure. My coffee in hand, rabbit under my desk bucking her head against my foot to start stroking her head with it, my writing day begins. I have repeated this routine often enough over the last few months, that my workload has increased substantially. I was able to cut four hours out of my time every week as a nurse because I have dedicated myself to making that happen in a way that has, once again, surprised even me. That was my goal, and I reached it. I didn’t reach it because I kinda wanted it or I said “someday I’m going to write more and be a nurse less.” (I’m always a nurse, anyway, so that automatically negated that train of thought.) I obtained the goal because I sat at my computer long hours into the night when I should have been sleeping. I obtained the goal by constantly researching markets, carrying a notebook with me for jotting down ideas, and networking with other writers. I also obtained it by not talking about my goals too much with other than the three people that I trust the most: my lover, my daughter and my best friend. I told only those people that would in no way bring negativity to my easily influenced New York Times inner critic. These three people brought hope, calm, and unshakable belief in me, and I couldn’t let them down.

So, now the first rung of the goal has been met. Now I must reach skyward and pull myself up to the next rung. Here I go.

The Redhead Says…..

To beat The Stress Monkey….

1) Stick your head outside. Take in the sunshine or fresh air, no matter how cold or rainy it is. The fresh air perks up your senses and gives you a little taste of mother nature. Too many people spend their lives indoors. Is it any wonder that people living in the South tend to look a little healthier? Increased sunshine, Vitamin D synthesis is their secret.

2) Do something creative. Caught in a work-all-day, every-day quagmire? Take a few hours or a day and do something completely creative. Activate that right-brain, right now and feel the relief from worry and strife. Right-brain activities enhance our mood and refresh our perspective.

3) Contact someone you haven’t talked to in a while. Look at your cell phone or email contact list and send them a text or catch-up email. Often we are so consumed with our own lives that we forget people that we love talking to or spending time with…. check up on them and catch up!

Come back tomorrow for another set of tips!

Gloria Attar RN aka Redhead Writer Girl

The Redhead Says….

try this to beat The Stress Monkey….

1) Shake it off.  You’re stressed, you’re anxious, so stand up and shake.  Yep, that’s right.  Shake.  Just stand up.  Shake your hands at your wrists.  Shake your head ‘no, no, no’ like a toddler would do.  Stand on one leg and shake your foot.  Stand on the other and do the same.   Shake your butt.  Shimmy your shoulders.  Get the blood flowing and shake off the stress!

2)  Stretch.  Stand up and imagine a gold thread on top of your head pulling your body up.  Now reach up over your head and imagine another thread hooked to your hands.  Reach.  Stretch. Lift yourself up out of your hip bones.  Let your lungs fully expand under your rib cage and breathe deeply.  Get five full breaths in.  Your brain will feel a rush of new oxygen, and your body will gain a short little burst of vitality.  Do this anytime you’re overwhelmed and need some refreshment.

3) Change your environment.  If you sit at a desk, rearrange it.  Move one thing from the place it normally resides. Put something “out of place” in your home.  Change the pictures on your wall.  Open the always-closed curtains.  Shake up your world a bit by changing the way you always view it.  A new perspective does wonders to alleviate stress.

Come back tomorrow for another set of tips!

Gloria Attar RN aka Redhead Writer Girl

Living With Less and Technology Free

Too Much Stuff

How much stuff do we need to live?  My mother used to prod me into considering a new purchase by telling me to ask myself whether or not the something in my hand was something I really needed to live, or did I just want it?  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve put stuff back on the shelf and left it for another person to grab up.  Only on the rarest of occasions, maybe less than five, did I ever think I should have purchased it when I had the chance.

George Carlin had a great bit about “Stuff” and the storage of it, the use of it, and why we simply wanted more and more all the time.  Europeans, for the most part, are not like this.  I lived over in Italy for three years and although they have an unlimited supply of some really good stuff, they don’t own a lot of really good stuff.  Don’t get me wrong, the “stuff” they have is really nice; they just don’t have a lot of stuff stuffed into closets the way most Americans do.

Our stuff carries enormous responsbility.  We have to clean it, store it, maybe even show it off if it’s really nice.  But we only have so much space and that was one of Carlin’s tenants.  Soon we’ll all need bigger houses because our stuff has outgrown our house.  This is where I can appreciate a good garage sale.  I like going to other people’s homes who have decided to sell their stuff.  Heck, I’ve even offered to trade them some of their stuff for some of mine.  Since that plays out to an even swap I don’t feel so bad about bringing more stuff into my house.  Very soon, my boyfriend and I will merge our stuff and there will be even more stuff that has to be stuffed somewhere!  I’m not looking forward to the sorting, but I am looking forward to his stuff living with mine.

Stuff brings stress.  The more clutter of stuff you have around, the less your eye can look up and see ‘white space,’ and that is something your mind needs to relax.   Less stuff to look at, less stuff to be responsible for, less stuff to replace if it breaks.  Our parents and their parents lived just fine with less stuff, and our grandparents would be amazed at how much stuff we all think we need in order to exist on this planet.  Two car families were unheard of in my grandparents’ day. There were no cell phones so people could track us down wherever we were, no blogs so families could read what we’ve been up to (they had to write actual letters and use postage stamps).  There were no DVRs.  If you wanted to watch a show you had to be in front of the television when the show came on or risk missing it. How uncool would you be if you didn’t know what happened on Desperate Housewives this week?

Technology

Technology is a wonderful invention, and unfortunately its invention has come with a price — added stress.  Lately I have been leaving my cell phone at home when I’ve gone on short runs to my daughter’s school or the local grocery store.  There are pay phones around…. somewhere… should I get stranded within a three mile radius of my home.  Heck, I could walk to my home if I needed to, in order to use a phone.  The sense of freedom that my cell-phone-free times has given me has made me giddy.  Once I even ventured as far away as 8 miles and nothing bad happened.  When I returned home and took that cell phone into my hand to check to see who had called me, I found that the world had gone on just as before and didn’t notice that for a moment, I had stepped off.

This past weekend, I strayed as far as 35 miles and an entire evening without my cell phone.  My boyfriend had his.  I used it once, and the world survived.  All my relatives were still living at evening’s end, and my nerves remained intact.  Oh sure, I missed a few emails, but I didn’t need to read them until the next day or even the day after.  I had unplugged and lived to tell about it.

Give it a whirl and let me know how it goes for you and what you felt.

Blessings

Stress abounds!

Our lives are continually inundated by that monkey on our backs called STRESS.  Interruptions, noise, children, finances, partners, bad news, the economy, disease, sleep deprivation… all fuel for that monkey to get bigger and stronger until we are so weighed down by stress we are quite literally ready to collapse.

It’s a wonder we have energy to walk to the bed sometimes.

De-stressing techniques and solutions range far and wide.  Some of the topics we will be covering here will include: technology, food and nutrition, sleep, relationships, finances and topics that you may suggest.  Reviews of books, recent magazine articles, health journal articles and television programs will be covered here as well.  If you wish to see something specifically addressed, please let us know.

Blessings,

Gloria Attar RN BSN