Play Into Love

Here we are in the first week of the Living Juicy Project, and already I’ve started some pretty serious soul searching.

This week’s theme is Procrastination. According to the theme, I’m writing my first Living Juicy Project post on the second day of the year. Actually, it was pretty ridiculous. I didn’t read the first page until 11:45 last night. Is it possible to plan procrastinating? And if so, why would anyone do it? I guess if you wanted to put off some soul searching…

January 1, Procrastinating- SARK writes some tough truths; that procrastination is part of being a perfectionist and having a low self-esteem. Essentially, if you always put things off, then you never ruin anything. Unfortunately that also means you don’t get anything done.

It’s hard. I don’t want to think I have a low self-esteem. I imagine myself bold and beautiful- like a soap opera star. But that facts are, particularly around my career, I definitely procrastinate. I do research on things for months before taking action. And I’m sure I’ve missed opportunities because I’m scared to start something and have it go wrong. Like if something went wrong, that would be proof that I wasn’t supposed to do it in the first place. So I’m stopped by the phantom mistake. It doesn’t exist. The only mistake I actually make is not trying anyway.

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January 2, Identifying Procrastination- According to SARK, some of the symptoms of procrastination are over-eating and over-sleeping. I’m sure I could add to that over-reading and over-watchingTVing.

In fact, I can even trick myself into believing my procrastinating is actually a good thing. I’m making a scarf for Person A, baking cookies for Person B, and helping Person C move. All the while, my own projects remain incomplete. But look how righteous I am? I did all these things for other people!

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It’s important to be gentle…It’s easy berate oneself for all the incomplete projects and missed opportunities. But you may have noticed, that doesn’t feel good and it certainly doesn’t help. Believe me, I spent a few pages chastising myself in my journal last night for my low self-esteem before I caught onto the the fact that I was hurting more than helping.

Right now, it’s enough just to notice and be aware. Yes, I procrastinate. Yes, that may be an indication of some things.

(Deep Breath) This is where I’m starting at. And that’s okay.

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Song to breathe by – Hard Time Killing Floor Blues by Chris Thomas King

A new year is just around the corner. Goodness, it’s almost been 10 years since Y2K, and it barely seems like any time has gone by- except I have all those memories (and a few pounds) I’ve gained. *grin*

The last couple weeks, as I’ve been thinking and singing in the shower, an idea has been growing and blossoming in my mind… I have a few favorite authors, but the most colorful and fun is SARK. You’ve probably seen her stuff- it’s an amazing and contagious source of smiles.*

She has this lovely book called Living Juicy: Daily Morsels for Your Creative Soul. Each week has a different theme of creative activities to nurture the creative soul. The first few weeks are ‘procrastination,’ ‘napping,’ and ‘inventing’. I’ve owned this book for years, but haven’t really taken full advantage of all it offers.

That’s all about to change.

This year, from January 1st to December 31st, I’m going to read, do, and write about Living Juicy. I have a feeling that it will change my life, but in a gentle way. This website is all about Loving Yourself and having fun doing it. I’ll be blogging about my experiences a couple times a week. I can’t think of a better way to go about it.

(Plus, I watched Julie & Julia this year, and I love the idea of taking something I love, doing it for a year, authentically sharing my experience with people, and possibly making a difference in your life.)

I invite you to join me! Next time you visit your local bookstore, flip through the book. See if it calls out to you. Maybe only some of the weeks will pull on your heart. You’re welcome to join me for however much or little feels right.

I have to say, I am very excited about this project. I’m excited to see who will join me. I’m excited to nurture myself. Like I’ll be giving my heart a gentle massage to get the creative juice flowing. And maybe, by sharing, I’ll touch your heart too. I’m excited to read about your experiences. I’m excited that it’s almost 2010, and I have a feeling that it’s going to be a full and luscious year.

The Living Juicy Project starts on January 1st. (Except the theme of the first week is ‘Procrastination,’ so don’t be surprised if I don’t post until the 2nd. *wink*) I hope to see you here!

Many hugs and warm winter greetings to you!

Erin

* For more SARK information, color, fun, or to buy the book, visit her website at PlanetSark.com

Something about large groups of people being happy and dancing in unison gets to me every time. Dancing is such a great method of expression- it’s emotion made physical. And when people get up and start grooving, it’s contagious.

I’ve compiled some of my favorite videos below. Please, watch and enjoy.

Let’s start with JK Wedding Entrance Dance. You’ve probably seen it, but it’s worth rewatching. I cried the first 10 times I watched it.

Then there’s the classic T-Mobile Dance in the Liverpool Street Station. My favorite part is the “Public’s Reaction” video which is posted below.

The Public’s Reaction

As the lady at the end of the video said, dancing, or even watching people dancing, can put you in a good mood. I know it does for me. Sometimes when I’m feeling a bit down, all I have to do is watch one of these videos and I’m reminded of how amazing people are. And I’m filled with gratitude that I get to be alive in a time when people can dance at a wedding in Michigan get to share their joy with millions of people.

The next video is my personal favorite. Over 20,000 people came together for this dance, and they’re completely in sync. By the time the video is over, I bet you one hug that your feet are tapping- either that or you’re dancing around your living room.

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On this same synchronized-happy-dancing theme, I recommend the following movies

• Mamma Mia!
• The Sound of Music
• Dirty Dancing (classic)
• Save the Last Dance
• Calamity Jane
• Oklahoma

Please, please feel free to comment with other dancing video recommendations.

When was the last time you had a slice of homemade bread? If you had to think about it for more than 3 seconds, it’s been too long. It’s the season for making hearty, warm meals, and homemade bread adds to every meal. Something about the cooling season reminds me of playing games with my family in the evenings and drinking hot chocolate.

I made some soup in my crockpot, and wanted some bread to go with it. So I made French Bread for the first time ever. It turned out so much better than I ever could have expected. (I ate half a loaf in one evening with butter and fresh apricot jam. It was the best meal I’d eaten in months. Not that I haven’t eaten good food, but it was so delicious I just couldn’t stop.)

It was easier than I expected to make it. In fact, I made another batch last night. The hardest part is waiting for the dough to rise. But it’s so worth it. If you have a few hours and feel like baking, I highly recommend Yummy French Bread.

Homemade French Bread About to Go In the Oven

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Homemade French Bread Just Out of the Oven

This weekend I threw a potluck picnic party at the park. I invited a bunch of friends and told them to bring food and outdoor games. I had scheduled a couple hours for the event. I knew everyone would be eating and hanging out but I was still kind of worried about entertainment. What if everyone got bored? I didn’t want that to happen. I decided to have at least one activity planned that everyone could participate in.

After some deliberation I decided upon a Treasure Hunt! When I was a kid, my grandparents used to do a major treasure hunt every summer for all the young ones. I remembered how much fun it was to go looking for clues, not knowing what could be at the end of the search.

Of course, the most tedious part of making a treasure hunt is coming up with good clues. I wanted this party to be really easy so I looked around online and found this fabulous treasure hunt software called Riddle Me.  It’s a simple, but flexible software, and within just a few minutes I had generated a 12-clue hunt. It was super easy.* Plus, it’s cheap! Gotta love that. It took me longer to tape the clues to the items than to actually make the puzzle.

The best part was that everyone loved it. Really, that’s the most important thing- that people have a good time.

Afterward I had people tell me how much fun it is to act like a kid sometimes. It’s true (and the squirt guns in the treasure bowl certainly helped with that).

If you want to check out the Riddle Me software, go here. I liked it so much, I became an affiliate. So if you purchase through this link, I’ll get a little something also.

Check out the pictures of the Treasure Hunt below.

"Which is the last clue?"

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"We found the treasure!!!"

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"These are nice pens..."

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Riddle Me also has a Scavenger Hunt generator. You know what I’ll be using to plan my next party!!!

* At one point I had a question about the software and sent an email to their support team. They responded within 24 hours. A+ Service.

“Women are like apples on trees. The best ones are at the top of the tree. Most men don’t want to reach for the good ones because they are afraid of falling and getting hurt. Instead, they sometimes take the apples from the ground that aren’t as good, but easy. The apples at the top think something is wrong with them, when in reality, they’re amazing. They just have to wait for the right man to come along, the one who is brave enough to climb all the way to the top of the tree.

Now Men…. Men are like a fine wine. They begin as grapes, and it’s up to women to stomp the crap out of them until they turn into something acceptable to have dinner with.”

A friend sent this to me today. It’s the first time I’ve heard it, and it’s just so perfect I had to share it.

I’m single. I have been for a while. And there are a lot of women in my same boat. Sometimes it can be discouraging. Just remind yourself, if applicable - 

All you single ladies are just the best apples, ripening to perfection so when the right guy climbs the tree you’ll be super delicious.

Also, make sure you want to be picked.

—–Video for this post —–>> Baby Dancing to Beyonce’s “All the Single Ladies”

And here’s another thing to remember about women-

~ Eleanor Roosevelt

“I’m walking through my resistance.”

That’s what I wrote this morning in my journal. It resonated through me as Truth. Like my Higher Self had managed to shoot that one thought out, one firework in the sky, among my thoughts of doing laundry, paying bills, and grocery shopping.

It all started a couple months ago. I had gone to my doctor for a regular check-up and she told me if I wanted to lose some weight I just had to walk briskly for 1 hour, 3-4 times a week. Normally I ignore people who say I need to lose weight, but she must have said it just right because just a few weeks later I took her advice.

I would put my walking gear on (shorts, sports bra, tank top), check the time, and walk for 30 minutes in one direction, then turn around and walk back. I didn’t even know how far I was going. I just wanted to get moving and get healthier. Initially my muscles weren’t used to walking that much, but it got easier pretty quickly.

And I ended up getting far more than better legs. Walking was meditative. No music, repetitive steps, rhythmic movement, soothing scenery- like a baby on a dryer.  Something about the movement distracted my busy mind so my wiser self was easier to hear.

Which reminded me…

• I was lucky enough to see Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way, speak in New York City. It was just before she released her book Walking in this World, and she was speaking about how walking settles the mind and releases creativity.
• Another favorite author, SARK, devotes an entire week to walking in her book Living Juicy: Daily Morsels for Your Creative Soul. She says, “A good, conscious walk encourages meditation by it’s repetitive and calming movement. The body is in action, and the mind can relax.”

I walked religiously 4-5 times a week for one month. I felt so good. Walking felt great and I was so happy. Life just felt better.

Then I checked my scale and I had lost 10 lbs! I started wondering if I could lose more weight with jogging. So I committed to jogging. But I don’t like jogging, so I didn’t do it. Eventually, I was barely walking once or twice a week and then only short walks or maybe with a friend.

Which brings us to this morning. I was feeling kind of tense and almost grumpy, pushing against my day. I was writing in my journal complaining, but trying to feel better when I thought, “I should walk again, not because I want to lose weight, but because I was so happy. I’m walking my way through resistance.” Literally.

And so this evening, I took my own advice. I walked and I feel great.

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Songs to inspire walking

Walk On – U2

25 Miles – Edwin Starr

I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) – The Proclaimers

A few months ago I moved to a new apartment that’s just down the block and across the street from Starbucks. All that yummy chai-ness just a short walk away. This dramatically increased my pre-work stops for Tall Chai Lattes. And I have no will power when it comes to pastries so I’d also get one of their apple bran muffins (bran is healthy, right?).

It was the perfect breakfast. Tasty pastry and drink, and it always filled me up for hours. Normally I’d eat breakfast and then feel hungry just a couple hours later. But this combo kept me full until lunch.

But the good times couldn’t last. It’s just too expensive to spend $5 a couple times a week on something I knew wasn’t too healthy for me. No matter how much I enjoy them, chunks of buttery-sugar-apple-crumble are just not good for me. Fortunately I had one of those realizations that seems so obvious it’s hard to believe I didn’t think of it 10 years ago- I could make my own bran muffins! (And so can you!)

That day I found a great muffin recipe on my favorite recipe website – allrecipes.com (note: read the comments under the recipe for GREAT ideas.). I’ve altered it slightly, and I want to share it with you. Everyone who’s tried the muffins has loved them. Plus, they’re super healthy.

Erin’s “Better Than Starbucks” Bran muffins

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups wheat bran (Fiber One cereal)
• 1 cup milk & 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup wholewheat flour
• 2 tbsp. ground flaxseed
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 1/2 peeled, chunked granny smith apples
• cinnamon/spices to taste

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
2. Mix together milk and lemon, then mix into wheat bran; let stand for 10 minutes.
3. Beat together applesauce, egg, sugar and vanilla and add to milk/bran mixture. Sift together flour, flaxseed, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices. Stir flour mixture into milk mixture, until just blended. Fold in cranberries and apple chunks and spoon batter into prepared muffin tins.
4. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool and enjoy!

Try it and let me know what you think!

Homes are the heart of life experiences. Homes are to people, as nebulae are to stars. It’s where we are formed before we leave to shine in the world. So, they’re pretty important. The arguments you have, the love you create, the joyful, shared experiences- all the these will occur in your home at some time or another. Not to mention, homes are also extremely convenient for storing things and entertaining guests.

All of which leads to me to the excellently enjoyable task of designing a dream home in my mind. If it’s such an important part of my life, I’d better create a good one. And since thought become things, well, I’ll start with my imagination.

It seems to me that every time I move, I figure out more things that I want. When I lived in a studio, I wanted a bathtub and an area for guests. Then I lived in a small 1-bedroom apartment and I wanted a porch  and more closet space. Now I live in a large 1 bedroom apt. with 4 closets, and I want a boyfriend. *grin* Actually, I’m very happy where I am. But I’m sure you know how enjoyable it is to imagine yourself in your dream home. Let’s play!

What is your dream home? If you haven’t thought about it in a while, here are a few important questions to consider. Do NOT consider cost. This is your dream home. You can have whatever you want!

• How big is it? (Remember, in your dream home you can have help- gardeners, cleaners, etc)
• Rooms? Would you like a music room? Maybe a place for all your crafty stuff?
• How much space do you have outdoors?
• Where is it? Do you have a specific location (ie. 45th St in East Sacramento) or is it more general (in the country near Napa)?
• What do you see when you look out the windows?
• How old is it?
• What style? Brick? Wood?
• Colors? Inside and out?
• Hard wood floors/tile/carpet?
• Do you have a swimming pool? Trampoline? Horses? A garden?
• Anything else?

Take some time and detail it out. What kind of experiences to you want to have in this home? Imagine it in your mind, write it down, maybe even draw a picture. I did. You can see my crayon drawing at the end of this post.

Having trouble envisioning it? Sometimes it can be hard to know exactly what you want. It’s like trying to imagine in a vacuum. Nothing comes to mind. You really need some place to start out, where you can say “I like that,” and “I don’t like that.” Start with what you already know, places you lived or seen on movies, and when those have played out, go to the internet.

One of my favorite places for looking at dream homes is on the Estate page at Luxist.com.  Every day someone posts the Estate of the Day. Here’s my favorite. I especially love the kitchen, master bath, play room, and flowers.

Another good way to view dream homes is to get on the email list of a real estate agent in the location you like.  They’ll send you an email with pictures and info of the available homes.

Take what you like from the homes you see and incorporate that into your dream.

It feels good to get the dream juices flowing.

Here’s my drawing. You can’t see it, but that’s a fancy house with 2 fireplaces, a 2-car garage, and a giant bathtub. In the back yard there’s a swing set, trampoline, BBQ, picnic table, tree house, and clothes lines.

What’s your dream home look like? Be sure to share it in the comments.

Crayon Drawing of my Dream Home

Thank God, The Universe, Source Energy, or whatever you call it for the awesome “coincidences” that happen every day. Sometimes you notice them, sometimes you don’t. For me, they make me feel like I’ve got good company, I’m on track, and I’m not alone.

So when I read an article relating exactly to my website idea just a few days after setting it up, I was pretty excited. Here’s the part that really resonated with me. It’s from an interview of Jane Campion, director of the new movie Bright Star-

Q: Please talk about becoming an artist.

I felt I was hiding and it was uncomfortable. I was in art school and the subject was not involving. I wanted to expose myself, my real concerns, what I was really curious about. What was holding me back was fear of exposure. When you are young you are innocent. You become self-conscious and then you have to earn that innocence again through knowledge. I feel like I’ve become innocent again. But I had to work for it. [emphasis mine]

For more, read the whole interview at The Huffington Post.

Jane just summarized the journey I’m on, and want to continue with you. I want us to work our way back to innocence, where all our dreams are possible. Except I don’t want it to be work, I want it to be fun. It will take energy and effort, but still be fun. You can imagine it like a kickball game. Yes, it involves kicking, running, catching, and throwing. But it’s a really fun game, and the exercise is good for you.

And it feels good to know that other people have done the same thing. I’m not so familiar with her personal story, but as of now Jane Campion is a successful, Academy Award winning film-maker and screenwriter. She’s a great example. And I’m going to take this inspiration and run with it. I hope you join me.