There is no humiliation like a public humiliation

           
Good Mood Gig from SAM-e
Ahhh..... the sweet smell of humility!
I recently entered a contest online. It’s a chance to win a job doing a good mood blog for Nature Made vitamins. I decided to join the contest on the last day. This did not leave me nearly enough time to do the usual self loathing, editing and rewriting that goes into my work.

After proudly posting this on facebook to shamelessly pimp myself out to my social network peeps my phone rings. It’s my best friend Justine informing me I have misspelled “inspire”. I have instead written INPIRE.....no S…….UG! …….Really?

I immediately spring into action to fix the situation (remember with my internet connection “springing into action” means 25 min. ATLEAST)There is of coarse NO WAY to fix the problem. I am stuck with it. It’s out there for the world to see and be “INPIRED BY!” : )

     Well, I suppose I will just have to take the advice I gave in my application. You have to take time to find joy in the small things. Laugh at yourself and try, try again!Please feel free (even though I can’t spell) to go to the site and vote for me. You can vote once a day till Nov. 6th and you do not have to join a thing. For all of you who vote, Thanks and please pass it on. I have to beat some well qualified hottie from California, so I can use all the help I can get!



Good Mood Gig from SAM-e

Changing Spaces

      In May of 2008 I attended a writing retreat at Kripalu Yoga and retreat center. I took a workshop with SARK. She is a favorite of mine and the weekend was an adventure.The workshop was based on her book " Juicy Pens Thirsty Paper". I met with all sorts of exciting women and a few even braver men (if I remember correctly the ratio was 2/30) anywho? I learned allot about myself that weekend.
    I realized how little I allowed myself the time to be creative. I learned to sit alone with my thoughts and how much fun it was to write and share. I also learned how I let my perfectionist ego get in the way. I am constantly fighting with myself, second-guessing every thing to death. I think it’s my favorite form of procrastination.
This lil'ol' blog thing has been a great lesson for that. I have had to learn that changes are just a point and a click of the mouse away and nothing is set in stone. I just have to put it out there. Let it go. The world will not blow up if the color of your header is not just so and I do not have to be The Bloggess (one of my new favorite people I wanna be when I grow up. This list also includes Tina Fay and Beyonce. I have ADD what can I say, I'm fickle) over night. The blog can grow with me. Not to mention I have had to learn to be patient with the process. I have dial up internet (scandalous, I know!) so I cannot always do the work I want when I have the time or If I do needless to say, It's slow going.
Along the way I have started a great online community. I am hearing from people all over the country. All who started out in the same place as I have. They are all teaching me allot. Its great the amazing support that is out there and those that are happy to share in their experience. It is funny how just a simple thing like a comment or a new "follower" will make my day.
I also have to remember the rest of my life. Sometimes when I get on a "creative roll" I get a little anti -social. I just wanna hide and get away from every thing. That is my new fantasy and goal. Iwant a creative space for me to spread out. A quiet and occasionally loud (gotta have tunes) space that is all MINE.A child/hubby free area of meeeeenessness....AHHHHHHH! Calgon TAKE ME AWAY! Do you have a space like this? Where do you go?

I WON'T GROW UP! NEVER GROW UP! NOT ME!

What does it mean to be "grown up"? Is it a certain defining moment that you become a grown up? There’s no alarm or pop up timer like on an oven stuffer roaster. Although that would explain all my skin tags and stray chin hairs that show up out of nowhere begging to be plucked. I am certain I did not have this issue in my teens.
I am a thirty-seven year old mother of two. I am pushing forty, yet in my mind I do not consider my self grown up. There are surely moments that I have to be the grown up in a situation, like parenting for example. Even then I am growing and learning and sometimes making mistakes.
Maybe you are a grown up when you no longer get any slang. The other night while I was doing the dishes my son was watching FUEL TV. After a skater did a trick Gabe exclaimed "Mom, did you see that? That was dirty! Rewind that.” I then asked " Dirty as in pornographic?" He replied with the patented duh mom undertones teenagers have perfected and passed down for generations. Saying "No dirty as in sick!" Which was ironic because I had almost the same conversation with my mom over the word sick being used as a positive thing back when I was a teen. Perhaps I am a grown up because I am the one who pays the cable bill yet 99 percent of the time I am watching either FUELTV or iCarley. Hmmm...there could be something to that.
In the US you are a legal adult at 18. I cannot speak for all of you but I for sure was NOT a grown up . When I posted the question to my social network buds online I received what seemed like three answers all explained a bit differently. There was the group that seemed to think that they had to grow up early due to circumstances beyond there control. There where some whom just gave specific numbers followed by a question mark and then there were those (mostly men I might add) who said and I quote " I'm still shredding and I have no intention of stopping". I take this to mean never.
I am starting to think that they are all right. Sure, at a certain age we stop growing but each experience good or bad leads to growth. Each bump in the road changes our vision on life and how we choose to live it. Lets all thank the universe for that or we would all be wearing stirrup pants with huge mall hair saying "gag me with a spoon. Like totally!"
Is growing up different than growing old? I have some friends who are just terrified of getting older. Each birthday seems to fill them with dread. I on the other hand like getting older. Each year brings with it more experience. Things that at one time were so important don't hold the weight that they once did. I also enjoy more simple pleasures and the magic in the everyday. As my Mom and Auntie Tracy would say "JUST NOTICE".So I guess it is also true that I don't think I will ever really " grow up". I guess I will just keep shredding till I die. How about you, are you a grown up? What does that mean to you?