The Butterfly Wrestler

It's hard to feel peaceful this morning, with the attempt to hurt an elected President who served our country for four years. It's hard to quiet our questions of our society acting out. And, what this means for the future. It's important to pay attention to all that is going on around us. But, at the very same time, we have to be sure we can live the day to day normally. I wanted to post about how embroidery, quotes and music has helped me get through each day. And, today I will focus on the song Badlands by Bruce Springsteen. It was written in the late seventies . It was the most anticipated album "Darkness on the Edge of Town". And, I can truly say it was a life changer for me. I listened to it a lot, back then. It made me feel angry. It made me feel I wanted to pump my fist in the air. It wasn't until I saw it LIVE. I could sing along, fist pump and literally yell the words: "It ain't no sin to be glad you are alive". I think

I am finally feeling more myself again. More then anything, the feeling of hopefulness is what makes me feel normal. I believe my daily practices of writing and watercolor painting show that feeling the most. When I don't feel hopeful. Thoughts of "who cares" and "what does this matter" cloud my thoughts. It is close to four years ago, since Amanda Gorman recited her inaugural poem "The Hill We Climb". I was still married, but alone watching this speech. No one to exclaim "this is brilliant" to. She melted my heart at a time it was turning to stone. She filled me with an excitement for the future. I have a copy of the book and read it from time to time. I read it again the morning after the debate. It makes me feel powerful and full of hope. Books can do that. Another person Thich Nhat Hanh a zen buddhist gives me the feeling of hope and peace. His words are wise. Watching his brush work on you tube influenced my daily prac

I love New Years and the Fourth of July. Not only for celebrating, but for goal setting. I am so glad the attention I have put into Ebay, has worked out so far this month. The picture above is for a marketing campaign I hope to carry through the first half of the month. And, the second half I hope to do a Christmas in July campaign. And, have all of my Christmas listings up for Christmas 2024. August, I hope to start listing my dad's post card collection. And, maybe even try to sell the peace stone cards I made. I have been disappointed with the post cards sales I have tried for the last year. But, I did sell 2 this morning. Which is prompting me now to try again. I was able to figure out how to use a marketing design app on my laptop. And, the cloud now works with my phone sending me photos again. So, I can also do a whole blog post, again each week, from my lap top. This was one of my biggest frustrations. And, it is nice when something just seems to work out in my

Happy half year mark! How are you doing with your goals for 2024? How about your word, if you picked one? My word is radiate. My year was full of ups and downs. But, I definitely feel a pull for rising up in this last part of the year. I started meditating every day again. I started with Finding Your Flow with Oprah and Deepak. And, now I am on Attracting Your Energy with Oprah and Deepak. And, these are the perfect way for me to start each day. If I was to be asked right now what I would like to radiate most? It would be Peace, mostly peace of mind. And, to my surprise I have found peace at home. I keep my days very quiet, and I don't run away from it any more. Summers were always about taking time by the pool or ocean. And, this year it is just about catching up again. Still, find myself with never ending paper work. Whether it is preparation for doctor appointments, health care paper work, and now medicare. I also was planning on some big vacations. But, some