No matter how much we would like to deny it our biology is based on living with the seasons. Just like we need sleep in a 24 hour cycle we need a period of slowing down in the 12 month one. Are you trying to live like it’s summer in the middle of winter?

Winter in Washington, Juliet Chase, all rights reserved

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Most self-improvement and spiritual language speaks in terms of ‘up’ as the positive direction we should be seeking and yet have you noticed that water always seeks lower ground? Going with the flow may just mean letting gravity take over once in awhile…

Mt. Rainier National Park, Juliet Chase, all rights reserved

Technorati Tags: going with the flow, meditation images, minute meditation, Online Meditation, online relaxation

There’s a big gap between where I want to be in two weeks for that first craft show and where I am right now – which has had me in a bit of dither all week.  Of course, that means that solder is refusing to melt and silver is not which leads to having to start those pieces all over again!  But… I got a reminder yesterday just to breathe deep and keep going. It was pouring rain off and on all day and when I happened to glance outside from the workroom windows I spotted something bright orange (at the right) so I ran out during a brief rain break and brought it in to the kitchen.  I think it’s the seedpod to a bearded iris but I’m not entirely sure.  It was definitely a reminder to slow down a little and a very cheerful surprise.

The critical things are getting done – I’m now set up to accept credit cards at the shows. I don’t know why that seems like a big deal to me but it does – maybe it feels like the difference between a hobby and a business.  Let’s hope I get a lot of practice using it!

I’ve also found a part-time online job that should help fill a few financial holes while everything else gets established. It’s pretty much  high-school pay but the advantage is that it’s completely flexible in terms of schedule so I can fit it in without shifting my priorities.  It would be nice if everything in life could fit together without these kinds of band-aids but it never seems to work out that way.

Even with impending deadlines for jewelry I’m taking today off to get my office and computer organized- too much clutter makes me nervous when I don’t know what’s in the piles (or in box) so some concentrated effort should leave me in a creative mood for the weekend. I’m hoping to be feeling ‘in the flow’ then.

Technorati Tags: getting organized, going with the flow, Health and Happiness, solopreneur, the way to happiness

I try not to overload but some purely entertaining TV or a good chick-lit novel is something I consider essential to my well being and personal development. If you defer all gratification, you’ll lose momentum! Now that the Fall TV season is about to start I’m noticing my viewing habits have changed in the last year. I’ve cleaned house on my entertainment schedule and I think I’ll be reading and doing more instead. I thought it would be fun to share what I’ll be watching this Fall:

What’s in:

• Lie to me – love those moments when they show real-life images of people demonstrating facial cues
• Bones – a little gruesome but I identify with the hyper-academic who’s utterly clueless about relationships
• Royal Pains – I confess to having a fondness for foreign men who know more than they say so I watch this one for the character Boris- I’m hoping they don’t write him off…
• Sporadic viewing of Project Runway – not worth staying up for but sometimes I catch the reruns while doing laundry

What’s out:

• Mad Men – it’s down to where everyone is unhappy and no hope in sight. Life neither was nor is  ever quite that bad
• Biggest Loser – I’m bored with the campy product placement and really irritated with the phrase ‘if I were thin, I’d have a boyfriend’
• So You Think You Can Dance – they’ve gotten too good, there’s less drama now

On the fence:

• Glee – could go either way, we’ll just have to see
• Drop Dead Diva  – cute so far but could get old fast
• Cash & Treasures – if they move back into the realm of the possible I’ll be an avid fan but I’m unlikely to go emerald hunting on Colombia
• Real Housewives Atlanta – I don’t know why I started watching and why it was this one but there it is – I may break the habit shortly…

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I don’t think I’ve done anything this week that doesn’t fall into the category of organizing – I’ve arranged a wake, cleaned out my father’s office which had as much stuff packed into it as the rest of the house combined, and made all the telephone calls required to inform companies and the government that he had died. If nothing else, the constant repetition of the information makes it seem like it’s been more than a week.

On the flip side, never having done any of these things before I’ve learned a lot about just diving in and figuring it out as you go and what a lot I’ve learned! Aside from one or two local opportunists, everyone has been very helpful which is also a good reminder as to the true nature of the majority of humanity.  It’s also possible to let laughter (the real kind) process grief and keep everything in perspective.

I’m hoping this week to fit in a little more organizing of my own work although that may be wishful thinking.  Sometimes you do just have to go with the flow and let things take their course.

Technorati Tags: going with the flow, Health and Happiness, perspective, solopreneur, the way to happiness