#WordlessWednesday Almost Time to Harvest
#Trust30 What Would You Be
What would you be by Ryan Allis
If a year from now you weren’t in the profession you’re currently in, what would you be in your wildest dreams?
In a year from now, I’d be an English consultant — full-time. I would be tutoring students, writing essays and copy, and editing various documents for my clients. The majority of my business would be conducted on my own terms, when it would be most convenient for me and my clients. My work wouldn’t revolve around a time clock, corporate policies, or even the traditional 8AM to 5PM, Monday through Friday business hours. Libraries, coffee shops, wide-open green spaces? My “offices.” Laptop, pens, paper, cell phone, knowledge? My work tools.
I’ve love to set a goal to live my perfect job description a year from now, but I’ve also learned to temper my goals with a good, healthy dose of practicality. A certain amount of variables exist between now and September 2012, and no one can ever really guess what the variables will bring. We can only be certain that we must be open to change and obstacles. Also leave room within your plans to allow for changing circumstances because you never know what life will bring you.
#MindfulMonday What Matters Now
Seth Godin has posed this question before: what matters now? And truly, we do need to stop to ask ourselves this question. Right now. Sit down. Grab some paper and a writing utensil (I’m particularly fond of colored pens). What matters now? Here, I’ll go first…
My family’s financial wellbeing — and our overall wellbeing, of course — matters now. I’ve taken measures to do my part to recover from our financial disaster and begin rebuilding our lives. Right now, I must have focus, discipline, patience, strength, and stamina. This didn’t happen overnight, and it won’t magically change overnight, either. Right now, writing from the heart matters. While I’d certainly adore earning a living through my writing, right now I have to focus my efforts on other ways to earn income. Right now, I require a creative outlet for myself — to express myself, to write what needs to be written, to share what my heart wants you to read. Writing for money will come later when I’m fully prepared to undertake that effort. I privately journal my thoughts, feelings, frustrations, and daily interactions each night, a sort of mental defragmenting. Our hard drives run so much better after being defragmented, so you can imagine how much smoother thought processes run after mentally “defragmenting.”
I matter now. My part time job requires physical exertion, and it is my responsibility to all parties involved to take care of myself. I deserve that hour break to eat a good meal and read quality literature. (Did you know Hemingway and I both adore[d] polydactal cats?) Right now, at this very moment, what matters is that I pause between sentences and thoughts to pet the purring 6 year old kitten in my lap — because she’s still my kitten, over six years after this poor thing survived Hurricane Katrina. What matters now is that I’m alive and capable of changing things. I’m fully able to write my own story, to follow my dreams.
What matters now?
Ten Years Ago
Ten years ago today, I was waking up — late for precalculus, I believe. My room mate told me I had a phone call. It was Brian. He told me what happened as I climbed down from the top bunk and saw the TV screen. What am I looking at? I thought as I stared blankly at the smoke billowing from Ground Zero. And then it hit me. I stood silently, taking in the gravity of the situation. I told Brian I’d call him back as soon as I got a hold of my relatives up north. You see, I was safe and sound in Gainesville, Florida. One of my uncles lives 5 blocks away from what is now Ground Zero. Terror filled my heart. I could not believe how evil a person — more than one person — could be. Surely I must have had some idea because I learned about World War II, among other things. Surely I could have understood that some people had sinister goals. However, I was but a naive 17-year-old girl.
On this day ten years ago, four jets were hijacked by suicide attackers, stealing the lives of almost 3000 innocent people. Normal people like you and me, going about their business, unsuspecting of their fate. Children — the most innocent victims involved — lost their lives because some adults had political agenda to attend to. Sweet children with hopes, dreams, and bright futures, all snuffed out well before their times. Friends. Family. Mothers. Fathers. Husbands. Wives. So many people, gone for something senseless.
We may feel a sense of closure as the mastermind behind these attacks was found and killed, but his death won’t bring these people back. The survivors have also been scarred for life, and only therapy can truly help them overcome the tragedy that befell our country ten years ago. On this day, let us all stop to honor the souls of the victims. Let us hold our loved ones near to our hearts. Reach out and make sure they know you care for them. We usually don’t get much warning when we will lose someone. Please hug someone you love and tell them you love them. This New Yorker who has found her way through a few states will most certainly take time to honor those who lost their lives, those who helped save more from such a fate, and those who serve to protect us on a daily basis.
#Trust30 My Personal Message
Your Personal Message by Eric Handler
To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, that is genius. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
What is burning deep inside of you? If you could spread your personal message RIGHT NOW to 1 million people, what would you say?
Educational success should not be limited to those with wealth. We need to make undergraduate degrees more attainable and less burdensome than they currently are for lower and lower-middle class students. We also need to ensure that each student gets the one-on-one attention that they deserve. We are all individuals with different needs and styles of learning, and we deserve a chance to succeed. Bachelor’s degrees are no longer optional in our society — they are a requirement to achieve financial security. This is exactly why I have decided to become a tutor who offers sliding scale rates. I know from experience and observation that we need to make educational opportunities more affordable to everyone. Only when we uplift poor students with educational success can we begin to break the cycle of poverty.
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And today is an extra special day: Nicki of Suddenly Single Journey is getting married! Please join me in congratulating her and her new mister on their wedding and wishing them many years of happiness together. I hope the beautiful landscape and the company make your special day even sweeter.
#FoodieFriday Chocolate Cookie Bars
Two weeks ago, I shared chocolate chip cookie bars. This week, I decided to experiment with chocolate cookie dough. I was hoping to simulate brownies, without all the extra eggs and fat typical brownie recipes call for. I adore box mix brownies (Dear Ghiradelli, I will gladly hawk your products on my blog in exchange for money and/ or freebies!), but I feel like such a cheater when I cut open that pouch of dry ingredients. I want to create something from scratch. So, I took to the kitchen.
To make basic chocolate cookie bars, you need:
1/2 cup butter, melted (one stick)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder (aka NOT dutch process)
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Whisk the melted butter and sugar together, then beat in the eggs. Add the vanilla and whisk. Add your dry ingredients, stirring until combined well. Add any mix-ins you’d like — or don’t. I didn’t. Spread the dough in a greased 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes, depending on your own fudgy preferences.
They’re not a substitute for brownies, but they’re make fabulous cookie bars.
#ThankfulThursday Scheduled Posts
Believe it or not, this post was written a week and half before it was published. Because I’m unsure of my schedule during the next two weeks, I’ve taken the opportunity to harness my creativity and write two weeks worth of posts. The ability to write several posts and schedule them to be published at a later date allows me to take advantage of my thoughts and ideas and provide content without physically needing to push a button. In fact, I don’t even need to Tweet my posts in order to solicit readers — I’ve got a widget for that. Scheduling posts has also allowed me the freedom to publish content when I’m not physical present or capable of writing said content. While I’m away accomplishing tasks for my supervisors, I’m reassured that I’ve got material waiting to be read and shared.
#WordlessWednesday Organic, Homegrown Goodness
#Trust30 Intuition
Intuition by Susan Piver
The secret of fortune is joy in our hands. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
If you could picture your intuition as a person, what would he or she look like? If you sat down together for dinner, what is the first thing he or she would tell you?
See that avatar/ guardian to your left? She’s the personification of my intuition. Yes, my intuition is a sailor-suited soldier who carries a big scythe. If you could take a walk in my shoes, you’d realize a woman like me needs a powerful intuition like that. Over dinner, she’d remember me that I’m a pillar for my family, and I have some cracks to seal in my foundation. I’ve got to recover and adjust, and I’ve got to rebuild. I’m on the right path to get there, but I need to keep focused and present. My present will affect my future, and I must be mindful of how my present affects my future.
#MindfulMonday Discipline
Focusing on how your present affects your future is only one aspect of living a more enjoyable life. We need discipline. It takes discipline to choose the apple over the cookie, a brisk walk over the laptop, or even going to bed over staying up late to do anything but sleep. Some days we don’t discipline ourselves as well as we should, and other days our to-do list looks like a to-done list at the end of the day. I’ve been personally working on disciplining myself better. A lot of times we associate the word “discipline” with punishment — this isn’t the only meaning of the word. I discipline myself daily by writing three pages in my journal each night. In order to be a writer, I must write. I must practice my craft. When I discipline myself, I feel like a better writer. Practicing helps me feel like I’m developing and improving my skills. The discipline I have now will cultivate a brighter future as a writer. The discipline I have now will encourage me to continue combing my work — and the work of others — for editorial errors. The discipline I have now will benefit my future students.
Focus on how your present affects your future, then discipline yourself.
