As I write this blog, I am finishing off a happy meal! Yes, you read right, a happy meal! Complete with a princess toy (Which I am not quite sure of it's purpose? It's pink and fuzzy! Who knows, I'll figure it out)! Ahhh yes, the moments when I prove, without a doubt, that I am still very much a kid at heart. Moments that are not rare by any means!
Happy meals are a small treat I enjoy when I am writing my children book manuscripts (and other times I feel necessary). I feel that I am rewarding my inner child for her creativity! Ok, that is totally some random excuse I pulled from thin air! I'm not going to lie. I just love happy meals. :0)
ANYWAYS! I am a child at heart. I really don't see the need to grow up completely. I mean seriously? Give me a list of 10 good reasons to be without an inner child? If you can come up with a good list, with 10 solid reasons that I cannot argue, I will consider growing up.
Keeping in contact with your inner child is good for many reasons in my opinion. Reasons that creativity is among! Your inner child can keep you young at heart, ready for challenges, full of energy... so many things. I ask you this... when is the last time that you hugged a teddy bear? Painted without a paintbrush? How about going to the park to swing so high you might fly far far away into the sky? Or how about building a tent out of blankets and reading for hours? My last tent was about a week ago! My niece (age 5) and nephew (age 6) and I (age 19 going on 7) decided to play "princess and power rangers;" building our special hideout tent on top of my queen size bed. One large size blanket, 2 hair ties, a broom and all the pillows in the house later, we had a top secret club area prime for snuggling and reading. Our only limit was our imagination, which in the hours that passed, seemed to span endlessly. Giggles floating out from the makeshift tent edges.
In those hours, I was privileged to be let into their world of make believe and fairies. A world I could not have entered if it were not for my inner child (who, by the way, I think rocks)! When we ran out of books, they turned to me for new stories, which I pulled together in a matter of minutes; their grins fueling my exciting tales. Together, the three of us escaped to a world far away from our small blue house on the outskirts of town. Our stories took us to fishing ponds across the world, meeting creatures like Big Foot (who we like to call Harry, he likes gummy worms and hot chocolate....hee hee, and I am sure nice long walks on the beach if anyone is interested...though he is a hard guy to catch)! We created tales of princesses in castles waiting to be rescued; and of the ninjas who saved them (random but true)!
The point of my babble is this. Being able to pull out the inner child within is a great reliever for stress. Now of course, there are times that it is required to be grown up. This I do not argue in any way. Growing up is an unavoidable process (despite Peter Pan's wishes...though I still continue to look for Neverland, and Tinker Bell... I will let you know if I am successful). But growing up does not mean having to abandon all of our innocence or imagination. Life is serious, but it can be fun too. Taking life too seriously is where many of our stress problems come from... we over think things and complicate what, if we take a step back and breatheeeee, may be simple.
So the next time you find yourself stressed, under pressure or getting lost in the world's buzz. Get a happy meal, or go home early one night and play with your kids, build a tent! Read a book! Do SOMETHING out of the ordinary, something fun, and something creative. Now some of you may think that it is too late, that your inner child is far gone, but your wrong. If you know anything about children, it's that they are stubborn. Chances are, your inner child is close by, waiting for a little attention! So have some fun.... and as for me.... well.... who knows what is next! You'll just have to wait for the next blog, but in the mean time, go fly a kite!
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Dreaming Wide Awake
It was one of those delicious moments where I lingered in between a restful sleep and waking up to begin my day. Snuggled underneath my many blankets, loving my feather bed. I wasn't dreaming, but thoughts echoed around in my head. Thoughts that were perfect for my fantasy novel I am writing; and while I was safely nestled in my warm bed, my mind wandered in a world full of magic.
I have been writing this book for about nine and a half months now. It's a new experience for me, as I am used to keeping my stories roped into a page or two. Currently, I am approximately 53 pages into my novel, my imagination still running strong. I find it relaxing to escape my everyday world, re-locating in a enchanting, hidden world... not far from our own, but different than that which any of us have experienced (that we know of)! In my world, I play with the faeries, search for new and interesting characters, and invent new adventures for my three characters; Eliza, Jamie and Lynn.
It's been very exciting lately as I am working on the second lesson that they will learn on their journey. Without giving away the plot of the story, I can say that this is a very exciting storyline and I find myself living through it. My characters are learning lessons that all adolescents learn as they make that awkward transfer between their childhood and adulthood. But they do it in a way that holds a lot of symbolism and keeps the reader on the edge of their seats!
I have had a lot of fun with this book. I can barely wait to finish it, but know that it will take time and patience and many more developments. Even I look forward to discovering where these characters will take me. My favorite part is that I am so close to their world, that all I have to do is close my eyes, and I enter as a welcomed guest. But just like the characters in the book, I can only stay so long before I must re-gain the real word. There I wait for the next idea to find its way onto paper.
Until then, I continue to enjoy the moments like the one I had the other day in bed; awake, but in a dream of my own. Creating a story that I one day hope to share with the world, one page at a time!
I have been writing this book for about nine and a half months now. It's a new experience for me, as I am used to keeping my stories roped into a page or two. Currently, I am approximately 53 pages into my novel, my imagination still running strong. I find it relaxing to escape my everyday world, re-locating in a enchanting, hidden world... not far from our own, but different than that which any of us have experienced (that we know of)! In my world, I play with the faeries, search for new and interesting characters, and invent new adventures for my three characters; Eliza, Jamie and Lynn.
It's been very exciting lately as I am working on the second lesson that they will learn on their journey. Without giving away the plot of the story, I can say that this is a very exciting storyline and I find myself living through it. My characters are learning lessons that all adolescents learn as they make that awkward transfer between their childhood and adulthood. But they do it in a way that holds a lot of symbolism and keeps the reader on the edge of their seats!
I have had a lot of fun with this book. I can barely wait to finish it, but know that it will take time and patience and many more developments. Even I look forward to discovering where these characters will take me. My favorite part is that I am so close to their world, that all I have to do is close my eyes, and I enter as a welcomed guest. But just like the characters in the book, I can only stay so long before I must re-gain the real word. There I wait for the next idea to find its way onto paper.
Until then, I continue to enjoy the moments like the one I had the other day in bed; awake, but in a dream of my own. Creating a story that I one day hope to share with the world, one page at a time!
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