Current Inspiration

Anniversary Edition

With a great deal of help from my darling husband, (Thanks Blake! xoxo) this website was started exactly a year ago this weekend. Although I already had a website for my Burlap Art business, I wanted to start writing a blog after reading Seth Godin, Havi Brooks, Naomi Dunford, Chris Guillebeau and Gretchen Rubin I was INSPIRED by these people and I wanted to be a part of that inspiration, no matter the fact that I didn’t really know what I was doing or how I was supposed to be doing it. I figured I would learn whatever it is that I’m supposed to be learning along the way and if I needed help, I could ask. (The asking part has been particularly tricky, and I’m realizing that for me, asking for help is harder to do than it sounds. I’m looking forward to a writer’s workshop this summer which should be helpful.)

So, in order to give myself some structure, I started by picking the Inspirational song of the week. Instead of just picking one song sometimes I even pulled together a few songs to make soundtracks, designed to act like a musical prescription. Prosperity, Healing,  Support and the best you can get are just a few of the collections offered up on this blog.

Soon after I started the blog, at the suggestion from a very dear friend of mine, I added the inspirational word of the week. This part of the blog has proved to be the most challenging and rewarding at the same time. Although I have only missed one week over the past year, every time I sit down to write a post, I still get that uncomfortable anxiety in the bottom of my stomach. I worry that I will sound arrogant, or narcissistic. (As I write this, I can see how many times I’ve used the word “I” and I cringe!)  The “lizard brain” that Seth Godin talks about is still very much alive in my head, working to make me feel like I don’t know what I’m doing so I might as well give up.

That’s why I’m so happy to have this Anniversary Edition post to write. It proves that I’m not going to give up trying to be an inspirational artist and writer. Somewhere, someone needs something I do. So I commit to writing twice a week, making burlap art projects, and sharing my adventures with you, my friendly blog reader.  Even when it’s hard……Especially when it’s hard.  To show you, my friendly blog reader, that by working through the hard stuff, we gain the strength, wisdom and confidence we need to lead happy, fulfilling lives.

I don’t wanna miss a thing by Aerosmith

is the inspirational song of this week.

My darling husband has headed back to Israel for 3 more weeks. The ribbon pull started today, which means the factory is starting up glass production again. It’s the beginning of the end.  Yeah!!)

It was wonderful having him home last week! We worked on the house and gardens a bit, (which reminds me, I’ll re-write that post about Spirit this week) but mainly, we spent good quality family time together. He and Garrett even got the model airplane fixed and running! (It promptly crashed again, but hey, at least they’ll have something to play with when he gets back home! )

I’ve got to go spend some quality time with Garrett.

Have a great week and I’ll be back on Wednesday with the inspirational word of the week!

xoxo

Pam

Message from Mother Nature

As I was taking my walk around the lake this morning, I saw a mother goose with 3 signets on her back.

It seemed to be a message from Mother Nature.

“Your soul supports many. Take care of yourself in order to show other people how to take care of themselves.”

Thank Mother Nature! Will do!

xoxo Pam

Spirit

Today is Wednesday, which means it’s time for the Inspirational Word of the week.

Spirit: (noun) soul, consciousness, attitude, and divine presence.

My darling husband and I worked in the heat staining the deck for 6 hours today, so that now as I’m writing this, my muscles are sore and my mind is exhausted.

I’m so tired…………

I was planning on writing a really wonderful post about how the spirit is energy and energy can never be destroyed, it only change forms.

Although our deck looks awesome from all of our hard work, I’m too tired to write.

So, I’m going to spend the rest of my evening snuggled up to my husband.

He’s heading back to Israel on Saturday, so we’ve only got a couple more days left together.

Thank you for understanding, my friendly blog reader.

Have a great weekend and I’ll be back on Monday with the Inspirational song of the week.

xoxo Pam

Soak up the sun

Today is Monday, which means it’s time for the Inspirational song of the week.

Soak up the Sun by Sheryl Crow

(click the link above to watch the video on YouTube)

I hope you enjoyed your weekend, my friendly blog reader!

I sure did!!

My Darling husband arrived home last Friday afternoon and won’t have to leave again until Saturday afternoon!

I’m a very happy lady!

Garrett is pretty darned thrilled too. I took a quick picture of them the other day while they were working on homework.  Aaaaaaaw!

This morning, he joined me at the Ribbon Cutting ceremony at the new pavilion in Crossman Park and took pictures. He even helped serve the sparkling wine and orange juice. What a guy!

This week, I’m going to appreciate my Darling husband while he’s home. His project will take him back to Israel for a couple more weeks, but after that, he should be home for a long time!

I hope you’re taking some time to soak up the sun, wherever you are, my friendly blog reader.

I’ll be back on Wednesday with the Inspirational word of the week.

xoxo

Pam

Grow

Today is Wednesday, which means it’s time for the inspirational word of the week.

Grow: (verb) to form, arise, expand or become united.

Before I say anything else I’d like to offer this little tune that has been bouncing around in my head all this past month…….

“Just cause I don’t know now…..doesn’t mean I won’t know then……….Just cause I don’t know how doesn’t mean I won’t know then…. ” (set it to a walking tempo and let it loop for a few minutes, it’s a wonderful meditation tool)

Speaking of tools……

This timely message came into my e-mail today from Michelle Bernhardt of  MyInnerWorld.com …….. “We may feel some uncertainty as our lives continue to change. Often our greatest breakthroughs occur after we experience a paradox or a feeling of insecurity. Trust in whatever is happening. We are moving through a paradigm shift and need to develop a strong inner core. Meditate, pray, walk, dance, write and smile. All these qualities feed our greatness and our strength.” Words to grow by!!

This project has been hanging in my dining room for years. I made it while my husband was working on a project in Venezuela. It reminds me of the difference between change and transformation. You can change your pants, but it doesn’t change who you are.  It doesn’t even change the pants!  Transformation takes time, tools and vision.  Once that transformation has happened, there’s no going back.

As a creative soul, (I know that sounds really new-aged woo-woo and eventually I’ll grow into feeling comfortable with it, but for now, OY!   please bear with me!) I strive to share with you, my friendly blog reader, the current inspiration that flows through me.  As you’ve seen, making burlap art is one way I do that, writing this blog is another, and just this past week, starting with some very dear friends of mine, I’ve added the Drop the Drama Stretch a couple times a week. It’s a way to practice transforming nervous anxiety into peace, grace and finesse. (Seriously, it’s worth a shot to at least try!)

Feel free to follow along, just make sure you have plenty of stretching room, flat shoes, and a non-binding shirt.

First, we start by standing still and centering our hips over our heels, and then our shoulders over our hips. We hold our hands loosely at our sides as we connect the top of our heads to that spot between our ankles. We focus on breathing and relaxing our butts. (This is the hardest part) Then I start talking…….. Stay open to the balance of energies…..  Show patience for time to do it’s work…………………… Embrace the place where life happens…………… By recognizing graciousness, kindness, generosity and bravery, we discover that the power of creating a better future is contained right now in the present moment. (Thanks to Jennifer Louden, Eckhart Tolle and Oprah Winfrey for the inspirational words)

Without lifting our shoulders, we pull our hands up over our heads. We can feel energy starting to move from the hips, up thru the back and shoulders. Now we can feel the energy coursing up thru our arms toward our finger tips!  Inhale and allow that sensation to increase. Exhale and relax, keeping our hands over our heads. On the next inhale, we bend over straight at the waist and pull all of that energy off, gently shaking our hands at the same time.  That intense  stretching feeling at the back of our knees acts as a reminder of how relaxed our back and stomach should be. We allow energy to flow and move as we inhale and come back up while keeping our hands up over our heads.  Finally, we gently release our hands back  down to our sides and exhale. Relax your butt!

I’ve added a couple of Shiva Nata stretches to this as well, although I’ve only just started doing them myself. Mostly, it’s about giving myself and my friends an opportunity a couple times a week to step away from the stress of daily life, breathe, get centered and feel more in control. There’s no way to get away from stress completely, (I wouldn’t actually want to because then life would be boring), but it definitely helps to let go of the drama and know that we can grow through it!

I’ve really been trying to focus on remembering that life never gets resolved and that creativity is about taking a chance, making an effort and doing the work everyday.

I had a different idea of how this post was going to turn out, but now that I’m here, I’ve grown to like it!

I hope you like it too, my friendly blog reader.

Thank you for following along, and I’d love to read your thoughts in the comments!

Have a great weekend!

xoxo

Pam

This

I know you want me….Zumba

Today is Monday, which means it’s time for the inspirational song of the week.

I know you want me……Zumba!

(click the title of the song to go to Youtube to hear it!)

I have been taking a Zumba exercise class with this wonderful lady named Kate thru the Brandon Continuing Education class.

This class just ROCKS!!

It’s so much FUN bouncing around and shaking my tata’s with other ladies! The class is only an hour a week, and it’s a great work out! The steps are a little confusing, (I still can’t quite get them all figured out), but Kate said “The only rule is, if you’re moving, you’re doing it right!

Seriously, if you’ve been thinking about exercising, try a Zumba class! You’ll be glad you did!

Have a great week, and I’ll be back on Wednesday with the inspirational word of the week.

xoxo Pam

Collaborate

Today is Wednesday, which means it’s time for the inspirational word of the week.

Collaborate: (verb) to cooperate, to work willingly with one another.

I was checking my e-mail this morning and came across this great post by Chris Guillebeau called Stategy vs. Tactics. (click the link to go to his website) He talks about thinking more about having a clear vision for what you want to do is WAY more important than which platform you use. “Most important: You can learn all about tactics as you go along, but you have to have a clear strategy from the start. ”

Right after that, I read Colleen Wainwright’s newsletter with a timely message about motivation. “In short: when in doubt, gather one or more like-minded people who will hold you accountable. “

Which brings me to todays blog post.

My friends and I have been very busy bringing together all of our ideas inspired by the National Main Street Conference we attended last week. (Here are some pictures, enjoy!!)

We’ve gleaned more than 3 pages of ideas, and have already implemented more than a few of them!  We’ve been e-mailing, phoning and collaborating with each other, as well as many other local community organizations. So far we’ve confirmed partnerships with the CERT Team, the Rotary, the Community, Christmas Toy Store, America in Bloom (with Susan Bork), the Friends of the Library, and the student exchange program Youth for Understanding, to come to our Volunteer Speed Matching rally next Thursday May 20 at 6:30pm at the Old Town Hall. (click the link to go to our DDA website to learn more about it)

Just this morning, my friends and I also attended the first ever Coffee Club meeting at the Ortonville United Methodist Church, sponsored by our local paper, The Citizen and it’s newest promotion Ortonville411.com.  There was coffee and donuts (of course) and a laptop computer projecting the websites up onto a screen.  Everyone was invited to bring in their business cards and talk about what they do and how they work with other local people. It was a vision of Collaboration at it’s finest!! (I was so proud to watch Debbie, Molly and Brenda T. talk about what they do! It was wonderful to watch and be a part of!  Just sayin’!)

After the Coffee Club, I went home and took my walk before meeting with Molly and Liz of Trinity Photography (our fearless CreekFest chair!) to talk about our up coming June 5 CreekFest event. Debbie couldn’t attend because of a family funeral, but she was good enough to send us the map she made of downtown (She’s really good at graphic design as well as being our Beets, Beats & Eats farmers market manager) so we could mark it up with who goes where, and road closings and vendor spaces. Our meeting was extremely productive because we all really enjoy working together. That’s the biggest benefit of collaboration!

Speaking of fun and productive, last weekend, my girlfriend Susan (Thanks Honey xooxo) told me about this Recycled Art show in Lake Orion, Michigan at the Orion Art Center (click the link to check out their website). The show features industrial (rubber, glass, metal, electrical, building materials) and household (paper, plastic, glass, textiles, etc) materials imaginatively created into art. I decided to submit my latest piece.

The awards presentation and opening reception is tomorrow night, so if you’re in the area, feel free to stop in and take a look.  The show lasts thru Saturday, June 19.  By the way, the show is sponsored by Waste Management!  Now that is a great sign of collaboration!

Chris Guillebeau and Colleen Wainwright are collaborating with Pace and Kyeli Smith and a bunch of other folks to change the world through a world changing writing workshop. “Imagine a world where every single person is a little bit kinder. Imagine a world where every single person is a little more open-minded. Together, we can create this world, one reader at a time.”  Kyeli Smith

I’m seriously considering taking this course. I really do believe I can help change the world, because I know it’s not just up to me. It’s about connections, resilience, faith and desire. That’s why I write this blog, make art, and volunteer with the DDA (as well as focus on being a wife and mom). Although I’m not exactly sure how this is all going to come together, I have no doubt that this is what I’m supposed to be doing.

My strategy for changing the world is to inspire as many people as I can to find something good and kind to look forward to, and share it!

And so, my friendly blog reader, I must admit I’m scared to push the publish button…………. Doing so will mean that I am committing to being an inspirational artist and writer. (That totally sounds new age woo woo and kinda gives me the creeps but it’s who I am) I know that in order to collaborate with the people who need to read this, I have to share it………. I know that by pushing past my own fear, someone else will be more likely to get past their own. And that makes it all worth it.

Have a wonderful weekend!

I’d love to hear what you think in the comments!

xoxo Pam

Blackbird

Today is Monday, which means it’s time for the inspirational song of the week.

Blackbird by the Beatles

This is one of the sweetest songs ever written.

It always reminds me to calm down and just be in the present moment.

I read an Oprah magazine on the plane last week. In it, Eckhart Tolle writes “Practicing presence - endeavoring to let go of an excessive and unhealthy preoccupation with past and future, and embrace the place where life  happens …….the power for creating a better future is contained in the present moment; You create a good future by creating a good present. It’s through gratitude for the present moment that the spiritual dimension of life opens up.”

To be perfectly honest………I’m still recovering from my travels. After Israel and then Oklahoma city, I’m feeling stretched thin and overwhelmed.

I was planning on writing this great post about the wonderful time I had in Oklahoma city with my Aunt Nancy and my friends Debbie and Molly. However, since I’ve been back home, all I’ve wanted to do is hang-out with my son and sleep, not sit down at a computer.

I need to allow myself to rest and recover and not get preoccupied with whatever happened in the past, or what will happen in the future.

I can only take responsibility for right now.

I’m grateful for this chance to share with you, my friendly blog reader.

The inspirational song of the week is my way of offering something beautiful. A special tune to remind us that life really is wonderful, magical and a gift.

That’s why it’s called the “present”.

Have a wonderful week, and I’ll be back on Wednesday with the inspirational word of the week.

xoxo Pam

Back from OKC

It’s great to be back home! Debbie drove us all home from the airport last night. We finally arrived at my house just before midnight. As I entered the house, Tootsie greeted me doing her full body wag!  After I dropped off my bags, I had to go get Garrett from my neighbors couch and bring him home. (Super Huge thanks to my neighbors Dawn, Matt, Lesie and Cameron for watching him while I was gone!!!!!!) I had been missing him so much while I was in OKC, it was a relief to see his sweet face.  Unfortunately, he’s grown so big, I couldn’t just pick him up and carry him without hurting one of us, so we stumbled across the lawn to the house, with Tootsie bouncing at our heels.

After I got him to bed, I pulled out all of the papers, notes and business cards I collected over the past 5 days. Although it is the big sloppy pile I was worried about, I know that buried within it are the ideas and inspirations that will help me and my friends to continue building Ortonville into “The Small town you’ve been looking for”, or maybe “There’s something to look forward to in Ortonville”.  (I don’t know which one we’ll use for promotion, but they were both inspired by the conference). My friends and I are looking forward to putting our piles together into one and then distilling it down into a comprehensive summary of great ideas.

Tomorrow.

Because, today we must rest!

One of the most important things I learned at the conference is to make sure that I (and my friends) don’t get burned out. Burn out never helps anyone and can actually do more damage than not doing anything.

So for now, I’ll rest and spend some good quality time with Garrett as we take a walk around the lake with Tootsie this afternoon.

To all of the people I met at the conference, Hi and Thanks for stopping by! Please feel free to surf thru the website, check out my art work and let me know if and when you’re interested in working with me in the future!

And to you, my friendly blog reader, thanks for hanging out and sharing in my adventures. I truly appreciate knowing you’re there and I look forward to reading your comments!

xoxo

Pam

p.s. I’ll be back on Monday with the Inspirational song of the week.

p.p.s.  We had a marvelous time visiting with my Aunt Nancy, touring around OKC. We even got to visit the Memorial. It was truly Fantastic!

p.p.s.s. Debbie, Molly and I all got along well and do still love and respect one another!  Thanks again Ladies!!

Confidence

Today is Wednesday, (if all works well with the scheduling, since I’m really writing this on Friday night before I leave for the Main Street Conference in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) which means it’s time for the inspirational word of the day.

Confidence (noun) belief in oneself and ones abilities. trustworthiness, assurance.

“It’s not who you are that holds you back. It’s who you think you’re not.” Anonymous

“It ain’t what they call you. It’s what you answer to!” W.C. Fields

“I don’t like myself, I’m CRAZY ABOUT MYSELF!” Mae West

So I’m getting very, excited about this conference in Oklahoma.  I’m going with two of my dearest friends, Molly and Debbie. In fact, we’re all three staying in the same room! I’m maintaining confidence that we’ll all three still love and respect each other after having to share a bathroom for 5 days.    (seriously, I think we’ll be fine!)

I’m looking forward to getting inspired and energized……….while at the same time,……. I’m nervous that it’ll all be very overwhelming.

There will be just tons of people to meet and new information to collect. I’m going to have to be very organized as I go thru this, or it’s going to turn into a big, sloppy pile and that’s when I get overwhelmed.

Just because I don’t know now, doesn’t mean I won’t know then!

Right now, I happen to know for a fact that the Universe wants me to be open to new people and ideas. That’s why I get to go on this adventure. I’m going to go find something that will make a difference to me, or someone I know. It doesn’t matter that I don’t know how I’m going to manage all of the names, numbers and papers. I’ll figure it out as I go. Because that’s how I roll!

I’m going to be having a wonderful time, by the time you read this, my friendly blog reader!

OMG!!!  In fact, I will finally get to visit with my Aunt Nancy, whom I haven’t seen in more than 10 years!!!!  She’s picking us up at the airport and then we get the spend the day with her before the conference gets started!  How Awesome is that!!!

Thanks for following along, my friendly blog reader!

I hope you have some confidence about your up-coming week.

I look forward to sharing my experiences from the conference with you when I get back!

xoxo

Pam