You Remind Me

Once upon a time there was a girl that became an Auntie.  

She had previous experience with children, having babysat all of her life and had run a household at the age of 16 due to illness.

But this was oh so different.

The first child came, then 3 more in rapid succession.

She would take the children to poetry readings, art galleries, the park and on trips to sporting events and concerts.  People marveled at how well behaved the 4 children were.  Auntie would reply "they don't have a choice..."

Now I will discuss how I (said Auntie) have been influenced by these last 3 miracles of life.

Nykysha...

Our first "preemie", Kysha spent her first 2 months in a neo-natal intensive care unit (NICU).  She had the spirit of a fighter and looked her mom in the eye to say "no" when docs said she wouldn't make it through the night.  She is now 17.  She is fiercely independent, speaks her mind and doesn't back down from any challenge.  She has her "rough edges" but all in all she's a good girl and will be a wonderful woman very soon. Kysha has taught me that a big heart can be surrounded by what seems to be nonchalance...but the heart will always win in the end.

Nykiyah...

My beautiful "silent angel" who only speaks when spoken to.  Laughs heartily at "blooper" videos and takes crap from no one.  Another miracle baby who spent some time in the NICU, but came home to us happy, healthy and hardly ever cried.  Kiyah is an artist, a dreamer and has no problem stating her case, but only if you ask nicely.  She has taught me how to watch the scene and choose carefully when I will interact.

Nykarri...

The boy.  The future good man.  It's hard to explain the difference between girls and boys and the way that they both pluck your heartstrings in completely different ways.  Nykarri is his own person.  A renaissance dude who plays 3 sports, drums, babysits his little cousins with a watchful eye and still manages to be the bratty little brother to his sisters.  Nykarri has taught me that you can do and have it all.  Charm will only get you so far, but a genuine personality will certainly get you the rest of the way.

I sob as I write this because I love my kids.  Being "Auntie" saved my life and I cannot express it any plainer than that.

My mission is to show my kids that you can live a happy life, be good to others and not sell your soul in the process.  I hope they see in me what I see in them.  Life is all about connections and I thank God that I was able to be an integral part of these 3 lives. 

Don't worry, I will discuss the other set of nieces/nephew as well as my God-children and other children that inspire in future posts.

I leave you with this quote that sums up how I feel about these 3 particular angels.  

~(Auntie) Creatively Yours

Duck's Backs...Flipping Tables...Dreams

March 28, 2013

“Water off a duck’s back…” Mantra as spoken by Jinxx Monsoon – RuPaul’s Drag Race.

2 slight disappointments this week in conjunction with a Tyler Perry Hangout on Google+. 

1.      Filled out my Google+ application to be in the hangout with Tyler Perry discussing his new movie “Temptation”.  I handed in my 3 questions and thought that was it.  A day later I get an email from a lady saying that I’ve been pre-selected to be “featured” in the hangout and to possibly ask TP a question.  Holy crap!  We set up a time for the next day to test my laptop to make sure my system is ready to participate.  4pm comes the next day and I get the email to try the test hangout (chatroom).  MY FREAKING LAPTOP MICROPHONE WON’T WORK!!! MY ROOMMATES MICROPHONE WON’T WORK EITHER.  OMG SO GHETTO AND WRONG!!

2.     The day of the hangout I set my calendar to alert me and I sit in the “waiting area” for 30 minutes till it starts.  11:45 comes and I click on the hangout….THIS HANGOUT IS FULL.  Now a chick wanna start cussing and flipping tables!

First of all it’s a cyber chatroom!  Whyyyyy is it full already?  It’s not like we have actual chairs and tables to fill.  Second, why was I here 30 minutes early and not able to get in?  This is some BS!!!

I’m going to channel these experiences into something positive.  I know I am better than letting things get to me in a manner that is going to make me step outside of my well-behaved self.  So I breathe slowly and drink some water.

My time to meet Tyler Perry will come.  When it does it won’t be with a broken microphone.  I will shake his hand and tell him that I am a 75% fan but I do think his works are getting better.  Then he will tell me that he is a fan of my work and wants to turn one of my short stories into a full-length feature film with TP Studios.

That’s how big my dreams are.  Don’t let one setback take you off track.

Peace…~Creatively Yours!

I Prefer an Interesting Vice...

There are many people in your life that will tell you not to do xyz.

They will only tell you this because they are afraid to do it themselves.

I've often found that when I am ready to take a new risk (I take a lot of them, often.) that there are always a few people that will give me their honest opinion.  I listen to everything that is said to me, but that doesn't mean I act on it.

I realized a long time ago that the people I find most interesting are the loners.  Not the person that is constantly in the limelight, the source of attention, or the "life of the party." 

I'm talking to the dude in the corner, sipping his drink slowly and viewing the scene.  He's usually so fascinating and witty.

Or the lady at the bar who is jotting stuff in a notebook, oblivious to the flurry of activity around her.  She's probably writing snippets of her next novel or penning a new tune.

The quote above says it all.  "I prefer an interesting vice..."  The people I watch the most are the ones moving and shaking life up, with no time to brag about it to anyone.

People who take chances inspire me to take more as well. Nobody ever got anywhere by standing still.

Somehow this loops into a positive blurb about Creatively Yours (ARC), but today I'll let you come to your own conclusions.  I'm going out to meet more interesting people who are taking risks and quietly changing the world with each one.  Peace.

~Creatively Yours

The Thing About Sushi

The Thing About Sushi

I fell in love with sushi around 1999.  Just about the same time I decided I was really a poet. They may seem unrelated, but bear with me for a moment.

In 1999, my friend/co-worker Julia took me to a now non-existent sushi restaurant and asked me, "do you trust me?"  I was almost brought to tears from the sincerity in her eyes.  I answered "yes".  She ordered several rolls and told me to just taste, eat the whole piece and tell her what I honestly thought.

I've never done crack, but if there was a food-equivalent to crack, for me, sushi would be it.

I remember my first piece of sushi like I remember my first kiss.  Intense, satisfying, different, good.  The roll was a "Tommy Roll" and to this day it is still one of my favorites.

Luckily I was able to follow the owner of that now defunct restaurant to his new location, Fujido at the corner of 17th and Paxton Sts in Harrisburg, PA.  Fujido is my Japanese "crack-house."  I give him my money and he gives me his best.  I love Tuan/Tommy for being as passionate about making those rolls as I am about eating them and creating my own literary "crack".

My goal is to write things that will be "emotional art" just as sushi has been labeled "edible art".  Sushi rolls can be complex, simple, multi-layered or simply rice and fish.  It is a delicacy that has no measure.  I want my words to impact people as sushi has impacted my palate.  I want to transform and be transformed.

Sushi makes me happy.  I noticed after the first couple times of dining out at Fujido that I left feeling elated and joyful.  The only other food that used to make me feel that way was sugar but we had to break up for health reasons.  

Introducing a few of my friends to sushi has been a delight as well.  Watching them try something new, fall in love with it then report back to me when they find new rolls or restaurants is something that we can share and enjoy.  It's amazing.

Emotional eating of edible art.  That is what sushi is to me.  Emotional writing and revealing all my emotions.  That is what writing and CY (ARC) mean to me.

My first collection of short stories "Themes and Dreams" is coming very soon.  Thank you for your continued support!

~Creatively Yours   

winter is almost over...

Winter is almost over.  What will your excuse be then?

Everyone talks about "once the weather breaks I am going to do xyz..."  From fishing to working out to starting the next chapter of the novel that lives within them we all make the EXCUSE of Winter holding us back.

I spent a lot of dark days "hibernating" every Winter for years.  I'm ashamed to actually tell the number of days I wasted.

Yet with the return of Spring and Summer I was rejuvenated, ready to re-animate and activate.  You couldn't find me because I was headed out on the next road trip, outdoor concert, expo or event.  I was living and it felt great!

Somewhere around 2005-ish we had a super mild winter.  No snow, hardly any cold weather at all and my life did a 180.  I no longer felt I had to hide away in my home, on my couch, on the computer communicating with the world daily, but not allowing myself to be involved with the "crush" of people in the outside world.  I truly believe I was 2 steps from being claustrophobic and agoraphobic at the same time.  It sucked.

So we had a mild winter.  I went outside in December, January, February AND March and my life was better!  Bingo!

I won't move to a year-round warmer climate for various reasons.  The changing of the seasons is a joy to me and although the Winter beats me in the face like a mean lover, I do kind of cherish the first snow, a crisp lungful of air and the colorful Fall leaves.  I am blessed to live somewhere that Nature is so radiantly displayed.

It's March and the daffodils are starting to sprout, the daylight lasts a little longer and Spring will be here before we know it.  I am no longer waiting for Spring to do the things I want to do.  

I leave you with this lovely quote below.  

~Creatively Yours (ARC)

I Made a Mistake

I made a mistake.  Actually I made quite a few.  Learned from some.  Ran from some.  Got bailed out of some.  All in all I've made a lot of mistakes.  Personally, romantically, friend-wise, monetarily and professionally.

I'm still here.

My mistakes don't define me or my business.  Some have made me stronger.  Some have made me very afraid of certain people and situations.  Even more have made me totally shun certain opportunities and possible clients that have come my way.

There is no amount of money that will make me walk into a situation that my gut says "no" to.  No. Amount.

So what am I saying?  That I'm stubborn?  Yes.  That I'm blind when it comes to money?  No.  That I'm willing to roll the dice and see what else is out there?  Absolutely.

The best thing about Creatively Yours (ARC) is that it's mine.  I make the rules, accept clients and reject projects that aren't right for me.  I call the shots. Mistakes are bound to ensue in every situation.

A mistake usually is trying to do something and failing.  I'm totally with failure if it leads to greater success later on.  A mistake means YOU TRIED and so many people are afraid to try.

So I'm off to make many more mistakes in all areas of my life.  For every 1 mistake I plan on having 3 victories.  Watch me fall, then watch me get up and brush myself off. Watch me fall again.  But please don't stop watching me.  I'm entertainment.  I'm living.  I'm doing my best and living to tell the tale. Watch me.

Living, Learning, Growing...

~Creatively Yours

Patience

As children we are taught to be patient.  Patience is a virtue.  Wait and you will receive whatever you desire.

What if I can’t wait any longer?

I have never been a patient person.  Sometimes I felt as if I was waiting for things that would simply never come, and it drove me to do things impulsively that I never would have done otherwise.

Business cultivates patience.  You wait to get paid.  You wait for people to "move" on projects.  You wait for information.  You wait for approvals.  "Yes?" or "No?" become the questions that rule your business life.

I figured having my own business would mean my patience would no longer be questioned or tested because I would be calling the shots.

I quickly learned how wrong I was.

On the outside I seem very calm, cool and collected.  Inside my mind is racing with new ideas, new projects, how to build a better mousetrap and how to take over the world (shout-out to T. and B.)  I need to stay as calm and grounded as possible to continue to be successful.

So I wait.  I'm practicing patience.  And I'll win.

Staying fueled up.

~Creatively Yours