September 9, 2013
by BulgingButtons 5 Comments

Daily Passion Prompt 5: Wandering the Bookstore

TODAY’S QUESTION

What’s your favorite section in the bookstore?

Okay, this daily passion prompt shouldn’t be too difficult. I love the bookstore. I imagine most bloggers do, since we write. Writers read, don’t they? They ought to, anyway, and bookstores are repositories for words. Millions and millions of words. Oh, how I love them!

So on to the prompt. Easy, right? Um, wrong. I’m not sure I exactly have a favorite section. I’m more like a diner at a fabulous buffet. I like to sample of a little of this and a little of that. I don’t want to fill up at the salad bar so I have room for the pasta station, but I can’t have too much of that or I might miss the prime rib. Oh, and dessert, don’t forget about that.

So here’s a typical bookstore visit for me: start with the tables filled with new releases and buy two get one free deals. These are generally novels, and I usually am tempted by a couple of them, but I extricate myself from their pull and move on to the craft section. Here I’m drawn to quilt books, scrapbooking books, journaling books, and general interest books on living a more creative life. How many of these books can one own? I don’t know, but I have many.

From there I wander over to the education section. Am I feeling like an activist? Do I need some inspiration? How about some fresh approaches to old topics? This is the place to browse through my colleagues’ pearls of wisdom.

Feeling inspired or overwhelmed, depending on the mood and books I’ve viewed, I generally seek self-help. Maybe it’s a new approach to eating or fitness or some fabulous new exercise routine that involves lifting red velvet doughnuts to my lips (oh how I wish). I admire the people who pen these and not only get them published, but find an audience.

From here I may wander over to the children’s section. I may feel as though we need one more biography of Ben Franklin to really understand him, or one more poetry book for motivation, or one more biography of an inspiring woman to round out our curriculum. Usually I look at the price of these books and decide that I can find appropriate resources online.

Near the end of my visit (and stamina) I may cruise past the magazines. The latest quilt magazines are fair game. They usually offer as many exciting new designs as a book for a third of the cost.

Oftentimes I leave empty handed, but I always feel as though my soul has been refueled, thanks to the power of words.

September 8, 2013
by BulgingButtons 5 Comments

Daily Passion Prompt 4: Time Stands Still

TODAY’S QUESTION

When was the last time you were in such a state of flow, that you were lost in the bliss of what you were doing?

…Almost as if time came to a momentary halt while you immersed yourself in this special thing you love to do.

…What was it that you were doing?

It’s not unusual for me to feel like time is slipping away, but it’s not usually because I’m in a state of bliss. The easiest way for me to lose track of time is to get on the internet. Pinterest, alone, can suck up hours of time that could certainly be used more productively. I enjoy it, but it’s hardly a state of bliss.

It’s similar when I’m quilting. I could spend several hours working on a quilt, but it may feel as if just a short time has passed. Again, it’s not a state of bliss, but it is a state of total absorption. Reading a good book, watching a good movie, or working on a scrapbook page can do the same thing. Those activities draw me in and, when all goes well, don’t let go until a long while later.

What makes time stand still, though, is spending time with friends. It can be sitting out by the pool drinking wine and catching up, a crazy road trip, or an evening of sewing or scrapbooking. When I’m with my girlfriends time takes on another dimension. I don’t worry about it and allow myself to get lost in those moments. Those moments are so rare and precious to me, just like my girlfriends.

September 8, 2013
by BulgingButtons 3 Comments

Dancing Through Life’s Changes

If you’ve been reading this blog for more than ten minutes, you know that its main focus is change. Change in the form of getting healthy, change in the form of challenges, and change in the form of personal development. Change is good. It can be scary, or even paralyzing at times, but it’s inevitable, so you might as well embrace it. At least that’s my theory.

Not long ago, I was lamenting some little roadblock or other and my wise friend chimed in with her own thoughts. She said she often feels like her progress to get healthier is two steps forward, then one step back. Instead of complaining about this state of affairs, she pointed out that overall she was going in the right direction. Brilliant.

Life isn’t a walk along a straight path with a steady pace and no obstacles. How dull that would be. It’s more of a series of intricate moves, in fact it most closely resembles a dance. Dancers respond to music, just as we respond to the circumstances in our lives. Sometimes we move fluidly, and other times we’re out of step. There are times when we’re in synch with our partner and times when we can’t quite coordinate, and then, there are many times when we’re alone. There are also times when we’re on the sidelines, taken out by an injury or other trauma. Most of us get up and get back in the dance, though.

This dance of life is constantly changing. In one chapter it may be a ballet, smooth and elegant, another may be your own personal disco era. Any of those chapters may suit you perfectly, or you may find yourself lost and desperately waiting for new music to begin. For each of us the soundtrack is unique, and our attitudes and abilities determine how we respond to that music. Are you a tap dancing dervish or a fox trotting diva? And overall, are you moving through your life with grace and elegance, or are you bandaging blistered toes?