H is for What the H? Help for Hoons

And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.

~ Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

Back in January, I began the One Page a Day Challenge and immediately threw away my quill.  Now in April, I’m participating in the A to Z Blogging Challenge and prepping for a Wilderness Writers’ Retreat.  I need ink, a stiff drink and therapy.

D

eadlines scare the organic material out of me, which is why I love these blogging challenges ~ they force me to write something publishable every day.

Themed challenges are great for pushing me out of my writerly box and stretching my ink stained writerly muscles.

My thoughts these days resemble an escalator: “H is for…what?  Think, brain, think!

Hot

Heroes

Hot heroes

Hoon

Help!”

I didn't have a plan going into this challenge ~ a theme to the tie all 26 letters/posts together.  My Kodiak trip is on my mind right now, as is my garden/hobby farm.  And of course, writing.

Heck, this time I was stumped.

So I turned to my social network for….help.

H is for Help

My friends aren't hoons.
Image credit: Likecool.com

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in setting up my hobby farm is that no man ~ or woman ~ is an island.  Or a lone acre as it were.  Community is part and parcel of farming/gardening.  So why not writing about it?

Here’s what my wild and wacky friends came up with:

Heart of Palm

Hubbard Squash

Halcyon

Habanero chili

Habenero Peppers

Haboneros

Hairy Melon

Hazelnut

Honeydew

Haddock

Haggis (Scottish)

Hairy crabs

Hake fish

Ham

Honey

Hummus

Halavah

Hot cross bun

How (ha!) cool is that?  But I decided to go with my original word….

H is also for Hoon

Avid reader doesn’t even come close to how voracious I am when it comes to the written word.  Books are my addiction, my drug, my sun and moon…you get the picture.

I read to escape. I read to learn.  I love it when both come together.

Recently I read a book ~ well several, actually ~ by Australian author Angela Verdenius.  They’re quirky, fun, short, sexy, and I learned quite a bit of Aussie slang from them.

But my favorite Aussie word by far was hoon.

“I heard he forced you off the road into the parking bay.  Adam doesn’t like hoons, you know.”

“I’m not a hoon!”

“You just go home.  Being arrested will shake the nerves up of any decent woman, hoon or not.” (Call on Me)

Basically, what they call a hoon Down Under is what we call an aggressive driver here in the States ~ someone who drives in an anti-social manner.  Hoon is so much more fun to say.  I smile and laugh every time I read it.  Hearing it is quite a hoot.

Oh, and thanks to all my friends for their “H” help.  

I’d be a hoon not to appreciate them.

Oremus pro invicem,

~ Mikaela

Learn any foreign slang in your readings lately?

Saturday Free Write: Is True Communion Lost?

How we need that security.
How we need another soul to cling to, another body to keep us warm.
To rest and trust; to give your soul in confidence: I need this.
I need someone to pour myself into.

~ Sylvia Plath

In August, I’m participating in BlogHer’s Blogging Challenge.  The theme this month is: Hot.

C

ommunion is defined as sharing or exchanging intimate thoughts and feelings, esp. on a mental or spiritual level.

How many of us experience that?

As an iNtuitive Feeler, I experience the absence of true communion more than most.  But I have to believe that many people hunger for this type of connection and notice when it is lacking.  And in this age of social media overload and the sacred sound byte, true communion between people, always a fragile thing, seems to be disappearing altogether.

Very hypocritical of me I know, as I sit here and type happily away and post on Facebook, and pin on Pinterest, but there are days when I long for something big to happen to shut everything electronic down, like a big snow storm (added bonus ~ snow angels!) 

Image Credit: Pinterest

The introverted greenie in me would love that: no constant electrical hum, people having to actually interact with other people face to face.  Heaven!

The pampered Gen Xer inside is horrified when she thinks of life without hot showers, computers, and the internet.  Yuck!

Electricity (and more specifically, the internet) and what it does for us, isn’t the real problem, of course.  It’s how we use it and how much we use it that’s the issue.  But it does seem that our use of it has become obsessive and addictive.  To the point where we don’t know how to have communion with another person. 

As I watch people hurry across the street, their heads bent over their smartphones, I wonder, are we even capable of receiving “another soul in confidence” anymore?

Oremus pro invicem,

~ Mikaela

I tend to be a pessimist, so tell me what you think: reason to doubt?  Or reason to hope?

Top Five Friday: Reasons You Should Join WordCount's Blogathon

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.

~ Maya Angelou

T

he Sixth Annual WordCount Blogathon begins tomorrow and there is still time to register!

This will be my third year participating and my goals this year are to post all 30 days (even if it’s just a haiku!), to forge friendships with new bloggers, to have someone guest post at least once, and to be better writer by the time the last drop of ink dries.

So why should you join us? 

 

Everyone Has a Story to Tell

And no one can tell it the way you can.  I’ve mentioned this before ~ your story, your voice, is unique and we want to hear it.  Who knows how many hearts will be moved, or lives changed, because you took a deep breath, stepped up to the keyboard, and shared your story.

If you are a writer with a book already published, this is a great opportunity to reach new readers.  And if you are a writer without a blog, now is the time to start one.  Nowadays, publishers like to see author blogs and their potential readership reach.

Writers are a Truly Supportive Community

It has been said before, but it bears repeating: writers (and indeed most artists) are truly the most supportive group of people I have ever met.  They’re open, friendly, and encourage each other to hone their craft.  Positive constructive criticism has always been my experience and the writers who are part of the Blogathon are no exception.

Socrates and Byron Were Dead On

“The unexamined life is not worth living.” and “If I don’t write, I go mad.”  I am never more honest with myself then when I am writing.  And this is doubly true when I blog, because then I have an audience who can check my facts or may be helped or hurt by what I post. 

Some of my friends would raise their eyebrows and say that I tend to overanalyze everything, including myself.  But what they don’t realize is that it would be much worse if some of that examination wasn’t vented on paper ~ or in this case, the computer screen.

A Stagnant Life Grows Nothing but Algae

As we get older, we tend to stagnant, both in terms of lifestyle and though patterns.  Don’t misunderstand me, routine is not intrinsically evil, it can help you accomplish goals.  But not when it means you are never exposed to new ideas, methods, and perspectives.  During the blogathon, you will meet new people and encounter new blogs.  And if you are open, I guarantee you will learn something new.

Let’s Give Them Something to Talk About

“But I have nothing to say, nothing worth writing about!”  Well, then, here is your chance to do something worth talking (and blogging) about! 

·         Hike that state park you’ve been meaning to visit and tell us what you saw. 

·         Sign up for a cake class and show us how to properly ice with buttercream. 

·         Visit your older neighbor and write down his or her experiences during WWII or Vietnam.

·         Start a community garden and post your lessons learned.

My number reason?   Writing cures writers’ block.  Once you start, the ink just continues to flow and you will have more ideas then you have time to write about.

And I can’t wait for that river to run.

Oremus pro invicem,

~ Mikaela

If you join, email me.  I’d love to get to know you and read your story!

La Belle's Hobby Farm: Moving Back: Was the Sacrifice Too Great?

A good friend is a connection to life - a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world. 
~ Lois Wyse

 

M

oving back to the country was the right decision.  But it came with its share of sacrifices ~ the greatest one being the increase in physical distance from my community of friends and neighbors. 

It took me over ten years to build a strong support system and while my friends are still here for me and I for them, the amount of insane traffic in between us, not to mention our busy schedules, make frequent face to face meetings near impossible.  Some would say this should make the friendships all the more precious.  And it does.  But lately, I find the distance  depressing.

When you only live a few minutes from one another, friendship and community thrives on the little things:

-         The spontaneous phone call or text that says ~ “What are you doing right now?  Wanna grab a cup of coffee and hang out?”

-         The unexpected knock on the door and invitation to walk around the block.

-         The spur of the moment movie night

Don’t get me wrong ~ planned get togethers are great too; it’s just that the spontaneous aspect is completely gone and the planned outings are few and far between.  What good is being out in the country, trying to live a local, peaceful, sustainable lifestyle when your friends aren’t around to pour the Fair Trade tea for?

The Winter Garden 

My garden is a reflection of my heart ~ a sad, little weather-beaten plot, a dull brownish grey, covered in last year’s leaves and yesterday’s leftovers.  The one bright spot: a lone rosemary plant standing brave and tall and lushly green and fragrant. 

Rosemary for remembrance. 

Remembrance that winter doesn’t last forever.  That all that dead and decaying leaves and compost that looks so ugly on the surface has actually enriched the soil, kept the bumblebees warm, and protected last year’s seeds, making this year’s harvest more abundant and sweet. That I can use my garden’s dormant season to plan and buy seeds to plant in the spring.

The heart also has its dormant season ~ a time to rest and contemplate and just be.  I tend to ride the social merry-go-round without ever taking a break, and for my personality type, that’s destructive.  As much as I hate it, I need to hibernate from time to time so I can re-center and remember who I am and what’s important to me.  And what’s important are strong supportive relationships.

So maybe it’s time to start tilling new ground, while not forgetting to weed the old.  Maybe it’s time to grow some new old friends to add to my heart’s garden.

Oremus pro invicem,

~ Mikaela

Do you make your friendships a priority?  If not, why?  And if you do, what are some things you do to keep the path of friendship well-worn?

Abbey of the Arts Poetry Party!

Poetry is a mirror which makes beautiful that which is distorted. 

~ Percy Shelley

T

ime for another Poetry Party at Abbey of the Arts. 

This time Christine V. Paintner has chosen community as her inspiration.  To join in the fun, take a look at the photo and write a poem about community.  When I hear the word community, I think of close friends, neighbors, who form a warm and supportive circle around me ~ a circle which I participate it ~ giving and taking.  Sometimes I give more, sometimes I take more.  In a real community, no one keeps an account. 

Or at least, we shouldn’t.

For some, community may mean stifling, adverse peer pressure, keeping up with the rich neighbors.  But that’s not a community at all ~ that’s just strangers living in proximity of each other, or loved ones living like strangers.

Here is my contribution:

The push and pull

Of flesh and blood

Never lets up.

Like a security blanket

Outgrown –

Tattered and thin.

It can still choke

The life breath

Out of creativity.

Oremus pro invicem,

~ Mikaela

What does community mean to you?

WordCount's 2012 Blogathon Begins Next Week!

Writing became such a process of discovery that I couldn't wait to get to work in the morning: 

I wanted to know what I was going to say. 

~ Sharon O'Brien

M

 ark your calendars: May 1st is the beginning of the 2012 WordCount Blogathon!  I participated last year and had a blast ~ even though I didn’t post all 31 days.  I have signed up again this year and hope to post at least 23 days out of the 31 ~ that’s one post a day, not counting the weekends.

It’s a great writing exercise and you get to “meet” some really talented and supportive writers!  Registration is still going on ~ sign up today and let the fun and madness begin!

Oremus pro invicem,

~ Mikaela

Sanctuary!

Beauty of style and harmony and grace and good rhythm depend on simplicity.
~ Plato

Whether feng shui is real or not, one thing is certain: once I re-arranged my boudoir last weekend, my mood immediately lightened, my soul was inspired and my writing vastly improved. The upside to living with a houseful of women is the opportunity for authentic community and deep friendships. The downside is limited space.

Ideally, one's boudoir should be a sanctuary free of the trappings of the digital age: no phones, no computer. Nothing that whirs, wheezes, beeps or generally makes obnoxious "machiney" noises. However, when space is at a premium and one is an event planner, poet, composer, avid reader, and general social butterfly, the tools necessary for such talents and pastimes must be accommodated. So into my cranberry-coloured sanctuary, I crammed a writing desk, dressing table [where I actually do my correspondence], dresser, stereo, computer, several bookshelves stuffed with the likes of Austen, Lewis, Tolkien, Kreeft and the like and a full size bed. I know, I know ~ I hear designers fainting in horror all over the place. But my dears ~ what else can I do?! Throw out a housemate and take over her room?

It is fascinating how an intimate space can reflect the inhabitants personality or current state of mind. One housemate keeps her room super organized and tidy. No frills and just what she needs in it ~ nothing more, nothing less. It reflects a side of her personality to a tee: pragmatic and efficient and always looking to improve her life and live as simply as possible. Yet, a cozy chair in one corner invites confidences and an attentive ear always ready to listen to the latest tale of woe and heartbreak. Another housemate always seems to have paperwork all over her room and sure enough, she is constantly looking to learn more about herself and life in general and an eagerness to share what she has learned along the journey.

And my room? Ah ~ at once very sanguine and melancholic: definitely a mirror of its bohemian occupant. Perhaps one would deduce a penchant for the romantic and slightly breathless and scattered from the various piles of clothes in different corners [Oh? So you don't try something on and it not fit your mood? I only have so much time in the morning to face the world with grace and awesomeness!] But amidst the ordered chaos I think you can also discern warmth, comfort and an overall invitation to relax and be at peace. A place where beauty and function co-exist. A harbor from which to sail on to the next great adventure. And isn't that what one's room should be after all? Sanctuary.

What does your room say about you?

Oremus pro invicem,

~ Mikaela

The Odd Couple, in a Manner of Speaking

Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others.
If you have that awareness, you have good manners,
no matter which fork you use.
~ Emily Post

This past Tuesday evening, I got together with a few close girlfriends ~ over tea and Trader Joe’s chocolates, of course. The talk turned to friends and acquaintances married in the past year. One of the ladies present mentioned an odd phenomenon she has encountered: the reluctance of some married people to converse with single people. Time and again her experience has been to try to engage married people she knows in conversation, asking them questions about the children, extended family, etc. And time and again she has been given the cold shoulder; people have avoided looking her in the eye; have ended the conversation as quickly as possible and showed no interest in asking after her life, etc. Note that this has occurred with both colleagues at work and with friends ~ not strangers on a train.

She made an excuse for them half-heartedly: “I guess once you’re married, you have nothing in common with your single friends anymore and there’s nothing to talk about. Or perhaps they feel slightly jealous that I am able to do things with more freedom then they are.”

Two guesses as to what my reaction was. Oh yes, my dears ~ that Southern belle dander “got up” and went to town! My first question to her was as to the location of her colleagues’ and friends’ place of “raising.” Under a rock? Perhaps in an Amazonian jungle, I politely inquired. It certainly seems perplexing to me, to put it mildly, that in our so-called Information Age, one can encounter those strange creatures called the Impolite, or colloquially: The Rude.

In our house growing up we did such crazy things as write thank you notes within a week of receiving a gift or help. We called adults Mister or Missus and their last name, never by their first name. And when we were spoken to, or asked questions, we were taught, that no matter the station, status, education, or tax bracket, you answered politely, looked the conversationalist in the eye and returned the favor by inquiring after them and their families, etc. It really is not rocket science, people!

Perhaps there are slues of married people will rise up and say that their single friends do not talk on the phone for very long anymore or who are constantly scanning the room while talking to them at a party, etc. Well, of course, there are no boundaries or restrictions on Rudeness and who may engage in such atrocious behaviour. I make no apologies for The Rude, whomever they may be. However, I am single and at this point in time, that is one of the lenses through which I observe the world and all its oddities. And I have never had a problem engaging a conversation with anyone who ~ GASP! ~ did not think like me. Or ~ THE HORROR! ~ I did not have anything remotely in common with. Or who ~ NO! ~ was not JUST LIKE ME!

To which you may reply, if you have nothing in common, why talk? Look, even if you are bored, charity demands, at the very least, that you refrain from yawning, or looking around the room, or asking what time it is. There are more polite ways of ending the conversation. But if you are bored, there is one thing I know about you: YOU are boring. So the person is different from you. That is exciting, not boring! Only a clod socializes exclusively with people who think exactly like they do. God forbid you learn something or get a new perspective on an issue or have your eyes opened to beauty you had not seen before! How will you ever grow as a person unless you stretch your mind and your heart a little and talk to ~ ACK! ~ people!? And did it ever occur to you, O Rude One, that someone else out there might ~ O! The thought makes my heart flutter! ~ just might learn something from you?

Which brings me back to the, if you will, particular shade of Rude: Married vs. Single. But this post has become quite long already, so I shall pick this up again tomorrow and leave off for now on my diatribe on Rudeness (I really do like that word ~ reminds me of the Ood. And if you do not know who they are, then we obviously have nothing in common and I cannot bear to speak with you anymore).

Oremus pro invicem,
~ Mikaela