Everyone's Talking About It!

Long time friend, Victoria, turned me on to Pinterest while someone else showed me how to use it. As a visual person,  I find it's an exciting and useful tool to enhance creativity. It's more intuitive and better than bookmarking sites I find, which I rarely refer to again anyway.

Evening Buddha From ' Suz World' Board

You make 'Boards' (think bulletin board) to organize photos or visuals you either upload from your computer or from the Internet to 'Pin' to a board.  For instance I have Boards for 'Color', 'Recipes', and 'Blogging', to name a few.  I even have a joint board with Victoria that we use to 'Pin' things we think the other would like. 

The Boards are available for the public to see and I believe you can  have as many as you want. You are also allowed three boards that remain private - for your eyes only unless you allow another person to see it. 

Bathroom Orchid from Suz World Board

I'm all for using whatever tools are available to enhance our creativity. An idea can spring from anywhere and Pinterest is one of those anywheres. 

Warning though:  You can lose hours gathering inspiration.  Best not to have any pressing appointments!

To view my Pinterest Boards:  http://pinterest.com/suzworld2/

And if you have any boards you think I'd like to see please let me know! 

Lightness of Being

Mammoth Tusk Feathers

Feathers.  They seem to have invaded my consciousness and are coming out as jewelry. Suddenly I have several styles of earrings and some big bold pendants. They make me happy and tickle nostalgia.

My long time friend, Sindona, once found pelican feathers on a Mexican beach. She brought me one that I put on my alter until the Bali bugs eventually ate it. I had to throw away it's nearly naked quill. Sindona knew that Pelicans are an important personal symbol because they'd ushered in my lifelong desire to know Truth.

I was sixteen and sitting at my favorite spot on a breezy Bolinas, California cliff top over looking the crashing surf and beach below. I often came here to think. On this particular day there was a flock of pelicans floating in the calm beyond the waves.

Lightness of Being

Suddenly, as though a signal had been given, one bird rose up, silently inviting the others to join. They swirled through the air, circling, each on their own course until one dove straight down, wings flattened back against his body and disappeared under the surface. Another dove, and another, then more than I could count, each pelican surfacing with a fish in its bill.

The sky was a circus of acrobats rising up, circling, diving, rising up, circling, diving, and in that moment time cracked and shattered into an infinite moment of wonder. My heart burst with bliss, tears streamed down my face, and the landscape of my life changed forever.  I'd experienced the lightness of being and I wanted more.

Whenever I see these birds, even now, my heart quickens.  They're a connection to and a symbol of that infinite moment, that after years of seeking and meditation, I now know is always there in the background when feelings and thoughts are feather swept away. 

Yes!

Creativity is a way of life for me.  I really don't care what form it takes as long as it's fully operational. So art, jewelry design and cooking have been riding in the back seat lately while I drive to completion the second edit of my book:        

           'Piece by Piece' - Bali Dreams, Love and the Land of Alzheimer's

I adore the writing process and working with my delightful editor, Vicki Hannah Lein, is a dream. Vicki is a  writer, singer, songwriter, artist, and fantastic all around person, who happens to be blind. (http://www.outrageousvisions.com)

Last night she performed her 'one woman show' for a group of ten of us with the theme of saying, "Yes," to what ever comes our way. That doesn't mean you don't work to change things but your initial response is YES! no matter how hard the situation - even going blind.

I met Vicki when she was performing last year at Bar Luna, here in Ubud. We hit it off immediately and became close friends - the kind of friends who feel they've always known each other.

The insights she's given me through her editing become jumping off points that say, "Yes! This will make the book better and clearer".  I understand where she's guiding me. 

I started writing 'Piece by Piece' in 2009 after returning from my first real respite trip after nine years of taking care of my husband, Bob, who has Alzheimer's disease. That trip didn't go as planned and I ended up grieving the great loss of Bob through most it. When I got home I thought to write about that grief in support of others experiencing the same thing.

What started as an article is now three and a half years and two edits later, a book. Soon I'll have to begin the process of getting published one way or another. Since the book seemed to 'fall' out of my quickly typing fingers into a Word document, I assume the publishing process will present itself too when I'm ready and begin the research.  Originally I thought I only wanted to go the traditional publishing route but now I'm saying, "Yes' to whatever possibilities show up to get it out there.

For stories about care-giving and Alzheimer's see my blog:

   www.alzworld-susantereba.blogspot.com

You can hear Vicki sing and talk about being Vicki at her 60th birthday party here:

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ln7JqdZNePk