Are You Nourished?

Confession time. I haven't been nourishing myself. And, I mean in a creative way. Lately, I've been racing from here to there for work; creating wedding to-do lists consisting of my shorthand re: dj, photog, gifts, first dance; then, all of a sudden it's tax time again, and I'm talking aloud for two hours to Quickbooks Online as if it's a friend (but most of the time a foe!).

So, for anyone who might read this blog, who might enjoy learning about moderate, flexible and balanced exercise and all the tidbits I like to string along with that topic, I apologize for being absent. I'm always open to questions and writing topic ideas, so send 'em my way. Otherwise, you might be waiting until after December!

In the meantime, I found a lovely speech talking about nourishing your creativity. You've probably read Eat Pray Love, so you're probably familiar with Elizabeth Gilbert. I used to do a daily writing exercise she suggested a couple years ago, and I've even let that go. So, if you're like me - if you tend to get a little "out of sorts" (okay, let's call it what it is) - If you tend to get a bit bitchy when you don't nourish yourself in a proper creative way, take her advice and use your God-given gifts. Why not??!!

Visit http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html

I've got a little creative idea up my sleeve for the weekend (on top of two parties, maybe three, and lots of housework) - I hope to share it with you next week. Until then, think about all the ways you truly nourish yourself (while vitamins and antioxidants are great, I'm talking about nourishment other than food). Think about it, then treat yourself.

You are enough, You do enough, You have enough

Some days I am blank. Just blank. Don't know what to write and just feel absolutely stuck in the downtime of my afternoons when I'm trying to decide what to do next: write, watch a dvd for training ideas, tackle my to-do list, write a new to-do list!

Jane Green, I suppose I can say my favorite author (www.janegreen.com), updates her blog on facebook and her homepage almost daily. I'm so jealous of her ability to write so richly - she paints pictures with words about her life, her parties, her book signings, her bits of stress, her daily musings. A plus: She's so completely honest, and real, and down-to-earth, none of that I-am-almighty-stylishly-perfect-and-proper (though I think she is quite fantastic in many categories - can you tell?). I want to have tea with her everyday!

Instead of wishing I were Jane, or wishing I were building the charming house with the charming man (that's kind of a joke - I like my apartment, and I like my own fella) - I can be okay with me. I can be okay that when I opened Blogger to write, I had not a clue what I was going to say, but I just knew that writing would feed me in some way. I even thumbed through a couple "writing" books to give me some creative ideas, which would require a little more effort than 10 minutes, so afterall I wrote about my idol.

Funny how people pop into your life to remind you how to live:

*Jane Green's books and daily blog writing remind me to keep it real - live richly, love others deeply, stay true to yourself.

*A woman from the gym, Nura, whom I've not seen in forever, used to encourage me in a bright, loving, carefree way: "Caroline, do what you want to do - don't do what you should do. Life is too short."

*Becky Lewis, my favorite college professor, reminds me to write details - to keep up with the creative nonfiction - that everyone has a story to tell, and there's no right way or wrong way to tell it. To live and love courageously.

*Another woman I see weekly reminds me that all is well. Her presence is enough to confirm that the mystery of life and beauty of life go hand-in-hand. All is well.

And, a quote I found recently says it all:

You are enough.
You do enough.
You have enough.
All this comes by just being you. Present in the very moment.

*author unknown