Don't Fence Me In

I forgot to post a link from my blog to Soft Whispers last time one of my poems was featured. I plan to submit poems there regularly.

I want to thank all my friends who have already commented on this poem. Here it is,

Compassion’s Duality at Soft Whispers

“I wrote this for someone suffering greatly to help a loved one. Sometimes we feel our compassion just isn’t enough and we want to do more. But if we look deeper, we realize that maybe it is.”

–comment by Anne Tyler Lord.

Why can’t I get more writing done?…Nothing I write is any good.

I had my novel published, so what, now I have to prove I can keep producing.

As a writer, do you ever feel like you are never satisfied? Are you always discontented?

If you are, you are not alone. Most writers and creative types are known for being perfectionistic, self-critical, and often in a state of guilt for not doing more.

In our isolated world of writing, it is easy to have conversations where we beat ourselves up for not being better writers. We are a highly sensitive bunch and  hear many voices in our head. The discontented voices can become loud. They are always there, just waiting for an opportunity to pounce.

This week, I was reading posts on a website that combines creativity with healing.  It is called The Art of Mind: Exploring The Art of Creativity and Healing, by Lisa A. Riley, MA, MFT. I want to share one of her posts that resonated for me called, The Gift of Divine Discontent. Lisa begins her post by saying,

We all suffer to some degree of a chronic, low-grade discontent. So, we seek out the next goal to achieve, a new relationship, a new job, perhaps the next rush of adrenaline or the next “something else” that will bring fulfillment to our lives. The very thing we need to rid us of this unceasing desire and bring contentment. We even chant to ourselves a silent mantra, “When I get there, I can relax, enjoy life and then I will be happy.” Yet when we get there or obtain the object of our desire it only seems to temporarily quiet the hungry voice and before we know it, the gnawing starts up again.

In our eyes, such a recurring yearn can easily be interpreted as a deficiency in our life or lack in our character that needs to be remedied. When we interpret feelings of dissatisfaction in a negative light and succumb to the urgency for instant gratification, we are often left with an even greater longing for the next thing.

She states that our interpretation of these feelings may lead us to think that we are experiencing lack or deficiency. If we do, we conclude that we need to be “fixed” to feel whole.  This experience is so common in our culture and is the accepted way to function. “I feel lack, so it must be corrected and filled, NOW!”

How does this feeling of deficiency affect our writing and creative life?

We are driven by our need to create, which is also related to our need to feel whole. We assume logically, if we feel a lack, then we must not be trying hard enough. This initiates the cycle of self deprecation. At this point, we are in danger of  giving up, under-performing or experiencing depression.

What can we do about our perfectionism, a critical mind,  self-deprecation,  and feelings of chronic deficiency without losing our drive or entering depression?

First of all, change begins with a shift of perspective. Realize that these feelings of deficiency are part of who we are, of being human. They are part of the intuitions deep inside of us.  These feelings create the energy that drives us to create and evolve. Lisa Riley also states,

Experiencing the Divine Discontent is part of being human and even a natural quality of being an artist. It can drive us to push through moments of creative block and seek out innovative ideas. That said, let us embrace and welcome the presence of our Divine Discontent and let it become a muse that is channeled towards developing a productive artful life.

If feelings of discontent are part of who you are, then you are now challenged to accept and embrace more of yourself.

The next step is to take some of those disowned pieces of malcontent and lovingly put them back into place. If you watch your feelings of discontent and identify them when they arise, you will grow in awareness and self-acceptance. You can look at those thoughts and call them by name, “I see you, discontent, what do you want me to do today?” Have a discussion with your new friend, whom you thought was an enemy.

Discontent is there to serve you, not cut you to shreds.

Cultivating Gratitude

I love this quote on Lisa Riley’s post:

Discover your own discontent, and be grateful, for without divine discontent there would be no creative force.”– Deepak Chopra

This leads to my next suggestion as you begin the path of accepting your discontent. We have probably all read about the power of developing gratitude. Even Oprah keeps a gratitude journal. I am not just referring to the thankfulness that we feel when someone does a good deed for us or when we appreciate our blessings.  I am referring to a deeper sense of gratitude that sinks into our thoughts, emotions and down to the source of our being. It is a form of gratitude saturates everything we are and everything we do.

When we experience an emergency situation that threatens our life, the lives of loved ones, or a natural disaster killing thousands, you can feel that deep sense of gratitude for what you have. But that feeling slowly wanes and the voices of discontent return easily to drown out the gratitude. It is very easy to forget this state of gratitude in our culture and in our creative lives.

Our sense of deficiency is one of the blinders that block gratitude.  And, if we sink deeply into gratitude, deficiency automatically disappears.

What if you could cultivate this sense of gratitude as a regular companion on your creative path? Would you feel any different?

Many of the self-help gurus will tell you today that gratitude will create abundance in your life. The problem is that they promise wealth and health in every area of life including the physical plane, which distracts from the true intention of gratitude. Gratitude is given freely and openly as a devotion, a meditation, and a way of living without expecting anything in return. The mere existence of gratitude in your life is the greatest gift we can receive and give.

The emotions that arise when you are in a state of gratitude eminent from the source of life and are filled with love. My guess is that anyone who cultivates a healthy dose of gratitude will feel better and more energized. And, creativity will become alive and animated in their lives. Give it a try, keep a journal that reminds you what you are grateful for in your life, and actively meditate with the energy of gratitude.

Here is a video-poem entitled, Gratitude is…

Here is another video for your enjoyment – I always feel gratitude when I hear it – What A Wonderful World, by Louis Armstrong. I like this video because of the cute animal pictures.

Friday Check-In

Hello #writerlbsOff folks and everyone else stopping by for a visit.  I hope you are doing well and keeping your resolutions in sight. As time goes by, it is easy to fall back into old habits. We get so busy, another “should” can feel like too much. But if you are aware of your busy life and seek to do something small for yourself each day, then you are still on track for change.

Let’s chat about how we are doing this week. Write about how your week progressed or any thoughts you have about discontented thoughts and gratitude in the comments below or on Twitter.

Beulah bolted through the back pasture as fast as her nine-year-old feet could run. She fell to her knees by the pond, choked with pain, the tears streamed down her cheeks. At last, she was far enough away from her family’s farm house, relatives and friends to release her torment. This place was her only refuge to flail her pain at God.

She desperately tried to silence the memories of recent events that plagued her distressed mind. “Stop it!” she cried, her hands covered her ears.

Beulah could hear the terrifying screech of her Mama’s voice that shot through her heart as she awoke in the middle of the night, “Burt, come here! It’s Dean, hurry up… Call the doctor!”  She never heard Mama yell, except when it was time for supper. This was the night in 1932 when her thirteen-year-old brother, Dean, died from complications of an ear infection.

“She moved that boy too soon, shoulda left him downstairs by the stove where it was warm. That woman just doesn’t like anything out of place.” At the funeral, Beulah overheard her uncle talking to his wife.

“Why didn’t you use the poultice?” Accused grandma when she arrived.

Beulah recalled the sounds of gut-wrenching sobbing. It was the first and only time she heard Mama crying.  Beulah was scared and crept up to the attic. But the sound followed her through the floor boards and she stared out the attic window with her arms crossed, barely breathing. When it was time to fix supper, Mama got up and never cried again.

This was the beginning of the most haunting sound of all, the silence that deafened.  The new supper routine was set, Papa looked down at his plate, oldest brother, William, gulped food and left to be with friends, Mama cooked, never sat until everyone was finished. Beulah was lost and looked for respite from the pounding silence.

Papa worked longer hours on the farm. Mama cleaned the house until her hands were raw.  At church, Beulah’s parents became quiet and withdrawn. They darted their eyes away from those that knew of their curse. Beulah surmised from other’s reactions that God was judging them for their negligence.

Over the years, Beulah tried other ways to help the family remove the blot from their good record. For a short time, she behaved cheerfully and became the happy one in the family. She hoped they could forget for a moment. Despite her efforts, Beulah became invisible. Pain was already wrapped around each family member as an invisible shield of insulation.  She learned that emotions had no place in her family’s world.

The memories that entered Beulah’s nine-year-old body continued to circulate through her blood and through the blood of her family like a virus for many years. It transmuted into a new form of numbing thoughts they used to earn redemption and dull the pain.

“Gathered the eggs…good harvest of corn this year…invited the neighbors over…wrote letters to family…attended church service…preserved strawberries on Saturday.”

The only words spoken to each other concerned chores, guests for dinner, and events at church. Mama recorded what they accomplished each day in her diary. There were no feelings, ideas, hopes or dreams written in the entries, only good deeds.  It was the proof that they were working hard to earn their righteousness and it gave her hope for a reprieve from guilt.

William was a good boy, married a local woman, worked for the Farm Bureau, and was very successful.  Beulah eloped with a wild man who brought grief to them all. But neither could change the buried pain in the family. Beulah concluded she was guilty of wrong-doing.  She engaged her daily chores in another attempt to redeem herself, this time for the sin of marrying the wrong man and failing to help her family.

Through their lifetimes, Beulah and her mama continued to do their chores, be good to others and record it in their diaries. Surely they have now earned a place in heaven where they could find everlasting peace.

The Love Boat is Sailing for our February Party

February and March can be challenging months to endure. I look out my window to piles of deep snow and the temps are dropping one more time. Even if you live where the weather is more pleasant, this can still be a difficult time of year when trying to stick to New Year’s resolutions.

Many people are starting to think about vacations in warm sunny places. So, our February party will be an ocean cruise through islands in the Pacific. Yeah, you heard me right – the Pacific. We will depart from a port in Hawaii. You can spend more time there when we return. But I have some special stops that will instill more love, laughter, adventure, and hope for smoother sailing ahead.

Here is a little fun and merriment to celebrate making it through another month of 2010.

Your Island Perspective

They say “no man is an island,” but it can feel that way sometimes in the writer’s life.

Have you felt a bit LOST? Has your life crashed on a scary island where nothing makes sense, a smoke monster chases you, time travel keeps throwing you back to the 1970’s and you don’t know who to trust, or even know who is really alive or dead?

See full episodes of LOST on ABC.

Or, has your muse turned on you and refused to talk?  Have you lived on an island as a Cast Away where your only friend left is just like Wilson (Chuck Noland’s (Tom Hanks) only friend on a deserted island)?  Loneliness can be overwhelming.

Love Boat

But, never fear, we are taking you far away from those islands today. We are setting sail on the Love Boat for our February party. This is a ship where all problems become solved by the end of the cruise. Here, you can shift your perspective. Look around, see the other people here, we are all taking the same trip. Let’s come out of our cabins, get to know each other, and have a good time.

There is an amazing crew waiting to serve you and give you advice for your problems.  Let me introduce you to Julie, our cruise director. We have arranged for you to eat all your meals at the captain’s table with Captain Stubing. And, Issac will serve you drinks while Gopher brings you anything you need. If you have an emergency, Doc will fix you right up, but women beware, he is quite frisky.

Watch full episodes of The Love Boat on CBS. Check out the 1970s clothes and hair.

Gilligan’s Island

The first stop on our island tour is Gilligan’s Island. It is time to let our hair down, frolic and play. On Gilligan’s Island it doesn’t matter if you make stupid mistakes. If you fail, your friends still love you. Tomorrow there is always hope of getting rescued if you just look for the next opportunity. There are many ways to have fun in the process even if you don’t like your current life circumstances. And, if that doesn’t work, you can always blame Gilligan. Let’s all enjoy the coconut cream pie and watch a few performances on Gilligan’s Island.

The Honey Bees – You Need Us

The Mosquitoes

You can see all the episodes of Gilligan’s Island for free at /Slash Control.

I suggest you start with The Producer where the cast performs a musical version of Hamlet.

Fantasy Island

The final stop on our cruise is Fantasy Island. This is a very special place where Mr. Roarke greets you in his white suit and Tatoo yells, “Da Plane, da plane!” to announce your arrival. They both work very hard to grant your wish. But, you must trust them. Sometimes they grant your wish in surprising ways. The important thing is that they have your best interests at heart and want you to leave the island a happier person. Sometimes we have to trust the universe to deliver just what we need at the right time. We can’t always see the bigger picture.

You can see episodes and excerpts of Fantasy Island at hulu and see more 1970s clothes and hair.

I hope you enjoyed the island cruise on the Love Boat. Feel free to stay aboard or hang out on the island of Hawaii. Add a little fun, adventure, love and trust in small ways in your life. Look around and see the people who care about you. Trust that the universe is working for your good. All you have to do is come out of your cabin, shift perspectives by visiting a different island and enjoy the cruise along the way.

Friday Check-In

How do you feel now that you are two months into 2010? Do you still have your resolutions in sight? Have you changed any resolutions? Is it getting harder? Let us know how you are doing in the comments. We are half-way through our four month resolution launch in#writerlbsOff for 2010.

It is getting harder now, so hang in there. Look for small ways to keep going.

We are all in the same boat!!

Today, I want to thank my good friends for sending me awards.  They increase our sense of community with each other and they are just plain fun!

The Sugar Doll Blogger Award

I am honored that Deanna Schrayer at Deanna’s Blog, The Life of a Working Writer Mommy, awarded me with the Sugar Doll Blogger Award. She is a wonderful friend and a great writer. I am very grateful for her support and encouragement. As acceptance for this award I must reveal ten things about myself. See below.

I wish to pass on this lovely Sugar Doll award to these writer friends:

Karen Schindler (karenfrommentor)

Mari Blaser

Laura Eno

Donna Carrick

PJ Kaiser (doublelattemama)

I am also honored to receive not just one, but two awards from Tony Noland at Landless. Thank you, Tony, for these awards. I am glad to be your friend and supporter of your writing, which is always interesting and thought-provoking. And, you are a fun guy to hang out with each day on Twitter.

The Silver Lining Award – Gratitude

“The Silver Lining award is given to blogs that help others or focus on the good things in life to uplift others.” This award comes with a condition. I must now pass it on to five other blogs that I feel have accomplished the same thing.

Honest Scrap Award – Can You Handle the Truth?

The Honest Scrap Award means that I am supposed to share ten things about myself that you may not know.

So, since I have two awards that require me to tell ten things about myself that are true, I thought I would do it all in one shot. I don’t think I could come up with twenty things. I’m having a really hard time with ten.

1. I have five siblings, but grew up an only child because they were so much older. (I have a nephew who is one year older than me)
2. I worked in corn and bean fields during the summers as a teen. (hated it, but got a good suntan, now called sun damage)
3. I met my husband in a bible study group my first year in college that I joined after they scared me with a movie about the rapture. (Oh, the stupid days of our youth.)
4. I spent the next few years trying to deprogram, usually in bars.
5. We still got married and managed to escape the grips of fundamentalist Christianity, becoming Buddhist, the wild and crazy variety.
6. Despite a lifelong hormone condition, I had my twins unassisted by fertility drugs, it just took about a decade.
7. I predicted the birth of my twins in my journal exactly one year before they were born, and that they would be a boy and a girl. (on the exact date – but didn’t really believe myself at the time or remember until I reviewed my journals several months after they were born.)
8. I have never written a fictional short story before I started FridayFlash in December, and never more than a few pages of fiction before NaNoWriMo last November. (now you cut me some slack)
9. I gave up seven state and national conference speaking engagements this year to be with you all on Twitter (actually for health reasons, but I’m here with you, aren’t I?)
10. I’m actually a bot on Twitter. (Oh wait, the lies went in the last award, oh well, this one is more fun than the truth.)

I now send the Silver Lining Award and the Honest Scrap Award to these folks!

Marisa Birns

Maria P (Mazzz_in_Leeds)

Sam (FutureNostalgic)

Carrie Clevenger

Cynthia (cswriter59)

War in Resolution Galaxy

The #writerlbsOff community will continue, but today is the final episode of War in Resolution Galaxy. To read from the beginning, start at Episode 1.

The Commander’s Final message to the EVOLVE Empire warriors special forces division:

The War in Resolution Galaxy is getting harder now. Look out the window at all the warships that have been destroyed. Thousands of warriors have succumbed to the power of Status Quo and his STASIS Republic fighters. Their Resolutions failed and they have given up.

This is your final day of training. Today, I will reveal the most important secret of the EVOLVE Empire warrior who is part of the special forces division.

The secret is your passion.

You must discover, clarify and pursue your passion. If you don’t, the Force will never stay with you. It is your only protection against mediocrity and being possessed by mindless habits and distractions.

In order to manifest your passion, your secret weapons are intuition, mindfulness, flexibility, and adaptability. These secret weapons allow you to feel and hear your passion, and be able to follow your passion wherever it leads.

Don’t Get Stuck in the STASIS Republic

You may be shocked to find out that your most secret mission is to live undercover in the (homeostasis) STASIS Republic. There are phases and cycles to manifesting your passion. The talent of the (evolution) EVOLVE Empire special forces warriors is that we know how to live undetected in both worlds.

We have learned the benefits of rest, relaxation, play, and not changing anything when it is needed. When we go undercover in the STASIS Republic, we do so mindfully and know when it is time to be transported back to the EVOLVE Empire for more change.  Do not get too comfortable in the STASIS Republic, or habits of disintegration will consume you and you will be unable to leave. At that point, passion wanes and the Force is much harder to regenerate.

Dangers of Too Much Change in EVOLVE Empire

After your undercover mission in the STASIS Republic, your intuition will tell you when it is time to come back to the EVOLVE Empire and initiate more changes in your life. We have learned that slow changes that sink deeply into your being are the way to approach lifelong change.

If you seek too much change you run the risk of becoming unfocused, erratic and can become addicted to stimulation, such as TV, music, any of your favorite addictive activities, even Twitter. You won’t be able to focus.You will become a stimulation junkie and get blasted by the Neganator, which will slime you with negative feedback and force you back into mediocre range.

Exercise Caution when Transporting

You passion manifests as alive focused energy, over-stimulation becomes dead, dull distraction. There is another time when distractions can overcome you.

When you are in the transporter between the STASIS Republic and the EVOLVE Empire, you must be aware of the danger of distractions. If you don’t focus, your passion and goals will become unclear and you will get off-kilter. You may disintegrate into pieces spraying across the galaxy.

Be mindful of your position and what you are feeling.  Listen to your intuition and it will guide you when movement is needed. Your intuition is the voice of your passion.  You may not always understand the direction your passion is leading you, but you must remain strong enough to follow. Every time you listen and obey your intuition, the Force grows stronger. Only after obeying your passion will you truly be EVOLVERS.

Congratulations!

We have created a beautiful new world here in Resolution Galaxy. We are creating amazing new worlds within ourselves and across our galaxy. Let’s celebrate our successes. Darwin Vader will be here to personally congratulate you and give your certificates of completion. Good luck on your next mission and continue to be in communication with your division each Friday!

More About Getting Stuck & Writer’s Block

The Reason You’re Stuck (and the one best way to avoid the six ways that keep you stuck) by Seth Godin on Zen Habits: Simple Productivity. This is an excellent article about recognizing the resistance in our lives that keeps us from pursuing our important work.

4 Simple Principles of Getting to Completion, by Leo Babauta at Zenhabits: Simple Productivity.

Creative Block #1 -” I’m Not Creative.” This article is part of the Break Through Your Creative Blocks series by Mark McGuinness at Lateral Action (tweeted by Nishi @CafeNirvana). There are some good hints and tips in these articles about various problems that writer’s experience.

Friday Check-In

Happy Friday #WriterlbsOff community. It is time for the Friday check-in on Twitter or in the comments below. I hope you had a good week, but if not, let us know that too. We are all here for each other and I greatly appreciate our supportive community. Follow the comments and write to each other – it’s just more fun as a conversation!

Be prepared to celebrate our February end of the month party next Sunday, February 28th. I can’t believe another month is already over! That means we are almost halfway there!

This is one of my #FridayFlash fiction stories. Each Friday, members of the #FridayFlash group on Twitter write fictional stories of 1,000 words or less and share them. Join in the fun by clicking on the #FridayFlash banner on my sidebar!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This flash fiction is part of a series called Twisted Family Bonds (follow the link to read from the beginning). It is light and dark humor written in the soap opera episodic style about the happenings in the Kaszinov family, who live on a family compound in the Hungarian countryside near Budapest. Russian mafia members have family lives, too, they just behave a little differently, or do they?

Previously in Twisted Family Bonds (pt.4)…Inna, the Hungarian Child Welfare worker held her first Mothers And Fathers Impaired Attachment (MAFIA) rehab support group. Unfortunately, she also also court-ordered attendance by members of Rudolf Zabrovsky’s Family, Viktor Kaszinov’s fiercest rival. Gun fire and fighting landed several members from both families in the hospital. Viktor awoke in the hospital to see that he was placed in the same room as Rudolf.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Episode 5 of 6: Two Bosses in Bed

Kaszinov Family Crest

Day 1

Viktor looked at Rudolf in the next hospital bed laying vulnerably asleep. His leg was in a cast up to the hip and one arm was in a cast.  Viktor wasn’t doing much better with a cast on one leg and his ribs wrapped.  He envisioned what he could do with this great opportunity to finally “take care of” Rudolf Zabrosky. As he attempted to take a deep breath to sit up, excruciating pain stopped him and he succumbed to the heavy medication, blacking out once again.

Beep…beep…beep, the heart monitors sounded like ticking bombs quietly biding their time.

Day 2

“You…Son…of…a…” Viktor managed to reach for his water pitcher and threw it as hard as he could at Rudolf.  But, it hit his cast. Throughout the day, Viktor and Rudolf became more conscious.  By evening, the nurses were arguing over who would answer the call buttons and stop the yelling erupting from Viktor and Rudolf’s room. They flinched with every crash of the bedpan and river of obscenity.

Day 3

The indignities of hospital life were too much for Viktor and Rudolf: Needles, IV bags, monitors, bed pans, water glasses, food on trays all become their new weapons of choice.

“I outta  put you on Ice!” Viktor yelled and picked up his carton of milk to throw at Rudolf.

“Oh yeah, well I heard about your Ice, and I think it is a bunch of CRAP!” Rudolf threatened his carton of milk in return.

“Hah! You have no idea what you are talking about.  I’ll bet Ice could even break us out of here. Then you will see. You will be begging me for the stuff!” Viktor wanted to prove once and for all that he was the king of the Hungarian territory. It would be a long time before Rudolf would mess with his family again if he could make him dependent on Ice.

“Well…IF you can prove it to me, then I may listen.” Rudolf was thawing a little towards Viktor. He was curious to find out what Viktor was up to.

Day 4

“Sponge bath time.” Nurse Cratchet and nurse Crimshaw came strutting in to their room with four male assistants. The staff had initiated new procedures for dealing with the two mafia bosses since no rooms were vacant.

“Well aren’t you the big man, I see you have more tatoos since I saw you last.” Rudolf said to Viktor as they both sat half naked getting scrubbed by the nurses. They were reading each others’ lives through their tattoos, which were required in the Russian mafia for any big conquest or event.

“I didn’t know you were in prison lately, what were you in for?” Viktor could see the tattoo denoting a prison stay peaking out of Rudolf’s cast.

“You should know, you asshole!” Rudolf grimaced as the nurse scrubbed him harder.

“Oh yeah.” Viktor smirked.

Day 5

Mama called the doctor, the doctor said…
No more mobsters jumpin’ on the bed!

Viktor awoke to giggles and screams of little creatures jumping on his bed. Each jump a reason to scream with pain. “Get those monsters off my bed!”

Alena, Viktor’s wife and their daughter Tasha arrived with a few of the grandchildren. “Here are your provisions.” She hoisted a huge black bag onto the bed.

“Ah, now this is more like it.” Viktor pulled out vodka and put it in his bedside table for later.  He opened a box of cigars and threw one to Rudolf.

“Mama, you shouldn’t have done that. ” Tasha said as they walked out the door.

Tasha was loading the kids into the Escalade shaking her head in disgust. She could hear the fire alarms going off inside the hospital.

Day 7

Laszlo came to the hospital, as ordered, and on his arm was Tasha.  Viktor raised his eyebrows, but didn’t say a word. Inside he was smiling about the possibilities. There was hope of getting out of this child welfare mess, yet.

“Tasha, could you get me some decent food, I just can’t take this slop anymore.”

“Okay Papa, you boys behave while I am gone.” Tasha grabbed her purse and headed out the door throwing a smile at Laszlo.

“Laszlo, I have a job for you…”

“Shouldn’t we talk…privately?” Laszlo glanced towards Rudolf.

“No, it’s alright, this is what I want you to do…” Viktor leaned in and told the two men of his grand plans before Tasha returned.  ”You think you can get it all done in three days?”

“Sure boss, no problem.” A smile crept across Laszlo’s face.

Day 10

“Get up old man! We’re breakin’ outta here today!”  Viktor smiled as he looked at the clock.

The Boys arrived promptly at ten o’clock in the morning to lift Viktor in his wheelchair. Rudolf was loaded by his sons and they waited in silence.

Laszlo burst into the room with a big smile. “It’s all ready!”

At exactly 10:30, they heard a strange whooshing sound that lasted about 30 seconds, then stopped. “Let’s go!” Laszlo motioned to the door.

“Here you will see how we were able to put everyone on Ice. The doctors, nurses, aids, and patients have been showered with Ice through the sprinkler system. I disabled the alarms so we could leave quietly.” Laszlo gave Rudolf and his sons the presentation of his work during their quick retreat out of the hospital.

“I gotta admit, that’s not bad.” Rudolf examined the slumped bodies as he was wheeled out of the hospital. “Viktor, maybe we can talk later?”

“Maybe.” Viktor wanted to keep Rudolf dangling by his string.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Viktor was relieved to make it home to his Family compound, safe within the walls of his own security.  ”Get me into the living room, I need a drink!”  The Boys helped him into the house. He was pushed into the living room just in time to hear Inna presenting the findings of her evaluation. “Oh good, your here just in time…”

“BAH!” Viktor growled at his failed attempt to escape from the child welfare madness.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

The EVOLVE Empire warriors special forces division is taking a much needed break from the War in Resolution Galaxy after getting burned out on too much multitasking. They are on furlough at the planet Seductious Scrumptiousionus for the long Valentine’s Day weekend (Monday off for President’s Day – yes, they still celebrate it in space, even if not from the U.S., any excuse for a day off is acceptable).

Some may think that depression is too “depressing” of a topic for Valentine’s Day. But I think it is the best because it is one of the holidays where many people experience depression, right up there with Christmas and New Year’s Eve. And, what better way to care for your heart than to give yourself more tools to deal with those inevitable times during the writer’s life that get you down.

I always create my topics for the weekly update based on our conversations on Twitter or on my website. So, today I am providing a few good resources about creativity and depression, which often seem to be close companions on the writer’s path.

Before I begin, I must stress that most often, there is a physical dimension to depression and it is always a good idea to be checked by a medical doctor if you are experiencing symptoms of depression. **(also read below)

Eric Maisel is one of my favorite writers and creativity coaches. He has written books on various aspects of the writer’s life, including dealing with depression.  I like the approach he takes in, The Van Gogh Blues: The Creative Person’s Path Through Depression. He teaches us how to deal with a “meaning crisis,” when the meaning we create in our lives just leaks out. I highly recommend this book to all writers and artist’s.

The Van Gogh Blues: The Creative Person’s Path Through Depression, by Eric Maisel begins,

Meaning is our territory, and casualties on the battlefield of meaning are our subjects.  Depression in creative people is essentially a meaning problem and must be handled by a meaning expert: you.  Right now you may not consider yourself a meaning expert or even understand the phrase. But as you read along, you will come to understand what a meaning expert is, what she does, and why you must become one.

To be more accurate about it, you will want to become a meta-meaning expert. Your job isn’t to find one particular meaning and adopt it as your way of life but rather to learn about the vagaries of meaning, about how meaning comes and goes, about what sustains meaning, and why meaning sometimes vanishes.  The, when you feel yourself becoming depressed, you will know to say, “Must be a meaning crisis!” You will know what to do next to plug up the hole through which meaning is escaping.  Even the greatest meaning expert can’t keep meaning from leaking out and draining away, but you can learn how to restore meaning and recover from meaning crises.

Here is an interview with Eric Maisel about this book, Eric Maisel’s “Van Gogh Blues” Explores Connection and Meaning-making as Treatments for Depression

Ideas For Dealing With Depression & Our Creativity

There is so much in the blogsphere about dealing with depression. Your best source is to talk to a qualified professional if you have concerns. If you want resources for dealing with occassional mild depression as it relates to the creative life, here are a couple good places to start.

Depression and Creativity – Here is a collection of good articles, links and interviews compiled by Douglas Eby at Talent Development Resources. This website has many resources for those pursuing a creative life and advanced personal development. I found this site about a year ago and continually return.  Douglas Eby wrote a good overview of depression and creativity called, Making Good Use of Depression with several good links.

Here are a couple of interesting articles in the Depression and Creativity section at the Talent Development Resources site:

The Experience of Darkness and Hope, is about Andrew Solomon, novelist, journalist and historian who was featured in the PBS documentary, Depression: Out of the Shadows.

Borchard and Beyond Blue – Creativity and Mood Disorders Therese J. Borchard is the author of the blog “Beyond Blue” on Beliefnet.com, which is featured regularly on The Huffington Post and was voted by PsychCentral.com as one of the top 10 depression blogs.

Friday Check-In

Happy Valentine’s Day to the #WriterlbsOff community. It is time for the Friday check-in on Twitter or in the comments below. I hope you had a good week, but if not, let us know that too. We are all here for each other and I greatly appreciate our supportive community. Follow the comments and write to each other – it’s just more fun as a conversation!

NOTE

**There are medical conditions that could be causing depression and you should see a qualified medical doctor to rule those out. And, if your symptoms of depression are severe, you must see a doctor. I am not offering medical advice on my site and never will. I am offering resources and links for educational purposes only.