Summertime!

Happy Summer everyone! Even though it's not officially summer yet, I'm starting mine early.  It's been a while since I checked into the blog. How have you all been??? What are your summer plans?
  I am looking forward to roaming about Bloggingham with my grandsons (one is six, one is thirteen!) and hanging out at the river or beach. I am looking forward to writing a lot, staying up late (because that's when I write the most - after midnight) and eating Italian ice desserts (low fat).  I've planted lots of flowers this year and a few berry bushes to tend.  Exciting, no? Baseball games will be my Friday night spot and this is the summer for learning to cook the Paleo way.
I am dating (again!) and meeting new and interesting people. My perspective on what that means for me has changed and I am going more with the flow, keeping my standards but throwing out expectations.  Does that make sense? It does to me. There could be pencil skirt blog posts to follow....Stay tuned.

That child....

My main goal this summer is to take care of myself and take time for myself. I have some physical healing still to do. It serves me well to slow down and smell the roses....or the feet.


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Out on the River In Batman's Shoes

It seems like yesterday when I wrote the story of your birth. Six years later we're here at the river of peace. My river. My place. The soft sounds of birds and water mingling, crisp air and sunshine, the threat of rain and the quack of Mallards.  I sit and contemplate. Feeding ducks and watching sunsets. The rocks and water you love so much. And today, I am watching you climb. You are climbing  farther and farther away .....

"Don't go too far! Baby Beans!" I shout. "And don't run. Don't run on the rocks. Just walk slowly and watch your step. Careful. Slow and steady."

It's not so much the river I fear. It's those blasted beautiful chunks of granite beneath your little Batman shoes. I'm not out there with you. Just watching from my own safe rocky seat, perched with a camera, a banana, a water bottle that keeps rolling away, and the eagle eye of a grandmother who knows all too well the lightning speed of time, how it steals the years before you know it, slips from your grasp...and suddenly, you're sitting in a nice safe river space watching your own baby beans jump from rock to rock, adventure to adventure. "I wanna go THIS way, Mimi, Look at MEeeeee!" and each time I say, "Careful my boy. Slow and steady. Watch your step. Slow down." We'll come back tomorrow, I think to myself....we'll have another day. More time. Except. Maybe we won't. 
Strangely, I feel that time for me is slowing down to a nice slow anticipated finale, which will unexpectedly crescendo into new adventures. Perhaps my mood is based on the smell of algae at my feet.  Life pushed me here ya know. In a hurry. Work to do. Bills to pay. One hundred things to do each day for the last twenty years in the name of surviving... just so I can get to this riverbank day, and a few short months from the promising world of retirement, also known as Phase 3 in the Life of Mimi.
I used to bring your older brother to this same river.  We had marvelous days of exploring and side-quacked moments. I miss him here with us today, but feel him alongside us nonetheless.
Baby Beans jumps and I hear a splash. One shoe drops in the water. It's time for a water rescue. Oh!! Never mind, he's got this. "Slow down, my boy. Be careful...." The words unheeded by the boy reverberate back in waves down the river, flowing in reverse to me like an echo, lapping in wisdom at my tennis-shoes now wet with worry and visions of a swiftly changing world just down the road of my crazy life swirl in my head like the rings of ripples caused by the skipping of rocks thrown gingerly in the water by the hand of the boy you see standing firmly in a red shirt and fearless face. Words. Words you see, always flow back to the one who sent them.  I know that I must heed my own words.
"Slow down.  Be careful. Don't run. Choose carefully. Don't run. Watch what you're doing, Mimi. Slow and steady." I'm reminded that each day is important, not just the finish line.  I'm skipping from rock to rock too. Carefully choosing which way to go. Will I fall? Will I lose my shoe in the river like you did? Who will be there to fetch it out for me? Will I be strong enough to dive in and gather it myself?
We come in from the bank and start to climb up the small cliff towards home. You see me tentatively sizing up a large rock in front of me, considering how to get down to the other side without falling. Without a word you hold out your little hand.  "I need to help my Mimi," you say to yourself, but loud enough for my heart to skip a beat at the goodness in you. "Here. Hold my hand." I take your ball-throwing fingertips in the age-spotted curl of my hand and you squeeze my hand so tightly.  "Now jump!" you tell me, "Jump!"
With all that could go wrong with this plan of yours - the dirty rocks below, sharp edges and visions of  a skinned-up me,  I do not hesitate. You get me over the crevasse in one piece and we walk on. I can see, in the flash of two lifetimes - mine and yours - how some things are just a matter of holding on, trusting the hand in front of you, and taking a leap of miniscule faith.  
 I think today I shall stop calling you Baby Beans. Your hands and your heart are strong.  You're going to be just fine. And so am I.

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Recently Published With a Little Help From Jacqui Brown and Her Mojo

Jacqui Brown is a comedian, writer, successful author, speaker, life coach, and friend. I am so excited to see my story published in her inspiring new book The Mojo Manual (available right now at Amazon). It was an exciting day in Bloggingham Palace!

"Streisand and The Great Black Book," is a story I wrote about reaching for your dreams in the face of adversity... with a little help from Barbra. I am thrilled to see it included in a manuscript whose purpose is to uplift and inspire people.

Jacqui wants to help others live their best lives. Her journey began many years ago on the Hollywood scene (once upon a time she was a bubblegum commercial girl!) which led her through a myriad of life's ups and downs to find her purpose and peace in this world. How lucky are we that she chooses to share (NO holding back!) her life lessons with us.  She's hysterical, wise, authentic, compassionate, and has lived enough life to know a few things the rest of us just might need to hear.

I met her as jbwritergirl many moons ago right here on this blog in the glory days of the Blogosphere. Remember those?  She still finds time to blog and is very active on social media. She is known especially for her original #leafquotes and was recently featured on The Fix website as well.

Image: Jacqui Brown

Jacqui is married to two-time Grammy winning jazz  musician and recording artist, Paul Brown and lives in California. Together, they make quite a team of positivity and light in this crazy world we live in. My kind of folks.

The beautiful story of a dog named Beau

Author Jacqui Brown and her dog Miles

The blog is called LIVING FORWARD: New Rules You'll love her wit and charm!
Here's a  link to her website to check out her books!   Jacqui, thank you for allowing me to be a #MojoMaker. I wish you immense doses of MojoMuse and continued success with your writing. You are making a difference with every book, every story, and every leaf!!! I am thrilled to be included in your newest book!
Click HERE to read.  Available in paperback and Kindle.

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Monday Mimisms ~ Where Does Your Light Come From?

Do you realize we most often look for light 

outside ourselves?

in the trees

in windows 

on the ceiling

What would happen if all of us  looked for it inside ourselves instead? The world would be so brilliantly illuminated we wouldn't need to look up  at all

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Flurries and Missing Punctuation

It started snowing on my way home last night.   Literally a sneak attack of snow (imagine broken key exclamation point)   I wouldn't have been out at all had I known the predicted "flurries" would quickly turn into a highway skating rink.   The temperatures have been so low that it all packed down quickly and made a sheet of ice that caused me to slip and slide on the porch before I even got in the house.  How am I supposed to balance my purse, lunch bag, makeup,  a satchel of peace globes and keys without falling down?   It wasn't easy I'll tell ya.   No more snow predicted but a steady dose of black ice is inevitable.  Staying in. Staying warm. Staying focused.

The cuckoo birds need me.


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Baby, It's Cold Outside

Even though it's colder than the North Pole in Bloggingham, I'm not going to let that stop me from spreading a little hot chocolate.  We already have that extra boost of warmth from the Supermoon (you felt it, right?) and warm fuzzies from leftover holiday family gatherings (right?) AND new year promises from Capitol Hill regarding tax breaks for the wealthy to look forward to in February (you're feeling it, RIGHT?) ......so I decided to take my extra 32 cent gain and pass out a few cups of hot coffee to any and all construction workers I see outside tomorrow. Police officers, EMT, sheriffs (I hope I see no sheriffs..that's never a good sign on a Wednesday) and sanitation employees. Light pole climbers! Energy restorers.  Water-main-break-fixers and bus stop ladies. Bus drivers who have to open the frigid door every five minutes (shudder!) and EVEN those brave toll workers on Interstate I-95  who take their lives into their hands each and every day asking people to pay $45.00 to travel three miles. 

Now that's dangerous.

I will be kind to those who dance on steel beams.

I will NOT honk my horn. I will simply throw hot chocolate out the window...or something similarly beneficial. Like hand warmers or diabetic socks.

Pink thermal underwear! Static electricity reducers and an extra bottle of hairspray.

It's going to be a frigid 14 degrees in the morning and wind chills lower than that.

I'm thankful I don't have to work outside tomorrow, but I know plenty of folks who do. 

Mad respect! Thank you for everything you do for the rest of us who complain because our hair is frizzy.

Don't worry, Guys. I've got this.
Cream and sugar?
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Monday Mimisms ~ The World Needs A Little More Light

January 1, 2018 came in with a bang in my neighborhood. Literally. Out where the squirrels and I live, you hear many more gunshots than firecrackers in the woods nearby. People don't even wait until midnight to discharge their weapons.  I don't go outside on New Year's Eve past 8:00 pm, lest a stray bullet accidentally graze my naturally curly hair while I'm looking for fireworks and sipping fake champagne. 

And now we have the "Wolf Moon" rising tonight! The moon has come closer to us on the first full day of 2018,  peering into our holiday-tired living rooms, peeling back the outer and inner layers, connecting us ALL in one lingering gravitational pull towards its quiet hovering beauty - and to each other.  
Did you know that its name comes from Native American tradition? It was noted to appear during the time packs of wolves would encircle the camps at night during the coldest of winters. My Cherokee veins can relate to that. It is one of three Supermoons predicted to grace our presence this cycle, another one due on the last day of January.   Of course, being of sound mind and all things irrational at the same time - like any good pencil skirt worth her salt -  I believe in its transforming power.  Don't you?

Maybe the Universe is trying to tell us that we all need a little more light to illuminate the darkness expose what needs exposing shine truth into corners where power silently corrupts  and hatred rules boldly
Something about this moon tonight gives me COURAGE

Jump It's the first day of a brand new year. I'm all in.


Images: Pixabay
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