I love prompts that ask us to look right in the near past rather than from a long, long time ago. I enjoy walks down my memory, but oftentimes I don’t give myself credit for the right now… so with that…join me and consider what three things YOU are proud about from the past few days?
Three things I am proud of from the last few days:
I ran two successful Writing Camps at Bakersfield College’s Delano Campus. The students wrote haiku, freewrote, learned about Rainer Rilke, Alice Walker, Laura Esquivel. We practiced writing in Objective and Meaningful language. There was a lot of interaction and fun was had by (almost!) everyone. Yes, guy in the second row, I saw you dozing off. I forgive you! I have to admit, sleeping students DO make me kick my game up a notch. I am proud I did.
I attended (and enjoyed!) a SoulCollage workshop. I had been resisting for months because I had tried the process on my own. I didn’t get what all the fuss was about. Naturally I loved it. I created a whole bunch of cards and plan to go for Open Studio to make more. I got over my resistance and created some great art. Yay!
I didn’t lose my temper once, even when there were a couple ripe situations for me to do so. This is definitely something to be proud about, especially when a tired Samuel did typical tired Samuel behaviors. :~)
So – Beloveds! Tell me three things you are proud of from the last few days.
Julie Jordan Scott has been a Life & Creativity Coach, Writer, Facilitator and Teleclass Leader since 1999. She is also an award winning Actor, Director, Artist and Mother Extraordinaire. She was twice the StoryTelling Slam champion in Bakersfield. She leads Writing Camp with JJS & this Summer will be traveling throughout the US to bring this unique, fun filled creative experience to the people wherever she finds the passion & the interest.
Did you enjoy this essay? Receive emails directly to your inbox for Free from Julie Jordan Scott via the Daily Passion Activator. One inspirational essay and poem (almost) every week day. Subscribe here now -
Have you ever resisted trying something new because you thought you knew all about it and wasn’t too thrilled knowing everything about it?
Saturday, once again, I was proven wrong. I am GRATEFUL I was proven wrong!
I love hanging out at the Art and Spirituality Center here in Bakersfield at Mercy Hospital. I have loved taking classes, teaching classes, and attending open studio as much as I can. I have made quite a few friends there and many of them are totally into SoulCollage.
I had read the book and tried making cards but never really enjoyed it all that much. I didn’t enjoy it enough to continue.
One day I sat with my friend, Kimberly, and used some of her SoulCollage cards as Writing Prompts. Wow. They were so vivid and awakened some deep stuff within me and I knew I needed to try it again. Perhaps with a group, I would be better.
I went to the workshop Saturday with no expectations. I hoped it would be fruitful because I was giving up much of my day to attend. Once I made my first card I knew I was at the right place with the right people doing the right thing.
We were told we could make three cards. If we needed more, though, we would be given more.
I ended up making seven cards. I felt like my chronic-overachieving-now-nobody-is-going-to-like-me self.
I was surprised, though, because there wasn’t a soul in the room who “didn’t like me” because I made the most cards. Next up for me is making cards with my own photos. I’m looking forward to making cards to honor family members and personal heroines.
Next time you get an intuitive nudge to (re) try something, do it, without attachment or worry.
I bet you will find you love it much more than you thought you would!
Julie Jordan Scott has been a Life & Creativity Coach, Writer, Facilitator and Teleclass Leader since 1999. She is also an award winning Actor, Director, Artist and Mother Extraordinaire. She was twice the StoryTelling Slam champion in Bakersfield. She leads Writing Camp with JJS & this Summer will be traveling throughout the US to bring this unique, fun filled creative experience to the people wherever she finds the passion & the interest.
Did you enjoyed this essay? Receive emails directly to your inbox for Free from Julie Jordan Scott via the Daily Passion Activator. One inspirational essay and poem (almost) every week day. Subscribe here now -
Talk about fatherhood: your father, your husband as a father, yourself as a father. How important is it and the impact on our children?
I share stories about my father regularly these days. In fact, I think I got my storytelling abilities partially from the Jordan Blood. He has never been one to talk a lot, but the talking he does has always been significant.
When I was a teenish girl, my Dad drank a lot. He was or I suppose still is an alcoholic but he hasn’t had a drink since shortly after my twenty-first birthday which has been almost twenty years now. My Mom says he has elected not to remember those old days of drunken-ness.
I say more power to him. Why should he remember? He is eighty-one years old and is a completely different man than the one I was raised with as a child. I prefer to remember the man he has become than the way he acted back then.
He did the best he could, just as we all do and did.
Nowadays he loves taking my kids and me geocaching. We go out into the spaces around Flagstaff to find treasures. My children will remember this Grandpa. The one who eats picnic lunches with them in remote spots, the one who seems to know all the older people in Flagstaff, the one who cares for their Grandma who needs more care than she used to need: she has Parkinson’s now, after all.
She is doing great, but it is doubtful she would be doing so well without my Dad.
My children can’t imagine their Grandpa being the man they hear about in my stories.
I tell them it wasn’t their Grandpa, it was a different version of him, just like I was a different version of me back then. I like to think I have evolved into a more forgiving, more mature daughter who recognizes the humanity of all the people I meet.
I remember when my brother died. It was the first thing I remember doing anything remarkable or memorable for my Dad. I saw to it we honor my brother with a celebration of life. He had Down’s Syndrome so naturally didn’t have a wife or kids to be sure such a thing happened.
He did, however, have me, his older sister and also his father’s daughter.
I will forever remember Dad’s single word as I left that day – after many people gathered in the park behind our Dana Point house and shared stories. He looked at me and just said – technically three words, “Thank you, Julie. Thank you.”
Katherine, my eldest, said she was happy she stood next to my Dad during the service. He let himself be emotional, and she held his hand as he cried.
Last Summer we went on one of our picnics after a not so successful Geocaching adventure, and we talked about my childhood special days. I shared some truths about myself on one specific special day with Dad where I was scared about bears the entire time but was more scared to say anything to Dad for fear he would get mad at me for being scared.
We, all five of us – my three children, my Dad and me – laughed about that.
I’ve gone over my five minutes. I hope you’ll forgive me.
I want to say though – my heart goes out today to the men who might have been Dads if their lives had turned out differently. I always feel a special tug on this day, since I experienced so many mother’s days wishing I was a Mom before I had my children.
If you know any such men – let them know you remember them, too, today. I sent a simple status message about this on Facebook last year and wow, did I get some powerful thank you’s in response.
Julie Jordan Scott has been a Life & Creativity Coach, Writer, Facilitator and Teleclass Leader since 1999. She is also an award winning Actor, Director, Artist and Mother Extraordinaire. She was twice the StoryTelling Slam champion in Bakersfield. She leads Writing Camp with JJS & this Summer will be traveling throughout the US to bring this unique, fun filled creative experience to the people wherever she finds the passion & the interest.
Did you enjoyed this essay? Receive emails directly to your inbox for Free from Julie Jordan Scott via the Daily Passion Activator. One inspirational essay and poem (almost) every week day. Subscribe here now -
students wrote haiku, freewrote, learned about Rainer Rilke, Alice Walker, Laura Esquivel. We practiced writing in Objective and Meaningful language. There was a lot of interaction and fun was had by (almost!) everyone. Yes, guy in the second row, I saw you dozing off. I forgive you! I have to admit, sleeping students DO make me kick my game up a notch. I am proud I did.
months because I had tried the process on my own. I didn’t get what all the fuss was about. Naturally I loved it. I created a whole bunch of cards and plan to go for Open Studio to make more. I got over my resistance and created some great art. Yay!
Recent Comments