Simple Pleasures Summer

When your brain feels like a freeway during rush hour most of the time, it can feel impossible to make the exit to the Present Moment. But oddly enough, one of the biggest helpers in my journey has been Instagram, the photo app that was recently bought by Facebook. I’ve been on Instagram since it was an app baby, and I’ve loved how it helps me notice the little things around me and capture it to look back on later (mostly thanks to creating a photo book from the pics.)

Unlike Facebook photos, which seem to primarily be people taking pictures of themselves or loved ones (or most recently sharing photos with quotes inside them), IGers take photos of the little things, and lots of simple pleasures – which is likely why there are so many pics of food!

Whether or not you take a picture of it, recording Simple Pleasures in a journal or just during a beginning meditation can help us feel gratitude and bring us back to the power of now (versus agonizing over the past or fretting about the future.)

Here are a few of my favorite “simple pleasures” I snapped and shared on Instagram. A juicy peach from a farmers’ market, fun pillows that make me smile when I’m on the deck, a coffee date with my daughter, a Play Doh creation by my six-year old, and, duh, amazing mac and cheese!

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Weekly Round Up

• Air kisses to Eastern Sunset Reads and Chick Lit Goddess for their nice reviews of The Last Resort. 
• Toast to debut Oklahoma author Jammie Kern on her published Mythology High short story, “Ryann in the Sky” <—go grab it, y’all
• New Hive podcast going up today – interviewed Jammie and children’s author Joshua Unruh – AND I talk about my steamy short story, “The Pool Boy”
• Tickled by…new sales of Fixer Upper. For whatever reason, the sales had been lagging on my DIY tale of a politician’s wife who leaves the posh life for the pastures, but Macy is getting new readers thanks to her appearance in The Last Resort

Have a fantastic Independence Day holiday! To simple pleasures! And ones that go boom!

The Clutter Manifesto

I firmly believe the Universe whispers and if you don’t hear it, shouts. A few shout-y moments for me this week, primarily from technology:

#zenondeck

• On my iPhone, “You do not have enough storage to take that picture.” (What, 6,000 photos on my phone is too many?)
• On my old Mac, “You do not have enough space to back up this iPad.”
• On my son’s iPad, “You do not have enough storage on this iPad to make the update. Delete some items and try again.” (Okay, I’m paraphrasing, but you get the idea.)

It took hours, cleaning up the computer (deleting 5 gig) and deleting 44 apps. Now I need to deal with my phone and those pictures (yes, they are backed up, just not deleted.)

I have to remind myself of this mantra when it comes to ALL types of clutter, in tech and the home:

If it no longer serves my purpose, I will pass it up or pass it on. 

My desktop looks like confetti.

I should probably let this blog be and clean it up.

Here’s a great article on the zen of decluttering for your reading pleasure. It can make you feel a little squeamish because of course physical clutter stems from a deeper place. Saturdays are supposed to be my “no tech” days so that I can focus on the house and organization. Now I need to take a half hour each week to do the same for my technology.

Good luck to you.

Girls Can Change Car Batteries…and Grill!

I’ll admit having a “bee” and “hive” as one of my brands (for Buzz Books) is a little more than a coincidence since that’s exactly how my brain feels most of the time. I constantly have to turn off or turn down knobs in my thinking cap – something I share with most moms and writers, too. So it’s no surprise that I left the keys in the my car the other day – all night – and when I went to start it to to head out for an 8:30 meeting, it was dead. Super dead. I realized it had likely been partially switched on, which led to major battery slurping.

Ack.

After a few calls and some Googling, I decided I could remove the battery my own bad self and my lovely MIL was willing to tote me to the auto store so they could check it. (“Yep, it’s WAY dead,” the young dude said. “It’s even lower than the usual drained battery.”) Oh, yeah. When I screw up, I’m takin’ it all the way, baby!

Back home, I PUT THE NEW BATTERY BACK IN THE CAR AND IT STARTED. *pause for self-applause*

Not to sound, all, hey, beyotches, look what tough chick in full jewelry and a skirt did, but, I have photographic evidence. Thing is, I’m thinking men have cornered the market on changing the car battery for far too long. I  know it sounds manly because when it works it feels like you’ve build the damn car, but it’s so simple, there’s no reason women can’t do it.

So my lil mojo tip for this week is TRY IT. Whatever. Try a DIY project. Try a food you never thought you’d like. Try a hole in the wall or a new restaurant. Or something that typically “men” do. Like TAKE OVER THE GRILL THIS WEEKEND. Because my hubby can’t stand the heat (literally, not figuratively) I’ve started charring the meat, and baby, I like it. Especially with a cold brewskie in my hand.

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Mom-ent of Zen

It’s tough being a working mom (yes, mom, period) but when I found myself at the trampoline park for the second time this week and thinking of the huge to-do list I had to do when I got home, I decided the best thing to do was not to go over the list in my head, trying to mentally work without being able to physically work,  but to let the clench of anxiety go and watch my kids jump. Good golly, they’re cute.

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Summer Oasis Writer’s Retreat

Back in 2006, I tried something new, holding workshops for women in five life areas, in addition to my writing and marketing projects. I loved it, even though I found it tough to get women to take time out for workshops  in their already busy schedules. But six years later, I’m thrilled to be offering workshops again, centered around the book projects we’re doing at Buzz Books and some fun writerly events like our first Summer Oasis Writers’ Retreat at Magnolia Moon in Guthrie, OK on Saturday, July 21st. And we’ve got T-shirts! And chocolate! The registrations are rolling in and I’m thrilled to be able to meet writers (and some of our Buzz authors!) in person. Clickety here for the deets and pass it on, lovers.

Why Sisterhood Matters

Since my latest story, The Last Resort, is about summer, sisterhood and sacred answers, I figured I’d take a moment to discuss how sisterhood can enhance creativity, mojo and zen. (It’s THAT powerful.) It also happens to be the theme of my YA mythology series, The Goddess Sisters, coming out this fall, so it’s obviously a BDD to me. (Big Damn Deal.)

Why? How?

1. Sisterhood means you’re never alone. This is critical if you’re in a bad patch, would like to make memories that don’t involve you alone in a room with your technology of choice (no judging!) or just want to feel the energy (mana) of another human being who thinks you’re not a jackass and might split the last beer with you. I continue to cherish the relationships I built as an Alpha Chi Omega at the University of Oklahoma – they were there for me now and I love keeping connected to the sisterhood old and new today. Sisterhood is truly ageless.

2. Sisterhood means you have a sounding board. I loved being in business with Cynthia Dutton because we were yin and yang. We discussed. We bantered. We made things better. The same goes for the small stuff like “does this make my butt look big,” My daughter is also my “sister.” And she ALWAYS tells me if an outfit looks ridiculous on me. My natural born sisters have no problem telling me what I need to hear, and usually it’s after I’ve asked. And there is always a sister who has been through what you’re going through and can help you with your journey. Just this week, Kari Edelman Ernest, an AXO sis, helped me with something she’d gone through, and I’m eternally grateful.

3. Sisterhood means you get a second chance. We’re forgiving people. We give birth. We nurse others back to health. We feed our family, we feed the world. And even when we have the smallest drop of mojo left for ourselves, we unselfishly give it to someone else to replenish them. We know our spark grows brighter when we pass it on. If at first you fail, your sister are there to help lift you up, wipe the red dirt off your ass and tell you to try again.

4. Sisterhood means presence. It’s easier to stay in the present moment when you’re in the presence of sisters. We talk. We laugh. We paint ugly painting and discuss books and shop til we drop. We’re present and that’s the key to happiness.

5. Sisterhood means perspective. The more we open ourselves up to the global sisterhood, the more empathetic we become and the more we can align ourselves to our truest purpose. Sisters die. Sisters suffer. We listen. We aid. We adjust our thinking because there is always someone, somewhere that is worse off than we are. We grow.

And we go on.

Today I welcomed a new sister, Lucie Smoker, a mystery writer form Enid, OK, to the Hive at Buzz Books, as our debut author for our Swarm suspense imprint. I hope you’ll welcome her, too. 

Spark and Hustle

Welcome to my new weekly blog on creativity, mojo and zen. Each week I’ll share sources of inspiration, whether it’s a photo, an event or online resource, to keep you motivated to pursue your dreams and feel peace in the present. When thinking about who I am and what I want to say, these were the three words that best showcase my mission. I hope you’ll consider signing up for the blog to come to your inbox and tell your friends about it. I’m kicking things off by recommending a cool tour for you business women and entrepreneurs, called “Tory Johnson’s Spark & Hustle.” I’m hoping I can make her 6/25 day conference in Tulsa.

About the Spark and Hustle Tour

“Women attend our events for two main reasons: content and connections.

• Learn fresh ways to build your business and boost your bottom line
• Meet prospective clients, customers, collaborators and champions

That’s the Spark & Hustle advantage—come join us.

Come join us and let’s make it happen together!”

Source: sparkandhustle.com

Find our more here.

go-do-be-do,

Malena

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Story buzz: Enter The Last Resort BIG Beach Read contest in June!