Carey Parrish's Blog, page 8
December 17, 2011
Book Review: Wise Bear William - A New Beginning
Children are often the most difficult audience to please, and the books we present them with have to be both entertaining and educational to get their instant, undivided attention. It's been a long time since I read a children's book that fits the categories of entertaining and educational with unequivocal success, but Wise Bear William - A New Beginning accomplishes both feats with gusto! And it appeals to adults as easily as it does to youth.
The brainchild of critically acclaimed novelist Arthur Wooten (writing) and Emmy Award winner Bud Santora (illustrations), Wise Bear William is the tale of "toys long forgotten in an attic (who) discover that children are coming up to rescue them.
"All wanting to be picked, each toy examines their own self-described shortcomings and turn to one another for comfort and advice. But the most important thing they discover is that as much as you fix things up on the outside, it's what's on the inside that really counts.
"With an emotional and surprising ending for all the toys, this heartwarming and timeless tale of love and friendship is destined to become a favorite of young and old for years to come."
Emmy Award winning actress Phylicia Rashad says: "Wise Bear William is one of the most delightful books for young readers ever! Adults will enjoy it as well."
A perfect holiday gift, but great for the whole year round, Wise Bear William is destined to become one of the classic children's books that someday your children will be reading to theirs while fondly remembering just what they felt the first time they discovered its magic.
5 Big Stars!
Available at Amazon.com
Available in softcover - $9.99 at www.createspace.com/3656975
Arthur Wooten
Bud Santora
http://www.arthurwooten.com/
www.facebook.com/arthur.wooten
www.twitter.com/arthurwooten
Carey Parrish
December 16, 2011
A Little Ambition
Whenever I want something, and I mean want it so badly that I can see myself achieving it, I go into a whole different train of thought. There's a way to get from there to here. The first and most important of which is the realization that nothing comes to you without a lot of hard work. Success doesn't drive up to your house and honk the horn for you; you have to go out and earn it.
When I set my sights on a new goal I want to accomplish, the first thing that must be done is to keep the old ego in check. You cannot embark on any new journey with the attitude that you've already got what it takes to get to your destination. In reality, the only thing you have at the very beginning is the drive to get where you want to go. In most cases there is a lot of learning to be done first. And this is the most important facet to making any dream come true.
Education is something that I espouse in the most fervent manner. Without a foundation of knowledge on which to stand, no one can hope to take ownership of something that requires it. The older I get the more I become acutely aware that learning is an ongoing process which we will not complete until we take our last breath in this life. I don't care what it is, you must know how to do something in order to master it. Luck will only get you so far. Luck tends to run out when you don't spend the required amount of time learning how to make something work.
Undertaking something new is always a very exciting step to me. I have to want something to get myself in the mode I need to be in to begin a new journey. I spend a lot of time on research into a goal before I set it for myself. Sometimes in this phase I find that the outcome isn't what I want at all. Then I bail. More often than not, I find myself even more emboldened to continue the process. Discovery is an enlightening thing for me. I view it as a light that suddenly comes on in an otherwise darkened room. No more will you have to grope around, searching for what you're seeking, if you take the time to research the idea you've nurtured to this point.
People aren't built to accept the status quo. This much I've ascertained in my travel through life up to this stage. The saddest people to me are the ones who let life corral them into a frame of mind where they accept what they have without wanting more. I see a lot of folks who let their dreams fall by the wayside because they allow the business of just living to become the all and only in their lives. Life isn't easy; anyone who thinks it is is either disillusioned or just plain dim. You have to be in control of your faculties to make it in life. You've also got to realize that just living isn't the fulfillment of your destiny.
Spending time learning every possible angle of a new goal is vital to achieving it. After all, you wouldn't expect to pilot a plane unless you learned to fly first, would you? There is a lot to be done before you take the controls of anything new; before you can call it a skill. Sitting around and dreaming about getting to the next level will only give you so much satisfaction as well. If this is all you are willing to do, bitterness and regret will not be far behind.
Once I've spent the appropriate amount of time gaining the knowledge I need to set off in pursuit of a goal, the next thing I do is decide who or what I need to take that next step. This can be the most time consuming aspect of the trip. It isn't easy to get all your ducks in a row, so to speak. You must be willing to do whatever is necessary to reach the next phase in your plan. One should never compromise his or her values, ideals, or life in order to make things happen, but sometimes you've got to be willing to sacrifice a little security to do it. People in your life don't always want you to succeed when you take off on a new quest. In fact, and I found this out the hard way, oftentimes the people who are closest to you are the ones who will be the first to point out any shortcomings in your character which might prevent you from achieving your dreams. This is sad but oh so true. You've got to chalk it up to their inability to believe in your capabilities and then set them on the sidelines or you risk letting their doubts hold you back.
Getting your facts in order, the tools you need in place, and the judgments of others aside, you're ready to take off on the pursuit of your dreams. It won't be easy to get there but if you can master the processes of learning, organization, and deciding whose ideas are important and whose are not, then you've got all the resources you need to make your dreams become realities. To be completely frank, by this point you are more than halfway there.
Courage is the main ingredient you must possess to get to this point. If you don't believe in yourself you won't stand much of a chance at all. I find that courage comes through mastering your knowledge of something. Courage is a learned behavior. You either have it or you don't, and if you don't then may as well stay in the learning stage until you develop it. Like the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz, you will realize as you grow through the experience that you have all you need inside you to triumph.
Arriving at your destination is not always easy to recognize when it happens. I remember when I first decided to try and become a professional writer. I was operating a very successful web magazine called Web Digest Weekly. I was interviewing some very successful and popular people, but I didn't see what I was doing as anything more than indulging a hobby. When WDW was pulling in over one hundred thousand hits per month, and I had a waiting list for the Spotlight page, I still didn't see it as a big success. I saw myself as trying like hell to juggle a weekly e-zine with a full time job. I knew that I was lucky but I didn't see my success until the time came when I had to decide who needed the most priority, a bestselling author like Anne Rice or a Survivor winner like Ethan Zohn. That last step was the hardest for me to recognize because I was too close to the task to see it.
A little ambition, a lot of hard work, a touch of luck, and the belief that dreams can come true are the recipe for making your goals become realities. Getting things right, in the proper order, and learning from your mistakes must be sacrifices you're willing to make if you want to taste the fruits of your efforts. And making one dream come true is usually just a step toward becoming the person you want to be.
Don't sit around wishing, hoping, or praying to your god to get you on the right track. Get out and do what you must to start on your journey. Find your own path and ask for the guidance you'll need to make it to the culmination of your dreams. Believe in yourself and abilities. Know that you have it in you to see your dreams come true.
Know and believe.
If you don't do these two simple things, you won't get out of the starting gate.
Peace,
C
When I set my sights on a new goal I want to accomplish, the first thing that must be done is to keep the old ego in check. You cannot embark on any new journey with the attitude that you've already got what it takes to get to your destination. In reality, the only thing you have at the very beginning is the drive to get where you want to go. In most cases there is a lot of learning to be done first. And this is the most important facet to making any dream come true.
Education is something that I espouse in the most fervent manner. Without a foundation of knowledge on which to stand, no one can hope to take ownership of something that requires it. The older I get the more I become acutely aware that learning is an ongoing process which we will not complete until we take our last breath in this life. I don't care what it is, you must know how to do something in order to master it. Luck will only get you so far. Luck tends to run out when you don't spend the required amount of time learning how to make something work.
Undertaking something new is always a very exciting step to me. I have to want something to get myself in the mode I need to be in to begin a new journey. I spend a lot of time on research into a goal before I set it for myself. Sometimes in this phase I find that the outcome isn't what I want at all. Then I bail. More often than not, I find myself even more emboldened to continue the process. Discovery is an enlightening thing for me. I view it as a light that suddenly comes on in an otherwise darkened room. No more will you have to grope around, searching for what you're seeking, if you take the time to research the idea you've nurtured to this point.
People aren't built to accept the status quo. This much I've ascertained in my travel through life up to this stage. The saddest people to me are the ones who let life corral them into a frame of mind where they accept what they have without wanting more. I see a lot of folks who let their dreams fall by the wayside because they allow the business of just living to become the all and only in their lives. Life isn't easy; anyone who thinks it is is either disillusioned or just plain dim. You have to be in control of your faculties to make it in life. You've also got to realize that just living isn't the fulfillment of your destiny.
Spending time learning every possible angle of a new goal is vital to achieving it. After all, you wouldn't expect to pilot a plane unless you learned to fly first, would you? There is a lot to be done before you take the controls of anything new; before you can call it a skill. Sitting around and dreaming about getting to the next level will only give you so much satisfaction as well. If this is all you are willing to do, bitterness and regret will not be far behind.
Once I've spent the appropriate amount of time gaining the knowledge I need to set off in pursuit of a goal, the next thing I do is decide who or what I need to take that next step. This can be the most time consuming aspect of the trip. It isn't easy to get all your ducks in a row, so to speak. You must be willing to do whatever is necessary to reach the next phase in your plan. One should never compromise his or her values, ideals, or life in order to make things happen, but sometimes you've got to be willing to sacrifice a little security to do it. People in your life don't always want you to succeed when you take off on a new quest. In fact, and I found this out the hard way, oftentimes the people who are closest to you are the ones who will be the first to point out any shortcomings in your character which might prevent you from achieving your dreams. This is sad but oh so true. You've got to chalk it up to their inability to believe in your capabilities and then set them on the sidelines or you risk letting their doubts hold you back.
Getting your facts in order, the tools you need in place, and the judgments of others aside, you're ready to take off on the pursuit of your dreams. It won't be easy to get there but if you can master the processes of learning, organization, and deciding whose ideas are important and whose are not, then you've got all the resources you need to make your dreams become realities. To be completely frank, by this point you are more than halfway there.
Courage is the main ingredient you must possess to get to this point. If you don't believe in yourself you won't stand much of a chance at all. I find that courage comes through mastering your knowledge of something. Courage is a learned behavior. You either have it or you don't, and if you don't then may as well stay in the learning stage until you develop it. Like the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz, you will realize as you grow through the experience that you have all you need inside you to triumph.
Arriving at your destination is not always easy to recognize when it happens. I remember when I first decided to try and become a professional writer. I was operating a very successful web magazine called Web Digest Weekly. I was interviewing some very successful and popular people, but I didn't see what I was doing as anything more than indulging a hobby. When WDW was pulling in over one hundred thousand hits per month, and I had a waiting list for the Spotlight page, I still didn't see it as a big success. I saw myself as trying like hell to juggle a weekly e-zine with a full time job. I knew that I was lucky but I didn't see my success until the time came when I had to decide who needed the most priority, a bestselling author like Anne Rice or a Survivor winner like Ethan Zohn. That last step was the hardest for me to recognize because I was too close to the task to see it.
A little ambition, a lot of hard work, a touch of luck, and the belief that dreams can come true are the recipe for making your goals become realities. Getting things right, in the proper order, and learning from your mistakes must be sacrifices you're willing to make if you want to taste the fruits of your efforts. And making one dream come true is usually just a step toward becoming the person you want to be.
Don't sit around wishing, hoping, or praying to your god to get you on the right track. Get out and do what you must to start on your journey. Find your own path and ask for the guidance you'll need to make it to the culmination of your dreams. Believe in yourself and abilities. Know that you have it in you to see your dreams come true.
Know and believe.
If you don't do these two simple things, you won't get out of the starting gate.
Peace,
C
December 12, 2011
The Wednesdays
One of the most engaging short films ever made, "The Wednesdays" is Irish filmmaker Conor Ferguson's opus to date. Mr. and Mrs. O'Leary are a charming couple, struggling with old age, who are suddenly given a new lease on life thanks to a... Well, you'll see.
A pure delight!
[image error]
A pure delight!
[image error]
December 11, 2011
My 2 Biggest Regrets of 2011
Some folks might think this is a bit premature, what with there being three more weeks in this year, but barring any major upheavals in that time span, I feel safe in writing about my two biggest regrets of 2011. Each year I'm getting better and better at life. I feel that I'm growing exponentially as I get older and for that I am very grateful. Learning about me, who I am, what makes me tick, and what I want from my life keeps me grounded and it also helps me to live my best life as I wend my way toward old age.
Yet I am only human and I always look back on things with a sense of nostalgia. Sometimes I feel remorse for deeds undone and selfish decisions that bring about the remorse of which I'm speaking. This year has been no different.
On September 17th, my Aunt Martha died. She was eighty years old and she suffered from COPD. She couldn't stop smoking because she didn't believe she could. She enjoyed it and she did it until the last day before she made her final trip to the hospital. Aunt Martha wound up on a ventilator and she couldn't be weaned from it. Her body was beyond its capabilities in this arena. On the day her immediate family made the difficult decision to take her off life support, they agreed to wait on doing so in case anyone wanted to come and see her. My mother told me of this and I chose not to go.
Why did I make this decision? Well, Aunt Martha had always been one of the most important people in my life. She was in my corner no matter what and when my writing career began taking off she was so very supportive of it. She followed everything I did and when I traveled she wanted to know all about it. I was very fortunate to have her to share my life with. I did not go to the hospital to see her on her last day because I didn't think I could go there knowing that it would be for the last time that I would see her. I let a very selfish motivation keep me from going to her side before she died.
I wanted to be there. I really did. Aunt Martha was my buddy. We talked at least twice a month, and often more than that, and she was always interested in what I was doing and how I was getting along. She gave me a safe place to go and I will miss having that. Yet she also imparted her own sense of independence and what it means to live life on one's own terms to me. I will always remember her as a woman who did exactly as she chose to do. She was one of the most emancipated people I've ever known. She gave me a wonderful example of how to live my life according to my own needs while also taking care of those I love. For this I will be forever grateful.
No, I didn't go to see her before the ventilator was disconnected and she took her last breath. I couldn't bear to watch her leave this life. I stayed at home and comforted myself with warm memories of the wonderful times we spent together. And yet I'm bothered by the fact that I didn't have the strength to go to her when I knew I'd never see again if I didn't. I regret not being with her one last time, to thank her for being such a strong influence on me and for teaching me all that she did. I feel I should have swallowed my emotions and been there for that.
I'll never know what I would have felt if I'd gone on that Friday night when I knew her time was running out. And this is something I'll have to live with from now on.
Thirteen days later my Uncle Lamar died as well. He succumbed to liver cancer and heart failure. He was my mother and Martha's brother and he was only sixty-eight years old. I went to see him in the hospital before he died. I'm not sure he knew I was there but I went anyway. I needed to see him before he passed. Why?
In the year 2000, my uncle hurt me deeply by being unkind to me during a phone call one Friday night. (Why do things always happen to me on Friday nights?) Lamar drank too much and anyone who knew him can attest to this. He was drinking during that phone call on the night I'm referring to here, and I should have given him some consideration for that. Yet I have a hard time pardoning people for their behavior due to addiction because they choose to be addicted to whatever it is they are dependent upon. I let this sentiment get in the way of forgiving him for being so unkind to me that night. And I never did forgive him for it.
In the decade that followed I avoided my uncle. I only saw him when I had to and I didn't visit or call. He did call me in 2005 and we had a nice chat. He asked me to come and see him, and I told him I would, but I never did. I let the hurt feelings that I'd been harboring since that night in 2000 keep me from seeing him or speaking to him very much again.
When I knew he was dying, I went with my mom to see him almost every day during the last week he lived. I wanted to do something to make him more comfortable, but I still couldn't bring myself to let go of the hurt he caused me during that one telephone conversation over ten years ago. He died and I didn't get past this until after he was gone. I never had the chance to be his friend again.
These are my two biggesr regrets of the year we are now closing out. I have a much harder time forgiving myself for my shortcomings than I do in sharing the same with others. I know that neither Martha or Lamar would have known I was there. I know that Martha knew how I felt about her and I know that we will always have our bond no matter where we both happen to be in the universe. I also know that Lamar was my friend, whether I thought so or not, and I think he would have been there for me in spite of anything that ever came between us. I think this is why I was so determined to be there every day while he was dying. I just couldn't bring myself to let the past go until he was a part of it. I'll never know how it would have affected me if I'd been closer to him. And for that I'll always be sorrowful.
I can't change the past but I can learn from it. The lessons we get from the events in our lives are with us from now on. Letting regrets become learning experiences is the most we can gain from having them. I think I'm strong enough now to let this knowledge make me a stronger person for the future. I don't have the insight to know what might come my way but I do think I'll handle any similar circumstances differently from now on.
Regrets stay with you until you figure out what to do with them. There's no way to avoid having them but we can all prepare ourselves for their arrival by using the wisdom that life gives us in a positive manner.
My biggest regrets of 2011 are told. Now I can move past them and apply their presence toward becoming a better person for having had them.
Peace,C[image error]
Yet I am only human and I always look back on things with a sense of nostalgia. Sometimes I feel remorse for deeds undone and selfish decisions that bring about the remorse of which I'm speaking. This year has been no different.
On September 17th, my Aunt Martha died. She was eighty years old and she suffered from COPD. She couldn't stop smoking because she didn't believe she could. She enjoyed it and she did it until the last day before she made her final trip to the hospital. Aunt Martha wound up on a ventilator and she couldn't be weaned from it. Her body was beyond its capabilities in this arena. On the day her immediate family made the difficult decision to take her off life support, they agreed to wait on doing so in case anyone wanted to come and see her. My mother told me of this and I chose not to go.
Why did I make this decision? Well, Aunt Martha had always been one of the most important people in my life. She was in my corner no matter what and when my writing career began taking off she was so very supportive of it. She followed everything I did and when I traveled she wanted to know all about it. I was very fortunate to have her to share my life with. I did not go to the hospital to see her on her last day because I didn't think I could go there knowing that it would be for the last time that I would see her. I let a very selfish motivation keep me from going to her side before she died.
I wanted to be there. I really did. Aunt Martha was my buddy. We talked at least twice a month, and often more than that, and she was always interested in what I was doing and how I was getting along. She gave me a safe place to go and I will miss having that. Yet she also imparted her own sense of independence and what it means to live life on one's own terms to me. I will always remember her as a woman who did exactly as she chose to do. She was one of the most emancipated people I've ever known. She gave me a wonderful example of how to live my life according to my own needs while also taking care of those I love. For this I will be forever grateful.
No, I didn't go to see her before the ventilator was disconnected and she took her last breath. I couldn't bear to watch her leave this life. I stayed at home and comforted myself with warm memories of the wonderful times we spent together. And yet I'm bothered by the fact that I didn't have the strength to go to her when I knew I'd never see again if I didn't. I regret not being with her one last time, to thank her for being such a strong influence on me and for teaching me all that she did. I feel I should have swallowed my emotions and been there for that.
I'll never know what I would have felt if I'd gone on that Friday night when I knew her time was running out. And this is something I'll have to live with from now on.
Thirteen days later my Uncle Lamar died as well. He succumbed to liver cancer and heart failure. He was my mother and Martha's brother and he was only sixty-eight years old. I went to see him in the hospital before he died. I'm not sure he knew I was there but I went anyway. I needed to see him before he passed. Why?
In the year 2000, my uncle hurt me deeply by being unkind to me during a phone call one Friday night. (Why do things always happen to me on Friday nights?) Lamar drank too much and anyone who knew him can attest to this. He was drinking during that phone call on the night I'm referring to here, and I should have given him some consideration for that. Yet I have a hard time pardoning people for their behavior due to addiction because they choose to be addicted to whatever it is they are dependent upon. I let this sentiment get in the way of forgiving him for being so unkind to me that night. And I never did forgive him for it.
In the decade that followed I avoided my uncle. I only saw him when I had to and I didn't visit or call. He did call me in 2005 and we had a nice chat. He asked me to come and see him, and I told him I would, but I never did. I let the hurt feelings that I'd been harboring since that night in 2000 keep me from seeing him or speaking to him very much again.
When I knew he was dying, I went with my mom to see him almost every day during the last week he lived. I wanted to do something to make him more comfortable, but I still couldn't bring myself to let go of the hurt he caused me during that one telephone conversation over ten years ago. He died and I didn't get past this until after he was gone. I never had the chance to be his friend again.
These are my two biggesr regrets of the year we are now closing out. I have a much harder time forgiving myself for my shortcomings than I do in sharing the same with others. I know that neither Martha or Lamar would have known I was there. I know that Martha knew how I felt about her and I know that we will always have our bond no matter where we both happen to be in the universe. I also know that Lamar was my friend, whether I thought so or not, and I think he would have been there for me in spite of anything that ever came between us. I think this is why I was so determined to be there every day while he was dying. I just couldn't bring myself to let the past go until he was a part of it. I'll never know how it would have affected me if I'd been closer to him. And for that I'll always be sorrowful.
I can't change the past but I can learn from it. The lessons we get from the events in our lives are with us from now on. Letting regrets become learning experiences is the most we can gain from having them. I think I'm strong enough now to let this knowledge make me a stronger person for the future. I don't have the insight to know what might come my way but I do think I'll handle any similar circumstances differently from now on.
Regrets stay with you until you figure out what to do with them. There's no way to avoid having them but we can all prepare ourselves for their arrival by using the wisdom that life gives us in a positive manner.
My biggest regrets of 2011 are told. Now I can move past them and apply their presence toward becoming a better person for having had them.
Peace,C[image error]
