Nikki Starcat Shields's Blog, page 13

Starcat’s Favorites: Focusing on the Good Stuff

Winter is hard. Am I right? It’s cold and dark and not all that inspiring. But I find that focusing on the good stuff in life makes it much more fun.

Here’s a recent list: Celebrating my daughter’s 21st birthday with her in Santa Fe, New Mexico – we went to MeowWolf, which I highly recommend.

Savoring the new season of Grace & Frankie.

So many good books to read! I’m currently loving Lev Grossman’s Magicians series.

My cozy warm home. Loving family and friends. Cat snuggles.

Dappled sunshine...

Getting Out of Your Own Way

I’ve been having some “aha” moments and mini-epiphanies as we make our way into 2020. They hit me in a powerful way that’s already helping me grow.

Yet when I look at these messages from spirit, they seem remarkably simple. They are things I either knew already (intellectually, anyway), or probably should have known.

That doesn’t make them any less profound.

My new realizations came to me during a couple of different workshops focused on setting goals and planning for the year to come.

One...

Starcat’s Ten Best Books of 2019

Hey fellow bookworms! I’m super excited to share my ten favorite books that I read this past year. As always, please note that these aren’t necessarily books that came out in 2019, just ones that I encountered and very much enjoyed.

There were a bunch of others that were awesome, too, but didn’t make the top ten. If you want an expanded list, send me a note! I’m happy to share.

Without further ado, here are my favorites:

The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden. This is book two in the ...

My 2020 Vision

This has been an unusual holiday season, for a variety of reasons. Not bad, just different. A bit more chaotic and scattered. A lot of letting go and allowing things to unfold as they will. Which is part of the lesson.

I think of myself as a recovering control freak, and sometimes the recovery goes better than others. I get too attached sometimes, and think that my actions and to-do lists are a lot more important than they really are.

This has been a season of releasing, of valuing the...

Starcat’s Favorites: My Family

I am SO blessed to have an amazing family (of birth and choice, both).

This weekend, a bunch of us are helping my son and his girlfriend move into the house they just bought. Not only are we schlepping boxes and cleaning the old apartment, but Quester has been over at the new place almost every day this month, prepping and then laying the new hardwood floors.

Family members and friends have steamed off wallpaper, painted, and more, all on a very tight timeline, at the holidays.

The thing is,...

Winter Solstice: Nourishing Your Spark

Winter Solstice is a time of paradox. It’s the turning point, where the light returns and the days begin to grow longer once more. It’s also the official start of winter, ushering in the coldest, most snowy months of the year.

This is the height of the winter holiday frenzy, and in less than two weeks, the tree will be hauled outside, all of the faerie lights will be packed away, and the parade of cookies will be over. Here in Maine, spring is but a faint glimmer on the horizon.

Celebrating...

Self-Care Isn’t Selfish

You probably see a lot of female thought-leaders on their blogs and Facebook posts proclaiming that good self-care is non-negotiable.

Actually, I agree with them.

However, there’s a big disconnect between those of us writing about self-care and the reality of the daily lives of the readers.

So many people – women, especially – who read these articles are suffering from not taking time to care for themselves.

How about you? See if this sounds familiar: grabbing a moment to read an article...

Stop Fitting In

I spent the first half of my life trying to “fit in” with other people’s ways of being.

If you’re still doing that, I’m here to tell you: it’s not worth it.

Please, stop. It’s a waste of your time, your energy, and your precious unique soul.

It’s much more worthwhile to explore what make YOU tick – your preferences, joys, desires, passions, and strengths. Sure, it’s helpful to understand your weaknesses and gaps, too, but only in a way that allows you to overcome or work around them.

The...

Creativity Tips for When You’re Not In the Groove

Before I started writing this post, I got up from my computer. I work from home, in the corner of my dining room, and I needed a change of scenery, so I went upstairs to my bedroom to lie down.

I played MahJong on my Kindle. I read a few pages of a book on writing. My cat came to lie on me and purr. I daydreamed a bit, and mused about what I wanted to say to you.

When I felt like I was done with lying down, I came downstairs. I put in a load of laundry and rinsed some dishes to put in the...

Starcat’s Favorites: A Writing Win

I did it! I finished writing 50,000 words in November – with three days to spare. I’ve never finished early before. Woo hoo!

The novel I’m working on isn’t done, but I’m taking a few days off from it. I have another book that I’ve been editing, which is wanting my time and attention: Follow the Ebb & Flow: The Law of Attraction and the Tides of Life. Coming soon – as soon as I finish my edits…

Plus there are some fun things to get up to this holiday weekend, like a restorative yoga class,...