C. Rudolph Barlow's Blog, page 2

To a Child: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

I am a artist at heart. I majored in it in college (along with marketing) and ended up on a non-fine arts career path. How? Who knows. Life takes over and that’s that. I regret it often, but I love soaking up everything I can from others who chose the path I didn’t. I am especially mesmerized by children’s book illustrators as they have the daunting task of taking a childlike view of the world and translating simple subjects into pieces of art a two-year old can understand. It is truly amazing. Like magic.

So one thing I stress when reading to my children are the emotions, colors, and actions conveyed by the pictures in each book I’m reading. When the words and illustrations blend flawlessly, a masterpiece is created for all to enjoy. Here are some of my favorite children’s illustrators and the reasons why:

Mark Teague is a genius. Anyone who can make a dinosaur so emotive is brilliant. You just want to hug each and every one of them; despite their size, scales, and claws. Felicia Bond uses white like a pro, by pulling her subjects front and center. A giant moose in a teeny tiny sweater is priceless. Sandra Boynton is the queen of simplistic charm. Placing pupils on eyeballs may seem like a mundane task, but those two black dots speak volumes when illustrating a hippo staring quite uncomfortably at his rabbit friend’s broccoli stew – “ew”. Jan Brett has cornered the market on texture. You can actually feel the finely weaved wool of the mitten scratch your eyes. Dr. Seuss is just plain ol’ fun. Not only are his verses rhythmically light and full of dance, his characters are too. Unrealistically curling furry toes to masterful lengths makes all the difference in the world. David Shannon is a nut, and I love it (so does my daughter who makes me read Alice the Fairy every night), and so are his characters. His wild and crazy offline pen marks and self-styled font superbly matches the storyline of each of his books. Last but no least is Eric Carle. With colors and texture, he boils down creatures of all sizes (not literally – ew) to be palatable (double ew) to a toddler who craves predictability.

A great children’s book can convey the story through pictures alone as well. A superb example of this is the book Hug, by Jez Alborough. He says it all via his emotion filled pictures and by only writing the words, “Hug”, “Bobo”, and “Mommy”. Books like these allow the readers – big and small – to become the writers of the storyline. Another good one along this vein is Good Night Gorilla, by Peggy Rathmann. It is a great accomplishment to say so much without saying much at all.

Add to the “life imitating art” file, when my daughter was 2 1/2 years old, she only spoke gibberish. Speech therapy ensued. But she was able to get her intentions across by illustrating them with her body movements. So the pictures in her books were teaching her how to get along in the world, even more so than the words. These wonderfully talented illustrators provided her with valuable tools when everything else seemed to be failing, including myself. She eventually learned to speak, although pronouns are still kicking her butt, but I’ll always delight in the imprint Sandra Boyton’s hippo illustration made on her from day one. That being, she can make her pupils go “hippo sideways” at any given moment to express disgust and annoyance at anything – even broccoli stew.

Peace.

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Filed under: Life, Writing Tagged: Alice the Fairy, Authors, Children's Books, David Shannon, Dr. Seuss, Eric Carle, Felicia Bond, Good Night Gorilla, Hug, illustrators, Jan Brett, Jez Alborough, Mark Teague, parenting, Peggy Rathmann, pictures, reading to children, Sandra Boynton, writer, Writing

6 Seconds

Fleeting moments seem to be becoming the norm in this world of instantaneous connections, messages, and social media feeds. 78.1% of the population is online. From shopping to cruising through YouTube videos to socializing and gaming, the engagement is a matter of flitting in and out of one thing and on to another in minutes, or even seconds. Sure, there are the 30 minute TV episodes and movie downloads that last longer, but 30 hours a week on average (40 for Millenials), is spent on tuning into conversations, pop culture, news, Twitter and Facebook feeds – and then tuning out.

While wearing my marketing executive hat, in the social media world I talk about things like “engagement” and “building communities.” This basically means that we, as marketers, are searching for loyal consumers in an environment where price is king. No longer can a brand rely on their product and retail channels for sales. Added to the mix are things like core mission statements and corporate philosophies that redefine a company as a person whom you’d welcome into your home. Where you don’t matter how much they cost because they are a welcomed guest based on more meaningful attributes than just something that ends in 98 cents. And considering many of these brands have people behind the keyboards, the connection is still wholly human, worthy of your attention, and of your loyalty.

I, for one, have never worked for a company whereby I didn’t fully believe in the product, the people, and the cause. I was proud to represent those companies in building communities that shared in my passion for what the employees were hoping to achieve – permanency in the minds of their consumer and a shared love for what they were doing. Marketing has adapted and become a truly dynamic entity in an ever-changing world; one that is characterized by fleeting moments that have been whittled down to 6 seconds on Vine, yet still extols the true value in building longterm relationships.

While wearing my writing hat, I long for moments that are much more enduring. I want someone to dive into my writings and connect for more than a few seconds. Whether reading or just living, I long for offline moments that are real, grounded, and invested. Enduring moments that are discussed eye-to-eye, with hands being shaken, life stories being swapped, and thoughts being traded and truly appreciated as a different perspective versus an annoyance. 6 seconds should be counted only if you are refilling your coffee cup with the intent of speaking with someone further or reading for another hour.

Paradoxically, as a writer, I’m still looking for engagement and to build a community. However, I seek these attributes on a deeper level that is not nearly as transitory. Loyalty needs to be earned and above all else, be personal. Through my words, I’m inviting you into my mind. To share in my beliefs, fantastical thoughts, mundane musings, high points fueled by joy, and low points punctuated with depression. To think of me not as a brand, but as a person worthy of at least a few minutes of your time.

Relationships exist on many levels and in many forms: mother/daughter, sister/brother, consumer/manufacturer, consumer/service provider, and more. Some are fleeting and some everlasting. Yet even the everlasting ones can end up being over in a fleeting moment. This saddens me as both a marketer and as a writer – and as a person. A company can do everything right, and one mishap can destroy them. A person can do everything right, and one sentence can level a wonderful friendship in a tearful blink.

In our society, we have become fleeting and fickle. We obsess over the misspoken word, the out-of-context sentence, the off-the-cuff remark, and the unpopular opinion. We obsess for exactly 6 seconds and then move on – leaving the company and person to pick up the pieces, scratch their head, and sometimes, just have a good ol’ cry. Granted, some things are unforgivable, and a we need to hold people accountable for egregious acts, but our fleeting mentality has taken us so far as to make mountains out of molehills, leaving confusion in its wake.

I’d love to see our society become less momentary and, instead, build more enduring moments. To engage and build communities – and mean it – even when times get tough. For example, to choose a 25-year friendship over a 9-word sentence. Or to weight a stellar career over the brief emergence of a very human flaw. To replace instantaneous anger towards a person, no matter how they have come into your life, with patience and forgiveness.

I challenge each and every one of you this week to invest. To turn a 6 second encounter into 6 minutes. And then to turn that 6 minutes into 60. Long enough…

To make an impact.
To explore a topic fully.
To learn about a life.
To turn a fleeting judgement into understanding.
To support a cause or a brand.
To read a good book.
And to not…be fleeting at all.

Peace.

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Filed under: Life, Marketing, Writing Tagged: Facebook, marketing, relationships, social media, society, Twitter, Vine, writer, Writing

Rhyme Time Be Mine

I love poetry, rhymes and any arrangement of words that makes them uplifting and singsongy, or forces my brain to find meaning in each and every verse. I’ve been making cards for my parents and loved ones for what seems like forever. I even applied for my dream job once as a card writer for Hallmark. Too bad they are located 1,500 miles away from me. Stupid logistics.

Anyway, because poems are such a huge part of my life, I wrote twenty-one of them for Theo’s Mythic. Ten as openers for the games Theo confronts, and eleven interspersed throughout the book to engage the reader on a deeper level. Because let’s face it, you can have a lot more fun and infuse oodles more intrigue into a poem than you can into a block of copy. Poems are like the word ninjas of the literary world, fraught with mystery, poise, precision, and a healthy dose of crazy. And I love me some crazy.

A poem that popped into my head after I decided to write a novel for kids is what jumpstarted the premise for Theo’s Mythic. I was fascinated with making the word “only” a surname (I also adore making up names, which will be covered in another blog post – with a cool title name) and hence the Onlys were born. I welcomed the Onlys into this world and introduced them to Theo’s Mythic readers with this poem:

Way up on that lonesome hill

Amongst the craggy trees

There sat a truly precious house

Frail and bent upon a breeze.

 

But in that house a wondrous light

A concert of formidable threads

All softened ethereal collected strands

That held it firm instead.

 

And in that house a fantastic world

Known alone to those who dream it

The few, the far, the in between

Are the Onlys who get to see it.

 

Only the ones that believe in their head

That all things are possible still

Only the ones with imaginary friends

Earn their passage to that hill.

 

The Onlys are perfect

The Onlys are smart

Only the Onlys

Follow their heart.

So fun! And the poem begs the questions, “Who are the Onlys?” “Why are they so smart?” “Where is that awesome house?” and finally, “What the heck does craggy mean?” Is craggy even a word?

Shel Silverstein is a poetic genius and Dr. Seuss certainly knew what he was doing and was the master of whimsical rhyme. Dr. Seuss is one of my all time favorite literary ninjas because he would skewer every word that didn’t have a rhyming partner by making one up – bam! Boy oh boy could he make up the most farcical words, too. Case in point, “shorth” – which, according to Dr. Seuss, “Shorth is better than length.” Short for shortened length – so shorth plays the part beautifully. Curtain close.

Here is another poem from Theo’s Mythic – one of my favorites:

An Only’s clarity frees his mind

Sinking imprints beneath the rind

Removing thoughts of no use or weight

Impressing knowledge to complete a fate

Like a lightning scorch mark on the ground

Like water finding its way around

Not knowledge deferred or misaligned

But truth be told and ideas be mine.

For example, “Like water finding its way around,” means that nothing was getting in the way of Theo absorbing the information he was destined to know. Knowledge would be his as soon as he cleared his mind of all the extra baggage he didn’t need.

Poems are like crafting a well-built house out of carefully selected sticks. By piecing each one together flawlessly, you have constructed not only a place to live, but also a work of art. Verses on canvas that take hold of the beholder and draw them into a deeper and more magical level. The art of the rhyme is like no other because, whether you intend it or not, your brain goes into instinctual meter mode and the pulse of the words click through to a conclusion automatically. A lyrical ride for your senses.

So while Hallmark doesn’t allow telecommuting, I’ve chosen the path of novels to give my poems a home…way up on that lonesome hill, amongst the craggy trees.

Peace.

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Filed under: Poetry, Theo's Mythic, Writing Tagged: author, Children's Books, Dr. Suess, Hallmark, poems, Poet's Tree, poetry, rhymes, Shel Silverstein, writer, Writing

Still at Home

I live in the town I grew up in. There, I said it. Get a glass of water if you need one, I know the news can be jarring to many.

To the many, I know such a statement makes me sound simple, unadventurous, and mundane. Growing up you often hear the words, “I can’t wait to get out of this place.” Why? There are many reasons both valid and just plain escapist. For the former, it might be an abusive home or a lack of jobs. Valid. For the latter, the allure of something more – whatever that may be – lies somewhere else. Anywhere else but where you are. Which is ok, but take a hard look at your reasons for leaving before you think the grass is greener in Greenville, USA. Because maybe you just need a new lawnmower.

Like anything in life, sometimes it isn’t the physicality that limits you, it is what you do with the resources you have and how you look at them. To me, this town is my home base. My family is the foundation that represents a four mile radius around my house, my personality has been imprinted on the local schools and playgrounds, and my memories were born here and float in the ether until I pull them back down to reminisce. All readily available at a moment’s notice.

Instead of letting my home limit me, I look to it as my springboard for the vast pool of life. The comfort of home allowed me to jump out of my comfort zone and explore the world. I’ve been blessed to have travelled far and wide, experiencing so many things that different climates and cultures have to offer. But I’ve always come home. And when asked…I am proud, not ashamed, to say that I live in the town I grew up in; for I have found no other place in the world that is fully me.

I firmly believe everyone should let themselves go. If you come back to your home town, it was meant to be. If not and you have found what you are looking for elsewhere, then that was meant to be. I just don’t want anyone to assume that “getting out of this place” is an easy way out. To find your own truths, don’t assume they lie elsewhere, instead, start by digging in your own backyard first. When you are done, you may have made a hole big enough for a pool.

So if you are one of those who live in the town you grew up in and someone asks you, “Don’t you feel limited having been chained to this place your whole life?” Simply reply, “While you see them as chains, I see them as roots.”

Peace.

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Filed under: Life Tagged: author, home, hometown, travel, writer, Writing

Reading to a Motley Crew

Ok, so maybe my kids aren’t rock stars (yet), nor are they bad to the bone, but sometimes trying to read to three different children, at three different levels – and different sexes to boot (picture princesses vs. pirates) – is like reading to a Motley Crew.

With my first son, reading before bedtime when he was little was a treasured block of time I fiercely protected, and I was able to do it with relative ease. Many folks tend to be structured with their first child and I was no exception: dinner, play, bath, books, and then bed. It was as simple as that. I would sit with my legs crisscrossed applesauce on the floor and have him snuggle into my lap. Book in hand, we read and explored every word and picture as one fabulously literate unit.

When my second son came along, I struggled with many of the “second child” questions that accompanied an emotional pregnancy. “How can I love more than one child?” “How will I have time for both?” My eldest wouldn’t hear of not sitting in my lap as we had always done. That was his spot. My lap = his chair. Discussion over. Me holding his new baby brother and reading a book as a now re-configured unit was so not happening.

I wanted to read together as a family, but then realized that I had to divide and conquer for our collective sanity. My eldest wasn’t hearing or learning anything with a screaming baby within earshot; not to mention I felt rushed and stressed. It was ridiculous. So I decided to break routine and find time for both of them separately. It was a light bulb moment in the 100 watt range. And we would explore the world of words until such time as we could come back together without issue.

It was bliss. Each got their own quality reading and snuggle time with mommy and/or daddy. Eventually, we got back to reading together as a group as they outgrew my lap [insert sad mommy face here] and began to take on some of the reading themselves [insert proud mommy face here.]

Then I had to throw a wrench in the reading gears by adding a baby princess in with the pirates who had already put in their time swabbing the deck; thereby setting us in the direction of walking the plank. Like a book, though, out story continues to evolve, add more characters, and develop into different chapters.

The present course takes one of two paths depending on the wind and the night. On some evenings I read to the princess in her room, alone and cuddling one-on-one while the boys pick out their selections in their room. On other nights, we all gather on the floor and take turns reading a book to one another. It is hysterical to hear my daughter “read” when it is her turn – because she can’t yet. It is complete gibberish, but utterly precious. Even the boys laugh at her insistence that what she is “reading” is correct.

So reading to my Motley Crew has been an evolution of good, bad and silly. Some days the one-on-one time works and sometimes it’s a free-for-all. I also try to tailor the book selection to the reading method. So if it is a free-for-all night, then we all dance around like crazy lunatics while I read, “Eight Silly Monkeys.” And sometimes we make up our own stories or act out stories we know by heart.

My family has taken on many forms over the years and so has our reading. The whole beauty of our story is that we can rewrite it to suit our needs. Sometimes our story is fiction, sometimes non-fiction, oftentimes autobiographical, but it is always an appreciation for the written word and the illustrations that bring each and every adventure to life.

While my crew may be motley, I am the captain of this pirate ship, plus one princess, and wouldn’t have it any other way. Argh!

Peace.

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Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Children's Books, motherhood, Motley Crew, pirates, princesses, quality time, reading, writer, Writing

Sunshine and Rainbows

Are you an optimist or a pessimist? I’m a happy gal who definitely falls into the realm of optimism. In fact, I’m often referred to as “sunshine and rainbows” by those who know me quite well. A moniker I’ve grown to love as I make my way optimistically through an increasingly pessimistic world.

If you are an optimist, then you realize that it is getting a wee bit harder to keep that proverbial glass of water half full. With the onslaught of bad news screaming at you from every news media outlet, you are forever refilling your glass to keep it level, checking for cracks, and keeping it stable so as not to tip over the brink.

“Three boys kill jogger because they are bored,” posts Media Outlet X. “Two boys on bus bully a child to the point of breaking his arm,” reports Media Outlet Y. Both of which are jarring bits of news that gave me pause. Actually, they stopped me dead in my tracks. Where are the sunshine and rainbows in these cases? There aren’t any. You won’t find them there either, because you are looking in the wrong place for something to make sense. Because none of that does. And because if you try to make sense out of it, you are left with a completely empty glass.

Everything is balanced: beach vs. ocean, heights vs. depths, body vs. soul, and good vs. bad news. As I see it, the balance isn’t out of whack, the information is. For every bad thing that happens in my glass in the space of air hovering above the water, a good thing is happening below in a fluid and unmistakably graceful motion. It has been this way throughout history. This, my dear friends, is nothing new.

However, nowadays our information is funneled to us by outlets that gain the most profit out of reporting the worst news. The numbers don’t lie…the more interaction with a story, the higher the numbers. The higher the numbers, the more advertising can be sold. The more advertising and marketing that can be sold, the more profitable the business of reporting news is. On and on it goes – fueled by a bottom line. The incongruous part though, is life is not a bottom line. Oh yes, it has an end, but not a monetary foundation that makes it either worthy of a story or not. It is a story unto itself.

To stay optimistic you have to work harder. You have to search in places that are both on and off the beaten path. Sure you can find the feel-good article from time-to-time online, on your mobile device, or on your TV, but it is usually a buried treasure waiting to be unearthed by those who are actively seeking grace. Or it is found by slowing down your busy life to thank the trees for making oxygen, the moon for providing glorious waves, and a child for taking their first steps.

For every bit of bad news, I stay optimistic by finding the balance and then tipping the scales with the good. For every death, thousands more are saved by a counselor, policeman, good samaritan, soup kitchen worker, and caring teacher. Are they newsworthy? To find out, let’s consider this hypothetical. Choose the headline below you would most likely click on:

“Policeman kills two car thieves by ramming car in high speed chase.”

- OR -

“Policeman visits local school to teach kids about the dangers of drunk driving.”

Face it, you would click on the first one. And yet, while two people – sad in its own right – lost their lives in the first scenario, how many lives were saved by the school visit? Did all twenty of the children in that classroom, or even two of them, take his speech to heart and subsequently make choices that kept them alive? Being an optimist, I’d like to think so.

Rainbows are brought about by a balance between sunshine and rain. So to be optimistic doesn’t mean that you only see good in the world, it means you seek more of it to keep your glass half full – even if you have to fill it with rain.

Peace.

Filed under: Life, Writing Tagged: current events, life, news, optimism, writer, Writing

The Business of Me

Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. That’s what I feel like these days. Now that I’m trying to put my cubicle life behind me, I’ve entered into The Business of Me. Or, in other words, I spend my days anchored to a boat called, Self-Promotion. It’s pulling myself up and getting that damn boat out of the mooring that is proving to be the challenge.

I constantly remind myself to stay humble. I’ll never get to the saintly level of Mother Teresa, but I try really hard to keep myself in check. The do-good voices rattling about in my cranium will attest to that fact, as well as the angel that sits on my shoulder and whacks me in the head from time-to-time with her perfectly polished halo. So, can a person striving to live a humble life self-promote themselves effectively, or even at all?

On the one hand, I worry that I’m making a menace out of myself on Facebook and Twitter, and in every conversation I have with family, friends and acquaintances that comes around to talking about my book. On the other hand, I have to be “out there.” Living, breathing and talking my way into people’s hearts and minds. Making myself stick, without being unwontedly stuck.

Some moments make the self-promoting all worthwhile; like when a mom tells me her son absolutely loved Theo’s Mythic and can’t wait for the next book in the series. And then some moments, like when I email someone repeatedly to see if their child liked the book and I hear crickets, I feel like a self-promotional nuisance. A literary leech. Much like an unsolicited vacuum salesman standing at your door begging for a chance to come in – I’m worried both I and the vacuum are going to suck.

“You need tougher skin,” is what I tell myself. So somedays I skip the moisturizer in pursuit of calluses that will protect me from – what? The truth? Actually, no. I need to protect myself from people’s opinions and accept the fact that while some folks might adore the book, some just won’t get it. Factors could include the child’s age, genre likes, love/hate relationship with reading, or any number of things that I have absolutely no control over.

Now back to The Business of Me. Step 1: Write a blog post about said subject. Step 2: Use it as a cathartic experience. Step 3: Move the hell on.

In closing I’d like to share my mission statement for my new business. It reads as follows:

Here at The Business of Me we strive to effectively promote and establish a global understanding of the abilities we offer to our clients. We shall constantly worry about being too “in your face,” but will put ourselves in your face, nonetheless, in the sincere hope that you’ll like what you see. We will forever promote the written word as something to be cherished by children, as well as bring smiles to their faces. And due to our membership in the human race, we will write for a kinder, lovelier, more beautiful world. Because we’ve found that The Business of Me just happens to be…also about You.

Peace.

Filed under: Life, Theo's Mythic, Writing Tagged: Careers, life, Moving On, Self-Promotion, writer, Writing

Self-Publishing

As I’ve written in past blog posts, my epiphany to write a book and the words that ensued came quickly and easily. The publishing part, well, did not.

Originally I went the traditional route: I sent query after query to literary agents I was sure would not only be the perfect fit, but also welcome me and Theo’s Mythic with open arms. Each one gushing at my expert writing ability and fighting for a chance to be “the one”. Not.

Side note: I am, and always will be, an eternal optimist.

After some very nice, “No thanks, your book isn’t quite right for my list at this time” replies, I started looking into self-publishing. Was it because I felt defeated, like this was my only option? No. I actually fell into it and realized it gave me something I was yearning for – a chance.

There were a few things I wanted to accomplish with my book and I was blessedly able to bring them to fruition via self-publishing:

Use my own illustrator. I wanted to use Jeff Hopkins, because he is a childhood friend and is extremely talented. I knew he would be the perfect fit and I wanted control over defining my mind’s creations onto paper. I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, he could do that for me.

Write the way I envisioned the words to fall onto the page from day one. I wanted to use words that would challenge today’s commonplace vernacular, and use a non-linear format that would engage and make children’s brain cells work for the reward. I wanted to hand them a great book; a book that would give them the satisfaction of putting all of the pieces together by themselves. Go kids!

Those are the pluses, here is the minus:

I’m having a hard time reaching the masses. So now that I’ve accomplished my goals above, I’m seeking a literary agent to help me with the task of getting my book into the hands of many more children via a larger publishing house. Some agents are open to working with self-published titles and some are not. Literary agents are on the fence with this whole new world, and those who have embraced the possibility of the next “big thing” being a self-published title, are the open-minded and truly optimistic folks I’m looking for. I liken it to choosing a toy license. I used to work in licensing at Hasbro and will never forget the day I was watching a hit TV show in the UK for consideration in the US as a toy license. It baffled me. But my wonderful boss and mentor at the time said, “You don’t need to like it or even understand it, the kids do.” I was watching Teletubbies.

So where is the next great book going to come from? Everywhere. There will be titles that go the traditional route, some that come by way of internet exposure, and some that bubble to the surface of the self-published pond.

Again, being an eternal optimist, I am forever grateful that self-publishing gave me the chance. Now I’m hoping my literary agent is sitting on the shore waiting for my bubble to appear.

Peace.

 

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: author, Children's Books, fantasy, Literary Agents, Publishing, Self-Publishing, writer, Writing

20 Thoughts for a Better Mankind

I love quotes. Especially when they are made into pretty little graphics and elegantly placed on Pinterest for the world to see. So I made up some of my own quotes – 20 thoughts for how I like to live my life.

Will they make for a better mankind? Debatable at the very least, yet inspirational at the very most; as many quotes have been for me throughout the years. Here goes:

Be the bandaid, but don’t get stuck on the wound.
If I judged everything by the outside, my heart would never get a place on the jury.
Give a “thank you” wave, because your middle finger only makes me want to look up.
Hold the door. If you don’t, you’re telling God not to open another one for you.
Smile more, because the earth couldn’t survive without sunshine.
Don’t litter or you are trash.
Never say to yourself, “It’s ok, just this one time,” if you want more time.
Give a disabled person a high five, not a lowered head.
Have an opinion. Keep it in your head if it’s spiteful. Put it on paper if it’s respectful.
Don’t carry your heart on your sleeve in case you want to change your shirt.
Rise above, because if you sink below, only you will drown.
Listen with your ears, not with words coming out of your mouth.
Pay it forward, backwards, and sideways.
I pardon you FOR only to GIVE myself peace.
Be kind even in the face of evil, or you will become a mirror.
Wish for world peace, because believing in something, is something.
The earth was here first and you were here second. So putting the earth first is the natural order of things.
Use good manners. Please and Thank You will get you more Welcomes.
Use your hands to make things right instead of your finger to point out what’s wrong.
Be humble. Big heads don’t fit through windows of opportunities.

Peace.

P.S. If you cite my quotes out of context, please credit me. Or pay cash. Bwahahaha. And please feel free to post your favorite quote(s) in the comments. I’d love to read them!

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: author, Feel Good, kindness, life, peace, quotes, writer, Writing

Happenstance

“Not this time. As soon as she forced the vision out of her head, all of the surrounding air, time, light, and sound bent in space at once, forming a celestial wormhole that encased the DarkDwellers in one massive eruption of her mind.” - Theo’s Mythic

This is one of my favorite quotes from the book. Why? Because it shows how one previously-believed-to-be-flawed character, a Happenstance, has amazing potential. The Happenstances in my book are loosely based on my two nieces; profoundly disabled from birth, yet profoundly spectacular in redefining what it is to live a life.

Happenstance means: a circumstance especially that is due to chance. My nieces are undiagnosed and perceived to be “flawed” by many narrow-minded individuals. They cannot walk or talk. But to me, a life is not defined by what you cannot do, rather, it is the potential within – whether it be latent or obvious. It isn’t packaged in a form you are used to seeing, but make no mistake about it – the spark is there.

Here are a few examples of the life my nieces have lived and what they have breathed into my “normal” world. Essences I would have never inhaled had I not been blessed with all that they are.

Love comes in many forms. We have never heard either one of them say, “I love you”.  And yet, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the love that emanates from their souls is felt deeper than any three words uttered by mouth could ever communicate.
Beauty abounds. Beauty is not defined by perfect makeup, hair swept into undulating waves, or the must-have designer label meant to elevate and transcend the ordinary. True beauty can be found in their smiles. Wholly uplifting – and sometime mischievous – grins, that are equal to all the joy in the world captured in two magnificient faces.
They are strong. Looking at them all you might see are two weak bodies relegated to wheelchairs; robbed of the potential of perfectly developed muscles, skin, and bone. Yet they have survived grueling therapies, a near-death experience (still classified to this day as “a miracle” by all doctors), and multiple surgeries – one of which left them in body casts from the chest down for two months. So to look at them as weak is to say that the ocean has no purpose but to lick the shore. The mighty ocean and my mighty girls have much more strength in them than that.

While the Happenstances in my book are created by lightning, we don’t know by what “chance” my beautiful nieces came to be. They were created out of love, that much I know.  The Happenstances in Theo’s Mythic speak in a manner not in keeping with an adult, but they speak volumes with the warmth, love, and care of a thousand mothers. They are not air-brushed, modified, or reshaped into the perfect ideal of beauty, they are naturally glorious. And although they were created by chance, they bear strength and fortitude to become an extraordinary part of their world – of our world.

So the next time you see a disabled person, look to their core, their gifts…to the happenstance that brought them to us. Don’t spit them out, breathe them in. Their life will teach you more about living than any amount of years or experience ever will. While chance was the catalyst, they happened for a reason.

Peace.

Filed under: Life, Theo's Mythic, Uncategorized Tagged: Authors, disabilities, favorite quotes, life, quotes, writer, Writing