Susan Allison-Dean's Blog, page 3
October 11, 2013
Eat, Pray, Love-Caribbean Style
Have you ever just wanted to pack a bag, throw it in the car and just drive away? Far, far, away, leaving all your problems behind? Jill Bradley reaches that point in her life after life slams her from all sides. In an effort to find a place to rest, and reshuffle her head, she impulsively buys a ticket on the next flight out to a Caribbean island.
Changing one’s environment, relinquishing oneself from daily obligations, or gathering with your old girlfriends can sometimes be just what the doctor ordered to restore a sense of calm, reboot your energy and hear yourself think. This has become such a popular new health option it even has a name: Travel Therapy®.
You don’t have time, money, or someone to watch your kids so you can break away? Grab a travel book and let your mind escape to your dream location, take a hike without walking a step, sip a pina colada in front of the fireplace and read from your favorite cozy chair. Sneak in a chapter before bed, during a lunch break, while waiting for your doctors appointment. Books have that magical quality to take you away.
Where can you find a travel book that you will enjoy? Have you tried Goodreads? Search the lists option and you’ll find books for nearly every interest. Click the Explore Tab on the top, then Listopia, in the Search box type ‘Travel Books’. You will find lists of books for all kinds of travel related themes: Best Books to Read while Traveling, Best Scottish Romances, Foreign Lands, even Time Traveling.
Treat yourself to a mental vacation with a good travel book. No need to pack.
-------------
I KNOW YOU’RE THERE, is available in print and on most e-reader platforms. Special Offer now available for women’s bookclubs! Choose I KNOW YOU’RE THERE as one of your next bookclub picks and Susan Allison-Dean will send your club members each a free copy of the book in return for a group honest review of the book. Time limited offer: please email susanallisondean@aol.com for details.
Changing one’s environment, relinquishing oneself from daily obligations, or gathering with your old girlfriends can sometimes be just what the doctor ordered to restore a sense of calm, reboot your energy and hear yourself think. This has become such a popular new health option it even has a name: Travel Therapy®.
You don’t have time, money, or someone to watch your kids so you can break away? Grab a travel book and let your mind escape to your dream location, take a hike without walking a step, sip a pina colada in front of the fireplace and read from your favorite cozy chair. Sneak in a chapter before bed, during a lunch break, while waiting for your doctors appointment. Books have that magical quality to take you away.
Where can you find a travel book that you will enjoy? Have you tried Goodreads? Search the lists option and you’ll find books for nearly every interest. Click the Explore Tab on the top, then Listopia, in the Search box type ‘Travel Books’. You will find lists of books for all kinds of travel related themes: Best Books to Read while Traveling, Best Scottish Romances, Foreign Lands, even Time Traveling.
Treat yourself to a mental vacation with a good travel book. No need to pack.
-------------
I KNOW YOU’RE THERE, is available in print and on most e-reader platforms. Special Offer now available for women’s bookclubs! Choose I KNOW YOU’RE THERE as one of your next bookclub picks and Susan Allison-Dean will send your club members each a free copy of the book in return for a group honest review of the book. Time limited offer: please email susanallisondean@aol.com for details.
October 9, 2013
Bibliotherapy: How Books Help Us Heal
Before the Internet, nearly everything you needed to know could be found in the library. Need a new attitude? There’s a book for that, lots of them. Looking to enhance your skill at a craft? There’s a book for that. How to raise your child? Looking to feel better? Don’t worry; the local library has got you covered.
As a new author, it has been a humbling, heartwarming experience to have readers share how a part of I Know You’re There resonated with their own life. Women who have had a life experience validated, a funny memory rekindled or a pain from the past that was buried unearthed. Perhaps it’s this latter opportunity that means the most to me. To see someone finally voice something they have been holding inside, sometimes with tears streaming down their face, allows that old wound to finally start to heal.
Fiction, although make believe, has the power to bring us together. When a reader reads a passage of an experience that they have had, they no longer feel alone. At least one other person has gone through this. It also allows that same reader to see how someone else handled the experience. Perhaps this jars a new idea, a feeling of relief or an opportunity to confront something that has long been avoided.
So the next time your feeling alone, lost, or confused about something, think about taking a trip to your local library. It is a treasure chest of wisdom.
As a new author, it has been a humbling, heartwarming experience to have readers share how a part of I Know You’re There resonated with their own life. Women who have had a life experience validated, a funny memory rekindled or a pain from the past that was buried unearthed. Perhaps it’s this latter opportunity that means the most to me. To see someone finally voice something they have been holding inside, sometimes with tears streaming down their face, allows that old wound to finally start to heal.
Fiction, although make believe, has the power to bring us together. When a reader reads a passage of an experience that they have had, they no longer feel alone. At least one other person has gone through this. It also allows that same reader to see how someone else handled the experience. Perhaps this jars a new idea, a feeling of relief or an opportunity to confront something that has long been avoided.
So the next time your feeling alone, lost, or confused about something, think about taking a trip to your local library. It is a treasure chest of wisdom.
October 1, 2013
Comfort Food at Harvest Time
Did you get your fill of juicy heirloom tomatoes, burgers charbroiled on the grill, sweet corn dripping with butter and luscious pink watermelon for dessert this summer? Turning the calendar to October stimulates the thoughts that accompany fall; pumpkins by the doorstep, planting bulbs in the garden, and what to be for Halloween. As the days turn dark quickly, we pull out that cozy fleece and snuggle on the couch to watch the new series of our favorite shows.
In my novel, I Know You’re There, Helen Bradley is famously known for her pumpkin bread. Wrapped in foil, still warm to touch, the aroma seeps out eliciting it’s recipient to salivate. One slice is never enough. “Just another little piece….”
Let’s celebrate the Harvest Season together by sharing our favorite fall recipes. Tweet them (@sueallisondean), post on my Facebook page, Pin on my Harvest Recipe Board or comment on this blog post with your favorite recipe. Maybe it’s a recipe that is treasured in your family, like Helen’s pumpkin bread. Or perhaps you haven’t even tried it yet; you just found it in a magazine and can’t wait to give it a whirl. It’s all good, let’s see how it goes!
In my novel, I Know You’re There, Helen Bradley is famously known for her pumpkin bread. Wrapped in foil, still warm to touch, the aroma seeps out eliciting it’s recipient to salivate. One slice is never enough. “Just another little piece….”
Let’s celebrate the Harvest Season together by sharing our favorite fall recipes. Tweet them (@sueallisondean), post on my Facebook page, Pin on my Harvest Recipe Board or comment on this blog post with your favorite recipe. Maybe it’s a recipe that is treasured in your family, like Helen’s pumpkin bread. Or perhaps you haven’t even tried it yet; you just found it in a magazine and can’t wait to give it a whirl. It’s all good, let’s see how it goes!
September 27, 2013
Inspiration: One Cool Chick Leaning In
Have you ever met someone who far surpassed your initial impression? May I introduce you to Jane Taylor, who did just that?
I met Jane at a conference for Garage Storage Systems that my husband is part of this past summer. I went along to enjoy the resort and work on my writing. Family is invited to the opening and closing parties. We changed greetings with Jane at the bar while we awaited our cocktail orders to be filled. I automatically assumed the petite, thin, healthy woman was a wife of one of the burly, tool loving garage guys in the room. Much to my surprise, however, Jane added to her introduction, “I am the Austin, Texas dealer, Garage Monkeyz.” Can you see my jaw drop?
What in the world is this bright eyed, healthy, woman with a big smile doing owning a Garage Storage Dealership, I wondered as I stared at her unintentionally. My husband chimed in and they began to exchange stories about their respective businesses. I stood there confused, continued to stare as if my expectation would find a way to match the realty here. I never resolved the disconnect in my head.
Fast-forward to the last night of the conference; the awards dinner. Once again, we gather in the ballroom of the hotel. We select seats and start chatting with the people already seated. With only two seats left, who fills one of them? Jane Taylor.
Guessing that everyone at the table had probably had their fill of talking about garage storage designing, tools, marketing practices, new products lines, etc. I steered the topic of conversation to “What do you like to do for fun?” One by one everyone shared their favorite activities; hiking, camping, paddle boarding. As we gleefully chatted away I was particularly interested in hearing what Jane had to say. I learned that she grew up in Hawaii and we shared a passion for whales and marine life. She was in the Navy and get this, she was on Season 2 of Whale Wars!
For those who haven’t seen Whale Wars, it’s a reality show about a group of whale activists, called the Sea Shepherds, who relentlessly try to stop Japanese ships from whaling in Antarctica. Commercial whaling is banned in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, but Japan claims they are whaling for research, which is just a cover. The exchanges between the two become heated and dangerous in the freezing cold waters surrounded by icebergs. Being on one of these ships is taking your hands in your own life. I was impressed; Jane was a tough cookie!
The host of the conference stepped up to the podium on the stage in front of us, as we were served coffee, to begin the awards ceremony. He began by asking, “Is there anyone with remaining questions or comments before we begin the final part of our conference?”
I raised my hand and JUMPED out of my seat. Now mind you, I was not really a part of this crowd, more like a guest amongst the mostly men waiting to hear if they won the latest power tool.
Undaunted, I announced with pride and enthusiasm, “ We just learn that Jane was on Whale Wars!!”
Well, you would have thought I announced there was a sale at T.J. Maxx. The room went completely silent, until a few awkwardly clapped. Jane humbly shooed me back into my seat. The host stood with the microphone in his hand and head tilted. Eventually he broke the tension by saying, “I think a few of us knew that.”
I sat back down and looked at my husband. I thought I might find him hiding under the table, but he sat proudly, unfazed. He knows me too well.
What makes the story even better? Jane went on to win two awards that night: Most Raved About Dealer- given to the Monkey Bars dealer whose customers comment mostly highly and The Most Improved Dealer. Yay, Jane!
When we women get the opportunity to celebrate accomplishment, let’s do more than Lean In. Let’s get out of our seats and cheer!
I met Jane at a conference for Garage Storage Systems that my husband is part of this past summer. I went along to enjoy the resort and work on my writing. Family is invited to the opening and closing parties. We changed greetings with Jane at the bar while we awaited our cocktail orders to be filled. I automatically assumed the petite, thin, healthy woman was a wife of one of the burly, tool loving garage guys in the room. Much to my surprise, however, Jane added to her introduction, “I am the Austin, Texas dealer, Garage Monkeyz.” Can you see my jaw drop?
What in the world is this bright eyed, healthy, woman with a big smile doing owning a Garage Storage Dealership, I wondered as I stared at her unintentionally. My husband chimed in and they began to exchange stories about their respective businesses. I stood there confused, continued to stare as if my expectation would find a way to match the realty here. I never resolved the disconnect in my head.
Fast-forward to the last night of the conference; the awards dinner. Once again, we gather in the ballroom of the hotel. We select seats and start chatting with the people already seated. With only two seats left, who fills one of them? Jane Taylor.
Guessing that everyone at the table had probably had their fill of talking about garage storage designing, tools, marketing practices, new products lines, etc. I steered the topic of conversation to “What do you like to do for fun?” One by one everyone shared their favorite activities; hiking, camping, paddle boarding. As we gleefully chatted away I was particularly interested in hearing what Jane had to say. I learned that she grew up in Hawaii and we shared a passion for whales and marine life. She was in the Navy and get this, she was on Season 2 of Whale Wars!
For those who haven’t seen Whale Wars, it’s a reality show about a group of whale activists, called the Sea Shepherds, who relentlessly try to stop Japanese ships from whaling in Antarctica. Commercial whaling is banned in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, but Japan claims they are whaling for research, which is just a cover. The exchanges between the two become heated and dangerous in the freezing cold waters surrounded by icebergs. Being on one of these ships is taking your hands in your own life. I was impressed; Jane was a tough cookie!
The host of the conference stepped up to the podium on the stage in front of us, as we were served coffee, to begin the awards ceremony. He began by asking, “Is there anyone with remaining questions or comments before we begin the final part of our conference?”
I raised my hand and JUMPED out of my seat. Now mind you, I was not really a part of this crowd, more like a guest amongst the mostly men waiting to hear if they won the latest power tool.
Undaunted, I announced with pride and enthusiasm, “ We just learn that Jane was on Whale Wars!!”
Well, you would have thought I announced there was a sale at T.J. Maxx. The room went completely silent, until a few awkwardly clapped. Jane humbly shooed me back into my seat. The host stood with the microphone in his hand and head tilted. Eventually he broke the tension by saying, “I think a few of us knew that.”
I sat back down and looked at my husband. I thought I might find him hiding under the table, but he sat proudly, unfazed. He knows me too well.
What makes the story even better? Jane went on to win two awards that night: Most Raved About Dealer- given to the Monkey Bars dealer whose customers comment mostly highly and The Most Improved Dealer. Yay, Jane!
When we women get the opportunity to celebrate accomplishment, let’s do more than Lean In. Let’s get out of our seats and cheer!
September 15, 2013
Inspiration Part 4: Determination! Extra Lessons from Diane Nyad
I love inspirational people. People who challenge life and win. People who resist checking 'attend' to the invitation to have a pity party when unthinkable evil, loss or tragedy enters their life. These people remind us there is a choice always before us of which attitude to pick. It's a theme that I also incorporate in my new novel, I Know You're There.
When I started this Inspiration Blog series, I had several heroes in mind that I wanted to write about. Then along came another one, that I just had to include: Diane Nyad.
You most likely saw Diane on the news recently. 64 year-old women successfully swims from Cuba to Key West, Florida on 5th attempt. 53 hours, 110 miles- without a shark cage or stopping to hold on to something to catch her breath.
While most of us heard the news and were in awe of her accomplishment, a backlash of skeptics immediately stole the limelight and challenged her accomplishment. "She wore a wet suit and face mask that allowed her to swim faster" was one foul cry. Really? If there are jelly fish with stingers so deadly they can kill you in that ocean, shouldn't that be a basic safety requirement/ "There is no way she could have swum that fast, " others contested. Graciously, without wavering, Nyad acknowledged to her skeptics that she caught a rare current that helped propel her towards Florida like those walking escalators in the airport. Her claim was backed up by Oceanographers and Meteorologists, touché.
I thought of Ms. Nyad during a recent paddle boarding excursion I took alone on a local lake. I'm a novice at this walk on water sport. It was a 90 degree day in September, no wind, during the week when the lake is quiet except for a few retirees out boating. I paddled easily to the other side of the lake in 25 minutes and jumped in to cool off. Sat on the board and soaked up some sun. As I headed back, however, the dreaded wind picked up and my body became a liability, a sail. As hard as I paddled, I went only a few feet or no where at all.
I won't be dramatic here, I could have given up, drifted to the part of the lake opposite of where my car was, and knocked on one of the beautiful lake front homes and begged for a ride to the other side. I knew i wasn't going to drown or get blown out to nowhere. I was determined, however, to get back to my starting point; wind or no wind. As I paddled harder, my core rock hard, the muscles between my shoulder blades burning, I thought of Nyad. What must she have thought as she swam, stroke after stroke, all that distance? I focused, one stroke at a time, stroke, stroke, stroke. I looked up quickly to see if I made any headway, and yes, by golly, I did! I became more determined and stroked harder, bent my knees, stroke, stroke, KERPLUNK! I must have gotten overzealous, leaned on my toes and went overboard. Shocked, I came up for air, the board was a few feet away, the paddle and my hat drifting in two different directions, Dang! I scurried back on the board, refocused and ignored my muscles that were now quivering from overuse and hand paddled quickly to retrieve the paddle and my hat bobbing in the water that were going in two different directions.
Several feet in the wrong direction, I knew I couldn't waste time resting my muscles or I would be towed even further from my goal. I cut my sail in half by kneeling on my knees and paddled again. Paddle, paddle, paddle until finally I reached a dock on the other side that I clung to and rested. Then I took the path of least resistance along the shoreline until I made it back to my launching spot.
As I savored the feeling of victory alone, I pondered on Ms. Nyad's victory. Sure, there were crowds cheering and media capturing her final moments when she reached Florida successfully. What was it like, though, to have to face all those naysayers too? From what I could see, it didn't seem to faze her. She calmly and immediately took them on and squelched their call for foul play.
While the weather and ocean experts explained the rare current that turned in her favor during her swim, I couldn't help but wonder, was there also a little help from upstairs? Did God know that we really need a good shot of inspiration once in a while? Or maybe God was showing us that if we really, really work hard at something, he won't let us fail.
Would you like to share an inspirational story about someone you admire? In 500 words or less, tell me about that person or persons who have not only managed to climb out of a deep canyon, but went on to hike to a mountaintop. I will select one guest blogger who will win a $25 Visa gift card and their entry will be posted on my weekly blog. The entry deadline is September 30, 2013. Email your blogpost to SusanAllisonDean@aol.com.
When I started this Inspiration Blog series, I had several heroes in mind that I wanted to write about. Then along came another one, that I just had to include: Diane Nyad.
You most likely saw Diane on the news recently. 64 year-old women successfully swims from Cuba to Key West, Florida on 5th attempt. 53 hours, 110 miles- without a shark cage or stopping to hold on to something to catch her breath.
While most of us heard the news and were in awe of her accomplishment, a backlash of skeptics immediately stole the limelight and challenged her accomplishment. "She wore a wet suit and face mask that allowed her to swim faster" was one foul cry. Really? If there are jelly fish with stingers so deadly they can kill you in that ocean, shouldn't that be a basic safety requirement/ "There is no way she could have swum that fast, " others contested. Graciously, without wavering, Nyad acknowledged to her skeptics that she caught a rare current that helped propel her towards Florida like those walking escalators in the airport. Her claim was backed up by Oceanographers and Meteorologists, touché.
I thought of Ms. Nyad during a recent paddle boarding excursion I took alone on a local lake. I'm a novice at this walk on water sport. It was a 90 degree day in September, no wind, during the week when the lake is quiet except for a few retirees out boating. I paddled easily to the other side of the lake in 25 minutes and jumped in to cool off. Sat on the board and soaked up some sun. As I headed back, however, the dreaded wind picked up and my body became a liability, a sail. As hard as I paddled, I went only a few feet or no where at all.
I won't be dramatic here, I could have given up, drifted to the part of the lake opposite of where my car was, and knocked on one of the beautiful lake front homes and begged for a ride to the other side. I knew i wasn't going to drown or get blown out to nowhere. I was determined, however, to get back to my starting point; wind or no wind. As I paddled harder, my core rock hard, the muscles between my shoulder blades burning, I thought of Nyad. What must she have thought as she swam, stroke after stroke, all that distance? I focused, one stroke at a time, stroke, stroke, stroke. I looked up quickly to see if I made any headway, and yes, by golly, I did! I became more determined and stroked harder, bent my knees, stroke, stroke, KERPLUNK! I must have gotten overzealous, leaned on my toes and went overboard. Shocked, I came up for air, the board was a few feet away, the paddle and my hat drifting in two different directions, Dang! I scurried back on the board, refocused and ignored my muscles that were now quivering from overuse and hand paddled quickly to retrieve the paddle and my hat bobbing in the water that were going in two different directions.
Several feet in the wrong direction, I knew I couldn't waste time resting my muscles or I would be towed even further from my goal. I cut my sail in half by kneeling on my knees and paddled again. Paddle, paddle, paddle until finally I reached a dock on the other side that I clung to and rested. Then I took the path of least resistance along the shoreline until I made it back to my launching spot.
As I savored the feeling of victory alone, I pondered on Ms. Nyad's victory. Sure, there were crowds cheering and media capturing her final moments when she reached Florida successfully. What was it like, though, to have to face all those naysayers too? From what I could see, it didn't seem to faze her. She calmly and immediately took them on and squelched their call for foul play.
While the weather and ocean experts explained the rare current that turned in her favor during her swim, I couldn't help but wonder, was there also a little help from upstairs? Did God know that we really need a good shot of inspiration once in a while? Or maybe God was showing us that if we really, really work hard at something, he won't let us fail.
Would you like to share an inspirational story about someone you admire? In 500 words or less, tell me about that person or persons who have not only managed to climb out of a deep canyon, but went on to hike to a mountaintop. I will select one guest blogger who will win a $25 Visa gift card and their entry will be posted on my weekly blog. The entry deadline is September 30, 2013. Email your blogpost to SusanAllisonDean@aol.com.
September 5, 2013
Where were you on 9/11/2001? Inspiration Part 3: Resilience
Where were you on 9/11? If you were living on the planet earth September 11, 2001, you have a story. I am not going to tell you mine, I'm going to tell you the Aldermans.
Steve and Liz Alderman were vacationing with their next door neighbors in France, while I house sat for their neighbors dogs back in New York. It was there that they learned that back in New York their youngest son, Peter, who was at a conference at the Windows of The World, the very top of one of the World Trade Center Towers, when it collapsed. Just when they thought they had successfully achieved emptying their nest, and their young had flown off successfully, their lives were shattered.
The Aldermans arrived back home after weaving through the globe for several days due to the air traffic shut down. Their car arrived from the airport in the wee hours of the morning on a dark night. When I heard the car pull in the driveway, I cautiously went out to greet it. I will never forget the catatonic look on both Steve and Liz's face as they sat in the back seat, staring forward.
The Aldermans were not the only one's who lost loved ones that day as we well know. Many of the grieving survivors went on the create foundations, memorials and fight the evil they were confronted with by doing good. The Alderman's amaze and inspire me because they not only fought back against evil, they went out and sought to find those left as victims of evil and help them. Despite their own gut wrenching grief pain that they lived with, they began pulling those other survivors out of the trenches around the globe.
The Peter C. Alderman Foundation was established in 2002 in honor of their son Peter. The Foundation's mission is to is to heal the emotional wounds of survivors of terrorism and mass violence by training indigenous health workers and establishing trauma treatment systems in post-conflict countries around the globe.. Since it's inception, the foundation has established has touched the lives of victims of terrorism in Cambodia, Uganda, Rwanda, and Haiti. To Learn more about this heroic Foundation, please visit the website: www.petercaldermanfoundation.org
Do you have an inspirational superhero you want to tell us about? Enter my Inspiration Superhero GuestBlog contest: In 500 words or less, tell me about that person or persons who have not only managed to climb out of a deep canyon, but went on to hike to a mountaintop. I will select one guest blogger who will win a $25 Visa gift card and their entry will be posted on my weekly blog. The entry deadline is September 30, 2013. Email your blogpost to SusanAllisonDean@aol.com.
Steve and Liz Alderman were vacationing with their next door neighbors in France, while I house sat for their neighbors dogs back in New York. It was there that they learned that back in New York their youngest son, Peter, who was at a conference at the Windows of The World, the very top of one of the World Trade Center Towers, when it collapsed. Just when they thought they had successfully achieved emptying their nest, and their young had flown off successfully, their lives were shattered.
The Aldermans arrived back home after weaving through the globe for several days due to the air traffic shut down. Their car arrived from the airport in the wee hours of the morning on a dark night. When I heard the car pull in the driveway, I cautiously went out to greet it. I will never forget the catatonic look on both Steve and Liz's face as they sat in the back seat, staring forward.
The Aldermans were not the only one's who lost loved ones that day as we well know. Many of the grieving survivors went on the create foundations, memorials and fight the evil they were confronted with by doing good. The Alderman's amaze and inspire me because they not only fought back against evil, they went out and sought to find those left as victims of evil and help them. Despite their own gut wrenching grief pain that they lived with, they began pulling those other survivors out of the trenches around the globe.
The Peter C. Alderman Foundation was established in 2002 in honor of their son Peter. The Foundation's mission is to is to heal the emotional wounds of survivors of terrorism and mass violence by training indigenous health workers and establishing trauma treatment systems in post-conflict countries around the globe.. Since it's inception, the foundation has established has touched the lives of victims of terrorism in Cambodia, Uganda, Rwanda, and Haiti. To Learn more about this heroic Foundation, please visit the website: www.petercaldermanfoundation.org
Do you have an inspirational superhero you want to tell us about? Enter my Inspiration Superhero GuestBlog contest: In 500 words or less, tell me about that person or persons who have not only managed to climb out of a deep canyon, but went on to hike to a mountaintop. I will select one guest blogger who will win a $25 Visa gift card and their entry will be posted on my weekly blog. The entry deadline is September 30, 2013. Email your blogpost to SusanAllisonDean@aol.com.
August 22, 2013
Inspiration Part 2: Endurance
He was abducted from his homeland at the age of two, right before the eyes of his family, while his mother shrieked in what can only be called gut-wrenching agony. He was put in a habitat smaller than a jail cell with other captives who bullied and beat him. He watched on as other youngsters were torn away from their mothers by captors with the same motivation. These mothers also screamed trying to connect with their babies as they were shipped far away. When their calls went unanswered they went into a state of paralyzing grief. Adding to the unfathomable situation, many of these babies were created by his sperm after he was forced to lie on his back, his penis stroked by his captives until he ejaculated.
He performs for his captives so that he can get food and his captors can stuff their wallets and retirement funds. Does he get frustrated? You betcha! When he reaches a point of frustration he can no longer contain, he is known to do more than bite the hand that feeds him, he brutally lashes out at the person who feeds him, sometimes resulting in death.
He is now 32 years old now and he is still being held captive in America, of all places, the supposed home of the free. Who is this being? His name is Tilikum. He is a captive Orca in Seaworld, and the star of the documentary film, Blackfish, now playing in theaters and generating major Oscar buzz and the beginning of what could be a revolution.
Blackfish stands to raise the consciousness of humans. The research in the movie challenges that we may not be the highest emotional being on the planet. We humans may have created the most inhumane form of entertainment thinking whales and dolphins are just big fish. But let's hope that when we know better, we do better. Let's hope that Marine Parks and Aquariums will no longer capture whales & dolphins from the wild, no longer bread them in captivity, and begin rehabilitating the ones in captivity for release or transfer to ocean pens.
How can you help Tilikum and his fellow cetaceans?
1. See the Movie Blackfish or The Cove.
2. Boycott visiting Aquariums, Marine Parks, Vacation spots that keep dolphins and whales captive unless they have been deemed injured so badly that releasing them in the wild would result in death.
3. Re-educate our youth that whales & dolphins live in the sea, not a tank.
Hang in there Tilikum, there are a bunch of us trying to help you. To learn more about Tilikum and the movie Blackfish, please visit: http://www.magpictures.com/blackfish/
Would you like to share an inspirational story about someone you admire? In 500 words or less, tell me about that person or persons (or animal) who not only managed to climb out of a deep canyon, but went on to hike to a mountaintop. I will select one guest blogger who will win a $25 Visa gift card and their entry will be posted on my weekly blog. The entry deadline is September 30, 2013. Email your blogpost to SusanAllisonDean@aol.com.
He performs for his captives so that he can get food and his captors can stuff their wallets and retirement funds. Does he get frustrated? You betcha! When he reaches a point of frustration he can no longer contain, he is known to do more than bite the hand that feeds him, he brutally lashes out at the person who feeds him, sometimes resulting in death.
He is now 32 years old now and he is still being held captive in America, of all places, the supposed home of the free. Who is this being? His name is Tilikum. He is a captive Orca in Seaworld, and the star of the documentary film, Blackfish, now playing in theaters and generating major Oscar buzz and the beginning of what could be a revolution.
Blackfish stands to raise the consciousness of humans. The research in the movie challenges that we may not be the highest emotional being on the planet. We humans may have created the most inhumane form of entertainment thinking whales and dolphins are just big fish. But let's hope that when we know better, we do better. Let's hope that Marine Parks and Aquariums will no longer capture whales & dolphins from the wild, no longer bread them in captivity, and begin rehabilitating the ones in captivity for release or transfer to ocean pens.
How can you help Tilikum and his fellow cetaceans?
1. See the Movie Blackfish or The Cove.
2. Boycott visiting Aquariums, Marine Parks, Vacation spots that keep dolphins and whales captive unless they have been deemed injured so badly that releasing them in the wild would result in death.
3. Re-educate our youth that whales & dolphins live in the sea, not a tank.
Hang in there Tilikum, there are a bunch of us trying to help you. To learn more about Tilikum and the movie Blackfish, please visit: http://www.magpictures.com/blackfish/
Would you like to share an inspirational story about someone you admire? In 500 words or less, tell me about that person or persons (or animal) who not only managed to climb out of a deep canyon, but went on to hike to a mountaintop. I will select one guest blogger who will win a $25 Visa gift card and their entry will be posted on my weekly blog. The entry deadline is September 30, 2013. Email your blogpost to SusanAllisonDean@aol.com.
August 17, 2013
Inspirational Resilience
When life gives you lemonade, add Vodka- TED
What happens when life hands you more than lemons? When it doesn't just hand you lemons, it hands you watermelons, and hurls them at you, over and over relentlessly? When you feel like the ship featured in the Perfect Storm being battered from all angles. When prayers don't get answered fast enough and you're not sure how much longer you can hold on?
Jill Bradley, the protagonist in the novel, I Know You're There, experiences such a season in her life. When life hurls watermelons at her repeatedly, she finally makes an impulsive escape to a Caribbean island to seek refuge. Does it work for her? I would spoil the book for you if I told you.
We all have either experienced ourselves, or know of someone who has, a time when we had to do more than weather a Perfect Storm, we had to survive it, sail towards the sunny weather and we chose to bring along some others with us. Over the next several weeks, I will be blogging about some of the inspirational superheroes that I admire. I am going to challenge you to sail further past your comfort zone. Lastly, I am looking for your examples of inspirational superheroes.
Would you like to share an inspirational story about someone you admire? In 500 words or less, tell me about that person or persons who have not only managed to climb out of a deep canyon, but went on to hike to a mountaintop. I will select one guest blogger who will win a $25 Visa gift card and their entry will be posted on my weekly blog. The entry deadline is September 30, 2013. Email your blogpost to SusanAllisonDean@aol.com.
What happens when life hands you more than lemons? When it doesn't just hand you lemons, it hands you watermelons, and hurls them at you, over and over relentlessly? When you feel like the ship featured in the Perfect Storm being battered from all angles. When prayers don't get answered fast enough and you're not sure how much longer you can hold on?
Jill Bradley, the protagonist in the novel, I Know You're There, experiences such a season in her life. When life hurls watermelons at her repeatedly, she finally makes an impulsive escape to a Caribbean island to seek refuge. Does it work for her? I would spoil the book for you if I told you.
We all have either experienced ourselves, or know of someone who has, a time when we had to do more than weather a Perfect Storm, we had to survive it, sail towards the sunny weather and we chose to bring along some others with us. Over the next several weeks, I will be blogging about some of the inspirational superheroes that I admire. I am going to challenge you to sail further past your comfort zone. Lastly, I am looking for your examples of inspirational superheroes.
Would you like to share an inspirational story about someone you admire? In 500 words or less, tell me about that person or persons who have not only managed to climb out of a deep canyon, but went on to hike to a mountaintop. I will select one guest blogger who will win a $25 Visa gift card and their entry will be posted on my weekly blog. The entry deadline is September 30, 2013. Email your blogpost to SusanAllisonDean@aol.com.
August 12, 2013
Time To Unplug
For many of us, there was a time when we managed our lives just fine without phones strapped to our bodies, mail shooting at us non-stop via a computer box, and pictures we need to upload quickly before our friends miss that moment in our lives we want to share. I was reminded of this fairly recently when I sat next to my bulldog, Bubba, on the couch and my phone slipped out of my pocket. He is past the chewing stage, but for whatever the reason, my phone must have been just too tempting or perhaps it emitted an annoying sound so he decided to chomp on it. His fangs puncture it just enough, before I found him doing it, that it was destroyed along with all the data-contacts, photos, memos, …that were stored in it.
At first I was shocked, outraged, alarmed, lost, "What am I going to do?". My mind tried to recall all that was in there, how would I get in contact with my family? I don't even have their phone numbers memorized. Who ever would have thought that day would come? Precious contacts that I entered into my phone rather than take their business card-gone. Slowly I began to realize, that I could do some searching and get most of what I lost back, but uggg, Tedious hours it was going to take to enter all that back in a phone. I took a deep breath, my anger melted as I looked at my dog's face too cute to not hug, and accepted what had just transpired.
Being Sunday, there was nothing I could do, I would have to wait until the following day to go to the phone store and start over. As the day went on, a freedom that I haven't felt in years set in. The yank to check for tweets, texts, emails was gone. The urge to reach out and say, "Hey" to a friend or ask my husband when he'll be home, evaporated. I began to contemplate, do I even want to get a phone? No more constant interruptions, no more need to be caught off guard and sign myself up for something I really didn't want to do, no more helping people solve problems they could solve themselves if they tried a little harder. No, maybe I just won't get another phone, I dreamed of the blissful new existence I could live.
Then, of course, the yang pushed over the ying. What if there is an emergency with one of my loved ones? What if someone is trying to call me with an exciting invitation to do something fun? Ying-Yang, Back-Forth, Ok, I'll enjoy the rest of the day without it, but tomorrow, off to the phone store I go.
I did indeed surrender and got back on the technology bus. You may not hear from me much over the next couple of weeks, and it may take me a while to get back to you, however. I'm purposely going to gear down for the rest of the summer. I'm going to enjoy juicy cantaloupe, scrunch sand between my toes, lower the stack of books that look like a jenga stack by my bedside table, meditate, give paddle boarding a try with my husband, anything that doesn't require a plug. Go out and live life so there will be more stories to tell.
At first I was shocked, outraged, alarmed, lost, "What am I going to do?". My mind tried to recall all that was in there, how would I get in contact with my family? I don't even have their phone numbers memorized. Who ever would have thought that day would come? Precious contacts that I entered into my phone rather than take their business card-gone. Slowly I began to realize, that I could do some searching and get most of what I lost back, but uggg, Tedious hours it was going to take to enter all that back in a phone. I took a deep breath, my anger melted as I looked at my dog's face too cute to not hug, and accepted what had just transpired.
Being Sunday, there was nothing I could do, I would have to wait until the following day to go to the phone store and start over. As the day went on, a freedom that I haven't felt in years set in. The yank to check for tweets, texts, emails was gone. The urge to reach out and say, "Hey" to a friend or ask my husband when he'll be home, evaporated. I began to contemplate, do I even want to get a phone? No more constant interruptions, no more need to be caught off guard and sign myself up for something I really didn't want to do, no more helping people solve problems they could solve themselves if they tried a little harder. No, maybe I just won't get another phone, I dreamed of the blissful new existence I could live.
Then, of course, the yang pushed over the ying. What if there is an emergency with one of my loved ones? What if someone is trying to call me with an exciting invitation to do something fun? Ying-Yang, Back-Forth, Ok, I'll enjoy the rest of the day without it, but tomorrow, off to the phone store I go.
I did indeed surrender and got back on the technology bus. You may not hear from me much over the next couple of weeks, and it may take me a while to get back to you, however. I'm purposely going to gear down for the rest of the summer. I'm going to enjoy juicy cantaloupe, scrunch sand between my toes, lower the stack of books that look like a jenga stack by my bedside table, meditate, give paddle boarding a try with my husband, anything that doesn't require a plug. Go out and live life so there will be more stories to tell.
August 4, 2013
Pinterest For Authors & Readers
If the thought of adding one more social media platform to your repetoire sounds daunting, I get it. I'm not one to just jump in because everyone is doing it. The more I have talked to women who have enjoyed my debut novel, 'I Know You're There', however, the more I realized they really like Pinterest. So, I began to dabble in it.
Before I knew it, I created several boards. Basically, each board is a different virtual 'cork board' to 'pin' pictures, quotes, recipes and more. I have one for my bulldog, Bubba. One for gardening, another for travel, and healthy ideas. As I begin my next novel, I am thinking of creating one for that to aid me in my visual descriptions of scenes and characters.
The board for my current novel, 'I Know You're There' includes pictures of the type of scenes I envisioned when writing the book, the book's cover, some book quotes and more. As I reader, I know the power of a picture to capture my interest when choosing a book. Check it out and tell me what would you add? http://bit.ly/14Mc1bx
If you like these images, you'll love the book! Order or download a copy of 'I Know You're There' Today.
Before I knew it, I created several boards. Basically, each board is a different virtual 'cork board' to 'pin' pictures, quotes, recipes and more. I have one for my bulldog, Bubba. One for gardening, another for travel, and healthy ideas. As I begin my next novel, I am thinking of creating one for that to aid me in my visual descriptions of scenes and characters.
The board for my current novel, 'I Know You're There' includes pictures of the type of scenes I envisioned when writing the book, the book's cover, some book quotes and more. As I reader, I know the power of a picture to capture my interest when choosing a book. Check it out and tell me what would you add? http://bit.ly/14Mc1bx
If you like these images, you'll love the book! Order or download a copy of 'I Know You're There' Today.
