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May 21st, 2014 You know this not posting everyday has been bothering me. I’ve mentioned enough times that I had to give myself time to get used to working again and then let the writing creep back in. My only saving grace during this hiatus was doing the cover for:
Out of the three W’s – wedding, working, and writing, wedding and working have pretty much consumed me since last August. Working has assimilated itself nicely into my life. I’m there nearly a year and have it down pat. My mind is no longer spent at night due to learning the computer and remembering all the details required to close the club. Let us suffice to say that there is more room in my brain now and working no longer qualifies as an excuse not to post. Wedding is another story. With the date 7 weeks away time is beginning to pick up pace with much to still be done…but not enough to say I can’t post everyday.
Oh okay, truth is I’m scared to commit to doing it again because I’m afraid I won’t be able to do it and that will cause more anxiety. Sooooo…I came up with another idea. Tonight at Writers Night Out I was talking to the college student that is interning this summer at the Cape Cod Writers Center. She is a poet and was telling me her summer project was a Twitter project. She is going to try to get her poems down to 140 characters and post them on Twitter. What a great idea! I can’t think of a better way to discipline focusing on a concept.
Everyday I have many, many ideas that I would love to bring to this blog table, but I really don’t have time to flesh them out to a 600 word post. How about if I post in tweeting format – fitting the concept in 140 characters or less? I CAN commit to 140 characters! I will call them Tiny Musings. Starting tomorrow. Don’t miss it!
And so, as another day goes by, don’t let what you can’t do get in the way of what you CAN do, and…I have written.
May 20th, 2014 Just a quickie today for all my writing buddies. This morning on Facebook I found something called Authors Publish Magazine. It’s completely free and delivered to your email. I decided to subscribe and see what it’s all about. Here’s their mission statement:
I just wanted to share it with you and give you the chance to try it, too. I’d be interested in your opinion as we explore it together.
And so, as another day goes by, something new graces my radar, and…I have written.
PS – Don’t forget to enter for a chance to win a free copy of Through The Widow’s Window by Linda E. Williams, cover art by yours truly.
Then try Authors Publish Magazine and maybe get your own story out there!
May 19th, 2014 
Here we sit, Linda and I, at the launch celebration of her memoir, Through The Widow’s Window. After months of work on my part doing the cover art and formatting, and years of work on her part writing it, there they are – the books – stacked neatly, waiting for friends, family, and fans to come and scoop them up. And scoop them up they did. Within an hour three big stacks of books were whittled down to a precious few.
The book launch was well attended and I got to meet the characters in Linda’s story – her children and husband Jack. It was a great afternoon and if you haven’t picked up your copy yet, you can win a hardcover copy by leaving a comment to this post below or on Facebook. I will put all the names in a hat and draw one lucky winner next week.
And so, as another day goes by, hurry and comment so you don’t miss your chance to own a copy of Through The Widow’s Window by Linda E. Williams, and…I have written.
May 15th, 2014 There is nothing like it. You work and you wait. You work and you wait. You put in long nights and scary days. Problem after problem comes up. Then the final day arrives. It’s your last chance to proofread and check your design work before giving the okay to print.
That’s how my dear author friend Linda Williams and I spent our winter publishing her beautiful memoir Through The Widows Window. I did the cover art, my daughter Ashley did the cover design, and we spent those winter months battling our way through the publishing world, until finally, one rainy spring morning, it arrives. There’s nothing like that feeling you get when you are about to see your finished work for the first time. For such a long time the finished product was only a picture in my mind. I knew exactly how I wanted it to look and feel. My painting was going to be printed on 250 books and I so wanted it to be just as I imagined it.
Linda opened the box and oh my goodness, there it sat. I carefully picked it up. The soft feel of the matte finish I’d chosen was exactly what I wanted. The tone and hue of the back cover was perfect – just like my daughter designed it. It looked so nice when she and I did it on the computer, but I was nervous about the print version.
That was our proof copy in which we still made some changes in the text, but my cover, my part of the “baby”, was perfect. There’s nothing like that feeling.
Throughout this project I was full of doubts about doing the cover art. I’m not an artist. What business do I have even trying this? But something inside me just pushed on. Once I get a vision in my mind of something I want to make or build, it’s like nothing can stop me – even me. I have a book of my own I wrote and illustrated a few years ago, but I put it away in a box. I all but decided I wasn’t a writer. I wasn’t an illustrator. I don’t have formal schooling to do this…blah, blah, blah…mind chatter. But now, after bringing this cover to fruition, the finished product of my own book is sitting in the back of my mind, moving toward the front of my mind, getting closer everyday to me actually taking it out of the box.
Last night I was watching Nashville. They sang a song that said:
If God made you a vessel, if He gave you something special, it’s not yours to throw away.
Wow. Sitting here looking at this book, holding it, all done. My vision come to life…maybe I have no right to keep the book I wrote hidden away in a box…
And so, as another day goes by, there’s nothing like the feeling you get when you finally hold what was only, for such a long time, a picture in your mind, and…I have written.
My local friends…you are all invited to attend…
May 7th, 2014 I just read a blog post by Lisa Jakub entitled Mom, Mom’s Mom, Me Under One Roof. It was so well-written and spoke so close to my own truths, I just had to use it to celebrate Mother’s Day. I bring it to you today because I already celebrated Mother’s Day with my husband, my girls and their significant others last weekend. This weekend I’m working and my husband is remaining in NY to head a special project at work.
Last Sunday was my daughter’s wedding shower. Generations of the women in our family were present. One of my daughter’s teacher friends came up to me to tell me how lovely the shower was. She said, “I looked around this room as Erin was opening her gifts and just took in the amazing circles of female friendship she has built in her life. I could just feel the love and energy being passed around.”
She made stop worrying about if everyone had enough food and if the coffee was hot, to stop and take a step back and observe what was happening here today. There I was. A product of my mother and grandmother. I thought back over the years to the showers I attended with them. They are gone now, but they left a mark – a legacy. This is the way it’s done when one of our daughter’s is getting married. My daughter’s learned from the showers they attended with me, as well as with friends. The generations past were still present in that room. Both girls wore grandmothers’ jewelry. Both girls remarked how their grandmothers would’ve loved this or that, from the flowers to the food. Both grandmothers would’ve been proud of the beautiful, bright, and successful women my daughters have become. Both grandmothers would’ve loved the young men each girl brought to the occasion that day.
The best part? Both girls, at times, look at each other and say, “Oh no! I’m becoming Mom!”, just as I look in the mirror and think how I see my mother in me, and my grandmother in my mom. As much as we joke about becoming out mothers, in our family, it’s a good thing.
And so, as another Mother’s Day is about to pass, I hope you find yourself recreated in the women of your past and delight in that recreation. Happy Mother’s Day to all of you…and…I have written.
I am only the “Best Mom Ever” because I have the “Best Daughters Ever”…they have made me who I am today.
May 4th, 2014 
….was my Sparkpeople Quote of the day. The words safe, expedient, and thin stood out to me. When considering the quality of life I provide for myself, those words scare me. Living a safe, expedient, and thin life scares me. It’s an easy trap to fall into. Days go by. You do what you do. Complacency sets in. Then one day you wake up and wonder What’s it all for? You feel the uncomfortable cloak of I’m not happy enfold around you. Oh boy, this could be the beginning of the slide into the dark hole. Here comes sadness and depression, topped off with some inadequacy.
This is not a bad thing. The next time you find yourself stuck in this place, stop and consider that. This is not a bad thing. It’s a catalyst for change. Change is in the wind and it’s scary, but you have a choice. Fear can be either be crippling or it can be exhilarating. You might need to consider quitting a job you held for most of your life and learn to live a different life. You might need to leave a relationship that you know is toxic to you and make room in your life for a new person – one that will lift you up instead of pull you down. Even happy circumstances, such as getting married or expecting your first child are enough to strike the fear bell and send vibrations reverberating right through you.
We must conquer fear in order to move forward. Reframe it from debilitating to exhilarating. Yes, it’s scary – but it’s a sign of new things on your horizon. Letting go of your old ways – scary as it is – will make room for “new” in your life. Come on, you can do it. Open those fingers; let it go. Move that foot; take that first step – whatever that may be for you. Make that phone call. Post that announcement. Turn around and walk in a new direction. Never let your life remain safe, expedient, or thin.
And so, as another day goes by, I have learned to love standing on the threshold of change, and…I have written.
April 29th, 2014 Eleven years ago I began strength training when I got my diagnosis of severe osteoporosis. The doctor told me the medicine would stop the bone loss, but the only way to reverse it was to put weight on my bones. So, one who never exercised in her entire life, made her way to the gym to attack this bone thing. In the years since, my bone scans have improved and I did reverse the osteoporosis.
During this time of gym training I also tried every diet and way of healthy eating I came across. It was hard because I’m not into grocery shopping, chopping, and cooking. In fact, I’ve often said that if they could invent a pill to replace the food I need to eat all day, I’d be happy. Now don’t get me wrong – I like good food just as much as the next person. I just don’t like having to eat it during my terribly busy days. Eating is a major inconvenience to me when I have to stop what I’m doing, fix it, and eat it.
To me good food represents relaxing and having social time with friends and family or on weekends with my husband. There’s nothing I enjoy more than a good wine accompanied by excellent food, along with some good conversation and sharing of ideas. Not something I can stop and do in the midst of a busy day. Many times I plan lunches with friends and that’s the only time I enjoy eating in the middle of the day.
My view on eating and food makes dieting and/or just eating healthy a nightmare for me. Recently I found my food battles to keep my weight in check stemmed from wrong information. Weight loss and a healthy body don’t START with the food you eat. Weight loss is and has always been a result of calories in, calories out. It’s that simple. Take in more than you use and you gain weight. Use more than you take in – lose weight.
I spent my life thinking you regulate that by how much food you ate or didn’t eat. I was so wrong. Recently I had to do some studying at Koko to take my test for fit coach certification. It was during this study period the process of food and weight loss and how our bodies were designed to work, became clear.
It all hinges on metabolism – your body’s ability to burn calories both in motion and at rest. I did know this. I spent years experimenting with drinks, teas, supplements – all designed to raise my metabolism and burn those calories I was eating. What I didn’t know was those things are just herbs and caffeine designed to give me a brief energy boost and the effect was short-lived energy. So, what is the REAL way to boost metabolism?
Ta..daa…lean muscle. Lean muscle boosts your metabolism. The more lean muscle you have, the more energy you have, hence, the more calories you burn. If I had known this ten years ago I would’ve put all that energy and money I spent on buying things to ignite my metabolism into the science of building and maintaining lean muscle.
Every decade, as we age, we lose close to ten pounds of lean muscle. And it happens slowly, without us even knowing it until we begin to feel the effects of fatigue and a steadily growing waistline, no matter how we adjust our diets. I can’t tell you how many times I hear people say I eat healthy, but I just keep getting bigger and feel more tired everyday. That’s because food isn’t really the problem – especially if you make an honest effort to eat clean. It’s the lean muscle loss that is happening silently everyday.
Thank goodness, through Koko, I didn’t even really have to understand this. All I had to do was do what they told me to do. I have been on my exercise track for over a year now. I built back all that muscle I was losing since I retired. I did it slowly and gently over time with their Smartraining program. My ten years at regular gyms helped my osteoporosis, but because I didn’t know what I was doing, I wasted ten years lifting ten pounds. We, who know nothing about the science of weight training, have no business trying to do it ourselves. We not only waste time and money, but we still end up losing more lean muscle than we’re building.
I’m a success story. No more supplements, teas, drinks, etc. I just do my weight training, be mindful of what I eat, use the New Lifestyle packaged foods to keep me fueled during my busy days, and take time out to enjoy good food and wine with family and friends.
The way to know if your gym training is building lean muscle is by how much more food you will need to eat. The more muscle you build and maintain, the more food you will need to stoke that new metabolic rate, the more energy you will have, and the changes you see in your body composition are stunning.
So if you’re struggling with trying to “eat right” and it’s not doing any good, have your doctor check your lean muscle level. At Koko we use the same FitCheck machine to measure your lean muscle level and enhanced body mass index to give you a picture of your overall health. Instead of attacking your diet, go back and learn how to build and MAINTAIN lean muscle and you will see results.
And so, as another day goes by, life is one constant learning experience, and…I have written.
April 27th, 2014 I use Bloglovin’ to follow all the blogs that I’m interested in. That way I don’t miss any posts. Once in awhile Bloglovin’ emails me a list of new blogs I might enjoy. Very rarely do I click on any – they just don’t grab me. Today was different. The post was entitled Six Signs You’re Doing What You Love. It was a very short post, but said a lot using very few words. It intrigued me because I’m all about being happy and living your passion and I enjoy other peoples’ perspectives on that. All six signs described quite succinctly how I’ve lived my life through 35 years of teaching, and now in retirement, but one summed it up exactly:
“Work = part of life
You don’t have to put in time at work and then escape to ‘the real life’ to be happy. You enjoy life and work. You feel alive and joyful not just at home but also at your desk. When you love your work, it’s a part of your life.”
Somehow that statement made me feel settled. I always thought I was a little bit weird when I wanted to go back to my classroom in mid July after a brief rest. There were summers I was so frustrated because I couldn’t get into my room due to floor maintenance or construction. (One summer I actually entered and left through the window because the hallways were closed.) A bit extreme, I know, but I just couldn’t contain the enthusiasm for getting started on a brand new school year. The ideas were flowing and I was bursting to make them happen. Though a teacher’s job is mentally taxing, and rest was needed, I always approached every first day and everyday back from vacations with a renewed passion. I always knew I couldn’t just not teach.
Now that I’ve found my perfect retirement job, the feeling still remains. Last weekend I had three consecutive days off since I started 8 months ago. It was nice. In fact, I think I appreciated that Monday off even more, but come Tuesday I couldn’t wait to get back in the clubs and be with my members. When I commented to my boss the previous Friday about having three days off in a row, he said to enjoy it – while looking at me a little perplexed. Who complains about time off? (I’m still somewhat of an enigma to him.) He thought he was doing a good thing – and he was – as a boss. He had started paying attention to how many people were working 20 plus days in row without a day off. (I have to say they are great people to work for – they really care about the health message they stand for and extend that to their employees.)
After reading the post I found this morning, I suddenly understand myself a little better. It’s not a bad thing to like to “work”. In fact, it’s a good thing. I love the part about not having to escape to the “real life” to be happy. I live my real life all day, everyday. A day off or a vacation is not a “break” from “work”. It walks hand in hand with it. Time off and work are the pieces of me that make my existence happy and passionate.
And so, as another day goes by, I often tell people I was a teacher for 35 years, but I never worked a day in my life. The same holds true now, working for Koko FitClub, and…I have written.
*Kudos to Yara Michels and her blog Chapter Friday, of which I’m now a faithful follower.
April 23rd, 2014 Through The Widow’s Window by my dear friend, Linda E. Williams will be out next month in hardcover. It’s a long road from the first draft to actually holding the finished book in your hand. Linda did a magnificent job of telling her story. I did the cover art and my daughter, Ashley, did the cover design. It was a great honor to be a part of this beautiful memoir. Today I got to hold the book. The feeling of holding something you worked on for months and envisioned only in your mind is indescribable. The soft matte finish of the cover, the tone of the artwork, the expertly placed text and images came together to encase a beautiful story of faith, hope, love and inspiration. Below is the synopsis and an invitation for you (my Cape Cod friends) to come help us celebrate the completion of this creation. Hope to see you there! For my friends far away, Through The Widow’s Window is available on Amazon as an e-book and soon in hard cover on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
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For Linda Crowley, the first day of the year had always been set aside to work on new, positive beginnings and 1970 was no different. Her husband and children were by all accounts healthy and no one even considered the terrible thought that tragedy would strike before the day was over, and life as she had known it was gone. When their family of five gathered around the hearth table for breakfast, thirty-two-year-old Jack Crowley thanked God for their meal. It was a good beginning to a busy day and the family’s last normal day for a long, long time.
When a husband dies without a moment’s notice, how does a mother explain to three young children their dad can no longer be there for them? During myriad low times, Linda prayed for the strength to move forward into a new and happier life. She clung to God’s message, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and find life burdensome. I will refresh you.”
A few male visitors arrived with words like, “If you need anything, you call me.” The insinuation was clear, but Linda’s sixth sense assured her that if she surrounded her family with faith and nature, rather than needy men, she and her children would survive their sorrow.
Entering the social world as a young widow was so depressing with one woman noting, “Don’t you try to steal my husband.” Years later, after a few rounds of happy and almost disastrous experiences with immature men, Linda met a carefree bachelor. Was she ready to share her now orderly life, and could a bachelor be happy with a ready-made family? Only time would tell.
April 21st, 2014 This morning in my Koko workout the chest press exercise said put on 50 pounds. That went well. I’ve been doing 50 for awhile now. Then it came around again in the second rotation. This time it said 60 pounds. I felt my face make a what! expression. A little fear surged through me. A voice in my head said Don’t even try it. Put it back to 50.
For a second I remembered all the people I give strength tests to. When it says put 50 pounds on, they all say This is the end for me. I can’t do 50. They only have to so 5 and before they can say anything else, they are on number 3. Then they are trying 60. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve uttered the phrase See? You surprised yourself.
This morning I took their cue. I tried the 60 pounds and low and behold, I surprised myself. It really wasn’t all that different from the 50.
So many times, in Bikram yoga, at Koko, and in life I’ve wanted to quit before I even started – afraid it would be too hard. And every single time I risked it and tried, I surprised myself.
And so, as another day goes by, I’m getting used to jumping in with both feet – if it doesn’t work out, I’m learning that’s nothing to fear, and…on this beautiful Marathon Monday, where a lot of people are being brave today, I have written.
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