This Is Still Our Phoenix Moment

On February 15, 2020February 14, 2020 By lucindasagemidgordenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Roller Coaster at night, Seaside Heights, NJ

“Life has no meaning. Each of us has meaning and we bring it to life. It is a waste to be asking the question when you are the answer.” – Joseph Campbell

“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” – Maya Angelou

The year I started this blog, 2013, I wrote an article titled “This is Our Phoenix Moment.” It was about one of the government shutdowns. Obama was President and the Republicans had declared that they were not going to approve any laws he, or the Democrats proposed and to prove it they let the money run out and the government shut down.

At the time I wrote that post, I felt personal and societal rumblings that were going to shake us and wake us. And that feeling has turned out to be right. Everything is topsy turvy. It looks like we’re crashing and burning, but I see that as a good thing. To make a mundane analogy, you can’t clean out closets without taking everything out and making a mess. Chaos brings an opportunity for rebirth and renewal.

I don’t know about you, but my personal life is going through cosmic closet cleaning at the same time the world is going through it as well. In 2013, I thought I’d have become a full-time writer ensconced at home, blissfully selling my work. But nothing ever happens the way we think it will. Which is one of the ways we are forced to grow. We get plopped into an unexpected situation and have to learn to live in the new circumstances.

It’s easier for us if we embrace change. For example, I want to sell my work, but it’s impossible to sell anything if no one knows it exists. Just recently I realized that I can easily think of ways to promote the work of others but not my own. It’s this weird feeling that I’m not worthy to have people read my work. Once I admitted that to myself, three interesting things happened. A friend of ours that we got to see over Christmas vacation, told me she was in her local library and there on an end cap was my book. She was so excited that she took it off the shelf and hugged it, because what I’d written meant so much to her.

Then a week or so ago, my acting friend Dave told me that when he can’t sleep he picks up my book and reads portions of it to calm himself down. “It’s a beautifully written book,” he told me. I was so touched, because what I remember most are the criticisms I’ve received, not the praise.

And finally, I’ve started a new writing adventure with Sivana East. I think I wrote in a previous post that they invited me to submit articles on their site. I’ve done three so far. Any opportunity to improve my writing skills and unfold layers of what I’m learning is welcome and maybe I’ll make new contacts as a result.

This is what I believe: We go through individual times of upheaval to aid our spiritual growth. Societies, governments, and groups of people go through the same thing. And the two are linked. We’re not meant to get stuck in the same routines and ways of thinking forever. We can make ourselves miserable by complaining and fighting the inevitable, or we can hop on the roller coaster and see where it takes us. The ride can be joyful and exciting, or oppressive. It’s up to us.

It’s become clear to me that I need to make more of an effort to connect with people, not just to sell books but to hear their stories, lend them support, and accept theirs in return. I’ll always be an introvert, but it’s not good to stay hidden and quiet all the time. Because the way I grow is by being exposed to other people’s way of thinking and being. That can be in person, or it can by through the art they create.

I’m ready to open the chrysalis in which I’ve been transforming. It’s time for me to become the beautiful butterfly I was always meant to be. Maybe it’s time for humanity to do the same thing.

Thanks for reading, liking, and commenting. If you like what you read here, please share it with your friends and family.

Lucinda is the author of The Space Between Time, an award finalist in the “Fiction: Fantasy” category of the 2017 Best Book Awards. It’s a little bit like Outlander in that it’s a historical, time-travel, magical realism, novel. Except that Jenna’s life is shattered and she must find a way to put it back together. When she finds old journals, she joins consciousness with her three-times great-grandmother, Morgan, rather than traveling physically. She is able to come back at intervals and apply what she’s learned to her own life situations.

The Space Between Time is available in all ebook formats at Smashwords and for Kindle at Amazon, or you can find the ebook at iBooks or Barnes and Noble. If you prefer a physical copy, you can find a print-on-demand version at Amazon. Stay tuned for news when the audiobook version is published. To join her email list, click here. She will never sell the names on her list.

Syntesis: Nevelle Longbottom and Mitt Romney

On February 8, 2020February 7, 2020 By lucindasagemidgordenIn Uncategorized1 Comment

“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” ~ Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

So, I was fixing breakfast thinking about what I was going to write for this post and two seemingly disparate bits of information collided in my head.

I’m not a domestic goddess as you may know from previous posts. But sometimes doing menial tasks frees up my mind to wander and today that paid off. As I was cooking the eggs, I was thinking about Mitt Romney’s bravery and Nevelle Longbottom came into my head.

Do you remember in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, at the end when Dumbledore is awarding the house cup? He hands out some last minute points to Harry, Hermione, and Ron. Then he says, “It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to your friends.” And he awards Nevelle enough points to give the cup to Gryffindor. That’s when what Nevelle did in the book/movie and Mitt did at the Senate Impeachment trial synthesized in my head.

Mitt Romney stood up to his party. I don’t know if he considers them friends. He even said in his speech that he expected to be vilified for taking the position he did. But here’s the thing. The President and many in his party may berate him and call him nasty names, but there are plenty of people, Democrats, people in the media, and many ordinary people like me, who were moved by his courage. He stood up for what he thought was right. He honored his oath even though I’m sure he endured great pressure to abandon it.

My sister, Celeste, said. “I see hope for the Republican Party and for the rest of us. He showed a willingness to set aside politics as usual and vote his conscience.” He gives me hope too.

I’ve been thinking a great deal lately about why we fold under pressure and don’t stand up for what’s right. I’ve done it upon occasion and it makes me feel so bad about myself when I do it. I’m sure Romney was frightened about the brouhaha he was going to cause, but he stood by his oath anyway.

When we show courage, we often get support in unexpected ways. I haven’t seen it but the two most liberal women on The View Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar, praised Romney. They were willing to say that even though they have not always agreed with him, what he did made him a hero in their eyes. Yeah! We can use real heroes right now because heroes not only give us hope, they help to stimulate courage in those around them.

So, while I feel inspired by fictional heroes, it’s much more heartening to witness a real life person exhibiting great courage. Thank you, Senator Mitt Romney!

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Little Women Love

On February 1, 2020January 31, 2020 By lucindasagemidgordenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

“Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul – and sings the tunes without the words – and never stops at all.” ~ Emily Dickinson

“I have decided to stick with love . Hate is too great a burden to bear.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

In this turbulent time, you might be looking for a book, or other entertainment, that makes you feel good. I have a recommendation for you. I recently finished reading Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Somehow I missed reading it in school. I’ve seen three movie versions of the story and loved them all, so I want to see this latest version too. I missed it in the theater but being the story nerd that I am, I will watch it and make comparisons to all previous versions and the book.

The thing I’ve always loved about this story is the close family relationships. The way the March family looks for ways to help others, even though they are poor. They spread love wherever they go. That’s not to say they’re perfect. They make plenty of mistakes but their practice of helping those in need demonstrates that they are unique among their acquaintances. Their philanthropy rubs off on their surly neighbor Mr. Laurence and his grandson Teddy. Mr. Brooke, Teddy’s tutor also becomes part of the March family. It’s almost as if the March family are magnets for dejected, lonely, and wounded people. Something about the love they feel for each other bubbles over washing people to their shore where they are welcomed whole heartedly.

Some time last year, I listened to Anne Bogel’s new podcast “One Great Book”. This particular one was about the book Love Walked In by Marisa De Los Santos. Anne quoted Marisa as saying, I’m paraphrasing here, that she writes books that she hopes will make people feel good when they’ve finished reading. I love that philosophy. Those are the kinds of books I want to write and for the most part the ones I like to read. Because life is hard enough and it’s good to envision a world with lots of love in it. Little Women is a great example of that kind of book.

Some critics don’t like the book or the movies because the story is centered on the March sisters and their mother. But some of the most iconic books ever written were by and about women. I don’t want to make too much of the differences between male and female oriented books, though I do want to point out that in stories written by women, their protagonists have tremendous power over the men in their lives. Their power is subtle and non coercive, but highly effective.

The last chapter of Little Women, affected me the most. It’s Marmee’s 60th birthday. Jo and Friedrich have opened a school for boys in the house Aunt March left to Jo. The boys and the entire March/Brooke/Bhaer families have gathered for a lovely day of apple harvesting and feasting. The school is unique because the boys are treated with respect. They are encouraged to be themselves but always to think of others first. The celebration is full of warmth and love. Everyone is happy and fulfilled. They all honor Marmee and acknowledge that she is the heart of their family. The way Alcott wrote the scene, I couldn’t help but be affected by the shared affections of the characters. This is one of those rare books that made me want to savor the feeling it left instead of beginning another book right away.

There was one thing, however, that disappointed me at first. Jo was determined to open a school just for boys and not include girls. I didn’t understand that. Granted, the school took boys in need as well as boys who’s families could afford to pay, But previous to the last chapter, the book had been focused on the lives of the sisters, their dreams, their affection for each other and their choices to be the best women they could be. But then it occurred to me that Jo was performing a great act of feminism. What better way to change the world than to teach boys to respect and honor themselves and all people? The family already advocated for women. It was as if Jo saw where she could do the most good. I’m not sure Alcott even thought about this aspect of Jo’s decision to open a school for boys, but I’d like to think she did.

I highly recommend not only reading Little Women, but watching any or all of the versions as well to see how the story has evolved through the years. It’s a hopeful story and most of us can use a big dose of good feelings right now.

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Let the Characters Make the Mistakes

On January 25, 2020January 24, 2020 By lucindasagemidgordenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

“People of the future may suffer not from an absence of choice but from a paralyzing surfeit of it. They may turn out to be victims of that peculiarly super-industrial dilemma: overchoice.” ~ Alvin Toffler author of Future Shock

“A mind that is stretched to a new idea never returns to its original dimension.” ~ Oliver Wendell Homes

Do you yell at the characters on the TV, or in your books? I do all the time. I want my favorite character to be protected and to make the best moral choices even in the most dire of circumstances. And if they don’t I want to see why they followed a path that I naïvely think I would not choose.

Recently my husband and I binge watched three shows on TV that have good characters faced with moral dilemmas that I hope I never have to deal with. These shows were the last season of The Man in the High Castle, the last season of Poldark, and season two of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan. Each one, in it’s own way, is suspenseful has plenty of twists and turns, and points when the characters have to make moral decisions. That gives me opportunities to think about how I’d react to the given circumstances in which they find themselves. As you can imagine, I do a lot of cringing and giving them advice.

The Man in the High Castle is the show I want to write about because it’s the one I have been thinking about the most. It’s chock full of moral dilemmas. And as I wrote above, I find myself wondering what I’d do in those circumstances.

The story is based on the dystopian novel of the same name by Phillip K. Dick, a famous pioneer of the the sci-fi genre. It takes place in the mid-60s. The Axis Powers won WW II. Germany has control of the eastern part of what was the United States, as well of all of Europe, and Japan has control of the western part as well as most of Asia. There is a neutral zone in the Rockies where Jews, people of color, and those who want to resist these powers attempt to escape to so they can eek out a living. This is also the headquarters of the resistance movement which grows stronger as the series moves through the four seasons.

The key plot point that moves the story forward is the existence of films distributed by the mysterious “Man in the High Castle.” No one knows who he is or how he got these films that show the history familiar to us where the Allies won the war. As more and more people see the news reels they begin to hope that the oppressive governments can be defeated.

One of the things I love about the series is that the pivotal character is a woman by the name of Juliana Crain. From the moment she sees the first film that happens to feature people she knows in her world, in the other world, she’s on a mission to not only find the man in the high castle, but to bring about the destruction of the Nazi and Japanese empires. Her nemesis is John Smith, an American, who rises to be the leader of the American Reich.

The series forces the watcher to ask themselves how could any Americans throw in the with Nazis, especially military men who were fighting for freedom? They are the more dominant empire on the continent, though we do see how American’s are treated as second class citizens by the Japanese. It’s bad enough for whites, but Jews and people of color are in extreme danger.

One of the brilliant choices the film makers made was to wait to show the moment when John Smith and his wife decide to save themselves and their family by joining the Nazi party. Their decision is portrayed in one of the last episodes of the final season. It’s titled “Mauvaise Foi,” which is a French term originating from existentialist philosophy. It’s the concept that human beings adopt false values and act inauthentically (in bad faith) under pressure from social forces. And as we know, the Nazis were experts at setting up situations where people were forced to make bad faith decisions, or be destroyed.

In the show, after the surrender of the Allied Forces, the Nazis have starved the American people. They then “benevolently” air drop, or ship food and other necessities to all the major cities assuring the populace that they will be taken care of IF they join with the Nazis to ensure a prosperous new future.

I couldn’t help wondering what I would do if I were in that situation. When this happens in the story, we see John and his wife Helen trying to care for their infant son, who’s health is rapidly declining because of lack of food. Would I be able to let my child die for my principles? I might have made the same decision even though in my heart I knew it was wrong.

One thing that great stories do is allow us to see the consequences of character’s choices. For Juliana, her choice to learn all she can from the films, to practice the Japanese form of meditation, and to resist the oppressors, turn out to be transformative for her personally, and for the society. In the case of John and Helen, their decision to become Nazis turns out, dare I say, satisfyingly tragic.

In each of the TV shows I mentioned above, the hero characters have strong ideas about what is right and what is wrong. They sometimes make mistakes, but in the end they choose the moral high ground and win because of it. This does two things for me: One, make me pay attention to my own choices. Am I kind, do I show I care for the planet, do I stand up for what I believe? And two, gives me hope that if more and more of us on this planet choose the moral high ground, we will eventually create a better world. Am I delusional to hope for that do you think?

Thanks for reading, liking and commenting. If you like these posts, please share them with your friends.

Lucinda is the author of The Space Between Time, an award finalist in the “Fiction: Fantasy” category of the 2017 Best Book Awards. It’s a little bit like Outlander in that it’s a historical, time-travel, magical realism, novel. Except that Jenna’s life is shattered and she must find a way to put it back together. When she finds old journals, she joins consciousness with her three-times great-grandmother, Morgan, rather than traveling physically. She is able to come back at intervals and apply what she’s learned to her own life situations.

The Space Between Time is available in all ebook formats at Smashwords and for Kindle at Amazon, or you can find the ebook at iBooks or Barnes and Noble. If you prefer a physical copy, you can find a print-on-demand version at Amazon. Stay tuned for news when the audiobook version is published. To join her email list, click here. She will never sell the names on her list.

Why Stories Are Important

On January 18, 2020January 17, 2020 By lucindasagemidgordenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

“And it’s a human need to be told stories. The more we’re governed by idiots and have no control over our destinies, the more we need to tell stories to each other about who we are, why we are, where we come from, and what might be possible.” ~ Alan Rickman

Today is my first acting class of the semester. For the first time in eleven years of teaching at the college, I have almost as many acting II students as I have in acting I, thanks to my collaborations with Dave Dahl. We’ve always offered acting I and II concurrently because very few students continue on after they’ve taken the first semester. I can understand why. They take acting for a fun fine art credit. They are not theatre majors, but Cochise College follows the Liberal Arts model. Every student, no matter what their major, must take one or two classes of math, and/or science, English, social science, fine art, and maybe even foreign language. I like this model because, as I learned during my undergraduate career, my world expanded more by having a smattering of exposure to disciplines I normally would not study.

Because of my Liberal Arts education, I want to continue learning more about the social sciences, history, and even about scientific discoveries. But story telling has always been the thing I’m drawn to the most. That’s how I ended up involved in theatre and that’s why I became a writer.

Here is what I tell my acting students: By studying acting, even for a semester, they should become better listeners, have a better understanding of human behavior, which in turn should help them be more sympathetic and even empathetic. All of those budding skills should help them in their future lives as they communicate with family, friends, and co-workers. But the biggest benefit of acting is learning to understand who they are, because acting is all about demonstrating the emotions of the characters they play. They have to dig deep to find the ways they are like their characters.

Another thing studying stories in the various forms does for us is to help us experience life in ways we would not be able to do otherwise. Maybe that’s why I love stories that are big sweeping epics and stories about quiet inner struggles. Right now I’m reading Louisa May Alcott’s book, Little Women. I’ve seen and loved three movie versions and will see this latest one as well, but for some reason I’d never read the book. I’m so glad I waited.

I never thought of it when I watched the various versions of the movie, but Little Women is as much a feminist story as are all of Jane Austen’s works or those of the Brontë sisters. The feminism is subtle. Each of the stories show women living their lives the best way they can given the restrictions they face and in the end most of the character’s dreams come true. Another thing I love about these stories is that each character has a different dream just like men do. Yes, most of them want to become wives and mothers, but they have other aspirations as well. They want to live well rounded lives combining home life with using their talents for the good of others.

In recent years most of the books I’ve read are by women authors. It wasn’t a conscious decision. And it’s not that I don’t like books written by men, or even movies about and by men, It’s that I long to see the world through a different perspective. The male view of life has been so prevalent that when a “women’s” story comes along it gets lots of scrutiny and even criticism that I think is unfair.

With the idea of expanding my world view in mind, this year I want to read and watch stories from other countries. It’s a good way to broaden my understanding of human nature and see the world from a new perspective.

Thanks for reading, liking and commenting. If you like what you read here, please share it with a friend.

Have a blessed weekend.

Losing Myself in a Creative Project

On January 11, 2020January 10, 2020 By lucindasagemidgordenIn Creativity, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Lucinda’s birthday present, painted by Xo Terra

“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” ~ Maya Angelou

We’re back from vacation and I’m keeping the promise to myself to work on my novel before I do any other work. I know, it’s only a few days, but today when the timer went off, I didn’t want to stop working. So, I didn’t. I had forgotten how many scenes I had already written. Of course not all of them will be included in the final book, but it was nice to know I am well on my way to finishing the rough draft.

At the moment I’m interweaving Jenna and Morgan’s stories from their respective time periods. Then I’ll be able to see what needs to be added and what portions slow the story down and must be cut. Some writers love the initial work of creating their story. Not me. I love the revision process. One of my favorite things to do is to figure out the plot points of a movie I’ve watched or story I’ve read and it’s no different when I’m revising my books. I’m nerdy that way. Reading the different segments and figuring out how to put them into the modern plot outline helps me understand the shape of the story I’m trying to tell.

This realization, that I love to lose myself in writing, relates to my spiritual practice as well. Over the last few years I’ve practiced staying in the moment, rather than worrying about the future or regretting what happened in the past. Today as I read and revised, and moved segments of my story around, it felt as if time had truly stopped. I was in a kind of no man’s land of flowing creativity. It felt good. It’s a different feeling than the sense of accomplishment of ticking tasks off my to do list. Some people get great satisfaction out of doing that. I don’t feel that way. Yes, I’m happy to have accomplished lots of tasks, but it doesn’t feed my soul like becoming immersed in a creative project does.

This feeling of losing myself in working on my novel, will, I hope, keep me in the mode of putting it first day after day. I do at times feel tempted to go back on my resolve, but that’s just a matter long held habits.

What I’m coming to realize is that I must get back to compartmentalizing my tasks. When I was working on my first B.A., I soon realized that I could get overwhelmed with all the reading and homework I was required to do. I have no idea where this idea came from, but I decided that to stay sane, I had to pick one bit of work, do that, and then choose the next until all the tasks were finished. Since my life is going through a transition, and will be getting more busy, I think it’s time to revive that long forgotten practice only this time I’m giving the thing I love best the top priority.

I sometimes wonder what the world would be like if everyone put aside what they “should” do and worked on what their hearts longed to do. Barry and I had a friend long ago who said, “Should is a four letter word.” And she was right. We might have fewer people on anti-depressants and fewer grumps if everyone avoided that word “should”.

If you could do anything you wanted to do, what would that be? What’s stopping you from doing it? How does that make you feel? I’m just curious because those are questions I’ve asked myself many times over the years.

Maybe 2020 is the year for all of us to find a way to follow our passions.

Thanks for commenting and liking my posts. I appreciate the feedback.

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Have a blessed weekend.

New Adventures for a New Year

On January 4, 2020December 31, 2019 By lucindasagemidgordenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end. ~ Seneca

Last week I wrote about the possibility of new opportunities at the college, but I brushed over an invitation to contribute to the spirituality site, Sivana. This serendipitous event happened because during meditation one day I said to the Universe, “I’d really like to have someone read my written work and offer me the chance to reach more people.” A few weeks later I got an email from someone at Sivana that read something like, “We saw an article you wrote on She Writes, (a social media site for writers) and want to invite you to submit articles to our blog.” At first I thought it was a scam. But after checking them out on both the web and Facebook, I was convinced I wanted to join their group of writers.

The thing is, I posted only four articles on She Writes, two or three years ago, yet I’ve been writing this blog since 2013. They found me by the slimmest chance. I guess nothing ever leaves the web. I didn’t think the articles were particularly spiritual, but hey, I got what I asked for!

I have no idea if writing for Sivana will turn out to be good or not. However, I’m excited because there are times when I want to do deeper spiritual explorations but this blog doesn’t seem the appropriate place for that.

So, the dream of having a full theatre program at the college took years to manifest, while this new outlet for writing came about because of an almost random thought, which I forgot almost as soon as I stated it.

Oh, and a friend that we connected with while we’re here visiting family, told me that she saw my novel, The Space Between Time, on an end cap at her local library. My work is getting noticed slowly but surely. That was a nice Christmas present.

The way the universe works is an absolute mystery to me. But then, I love a mystery and being surprised, so I’m excited to see what’s going to happen next.

We’re on the road home from our Christmas vacation which is why this post is so short. You know how it is, so many family gatherings and fun outings left me with little time to contemplate what to write.

I don’t know about you, but I find the beginning of a new year exciting. Actually, I feel the same way about the beginning of a new day. I look forward to each lesson and new chance to contribute to the wellbeing of the people around me, and those who are affected by my work.

Thank you for reading, liking and commenting. Welcome to my new followers.

Have a blessed beginning to your new year.

Last Post of 2019

On December 28, 2019December 27, 2019 By lucindasagemidgordenIn Uncategorized1 Comment

Ultimately there is no such thing as failure. There are lessons learned in different ways. ~ Twyla Tharp

Well, 2019 whizzed by! Maybe Gregg Braden is right, time is speeding up. That makes me feel like I need to pay even better attention in the moment. I’ve been more diligent about being mindful these last few years and I must say, I’m happier. I try to find the good things about each location and activity in which I find myself instead of wishing I was someplace else or doing something else.

I must admit I am a bit of a curmudgeon when it come to looking back at the year just past. It’s not that I don’t look back and put the pieces together, or learn a new lesson from past events, I just don’t do it at prescribed times like the end of a year or on my birthday. I do it when it feels appropriate to my spiritual work.

But of late, I have been thinking about the surprises of this past year. I wanted to finish my second novel, and the audio book for my first, but somehow the theatre program at the college blossomed. Now it looks like my eleven year dream of having a vibrant theatre curriculum may come to pass. And in a way I feel torn. What do I do about my writing career. I’m not going to give it up, not when I’ve been invited to write for a spirituality site.

Something I love about being alive is that we have the opportunity to keep growing if we choose to. I’m a fly by the seat of my pants kind of person. Which means that I may make plans, but sometimes God, or the universe, or my guardian angels surprise me. That’s what happened with the theatre program. Actually, it’s the answer to a long held dream that I had given up on. It didn’t look like it was ever going to happen. Then I met Dave D. He’s a theatre professional and we’ve become a good collaborative team. That’s how things work sometimes. You need the right ingredients, or people to come along to make your dreams come true.

As far as writing goes, I must learn to make time to write every day. I know, I keep saying that. I do it for a few weeks then I get distracted. But it’s like getting back on the bike after falling off, I’ll keep trying. I hope this year, I’ll relearn how to compartmentalize by life so I can get multiple tasks done.

Let’s keep dreaming and working toward a better world as well.

Best wishes for a blessed beginning to your new year.

Thanks for reading, liking and commenting. I’ll continue to write a post each week. I hope you come along for the ride.

Ha Ha, Fooled Myself

On November 9, 2019November 6, 2019 By lucindasagemidgordenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Last week I wrote that I was taking a break from writing this post, but I just had to write about what happened this week.

To set this up, let me tell you that the college IT department decided to upgrade the college website and all the links IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SEMESTER. As you might imagine it has caused all kinds of havoc. The theatre workshop class, which is the way students get credit for performing in the play, was one of the victims of this switch over. Students had difficulties signing up, and well, I signed up for the class, with my approved tuition waiver in my virtual hand, to pad the numbers so the dean wouldn’t cancel the class.

Monday evening, I got a bill from the college in the mail for $790 for the class. I was required to pay this because, supposedly, I’m an out of state student. I was steamed, to say the least. I’ve worked for the college for eleven years and they couldn’t find me in their records?

The next morning I called Dave, the director of the play, to vent. When he laughed at the absurdity of the situation, I was miffed at first. But as we talked, the whole situation with the website switch over became more and more funny.

My chiropractor reacted the same way when I told him about the incident and we laughed together. Sometimes you just have to laugh at situations like this.

When I got to the registrar’s office to resolve the issue, they were as baffled as I was. Though the letter had dropped the Midgorden from my last name, they were able to find my records in their system and couldn’t understand why I’d been labeled as a non-resident student. Needless to say the situation was resolved. My tuition waiver was good and I don’t have to pay anything for the class.

This morning, Wednesday morning, I was reading Pam Grout’s post about three fabulous things that are happening for her. If anyone has reason to be stressed and depressed, it’s Pam. A year ago, last October, her 25 year old daughter died from a brain aneurysm. Taz, was Pam’s only child. As you can imagine it’s been an extremely difficult year for her, but she’s worked at learning the lessons, and remaining positive. Because she’s kept turning her feeling and thinking back to being positive, several great things are happening for her.

Pam lost her daughter. She’s willing to deal with her grief and then move toward more positive thinking. And I got upset over a little snafu with my class registration!?

Pam is a fantastic example and reminder for me. No matter how big or little my problems, I need to continually turn toward positive thinking and feeling. Wallowing in negativity doesn’t help me or anyone else.

Gregg Braden, a scientist and spiritual teacher, writes and lectures about the new discoveries about the strong energy our hearts put out. It’s a great deal more than the energy put out by our brains. Everyone and everything around us is affected by our emotions and thoughts. If we think and feel we’re not worthy enough to have good things happen to us, we’re setting ourselves up for a bunch of negative experiences.

Yesterday I was a little dark cloud spreading negativity. Today I’m ashamed of myself for being so childish. And I want to change my thoughts and feelings so that I spread positive energy instead. This takes constant self-monitoring. When I feel angry or sad, I have to acknowledge it and then turn my thoughts and emotions around. Today I’m working on doing that.

If I get another aha next week, I may write again.

I hope you have a fabulous weekend.

Taking a Break

On November 1, 2019October 31, 2019 By lucindasagemidgordenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

“Rest when you’re weary. Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit. Then get back to work.” ~ Ralph Marston

Since my duties with Twelfth Night and teaching are intensifying, I’ve decided I need to take a little break from writing and posting to this blog for a while. Autumn is always busy for everyone, so you may be happy not to have to read my blog each week as well.

Recently I was reminded just how important it is to take care of oneself. I’ve never been good at that. I’m a recovering people pleaser. Yet somehow the message got through this time. And thank heavens it did because I’ve been extremely tired.

Last weekend I spent one whole day reading and doing things that brought me joy and was amazed at how much better I felt. That convinced me to slow down and enjoy the little things, like watching my acting students blossom, working on my novel, or watching the birds in the back yard. Even going to rehearsal when I’m called has been a joy, even if it is a late night. The students are amazing. I think it’s going to be a fantastic production.

Another reason I’m taking a break from posting here is because it’s time to take stock. Many years ago, my father-in-law told us about an article or a book he’d read with the premise that every seven years we feel the need to make some changes in our lives. I love that. I’ve never been a status quo kind of person. I guess it’s because we moved every couple of years when I was growing up.

In any case, I’m going to examine all I’m doing and make some adjustments. It seems like a perfect time for it.

Thanks for reading, liking, and commenting. Welcome to my new followers. There are six years of back posts you can read if you are so inclined.

I will be back to tell you how the performances turned out.

Blessings for all your autumn activities. I hope you find joy and fulfillment sharing time with family and friends.

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Sage Woman Chronicles

Author: lucindasagemidgorden