What wouldn’t I give to be able to be at the opening of Battery Park’s long-awaited SeaGlass Carousel! I love carousels but I prefer the more creative ones that aren’t limited to pastel-colored horses. This is just about the most imaginative carousel I’ve ever seen: New York’s New Carousel. They have done some lovely sound and light shows there, even before the carousel itself opens. Five dollars a ride? Sold! I’ll be there, next time I’m in New York.
Photo: Filip Wolak, http://www.timeout.com
Today’s Blogging 101 assignment is to write a post inspired by another blogger’s post on which we commented earlier.Donna-Louise at her blog “Newshound to Novelist” wrote a post called Follow the Literary Brick Road, about turning 30 and wanting to publish a novel instead of continuing in the journalism where she has found success. By leaving her a comment, I hoped to encourage her to persevere. That, and a recent story on the BBC about J.K. Rowling, got me thinking about the various paths so many writers take. Continue reading
Today’s “What Went Well” Wednesday is more of a test than usual. It’s shaping up to be a challenging week at work, for many of the reasons that prompted me to start this blog. So if you’re reading this, please send serenity vibes my way!
What went well this week:
Until recently, it had been years since I immersed myself in a romance novel. Really, years. Maybe even decades. My taste in reading had turned more to history, biography, other non-fiction like books about gardening and bonsai. And then I discovered Philippa Gregory. I had seen the movie “The Other Boleyn Girl” and enjoyed it — I love Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johanssen. So when I saw a copy of the book on sale, 3 for the price of 2 at a chain bookstore, I took the bait. Bought that and two other Gregory novels. Can you say, hook, line and sinker? I’ve just finished another one — “The King’s Curse” — and you know what? I enjoyed the heck out of it! It made a nice break between “Wolf Hall” and “Bring Up the Bodies”, also on my bedside table.
I should have known. I went through a phase as a teenager when I ripped through books by authors like Victoria Holt. There is something so comforting about living vicariously through the travails of a fictional stranger.
About me and my blog: I am a lover of beauty, a happily married introvert, an empath and INTJ. I have an inquiring mind and thousands of books. Many things make me happy. I’d like to share some of them.
Mindfulness is something I am trying to cultivate in my life. There are many competing claims on my time and attention: family, work, etc. As my children are now in their teens, I am working to carve out some time for peaceful reflection and creativity in my life, in spite of a demanding, sometimes pressured job. Blogging is one way for me to do that. I am also using this blog to cultivate positive thoughts through practices like “What Went Well Wednesdays”, when I write down three things that went well that week.
I also blog about gardens, gardening, garden books, art in gardens and garden photography at Old Herbaceous.
What was my favorite book as a child? I was such a bookworm that I couldn’t possibly pick just one. And I still own so many of the books that I loved as a child and teenager that now I qualify as a book hoarder. One of the greatest joys of parenting my own children was that I got to share my love of books — and my actual books — with them from the time they were infants. Sitting in a rocking chair with a baby or toddler in my arms, reading picture books to them, is a memory I deeply cherish. It only got better as they got older, when we took turns reading to them, and then they took turns reading to us. Oh, how we loved The Cat in the Hat, fairy tales, anything by Eric Carle! Maurice Sendak, Dr. Seuss, Richard Scarry, Little Golden Books, we sailed through them all. Continue reading
I woke up this morning at dawn, in the tiny but cozy guest room of an old-fashioned lakeside cottage. The window, barely a foot from the four-poster bed which filled most of the room, looked out over a small lake which was so calm, it reflected the rosy sky like a smooth mirror. A slight mist rose off the water but all was silent. I lay back against the pillows and just gazed out at the water before picking up my book. What a joy, to have hours of uninterrupted reading time before breakfast, in such a lovely place. I love these simple cottages: uninsulated, plain wooden walls, simple sleeping porches, kitchens no bigger than the small galley kitchen in my first city apartment. Old, faded, soft furniture. Simplicity now!
Every Wednesday, I reflect on the week just past and think about three things that went well. It is a positive psychology exercise known as “What Went Well” or “Three Blessings.” What Went Well Wednesdays.
This week’s blessings:
Today’s assignment: names and taglines. I named this blog “Serenity Now” in honor of George Costanza’s father Frank. If you ever watched “Seinfeld”, you know who I mean: the perpetually irritated, snarky dad played by the brilliant Jerry Stiller. In one episode, he is told that he has to bring his high blood pressure and anger under control; when he feels himself becoming enraged, he should say the phrase “Serenity now.” Except that Frank screams the phrase at the people who irritate him, which doesn’t calm anyone down, least of all him. As one character says “Serenity now, insanity later.”
I loved that episode because it made me laugh. But at the same time, there are days when I feel like Frank in spite of my normally calm demeanor. The world seems irrational and crazy and it’s not cooperating with my plans or appreciating my contributions. I need to remember how much of my life is going well and how fortunate I am. I need to be more mindful of the many things and people I love. I need to keep calm and carry on. Serenity now!
I need more serenity and mindfulness in my life and I think others do too. I am blessed in many ways but I am also pulled in many directions: family, home, work, creative urges. I am introverted and find it easiest to communicate in writing, which gives me time to choose my words precisely and express exactly what I want to say, so blogging appeals to that side of me. I am also intensely curious and interested in the world around me, including other people. I love new ideas and new information, so I enjoy reading what others write.
I am a lover of beauty, a happily married introvert, an empath and INTJ. I have an inquiring mind and thousands of books. Many things make me happy. I’d like to share some of them. Because thinking and writing about lovely things brings more serenity into my life.
I also blog about gardens, gardening, garden books, art in gardens and garden photography at Old Herbaceous.
Serenity Now Scents and Sensibilities 