Week 3 Theme: “Recovering a Sense of Power.”  This week deals with being open to opportunities and accepting gifts that come in the form of synchronicity.  By committing to our creative power, doors will open.  We need to walk through them.  We also need to avoid self-sabotage and the sometimes savage criticism of others – especially with our early work.  Cameron spends a lot of time discussing the difference between constructive and useless criticism.  We need to be very self-protective of our inner artists and avoid the second kind like the plague.  It made me thankful, again, for my very constructive critique partners!

Morning Pages: Yes! They now feel natural to me, although I must admit I was tempted to hit the snooze button this morning…

Artist Date:  After first seeing it with my cousin over the weekend, I went by myself for a second viewing of the movie Breaking Dawn.  Go ahead and laugh.  I’ll wait…

Finished?  Great.  Yes, I will admit I loved the Twilight series.  You laughing can’t possibly be more embarrassing than a 40 year-old woman showing up at the theater alone to watch a movie about hunky teenage vampires, believe me.  I think that’s the first time I’ve ever gone to a movie alone period.  At first it felt uncomfortable, but then I enjoyed it.  I never get to see movies otherwise, so I might start going more often now that I have the artist date as an excuse.

And yes, I am well aware of the debate surrounding the quality of the writing in the books.  True, it is not Pulitzer Prize winning prose.  Stephenie Meyer has taken that fact straight to the bank.  The movies have been pretty cheesy so far too.

But what Meyer (and now the movies) did do was create one of the greatest pieces of escapist fiction that’s come along in ages.  What girl doesn’t love an epic star-crossed love story where the hero is a sparkly Adonis with great hair and superpowers?  Were it not for the second half of Breaking Dawn – both the book and the movie – it would be a perfect fairy tale.  SPOILER ALERT: Because I’m here to tell you, I don’t care how much you love somebody, it’s no woman’s fantasy to get pregnant on her honeymoon and end up having her half-human/half-vampire baby break her bones in utero and then need to have said baby chewed out of the womb.  Ew.

In short, it was fun, and that’s at least part of what an Artist Date is supposed to be about right?

Any “Aha” Moments?  I felt inexplicably sad and anxious at various times during the week.  Cameron says that’s to be expected as you get “deeper” into your creative recovery.  I’m still not sure what is behind those feelings for me though.  I just lived with them rather than chasing them down.  I also suppose that was another reason why escaping into Breaking Dawn felt like a welcome break.

A few favorite quotes from the Week 3 chapter:

“I have learned, as a rule of thumb, never to ask whether you can do something.  Say, instead, that you are doing it.  Then fasten your seat belt.  The most remarkable things follow.”

“As artists, we cannot control all the criticism will well receive… We can learn not to deny and stuff our feelings when we have been artistically savaged.”

“We must learn that when our art reveals a secret of the human soul, those watching it may try to shame us for making it.”

“Do it.  Creativity is the only cure for criticism.”

Criticism can indeed be harmful. I have one piece I wrote that got ripped to shreds in a public forum (although thankfully I wasn’t identified as the author).  That piece was very close to my heart, and I was shattered by the criticism.  This happened almost two years ago, and I have not shared that piece with one other person since then – or done anything else with it.  This week’s work is opening me to the idea that I’ve made it worse by accepting and believing the remarks rather than resolving to move forward.  Have you ever had such an experience?

Week 2 Check-In

Week 1 Check-In

The Artist’s Way

Here to teach you, I am

One of the coolest things I did this week was watch The Empire Strikes Back with the kids.  My all-time favorite of the Star Wars movies.  And while the things Yoda says are not exactly about gratitude, they certainly are wise.  A strong spiritual teacher, is he.  So in lieu of quotes on gratitude, this week, sharing my favorite yoda-isms am I.  Enjoy.

Yoda Quotes

“Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try.”

“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.“

“For my ally is the Force. And a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us… and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this… [nudging Luke's arm] crude matter! You must feel the Force around you. Here, between you, me, the tree, the rock… everywhere!”

“Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future.”

And a fun favorite…

“When nine hundred years old you reach, look as good, you will not, hm?“

Gratitude list for the week ending August 13

1. Well, watching The Empire Strikes Back with the kids.  Em’s reaction to the “big reveal” of Luke’s father was the exact same as mine.  NOOOOO!  She hasn’t stopped talking about it since.
2. Two “date nights” with Mom.  One nice dinner out and another to go see The Help.  I almost never like movies made from books I love, but they did a great job with this one.
3. In preparation for WriteOnCon this week, drafting two query letters and starting a comprehensive revision on another manuscript I have brewing.  Good to be back in the game.
4. My first post-Italy pilates class.  Felt good to start to counter-balance the impact of the pizza, pasta, gelato summer.
5. Crickets chirping (I know I said that last week too, but it’s so lovely to work at my computer in the evening to their nighttime serenade)
6. The health of my family and friends.  I am always thankful for this, but tragedy struck a dear friend of a dear friend of mine this week, which always puts the important things in life in sharp perspective.  My heart is with my friend and her friend’s family.
7. I have received unexpected and surprising compliments on my posts about Italy this week.  I’m glad, because I have so enjoyed writing them.
8. My dictionary and my thesaurus.  And Rhymezone.com.  How my writing would be so much more of a struggle without them!
9. Gearing up for the start of school – tomorrow!  This is bittersweet, as I’ll send my baby on the bus this year.  But he’s ready, so I should be too.
10. Having a girl’s night with Em – getting a mani/pedi together

What are you grateful for this week?

Quotes on Gratitude

“Don’t waste yourself in rejection, nor bark against the bad, but chant the beauty of the good.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

“People are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” – Abraham Lincoln

“I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.” — Laura Ingalls Wilder

Gratitude List for the week ending March 26

1. Making it to the semi-finals of Brenda Drake’s Show Me the Voice Blogfest.  Here is a picture of my celebratory cork. 
2. Enjoying Spring Break skiing – last week of the season for us.
3. Warm, sunny days on the slopes
4. The time to READ!
5. Taking the kids to see the movie Rango.
6. Kids, dog and father reunited after he was gone for a four-day business trip
7. Family game night
8. Stella, the Golden Retriever puppy we met at the vet’s office here in Keystone (don’t ask!)
9. The smell of the earth under melting snow
10. Homemade Chex Mix

What are you grateful for this week?

Cheers! Pop open that butterbeer

Thanks to everyone for celebrating my blogiversary with me and for entering the giveaway of the six Harry Potter movies!  This was an especially fun contest because of the anticipation of the Deathly Hallows release.  Without further adieu, the winner is…

ELLEN

Ellen, please email me at jhedlund33 (at) yahoo (dot) com for instructions on claiming your prize.

I didn’t want to leave everyone else empty-mugged though, so here is a link to the Top 10 Butterbeer recipes to warm and cheer you over the weekend.  Bottoms up everyone!

I have gotten so much more from writing this blog than I could have ever imagined: friendship, encouragement, education, and even confidence.  It seems as though every time I get a little down in the dumps about where I am in life or in writing, someone leaves a thoughtful comment on one of my posts, and I once-again feel inspired and optimistic.

I’ll be writing more this week about the blog itself and my plans for its future, but first, I want to toast each and every one of you who has come by the blog this year.  It is only because of you all that blogging has been so rewarding for me.  For that reason, I am offering what I hope is a fantastic prize that any of you would enjoy – writer, friend, family member or all of the above.

Drum roll…

What are the chances that my blogiversary would land on the very day that Harry Potter Deathly Hallows #1 hits theaters?  Or that I would be right in the middle of re-reading the series in anticipation? (I’m on The Half Blood Prince as we speak, but I understand I only have to read through DH chapter 24 in order to go see the movie).  Whatever the chances, it seems only appropriate to have a Harry Potter-themed giveaway, so here it is: a boxed set of all six of the previous Harry Potter movies.  What’s more, the winner can choose DVD or Blu-Ray format.

You don’t have to be a follower to win, but if you like what you see on the blog, please consider coming back and joining the discussion.  Everyone who wants to enter needs to answer the following in the comments:

Which is your favorite Harry Potter Book?  Which is your favorite movie?  If the two are not the same, why not?

OR

If you haven’t read the books, do you plan to? (No is an acceptable answer )

You can get an extra entry for tweeting the contest, and 2 extra entries for blogging about the contest and providing a link back to this post.  Just put the links to the tweet/blog post in the comments to ensure they get counted.

Contest ends at – when else? – 12:01 Eastern Time on Thursday the 18th (I know it’s really Friday, but the release date says Thursday, so…).  Good luck!

Oh, and if you want more fun, check out my Harry Potter wishlist and add yours!  Finally, if you blogged about Harry this week, feel free to include a link to your post(s) in the comments.  I’d love to check them out.

P.S. I’ve edited this to add my own answer to the question! My favorite book was The Prisoner of Azkaban.  It retained some of the innocence and wonder of the first two books, but included major foreshadowing of the darkness to come.  The plot ramped up several notches, and I LOVED the introduction of the dementors and the Patronus charm.  I also liked the movie version, but I think my favorite movie was The Goblet of Fire.  They did a great job portraying the Yule Ball and the Triwizard tournament.

Sorcerer's Stone

Chamber of Secrets

Prisoner of Azkaban

RPatz may have died as Cedric in Goblet of Fire, but he was reborn as eternal hottie Edward Cullen soon enough...

Order of the Phoenix

Half Blood Prince

Quotes on Gratitude

“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” — Thornton Wilder

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” — Albert Einstein

“Can you see the holiness in those things you take for granted–a paved road or a washing machine? If you concentrate on finding what is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul.” — Rabbi Harold Kushner

Gratitude List for the week ending June 26

1. A lifeguard named Mitch, who saw Jay fall off the child platform during swimming lessons and jumped in to pull him out of the water.  I could use this one as the whole list really.  I’ve been thanking him in my head every hour of every day this week.
2. A great run with Rocky yesterday morning
3. Finishing one good book and starting another
4. Glacier ice cream
5. Afternoon snoozes after mornings at the pool
6. Fun with friends Friday – the kids played, we went to lunch and then saw Toy Story 3.  The moms got to talk for more than five minutes without interruption.
7. Playing in the pool with friends
8. Mom’s flank steak dinner
9. Scoring tickets to a live event with Eckhart Tolle
10. Last night, Jay fell asleep, all in his own, immediately.

What are you grateful for this week?

Speaking of movies, I’m reminded of the scene in Annie where Miss Hannigan (aka  Carol Burnett)  laments her lot in life.  Alas, this song has been stuck in my head for the past hour:

“Some women are drippin’ with diamonds.

Some women are drippin’ with pearls.

Lucky me, lucky me, look at what I’m drippin’ with —

Little girls!”

Likewise, this is probably what I will look like after (if!) they finally fall asleep tonight.

I’m not huge on kids’ birthday parties – even my own kids’.  Actually, that’s not true.  I love the birthday parties Em goes to because now I get to drop her off!  Today though, I’m not the dropper but the droppee.

BUT – I must admit I’m a little excited about her party today.  Ever since we saw This is It, Em has been fanatical about Michael Jackson.  (Ah, the innocence of knowing him only through his musical genius and not the Wacko Jacko years).  So she wanted a Michael Jackson party.  Amazingly, there’s a place right in our town called Dog House Music that does rock n roll birthday parties.  They’ll give all the kids a rock star makeover while they snack and do the Moonwalk to Billie Jean and Thriller.  They get to listen to a teenage band play live for them, then get on stage and sing and air guitar (on plastic guitars) to Smooth Criminal.  Em has her fedora hat and white glove all ready to go.

So it should be fun.  Who knew I’d be reliving my own adolescent/teenage MJ fanaticism through my daughter?  Somehow we two managed to sit on the opposite cusps of Michael’s bad times – me at the front and her at the back – so who cares about all that bad stuff?  Let’s Dance!  Let’s Shout!  Shake Your Body Down To the Ground!

Here was one of her practice runs from right after we saw the movie.

So this “Twitard” is signing off for the night hoping to have sweet dreams of a sparkling hottie in flowered meadows telling me I’m perfect.