Reflections on Menopause

I think the experience of menopause is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Because of menopause I can now say foresight is 20/20. I have discovered my intuitive self.

What comes after menopause? Don't be afraid. Menopause doesn’t last forever in case you were wondering. That’s the beauty of it. After it’s over it’s like having a hysterectomy without the surgery. Free at last, thank God I am free at last.

Gambling: I went to a casino yesterday and won eleven hundred dollars. Beginners luck? I don’t know about that because I used my post menopausal intuition to find the right machines. Post menopausal women become more focused since they do not have to plan their calendar on a 28 day cycle.

Not having periods is like living in California. The weather is mild ALL year long and there are no ice storms.

There is no cure for menopause because menopause is not a disease, it is a condition. When you arrive, that’s it baby! Let me assure all you young ones out there. You will get it.

As a post menopausal expert, I get to say things like NO. I bought an apron the other day that says “It’s all about me.” Yes, that sounds egotistical but that’s OK. I don’t have to share with anyone unless I choose too.

I don’t know why most of us have to wait until menopause to understand our purpose in life. Even at that point it may not be clear. However, my desire is to teach my children and grandchildren not to make my mistakes just as my mother tried to teach me. Enjoy Life. Good luck.

Write it down,

Carma

The Gift of Permission

When you make the decision to move forward in your writing career, it will be the first of many. You will hit many obstacles and frankly, it will be tempting to turn back.

"It’s too hard you say."

"I didn’t know it would take so much time."

This thought comes to mind: Do you truly want to reach your destination?

It is in this moment of decision that your destiny is shaped.

These decisions are YOURS to make. Remind yourself why you began this journey in the first place.

Give yourself the gift of Permission: The permission to fail, doubt and succeed, then open that gift of permission and recognize that you are moving toward your goal and you have made the right choice. A quitter never feels true commitment and will never know the glory of success.

Write it down,

Carma

Real Tree? Fake Tree? No Tree?

Which do you prefer?

I think our preference changes as we get older. When my kids were at home, nothing would do but a Real Tree. As the kids grew older the cost of presents grew as well, so we began to look for ways to save a few bucks. Fake trees were beginning to look more real and you could even buy pine scented spray. This became the norm for many years.

Soon, I got a case of the scrooges after my kids left home to build lives of their own. For some reason decorating the tree with just the company of my dogs Taylor and Rocky did not put me into the Christmas spirit.

The conversation would go something like this:

“Hey Taylor, what do you think about this ornament? Does the star look crooked?”

“Rocky, hand me the other end of the garland you have in your paw.”

As you might have guessed, this was a one way conversation. Soon, I convinced myself that decorating a Christmas tree was a human group activity. The animals were just for looks, like the ones in the Manger.

Some people may not like Christmas trees, or may be allergic to real ones or they are not able to afford fake ones. When it comes down to the wire Christmas is not about The Tree. In part Christmas is about being with people you love… or at least like. This was my lesson.

Write it down,

Carma

Let Me In Coach

There is still time to catch a free coaching session on Friday December 7 at 12 noon PST with Lisa Gates of Design Your Writing Life. Don't hesitate. To sign up click here.

This is a rare treat to have time with Lisa at her cost. Don't miss it. As a former client I will attest to the benefits of having Lisa as your coach.

Write it down,
Carma

Electronic Readers Revisited

I was ecstatic when my new Sony Electronic Reader arrived via UPS a couple of weeks ago. I just knew Sony’s Electronic Reader was the cat’s meow and would save time, paper and money. But now I have egg on my face after my enthusiastic praise in a recent post.

Downloading my PDF files to the Sony reader was remarkably easy but when the document was opened on the reader’s 5 x 7 screen the PDF file was not readable. The font could only be increased from a six to an approximate size eight which made reading impossible without a magnifying glass.

It boils down to format. My main purpose for purchasing an electronic reader was to have the ability to download all of my PDF ebooks in one location, therefore enjoying reading in comfort at the library, in the car, or at Starbucks instead of at the computer screen or printing out hundreds of unbound pages.

I talked to Sony about this and they apologized and suggested that I reformat all of my ebooks and then download to the reader. I told them that I have 64 ebooks and reformatting was out of the question. Also, I informed them that their instructions did not indicate personal documents, such as PDF files, are not in the correct format for downloading to the electronic reader and therefore not compatible unless you purchase ebooks from Sony’s Ebook Store. You can bet I will reassess my need to have an electronic reader.

This just means that there will always be some type of “bugs” to work out no matter how far advanced the technology is. This also means you can’t judge a Reader by its cover.

Write it down,

Carma

The Sound of Writing

Thanks to Terry Whalin of The Writing Life for sharing this video from You Tube.

Click and enjoy.

Pictures ARE worth a thousand words. I would like to be able to commandeer those words, wouldn't you?



Write it down,
Carma

Electronic Readers: Do You Have Yours Yet?

Electronic Readers are not new but the Kindle from Amazon is. It takes the ordinary electronic reader to a whole new level and possibly will reform the way we read books. That is according to Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon.com. In an interview with Newsweek Magazine, Bezos was quoted as saying “The vision is that you should be able to get any book—not just any book in print, but any book that’s ever been in print—on Kindle, in less than a minute.”

I am not going to write a review on the Kindle, I want to send you over to Jon Morrow at onmoneymaking.com and read his informative and compelling post on this amazing product. I found Jon at Success from the Nest where he wrote a guest post about how not to become a "Home Based Hermit" .

Before I found out about the Kindle, I bought a Sony Reader and my main reason for purchasing this $300 gadget is to download all my e-books and have them available for reading at the click of a button. (There are cheaper readers but I don’t know the brand names and for a $100 more I could have had a Kindle) Printing e-books from my printer is out of the question since many of them are hundreds of pages in length. The Sony Reader measures 5 x 7 inches and has a leatherette cover which gives the feel of a real book more or less. Approximately 160 books can be downloaded to this compact electronic wonder. You can easily drop it in your purse or brief case.

Although reading by adults has declined from 62% to 57% in the past decade I hope that an electronic reader will be able to bring that number up.

Honestly I had not considered using an electronic reader until I went to a book signing event at my local library hosting John Schembra, author of M.P. A novel of Vietnam and Priscilla Royal, author of Wine of Violence, A Medieval Mystery. Both authors touted the benefits of a reader. Writers are quite often on the go and it is the portable ability of the reader that is attractive to busy people, like writers.

That’s all I needed. Now I feel that I can reap the benefits of all my e books rather than let them hang in the ether's of my computer.

Has anyone else had experience with electronic readers? Am I the last kid on the block to know about these? If you do indeed use an electronic reader, what is your evaluation?

Write it down,

Carma