P.O.P. Day 145: Facing Fears

Print by RebecaMoxie



So everyone knows that it has not been a great driving year for me. But hey, I didn't die and got a new fun car out of the ordeals. I have had increased driving anxiety since then though. But this weekend, I have the opportunity to show one of my favorite cities to a good friend. Problem is that it is a busy city surrounded by very busy roadways. Yikes.

BUT, I don't want to be limited in my world. If I just stay around Homer/Ithaca, life will get pretty boring pretty fast. Plus, don't I teach kids to work through their fears and excel? Shouldn't I practice what I preach?

I have gotten through a lot of things that I never thought I could in the last year and a half. Living alone. Making ends meet. Running races. Putting myself out there. Meeting new people. Doing shows without the support of my spouse. Going to lots of doctors alone. Do I want driving to be what holds me back?

I want to face this fear. Will the drive be easy or comfortable? Probably not. But, I want to do it. I hope that I can. I'll keep you posted.

P.O.P. Day 144: Pick yourself up and dust yourself off

Collage by artist Becky Rife

No, I didn't fall off the Earth. Well, not literally anyway. I have just been having a hard time celebrating my positive moments when my negative ones are so much more overwhelming. I am valiently trying to break that cycle.

Regardless of tests, diagnoses, trips to doctors, and general malaise, I DO have things to celebrate. I DO have the opportunity to make every day special. I have just not been taking that chance lately.

I am extremely proud of the cast and crew of Maccers and their many wins at the Cortland Rep Pavilion Awards. I am proud of myself for completeling two 5Ks so far this year. These are the types of things that I need to remember when I am feeling like I have nothing going for me. My students rely on me to be a positive and motivating force in their lives.

So, here I am, back to doing something that I love. And living for the moment. And making that moment the best that it can be. Now to strap on those sneakers and get that part of my life back too!



P.O.P. Day 132: You Deserve It

Print by Keep Calm Arsenal

You! With the huge to-do list and not nearly enough time. Yeah, you. Put down the list, pick up some bubble bath or nail polish or lotion or good book or whatever and do something to pamper yourself. You deserve it.

It will make you better able to focus and get things done if you occasionally put them down and do something JUST FOR YOU!

P.O.P. Day 130: Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens...

Sign by Carrie of Scaredy Cat Primitives

So nothing too heavy or deep today, just a reminder: no matter what is going on in your world, there is always something that can make you smile. It may be a cookie, a run, a pair of shoes, David Tennant (maybe that's just me), time with your kids, a photo, a song...

Smile. Your face and mood will thank you :)

I even made an Etsy treasury to remind the whole world.

P.O.P. Day 129: Stay the Course (Or: You Are Your Own Biggest Fan)

L-O-V-E this print by Aimee at Artsyville Doodle Shop!

It is nice to be told that you are doing well. It is heart-warming to hear that others are proud of you. It is narcissistic but great to hear that you inspire someone.

But sometimes, you don't hear those things. Maybe no one is close enough to you to do so. Maybe people are just embarrassed to express themselves. Maybe they figure that you already know.

It is easy to get discouraged when you don't have someone at home cheering you on. That is when you have to both dig into yourself for encouragement and reach out to you friends and family for that bolstering word. With others, you may have to actually ask for it. Don't be ashamed or embarrassed to admit that you need it.

So far as pulling encouragement out of yourself, look...it is already there. Everytime that you lace up your sneakers, open that book, pick up that pen, or whatever you do, you are telling yourself that you are strong enough, smart enough, creative enough, and awesome enough to shine and excel.

You should be proud of yourself and your accomplishments. I am proud of you. And you know what? I am proud of me too.

P.O.P. Day 128: Didn't Know That I Had It In Me

Awesome print by Sandra Falero of Sweet Lady Shop

"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will."

~Mahatma Gandhi

If you had told me five years ago that one of my favorite things would be training for a race, I probably would have laughed my foolish fat butt off. I was not exactly content with how I looked and felt even a year ago, but I was resigned to it. I come from a large family...maybe I was just meant to be fat and jolly. And then my entire world got flipped upside down a year and a half ago. I spent 6 months in pretty deep mourning. Then I read an article that changed my life, literally.

Prevention magazine printed an article last May entiltled "Yes, You Can Run." I have never been a super-sporty gal, but thought that I would give it a try. My first run was to the end of my street. I was out of breathe and in pain. But, I got out there the next day and tried it again. And the next day. By the end of 2010, I had run four 5Ks and an 8K.

In a little over a month, I will be running The Boilermaker, a world famous 15K road race. Prior to that, I am running three 5Ks with other races through the remainer of the year. By Thanksgiving, I plan to run 10 races. The old Louise would have NEVER imagined that would even be possible, much less highly anticipated.

Morale of the story: we are stronger and capable of much more than we give ourselves credit for. When I get in a funk, I need to remember how much I have done and how much more that I am capable of. If I know all of you, you need to do the same. You are strong. You have skills. You are an inspiration to someone else. You can do so much that you never thought that you could.

Now, go do it.





P.O.P. Day 127: Fight the Good Fight

Print by designer Nick Agin

There is such a thing as spreading yourself too thin and having unrealistic expectations. There was a time where I would disagreed with that. Granted, I stay super-busy now but I chose (most) of the things that I am busy with. I choose to channel my energy into them and avoid wastimng my time on futility.

Not to be too personal or one-sided, I am pretty happy with life overall. I am back to doing the things that I enjoy and have really started to focus on what is important to me, especially my health. The things that really knock me for a loop is lonliness and not having a life partner. I recognize that I have freedom that a "coupled" person rarely experiences, but...

I am trying to fight the good fight here: focus and me and what I can control, not on other people, their choices, or how they effect me. I admit that I am struggling. I am channeling too much of myself into being lonely. I am wasting my precious time lamenting that I have no partner. That has to stop.

How can I truly enjoy all that I DO have if I am mourning the life I COULD HAVE had? As I try to push through this fight, I am learning more about myself. I have learned that I am a great partner and hope to share those qualities with someone again, but I have also come to appreciate (or at least I am trying) my solitude. I am discovering myself more everyday and I am truly thankful for that. As I become my friend a little more each day, I hope that the lonliness dissapates and I am happily alone.

It is a tough fight, but I think I will be the one on top in the end.

P.O.P. Day 124: Things

Print by Julia Art of The Art Society

Yesterday, I had a long talk about my personal crossroads. More than that though, it is an impasse. None of my decisions are really the right or wrong. The options are many and we tried to find if the things that truly matter to me would be affected by one course of action rather than another. Much to my surprise, none of the things that are most important to me will change regardless of my decision.

It may not surprise most of you to learn that the most important aspects of my life are my creativity and my friends.

While I would LOVE to have a creative job, I am happiest when I have a creative life. Between theatre and design, writing and gardening, reading and exploring, I guess that I am much more fortunate than others in the creativity department. Like most though, I have taken that for granted. Not everyone gets to conceptualize and then actualize shows. An in-home studio is exactly commonplace either. Luckily, I am more aware and grateful of those things. Though that doesn't make any decisions easier, it makes me happy to know that I am so fortunate.

I enjoy being and having great friends. To me, my friends are just like my family. They are the family that I choose. I love being a person that has your back, that maybe makes your day a little brighter, that you want to see. I love having people that I can call any time and no matter how long it has been since we've last spoken, we can slip right back into it like we see each other everyday. I am blessed in that respect.

So, the map hasn't gotten any clearer and the decisions haven't suddenly become no-brainers, but it is good to know that no matter which road  I take that if I keep those things that most important with me, I am all good.



P.O.P. Day 123: Roadblocks

Awesome doodle by Aimee of The Artsyville Doodleshop

The worse place to be can be a crossroads. Each road is scary, with bumps and potholes and smooth stretches. And unlike Dorothy, we don't have helpful songs and colored roadways to assist in our choices. There is no telling from the crossroads which is the right road to take. After all, most people say that it's the journey and not the destination anyway.

I find myself at such a place now. Every way that I turn has some restriction as well as some reasons for recommendation. Decisions have to be made. A path needs to be chosen. I just have to get out of my own way to do it.

We all have that problem sometimes and not just with major life decisions. It can be as simple as sticking to a plan to clean a room, weed a garden, or resolve an issue with a friend. The biggest obstacles in our lives are usually not the money, the time, the uncertainty but rather ourselves. Things are rarely as difficult as we make them out to be in our minds. Save the money, make the time, and move forward. Who knows what we will find at the end of our personal yellow brick road.

P.O.P. Day 122: Can Do Attitude

Print by David at customthings

Today is Wednesday. It is also National Running Day, National Say Something Nice Day, and National Go Barefoot Day. I am declaring my own holiday that combines several of the others: National Give Yourself Some Credit for Being Awesome Day.

We often focus on what we can't do. That can be okay...it can make us strive for new and more lofty goals. But it can also knock us down. It can shake our confidence. It can make us afraid to seek those goals at all. I think that we should all take some time to focus on all that we CAN do.

I may not be able to run a 4 minute mile, but I can run. I can cover miles and be happy that I did.

I may not be able to stun a room with my devastating good looks, but I can make a room laugh at my wacky sense of humor.

I may not be able to grow prize-winning roses, but I can grow veggies that will nourish me through the fall and winter.

I may not be able to be someone's Mom, but I can be a positive influence on students everyday.

I may not be able to write an awarding-winning novel, but I can blog some uplifting words that may help someone else.

I may not be able to be the peanut butter to some else's jelly, but I can let my light shine and make the world a happier place.

Think of all the things that you can do, you'll be more impressed than you think!