Learn to Do Right

I have been thinking about this a lot lately: Learn to do right. These words come from almost 3000 years ago from a prophet called Isaiah.

What he calls "doing right," these words resonate within me:

Seek justice.
Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
plead the case of the widow.

I want to learn. I hear this voice calling me:

Everyone has an answer in their ivory tower. You should climb down and stop passing people in the street. Step out of your comfort zone and do something, say something, stand up. No more wishy-washy words that do nothing to change the world torn world. 

Rise up, you couch potato. Figure out why folks are kneeling under the red, white, and blue. Open up to children taken from their parents and stuffed into neat rows at land's end. How many grandmamas live in an old shack with no one to take them a dime? Wake up, get out, make a difference. Learn to do right, girl. Learn it now. 

I hope this stirs up your creative self. 

Here is a doodle. I call it "Ripe Field."

I hope you put this quote in your pocket:

Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals. Martin Luther King

Comfort

Hi, folks,

I am a busy bee currently! Life. Life. Life. Repeat.

I have been thinking about comfort this week. What comforts my heart? This is not a big existential thought. I'm all about the little things over here in my little life. I've been working on breaking my unhealthy habits. Here's one: I tend to reach for food for comfort. I think it is a southern thing, y'all.

Well, an occasional slice of caramel cake is fine, but I need to fill myself up with non-food comforts.  Here is my current list.

Wrapping up in a warm blanket in a cold room
A long, long, long hug
Sleeping in a hammock under the trees on a sunny day
Petting a cat
Floating in the pool
Rereading a favorite book
Reading Isaiah and thinking about it
Listening to my favorite songs on a long walk
Singing by a campfire
Holding hands under a starry sky
Child's pose
A foot massage
Deep prayer where the world disappears around me
Making my bed
Walking in the woods anywhere, anytime
A tall glass of iced tea (no sugar, slice of lemon) on a hot day
An excellent conversation

I need more comfort. If you have any other ideas, I would appreciate them. I hope you think about what comforts you this week regardless. Take some time and be comforted.  I think a person who can self-comfort has found a goldmine.

One more thought, creating comforts me. Write some words. Paint some dots. Cut a rug. The movement in time leaves a lovely echo.

I will be back with more...

Here is a doodle.

And a quote that comforts me:

But they that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles; they will run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

I'm an Onion

Good news! I don't have cancer currently. All test have been deemed negative. I feel like dancing in the streets! Thanks for the prayers and the prayer beads. I feel extremely blessed right now.

I'm a hotbed of creative activity currently. My mind sizzles with ideas. I pitched a book that I believe is just a stay-up-all-night read to a couple of agents and have received two very encouraging "not for mes". More to go. I am illustrating a little picture book project for a company. My TEENSPublish group is about to begin at the Ringer Library on Wednesday. I have 18 teens in.  These kids are going to write a most awesome collection this summer. I'm happy to be the cheer coach on the sidelines! There are some writing gigs simmering too.

I'm not neglecting the blog there is only so much of me to go around.

Currently, I'm focusing on being the person I want to be. This journey includes the fact that I sort of suck at making money and being cool with that. Also, I want to do whatever I can to make the world around me an easier place to navigate. Add to that, I realize more and more the stuff that we shove under the rug is the stuff we must bring into the light of day. Finally, a daily practice of forgiving myself for my missteps helps me. My mantra: Stop beating yourself up if you aren't all that!

Everybody needs a mantra.

One thing I've had to admit. I do not excel at the big picture. I'm a detail person. It is all about the details. I'm no branded, stenciled luxury apple. Instead, I'm everyday onion, and I grow in the dirt, not rarefied air. The multitude of layers makes my life wonderful.  If I look at any one layer, it doesn't seem like much. The depth and multitde of layers are what create the tasty Texas 1015 sweet onion that I am.

My current book project is FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. It's my bravest book. I'm not sure how everyone feels out there, but my heart just hungers for understanding. That said, I'm really tired of everyone being so sure about everything. If you aren't on a trajectory that is moving you toward a place that you know less and are hence more flexible, I suggest you rethink the master plan.

Here are some story things that I'm wrestling with. No. I have no proof of the existence of God. Yet I still believe. I don't ascribe to the idea that Bible has no mistakes in it. I'd toss any belief system in the trash that required a no-mistakes guidebook. Rigid belief is inhuman in my opinion. I feel an inflexible belief system is totally stagnant and unable to open to new information. This inflexibility leads to pernicious thinking, that gradually and subtle steals joy and peace.

Hint. If you have no joy and peace, your next brave step is to change your suppositions. This is the hard, hard work of faith.

I hope this little window into my onion-y mind helps you navigate your journey. I will be back when I can with more reasons to seize the day.

Here is a doodle. Rose-colored sky.

Here is a quote for your pocket.

Live as brave men; and if fortune is adverse, front its blows with brave hearts. Marcus Tullius Cicero