Expressively Marie

Calling All Couples

2006-07-14T14:03:00.000-07:00

Yes, it as been a while since I wrote here, and there is a very good explanation...building a business, vacationing, and writing another new book.
This last one I am calling to all of you for assistance.

Do you have a unique story of how you and your significant other got together?
I want to hear about it.

You can respond here but I prefer you respond to my e-mail address: snoopwrs@whoismb.com
You don't have to give me the whole story at once, but a brief overview would be great and I will get in touch with you.
I can't wait to hear from all of you!
Now's your change to have your story immortalized and share your joy with the world! Remember, everyone loves a great love story!

Observation Exercise

2006-06-09T08:25:00.000-07:00

I recently took a break from writing to help finish up the school year and teach kindergarten through seventh graders physical education, partially since it is my nature, to do research, and also with my teaching and yoga background it was thought to be a nice change from their normal physical education schedule.

I did learn a lot from observation as well as directly from the children’s mouths.
Some things are not worthy of repeating, others made me laugh, and some brought tears to my eyes to witness how many of these children live with undo stress and what attitudes they are acquiring.

From the physical standpoint it is disheartening to see and hear of the patterns that are being established with children in regards to nutrition and exercise.
Some were willing participants in physical activities only after much coaxing, but almost all of the 300+ students I encountered knew very little of how to get exercise, or the proper way to use any equipment. Many had little or no knowledge of games or rules of specific sports. Thus, their idea of exercise was to run about wildly.
Any discussion of nutrition was scoffed at and it appeared that convenience and marketing are what influences the decisions made for them or by them.

The time I spent with these children shows me we need to begin education and modeling of proper ways to treat our bodies and relieve stress from very early on as well as offering proper foods so they can make the right choices for their future health.
How will this be accomplished?
Well, speaking for myself, I will continue to work one child at a time to demonstrate the benefits proper exercise and nutrition can have to better our lives.
Having the information is the first step to making the best choices; the rest is up to them.

Gone Fishing

2006-05-08T12:01:00.000-07:00

Snoop has been a bit down lately watching me come and go, getting the business set up, all the while he’s just been hanging out waiting for work.
When life is not going very well, sometimes it’s best to retreat. So, we made an executive decision and went trout fishing. Packed it all up and took off for the streams.
It’s always so awesome to be in nature where all you hear are the birds, the river gurgling, and the winds blowing through the trees. Helps you to get back to your roots as it were, really living in the moment.

The contrast between the tranquility of wading slowly and quietly through the water, and the adrenaline rush you get when the fish bites the line, is the kind of healthy balance of extremes my body needs.
The emotional extremes of writing can be draining. The excited high of pouring your creative heart into your words, to the deep low of rejection from those you felt were such a good fit for your work.

After clearing my head in the bright, and beautiful fresh air, I realize that there is a true commonality between trout fishing and freelance writing.
If you don’t get a bite, you have to keep on moving forward while casting your line.
Being rejected by fish is somehow not as intimidating as a person, but perhaps that’s because in the most pristine setting, we are free from judgment, experiencing only the here and now.
In both fishing and writing there is competition, the need for skill, research and training, with a bit of luck, timing, and tenacity thrown in.
Sometimes, as with writing, you have to move to a totally different stream, try new bait, or take a break and come back at a different time.

Now, rested and renewed, with the taste of fresh trout in my belly, but not in my freezer, I realize that life will keep giving you a taste to see how hungry you are. How bad do you want what you are after and does that taste leave you wanting more? If so, then you will keep coming back, for it is not just the catch that is the great reward, but the effort it takes to try that keeps you wanting more; tasting and yearning for the next time you will pull in the big one.

Check out our website and help Snoop find work at: www.whoismb.com

Going to the Dogs

2006-04-25T12:35:00.000-07:00

The term “going to the dogs” has negative connotations, but is it really all that bad?
I slave away at my computer on a beautiful spring day, while my dog is out sleeping in the sun.
Who really does have the “dog’s life?”
For those that know my “spoiled rottenweiller” you may secretly be asking who is the real subservient one in the team of Marie & Snoop?

If I really look at things, I have to admit, Snoop’s plan on life far more thought out and productive.
He has his own personal assistant, chef, personal trainer, maid, chauffer, groomer, and bathroom attendant!
Plus, he spends his days doing whatever he chooses (which usually includes a very long nap!)
Yet I am the one trying to scrap out a buck typing on the computer every day! (Maybe not having opposing thumbs isn’t all that bad!)

So, in this “dog-eat-dog” world how does one get to be more “dog-like?”
Is the laid back approach the better way?
Maybe Snoop’s got it so good because I’m a sucker for big, beautiful, brown eyes. Does that mean I’ll never have a shot at “the dog’s life” with my sea green peepers?
I have yet to find the answers and at last request, Snoop was not giving up any information.
Until the “dog days” of writing cease, I guess it’s back to the keyboard for this “dog tired” girl, cause somebody has to buy the bones.

The Double Edged Sword of a Positive Rejection

2006-04-14T15:32:00.000-07:00

Is there such a thing as a positive rejection?
Is that the ultimate oxymoron?
How should one take a nicely worded, upbeat rejection?
You followed the guidelines, your query caught the attention of the Editorial Department, but yet it is still a “does not meet our needs at this time” kind of a thing.

Hey, it was “considered” so I guess that means the writing did not stink- good thing.
No paycheck coming-bad thing.

Guess it’s time to move on, keep trying, and plug away at those keys one more time. They say if you throw the line in often enough you will eventually get a bite and catch a fish – fish, that reminds me of food and grocery shopping, something I guess I need to do, but then you need money for that.
Well, I guess that means I’m in the “starving artist” category. Now there’s a phrase that (at least for now) is not an oxymoron- I wonder how paper tastes…

Want to support a “starving artist?”
Visit: www.whoismb.com
In the near future you will be able to check out information on
Snoop Writing & Referencing Services.

Reconnections

2006-04-03T15:24:00.000-07:00

Lately I have had the pleasure to reconnect with several people I had not heard from in a very long time; people I thought might be lost from my life.
It is a great joy when your circle of friends widens, whether it be to welcome back or to welcome anew.
All of this sparked memories of the many people I have met and either lost touch with or knew I would never see again.
When traveling I meet many people, all of who touch my life, even if only briefly.
Do we realize that is what happens daily? That even those brief encounters with people can affect someone more than we may realize?

Amazingly, we never truly know life’s plan.
Just like when traveling, we are never certain of the weather, if everything you intended to see will be open and accessible, or that you will have enough time to see and do it all; so too, we can never really be sure how often we will have with the people we meet or call our friends.
This is why I am grateful and want to make sure I am taking the time to connect; life is empty without friends, the ones I have, and the ones yet to come.

I invite you to join in the circle of freinds and share who and what life has tossed your way.
Sign up for a free e-zine For Wise Women at: 4wisewomen.sbcglobal.net or visit: www.whoismb.com/writing.html

Taking Flight

2006-03-27T10:46:00.000-08:00

My husband and I love to travel, and I have learned many things from our travels so far.
People are wonderful and rude all over the world, and there is beauty and serenity where everyone lives, we usually only see if it we stop and take the time to look.
When I am on vacation, I am where someone lives on a daily basis. Are they taking for granted the beauty and uniqueness of what I see? Do I where I live?
There is some redeeming unique quality everywhere.

If we view our trip on life as a vacation, we can see that gratitude and serene reflection make a big difference in our day-to-day view on life.
Even in the most beautiful parts of the world I have heard people tell me of hardships and lives so busy they cannot see anything but problems and pain.
At the time I could not understand how one could not see all the beauty; it was everywhere you looked!

Once I got home my life again got so busy, I too could also no longer see how I am blessed here at home.
I think the key is to take daily vacations in attitude and viewed through my mind.
Pictures are all around that allow myself even just a few moments a day to “take flight” to where I would like to be. Maybe it is a vacation I have yet to take, trips I have taken, or even just a place of Nirvana I have created in my head, it gives me serenity, gratitude, and hope for what lies ahead.

For even if these “flights” are only momentary, isn’t moment by moment the best way to live? That way you never miss a moment of life’s travels.

I invite you to "travel" to my website @ www.whoismb.com/writing.html and sign up for a free e-zine @ 4wisewomen@sbcglobal.net

Being Nice

2006-03-22T09:14:00.000-08:00

Why is it even though I think I am a nice person, the minute I get in the car and have somewhere to be, my sweetness flies out the window as swiftly as a gum wrapper from the seat on a windy day?

Yes, I have been known to let a few “not so nice” words fly while driving in the car.
It inevitably seems as though just when I am running as tightly as possible on time, “turtle man” (or woman, I am not being sexist here!) gets in front of me.
Then there’s the *#&@$#* person that cuts in front of me so quickly it spills my drink and adds a few grey hairs.
Is it so bad when these things occur to be “not so nice?”

I have been told it is. One reaps what one sows.
I’m sure no one has ever had an occasion to throw a special finger my way. (Yeah, right!)

Maybe it’s so easy to vent because the probability of confrontation with the person is very slim.
Ah, but that is just what we think!
One time, after “letting it fly” so to speak, I ended up parking right next to the person and going in the same store! Talk about reaping what you sow- not a comfy walk from the car to the door!
I of course, held open the door and my nice person seemed to reemerge, (I wasn’t in the car after all.)

So, I guess the lesson is, when you think no one will know, you never know.
Now, I try (and sometimes it takes much effort) to smile and wave at the offending person.
This usually does one of two things, makes them think you are crazy, or they ignore you. Either way you win, because they usually go away. Is that nice?
Well, I guess I still have a long way to go in the nice department, but at least smiling will be nice for me.

Will & Desire

2006-03-14T10:19:00.000-08:00

No, this is not the title of a new hit TV show; it's my attempt to boost my sinking moral.
Can will & desire win out over where you live and whom you know, possibly even supreme intellect?
Is integrity and spirit enough to allow your light to shine bright enough someone will see?
Do we really need the "right someone" to see or is touching only one or two people enough?
They say we are all six-degrees away from everyone, but right now I feel like I am six hundred degrees from anyone.
I guess that comes from feeling like I’ve been running on a treadmill; it can wear you out and tap you of your strength.

Tapping, that brings up a good analogy…

Last year we learned to tap our maple trees.
We were excited about the process as well as the end result.
Shortly after beginning we found the tools we had were not quite sufficient, and much of it was wasted.
Again this year, the tree has sap just waiting under the surface for us to harvest and use, but the right tools and timing are needed to not waste the sweet, precious gift.

A lot like the talents we possess.
Our talents always lie just beneath the surface, but are we tapping into them?
Can we fully utilize our talents without the proper tools and guidance or would that be wasting our precious gift?

Just like the sweet rewards our maple tree holds for us, it will take more than will & desire to turn it into syrup we can enjoy.
Thus, will & desire are only the beginning of turning my talents into the sweet rewards of my life’s dream realized.
The key is to get out and “tap” the market, people’s brains, and tap on every door I can to be heard and seen.
They say if you believe enough things will happen, the “right someone” will come along, your light will shine brightly, and even if you are only aware of one or two people hearing your message, sweetness continues to flow.
Tough, when you are tired out from the “run,” but here is where integrity, spirit, will & desire reign.
Like sap running through the tree, they are the flowing life force that will energize your desire to live the life you want.

Has this helped? Well, time will tell but tapping into my positive energy has made me hungry, so now it’s my will & desire to have some waffles with real maple syrup.

Simplifying Life in a Complicated World

2006-03-08T08:46:00.000-08:00

For those of you that know me, you know I am not your average woman living in the Midwest.
Yes, I like to go out and have fun, but shopping? No.
I also do not drink beer or eat brats, and yes, I have still survived living in Wisconsin! (I do love cheese, so I am not a total Wisconsin failure!)

We recently put in a wood stove so we rarely need to use the furnace, and with the orchards, grape vineyards, nut and berry bushes, honey from our bees, veggies from the garden, and the baking I love to do, we hardly use the grocery store.
Am I what most consider, normal?
No, and I love it. So much so in fact, that we are looking into getting a windmill for a power source.

Now with all of this “back to basics” living I am trying to do, I am tied to my computer. Talk about a clash of two worlds!
For so many years I balked at computers and all they stood for, but my job at the time necessitated me to get comfortable with them.
I did (kicking and screaming in my head all the way,) so much so that people came to me after a while to ask how to use them and do various things.
Life makes strange turns sometimes.

Now, the life I have chosen requires me to use my computer, all day, everyday.
Yes, I still use pen and paper, but to send out anything or communicate these days, it is almost all done via e-mail.
Communication is critical to timing for it is an “if you snooze, you lose” situation out there. We need the Internet to stay abreast of information - this coming from someone who has not watched television since 2000, with the exception of September 11, 2001 and the last Presidential debates.

So when my mouse and keyboard died recently, I realized, no matter how much “out of the norm” I try to live, I have to join the 21st Century and the technical world.
At least I spend less in paper, whiteout, and I have better-looking nails thanks to the miracle of my Microsoft Word program.
There are advantages to technology, but I will still remain as simple as I can in every other way.
Now, who’d like some homemade bread with wine from our vineyard? And of course, I won’t forget the cheese!

Not Enough White Space

2006-02-22T12:12:00.000-08:00

Yes, it’s been a while since I wrote in here, and I’m sorry.
I say that more for me than anyone else, not just because I don’t think many are reading this (yet), but because I need to do this for myself.
My life has become out of balance with not enough white space.
Oh, I know it is my fault, and I need to remember that white space is not blank space.

In writing, white space is needed so that the words do not fill up the page completely making it daunting for the reader.
The white space is meant to be a part of what has been read, giving time for the reader to absorb the meaning and not feel so overwhelmed with information that you just stop reading altogether.

My life has gone the way of no white space.
Me, filling up all the areas with so much, that life has become overwhelming to the point of no longer getting its meaning.
I want so bad to make things happen and all that’s happening is I’m so busy that I can’t make things happen.
Moving so fast has made me a slow on the uptake. My thoughts are all over and my energy is drained.
Finding a balance would be wise; and that’s what I need to do, tap into the “wise woman” life has helped me become.
So, I will heed my own advice and leave “white space” allowing for reflection on the “birthing” of my newest baby-an e-zine called "For Wise Women."

I hope all will join me in the excitement and creative energy this new “baby” will bring!

To subscribe to this newest e-zine e-mail "YES" in the subject box to: 4wisewomen@sbcglobal.net

One of Life's Biggest Gambles

2006-01-12T13:32:00.000-08:00

I have come to believe that going to a new hairstylist is a bigger risk than showing up at a Packer game with a Bear's jersey on!
You're life, at least temporarily, is in their hands.
Talk about trust! There needs to be more trust going on in that 1/2 hour than with any date I've ever been on! There is no leaving halfway through because you don't like how it's going.
Why is it you get a guarantee on most everything you buy except when you get your hair cut?
I have worn pants, washed them and been able to return them because they no longer look like when I bought them.
Why then, when we get a haircut and the stylist botches it so bad that we no longer look like we used to, is there no recourse?
We all know the way your hair is cut and styled makes a huge impact on your looks.
Look at some celebrity examples: Farrah Fawcett in the 1970’s, would she have gotten the drooling eyes and mouths of every teenage boy (and some men) if she had Twiggy’s haircut?
What about Faith Hill? Not only was the country music industry all a buzz when her locks were chopped, but did you see her in Cover Girl ads anymore?
I could go on and on.
I’m sure most of you have at least one “hair-raising” tale you could tell.
Were you able to get any justification? Or, was it “hat day” for months?
It’s not like these mistakes can be reversed overnight. Once you’re chopped, you’re chopped.
Maybe we need hair surgeons who will reattach those poor severed locks.
You would think in today’s technological society we could find a remedy for this age-old problem.
I know I’ve encountered it more times than I’d like to remember!
What warning system could we come up with to save women and men from these hair butchers? I wish I knew.
Until we come up with a solution (or a stylist worthy of my money twice) I guess I’ll just have to keep gambling.
And like playing the lottery, hope I get a winner someday.
Anybody got a cool hat?

New Year's Resolutions

2006-01-01T16:53:00.000-08:00

Many of us make New Year’s resolutions.
One year I resolved to start smoking. No one else I knew kept his or her resolution that year-but I did!
Now, that was quite a while ago and I did not need a resolution to quit.
I just got older and wiser, changed my attitude, and realized on my own that was not for me.
So this year I started thinking about becoming another year older. Then I thought, “Another year older? I don’t think so.”
Now before you think I had one too many last night, let me clarify.
I’m resigning myself to the fact that this year I will be another year wiser and richer.
Richer in the financial sense I hope so, but I know it will be much more than that.
Wiser to know that I don’t have to count in years; I can count in wisdom and gratitude.
It’s like that New Year’s Resolution to diet- it really does all boil down to attitude.
Will I gain weight if I don’t watch my diet and exercise? Yes.
Will I get another year older? Yes.
It’s how I look at it and what I keep in the forefront of my mind that is what really fuels my year.
So this year I will be richer and wiser (you notice I don’t say how much.)
That is all I have to resolve to do.

Keeping Serenity During the Holidays

2005-12-20T10:59:00.000-08:00

Holiday To Do List:

• Shopping for presents
• Putting up the decorations and the tree
• Baking cookies
• Wrapping presents/ shipping them off
• Go to friends and relatives houses, or have them over
• Clean!

This is just the start of my Holiday season list and it makes me tired just looking at it!
How will I keep serenity and balance as well as an as semblance of my routine during this hectic time?

I thought I had it figured out this year by escaping to Maui, taking care of all I needed to before I went so when I got back it would be a cakewalk.
Well, my cake fell flat when the post office returned my package after three weeks, damaged while losing another one!
Yes, serenity went out the window when I had to re-do all I thought was done and over with and wait in line at the post office for almost an hour.

As I stood there I knew two things could occur. I could fume and burn with rage to the point of spontaneous human combustion, or I could remember my yoga breath and that the poor sap at the counter was not to blame.

So, I took deep relaxing breaths and pictured myself back on the beach in Maui.
Hard to do when every two seconds the door to the post office opened and I was blasted with the reality of a harsh Wisconsin winter!
I knew that warming my thoughts would warm my heart so trying to restore that cakewalk I thought I had created before I left, and baked my heart in the joy that even with life’s problems, I am blessed.

As I approached the counter I smiled and I thought of how I saved this man from the cold, harsh winds of my mouth.
He now would only have to endure the cold winds from outside, not inside too- at least not from me.
As I drove home my anxiety again increased knowing “the list” was still at home and waiting. More deep breaths.
I decided to take things in order of priority; my stomach growled and I took that as a sign.
Cookies are an important tradition; besides, the oven would warm up the house.
I set to work and thought it was good to be home. If I was still in Maui I would not have fudge, chocolate crinkles, and spritz cookies to warm my heart and soul. (Which would be a good thing since I walked around in a swimsuit all day!)
So, hello again Wisconsin! - Bring on the cold, it gives me an excuse to “pad up” and stay warm whether with clothes or food, it’s the Midwestern way.
And that cleaning…well, good food can make any friend or relative look away!

Thanksgiving Vegetarian Style

2005-11-24T08:57:00.000-08:00

The stuffing is made, the turkey is bought,
Everything’s ready but I am not.

I won’t eat turkey, stuffing, gravy, or sweets, so why host a traditional Thanksgiving feast?

Well, my motives are selfish, I must admit
Even though some vegetarians wouldn’t like it a bit.

This way I kill two birds with one little stone,
(It’s only a metaphor-so PETA leave it alone!)
So I fix food that I can eat too,
And I don’t have to drive an hour or two.

Now yes, there’s the dishes piled up in the air
But frankly, this is a perk-I don’t care.
I have an excuse to stay hidden away,
From all of the relatives for the whole day!

My holiday obligations have all been met.
So I can be grateful with no regret.
As vegetarian, writer, and mom,
I give great thanks for that tom,
That gave its life for my family this day.
So they can feel stuffed as they lounge and they lay.

May everyone, everywhere see what they may,
Be grateful for all you have or give away!

Share the Thanksgiving spirit and all be blessed.
Happy (turkey) day everyone- now go get some rest!

Marie ☺

Why I Am a Writer

2005-11-16T12:41:00.000-08:00

I guess the question I have often asked myself is not, “Why am I a writer” but “Am I really a writer?”
The self-doubt kicks in sometimes so strong it blocks all creative thought.
Writer Natalie Goldberg calls it the “monkey mind.” When I think of monkeys I think, possibly cute but messy, noisy and of course, the vision of them picking those bugs off each other-YUCK! I would not term my thoughts “monkey mind” for that reason, but they can be annoying as well as controlling.
The point I need to remember is not how good I feel I am but how passionate I truly feel.
If you have a love and a passion for something then all else falls into place.
The practice comes because you want to learn; the learning is easy because you want to absorb everything you can.
I remind myself of a MASH show where Charles operated on a great pianist. The show was very touching, but the main part I hold to is when Charles talked about being able to play piano or truly PLAY. He said anyone can learn to play the notes, but only those that truly love it can PLAY. He was referring to a passion that runs deep and is felt by all who hear.
That is how I try to write. With the passion that feeds my souls and makes me feel truly alive; when I can speak without interruption and say things to help others learn, make them smile, share a part of me, or better their world.
It sounds like a tall order but I believe that is part of why people read. They want to learn, laugh, or escape. Writing helps me to do that and to share that with others.
I have learned I can find whom I really am at that moment when I am truly able to write and create.
When I learn to absorb all of my surroundings through a writer’s eye I find I am more observant, and grateful.
Why am I a writer? It is my passion and who I am at my core.