I’ve met a wise health professional who shares small bits of wisdom every time I see him. His kindest words to me were that I think from my heart, and not from my mind (like most people). This kind of thinking is good, because I have an open and loving heart; I take in other people’s considerations (most times) before my own. I am a caring individual. Thinking with the heart has its drawbacks, because in some cases I can’t be objective, because I am ‘feeling’ rather than ‘thinking’ and this lends itself to emotional upheaval, which leads to health issues, tension, and stress.
He suggests that I am a magnet for others emotions and it is true, I do tend to pick up on people’s vibrations and energy. The trick for me is trying to find a balance between what my mind is telling me, what my body knows to be true and what my spirit needs – all with the need to reduce stress – either fabricated or real.
My writing has always been a resource for myself to let go. The journal writing I do allows me to take a look at my inner self. Similar to this piece of writing, putting thoughts on paper is a way to let my mind relax, and unload some stress. My spirit has come to expect writing time and if I get caught up in ‘life’ and don’t give myself time to write my thoughts, then I get stressed out and health issues surface.
My friend also suggests that getting caught up in ‘life’ is not the stressful situations that the mind creates, but rather getting caught up in ‘life’ should be the fun things we do, the ways of expressing ourselves, whether it is through laughter, dance, song, creativity and just enjoying activities with family and friends and interacting with nature.
Celebrating by giving spirit what it wants is also part of ‘life’. If we allow spirit to soar and dance, we can appreciate that which life gives us with joy and little stress. Taking care of spirit is unique to each individual. It is important in today’s high-action, fast-paced world that we can differentiate between what our minds fabricate and what our spirit really requires.
The Penguins are coming to the Calgary Zoo. The last time I saw penguins in real life was at the Montréal Biodôme. It was quite an experience. When I wrote the book Little Blue
Little Blue Penguin by Patricia L. Atchison
Penguin, I never knew that a few years later, I’d have the privilege of seeing penguins once more so close to home.
Although the Calgary Zoo’s Penguin Plunge exhibit (opening February 17, 2012) won’t have the Little Blue or Fairy Penguins that my book is related to, they will have four species from the penguin family including: Humboldt, Gentoo, Rockhopper and Kings. Two, the Rockhopper and Gentoo face serious challenges in the wild with declining populations.
To welcome these special guests, the Calgary Zoo created a Polar Paradise, where as soon as you enter the new exhibit, you will feel a blast of cold air, with the indoor temperature being 7 degrees (45F), which in the middle of the hot summer will feel great! Visitors are surrounded by the playful and energetic penguins within their rocky outcroppings and cold water. The exhibit features holes in the ice where penguins can swim through and a surface where they can waddle with ease. The ice and rock formations provide a natural habitat, while flickering lights of the Aurora Australis create a mood that visitors will be equally impressed with.
The ultimate goal of the Calgary Zoo is, “To leave visitors with a love of penguins and the inspiration and knowledge to do what they can to help them. Interacting with the animals, showcasing their natural habitat and sharing the challenges penguins currently face are all part of the plan for the facility.”
Fairy Penguin, photo credit Copyright iStockphoto / Sky Creative
When I wrote Little Blue Penguin, about a penguin ‘stuffie’ who co-incidentally gets lost at the zoo, I never thought that the Calgary Zoo would one day be hosting penguins. Not one of the four featured at the zoo, another species of penguin is the ‘Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor)’ or ‘Fairy Penguins’. This breed is the smallest species of penguin. They grow to 40 centimeters (about 16 to 17 inches) tall and weigh around 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds). They are found in the Sub-Antarctic regions south of New Zealand. Also called ‘Little Blues’, these small burrow-nesting birds have indigo-blue and slate-grey coloured feathers.
The Little Blue Penguin book is about a favourite stuffie friend to a little girl named Becky. Little Blue Penguin’s emotions shine colourfully when a journey from the toy store takes him to a new home and into Becky’s arms. His world is happy and loving until an outing at the zoo finds him lost and alone. As Little Blue Penguin faces different emotions, he shines different colours, thus allowing the reader to learn their colours.
For ages two and up, this book has become a favourite amongst playschool-aged children and is a good night-time read.
Be sure to visit the Calgary Zoo’s Penguin Plunge and see penguins in action as they play and entertain throughout the day. If you are looking for an entertaining children’s picture book be sure to visit Wood Lily Publishers for more information.
With the ocean as my view
I ponder life with renew
The pleasures it has brought
The pain it has wrought
The times of sorrow and dismay
A life of play
Gentle breeze tickles my legs
The ocean crashing its waves
Changes occurring each second
The memories they beckon
This time to ponder and reflect
Of life and all its effect
The joys, the sorrows,
The ups and downs
My life today is not a frown
More a smile wide and reaching
Of the view that’s life teaching
Me to be aware
Of life’s pleasure as I stare
With the ocean as my view
I ponder life with renew.
© December 29, 2011, Patricia L. Atchison
While I was in Maui, I did some journal writing. Enjoy!
Today I am the explorer seeing a different life, wanting to spread my wings and fly over the ocean. Today I shall be a seagull allowing the wind to push and shove me over the tides. My eyes scan the water for morsels of food. I am drawn to the motion and the treasures galore that the water of earth sends to shore. Each churning wave ruffles the sands of time allowing new treasure to be unearthed.
I am the water now, full of energy and a force to be reckoned with. Surging with life, I follow the rhythm of wind and earth shuddering great waves of energy. Flowing tides speak language centuries old, cutting a path of least resistance, breaking down lava that stands in my way. I can be calm, but for now I have power. I am strong, relentless, changing with each moment, churning, rushing, rising, crashing, and slashing. I am the water, the ocean.
The two meld, the seagull and the waves. Each giving and taking life, following the natural rhythm of nature. It’s perfect, being an explorer. (December 29, 2011)
What Do Teens Look For In A Good Book?
In my blog, aboutwritingandpublishing, I recently wrote about using profanity in stories. I have a moral obligation to my readers, especially when they are young adults and teens, to the type of writing I present to this age group. I have always been in conflict when presenting topics, themes and types of genres to young adults – say ages fifteen and up. Sometimes I think authors candy-coat social situations and issues that happen daily in real life. We present ‘good’ stories, with a hint of sadness.
Are we doing a disservice to the young adult reader, or are we presenting them with a world that although hints at tragedy, still provides a safe haven, which ultimately is a relief from the hardships they face on a day-to-day basis. They can escape to the character’s world, get bashed, scraped and bruised, but not feel the true pain that accosts some of them every day in their lives.
I guess if an author wants to write a ‘real-life’ story that includes profanity, terrible social issues such as abuse, rape, bullying, gangs and drugs, which includes teen characters, then this type of publication could always be destined for the adult market. This becomes a safety net for both the author and publisher, because even though many teens do turn to adult novels because they provide the realism of a true-life story, there are no implications to those who produced it.
I haven’t read many e-books yet to see if there have been changes in the writing of books for young adults and teens. A lot of e-books are self-published, so if there is no ‘corporate’ publisher to set rules and guidelines, then anything could be a go, depending on who is publishing the story and how they are marketing it.
It would be interesting to hear thoughts from young adults and teens on what they are looking for in books, as to what seems real-life and what is too candy-coated for their own good. Do they mind profanity when it enhances or goes along with real-life issues and situations?
I recently read a quote on a blog (sorry wish I had a name), that suggests as teens we want to be adults and hear, do and see adult things, and when we reach adulthood, we want to go back to the innocent days of childhood and make everything rosy and sweet again. If only… My challenging moral obligation continues to do what I have to, to protect the innocence of youth while continuing to provide a great ‘real’ story. (I welcome your thoughts, comments and suggestions.)
Cycle Of Life, An Upward and Downward Spiral
Our lives go in circles or what I like to think of as spirals – up and down movements. The cycles have to do with the things we do in our lives, what we feel, how we react, and events that run out of control. ‘They’ say we have seven year cycles. Our blood recycles its self. Our bones regenerate after a number of years. Remission from illness makes us healthy again. Good and bad luck comes and goes. Slumps happen. I guess this is what life is.
I think my life is in a cycle change. I’ve lost a few loved ones over the past several years. I’ve been through some personal issues and physical things, but I am healed now. These injuries and the changes they caused lead to depression and anxiety. I’ve come to recognize the feelings associated with what happened and definitely do not want to go down that road again if I can help it. Continue reading
Muskeg Mama, Quadding Fun!
The men grunt as they off load the ATV’s from the trailer. “Urrrgh, Urrrgh.” You know the ‘Tim Taylor Tool Man’ grunt. The kids are squealing with exuberance while playing Kick the Can in the semi-dark. The women are readying the trailers. And me, I am my kid’s Mom, my husband’s soul mate and a city kid turned forest ranger for the weekend. Whose idea was it to go camping the long weekend in August? Doesn’t everyone know that garage sales are in abundance this weekend! Continue reading
I had the opportunity to participate in the 3-Day novel Contest this past Labour Day weekend, September 3 to 5, 
2011. It was a choice I made, something I’ve always considered doing, but until this year never had the chance. Wow! The experience taught me a lot. It was difficult. Was it the hardest thing I have ever done in my life? Not really. Was it a challenge? Absolutely!
The challenge was not in the writing, but the perseverance. It would have been easy to say, “This sucks, it is such a beautiful weekend, I’d rather be out playing.” But at the same time there was that inner voice that said, “Let’s see what happens, press on.” Continue reading
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