The Right Now! Notes Book and Music Issue

Actually that's THE GREAT BIG RIGHT NOW! NOTES BOOK AND MUSIC ISSUE. Because it's all that—great, big, and filled with books and music. If you need a book to transform your life, a good beach read, or a song that will rock your world—click here to read my summer book and music issue! Enjoy!

(And, by the way. If you want to get my monthly newsletter—filled with tips to transform your life Right Now—delivered into your email inbox, visit my Web site and sign up. You'll get a cool little ebook as my gift to you!)

Smarter than a Scientist: What NOT to Do with a Feeding Tube

On February 1, 2008, our daughter Elly was put on a feeding tube. She has failure-to-thrive, and the feeding tube would help her reach a healthy weight. We thought this would be very temporary. Eighteen months later, she is still on the tube. We have great hopes that she will be off this thing within the next six months. In the meantime, we are finding ways to cope.

A few weeks ago, as summer moved into high gear, we started talking about life with the tube. Elly came up with the idea of writing a list of things NOT to do with a feeding tube. We've been working on it together ever since. Elly decided that it would make a great entry for her "smarter than a scientist" blog post. So here is our list—complete with pictures—about what NOT to do with your feeding tube (if you should ever have one). I hope you'll enjoy reading the list of naughty acts as much as we enjoyed imagining them. As we chose the pictures for this post, Elly said to me: "It's fun to work on projects together." I agree.

What NOT to Do with a Feeding Tube

by Elly and her mom

1. Mow the lawn (see photo above).

2. Jump off the sofa.

3. Jump off your mom or dad who is on the sofa.

4. Be wild.

5. Run around your brother, wrapping him in the feeding tube.

6. Play jump rope with your feeding tube!
7. Knit your feeding tube into a scarf.

8. Pull your feeding tube like taffy!

9. Squeeze the bag like a tube of toothpaste.

10. Detach it and drink out of it.

11. Detach it and make your brother drink out of it.

12. Ride your scooter with it attached.

13. Tease the bees with the Pediasure. (They'll chase you!)
14. Ride your bike with your feeding tube attached.

15. Use it as a glasses case for your mother's glasses.

16. String your brother's guitar.

17. Cut it up and cook it. (Eek!)

18. Use it as a flotation device.

19. Wear it as a necklace.

20. Use it as a pillow.

21. Wear it as a headband.

22. Eat the tube (or the handle)!
The End!

Walking Graces

If you are walking to seek, ye shall find.  

~Sommeil Liberosensa

Feeling overwhelmed by the daily demands of life—and who doesn't???—I picked up the book Sabbath by Wayne Muller. I'd read it ten years ago, when it first came out. Back then, I raced through the book, gobbling up the ideas like hot popcorn. Now, I am taking my time with the book. Don't assume that I'm reading more slowly because I'm wiser. Hardly. It's that I rarely have time to read. In other words, I need a sabbath to read Sabbath.

I did get far enough in the book to read about the Sabbath Walk. According to Muller, this is a slow and silent thirty-minute walk. He says this about the practice, "Follow your own timing and curiosity. When you are called to stop, stop and investigate. When you are called to begin again, simply move on. That is all."

I love the idea of wandering for thirty-minutes, on the lookout for miracles. I'm enchanted with the thought of walking without purpose. But I need a guide. Left to my own devices, I will always be intent on getting somewhere or becoming fit or, at the very least, thinking over big ideas. 

I live with a couple of children who are happy to wander aimlessly through the world. Thankfully, they are still willing to let me tag along. When I allow my children to take me on a walk, I am surprised by the miracles they find. Dogs, dandelions, rocks, and (as you can see above) another family out for a walk. But maybe the biggest miracle is this: instead of moving onto the next big thing, we stopped and watched. We took a sabbath moment.

This week, take ten minutes to wander around the block or through a park. See what you uncover—in the world and in your soul. 

RESOURCES:

Brandi Carlile's song, Have You Ever, provides a wonderful soundtrack for the wandering walk. Take a moment to listen to it. It's a catchy reminder to get out and walk!

I've also provided a link to Wayne Muller's wonderful book Sabbath. A must-have for the world-weary among us!

Skating Lessons

My daughter just started taking skating lessons at the Petit National Ice Center. Can you guess what the instructors teach first at this Olympic training center? They teach the students how to get up. 

I love this. We all fall. What separates those who succeed from those who don't? Getting up. Those who succeed get up over and over again. The rest sit on the ice and whine: 

"It's too hard."

"No one supports me."

"Why do I keep falling?"

Last week I listened to creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson's TED talk. He said, "If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original."

In other words, those who succeed are willing to create something that others may mock (or worse). Scary! Most of us want the approval of other people. Once we know (or think we know) what pleases our audience, we do it over and over again. 

This week, try something different. Take a risk with your work. Get curious. Be willing to produce something you cannot use. As Samuel Beckett said, "Ever tried? Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better."

Just remember this: get up and try again. Like the old proverb says, "Fall seven times. Stand up eight."

Smarter than a Scientist

We'd had one of those terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days (thank you Judith Viorst for creating that amazing phrase). 

In the midst of this, my seven-year-old daughter piped up: "When you are having a bad day, do something you love. You'll feel better."

She's right, of course. Participating in activities we are passionate about DOES help us to feel happier. But most of us slog through life checking chores off our to-do list and forget about the stuff that once delighted us. When we get to the end of our terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days, we pour ourselves a glass of something, dig into the chips, and veg out in front of the television.

In honor of the first day of spring, I'm challenging you to do something different. Make a list of ten activities that engage and inspire you. Think about the last few times you felt that first-day-of-spring, new-possibilities feeling. What were you doing? Wandering around an art museum, digging in the dirt, working on your car, or walking in the woods?  Put it down on the list!

The next time you're having one of those days, stop working and do something that delights you. As my daughter says, you'll feel better! 

Speaking of my daughter. After she gave her sage advice, I asked if she would help me out with the blog. She suggested I call her blog posts, "Smarter than a Scientist" because—as she said—"I am."  

If you are looking for more young wisdom, check out young Alexander in Judith Viorst's book, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

Good News

I woke up this morning feeling uneasy. It took a few minutes to figure out why. And then I remembered. I'd broken my long-standing news fast. On Friday, I checked into a hotel to work on my new book proposal. This hotel had two perks I don't get at home: a daily newspaper and cable television. On Saturday night, after a day and a half of work, my daughter joined me for a night of girl time. While she watched The Disney Channel, I read the paper. Bad idea.

After all that news, the words in my head this morning were not the usual hopeful ones. Instead of thinking about my morning writing work, I was recalling dire predictions. As I drove my daughter to school and lifted weights at the YMCA, my brain kept remembering phrases like:

• dismal possibilities
• difficult publishing landscape 
  
• staggering losses
• lowest since ...
• worst in 34 years ...

Before long, I was beginning to think, "Well, why bother?" Why bother writing a book, why bother building a business, why bother doing ANYTHING when the economic climate is so tough?

I'm not going to tell you that the economic climate is peachy. It isn't. It's a mess. Not an unfixable mess, but a mess.

But I am going to answer the question, "Why bother?"

Why bother?  Because the world needs you now more than ever. In difficult economic times, the world needs you to speak your hopeful words, write your books, play your music, make art, bake bread, and work on that business dream. 

The world needs some good news. Why shouldn't it come from you???

I'm creating my own antidote to the daily dose of bad news. On Sunday morning, my daughter and I each wrote down five things we were grateful for about each other. You can see her drawing above. The practice helped us both to feel better. So now I am expanding it. Every night I write in my journal three pieces of good news—ideas, people, places, or events that brought me hope that day. 

I'll let you know how that goes. But right now, I need to get back to working on my book. After all, the world needs more good news! :-) 

In the meantime, check out the movie Seabiscuit. The movie was a great reminder that the situation does not have to be perfect (the economy, our health, our age, or experience) in order to achieve success. 

What's YOUR biggest goal?

Last week I received an email from one of my Mastermind partners, Caroline Miller. She asked, "What's your biggest goal for 2009?" 

I have goals—plenty of them. I even have a priority system for my goals—so I know which ones I want and need to accomplish first. But I hadn't thought in terms of size. I hadn't decided which of my big goals I absolutely positively wanted to accomplish this year. Caroline's question changed that. Now I know—I want to finish my book proposal and get it to an agent. 

That question changed the way I function in my daily life. Once I had my big goal in mind, I blocked out daily calendar time to work on it. I gave myself a due date. Both of my mastermind partners, my family, and a few friends know that I'm hard at work on this goal. They hold me accountable to it. 

Daily, I do what I can do toward accomplishing my goals. Not every day is perfect. Sometimes I'm worried about my kids or working on another deadline. I'm cold or hungry or tired. (Or distracted by Facebook and Twitter.) 

In the midst of life's imperfections, I hold in my mind the picture of my daughter above, working in what she calls "her office." She gets lost in making art—even though she is on a throw rug on the floor, with her brother cranking up ACDC's music. Watching her, I let go of my expectations for the perfect writing day. I put my butt in the desk chair and write—no matter what. 

So how about you. What's your biggest goal for 2009? Name it, claim it, and get going!

If your biggest goal has to do with writing, join my new Write Now Mastermind Group. 

No matter what your goal, check out Caroline's new book, Creating Your Best Life. It'll help you set the big goals and achieve them. Promise!