A New Year—2014

So here we go again. Did you accomplish everything you wanted in 2013? Did it sneak up and flip you on your back? It did me a little bit. I'd say the first half was horrible in some ways, the midsection got better, then great, then okay, then bad, then back to being just okay. Summer was beautiful. I loved every second of it. I wrote a lot, read a lot, hung out with the kids and just lived and breathed a wonderful, happy existence. In the fall I felt the anxiety comeback, but found a way to deal with it through meditation, yoga, positive thinking and lots and lots of walks with Henry.

~the best friend a person could ever have. faithful to the core. a gentle spirit and a heart of gold~

The ball will drop tonight--er, haha. That always sound so sick. Well, if it's gonna drop, it's gonna drop.  So, anyway, we move into a year with an even number, which is always a good thing in my book.  I think after a year of lessons, we all need a year of joy and happiness. Bring it on!!! 

I'll be working on the sequel to The Soul Seekers, and numerous other projects, too many to list here. And I'm super happy about that! I like to keep busy, and I like routine. So bring it all on!!

May 2014 be blessed for you and yours. We'll get through these snowy months that bring us into despair. And in the spring we'll plant our gardens and bask in the sun. Through it all we'll have great hope and spirits. Take care, everyone, and thank you for being your kind and beautiful selves this year. 

Peace,

amy

Monday Morning Sky

Looks like  The Soul Seekers is free for Kindle download over at  Amazon for the next few days, so if you don't have it yet, here's your chance to snag yourselves up a copy. I'm nervously awaiting edits for the sequel but have to admit it was nice not having to worry about writing during the holidays. Though I'm getting to that point where I miss my characters—always a good sign. There's nothing worse than hating your book, every single part of it, but having to push through anyway. We've all been there, but yeah, it's nice to be on the good side of things when it comes to work, and not the bad.

So, Kansas has turned cold again with a nasty wind to go along with it. Little miss Julia and I both had the flu over Christmas and there hasn't been much of going outside lately. Just a lot of movie watching and hanging around the house. I took this picture from my kitchen window this morning, inside, where it's warm.

My camera failed to pick up the deep red tones, so red they spilled into the kitchen and made my  morning coffee a crimson experience. What's that old saying, "Red sky at morning, sailors take warning . . . ?" Though I'm sure the sailors in Kansas will be just fine today.

A few weeks ago I saw a very pregnant looking possum cross by the back door and then go under the back steps. Ever since then Henry has been on a mission from God, checking the stairs, sniffing in crazy halting patterns. You open that door and he shoots out into the yard. Why, oh why, did a preggo possom have to choose my backyard for her birthing center? I haven't encouraged it in the least. No scraps or water or anything, but I did leave all those tomatoes on the vine and that could be the appeal. Just great . . . possums are such ugly creatures, don't you think? Mean little faces with squinty eyes and huge rows of snaggy teeth. And they're always hissing at you. Well, anyway, at least Henry's keeping busy. He hasn't rolled in stinky mysterious yard goo for a good two weeks now. Gotta appreciate that.

Thanks for stopping by! Take care of yourselves. Peace.

Shots of Snaps

Having written so much these last few years, I've finally found something else to take my mind off the act, whereas writing used to be what I'd do to take my mind off everything else. I'm not great at taking pics, just okay enough to enjoy it as a lark. Always kind of loved the idea of capturing things in weird angles and shadows and such. I've been thinking that when things gets a little warmer I might go around town, or to nearby towns, to capture this crazy world of ours. Just a thought though. May not happen. 

Here I visited a local man who decorates his entire yard—front and back—with Christmas inflatables. There's no way to capture the entire thing in one shot, but I hope you get a good enough idea from the  picture. He's even got an inflatable tv screen above his garage—something that seems excessive at first but really clever the more you think about it. A great way to find the house if you get lost!

This here's the secret entrance to the backyard. Personally, I decided not to travel the secret portal. Something about those penguins' beady little eyes . . . very ominous if you ask me! 

I call this one 'December Ice.' Because of the ice. And it's December. 

The view from the front lawn of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. No inflatables, but a huge shuttlecock—which is almost the same thing.

A wider view of the front entrance. FYI, the placid and beautiful water feature used to be a parking lot, now everything's underground and costs money. You could just park in the water for free—save yourself the five dollars. Wouldn't recommend it, but I'd love to see someone try!

Inside a stereoscope with a lively French scene in sepia. I believe the stereoscope's predecessor was the nickelodeon—a fun gadget where you slipped in a nickel and got a crappy movie. Nickelodeon . . . hmm. Look closely and maybe you'll find Spongebob on the bridge.

An up-close view of some awesome wall art. It makes me think of a million jelly sandwiches.

A British serving set gifted to a very American coffee company called Folgers. I like the shadows it creates, like lace. What a tea set has to do with coffee, I'll never know. Guess we were too nice to say, 'Helloooooo, we make coffee here!' Looks like no one actually used it. 

Sometimes, my morning view. I have a red plasticine panel against the window, and everything turns crimson at dawn in that little corner. On the other corner is a green panel. I don't know why. 

And that's it. I hope everyone had a wonderful, beautiful Christmas this year. Thanks for stopping by! 

The Importance of Being Permanent

photo credit: AlicePopkorn via photopin cc

With the recent shooting at a Colorado high school I'm left wondering what is happening in our society that has led to such destructive and violent tendencies. Why are people turning to permanent answers to what otherwise seems like innocent problems? This last shooter—a young man—was angry at his speech coach for kicking him off the team. Everyone raise your hand if you think shooting other people and then killing yourself is a good answer to that kind of problem? Right. It's like one of those greater than, less than problems in math class. Which one is greater? Draw the arrow. Yep. Death and murder is a greater problem than not getting what you want at school. Duh.

So why?

Because people have begun to think all problems end in violence. They can't see a greater solution, and they can't say they're wrong. People are so overcome with the here and now that they are resorting to 'all or nothing' solutions. First is a lack of confidence, then a lack of self-control. You need both in this world, and if you don't have it, find it. Work on it.

I hate to tell the younger generation this little fact, but I have to: Life gets harder after high school. Your problems are more complex, more draining, they involve more people and usually have a deeper emotional impact. High school ain't nothin'.

But you know what else?

Life also get better after high school. Your problems are more complex, but your joys are way more rewarding and tend to last longer.

But let's go way, way back to the beginning . . .

You're born. Yay! You only get one of these so use it wisely. Life is the only thing you're ever really owed—did you know that? You're not owed a cool house, cool parents, nice clothes, a fast car, a sweet sixteen birthday party, good teeth, great friends. Nothing. Only your life.

At first you'll have to learn how to do everything just to survive, and it's really, really frustrating. But if you don't learn, you lose out on opportunities. So, suck it up and learn. Success comes with failure and persistence. Don't blame others along the way. Again, nobody owes you anything. Don't hate other people because they're seemingly more attractive, or richer, or have better cars than you. Hating others makes you ugly. The real kind of ugly.

Learn to deal with your anger. You have no right to walk around being mad. I don't care if you've had bullies, mean teachers, crappy parents—it doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is how you react to the problems in your life. I've had bad days where I thought tomorrow would never come, but tomorrow did come, and I faced it, and I survived.

You're only as good as your worst day. 

Violence and anger are never justified in any situation. The second you entertain those thoughts, you are the bad guy. As long as you keep your cool and rise above the worst of it, you are the good guy.

Do you want to be the good guy, or the bad guy?

Good guys are much stronger than you think. It's hard to be the good guy. Good guys get stepped on, road raged, spit at, laughed at, rejected, hurt—but they rise above it and move forward. Good guys are heroes. They are the real-life Superman.

I'm telling you this because apparently everyone is too busy. Your parents, your teachers, your friends. Maybe they're too afraid to tell you. Maybe they don't know how. Maybe they've never learned.

It starts with self love. I know that sounds like a load of crap, but it's the truth. If you don't have love and respect for yourself, you won't have it for other people. That doesn't mean you are better than anyone else, it means that you understand the value of your life and how you want to be treated. And when you have that, you treat other people the same way. It's all about respect and value of life.

Yours, and other people's.

This is so corny, but I have to say it. I love you. And I want you to do better. Think better, react better. I want you to live long and achieve much. I want you to be healthy and have a happy existence with a home and a family and many, many good years. I love you, because no matter where you came from or how you grew up or what you look like, you are this amazing creature called a human being. And human beings are beautiful.

Have you ever thought about how these conservation groups try to save animals from going extinct? But then when it comes to us, the humans, it's like there's so many of us that no one even cares anymore. Well, that needs to change. We humans are just as beautiful; we are rare exotic creatures. Maybe someone should come and observe us and put us all in a zoo. They could throw tacos and pizza for feeding time, and then an iPad for play. The point is, we are worth it. Humans are no less valuable on this earth than anything else. We need respect, we need care and conservation, we need to survive.

Remember when I said life is all you were ever owed, and so use it wisely? I meant that. But I was wrong. You are also owed love. Everyone deserves love, and dammit, if it feels like no one around you is doing a good job, then you need to be the one who changes that. Show them. Be an example. Live love. Be love. Eventually they'll know so well that they'll love you back.

See how that works?

Never give up on life or love. Never let stupid problems take away your greatest gift. Find ways to rise above. Deal with your anger in a positive manner. Never resort to violence. Don't let negative thoughts control you. Every thought in your head is an action. Think bad stuff: bad stuff happens. Think good stuff: good stuff happens. It's simple.

But . . . sometimes you gotta wait for it. Good stuff takes its time. When it finally comes around, it's awesome.

Lastly, don't spend so much time on the internet. People lie and say the worst things. If you believe half of what you read, then man, you're in trouble. Consider the source. That's what one of my best friends tells me. A lot of the people on the internet are cowards and they're really, really afraid of being judged. So they judge others. They judge you. But they don't know you.

You are beautiful. How do I know this? Because you're reading this post. And damn, it's long. Something in you cares deeply about, not only what happens to you, but everyone else in this world. That's amazing. Everyone should be like you.

So . . . when you are in your worst moment, remember that: how beautiful you are.

And that you are loved.

Now, keep that thought.

The Christmas Heart

I had just opened a letter from my bank: overdraft. Only by a few dollars, but it was Christmas money and any presents I'd intended to buy were now stalled. It depressed me. I sat in my decade old maroon Chevy Cavalier and tried not to cry.

At least I had gas in the car. I drove to my friend's house in our old town, a town so small that you'd miss it if you blinked, and pulled into her drive. She lived with her parents but would leave for college in the fall—a feat I admired and coveted. College was about as likely for me as finding a five dollar bill in my coat pocket. Believe me, I'd already checked. I crushed a cigarette out in my car's overfilled ashtray, slapped on some lipgloss and looked in the rearview mirror. Pale, irish, red hair, nose too big. Me.

She was there to greet me at the door. Renee was a gentle person, very giving and welcoming. She possessed a booming laugh and seemed to love the way I entertained her with my endless string of sarcastic comments and stories. Though sometimes I imagined the real reason we were friends was because of her dream of getting a psychology degree. I was a nut case. Depressed, total lack of confidence, unresolved issues with both parents, and I was desperately in love with a dead rock star. One time Renee invited me to a class at the local community college and dared me to impersonate a British exchange student. So I did. For a full hour the teacher asked questions about mental health care in the UK, and I told a load of lies with a slightly undone accent. The whole class listened and believed. Renee held in the laughter, and then later when we shared a smoke in the student courtyard she said, "You're insane!"

What I was, was unloved. Oh sure, I was loved. But I didn't feel loved. I felt alone. Oh my God, so freaking alone. Never pretty enough to date or to even exist in the world. It would take me years and years to get over all that. You know that story about the ugly duckling and how it later turns out to be a swan? Well, I was smart enough to know I wasn't a swan. So what the fuck was I? I didn't know.

I walked into her house and saw the whole family was there. Her mother, her father, and her little sister—a beautiful dark-haired girl with a gritty disposition. They were Puerto Rican but very Americanized. Her mother loved Elvis, her father worked construction. Although the food remained authentic to their heritage: tortillas, chile sauce with pork, cactus, fried tacos, refried beans, fresh salsa, and sweet tea in the fridge. For me, it was heaven. I would gorge myself on this wonderful food and then sneak back to my own house of boxed meals and strict Catholicism.

"We're making tamales," Renee said with a look of warning.

I'd interrupted a tradition. They made tamales on a secret night in December and then passed them out to family and friends.

"Should I leave?" I asked.

"No. You stay and help. It's hard work."

I took off my coat and joined the production line at the kitchen table. My job was to spread the masa onto pliable corn husks, the person next to me added cheese, then the next person meat, with the final set of hands tying off each bundle. Each batch went into a steamer to cook.

With all this hard work I forgot about my overdraft at the bank. All I knew at that moment was working with a happy family, and Christmas music, and the hot bright smell of jalapeño.

Afterwards, I was invited to join them in delivering the tamales. We piled into Renee's father's truck and shivered as he drove because the heater didn't work. We went through our small town, across the highway, over the bridges and into the lights of the city. Then we entered an apartment building and went up to the third floor. Renee's grandmother answered the door.

"Mija!" she sang out to the girls. They gave her the tamales and everyone made small talk. There was a tiny aluminum tree in her living room with a picture of Jesus above it. I stayed back so I wouldn't intrude family talk. My troubles entered my head again. How would I tell my mother? She was so hard on me sometimes—the youngest. I failed and failed, and each time, felt her displeasure.

"What is it?" Renee asked, coming over. "You're so quiet tonight. You haven't made me laugh once."

"Oh, I made a stupid mistake on my account and went overdraft at the bank. It's nothing."

"Mistakes happen," she said. "I'll loan you a few dollars." Renee turned and looked over her shoulder. "Grandmother asked if you'd join me and sis in the back room. She's giving out presents. She does it every year."

"No, I can't."

"She wants you to."

So we went back there, into her Grandmother's apartment bedroom with plants everywhere and macrame ropes on the ceiling, and stood around her bed. And waited. Out came a box of jewelry. Renee's grandmother dug through it with round and tanned fingers. Careful, oh so careful she picked. "Mija," she said to the little sister, "hold out your hand." A ring.

"Thank you, Grandmother."

Then Renee. "For you, mija." Silver earrings.

"Thank you, Grandmother."

Then she dug in the box one more time, and turned to me. "And for you too, mija."

I bent down so she could place a gold chain around my neck with a matching gold heart dangling from the end. My fingers went up to touch it.

We left a while later, back out into the cold. Back to her father's loud truck with the broken heater. My fingers just couldn't stop touching that heart.

Simple flame

A year ago we all became broken. Something unthinkable happened at a little school in a town called Sandy Hook. Innocent children were killed and their parents' lives changed forever. I, a person miles and miles away, remember crying and feeling as if a weight had been laid upon my chest. As our president spoke to us, breaking down into his own tears because he too couldn't believe what had happened, a sorrow entered my heart—a kind that I've never experienced. For almost a year I felt that same sorrow follow me around. It dampened my daily activities and swallowed my happiness. It became a being of darkness: for things irreplaceable, actions undoable, pain unremovable. It wasn't until this fall that I began to work through the darkness to find some kind of light in what had happened. It isn't fair. I'm sure none of us want to find a positive in tragedies like this. But we have to. It is the human spirit to rise above and to forge through the darkest valleys in order to find hope.

And there is hope. 

It's everywhere you go, because hope is in you. It is in your smile. It is in the way you treat others. It is in the way you forgive. You are a light and you spread hope, love, joy through the darkest valleys. Your thoughts are amazing entities. They heal the world. So: think positive things, do positive things. Be love. And be light.

You are a candle. No matter what horrible things may happen on this planet we call Earth, you shine and illuminate.

Never forget that.

We can't change what happened to those beautiful and innocent children at Sandy Hook, but we can try to heal what happened. Maybe not all of it, but in small parts and in little increments of time. 

Take care, everyone.

Peace



photo credit: jessleecuizon via photopin cc

High on Health and High on Life: an interview with Fran Kerr

While most of us are caught up in the various stresses of our daily lives, there is a young woman in a Peru who has found a way to escape all that. Where she lives problems are few, the only inconveniences are if her internet connection will last long enough to upload a video that day, or if rain is going to ruin her walk to town. She wears her hair long and is pretty in the kind of way that you would call a natural beauty. There’s just something about her—an elegance and a wisdom; she speaks with a confidence and knowledge far beyond her years. Would you believe the person I’m describing is a skin care advocate who makes video blogs on a regular basis about things like cystic acne and natural healing? Her name is Fran Kerr, she’s thirty-something, and to her Australia is a far off place she once called home.

Fran, like many people I found your website while seeking out help for cystic acne. Unfortunately I’m someone who suffers from the occasional skin condition, quite depressing as I’m long past being in my teens. What I found most interesting in your video journals were the little tidbits of your life beyond the skincare advice. It became clear to me that you’d been on a journey as of late, both spiritual and geographical. Tell me a bit about where you grew up, and some of the places you’ve been.

First of all - if you're still dealing with that cystic acne I can help you fix it!

My journey into this "spiritual life" is a long one so I'll shorten it for you. 

I grew up as a very anxious child and then teenager in Brisbane, Australia. It was that anxiety I guess that pushed me into working on myself in my early twenties. I had been an atheist, but that shifted with a life changing experience with one of the first "healers" I went to. She taught me about auras and energy and helped me to remove a large lump of energy or entity that was attached to me. Most of the anxiety dissolved in that moment (and permanently!!) so from that day on I have believed in God, or spirit, or source, or whatever you wish to call it.

I have now dedicated my life to opening my heart more to love and happiness - it has become my number one primary value in life.

After some time I knew that Australia was no longer a place that I wanted to live in so I began to travel the world, I've been to many countries around the world. It wasn't until I arrived in the Sacred Valley of Peru that I knew I was home. In fact I felt more at home the first time I arrived in the Sacred Valley then I'd ever felt in Australia.

How did you start in the natural skincare business?

I was very lucky. I met a man in Australia who taught people how to make money from blogging and we ended up in a relationship for two years. He convinced me to quit my job to work for him, and at the same time was helping me to start my own blog.

Originally my blog was about natural health in general because that was something I was very passionate about, but I had severe acne at the time from an old long-term relationship that had fallen apart. Most of the time I was writing about my skin troubles and what I was doing to fix them, and the more I wrote about it the more people came to read the blog. After six months I began to take the blog seriously as a business and began to earn some money.

In that two years my boyfriend at the time and I travelled the world for one year and talked about blogging for a whole lot of it. I had great blogging education during those travels. I ended up coming back to Australia single but with clear skin and a great natural acne treatment business!

Where do you live now, and what is it about this area that made you want to live there? Also, how long do you plan on staying in your current location?

I currently live in Pisac, which is in the Sacred Valley of Peru. I love it here because it feels like home and is incredibly beautiful, but more because of how this place simplifies my life. Pisac is a tourist town but it’s a small country town too. I live about 20 minutes walk out of the village and love how I don’t need a car or any type of transport, I can just walk everywhere.

The community of “gringos” and locals is amazing. My friends all live next door or a just a couple of minutes walk away. Organic food is cheap, and I can get raw milk across the road from my house from a family that has a couple of cows if I wish, or free range eggs from an old woman that sells vegetables from her garden at the market.

I spend my days here working a little, gardening, cooking, singing, painting, dancing, doing yoga or meditation, and spending time with my friends... it is a very sweet and simple life.

What has this particular location taught you? What are the people like and how do they respond to your presence?

Foreigners who come to the Sacred Valley to live come here to work on themselves emotionally and spiritually. It is beautiful to live amongst a community of people who are dedicated to becoming a better person and to opening their hearts more to love.

Peru in particular is well known for its shamanic healing, which is why many of us are drawn here.

This is my third year here and I’ve only ever found the Peruvian locals to be warm and friendly. Some “gringos” say they’ve had negative experiences with them but I’ve yet to see that! I find them sweet and happy. My landlord is a local Peruvian who lives across the road from me, he feels like my Peruvian dad.

From asking around I’ve learned that the locals are mixed about so many foreigners being here. One part of them is pleased that the tourist’s presence is bringing in my money for the village, while the other part is concerned that they will begin to lose more of their tradition.

How do you go about planning your travels, and do you generally travel alone?

Aside from making an effort to visit my family in Australia once a year, I go wherever I feel a call to and wherever my finances will allow me!

I have travelled alone for the past four years because I have been single the majority of that time, and I actually really enjoy traveling alone. I find the experience to be as strong as a medicine - it teaches me so much about myself and brings up challenges that help me to grow and expand.

Since returning back to Peru in June I’ve felt a desire to settle down a bit more and travel less. I’m off to Australia at the beginning of 2014 to visit my family but wish to make it a short visit so that I can return to my house and my life here in Peru.

What has been the most challenging aspect of your travels?

I find meeting the right people the most challenging thing. I travel alone so it’s important to find people that I resonate well with and want to spend time with. In Kauai (Hawaii) and Ubud (Bali), I actually struggled with this and spent a lot of the time feeling a lack of connection with like-minded people. Both of these places are spiritual spots so you’d think it would be easy, but each location holds a particular vibration, and coming from Peru I tend to drift towards “medicine people.” There are only little pockets of them around the world. One of the reasons why I stayed in Pisac was because the community here felt like instant family— most people I meet here I love.

What does your family in Australia think about your journeys and have they ever tried to influence you to take a more typical route in life?

My mother and I have decided that we just don’t understand each others’ lives. She sent me an email after I’d been here for about a year suggesting that I stop traveling, go back to Australia and save up to buy a house. That is a horrible idea to me! Just like my life is a horrible idea to her.

My father loves my adventures and seems to be proud of what I’m choosing to do.

They actually came to visit me in Peru to see my home and what it was like to live here. They weren’t so comfortable in my house and the little village that I live in, but enjoyed the neighboring city, Cusco. They seemed to settle a bit with my decision after having seen what it’s like here.

Both of them are very supportive now. I feel very lucky to have that.

Tell me about a normal day for you.

I mould my day around what makes me feel happy. I start every morning with making a little tea and sitting in the garden with my animals (I currently have two cats and am looking after a friend’s dog). I then spend the morning working on my blogs and writing, which I love. In the afternoon I choose a friend to visit, go and do chores in the village, and take the dog for a walk.

The beautiful thing about this village is visiting a friend requires just walking for 5 minutes to their front door. I love this. And if I walk into the village it’s guaranteed that I’ll bump into at least one friend. It’s difficult to be lonely here!

In the evening I’ll cook food, do a little more work, listen to music, dance, watch a movie or paint. Once a month or so I’ll do a medicine ceremony and every now and again go to one of the many events we seem to have now within the community.

What goals do you have for the future?

I don’t hold onto goals - for me life is all just about experience and experiencing what that is in the moment. I don’t feel that there’s any more complexity to it than that.

What first brought you to arrive at such a strong self-awareness? One of the things that drew me to you is how warm and wise you were with the way you spoke and reached out to others. You’re very candid. Tell me a bit about how that started and any challenges you’ve had along the way with staying centered.

I don’t really know... it’s one of those things where I’m not entirely sure where the beginning was. I guess I began my spiritual life at an early age when I started learning about auras and chakras, learning meditation and playing with tarot cards. I put all of that aside for a while to see what it was like to live a “normal life”. I had the live-in boyfriend, the car, the 9-5 job and the dream of owning a house. After some years of this I became depressed, and was the most depressed I’ve ever been in my life. That life was not for me.

After I came out of that relationship at 27 and joined a yoga school that was when everything began to accelerate. I’ve had too many spiritual and opening experiences to mention, and have done and tried too many things that contributed to where I am today. For a few years I did need to try everything, to spend a lot of time in nature and to spend a lot of time alone. I made a lot of mistakes in that time and had both good and bad experiences, but I don’t regret any of it.

Do you ever entertain the thought of settling down and starting a family—in other words, do you think a 'normal' life is anywhere in your near future?

Of course, I would love a family and children, but I won’t do it in the normal way, I’m sure of that!

What kind of problems do you see in the world today? We’re coming up on the one-year anniversary of the Newtown, Connecticut shootings. Living in such a remote location, I’d think you have quite the perspective on some of the recent goings-on of the human race.

I don’t follow the news, I don’t read my friends news feeds on Facebook, and I haven’t watched TV in years. I have no idea who the prime minister of Australia is and I’m happy like this. Everything around us is all of our own creation, I feel the less I’m exposed to the negative aspects of “it all” then the more I am able to create the lovely parts because that is all I see.

There is no good and no bad, there is no such thing. Consciousness has no emotion behind any of it, it just is. So we have the ability to create whatever we want and have the ability to create whatever experiences we want. I am simply choosing to create something a lot more peaceful and a lot more simple than what I used to be immersed in while I was in “my old life”.

Do you keep up with tv and movies, music, etc.?

Only movies! Actually I was in YouTube the other day and a Brittany Spears video popped up and I thought, I wonder what pop music is like now. It had been years since I’d seen a music video. So I clicked on it and had to turn it off after one minute! The energy behind the music and the message in the song was just not something I wanted to have around me.

Briefly, how would you describe what you do? Why do you think it affects people the way it does?

When I create a video for my blog I consciously put a particular energy into it to give that to the viewer. I haven’t learned any particular healing work because the idea of just working on one person at a time frustrates me. I feel that with my video and writing work I can work on being a channel for more than one person at a time.

Please note here - that when I say I’m giving an energy, it is not me that’s doing that, I’m just a channel or a pipe even that’s acting as a bridge between this world and consciousness.

Is there any place you haven’t been yet that you’d still like to travel to?

I’m a little obsessed with going to Iceland at the moment. It seems like a very beautiful place to visit. And I’d love to go to Egypt one day.

Thank you, Fran, for agreeing to do this interview. You have such a lovely spirit and I feel truly lucky to have gotten the chance to speak with you today. The world needs more people such as yourself who have a kind and positive outlook on life. Many good things coming your way, I’m sure!

If you’d like to keep up with Fran, you can find her at: http://www.highonhealth.org. 

Thank you and have a great Friday!

Amy xxxx

"Hello, my name is . . ."

Way back a long time ago I used to work in a catalog call center at a place that rhymes with H. P. Henney. It was a fun job, for the most part. For the lesser part, it sucked. Hour after hour I was forced to sit in a chair listening to call after call of products and descriptions from people who didn't know what an item number was, much less what state they lived in. "Hello, this is H. P. Henney, how may I help you?" I'd like to place an order. "What is your name and address?" Uhhhhhh . . . 

We'd been trained to verify all information in a very thorough and robotic manner, and to repeat the letters that preceded each item number with examples such as: "Is that B like Bob, or V like Victory?" Sometimes I rebelled and skipped all that crap, but then I'd get a call scan and find myself in some manager's office where I was reminded of procedure. Then they'd get out a list of how many times I'd been late to work. Which was many.

It paid well.

The call center was located past a huge set of corporate pomp and circumstance, way back in the warehouse in a stuffy upstairs room with cubicles lined up in rows. Once you stamped your time card and shoved it in the wall slot you belonged to these folks. You breathed each others' air, listened to each others' chatter, became one big yipping, call-taking conglomerate of misery. Sometimes I felt crazy with all those voices in my ear. I'd escape to the bathrooms and sit in a stall and wish the time away. 

This time of year it was particularly busy at the call center. There was no such thing as time off. You didn't get sick, you didn't take a vacation, you didn't even die. If you did, they'd prop you up to a phone and stick a pen in your hand. Sometimes, there weren't even any places to sit. They'd stock the center like we were cattle waiting for slaughter, just in case of that 'one missed call.' When you did find an open cubicle, the real fun began. Everything was out of stock or on backorder. Folks bought by trends. No brain cells required. Just—buy, buy, buy. You could almost place their orders for them: "A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Doll and a Starter Jacket." Thugs were killing for that stuff out in the real world, and yet mothers frantically called in, desperate to get said item for their precious little kid. And they'd get real mad when you told them their order wouldn't be in for weeks. They'd continue with every size and color known to man. "You really want an XXL jacket with burnt orange trim?" Yes! "Well, it's out too so . . . Hey, would you like some gift wrap to go with that out-of-stock order?" The the other thing we were required to do—sell gift wrap. I really sucked at selling that gift wrap.

But out of all the frantic calls for toys and clothes and drapes and sheets and couch covers, a call would come in from some looney, and it was just what I needed to keep sane. Can you turn to page fifty and tell me what you see? I'd turn to page fifty. Bras, underwear, slips. "Uh, what do you see, sir?" Heavy breathing, long pause. He wanted me to say panties. It'd get him off. Loser. Eventually, he'd get me to say it, but it was hard, real hard to say 'panties' without laughing. I'd stretch those calls out forever. I don't know why. The loonies entertained me. The fact that they were so affected by underwear and all its glorious verbiage tickled the hell out of me. But eventually I had to end the call, ending with a *69 so the company could track them down.

And then I'd get suicide calls. Those people wanted to talk your life away, in hopes that it'd save theirs. I did the best I could. I mean, I was a little bit depressed too so who was I to pass out advice? I just sat there and listened as long as I could. In time, a manager would come by and ask why I wasn't taking any orders, and I'd have to get the guy or gal to shut up about their life. I'd tell them everything was going to be okay. Maybe I'd end it with a quote from Bob Dylan or something. Always felt bad about those calls. 

But it was a job, you know? A stupid, crummy job that paid decent and let me afford a car, and a weekly box of cigarettes, and lots and lots of music.

Eventually the place closed down, because now people could place their orders online. That's life. But somewhere in the back of that long, lonely warehouse is a room with voices that still echo. One of them is mine.

photo credit: spike55151 via photopin cc

Gifts that give back!

My friend Tom Williams over at Writing About Writing has come up with a great gift idea for the holidays. Like Oprah and her favorite things he's compiled a list of novels he feels would make great gifts for you, or maybe that friend of yours who loves to read. He graciously added The Soul Seekers, which I can't thank him enough for.

Of course, I'm going to reciprocate the favor. This guy is such an amazing writer. His first book The White Rajah is a thrilling love story set in 19th century Singapore. It covers a short and controversial time in the life of adventurer James Brooke, as told by lover John Williamson. The sequel Cawnpore carries on with the life of Williamson—set during a time of conflict with the British Raj in India. Not only is Tom an excellent writer, and friend, but he loves Tango and takes classes frequently. His books are an exciting dive into history with such fine detail and vivid storytelling. Another thing about Tom, he is so kind. He takes his time out to help fellow writers prepare and fine-tune their work. Go now. Seriously. His novels are the kind that you read and can't wait to tell your friends about.

Next I'd like to recommend Talli Roland's Mistletoe in Manhattan, a fun read just in time for the holidays. And one that won't break the bank! As you know, Talli's a good friend and admired writer around these here parts. She became a mother to a beautiful little baby boy just last year and, honestly, how does she do it? I don't think it would be an understatement to say that she's the most prolific writer I know, and one of the most giving too! If you're looking for a fun and romantic read this Christmas, go have a look. Hurry, before she writes another one!

I've already recommended this one, but I just love it to death. It's a novel I came across by accident one night when bored and feeling down. I loved it so much that I wrote a review on my blog and then sent an email to the author—who kindly wrote back to me in return. A really, really, super nice guy and mind-boggingly great novelist. Not only is this book funny, but it's like a study of the human spirit in the most beautiful way possible: Who we are, and what we are capable of. It's like Grapes of Wrath, but with John Lennon. I've read it three times. Another novel that I'm amazed hasn't snagged a huge book deal (yet). John Lennon and the Mercy Street Cafe. You can thank me later.

And lastly, I can't end this list without including every single book in the WiDo catalog. A good-hearted publisher with great taste. I can say with all seriousness that they do not let their authors get by with just anything. They want great fiction because they care about their readers, and their authors. And they have such a wide array of books. So, go now and check out their amazing catalog.

I with you a Very Merry Christmahanakwanzika!