Prompt #6- Write a short story about the time you got lost. 

My version of getting lost generally comes down to turning the opposite way to the direction I should be going in order to get where I need to/want to go. Often this has been coming out of elevators or turning down corridors. All these experiences have come to reflect times in my life where I have come to a crossroads of sorts or have had to decide which direction to take or which option to choose. Many times I have found these crossroads and have been frozen with indecision or worry, "what if its the wrong way?". But I have come to realize that you just need to take one path, being as prepared as you can be for the adventures ahead and if it doesn't work out then I carry on till the next turning and hopefully make a better choice of it.

I have learnt many things by taking life’s journey like this, I have met many interesting and wonderful people as well as some not so good experiences. But that is life and what makes it so rich. I need to remember this next time I feel fear creeping up on me and trying to stop me from moving forward.

Life is too short to live in fear of what’s around the next corner.

Prompt #5: Pen and Paper: Then I felt my cheeks turn rosy pink________ (finish the story.)

 

“Honestly, I can’t believe this situation is happening”, I thought to myself as I sat typing I my computer. I had spent the afternoon talking to various friends online when I noticed a certain guys name pop up on my friends list. This guy just happened to be someone I had fancied for a number of months without ever really doing anything about it. We started chatting about school and teachers and friends we had in common, the usual things that class mates talk about. I had not had the courage to try and get to know this guy in the past but had admired him from a distance. Today however I decided I needed to be brave, I don’t know if I hoped it would change anything or whether it might lighten the weight of my feelings. But I decided I needed to tell him my secret.

As much as nervousness can show in typed text I think it was on full display. But I finally blurted out “You know that unsigned note that was given to you…..it was from me…”, I could feel myself getting more anxious and embarrassed as I waited for the reply that seemed to take forever. Then his reply came, “Yeah I know. The person you asked to pass it to me told me who it was after I teased them and told them I thought it was a note they had written”. As I read his words I felt my cheeks turn rosy pink and my breath came out in a rush.

What a let down, after all that time and anxiety. I couldn’t tell whether I was more disappointed and embarrassed that I had confessed my feelings to someone who had already known or that I had felt so much for someone who without question had not recognized or returned my feelings…. As I sat at my computer some time later after ending one of the most embarrassing conversations I had had to date, I realized that I had achieved something. Finally I had been able to honestly put my feelings out to this guy and get an answer without being put off by all my usual insecurities and issues. It was a moment of growth and courage, although I could still feel the blush of embarrassment thinking about that confession I felt better for it.

Prompt #4: Sing along to your favorite song on YouTube. Bonus: Learn how to play AND sing it. Share your YouTube links below!

I am sadly not brave enough or well prepared enough to post a recording of myself singing for the world to see, but I will say that the song I would choose would be Christina Perri's- A Thousand Years.

Here are links to some covers of this song I like a lot:

 http://youtu.be/n57hASd44f8

 http://youtu.be/QgaTQ5-XfMM

As far as things go this song brings me so much emotion and hope. It has a connection with a story I read a while back that had me in a puddle of tears as the characters dealt with love, loss, destiny and eternity. It was everything a hopeless romantic could hope for and all those feelings get brought back when I hear this song. By the way the story I am talking about is NOT Twilight or part of the Twilight series

Prompt #3: Recreate a scene from a fairy tale, using any materials you can find. Take a photo and share below with #ccprompt3.

 One of the seven dwarves from Snow White catching up on some reading before bed

Prompt #2- Take a photo of where you are RIGHT this second. Except, shift your perspective, what do you see? Write your revelation in one sentence

 Dinner time from my cats perspective - I had been watching her off and on for an hour while I worked and she was curled up in one spot looking toward her door. Then I realized it was her empty dish she was looking at, so I took pity on her and we both had dinner.

30 Day Challenge

http://youmeandcharlie.com/category/charlie/

I am flexing my creative muscles as part of this awesome web challenge. It seemed like a good place to start in an effort to expand my word-smith skills, which for so long I have denied. I shall do my best to complete all the challenges, especially the writing ones.So here we go.....

Prompt #1- Write your personal manifesto. This could be an essay, a sentence, a word… the beginning of your novel. Get creative. What are you about?

Connection, Courage, and Compassion are the three C’s I try to live by. These three all relate to each other and form the core of who I am. The central element of these is courage, which I think is the force or feeling which drives my compassion and ability to connect with people.

For me, life, or my life in particular is about connection. Being able to join hands with someone either in a physical or metaphorical sense is central to my life and the joy I experience on a day to day basis. I am not the most out-going person, not typically the life of the party, but give me someone or a group of people to chat with and I am content. Conversation and connection is associated with a sense of freedom for me. Being able to converse and share stories temporarily dissolves the limitations my disability creates. The experience of conversation and relationship building can overcome many of these obstacles, even if it is only temporary or within the space of my imagination.

I love sharing moments with people where a point of connection can be found or a shared experience can bring otherwise unrelated people together. Moments where people can smile and nod in acknowledgement of this new found common ground. The amazing thing about these experiences is how different they can be. Sometime you only meet someone for a moment and then they are gone or someone else who you meet and you are connected with for a lifetime. There are many ways that interactions and connections differ but I think they are all of value. It takes courage to go into new situations and to open myself up to people in the hopes of making these connections. I have always believed it takes as much courage to love as it does to accept someone’s love as it does to face down our worst nightmares. Being able to put aside that fear of possible hurt, betrayal or rejection is the only way I feel genuine connections can form. I remind myself daily to have courage in all aspects of my life as I seek to be genuine with people and myself.

Connection opens doors to new knowledge, experiences and relationships. Each time it’s like a mini adventure, wondering where it will take me and what will have come about by the end. It’s not just a chance for me to learn and experience but also a chance I have to share my story with others. This allows me to relive events and talk about the wild imaginings of my ambitions and dreams. It is these times of sharing and dreaming that encourages me to use my compassion to support and encourage others in their hopes and aspirations as often they do with me. I have also learned, sometimes the hard way that I need to be compassionate with myself as well. If I want to be genuine, compassionate and engage with others I need to be these things with myself, in order to maintain my emotional and mental health. For this reason I have just got my latest tattoo on my arm that I can look at and remind myself, COURAGE.

I am once again captured by the idea of overseas travel. It seems that my level of passion and excitement for travel is related to my mood/state of mind, which is in turn related to my engagement with my inner creator. Equally this could work in the opposite direction, I'm not really sure. But I know that right now things are starting to get their sparkle back.

 I have noticed that if I am working on a creative, stimulating project, then I invariably find myself thinking of far away places and ridiculous adventures. I am in the midst of the May 30 Day Creativity Challenge, the beginnings of which I have already posted. This has drawn out my inner creator and given me something to get excited about and turn over in my mind, which is what I enjoy best. To add to this pot of creative fireworks I am thinking of travelling to Aussie again, probably early next year if my vague imaginings can be marshalled into concrete plans.

I am not sure where to go, but am considering either Sydney or Melbourne to experience the music and art culture. This is all part of my creative drive and interest that has really come to light in the last year.

I have written in the past about the times I have been to Australia, visiting the Gold Coast, Surfers and down to Byron Bay in NSW. With this latest obsession with travel I was originally thinking of the USA. I wanted to get to the Coachella Festival in California where I wanted to enjoy the music and hopefully meet/see some celebrities next April. Then I had imagined going on to Vegas, Washington DC and New York.I also hoped to meet with some people at an organization called MDAUSA which provides information, support, research and equipment for people with Muscular Dystrophy. As always I look to the biggest, craziest ideas first because I figure if you're going to dream you may as well dream big.

Unfortunately looking at such goals with an objective eye I know this idea is not achievable because A) I am not a millionare or someone equally as wealthy B) My condition means I can't get insurance to travel in the USA C)  Teleportation machines or the Floo network havn't been invented to allow instant delivery which would be the only way I could get around the strain of 14 hours flight.

I am ok with accepting these practical limitations and it makes me more determined to have my fourth adventure in Australia. So I shall continue with my creativity, my big dreams and my optimistic determination and see how far it gets me.