Top 10 or 20 Christmas List

Christmas List

1. Peace of mind
2. Meaningful connection
3. Conversation with a stranger that makes them feel good about themselves
4. Children’s laughter
5. Another step towards enlightenment
6. Financial stability leading towards independence
7. Passion and intimacy
8. New creative projects
9. Better sleep
10. More learning
11. New frienships
12. Another bunny
13. A new flute
14. A wooden rennaissance recorder
15. Art supplies
16. Someplace that feels like home
17. Someone that feels like home
18. More NLP and hypnosis skills and practice
19. Help with the business part of my business
20. Love

Twenty Ideas for Writer’s Block

1. Learn something new by googling a topic you are interested in or statr with Wikipedia.

2.  See where this leads you. I sometimes read a Wikipedia post on one topic and become introduced to a new phrase, inventor, author, or concept during the post.

3. Check out the highlighted words and phrases in the post you are reading. They can lead you to more highlighted words and phrases. (I have come up really cool new ideas for what to write about by doing this. )

4.Watch a youtube video about the most interesting idea you have found…or start with YouTube for researching topics to begin with.

5. See if anyone else has posted about this topic and form your own opinions, choose a side, expand by adding a new perspective or write a poem or short story about it.

6. Let the things you learn about inspire new ideas. Draw from your personal experience and your imagination.

7. You can use things you learn to write a researched post, an editorial style post, a self help post or a fictional story.

8. Try a new writing genre once in a while.  You may be pleasantly surprised that you can write outside of your usual nitch.

9. We tend to go with what is familiar. But it can become uninspiring. Let your brain be creative because the challenge will get tbe dopamine flowing.

10. Think outside the box. Just because no one has ever thought of something in quite the same way does not mean you cannot write it.

11. Think of the reader. What is the goal of the reader? Why do they read your blog? What else would they like you to give them?

12. Be authentic and write from tbe heart. You may think that no one is interested in your feelings, perspectives ad ideas but then again…you might be pleasantly surprised.

13. Blog about a question you have or something you are searching for answers about. Pose the qiestion to the readers. Tell them what this question means to you and why it is important to you.

14. Get ideas from the comments other bloggers leave you. Reading and replying to comments is a great way to find out what your readers are interested in and more importantly …why they are interested and what things mean to them.

15. Try a new medium or craft like photography, drawing, zen tangles. Post a picture of what you did and tell the readers you are learning this and why. Tell them why it is important to you to learn something new, why you chose this particular thing, etc.

16. Blogging is all about the individual perspective and what things mean to you. Even fiction writing has to do with the uniqie view of the person and the meaning of ideas to them.

17. Write something short. I have seen bloggers write one or two sentences that were thought provoking. Leave it up to tbe reader to add their personal meaning and fill in their own mental pictures.

18. Sometimes less is more. Do not feel obligated to write 600 words. People read books when they have more time and blog posts when tbey are short for time…or short on attention ability due to the stress of life.

19. Give people something to ponder. Give people something to work with in tbeir brains to get tbose creative juices flowing. You do not have to always ecplain things to death.

20. Try creating a meme with image chef. You only have to write one or two inspirational or thought provoking lines.

Top Ten 10 List / Things That Make me Sm

Things that I make me smile

1,  The sound of my bunny pushing things around in his cage. I like to know he is next to me keeping me company

2. Rainbows

3. My 12 year old daughter giving me the rundown of her latest creative story. She is an inspired writer and very imaginative

4. My 18 year old, all dressed up to go to a dance or on a special date

5. The sound of kids laughing 

6. Getting to bring the flower delivery to an old lady at work, (at the assisted living)  and seeing her eyes light up when she sees the flowers

7. The chicken dance

8. Gangnam style

9. Playing with the balloon with the Alzheimer’s residents. They love that.  I think balloons have magical powers

10. Getting to number 10 on a top ten post, because… I just have to defiant and write another

11. Giving someone their first blog award

12. Giving someone their first WordPress “Like”

13. Ending on 13….just because  it is wrong

Time Once Again for Annie’s Top 10 Random Thoughts List

It it time once again, bum bum bum buuuum….for an Annie’s Top Ten Random Stream of Consciousness Thoughts List. Yay !

So, here we go.

1. I never stick to 10 things, so I  wonder if I will this time…

2. You can try to make a list like this yourself. It is just a free flow list, for you to see what things are running through your head, and also what things just pop into your head.

3. I have been listening to affirmation audio files, that are from Spartan Life Coach. This course is called “Overcoming Narcissistic Abuse”  I really like the audio affirmations,

.4. My favorite affirmation from the tapes is….”I no longer allow people to use me,  in order to feel what it is that they need to feel”

5. This course is designed to help deal with the aftermath of narcissistic abuse. It is made up of a combination of videos, audios and written exercises. I think it is really great and is helping me to feel less anxiety already.

6. Another affirmation he gives is “I do not expect to find compassion and empathy were there is none.”  I am letting go of my expectation of compassion, where I know there is none.

7. These are great things to learn and to understand. The more you keep looking for compassion and empathy, where there is none, the more we torment ourselves and allow abusers to torment us.

8. In the audios, he talks about observing people’s behavior in a calm and detached way, when they are acting in a way to try to drive you into a certain negative emotional state. When you observe them, from a detached point of view, then it becomes more difficult for them to suck you into the emotional state that they want to cause in you.

9. I find that the more I study and learn about a variety of subjects, the better my brain works in general. This is important when I need to be able to asses people and situations. The ability to think faster and better, is helpful in everything I do.

10. Instead of us getting set in our ways, perhaps it is better for us to keep an open mind about the nature of things. If we still see things the way we saw them 10 years ago, then what have we learned. Life should be an ongoing learning process and we should be open to things that there are to learn.

11. This is eleven, I could have stopped at 10, but that would not have been as fun.

12. I wonder where the blog awards came from. I looked up the origin of peer blog awards and I could not find anything. I only found info about more official awards.

Does anyone know how the Versatile Blogger Award or the Liebster Award was started, when they were started or who started them? I was just curious.  I think that I would like to start one of my own. It  would be fun to start it and then track what happens with it.

13. Oh no ! I should not end on 13. But the number 13 is not one of the things I fear. You can make your own list now. ❤

Lots of love,

Annie

Sneezing, Sneezulumpus, Dr. Seuss and Daughters Getting Home Late

10 Random Thoughts from the Amazing brain of Annie

( This brain of mine … would amaze some people and frighten others away !  LOL )

1. Okay the week has been horrifying in some ways, but I somehow survived it. I would not say I survived it unscathed, however.

2. My 18 year old daughter just got home from her date. It is 1:30 am. My younger  daughter told me it is too late for her older sister to be out on a date. I guess she wants me to scold her or something. But she is 18 and the boyfriend is very nice, He has been around for a while now.

3. My head is completely stuffed up from this cold

4. I keep sneezing. I have never sneezed so much, It must be the sneezing virus. That sounds like a Dr Seuss character…. the Sneezulumpus or something

5. I love Dr. Suess

6. “From there to here and Here to there, Funny things are everywhere”  Dr. Suess

7. I need to get my table  lamp back from my daughter. I can’t see my keyboard. My eyes are straining.

8. More sneezing…

9. We have made it to number 9

10. More and more sneezing ! I have to go find a tissue !

11. I never stick to 10

12. Ah – Chooo !

Creative Flow Writing Exercise for Self Exploration

This is a creative writing therapy, self discover exercise that I have thought of just now. I am sure someone has done this before, but it came to my head just now.

You can try this yourself. It is good for times when you

1. Can’t think of what to write

2. Need to express something and cannot find how

3 Are not sure what you feeling

4. Are nor sure what you are thinking

5. Want to explore your mind

Here is the exercise.

 Begin with the first word that comes to your head.

 Write one word to connect to the first word and then continue down to 10 words.

Next I will write phrases. This can be poetic, rational, fantasy or whatever comes to your head. This should be good for you.

You write the words quickly, using the first thing that comes to your head. Do not overthink this, Just keep it flowing, Don’t worry about rules or sticking with anything, Just write!

First word is – Time

Time

1. Fleeting

2. Gone

3. More

4. People

5. Closeness

6. Meaning

7. Remember

8. Metaphysics

9. Same

10. Time

Phrases starting also with the word Time

Time

1. Time is interconnected

2. People are interconnected

3. People move on

4. New friends come in

5. Trust needs to happen

6. It is hard to know who

7. Trust needs to be earned

8. Trust requires faith

9. Faith is within you

10. Even when it has been broken, it can come back

* You can come up with your own starting word, Here are some suggestions, if you can’t think of one.

Love, Friendship, success, writing, blog , connection , life , death, compassion, kindness, peace, future, pain, comfort, book, child, mother, lover, passion, desire, past, cell phone, story, addiction, mind, thoughts, feelings,

Is There Still Magic in Your WorldI

I need magic! I love magical moments and magical ideas. To me life is very boring without some kind of magical sparks here and there to spice it up. Here are some things that I consider magical.

1. Balloons – I love balloons! I love the way they float in the air. I love the way they have a mind of their own and they will go whichever direction they feel like going, in spite of where you tell them to go!

I love the way the alzheimer’s patients eyes light up when I get the balloon out. They all smile and have so much fun just playing and batting the balloon back and forth in the air, with me. It is one of my favorite things to do at work.

In fact I am the one that usually stops at CVS pharmacy  to get balloons when we run out. No matter how bad my anxiety may be before I get to work, the magical powers of the balloon can make it better. I can almost feel my blood pressure lowering, from the first time one of the residents smiles and holds out their hands to catch it.

I love the way little children are entranced by the balloon and how it floats and flies in the air. They love the way it feels when they touch it. To really amaze my little niece,  I can rub in against my hair and make it stick to the wall.

2. Creative Collaboration – Collaborating on a creative, inspiring project can have a magic all it’s own. I have a very good friend that like to collaborate with me on business projects like redesigning his web site or coming up with new slogans.

The two of us work together in a perfect harmony and once the inspiration begins, we bounce ideas back and forth off of each other. It is .almost like a dance, where one of us takes the lead and then the other one steps together and the two creative minds do things that neither one of us could do alone. That is magical and fun.

3. Random Dancing –  My friend Hanorah, is a very old woman that lives in the assisted living where I work. When she sees me in the hallway, she always puts her hands out and says “Time to Dance!” It does not matter who is around or what part of the building we are in.

Once we even danced in the elevator, on the way up to her floor. She just takes my hands and begins to dance to the music in her head. Then I will sing something for her, like “Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue” and she sings along with me. She always loves to see me, because I will dance with her, just because.

4. Bunny – My bunny is magical, as most bunnies are! He hops and plays. He even hops into the air and makes a turn right in the air, to change direction and to be silly. He kisses me on the lips and he dances a special love dance around my feet, which is like a figure eight, going around one foot and then the other.

When he wants my attention, he will get it. If I am typing on this laptop, for my blog and he feels left out, he will jump right up and land his bunny butt right on this keyboard that I am typing on now. He just sits there, with his fuzzy butt in my face, and won’t move. So funny!

Once he took my cell phone away from me. I was talking on the phone, to my boyfriend and the bunny hopped over, took the cell phone with his teeth, and pulled it right out of my hand. He tossed it on the bed and then hopped away. So funny! Bunny is magical because he can make me smile no matter what my mental state it. He can always get a little smile from me, because he is so animated like a cartoon.

5. Bubbles – Bubbles are magnificent as they are blown in the sunlight outside. They float way up in the air and catch all the colors of a rainbow as the sun reflects off of them. Bubble are fun indoors too. I have a bubble necklace (you can get them around valentines day ) that I can wear and when the alzheimer’s residents are least expecting it, I blow some bubbles into the air and they love it !

I also just like sitting outside and blowing the bubbles to see how they float. It is relaxing and magical.

6. Spending the entire day on the phone with a very special friend –  which is what happened today. My best friend, who is usually too busy working to be on the phone with me for more than 30 minutes at time, during the daytime, was off today! He stayed home sick in bed and I am sorry about him being sick. But he has been getting better throughout the day, as we have been on the phone.

He kept me on the phone for company all day, from 11 am this morning and he is still with me, but I hear him sleeping now. It is 10pm. He fell asleep a few times on and off and I just kept doing what I was doing and stayed with him, so that I would be there when he woke up, for comfort.

I went out to the store and back, and did some other errands, but we stayed on the phone together anyway. I just brought him with me. It was nice to be needed for comfort and I loves having the company all day. Too bad he only does that when he is sick. But I am thankful for the wonderful day together.

7. Blogging – Blogging is magical in many ways but there is one that is most significant to me. You get to meet and connect with people in a deep and meaningful way. These are people that you would otherwise never have met, because they live so far away from you.

8. The Floating Lanterns in The Picture on the Top of This Post – These lantern are beautiful and they look like they should have some magical element to them, to me.

9. The Laughter of Children – The sound of children laughing naturally, because they are children! It is a wonderful sound.

10. Dr. Seuss – Dr. Seuss stories and all the creative nonsensical characters are magical. I love their funny hair and the funny creatures. His stories like The Cat in the Hat. Green Eggs and Ham, Horton Hears a Who and The Lorax are very special and I have never gotten to old for them. (but on the other hand…you are taking advice from someone who still plays with balloons and bubbles LOL )

Let’s have some fun, since I feel in a good mood today, because I felt supported all day, by my friend. You all can put the things that are magical to you, in the comments below and that way we can all learn about each other.

I did leave out my favorite magical thing in the world to do…but I was trying to keep this a post G rated!  LOL!

Ok, so what are Your Magical items, Activities, and Magical Moments? You can think back into your past, if you want to. I did that for this post also.

Blessings,

Annie

Top Ten Things You Cannot Do About Annoying Relatives !

We might like to, but we cannot…

10. Drop them off at a random bus station and say “good luck!”

9. Change our phone number, but keep telling them they are dialing the number  wrong.

8. Turn out the lights and hide behind the door, like they do in “What About Raymond?” tv show

7. List them on Craig’s List under the “Please Take … Free…you haul”   section

6. Send a postcard from where you go on vacation and tell them you moved there

5. Have a remote control that plays the CD Player really loud, and hit the button every time they start to criticize you or give you annoying advice

4. Fake a doctor’s note that you have suddenly become deaf and cannot talk on the phone or even hear them when they are speaking directly to you

3. Take them back for a refund !

2. Exchange them for a new hair dryer

1. Change your name and identity and move to another state

Time for Annie’s Top Ten 10 Random Thoughts

Time for 10 random thoughts ….

1. I think that only people who have been through a trauma can understand. Maybe therapists that treat PTSD should be people that have been through trauma and are also  trained to treat it. These people that have had cushy lives with no horrible mental injuries cannot understand. How can they help you, if they have no idea how you feel?

2. I love veggie straws and I sometimes eat them while sipping a peach fuzzy navel wine cooler. It is a strange flavor combination that I find oddly pleasurable

3. I love my bunny soooo much. He is sooo funny

4. I am tired and want to sleep for a week

5. Facebook has closed groups for mental health. There are some for bipolar disorder, PTSD, domestic abuse survivors , eating disorders etc. You can search tags in the facebook search bar. Type in anxiety, depression or mental illness or whatever you are looking for. Then you click to request to join the group. They usually approve you and then give you the group rules

6. Writing poetry is easy, dealing with live people is hard

7. Sometimes I am afraid I

8. My flute is broken and I want to buy a new one with the tax refund. Then I can play flute for you all 🙂

9. I think that blogging can be great therapy

10. Making certain kinds of lists can be therapeutic. The part of the brain that is involved in organizing and sorting ideas becomes activated. When that part is dominant, the fear center of the brain is quieter. Just make lists about things that are not anxiety provoking. You can list things about your mental health if it helps.

Ideas for lists

1. Lists within lists LOL

2. Lists about what to list LOL

3. Fears

4. Dreams

5. Achievements

6. People you like

7. Favorite somethings….animals, colors, sensations, movies….

8. Question that starts a list “What I would do if I were a queen..” “What I would change if I were president…”  “What would I do if I lived in a a mansion?”

9. favorite post of Annie 🙂

10. Favorite posts of your own

Top Ten List – Ten Random Facts About Annie

This is a just for fun and letting you get to know me better list. Ten random facts about me .

1. I have two daughters that are beautiful and very artistic. They are independent thinkers just the way I raised them to be.

2. I went to college as a music education major. My main instrument was classical guitar. I also did voice.

3. I barely remember how to play classical guitar but I still can play rock, rock and roll , fold music and blues. I am eccectic about the music I like to perform.

4. A typical set list that I used to play at the restaurants and bars was

Take it Easy – by the Eagles

Love is a Rose-  by Linda Rondstat

Blue Sued Shoes – by Elvis Presley

Leaving on a Jet Plane – by Peter Paul and Mary

Country Roads – by John Denver

Layla – by Eric Clapton

Sunshine of your Love – by Cream

Hey Joe – by Jimmie Hendrix

On the Banks of the Ohio – by Joan Baez

Big Yellow Taxi – by Joni Mitchell

Mercedes Benz – by Janis Joplin

White Rabbit – by Jefferson Airplane

Wish You Were Here – by Pink Floyd

Major Tom – by David Bowie

Hotel California – by the Eagles

Rock Around the Clock – by Buddy Holly

California Dreamin – by Mamas and the papas

She Loves You – by The Beatles

Don’t Stop – by Fleetwood Mac

For What it’s Worth – by Buffalo Springfield

Ain’t That a Shame – by Fats Domino

5. I have not played professionally in about 10 years but I would like to get back into the bar gig scene.

6. I need to learn some of the newer songs because all the songs I know are old.

7. There is cold air blowing through my bedroom window right now, because the plastic I put up blew apart.

8. I love my bunny rabbit very much.

9. I love my boyfriend very much but do not see him often because he lives and works in another state.

10. I am the oldest of 5 girls. My youngest sister is 20 years younger than me.