Mama's Musings

Here's what happens when they let a housewife loose in New York City...

Going to New York was not a rational thing. There were tons of

reasons why I shouldn't have gone: the kids, the cost, the weather,

you name it. It was a soul-driven decision to book the flight. Paul

Sladkus of Good News Broadcast, in his all-inclusive nature, invited

me to a press conference and gala opening of his library. Since I am

writing a story about him for a Californian magazine, I said yes. It

coincided nicely with my May 1st book launch for "S.A.H.M. I Am:

Tales of a Stay-at-Home Mom in Europe" (Mother's Day is May 8th,

by the way!). While in town, I set up a few appointments with editors

I had "met" via E-mail a few times. Surprisingly, both editors said yes

to a meeting. But it didn't stop there.

A woman who had been sitting in front of me on the airplane stood

in the taxi line after we arrived from Europe. You know how you

sometimes see certain people and you have a sense you should meet

them for some inexplicable reason? She was one of them. We decided

to share a taxi to downtown Manhattan.

This is where it gets weird.

Life on Broadway

I made it! The plane touched down 15 minutes early and I was in and out of customs in record time. I even shared a taxi with a fascinating woman who actually knows some of the same people I do. Okay, now that is freaky. In a city of over 10 million people, I'd meet the person who knows someone who knows someone...well, you know!

The hotel room is tiny and right off the elevator, but luckily I had my trusty earplugs and slept nine glorious hours. I am in heaven!

I am meeting a few magazine editors today. More later!

Radio Program

"On the radio, woooooaaa, on the radio!" Gloria Gainer -- gotta love her!

Coinciding with my book launch, I'll be on the radio in May.

May 5th -- KTTS, Springfield, MO at 7 am ET

May 5th -- "Miss Kitty Show" in Selma, AL 11 am ET

May 6th -- KWMT-AM in Fort Dodge, Iowa 9:05 am ET

May 7th -- EncourageMint with "Action" Jack McClendon. He's a charming radio host who seeks to encourage and inspire his listeners out of San Diego and on the 'Net.

May 18th -- Be the Star You Are! at 9:40 pm ET with Cynthia Brian

Month of May on NPR's The Parent's Journal with Bobbi Conner

Mommy Clones

I'm leaving in three days to go to New York. Lots of good things are happening, and sometimes I wish I could clone myself three times. One would be an all-day mommy who bakes cookies and cherishes every breathe of her children; another would teach English, German, marketing or offer parenting advice all day. The third would be glued to her computer monitor, banging out smooth prose to be sold by the millions. Clones #1 and #2 would team together and orchestrate with #3 the most amazing combination of domestic grace, professional value, and must-read material to blow this world into the next.

"Get over yourself! and other wisdoms of life

We all know I've been feeling a wee bit breathy lately. It has everything to do with my unstoppable curiosity and desire to peer beyond the self-made walls we call our "comfort zones". I'd like to push that comfort zone so far into the horizon that I stop wheezing for air every time I shock myself. In fact, there would be no shock. Just a Zen quality and a "yes, this is happening -- I accept the here and now?" Who's with me on this?

Mama is overwhelmed!

Why do I do this to myself? It's all good, really. It's just that my plate is fuller than I expected and I'm a bit breathless about it all. I booked a flight to New York City for next weeked to attend the opening of a new library. Being a book lover/writer, I just had to say YES! to the invitation. And then of course, I had to ask a few magazine editors if I might have a moment of their time and they all said YES! It has been a week of yes and now I'm thinking I might not get a whole lot of sleep next weekend. Within four days I will visit with at least three New York friends, my mother, a few editors, an amazing group of people who support positive media and a legendary spiritual healer/best-selling author.

This mama is a little overwhelmed today!

Life Caching

We bloggers have caught the bug. It is the "life caching" bug which is all the rage in developed nations that seem endlessly obsessed with capturing the moment through digital pictures, electronic communication and voice messaging. Hold on to your hats, folks. With the new millenium, we are less technophobic and have more gadgets than Mr. Gadget himself.

Take the Pope's public viewing, for instance. People stood in 12-hour lines to take a cell phone snapshot of themselves with the body of ole Johann whose spirit had been lifted heavenward almost a week prior. Life caching for them, death caching for him.

What's interesting is that "flamers", that is, people who write caustic posts on message forums and discussion lists, don't realize they are caching their vitriolic verbiage ad infinitum. Such is the flow of this our world. Technology allows us to leave an imprint for future generations whether we are here anymore or not. Is that a good thing? You be the judge. And let me know. You can "cache" me on my email almost any time of day.

Cough it up, lady!

Hack, hack, hack. My husband flipped from side to side. I was sitting upright in bed, coughing my lungs out. He finally said in a voice which revealed he hadn't slept a wink: "Why don't you take something?" In my 3 a.m. stupor, I uttered the words, "I took Nyquil before I went to bed." After that brief exchange, something remarkable happened. My coughing subsided and I slept until dawn.

This morning I realized what it was. I had been to a two-day personal growth workshop near Amsterdam the weekend before. It was enlightening and exhilirating. One of the things I took away from the experience was that I feel much more comfortable giving than receiving.

The question "Why don't you take something?" was poignant indeed. Why don't I take something? Why do I give, give, give? I started coughing over the weekend at the end of the workshop in which we meditated. I literally had a cough attack and hadn't been able to shake it until the moment my husband addressed what was truly going on. My body reacted by trying to cough it up -- cough up the reality that taking is okay, too.

Mortality and other thoughts

I've been acutely aware of my mortality lately. Maybe it is because a good friend of a good friend lost his life to cancer last week. Maybe it is because Pope John Paul II lost his on Saturday. Maybe it is because someone else I read about lost his life at age 25. Or maybe it is because I attended a conference this past weekend near Amsterdam with the MMS Institute. It taught me that we waste a lot of time with negative self-talk (I knew that), that we are all beautiful human beings (I knew that), and that I can touch people with a word and a look (I didn't know that, except when we're talking about my kids. Then that stern look does wonders). What I learned was we have a certain amount of time on this Earth. What are we doing with it? It became clear to me that I needed a swift kick in the right direction, recognizing and then eliminating the things internally that were getting in my path towards where I need to be. It is clear to me that living from your heart is the only true path. Intellect is nice, and it is useful for balancing your checkbook and learning a new language (even that, I would argue, can be done via the heart). Despite a rather annoying chest cold, I feel at peace with my world. It feels good!