Dreams

SARK says in her book, Inspiration Sandwich: Stories to Inspire Our Creative Freedom, "Transformative dreams await us each time we sleep. I like to ask questions before sleeping, and then dream the answers.  Dreams love to guide us and answer questions we're not ready to ask our conscious mind. I do write down all my dreams, and now have hundreds of dreams in my journals to reread for clues to my unounscious. Dreams are the angels of our spirits."

So I read this and thought I don't remember any of my dreams, so if I ask questions before I go to sleep this isn't going to do me any good... but then I thought about how much DAY dreaming I do! Oh my goodness! I do lots of daydreaming! How fun would it be to start writing down all my daydreams? Do you write down your dreams? Brian Andreas of storypeople.com says, "Dreams are a starting point. Dreaming is a state. It's the state right before things take form." So today, I'm going to start a Dream Journal.

Before today, I had three journals going. I will now have four.  

• The first one is called my "Daily Pages" journal. It is a tool from Julia Cameran's "The Artist's Way". This is where I do a "Brain Dump" every morning; 3 handwritten pages of whatever comes into my head - it goes out onto paper. I LOVE this journal. It frees my mind to start my day.
• The second one is my processing/venting journal... This is the journal that I write in when I'm having a hard time processing information and I'm feeling negative and it's information that I don't ever want to have to read ever again. I learned after I lost my memory that the journals that I kept in the past were very negative - that the only times or most of the times that I wrote in a journal was when I was mad or wanted to complain about something. I used my journals to vent. I made a decision after reading these journals that I was going to keep more positive journals so that when I went back to read my journals or when my posterity (those who live after me) read my journals it will be a positive experience. So this journal is more of a venting/processing journal. I will probably burn them when they're full - it will be a cleansing ritual :-).
• The third journal I have is my Creative Journal. Now this is a fun journal. I took a FREE, yes I said FREE. I liked this FREE Visual Journaling class by Strathmore where I learned to create these amazing journals. I take time at least once a week to create something in my visual/creative journal. I have a page devoted to my husband where I write all kinds of love notes about him, I have another page where I made a cute little pocket that holds all my keepsakes, I have another page where I painted with watercolors and I wrote poems on top of the watercolors what the picture means to me, I have a couple of fold out pages, and I have this one page where I found some really cool pages from a Newsweek magazine about "Brain Freeze" and "I Can't Think" - how our brain's are on overload and it totally described how my brain sometimes feels... It's just been a lot of fun working creatively just an hour or two a week in it.
• Now I have my dream journal! I could even incorporate my dream journal into my creative journal - who knows?

So what are you dreaming about today? Where have your dreams taken you? Where are your dreams going to take you? This website was one of my dreams that came to me less than three months ago... Your dreams can take you many places. Just imagine what you can do...

Many Hugs!

Cathleen

Juicy Journaling and ARTsignments In Action

Hi all my beautiful friends!

I just wanted to tell you all about a few things that are coming up that I’m pretty excited about.

As some of you know, a year ago last November, I lost my memory due to some treatments that I had while I was hospitalized. Well, it took me some time to recover, but while I was on my road to recovery, I found some books on my bookshelf at home that brought back some great memories! They were authored by SARK. SARK (Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy – Yes! That is her real name) is one of the most amazing women I’ve ever met and she has helped me immensely over the past few months as I have been working with her through an e-program and tele-class program called “Dream Boogie”.

One thing that I wish I had after I lost my memory was a better journal. I did have somewhat of a sporadic journal, however it wasn’t a very positive journal and well, it wasn’t a very positive part of my recovery. With that said, I'm so excited about SARK's newest eProgram, Juicy Journaling with SARK – Volume 2! SARK released the first Juicy Journaling eProgram in 2009, and by popular demand, she's now offering an ultra-juicy sequel, with 100% all-new content PLUS four writing teleworkshops with SARK herself! If you are interested in taking an inspiring journey through words, feelings, and fabulously juicy living, I encourage you to take a look. This program is overflowing with multi-media tools to unearth your new, fresh writing voice and nourish your soul and I think it's awesome! Plus, through April 8, there is an "Early Word Special" with a really nice discount. There’s an option that includes 4 live writing teleworkshops with SARK, as well as an affordable “Lessons Only” option. There is even a Juicy Journaling Package, which includes BOTH the original Juicy Journaling with SARK and Juicy Journaling - Volume 2 for a 20% savings! Get all the Juicy Journaling details here!

The next program I want to tell you about comes from Marney Makridakis of Artellaland. I met Marney through SARK. She is amazing as well! Marney is presenting a fun, inspiring,and nicest of all, free :-) teleclass called ARTsignments in Action: A Fun Romp Through the ARTbundance Sandbox! It's a full hour of "getting messy" with some really fun and unique self-exploration tools that are infused with creativity! You can get more info and sign up here.

I have learned soooo much from both of these women and I just had to share these opportunities with all of you! 

Sending love and lots of hugs your way!

Cathleen

p.s. If you're not sure about the Juicy Journaling but want to try it out, get TWO Free days of SARK’s Juicy Journaling Volume 2 when you enter her Wild Words Contest!

Fostering Happiness

As I was doing my research for my upcoming website, brainbehappy.com (oh, I’m so excited!), I was looking at books that I could include in The Happiness Corner and in The Happy Shop. I found a book that I just absolutely love! It makes me happy just thinking about it!

In Chapter 23 of Happiness for Dummies (by W. Doyle Gentry, PhD) listed are 10 things you can do today to foster happiness in your life:

1. Establish and stick to a morning ritual
2. Eat a healthy diet
3. Exercise
4. Get enough sleep
5. Meditate
6. Make a spiritual connection
7. Be thankful
8. Think and feel with compassion
9. Lend a helping hand
10. Have a sense of humor

I do have a morning ritual. In fact I have several. I am a bit of an obsessive/compulsive; but that’s not all bad J. It helps me to remember where I am and what I’m doing J. One of my favorite rituals is writing in my journal. It’s actually an idea that came from Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way's Basic Tools, called “Morning Pages”. Morning Pages are three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning. There is no wrong way to do Morning Pages-- they are not high art. They are about anything and everything that crosses your mind-- and they are for your eyes only. She also suggests an Artist Date. The Artist Date is a once-weekly, festive, solo expedition to explore something that interests you. The Artist Date need not be overtly "artistic"-- think mischief more than mastery. I have yet to explore The Artist Date ~ I’m thinking tomorrow will be my Artist Date with myself!

I’m working on the healthy diet… Exercising not so much… Would love to take more naps (maybe I’ll take a nap tomorrow too!)

Meditation and making a spiritual connection ~ these two go hand in hand for me. My mom taught me many, many years ago (I am getting up there you know), that you should always have a prayer in your heart. My prayers are in my heart, in my song, in my mind, wherever I go. I have a constant conversation with my Heavenly Father. Without the help and aide of my Heavenly Father, I wouldn’t be sitting here today, writing this blog! He has seen me through so many trials and I’ve come out on top, smiling (can you see my smile?). I have so much gratitude in my heart to Him and to my Savior for the LOVE they have for me!

Be thankful! For everything! Be thankful for your trials! They make us stronger. I have a group that I’m working with in “Dream Boogie” with SARK. We call ourselves the Dancing Queens. There is a particular Dancing Queen who I absolutely LOVE who just lifts my spirits every time she e-mails me. She was thanking her “fears” for working so hard to protect her! I loved that! In fact she was so gracious that she sent them all on a vacation! I loved that even more!!! I also keep a gratitude journal. Keeping a list of all the things that I do have keeps me in check!

Think and feel with compassion… I think I do everything compassionately ~ at least I hope I do. My heart is full of compassion for others. That is the main reason I am putting together brainbehappy.com. I want those who are hurting and needing some solace to have a place to come; to be nourished and supported by other and especially by me… Lending a helping hand. Whatever I can do to help someone out ~ well, I would like to be able to do more. I will keep trying on that one…

Have a sense of humor J. You know, when you lose your memory, you have to have a sense of humor! Do you know how many times a day my husband says, “Hey, do you remember…” I just look at him and smile J. I look at it this way: you have a choice; you can laugh or you can cry. Laughter is the best medicine. So crack open those joke books, turn on your favorite comedy. Last night we watched re-runs of I Love Lucy. If that doesn’t make you laugh, nothing will. So find all the opportunities you can to find your sense of humor.

Sending many hugs your way!

Signing off with love,

Cathleen

A Dream Coming True

WOW! I am so excited! It's really happening! I signed up a little over 5 weeks ago for SARK's Dream Boogie e-course and I had no idea what my dream even was and now my dream (oh by the way, I know what it is now), is a real live website!!!

BrainBeHappy.com is set to go live on March 21. The "Coming Soon" page is already active - so go and visit!!! This community is so exciting! As a survivor of several mental disorders, and losing my memory due to some complications from ECT (Electro Convulsive Therapy) Treatments, I felt I had a story to tell and I felt like my experiences would benefit others. I also knew there was a need for a website - a place for the mentally ill and those dealing with complications due to brain trauma to go/come to get information and to meet and get support from one another.

Another element that I wanted this website to have was HAPPINESS! Happiness just makes everything better. So, there is a big part of the website that is devoted to happiness - It's called "The Happiness Corner" I want everyone who visits to leave feeling exuberantly happy and I want them to come back often to get daily doses of happiness :-).

And for those who want a daily dose of happiness, come and visit me here. I know that if we choose to, we can find happiness wherever we look. We can turn any situation, even if it's a bad situation into something that is happy. I speak from experience. A year and a half ago I lost my memory. Some say "Oh that's horrible!" But I like the response I got from one of the sweetest girls I've ever met. She said, "That is so cool! You have a clean slate! I would love to lose my memory! You have nothing to feel guilty about, because you don't remember anything you've ever done!" Ever since that response, I've done nothing but look on the bright side of this experience :-). I still have some trouble with short-term memory loss. It's not all that bad. I can watch a movie in December and forget about it by February. I can watch it again and it's like I'm watching a whole new movie :-) tee-hee...

So that's my crusade... to make people and myself happy. Happy times... let's see how many happy times we can have! Come and visit often. I'd love to hear from you. Tell me your happy thoughts!