May 2009

  • The Artist's Way

    By sarajean on 5/27/09 12:54am
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    The Artist's WayThe Artist's WayJulia Cameron is a genius. There’s simply no other way to put it.

    After years at a job where my creativity gradually dwindled into a small pocket within my frontal lobe, often forgotten, often developing cobwebs and housing stray homeless creatures who wandered in and marveled at the vacant find, I suddenly found myself wholly dependant on said monochromatic pocket following a rather painful—but relieved, I must admit—layoff.

    Diving head-first into finding another way to support my family, I also dove into numerous self-help books, believing that I was lacking something. And I was. I was lacking myself. And Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way helped me find… me.

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  • The Peace Book

    By sarajean on 5/24/09 8:50pm
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    The Peace BookThe Peace BookMy preschooler and I are huge fans of Todd Parr. I bought The Peace Book for her when she was just a newborn and we have read it over and over again since.

    The pictures, like the pictures in all of Parr’s books, drew her in when she was a tiny thing. They are simple, but bright and colorful, and very child-friendly. From creatures to people, beings are always accepted no matter how they look—and each and every one looks every different. Brown, yellow, black, red—some of Parr’s people are even blue or green! Everyone you meet is a friend in Parr’s world.

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  • Reading Guide for National Meditation Month

    By sarajean on 5/23/09 3:04pm
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    Thich Nhat HanhThich Nhat HanhThough May is nearly over, there is plenty of time to learn more about meditation and begin a daily meditative practice, if you don’t have one already. There are hundreds of books about meditation available today; here is just a sampling to start off with.

    The Miracle of Mindfulness: A Manual on Meditation: Renowned Zen Buddhist master Thich Nhat Hanh provides everyday exercises to help you meditate on a daily basis. “Mindfulness is the miracle by which we master and restore ourselves,” says Hanh. From mindful breathing while doing daily chores to practicing Hanh’s methods for just ten minutes daily, this is an easy program for most people to follow.

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