Life gets in the way....

This summer I've been completely remiss in posting with any regularity at all.  But that's not all bad, right?  Ok, it's true that there are people who insist that to have a blog, you should post every day.  And that's probably true if you're trying to build a business or a following.  But I'm trying to build a life.

And life has a way of getting in the way.

My blog posts are often random and may seemingly go nowhere.  They range in topic from my motorcycle adventures to what I like to think of as "deep thoughts by Heather."  I've tried to post on topics that I think people want to read about, but trying to mold my content like that doesn't fit who I am anymore.

And life has a way of getting in the way.

Over the past few weeks there are lots of times that I've thought of all of you and wanted to share what I'm thinking or feeling.  When I was struck weak by something tragic (the stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair) or left speechless by the beauty of something that I've seemingly passed every day.

But life has a way of getting in the way.

When I started this blog, it was about sharing my 101 in 1001 and all the interesting stories that go with those adventures.  It slowly morphed into a place that I could go and let it all hang out virtually.  I wrote what I wanted.  If it popped into my head, I probably told you all about it.  And I felt like I could do that because nobody was listening anyway, right?  If I write something offensive in the middle of the woods and there is no one to hear it, is anyone offended anyway?

But then people started to read.

And that's a good thing, right?  Don't we all want to be heard?  The problem is when we feel like we can't really speak anymore.  Are we really being heard anymore then?  Putting it all out there is most definitely cathartic and I never intend to hurt anyone's feelings.  But people's feelings have a way of getting hurt anyway.

And people have a way of getting in the way.

So I guess I've held back.

And holding back has a way of getting in the way.

Of creating.
Of sharing.
Of living.
Of knowing.
Of being known.
Of loving.

So I'm going to do the scary thing.  And I'm going to start again.

I'm going to begin creating again.
I'm going to start sharing again.
I'm going to try living again.
I'm going to seek to know again.
I'm going to be open to being known again.

I am going to do the scary thing.

I'm going to try loving again.

Fiction - a life shaper

A month of fiction would not be complete without talking about writing!

Yes, I write on this blog, but as a mathematician, I don't really spend much of my time trying to be creative linguistically (nice word, huh?).

But at one point in my life, that wasn't true.  And I would venture a guess that even my closest friends don't know that.

It all started when I was in first grade.  I was a good kid.  A really good kid!  So you can imagine my horror when my teacher told me that she needed to see me in the hallway.  Egad!  That's where the BAD kids went when they were in trouble!  What could I have done?!?

But I wasn't in trouble.  I mean, really.  How could I be?  I mentioned I was a good kid, right?  haha

No, instead, my teacher, Mrs. G said she had a special project just for me.  There was an event that she wanted me to participate in.  It was called the Young Authors and Artists conference.  She wanted me to write a book.  An entire book!

So for the next few weeks instead of going outside to play, I was writing.  If I wanted to have fun, my mom would ask me how the book was coming.  It seems like every waking moment was spent at the kitchen table carefully writing the story and illustrating the pages.  (It was really only probably 10 pages, but that's a LOT for a first grader to write AND illustrate!)

So when the book was finished, I attended the conference with my mom.  We were separated by age and each group of kids (and their parents) went to a separate room where we talked about our books and showed the other participants.  Then we got to "autograph" each other's book.

While this may not seem like a big deal to some, it was a very cool thing to me.

But the best thing wasn't my signature on the books of other people, it was the signature of one particular little girl on my book.  As I have said, we were in first grade.  We were writing on unlined paper and I was fascinated by this little girl's signature because she wrote in a straight line!  ....without lines on the paper!

So, here's my question.  Why is THAT the big thing that I remember about this entire story?  Why did that little girl's signature make me want to be someone who could write in a straight line on unlined paper?  Why did that one seemingly insignificant event in my life become part of who I am today?

NaBloPoMo - August 2011 - Fiction

This month's theme for NaBloPoMo is "Fiction".

So here's my question:  Fact or Fiction?  I will be able to ACTUALLY complete an entire month of blog posts and get that item crossed off of my list?

Stay tuned to find out!

Florence and the Fourth!

Happy Fourth of July, everybody!  I hope you had a wonderful day and evening enjoying the freedoms we have!

I was lucky enough to cross off an item on my list this evening!  #7 Attend a concert at White River State Park.

White River State Park is a green space across from the Indianapolis Zoo and The Indianapolis Indians Victory Field.  On any given day you can see people walking or biking around the park, lying in the grass and relaxing or playing a game of frisbee.

A few years ago a bandshell was built and since then the area has hosted a variety of musical acts and festivals.  It's a short walk from the downtown canal and ever since the bandshell was built, I have wanted to see a concert there.

Tonight I finally got a chance and went to see an excellent concert put on by Florence and the Machine.  The music was great and the atmosphere is perfect for a summer concert, but the audience faces west during the show, so the sun was directly in our eyes for most of the concert.

If I go to a concert there again, I will probably splurge and get the reserved seats rather than the general admission.  The reserved seats were shaded by the bandshell and probably had a much better view of the stage and performer. 

  

Thanks so much to my friend Patrick for going to the concert with me!  I hope he had fun!

Do epic $hit!

The other day a friend of mine posted a link on Facebook.  Some of you may have already read this entry by Johnny B. Truant, but if you haven't, take a gander over at "The Universe Doesn't Give a Flying Fuck About You".  It's a little long, but TOTALLY worth it!

The upshot is that life is SHORT and we need to find ways to do Epic Shit!

I'd LOVE to quit my job, sell my house and take all of the proceeds to travel around the country by motorcycle taking amazing photographs, talking to interesting people and doing epic things!  In the meantime, it looks like I'm going to have to live vicariously through Troy.

Tomorrow morning he sets off on an EPIC journey.  It's gonna be just him, his motorcycle and the open road for the next 3 weeks.

He'll be heading out west and then into Canada to visit some family members that have just moved there.  At the end of his journey he'll point his mightly metal steed back east for the 2011 BMW Rally. 

When he returns at the end of July, I hope he's found safety, adventure, happiness and energizing renewal for his soul.

He's done an amazing job of decking his motorcycle out with some great gear!  He has a GPS, XM Satellite radio and a great system that will track his location and make a "mark" every 10 minutes.  He's sent me a link so that I can follow him virtually.  He also said that he was going to set up a blog to post his photos and adventures as he travels.

I'll be sure to keep you posted should anything EPIC come up!!

Good luck and godspeed, Troy!

Swimming in money like Scrooge McDuck

Here I am getting my post for NaBloPoMo in at the last second!

So, with just under 1 year left for my second 101 in 1001, I've been checking out my list and trying to figure out what I should tackle next.

On the list is to collect 100,000 pennies and then donate them (or the equivalent $1,000) to a charity.  I was doing pretty well for a while because the people on my bowling league (don't judge!) routinely brought me lots of pennies each week.

However, in the last few months, I've gotten behind the schedule of trying to get 100 pennies per day.  To be exact, I'm about 35,000 pennies behind schedule.  I have already collected well over 30,000 (they are REALLY heavy!), but I am most definitely behind the 70,000 that I should have!

The great thing about pennies is that most people think of them as being virtually useless.  That's great when I'm asking them to give me some.  Try that with quarters or dollar bills and I'm gonna bet people are a lot less willing to just fork them over.  After all, checkout counters don't usually have a Have a Dollar/Take a Dollar cup, do they?

So, here's where I need your help!  I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas on how I can catch up?  What are some of the ways you think I could get more pennies from people?  Am I missing some obvious plan of attack?

Help!  It's for the children!

Let's Swim!

The for July's NaBloPoMo is SWIM.

What better way to start of a month of blogging (fingers crossed hoping for the best!) and a holiday weekend than to show the world's most adorable baby (others' opinions may differ) ready to go for a swim?

I apologize for the graininess of it, but my brother sent it to me from his phone.  It's hard to tell, but she definitely has our family squint going on!  Where are her adorable pink sunglasses?!  I know she has some!