Schuetz

"A Tale About Stealing Saturn"

The wind swept past her, stood fast in her way, "Stealing Saturn, are you?" he chuckled, "However do you think you are going to help your inner child grow if you go around robbing the Universe of it's planets?"

"Now is not a time for debates about enlightenment", I cried. " I have painted whimsical angel pictures and keep them in a locket to remind me of what fantasy art women dream of. I keep them and know that the power that you dear Wind always understood was yours... is mine as well. I must have it! Saturn is mine! In my heart I take the secrets of magic, all the fairy tales untold and gather them in my arms. They are an energy of mystery. Saturn is mine!"

And the Wind grew yet ceased his objections because he enjoyed the game as well.
.

If you can paint it then fantasy becomes real. I am an art fairy, a fantasy art women and I long for the planets and stars to flourish in their dance into the sky. Let me ride the wind and whisper recipes for chocolate eclairs and well clad gingerbread men to every fairy I see. Alas we will gather together for high tea, right on the moons surface; the Wind; the earth goddess; whimsical angels and me. I blush and mingle all the colors together and feel their melody. There are no debates about enlightenment once one learns the code, it is to open your wings and heart, stop that ever ticking chatter in your head, rest and feel joy. After a lovely afternoon I gathered my whimsical angel pictures any leftover chocolate I could find and put them in my satchel, I was on to another journey. And yes indeed! I did gather Saturn with one arm, pondered a bit , then I stole all the stars as well!

I have posted my poem "Sunsets" before under poetry but feel it is also so fitting for my story about "Stealing Saturn".

"Sunsets"

She travels with magic on a mystical ride.
She walks in the moonlight
and covers my mind.
She travels the road down past the pines,
where the mist meets the morning
'fore the river turns ice.

We gather up petals
from the flowers that have died.
She travels with magic
on a mystical ride,
pointing out sunsets
and ponies to ride.
So just see how it goes
how the magic unfolds
how the children you've known
lend out sea covered rhymes
still fasting
but no longer cold.

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About the Author:

Kathy Ostman-Magnusen Hawaii, United States

Aloha! I am a figurative artist and Illustrator. If you check out my website you will see that I am very prolific in oils. My paintings are collected worldwide. I also do sculpture; images available upon request. I have illustrated for Hay House Inc. , Neil Davidson, who was considered for the Pulitzer Prize in feature writing, and several other publications. I also enjoy story writing and poetry. All of the paintings,stories and poems on my blogs and website are written by me.

Check out my website http://www.kathysart.com or one of my blogs at: http://kathysart.blogspot.com/

Aloha

Many men dont like going to doctors unless theyve had their arm blown off in combat, or have been run over by a truck. Theyll go these rare times voluntarily, because they really want that arm sewn back on or those broken bones set.

What about those times when somethings just not right, and worse yet, its of a more personal and intimate nature?

What about when youre standing there peeing blood, or suddenly your bowels have gone all wonky? Do you run to the doctor? Nope. You ignore it and hope it goes away. The cramps will go away, the weird sensations will go away, and the problem will disappear. You may think you can work through this on your own.

Women are more accustomed to having their personal health issues widely publicized. Watch TV for five minutes and youll see more than your share of ads for feminine hygiene products of every nature. There are numerous reminders for women about breast cancer, cervical cancer and yeast infections. With the help of strong media campaigns, women seem to have gotten over their reluctance to address signs and symptoms that could indicate conditions that are far more serious.

Where are the reminders geared specifically towards men? Lets take prostate cancer, for example. Is it any less acceptable to talk about? Is it any less important or prevalent? Is testicular cancer, penile cancer or genital herpes any less important for a man?

Why do the only male-related health products we seem to see advertised on TV pertain to achieving and maintaining erections? These likely wont do you much good if you have underlying conditions that havent been addressed.

Going to the doctor is not always a pleasant experience, Ill admit. While women are told to relax and breathe, men are told to bend over and cough. Both sexes must bite the bullet and undergo these examinations, simply because it could save their lives.

Why must a man be half-dead before he sees a doctor? Sadder still, why must his cancer or other disorder progress to the point that by the time he does see a professional, theres not a whole lot they can do for him, except to keep him comfortable?

Listen up, men. Those days when the doctor drank a third of a bottle of whiskey, gave you a third, and then poured the rest over your wound after hacking at you with a rusty blade are long gone.

Its really not that bad anymore.

What is bad is when you ignore your signs and symptoms until its too late.

Here are some frequent excuses I hear from men about why they dont go to the doctor, even when they have disturbing symptoms:

Im too busy at work.

I cant afford the fees.

Ill get to it next month.

My symptoms arent that bad any more.

Doctors dont know anything. Ill be fine.

If Im meant to die, Ill die. (This must be the philosophical approach.)

While a man might think it's a good idea to go to the doctor if he has a bullet wound to the head, rarely does he think its a good idea when his urination is painful or hes bleeding from his rectum. Those are things that men dont seem to be comfortable talking about, let alone having checked out.

For the sake of yourself and your loved ones, when you have unusual symptoms, be a real man. Go to the doctor.

copyright 2006 Karen Braschuk

As I waited for my appointment at the fracture clinic, a number of worries consumed me. I can't drive for six weeks. How will I see the Great Wall of China with an air boot and a cane? I decided to take hold of my emotional state by asking myself an important question, "What is the possible gift of this situation?" The answer came straight back - "Learn to ask for what you need". That struck me as being a very valuable lesson for everyone.

We all have things we may need assistance with, ranging from help with chores around the house to investment advice. My first opportunity to ask for help came when I crawled over to the phone with my swollen foot to ask my neighbor, Marc, to take me to the doctor. Let's face it - there are no brownie points awarded for struggling and trying to meet all of our needs on our own. We can learn to make a request - accepting that the answer can be a "yes" or a "no". Asking for help means we're simply being honest - with ourselves and with those around us. When we take on a task that we really think we either shouldn't be doing or should be getting some help with, we just build up a reservoir of resentment that's ready to boil over on the hapless individual who's unlucky enough to be in front of you when you can't contain it any more.

What I've learned from the past two weeks of asking for what I need is that I feel incredibly nourished and appreciated - by my children, my family, my friends, even the many taxi drivers I've encountered while unable to drive. The generosity of people and willingness to help, if we open that door and ask, is incredible. But most importantly, I'm feeling more in the flow again, filled with a new sense of peace and pride that by asking for what I need, I'm able to take better care of myself.

So why is that so important? When our needs are addressed, we can step back into that zone and take care of those around us in a way that's not possible otherwise. Plus it invites those around us to do the same for themselves! I encourage all of you to see what unmet needs you can take care of and ask for help with this month - let me know how you do!

How to Ask for What You Need

If you're ready and willing to ask for what you need, here are some important things to know!

1. Check in with yourself - what do you need? When you're starting to feel overwhelmed or stressed out by life's unexpected turn of events, take a moment to step back from the immediate situation. Take a few deep breaths and then ask yourself, "What do I need to do to take care of myself in this situation?" "Is there something I need in this moment?" Listen for what your inner wisdom tells you.

2. You Are the World's Best Expert on You So often we defer to other people's opinion and advice. (Yup, that's definitely me!) But everyone has their own unique "zone". What works for someone else may not work for you. You are the world's best expert on YOU - so consult yourself. If you do feel the need to poll others for their views, go ahead and get some input but don't use that as an excuse for not taking your own advice. If you're still not sure, Debbie Ford recommends imagining what you'd tell your best friend if she was in your shoes - and then take that advice!

3. Start Where you Are Some days you'll wake up feeling energized, other days you may feel like it's all you can do to brush your teeth! Buddhist nun Pema Chodron's book, "Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living", makes the case that following this principle will cultivate fearlessness and awaken a compassionate heart. Resolve to be patient with yourself as you navigate back to your "zone" and start from where you are.

4. Be Playful and Lighten Up! When we feel ourselves going off track, it's easy to get glum, serious and to berate ourselves. Why not lighten things up, even make a game of it? Debbie Ford's new "Best Year of Your Life" kit offers a structure where you award yourself points for various acts of self-care and earn rewards once you get to a certain level. Or if some days you feel like you're operating at only 20% of your capacity, ask yourself what you'd need to do to notch it up to just 30% that day. That would be a 50% increase over where you started your day! How about daring yourself to ask for what you need? By bringing some of that playfulness back, we set ourselves up for sustainable and successful results.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete statement with it: Author and coach, Carolyn B. Ellis, is the founder of Thrive After Divorce Inc. Through educational products, coaching and trainings, the company helps separated and divorced individuals improve relationships, increase self-confidence and save time and heartache. She is the author of the forthcoming, The 7 Pitfalls of Single Parenting: What to Avoid So Your Children Thrive After Divorce. If you want simple life-changing tips for single parenting, visit http://www.thriveafterdivorce.com to receive a free report now.

Carolyn B. Ellis is the Founder of Thrive After Divorce, Inc. A Harvard University graduate, Carolyn is also a Certified Master Integrative Coach, Teleclass Leader and the first Canadian to be certified as a Spiritual Divorce Coach. She is also a part-time staff member of the Institute for Integrative Coaching at John F. Kennedy University in San Francisco, CA, and has been trained personally by its founder, NY Times best-selling author Debbie Ford. Carolyns book, "The 7 Pitfalls of Single Parenting: What to Avoid so Your Children Thrive After Divorce" will be published in early 2007. Her three amazing school age children and bouncy labradoodle dog are her daily sources of inspiration and joy.

At the age of four I developed a stutter. Even to this day, I am now aged thirty-three, I have no idea as to why I started to stutter. There is not one member of my family who has the speech impediment and for many years I would ask myself the same question, why me? At the age of around fourteen I stopped asking myself questions about how or why I had the stuttering problem and started to look for a solution. I so wanted to be able to talk fluently and I was now asking a new question, is there a known cure for stuttering?

For many years I felt very lonely. I seemed to be in a different world to everybody else, a world of fear and frustration. I worried every day about my speech and about the way in which other people would react, if and when I did trip up on a word. I was constantly frustrated, part of this frustration was due to the fact that I found it so difficult to talk where as other people seemingly found it so easy. The other side to the frustration was the fact that the stutter dictated every decision I ever made and I always ended up accepting second best.

I was also lonely because I felt like I was one of only a few people who had this form of speech impediment, I certainly did not know of anyone else who had the problem. I am now aware that many people suffer with stuttering.

When searching for the stuttering cure, many, in fact most people informed me that you can not cure a stutter. This was of course quite annoying to hear, but was something I did not accept. Aged sixteen I became drunk for the first time, it was also the first time in my life where I had been fluent for a sustained period of time. How strange, I could speak fluently when under the influence of alcohol, who can possibly tell me there is not a cure for stuttering?

Aged twenty-two and after a lot of hard work I managed to rid myself of the stutter, to enable myself to speak fluently when sober and when drunk. My advice to people out there is to not always believe what you are told, where there is a will, there is a way.

Stephen Hill helps to promote a number of websites including:

stuttering

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