Be the Turtle and Have a Cup of Tea

I don't know about you, but I've been overwhelmed! All of my gigs have been canceled because of The Virus (audible gasp from audience), just like every other storyteller I know. However, as I went online, I saw many of my colleagues being able to reinvent themselves quickly. They are making videos, posting stories, writing papers, gathering people into groups, and getting things online.

It felt like everyone was doing something to keep their business running except me. I felt like I couldn't breathe. It wasn't just because my income suddenly went down to zero, or that the world was being quarantined, it was that after seeing what everyone else was doing, I didn't know what I should do. Should I post lessons online, what would I post? Maybe I can reschedule my gigs for later, but how long will we be in quarantine?  I was so confused. I even thought that perhaps I should quit storytelling altogether.  It seemed as though I was the turtle standing in the middle of a 'herd' of hares (FYI a group of hares is called a "drove," but "herd" fits my mood better).

Then it hit me: I needed a cup of tea and a break from social media. After the second cup of tea and a cookie, I asked myself this question, "What have you been waiting to do until it was warm, and you had the time?" There it was. I needed to clean out and organize my puppet and construction sheds.  They had been waiting for me all winter. So I spent two days moving boxes around and getting sheds a bit more in order. No, I am not finished with them yet, but they are looking much better.

COVID-19 will cause us all to do things differently. I have found myself on loads of ZOOM meetings, sometimes 4-5 a day. I continuously get posts on what colleagues are doing. I have a computer, tablet, and phone, all of which are connected to the internet. It still overwhelms me – I feel like I can't keep up. But it is in those overwhelming moments I go back to that cup of tea and remember I have a direction: the puppet and construction sheds. 

What have you been putting off and waiting to do until you had the time? Writing a story, learning an instrument, going back and reading all of those notes you took when you attended a workshop? Take the time and do it. Read that novel, research that new story. Step back from what everyone else is doing and do what you need to do. I've realized that I might not win the race against all those hares, but I will most certainly finish it.

Give me a call, and we'll have a cup of tea online, which is an acceptable distance.

Estate Sale Dulcimers

I met my friend Gwen for breakfast a couple of weeks ago. We ate our steel cut oatmeal with fruit and chatted for a while, then began to talk about an estate sale we had both seen online.

“They have a couple of dulcimers I would love to see,” I said. “I’ve always wanted a dulcimer.”

“It looked like a great sale,” Gwen said.

“Want to go, do you have time?” I asked.

“I’ll drive,” she said.

When we arrived, I began to look for the dulcimers. I asked one of the attendants where they were and she said they had already been sold. I was disappointed, but Gwen and I had gotten there late so I certainly understood why they would already be in the hands of another. We walked around the house and each found a few things we could use in our artsy businesses (Gwen is a potter and I am a puppeteer and storyteller.). After about 20 minutes I heard Gwen say my name. I turned to look and there, hidden behind a door, were two beautiful dulcimers. There they were, those two beauties! I took them off the wall and looked them over. The prices were very reasonable. I called another friend, Hope, who plays dulcimers and leads a dulcimer group and was relieved when she answered the phone.

“Hope, I need some help.” I said.

“Are you ok?” She sounded concerned.

“I’m fine,” I said, and went on to tell her about the instruments. “They are signed; they look handmade.”

After further conversation Hope said, “Oh, Lona, they ARE handmade. That is an amazing find! They are both worth the price. They were waiting for your to arrive and take them home!”

After a brief moment I decided to purchase them both. Gwen lovingly carried one for me and I put the other in my arms to carry to the check-out.  

I’ve wanted a dulcimer for over 20 years and now I own two! They are gorgeous and it makes me happy each time I take them out to play! I am still at the point of learning how to play them properly, but this is not all about being proper, it’s about enjoying the opportunity and the journey, and knowing that a new dream can begin at any time and any age in your life.

It’ll be a new story to tell.

Here are pictures of my new ‘babies’. I put a shoe in the top picture for scale. One is curly maple and the other is walnut. 

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Wishes – Goals – Action Plan

Here we are, December 26, the day after Christmas. It seems to me that the next 5 days are when we hear a lot about New Year resolutions; you may be making some of your own. Many times we are not making resolutions as much as we are making wishes. We state things like, “I want to lose 20 lbs this year”, or “I want to be more organized or make better use of my time.” I think a wish is a good place to start, but an action plan is needed to achieve our wishes, breaking things down into smaller bits so we can get there. This turns a wish into a goal. I’ve got a composition book and at the top of a page I write down what I want; the next step is to create a plan of action to get there. It looks a little like this:

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GOAL: Make better use of my time this year.

ACTION PLAN:

• Use a timer and set limits so I am aware of how I am spending my time. This will also help me keep focused on the task at hand.

• Get my clothes ready the night before, so I am ready for the next day.

• Go to bed 5 minutes earlier each week until I reach 10:00 pm. (I have been going to bed way too late this year.)

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I can adjust these at any time, but right now this is my action plan.

I have found that the weight loss plan doesn’t work for me. So instead I have decided my real wish is to be healthy. To make it a goal, I examined what healthy meant to me. I’ve heard the proclamations of, “I will not eat sugar for the 2019 year!” Nope, that will not work for me because healthy (to me) also means happy mind, body, and spirit. I like cake, cookies—and I adore chocolate— so now what? It would make me sad not being able to enjoy a cookie with my great nieces and nephew; however, I can eat fewer. I can slow down and savor what I am eating. I can also move more. I started this plan about 18 months ago and have become more aware of what I am eating. I also bought a Fitbit to help stay on track with how much I am moving. I’ve shed about 20 pounds in those 18 months. It is very slow, but I continue to progress. Slow progress is still progress!!

I have stories that I want to write this year, too. I got out a second composition book for stories. Once I set up my action plan steps, then I will chart it on my calendar with sticky notes. This way if I run into a life situation I can easily reschedule the plan.

I expect that this plan will work and I can tweak it at any time. The only cost to get started is two composition books and the time to write down my wishes, goals, and action plan.

What wishes are you turning into goals this year? Make sure you set up an action plan to get there.

Something Fowl for Thanksgiving - Carolina Waterfowl Rescue

I stopped by a local shop called Backyard Birds a few days ago. When I got there, Carolina Waterfowl Rescue was there with chickens. I grew up on a farm, and we had chickens, but I’d not held one in years!! Living in the middle of Charlotte, NC means I am not around livestock much anymore.

The volunteers were walking around cleaning up the residual effects of having chickens in a public place. I chatted with them (the Waterfowl volunteers, not the chickens) for a few moments and found out that a percentage of the sales in the store that day would be donated to Carolina Waterfowl Rescue. They are an animal rescue and, even though their name does not mention it, they have rescued more than just waterfowl. It is my understanding they have an interspecies love affair between an emu and a donkey happening on their grounds right now. (I suppose anything is possible and who are we to judge?)

I am glad there are those who take care of the animals of the world and have compassion for them. I wish I had the ability of Dr. Doolittle and were able to talk to the animals and have them talk back to me. The stories they could be telling, I believe, I would find interesting.

As we are celebrating Thanksgiving, let us be thankful for those who take the time to care for the world around us. No one can do everything, but we can all do a little bit to make the world a kinder place.

Have a wonderful holiday!!

For more information on Carolina Waterfowl Rescue click here!

Live Out Loud

Summer reading this year is a music theme, titled Libraries Rock. So I wrote a program called Rhythm & Rhyme and Note-able Narratives. I've been doing shows at several libraries this summer and it has been fun. I've included some puppets and instruments from different countries and continents. I introduce the instruments to the audience, then tell a story from that country; a thumb drum from Africa, rainstick from Equador, dulcimer guitar from North America, and a couple of others. I have also made a bunch of homemade instruments, so everyone in the audience gets to play something. 

My favorite part of the program is showing everyone how to whistle on an acorn top or turn pine cones into a musical instrument. I learned those little techniques by living on a farm, but there is music all around us. You can hear it when the wind rustles the leaves on the trees, the ding of an elevator door, the cadence of a walk. Even my washer and dryer play tunes when they are finished. 

Learning a new instrument is enjoyable for me. In the past, I haven't played my instruments for audiences; I really am not very good. But then I took to heart one of my mantras — LIVE OUT LOUD. We should make a little noise now and then. Now, I am not saying that we should whistle in the middle of a movie or sing in a waiting room; what I am saying is that we should enjoy our lives.

Make music, ask questions, try something new. No matter your age or gender, you don't have to be good at something to enjoy it. Live Out Loud!