Hello October and why not ....... complain?

Today is the first day of October and it's well and truly Springtime here.

For me Spring traditionally is all about the Royal Melbourne Show, the AFL footy finals, blossoming trees, hay fever, celebrating birthdays and silently acknowledging the tragic passing of loved ones many years ago.

For the past three weeks (the majority of the new season so far) I have been struck with a sinus infection, a chest infection, conjunctivitis and the major source of my complaints - hay fever. Okay - none of these ailments are going to kill me yet I find myself in quite a murderous mood.  So I invite you to join me today in some harmless yet incredibly rewarding and therapeutic complaining.

Let me lead the way.

How is it possible to suffer the symptoms of hay fever (itchy eyes and a runny nose) while affected by a sinus infection and conjunctivitis?

How, how, how?!

On my fourth visit to the doctors I was prescribed a(nother) specific ointment to heal the conjunctivitis.  When I presented the prescription to the pharmacist she informed me that the ointment is in fact out of supply across the whole state of Victoria.  Why would a doctor prescribe something that is not available?

Why, why, why?

While my tears turned to anger then to very restrained composure the pharmacist stood before me (professionally) non-responsive and unmoved.

No, no, no!

How is Spring treating you so far? And what's the top of your complaints list?

I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers - L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

Why not ......... play with a dog?

Have you had a 'play' today? (this week, this month, this year?)

No?  Then why not hang out with a dog or two and have some fun!

Dogs are fully present to the moment.

Dogs are impulsive, spontaneous and unpredictable.

Dogs are fully alive and ....... watchable.

Dogs have much to teach us about creative process.

As a society we now acknowledge how beneficial owning a dog is to both our physical and mental health. You can read more about these benefits here and here.

But it is easy to forget just how fun it is to be with a dog. How it can provide us with a great opportunity to simply play and be silly. How the 'presence' of a dog invites us to be present to the moment too.

Don't just listen to me, Academy Award winning actress Shirley MacLaine has so much to say about the benefits of dogs she wrote a whole book about it. ‘Terry (her rat terrier) has taught me simplicity, she has completely changed my priorities. And she just makes me laugh all the time. She makes me smile through my life now,’  says Shirley. 

Don't worry if you personally do not own a dog. Ask a family member, friend or even a neighbour if you can visit their fur-baby sometime. Or you could contact your local animal shelter and enquire about their volunteer or foster programs.

No matter how you do it - throw a ball around with a dog, teach him (and yourself) a few new tricks or simply have a cuddle - make the time to get some canine energy into your day.

The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too - Samuel Butler

Why not ........ write your Oscar acceptance speech?

On a day where the world grieves the passing of another Hollywood legend Lauren Bacall I invite you to write your Oscar acceptance speech.

Whatever your craft is put pen to paper and write a speech in response to being recognised for your great achievements - realised or imagined!

Who are you going to thank? From your past and your present. Professional to personal.

Will you mention the person/people you propelled you into seeking the utmost excellence of your craft?

Will you make a business, personal, political or social comment?

Will you keep it short and sweet like Joe Pesci?

Private yet inspiring like Steven Soderbergh?

Or will you ramble on like Julia Roberts et al.?

This article has an interesting take on the do's and don'ts of speech making. What do you think?

Write the speech simply for yourself or for the world at large. I encourage you to enjoy the doing.

I don't care who you are. When you sit down to write the first page of your screenplay, in your head, you're also writing your Oscar acceptance speech - Nora Ephron

Is there a movie I think I should have won the Oscar for? Yeah. All of them - Morgan Freeman

Why not ....... go for a swim?

Today I challenge you to take the plunge and go for a swim.

No matter the weather (summer or winter).

Wherever there is water - your backyard, the local swimming pool, indoor or outdoor, a waterhole, a river or the ocean - dive on in and experience the weightless delight of your body submerged.

Find a body of water and explore how your body experiences it. You may enjoy a full-on workout of freestyle laps up and down the pool. Or you prefer to simply paddle about.

Swimming can provide you with a great low impact all body workout and it also has numerous mental health benefits as well.

I think some of the best things about splashing in a pool are the opportunities to play, have some great fun and create special memories. And it's so sensual too!

I have big friends who won't go swimming because they're too embarrassed about it. I feel that's such a shame, because actually people should be encouraging fat people who are exercising to do it, not pointing and laughing - Jo Brand

Why not ............. sing a rainbow?

Hi there, it's been awhile. I was enjoying my time doing nothing. How about you?

Today I am sharing with you a song that has a lot of meaning to me.

It's called 'I can sing a rainbow.'

This song is a favourite from my childhood. It was the first tune I sang to my baby.

If you do not know the tune check out this version by Delta Goodrem.

I love to sing this song with full voice and a smile on my face. Anytime, anywhere. I sing the song from memory. Here are the lyrics I like to sing.......

Red and yellow and pink and green
Purple and orange and blue
I can sing a rainbow
Sing a rainbow
Sing a rainbow too

Listen with your heart
Listen with your heart
And sing everything you see
You can sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow, sing along with me

Red and yellow and pink and green
Purple and orange and blue
You can sing a rainbow
Sing a rainbow 
Sing a rainbow too

Whenever I sing this song I feel pure joy. No matter what - my mood will instantly shift.

So I invite you on this Wednesday to join me in singing this delightful tune. 100%. I would love to hear about any songs that bring sunshine to your day.

Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud - Maya Angelou

Why not ............ do nothing?

The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing - Socrates

Why not ........ #fmsphotoaday?

Hello there and welcome to another Wednesday challenge!

If you are a bit of a social media junkie you have probably heard about Fat Mum Slim's photo a day challenge. If you have no idea what I am talking about read on.....

Over two years ago an Aussie blogger Chantelle Ellem aka Fat Mum Slim started a photo challenge apparently for one month as a creative project for herself and her blog readers. Almost immediately the whole virtual world caught on and now over 13 million photos have been shared across the various social media platforms.

How do you join this photo challenge?

Get a copy of the monthly prompts (from the blog or @fatmumslim on Instagram) and start snapping! If you want you can join the rest of the world and post along. Or you can simply take a photo each day inspired by the daily prompt and do with them what you want! Make a slide show, a hard copy album, a poster collage, fridge magnets - anything!

You can also get an app Little Moments (designed by Chantelle and others) which not only sends you a reminder of the daily photo prompt, it gives you heaps of fun tools to make your photos extra pretty.

Can you take a photo everyday for one month? If you do please let me know where you post your photos. Enjoy!

Every photo you take communicates something about a moment in time - a brief slice of time of where you were, who you were with, and what you were doing - Kevin Systrom

Why not ...... play with playdough?

Today let's use our hands and play.

"Oh but playdough is just for babies and little kids!"

Really?

If you are a ceramicist, a potter or even a pastry chef you will be very accustomed to the pleasures and frustrations of using your hands to create.

For the rest of us experimenting with playdough can be the next best thing.

It is very cheap to purchase. Just one pot is all you need. A few cookie cutters. Something cylindrical (for a rolling pin) and away you go.

You can even make you own playdough at home.

Mould it. Shape it. Squeeze it. Cut it. Roll it. Smell it.

Just start warming up that dough in your hands and off you go.

You might be surprised by how calming and soothing this activity can be. Have fun!

When you have clay in your hands, it's hard to avoid making birds - Eva Zeisel

Why not ...... take an afternoon nap?

It's Wednesday and the middle of the working week so why not take an afternoon nap.

Go on.

Grab a rug and a cushion and get comfy on the coach.

Close your eyes and perhaps drift off into the land of zzzz.

Or get really decedent and jump into your bed fully clothed for a little snooze.

(I like to keep the windows and curtains wide open and take my socks off.)

Sleep isn't necessarily the goal here. Just 20 minutes time out. An opportunity for quiet reflection. An afternoon daydream. A chance to recharge your body and de-stress your mind.

The artist SARK has written a whole book devoted to the art of napping!

If you do happen to actually sleep the benefits can be great especially if you follow some dos and don'ts here.

I wonder if you will allow yourself the luxurious gift of a nap. Let me know.

I like to nap. I do like to sleep. Sometimes I sleep in between takes - Jodie Foster

Why not ....... get some sunshine?

I know - this one is a real challenge as it is totally out of your control right?

No matter where you are in the world hopefully you will find some sunshine somewhere sometime.

When you do get out there and enjoy those rays on your skin.

While the dangers of the sun are well documented it's very important to remember how beneficial sunshine is to our health too. Find out more about this dilemma here.

I was lucky to catch some sun today - what about you?

Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain't goin' away - Elvis Presley

Why not ....... do a jigsaw puzzle?

It's Wednesday and a great day to do a jigsaw puzzle.

Not matter if it's simple or complex just get a jigsaw out and start doing one. The benefits for your brain and creativity are amazing. Don't just believe me check out this and this.

Don't have a jigsaw puzzle hanging around your house?  Pay a visit to your local op shop or Kmart and grab yourself a bargain.

Or you could make your own puzzle by downloading a template like this one.

Take it easy on yourself to begin with. Keep the image of the puzzle in sight. Then challenge yourself by trying that puzzle without the picture.

Did you have a favourite jigsaw puzzle when you were younger?  Do you still enjoy puzzles today?  Let me know how you go.

To me acting is like a jigsaw puzzle. The jigsaw puzzle is of the sky and all the pieces are blue. Out of this you have to create a human being and put it together - Henry Winkler

Why not ...... go for a walk?

It's Wednesday and time to take a walk.

For about 20 minutes.

By yourself.

Just because you can.

You might notice

your right foot touching the ground and then your left foot. Arms swinging by your sides. Some parts of you relaxed. Other parts quite tense. Your breath leaving and entering your body. A slight breeze around you or a gusty wind. 

You might notice

the color of the sky. The texts, structures and nature around you. How it all looks at this time of day.  People you pass by. 

You might notice

the soundtrack around you. The birds. Yappy dogs. Traffic. Building works. Silence.

You might notice

smells, odours, armours, scents that you never or always pay attention to. 

You might notice

your thoughts and how they make you feel. Your feelings and what they make you want to do. 

You might notice

that walking (a doing) can make you feel things and think things.   

So why not take a walk this fine Wednesday.

All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking - Friedrich Nietzsche

Why not .... go see some art?

Artist:Yvonne Sherring

Today let's look at visual art.

Don't just look at something in a book or on the computer. Go take a visit to somewhere that displays real life art.

Paintings. Sculpture. Installations.

Art galleries are not the only places you can find art. Museums.  Public spaces. Hotels. Corporate office foyers. Libraries. Your own home.

See it in the flesh and let it move you.

Because when you take the time to really look at a piece you will discover that it moves you in some way.

Enjoy!

Love art in yourself, not yourself in art - Konstantin Stanislavski

Why not ..... visit the zoo?

When was the last time you visited a zoo? Can't remember? Last week?  No matter when it was I invite you to put the zoo on your to do list ASAP. Here in Australia we are very lucky to have some beautiful zoos. From the spectacular animal exhibits to the immaculate landscaping zoos are very much a sensory experience.

Why don't you spend some time observing the animals - how they move and how they interact with each other and the 'audience'.

Spend some time observing the humans around you - how they move and how they interact with what's around them.

Spend some time observing yourself - how you move and how you interact with your environment and surroundings.

(Note if you were a student of Lee Strasberg (and many other drama schools) you would spend a significant amount of time at the zoo in preparation for his Animal Exercises.)

Take some time out to explore the zoo and let me know what you discover.

Man is a clever animal who behaves like an imbecile - Albert Schweitzer

Why not. ..... memorise a piece of poetry?

Today's challenge involves your mind and the skill of memorising.  Like any skill the more you practice memorising the better you become.  And you know the saying "move it or loose it" - well it definitely applies to the brain. So use it or loose it!

Do you have a book of poetry in your home? Go grab it. No books? Use Google. Maybe there is a verse that you remember from school. Or perhaps something you've heard quoted in a movie. Or a famous poet whose works you have never read. If you are likely to stress about making a choice like this give yourself a time limit in your search - say 10 minutes.

Let's get to it

• Select a piece of poetry that speaks to you. 
• Write it down.  Write it many times before you speak it.  
• Then take one line and say it to yourself in your head. Over and over. When you can say it many times then go to the next line.  
• Repeat the second line over and over in your head then add it to the first line. Say these two lines together a number of times.  
• Now it's time to look at line three. Continue the same process with all the lines - learn one adding it to the previous one - until you get to the end of the piece.  
• Then practice the whole piece in your head without looking at the lines at all. 

Now it's time to say it out loud. In any way you wish. Enjoy it. See if you can say it out loud every day this week.

Just memorise it and discover that in the simple doing of it you will discover meaning.

This is the piece I have chosen written by Australian writer and poet Nancy Cato:

I would love to hear what piece you chose to memorise so leave me a comment. Thanks!

Don't use the phone. People are never ready to answer it. Use poetry - Jack Kerouac

Why not ........ photograph your home?

Your task for today is this:

• Grab a camera - either a 'real' one or your phone camera
• Walk into each and every room of your house 
• Take as many photos as you please
• Try not to clean and tidy - just record what you see

Do this right now to document and record the 'here and now' in this moment.

Your home will never look as it does right now. And you will never see it as YOU see it right now. In this mood. In this weather. In this season. In this light. In this state of dis/organisation. In this time of this day. In these given circumstances.

You will never have this moment again so why not capture it. Why not examine your everyday.

You don't know what you see? Here are some suggestions for your bedroom:

• The view from your bed. 
• The first thing you see when you wake. 
• Your bed. 
• What's on your bedside table. 
• The floor and what's on it. 
• Any vingettes. 
• Art. 
• Photos. 
• The state of your wardrobe/drawers. 
• What else? Anything and everything!

Take a shot of every spot in your home. Focus on the parts you like.  And the parts you don't like. The beautiful and the messy. Don't edit yet. Just take the photos. Capture the moment. Just do it 100%.

Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life. - Omar Khayyam

Why not ....... create a vision board

Hello and welcome to Why not - a series of weekly posts on a Wednesday to encourage us all to 'do' something.

Doing stuff, playing, having fun, moving your body, exploring the five senses - it's all so vital to the creative process. And doing something just for fun (like so many things) can pass us by while we get caught up in the business of living.

So here is the first Why not - let's create a vision board.

It's easy

• Grab a stack of magazines, a glue stick and a big piece of drawing paper (or anything you've got)
• Set a time limit - let's say 30 minutes
• Look through the mags and pull (or cut depending on your level of OCD) out anything (images/words) that resonate with you. Stuff you look at and feel something

• Place the clippings on the paper in a way that feels 'right' for you
• Paste it down
• Display your finished vision board in a spot where you can see it often

That's it for today. This is not an intellectual activity. So I am not telling you the 'why' now. Just do it and see what unfolds for you. Next week I will follow up and share some reflective processes you can use for this vision board and look at some quite specific uses as well. 

I never did a day's work in my life. It was all fun - Thomas A. Edison