Questions of Life

To the question of your life you are the only answer.  

To the problem of your life you are the only solution. 

~Jo Coudert

This has been a favorite quote of mine for more than 20 years.

We are each responsible for our life adventure. And yes sometimes there is a turn in the road you don't expect. And we all have heartache and physical ailments. The hope is that by staying in the moment and embracing the challenge you get on the other side of things. No one else is responsible for your happiness. You are the solution and the answer.

Enjoy this autumn day. It is raining in Connecticut and cool, but it is still a perfect day. 

All the best,

~Mary

Book www.MothAtTheWindow.com
Website: 

Website: www.MaryLachman.com

Follow me on Facebook at  Moth at the Window and/or Mary Lachman Design

Greenland Cove, Bremen, Maine

Link to order the book on Amazon: Moth at the Window: Poetry of Grover W. Clayton and Recollections of Indiana 

Count Down to Hudson

In less than 2 weeks I will be at here at The Learned Owl Book Shop in Hudson, Ohio!

I am very excited because Ohio is my home state and I hope to see some cousins and former classmates who live in the area. 

Mark your calendar for

Saturday, October 15, 2016

1:00-3:00 p.m.

The Learned Owl Bookshop

204 N. Main Street 

Hudson, Ohio

The Miraculous Human Spirit

We humans are full of self-doubt. Yet we are clearly capable of so much more!

Think about the Olympic athletes in Rio this week. How many struggled to overcome economic and social disadvantages to be come the best from their countries!

So push on to live your dream, create and finish what sings to your spirit.

I saw this sign in a shop last weekend in Lake Placid, NY.  I photographed it to share with you. Have a terrific day.

Admiring Ted Kooser

I am a huge fan of Ted Kooser, the former U.S. Poet Laureate.  I came to know his work through hearing it read on the radio and television, but I had not read his poetry myself.

But, last weekend I picked up a copy of Lights on a Ground of Darkness: An Evocation of a Place and Time which he published in 2005 with the University of Nebraska Press.

The book is dedicated to his mother. In it he begins by describing a scene in 1949 in Guttenberg, Iowa.

It begins..  
"Summer, 1949. Above the Mississippi, the noon sun bleaches the blue from a cloudless midsummer sky. So high in their flight that they might be no more than tiny motes afloat on the surface of the eye, a few cliff swallows dive and roll."
~Ted Kooser

I was hooked.
I was charmed.
I embraced the little book and all its flavor.
And devoured the words.

I think you will too. Have a lovely weekend.

All the best,

~Mary

Art Website: www.MaryLachman.com

Book Website: www.MothAtTheWindow.com
Facebook: Mary Lachman Design and Moth at the Window
To Order: Moth at the Window: Poetry of Grover W. Clayton and Recollections of Indiana 

Five Tips to Jump Start Your Writing this July 4th Weekend

You have been thinking about starting that short story or book but just can't seem to make it happen. Here are 10 tips that can get you going:

1. Keep paper and pen with you at all times. I find a small bound journal works well. Moleskin makes all sizes but there are many other types that you might like.

2. Jot down ideas when they come to you. Maybe you like the notebook feature if your cell phone has one.  I prefer paper and ink but use whatever works best for you.

3. Write each day. Write about a funny thing that happened to you or someone else. Write about the crazy story you heard about the bridesmaid who didn't have her dress two weeks before the wedding and asked the bride if she knew anyone she could borrow one from. Really!? Yep true story. Some things you just can't make up.

4. Write at the same time each day.  Studies show that doing the same thing at the same time each day creates a routine for your mind and body and makes the habit stick. (Routine also makes bad habits harder to break so be careful!)

5. Write at least 100 words each day and better yet, write 750 words!
Do you want to tell a story about your family? what were the outstanding characteristics that immediately pop into your head when you think of Uncle Denny? or Aunt Lucy?
Write it down. Describe don't tell. Paint a picture with words.

Remember the toughest thing to do is to get started. So write that very first word and that very first sentence! Make it a habit. You might even like it better than a cup of coffee!

All the best,

~Mary

Art Website: www.MaryLachman.com

Book Website: www.MothAtTheWindow.com
Facebook: Mary Lachman Design and Moth at the Window
To Order: Moth at the Window: Poetry of Grover W. Clayton and Recollections of Indiana 

Storytelling as ART

There is no question about it. Good storytelling is an art. In this TED Talk by Andrew Stanton he shares some hints on how to do it well.

 It is so worth watching!

Ted Talk with Andrew Stanton

Best wishes. Live a simple creative life!
~Mary

Author Website: www.MothAtTheWindow.com

Website: www.MaryLachman.com

Follow me on Facebook at  Moth at the Window and/or Mary Lachman Design
Order: Moth at the Window: Poetry of Grover W. Clayton and Recollections of Indiana 

Poems and Music

Lyrics are often poetry set to music. How else would those songs be so unforgettable!  The rhyme and rhythm increase a human's ability to remember the lyrics. In ancient times poetry was used as a method to communicate history of the people.

Poetry and music share an intimate connection. Both take some of the deepest and most intimate human emotions and distill them down to a few words.

In her TED Talk, Singing Old Poems to Life musician Natalie Merchant draws on her tremendous reserve as a creative and passionate artist and sings with from her heart.

I highly recommend the video. If the above does not work for you here is another link:

Link to Natalie Merchant's TED Talk

Best wishes. Live a simple creative life,

~Mary

Author Website: www.MothAtTheWindow.com

Website: www.MaryLachman.com

Follow me on Facebook at  Moth at the Window and/or Mary Lachman Design
Order: Moth at the Window: Poetry of Grover W. Clayton and Recollections of Indiana