Sometimes there are no words. . .

. . .only a smile and positive energy.

There are moments in life that stand out more than others, I have tried to live every moment of my life with no regrets, I would of course do some things over if I could, but I appreciate every lesson I have ever learned even the hard ones. Each moment I spent growing up I never imagined I would ever amount to anything really important. I was always just very happy being me, making my own path, where ever I went- there I was.

I write because it makes me happy, I share a smile because usually it makes someone else happy, I can now share my writings and my smiles at the same time. Thank you Greg Ioannou and Iguana Books.

There are no words I can write to express my feelings at this point. Is it enough to say I couldn’t be happier? I am smiling as I type these words and with you I share my positive energy.

:)

BawB

BawB’s Raven Feathers at Iguana Books

www.bawbsravenfeathers.net

Is it still a dream. . .

 

. . . if your eyes are wide open?

 

Once in a while we are blessed with things in our lives that are extraordinary to say the least, things that outshine all the little things we’ve done so far. I have been writing for many years—I wrote letters to my mom for homework, created short stories to keep busy, and then with the creation of Facebook and other social media, I began sharing my inspirational poetry with the world.

 

After years of nudging, prodding, and pushing by those in my life who enjoyed what I wrote, I pursued publication. There are so many different avenues one can take in the industry, but after much deliberation (with myself) I chose to self-publish, and with the help of Rachel Small of Faultless Finish Editing and Susan Toy of Island Cat Editions, I put my little book together with the hopes of sharing it with the world not connected to social media (one does exist).

 

BawB’s Raven Feathers was introduced to the world as a small dust-jacketed hardcover book because I like the romance behind hardcover editions—there’s just something about a hardcover book that remains, well, real I guess.  When I received the first five hundred copies at my door, I was immediately transformed into a promoter, distributor, and salesman for my little book.

 

To keep this long story short (I’m trying not to write another book here), that one extraordinary thing that happened in my life, no, wait, the three extraordinary things that happened are as follows: I wrote a book, I sold over three hundred copies without leaving the city, and I was picked up by Greg Ioannou of Iguana Books. Now, my little book is officially available through Iguana Books, Amazon (ebook and print) Chapters/Indigo, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Sony, Kobo, and Kindle. And of course, the hardcover version will always be available through my website and at the wonderful stores around town that support me: Our Angels Center for Wellbeing, New Age Books & Crystals, Soulfood Books Etc, The Divine Mine, The Bullet Cappuccino Bar, Pages Books, Shelf Life Books and the U of C Bookstore, as well as All Things Beautiful Books & Gifts in Invermere, BC.

 

Yes, my little book is now being shared with the world, my dream is now a reality, and my eyes are wide open. I am absolutely thrilled with my life, my adventure, and the future that awaits. And my dream continues, as volume II will be at the presses soon and there are many more volumes to follow.

 

None of this tho’ could ever be without first believing, in me, in you, and in the power we all share to shape our destiny by just thinking positive thoughts and sharing our smiles.

:)

BawB

 

http://www.bawbsravenfeathers.net

Pressure isn’t pressure. . .

 

. . . until you’re under it.

 

It was finally nice outside last week, so I eagerly got started on the spring yard chores. I also took the camper in for service and went for a ride on the glide. But, these things took time. The time I usually allot for writing was used up by early morning walks outside, then chores. As a result, I would miss my writing “window.”  Seriously, I get it, writers write, but they also have to live like everybody else, and I wait patiently all winter to get out and enjoy the spring and summer months.

 

My passion involves pavement, a destination, and adventure. Yes, these things can be achieved in the winter months, but it’s a little tougher riding a motorcycle with snow tires. Plus, the camper needs water to provide me with life’s necessities, and, alas, water loses its liquid state at 0 degrees Celsius. Interestingly enough, all of my mates also share the same passions, so suffice it to say the kitchen table solve-the-world’s-problems sessions are now few and far between, as we are all out somewhere doing something in the great outdoors.

 

What does this mean to the world, you ask? Well, I am now feeling pressure. Yes, I have been walking away from the keyboard and saying “maybe tomorrow.” But how can I truly walk away now? Those of you who have just found me are now learning about me, and those who know me are happy to read what I write to fill the void of a couple of minutes every Monday morning.

 

Now I find it necessary to ask all of you, my fellow writers and bloggers, how difficult do you find the task of sitting down in these early weeks of spring? Are you dedicated, and if so, how do you work through the call of the wind? Would I be shunned or chastised by the blogging community if I were to post every two weeks, or three? What happens to those who blog on an every-now-and-then basis? Do they have followers? Do their followers stay? Do we write for ourselves or for everybody else?

 

I worry because I have become dedicated, not to anyone in particular but to myself. This is something I have chosen to do, and I enjoy it, but I also enjoy other passions. I just gotta ride when I can. I need to feel the wind.

 

Don’t give up, don’t quit on yourself, be true to what you do.

Whenever you feel an urge to live, then do what’s best for you.

 

:)

 

BawB

 

Who you really are inside. . .

 

. . . is who the world wants to see.

 

Every now and then, if we are lucky, epiphany moments will happen. Mine happened during an online chat with my marketing guru Beth, from Author Connections. Before getting in touch with Beth, I had been pleased with how my book was doing out there in my very small world (I had distributed to local new age/spiritual stores in Calgary only) but I knew I could do better with help. My help came in the form of this very talented professional. In order to fine tune my marketing plan though, she first needed to know more about me.

 

And so I introduced her to a version of me that I thought would be appropriate for promoting my little book. However, Beth is not only the best in her field when it comes to marketing, she is also a very intuitive people person, and she was soon curious about the BoB that remained hidden behind my carefully built wall.

 

She sent me a message telling me, in her own fashion, that she was aware of the BoB I wasn’t letting out due to my cautious approach to the writing world.

 

“If reality is scary, it is worth the price of a little fear,” she wrote.

 

I wondered now how much she knew about me, could she know I was hiding things about me.

 

“If you were buttoned up and drove a Ford Focus and kept pens in your shirt pocket, I might not have given it much thought, but it’s the blend of tough guy and poetry author that gives you depth and makes you interesting. “

 

Is my wall crumbling? I thought. Did my alter ego make his way to the front of my life? 

 

“I knew the hood was in there somewhere. The bike and ink, not one mention of a father despite frequent mentions of mom, years roaming and drifting—a man gets up to no good sooner or later. Otherwise how could it be fun?”

 

As I continued to read Beth’s email, I started to realize she had me pegged. Yes I was a bit of a rebel, I shot some pool during school, rode because I wanted to, and did some things that taught me lessons, the hard lessons, that make a difference in a lifetime. My Dad tried his best to show me a path of responsibility and how to conform to society’s needs, and because of his strength and old-school beliefs, I believe I became stronger in the belief of myself and what I wanted out of life.

 

“Chances are the sweet boy was in there all along, even through the angry young years, but not fully tapped until you were old enough and man enough to let him out, to make him the star. THAT is the story. You encourage people to be who they are because you are finally who you are.”

 

This insight into BoB was perfectly stated by an amazing person who lives in New York. We haven’t met yet—she was only using her skills as a people person to get to know me, and she did very well at that.

 

When I talked about the email conversation I had with Beth to my friend Jordy, with whom I share and fix all the world’s problems over a coffee on Saturday mornings, he said, “Bob, the people you know know you well, the people you will meet will only know the person you let them see, and the people you haven’t met yet want to know more about you.”

 

I can now share with you this wonderful life experience: don’t ever be afraid of who you are. Believe in you. Your past is behind you—learn from it. Your future waits. Make changes, take chances, choose to be who you want to be, then live in today with a smile and share your self with whomever should ask, as these people only ask to learn more about you. You can’t hide yourself from you.

 

Take a step into tomorrow’s adventure with both eyes open wide.

Down the road you’ll appreciate the you who lives inside.

 

:)

 

BawB

 

Balance has many levels. . .

 

. . . but all those levels are equal.

 

What do you think of when you hear the word “balance”? Do you picture fulcrums, beams, and scales? Do you picture a state of balance, where things are perfectly level and in line. Do you ever think of a balanced lifestyle? Yours, for example? Are you balanced? Do you have equal amounts of work/play, stress/calm, happy/sad in your life?

 

I’ll bet that in your day-to-day life the last thing you ever think about is a balanced state of mind. In fact, I’ll bet that your life on any given day is about as hectic as anyone could ever imagine. But what if for one day you were mindful of balance? Try something easy at first, like keeping your body in balance by making sure you drink enough water to stay hydrated.

 

Then, as your day progresses, try something else easy—balance the number of times you smile with the number of times you frown. This one, though, can always be tweaked a little to allow you to smile more, which will balance your spiritual side, but that comes later. We’re still working on the easy things. Now what about your workload—is it possible to balance this as well? You likely have eight working hours in your day, two equal portions of four or four equal portions of two. Can you distribute tasks throughout your day to make your day easier and more balanced?

 

When your work day ends and you find yourself at home, resume the easy things; balance the time it takes for to you release the day’s stress with the time you take to enjoy the fact that you are home. Talk with your partner, say hello to your pets, share your day—unload the emotion connected to work, and load the feelings of calm that come with just being you. I understand that a lot of you have families, kids, and two or three jobs. Yours may be a very busy life, and I appreciate that, but what I am saying is just think about balancing the moments—your moments.

 

Find time in your life to breathe, to think about equal amounts of good and bad, busy and resting, night and day. It doesn’t take much to seek balance, and when you balance the time you spend looking for it with the time you are too busy, well, that will be the first step towards achieving it.

 

Between each step you practice balance, with one foot on the ground,

and balance keeps us all in sync with the life that we have found.

 

:)

BawB

 

Yesterday is a memory. . .

 

. . . tomorrow’s on its way.

 

How far ahead do you plan? Do your plans carry certain expectations? What if something goes wrong? If a glitch appears in your plans, are you disappointed? Or, are you capable of living in the moment and altering plans without so much as furrowing your brow? Life really is difficult sometimes, so it’s important to find balance by controlling your stress levels and increasing your fun times, even while enduring unforeseen circumstance.

 

They say “live in the moment,” but what does this mean, exactly? If you live in the moment can you still make plans? Yes. Living in the moment means breathing without worrying about your next breath. It means going ahead and making your plans but finding the balance required to understand and appreciate changes. Things are going to happen—let them, then change your plans in the moment.

 

Life should flow from one moment to the next. One day, one week, should flow to the next. Plans can be made, and then you can flow until the day and time the plans were made for. But try not to wait for that day, as the unwritten laws of physics state: “The object waited for becomes the object furthest away from the moment you are living in.” You’re right, I just made that law up, but this is always what happens when you wait for something, so it should be a law. Instead of waiting, try to have fun with the balance between excitement and nonchalance Too much anticipation can lead to disappointment if “things happen.”

 

Live your life today and stop worrying about what’s to come. Your life is going to happen, and it will be what you make of it, so make it happy and fulfilling. Use your moments to share a smile, enjoy the little things, and plan for the big things. Spend time both making memories and enjoying them as they happen. Don’t rush tomorrow—it will come, and with it will come 1440 new minutes to live in.

 

Mother Nature goes out of her way to give you things to see and listen to. She even knows that smells can trigger memories. So out of all the moments of your life, take at least one or two a day to appreciate the beauty of it. In between the plans you’ve made.

 

When you smile at beauty a memory is made, like a camera’s clicking shutter.

If it’s butterfly you’re smiling at, then take the time to hear her wings flutter.

 

:)

 

BawB

 

What you believe. . .

 

. . . is fine with you.

 

What do you believe? Do you find it hard some days to believe in anything? I sit down once a week and share with you my thoughts to inspire you to think about life, your life, and to believe in who you are. I know that believing in yourself is not always easy, in a world where some beliefs are often shaped and molded by rituals and stories.

 

When I sat down to write last week, all I could think of was Easter and what it means. I try so very hard each week to share my perspectives on things but not force anyone to think a certain way. I accept and am happy with the fact that some of you may have different opinions. So I am choosing to stay neutral and say nothing about Easter, to avoid controversy.

 

I can ask, however, are we losing the meanings of things over time? Holidays, traditions, celebrations? Will children generations from now know what we celebrated and why, or will the future hold an entirely different past to celebrate? What do you believe? And more importantly, why? As I wrote this I started to wonder more about life and what it means, it is easy for me to believe in myself, but can you say the same?

 

When you look in the mirror each day, do you believe in you? Do you trust your instincts, your skills, and your abilities? Do you believe that if you truly want something to happen, it will? This is the energy that should be nurtured and shared, attached to your biggest smile.

 

Believing should be more than a motion we go through to satisfy a momentary idea, it should come from the heart and the soul, it should, whatever we choose to believe in, give us strength, and it should help to guide us down what ever path we choose to walk.

 

We need to simply believe, in whatever we choose, but in my opinion, to believe in anything else, you need to believe in yourself first. You have a light in your soul that shines brightly. You have an essence, you have energy. You are unique in the universe, so find strength in this. Do something no one else has done, or admire that which others do, but at the end of every day, believe in life, believe in you.

 

A stone to some is just a stone, it does nothing that they can see

But I choose to enjoy the ripples it makes when tossed into water by me.

 

:)

BawB