Seedplanter’s Porch

You can’t hurry nature. Seasons come. Seasons go. And in between, we learn to wait.

So begins my new lens, The Gift of Patience. In this troubled economy with businesses closing, home foreclosures, and prices steadily climbing at the grocery store and gas station, people are on edge. They’re wondering what ’s ahead, and how they’re going to hold it all together.

Our children and grandchildren are watching, looking to the adults in their lives for cues. Should they worry? Should they carry on as usual? Will they be safe? secure? free to continue being carefree kids? The answer depends on how we react to crises.

The Gift of Patience joins two others in the same series:

• The Gift of Kindness
• The Gift of Honesty

In time, patience becomes a habit, and we’re able to show persistence in the most difficult situations. Persistence leads to perseverance–an admirable trait that helps strengthen us to stand tall in the face of adversity. None of this is simple, but it’s the first step to contentment in any situation, hardship or not.

Struggle forms us into stronger, more compassionate people…if we’ll let it.  It all begins with developing a patient mindset and an open heart.

New to Squidoo? Make your own lens today!

Have you discovered SquidLog yet? Check it out, and be sure to visit my “Backstories” column.

How transparent are you? Do people know the real you, or only the person you allow them to see?

I’ve posted a new “Backstories” column over at SquidLog this morning titled The Beauty of Transparency. It’s a topic that will grow more timely, I think, as the economy continues to birth personal hardships.

We can reach out to the needy, but unless we make ourselves transparent–allow our real selves to touch others–where’s the warmth? The authenticity?

Stop by SquidLog and have a look around. Its a new site hatched by Squidster and Chef Keem, and I’m happy to be a part of it.

New to Squidoo? Make your own lens today!

Have you joined Tagfoot yet? Why not?

I grew up in a household that appreciated history. I always imagined history like a series of roads similar to the rural roads that wound and intersected in the region of northern California where I lived. Along each road marched people who had influenced our world.

Some were a part of the literary world, like William Shakespeare, Louisa May Alcott, William Blake, or Emily Dickinson. Others were kings, inventors, presidents, and military figures. All met at the intersection of my spot in Time, and disappeared into the folds of history.

One reason I like Squidoo’s new Twttrstrm is because I can ask a question that interests me, and  receive responses from a wide variety of locations. It’s a fantastic tool (thanks, Squidoo!) for asking advice, staging a debate, or gathering information for a certain topic. It’s the fastest way I know of to poll hundreds of people at once.  Here are the Twitterstorms  I’ve run so far:

• Where Were You in 1987?
• Did you have a childhood nickname?
• What person in history would you like to interview?
• What’s your best quality?

If you don’t use Twitter, you’re missing out. Not only is Twitter a quick way to keep in touch with friends (called “followers” in Tweet language), it’s one of the best writer’s and lensmaster’s tools I know. TwitterStorm is icing on the cake…raisins in the oatmeal…chocolate syrup on ice cream.

Follow me on Twitter

New to Squidoo? Make your own lens today!

Have you joined Tagfoot yet? Why not?

Visit my other blog, Blogspired

Squidoo should come with a disclaimer: Enter at your own risk. We cannot be held responsible for absentmindedness, hyperactivity, insomnia, or repetitive-module stress injury.

Let’s face it. Life changes drastically when you discover Squidoo. Things happen…things that can only be blamed on Squidoo. And that’s the topic of Blame it on Squidoo, my latest lens, which was hatched late Friday night as the result of a conversation I had with a friend today.

We were discussing age, and how we notice little brain shifts. Shifts that affect our concentration and our creativity. We laughed about the little things like forgetfulness and shuddered at the more serious brain fogs that shall go unmentioned in this blog. :::ahem:::

If you’re a crazy-creative lensmaster who has trouble remembering where Squidoo began and where your life left off, this lens is worth a visit. Call it therapy if you like. Even if you’re not (a crazy-creative lensmaster…stay with me here), you can visit it anyway and shake your head in pity. Especially if you’re young, like the person who answered my “Where Were You in 1987?” TwitterStorm with the reply that in 1987, she was “probably still kicking boys in the shin.”

Happy weekend, everyone!

New to Squidoo? Make your own lens today!

Have you joined Tagfoot yet? Why not?

If you’ve been balking at the idea of keeping a diary or journal, think again. I’ve been at it for 48 years, and I can tell you firsthand that once it becomes a routine, keeping a diary or journal is not a brain drain at all. Besides, you don’t have to write every single day; just whenever you have something worth saying.

Journal or Diary: Tools for Personal Growth is a lens that came about quite suddenly when I ran into a box of old notebooks–personal journals–on my closet shelf. Everyone knows a treasure like that demands an investigation, and an investigation means reading and remembering and reminiscing and shedding a tear or two.

And wondering where the years have gone.

Journals are a slick time tunnel.  Within seconds, I was that young mom writing a sappy poem to my newborn son, begging him to promise me he’d grow up v-e-r-y slowly. Open a different notebook and I’m seeing him off to kindergarten, tucking my toddler daughter in bed for her afternoon nap, then working on my weekly writing assignment.

Blink. Blink. Blink.

My kids are now well into their thirties. Now I journal about grandchildren, home repairs, joint supplements, and flowerbeds. And I make Squidoo lenses about the same things.

In creating this lens about journals and diaries, I discovered how many different types can be found online. I unearthed some real gems on the Web, and think you’ll enjoy exploring them as much as I did. Drop by and add your three cents to my lists, too. There’s something for everybody.

New to Squidoo? Make your own lens today!

Have you joined Tagfoot yet? Why not?