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MUSINGS ON LIFE
I think; therefore, I muse
 
DIANE HUGHES • NASHVILLE, TN
WRITER, EDITOR, CREATIVE PROFESSIONAL

Take life as it happens

8/26/2014

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Picture
Memories are a wonderful thing. In an instant you can conjure up a scene from the past and recall the sights, smells and sounds of a bygone time.

The other day something led me (in my mind) back to the woods where I played as a child. In the woods behind our house, my cousins and I climbed trees, waded creeks and daydreamed. 

When I think of those summer days in the woods, I can see the green trees and feel the rising humidity. The scent of honeysuckle is heavy in the thick summer air. There's the smell of freshly mown lawns and newly cut hay. The sound of a transistor radio. The smell of suntan lotion. The taste of an icy-cold Coca Cola — left in the freezer just long enough to make it a little slushy (precursor to the Icee?).

I recall riding out a thunderstorm in the barn loft. Talking about boys we liked (and girls we didn't). Dreaming of … what? I'm not sure. To be famous, perhaps? To meet and marry the heartthrob of the moment? I realize now that I had no plan back then. I didn't really have a vision of what my future might look like — what sort of job I would have or where I live. That didn't come until much later. I suppose the seeds of writing were there even then (as noted in my post on the typewriter). Perhaps I was simply a dreamer. Content to take life as it came and just see what happened. 

And perhaps that's the key. To take life as it comes and see what happens. That doesn't mean you don't plan or set goals. It just means that, like that young girl, we are willing to wait and see what life holds in store ... and not feel the need to control it.

Here's to hot summer days, hanging out in barn lofts — whether literal or metaphorical — and taking life as it comes. 

What are you trying to control? Are you able to relax and accept life as it unfolds? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
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Living in the moment

5/24/2014

1 Comment

 
walk in the woods
What practices keep you present?
Several weeks ago, before spring's arrival, I had a lot on my mind. Planning an extensive home improvement project. Financing said home improvement project. I was preparing for every possible catastrophe, living in a supposed future — not in the present moment. "What if" this. "What if" that. My head was a worry wheel of anxiety. And we all know what they say about worry. Well ... if you don't, here are some observations:

• Researchers at the University of Cincinnati say that 85 percent of what we worry about never happens. 

• “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” ~ Corrie Ten Boom

• Worrying does not take away tomorrow's trouble, it takes away today's peace." 

• "Worry is like a rocking chair; it gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you anywhere." ~ Van Wilder


At any rate, this post isn't about the foibles and futility of worry. It's about some ways to cure it by practicing the art of mindfulness and living in the present.

On that worry-racked Sunday, my husband and I took a short drive down the Natchez Trace Parkway, chose a trail and headed into the woods. It's amazing how fresh air, the crunch of dried leaves and the sound of trickling water can sooth your soul. An hour or so later as we returned to the car, I was relaxed and my mind was at ease. 
snail smokiesPhotographing snails keeps me in the moment.
Last weekend, a camping trip to The Smokies had the same effect. Spending a couple of days thinking only about food, clothing, warmth and shelter (and searching for nature photo ops!) has a way of helping you forget about your troubles. 

A little time in the woods may not cure all of life's ills, but it can definitely help you put things in perspective and stay in the present. Here are a few more suggestions to practice mindfulness in your life:

• Practice yoga (it's hard to think about anything else while trying to maintain tree pose)
• Meditate (even 10 minutes a day offers great benefits)
• Play your favorite music (loud is even better)
• Get lost in a good book
• Go for a drive (with your favorite music playing)
• Practice hobbies you enjoy (knit, sew, write, photograph, play guitar, cook).

I find myself most mindful when I'm creating. Whether I'm photographing, writing or redesigning my website, I get lost in the moment. The challenge is to maintain that mindset — even when you aren't focused intently on a hobby or other activity. Some activities, by their very nature, demand more of our attention, but I find that the more I'm able to concentrate on a task for a short period of time, the easier it is to stretch those mindful periods so that they encompass more of my day. And the easier it is to be mindful during mundane activities like eating or washing dishes.

Give it a try! Choose a task and focus on it. Try a few mindful activities and let me know what works for you! 

How do you relax and stay mindful? Do you practice regular habits that help you stay in the present? I'm always eager to hear your thoughts and observations. 

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10 simple pleasures that make me smile

9/9/2012

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PictureWhat makes you smile?
It's easy to get caught up in the things in our lives that disappoint us. The project that gets scrapped. The job offer that doesn't come through. A serious illness. A financial burden.

Sometimes all we have to hang on to are the simple things — the little moments in daily life that can bring simple pleasure. Enjoy them. Relish them. Here are 10 of mine.

1. The smell of freshly ground coffee early on a weekend morning.

2. The sound of rain softly hitting the roof.

3. Riding in the car with the sunroof open and my favorite music blaring from the stereo.

4. The feel and smell of freshly laundered towels just out of the dryer.

5. Holding hands with my husband.

6.  The intoxicating scent of lavender. 

7. The sound of wind gently rustling trees and grass.

8. Watching rabbits play in the backyard.

9. Cooking a hot breakfast (or any meal!) while listening to cool jazz. (Dave Brubeck's Take Five is like heaven for your ears.)

10. Getting lost in a good book.

What simple pleasures bring a smile to your face? Please share them in the Comments. Let's get a list of hundreds of simple pleasures to share!

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Is it 'the end' of books?

9/23/2011

18 Comments

 
the end of books
It's the end of books as we know them ... and I don't feel fine.

With the closure of both local bookstores (like Nashville's beloved Davis-Kidd) and big chain book retailers (like Borders), it's getting harder and harder to get your hands on a good (printed) book. As of May this year, Amazon.com's sales of e-books surpassed those of hardcover or paperback versions.

But a world without books? I don't want to imagine it. It's almost as dreadful as the Twilight Zone episode of the bookworm who gets his wish to be alone with his books and then finds that his glasses are broken. How tragic! And how tragic a world where books do not exist. But it seems that we're headed ever closer in that direction. I know, I know: We have e-books. And, yes, they're still books —  just in a different format. But, somehow, it's not the same.

I've been contemplating the purchase of an e-reader. It's something I'm ambivalent about. While I would welcome the ease and convenience of reading Web articles, blog posts and other digital media on a screen that is neither too bulky (laptop) nor too small (iPod Touch), I just can't seem to make the jump. I look at the row of books on my bedside table and feel like a traitor to a treasured thing that I have come to revere. From early childhood, books have been like my friends. How can I betray them by replacing them with bits and bytes?

Recently I found myself once again struggling with the unsettling notion of a bookless world when I viewed an ad for a trendy new product: a decorative iPod/iPhone dock made from a "recycled" book. It's the latest cool accessory for your nightstand. Something about "recycling" a book by gutting it just seems sacrilegious to me. Maybe I sound old school. But I don't care. I am not a Luddite. I have Klout. I blog. I tweet. I Facebook. I surf. And ... I am also an unabashed lover and reader of real books. I prefer the feel of a cold, hard spine in my hands, along with the familiar smell of paper and ink. Aaahhh ... there's just nothing like it.

Perhaps I have no room to complain about the current state of the printed word. In recent years, more and more of my book purchases — albeit printed versions — have been through Amazon.com, not from a brick-and-mortar store. It just seemed easier. And now my own lazy behavior is helping to hasten the demise of printed books and bookstores.

But there is good news for Nashville book lovers: Author Ann Patchett is opening an independent bookstore in the Green Hills area of our fair city. Set to open in early November, Parnassus Books is named for Mount Parnassus, known in Greek mythology as the seat of literature, learning and music. A worthy title, I think.

And now it's up to me — us, book lovers all — to get out and support our local bookstores. I'm not suggesting that e-books are evil and will bring on the downfall of civilization. And I won't promise to never buy an e-reader or purchase an e-book. But if I do make that leap, it will not be the primary way that I consume the written word. At least, not as long as I have a choice. For now, I guess, the choice is up to me.


Support your local bookseller!
Parnassus Books
3900 Hillsboro Pike
Nashville, TN 37215
www.parnassusbooks.net
Parnassus Books on Facebook

BookMan Bookwoman
1713 21st Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37212
(615) 383-6555

Elder's Bookstore
2115 Elliston Place
Nashville, TN 37203
615-327-1867
www.eldersbookstore.com

What do you think about the loss of local bookstores and our society's increasing reliance on digital books? Feel free to share your thoughts and ideas. While you are required to give a name in order to leave a comment, you may leave your first name only or a moniker of your choosing . To leave a response, click Comment(s) and enter information in the Leave A Reply form.

UPDATE: I finally purchased a Kindle in April of 2012, but I haven't used it that much. I still prefer a "real" book; reading on a screen just isn't the same. I'm sure I will use the Kindle occasionally, but I can't see it ever replacing books in my life. At least I hope it doesn't. And I hope I will continue to have the choice between paper and plastic for a long time to come.

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    DIANE HUGHES

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