Thursday, February 17, 2011

A few weeks back, I was approached for an interview about my being a writer. Originally, the piece was to be a one-time article. But, after the interview lasted three hours, the journalist opted to turn it into a four-part feature.

Cool!

The first part of the article came out Tuesday of this week. I thought some of you might enjoy reading it if you’re interesting in finding out a bit more about me. For those who are so inclined, here’s the link.

http://www.examiner.com/writing-in-riverside/author-spotlight-cindy-hanna-part-i-of-iv

As the remaining three parts are released, I’ll post the links here so readers can take a look.

Wednesday, February 17, 2011

There are days like today, when I’m warm and toasty, sitting in my office getting work done while looking out the window at the nasty weather outside. Of course, the constant mantra running through my mind is that I need to go for a run, get my miles in. But…looking outside again, I cringe at the nastiness that would await me out there. Then I bring up the weather site I have programmed into my computer. Clicking on the hourly forecast, I hope to see some improvement. There isn’t any.

As the day winds down, I find myself torn, wanting to go for a run but not wanting to be outside where it’s cold, raining, etc. I hem and haw, get a few more items checked of my to-do list and then it’s that time—the point of no return where I either bite the bullet and go for the run or stay inside, knowing I’ll be warm but will ultimately regret my decision.

My internal coach kicking in, I suck it up, put on my cold weather running gear, complete with mittens, and head out. The minute I do, the chilling blast of air my lungs takes in is shocking but somehow refreshing. The wind whips my ponytail here, there and everywhere. And I settle into running up into the hills where I know that it will be colder, but that’s okay, for I’m prepared with my clothing.

Cresting the summit to a hill, I round a corner and then spot it—the gift that has been waiting for me to come and witness it. There, spread out before me, is the most incredible sight. Armed with nothing but the camera on my phone, I stop to snap a few photos, hoping one—just one—will do justice to the beauty before me.

The picture that accompanies today’s blog is the one that best captured what I saw. How there seemed to be a ball of flames inside the clouds while the rest of the clouds looked to have fiery flames rolling through them that appeared to want to join forces with the giant ball of flames.

Having taken my pictures, I pause to truly admire the show Mother Nature is putting on, the one that had I stayed inside, I might never have born witness to. And so, standing there at the crest of that hill, I give thanks for following my instinct to override my desire to stay indoors and head out into the elements.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

I’m frequently made privy to conversations where friends share how there are times when they do or say things, not in keeping with their true self, to try to appease others. I can sympathize, for I, too have found myself doing that on various occasions. Don’t we all?

I suppose most wear a variety of “hats,” donning different personas according to who they are with or what the situation calls for. Not that they aren’t being true to themselves…or are they? Can a person be true to himself or herself if they’re adopting mindsets or behaviors that aren’t in keeping with who they really are? And if they’re doing so to appease others, make others feel more comfortable or to get others to like them, is that being honest?

Hmmm…that’s a tough one. On the one hand, it’s inappropriate to dump all of your “stuff” on others. But…on the other hand, don’t folks have a right to know who you are—at your core? Or could them finding out put a strain on the relationship? End it? Or make things so uncomfortable that neither party knows quite how to move forward?

Recently, I’ve had a good number of conversations with friends who did or said things they normally wouldn’t. As a result, each and every one of them ended up feeling as if they hadn’t been true to themselves and were left with feelings of remorse. Each did go back and set things straight, but the feeling of having cheated themselves out of being who they really are—at the time—left an indelible impression on each, causing them to rethink how they will go about things in the future.

I guess it all comes down to choices. We can mold ourselves into the image that others would like to see or reveal tempered reflections of who we are, mindful that some elements of ourselves might not be appropriate to share with one and all.

Monday, February 14, 2011

“A loving relationship is one in which the loved one is free to be himself—to laugh with me, but never at me; to cry with me, but never because of me; to love life, to love himself, to love being loved. Such a relationship is based upon freedom and can never grow in a jealous heart.”

Leo Buscaglia

A friend of mine made me aware of this quote today. I found it in keeping with my beliefs and appropriate for the holiday, so I thought I’d share it.

There are many who do not celebrate Valentine’s Day or feel ultra alone on this holiday—more so than on other days. While comforting some friends today who felt this way, I shared how, to me, Valentine’s day is about considering those who we hold dear in our hearts, not in focusing on those who hold us dear in theirs.

So often, folks get caught up in the commercialism of this holiday or feel compelled to force feelings of love, as if this is the only day of the year when feelings should be felt or expressed. Because of this, many boycott the holiday all together. Me? To be honest, there have been years when I’ve gotten caught up in the commercialism—hard not to. But not this year. This year, I opted to keep things simple—a card for each person with a heart-felt hand-written noted inside, expressing how I feel. Yes, doing the card and heart-felt not on this very day was contrived by a date on the calendar, but, that’s okay, for it allowed me to take a moment in time to reflect on how dear each of those individuals are to me and caused me to want to express such.