Writing Exercise Given To Me By My Online Writing Friend.

Last Monday (August 19th, 2019), I waa given a writing task by my online writing friend Maggie McLeod.

Maggie & my other online writing friend Lauren Swanberg feel that when I write something in any my daily writings that I write in a long winded manner snd have little to no self restraint in keep to a word or time limit… well I am not ashamed to admit that they are right in calling me out on my inability to just cut to the chase of my daily writings… & yep if I don’t have to keep to a time limit or word count then things seem to appear on my page or computer screen in a long winded verbal stout that happens between my mind that is always full of thought and my pen & paper that seems to dribble snd scribble out all that I hold within.

So the exercise instructions were this… write 1 page daily writing (no more, no finishing a sentence or thought on the next page… write 1 page and stop, even if I an to stop mid thoughts… oh geeeze 1 page…I never write just 1page)… when done send it to our online, anytime chat yo be reviewed on

Monday August 26th, 2019… well my dearest friendly writing accountability writers… I told you that I can write in short and that I don’t always need to write in a long winded manner…

So I took on my writing accountability friends and their daily writ& proposed that she send me a topic or subject line every day through this weeks writing task, I asked that she sent her daily topic or subject daily so that i would be held accountable for each day’s writing in each days here and no without being able to see the following days writings… I asked this of a Maggie because I know me…. I knew oh to well that if I was to be given the weeks topic or writing subject that I would just sit down and get the rask at hand done… I wanted to experience each days writing topic/subject as it came; 1 day at a time.

Challenge Excepted (please don’t tell Maggie that I Love Love Love challenges and love even more the concept of someone else asking me questions that they would like to have me answer… or have me look at topics that they think up.

____________________________

Day # 1 –

“ Who would you choose to play you in the move of your life & why? ”

In my weekly catch up meeting with my two American friends, I was given a 7 day writing task that would have me answer 1 question daily for 7 days.

Question 1. Who would you choose to play you in the move of your life & why? The answer to this question would be a toss up between Mary.J Blige &

Christina Aguilera, both these women have fought hard to pull themselves out of the betrayals of their youth, sexual abuse and the very deeply felt feelings of shame and uninpowerment.

Believing that we were not only powerless but also the very reason they were violated and devistatingly hurt beyond all trust. They have both become powerful delivers of messages of self worth through their voice their musical words & lyrics.

____________________________

Day # 2 –

“ Do you think that we die with the same soul that we are born with?”

I personally don’t feel that anything ever stays the same. How could it?… we are always learning and changing aspects of who we are in order to keep in touch with life’s changing ways.

I do however believe that our soul no matter what we experience in life is ever completely written over, there for sure would be part of our yesterdays soul, this part of yesterday’s soul I feel would find it’s way home in the morals, ethics and values that we build for ourselves and our lives that we build for ourselves.

Our souls are the purifiers of all that passes through our mind, bodies & heart. The bearer of all that we are.

____________________________

Day # 3 –

“ What does being spiritual means to you? ”

It is worth me noting that there was a time that religion had a place in my heart, what I am saying here is this; I am not not religious it is just that religion has left me with

Far more questions than the answers that I seek.

For some people religion and spiritual connections go hand in hand, but in my life I feel that religion and spirituality live in worlds that are far apart from each others realistic vision, earthy vibes & of course what they mean to the people believing in the practices of both.

Spiritual means what it is that I feel inside, the power that gives my body the fuel and the inner moral standing to stand tall in the face of everything that wants to hold me down.

____________________________

Day # 4 –

“ What is the value of laughter in your life? ”

The value of laughter in my own selves day holds an important imprint in my life. I feel that laughter is the souls life line, the medicine that gives us the opportunity to connect with others in a moment of light heartedness, no real emphasis on a behaviour, but instead laughter is a mood & a well being lifting experience that allows the mind and body to have a good giggle and jiggle.

For me, a life without laughter would be like living a life in mono-tone, I would never be able to read the non verbal cues of a person who displays no external expression.

____________________________

Day # 5 –

“ What do you most love about yourself? ”

What I love about myself is the recipe of of me that keeps me on track to becoming the best me that I can be.

I love how i am always there for people, even when I know that my friendship and giving bus has has long since sailed.

I love hard and forgive far beyond my own hearts explanation, I hold people within my inner circle closer than I do anything else in my life.

Secondly I have a few moral and value traits that I follow & abide by in my day to day life. I believe in these values and morals and stand firm footed in the belief of them, unmovable & unapologetically stuck in the core morals and values of me.

____________________________

Day # 6 –

“ If money was no object how would it change your life? ”

I have been asked this question many a times and my answer is this… of money was no object I would have to become a far greater humanitarian to others than I already sm. My best and worst parts of who I sm is the giving side that I freely begift to others. I have been told that I would rather give than receive, really a more cut my nose off to spite my face kind of a person…. I have a giving nature, so what can I say?

Money may make the world and its habits go round, we would all like a money pile, but I am a person who has all the wealth I need in the people that I have & hold dear to my heart. Money would have me sharing with those in need.

____________________________

There it is my week long writing task given to by my online writing friend Maggie, spurred on by other online writing friend Lauren…. thank you guys for giving me a time and page limit writing challenge that was a challenge to do in terms of actually writing daily… but it was in the keeping of the 1 page limit – stopping

____________________________

Signed

Tanya Kelly

http://365daysomethings.wordpress.con

Day #122 -Task “Personal Affirmations”

What a busy week of writing have I taken on this week…journaling, blogging, 750words daily writes, daily blogging and anything else I can fit into my days schedule.

So thanks to two of my writing buddies; We have taken on a small daily writing challenge
that has us writing 10 daily affirmations or self talking to’s that we will write and own as we stand in our own mirrored reflection.. standing in our mirrored reflection give us the opportunity to hear and own our own words… reflecting our own conscious thoughts back at ourselves, giving ourselves a moment to what we want and need for ourselves.

Our Affirmation / Self-Empowerment writes will be undertaken over a 7 day period, I will post up my affirmation writes at the end of the week.

In this my second day of writing my daily 10 affirmations I do see that I do in fact have a need for this “reboot time” I need to be honest with myself and aspire to look deep within for the things that my body, heart, mind & soul needs. I am looking forward to the next few days of exploring myself and inner most needs, writing about myself and making agreements with myself to make the changes that I feel I do need to make.

I also look forward to hear what affirmations and self-empowerments that my writing buddies will be making for themselves and their lives.

Positive affirmations are important and when they are undertaken in a consistent and proper way, they can prevent you from thinking negatively and self-empowerment can also help to prevent you from sabotaging yourself and your life’s wants. Affirmation and or self-empowerment can help to reprogram your mind and help you to eliminate or stop your own self’s limiting beliefs & barriers.

Self-Empowerment helps us to see and acknowledge ourselves and our wants, by writing affirmations we reprogram ourselves and begin to live in our own here and now.

We are in this exercise empowering ourselves… The general meaning of Self-empowerment is taking control of our own life, setting goals, and making positive choices. Basically it means that we have to understand our strengths and weaknesses, and have belief in ourselves.
It is very power for us as human to have a handle on our self-worth and our self beliefs… Action Words are written through out the writings of our own personal affirmations and or self-empowerment. Words and sayings like “I Am Strong, I Can Do This, I believe In Myself leads us to “I Am Doing This”…. us living in our truth, our true selves, our actualised selves… & in our here and now.

---

The Song Lyrics F Bachelor Girl through the song “Permission To Shine” sums up what writing affirmations and working to self-empowerment can mean and do for a person in their reprogramming days.

Hey, what would you say
If I can’t play the hero tonight
‘Cause lately I’ve been feelin’ like
I can’t get anything right

I’ve been fading into the woodwork again
And I’m feelin’ like I just want to hide
But guess what
I’m gonna try something just a little bit different this time

I’m gonna give myself permission to shine
I’m gonna shine so bright
Gonna make every head want to turn
You’re finally gonna see me
Give myself permission to shine
Gonna light up the night
Shine a little of my light on the world

I’ve been crazy
I’ve been holdin’ myself back for so long
But I’ve got so much I can give
Don’t want to be afraid to be wrong

You know I’m not too good at too many things
But I’ve been gettin’ real good at gettin’ down on myself
But guess what
I’m gonna try to break free from this prison I”ve built

I’m gonna give myself permission to shine
I’m gonna shine so bright
Gonna make every head want to turn
You’re finally gonna see me
Give myself permission to shine
Gonna light up the night
Shine a little of my light on the world

Oh, that’s right
I’m gonna try something just a little bit different this time

I’m gonna give myself permission to shine
I’m gonna shine so bright
Gonna make every head want to turn
You’re finally gonna see me
Give myself permission to shine
Gonna light up the night
Shine a little of my light on the world

I want to light up the night
Shine a little of my light on the worldReference – View Here – “Permission To Shine” Video Clip

What Bachelor Girls Song relays to and for me is this…Tonight I am taking a break from being the everything to everyone;
It is time that I be that reliable someone to and for myself.

Lately;
I have been feeling the push and the pull
From a world that has me running around being the mother hen
to anyone who needs me in their moment of need.

Taking it’s toll, I have emptied myself;
Leaving myself spare and with no energy to spare.

Time is now that I have to give myself permission for a period of reboot,
A moment where I can and will fill my own cup with
What I am missing in my own life’s hectic path.

In order for me to continue in giving my helping hand
I need time to empower myself
Light up myself in my own world
To see myself in my own lit shadow.

I owe myself this permission
For I can be nothing to you if my own light doesn’t shine bright.
I will light up my way and my own life’s path
& someday soon return replenished stronger than ever.

---

Signed
Author. Tanya Kelly
365daysomethings.wordpress.com

Day # 97 “Growing My Crone”

Today’s blog submission’s title & reasoning’s came to me whilst I was in a conversation with two of my fellow online writing friends. We were busily chatting back & fourth about this and that when a question provoking a thought was offered up… “What word or descriptive name have you been named by, by others?”

Maggie was talking about how her friends related her to a “crone” – Maggie had at first thought (& so did Lauren & I) that a crone was a thing that resembled an out of this world oddly looking alien… we were very amused with each other & our thoughts on what a crone is or was… we then stopped giggling long enough to admit that we thought that a crone was something ugly and out of this world.

What Is The Meaning Of Crone?

The dictionary definition of the word of chrone is “an ugly old woman, hag or witch” – For a long time, to be called a crone was an insult. The very word implied a wrinkled, hunchbacked old woman, unwanted and unloved. Women who had reached an advanced age were dismissed as useless hags. Into today’s modern age and era being called a crone is a term of endearment.

A Crone is a woman concerned with life needs and necessities… i.e.. housing, healthcare, relationships with others. A Crone is a retired woman, a soon-to-be retired woman or one who still works, an empty nester who desires good health, a great life, and independence. A Crone is a woman who chooses to adapts to and embraces the process of aging; yet remaining in the feelings of feeling younger. A Crone is a woman who is comfortable with her spiritual self, her intuition, and her creative power.

A Crone may be a woman of any colour, race, religion, sexual orientation, economic status, educational level, lifestyle, or political persuasion. She may be disabled or abled, introvert or extrovert, single, married, widowed, or partnered. She is like you and me. What does set the Crone apart, however, is her willingness to tell the truth about her life.

Being called  a crone todays is a respectful word that means a woman has through her years has gained much wisdom from all that she has seen learned and had bestowed upon her. Today, the most common definition of a Crone is a “wise old woman.” Thus, a Crone is a woman who has moved past mid-life and who acknowledges her survivorship, embraces her age, learns from the examined experience of her life, and, most likely, appreciates the wrinkles on her face. Crone women refuse to be put down. They do not walk meekly on the road to old age. They are keen to assert their presence if not their influence.

A Crone is an older woman who has learned to walk in her own truth, in her own way, having gained her strength by acknowledging the power, wisdom compassion, transformation, healing laughter, and bawdiness that grows and burns within her… having a life that is made up of the totality of her experiences. She is “a wise old woman.

The word Crone is derived from the old word for crown, suggesting the wisdom that emanates from the head like a halo. Her own child baring days are past; she is the wisdom keeper, seer and healer and midwife, whose knowledge is sought out to guide others during life’s hardships and transitions. (Reference – https://www.goddess-guide.com/crone.html).

The concept of crone existed tens of thousands of years ago, when women’s life patterns were broken up into in three stages — Maiden, Mother, and Crone. The Maiden was the youthful, independent woman. The Mother was a woman who guided others, as a biological mother or as a teacher. The Crone was the postmenopausal woman who enjoyed a special, revered status. This elder woman was viewed as a fount of wisdom, law, healing skills, and moral leadership; her presence and leadership were treasured at every significant tribal ceremony and each personal occasion from birth to death. (Reference – https://www.cronescounsel.org/who-is-crone. Note:  in recent years some women’s groups have added “matriarch” as the third stage before Crone.  The Matriarch was the head of a family or tribe.

Crones, hags, and witches frequently were leaders, midwives and healers in their communities. The meanings of these three words, however, were distorted and eventually reversed during the 300 years of the Inquisition when the male-dominated church wanted to eliminate women holding positions of power. Women identified as witches, who were often older women, i.e. crones and hags, were tortured and burned, and the words witch, crone, and hag took on the negative connotations. (Reference – https://www.cronescounsel.org/the-ancient-crone).

---

I have indeed heard the word or the term “crone” prior to Maggie telling myself and Lauren today that her friends are known for relating her to and identifying her as a crone… but I do openly admit that my understanding of the word “crone” was still in the dark ages of when wise women and the word crone itself was directly linked to witch craft. There is something about me that has me in between stages of all the three stages of my own life’s patterns… I am busy writing each chapter of my life in a learning and wise manner; whilst living in awareness that I am planting the responsibilities and learning of each of my 3 stages of my crone’s life cycle into those who walk my well trodden path “learning from each chapter/stage & writing my life/learnings wisely.”

I am on one hand a Maiden –  A youthful soul at heart who can still related and hold my own in my younger peer groups, I was very much a fiercely independent woman so many years ago but I have learned that marriage and family relationship had a need for me to become independent in helping my family grow but not be independent in the sense of going through my life alone as a single person…

Another part of me processes the Motherly part of me who is still raising my children and
choosing to liv my life within and for the good of my family.. I guide my family with love and support towards their life’s path.. with arms full of skills and teachings… that will help them in developing their own life’s meanings and pathways.

Then there is a small part of me that is starting to grown into my crone role… I am still a fledgling or a crone in training… I am not postmenopausal but there is a big part of me that
has experienced much throughout my 42 years of life. The roads that have led me through turbulent and cross winded paths have led me to becoming far wiser at times then my years have carried me.

As a counsellor I have learned the skills of giving advice and sitting in a silent stance whilst listening and guiding others to their own self actualised beings. I may not be old in terms of age, but my experiences and knowledge have given me skills of  wisdom, law, healing skills, and moral leadership; her presence and leadership… so whether I am a crone before my
time or I am a fledgling or a crone in training, my skills are indeed already instilled in me and I am ready for the years that will follow me on from my Motherly stages of my life cycle… I do call this stage that I am in “the fledgling stage” because I feel that I have tendencies and characteristics of all my 3 life cycle stages… I am not ready to stop being the youthful maiden who has the ability to fit in with the younger youth & I am certainly not through my Mothering years either… whilst my children may need me less and less as the years go by… I know that a Mother’s duty has no end… I am not a full fledge crone as I do not as yet have all the characteristics of a fully encircled crone… For me as long as I am here I might as well be content in playing a role in of my life’s 3 cycles… or unfortunately I would cease to be any of the 3 stages of my life cycle altogether.

I am not yet an older woman of age but my continued presence in my world and in the world of others has my many skills and learnings showing in and throughout my years of learning and growing in my life’s role where I gained the skills and abilities that wisdom, laws/morals, healing abilities and leadership can bring. My life is busy passing through my days and years… slowly growing my stars and stripes that will eventually turn my comforting and softly covered downy feathers into the unmoveable foundations of my youth & my life’s experiences.

I still a nestling maiden who has fledglings neatly tucked into my downy feathers, they not being yet fully grown but they are more than capable of taking flights of trust on their own.. I am in hurry for their soft down to turn into the years where they take on their own life’s roles, they will be someday soon be ready to spread their wings…. but today is just not that day; just as I wont ever be ready to become my croning self… but time and stage of my life will come without any awareness that it has arrived.

I do however look forward to the years where I am held in esteem for the skills , the abilities the wisdom, the laws/morals, the healing abilities, the knowledge, the teachings and the leadership that I have had a hand in instilling into others… Someday soon I know I will no longer be known for being wise beyond my years.

---

Thank you Maggie – author of – https://fromcavewalls.wordpress.com & Lauren – author of – https://lssattitudeofgratitude.wordpress.com for our thought provoking conversations that have led me to write todays daily blog post titled “Growing My Crone.”

I appreciate you both immensely for the lessons and the knowledge of your years that you both share and pass onto me, you are both very worthy of the dedication that I have written here… “Croning Sista Scripta’s.”

” —- Ps. In a sense and if you follow me into my thoughts we 3 (Maggie, Lauren & I) make
up the “Triple Goddess or 3 Stages Of Life” – they being The maiden, The Mother, & The
Crone…. each of all have a role I am the Maiden for I am still parenting and nesting… Lauren is the Mother – she has the teacher role and has much wisdom and teachings to share, she isn’t at this very moment ready to hang up her teachers hat… but retirement is the cross road that she  will soon be standing in the centre of & Maggie is the crone – A because her friends have told her that she takes on the wisdom role, they go to her and seek direction and advice… she also has entered retirement & is building a life for her in her own right —-“

Written By
Author. Tanya Kelly
& Croning Sista Scipta – Stages 1, 2 & 3
365daysomethings.wordpress.com