Right now
like this.

The window is open.
Jazz is playing.
It’s sunny
and warm
and breezy
but altogether.

That almost never happens.

I want to remember this feeling.
So I’m putting it here.
In case I need it.
For when I need it
again.

It’s stamped
right here.

I’m switching magazines. It’s time. I’ve been buying a few that just aren’t doing it for me anymore – I’m bored with the content or have squashed the idea of writing for them, for now. I only read magazines I either a) want to write for; or b) write for. Wait, that’s not completely true. I get this magazine because I love the city and most of the writing. I haven’t written for this one, but I used to want to… until I heard what they pay writers. Now I’ve just lost interest. But I still read it because it comes to my door every month. So.

One of the magazines I’m going to be switching to is Inc. I don’t read it, but this morning this article hooked me: “7 Things Highly Productive People Do”. And you know what? Doing one thing at a time, and doing it well, ranks pretty high on the list of things productive people do. Oh, and it turns out that smoking pot doesn’t make you as dim as multitasking, so figure that one out.

If you have any good magazine subscriptions suggestions, I’m all ears.

I know I’ve mentioned this blog a lot, but Letters of Note is worth reading. Worth reading because you can take something away from everything on that blog, no matter what page you land on, which isn’t something we can say for a lot of blogs out there. Today’s letter especially couldn’t have come at a better time. (it sort of fits with the theme of my life lately, in certain areas of it, anyway). It’s a great read for anyone who has ever been judged based on something they can’t change, like race, eye color or gender. Oh, and if you’re still not convinced, the writer of this particular letter is Winston Churchill’s wife, Clementine. Her argument: Why women should be abolished.

Several bloggers have posted a link to a heartbreaking essay in the NYTimes last week called, “Knowing it’s the last Mother’s Day”. It’s absolutely beautiful. This is the type of story that leaves you changed when you read it. To be the writer must have been a wrenching and difficult experience, the kind of stuff writers live for… Only this writer’s story is about her friend, whom she lost to cancer and helped die gracefully, all while trying to find ways to talk to her dying friend’s children about what they were about to lose. Wow. Heavy topic, I know. But this writer’s experience ultimately drove her to create MomAlways.org, which is a resource for mother’s who, tragically, have to have those difficult conversations with their own children, about planning for Life After Mom. The article will take you less than five minutes to read, but the affects, I think, could last forever.

sandy.

(for all image info, click on the image itself – they can also be found on my Pinterest board)

(image)

I don’t have a degree in journalism (it’s in English and Communications) and I wouldn’t dare say I’m an expert on writing, but I write enough to know what has helped me tremendously these last few years. And visualizing the story, as you want it to play out on the page, helps.

What helps you write the best stories? Email me – sandybmedia (at) gmail (.) com, because I love to know stuff like this.

-sandy.

you’re welcome.

At office jobs, coming in late five minutes felt like a sin. I’d always be that girl – the one who’d slink into her cubicle at 9:05 a.m., hoping to go unnoticed. Why was I always late by 5 minutes? Coffee. It was a happy ritual I wasn’t willing to give up. And yet, enjoying it felt wicked because I was five minutes late because of it.

Yes, I could have been “on time” every day, I get that. But life happens. Traffic happens. Cats puking right before you leave the house, happens. Snoozing too much because your bed is warm and your husband’s chest feels cozy and the cat is purring something extra, happens. Because you need to enjoy a little bit of coffee when you’re editing all day, happens.

Working for others, I wasn’t getting my needs met; wasn’t getting what I wanted. Cool work, yes. A lifestyle I felt in control of? Big no.

So. Lifestyle: when you’re thinking about the grand scheme of your life (and work), try and think about what you want your ideal day to look like. For me, the ideal was having no two days feel the same and not feeling anxious and guilty about the extra five minutes it takes me to drink my coffee.

I started somewhere there, thinking about the ideal workday, and then I worked backwards.

-sandy.

(this video is a much watch, via kickstarter.com – and sums up a lot. enjoy your weekend)

(With my friend, Stu, at Top Ten Event 2011 after party, waving my hands to get the message across, as usual. And my husband, there in the back, kind of having a laugh at my enthusiasm…as usual:)

This was one of the best events I went to last year – The Top 10 Event is the passion project of my friend Stuart. He’s a successful motivational speaker and entrepreneur who has come up with a smart, simple idea to help answer the big questions about life he so often gets from his audience members and fans.

This year, he’s done it again: 10 inspiring Canadians telling their version of the thing you should know before die, on one stage. It’s on the evening of May 10, in Toronto, and all of the details and tickets are available here.

The commercial for the event is below. It has a fun, spoofy quality to it, but very much gets the message across about what a great night this is going to be.

Oh, and if you’re there and see me, please do say hi.

-sandy.

(added note: to be honest, I don’t think I’d like this film – partly the subject matter, but mostly the script…just wanted to share my two cents on that one. ya.)

via Mashable.

Be very, very suspicious.

So, since I spent a good chunk of my twenties regretting almost every decision I ever made and wanting to crawl under a rock every time I was faced with a major decision, I find it interesting that scientists have proven that all that stress and self-loathing might actually be good for you. Honestly, this could revolutionize your 20s. But, I don’t know. Have a read yourself.

You won’t regret it.

-sandy.

image by Chris Gash for The New York Times.

There’s no real warning. It just arrives and visits for the day, regardless of what I need to get done. On those days, I’m not myself. But I move forward as much as I can, because I’ve learned that most emotions pass in time.

We’re hosts, if you will, for a short while, to feelings like sadness, anger, fear, confusion, frustration and emptiness. And all we can do while they’re here is be gracious: talk to them; invite them in; ask why they’re here; and then, as if you would to any “guest” overstaying a welcome… don’t be shy to show them the Exit door.

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to a press conference about a new Canadian initiative called NOT MYSELF TODAY, which aims to get us talking openly and without shame about having bad days.

I’d like to say here and now that mental “health” and mental “illness” are under one umbrella, but that they are not the same discussion. What I’m sharing with you here is about gauging and sharing (and even regulating) our moods to live happier, more productive and less-stress filled lives.

Through Not Myself Today, you can take a pledge to pay more attention to your daily mental health status, while also learning how to keep a caring eye out for friends and family who might be struggling with their own thoughts and emotions as well.

This is an initiative I support, through and through.

The brain is a complex place – to not have a couple of wires short circuit every now and again would be, well, odd. The message, however, isn’t that we all have bad days and some of us struggle with being depressed – we know this.  Instead, the message is about what we can do to keep our heads above water, open up to people who care and, above all, manifest the compassion and understanding in each other needed to help one another, genuinely and without judgement. 

On Monday, April 30, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., you can sign your name and pledge to a huge wall at Yonge/Dundas Square. (more on the day of action here). I will be there at some point to sign my own name, plus take in the good energy that comes from people helping to lift the veil of silence on the subject of mental health.  If you see me there, please do say hello – it always makes my day.

Follow @NMTCanada for updates on the initiative on Twitter.

-sandy.