Category: Writing

I Woke Up Today

9/3/2013

Sequoia High Sierra Camp - Waking up to beauty!

I woke up today.
Today is my birthday.
Today is another day with no mistakes...yet.
Today's mistakes will certainly lead to tomorrow's wisdom.
I hope I wake up tomorrow to apply one, and learn from the other...again.

Today, I appreciate breathing.
Breathing leads to laughing, and I absolutely LOVE laughing!
The laughter of my kids is the best.
When they make me laugh with an inside joke, I can't believe how lucky I was to wake up.

The sunshine, fog, heat, rain and snow are all welcome when I wake up.
I woke up to sun, then walked the dogs today.
I woke up, and was thankful for the amazing man who has been waking up by my side for 30 years.
Flaws and all, I'm glad he puts up with mine too.
I'm glad I know the difference between annoying flaws and downright dangerous ones, and hope the same for you!

I woke up today, and finished my 50th year of waking up.
Here's to year 51...may I wake up to greet every day of it.

Thanks for sharing the days with me, and here's to waking up tomorrow.
See you then.

Mary Kathryn Johnson
Author ~ Entrepreneur ~ Mom

@SayBumpandTweet
Everything MommyLoves
Say Bump and Take a Left

11 Comments

What Do You Do with Your Freedom?

7/3/2013

1 Comment

In no other time in history, and in no other country but the United States have women enjoyed the same freedom as men. Only 39 years ago, women were finally given the right to secure credit in their own names without the signature or approval of their husbands. Couple that with our ability in 1920 to finally be counted as true citizens of this country who enjoy the right and responsibility of the vote, and we are poised to rule the world

Oh, wait...we already rule the world by creating and nurturing the next generation! :-)

Well, here is my article for Yahoo! describing what I choose to do with my freedom.

What about you?

What do you do with yours?

Mary Kathryn Johnson
Author ~ Entrepreneur ~ Mom

@SayBumpandTweet
Everything MommyLoves
Say Bump and Take a Left

1 Comment

05 Things I'll Do Before Turning 50. If I'm Not Dead, I'm Not Done.

6/17/2013

2 Comments

Right before chopping off 10 inches!

2013 is the culmination of my 50th year of life. All my over 50 Pixel Pals are nodding their heads saying, "Been there, Done that." Of course, they know I'm only half way through this journey, and can understand my taking stock to see what's coming around the bend.

I, like all others before me, am feeling the clock ticking faster, and am responding with trying to do more by this mid-century mark. So, here is my 05 by 50 list for your reading and laughing pleasure.

Go Skydiving
Appreciate my curves enough so that I can walk on a beach in a bathing suit without sucking in my stomach
Chop off my long hair and donate it (DONE!)
Finish one of my novels
Pay my monthly mortgage from writing

I'll keep you posted as time goes by. I have until September 2013 to do these five things!

Here's to the next 50 years!

What did you do, or will you do by the time you turn 50?

Mary Kathryn Johnson
Author ~ Entrepreneur ~ Mom

@SayBumpandTweet
Everything MommyLoves
Say Bump and Take a Left

All that is left! LOVE IT!

2 Comments

My Pixel Pal - Caleb Pirtle III

4/10/2013

6 Comments

Whatever you do, don't call him a "Writer!"
He is a thief, and a damn good one.
He is the only thief I know (all the others have not revealed themselves to me as thieves, or at least I haven't tied them to anything missing yet).
He steals the stories of lives, and tells them amazingly well.
He is a Storyteller, and I would love for you to meet him.

Caleb Pirtle III

The picture to the left is quite misleading, because it looks as if this guy is retired, his only job now might be rocking on the porch or fishing. Actually, he is one of the most prolific, engaging writers of blogs and books in my Tribe.

Caleb researches, writes and publishes blog posts daily - sometimes two or three a day - and somehow finds time to also write and publish fiction. I love his writing style, and never stop reading one of his posts once I start, no matter the length. In a time when lack of time is the driving force, his posts are a relaxation and a discovery all at once. He always hooks me...always, and I stay to the end and often comment, because he also touches some emotion that makes me want to share. How could you stop reading a post entitled The Secret of a Long Marriage with the line.... “It’s simple,” he said. “Me and my wife don’t play volleyball.”

Caleb's style is direct, and he hooks his readers with amazingly engaging sentences like, "He knew where the dirt lay and owned the shovel to dig it up" or, "Henrietta Lacks died in anonymity. Her cells were going viral......The men and women in the white coats became famous. The men and women in the gray flannel suits became rich" or, "Life is a cruel and terrible author. But life doesn’t write the final chapter."

I could go on and on, but that would rob you of the discoveries that await.

All of my favorite posts have an "aha" moment - Caleb is very good at creating these, and needs very few words to catch me.

So, I invite you to sit back and read some stories. Start here, and just click on a title that sounds interesting. Before you know it, you will be looking at the clock and cursing. It's not his fault you missed that appointment, because you were so engrossed in an amazing tale. I know, I once forgot to pick up my youngest from school for that very same reason.....oops, did I just type that?!

Mary Kathryn Johnson
Author ~ Entrepreneur ~ Mom

@SayBumpandTweet
Everything MommyLoves
Say Bump and Take a Left

6 Comments

I Hate Weeding

3/27/2013

2 Comments

I am lucky enough to have a partner who loves yard work.

Unfortunately that wonderful, incredibly patient man is also a Tax Man, and is incognito until April 15, but the weeds don't know that. So, every spring, the boys and I start the yearly clean-up of our yard. It's the least we can do since he works 16 hours a day, 7 days a week. I dread the chore at first, but as I get into a rhythm, it's wonderfully satisfying and cathartic. Am I that messed up that I find writing material amongst the weeds?!

After a full day of weeding, my hands represent my future 80 year old self, and my back complains louder than my hands......now on to the laundry with a head cleared of weeds just like the yard.

What are your chore comparisons?

Mary Kathryn Johnson
Author ~ Entrepreneur ~ Mom

@SayBumpandTweet
Everything MommyLoves
Say Bump and Take a Left

2 Comments

Creating Content from Facebook

3/26/2013

2 Comments

Every time I visit the social media giant with a face, I find something that opens my creative book. Whether it's a SomeECards.com cartoon or an Albert Einstein quote, something stirs, and I must write.

I think it's the common thread running through all human life. All moms go through the same choices and emotions, but some of us do it with more sass or grace than others (guess which group counts me as a member). All writers go through the same angst, excitement and hope, but some are more commercially successful, some are more tribally successful and some are more poetically successful than others (again, I'm in there somewhere).

Because of the common human thread that weaves this world, we writer-types can always find something to write about while trolling facebook. I bet you can find lots from that book on this blog if you just read the archives or search the categories, but I want to read what you have written, and I can't wait to weave myself into your thread.

What content have you created from Facebook?

Mary Kathryn Johnson
Author ~ Entrepreneur ~ Mom

@SayBumpandTweet
Everything MommyLoves
Say Bump and Take a Left

2 Comments

How to Find Amazing Blogs with Incredible Content

3/19/2013

0 Comments

As of June 2012, there are 31 Million Bloggers fighting for your attention on the internet.

How is a girl to find material that interests her, you ask?

Triberr!

I thought I had an amazing idea for my favorite blogging network, so I skyped Dino Dogan and pitched it. Turns out he has already implemented it, of course. I thought I was being clever, and helping out a platform that has led me to some amazing people with amazing stories. I'm so glad I took the time to call him and let him help me instead.

I already belong to several Tribes - Writers and Readers, Writers and Publishers and Parenting - but I wanted a way to find other Tribes to visit, Tribes that represented amazing content providers in niches that interested me. I wanted ways to let my friends use Triberr to find bloggers with expertise in the areas that interested them, even if my friends weren't bloggers themselves.

Triberr isn't just for bloggers to network with other bloggers to maximize their reach.

Triberr is a blogging search engine all its own!

The best part about it?

IT'S FREE, and anyone can use it. Just check out the "Discover" tab under the search bar on the left after you log in using either Facebook or Twitter.

You can choose from Tribes of bloggers in 34 different categories, like Business, DIY, Film, Parenting, Pets and, of course, Writing.

You then follow the Tribes that post content that interests you, and get that content delivered right to your tribal stream. You can then visit the amazing blogs with great content you just found, subscribe, and get them delivered to your Reader or email.

It's that simple.

Go try it, I guarantee you will learn something, and enjoy yourself in the process!

Tell them Mary sent you.....no I'm not an affiliate, just a loyal fan ~ Thanks for the chat, Dino!

Mary Kathryn Johnson
Author ~ Entrepreneur ~ Mom

@SayBumpandTweet
Everything MommyLoves
Say Bump and Take a Left

0 Comments

Mindful Me

8/20/2012

4 Comments

Life-changing milestones just around the corner are making me more mindful of the time I have in front of me. The hourglass is running out, and if I live to 100, I'm half way there. Yes, I'm in my 50th year on this planet...if I lived on any others, I don't remember.

I also have a child just starting high school. Talk about a milestone...letting go. I feel very strongly the lyrical meaning of "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free" by Sting. I am preparing to set him free, and it's scary and exciting all at the same time...just like when gave birth to him.

I now understand I must be more mindful of my actions, not just in parenting, but in everything I do.

I am one of those types who can get sucked into the black hole of links imbedded in everything I read online, so my day could easily pass by me faster than a toddler escaping his mother. Consequently, online is the one area I must fight to stay mindful every minute. To this end, I have started putting every little thing I need to accomplish each day on my calendar, and I adhere to my "social media posting/reading" time slot more strictly than any other. Because there are several wonderful writers whose posts I visit and comment often, I will need to make time to seek out, and read new writers weekly in order to expand my mental horizons with new information and opinions. I now know why posts and books are getting shorter and shorter - supply is following demand. I also use HootSuite to schedule regular postings to both Facebook and Twitter, and keep them scheduled at least 5 days in advance.

My mindfulness is also being applied to my writing. I have always been a "project" person - I get ideas, and if I don't write them down or record them on my iPhone while driving, they are lost forever...or until I happen to experience the same impetus to think of them again. This more than anything else has allowed me to get more writing done in a shorter amount of time! Since I am sort of a procrastinator...okay a lot of...even though I love to write, it is much easier to read. I can use a deadline as an excuses to lollygag all day, and power through my work at the last minute. With my new mindfulness that life is running out, I only allow myself this laziness occasionally, rather than weekly.

Back to my 14 year old...I only have 1460 days until he goes to college. Actually, I only have 12,030 HOURS of my son's time over the next four years until I let him loose on the world to make his own mark. (Yes, I'm also showing my OCD in having calculated this number four years in advance, considering extra time for weekends and holidays and only 6 hours during the school days, but if I'm confessing my procrastination, I might as well go all the way.) This number really made me sit up and say, "What?!" like I did when I heard Bill say what he did with Monica was not considered sex. I must have heard that wrong, I'm sorry, calculated that wrong...I don't understand...How could I only have mere hours left for my son to wake up every day to a breakfast I make, and go to sleep every night to my "L'amo"...? What about my youngest? He's turning 11 next month, and middle school goes by in a blink!

Hence, my mindfulness in everything I do. I won't overreact to this realization that I'm like Wile E. Coyote chasing after my Road Runner of a life. I won't wait outside the bathroom door while my oldest is inside taking a shower just to say, "I Love You" when he comes out - he told me that was creepy. I won't write for hours on end because I have so much to say, and so little time - my weak bladder muscles won't allow that.

I will simply be mindful of my thoughts and actions, and exercise my power of choice. I don't have time or energy to waste on petty thoughts, conversations and deeds. Life and love are too beautiful to cast a shadow on the world through my heedless actions.

How do you keep yourself mindful of all you want to accomplish and enjoy each day?

Mary Kathryn Johnson
Author ~ Entrepreneur ~ Mom

@SayBumpandTweet
MommyLoves to Chat!
Everything MommyLoves
Say Bump and Take a Left

4 Comments

Idea Digestion - Calling All Moms (okay Dads Too)!

8/15/2012

6 Comments

I have an idea!

I know what you're saying..."So what else is new, Mary, you get ideas all the time. How do we know this one is any different than all those others written in your little notebook?!"

First of all, my notebook isn't so little. Secondly, I'm totally devouring and digesting this one until it becomes...no not that...a book full of Everything Mommy Loves.

I need your help, however. This idea isn't about me, it's about all other Mothers who can express themselves and Everything Mommy Loves in 140 characters or less.

If you are up to the challenge, and want your Mommy Love shouted out to the world, please visit MommyLoves140 and find out how you can contribute. (The title of the actual book will be much more glamorous and catch, I promise!) Pass this on to every Mom you know, and let's see how far around the world the Mommy Love spreads. Love is the universal language, after all...or is that music?

If we get enough Moms to participate and share meaningful, insightful, snarky, loving, sarcastic, nurturing, funny (you get the picture) messages about Everything MommyLoves in 140 characters or less, I will do all the work to publish the book created by all the amazing messages by amazing mothers, and all those contributing get their name/twitter/facebook/business name/website/etc. included! I will donate all profits to a children's charity, and would love some ideas on those you love! Just give me some suggestions, and together we can make a difference in a few more lives.

The page listed above says it all, and if you have any questions or comments you know where to find me, right?!

Mary Kathryn Johnson
Author ~ Mom ~ Entrepreneur

Tweet Me
Like Me
Read Me like a Book

6 Comments

My Pixel Pal, Jo

7/30/2012

5 Comments

Jo VonBargen...her poetry is as musical and resonate to me as the Italian language and my fingers on my cello. On second thought, my fingers are nowhere near as moving as her words. Thankfully, I found her through my first Pixel Pal, Bert, and she has welcomed me into her world with the natural, raw language that is uniquely hers.

Like all true voices of the human spirit, her work cannot be easily explained. Adjectives like transcendent, deep, soulful, beautiful, heartfelt, scary, painful, peaceful, moving and intimate are used, but to really understand, you must experience.

The Day Will Come, when you hopefully visit Jo in Texas through the pixels on your Kindle, Nook or computer, and you will use those same adjectives and know that she is "seasoned and wise."

Pick up any of her books, especially the latest, and you will wonder how you ever got through life without her words. Here is her Amazon page, Twitter handle and Blogs, so start following! Go ahead, I dare you. Open your mind and heart and you will certainly follow it to her, soul open in awe.

Mary Kathryn Johnson
Author ~ Entrepreneur ~ Mom

@SayBumpandTweet
MommyLoves to Chat!
Everything MommyLoves
Say Bump and Take a Left

5 Comments

<<Previous

I Woke Up Today

What Do You Do with Your Freedom?

05 Things I'll Do Before Turning 50. If I'm Not Dead, I'm Not Done.

My Pixel Pal - Caleb Pirtle III

I Hate Weeding

Creating Content from Facebook

How to Find Amazing Blogs with Incredible Content

Mindful Me

Idea Digestion - Calling All Moms (okay Dads Too)!

My Pixel Pal, Jo

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