“Nature’s first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf’s a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.”

― Robert Frost

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

There is a Spanish saying, “No hay rosa sin espinas.” The translation is, “There are no roses without thorns. Life is rampant with contradictions. Life, death, light, dark, good, evil, ancient, modern, ying, and yang, are the opposite sides of the same coin. Many believe our purpose is to find happiness, become rich, or attain enlightenment. But what if the actual reason is to experience and appreciate everything the world offers? Do we not welcome the warmth of the summer sun after the frigid temperatures of winter? Drought sweetens a thunderstorm, and navigating rough waters heightens the joy of smooth sailing.

There is evidence suggesting when we face and solve our dilemmas, we end up improving our existence. You know the adage, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Weightlifting tones muscles, solving problems strengthens confidence. Devising creative solutions keeps your mind sharp and amplifies your sense of achievement. When we look at difficulties in a unique light, we can see them as opportunities. They are the catalysts of growth. Hard times are a reminder to live to the fullest, experiencing the exhilaration of the highest highs and even the despair of the lowest lows.

It also increases your compassion for others. You can’t walk in someone else’s shoes, but your path may have exposed you to similar situations, which enhances your empathy. Empathy produces better people. Shared experiences unite humans in a common cause, strengthen the bonds between us, and remind us we are not alone. We begin by developing closer relationships with family and friends. We reach out to help a stranger who becomes a new friend. The byproduct of surviving personal difficulties is we forge a path and create a way forward for those who follow. That is where we find joy.

Will you embrace today’s challenges?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Why do we wait when we know we should act? What makes us hesitate when every fiber of our being screams for us to seize our dreams? Do we want to grieve time lost and ask ourselves “what if”? What if we dared, acted courageously, ignored fear and naysayers who undermined our enthusiasm? We can’t afford to accept other’s opinions and discount our belief in ourselves. We have today with no guarantees for tomorrow, next week, or years from now. Why should we compromise, settling for a path which forsakes our true vision?

We are creatures of habit, and we love predictability, structure, and routine. It can be difficult and stressful, but continuing along a route that does not honor our inherent integrity creates deep-seated anxiety. Personal transformations require conscious intention, trust in the reason and purpose for the alteration, and a viable reward for enduring the struggle. But change can also be a positive force. Transformation exhilarates us, producing dramatic shifts and relieving stress as we move toward creating a life that reflects our inner truth.

What are you waiting for?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

I remember playing as a kid. It was a magical time. Apple trees magically transformed into space stations, and a sandbox set the stage for a town with a moat. The bare spot under a row of pines was a deep, dank dungeon below a giant castle. Epic adventures to distant lands filled with mystical creatures were only a heartbeat away. Inspiration floated on the breeze, shadows created villains, and dappled sunlight illuminated the path to a happy ending.

Today social media encroaches on the wellspring of ideas. Our minds are seldom allowed the freedom of downtime. The minute we disconnect, we grow anxious. We fear we will miss something important. We are uncomfortable, no longer friends with silence. Our hands shake, we break out in cold sweats, and we hallucinate, thinking we hear our phone beep. We are strung out on technology’s constant stimulation and in need of intervention. When we unplug, when we allow our mind the quiet it craves, creativity comes out to play.

How will you nurture your imagination today?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

It has become my morning ritual over the last weeks to check and see how many of my posts have been reproduced without my permission.
(Try, every last one of them since February).

But I refuse to stop posting and wanted to believe that somehow, this situation would be remedied.

This morning I was greeted by this message:

Tygpress.com is temporarily out of service due to technical issues. will be back soon…

Tygpress.com was created with an intention to create a blog search site , but due to some techical issues, full contents of respective sites were being displayed instead of just excerpts as intended. We thank the complainants for bringing this issue to our notice and We are extremely sorry to the content owners.

I hope their “technical issues” continue. I will be checking back regularly.

And I will be much more vigilant in the future.

For now, I know that our Blogging Community does have an impact.

Thank you to everyone who took action.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Please read Teresa Grabs post and check to see if your posts are being harvested. If so, she provides directions on reporting the infringement to GoDaddy.