FOLLOWING OUR BLISS. Put something wonderful in the world that wasn't there before. Dare to be your best. Reach beyond your grasp, and surround yourself with people who believe you can. Follow your dreams, they know the way. -Anon
ASPIRING AND INSPIRING through the moments, travels, stories, treasures and dreams. Click on any name and link below and meet our special guests from the last two years: writers, illustrators, animators, photographers, travelers, jewelry designers, budding artists, and possibilitarians. For our special guest posts since 2010, click here. Let's Do. Dream. Believe.  Matthew Michaels OUR NEXT SPECIAL GUEST ~ Matthew Michaels, a graduate of the University of Illinois. He held an accounting degree and a full-time job offer at Deloitte starting in the Fall of 2012. But in his heart he wanted to follow his childhood dream of becoming a broadcaster.
Matt considered looking into journalism grad school, only sharing the idea with his parents and brothers. It was time to take a risk and pursue something he loved. But he had many concerns:
* Is this just a crazy dream? * Is this something I can actually be successful in? * I have no journalism experience, how would I even get into grad school? * What would my friends think? * Will people respect this decision or think it's a joke? Facing his fears and following his dream, Matt changed his career and the course of his life. It is with great honor and joy to share Matt's story with you. We hope you'll join us here each Monday in April 2012 for a special feature, including Mia's chats with Matt. Mark your calendars or subscribe here to receive the posts via email. You will not want to miss this journey with Matt: * from accounting to sports journalism * the Northwestern University application process * meeting Michael Wilbon * from here to there Prepare to be inspired. * A top story in Anita's Finding Inspiration Daily. April 2012. *
I WASN'T QUITE SURE about where I was going, only knowing I wanted to create a place to encourage our dreams, give voice to our wishes, and celebrate the joys that will always come from trying. That was two years and eleven days ago on March 15, 2010 when I launched my blog ( my Monday Musings). Since then I have met many wonderful people across the World Wide Web; saw my writing improve by being out there (here) with no safety nets; took flight by trying new things; beat back that small but sometimes persistent voice telling me to stop blogging for all kinds of reasons—real and imagined; listened and learned from my readers, fellow bloggers, and Twitter followers, who inspired me to see and create in new ways. As was the day (Thursday) when I stumbled upon Orie's wonderful blog post: Making the Ordinary Extraordinary. I reached out to Orie and thanked her for sharing her thoughts and celebrating the beauty of an imperfectly perfect life. I also wanted to let her know that her post was my week's surprise inside the orange gift box at Thursday Treasures. In an unexpected moment, I received an email from Orie full of sweetness and generosity. Her note filled me with gratitude. Today reading Orie's email below from 2010, I am inspired all over again. Thank you—readers, budding artists, bloggers, writers, aspiring dreamers, travelers, families, and friends—for being here and making this corner of the World Wide Web a special one. I treasure your presence, your dreams and aspirations, your daring to leap forward and take flight. It is you who makes this place special. Thank you for being part of the journey through the moments, travels, stories, treasures and dreams. From here to there. Let's Do. Dream. Believe. -Mia  SOUL SCRIBBLESan email from OrieSeptember 20, 2010 Hello Mia, I have been away from my computer for short while, and what a lovely surprise upon my return to find your comment of kind words on my blog post and a note from you here in my email as well. As you can see by my posts I am a new blogger and am still learning my way around the blogosphere, and so I cannot tell you how delighted I am that you thought my post would appeal to your readers. Being selected to be part of your 'Thursday Treasure' is encouragement for me to keep writing, to keep practicing courage and "leap fearlessly" towards this new journey. Thank you for this. Your website, ' four days a week', is a very special place that is both intriguing and inspirational. It feels like one of those cabinets with dozens of square drawers; each time you pull one open, there are the most interesting things inside, compelling you to open another drawer and then another, just to see what little treasures you may find. I look forward to come and browse often.
 Having read and enjoyed your post for Monday Musings, I must tell you my favourite part was the paragraph: I left my shoes behind and walked to Mom's garden, her heaven on earth. I stood for a moment and took in the breath of the morning air, my visit home. I dipped my toes into the soil, felt the roots of Mom's passion and love for the things that grow green and vibrant. The imagery and emotions this evokes is lovely; a truly fine piece of writing. Thank you again for visiting my blog and sharing it with your readers. Warm regards, Orie
COMING TOGETHER. We carry our best wishes and dreams in our hearts and out into the world. We are growing.
At the end of the year and sharing with you below a wish, hope, and growth: an email and a story I recently received from my Japanese friends, Ken Crane, and his wife, Yumi Crane. It was Ken and Yumi who received our treasure box of wishes and cranes for Japan after the tsunami hit their homeland on March 11, 2011. Today continuing on the journeys of hope and into the New Year, a message from Ken and Yumi: | _Dear Mia,
Year 2011 was quite a terrible year here in Japan.
But whatever the situation is, people has to move on forward. For me, year 2011 made me convince this fact. People just can't act all the way through like a victim, because all of us has a free will to choose where we are heading.
When I was in teenage, I didn't understand why John Lennon was singing "~we have grown," because when I was younger I thought that people would stop growing when we are about 20. Now, I know that we are always growing, and we are forever growing.
Based on this thought, recently I wrote a short story Caterpillar.
I would like to share this story as a message for this Christmas.
We wish you a Happy Christmas without any fear,
Ken Crane & Yumi Crane | |
_OUT OF THE DARKNESS AND INTO THE LIGHT. Remembering our strengths and hopes. We embrace and release our fears. Thank you, Ken and Yumi, for being here with us and sharing your story and light. And to you, my readers, I wish you a wonderful New Year. May it be filled with magic and dreams come true. Thanks so much for being part of our journeys. Aspiring and inspiring. We hope to see you again next week here at the blog on January 2, 2012 when we announce the winner of In The Circle Of Joy (raffle ~ giveaway). If you are reading this on December 26, 2011, there's still time to post a comment, tweet, follow, and like to enter the raffle, which ends at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on December 27, 2011. Until next time when we reconnect, please meet Ken below with best-selling author Paulo Coelho. Ken also shares with us an excerpt from his story, Caterpillar. -Mia P.S. I hadn't planned on posting at the blog in December, but when I received Ken's email, I wanted to share his story of growth and hope with you. Enjoy and happy holidays. Thank you, Ken and Yumi. ✶ PHOTO ABOVE: Yumi and Ken Crane. ✶ ✶ ILLUSTRATIONS ABOVE: Butterflies by Ken Crane, an illustrator, graphic artist, writer, and musician. He is also the illustrator for best-selling author Paulo Coelho's stories and posts at Paulo's blog. Ken's portfolio includes illustrations for magazine covers (Forbes, Japan Times, Newsweek, Vogue, and Wired), rock concert posters, artwork for the theatre, films, and animations for television shows. ✶  Ken Crane and Paulo Coelho. _✶ FROM PAULO COELHO, MAY 12, 2011: Writing creates images in the reader's mind. So, when someone tells you "I can make an illustration of your work", normally I politely decline. Till one day ... that I met Ken Crane in Twitter. Ken proposed to illustrate some posts in my blog and after having a look at his illustrations, I told to myself: "That's the person!" From this moment on, we started to collaborate together, pro bono, only for the sake of sharing our ideas with other people. Also, from this moment on, people started not only commenting the text, but also the illustrations. I hope that, by the end of 2011, we will have enough material to publish an illustrated book. I am proud to have Ken by my side, and I am one of his most fervent admirers. [read more from Paulo on Ken and on writing creating images] ✶
__✶ AN EXCERPT FROM THE CATERPILLAR by KEN CRANE: "I am all the material of this universe. And you are an existence to choose what to do with those material. The Sun has chosen to shine by collecting the gas floating in space. The Earth has chosen to rotate around the sun using the sun's gravity. Terrestrial plants on Earth has chosen to bloom flowers using the energy of the sun. And that is what is called creation and evolution. And I am this process itself. You must choose what to do and what to be using this process. Once you have chosen what to be with your will, you will be able to experience the miracle ...Don't you want to see a miracle?" [continue reading the story of the Caterpillar at Ken's blog] ✶
THE MOMENT came when I stood on the edge of Boreas Pass, Colorado. September 26, 2009. Letting go, I nodded and closed my eyes. I placed the prayer arrow to my chest. I thought about my wishes, thought about the one that spoke to my spirit and opened the door to possibilities. Three words formulated two wishes, both connected. I made my prayer. I threw the arrow without watching where it landed. I threw away my doubts--the ones telling me not to try. I withstood the fears and launched four days a week on March 15, 2010. I reached the steps of an unexpected place. Here celebrating my blog's one-year anniversary, celebrating being a Thank you so much for being here, for making my first year an amazing celebration of dreams coming true. -Mia PHOTOS, TOP ROW: Boreas Pass and Breckenridge, Colorado, where my creative spirit dared to leap forward and believe. September 26, 2009. I reached the steps of an unexpected place. PHOTOS, BOTTOM ROW: One of four windows in my living room. Sun hoop earrings by Sacred Cake, a pair I often wear. Treasures at the entrance of my home. A paper flower from a wedding, showing my niece that life is full of wonderful surprises. Go. Follow your dreams, they know the way.
As we say in Vietnamese, cảm ơn bạn rất nhiều.Thank you so much.Thank you for making the journey to March, the month we celebrate our one-year anniversary here and on Twitter, a special one. Thank you for the ƒ๏ℓℓ๏ω, the laughs, the cheers, and smiles along the way. Your tweets were treasures that always brightened the dayツ -Mia-For readers who have subscribed to Monday Musings via email, click the ♥♥♥♥to view the sweet tweets, which may not show up as a photo slide in your email. Thanks!
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