Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Watercolors Friday – Celebrating 3 Books

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For today’s post, I want to celebrate three of my favorite books.  What is so special about them?  Well, they are my favorites, that is, if I had to pick three of all the ones that I love.  Why those three?  I asked myself the same question, and I was surprised by the answer.  These books have touched my soul in a different way, have made me ponder, think, dream, smile, doubt, question, and offered comfort besides entertainment.  It wasn’t until I questioned why the gap in years in between my three favorites that I understood the reason.  Those books found me at important stages of my life.  I wish I had my copies here to post pictures of them but they are packed in a trailer with all my moving stuff, so I will provide public domain pictures for the first two, instead.  Here they are,

THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE by C.S. Lewis

Roger Hane's cover for the 1970 Collier-Macmil...

This book came to my life when I was a kid and full of wonder, dreaming of worlds different from mine.  I lived this book through its pages.

JONATHAN LIVINGSTON SEAGULL by Richard Bach

Cover of "Jonathan Livingston Seagull"

Cover of Jonathan Livingston Seagull

This book found me in my teenage years, when my mind was full of dreams, questioned everything around me, and wanted to break away from the pack.  I am lucky to own a signed copy.  I still love this book as much, if not more, than when I read it the first time, and I have read it several times.  I can picture myself in the golden years, savoring a cup of coffee, holding this book on my lap.  I still need to read it a few more times throughout my journey – every time I find something new.

THE GRIEVERS by Marc Schuster

Photo by Maria Diaz

Photo by Maria Diaz

This is actually a picture of my copy.  It is a recent book, and one that found me at another important stage of my life.  Just like the other two books, it made me ponder, question, think some more, question some more, doubt, smile, and dive deep inside myself, as I encountered twists and turns (my twists and turns) throughout its pages.

There you have it, three books that have been to me more than a casual read, and today I want to celebrate those.  I don’t know which will be the next book that will take me to the same level of introspection and delight, or when, but I am certainly excited about the possibility.

To C.S. Lewis, Richard Bach, and Marc Schuster – Happy Watercolors Friday!

Thank You Ado Bajic – The Daily Rant

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I was very honored and humbled by receiving the Liebster Blog Award – Thank you Ado Bajic from The Daily Rant.  Thank you for reading and considering Inkspeare worth of receiving it.  I don’t take these awards lightly.  I am always happy to know that someone found inspiration in one of my posts.  That makes me happy; and that is all I want – to be able to share and inspire others. I hope I get the rules for the award right.  Here they are.

  • List 11 random facts about me.
  • Nominate 11 other bloggers and their blogs.
  • Notify these bloggers of the award.
  • Ask the award winners  to answer 11 questions when they accept the Liebster Award.
  • I answer the questions left for me, from the blogger that gave me the award.

11 Random Facts About Me

  1. I am a vegetarian.
  2. I love avocado.
  3. I can’t have enough coffee.
  4. I love Purple.
  5. I love Owls.
  6. I am nuts about cats.
  7. I don’t welcome negativity or whining.
  8. I love black and white movies.
  9. I like to watch birds and take pictures of them.
  10. I like to observe people, not so much take pictures of them.
  11. I am addicted to pens and pencils, and stationery.

The Nominees are …

  1. Abominations
  2. Belle Grove Plantation
  3. Cocina de Nihacc
  4. She’s Losing It!
  5. The Kitchen’s Garden
  6. The Jittery Goat
  7. Gallivance
  8. Enchantments of a Beautiful Mind
  9. Michelle Proulx – The Blog
  10. Le Zoe Musings
  11. Old World Garden Farms

These are 11 of my favorite blogs that inspire me in different ways.  I know I have mentioned some of them before, in random posts here and there.  Some are more recent blogs that I have started to follow, and so far I love them very much. It is up to the nominees to answer the questions – I know some people do not like to get too personal or want to keep their information to a minimum. So I set you free to do as you wish 🙂 with your nomination. Answering questions is not required in my book.

11 Questions for the Award Winners (only if you feel like playing along)

  1. What is your favorite book?
  2. What is your favorite ink color?
  3. Favorite Author?
  4. Favorite writing snack?
  5. Favorite poem?
  6. Inspirational Moment
  7. Why did you chose your blog theme?
  8. What jumpstart your creativity?
  9. Best day(s) for writing/blogging
  10. Define in a few words “the simple life.”
  11. Favorite Holiday

Questions Left for Me

  1. How serious are you about your writing?  Writing is my life.
  2. Where do you face while showering, towards the shower head or away from it?  Both ways.
  3. Do you like sports?  I don’t like sports, although I enjoy watching a few – car racing, surfing, snowboarding, for example.
  4. What is your favorite book?  Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach is my favorite book.
  5. What makes you angry?  Liars and Bigots make me angry.
  6. What is your happiest memory?  My Grandma telling me a story.
  7. Blue or Green?  Green.
  8. Up or Down? Up.
  9. Do you think the last two questions matter?  Yes.
  10. Would you like to get this award?  Yes.

And here is a picture of the award

liebster-blog-award

Creating the Space that You and Only You Need

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English: Reminds me of the book & movie about ...

English: Reminds me of the book & movie about Jonathan Livingston Seagull. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

You need space to breathe.  You need space to think clear.  You need space to fuel inspiration.  You need space to unfreeze the soul.  You need space away from the heavy load that your dreams may present at times.  You need space away from them (whomever that might be).  You need space to feel again.  You need space away from the person you have become (and whom you don’t seem to recognize).  You need space to come back.  You need space to exist.  You need space to be.

After reading a very inspiring book, I found myself searching for more.  I enjoyed this book immensely, and got from it much more than I was expecting; however, it puzzled me to the point of wanting to know why I was ready to slap some of these characters, when I could read between the lines of their soul, and all I saw was little bits and pieces of me.  That book touched my soul, deep enough to want to retreat for a few days, in the safe space I needed to create for me and only me – and so I did.  And so I searched.  And so I found.  And so I understood.

Sometimes, it is necessary to stop and look at your current space, abandon it for a while, create a new one where you feel safe enough to meet with yourself, so you can come back, and make the necessary changes – if needed.  The soul needs a nest from time to time, where it can renew, because the journey never ends.

I love books since  I can remember, but I can count with a single hand the books that have touch a chord in my soul throughout my life, and at different stages of it.  When I was a child, “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” by C.S. Lewis left a seed growing in my soul.  When I was a teenager, “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” by Richard Bach gave me wings.  A few weeks ago, “The Grievers” by Marc Schuster gave a piercing jolt to my soul, which sent me back to visit the child and teenager long-lost forgotten.

I don’t know if any other books will talk to my soul as I continue in my journey, but I plan to read tons more, as I’ve always done.  And if there is a time when I need to create the secret space that me and only me needs, I will do so, and I will nest for a while, rest my wings, and let go, so I can come back to my Narnia.

Kreativ Blogger Award

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Thanks to Marc Schuster for giving me a Kreativ Blogger award! Per the rules of the award, here are six blogs that I think deserve this award (and not in any particular order) followed by ten things you (probably) don’t know about me.

1. The Jittery Goat

2. Rosekate

3. Dr. Tom Bibey

4. Living Life in Glorious Colour

5. The Short and the Long of It

6. Courage 2 Create

 

Ten things you probably don’t know about me

1. I love ferrets

2. My favorite foods in a deserted Island would be – Pizza, M&M’s, Cheesecake.

3. I love Zero bars.

4. In my dreams, I am a Vampire Slayer and I never die.

5. I love to wash dishes by hand and smell the aroma of the bubbly and soapy water.

6. My favorite book is Jonathan Livingston Seagull

7. If I’m digging in dirt and accidentally dig up a worm, I will make a hole further away and put the worm in it so she is safe.  I also apologise to it.

8. I grew up in a tropical island but I can’t swim.

9. I love bats.

10. I keep a neat environment.  Messes drive me nuts.

 

The Story with a Heartbeat

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Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Image via Wikipedia

Some stories are alive; others are dead.  A story has a heartbeat when it manages to touch the reader and evoke feelings and emotions.  This is how I know that a story has touched me deeply – I cry, I pause for a long time, I get goosebumps, or I can’t stop thinking about it, for days, weeks, or years.

The first book to touch my soul was Jonathan Livingston Seagull from Richard Bach.  A few years ago, I managed to find an autographed copy on Ebay, and I reread the story.  I loved it again, maybe more so.  It is still my favorite book.

This morning, I read a story on a blog – The Jittery Goat – and the story made me cry.  It was sweet, had a great pace, and it touched my heart.  The short story is called “A Sunset for Claire.”  You never know when a story is going to touch your soul; you can’t predict it, it just happens.

Why it happens?  Who knows; it is one of those things.  Maybe we connect with it at a deep and personal level, maybe it reminds us of something, it gives us hope, it talks to us at the right time, we get its genius … the reasons vary from reader to reader.  However, I consider this a treat when it happens.  I like many stories,poems … however, just because I like them and think they are great, that does not mean that they reached my soul – some do, some don’t – this is how it is for me.  This is why I always approach a story with a sense of respect, because I don’t know how much I will get from it and how it will touch my heart.

What is the story or poem that has touch your soul?