the blog

Reach Your Dreams with Baby Steps

Reach Your Dreams with Baby Steps

Happy New Year! Welcome back from the holiday sabbatical. I’ve missed you all terribly!

In lieu of decking the halls, I spent the entirety of December crippled by a stomach flu of Biblical proportions, the likes of which I have not seen since the Great Norwalk Virus Debacle of 2001.

The flu put a halt to all activities except squirming in my bed, delirious with fever. Convinced I was dying, I mentally updated my Last Will and Testament, pondering which of my friends was best equipped to inherit my 8′ long boa constrictor.

(Luckily for my chosen friend and the boa constrictor, I survived.)

But the extended sickness left me exhausted, depleted, malnourished. My muscles felt atrophied and I was on the verge of bed sores. My metabolism reset to zero, I lacked energy even to hold myself upright.
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Harnessing the Power of Community

Harnessing the Power of Community

Humans are social creatures.

Even introverts (like me) seek out and depend on interaction and support.

There’s a synergy that takes place when a group of likeminded people come together with a common interest or goal. It’s that whole Gestalt thing – the result is greater than the sum of its parts.

We can harness this power to accomplish things we previously thought impossible.

One great example of this is going on all around me right now: National Novel Writing Month. NaNoWriMo hopefuls commit to writing an entire novel during the month of November. That is, 50,000 words in 30 days.

NaNoWriMo started as a crazy dare among friends. But others soon heard about it and wanted in. While some of the less stable among us are motivated purely by the insane challenge, most find the community surrounding NaNoWriMo to be the best part.

We accept the challenge not only because it seems crazy, but because we want to be a part of the community doing the crazy, too.
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What an Ornery Cat Can Teach Us About Love

What an Ornery Cat Can Teach Us About Love

For a while I managed a cat rescue and adoption center a few days a week.

That’s where I met Madonna, a fluffy gray and white feline with big gold eyes and a chip on her shoulder.

Each day at the center I’d let the cats out of their kennels to stretch and play. It was a struggle to get Madonna back in her kennel. She did not like to be touched.

In fact, she’d be perfectly happy if you left her totally and completely alone. Forever.

Madonna sat in her kennel, cleaning her face, scowling at every prospective adopter who came into the shelter. It was nearly impossible to set up a visit because she pitched a fit each time we had to move her. There was usually a towel involved, and sometimes gloves.

Things were not looking good for Madonna.
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Interview: Dawn Herring of #JournalChat

Interview: Dawn Herring of #JournalChat

I’ve got another installation for you in the Journaling Interviews series. Today we have the pleasure of hearing from Dawn, freelance writer and blogger at Refresh with Dawn Herring.

Dawn also started the Twitter event called #JournalChat, which answers journaling questions and connects you with journaling resources.

My goal with these interviews is to introduce you to your fellow journalers, perhaps open you up to some new ways of journaling, and to illustrate that there are as many ways to keep a journal as there are journal keepers.

And now, I give you Dawn!
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Interview: Hanna Andersson a.k.a. iHanna

Interview: Hanna Andersson a.k.a. iHanna

Today I have the pleasure of interviewing the lovely and talented Hanna Andersson, a.k.a. iHanna.

Hanna hails from Sweden and is a prolific artist, writer, and art journaling teacher.

(Plus she has a ridiculously cute kitten named Smilla.)

My goal with these interviews is to introduce you to your fellow journalers, perhaps open you up to some new ways of journaling, and to illustrate that there are as many ways to keep a journal as there are journal keepers.

Now, on to iHanna.
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Interview: Andrea Schroeder of ABC Creativity

Interview: Andrea Schroeder of ABC Creativity

I’m very excited to feature Andrea Schroeder of Creative Dream Incubator in today’s journaling interview. I’ve been following Andrea’s site for awhile, and she’s a fabulous source of inspiration. Not only for getting creative, but also for defining your own dreams and then making them come true. She truly “walks the talk.”

With this journaling interview series, I hope to connect you with other journalers, showcase some great journaling resources, and illustrate that there are as many ways to journal as there are journalers. I hope you enjoy!
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hey, friend!

I’m Kristin. Welcome to Journaling Saves. If you’re new to the site, start here for the grand tour. Thanks for coming!