Climb Every Mountain with Courage (and Cookies)

July 25, 2014 | Coleen Patrick

Three years ago today I crossed the bridge from blog reader to blogger.

Cornish-Windsor covered bridge, Vermont (and New Hampshire)

I was scared, but I had a plan when I published my first post, There’s No Place Like the Prairie.

I wanted to create my author-ly space here on the internet (aka author platform),

A place to hang my quirky creative brand hat

not that I could define it at the time

Mini me wearing one of my first quirky hats

Oh and I didn’t have expectations

or, if I did, I didn’t know what publishing my thoughts, my books, my photos (hey an audience that doesn’t require a family room and a slide projector!) would actually feel like.

Some of my 1,095 Hey I’m a writer! days were pretty awesome

Flower garden at Trapp Family Lodge (the family that inspired The Sound of Music!!)

Stowe, Vermont

Others, kinda droopy. Seriously.

I like how Kate over at 4amwriter summed up the droop-tastic feeling:

“The bottom line, I discovered recently, was that I never told myself what I would do when I got rejections. I knew I’d get them. What I didn’t know is that they’d lay me out flat. And because I didn’t set myself a specific battle plan, it was easy to turn tail and run.” ~4amwriter

Enter courage (well, after some tears, some dessert, and a perusal of the classifieds).

The Trapp Family lodge in Stowe, Vermont makes an impressive first impression.

Okay, so courage doesn’t always make a dramatic entrance. Some days courage is one word, one tiny doodle, one smile.

And some days it’s just not quitting.

The creative life needs courage.

Our heads are not just in the clouds, we’re weaving fluffy, silver lined couture garments.

Right?

Yeah. Vulnerability is NOT EASY.

In fact, the image from my blog that has been pinned the most is this one:

Oh and my mom’s cream cheese cookie recipe is not trailing far behind.

Some of you may have guessed barns.

Barn nestled on mountain overlooking the village of Stowe.

By the way, thanks to Clay Watkins for tweeting me about his own barn finds!

But I’ll take courage and cookies (and supportive friends like YOU).

They’re great companions for climbing mountains.

Even if you can’t quite make out the mountain. Yet.

Climb every mountain,
Ford every stream,
Follow every rainbow,
‘Till you find your dream.

~Rodgers & Hammerstein, The Sound of Music

How are you mustering courage, or climbing mountains? Or just tell me your thoughts on cookies. I’d love to know.

Happy Weekend!

Coleen xo

Brave as a Dancing Chicken

April 7, 2014 | Coleen Patrick

Sometimes I’m a chicken.

In college, I actually narrowed down my choice of majors to those that didn’t require public speaking 101.

Bawk.

That chicken with the big grin is my 14 year old nephew. In public, he’s mostly a quiet kid.

But it’s interesting what happens when you put a quiet kid in a chicken suit.

Braver than he thinks? Maybe.

I could’ve used a chicken suit a couple of weeks ago when I spoke on a panel about the creative life during an SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators) event.

At least just to start out. 🙂

Because I was ~~having an out of body experience~~ nervous. I can’t really remember anything I said, but hey, I did it.

(I’m pretty sure I spoke from the heart , it was practically in my throat anyway).

I was also nervous about the authors fair and book signing. But that turned out to be fun.

I met national book award winner, Kathryn Erskine. She’s super sweet. She signed a book for me and then even came over to my table and bought one of my books!!

(I just realized I picked a table next to the fire alarm. Panic much?)

The book fair wasn’t so scary. Writers (and readers) may be a quiet bunch, but everyone was friendly.

Sharon Rainey, Richard L. Towers, Nancy Hannan

I chatted with authors. I signed some books. I’m pretty sure I didn’t squawk or bawk once.

I’m braver than I thought.

Even without a chicken costume.

How are you feeling brave (or strong, or smart) this week? Would you have more courage dressed in a chicken suit? Tell me in the comments, I’d love to know!

Happy Monday!

On Crushes, Rejection, and Daring Greatly

October 14, 2013 | Coleen Patrick

Last week one of my kids asked me how they could get the courage to talk to someone they have a crush on.

Now I only have one high school Crush Story where I exhibited bravery. It was at a high school graduation party and I approached the boy I’d been crushing on for two years and asked him to dance.

He said no.

On the surface, it’s not such a great story.

Except for the part where I actually asked the boy I’d been crushing on to dance.

That was huge. Major bravery. And yeah, while I know all my kid wants right now is for this other kid to like them back, there is value in vulnerability.

Being vulnerable is how we open ourselves to the good stuff.

Okay so the good stuff doesn’t always show up, and risking emotional exposure can be terrifying. It’s not easy to be ALL IN.

But I know that the times I’ve risked rejection, disappointment, and embarrassment, it’s because I’ve been listening to my heart. Being me. And I don’t know, my arms get tired holding up those walls of protection.

Sure, there are days (lots of them) when all I want to do is hide, but eventually what I end up wanting to remember, is that it’s not the win or the loss that counts, but how we listen to our hearts, and allow ourselves the opportunity for joy.

How do you muster courage? Do you have any crush advice?

HAPPY MONDAY. 🙂

Fear Less: Ten Things You Can Control Today (Plus, Some Flying Aversion Therapy)

July 15, 2013 | Coleen Patrick

I am not fearless.

But I’d love to fear less. I dream of the day I can hang out–anxiety free– in a tiny (locked) airplane bathroom, buffeted by turbulence, while holding a tarantula.

Um, okay, not really.

One of my biggest fears is flying, but I don’t have to deal with that regularly. However, I can brew up a complex worry and fear stew made up of poisonous, self-defeating thoughts at any moment. Last week, when I was sick, drifting in and out of sleep on the couch, I managed to criticize myself for my lack of productivity. And more.

Turns out there’s no need for me to fear criticism from others (although that happens too), because I know all my insecurities and secrets. I have the ability to obliterate my self-esteem all on my own. Some days I am my own worst enemy.

But I understand WHY I sometimes make these noxious fear stews.

Control. I’m pretty sure ALL of my fears are based on my control freakery.

I had really no control over the dizzy spells and nausea, much the same way I can’t do anything to stop anyone else’s thoughts, judgments, or words (oh, but sometimes I try via self-editing–essentially censoring ME).

I also have no idea how to fly a plane (and no matter how many times my husband the engineer explains the Bernoulli effect I still tend to see aviation science as pure luck.

And there was apparently no control to be had over the door handle mechanism breaking in a JC Penney fitting room last month. However I could’ve taken a moment to breathe before panicking and dropping to my knees and shimmying under the small gap at the bottom of the door.

Yeah, I haven’t figured out how to deal with my fears, not all the way. Like flying, I take this fear thing one trip (and one Army crawl under a dressing room door) at a time.

But recently I tried something that might be considered fear aversion therapy. A couple of weeks ago I got up close with those “lucky” flying machines.

A lovely, unsuspecting beach in the Caribbean.

But this beach (Maho beach) backs up to the airport.

Happy pilot waves at beach goers making happy plane associations.

Beach goers find a spot on the fence to hang on. Wait…what???

Then this happens.

Jet wash.

Sand pelting.

But wait, there’s more…

What’s that coming in over the horizon?

A jet.

You can’t tell by this photo, but it’s a big one.

And even though I’m scared of flying, I was pretty excited to see a plane landing right above me (it’s that fear/fascination thing).

Yes, that’s me in the blue pants running away. But hey, I did it!

And if you suffer from daily control freakery, here’s a little something that might help. Maybe being a little more mindful of the things we can control, might lessen the load of those we can’t.

What are your thoughts on fear?

Happy Monday!!

Sunset over Maho Beach

**If you enjoyed this post, you can subscribe to receive my new posts straight to your inbox. Just add your email in the space at the top of the right sidebar under my photo.

Literary Hobnobbing: Let Yourself (and Your Dreams) be Seen

October 15, 2012 | Coleen Patrick

I used to say I wanted to be a writer when I was a kid. Out loud.

I even brought my stories to school for my fourth grade teacher to critique. I proudly wore, then displayed the button she gave me. I still have it.

My kid badge of courage.

Sometime after high school, that courage deflated a bit. I still wrote, but I filed it all away in a large Rubbermaid container.

Part of it was a lack of direction. Part of it was fear.

Because it takes courage to put yourself out there–whether you are making new friends, trying something new, or setting goals toward your dreams. Maybe you hesitate, fill in all the unknown factors with worry, or maybe you paralyze yourself with fear, imagining your hopes floating unattached, like the fluffy bits from a dandelion.

What happens when you put it all out there?

Sure, there are scary things, like rejection.

But, you also leave room for opportunity.

This past week I got the chance to be a literary judge for a local elementary school’s PTA Reflections program. They were looking for a writer. My dandelion bits made their rounds (thank you Andrea!), and they asked me.

The writer.

I don’t think it had anything to do with my once upon a time literary connections.

Hobnobbing with Babar in the 80s.

The opportunity presented itself because I put myself out there.

It’s not always easy to be open, but YAY for new opportunities!

But wait–what does a children’s literary judge wear?

Something classic, maybe Suess-ian or Potter-esque?

Or, perhaps someone more inspired, more representative of Life and the Great Quest . . .

I found Waldo. In my own backyard.

Then I settled down to read the reflections of future artists. The theme this year is Magic of a Moment.

Reading the stories and poems reminded me how much courage abounds in the young.

So, of course, I carefully swept the “magic of a moment” essence off those papers with my unicorn tail hair brush. That sort of pixie dust is akin to the Fountain of Youth.

So if you’re looking to reclaim some of that gutsy kid attitude, I’ve left some on a dandelion in the Jungle of Nool.

Waldo will lead the way.

What are you mustering courage for this week? Are you more of a TRUTH, or DARE person? If you could dress up as any literary character, who would you be?

Let me know in the comments! 🙂

The Courage to Try Something New

April 16, 2012 | Coleen Patrick

“Never be afraid to try something new.

Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic.”

~Dave Barry

Over the years there have been many times I jumped right into trying something new. Sewing, rock climbing, blogging, selling makeup, quilting, flower arranging, painting–

Elmo overalls I made for my niece. My wall mural is the background.

Even if I didn’t take to something, at least I learned from it (like that I really don’t like selling makeup and I really can’t sew in a zipper).

But I don’t always try new things. Habit tends to get in the way. I get used to my routine. I like my To Do lists and that satisfied feeling I get at the end of a productive day.

Habit makes it so easy to resist the new.

So does fear. Maybe you never sign up for those dance classes because you think you will look silly doing the Argentine Tango. Or stay quiet about that new project idea you had for work because it’s not what you usually do.

Trying something new often takes courage.

And sometimes I think we just plain forget the thrill that often accompanies something new.

And it’s not only about creating or wearing something new. It can be trying new foods. I tried Vietnamese food for the first time a couple of years ago and I love it. But most of the time I stick with the same meals because it’s easier, one less thing to consider in regard to taste or nutrition.

But it’s definitely fun to try new food, experience a taste sensation–both good and not so good. Like last week when I tried gluten free oat matzoh.

Now I can now officially say I’ve eaten cardboard.

Still it’s amazing how many sensory details I eked out of that experience. Trying something new can get your neurons sparking again. Sort of like what happens when you put oat matzoh in the oven–it spontaneously smokes at the slightest hint of warmth. Your brain can get all warm and smoky too, but in a good way.

Plus trying something new can lift your mood. This weekend my son was in a Spring-Break-is-Over-Funk and I knew I needed to nudge him. So we all got up early and headed to the batting cages. It was something neither of us had ever done.

Funk dispelled.

Sometimes new things have the power to do that.

Tell me! Have you tried something new lately? I would love to know.