Good Pressure, Nice Pressure

  
CAN PEER PRESSURE BE POSITIVE?  WHY OR WHY NOT?
Of course pressure can be positive.  The word pressure, like the word stress, often gets a bad rap (?) in today's world.  it all has to do with our perception of the pressure's source and an analysis of their motives.
This last year, I got a pressure cooker, which had never had before.  It takes a big ole hunk of beef or pork and turns it into very tender, cut-with-your-fork meat and a tasty part of a meal.  That's a good pressure.  But, of course, the pressure cooker is an inanimate object, and I've never felt the necessity to assign motives to its actions in my corner of the space-time continuum.
If we turn to the realm of minerals, there is the fact that pressure and time can turn a hunk of coal into a diamond.  I'd rather have a bracelet of teeny diamonds than of teeny pieces of coal.  Anyone?
How about friends nudging you back into the dating world an appropriate time after a bad break-up?  Depending on how badly you were burned, that first step back can be nearly impossible to take on your own.  (Like the season I worked at an Amazon warehouse and had to slide my feet along the floor because I could not pick them up off the ground.  but that's another story).
So, a little well-intentioned peer pressure can cause us to focus on our project or goal, and get to the pot of gold sooner.  And like some of my neighbors say, "Ain't nothin' wrong with that."

Tapping to My Own Drummer

   TELL US ABOUT A TIME WHEN YOU DIDN'T BEND TO PEER PRESSURE, AND YOU SWAM AGAINST THE STREAM. When I started college, wa-a-a-ay back in 1979 (how many of you, I wonder, are saying, "Gee, I wasn't even born then!" *lol*)  I was a Musical Theatre Major-Acting Emphasis.  One term I had ballet, tap and jazz dance at the same time.
I was actually fairly thin until puberty hit and when it did, it hit the fan as well.  I have struggled with my weight since then.  Add to that the fact that my ankles have never been particularly strong and all those dance classes (with about 50% dance majors) could be very intimidating at times.  The ballet class wasn't too bad.  The instructor was helpful and understanding...except on Mondays, when she turned into the "stretch Nazi".
The tap class was a different story.  The instructor was a choreographer and was known for his hard critique of people's performances.  At one point in each class session, we would do a certain tap step in groups of four from one corner of the room to the other.
One day he demonstrated a combination of steps he wanted the class to do.  The first group did the right movements, but on the wrong count (flapping when they were supposed to be shuffling, or something like that).  The second quartet followed suit, as did each group that followed.  Maybe it was the math side of my brain, but I noticed that it wasn't as the instructor had demonstrated.
With each passing moment until my group got to the front of the line, I waffled between "I'm going to do the steps correctly,"  to "Everyone will think I'm stupid, I'll just follow the crowd," and back again.  
When the last group had gone across the floor and we were all back in line again, the instructor stopped the music and looked at the class. "There was one student who did the steps correctly," he said.  I'm not sure if he was more shocked that a non-dance major of questionable grace and agility got the step right, or that she had the gumption to do it differently from everyone else.  Or maybe I ruined his ability to yell at the whole class.  (I'm going for one of the former options, though.)
That was a good day.

I Cannot Fail

  

TONI ASKS, "WHAT WOULD YOU ATTEMPT IF YOU KNEW YOU COULD NOT FAIL?"

I would write my magnum opus stage play, take it to New York and/or London, star in it, and donate a portion of the ticket sales to charity.

From the time I was young, I wanted to be a stage actress.  My parents were not particularly supportive, as theatre was not a profession where it was common to make a lot of money.  I did not realize until later, of course, that their childhood circumstances made having enough money seem to be a really important thing.  (My father was the son of a poor farmer, and my mother was the child of an alcoholic.)

Being an introvert seemed to conflict with my desire to be an actress as well.  Even thinking about going to an audition used to give me an anxiety attack.  It was so tied up in my wanting to be liked, loved, or validated.  I had a horrible self-image.  Now, of course, with more than a few plays under my belt, it's not such a bad thing.  And even "successful" actors and actresses (in terms of consistency of work and money) get attacks of anxiety like that from time to time.

I guess I'm what most would call a 'character actor'.  That used to bug me because I thought that meant that people did not think I was 'good enough' to carry a play.  Now...that's not so important.

I haven't been in a play since before my first child was born ... a little over 17 years ago.  I've dabbled in playwrighting.  My best work was about a family of moonshine-brewers.  Go figure.

But rural south-central Kentucky is not exactly a hotbed of avant garde live theatre.  There is the Actor's Theatre in Louisville (about 1.5-2 hours away from here).  And if they can build one of the premiere US Shakespeare Festivals in Cedar City, Utah ... who knows, maybe I can build some kind of theatre festival in my neck of the woods.

Things that make you say, "Hmmmm."

What would YOU attempt if you knew you could not fail?

REVIEW: Packing Light by Allison Vesterfelt

(Disclaimer:  I received this e-book free from Story Cartel in exchange for an unbiased review.  My opinions are my own.)

At my 5-year high school reunion, a fair number of the students were married and had at least one child.  But what happens when you life does not follow that 'usual' path?  Where does the life you are living intersect with the life you want to live, and the life you were meant to live?

Allison and her friend Sharaya set out on a 6-month trip around the United States.  ALL of them.  They will visit each of the 50 states, earn money by Sharaya performing with her guitar and Allison selling merchandise (cd's, etc.), blogging and writing a book.  They will depend (more than once) on the kindness of strangers.

Nothing is held back.  We hear the successes, the joys, the sorrows, the fights, the sorrows, the pettiness, the sacrifices made by each participant.  I think these two ladies did what a lot of performers and artists dream of doing ... trading the "have to in order to survive" life for "this is my life in which to THRIVE"!

A lot is said in the book of the beauty of Sharaya's voice.  While I have not heard her music, I figure it must be good or this journey would not have happened.  I want to give a shout out to Ally as well.  Her voice comes through, clear like a bell in her book.  It is itself sweet, sweet music.

I am oh, so grateful to both Ally and Sharaya, as well as their supporters, friends and family for sharing this experience with us.  They took a HUGE leap of faith and are the better for it.  Indeed, the times when I  have stepped out of my comfort zone and taken a chance, I have been blessed with both tangible and intangible rewards.

So, if you are satisfied with your life the way it is, read this book and pass it along to someone else when you are done.  (They invite you to do just that in the "afterward" of the book, so I figure it's ok for me to do it here.)  Or buy them a copy! (*wink*)  If you are feeling that your life has gotten a bit 'samey', get this book, read it ... then come find me so we can help each other get from where we are to where we want to be!

This book helps me fulfill the following reading challenges for 2014:
Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge
2014 ARC Reading Challenge
Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks

Linking up with:

  

Peer Pressure

  
TELL US ABOUT A TIME YOU BENT TO PEER PRESSURE. I had to do a little brain-wracking on this one.   I suppose I could use the occasion of my first 'party' in  high school.  My friend's parents were out of town and she was going to have a party.  So I went.  So there was whiskey sour punch.  I had some ... to fit in.  It tasted awful.  (Of course, this was the first time I had had anything more than beer - but I never liked the taste of that either.) There weren't many people there, so another friend and I went up a nearby canyon to a keg party to find some more people.  I got separated from this friend - there was a band playing there, and a fair amount of chaos - but we met up again and went back to the house.  More folks were there when we got back, including some mutual friends. I remember going into the downstairs bathroom and locking the door.  In hindsight that was a very good thing, because I think I passed out on the floor.  I woke to someone knocking on the door and stumbled out, and some of the friends being in the room and sniggering a bit.  Later I fell asleep on a couch in the living room. The next morning, I woke up from a telephone call from my parents telling me to come home so we could go to church.  Yikes! I had a choir practice later that day, where I was the accompanist.  A few friends who had been there the night before came walking in and just laughed when they saw me. Dumb, dumb, dumb!  (But at least that was the only time it happened.)

10 Happy Mama Makers

TONI ASKS, "DO MORE OF WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY.  WHAT ARE THOSE ACTIVITIES?"

1.  Acting in a stage play.

2.  Writing.

3.  Hugs (especially from family).

4.  Naps under one of Mamaw's quilts.

5.  Being a day or two ahead on blog posts.

6.  Emails or snail mails from friends and family.

7.  Phone calls from friends and family.

8.  Notebooks (blank or filled), pens, pencils, markers, pens, glitter glue)

9.  Baklava cheesecake.

10.  Prayer.

How about listing 1 or more things in the comments that make you happy?  I'd love to hear what they are!

Bout of Books 9.0 Goals

Time Devoted to Reading 

I plan on reading at least four hours per day, each day of the challenge.  This is about 4 hours more per day than I have read for years (before I discovered reading challenges last year). My Goals I'd love to do a book a day, but to keep up that pace, the majority of the books had better be fiction.  Non-fiction for me, especially inspirational or "how-to" books seem to take me longer; I want to 'follow the program, as well as read the words.

Books to Read

This is the book I am reading now.  I want to finish it.  It is part of the following reading challenges I am in this year:  Alphabet Soup, ARC, 52 Books in 52 Weeks.  

This is the first 'new one' I'd like to tackle.  My family's eating has gotten terribly 'samey' of late.  This book is part of the following reading challenges I am in this year:  Foodies Read 2014, Mount TBR (this one has been on my shelf since January 17th of last year, and 50/50.

This is part of the following 2014 reading challenges for me:  "Just for Fun", "2014 TBR Pile", and "Nonfiction Reading Challenge".

(Don't know why the title did not show through.)  This is "Seven Gifts from Seven Dogs" by Karen Snow.  I am using it for the following reading challenges:  "What an Anmal VII", "NetGalley", and "Mad Reviewer".

This one has been on my shelf for a while (February 13th of last year), so it is going on my "Mount TBR" reading challenge, as well as these others:  "The Romance Reading Challenge" and "E-book Reading Challenge".

I haven't put anything on my "Where are You Reading" challenge for this year yet, so I figured I better get going.  I'm guessing I can use this for the "Texas" entry.  Ditto the "2014 Book Bingo Reading Challenge".  It will also fit nicely into the "Southern Literature Reading Challenge".

I actually read the first book in this series, "The Long Quiche Goodbye" last year.  I had won a copy of the paperback from a blog giveaway and have always wanted to get the other books in the series.  It will be part of my "Cozy Mystery Reading Challenge", as well as part of  my "Finish the Series Reading Challenge" (along with the other 3 books of the series).  I'll put it in my "Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge".

Updates

Monday 1/6

Number of books read today: 2

Total # books read: 2

Books:  "Packing Light" by Allison Vesterfelt,  "Circle of Friends Breakfast and Brunch Recipes"

Challenges:  Book Buying Spree Mini-Challenge at Bookish Comforts blog; Mad Libs Mini-Challenge at Cheap Thrills blog

Tuesday 1/7

Number of books read today:  3

Total # books read:  5

Books:  "The Bad Girls of the Bible: Seven Most Infamous" by Boomy Tokan, "Seven Gifts from Seven Dogs" by Karen Snow, Bedding the Wrong Brother by Virna dePaul

Challenges:  Reading Tactics List Mini-Challenge at Sarah Says Read; Audio Book Cast Mini-Challenge by Geeky Bloggers Book Blog

Wednesday 1/8

Number of books read today: (in process)

Total # books read:  5

Books:

Thursday 1/9

Number of books read today:  1

Total # books read:  6

Books:  Paper Roses by Amanda Cabot

Friday 1/10

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Saturday 1/11

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Sunday 1/12

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Monday

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