Monday’s Pen to Paper: Good Routine
Photo Credit: Jeff Zaruba
I’ve never been one for routine. Not that I wouldn’t want to have a little more of a schedule to my life but it’s just never been the type of life that I’ve led. I guess when I was playing and coaching basketball competitively there was some routine, but practices where often moved around, do to gym availability, and we were traveling with games, so there was always some change.
And though I have loved having a career as a fashion model, it is far from routine. Castings and jobs vary tremendously and often happen spur of the moment. Not conducive to a regular schedule. When I was in my 30’s I fantasized about getting up every morning and meditating and doing yoga. Having a morning ritual. But I also like sleep, and I had two young kids and for many years fought a chronic sinus infection (a story all it’s own). So, I never followed that path. I worked out when I could and had a bit of a routine of playing basketball.
When I hit my 40’s my life was pretty chaotic. I was modeling, coaching, raising (and chauffeuring) kids and writing every spare moment I could find. It was difficult to maintain any routine. I especially dreamed, and still dream, of being consistent with my writing instead of sneaking in words here and there or on writing get-a-ways. I want to write every day. And though, as I’m nearing 50, I’m not quite where I want to be, I have added somewhat of a routine to my writing life, blogging each week and meeting my friend Jenny every Thursday to write.
Day by day I plan to add more routine to my life, not a […]
Monday’s Pen to Paper: One Step at a Time
I decided to take part in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) this year and, I’ll have to admit, it wasn’t the most productive first attempt. It did, however, help me to get nearly 4000 more words of my novel written. Every little bit helps.
What helps to motivate you to write? To work out? To meditate? To do those things that you want to do, but you keep putting off? Try new ways to push yourself. Take baby steps if you have to. Even if the attempt isn’t completely successful, the experience will help you grow.
WRITING PROMPT #1: Write down how you will reach your goals.
WRITING PROMPT #2: Shandra gazed at the tall peak one last time before she tied her boots up tight and…
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Did I Make The Team Coach?
Basketball tryouts can be tough on everyone involved. As a kid trying out for a team, you’re stressed about making sure you do your best and not allowing your nerves to affect your performance so that you can make the team. As a coach you worry about selecting teams while giving every player a fair shake with a short time period to evaluate, and as a parent you watch while your child weather’s the storm and you function as their anchor, or at least that is the hope.
If you are a player reading this blog, I wish you all the best. Take a deep breath and hit the court with intensity and a positive attitude. And no matter the result, if you give your very best, that is all that really matters. If you don’t make the team or the level of team that you thought you should, it might hurt deep in your soul, but if you gave your all, there can be no regrets. Tears and frustration maybe, but no regrets. Instead, if you love basketball, use this as fuel to work harder over the next year, or if you’re not sure if basketball is your thing, use the opportunity to try something new that peaks your interest. Use this pivotal point in your life as inspiration. What is important to you? What do you really love to do?
If you’re a parent, it’s time to support your child. Be there for them no matter what happens. If they don’t make the team it will surely be a life changing experience, so help it to be a positive one. And if your son or daughter doesn’t end up making Varsity, that’s okay, they can have fun and learn to grow […]
Monday’s Pen to Paper: Peace
I attended a Mama-Needs-A-Refill Mini Yoga retreat this weekend. At the retreat we had a silent break to meditate, read, write, and simply be, and it was during this time that I started thumbing through the book, Creating True Peace by Thich Nhat Hanh. After a weekend that began with such violence in Paris, violence and hate that I just can’t understand, I read the subtitle, Ending Violence in Yourself, Your Family, Your Community, and the World, and started reading…
True peace is always possible. Yet it requires strength and practice, particularly in times of great difficulty. To some, peace and nonviolence are synonymous with passivity and weakness. In truth, practicing peace and nonviolence is far from passive. To practice peace, to make peace alive in us, is to actively cultivate understanding, love and compassion, even in the face of misperception and conflict. Practicing peace, especially in times of war, requires courage.
I read until we started class again and then asked if I could borrow the book. I haven’t finished it yet, but it has drawn me in. It feels good to focus on peace, to breathe in peace and believe that one day there can be peace in this world.
Chapter three, Peace Begins With Us, reminds the reader that one way to find peace is through love. Who are you grateful for? Share your love with those people.
WRITING PROMPT: Write a love letter.
Meet Sonya
Meet Sonya
Sonya Elliott’s memoir, Back on the Court: A Young Woman’s Triumphant Return to Life, Love & Basketball, is her story of finding hope in the wake of tragedy after she and her fiancé were hit by a train. She blogs about writing, basketball, and life and is currently working on a Young Adult Novel and a Non-Fiction Coaching book. Stories of her career as a fashion model are woven through her memoir, as both the Soloflex and Easy Spirit Shoes commercials were filmed during that time period, and this unique and intriguing business continues to be a part of her life.
Sonya played basketball at Eastern Washington University and was a starter for the Big Sky Champion team that went to the 1987 NCAA tournament. She coached for almost 25 years and was voted Seattle Times Coach of the Year, Seattle Officials Women’s Basketball Association Coach of the Year, and twice voted Metro League Coach of the Year. She loves the game of basketball and is thankful, not only for her husband and kids but for her ability to continue to get back on the court.
Blog
Monday’s Pen to Paper: One Word at a Time
I’m at a turning point in my life. My kids are about out of the house. I no longer coach high school basketball and I only model from time to time. I manage a couple of rental houses that keep me busy but I want to focus on writing. I do my share of writing, I blog, I’ve written a few articles and I’ve been working on my YA novel but I want to make a living writing.
Over the last couple of months I’ve read books and watched YouTube videos about being a full-time freelance writer by writing articles. I enjoy writing articles and thought, “I can do this!” But then I took a moment to think about what I really want, and I want to write books. I enjoy writing my blog and magazine articles from time to time (a recent […]
Monday’s Pen to Paper: A Thousand words or at Least Ten Minutes
A picture is worth a thousand words right? or a least 10 minutes of writing practice. Take a look at the photo below and get to work!
WRITING PROMPT:
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Bring Your Team Together with Fun
I felt a little guilty last week. I went away and took some time for myself. I had a good excuse, I turned 50, and though I shouldn’t need an excuse to take some “me” time (everyone needs to “refill their cup” from time to time), my birthday did make it easier to spoil myself.
So I went to Utah. I hiked five to seven miles every morning in Snow Canyon Park, practiced yoga, did rehab on my shoulder and wrist, read, wrote and relaxed. One day I even tried water aerobics (good for my shoulder), and the crazy thing was that by the end of the class, though I was smiling, I felt a deep sadness. You might be thinking, “well you did just turn 50,” but that wasn’t it. The water aerobics class made me miss coaching.
Kind of an odd […]
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