December 28, 2009
Orange Sunshine
Today's sunshine creation is not only poetic, it is also the first of my creations to be available at my Cafe Press shop...abitosunshine! The poetic creation is available as a framed tile wall hanging, with a mug and coaster, sold separately.
December 26, 2009
Let My Spirit Live
As our seasonal celebrations come to an end our hopes and dreams need not do same. Join me in a promise to keep the spirit of the season alive throughout the year, sharing it one with another, together...
December 20, 2009
Seasonal Stampede
I awoke to a bright blanket o' snow on the ground, a thin coverlet, thank goodness. Traffic on the roads and in the stores reminded me of a stampede of wild horses and the attitudes of some of those humanoids I came in contact with left me wondering what on earth they must all be thinking -- or drinking -- all in a crazed state - I'd rather be with the wild animals!
Arriving home and feeling I'd better get my daily poetic creation posted, I began searching for the perfect picture of the earlier stampede I'd witnessed, all the while thinking of a book I'd recommend we all might want to read or re-read. I share the author website link to this gem below:
Lifeprints: Deciphering Your Life Purpose from Your Fingerprints By Richard Unger
Arriving home and feeling I'd better get my daily poetic creation posted, I began searching for the perfect picture of the earlier stampede I'd witnessed, all the while thinking of a book I'd recommend we all might want to read or re-read. I share the author website link to this gem below:
Lifeprints: Deciphering Your Life Purpose from Your Fingerprints By Richard Unger
December 7, 2009
First Snow
I thrive on warm sunshine, so needless to say I wasn't happy with the dusting of white at dawn's early light. Neither were my dogs -- the Sunshine Girls don't do white fluffy stuff!
November 29, 2009
True-to-Life
Whatever the portal, online or off, observers view our words and deeds as true-to-life.
Do you ever feel as though someone is watching you? I certainly do.
I'm a people-watcher, how about you?
Do you ever feel as though someone is watching you? I certainly do.
I'm a people-watcher, how about you?
November 4, 2009
State of Mind
One's state of mind can determine the course of our journey toward Nirvana. I feel I do my best thought traveling toward such peacefulness by reminding myself to stay focused upon the sunlight. It is always there peekin' out o' the clouds.
November 3, 2009
Once Upon A Time ~ Tuesday
My favorite place to be these days, Gather, closed down for maintenance last night so I took a mug o' warm tea and a book to bed with me, reading tales of old from Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes. I highly recommend this book, as its pages are filled with the wisdom of the ages, a splendid soul journey guide.
November 2, 2009
Ascension of Monday
Monday is often a dreaded day, the start of a new week of ToDo's. I take the day in stride, often spreadin' a bit o' sunshine into your lives - climbin' the day together seems to make the flight a bit more enJOYable!
June 28, 2009
Internet Pet Peeves
I've been online as abitosunshine for nearly ten years now. I've met some wonderful people here, some have become sisters and brothers of my spirit and I cherish them as a major part of my life.
Throughout my years online, I've made a lot of mistakes, just as I have offline. I have learned my lessons well, though I am sure there are many things yet to be learned. I've decided to some of my learned lessons with you, in the form of a few of my major pet peeves, in hopes that you may avoid the mistakes that I have made here in this wonderful land of the internet.
Real Life vs. Fake Life
Have you said the words, "Real life kept me from being online?"
Really now, if that's the case, then I must ask you - exactly who are you, who is the real you, have you been pretending to be someone you are not?
This is real life, the online portion of your life - the part of your life that includes internet groups, social networks, friends, and sometimes, family-by-choice. If you're offline life keeps you from being with your online friends and groups, we understand - that's life!
However, if what's going on in your offline life is important to you, how about sharing it with those you know online too?
I am willing to bet that you will find someone is waiting just for you, to have you share yourself with them, so they can share a bit of themselves with you. You may find you have a lot in common - the good, the bad, and the ugly - online and offline.
Fast Forward
Email forwards, albeit interesting ones, travel cyberspace day and night. Is this how you tell me about you, about who you are? If so, fine, but personally, I'd rather you tell me in your own words. An occasional forward is one thing, but if that's about the only form of communication you email to me personally or post in an internet group we're in together, I can't help but wonder who you really are. Are you shy? Or, do you have something to hide?
If you must send forwards to communicate your "about me" thoughts - please clean them up. I don't want to see numerous email addresses of all the different people the forward has been sent to and from of late. I definitely don't want my email address forwarded on in the next person-to-person or group-to-group go-round.
Applications
I have a MySpace account as well as a Facebook account. In all honesty, the applications they offer for us to apply annoy me - they clutter up your page and I have to dig deep to find the real you. Here again, this may be how you tell me "who you are."
For instance, you share a friendship application that is a bouquet of flowers - sunflowers, your favorite flower, or my favorite flower. It would have meant so much more to me if you'd have spent the time in a graphic program creating a lovely sunflower tag to share. If you're not good at graphics, how about sharing a photograph of the flowers you've grown in a pot on your patio? You could search the many websites online that offer personalized adoptable graphics and find something that says who you are or why you're giving me the gift. Better yet - write me a sunflower poem!
Personalized gifts of a bit of time and a bit of effort say a lot more to the recipient than does an item that was made for a million people to pass around willy-nilly in the name of friendship. Apply yourself. Diligently!
Collectors
We all know someone who collects memberships to social networks, but who does not participate within these groups and friendship circles. Sure, the group graphic design is awesome and/or the group name describes who you'd like to be, so you sign up and you put that pretty graphic title on your website for the world to see.
Did you create a dedication page on your site for the group? Have you joined in on the daily chatting among the group members? Are you participating in a group committee?
To the point - if you don't have time to spare and share- don't join! Much like joining a bowling league, if you never show up at the bowling alley on league night, your team is short a player. You're an integral part of any community you belong to, so participate.
Needless to say, this, too, is about a sharing of you. Acquaintances are a dime a dozen - true friendship comes with the price tag of sharing of yourself with others.
Websites
When was the last time you visited a friend or group member's website? Did you sign their guestbook to let them know you were there, share a thought, or give them a bit of feedback? A person spends a lot of time, effort, and sharing in the design of a website and inviting you into their web home. Say, "Thank you."
I'm sure you thank your offline friends for inviting you to their home for a backyard BBQ, so why wouldn't you practice the same courtesy to your online friends? It only takes a moment of your time and will be appreciated. Spread a bit of sunshine into the guestbook - the life - of another. You may be surprised to find that it is returned - tenfold.
Copyright
If it is not 100 percent yours or you do not have 100 percent permission to use it - don't!
Whether it's a poem, a photo, a graphic, a quote - whatever it is - please do your best to find the creator and get permission to use it. Without permission, we have no right for any reason, to use anything that belongs to someone else. If we do - it is stealing - plain and simple.
Things online (or offline, for that matter) that belong to others are not there for the taking - they are there for the sharing, and only in the format their creator wishes them shared. Enjoy the creative beauty, thank the creator, and ask permission to use their creation in any way, shape, or form. This is about common courtesy, never mind the legalities.
I recently explained this to a dear friend, in reference to sharing my writings. I told her that the worst thing that can happen to me as an author is to receive an email forward and as I am reading the lovely poem within, I recognize it as one of my own. As if I am not already annoyed enough, I get to the bottom of the writing and the copyright line says, "Author Unknown."
I am PEEVED!
Throughout my years online, I've made a lot of mistakes, just as I have offline. I have learned my lessons well, though I am sure there are many things yet to be learned. I've decided to some of my learned lessons with you, in the form of a few of my major pet peeves, in hopes that you may avoid the mistakes that I have made here in this wonderful land of the internet.
Real Life vs. Fake Life
Have you said the words, "Real life kept me from being online?"
Really now, if that's the case, then I must ask you - exactly who are you, who is the real you, have you been pretending to be someone you are not?
This is real life, the online portion of your life - the part of your life that includes internet groups, social networks, friends, and sometimes, family-by-choice. If you're offline life keeps you from being with your online friends and groups, we understand - that's life!
However, if what's going on in your offline life is important to you, how about sharing it with those you know online too?
I am willing to bet that you will find someone is waiting just for you, to have you share yourself with them, so they can share a bit of themselves with you. You may find you have a lot in common - the good, the bad, and the ugly - online and offline.
Fast Forward
Email forwards, albeit interesting ones, travel cyberspace day and night. Is this how you tell me about you, about who you are? If so, fine, but personally, I'd rather you tell me in your own words. An occasional forward is one thing, but if that's about the only form of communication you email to me personally or post in an internet group we're in together, I can't help but wonder who you really are. Are you shy? Or, do you have something to hide?
If you must send forwards to communicate your "about me" thoughts - please clean them up. I don't want to see numerous email addresses of all the different people the forward has been sent to and from of late. I definitely don't want my email address forwarded on in the next person-to-person or group-to-group go-round.
Applications
I have a MySpace account as well as a Facebook account. In all honesty, the applications they offer for us to apply annoy me - they clutter up your page and I have to dig deep to find the real you. Here again, this may be how you tell me "who you are."
For instance, you share a friendship application that is a bouquet of flowers - sunflowers, your favorite flower, or my favorite flower. It would have meant so much more to me if you'd have spent the time in a graphic program creating a lovely sunflower tag to share. If you're not good at graphics, how about sharing a photograph of the flowers you've grown in a pot on your patio? You could search the many websites online that offer personalized adoptable graphics and find something that says who you are or why you're giving me the gift. Better yet - write me a sunflower poem!
Personalized gifts of a bit of time and a bit of effort say a lot more to the recipient than does an item that was made for a million people to pass around willy-nilly in the name of friendship. Apply yourself. Diligently!
Collectors
We all know someone who collects memberships to social networks, but who does not participate within these groups and friendship circles. Sure, the group graphic design is awesome and/or the group name describes who you'd like to be, so you sign up and you put that pretty graphic title on your website for the world to see.
Did you create a dedication page on your site for the group? Have you joined in on the daily chatting among the group members? Are you participating in a group committee?
To the point - if you don't have time to spare and share- don't join! Much like joining a bowling league, if you never show up at the bowling alley on league night, your team is short a player. You're an integral part of any community you belong to, so participate.
Needless to say, this, too, is about a sharing of you. Acquaintances are a dime a dozen - true friendship comes with the price tag of sharing of yourself with others.
Websites
When was the last time you visited a friend or group member's website? Did you sign their guestbook to let them know you were there, share a thought, or give them a bit of feedback? A person spends a lot of time, effort, and sharing in the design of a website and inviting you into their web home. Say, "Thank you."
I'm sure you thank your offline friends for inviting you to their home for a backyard BBQ, so why wouldn't you practice the same courtesy to your online friends? It only takes a moment of your time and will be appreciated. Spread a bit of sunshine into the guestbook - the life - of another. You may be surprised to find that it is returned - tenfold.
Copyright
If it is not 100 percent yours or you do not have 100 percent permission to use it - don't!
Whether it's a poem, a photo, a graphic, a quote - whatever it is - please do your best to find the creator and get permission to use it. Without permission, we have no right for any reason, to use anything that belongs to someone else. If we do - it is stealing - plain and simple.
Things online (or offline, for that matter) that belong to others are not there for the taking - they are there for the sharing, and only in the format their creator wishes them shared. Enjoy the creative beauty, thank the creator, and ask permission to use their creation in any way, shape, or form. This is about common courtesy, never mind the legalities.
I recently explained this to a dear friend, in reference to sharing my writings. I told her that the worst thing that can happen to me as an author is to receive an email forward and as I am reading the lovely poem within, I recognize it as one of my own. As if I am not already annoyed enough, I get to the bottom of the writing and the copyright line says, "Author Unknown."
I am PEEVED!
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