The Redhead Riter - Witty, Intelligent & Addictive: 9/1/11

The Redhead Riter Is A Little Strange

Yesterday, I gave Granny (The Redhead Riter) your messages. She was very grateful for your care and concern. Since I'm a dog, I was just grateful that I was able to type and publish a post. Think about it...that's rather an awesome task even for a pure bred poodle!

Obviously, this is Bella again because Granny is still quite under the weather. I thought while I had the opportunity, I would tell you about one of the strange things that Granny likes to do which drives me crazy.

Like I told you yesterday, Granny loves to take pictures. Every weekend, she snaps that camera hundreds of times and at least half of them are of me, sweet Bella. I call myself sweet because that is what Granny says all the time. I hear her high pitched voice saying, "Where are you sweet Bella?" which is my clue that she knows I'm up to mischief.

dafwoer;ldzoxkfi <---Sorry, I stepped on the keyboard and I don't know how to get letters off after I type them.

Anyway, the strange thing that Granny does is take pictures of my nose. She is obsessed with my nose! I just don't get it. What is so phenomenal about my nose? (touching nose with paw)

Granny always has a pair of scissors within reach because she is snipping my fur here, there and all around my face. Then she brushes me --- Oh, I hate it! I squirm all over the place hoping to frustrate her efforts, but she is relentless and never gives up! I even try softly biting Granny, but she just laughs at me! But after brushing my whole body, I stretch out on my back and Granny rubs my tummy for hours...literally hours. Granny likes touching stuff and says that my fur is silky soft. (blushing)

Don't tell Granny that it drives me crazy that she photographs my nose so much. I guess I don't really mind sacrificing a few moments for her since Granny does so much for me.

Right now Granny is comfortably resting on the couch again and I don't want her to get too used to me typing her posts, so I better end for now.

Enjoy your day!

Yap! Yap!

adkflasdjflsdjzo <---Sorry! I did it again.

Hi.

As you can tell, Granny (you know her as The Redhead Riter) is not writing this post today. I'm Bella and "officially" Alyssa's dog. But Alyssa is young and always occupied with friends, so I sit home with Granny every night.

Since Granny is home and somewhat incapacitated, I thought I would help her out by keeping her readers aware of the latest update. She gets so worked up if a post isn't published. I think Granny is obsessed with this blogging stuff, but I don't complain because it makes her happy. When Granny is happy, I'm happy.

Today should be the post for her great food. Can everyone tell that she is quite passionate about food? Granny actually cooked the food earlier for the recipe tutorial post, but she just couldn't sit at the computer and type all that stuff with a million pictures today. She is so addicted to that camera.

Anyway, Granny is getting better and I am either sprawled on top of some part of her body (head included) or scrunched up next to her. She says that I bring her comfort. Gosh that makes me feel good!

So Granny will try to post again tomorrow. I better get back over to the couch to cuddle her. Nice chatting with you.

(licking the keyboard)

It is ironic that on the way to my therapist's office I have to cross a bridge that is under heavy construction because my heart and mind are undergoing the same type of rebuilding.

There are rather tall sides on this bridge. Looking over the edge, there is a long drop into a very rock filled river. It isn't hard to go across the bridge at all, but every barricade and outside force has conspired against the healing of my PTSD.

I just wish it all was easier.

I just wish the world was a nicer place to live.

Even with all the detours in my road to recovery, I keep having hope that I just need to go a little further before everything is okay again.

"Do not stop thinking of
life as an adventure.
You have no security unless you can live
bravely, excitingly, imaginatively;
unless you can choose a challenge
instead of competence."~Eleanor Roosevelt~

Obviously, there are still miracles and I should have hope for a brighter tomorrow. I mean think about it...If I was able take this photo while driving to therapy, not looking through the camera AND just pointing the camera in the direction of the scene I hoped to capture, I can do anything.

For the last month, it has been necessary to walk backwards, think about my life, and become immersed in the process of healing so that I could take steps forward again. During this time, I've been reminded of a childhood nursery rhyme that was first published in 1803, called "Humpty Dumpty". I think it is most fitting today.

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again.

Just as the childhood nursery rhyme states, "all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty Dumpty together again," the only person that can put me back together again is me.

Honestly, that has been a raw deal on many levels.

If I had to make a comparison as to how incapacitated and sick I felt, it would be like having the flu, throwing up, high temperature, broken arm, sprained ankle, kidney stones, migraine headache, eye infection, ingrown toenail, kidney infection, whiplash, toothache, scratched knee, sinus infection, pneumonia, gall stones, stuffy nose, cold sore and a perforated eardrum all at the same time.

Obviously, that's a bit sick. It is also the sickest that I have ever been in my life.

I'm at the point now where I feel no guilt or shame that I wasn't able to "fix it" during the past year. Is there really a time limit on trauma and fear? Just because you may have conquered your suffering in record time and only with the help of God or totally on your own, doesn't mean that I am lesser of a person because I needed more assistance.

Usually, I am filled with guilt for everything that I am unable to do perfectly, so it is absolutely amazing that I do not feel "bad" that I haven't been functioning up to par. Maybe that is a sign that I am on the road to an even healthier existence than I have ever had before in my life.

However, we still have to go back to poor Humpty Dumpty. He was truly broken into pieces and no one could make him whole again. Humpty Dumpty needed to reach over with his injured arm and start gluing his shell back together. Since the rhyme abruptly ends, we do not know the fate of the giant egg.

Humpty Dumpty had "all the king's horses and all the king's men" giving him the needed assistance. Not everyone is not that lucky or blessed. Some people do not have family, while others do not have friends that are there to lend support during terrible tragedies. Supposedly, even more people actually have the family and friends who could support them, but those people are emotionally unable or unwilling to do so.

It all boils down to this...

“This life is yours.
Take the power to choose what you want to do and do it well.
Take the power to love what you want in life and love it honestly.
Take the power to walk in the forest and be a part of nature.
Take the power to control your own life.
No one else can do it for you.
Take the power to make your life happy.”
~Susan Polis Schutz~

If you need help, reach out and keep reaching until someone helps or listens. That may seem hard to do and if I'm honest, I find it nearly impossible. Seems crazy doesn't it? I write on this blog day after day and interact with thousands of people online and hundreds face-to-face, but I could only find the strength within me to ask very few for assistance. Laying your life and heart out for all to see is risking rejection. So if that is like you, I understand.

As Susan Polis Schutz said, "No one else can do it for you. Take the power to make your life happy." Her words echo in my whole being today.

I have power.

We all have the power to "be there" for our our self and each other - not to do it for them, but to stand as a support. If you are Christian, isn't that the whole basis of life? As I recall, Matthew 22:37-39 reads:

Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Yeah, I was right. It boldly states that we are to love our neighbor as much as we love our self. That calls for unselfish sacrifice and obviously, you will encounter many people who are unwilling to give that much of themselves away. Don't let that fact deter you from being and doing the right thing for others. You never know if you are the last person they are going to try and reach out to in order to save themselves. You can make a difference to yourself and to others.

Don't under estimate the power of you.

Rockin' Friends Spotlight of the Week

Now, the time we have all been waiting for...(drum roll) This is the weekly post where I spotlight my Rockin' Friends who are the Top Nine active participants and loyal followers in my community! If you want to be mentioned here next week, then all it takes is to come in and start chatting with everyone in my community.

Below are a few discussions going on in my community :

Do you think marijuana should be legalized for medical use?

What Can I Say? I'm A Post Counter Diva! --- (53,384comments)

I Ate Shrimp And Spaghetti For Breakfast! What Is The Strangest Breakfast You Ever Ate?

What's the one thing you always procrastinate?

What Is Your Heartbreak Hotel?

Thoughts About Google +

It makes you go AWWWWWWWW.....

The Current Rules of Dating

Do you practice what you speak when it comes to your health?

What Is Your Favorite Quote?

With a big, heartfelt thank you for their participation and friendship, here are the Rockin' Friends this week in order of most participation.

Teresa at Teresa's Thoughts And Ideas

Joan at Rich Beyond My Wildest Dreams

Aleta at Aleta's Arty Facts

Bev at eBlebco

Meg at Mergie

Homesteading On The Internet

Carol at ArtMuseDog

Pam (no blog)

Maureen Simon (visiting author) at The Essential Feminine Company (TEF

I'm so glad that I've been able to become friends with these wonderful people who are so active in my community. I encourage you to add their blogs to your blogroll, but also come over and chat with us in my community.

For everyone mentioned in the top nine this week, feel free to grab the Rockin' Friend badge below and thank you for your participation!!

Until next week...Kiss your family, hug your friends and don't forget to be the friend you would like to have around.

Woo Us To Your Blog

As always, attached is the weekly Linky to enter either the main URL to your site or add each post you publish throughout the week. You don't have to do anything special, just drop your link in and get a little extra exposure to your site.

The Redhead Riter

Worms.

When I think of worms it is the context of ugly holes that have been eaten in the green leaves of beautiful plants. Worms love to gnaw holes and destroy a perfectly good plant. I find them to be most aggravating little creatures.

There is another kind of worm. Instead of feeding on a plant, this worm attacks a computer. It enters your computer and either replicates continuously or takes some kind of evil action against the computer.

Obviously, that isn’t a good worm either.

There are four other terms that are used synonymously when referring to bad things that happen to a computer, but they really have very different definitions.

Here's a little vocabulary. The prefix “mal” comes from the Latin "malus" and "male" and means "bad". Although it has been too long since I have used Spanish, I still remember that both Spanish and English use “mal” in the same way to mean “bad”.

That takes us to the next computer word I want to explain to you. Malware is any computer software that has been written with a malicious intent. So it is safe to use the word “malware” if you can’t remember the definitions of the other words I’m going to explain to you.

A virus is a piece of software that attaches itself to another program and replicates. Just like when someone in a crowded room sneezes without covering their mouth and nose. The sneeze creates a big, nasty spray that is filled with germs and it lands on everyone. Yeah, I know that was a gross example, but we can all relate to it! The sole purpose of a computer virus is to either continuously copy itself (sneeze and sneeze) or it may have other evil plans.

I promise that you will recover from that gross example. Well, you will as long as I stop talking about it. I promise that I do not have a wicked evil grin on my face right now.

Let's move on to the next exciting word.

Spyware is the easiest to remember. I’m sure most of us have seen a James Bond spy movie or two. Yes, 007 spied on people to gather personal and private information of an unsuspecting target. That’s exactly the same purpose of spyware. It spies on your computer activity hoping to get private information.

Ready for a little history now?

Yes?

It is really interesting!

A Trojan Horse was a big, beautiful, wooden horse that was hollowed out so that soldiers could hide inside of it. That is exactly what happened in the slaughter of the Trojans in Troy. The other kind of Trojan Horse is a piece of software that looks like something wonderful, but has a hidden agenda for your computer and really can do some damage without you even realizing it.

What have we learned?

Worms have babies. They don’t have to be married or hang all over their significant other.

Viruses attach, replicate and makes the host object more sick as time passes.

Trojan Horses are like wolves in sheeps’ clothing.

Spyware is not cute like James Bond 007 because it will steal your private information.

Malware is all the above and just bad stuff.

Do you think you will be able to remember all of the terms now?

No?

How about I use them in a sentence that you can memorize...

The worm and the virus hopped on the Trojan horse and headed to Malware in order to use the new spyware on Albert.

Yeah, I'm silly.

No, my computer does not have any of these things. These are just definitions to help with your literacy and is my blogging tips post for the week!

During some of my darkest moments over the last year, I sat alone, staring at the computer monitor almost pleading for it to reach out and pull me into another life. Words on the screen and the monotonous clicking of the keyboard as I typed, helped to temporarily calm my nerves, but the desire to escape into a more peaceful existence became a constant.

Since all the experiences of my life were jumbled into a massive mess in my mind because of the trauma and PTSD, my feelings about everything were raw, painful and the past was all jumbled with the present. Sometimes it didn't make sense, but other times it helped me tap into my creative side.

Being a hopeless romantic puts a slant on my writing...often. So I guess even in my traumatized state, my basic nature was still intact which is in evidence by a poem I wrote last year called, "I Thought Of You Today".

I Thought Of You Today
~ ©2010 The Redhead Riter ~

I thought of you today and remembered the love
that filled the silence with just your voice.
Blissful walks on sunlit days with gentle winds
that echoed promises of passionate kisses
and a lover's reprieve from the storms of life.

Your words are just hollow memories of pain
that haunt me in the dark loneliness now.
The emptiness you left in my broken heart
cries in silent agony that can only scream
of missing your love and I can't escape it.

I open the door and stare at the moon knowing
that once we stood together in the glow.
The night air is silent and my thoughts linger
on the memories of your soft, warm kisses
and I know I'll never be free of this love.

'I miss you' my mind repeats as my heart beats
in time with the sweet sentiment of love.
I thought of you today just like every day
before and I know it will continue until
this mortal body steps quietly into eternity.

I Always Blame It On Albert

It wasn't that long ago that I started using a wireless keyboard and a wireless mouse. If I wanted, I could sit all the way across the room and blog. Well, I could if I could see the monitor that far away. I could not see that far away, but still it was nice not having a cord attached and adding the extra pull of a cord especially on the mouse.

So computer life should have been easy for me, but...

I don't even know how to describe the problem with my computer other than it was already aggravating before the double click issue.

"What is a double click issue?," you may be thinking, so let me explain. When I click on ANYTHING, it will not just click it once, but it will always click it automatically two or three times.

Not a big deal?

Oh yes, it is a huge deal. Try highlighting a passage as it starts and immediately stops the highlighting process because it double clicks. Oh wait! Even more aggravating is when I close one screen and the one under it also closes because the computer makes it go click, click.

Poof!

Gone.

The most apparent way that it affected me was in my community. Every time I posted in a discussion, it would double post. It became a huge joke that I double posted all the time!

I have been blaming it all on Albert!

Albert has failed me!

Hopefully you remember that Albert is my computer and he is named after Albert Einstein. You get the connection - very smart guy and very smart computer.

Anyway, I just keep blaming Albert and I've had nothing nice to say about him lately.

Yesterday I had to makeup with Albert. Yep, I had to apologize for thinking he was the cause of my double clicking problem.

While staring at the monitor and typing my recipe post for Shrimp Tomato Pepper Spaghetti, I noticed something flashing in the bottom bar. So I hovered over it and a little popup informed me that my "Wireless Optical Mouse batteries are critical."

Well, that would have been an easy fix, but I couldn't find any AA batteries.

So I retrieved my old mouse with the cord, plugged it in and disabled the wireless mouse. Wiggling the old mouse around a little let me know that it was connected and would work properly.

After just a few minutes I noticed that I was no longer having the double clicking problem.

No!

Seriously?

It can't be true!

I said to myself, "After all this time, Albert wasn't the one causing me grief?"

Nope, it wasn't Albert.

My problem all along has been a mouse! Not the squeak-squeak, "I want cheese" mouse though, it has been the click-click, scroll mouse.

I can't believe it was such a simple fix!

So I have made up with Albert and today I didn't double post, have any problems with copying, nor have I accidentally closed my screens.

Yes, the simple things in life sure make a huge difference, but so does getting rid of a rogue mouse.

Shrimp Tomato Pepper Spaghetti

This meal is absolutely delicious. If you don't eat too many spaghetti noodles, the Shrimp Tomato Pepper Spaghetti is also digested quickly and won't add extra stuff to your hips, tummy and tush. It is nice to have different sauces on the pasta to add variety to mealtime. This is definitely a recipe that I can do over and over again without tiring of it. The fact that it is quick and easy is a bonus.

Shrimp Tomato Pepper Spaghetti

The very first thing to do is start boiling the water for the spaghetti..

Now, thinly slice the bell peppers into short strips.
For a regular bell pepper, each strip should be cut into thirds.

Slice the onions the same length and width as the bell peppers.
The goal is to have everything bite size so that when the fork is loaded,
each bite is perfect.
Yes, I like things even and symmetrical.

Chop the garlic into little pieces.
I like leaving them a little bigger
so that they are big enough to see after being cooked.

Place the olive oil,
onions and bell betters
in a medium hot pan.

The goal is to let everything sweat and get soft.
A couple minutes before it is finished,
add the garlic.
If you add the garlic too soon,
it will turn too brown or even burn.

While all that sweating is going on,
I get all my other ingredients measured out.
I put the stewed tomatoes in a bowl
and then add all the spices to it.

Add ground celery seed,
red pepper flakes,
salt,
ground black pepper,
dried leaf thyme,
and parsley.

Also, keep checking the spaghetti noodles for doneness.

Now that the onion mixture is soft,
add the tomato mixture.

To the pan, add red wine vinegar and

Tabasco sauce.

Put the spaghetti noodles in the pan of water to cook.

Let the tomato mixture simmer in the skillet.
Now you have time to clean the shrimp.
Shell and devein the shrimp.
You can also take off the tails,
but I didn't feel like the extra work so I left them attached.
After the shrimp are cooked,
it is very easy to remove the tails before serving.
I actually served them with the tails.
It gives me more of an opportunity to play with my food.
(wink)

Now add the prepared shrimp to the sauce mixture and

stir it all up really good.
The shrimp will cook quickly and turn a
soft whitish-pink color.

Drain the spaghetti, but do not rinse it.
Alyssa doesn't like wheat spaghetti,
so this time we had the
"Lots of Carbs White Spaghetti Noodles."
(laughing out loud)

Plate or bowl the spaghetti.
I like using a bowl so that I don't have to chase noodles around my plate.
Scoop some of the shrimp mixture on top of the spaghetti.
On top of all the noodles and shrimp,
add finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese.

Make sure you add lots of Parmesan cheese
because it is so delicious when it starts melting on everything.

Yum.

See how fast the Parmesan cheese melted
and it is all mixed in between the veggies and the noodles.

This is an evenly loaded bite.
There's a little tomato,
bell pepper,
onion
shrimp,
spaghetti,
Parmesan cheese
and sauce.

My hand is quivering with excitement,
so I can't take any more pictures for you.
I wish you were here to share it,
but since you're not,
I'll have be sure to enjoy it enough for the both of us.

Shrimp Tomato Pepper Spaghetti

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped coarsely
1 bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 large clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 - 2 cans stewed tomatoes, (14.5 oz)
1/4 tsp ground celery seed
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
teaspoon dried leaf thyme
1 teaspoon parsley
1/4 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
14 oz shrimp, shelled & deveined
Spaghetti noodles
Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

In a large skillet add the olive oil. Sauté onion and bell pepper until tender, adding the garlic a couple minutes before it is finished. Add tomatoes, spices, red wine vinegar and Tabasco sauce. Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes. Add shrimp and cook until shrimp are pink, about 5 to 10 minutes depending on size of shrimp. Do not over cook shrimp or they will be tough.

Serve over spaghetti.

Serving size: 2 really hungry people

The Road To Suicide - A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing

I was minding my own business on this lonely back road between Richmond and Williamsburg at the beginning of the summer.

The radio was off.

The air conditioner was on.

I donned a pair of sunglasses and felt very worn out from fighting my PTSD symptoms while trying to hold the rest of my life together and still look somewhat normal.

Looking back now I realize that I did not appear "normal" to anyone. My brain was a fog of thoughts and memories flying around my head in a jumbled mess. My eyes looked sad, hollow and often had the "deer in the headlights" appearance. Don't even get me started on how black the circles under my eyes had become since I only slept two hours a night.

Normal?

No.

I was not normal one bit.

Because my brain was in so much chaos, I had to drive very slowly and minimize all distractions. That is why I chose to drive on roads that were less traveled and kept the radio off.

A ninety minute drive took me almost three hours.

This trip was pivotal in my downward spiral. I desperately wanted to have my old self back. I tried to remember the past year, but couldn't even recall the activities from the previous day.

It depressed and angered me. I felt that the only thing I ever had going for me, my intelligent brain, had failed me. I cried the whole trip. Fear that I would never be "normal" again gripped my soul. Everything was set and ready for Alyssa to graduate from high school and I was still falling apart. It just didn't make sense anymore.

So there I was on a lonely road, crying, taking pictures, having flashbacks every minute, depressed, angry, alone and desperately trying to find a way to put my mind back together to end the pain, when a thought invaded my brain.

It was a simple thought.

Three words which offered a solid solution to ending the PTSD nightmare.

In a soft, but strong voice, my mind said...Just kill yourself.

I wasn't shocked at the preposterous suggestion that my brain offered as the answer to my problems. It had fleetingly visited before with a few friends. There was the voice that said, "Take drugs! You've never done it before, but it will help!" and the other voice that said, "Drink lots of alcohol! You've never done it before, but it will help!" I found them to be equally stupid ideas and had promptly kicked them to the curb.

This time it was different. Instead of shooing the suicide thought away, I gave it room to take hold of the pain for a moment.

Yes, it worked!

When I entertained the idea of ending my life, there was a brief moment of relief from the pain! I had a semblance of control again. There was an action that I could do that would end my painful situation. Was it happiness and hope that suddenly shot through my body?

Surely not!

As I looked out of the side window, the trees flew by in a blur, but the flashback between me and the forest was crystal clear and ever so painful. The painful memories of that horrible day were always right before my eyes - torturing me.

I kept hearing the taunting whisper, "Just kill yourself."

Everything I ever believed in was completely against the ridiculous idea, but it was the only thought that had stopped the pain in over a year. Yes, it was only a minute of relief, but a minute of painlessness let me breathe. So rather than force the thought to go away and dare it to ever return, I directed it to a comfy chair and asked it to please stay.

The horrific idea and I became friends. No one else understood my agony like the suicide idea. Some people pretended that my pain didn't exist, while others demanded that I get over "it" like the process was as easy as opening a door and walking through the opening that led to the other side.

I had reached out.

I had shared my story.

I had shared my pain.

I said I needed help with doing "normal" things like laundry and meals. I needed to stop trying to hold it all together - work, being a mother, being a housekeeper, being a daughter.

I needed someone to step in and take control, but there wasn't anyone that was capable of doing that for me. No one had the skills to help the "caregiver" in the family - the strong person who had been there to help everyone else climb over their hurdles over the years. No, I was very much alone and no one could grasp that I desperately needed help.

Well, almost alone. I did have the horrific suicide idea as my friend and it never left me and talked to me all the time. It even made my flashbacks pause for a few minutes if I let it monopolize my thoughts. It understood the nightmarish existence that had become my life and it promised a solution. A very permanent solution that would end my pain forever.

I listened to my demented friend too often, but I do not condemn myself nor do I make any apologies. It is truly a tragic existence when the only thing that can bring a person relief, comfort and a moment of peace, is the idea of ending one's life.

Yes...totally tragic.

Obviously, I finished my long trip back from Williamsburg that bright and sunny day. I also survived the following months because I am able to write about it now.

What I want you to remember and incorporate into your mind forever is that no one, and I mean absolutely no one, is exempt from difficulties in life. If you think, "Oh, nothing like this will ever happen to me," you just opened yourself up to a huge vulnerability called denial. When a tragedy happens and someone you love and care for is desperately struggling with PTSD and tells you, "I feel like killing myself," you need to believe them.

On the other hand, if you are the person who has let the horrific suicide idea rent a room in your brain, run for help. Don't walk to someone that can help you. RUN as fast as you can to obtain help from a trained professional. Don't let the horrific idea linger in your mind because it is a wolf in sheep's clothing and it will take you down the road from which there is no return.

Maureen Simon - Awakening The Essential Feminine, Claiming Your Influential Power

I have a unique way of choosing books to read and it goes something like this:

I look at the cover - In this case, the cover is showing a pretty woman dressed in business attire with long, curly red hair. Obviously, the red hair made it a perfect cover! Sorry, but redheads must stick together.
Next, I read the back cover which definitely piqued my interest. It starts out like this:
- "To get ahead in life, love and business, use Awakening The Essential Feminine, Claiming Your Influential Power as a guide, inspiration and personal resource to create the world you most desire."
Finally, I do what other people find preposterous - I read the last page of the book

After doing these three things, I know if I want to take the time to read the book. Awakening The Essential Feminine, Claiming Your Influential Power passed my test with flying colors.

Who Is Maureen Simon?

Let me give you a little background first on the author of Awakening The Essential Feminine, Claiming Your Influential Power. Maureen Simon is the founder of The Essential Feminine Company (TEF) which is "a lifestyle and business design company that supports women to create successful powerful lives that incorporates their feminine attributes and gifts...and leading with their natural strengths and talents."

Maureen specializes in supporting, mentoring and developing women in advancing their communication skills in conflict and change integration. Some of the women Maureen has worked with include Fortune 100 corporate executives from Vogue magazine, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, the BBC, Hewlett Packard, Comcast, PBS, Barclay’s, British Rail, Chevron, and North London University.

"Maureen’s work has been featured in numerous printed publications, including London’s Vogue, Marie Claire, Self, Women & Home, Good Housekeeping, Bay Area Business Women, Marin Independent Journal, The Financial Times, and many others. She has appeared as a regular guest for the London Broadcasting Corporation as well as numerous other radio engagements in both the U.S. and England."

I usually do not include that much information about a person, but I wanted you to know that Maureen Simon has 25 years of history and research worth listening to and reading.

Maureen Simon - Awakening The Essential Feminine, Claiming Your Influential Power book

Inside Awakening The Essential Feminine, Claiming Your Influential Power

Brace yourself and don't cringe, but when I read a book that "helps" me, I fold down the corners a little bit or highlight the passages that jump out at me. In this case, I folded down the corners and honestly, there are as many corners folded down as there are not folded.

There is a wealth of information in this book that I want to remember.

Inside Awakening The Essential Feminine, Claiming Your Influential Power you will find nine chapters:

Relationships
Harmony and Peacemaking
Thought
Imagination and Vision
Creativity and Innovation
Language
Beauty and Aesthetics
Intuition
Power

Each chapter focuses on the a woman's differences compared to a man. Yeah, you know there are many differences! Often, especially in the business world, the womanly traits have been seen as a weakness, but this simply is not true. A woman's "weak" traits are actually powerful strengths that are often under utilized and not a good reason to hold back advancement.

Maureen's book, Awakening The Essential Feminine, Claiming Your Influential Power will teach you how to recognize, identify and embrace the womanly traits that can empower you to bring to pass your ultimate power. This book will help you map out how to attain the goals that seem impossible using the feminine traits that have always been within you.

The Folded Pages of Awakening The Essential Feminine, Claiming Your Influential Power

If you have read my blog, you already know that this year I have suffered...very badly. When I was approached to "read the book and host a live chat in my community with Maureen Simon," my initial reaction was "No thank you. I have no power within me. I'm empty."

Something inside nagged at me as I stared at the invitation on my computer monitor. It kept saying, "You need to read the book."

Doesn't that sound silly? Even I thought it was silly! Since my mind has been playing tricks on me for so long, I teetered with the thought that this was just a result of my PTSD. But no matter how many excuses I made with myself, I couldn't turn down the opportunity to read Awakening The Essential Feminine, Claiming Your Influential Power.

Every day I have read a little bit more of the book.

Every day I benefited from the information found in Awakening The Essential Feminine, Claiming Your Influential Power.

Not only do I think that every woman should read Awakening The Essential Feminine, Claiming Your Influential Power, but I also think that men should read the book to better understand women and the gifts they have to offer humanity.

Let me quote a few of the folded down pages in Awakening The Essential Feminine, Claiming Your Influential Power, so that I can share the power of the message in this book.

"The feminine is highly relational and is interested in points of contact that connect people, allowing for deep exchanges, strong relationship-building and communication."

"Studies have shown that estrogen contributes to women's deep drive to connect with others, to achieve harmony and consensus, and to work and play in a more equal fashion. Women understand that peace and harmony are not signs of weakness, but rather signs of strength."

"When we learn to value our own advice and our natural ability to collaborate, we will begin to realize more buy-in and participation than before."

Then I got to page 78 and the following words resonated in my soul...

"One of the gifts of the feminine is our ability to remain creative while swimming upstream against the critical obstacles that we face."

Yes, our feminine drive to make everything great for everyone else in our family, causes us to stay up longer and pack the lunches, help the children with homework even though we have the flu, and the list goes on and on. Maureen is right! Women DO have many gifts that I have never "named" before, but are used every day to make the world a better place to live.

So I continued to read with fervor...

"Because feminine communication is more descriptive than that of the masculine and uses story and metaphor, this creates an opportunity for more people to relate to a given conversation and to feel included, which allows people to connect on a deeper level..."

Yes! Yes! Yes!

My feminism suddenly felt validated. I remember all the times that I told a personal story to help someone relate with my inner self so that they were comfortable enough to share their deeper emotions. It helped us share information that would have never been available without the personal connection.

"Research on the female brain has shown us that intuition is not airy-fairy and impractical, but rather rooted in our biology, and that we can have faith in intuition and call upon it in our daily lives as needed."

Research! I am the kind of woman that wants to have proof that validates my actions. The last thing I want to be seen as is an "air head," so research that shows my feminine intuition is not hocus-pocus immediately empowered me. All these emotions inside of me are real, necessary and beneficial to me and the world in which I live. I can use them to guide me towards my goals and dreams. My success can become reality. Suddenly, my world was rocked in a good way.

While fighting for my life over the past year, I gained an insight into myself, family, friends, co-workers and the world around me. I lost hope. I got tired of fighting my PTSD. I gave up...almost completely. Maureen said that "attempting to achieve our desired outcomes keeps us on track and motivated in life. Indeed, it is healthy to have achievement and accomplishment as rewards in our life."

Maureen is right.

Awakening The Essential Feminine, Claiming Your Influential Power is a powerful insight into the world of being a woman and the gifts that make our femininity a positive and essential aspect to change and happiness. Recognizing our strengths is the first step and learning to harness their power into a life changing force is the benefit we can offer the world.

Talk to Maureen Simon Live September 20th, 2011

Tuesday, September 20th at 9:00 p.m. EST and 6:00 p.m. PST in The Redhead Riter's Community, world renowned speaker and author Maureen Simon will be available in a live chat discussing her new book and enjoying her vast knowledge of the feminine power. There will not only be conversation, but also amazing prizes. This event is for both men and women. I'm looking forward to seeing you all there tonight.

You owe it to yourself to read Awakening The Essential Feminine, Claiming Your Influential Power. It will change your life. It will help you make your dreams come true. It will help change the world.

The Redhead Riter

After agreeing to read the book, I was ready to go buy it or order it from Amazon.com. However, I was contacted by the co-host of the chat, Carol Lawrence shortly thereafter and she promptly had the book mailed to me for free. I would have gratefully paid for this powerful book. Since I don't want to get in a mess with the government, I wanted to make sure I told you that I received a free book. I'd share mine, but I don't want you to unfold any of the corners, so you'll have to buy your own copy (smile)

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Rockin' Friends Woo Us To Your Blog

Never in my wildest dreams did I think after announcing the 1,000 Comment Club last week, that this week I would be telling you something mind boggling. I mean totally mind boggling.

1,000 Comment Club

The four member club increased by one this week. I want to introduce and present to you the fifth member of the 1,000 Comment Club, Aleta at Aleta's Arty Facts which she describes as "Antiques in Australia: The Not-for-Snobs-Only Art, Antiques and Collectables". Looking at the photo, you might think she is an antique statue of a woman, but I assure you, she is a wonderful lady with a quirky sense of humor. It just so happens that she doesn't post her photo on her blog, but she loves "Orla - Walther & Sohne (Germany)" woman statue and uses it as her avatar.

Congratulations Aleta!!!

The Daily Chat

In my community, we have "discussions" like other communities, however, there are two exceptions. The first exception to the rule is called The Daily Chat which is described as a "thread (that) will go on forever and it is a place where we can all check in on a daily basis like we would with our neighbor across the fence or our family at the dinner table." When you click on the thread, you even see that I am sweeping the welcome mat. (wink) Okay, just humor me.

The logic behind The Daily Chat is that we can keep track of each other and share things together like friends and families do face-to-face. It will be the place where we can foster strong relationships to help us find success in our individual goals and have a comforting human bond. There are many people that stay behind the scenes just to read and never comment, but many of us stay connected in that thread. I personally find it very rewarding.

What Can I say? I'm A Post Counter Diva!

The other discussion that is truly like no other thread anywhere on the internet is called, "What Can I say? I'm A Post Counter Diva!". Let me explain the meaning of that title.

The "post counter" can be found in the right side bar of the FORUM tab which is located at the top of the community. Every comment made in the community is tallied automatically in the post counter. There is a slight delay (between five and fifteen minutes) in refreshing the totals. The ten people who appear in the post counter are the most active people in the community. I am usually one of them which is why I honor the top nine people in my Sunday post because they are truly "Rockin' Friends".

A "diva" in the context of this thread is defined as, "usually a glamorous and successful female performer or personality" or "one who behaves as a goddess or queen." Whichever definition you choose, you will be right. If men would join in, the thread could be changed to "Diva or Divus"! The "Diva" chat is almost always a LIVE chat. It is a place that people can talk to each other in real-time. You can't go back and read the thread because it is constantly scrolling. So it is just a free flowing chat without very many rules. For instance, if you are eating Moist Banana Bread at 2:00 a.m. and no one you know is online, but you feel the need to talk....Go to the "Diva" chat and talk to yourself!

Seriously, everyone has learned to talk to themselves in the "Diva" chat. It is a healthy practice and relieves all those built-up words that have no place to go. Just as importantly, each comment is added up and calculated in the post counter. Ahhhhhh yes....There is an ulterior motive to chatting in the "Diva" thread too!

The Record

Two of the women in the 1,000 Comment Club participated in very long conversations all week. Joan, the comedian who can be found at A Bad Marriage Is Fattening or Rich Beyond My Wildest Dreams and Teresa at Teresa's Thoughts and Ideas talked about a whole lot of interesting topics including their almost completed books, family, childhood, food, cooking, men, chocolate, animals, cheating, driving, sleeping, blogging, struggles, accomplishments, etc...

Everything.

Yes, they had time to talk about everything. Joan even stayed up all night long and didn't sleep one night!

Joan and Teresa talked so much in the "Diva" thread and the other threads in the community that they both created a brand new record that will astonish everyone. Each of these lovely ladies have generated over 3,000 comments in a week!!!

I'll give you time to faint.

Can you believe it?!

Joan and Teresa are now the only members of the 3,000 Post Counter Diva Comment Club. It is truly a daunting accomplishment! Let's all congratulate them for being TRUE POST COUNTER DIVA'S in a class all their own!

Mark Your Calendars!!! Live Chat With The Dynamic Maureen Simon 9-20th 9 PM Eastern

What Can I Say? I'm A Post Counter Diva! --- (47,051comments)

Do women talk too much?

What is your BIGGEST PET PEEVE?

What Is The One Email That You Receive That You ALWAYS READ?

Love or Money?

Night Face

What age is old?

On Time - Late...Does it matter that much to you?

How nosy is too nosy?

With a big, heartfelt thank you for their participation and friendship, here are the Rockin' Friends this week in order of most participation.

Top 9 Rockin Friends