There are moments that divide our lives into before and after, quiet instants that, in their unfolding, rewire the very core of our being. For me, the world shifted on an unremarkable morning at seventeen—a morning that quietly unspooled into revelation.

I remember the tremor in my father’s voice as he spoke, perhaps thinking he offered protection, perhaps fearing the risk I carried like a badge upon my sleeve. “Ronda, you set your goals too high. You are always going to fail.”

Creativity is a beautiful, untamed force—it can bloom in moments of inspiration or vanish amid distraction. For creative professionals, time management is not just about squeezing more into the day; it’s about carving out space for the mind to wander, imagine, and produce work that resonates. Yet the irony stands: the freedom creativity craves can be threatened by the very chaos it breeds. So how does one maintain a balance between structure and spontaneity? Here are effective time management tips for creatives, including the powerful “set a time” method, to help you nurture your artistry without losing control of your day.

Chakras and crystals have captivated seekers, healers, and mystics for centuries. Both work with the subtle energies that shape our physical, emotional, and spiritual experiences. When their paths cross, a powerful synergy emerges, inviting us to explore our inner landscapes with intention and to harmonize body and mind through the wisdom of the earth.

Have you ever felt out of balance, emotionally stuck, or physically drained for reasons you can’t quite explain? Many people turn to traditional self-care—diet, exercise, or mindfulness—but discover there’s still something missing. Chakra healing, a practice rooted in ancient wisdom, offers a powerful and accessible pathway to restore harmony and cultivate deeper well-being from the inside out.

What if you could tap into a hidden network of energy within you, bringing harmony, clarity, and vitality to every aspect of your life? For centuries, seekers, healers, and mystics have explored the subtle system of chakras—a concept that has quietly threaded its way through ancient traditions and now finds relevance in our modern, fast-paced world.

In a sense, this sunflower stands as an emblem of hope and community. Each scrap, like each of us, brings its unique color and story; together, we form something vibrant and enduring. Every time I look at the collage, I’m reminded to seek the sun, to value the pieces of my own journey, and to cherish the connections that make us whole.

Take ten. Scratch that. Probably take 29. That's total hyperbole. It's probably only take 7 or 8 but it definitely isn't my first go at it. I just don't know how to get started with this post. It's not about Kansas or Dorothy or anything, although she did show up in one of yesterday's episodes of Once Upon a Time. It's just about wanting to love myself more and talk to myself better and encourage others, encourage you, to do the same. That's all.

I've been making a lot of art lately.  Process art.  Healing art.  Not necessarily "good" art, but instead, art that is good for my soul.  Art that is helping me heal.  Art that is helping me process so many pent up, pushed down, bottled up, dark and messy feelings that I didn't even realize I had until I started creating, again.

Yes, you read that right.  It's a little bit like putting the genie back in the bottle, some parts of it anyway.  Or maybe you can think of it as going about everything backasswards. The real story of my life? It's possible.

But no, really what I think it feels like is trying to put the pieces back together again, trying to make the lemon whole again, full, of juice, of life, without getting bitter about letting that goodness get squeezed out in the first place.  It's wanting to feel full and complete and if I could have all of the wishes in the world, luscious.  I would feel luscious.  

Scorpio Full Moon - Your Soul Is Requiring You To Face A Fear With Brutal Honesty And Truth.  That is the name of a little video that popped up on my YouTube feed this morning.  It was only 5 minutes long, so I looked at it.  I found it intriguing.  It made me think.  I saw that moon last night as my parents and I were driving to town to set up tables for my niece's wedding reception this Saturday. My parents were commenting on it...the moon.

It is spring in the mid-west and if there's one thing you can be certain to expect, it's a severe thunderstorm.  I remember as a child, watching gray clouds and striking lightening move in, followed by bellowing thunder...I found it exhilarating.  I fancied myself in my very own Wizard of Oz, moving treacherously through the darkness and threat, into the safety of the calm after the storm.  The technicolor.  The rainbows.  It was my childhood fantasy, after all, Dorothy always did want to get out of Kansas.

I visited my 87-year-old aunt with my mother the other day.  The moment you step into her home it is evident that her health is declining.  She fell later that evening after our visit and my mother received a call from Life Alert informing her that her sister had been taken by the paramedics to the emergency room.  It is a call that no one wants to receive.

On that day, nothing happened...and everything happened.  

I'm struggling to find words to explain the profound, the simple, the prevailing, the sublime. It was a total eclipse of the heart in the most brilliant and beautiful way.  Nothing like Bonnie Tyler's experience. It was my own.

There are some wild and crazy energies brewing around this solar eclipse coming up on April 8th, 2024.  The wildest and craziest of them all seem to be brewing right within me.  It's crazy.  Crazy.  Can I say crazy one more time?  Completely crazy.

Letting go of a life that once was, that was once dreamed of, seems to be a little bit like coming unhinged.  It feels so vulnerable and well, completely unknown.  And the crazy part, for me anyway, is that it is.  Unknown.  Completely.  Unknown.  That is super uncomfortable...for me.  Anyway, I know I need it.  I know I want it, that which is highest and best for all.  But something within me is so frightened of something else that I can't even fully define. 

"The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change." 

- Carl Rogers

Self-Acceptance Saturday.  What I learned.  What I need to learn.  What I hope to share with others.  "The only thing more frightening than changing, is not changing." - Ronda  

Blogging is exciting.  Blogging is creative.  Blogging is fun.  Blogging is not easy.  Blogging is a ginormous time suck.  Blogging is something that I really, really want to do.  And I want to do it well, sometimes to the point of perfection, which takes so, so much time for me to complete one post. -Ronda May 30, 2018Welcome to the...WELCOME TO THE JOURNEY. 

 It's so funny how much the simple, everyday things in our lives can teach us something so important.  That simple little thing for me today was a puzzle that I have been working on since sometime last year, possibly as early as last spring.  It's been so long I really can't remember when I started it.

"Satisfaction of one's curiosity is one of the greatest sources of happiness in life" 

- Linus Pauling

 CONFESSION: Because I was so struck by this section of this week's Artist's Way reading, a large portion, possibly a VERY large portion of this post, will be a direct "quote" from Julia Cameron.  Please don't accuse me of plagiarism, or worse yet, being a copycat, but I probably just can't say it better myself.  Although trust me, if I think I can find a way, I will...try anyway.

Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. - Jeremiah 6:16

The time has arrived.  It's been a long time coming, feels like it anyway, but it is here.  Endings may be inevitable, but a new beginning is just around the corner.  Doesn't mean that it's not scary though.  I've done the best I can to prepare.  Here we go.

Staying in the shadow is for kitty cats.  Standing in the fullness of your power in the radiance of the sun is for Lions, baby.  I'm coming out.  It’s represented as the Strength card in the tarot, a card I have mentioned a few times in my last couple of posts.  A card that represented me in my readings.  A card that represents me, not only as the Leo that I am, but as someone who is facing my inner fears and mastering my emotions to bring calm and courage to myself and move forward, overcoming challenges as I go.