Victoria Writer's Blog

Nature fascinates me. Fauna has always piqued my interest. The way plants are able to grow and thrive in specific environments intrigues me want to learn more about them. I love to play the game called Know What That's Called. Annoying, I know! Humans and plants alike are in this manner, we are growing and also planting ourselves in environments that suits us. I  think deeply on these subjects when I have the opportunity to relax, like really relax.  This was the case the other day on a very warm August, Sunday afternoon.  Having relaxed conversation under a weathered trestle that only a few weeks prior was simply covered in a mass of seemingly dead leaves and brown withered, now revealing an abundance of lush greenery bursting to life with delicate tendrils, buzzing bees, amid multiple shades of green.  I don't know for certain what variety of wild grapes they were, but according to the woman who cared for the vines and also the adjacent garden, they ...

I can't say that I am a afraid of insects; I respect them and the job that they do to keep our ecosystem going. You have to; we wouldn't be where we are on this planet without their help to some given degree.  T here are those that definitely creep me out: the ones with shifty compound eyes or a multitude of legs that enable them to scurry away at lightning speed (#centipedes), ya . . .those ones! I don't typically give insects much thought until one crosses my path in a way that I simply have to take notice. Well, this particular midday, she caught my attention: Ms. Queen Bee. She was probably a full three quarter inches in length and plump as can be. As I strode passed my terrace slider door, I noticed her flyin' in particularly close. She darted super close to the screen door, but then took off in the opposite direction, only thing, large as she was, I didn't actually see her fly off into the distance, she just disappeared, vanishing into thin air.  The p...

H ave you ever been to a child's birthday party and there was a pi ñata  hanging from a tree branch in the yard or from a beam inside the garage?  Pi ñatas  simply generate a lively atmosphere where people tend to be more boisterous  and often make fools out of themselves. There's great  anticipation and  excitement in the air and not just from the kids attending the party, but from the adults as well, because you know, you know , they also want the opportunity to take a swing at the colorful, swinging celebration object. What a coveted move to be the lucky one to crack it open! But for me, there is something more intriguing about  p iñatas . Now, truth be told, I've only ever had the opportunity to hit a p iñata once in my lifetime, yet I am about take this fun childhood activity and relate to life (as I so often do) ;  life with it's fears and expectations that we all experience at times. So, here goes my interpretation. The p iñata...

Sometimes you just get in a certain way, right? You know, the mood you can't seem to shake? When everything around you is swirling with heavy "stuff", and you can't seem to escape it or free your mind from it? We've all been there. Sometimes, I find myself just searching for an mental escape route; a retreat of sorts where I can free myself from the negativity and the pressure I often let consume me.   There's too much to do. I can't focus on anything. I don't want to deal with that client right now. I don't want to organize that eyesore of a disorganized bookshelf.  I don't want to learn something new right now.  Why do I keep putting all this junk into my body?  I don't want to call the airline about my flight. I don't have the energy to be that cheerleader (again).  Ya . . . those are just some of the things that put me in one of those moods. Before I continue, let me preface with a statement on my belief of Universal ...

W hen I think about hitting the  jackpot, I think of slot machines with shiny tokens cascading into a large plastic cup that bears a colorful casino logo. I think about the thrill that comes from the unexpected surprise of releasing that lever, having it bounce back, and witnessing the magic as it begins. Oh, the sheer magic of the flashing lights and comical music.  You often see slot machine players squirming in their seats, even flying out of them to perform some form of "happy dance" accompanied by whoops of resounding joy. They are truly  feeling lucky in all sense of the word. And that's just all due to tokens flying out of a  brightly-painted,  man-made gambling machine.  Imagine, just imagine, if this concept was applied on a more personal level. Imagine if YOU were considered the jackpot . Imagine if someone saw YOU as the lucky set of matching pairs, the shiny token, the flashing neon light, the reason to do the happy dance. Wow!! Could thi...

I believe, knowing your self-worth comes with age. There are the lessons we learn in life through our academic studies that help us grow mentally and expand our thinking. Ultimately, it's these lessons which help us progress in life by making our goals achievable.We never have to stop learning and growing. Self-worth, however, is something which comes from within and is the key component to who we are. It's important to be clear on what self-worth actually is. You need to see the value that you have within you and respect that value. Make sure you truly love yourself. This is something  I am still learning how to do. In fact, I think I never truly loved, nor respected myself fully until a few years ago. I see my self-worth more clearly now and even though it's hard at times, I try my best to uphold the value that I know I deserve. When I do "give in", I see it as a learning lesson and try not to beat myself up too much over it. I have come to trust mys...

Making a wide-sweeping comparison here...ready? Yoga and editing. At the moment, the latter is more prevalent in my life. However, it wasn't until recently that I realized I seemed to have a history of inadvertently doing the more challenging obstacle first, followed up by something in the same vein, yet less challenging. I took this very action when it came to introducing myself to yoga. I thought I would try Bikram yoga first. It was the craze several years ago and I wanted to be healthier and kinder to my body. I had been boxing for about a year and was just recovering from six month injury; I was fearful of hitting the bag again, and having the same arduous healing process.  A Bikram yoga class is 90 minutes in length and in a room heated at 104 ° F. I had no idea and in my first class, I could only keep my breath steady while laying flat on the floor, where the temperature was cooler. It was a bit of a shock, yet I became addicted to it, and found myself in the stud...