HAPPINESS IS MY INSPIRATION

A series of essays.....

STANDING AT THE SUMMIT ~ CONNEMARA NATIONAL PARK, 2013

.....as seen through my eyes!




By: Jacqueline E. Hughes


I am back at the controls on my weekly blog site after enjoying a busy and memorable two weeks with family and friends in Michigan. Embracing the joy that a 'picture-window framed,' crisp Winter's morning in Kalamazoo has to offer helps to set the world right again. Relearning to appreciate wearing long pants and completely covering my feet with socks and shoes/boots is quite another story. Then there's the application of heavy coat, scarf, gloves, and a five minute prep-time before even opening the door to battle the elements outside!

If living up in the Tundra in winter seems less simplified for me now, accepting that the new year has placed another notch on the trusty old No.2 in my hand has been bittersweet. Certain aspects of 'change' and catering to 'what's new' excites me greatly, including having to update 'Moving On.....2015' to the new year, 2016, along with all that implies with regard to my writing. Truthfully, life excites me! Allowing creativity to control my very essence and bring new and adventurous ideas to the table, sets the stage for a stronger, more interesting, and heartfelt communication between myself and you, the reader.

LIVING & DINING SPACE BEFORE ANY CHANGES

MADE TO OUR MICHIGAN 'COTTAGE'

Having our own little 'getaway' near all of the children has allowed me, after twenty years, to see the broader picture of change on a very personal level. My minor aches and pains seem so trivial when compared to having my own child suffer in any way. I now must pacify my maternal instincts, feelings of helplessness, by knowing that they are capable of calling the doctor for an appointment if something seems serious enough. After all, they've been doing a brilliant job with their own children for years now!

Even though it is sad to have the second set of adorable babies in my life grow-up right before my eyes, I see these magnificent little children turning into young adults with every birthday celebration; each pleasant occasion marking new physical changes, mental growth and maturity, and a stronger intellect encompassing each child.

I have said this many times before: Life is about being able to handle the transitions in your life with grace, style and class. For some reason, these three, small words elude the best of us when it comes to dealing with age, absence, and aloneness. We do the best job we can of coping with these three 'A's,' so to speak, knowing full well that life will throw curve balls as much as high-speed fastballs at us on any given day.

When I began this blog site back in September of 2013, I had just returned from Ireland having climbed to the summit of a mountain, hiked many miles within the lushness that only this Emerald Isle has to offer, and met the most interesting local people, as well as many travelers from all over the world! We lived in a small cottage built over one hundred and sixty years before and walked land previously tread on by Saints and Kings! We luxuriated within the stories of modern-day troubadours who highlighted them with trills from ancient bagpipes and the rolling, pulsating rhythm of the Bodhran (Irish drums).

My happiness was my inspiration for creating this blog site.

Initially, my happiness was centered around my Irish conversations, footsteps, lifting frosty Guinness mugs, and the clicks of my Canon Camera as I snapped picture after picture in a wild attempt to permanently capture my adventures.....frame by frame. The moments I was able to secure were lovingly brought back and served to illustrate my stories and help explain my deep, abiding love of all things Irish.

Turning the corner into a brand new year, 2014, my previous travels to France, St. Martin, Aruba, and Ireland were well worth a story or two in and of themselves. So, it was a privilege to recall, through my journals and personal memories, the many engaging adventures we had experienced with each trip and then illustrate them with photos I had taken at the time. I was thrilled to have this broad, Internet  platform where I was able to share my 'adventures of a lifetime' with others and, actually, enjoy reading the feedback from other travelers, as well as those interested in traveling themselves in the future. I knew I must be doing something right and, it felt so good.

OUR 'WORK IN PROGRESS'

Moving On........2015 brought a new and stronger platform for me in content and personal opinions when I realized that my appreciation of people in general, especially among those who have endured negativity yet processed it into a positive scenario, would be interesting to write about. My newest forum aligned with current events, stories concerning human strengths and tragedy, and people who intrigued me and touched my own life by their noted talents and deeds.

The life stories of established authors such as Kurt Vonnegut, Harper Lee, Carl Sandburg, and Eva Ibbotson enriched my life forever. Having lived through their (our) plight of many decades, it was interesting to relive some of the stories behind the activists and Women's Rights advocates, Gloria Steinem and Annie Lennox, who played a major role in bringing women out of the Stone Age. And, the undeniable musical genius associated with Bob Dylan and Joe Bonamassa languidly seeped from my soul to trickle note by note, word by word, into my i-Pad.  I engaged in stories of untimely loss when writing about the unfortunate death of Robin Williams. May you rest in peace, sweet man. I learned from David Rubenstein that, "Philanthropy is a Greek word that means 'love of humanity,' not rich people writing checks." The pleasure of rediscovering  my illustrious Russian heritage by writing about My Ukranian Connection pleased me to no end as the memories of my grandmother's delicious pierogies continued to melt in my mouth. Note: Must engage grandchildren in the process of making pierogies for future reference.

Happiness grips me when I think about the 'Book Reviews' written for up and coming Indie Authors I have met via social media who have worked so hard to self-publish their amazing talent and encourage mainstream readers to appreciate said talent. I honor their perseverance and extreme dedication and hope to follow along their worthy path myself one day.

My greatest joy is derived from the poetry of my past and present creation that I have occasionally slipped into the mix. My first formal publication was a poem I had written in high school English class back in the day. It had established the journey I gladly travel on today. Most recently, I have been interested in selecting words and phrases and personally defining them in a series of small essays that capture their 'true essence' in terms of my own experiences and beliefs; "Through my eyes." Common Sense, Nostalgia, Grateful, Complacency, Self Love, and Alone being among the titles. Photos I have taken throughout the years help to illustrate my personal feelings about each topic.

Yes....Alone, one of the three 'A's' I mentioned before, published on March 19, 2015, highlights my personal insights about what it feels like to be alone, inside your own head. By combining age and absence into the formula, I understand the importance of being alone and how the greatest tool of self-love is self-awareness no matter what my age is. I know that we must learn to be our own best friend and love ourselves with the passion and grace that we would afford to every living soul around us. Once you truly know yourself, love is the only option. With the application of these principles.....we will never be alone.

Photo Courtesy: Phill Cassey

Now, with the click of a few keyboard keys and the wisdom of knowing that we have no control over time, I continue my journey into a world as seen through my eyes! Moving On.....2016 marks its debut through the delicate emergence of the new year like a young bird pushing through its calcified home in order to greet the unfamiliar world it is to live in. Who really knows what this world will bring?

I remain eternally grateful to all of you who read my thoughts placed  into words each week and I promise to continue 'Moving On.....2016' for as long as time will allow me to do so. In the meantime, other projects such as completing my first novel and getting it published and working on the rehab of our 'Little Yellow Cottage' in Michigan will and must fit into my immediate agenda. Also, several new trips are being planned in 2016 and I am looking forward to, eventually, writing all about them for you. Yes, life is busy. Life is good.

Please remember that I always appreciate your comments, positive or otherwise, and know that I constantly learn through them. Hopefully, I will become a better writer and person because of them. So, here's to a new year, 2016, and the many meandering thoughts that lead us down paths we have only dreamt about following before.

You may find me anytime at my Website below:

 www.thetravelingkeyboard.blogspot.com

Copyright © 2016 by Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved

A series of short stories.....





New Beginnings.......


By: Jacqueline E. Hughes



Yes, I must change my main heading now that the new year is upon us....that's always 'the deal' when you decide to incorporate a timeline within a title.  I knew that when I originally entitled my Blog Site after returning from Ireland in September.  Sadly, it is time...

However, I am so looking forward to living, breathing, writing in and embracing this new year....2014!!

First of all, the number fourteen, and I type it here with reverence, has been 'My Number' since.....well, forever!  Yes, Virginia....I can actually remember being fourteen and it was a very exciting time in my life.  As a freshman in high school, I was finding my own way into the craziness that high school was but, most importantly, I began honing in on my target and goal in life, writing.  My teachers elected to honor me as a Quill and Scroll member.  I wrote many articles for our school paper, Purple Paws, and our Varsity football coach, Pete Reynolds, invited me to be Varsity sports writer......something a female had never done before at Three Rivers High School!  Also, one of my first poems (Time) was published in the local newspaper.

Memories....Wow!  Another spectacular event, albeit a tad superstitious, perhaps, was trying out for the Girl's Drill Team at the age of fourteen.  Of course, I was 'lucky' enough to be given the number fourteen at tryouts, I kid you not!  You got it, I did make the squad and, by the following year, was chosen Captain of the Team.  And, as they say, the rest is history.  Sorry.  But, it was fun!

What did that have to do with my writing career, you might ask?  It showed me that I could be a leader and not just a follower.  You have to remember that I was a product of the 1960's with strong female figures who, regardless of race...or, because of it...were visionaries (dreamers) when it came to expecting, demanding, equality with men in our society.  If they had not set the bar as high as they did back then, we might as well be living in caves today being pulled around and enjoying no earthly freedoms or rights.  Woman sacrificed so much back then, and in subsequent years, in order to even allow the ingenuous freedoms our daughters have today.....and, still we must fight for equal pay?!?  Just asking.

This story is about Moving On...into a new year with new beginnings, new possibilities and positive changes.  I know.  I digress.  Often we must look back, however, in order to move forward in this thing called life.  That is how change comes about, thoroughly familiarizing yourself with what must be changed in order to have a better today and a brighter tomorrow because of it.

Travel has always been a contributing factor towards making my life enjoyable and more complete.  For me, the complex recipe for 'Life' is taking its main ingredient, Love, and mixing in indiscriminate proportions of ideas, emotions and gestures and folding them together like muffin batter.....ever so gently.  There's going to be lumps in there, but that's alright.  If everything ran smoothly....where would the challenges be that help to make us stronger; that mold us into the beautiful individuals we are?  My specific 'extra' ingredients include generous amounts of passion, laughter and compassion for others.  Now, the colorful icing atop each muffin is made from my love of travel and photography.  Perfect!!

I have changed my main heading with all the above in mind.  And, I will begin to fold into the 2014 version a variety of new stories and personal ideas to share with you at least once a week.  In no way will I forsake the remaining 'Ireland' story ideas I have nestling within my imagination....they're restlessly waiting to be turned into print and illustrated just for you.  If truth be told...I need to get them out of there! 

So, here's looking this New Year smack dab in the eye and availing myself of all the exciting, challenging and wonderful things it has to offer.  May I suggest that you do the same.....and, we'll compare notes.

Stick with me, Dear Readers, because.....the best is yet to come!!




Note:  Praise and Congratulations go out to The Michigan State Spartan Football Team and Coach Mark Dantonio for their decisive victory in the 100th Anniversary Rose Bowl Game....Great Old-School fashion, confident, Football at its Very Best!!!  Always so proud to be a Spartan.

Everything Matters

Eighth in a series.....

Hooker.....Traditional Wooden Sailing Boat

A series of short stories

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes



Everything Matters....the philosophy of one highly successful CEO, as well as Oprah Winfrey and many other "Super Charged" individuals who have made their way up the ranks of "the unknown" to become "outstanding in their field" and beyond!!

Simply because I know that Everything Matters, is precisely my dilemma as I sit here writing to you today! So many year-end ideas scattered throughout my brain pulling me this way and that.  Even the mere thought that yet another year will be a memory or last year's chapters will soon be cross-referenced by private journals, pictorial histories and, yes, published blogs, proves how unprepared I really am to enter yet another shift-in-time......a new year!

I am amazed when I realize that 2013 will soon slip into 2014 and I have yet to take advantage of everything that matters to me right here, right now.  I am comfortable within this 2013 persona I have created for myself and fear (being the operative word) what I expect from 'me' in 2014........and, my expectations run high. 

Fragments of sentences, individual letters, digital pictures, beautiful faces, emotions.....flying pigs?......All captured above my head within a fluffy cartoon cloud of conversation and personal thoughts.  Brilliant! 

But, but, but, I have yet to write about this, that and the other thing and this year's time is sifting seamlessly through the hour glass (okay, year glass) and, don't you know how Everything Matters so much to me?  I haven't described the sheer natural beauty of Lough Corrib with its polka-dot design of tiny islands that resemble Hershey's Kisses in the soft light of an Irish dusk.  Not a mention yet of the Spanish stone arches, traditional wooden sailing boats called Hookers, Village of Claddagh (yes, associated with the famous ring) or the fascinating people we met who call the once walled-city of Galway their home today.  Have I described for you the significance of discovering a ruined structure, an abandoned Church of Ireland, during our visit to Cong?  Oh, now that's a story!  I cannot forget the tears running down our faces as the gentle breezes off Lough Mask felt like Spirits caressing our bodies while begging us to listen to their sorrowful stories....  Wow!  Seriously, chills just ran down my back remembering this experience!!

Even though the myriad of presents are getting wrapped, cookies are being baked and decorated with Love, clothes washed and folded to fit neatly into suitcases and the trusty KIA is gassed-up and waiting patiently for this barrage of domestic and Holiday items to consume it.....life remains a bit fragmented and unsettling to me.  Why?  We go through the motions without fully understanding why or what the outcome might be.

Actually, sitting here writing all of this down is proving to be a cathartic release, much like crying my way through the end of this year; I am grateful for this because the emotions are running higher than the International Space Station orbiting above us!  Thinking about it now, I come up with three contributing factors to my emotionally charged state of being.  Number one, it is Christmastime; that time of year when being together with Family, decorating the tree, creating delicious food and the wholesome act of simply 'giving,' all play a huge part in our lives.  We're concerned whether there's enough time to fit everything we want to do within the space we've allotted to it in order to achieve our objectives.  Secondly, my goals, as I alluded to above, have become much more specific and real.  I expect a lot from myself in 2014!  Pressure....  Lastly, over and above my personal expectations, I know that Everything Matters.   More Pressure.

Ironically, I believe it is precisely because Everything Matters that I will get through these final days of this year and bump along into 2014.  The dreamer, perfectionist and mental creator.....the three people I live with on a daily basis.....plan on sticking around for quite some time.  I promise to pay attention to all the details that comprise my life including family, friends and the exquisite passion that has served as guide to my soul for all these years......writing! 

Well, now that I have come full-circle in just a matter of a few, short paragraphs, I think I will be okay.  If we take our fear and turn it into positive emotion that is always working for us, we can achieve it all.  The trip up to Michigan to be with Family for Christmas will become a blessed memory, cherished forever.  It will be next year, but those stories about Galway will be written.  My novel is definitely progressing. And, everything will be accomplished with Love, attention to detail and the knowledge that to have it all, you must remember that Everything (Everyone) Matters along the way....

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to All.....!