Dreamthought #17

Happy Monday. I was so excited when I found the actual footage of the legendary Bruce Lee speaking one of my favorite dream thoughts. Another person taken too soon from us. This quote is on my blog as well. You can check out more wise words from Bruce right here.

Award Love

Blog awards. I have been slacking on passing the love along. I'm here to remedy this. I really dislike choosing. If I have forgotten anybody, please forgive me in advance. If your an award and tag free blog, let the spirit of the awards remain in your heart.


Miss Watermelon Award. Nicole gave me this sweet award. She said to fulfill the duties of "Miss Watermelon" I have to tell you six things I love and then pass it on to six people. To me, my interpretation, Miss Watermelon are ladies who are as sweet and juicy as a Watermelon.


Here are six things I love:
1) The color Blue
2) Ballet like shoes
3) Shawls
4) Chocolate chip cookies
5) Romantic looking skirts
6) Watching The Moon


Your An Awesome Girl Award.Laurel gave me this lovely award.


I'm combining the lists so each of you get both awards.

Laurie
June
Mystele
Beverly
Sarah
Vanessa
Vanessa
Caroline
Molly
Cheryl Lynn
Christina
Clarity
Kiki
Maritessb
Kathryn
Vchelle
Joelle
Tracy
Gloria


Circle of Friends Award. Sarah gifted me with this and I have to it pass on to five people you feel are your friends. So I'm going to award this to my favorite male bloggers who always show me love. (There really needs to be some Your a Great Guy awards.)

Tristan
Maithri
Keith

I also want to tell everyone the talented Mystele is doing her first mixed media class called Gut Art. So go check it out.

That's all folks. Have a wonderful weekend.

Do Cats Dream?

Here is my Mabel sleeping. Now the eternal question: Do Cats Dream? I'm sure they do. I know Mabel is dreaming of unlimited cans of her favorite iams flavors, crunch treats and fresh cat nip.

What I have relearned this Summer

What I've relearned this Summer

1) To say out loud what I'm grateful for every day.

2) Just do stuff and tell people later. I get a lot more done this way.

3) Life is going to be challenging. I have to find ways to get my happy on even through tears.

4) Death never ends Love. Love endures.

5) Ask for what I need, be thankful when I get even if it shows up in another form.

6) Like attracts like. When things are truly crappy in my life, I have to look at my own thoughts and feelings to see what I'm contributing to this.

7) Watching a good movie every other day makes Shell a happy girl.

8) My friends are my family, too.

What have you relearned or maybe learned this summer?

Thanks again for all the great comments on being nine years old. What you loved then and now. Also, for the Dreamthought from Will Smith. If anyone has some great gems for a Dreamthought post, please send them to me. So I can share with others.

Have you worked or played on your Dreams today? I hope you did. Your Dreams need you to become alive.

Dreamthought #16: Protect your Dreams

Happy Monday. Will Smith has a message for all of you out there. Listen closely and remember this especially when you feel discouraged.

Nine

This is me at 9 years old in 5th grade. Slightly toothless with that oh, so fake nature background they used back in the day for school pictures. Some parts of my hair in this picture looks a bit gray..have no idea why.

There are some things that haven't changed for me since I was nine. I still love:
Acting
Having my legs bare
Reading
Star Wars
Feeling free without people telling me what to do
Best friends with Lady A. and Lady K.
Vanilla ice cream
Believing in the good of people
Chocolate anything
Writing stories
Watching movies and t.v.
Mark Hamill
Still dreaming
Taking time to enjoy being alone outside

Do you remember being nine? What things do you still love then and now? I love to hear.

As you have been giving yourself permission to do what you want and listening to your thoughts, I hope you are working on your dreams daily. Your 9 year old self would want you to be happy, right? So get to work and play on your dreams.

Listening

There are times in life we do things and wonder why did we do that? We accept the fact that we have hidden motivations that lie in our subconscious.

Is our subconscious really hidden from us? Do we really do things from out of the blue? Over the past week I have been thinking on that as I have been dealing with some personal issues. I was reading Wayne Dyer's Excuses Begone; He echoed what I have been feeling.

When your upset, stressed, angry, sad do you listen to what you say to yourself? I want to encourage all of you to do so. I started listening to what I said to myself. I felt I was pretty aware of my thoughts. I realized I was still missing a huge chunk. Those shadowy thoughts that were swimming in my brain began to show me the why of certain choices I made out of fear, lack and anger.

Now, I'm not saying I'm free of all negative thoughts. (I wish!) I hear them now a lot better. I'm learning to detach or mute these thoughts. Feed my brain with positive affirmations and good thoughts. Thoughts of Abundance, Love, Hope, Faith, Action, Creativity, Beauty. Whatever goodness I can get into my head, I do.

Some people would say I'm not facing reality, I like to think I am creating my own reality worthy of my life.

Permission

A year ago, I came up with the idea of teaching acting. I wasn't sure if I could really do it? I had a list of pros and cons on the subject. It finally dawned on me what I really was waiting for.

I was waiting for permission. Permission from who? Bette Davis is going to come in a dream to tell me it was fine; or, I run into Cicely Tyson on 5th ave and she comes up to me and says "Now is the time, Shell."

No. The permission had to come from me. Yes, I know it is a no brainer. Once I gave myself permission to actually do it, I was off and running. I began to wonder how many other people are waiting for permission to do certain things in their lives.

Now, I want you to look at yourself in the mirror. Repeat after me: I (insert your name here) give myself permission to (insert whatever this is.) You may have to do this a couple of times before you feel good about declaring this.

Now, comes the next half. This week actually do what your gave yourself permission for. It could be a baby step toward it. Just do something to make it begin to become real for you.

Oh, if you get flack for this. Someone says who told you could do this!!? (There are always people who have all mouth yet do nothing in their lives!) Tell them you did!! Then walk away proudly. Or even better give them a dramatic Bette Davis exit or a proud Cicely Tyson walking away.

Let me know how it goes.

Sunset

I wish for all of you...
beautiful sunsets
time to savor sun and sky
allow yourself to shine brightly
healing for those of broken hearts
embracing the weird and wonderful of you
courage to stand up to for what you believe in

Paris Blues

Tomorrow on Turner Classic Movies is a whole day devoted to Sidney Poitier for part of their Summer Under The Stars. They are showing one of my favorite movies Paris Blues at 8:30 am. So set your DVR recorders or get up to watch it.

Paris Blues is set in Paris in the early sixties with a very young Sidney, Paul Newman, Diahann Carroll and Joanne Woodward. It's not be missed!!

The spaces in between

I have found refuge in the spaces between my dreams and reality. When I get discouraged I go there for peace.
The spaces in between has been saving me. I'm just me and I can be. No future or past.
The present. This moment.
It isn't a place like Wonderland, Atlantis, Fantasia.
It exists in your mind.
The spaces in between when your monkey mind and your to do list.
Where the real you resides.
You feel no doubt, fear, ignorance, hatred, anger.
You feel your true feelings expressed in all your colors.

I know I went trippy with this, it's how I've been feeling these past days. Finding my peace in the moment even when chaos tries to suck me in.

The Love of Blue

Random facts about me and the color blue:

1) Cerulean is one of my favorite adjectives to describe blue.
2) Certain scenes in the movies Troy and Mamma Mia inspire me with the variety of blues used.
3) I adore the new blue walls in my bedroom and thinking of expanding the blue theme through out my home.
4) I could wear blue everyday and never get bored.
5) My favorite blue painting is Starry Night by Van Gogh.

Dreamthought #15

Here is wisdom from my beloved Christopher Reeve:
"So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then improbable, and then, when we summon the will they soon become inevitable"

Thursday and Love

I have to admit, I felt the Lady Moon. I couldn't see her last night. Too overcast. Tonight, I'm hoping to catch her. I did do some wishing, dreaming and listening to big band/swing music to celebrate the Joyful Moon.

Just a reminder to all who share your love and thoughts with me here, it is greatly appreciated. I enjoy reading all your comments. If I don't get back to you individually, know I'm always going to be popping up at your blogs. (You never know when my smiling face will appear.) If you have been lurking for a while, I like to hear from you too. I don't bite unless you were made out of solid chocolate which I'm sure your not.(Who can resist solid chocolate? I sure can't.)

Guess what it's my favorite day: Thursday! You all know I love Thursdays. I want to share with you one of my special bloggers. He lives half way around the world from me,is a doctor, an humanitarian and sings like an angel. Did I mention he is handsome too? Now I know some of you know him already, if you don't you need to go over to his blog now. Yes, I'm shouting you out Maithri. Everytime he leaves a message here, I get a warm feeling in my heart and look like this:

I'm all about sharing, giving and receiving love on Swan of Dreamers. I hope today if there are special bloggers you adore, tell them how much you care. You never know how much a little bit of love could make a difference in someone's day.

I'll be back tomorrow. I have not forgotten about the video with me reading a scene from Jane Eyre. Hopefully will do it next week or sooner. As always, I hope you are daily taking time to work on your dreams.

Joyful Moon

It's The Full Moon tonight! This lovely moon has many names. Here are my favorites: Joyful Moon, Big Ripening Moon, Green Moon, Blueberry Moon, Flying Moon. You can name it whatever energy calls to you at this time. Each Full Moon is also under a certain sign. This is The Full Moon in Aquarius. For me the Full Moon under my sign is always special for me. Something happens which brings an extra sparkle to my life.

Even if your not an Aquarius, just expect the unexpected this Full Moon. Aquarius energy is always zany, wild and ripe with creativity. In my little Little Book of Moon Magic it says the Aquarius Moon is excellent time for wishes to come to true.

Look up at the sky tonight. Even if you don't see Lady Moon, she is up there. Make a wish or a prayer for yourself. Also go over to Jamie's place for all the Full Moon Dreamboards and wishes going on over there.

If you can't have fun or creative adventures tonight, the energy of the Full Moon vibrates for two days after. I am going to have fun and follow my beloved Unicorns into the Joyful moonlight.

Beautiful words

Underneath my blog title, I have the words Act, Do, Dream, Create, Be. I didn't even think about why I wrote this, it just came out.

It works because when you come to my blog you know from those words who I am and what my blog is about. Here is what the words mean to me personally.

Act: this has actually two meanings. A nod to me being an actor; also, how I feel that sometimes you have act on things or you won't get ahead. Action is the cure to fear, doubt and anxiety. (At least, it works for me.)

Do: You won't manifest your dreams, If you don't do them. The best way for me to get things done is to do an action toward my dream instead of thinking about doing it. I feel we waste precious time over thinking tasks and dreams.

Dream: When I need to get inspired or have to figure out a problem, dreaming is my ally. My mind goes on a journey where it can dream away and all these great creative ideas are able to flow in effortlessly. A few of my favorite ways to dream is watch a great movie, read, watch the clouds and listen to soothing music.

Create: You need to pick up the pen, brush, needle, script, camera and start creating things exactly where you are. (Seriously, there is never a "perfect" time to do anything.) Creating your art multiplies into more creative ideas, plans and dreams. Which is always better for you.

Be: Whatever you do, you have to be who you truly are. For example, there are thousands of actors in the world..millions. The competition is fierce. I don't think about that. When I audition or act, I bring the best Shell to my acting. There is only one me in the whole world. I allow myself to be who I am and let that flow in my work. I always get more jobs this way. To be yourself is a goldmine in whatever your creative life is.

Now, I have to go outside and start my day. It is also, my best friend, Lady A's birthday too. I hope you all have a beautiful day. As always, spend some time today working on your dream. Your dreams are waiting for you to bring them to life.