Give it a good rest - a new kind of muscle recovery.

As Aretha says, “Think. Let your mind go. Let yourself be free.”

What do you daydream about? Is this question becoming as obsolete as, “What is your home telephone number?” Both daydreams and home telephones are going by the wayside as technology advances. Now, we walk around with everything from personal music playlists, our favorite electronic games and access to all the information available on the Internet in our palms at all times.

While the demise of the home phone doesn’t trouble me except for the fact that I can’t look up numbers in the phone book, the demise of the daydream troubles me deeply. How are daydreams and advancing technology related? We are always plugged in. Our minds don’t have any time to rest and be unstimulated by outside sources.

But what about the things your inside sources want to tell you? When I’ve handled a situation poorly, I daydream about how I will do things differently the next time. It’s called learning from my mistakes☺. Somehow knowing I’ll do it differently in the future frees me from the standard of perfection. Or maybe it’s knowing that I’ll mess up again and life will still be OK. When something goes well, embarrassingly I’ll admit, I replay it in my mind and all those positive feelings fill me up. I want those feelings again, so I am motivated to participate in opportunities like the ones I dreamed about. String enough of those experiences along, and you are living one fulfilled life.

Lately I’ve even started something new, allowing my mind to rest from thinking. I’ll describe my procedure at the risk of sounding like your weird Aunt Edna. But this is a risk I’m willing to take to pay it forward.

Find a place. When no one is home, it is my couch in the family room Sometimes it is my bathtub. The significant thing about the place is that it is comfortable. Now close your eyes and actually try to relax the muscle that is your brain. Think of where one end of your brain would be and try to focus on relaxing that area. Then move to each side, relaxing as you go. Relax the center of your brain. If you continue trying this, I promise you will all of a sudden feel what it feels like for your brain to be relaxed; you will want to feel this again. The next time you try, you will get there more quickly. Now, sit in that for a few minutes and then allow your brain to think about anything it wants. Allow it to have it’s own agenda. I can’t wait for you to experience this. Don’t have a journal sitting there. Just think.

Now, I’ll admit that coming from a Christian who believes that the Spirit of God lives in her, I believe that what I am hearing is the voice of God. Sometimes I am comforted. Sometimes I realize that there is something I need to take care of. Sometimes I receive words that I think are for the encouragement of someone else. I’m doing this daily now, or at least trying to. Don’t want to miss it. Don’t want you to.

So, put away your phone. Unplug in a focused way for a few minutes a day. Think of a way to adapt this for your children and teach them to listen to their souls. I’ll admit that this comes from someone who still has a home phone that people call all the time to find out what I think about things, and I usually know.

Try it and then comment on this blog to let me know what you think. If you think I’m on to something, and you want more ideas check out our book, Unwritten Travels, and read the Soul Searching Chapter. I more than think you’ll love it.

Sometimes, it IS about you!

Recently in a church sermon, the pastor said that we are created to glorify God. We reflect Him to the world. Think about how you are uniquely created. I can shed a hair somewhere and the right scientist can pick it up and know that ‘Jenny Watson was here.’


When Adam and Eve were in the garden and had eaten the fruit, they were hiding from God. God asks them the question, “Where are you?” From everything I know about God, He knew where they were. He was asking them where they were in relationship to Him, or maybe where were they trying to hide. I wonder if God sees us and asks, “Where are you, Jenny? Where is that woman I created? Where are you hiding her? Can you find her and bring her out so she can glorify Me and reflect Me to the world? Who is this person you are masquerading as?”


Only acknowledging your physical uniqueness is like walking up to a masterpiece in a museum and saying, “Oh, nice frame.” Isn’t it giving God glory to take time to really look at the masterpiece of His creation that you are? This summer I encourage you to take an art appreciation class, and the art you are studying is yourself. Unwritten Travels was birthed a year ago. In the last year we have seen the strokes, texture, color and design working through it can add to a woman’s life. Get your copy today and use it for your art appreciation textbook as you study yourself this summer! Or better yet, join a playshop and take the class with others. It could be one of the most fun and meaningful summers of your life!

My kids are big people

Having a blog is a scary thing. Do I really share myself, or do I just write something that is hopefully entertaining to read? If I am vulnerable, I am holding myself up to be judged. But, I have determined to live a brave life, so here I go…

In the autumn of my season of parenting, I am awed by the adults my children are, or are becomming. I am pleasantly surprised that we think the oldest three are mature enough to get married. They take care of their finances. They take care of their health. They are 19-23 years old. The only reason I don’t include Lily in this is that she is 17 and still a minor. She is a very responsible 17-year-old, and I have no doubt that I’ll be saying these things about her also after she leaves our home.

Not too many years ago, a “kid” could graduate from high school at age 18, get a job, get married and live. They might work at Exxon or at Purity Dairies or for IBM. They would raise a family, maybe even a large one. Along with their wife, they would join a bowling league, or play bridge or golf - probably would be active in their church. After 35 or more years they would retire from their careers. They’d make it to 50 or more years of marriage.

Fast forward to 2010. When we hear that “kids” are getting married after they graduate from college at 22 or 23 (depending on if we held them back when starting school because they weren’t ready), we think that is too young. We question whether they are ready for this much responsibility. It’s hard for them to keep a job or stay in a marriage. Surely, you could make an argument to blame the culture, but I think the number one biggest determining factor in how and when children grow up and become responsible is how they are “parented.”

“Parented” is put in quotes, because I don’t know when it became such an action word, a verb. You were a parent – a noun. Obviously you wanted the adjective before the noun to be a positive one; the goal was to be a GOOD parent, but what was the definition of that?

Just like all of you, I read books about parenting from the time I had a line that showed positive on the pregnancy-testing strip; there is some great material out there. I read Dare to Discipline by Charles Dobson. Think it’s great, at least for children up to 13 years old or so. But I wish someone would write a book called, Dare to Raise A Self-Disciplined Person. Somewhere along the way, parenting seems to have become about control. I think this is motivated by fear. If we don’t control things, then the culture is going to eat our kids up. If anything the fear motivates us to control all the more when our children enter the teen years.

Now if my children are reading this, they probably will say that I controlled them. They claim that I made them go to bed at 7:30 when it was still light outside until they were in middle school. I dispute this claim totally, but do know that having had four kids in right under six years, I am sane, so maybe I did do things like that, I’m just saying….

What is my point? My point is discipline and control away, but at some point, (I think when your child becomes a teen) we need to move to a team approach. As a wise friend reminded me recently, it’s not “us” against “them;” it’s, “we are a team working together to reach all of our goals.” When your child leaves home at 18 years old to go to college, that’s it. Your parenting needs to be basically done. They need to have the skills to make their own decisions. They need to have already decided what their values are. God told Adam to leave his mother and father and cleave to his wife. He didn’t even have a mother and father. It was one of the first things God said about parenting. So, if you are a parent of a teen, remember the goal is to instill in them that they can do it better than you did. The goal is for them to leave and be an independent person, and for us to just sit back and be awed.

Fairy Tales Really Do Come True

I tried out for cheerleader every year for 6 years. I REALLY wanted to be a cheerleader and thought I would be a great one if given the chance. Even though I have never been able to do a cartwheel, I actually made it pretty far each year until I would finally be cut. That says something for my enthusiasm, because believe it or not, I actually would do a forward roll for my gymnastics. Yes, a forward roll, commonly called a somersault – those things you teach your two year olds to do. Check your face right now, are you smiling or horrified? This probably speaks somehow to your temperament. You know I either have no pride, or I really wanted this.
It’s probably needless to say; I never made it. But, while going through Unwritten Travels during our most recent playshop, I came to a startling realization. I am a cheerleader! A cheerleader is an enthusiastic and vocal supporter who applauds and motivates others to get excited. What do I get to do every day for my job? I support women to go from where they are to where they want to be. I applaud them as they grow in their life. I thought I’d be wearing a mini-skirt and get to use pom-poms. It looks a little different than I thought, but I know it’s far more rewarding. That dream that was put on my heart way back as a preteen, came true and in even a better way than I ever thought possible.

Now, I’m looking back, taking time to remember what other dreams I may have forgotten. As I do, I am awed. Dreams really do come true. I have a charm bracelet. Although I don’t wear it much, it is a beautiful physical scrapbook commemorating life events. For Mother’s Day I know what I’m asking for, a charm of a pom-pom. If I wear my bracelet it will be with a much longer skirt that the one I would’ve worn back in school, but I’ll wear it with joy, and I won’t even have to do a somersault in public.

I am an anemone.

Many of my friends are wondering, "What now?" Their kids are growing up. They have more time. If they are working, they have freedom to decide if they want to change or stay in their current career. I was a stay-at-home mom. OK, I addressed Christmas cards for money. I made hair bows for a company from home.(I was really bad at that. Got paid hourly, and REALLY made about $2.00 an hour!) I worked part-time at various jobs for the YMCA, but basically, I was a career mom. Many wondered what I would do when my kids left home. I wondered. But with Lily, a high school Junior who drives and dances and dates and goes to her youth group, the only child left at home, I am filled with anticipation. I can now pursue new dreams. I know what my dreams are. I am in the autumn of life, but I am blooming. Looking up flowers that bloom in autumn, I discovered the anemone. Thought this was only something from Finding Nemo. It is also a land flower. Anemones - single vibrant flowers bloom atop long slender stems. Also known as wildflowers. Bloom in shades of pink, purple, red and white. Prefers full sun. Makes an ideal cut flower. Who wouldn't want to be vibrant? Who wouldn't want to sit atop ling slender stems? A little wild is good! The shades are perfect, and I certainly prefer full sun. Works well alone? Describes me! So I am an anemone, a hopeful one. Hoping that if you are reading this blog, you also will be excited about life whatever season you are in. Find your flower. Had shared my blooming thoughts with my husband. He surprised me by ordering some bulbs for me. I didn't know that and bought some. We will have a yard full this fall. Just fine with me!!