SoCS Take Two: Framing My Heart’s Desires

Today’s prompt for the stream of consciousness is, “frame.” We can use it as a noun or a verb and we are to have fun!

I have to start over. Last night I worked on my SoCS post. The stream took me somewhere I don’t want to go yet. Then I started to edit. I couldn’t help myself. Just a little tweak here. And a little tweak there. And then I realized, this topic is better left for another time when I can edit at will. So here we go again with take two.

Frame. Frames. I buy a lot of my frames at thrift stores. I’ll see a cool frame without a plan sometimes for it, but I’m trying to get away from that. One frame I did have a plan for that I got at a thrift store for probably 75 cents had some mass produced art in it. I took that out. It’s not always easy to find a square frame the right size, but I needed one for my collage, the one that brought my soul mate back to me.

This is one of the collages I’ve done at the beginning of each year. There are several, but this is my favorite. It has no words like the others, except that I wrote 2011 on the easel on the left. On the right is a man walking toward the woman who looks kinda like me. He’s in the distance and coming out of the darkness toward the yellow flowers.  It was in 2011 that David found me again, my first love come back after 39 years when the time was perfect. I hope you’re not tired of hearing about that. Anyway, I like the frame, and now the collage is hanging in our bedroom where it should be.

The collage was made from magazine pictures. I hope this is not an infringement to post them here and apologize if I’m using some one else’s images, but they all worked miracles in my life, so thank you. I will be happy to give you credit for your images if you let me know.

I put the owl up there, because I needed wisdom to not just follow my urges based on loneliness. “Follow your heart, but take your brain with you,” as the saying goes. I needed that owl’s help to make sure.  Now, art and nature are coming back into my life. Maybe art and nature are my original first loves that will always be with me.

What do you want to manifest in your life? Have you ever made a collage or other creative work of your hearts desires? It works! Not always right away, but focus on what you love and desire, and the good things will come. Trust the timing and get ready!

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For more info on Stream of Consciousness Saturday, visit Linda G. Hill at:

https://lindaghill.com/2019/07/19/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-july-20-19/

Here are the rules:

1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing (typos can be fixed), and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.

2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.

3. I will post the prompt here on my blog every Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” “Begin with the word ‘The,’” or will simply be a single word to get you started.

4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours. Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top. NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, such as Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.

5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read all of them! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later or go to the previous week by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find below the “Like” button on my post.

6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!

7. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.

8. Have fun!

When Looking for a Soul Mate, Be Happy with You.

Do what makes you happy!

(It’s possible to find your soul mate when you stop looking.)

      At the beginning of each year I make a collage about what I want in my life in the  new year. The tradition was started by a church member one New Year’s Eve, and now continues as part of our annual Epiphany Party for the family and friends of Good Shepherd Church. (All are welcome!)  After my divorce, my collages always included something about a soul mate, or at least a compatible partner, along with pictures and words representing good health, creativity, healing and nature. Collage making has always been great fun, even when I took it too seriously.

   I made a collage booklet once in a workshop about manifesting your goals. I dedicated a whole page to manifesting a partner who would be compatible with me. He had to love dogs. So, I had a magazine picture of a guy and his dog running toward a photo of me and my two dogs. I had a picture of a man and a woman gazing at a beautiful mountain. I wrote in colorful markers about all the qualities I was looking for in a soul mate. The workshop facilitators said we would be amazed at how fast our dreams would come true if we just believe. I believed fiercely.

     So, as the years went by, I started to wonder what my soul mate was up to. What was taking him so long?

     Becoming tired of fretting about my soul mate, I worked on turning the whole thing over to God.  I tried not care.  Books about about the advantages of being single helped. Look at all the great things single women have accomplished. Just look at Mother Theresa, for example. I realized that it was quite possible to be satisfied with being single. And I had learned the hard way that it’s better to be single than to be with someone who adds a lot of stress to your life. Yet, I still wanted a compatible partner. In time, I became gentle with myself. I realized that wanting a partner was a natural thing and quit beating myself up about it.

     While  trying not to look for my soul mate, and keeping my eyes open just in case  he came along, I decided to explore what made me happy.  I tried out for some plays that I was not cast in. I went to the monthly “hippie drumming” event of the Saturday African drum circle. This led to free form dancing and chanting and feeling completely accepted. I experimented with a bit of improvisational dance mobbing on the street with some of those same people.

Have fun with Positive People.

     I volunteered for clean ups at the lake where my daughter and I got to see lots of turtles and an alligator who kept looking back at us while swimming away from our canoe.  Instead of avoiding romantic movies completely,  I learned to enjoy a bit of romance vicariously, from the safety of my recliner.

    In little ways, I started to create space, to make room for my soul mate.  I got rid of stuff  in my garage, saying to myself,  someday the right man will make this his workshop. (Now it is completely full of my soul mate’s workshop stuff.) I put two lawn chairs next to each other in the back yard where my soul mate and I would later sit and talk by the fire. I hung a ceramic heart in the relationship corner of my living room according to a bit of feng shui I heard somewhere. The most important thing I did was to make room in my own heart by forgiving those who I felt betrayed by. The forgiving was not easy. It was a 10 year process.

Do what nurtures your spirit.

      I didn’t know then what I know now. As I was getting ready for my soul mate, he was getting ready for me. Maybe he wasn’t doing this consciously for me, but he was working on personal growth and development in some really important ways. We were each working on ourselves as individuals. We were learning the lessons we needed to learn to be ready to work on ourselves and our partnership together.  It took longer than I thought it should have, but in retrospect, the timing was perfect. (That’s why our book is called: Perfect Timing.)

    So, while you’re waiting, work on YOU! Before you can find the right person, you have to be the right person for yourself.  Be the best, happiest, smartest you that you can be. That doesn’t mean you have to be perfect. Be healthy. Explore what gives you peace and fulfillment. What are the constants in your life that have always brought you strength?  Work on that project you didn’t have time for when you were distracted by someone who wasn’t right for you. Nurture friendships with positive people. Work on forgiving those who have hurt you, even if you need to keep them at a distance for your own well being. Most of all, love yourself! Look in the mirror and say, I love you!  I know it might feel strange at first, but do it anyway.  Experiment with looking in your own eyes and telling yourself how beautiful you are. It gets easier with practice.  Don’t worry about the timing. God has great plans for you!

          And Be careful what you ask for. Now I have 5 dogs.

A dog can be a girl’s best friend.