by drSophera

First I would like to say thank you Catherine for the opportunity offered; allowing me to share my story with all of you.

Who is drSophera? Is she a doctor? No silly…today I’m a Tarot Reading garden artist that likes to write a little; who claims to be “forever a Page walking a Fool’s path.”

I’m just a lady who made new friends in the garden while playing with a deck of 78 pictured cards…when living became confusing and really hard.

Everyone has a story don’t they? This one is mine

“My Ponytail is Purple…the color of change”
by drSophera
ISBN 978-0-05225-0
Available at Lulu
READ Bonnie Cehovet’s review

At the time of this story’s beginnings the only thing that I knew for sure…was that I really knew nothing about how to cope without losing hope – that there must be a reason for the very short season that my oldest son shared with me. I miss him just as much today as yesterday but, I chose to walk thru an open door and now I understand so much more. Today most importantly I know that he is…OK.

A path walked with one foot in the garden and the other willing to move forward creating a tomorrow that I can say…made a positive improvement in the world some way.

Comfort Cottage ~ Tarot in the Garden; where every flower blossoms in its own time.
A picture you can read? Maybe it’s a sign – don’t worry mom we’ll both be just fine

Featured Tarot Deck, the Aquatic Tarot.

An Autobiography in Five Short Chapters
by Portia Nelson

Chapter One

I walk down the street
There’s a deep hole in the sidewalk
I fall in
I’m lost. . . I’m helpless
It isn’t my fault
It takes me forever to find a way out

Chapter 2

I walk down the same street
There’s a deep hole in the sidewalk
I pretend I don’t see it
I fall in again
I can’t believe I’m in the same place
But it isn’t my fault
It still takes me a long time to get out

Chapter 3

I walk down the same street
There’s a deep hole in the sidewalk
I see it there
I still fall in. . . it’s a habit
My eyes are open
I know where I am
It is my fault
I get out immediately

Chapter 4

I walk down the same street
There’s a deep hole in the sidewalk
I walk around it

Chapter 5

I walk down a different street

Portia Nelson (1920 – 2001) was a renaissance woman: author, singer, composer, lyricist, painter, photographer, and actress. Over the years she wrote the music and lyrics for many revues, television specials, and films. Portia authored the much-loved book There’s a Hole in My Sidewalk: The Romance of Self-Discovery, originally published in the 1970′s. There’s a Hole in My Sidewalk was made into a… Inspiration Line

Image courtesy of the Daily Mail.

Recommended Reading:

Inside every adult lurks a graduation speaker dying to get out, some world-weary pundit eager to pontificate on life to young people who’d rather be rollerblading. Most of us, alas, will never be invited to sow our words of wisdom among an audience of caps and gowns, but there’s no reason we can’t entertain ourselves by composing a Guide to Life for Graduates.

I encourage anyone over 26 to try this and thank you for indulging my attempt. Ladies and gentlemen of the class of ’97:

Wear sunscreen!

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proven by scientists, where as the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they’ve faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.

Don’t worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts. Don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don’t waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind. The race is long and, in the end, it’s only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don’t.

Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You’ll miss them when they’re gone.

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll divorce at 40; maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everyone else’s.

Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don’t be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.

Dance. Even if you’ve nowhere to do it but your living room.

Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.

Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they’ll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They’re your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you’ll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you’ll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.

Don’t mess too much with your hair or by the time you’re 40 it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.

But trust me, on the sunscreen.

Wear Sunscreen was written by Chicago Tribune Columnist, Mary Schmich. Intended to be written as a graduation speech that grew on her column, it has been an inspirational piece that has been republished the world over. Written in 1997, it remains as inspirational today as it ever has. Enjoy.

Image courtesy of ermoumag