Headed in the Right Direction

This is what I did on Monday night instead of writing.  Sometimes I just want a good ole southern meal.  I came home on Monday evening and made fried pork chop, greens (kale) and rice with gravy with onions.  Sometimes, its worth it just to take the time to make a delicious and comforting meal. 

The next night I was able to get in some writing and I am going to do a little tonight.  My sleeping pattern has been a bit precarious for over 10 years.  Sometimes I sleep well and sometimes I don't.  Now, when I wake up in the middle of the night I just work on my manuscript or do a little journaling.  I refuse to take sleep aids so I just trust that my body will adjust itself accordingly.

 

I went to my writing support group last weekend.  I always gather pearls of wisdom from the participants and the leader Gary.  It was my third meeting and I was talking to the group leader and asked him if his name was Ge or Geo and he said...Gary.  I don't know where I got those names from and it is kinda sad that this was my third meeting.  The group is called The Stuck Creative started by GARY.

 

I had been a little frustrated realizing that I may not be able to finish this manuscript by February.  One nugget of wisdom shared by Gary was of course I can go ahead and set a date further out so that I don't drive myself crazy.  Ok...not all that deep.  Believe it or not, I needed someone to tell me that which makes perfect sense.  The second was that maybe I should approach my writing from solving a dilemma each time I sit down instead of measuring my progress from the amount of time spent writing, the number of paragraphs or pages written. 

 

I know that the manuscript will be done when it is done.  As long as I keep chipping away at it I believe that the timing will be perfect and that it will be the right time. 

 

Lately, I've been motivated by this India.Arie song  "Headed in the Right Direction"

(chorus only)

Headed in the right direction
I can see the light of day
I've got love as my connection
There's an angel showing me the way

Headed in the right direction
I can see the light of day
I've got love as my protection
There's no need for me to be afraid

Headed in the right direction
I can see the light of day
I've got faith and intuition telling me that I will be okay

Headed in the right direction
I can see the light of day
Now I've found my pearl of wisdom
There's no need for me to be afraid

Headed in the right direction
There's an angel showing me the way
I have found my inspiration
Headed in the right direction

Back to Blogging Again!

Yes, I'm back. 

 

I've been struggling about whether or not to start blogging again.  It's hard for me to put stuff out into the blogosphere and thus the world without first wanting it to be a finely crafted publishable piece that I've edited a kabillion times.  In that sense - I think I've missed the point of blogging.  It's perfectly A-OK to use it for stream of consciousness.

 

But this time around, I am using my blog to support a larger piece of creative work that I began over 10 years ago - a manuscript.  I need a place to document this process of finishing this manuscript.  Also, I know that there are many a people out there in the world trying to get their creative and/or lifework done.  Maybe this can serve as inspiration to those trying to GET IT DONE in spite of all of the wonderfully and not-so-wonderfully distracting things going on both internally and externally in our lives.

 

I spent a full 30 minutes thinking about whether or not to start a new blog but then I was starting to fall down a very dark hole of what blog host site to use, the name of the site, colors, photos and on and on and on some more.  I decided to climb out of that hole and use what I already have.  Besides, this blog has been a part of my writing life.  And...I like the name breakfastatkaren's.

 

Until next time- Peace, Blessings and All Good Things!

A New Year and a Goodbye :(

Happy New Year! 

As I have spent the last few months ushering in many new things such as a new job, a new place to live, a new city and a whole new way of life - I've discovered that it was time to let some things go.  It is time for me to say goodbye to Breakfast at Karen's.  I just have too much going on to maintain the blog in the manner that I would like.  I will continue to write at my own pace and pursue opportunities to share my work.  I may even blog again in the future but probably not in the near future.  :)

It's a new year and four beautiful seasons begin.  Isn't that a beautiful thought?  I stole it from an unopened set of New Year's cards (by American Greetings) that I discovered while unpacking.  Thanks for reading and Happy New Year!!!

Wishing you peace, love, blessings and all good things!  Karen

Lost in a book

I’ve rediscovered my love of reading.  Once again, I feel like that little kid sitting on the floor of her pink bedroom.   My long and sometimes ashy brown legs would be stretched way out against the light green carpet.   I was lost in a book.

I remember this intensely pleasurable reading taking place during the summer of my childhood.  My mother, a school teacher, would be home with us during the long summer months.  As soon as we mentioned that we were bored, Ma would say Bored?  Ok.  Go get your things.  We’re going to the library.  Her tone suggested that we were in some sort of trouble.  I loved to read so I was always a little confused by this parental display.  She piled her 3 kids into the back of the green Chevy Nova and off we went. 

The authors of my childhood were Beverly Cleary, Maya Angelou and Judy Blume.  Not too long after that I discovered James Baldwin.  I don’t remember my mother scrutinizing my stack of books which is why I could slip in James Baldwin at a fairly young age.  At that time children were really children.  This was before cable and the only source of corruption was the Brady Bunch, Threes Company and Fat Albert.  Even if my mother saw me reading James Baldwin she probably thought I was trying to learn about my black history.   

Somewhere along the way I lost my love of reading.  It probably started with all of the volumes of required reading for college and graduate school.  This was followed by jobs that required more reading.  When I got home in the evenings, the last thing I wanted to do was deal with more words.   But I kept reading anyway.  There were moments that I enjoyed but it felt a lot like laundry.  The main difference is that I could remember a time when I loved reading and that memory buoyed me along from book to book. 

It made no sense for me to approach a book like a kid trying to get through a plate full of peas. So I stopped trying.  I would read what I wanted and when I wanted.  I would read an article here and a blog there.  Sometimes I would read parts of books with no goal of completion.  This went on for a few years. 

Last May, I was with my walking buddy Arlene and we decided to visit a new library we noticed passed on our way to Arabia Mountain.  We casually walked around the library marveling at the architecture.  Eventually we got to the books to check out their selection.  Suddenly I had this urge to read which took me by surprise.   I ended up choosing Jonah’s Gourd Vine by Zorah Neale Hurston which was first published in 1934.  I loved the wonderfully flawed main character of preacher John Pearson.  The dialect was challenging and delightful.

I then turned to my own bookshelf for the next selection, Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin.   I savored every word.  When I finished the last chapter, I declared once again that Baldwin is the best.  Now, I’m reading Anne Lamott’s book – Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life.  She has some very practical suggestions that I find quite helpful.  I’m amused by her use of lavish sarcasm.

I continue to read as I can.  I take my time.   I lay across my bed with only a night lamp on and sometimes I burn a candle.  And the sensation is the same as it was a long, long time ago.   

Rediscovering Reading at the Stonecrest Library, Lithonia, GA

Back to blogging :)

Here I am.  I thought it was time that I get back to blogging.  I’ve missed it.  I stopped blogging because it began to feel like another thing I had to do and that’s never good.   A lot of my creative energy had been depleted by an overwhelming and stressful work environment.   That has been resolved.   I found the courage to resolve it.  I’ll be blogging about that in the future.  Maybe my experiences and revelations can help someone else.    I then spent the next several months reclaiming my soul and enjoying life. I’m looking forward to sharing my adventures over the next few weeks and months.   I’m excited about the Fall, my favorite season, and closing out the last quarter of the year. Cheers!

Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile. - William Cullen Bryant

Reclaiming my soul - May 2012, Tybee Island, GA. 

Where did I go?

I hate when I'm following a blog faithfully and suddenly the blogger disappears.  What happened?  Where did they go?  In an effort to not be one of those persons...lol...I wanted to at least let readers know that I am alive and well.

However, I am in the process of starting a new blog which means that I will no longer post on this site.  The new blog will be about life experiences, health and wellness.   The tone and theme of this new blog will be similiar to Know Thy Neighbors, Sunday Get Away, To Die All Alone, Sunday Mornings, and Daddy's Ambrosia.   In other words, it will be similar to Breakfastatkarens minus the recipes.

Thanks for reading and see you soon!

The Waffle House and Friends

Yesterday I did one of my most favorite things in the whole wide world.  I had breakfast with a friend.  I do this often.  I'm sure that some would think that this could get to be quite expensive.  But my ready reply is that it is much cheaper than a therapist or prozac.  Having these heart-to-heart sessions a few times a month with a sane female friend is good for the soul. 

We were trying to decide where to go for breakfast.  Usually, I like to try someplace new, unique or special.  If not, I will settle for one of my tried and true breakfast spots.  My friend Karen often allows me to pick the restaurant.  After tossing  a few ideas back and forth over email, Karen said we can always go to Waffle House.  When I saw the name Waffle House on my laptop screen, I must say that I was a little surprised.  You can find a Waffle House on just about every other street in metro Atlanta.   In a knee-jerk reaction, I started to rapidly reply with another suggestion.  However, I paused for a moment.  Let me think about this.

There was a time when I was very familiar with Waffle House back in the 90's when I was still twenty-something.  Waffle House was what I, and my friends, could afford at that time.  I'm not sure if I even had an awareness of any other breakfast joint.  Way back then, I remember being in Waffle House with another friend Joyce.  It was either at the end of the year or the start of a new year.  I recall Joyce saying to me Hey Kurrrrn... And she said Kurrrn instead of Karen because that is how many a black folk born and raised in the D.C. and Baltimore area or urrrea say Karen.  So Joyce said, Hey Kurrrn, let's make a New Year's resolution.  We ain't eating at no more places where our feet stick to the floor and the servers are missing teeth!  She said this while looking around Waffle House with contempt and suspicion - as if the two naturally went together.  At that point I stopped eating at the Waffle House for many years and have been back less than 5 times.

But after I got over that memory and myself and then climbed down from my high, high horse; I decided there wasn't anything wrong with going to the Waffle House for breakfast.

I initially tried to order a waffle, eggs and meat and coffee.  However, the waitress said that it was cheaper to get the All Star Breakfast which included much more and coffee for about $6.49 (not including tax).  There are various combinations of All Star specials but here's what I had:

As it is my duty, I must point out the real stars of this All Star Breakfast -the grits and the pecan waffles.  These are not gourmet grits nor are they the best grits I've had in my life.  However, I consider these to be pretty good grits.  The pecan waffle was cooked well and arrived warm and full of pecans.  At times, there were almost too many pecans for my liking.  I guess Waffle House is not affected by the soaring price of pecans.  Nevertheless, this was a tasty waffle.  Everything else was decent.  I didn't try the wheat toast as this was already a lot of food to consume. 

The service was good in terms of friendliness and getting our orders correct the first time around.  The coffee was hot and flowing which I attribute to good customer service.   One important area of customer service that was neglected was that the syrup bottle was brought to our table with syrup running down the sides.  It was dripping so much that we placed a napkin underneath it.  Karen and I looked at each other like....eeeuuuuuuwwwwww!  Karen said something like Well, we are at the Waffle House!  We shrugged and kept on eating.