What a day!  Living the life and sharing it in so many ways. First, Feliz Valentin!  A day for love.  Today I bought 6 beautiful red roses and 2 very special white roses.  The red roses I gave to friends who share my life here in Bucerias.  One each for my special Mexican friends who work such long days in the market – some of them 7 days a week, while the others work 6!  Beautiful red roses set in plastic cups, half filled with water and stones from the street to weigh them down.  Beautiful flowers for beautiful people. 

And then….

Two white roses in memory of a special lady… a woman I never met.  And yet last year on Valentines Day I went to her sons´ restaurant to order a piece of cheesecake.  It was cheesecake to die for… so wonderful and I had had it only once before.  It was a Valentines Day where I felt lonely…alone in this beautiful country, and watching so many couples sharing a special evening.  The cheesecake was my loving treat for me.

Imagine my surprise when I was told by the owner the cheesecake was a gift from his mother; that she wanted me to have this, it was her gift to me.  The cheesecake was accompanied by a vibrant red rose, which brought tears to my eyes… this kindness from strangers was totally unexpected.

In October when I returned to Bucerias the full story unfolded on a return visit to the special restaurant. Reminding the owner of the wonderful thing they had done for me on Valentine´s led to his sharing an amazing story. 

He said,  “You did not know what happened that day.  My mother died on Valentine´s… in the afternoon.  When you came that night and asked for Sheila´s cheesecake it was as if she had sent us a sign that she was okay – her way of letting us know. ”    These were the last cheesecakes Sheila would prepare.

What an incredible gift…. his sharing of his story.  These are a sensitive spiritual people. I share that belief and that spirit. To have been a part of something meaningful to them was truly a gift.

 Today I returned.  In my hand were two white roses.   ¨”Es para ti madre.  ti recordada”  These were my words to him.  “These are for your mother.  She is remembered.¨  Thought my words were simple and perhaps not perfect Spanish, they were sensitive and spiritual.

How amazing what brings people of different cultures, different countries together.  Each of us has heart… each of us needs love…let us give WHAT we can, WHEN we can….

Today I felt this and more…

Feliz Valentin!

Hola!  Back home in Bucerias? But how can that be; I am Canadian!Eight years ago I discovered I love Mexico. In fact as I drove through the country side in a bus from the airport to the hotel that time I felt like I had come home.  This place with it’s warmth, the sun, its friendly people, yes even with its simple houses, worn cobblestone streets, dirt paths had captured my heart.

Why I am here? All of the above and more. Here I am me…. alive, energetic, outgoing and wanting to be involved in the community. I can walk for miles each day, talk to many smiling people also out on the roads, and I can give back which only makes me feel happier. My goals are these:

1. to live as a part of the community, not a tourist. \
2. to live in a more healthy way creating a body that is fit and healthy
3. to improve my Spanish
4. to have fun
5. and to make a difference.

I, Linda am a powerful passionate fun loving woman, and here in Mexico that defines me.  I am all of these and more.

There is so much to choose from in the next few weeks that I am here.  So many people to get to know, to share with. So many things to do.  And as I make this journey back to me, I will share my days in my blog. 

come visit when you can…. I will be here waiting for you with stories to tell and new insights into living your passion.

I have been lost… away from my blog and my resolution to write regularly.  And so today I return.  Life has been so full this past week – new experiences, new people, new weather and most importantly a return to the me who is energetic, busy and vibrant!  Yes, I am back in Bucerias, Mexico. 

I arrived last Saturday evening, after a long day of waiting  and flying, but ever so ready to get out and see the people who are part of my life down here.  Arriving at 6, I had my clothes unpacked and was at the plaza by 7:30. The  FIESTA had begun in town. 

Everywhere loud bands competed with one another playing a mere 40 feet apart; people vied for space on the sidewalks and rows of booths lined each side of the street. 

Do you love cut up weiners and fries ; they could be found everywhere . If that wasn’t to your liking you  deep fried bananas, glasses of strawberries, or corn on the cob with a choice of squeezed lime, sour cream, or hot sauce were readily available.  And wow!  Every 4th or 5th stall sold any type of booze you could imagine.. .. margaritas, pina colodas, you name it, they had it!  I’ve never seen such well stocked bars – especially in  fair stalls that usually offer games of chance and greasy burgers. 

But of course they had those as well. For a dollar you could throw 4 or 5 darts at a board and break a balloon.. I never did figure that one out!  Someone would pop 3 balloons and still go away empty handed… or worse yet, bring out more money and throw again!!! Never did see any prizes being handed out or anyone carrying them either.  They were behind the counters though. 

Possibly more inviting was to throw the darts and win a beer…or 2 darts and 2 beer or 3 darts… and  get a six pack!  Where else can you win beer at the fair and drink it right there.  I think the ones who really won were those who went into the corner tienda (store) and bought a can to go. It cost them less, but maybe it wasn’t as much fun!  

So fiesta lasted for 9 days….every day filled with non stop music, dancing, families out together, and rides.    I RODE the bumper cars for my first time ever! I’ve never laughed so hard in my life and never did get the hang of it either.   I couldn’t work the gas and the steering wheel at the same time – perhaps  laughter was getting in the way.  Meanwhile, I just kept shooting straight backwards and running into a wall while everyone else spent their time charging one another!

I rode the ferris wheel too… my first time in 30 years.  Was interesting to see the guy pushing it to get it going…  i wondered if it could be the same one we rode in Lac La Biche as kids.   There were rides aplenty, and they certainly reminded me of ones from 30 years ago… whoops.. make that FOURTY years ago… can you believe it??

 Thursday was the biggest day of the celebration.  12 boats arrived reinacting the arrival of the church’s Patron Saint… Santa Maria de le Paz.  The boats were blessed,  and that night a huge tower was erected.  Like a hopscotch pattern they attached 4 designs of animals to the middle of the tower… each one higher than the next.  There was a bull at the bottom, a dove with a branch next, an emu next and at the very top a crab.  In between the single animals they put two side-by-side designs… 2 pin wheels, 2 figure eights.. different things.  Then using fuses, they lit each level individually.  We watched as first the pinwheels spun, throwing off white sparks, the colors of the design changing as they burned based on the chemicals that were used in the making.  One by one they lit each row… after the previous one died.  It was wonderful to watch.  At the top just before the crab were the words Virgin de la Paz and they also had their turn to be lit up and burn…. beautiful bright colors and white sparks once again filling the air. When it was over… the people turned back to their families and the party began again…. 12:30 am and they were no where near finished celebrating….

 How lucky I am to have been part of it….,.

Haste pronto….. see you soon…

until next time…

Helllloooooo out there???  I think there must be someone, because I’ve had two requests to moderate responses to my blog, but when I go to look there is nothing there….

It’s time to step up this learning curve… Please… Does anyone ever say, Hey, I was here!….. or write a comment on a blog…  

Perhaps I need to ask questions.   Maybe I should be controversial.  Surely we don’t just write for our self

Ahhh maybe that’s the secret.  I started out writing this for myself, but I’m not going to learn that way!  So please, if you have a spare moment will you say hi?   Write a little note? 

Or better yet,  Tell me what to do so people know when I update my blog?  I’d love to learn how to do that.  Your help, encouragement, interaction will ALWAYS be appreciated

Have an awesome day….

the Mariposa

Well folks…my blogging career got off to a bad start tonight.  I attempted to share Ryan Caldwell’s great article and carefully put in his link as well as david lind’s so you would know where the article came from.  But in doing so, I also copied a whole page from David’s site and had NO idea how to delete it!

PANIC set in!  I suddenly thought, what if copying even with a link is illegal?  I’m only on day three of blogging and I’ve already screwed up big time.

So… HERE ARE MY GOALS for 2008.

1.  to write at least five days a week

2. to create my own list of blogs that I read and really enjoy on an ongoing basis

3. to create my own network of bloggers that i can learn from as well as bloggers who are rookies and are willing to share the experience

4. to start determining a niche area for myself within six months, while exploring a variety of topics at the beginning.

5. to learn more about what various blogging sites have to offer, how they are different and how they are similar and then determine which site is the best for me, or if I want more than one blog.

6. I will learn to use more effective tags and categories, and learn to evaluate stats in the first month, so that I can maximize the potential of my blog.

I am sure there is so much more to do, learn and experience. 

Goal 6.  to update my goals and evaluate my progress monthly.  This learning curve is steep and I’m ready to take on the challenge!

All the best in blogging… 

Three Ways To Engineer Good Content

david lind in “A Public Diary” shared the following article written by Ryan Caldwell on performancing.com.   For a new blogger, the article is extremely helpful.  I wanted to both save it  and share it with other new bloggers. Thanks to  these guys for sharing it.*  http://davidsaidit.wordpress.com/good-advice-from-ryan-caldwell/#comment-16

Submitted by Ryan Caldwell on August 3, 2007 – 6:07pm in

• blog ideas
• Content
• Writing

Most new bloggers just take stabs in the dark. A new blogger knows her topic, and may even have a vague notion of keyword stuffing and pronoun removal.

But most new bloggers don’t know how to engineer good content. That’s why I’m writing this article. Because you can’t be a problogger until you know how to engineer good content.

Strategy 1: Reverse Engineer Search Logs

You probably already love stats. And even if you’ve just been stabbing in the dark with your blog writing, you probably have gotten some search results (out of billions of searches, Google is bound to send a few lost souls to your site…especially if you have an accidental phrase or two from one of your poems that goes something like “the freshly cut wood was supple, soft like the newborn skin of a naked child.” Ok. So you probably won’t want to reverse-engineer any searches that come into your logs on these phrases. Nonetheless, eventually you’ll find that Google has paired your blog’s pages with at least a few of billions of searches. Some of those are bound to be relevant to your site, we hope.

Your search logs are a gold mine. They tell you what people are looking for. And since you most probably maintain a blog with the intention of growing an audience, your search logs give you a priceless view of what your audience wants. Your task is to feed your audience what they want.

Let’s say that you’ve written an article on “Red Apples Grown in Oregon” but in the article, you’ve included the phrase “green apple orchards” and a few sentences later “green apples are primarily grown in Seattle Washington” – a few weeks after publishing this article, you notice that twenty visitors have come to your site on variations of the phrase “green apple orchards in Washington D.C.” – now you know that there are people looking for information on green apple orchards in Washington D.C. Google was sending these visitors to your site by mistake. Your task is to make sure the next time *is not* by mistake.

Spend at least twenty minutes each day analyzing your search logs for new and exciting topics that you hadn’t even dreamed of. Your search results allow you to reverse engineer the thoughts of your target audience.

Strategy 2: The Generic Drug Model: Re-engineer other people’s success

Take three successful blogs, two days monitoring the Digg/Reddit front pages, and call me in the morning. Seriously though, you just need to pay attention to what works and you’ll start to identify patterns. You’ll notice that bullet points fit nicely with human psychology… that numbered, how-to guides titillate the average online reader … that people like the number seven better than the number six and the number 10 better than the number nine … that people like strong opinions and believable controversy …

Got the point? Just start paying attention. That’s the key. Read the premier blogs and look at their headlines. 4-7 words tend to be ideal, unless you’ve just got to get the eighth to seal the deal. Notice that some of the best blogs post article series, keeping their readers attention for weeks on end and giving them something to look forward to.

Strategy 3: The “Duplicate Your Own Success” Model

Sooner or later, if you’re intentional about writing good content and creating linkbait, you’ll find success. Much of the time, you’ll also discover failure. Don’t let failure discourage you. Rather, focus on what works and don’t be afraid to try variations on a successful theme.

As you blog, you’ll discover your strengths and your weaknesses. Capitalize on your success by finding your voice and sticking to it. Did you land a front page Digg? Could you write the same basic article on a completely different topic? Then do it. Yesterday.

The important thing here is to not run away from you own success. There’s a temptation to feel like you’ve always got to do something new and original. Most of the great things in life are variations on pre-existing themes. There’s nothing wrong with sticking with what works.

Summary

So what’s the main theme of this article? Here it is in one sentence: First, discover what people want, respond to, and get excited by and then give it to them.

Don’t fall for the illusion of self-projection. Most of the world is dumber than you, and most of the world has different tastes. Give them what they want, not what you want. Then, as they say, you’re golden.

http://performancing.com/three-ways-to-engineer-good-content

Christmas recognizes the ultimate gift – as small, unassuming and innocent as any gift could be – a child who would become the living example of what we could strive to be. Ultimate because not only was his birth a gift to us, but his death was as well. Imagine sacrificing your child or your life to show the world what grace and love really are.

Do you see the opportunities to give that are around you every day.  At Christmas we give to Santa’s Anonymous knowing the somewhere a child, a family, a senior will experience some of the joy of Christmas because of our gift.  Perhaps we donate to other charities or give throughout the year.

The other day I heard of a Tim Horton’s where one vehicle after another paid for the coffee of the person in the vehicle behind them… In Roger Hallers’ Creating New Christmas traditions he talks of the impact he had on at least 3 people by paying for the next person’s order – a $10.20 order.  http://www.helium.com/tm/754705/years-followed-christmas-tradition

Someone told me the other day of a missed opportunity. He was standing in line at the grocery store.  Ahead of him at the till was a mom with three small children. When it came time to pay, apparently the woman did not have the cash or credit to cover the entire bill and she sifted through her purchases to look for something to take out. Eventually a small block of cheese was removed and the woman received a few coins as change.  Watching this unfold, my friend found he did not think quickly enough.  He was left wishing he had just pulled out the five dollars needed and said “Here, Merry Christmas.” 

Am I prepared to give at a moment’s notice when opportunity arises?  Is this something I only do at Christmas, or is it the way I live my life? 

Feeling gratitude is a normal part of my life.  Hopefully giving is as well. 

I’m evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they’re letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog.

It covers:

• The best blogging techniques.
• How to get traffic to your blog.
• How to turn your blog into money.

I’ll let you know what I think once I’ve had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it’s still free.

Love fun a capella music? (music with just voices as accompaniment?) Check out this link on Inflow Services webblog.  Thanks DJ

http://inflowservices.com/weblog/2007/12/20/fun-with-music/

Mariposa has begun her journey!  I will travel the world of blogging taking my weblog with me whereever I go and in whatever I do. These days I’m doing Christmas! HOW do you DO Christmas???

This morning my significant other said, If I could do it my way, I’d skip from November straight to January.  In fact, put me on a bus and send me away till Christmas is over! That way you can all enjoy Christmas!”

How sad!  There is so much in life to be thankful for and at Christmas we have the opportunity to consciously experience a season of giving.   Those who feel gratitude give back to others frequently and from the heart.  The amazing result is that it comes back 10 fold.

Christmas is a time to focus on what we can offer others using our unique gifts, talents, or thoughtful actions,  not because we HAVE TO,  but because we want to.

Take a moment and breathe in the fresh winter air, feel it fill your spirit, look at the beauty around…. and then give that beauty away in a smile, a kind word, a simple gift.

It’s Christmas time…