Dusting Off The Crown

What a month I have had. My health has once again been at rock bottom. With the massively bad UTI I had the doc put me on medications that did the job to get rid of it, however it got rid of everything good in my system. I shall not get graphic, but basically my G.I. system is all screwy. I have been in pain for a month now. My entire body aches from the fibro, but the pain in my middle section has kept me up all night and down on the couch all day. I am missing my walks as I fear leaving the apartment for various and obvious reasons. I have lost all my motivation for much of anything as it is simply too uncomfortable. 

You may ask why am I sharing this. One very important reason I assure you. When one hurts all the time it really starts to attack how you feel on every level, and as you may know if you have followed my journey since the beginning of this blog, well you know I have struggled with self worth, self esteem and self happiness. There was some very dark times, deep, deep lows. It has indeed been so much better over the last year, and I have not slid backwards that far, merely hit a speed bump instead that I am having an issue getting over. Time to dust off the crown. The best way I know to do that is to pull out one of my favorite books....Queen Of Your Own Life , a book by one of my followers/fans(I was hers first)as well as an outstanding actress comedian. Cindy Ratzlaff and Kathy Kinney. You may not know of Cindy, but she is a true gem and a Queen among Queens, a publisher and a serious mover and shaker in the social networking world and Kathy, well she is best known for playing Mimi on The Drew Carey Show, though she also has many more accomplishments on her resume. 

A while back I discovered their wonderful book aimed at women 40 and over(though women of all ages can learn and benefit)and simply had to buy it when I saw the cover...

via

...below the main title when I read "The Grown-Up Woman's Guide To Claiming Happiness And Getting The Life You Deserve" , I knew it was a book I simply must read. The book is an easy read and recounts the journey of the two authors journey on the road to accomplish exactly what the title and description of the book says on the front cover. Cindy and Kathy were not just writing a self help book for others without experience of needing help to find their inner queen, they wrote it because they had a desire to find it themselves and to wear it proudly for all to see. 

Not only did they go on this journey throughout the pages of the book, but they also put out a web site,newsletters as well as  YouTube Videos. They met with other future Queens and post regular blogs and Facebook/Twitter posts to further empower all the new emerging "Queens" and to continue their own journey that just like mine has, needs a boost from time to time to keep me going and to stop back sliding. In their blog they are honest with their feelings and emotions and each post on some level is something one can relate to and makes you see things, see oneself in a new light. The first time I read the book it inspired my wrist tattoo...a Napoleon bee in a beautiful decorative oval topped with a crown, not unlike the one below, and I had the word "Believe" written below it...all based on something they had used in a newsletter. 

In the first chapter of the book it all starts with Kathy's hot feet....you will have to buy the book to see what I mean. Then it moves on with the loose definition of a crone. Quite the combo and leaping off point for a journey of self discovery isn't it?! Today as I was standing in my Pjs. Hair not brushed, eager to get back to my couch and heating pad and watch silent movies all day, I instead remembered that I had decided to revisit the book and share with you, my readers. So I got up, fixed a hot cup of tea, and grabbed my glasses and the book and set to work to reading. I was reading all my way through the introduction, then the first chapter and giggling at the memory of my normally icy feet getting very hot last night and kicking the socks and blankets off and then moving on to chapter two, the chapter about beauty. 

I know I had shared this chapter before, not so long ago, and promoted this wonderful book...so will not go over it too much. I wanted to share the proclamation however, something Cindy had told me was the best jumping off point for a discussion blog. To share it, and discuss my feelings on how I have implemented it in my life. So here it goes....

ROYAL PROCLAMATION

I am Queen of My Own Life and I shall

confront the damn talking mirror 

every day. It will have no power over me.

Every time I look into it, I will see myself 

as the beautiful, intelligent, valuable 

woman that I am. So says the Queen.

*Claim Your Beauty And

Feel Your Power

...or...

How to Banish Your Inner Crone ...ch.2

 This truly rang true, for some of the reasons I listed when I began this post, that damn mirror was really talking some smack to me over the last month and I was letting it control how I felt on every level. So, as the month of love gets going I am going to work very hard on loving myself. I am not following the book this time to find happiness...I am doing a pretty good job on my own now, but self acceptance is something I need more work on. How about you? Does your crown need a bit of dusting off? I hope you will join me every week, sometimes on a Monday, and at times if I actually have something else to share, a Friday as I go through this wonderful book. Next week ....Clean Your Mental Closet And Find Your Queen Voice...or...Battling the Mongol Horde. Curious?? I urge you to buy the book and take the journey with me!

So says the Queen *giggle*