Author: Francesca Filanc

  • NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS!

    NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS!

    Do you have your New Year’s Resolutions picked out yet?” my mother questioned two weeks ago in the middle of the hustle-bustle while trying to get myself organized for Christmas.

    To be honest with you, there have been years as an adult when I have totally rebelled. In all the years of my writing down resolutions, I don’t think I ever accomplished what I wrote down. Even if I did, such as losing 10 or 20 lbs., by the time the holidays rolled around again, the weight was back on due to overindulgence and it would be my first resolution all over again – the pattern repeated itself.

    My sister and I wrote resolutions from the time we could write and I vaguely remember dictating them to my mother before that time. Basically, our mother is and was super into them.

    As human beings, I do think we like the idea of “do-overs” and the New Year makes for a perfect opportunity to start anew.  Wipe the slate clean, become perfect . . . NOT!

    I was at the zoo today with part of my family. (I have very young grandchildren of varying ages and I was with the oldest who is almost 5 years old).

    Monkey at the Zoo
    World Famous San Diego Zoo

    At the zoo, I contemplated on how all  animals struggle to survive.  As human beings, we are really the same except that we have the biggest brain. So, we expect more of ourselves than just merely surviving and raising our young. We are supposed to grow and improve in some way with each passing year until we end up like little children again – which isn’t bad because in essence, they are the smartest of all humans! The little ones are constantly growing, changing, striving, and at the same time – living in the moment.

    After the zoo we went to a park for her to play with other children. Observe young children playing together. They get excited to be sliding down the slides and running after one another, around and around, smiling and laughing, playing together but separate. They don’t have the need yet to learn one another’s names. Each child is simply in her bliss – giggling and laughing in the moment!

    Here’s to living in the moment!

    Bye for now,

    Francesca

  • WE ARE ALL ARTISTS

    WE ARE ALL ARTISTS

    Rebecca Woolf

    Now that Christmas and Chanukah have come and gone we can get back to our everyday lives.  The holiday season gives an artist, such as myself; time to reflect on what to write about in my very first blog.

    I decided to comment on a fellow blogger’s assessment that we are all artists in one form or another.

    This fellow blogger that I am referring to is actually my niece, Rebecca Woolf, who is the author of a top-selling book entitled: “Rockabye – From Wild To Child” and she was also recently named the top mom blogger for 2011 by: Babble

    Becca, as I call her, is insightful, beautiful, and intelligent and I am not biased simply because she is my niece.  You’ll have to see for yourself!

    In one of her recent blog postings on her site: Girl’s Gone Child she made the statement that we are all artists and I happen to agree with her.

    The artist’s personality needs to be actively creating – with their hands in the paint as it is in my case.  When an artist is not actively producing, the emotion goes negative.

    The way for an artist to stay balanced in life is to do the very thing that makes them artistic; whatever that may be!!!  Whether it is writing, acting, painting, producing, surfing, building, designing a skyscraper or making an incredible meal – the artist needs to remain true to their artist nature!

    Personally, the act of painting brings me great joy!

    This is my first blog post and I am so happy to be writing to all of you!

    “Ripping Lips” as they say in fly fishing.

    Bye for now,

    Francesca