Darlyn's Events, Scribblers Sharing Info

Mirror, Mirror

Folks at the Authors Showcase 2017 asked for this poem. Here you go:

Mirror mirror sculpture by Cheryl Bogdonovich

sculpture by Cheryl Bogdanowitsch

Mirror, Mirror

Part 1

 

The girl in the mirror

had big brown eyes

and white-gold hair

and I liked her smile

and I liked her song

and I liked her two feet dancing

so I

kissed her there in the mirror

kissed her right on the lips

kissed her fogging and smudging the mirror

but I didn’t care because

she was beautiful

and that was when

Mama walked in and something in her face

told me I was bad

and that was when she spat

“You are so conceited!”

and I didn’t know what conceited meant

but I knew that it was wrong

and so was I

and so was the laughing girl in the mirror

so I

learned to only look at her

sideways, in small pieces

an eye,

a lip,

her hair,

because that was the opposite of conceited

so then I was modest

and then I was humble

and Mama wasn’t mad anymore.

 

 

Part 2

 

Forty years later,

as I crossed

from one room to another

I saw in the mirror in the hall

something that struck me

as, well, sort of lovely

so I stopped and looked more closely

and it was the shape of the foot in the shoe

of a girl who is almost fifty

then I looked at her other foot in the other shoe

and it was lovely, too

so I noticed her shapely legs

and the curve of her hip

where the dress fell just so

and the cut of the bodice

flattered her small breasts

so I glanced at her neck

where the honey-colored hair

made a tender frame

for her face

oh, her face

should I, could I

look at her face?

and then I did. I

did. I

looked at her face

and it was the little girl

only older

and I loved the lines around her eyes

and I loved the tear that balanced there

and then spilled over

and I loved her cheek as the tears ran down

and I loved her whole face

so I leaned in close and I kissed her there in the mirror

kissed her right on the lips

kissed her, fogging and smudging the mirror.

Celebrations, What's Happening

Oola Rolls into Jacksonville

oola

 

Oola is coming to Jacksonville! The Oola guys, authors and entrepreneurs, Troy Amdahl and Dave Braun are rolling into town in their ‘70’s VW Surfbus with the aim of collecting 1 million dreams across the country. They’re at Barnes & Noble – St. Johns Town Center at 8:30 p.m. signing their newest book, OOLA: Find Balance in an Unbalanced World and collecting people dreams – even yours.

Want to know what Oola is? Watch the video.

Here’s what they want you to know:

What started out in 1997 as a small group of buddies meeting once a year at the Hard Rock in Vegas to set goals for the future has now become Oola, a nationwide phenomenon and a dynamic movement.

What is Oola? Its origins come from the expression ‘oh-la la!’ and is a “state of awesomeness.”

Co-authors Troy Amdahl (OolaGuru) and Dave Braun (OolaSeeker), renowned experts in a proper work-life balance, have been traveling the highways and cities of America in their 1970 VW surf bus covered with colorful Oola stickers placed there by people who are putting their dreams into action and ready to live the OolaLife. It’s a powerful, yet simple message that has captured almost one million Oola fans on social media.

Their new book, OOLA FIND BALANCE IN AN UNBALANCED WORLD: The Seven Areas you need to BALANCE and GROW to Live the LIFE OF YOUR DREAMS (HCI; October 17, 2017) has received glowing reviews from top authors, pro athletes, musicians, industry leaders, and Olympians.

Oola is not your typical self-help book. It’s when your life is balanced and growing in the 7 key areas of life – Fitness, Finance, Family, Field (career), Faith, Friends, and Fun.

Oola is a collection of kick-ass anecdotes and sincere stories that just happen to have meaningful messages.

Here are 7 important reasons to read this book?

1. Learn the three simple steps to balance and grow your life in an unbalanced world.

  1. Uncover what blocks you from the life of your dreams and what can get you there faster.
  2. Find out what you can learn from a drunken Thai monkey, a black Ninja, and zebra-striped underwear.
  3. Why no matter what you have done or have failed to do, you deserve a better life.
  4. Become inspired to take the steps, reach your milestones, and achieve your OolaLife.
  5. Discover the 7 key areas of life you must balance and grow.
  6. Unlock the secrets to taking your life to the next level.

Troy Amdahl (Phoenix, Arizona) is a native of Rochester, Minnesota and co-author with Dave Braun of the international bestselling book Oola: Find Balance in an Unbalanced World. The OolaGuru graduated cum laude from Northwestern Health Sciences University, then became a devoted husband and father, and a successful businessman who traveled the world, retired debt-free at 42, and was an Ironman triathlete. Once a year, he and a group of friends―including Dave, the OolaSeeker who sought him out as a mentor―would meet to set goals and find balance and growth in the key areas of life―the synthesis of which became the philosophy and movement that is Oola.

Dave Braun (Salt Lake City, Utah) is a native of Napoleon, North Dakota and co-author with Troy Amdahl of the international bestselling book Oola: Find Balance in an Unbalanced World. Dave found material success at a young age while under the mentorship of Troy who taught him how to live the Oola principles of balance, but eventually drifted from them and found himself bankrupt, divorced, disconnected, and living in a motel. At rock bottom, he sought out Troy, the OolaGuru, knowing he needed help to get his Oola back. The OolaSeeker vowed that if this worked, he would share Oola with the world. It did, and today, he and Troy travel the country in a 1970 VW surf bus, speaking to groups, collecting dreams, and helping people find balance, purpose, and growth through the 7 F’s of Oola.