Being firmly rooted in  Gen X , I can't tell you how surreal it is to read Tweets from the Dalai Lama . Though given what I understand of  Buddhism , his Twitter presence makes perfect sense. Wisdom isn't something to hoard or make accessible to an elite few. Wisdom is to be shared and built upon through democratization. And as good wisdom usually is, one of his latest Tweets is perfect in its simplicity: "The basic foundation of humanity is compassion and love. This is why, if even a few individuals simply try to create mental peace and happiness within themselves and act responsibly and kind-heartedly towards others, they will have a positive influence in their community." -- The Dalai Lama It's the last two words that, to me, resonate the most, "their community." I've admitted often enough to feeling as though I'm screaming into a void, but one reason I stay part-time at the EDJ is not only the supplemental income, but also the feeling ...

It's WIP Wednesday here on Clean! I found this manuscript as I perused my bag of bones. I started the novel for my son, as bedtime story. We got pretty far along into our world of make believe. The book is almost complete, just needs a little spit polish. Hope you enjoy the excerpt! Chapter One Once upon a time―because all important stories begin with the words “once upon a time”―there was a boy named Zach. He went to school and did his homework and played baseball. He liked video games and building castles and occasionally his toy pirates would attack his superhero action figures. These things happen in the life of a normal child and Zach appeared for all intents and purposes to be perfectly normal. But he wasn’t. Every time it rained, Zach would run outside and splash in the puddles. When he came inside wet and splattered with mud his mother would sigh. “Why must you play in every puddle you find?” she would ask. With a shrug and knowing smile, Zach would dry off ...

copyright Cindy Henson Wiggins 2018 Gravel-laced whir of a coffee grinder and footsteps overhead. She is awake. I imagine her messy-haired and half asleep, stretching good morning in her robe. The robe is lavander with small plum blossoms dotted over it’s silken surface. This I know because I’ve seen it when she’s trotted down to retrieve her mail as her coffee brews. I appreciate that she grinds her own beans. I do the same. Any self-respecting coffee lover does. At least, I assume she loves coffee because I know she has it special delivered and yes, she grinds her own beans every morning. So, she must love good coffee. Her light footsteps overhead are comforting as I eat my breakfast. I wonder what she eats, if she eats breakfast. Perhaps she settles in with fresh fruit and yogurt. Maybe it’s eggs and toast, just like me. I can hear the scraping of her chair and the soft creak of aged wood, perhaps rattan. I can’t be sure, but we’ve spent our mornings together so often i...

Writing is lonely business. Whether you write from home or surrounded by like-minded individuals, when it comes down to it, putting word to page is just you and your thoughts trying to make sense of a mad, mad, mad, mad world. To produce articles and novels on the reg requires Herculean amounts of self-discipline and self-motivation. The self-discipline I've got. I've written more in the past couple weeks than most people do their entire lives. Even self-professed "writers". The motivation, well, that's the sticky wicket. Don't get me wrong, I am more than motivated to write. For me, it is a need, not a want. I always love finding out what I've got to say. More often than not, I surprise myself with my turns of phrase. I read my work and think,  Did I write that? Wow!  I'm my biggest fan. You have to be otherwise you have no business writing. The problem comes in when it seems no one else gives a crap about what I have to say. It'...

In the spirt of embracing the words of entrepreneur Tom Bilyeu  in Inc.com article The Simple Way to Find Your Passion,  According to a Founder Who Built a Billion-dollar Brand , "How did I create this situation?", I've decided to accept one of Google's inviolable truths: one cannot place ads on a blog deemed to contain adult content. One can rage against the machine or find solutions. And contrary to popular belief, I do often write articles and novels that do not require an 18+ warning. Those pieces have languished in the dark long enough. Again, a sitution I created myself. Time to separate church and state. I realize this means two blog posts a day, two accounts for every social media platform, and two versions of myself. Or at least showing the world me on my best behavior. Hey, I do have the capacity for restraint...I do! But nothing worth having is every easy to achieve and as I've said before, writing isn't something I do, it's isn't a ho...