Me, Marsha Marie

Hello Dear Ones, This week I'm so excited to announce that my website has a fresh new look as of today. Out with the old, and in with some new! I love it so much that I just had to share it with everyone. I hope you enjoy it, too.   New MarshaMarie.com here. Have a wonderful and productive week.

Hi VIP Friends, This week I have added a new page to the website ( http://www.marshamarie.com/my-codex-vitae--my-book-of-life--.html ), the Codex Vitae. Now some may wonder what that is. Well, the Codex Vitae is a self-development framework. It goes like this: The rule is quite simple. Write down your beliefs. Make it a daily, weekly, monthly, yearly habit. Soon, your life will be more aligned with your worldview (a.k.a belief). Thus, you will be happier. I decided to take on this challenge and it was really interesting to sit and think about what I honestly believe about my life and the world around me. (I would challenge everyone to this activity; you might just learn something about yourself, too.)             My beliefs about…. Me: Commercials work on me. Always have. Always will. I am a work-a-holic, and proud of it. I have too many questions in life. I am too plump. Chocolate cupcakes are my kryptonite....

. Hi Friends,   Labor Day weekend is here and I am sure everyone has some plans to go out and do some travelling. And, since travelling is usually paired-up with going out to eat, I decided to share one my favorite restaurant memories. Here is an excerpt from Legally Blonde in UAE .        *****************   When travelling the world, nothing makes you feel more at home, than to visit food chains that come straight from your hometown. I remember the time I drove 8 hours in Pakistan from Islamabad to Karachi just to visit McDonalds—I just had to have a big mac. Then one time in UAE, I drove two hours to get a burrito at Taco Bell in Dubai. It was these little things that kept me connected to home (America) during my domestic exile. So as often as I could, I would go to the Pizza Hut restaurant in Al Ain. It was one of my favorite hangouts, until one day in 2013, I bumped heads with the manager. It was one of our re...

Happy Back to School Everyone! In honor of schools all around us starting back up, I wanted to send a special shout-out to all of my fellow teacher-friends around the world. You guys rock!!! Below, I have added one of my favorite writings that I did for a family magazine in UAE, around 2012. I think it is just as valid today.   Dear Teachers, Things aren’t always that easy for me to say. I try to get my feelings out, but too often they just won’t manifest the way I want. I know that school is good for me, and it’s preparing me for my future; I get that point. But, what about now—my present? Lately, I have been wondering why you never ask me how I feel, or want. I mean, is following the schedule and curriculum all that school is really about? Well, if you were to ask me today what I need, this is what I would say to you. First of all, I would like you to greet me each and every day I come into the classroom. Smile and say hi! When the week has finished, tel...

  Hi All,   I am so excited to announce that my ebook, It's Hard to Meditate When Your Butt Itches: My Journey to Find Inner Peace: It's Only the Beginning , is finally ready and has been uploaded to Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble and MarshaMarie.com . Writing this ebook has been one of the most eye-opening experiences of my life. During this time, I laughed and cried; and now, I am so happy to be sharing my experiences with all of you.   The book covers a two-month-span of my learning how to meditate, and the amazing changes that I felt within as a result. It shares my failures and my victories. Join me as I stop looking outward for things to take my hidden pains away, and start looking within for real happiness and joy. My life has been changed forever as a result, and I am extremely grateful for that.   My greatest hope now is that someone who may also be looking...

Hi All, I've been super busy working on my It's Hard to Meditate When Your Butt Itches  book: been doing a lot of writing, editing, testing and thinking. Yesterday, I decided to put a small glossary in it for those readers who are new to the topic of mediation and may feel a bit lost by some of the vocab that comes with exploring this complex topic. One of the new words I've recently come across is equanimity . When I first heard it I thought I understood it right away; but I was so wrong. I thought it might have had something to do with being equal to something else. hahaha. not even close Marsha!  It turns out that equanimity means mental calmness, having composure or being even-tempered. (I really don't see the root word in it, but I'll go along with it.) So then I started thinking about equanimity, and how one would achieve it.  Sure lots of different ways to get there I suppose, but I also think equanimity would depend on what someone would consider menta...

Carnation and I at the United Pentecostal Church Youth Camp, 1980-something in Arizona. Dearest Carnation,              If there were a picture in the dictionary for the word friend, yours would be there. We have known each other since Mr. Campbell’s class in the 4 th grade. To be honest, I do not even remember the first time that we met. It seems like you have just always been there---always been there for me to lean on when I needed it. Even to this day.             Do you remember all of those times we walked to school together? And when your family let me live with you for a while; your mom and dad let me share a room with you? You were old lace and I was soccer balls , but we managed to blend it and have fun. I can still remember coming to your home in the morning and sitting with your family for breakfast every morning; your mother's gravy is still the best.   Your p...