Some of us are old enough to remember sock hops… but that’s going back a long, long ways. That’s the first thing I thought of when I heard the words blog hop. On the very day that I resurrected my blog by writing my Reviving Ariadne post, my friend and fellow blogger Karin Schluter Lonegren wrote to tell me about blog hopping, and asked my permission to feature me, in essence tagging me to join in this social dance of words and images. How could I refuse? It felt like a delightful sign that the universe was applauding my return to blogging! I so love a good flash of synchronicity!

So first, here’s Karin Schluter Lonegren to tell you about herself:

 I was born in The Netherlands in 1954. I moved to Glastonbury in 1997. I have five fabulous children, six grandchildren, and a beautiful husband. And a cat. I knit. I find inspiration in nature and I recharge myself by walking, yoga and meditation, and inner work. “I give healing/coaching sessions. I offer on-line and “in real life” trainings in Deepening Consciousness, retreats for women, and workshops. Over 900 clients have found their way to these healing sessions and workshops on personal/spiritual growth. I teach spiritual healing in the UK, The Netherlands, and in the USA. I live in Glastonbury, UK, and in The Netherlands. It’s a curious exercise, living in two countries! This is my website, with a link to my blog: www.karinschluter.nl.

Thank you for gifting me with this invitation to talk about my writing, Karin! I always enjoy talking about my writing process because for me writing is far more process and practice than product. Nevertheless, I am delighted to have my writing recognized and enjoyed.

What am I working on/writing? I have just launched a new long-term project that weaves together my fascination with the ageing process and my sense that I really want to leave an organized legacy from my time on this planet. I have been blessed with incredible good fortune and opportunity, and I somehow want to say thank you for that by taking time to look over my life while I am still young and vital enough to birth something new out of the retrospective. It all started by digging out my stacks (and stacks) of old journals and personal writings. In typical Give-a-Mouse-a-Cookie style, that led to spring cleaning my desk, then our office, and finally to a sort-out of my collection of old jewelry en route to an actual writing session. My way in to the project has been a nostalgic look at the charm necklace that has grown (and aged) along with me over the decades. The stories of those charms has introduced both my eras and my interests.

How does my work/writing differ from others of its genre? My writing is deeply personal and intensely conversational.  I write as if I were sitting with my reader, speaking heart to heart about what matters in that moment. It is a very spontaneous style that seems to come from somewhere beyond me. My writing secret is that I don’t always recognize what I have written because it has come from someplace so much deeper than my own headspace!

Why do I write what I do? I write to make sense of my world. Writing is my spiritual practice, letting me know what I really think of the world and my place in it; I need to read what my pen has to say.

How does my writing process work? I warm up to most days by sitting in bed with coffee, pen, and notebook in hand. I write in longhand, relaxing into the rhythm and freedom of my pen scrawling across the page. Those pages are my safe place, the place where I am most completely and freely myself. By the end of three pages, what matters most has surfaced, and I ground it with either a prayer or a haiku (is there a difference?).  I am a list-maker; while I scrawl, I also make lists, and the lists I generate in the margins of morning then inform and shape the day ahead.

Some days I make it to my desk, others find me detouring into what I call my kitchen alchemy, stirring my creative process by cooking. Or I knit. On my writing days, I circle into myself, dropping deeper into some quiet space inside myself where I can weave my words. It is a tender place, and fickle. Once there, I am easily called away by outside noises and distractions, so I wear headphones but rarely turn on any music, instead whispering into the vacuum as if reading to my invisible audience, knowing that my words must land both audibly and visually in my reader’s consciousness.

Today’s social media fascinates me; its potential for community-building is without precedent. You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn, and from there connect to the various pages I administrate for community, craft, and labyrinth. You can also connect to me via the Labyrinthos website.

Enough about me. Blog hopping now allows me to introduce you to a couple of my favorite bloggers and invites me to ask them the same questions I’ve just answered. So, without further ado, let me introduce you to two passionate women who blog about their work, their lives, and their interests. I hope you’ll hop on over to their sites….

Robin Bradley Hansel spends her days “rooted and grounded in a love of words.” Through her company, Green Treehouse Media, LLC, she designs personalized writing projects for small business owners, non-profit organizations and large corporations. Clients trust her to manage their social media accounts, blogs and newsletters on a daily basis. She’s passionate about ocean and environmental conservation and often lends her unique voice to “green” causes in her South Florida community and beyond.

Robin enjoys freelance writing on a wide variety of topics. She brings over twenty years of focused professional experience to her health, fitness and Pilates magazine articles as a licensed physical therapist.  Additionally, she takes personal wellness to a deeper level by facilitating meditational walks and retreats for a variety of individuals and groups through her other company, Labyrinth Wellness, LLC.

As a Louisville native, she still can’t hear “Run for the Roses” in May without getting a little teary-eyed. Married longer than she was alive before they met (but who’s counting?), Robin and her husband learn on a daily basis – with help from their teenage son – how little they know about anything. If her coffee cup is empty and the WiFi’s off, you’ll find her searching for sea glass with their yellow Lab, Lily.

Connect with Robin on Twitter, Facebook, WordPress, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google+ and Instagram.

Laura Diana Lopez is passionate about choosing a nourishing life. Her deep commitment to Integrative Wellness is evidenced by both her education and her personal story. Certifications in Intuitive Energy Medicine, Conscious Bodywork, Reiki, Yin Yoga and Holistic Health Coaching, and advanced degrees in psychology give her a multi-faceted approach to transformation.  Her twenty-five years of front-line professional experience in corporate cultures bring every-day practicality to making enduring change.

Laura mentors her clients in daily living in alignment with their best self, through implementing choices today that create a lifetime of balance in their tomorrows. She can help you reach your health goals in areas such as releasing extra weight, reducing food cravings, managing stress, and maximizing energy. Her clients say they are motivated by working with a coach who has firsthand experience of shifting to a healthier lifestyle.

Laura blogs at Mia Pancia: It’s All About the Belly. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn