A Different Kind of Friday Feature: Living In The Moment With Dawn Garabedian-Weber

Happy Holidays, everyone!  Happy Passover, Happy Easter. Today, I'm presenting a very different kind of Friday Feature interview.  As writers, we often must place our hopes and dreams into the hands of others--agents, publishers, crit partners, book reviewers and the like.  We have to let go of the fear of being judged and the worry that maybe we're just not good enough.  The road is long and hard, and this past Wednesday I posted about how I use the support of coworkers to stave off the writing crazies.  Today, as a little holiday bonus, I am taking the Friday Features off of the journey towards publication, and more towards one possible way to handle the ups and downs and to keep the fears at bay.  One way to support ourselves, to have good thought hygiene (thanks, Tina, for coining that phrase), and to remember not to worry about that which we can't control.  

So this Friday Feature is more about one possible way of dealing with our fears and worries that are inherent in the journey toward publication and beyond.  Today, I welcome Dawn to the blog.

Dawn had an idea that she was the one making her life more chaotic, and so she decided to change.  For me, to see her living a conscious change in her life, is amazing.  I have gotten into the groove of believing that people are who they are.  But here is someone who identified what wasn't working for her in her life, and she changed it.  She has made a conscious decision to live her life in the moment, without baggage from her past, or fear for her future.  I think her simple message is one that helps bring some perspective to this crazy journey that we're on.  I met Dawn a year ago, when I invited her to speak at a mother's group.  I loved what she had to say, and when she got back in contact with me to let me know that she had put together her life ideas into a book, I decided to invite her here.

In her own words: Dawn Garabedian-Weber lives in Massachusett with her husband, and their children. At the age of 36, she had an awakening, when she realized her suffering was self-created.This transformational moment was the beginning of her journey to live fully in the now, a journey she continues to this day. 

Dawn--You have an amazing life philosophy. Can you tell us how you arrived there?

At age 35 my life was collapsing around me. My 57 year old mother was dying of ovarian cancer and my family and I were struggling financially. I was in constant turmoil.My mind obsessed compulsively over fears and worries. As I watched my mother dying, I thought of the many lessons, both good and bad, that I had learned from her. I began to ask myself questions.When our final moments come, have we made a difference in the lives of our children and the world? What would I be remembered for? What legacy would I be leaving for my children? What lessons have I taught them? I wondered what fears I was passing to my children, down to the core of their beings. At some level I understood that we all make our own lives and decisions. I had made choices. If life wasn't turning out as I had wanted, then I could choose to change what I didn't like. I realized I was the creator of my own chaos. I understood that if I could create the chaos, I could also stop it. My journey had begun.


What exactly is your new way of looking at life--how does it differ with how you used to live? How do you respond to stress in your life, and how has it changed this new outlook changed your life?

I am still learning to view life from the fresh perspective of the moment. Not with eyes of the past and future. I acknowledge all of my blessings throughout the day. I am in awe at my children, husband, and the world. It is so beautiful. I used to live in constant stress and anxiety. When life was smooth I was sure to create chaos. I didn't know why. Couldn't I just be happy? Now, I take time to center myself in the moment and respond to stressful situations, instead of reacting with the same old routines that went in viscious circles.When you are able to center yourself you see with more clarity exactly what is needed in that situation. It pretty much comes through me, without thoughts of my own. I am much more at peace with what comes my way. I still have my moments, but they are short lived.

Tell us--what was your journey like toward getting your book out?

Getting my book out was amazing. I was fortunate that my editor and designer were so knowledgable in what they do. They really guided me through out the whole process. I am just so excited to spread this message to anyone willing to be open to hear it. I realized we can do anything we set our minds to do. We create the life we want to live.

What else would you like to tell us?

Learning to live in the moment has been the catalyst in my life. I have never experienced such love, peace, and happiness. I was always searching for happiness and have now realized it was always there, in my heart, waiting to be found. My hope is many more will awaken to the bliss of living their life in the moment and finding the true inner peace they deserve.

Dawn--Thanks so much for hanging out with us today.  Many times, when it comes to fear about writing, I do create my own chaos.  I worry about the what ifs, the things that I can't control.  But your philosophy of letting go and living within each moment is something I can wrap my brain around. Everyone, Dawn is new to the blogging world, so please make sure she feels at home, here in our neck of the blogosphere.  And if I explained things well enough to her about the technical aspects of commenting, she will come by today and answer our questions.  So, please be sure to leave this wonderful woman a comment or question.