A Conversation with Author, Mary Anne Radmacher – “Honey in Your Heart”

When it’s all said and done, aren’t we all just looking for ways to “see and savor the simple good things”? In her newest book, Honey In Your Heart, author/artist Mary Anne Radmacher reminds us all that “the more we savor the sweet and simple things, the more we see them.” And seeing them is exactly what she helps us to do by joyfully combining her gift for words with her whimsical, delicate and vibrant art throughout this new work.

Of course, with my appreciation for writing and all things creative, I was thrilled to be invited to host Mary Anne on her book blog tour.

Since keeping things simple is one of the key facets of living the Wise Well Woman’s Way, I couldn’t have picked a more perfect book to introduce to you, my readers. What a joy it is to share this interview with delight.

Mary Anne, even your artwork is word-based.  Have you always loved words?

Yes.  I have always played with words.  I “wrote” quite a statement in permanent marker on our breakfast nook wall when I was two.  I laughingly say that was my first exposure to a critic!  I began my love of movement and dance about the same time as I fell in love with words.  My lettering style is my way to allow the words to do a visual dance.  In fact, I often say that words are the way the soul dances.

Your brochure and PR identifies you as a trainer.  Is that just another way to say you are a teacher?

Writing, creating beauty and teaching others are the things that, throughout my life, I have been compelled to do.  No matter what.  I am happiest and most fulfilled when I am acting in one of those three capacities.

What led you to start training others to discover ways to write and create?  I love to learn.  I’m an enthusiastic student.  Teaching others was a natural outgrowth of that verve.  In grade school, teachers recognized this peer to peer gift and allowed me the opportunity to teach others, beginning in fourth grade.  I’m so thankful for the intuitive teachers that have nurtured me as I’ve grown!

I taught personal writing practice and simple art methods for years before I volunteered in prison.  I found the students inside prison walls more vulnerable and willing to learn than those on the outside.  They were fundamentally aware of the walls that surround them and wanted to break down barriers from the inside – out.  The fears and anxiety that beginning writers face are essentially the same, regardless of life circumstances.

Another advantage to teaching is that, inevitably, I learn something entirely unexpected.

In your this latest book, you outline and address the key ways to maintain a certain “sweetness” in your ordinary days. Are there times when you don’t maintain your own principles?

Some days the best thing that I can say is that I simply showed up.  We all have those days.  I have a life long aspiration to be better at the end of every day.  And by better I mean, that I’ve learned, served and acted in full accord with my blessings and my gifts. I mean that even in the face of what might appear less than “sweet” I have seen through to the core of what is possible and found something worth savoring.

What is it you hope to accomplish through this book,  “Honey in Your Heart”?

I want to tap gentle souls on the shoulder and hold a mirror up to their knowledge and goodness and say, “Remember?  You knew this once.  Remember?”  You REALLY DO have joys and sweet moments seasoning the stew of each of your days.  It is often said that we see what we expect to see.  Seeing the joys and savoring the sweet moments of your life is like building a muscle.  The more you exercise the capacity to see the precious moments of your life…the more there are to be seen. (Yes, they have been there all along…but what good is knowing that if we are not able to recognize them?

You prominently feature new art in this book. It is completely different than what we have seen in previous books.  How did that come about?

What I THOUGHT I was doing was creating colorful section breaks for this book.  I went to my art bench for a brief afternoon to complete that one task and ended up practically living on that bench for two full weeks.  My husband fed me and brought me coffee and water and I created like a wild woman. (Oh, wait, I AM a wild woman!)

I followed the surprise.  What I thought I was creating turned into an entirely new expression for me.  I love it.  Subsequently, I’ve created an entirely new body of work beyond the illustrations for the book.  If I had held myself to what I was expecting to do, I would likely not have found this new visual expression. I was willing to “see” the joy right before me and let it teach me what it wanted to be rather than tell it what it was “supposed” to be.

Does this oversimplify complexities in our busy lives?

That question makes me giggle. If there is a consistent thread of client response to my work it’s this, “Well, THAT’s so simple!   It’s so simple I guess I overlooked it.”

While on one hand, I tend to think and problem solves in a rather complex and convoluted way…but the outcomes tend to be pretty stark and simple.  My corporate training methods are so low tech it surprises people.

President Lincoln did not think (I presume) that he was oversimplifying things when he articulated, “I guess people are just about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”  So, my answer is, “No. It does not.”

The whole point of HONEY IN  YOUR HEART is that it IS simple to find simple joys in our daily lives to lift our spirits.

It appears that you do a lot of different things: write books, train on the line, speak, consult, design, license, blog, travel.  How do you maintain a healthy balance with all those obligations?

Well, there’s an assumption that I maintain a healthy balance.  I recently wrote,  “A life of obvious and clear balance may be overrated. The balance that works in real life is the pace that radiates from a person’s core and maintains an inner equilibrium in the midst of the messy, wild ride which is the road of everyday life.”

At the end of my day, if I slip into sleep happily and without resistance, I call that a day of balance.  If I have regret or unfinished issues that tap me on the shoulder, then that day has been out of balance.  Those are my measures.

Anne Morrow Lindburgh said, “One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach – one can only collect a few.”

Considering this phrase, the objections rise up immediately.  There are so many metaphorical shells to collect.  And Morrow doesn’t say pick up,  ponder and marvel at their beauty.  No.  This is collecting – an action.  All based on DOING.

One can only collect a few – whispered in my ear as I was trying to fit 3 blog posts and 90 minutes of social media work into 20 minutes.  Specifically, the whisper said, “What’s more important – 5 more minutes of Blog posts or being on time for the ferry and therefore, your mainland appointment.  Only three cars boarded after me…this demonstrates how very close to the bone my timing was.  I was grateful I listened to Anne’s whisper.

In the course of the day, tempted to load myriad activities into my errands…I remembered, “a few.”   The “few” delivered me home and ready for an evening of creative project. Thanks, Anne.  Sometimes the obvious must be stated!  And even though I know it to be true…I STILL try, some days, to pick up every shell as far as my eyes can see.  Ultimately I return to the wisdom of “the few.”

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And as we wrapped up our conversation, I couldn’t help but be drawn to the parallels between our awareness and our intentions and actions. I, too, listen to the voice of Anne Morrow Lindburgh, from the book, A Gift from the Sea.  And yes, I collect only a few.

To connect with Mary Anne Radmacher, you can reach her here: *post office box 909 * Freeland, WA  98249 maryanneradmacher@yahoo.com

Please share your comments below. What special ways do you choose to see and savor the simple good things?