~ Written by Danielle N. Bilski ~

His life was not without controversial headlines and media criticism. His life was his own and his love, he shared so sincerely and generously. His humility inspired and comforted so many who continue to love and miss him every single day.

Yesterday I received a copy of ‘Dear Michael, with love’ – A fan tribute and dedication to Michael Jackson complied by Theresa Anne Jordan. The book contains three poems that I wrote shortly after that awful day; June 25th 2009.

I could not feel more humbled than I did yesterday, opening the box with my mum containing the beautiful, love filled book crafted especially for Michael by some of his most loyal fans who saw more than just an entertainer and public personality, more than a dancer and singer/songwriter. Michael lead an entertaining life, which doesn’t mean he wasn’t an human being, ever so extraordinarily talented and giving.

I feel I should note that the proceeds from the sale of ‘Dear Michael, with love’ which is available through the publisher at http://www.lulu.com go to three wonderful charities to continue Michael’s vision and hope of peace and love in the world- 25% to Make a better World Foundation, 25% to Missionaries of Charity/Mother Teresa of Calcutta Center and 50% to Children’s Defense Fund.

I cannot adequately explain in words my love, sheer gratitude and admiration of Michael. I hope in some way, my contribution to this tribute will begin to thank him for the hope, love and positivity not to mention creative inspiration he has brought into my life from the day I first heard one of his songs on cassette when I was only 6 years old.

Even if you are not a fan of Michael Jackson, please respect this tribute to him as a fellow human being and perhaps consider rethinking the way you  might judge others based on what someone else has told you about them. The truth is out there, but sometimes it is more entertaining to exaggerate or sensationalise the details of an event and fictionalise the reality of a performer, artist, media personality or even a private citizen to entertain others with so-called exclusive information about a seemingly entertaining life.

Instead of wasting time criticising others, it would be a more positive alternative to appreciate that we are all different and instead make the most of time spent with those you care about most and those who genuinely care about you as a person, no matter how entertaining you or your life may seem.

We all want to feel accepted, appreciated and loved. Surround yourself with people who accept you, appreciate and sincerely love you and then your life can be as colourful as you make it. However, don’t forget that everyone has time that is all their own and time that should not be taken advantage of for anyone else’s gain. Some people entertain for a living, but there is more to who they are that only they reveal to themselves.

I would like to extend a special thank you to Theresa Anne Jordan for her friendship, love, compassion and hope. For allowing me to express my love for Michael in the company of his family of fans across the world in such a beautiful, respectful way. It means so much to me and is something I will cherish for the rest of my time. Thank you with all my L.O.V.E xo

Finally, to all the loyal ‘My Time with You’ readers; a sincere and heartfelt thank you.

Rest in peace MJ xx

Gratefully entertained by spending my time with you all; near and from afar,

My Time with You ©2010 Danielle N. Bilski

~ Written by Danielle N. Bilski ~

Remembrance Day 2010

11th November 2010

One minute of silence to remember you
Is the very least we can do today
To pay respect to everything you sacrificed
So we can lead the fortunate lives you envisioned for us
If only you could be here with us too
So we could look into your eyes when we thank you
With all that we are and all that we have
Today we remember we must live each day without you now.

To all of those incredible people who have and continue to serve to protect us and those who never returned home to their families and dear friends they left behind, my sincere thoughts are with you especially today.

Thank you will never be enough, though I will remember you and what you did for us for the rest of my life.

My Time with You ©2010 Danielle N. Bilski

~Written by Danielle N. Bilski ~

Every writer has undoubtedly, at one time or another, experienced the notorious writer’s block; the extent – relative. Of course, writer’s block doesn’t just affect writers, however those doing it for a living will obviously have more occasions where they have been prone to an attack. I am sure there are many references and much advice available both online and in hard copy form about this common topic. I am amused by the irony of writing on the topic of writer’s block. Having said that I have come up with my own personal and proven solution.

Be elusive, not exclusive.

Let me explain. There will inevitably be times when you have trouble proceeding with a particular idea, which can happen no matter what activity you are doing. Particularly with writing and any form of artistic creation there is the possibility of getting distracted, bored, instance of repetition and general disinterest. I have found the best way to avoid any or all of these  is to work on a variety of creative projects in different forms to give you some distance from each one. The idea is to not concentrate on one piece for too long. Therefore, when you do go back to each piece you have a fresh perspective and new information as well as inspiration from life and the other projects. By taking your time to create it and giving yourself some space away from it should allow you to view it from a more objective position and see it from a less precious and sentimental place where you can’t see what’s wrong even when you are looking straight at it.

Don’t get frustrated, just move on to something else for a while and give the idea time to simmer. When you return to it, the idea will either 1) taste even better than before because the ingredients have brought out the best flavours from one another or 2) you will be able to smell the wrong combination of ingredient/s from a mile away.

Some might argue that you shouldn’t have your pen (finger) in too many notebooks (pies) at once, but when you are live to be creative and are creative for living, there is no harm in working on various projects. The only thing I would is insist on is be conscious of time limitations and deadlines, because when people are relying on you to deliver something and to a particular standard, time management and quality must also be considered.

Every piece of work that I do write is something that I am proud of and I genuinely take pride in work that I have done for others as I do when I am writing something for my own personal portfolio. Do what you need to make sure you are approaching your writing with clear, pure and passionate intention and you should be able to avoid writer’s block. Make yourself a fresh cup of  tea and drink it in a place you feel most relaxed.  Don’t take it back to where you are writing – let it simmer and remain elusive.

When you have considered alternative ideas and reignited your motivation, return to your writing and proceed at your own pace. Expectation placed on yourself by yourself and/or by others can be a major factor in writer’s block occurring. Remind yourself why you are doing it in the first place and if you can’t remember or you no longer justify the original reason, don’t continue with it. I’m not saying quit, however if your passion and motivation is no longer there, perhaps you are wasting your time. It sounds cynical but you don’t have to write; you have to want to.

Do what you love and it won’t feel like a chore.

With practice, you will begin to build up your immunity to writer’s block and when it does catch you, you will know how to deal with it most effectively to find your words again.

Constantly looking for the right words,

My Time with You ©2010 Danielle N. Bilski

~Written by Danielle N. Bilski ~

For every fairytale, there is a moral to the story. What I have experienced in reality in the last two months has been nothing short of a fairytale in itself.

Let me take you back to blog post number ’40. One year, month, week and perfect day’ posted on 11th September of this year, only eight weeks ago. I had just started an exciting new job and was determined to continue working on both the ‘My Time with You’ manuscript and maintaining MTWYcomau. While I did post a few poems since then, I unfortunately was unable to find the time to do any work on the manuscript and felt quite honestly disheartened that the plan that I envisioned was not mirrored in reality.

As a creative person and with specific reference to ‘My Time with You’ as a whole, I have spent a considerable amount of time developing and crafting an ideal literary world, discovering new ideas, experiencing a certain level of control and exciting adventure in the company of those characters of this literary world. This creativity has (whether subconsciously or deliberately, I am unsure) transcended the bounds of fiction and influences my expectations and perspective in reality. Put more simply, I am probably more aware and susceptible to immense emotion when something doesn’t feel right in my real life and therefore am more likely to be proactive in alleviating the adverse effects that I may be experiencing. Somewhat like helping a fictional character overcome the tension that has been building throughout the narrative and must finally be addressed before the effects are irreversible. I look at my life as a story and acknowledge that there are many things that I do not and will never have control over, however I am still an active player in my own story and I take initiative when I feel it is necessary for me to be accountable for where I am, where I have been and where I am going. Each chapter of my life has its own beginning (setup), middle (confrontation) and ending (resolution) as well as varying in length and intensity. As such, each chapter has had its own moral contributing to my story.

I am quite an optimistic person and I go into most situations clear minded and open to what life brings. This approach has served me quite well, as I have not prematurely expected the worst and therefore enjoyed all of the good times to their fullest. That is not to say that every moment has been perfect, but for the most part I have a lot of real, sincere moments to be thankful for as well as the wonderful people I shared them with.

I guess what the last eight weeks has shown me is how much I have grown as a person and developed the strength of character in my conviction to consciously learn from those experiences that may have challenged me and been mature enough to make what some might view as a difficult decision with the intention of following what I feel is right for me and striving for my fairytale reality.

I have previously written about my belief that the world places you where you need to be at a given time. Today I have specific proof of this. Two weeks ago I left the full time position I had commenced at the beginning of September and mentioned in blog post 40. In the last two weeks since, I have been revisiting my freelance writing work and met with someone who has so positively acknowledged my writing and begun referring writing work to me. Yesterday I met with this person and explained my current situation in terms of permanent employment and the options that were available to me and another opportunity presented itself, with more appreciation of my creativity and that would allow more time for my personal creative projects. Not only would my creative writing, my freelance professional writing be priorities as would be this part time, interactive position that would allow me to be the truest version of me through time spent in moderation on all of the things that I am most passionate about in my life – family, friends, fun, food, creativity and taking pride in everything I do.

Sometimes reality reads like a fairytale and that’s the way I choose to lead my life; with all of the possibilities that you dream of and the moral of every chapter evident in retrospect.

I have a strong feeling that this could be the beginning of a wonderful new chapter, with all of the key elements that I have been lucky enough to discover along the way in the chapters of my life that have preceded the present.

On Sunday I plan to visit the location that Chapter One of ‘My Time with You’ is set in and find the perfect (or as close as I can) combination of fiction and reality. The fiction that I create inspires the strength in me to strive for happiness and fulfillment in reality.

Thank you for being a wonderful fairytale co-star bringing constant value and enrichment to my reality,

My Time with You ©2010 Danielle N. Bilski