My Blog

“If nothing ever changed there’d be no butterflies.” (Unknown)

Being human is often tricky and challenging. Ann Lamott, describes life this way. “The greatness of love and laughter, the pain of loss, the bearing of one another’s burdens are all mixed up – like the crazy catch all kitchen drawer.” I know exactly what she is talking about. I have one of those drawers. I attempt from time to time to clean it out.  I try to separate the good stuff from the junk, but it all seems so important somehow. I have to sort through it often or it multiplies. It’s a constant for me, just like change is. Life is about change.

It is the butterfly that gives me hope that change can really work in my favor. With a little imagination and ingenuity, it is possible to see the changes that  life throws at me…all mixed up, and meshed together as they often are…can be a positive, even when they seem to be a negative.  I change my hair style for a new look. I exercise to help my body. (It works in theory but sometimes I wonder.) So why not change the heart of me?

Like I sort through that junk drawer so it doesn’t take over another one, I also have to see the value found in all of the experiences of  my life. For all of them, the happy ones, the sad,  the good and the not so good, are woven together into the tapestry of who I am. They make me, me. I just want to be the best version of me that I can be.

“For those determined to fly having no wings is just a little detail.” Jane Lee London

It’s way too easy to play it safe in life. To stay at a job we don’t like, to never move far away from where we are born, or to never branch out and try something new. Is it the fear of failure, the comfort of the familiar, or maybe both that keeps us locked into surviving instead of thriving?

I can remember the first time I flew in a plane. I was both nervous and excited when the plane began to taxi down the runway. I held the seat with both hands until the plane finished its climb to cruising altitude. I relaxed a little but was still jumpy with any new noise that I heard. Coming down out of the clouds evoked the feeling of falling and I was nervous all over again. I still feel that way every time that I fly.

I wrote a novel. And with fluttering and nerves I queried publishers. I left the safety of the familiar and launched out not knowing what I would find. My first novel will soon be published by The Wild Rose Press. I’m now in the process of writing my third novel. My second is in their hands for review.

For me writing fiction was my way to break out of the routine of life and fly. My lack of wings was only a minor detail. I have experienced so many firsts with my characters, I’ve explored new areas, and learned new things all in the name of writing.

“I write to give myself strength. I write to be the characters I am not. I write to explore all of the things I’m afraid of.” (Joss Whedon) I can say yes to all of these.

I love the way my fingers feel flying over the keys while characters dialogue and they come to life on the page. Writing fiction has given me wings to soar and see life in a whole new way. Here’s to flying, and thriving.

“By leaving behind the familiar and taking a leap of faith into something new, you find who you are truly capable of becoming.” Unknown

In the height of the great recession I lost my job and so did my husband. He had to go on the road and was gone for about ten months.  Being apart  was something we had never experienced before. Not only had we been married many years, raised our three boys, but we had also worked side by side in the same office. It was not an easy time for us.

I took the leap of faith spoken of  in the quote above. I signed up for a writing class which I had to test for. It was completely opposite of what I had been doing, which included being with people and speaking publically. I wasn’t sure if it was even possible for me to sit in a room alone and write. I was so used to being among people.

During the process of the class I discovered I loved writing fiction. I would get lost in the writing of a story but at the same time I found myself on every page that I wrote. I was being reinvented along with the story that I was writing.

I discovered I was capable of more than I could imagine. I wrote a novel which is soon to be published. And since the first, I’ve finished a second novel with a third book more than 1/3 of the way done. Writing fiction has given me wings to fly. What seemed like the end with the slamming of a door, and a leap of faith into the unknown, I found a side of me that I  never knew existed. I love this new phase in my life which allows my creative side to exert it’s self. My imagination has been set free, and I am at a new place in my life.

Here’s to taking that leap away from the familiar into a new way to be.

There are some things that even in a new year I just shouldn’t do. Karaoke, for example, probably isn’t one of my strong points. It would be better left to someone who can actually sing and doesn’t mind doing it in front of people.

I don’t think I’ll try skydiving or bungee jumping either. Just looking down from heights can make me sick much less propelling myself off some little platform with only a few rubber bands to hold me. And don’t get me started about jumping out of a plane. I can hardly sit in one for a few hours without wondering how it stays up in the air at all. So why, in heavens name would I want to jump out of one hurling through the air towards the fast approaching ground. I’m the one who claps when the plane lands.

I think it’s best to keep my feet firmly planted on the ground. I do however think it’s probably okay if I run after my passion for writing like it’s the last train of the night. Happy 2014! Here’s to adventures in this year that are tailored made for you.

The door closes, the last piece of paper is picked up, and the dishes are all done. Another Christmas day comes to a close and I’m feeling happy but exhausted. I never want to take these days for granite. I treasure each one that I get. The laughter, the noise of children playing, mixes with new memories being made. It is something to be savored long after the day is done.

Tomorrow with it’s new cares will come soon enough. It’s here that I want to linger, in the afterglow of special moments when my family is all gathered. So I close my eyes and in my heart I a raise a glass in toast, Here’s to slowing down, being a family if only for a moment, and enjoying it before the rush of life crowds in again.

I really don’t talk to myself – hmm-unless of course you count talking to all the people I’ve created in my mind. I say that with a smile. I want the characters of my books to feel like real people and the best way for that to happen is to have talks with them to see what’s on their minds. Writing a character driven book that shows not tells may sound easy but it’s not.

For me old habits die hard. I’ve been telling people what to do since I was old enough to talk. What can I say I was a strong willed child. As a matter of fact I was kicked out of kindergarten which did bode well for me. So the desire to tell the reader everything runs deep inside me.

I’m grateful for my mentor Mary, and her trusty read marks. She doesn’t let me get away with anything. Book one was a massive overhaul with too many red marks to count, lots of head hopping to correct, and rewrites. Now I’m not saying I’ve got it down by book three let’s just say with Mary’s help I’m improving and hope to be a stronger writer with time.

It’s worth it to me this learning process and curtailing of my every detail nature because I do love to write. I love to read and I want to love the books that I write. Which I can say – I do.

Thank you! It’s such a small statement that at times we totally overlook how powerful it can be in any language. Gracias, toda raba,  merci , danke, and grazie to mention a few ways it’s said around the world.  A simple expression which conveys our gratitude and whole lot more I think

A thank you received not only makes a day seem brighter but encourages you to keep on trying. Your action was  noticed and your  effort was recognized. Who doesn’t want to feel good about what they are doing?

So when we take one day a year to be thankful I think we should make great use of the time.  We should say thank you for all the good we have experienced in life and even for the not so good because combined they have helped to shape us. We should also take the time to thank those we love for being who they are and doing what they do. Life is short and we should thank them often.

I’m grateful for family and friends; for laughter, love and children’s giggles; for the beauty in our world and for taste buds that let me taste the flavors of a great meal; for music, art, and the amazing creations of people and most of all for being alive and experiencing love and the wonder of it all.

Happy Thanksgiving!