Day: July 2, 2018

#Upbeat Authors: Optimism, Take 1

My dad joined the US Army and volunteered for active duty during the Korean Conflict. Instead, he was sent to Germany. He was in the Quartermaster Corps.

The way he tells it, they were always being asked to volunteer. “Who knows how to drive a truck?” Everyone would raise his hand, then be sent to dig ditches. “Who knows how to shovel out a barn?” Of course no one but Dad raised his hand, and Dad was sent off on fun adventures. He learned to volunteer for everything because the great stuff he got to do far outweighed the ditch-digging moments.

His optimism and sense of adventure served him well.

 

 

#UpbeatAuthors: Relaxation

I often say, “I read the way most people watch television.” And I think that’s true. I usually read several books a week. Sometimes those books are re-reads, but thanks to the public library and my Kindle, I have easy access to more new-to-me books than ever.

Reading is how I relax. A good story is my vacation from the real world. I know a lot of people who are into travel, going on cruises, visiting exotic locales, etc. I would rather read a good book. When I do go away, I tend to stay in my hotel room and read. Why spend money to do that when I can indulge  in the comfort of my own home?

There is absolutely nothing as wonderful as coming home from a challenging day at the day job and losing myself in a well-written tale.  Not only is it relaxation, it is a blessing.

 

National Coloring Book Day

I loved to color when I was a kid. Especially in my Barbie coloring books.

I loved to color as a young adult as a way to relax. In fact , I still have a box of crayons from 1974.

And last year, when the adult coloring book craze took off, I bought two new coloring books plus unearthed one I’d purchased when my children were young.

And I colored every night for several weeks, mostly using colored pencils–which I did not like as a child–as a form of meditation.

Have you revisited your inner child and colored lately?02

Holiday Weekends

Independence Day falls on a Tuesday this year. I know many Monday-Friday workers who are also taking off Monday, giving themselves a four-day weekend. Not me.

Our Saturday and Sunday filled up months ago. We have wonderful friends and family who like getting together. I usually have a great time when we do.

But sometimes, I like a day to myself. It’s an introvert thing. It’s an author thing. It’s a MJ thing.

I have a real problem understanding a life so frenetically filled with activities that going to the Day Job is a break.

A day to merely write is holy.  So I told my husband: I’m working Day Job on Monday and not doing a blessed thing on Tuesday. Except write.

 

Opening Day!

The calendar claims the first day of Spring is March 20. For many people summer begins Memorial Day weekend or the last day of school or June 20. Baseball fans know better. Spring started mid-February when pitchers and catchers reported for spring training. And today is the first day of summer.

My local Triple A affiliate doesn’t have its home opener until Tuesday. I may have to wear layers of sweatshirts, long johns under my jeans, and gloves to keep my fingers warm, but summer will have finally arrived. I live in a city that averages over 126 inches of snow a year, so opening day means the end is in sight.

The “chirrup” of a robin newly arrived from warmer climes isn’t the harbinger of the long, sunny and warm days to come. Give me “Play Ball!” any day of the week.