I often talk about my pursuit of the To Do list. I have to admit, crossing things off that thing gives me such a feeling of satisfaction. For that moment in time, I know I’ve accomplished something: met a deadline or finished laundry or made that all-important phone call. But the days — the moments — I’ve stayed true to …
In Others’ Words: Refusal
Last Monday’s blog post, “Hope and Having,” spurred a lot of conversation — including a fun bit of back and forth with my friend I call “Wise Guy.” If you’ve read this blog for a while, you’ve probably heard me mention “Wise Guy” before. I call him that because … well, he is a guy who is very, very wise. …
In Others’ Words: Writing Road
Just having a bit of fun here today. I read this quote and thought: Where else does writing lead to? Writing leads to … late nights and little sleep. Writing leads to … the red pen. (I’m an editor. What did you expect?) Writing leads to … a serious break with reality sometimes. (The voices in my head are talking …
In Others’ Words: Hope and Having
I almost didn’t post this quote today. I couldn’t decide if I liked or not. If I agreed with it or not. And then, while I was talking with my husband about what Epicurus meant, I distilled the quote down to one word: Now. Good ol’ Epicurus was reminding people to live in the now — not wasting today by …
In Others’ Words: Focus
Oh, the days I’ve wished away. If I had the chance to count up all the hours … the minutes … the seconds … they’d probably spill over the edges of my cupped hands like the sands inside an hourglass. Gone. But I’ve enjoyed my days too. Savored the sweetness of times woven through with laughter and yes, even tears …
In Others’ Words: Ideas
Writing wreaks havoc with my sleep. There are some nights that, just as I snuggle underneath the blankets … just as I hear the first whisper of sleep welcoming me … an idea pounces. And I’m awake. Oh, sure. I try to ignore the idea. I tell the you-can’t-ignore-me idea to wait until morning. I might even sit up …
In Others’ Words: Start
Monday is a great day for beginning, isn’t it? Sure, I may drag some things to do over from last week — but I play a little mental mind game with myself as I look at a brand new To Do list. I’m not confronting last week’s leftovers. Nope. I’m taking on a brand new list. But if I’m …
In Others’ Words: Worth the Dreaming
“Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.” Earl Nightingale (1921-1989), American motivational speaker and author I hang around writers. We’re dreaming all the time. Dreaming up imaginary characters — and how to mess up their imaginary lives so that we can create an …
In Others’ Words: Pretty is …
“Happy girls are the prettiest.” (1929-1993), Audrey Hepburn, actress Aren’t the girls in that photo pretty? Yes, I’m incredibly biased. You’re looking at a photo of my youngest daughter, my two oldest daughters (one’s the bride), and my daughter-in-love. They are each beautiful, inside and out. But look closer at that photo. Their beauty is accentuated because they …
In Others’ Words: Tug of War (Guest post)
“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.” ~ Mark Twain (1835-1910), American writer & humorist There are times I struggle with discouragement. Desiring to write a story that will speak to peoples’ hearts, I pressure myself to excel in this endeavor. Instead of achieving, however, I battle dismay. Analyzing why I am where I am, …