Creative

A Little Reminder About Respect

Respect Each Other – © stockphoto-graf stock.adobe.com

The dreaded “Political Season” is upon us – here in the US anyway. Mudslinging and nasty advertisements have already invaded social media, radio, and television. Ugh. I hate to say this, but we mustn’t follow the examples of our ambitious leaders on the topic of “Respect.”

Respect is Earned, as the saying goes, but there is basic human respect we must afford one another.

Listener – Listen and HEAR what the other person is saying. Give them the respect they need as they share their opinion.

Sharer – Say your peace. Then respect the other person’s right not to agree with you.

Be Positive. Be Happy. Be Well.

Feast Your Eyes on the Full Corn Moon Tonight

Corn Moon Rises over the fields. © Balazs Kovacs Images – stock.adobe.com

According to the Farmer’s Almanac, “when the full moon closest to the Autumnal Equinox, known as the Harvest Moon, happens in October, September’s full Moon becomes the Corn Moon.”

Step outside and look to the skies! It has been a tough summer and a tough year, but good things have grown in the garden of our lives too. Celebrate the Harvest! Feast on the new growth in your life.

Be Positive. Be Happy. Be Well.

When Your Life Is in The Mud, Grow Flowers

© ruslan_khismatov – stock.adobe.com

Life can sometimes feel like a mudhole. It drags you down. Each step feels harder than the last. Honestly, how much more can a person take?

© 13smile – stock.adobe.com

Normally, I would tell you to focus on the goal. What is the target at the end of your journey? BUT –

That advice won’t do right now. We must be kind and patient with ourselves.

Take a moment to notice the mud. What is it trying to tell you? Is it trying to help you strip away old perceptions or unhealthy habits?

© DoraZett – stock.adobe.com

Then think about this. A mud or dirt patch can be the perfect place for a garden. What flowers will you plant? Think of the hardy prairie flowers like the sunflower and the coneflower. They grow in the toughest terrain and keep coming back year after year even more beautiful than before. Then there is the Marigold. Its vibrant beauty may only last for a season, but everything has its time.

Be Positive. Be Happy. Be Well.

Why I Changed My Mind About Memoirs

History Where You Live – © Tony Craddock stock.adobe.com

I’m fussy about what I read. So many books, so little time. The Memoir and Biography genre doesn’t typically interest me. Self-aggrandizing celebrities and politicians with their pictures splashed on a book cover written by someone else – hard pass. Then I started doing research for my novel about the Santa Fe Trail. My notion of memoirs changed a bit. The most impactful book I’ve read to date is a memoir not written by a sports star, but rather written by a woman living her life in the Southwest during the 1800s.

Land of Enchantment: Memoirs of Marian Russell Along the Santa Fe Trail is an authentic account of a courageous woman who traveled the Santa Fe Trail (more than once) and lived in old Santa Fe. She lived in a few forts with her soldier husband as well. Then helped him build a town in a rugged part of Colorado.

Her recollections make this memoir real for the reader. We share her shock and fear when the wagon train comes across gruesome deaths and other violence against innocents. These accounts, for me anyway, were more troubling when I stopped to consider this isn’t a work of fiction. The murders – witnessed by Marian as both child and woman – really happened. I found myself grieving with her when she experiences tragedy as a young wife. Marian was an extraordinary woman who took on a sometimes-brutal land. She was a true pioneer.

I believe part of the allure of this book for me is the setting. I’ve lived in the Rocky Mountains most of my life. Many times, I’ve traveled across Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada (in a car) passing through the places she mentions in her book. How about you? Do you know who lived in your hometown before it was a town? Seek out the stories that reveal more than one dull paragraph in a history book. You might be amazed by what you find.

Be Positive. Be Happy. Be Well.

Share Your Knowledge Share Your Joy

Share Your Interests © DM7 – stocke.adobe.com

The internet is a wealth of information. Some of the information you find is correct and helpful. Other tidbits are flat out wrong. Getting hardcore facts is critical when conducting research for my books. Readers want realism no matter the genre and I, as a writer, want to make them feel as if they are experiencing the story along with the characters. I enhance what I learn from books and historical evidence with human experience.

My current “Work in Progress” is a ghost story set on the Santa Fe Trail at the end of the US Civil War. Historical accounts and facts give the book accuracy, but the human experience comes from enthusiasts of the Santa Fe Trail. I’ve enjoyed watching lectures and travel videos of folks who love to visit destinations along this important route. Living in the Rocky Mountains most of my days, I have the life experience to draw on as well.

Are you an enthusiast in a special topic or historical event? Why not share your knowledge? If you write a blog, volunteer to speak on the topic, or make a video, I guarantee you will find an audience.

Be Positive. Be Happy. Be Well.

The Wisdom of Mr. Pooh

The Fabulous Mr. Pooh wishes you a day full of fun and joyful energy!

I first met the Fabulous Mr. Pooh when my sister rescued him from a bad home in Wyoming. I’d lost my best furry friend, Buddy, a few months before and was open to “meeting” a new dog. She assured me Marley (aka Mr. Pooh) was the same size as the 50-pound fur baby I’d lived with for over ten years.

They pulled into the driveway and I saw Pooh jump out of her vehicle. My first thought was “Wow. He’s big.” The Fabulous Mr. Pooh is a black Labrador and Great Dane mix. Our vet guesses a bit of Chesapeake Bay Retriever might be in there somewhere too. He is one hundred pounds of cuddly fun.

Pooh knew he was home the minute he walked into the door and jumped up on my (now his) puffy chair with ottoman. You guessed it. He takes up the entire space. My new gigantic furry baby rolled onto his back and stuck all four legs in the air. He wiggled when I rubbed his tummy, reminding me of Winnie the Pooh. That was it. Pooh adopted me right then and there.

I can be an overly serious person sometimes and I tend to live in my head too much. Mr. Pooh’s gift of being a good time wherever he has changed my life. Here are some tips I’ve learned from the Fabulous Mr. Pooh to shake off the blues:

Have Fun No Matter What You’re Doing – Whether it’s a short walk around the block or a trip to the mountains, Pooh shows the same level of High Octane enthusiasm

Silliness Is A State of Mind. Be Silly as Much as You Can – Stick your head out the window and let that tongue hang out. Splash in those puddles with all your heart. The worry and years of struggle will melt away

There Is Always Time to Chase Bunnies (even though we all know you can’t catch them) – Having fun is never a waste of time.

Be Pooh-sitive. Be Happy. Be Well.

Fighting Back Against Negativity

Be an Encourager © Photocreo Bednarek – stock.adobe.com

Maybe it’s the writer in me, but I believe the struggle between Positive and Negative is a war. Imagine two kingdoms fighting for control in the battlefield of human consciousness. One side wants to lift humanity higher and encourages us to follow our own dreams. It values freedom of thought, kindness, and creativity. The other side wants to control through fear, depression, and hatred. I don’t know why. I suspect there is a larger agenda hidden from us.

Negativity has powerful weapons. Fear-mongering can be a blunt instrument that smashes common sense. It can also use gossip to subtly undermine. Both tactics are part of Negativity’s Deception arsenal. Lies cause mistrust. Mistrust causes resentment and hatred. If you don’t trust anyone, you will become isolated and depressed. The energy to fight negativity is lost to you.

Positivity may seem to be losing the war right now, but our side has powerful weapons too.

  • Acts of Kindness outweigh violence
  • Truth spoken with Love cancels out lies and ignorance
  • Knowledge smashes the barbs of fear and misdirection
  • And the most powerful weapon of all? We have each other! Be an encourager. Lift someone else up!

No matter how horrible things get or how upset I feel, I refuse to feed the enemy’s forces. What about you? How will you stand in the face of Negativity?

Be Positive. Be Happy. Be Well. 

Do What You Can Do

Be Kind to Yourself © laplateresca – stock.adobe.com

Task Lists are helpful. They serve as reminders for all the stuff we need to accomplish each day, week, or year. Lists manage our productivity and keep us humming along. I rely on them to keep me sane with my many literary projects. Ticking off completed tasks gives me a feeling of accomplishment. During this pandemic, however, they are seriously stressing me out.

Our world has morphed into an unpredictable and sometimes frightening place. Yes. I know. If I’m honest, life has always been an unpredictable minefield in which I had no control over anything. But it was my minefield and I knew how to navigate it. Now? Not so much.

I’ve gone from:

Forcing a positive attitude: People need my art to help them feel better!

Then Depression: What’s the point? Does my art really matter?

Finally, Acceptance: The world continues to change. Success looks different now. I must remember why I do my art. In a word: Love

Do What You Can Do

I have days when my creative brain won’t cooperate due to stress or depression. Here are a few ways I cope:

  • I putter around with practical tasks: formatting my manuscripts, researching topics, outlining unfinished chapters
  • I read manuscript drafts to remind myself of upcoming fun projects
  • I free write random ideas (nonsense is encouraged)
  • I try creative hobbies other than writing. Classical guitar is my newest interest
  • I silence my inner taskmaster

Be extra kind to your creative brain right now. It will eventually adjust to the new reality. Patience, mindfulness, and self-care will ensure your creativity thrives again.

Be Positive. Be Happy. Be Well.