Here We Go!

It's late and I am tired, but I had a flash of insight.  There are no perfect moments.  So take the great moments you get and make the best of them.  Life is WAY too short to do it any other way.  :)

A Break in the Clouds

No one's life is perfect.  There are occasions we go through we would prefer to forget.  Sometimes it gets to us, and we don't know if the sun will ever shine again...or ever did in the first place.  We feel the cards are stacked against us, we are dealt a bad hand, got a raw deal, a tough break or maybe our choices are inauspicious. 

Once you start to feel this way, it is easy to slip into a bad luck rut.  We begin to use phrases like "just my luck."  So to snap ourselves out of it, we read books on happiness and getting in touch with ourselves.  We do affermations and visualizations, we take yoga and meditation classes, and start to ponder if this gloom and bad luck is just part of the package now.

And sometimes all it takes is a kind word or act to clear the clouds.

The month of September has brought many changes to me.  I decided to publish a book, and needed SO much help.  This was a frustrating and enlightening experience.  And I could not have done it alone.  I asked for help MANY times, and was not only assisted, but encouraged, taught and sometimes just chatted to.  Some of the people in an indie authors group of which I am a member were so kind, I did not know how to respond.  They offered words of encouragement and gave helpful answers.  One new friend seemed like a guardian angel, and I could not have published my book without her. 

I know the popular saying is that we are responsible for our own happiness, and this is at least partially true.  But I have to say, life is much better when you find people who support you, understand you and like you.  So do the part that is your responsibility and start to do something you love, because you never know if you really want to do it unless you START to do it. 

Then make sure you keep those special people that you are lucky enough to find along the way.  They help keep a little bit of sun in even the cloudiest days.

 

Sequel Alert! Stephen King Writing Sequel to the Shining

I don't know about you, but I get excited every time I hear Stephen King is putting out another book.  After reading his short story, Mile 81, a Tales from the Crypt-like visit to an abandonded rest stop, I was ready for more.

I was thrilled to read a sequel to The Shining, called Dr. Sleep, will be about a grown -up Danny Torrence, of REDRUM fame, and a pack of traveling  psychic vampires called The Tribe.

What this book will develop into is to be seen, but whatever it is, I'm ready and waiting.

The link below shows Stephen King at an appearance at George Mason University last week, reading a chapter from his new book.

http://dailydead.com/stephen-king-announces-the-shining-sequel-dr-sleep/

Chiaroscuro

Life steps along at a regular pace most of the time, with some curve balls thrown in for good measure.  Nine times out of ten we field the curve balls with a smile, and come out relatively the same on the other side.  We dust ourselves off and find we are more fit for the next pitch.

Then some of us have children.  This is a fast ball of unparalled speed.

Now your life becomes a never-ending series of light and dark moments.  Happening at the same time. 

For instance, you are so desperate for some alone time in the first years of your child's life that you are beside yourself.  Then it is almost time for your little one to start school, and you are thrilled.  The first day of school comes and your usually independent little bugger is not only screaming at a glass-breaking pitch, you have to peel them off of your leg and leave them crying "MOMMY!" repeatedly as you leave the building.  You have your alone time, but now you are not so thrilled.  You feel guilty and all you can think about is your child's well-being.  And how sad they must feel.  And how miserable you feel. 

The school day finally ends and you can't wait to pick them up.  You envision their tear-streaked faces and bloodshot eyes.  But when you show up they happily run over and show you the craft they made.  Yay!  Happiness!  All is well--the angels are singing and the weight of the world is off your shoulders.  Only now you are a little mad because you spent your whole day worrying.  And you still feel like you need time to yourself because all you did was think of them all day.  And this repeats every day for the next million years, but the screaming tones down to grumbling as they get a bit older.  Then it is finally time for them to graduate and you are thrilled, and so sad at the same time.  They are no longer small, and you miss that.  They were so sweet!  And we are so proud now!  How they have grown.  But remember how adorable they used to be?  It seems that no emotion arrives on its own once kids involved.  It's all light and dark.

You love them more than anything in the world, you would throw yourself in front of a train to save them, and all you want is to not think about them so much. 

If you are enjoying yourself, they are probably miserable, and vica versa.  You don't want to watch Power Rangers and they do not want to go see the Cezanne exhitbit at MoMA.

The magaines and books get us ready for the diapers, baths, and the how-to of being the perfect working parent.  What we should really be gearing up for are the contant ups-and-downs of life with a kid.  Forget black and white...it's now a thousand shades of grey, and every color in the rainbow.

So get ready for the fast ball.

My Dark Fall

As summer comes to an end each year, we dread the coming of the cold.  The sun will no longer be bright gold and yellow...it will now contain a shade of blue, and it won't keep us as warm.  The dark creeps in earlier, and our minds somehow become darker, too.
 
But as the flowers wilt, something in us comes to life.  We can let the dark, whithered sides of ourselves out again.  We realize that the dread is not for the summer's end, but for the shadows that we all hide. 

Although most of us would never admit to many of our underground thoughts, we all remember wonderfully shivery nights when we told our deepest darkest secrets to one another.  Things we would do if we could never get caught, thoughts of revenge plotted on an enemy, or boyfriends we would steal, and possibly give back. 

Thankfully, most of us don't kill our enemies, or steal our neighbor's beautiful diamond necklace, or do anything to get ourselves in very much trouble.  We need to keep up appearances, after all.  How would they feel about all those nasty actions at the country club?  But if we were put in jail for our thoughts, many of us would be put away for a very long time.

Here comes the dark, put out the welcome mat.