I'm Just Sayin' . . .

So, it was my turn to blog yesterday, but I’ve been fighting off yet another nasty bug that has been going around. Good times/NOT!!! Today is a bit better, so I decided to take laptop in hand and make an attempt at writing a post. We’ll see how it goes; if it doesn’t make sense—we’ll blame it on the cold medicine. ;) 

It’s interesting, the thoughts that come to mind when you have time to sit back and ponder life. The first day felt rather muddled with feelings of, “Am I going to survive this one,” plaguing as a nasty cold wreaked havoc. Yesterday was more like, “Well, I’m still here, but I can’t breathe and my cough rather resembles animal life I’ve observed along the California/Oregon coast.” In between all of that, I found myself thinking about the past, the current time, and the future. Little things like that. At one point I remember analyzing the changes my grandparents observed during their respective lifetimes. In their youth, horse and buggy was the acceptable means of transportation. That morphed into trains, automobiles, airplanes, and launching men to the moon. Visiting friends, neighbors, and family members changed from talking over the fence, to using a contraption called a telephone, complete with cord and a person called an operator. There were party lines, private lines, and telephone lines that connected them with loved ones near and far.

They still wrote letters—one of my grandmothers in particular was very good at keeping in touch via the written word. This, I believe, has become a dying art. These days we send text messages and call it good. Or we instant message someone if it’s really important. We chat live via various programs online. 

I remember years ago when my father excitedly brought home a new-fangled gadget that allowed us to play a game on our television set called “PONG.” We were amazed at the stunning graphics. ;) Okay, they weren’t stunning, but it seemed really cool. Compare that game with what is now considered cool among video gamers, and it’s not so impressive.

When VCR’s emerged, we thought life couldn’t get any better. We could personally pick out whatever movie we wanted to watch, instead of relying on television stations to do it for us. DVD’s and Blue-Ray devices have pretty much taken over, or “streaming” via impressive bandwidth. I’m sure there’s something new on the horizon that will make all of that seem like pioneer days.

Our phones are now computerized, and some resemble tablets, since they’re growing in size yet again.

Ye olde TV sets are currently replaced with the flat-screened versions.

Planes, trains, and automobiles still exist, but each year sleeker models are revealed. I’m still waiting for those featured on “The Jetsons,” . . . you know, the family cars that fly around the atmosphere instead of enduring snarled traffic jams . . . oh, wait . . . they had traffic jams as well. Sigh . . .

If you’re wondering if all of this has a common link . . . it does. Ponder all of the technological wonders that have emerged during the past decades and consider this: THERE IS STILL NO CURE FOR THE COMMON COLD!!! I’m just sayin’ . . . we can send people into space, but we can’t come up with a way to stifle a malady that has been plaguing us for eons. To me, this is a very sad state of affairs!!!

I know . . . there are items out there that can help, but when one is lying on the couch, trying not to die, the last thing you want to do is drive to town to find something that can alleviate horrific symptoms, like coughing up one’s lungs, or not being able to breathe. I’ve been getting by with cold medicine I already had on hand, but it still doesn’t take away feeling like the last chapter.

So . . . all of you techie-types that are wailing because there’s nothing new to invent, have I got a suggestion for you!!! CURE THE COMMON COLD!!! Come up with a way to erase this vindictive bug from society on a permanent basis. You will be considered among the greatest scientists/inventers of all time.

And now, I’m climbing carefully down off my soapbox (since I’m still a bit dizzy) to lie down before I hurt myself. Au Revoir.

CRAZY

 

This month has been crazy.  There have been five family birthdays, a funeral, a wedding, a lesson to teach, and all the usual trivia of life. Plus I serve at the Oquirrh Mountain temple on Wednesdays, write a review column every other week, got my taxes ready, just sent off one book to my publisher, and I'm about a third of the way through a novella. 

My husband's sister passed away earlier this month after a series of strokes.  The funeral was in Sandy, but she was buried in Lorenzo, Idaho.  For those who never heard of Lorenzo, it's between Idaho Falls and Rexburg. It was great to see so much family, but sad to bid farewell in this life to a dear sister. Those of us who made the trek from Utah to Idaho for the burial stayed overnight in Idaho Falls where we had a spectacular view of the Snake River and the Idaho Falls temple. 

The following weekend we traveled to a different part of Idaho to my niece's wedding in the Twin Falls temple.  It was a beautiful occasion and the bride was gorgeous. Again we enjoyed visiting with family, but it was certainly a happier occasion.  We stayed with my brother and his daughter in the country.  From his windows we saw plenty of cows, a rock-chuck, pheasants, and mules. It was kind of sad to see a lone daffodil blooming beside the rubble that was once my parents' house next door.

 

 

 

On the way to my brother's house we stopped in Twin Falls where two of my high school friends met me for lunch. It was the first time the three of us had been together since high school which was a long time ago.  One other friend had planned to meet us, but had the wrong date and missed our

reunion. 

I discovered it's a real challenge to keep my blood sugar level steady while traveling and eating out. Not only is it hard to count carbs, but eating at irregular times creates problems too. 

And the month isn't over.  There are still two birthdays and a play.  Our oldest granddaughter has a part in her school's musical and we don't want to miss it. I wonder if April will be any better.

Words to live by!

I'm cleaning out files and drawers and cubby holes where I have stashed stuff for "later" when I have time to do something with it. It is too good to toss, but what do I do with it until I know what to do with it?  For example, I'm holding a yellowed newspaper clipping with a picture of a bespectacled older man in a jaunty hat with what is probably a colored ribbon band. He has signed the piece in a steady, readable script. This is what it says:

 "I do not choose to be a common man. It is my right to be uncommon if I can. I seek opportunity - not security. I will refuse to be a kept citizen, to be humbled and dulled by having my state and nation look after me. I want to dream and to build, to fail and to succeed - never to be numbered among those weak and timid souls who have known neither victory or defeat. I know that happiness can come only from the inside through hard constructive work and sincere positive thinking. I know that I can get a measure of inner satisfaction from any job if I intelligently plan and courageously execute it. I know that, if I put forth every iota of strength that I possess - physical, mental, spiritual - toward the accomplishment of a worthwhile task ere I fall exhausted by the wayside, the Unseen Hand will reach out and pull me through. Yes, I want to live dangerously, plan by procedures on the basis of calculated risks, to resolve the problems of everyday living into a measure of inner peace. I know if I know how to do all this, I will know how to live and, if I know how to live, I will know how to die."
Signed by H. B. Zachry

I'd like to meet this man but he has probably been dead for many years since I've had the clipping for at least twenty years. I love his message. Still don't know what to do with the clipping! So I'll tuck it back in the file with a beautiful page of Inspirations from Norman Vincent Peale and uplifting quotes by the prophets and others until I need it for a lesson or talk. In the meantime, my files are expanding, not diminishing, but I have been given food for thought. I hope you have.

ENOUGH OR TOO MUCH

Life is a lot like scrambled eggs or this winter's weather.  Here in the west we've had a few snow storms, but nothing like the East coast has seen and not enough to ensure next summer's water supply.  Daffodils and crocuses are blooming.  I've seen a few robins, but the weatherman keeps assuring viewers we have more snow coming. My husband has been trimming roses, building tomato cages, and clearing leaves out of the flower beds, but keeping the snow blower easily accessible.
 

A dear sister-in-law died this week and we have a niece whose wedding we'll attend next week. A nephew was a top scorer on an academic placement exam last week and a niece was the top scorer for her ice hockey team that finished second in state. 
 

Most people's lives are a series of contrasts, surprises, and unexpected jolts.  As writers struggle to make their stories realistic they walk a fine line between creating the unexpected and sticking to the main focus of the story.  Too many of life's intrusions and coincidences turn a story into a chaotic, confusing mess.  Not enough, makes the story incomplete and unbelievable. The perfect blend makes a story both memorable and enjoyable. 
 

A well placed element of the story which leads the reader to a wrong conclusion is called a red herring.  Even a red herring, however, must add to the story in a realistic way and enlarge the general picture the hero/heroine faces, though it doesn't lead to the solution to the mystery.

 

Life might be a bit boring if it flowed smoothly according to plan at all times. Books are like that too. As a reviewer for Meridian Magazine, I read a lot of books, and have been particularly aware lately of authors who achieve a nice balance in providing contrasts and enough day-to-day interference with their characters' objectives to feel realistic.  I've also read way too many that detail every second of the character's life and wander around in pointless trivia. Someone told me she skips over at least half of what she sees posted on Face Book.  May I suggest that if you'd skip over it on Face Book, don't put it in your novel?

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As a side note, please check out my reviews of four military and war books on Meridian

Stress Release

Once again I am sitting down to the computer, contemplating the blank screen. Yes . . . it's my turn to compose yet another blog post. ;) Usually the ideas just pop inside my empty head and I do my best to translate them into written word. Today I'm staring at a blank screen waiting for inspiration to strike.

That's the way it seems to be for most writers. Some days it seems like you can't type fast enough to keep up with the silent muse that eggs us on. Other days you sit staring at the blank screen and scratch your head. Or read through what you've already written and cut it to shreds, certain it is the worst thing that anyone has ever written. ;)

For me, writing has always been a release . . . a way to work through things that are bothering me. It's how I started, actually. After my father's death, on the nights I couldn't sleep, I wrote out everything I was feeling. Then I shredded every page. I didn't know it, but this was a healthy way to work through a very traumatic loss. Not long after that experience, I began writing a story about a young woman who was trying to come to terms with her father's death. I changed a lot of the details, but it was still my story. When it was finished, I remember feeling tremendous peace inside, and a sense of accomplishment. Then my husband read through it and he challenged me to send it off to a publishing company.

That proved to be a scary time. I'll never forget how I felt after I left my "baby" (the manuscript) at the post office. I wanted to dive back into the mail bin to retrieve it and take it home where it could be safe. Instead, I nervously waited 6 months for my first rejection letter. But by then, I had already started the second manuscript, and after pouting for a week or two, I continued to finish my second tome. I shelved the first one, certain there was something terribly wrong with it, since it had received a rejection letter. It would take me a while to learn that getting published is often a combination of meeting up with the right publishing company with the right idea, at the right time. No big deal. ;D

It would take me 8 years to get my first book published. I have an entire scrapbook filled with rejection letters. I titled it: "Opinions of Silly People." ;) Actually, they were my incentive to work on improving my writing skills.

For me, writing is still something I do from time to time (when I can find the time) and I'm currently working on a new manuscript that is pretty fun to write. We'll see what happens. For now, it's a great way to escape from the daily worries and responsibilities that fall to me. I have discovered that I feel better on the days that I write, so I've learned that this is one of my ways to release stress. That fact, alone, makes writing worthwhile.

I have several stress releases: photography, playing guitar, working in my gardens, going for a walk with a good friend, reading a good book . . . so on and so forth. I think these items are important to do on a regular basis. They help me stay balanced, and improve my mood if I'm having a less than stellar day.

So on those days when you're feeling bogged down, cling to the comfort of a good stress release. Since we're all unique, different things will appeal. For some it will be crafts, dancing, art . . . etc. and so forth. Find what makes you happy, and spend some time as often as you can, doing those things. I can promise that it will not only make you feel better about life, but it will also prove to be very enjoyable.

With Fear and Trembling

Despite the problems some readers from the publisher found with Too Many Ghosts, I have had so many requests to please publish the story, that I am revisitng the manuscript. Despite, also, the fact that it must have been so terrible that no one on this list commented at all when I forwarded the manuscript last year. I made a lot of excuses, knowing that everyone is so busy, no one had time to read it, and no one wanted to hurt my feelings.

But making it a resolution/goal this year, I have given the manuscript to some local readers and asked for their opinions on what I can do to make the book better. Now I just have to get the courage to plunge into it myself. That is a daunting task for me as it was a very traumatic experience trying to work with the reader's comments like: "I don't like a book that doesn't have the same characters throughout. I like to read about the same characters through the whole book." Doesn't matter that this is a book about having to travel across the US searching for a lost fiancee and how people along the way help her out.

For two months I have procrastinated the dreaded task, but now I have to actually get into the manuscript and see if I can fix the problems. The next difficulty I am encountering is actually getting back into the writing mode when I have so enjoyed having that time to do other things! There wasn't enough time in my day to accomplish it all, so now I will have to be inventive to create writing time.

It's like vacuuming. I will put that off indefinitely and clean and polish and get everything else done until there is nothing left to do but vacuum, then I finally have to bite the bullet and do it! That is the point at which I find myself now. So in spite of everything, I will rework the dreadful manuscript and see if I can actually make something good come out of it. I loved the story! It was so fun to write and research. I hated taking out 100 pages, then still having to make changes.

Hopefully with all the different publishing venues, if I finally can make it a good read, I will then have a new adventure of figuring out what to do with it. That is another daunting task! I have really enjoyed my retirement, but I guess there are still more stories in me wanting to be told, so here I go! Wish me luck!

Kindness Begins . . .

A gracious hello. It has been a while since I've composed a blog post. In my defense, I found myself blitzed by the flu in January. Evidently this year's flu shot was not quite on the mark. ;) And when one's body is rebellious anyway, little items like the flu take their toll.

This month has been a blur as I've tried to catch up on everything, now that I'm back among the living. In way of good news, the days when I felt less than well gave me time to think about a few things. Hence, today's blog post.

We live in a time unparalleled for technological gadgetry. Within minutes, sometimes seconds, we can communicate with those who live across the country or world. We've enjoyed being able to Skype with our grandkids, and other loved ones who live far away. It's still amazing to me that with a touch of a button, keyboard, etc. we can send instant e-mails to family members who are serving in the mission field around the world.

Most of us carry a cell phone around with us on our daily adventures, making it easy for others to contact us when the need arises. Back in the day when I did quite a few booksignings, I often traveled alone and my family felt better when they knew I had a way to call for help if something went wrong.

While I've appreciated the many ways we can keep in touch with each other, sometimes I wonder if the ease of communicating leads to some of the conflict we're seeing in our troubled world. Because we can send out messages at practically the speed of light, unfortunate communication often takes place. We type before we think. We post things on social media before we consider the consequences, or ponder how some items will affect others. Gone are the days when we sat quietly and thoughtfully pondered each word as we wrote letters on fancy stationery.

In our neck of the woods an ugly beast has arisen, known as cyber bullying. Bullying has always been a problem. Consider what Cain did to Able, for example. But now it has a sharper edge, causing untold grief. My heart goes out to kids who tolerate horrific mean acts at school . . . and there is no escape when they return home. I suspect that most of us at one time or another, have experienced a form of bullying. Years ago when I was going to school, the nice thing was that once you arrived home, you had reached a refuge from all of that. It gave you time to work through what had happened that day, and a chance to figure out a way to deal with it the next. Not anymore. Through the advent of technology, the nasty fingers of bullying reaches into our homes through the internet, or our cell phones. For some kids, the harrassment takes place 24\7. There is no escape--and in time they lose hope that it will ever get any better.

I find it interesting that while there are so many good things we can do with the technology we've been blessed with, like geneaology, e-books, research, and positive communication with loved ones as I've already mentioned, some are choosing to use it in a negative fashion, sharing inappropriate pictures online and on their phones, and mean-spirited messages that tear others apart. As always, the adversary has taken a good thing and added a very ugly twist.

And since we've become used to being mean to each other online or via our cell phones, now it's extending to every day life. We're becoming a generation who feels that everyone is entitled to our opinion, and we have little tolerance for those that we consider different. We are impatient, since we are used to instant results online--we expect that same rate of service when we venture into stores. Instead of being kind to those around us, we practially snarl our frustration when we have to wait behind someone else in the checkout line. And heaven help the poor clerk if mistakes are made.

A few years ago, one of our sons worked in a local grocery store. He came home exhausted each day, sharing some of the negative adventures he had endured compliments of disgruntled customers. It shocked me when he revealed that there was one customer in particular who had been so repeatedly rude to all of the store clerks, the ones who could, would hide until he\she had left the store. How sad is that?

The question that keeps going around in my addled head is this: why can't we just be nice to each other? Why can't we be appreciative of the blessings we enjoy in this marvelous age of technology and use these wonders for good things--not something destructive or nasty?

Once again a well-known scripture passage comes to mind. It was indeed written for our day:

" . . . charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth . . . Wherefore my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth . . . charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him."
(Moroni 7:45-47)

I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's time to consider how we are treating each other. Are we patient? Are we kind? Do we repect others? Do we treat the people around us as we would want to be treated?

I know many of you are. I am constantly impressed by the good things that are taking place in our community, state, nation, and world. There are numerous good people, young and old, who are doing their best to emulate our Savior. A big gold star on all of your foreheads! Despite all of this, there is a need for improvement. When others are losing their desire to live because of how they are being treated, it's time to turn things around.

Smile at those around you. Offer a kind word or compliment to people who are doing their best. Refrain from being negative. Practice patience, especially when it's being tried. ;) Post uplifting thoughts and pictures. In short, do those things that will make this world a better place to live.