The Magical World of...

Random Quote:  "Your library is your paradise."   ~Desiderius Erasmus

... the library...

It is the best place to get work accomplished, fight the good fight of procrastination, and have books surrounding you in all of their glorious bound beauty. 

*Sigh*

Yes, books are my passion. I love them. The way they smell (see my blogpost "Stop, and Smell the Books"), the way the pages crinkle as you turn them, the smoothness of each page, the startling revelation that is the cover in all its designed glory... I could go on. Perhaps I should stop while I'm ahead. 

However, books are like little passports into other worlds. You are there with the characters as they conduct their adventures in a way that is often soul changing. 

So, the library is my happy place. Not only is it a quiet place to gather information and stalk books and authors without reprecussions, but it is also the greatest place to go and work. On any novel, short story, or blogpost, this is the get-a-way resort. I can stay for hours and type to my heart's content. It is the most beautiful time in the world. 

And the librarians are such nice people (see my blogpost "Nice People")! They are friendly and willing to help you search for resources. They obviously love books too. So you know they are the best people to be around! It is the perfect place to settle down and read or work for as long as you need. 

Do libraries get awards? Because I think they should. They should be nominated for "Best Resting Place" or "Most Awesome Place to Work" or "Best Author's Haven" or "Best Home Away from Home" or some such award. Where can I sign them up for any of these awards or more? 

We need to get on this people! The library is one of God's gifts to humanity. Feel free to scamper there whenever you can.

Now, I must continue working on my next short story. I'm at the perfect place for it. 

Does anyone else have a favorite happy place? 

~love and hugs!! :)

Dorian Days

Random Quote: "One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood."  ~Lucius Annaeus Seneca

You want to know what my favorite day of the week is? Thursday! My favorite day of the week is Thursday. Yep, you heard me correctly. I LOVE Thursdays! 

I love knowing that at seven o'clock in the morning my alarm is going to go off and insist I get up. I love hearing the little tweet of torture break through my soundless sleep and get me out of bed... after a snooze push or two. I love getting up to wash my face and brush my teeth and get dressed all with one purpose in mind. I love quietly exiting my still sleeping house. I love getting into my car and hearing the purr of the engine and the ding of my car seatbelt notification. I love turning on the radio and deciding what I am going to listen to and jam out to on my drive. I love taking the time to make the-- maybe, perhaps, it's just possible, it's going to happen-- STOP at the BEST donut shop in the world: Poppy's!! I love turning my vehicle North on 291 and realizing I am ready for a new, ain't no stopping the fun, Thank God It's Thursday roll out down the open highway. Or, of course, it isn't that open or anything. You get what I mean! And I love, most of all, when I reach my destination!!

Why do I love these things? I will tell you why. Because every Thursday is Dorian Day! It is the day where I actually like getting up early to drive on highways and merge-- which I normally HATE doing-- all in order to see my best gal-pal and writing-reading buddy. Every Thursday we are set to have a field day of writing fun. Our minds are geared toward one purposeful goal: Write! Write! Write! 

There are stories to be told! There are dragons to slay or ride or whatever! There are girl heriones to create! There are seriously good book boyfriends to invent! 

And we do that. 

Us. 

Dorian and I. 

Every Thursday. 

Because one day, we will rule the bookshelves at every local and international bookstore. 

Every. 

Bookstore. 

And when that day comes, you will be seriously glad you read our blogs. You will be thrilled that you were here with us before our glory days. You will be amazed at how fabulous our writing minds really are. 

The world is ours to conquer. The writing world that is. And by golly, we are going to conquer it! 

Fair warning. 

So, THIS ALL is why I love Thursdays! 

That is all. Go about your normal business now. But remember our names...

~love and hugs!! :)

Nice People

Random Quote: "Be nice to people on your way up because you'll meet them on your way down." 

~Wilson Mizner

Today I ran into the Blue Springs Hy-Vee to pick up a couple of things. I was in the neighborhood and it was close, and I thought, why not? So I went in and decided to grab a prepackaged sandwich while I was there and super hungry. As a result, I just had to share what my experience was like and how it made me smile. 

On my way to the deli area, I noticed how nice people were. The folks that worked there would smile or say hello, and it made me feel like a local celebrity (maybe they've read my ebook! lol). 

I grabbed a turkey and cheddar and was making my way to the front when an older gentleman in the produce startled me with a boisterous, "Well, hello! How are you today?" 
With some surprise, I looked at him, noticed his bright smile, and smiled back. 
"I'm great! How are you?" 
"I'm doing well, thank you." 
"Have a nice day!"
"You too!" 
Yes, it is one of those conversations you look back at and continue to smile about, and then when I passed a cashier, she smiled and said hi. When I got to the express lane, the woman at her register was friendly and seemed happy to be there and help. 
My thoughts were, "Wow! These people are really nice!" 

And you know what? That's what makes your day brighter. It's also what makes you want to enter a business establishment again. Because of the NICE PEOPLE! 

Granted, I know what bad days are. I know what it's like to be somewhat, shall we say, nasty when you are not feeling your best. However, I also know what it's like to be happy and share that happiness with others. To be kind, even when someone else is not kind. 
Some days, the ability to be is a little harder than other days, but it really is worth it. 

These few nice people today made me think of how I want to be. I want to be happy. I want to be nice. I want to brighten and cheer other peoples' days. 

It may be a lot of work, but I can do it if I try. Let go of the grumpy and say hello to the joyful. I can do that. 

What about you? Are you ready to be nice? 

So, thank you to all of those nice people, who have bad days, but still remain in control of their humor and consideration for others. Thank you Blue Springs Hy-Vee for making my shopping experience a positive one. You are awesome. 

~love and hugs!! :)

Growing Up...

Random Quote: "Today the world changes so quickly that in growing up we take leave not just of youth but of the world we were young in." ~ Peter Medawar

I keep thinking that as I get older I will feel more grown up. More mature. More... something. When in reality, I just feel like I'm stuck in an old person's body without fully grasping what everything around me means. 

When you leave the twenties behind and start thinking about your thirties, you begin to wonder where in the world all the years have gone. I mean, now you're ten years closer to forty and twenty years away from fifty, and all your brain can comprehend is: Damn it! I haven't even accomplished half of what I'm supposed to!!

Then you stop and think, what was it that I really wanted to accomplish? 

That's where you come to a thick, hard, inpenatrable wall. You see what you want to do and you think about what you want to do and match that with where you are in life and it just doesn't equal out. They don't match. They don't jive.

THAT is when you begin to feel really old. It's when you start to feel like a grown up. Because, obviously, every grown up around you is miserable and confused too. Right?

How many people look at the job or home or even state that they live in and think: This is exactly where I'm supposed to be, doing what I was meant to do? 

How many people just feel stuck? 

And everyone around you says, "It's okay. You can unstick yourself. Just do this..." 

Everybody else knows what to do for everybody else. Isn't that how it goes? 

Well, if I seem bitchy without purpose, don't worry. There is a purpose. It's that inner voice in me saying, "WAKE UP!!!" 

Because growing up isn't just about the toil and trials, the worry and disasters, the stupidity and immaturity. It's also about realizing you have to make changes in your life and make those changes count. 

So even if I still don't know what I'm doing or how to get there, I do know I want to get there. I need some changes. Good ones, I hope. I need to make those changes happen, plan and execute what needs to be accomplished without sitting on the sidelines and waiting for it to happen. I need to take those confounded risks!

And no, I'm not giving up chocolate. I said I needed to make changes, not lose my mind. 

Basically, that's it in a nutshell. Although I've never understood what that meant. How does everything fit into a nutshell anyway? They're way too small. I guess I'll ponder that quote another time...

~love and hugs...