Lynn Nicholas's Blog, page 3

January 1, 2021

EVERYTHING'S COMING UP ROSES?

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​Whether it’s the start of a new year or a milestone like a birthday, we all need a fresh starting point from which we can say, “From this day forward, everything will be better.” My starting point is New Year’s Day, when I open my new, tightly wrapped wall calendar. Each page holds so much promise. My calendar is a threshold to a clean slate: memories to be made, opportunities to grasp, and resolutions to be fulfilled.

However, the older I get, the more I realize that opening up my new calendar...
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Published on January 01, 2021 14:58

December 2, 2020

MAKING IT HAPPEN

Picture Thanksgiving now behind us, we are free to let the madness begin. What? Yes, I know the election is over…not that kind of mad/madness...we’ve all had enough of that. I mean the shut-the-bad-stuff-out kind of madness. The good kind that takes over when we jump off the deep end into a pool of holiday magic. Don’t tell me you’re too worn out from election and pandemic stresses to even think about the holidays? Hands over ears ! Not listening! The raw truth is that what you need now more than anyth...
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Published on December 02, 2020 13:32

October 12, 2020

MULTI-FACETED OR FLAKY?

Picture ​You walk into my house and find me in the kitchen, energy flying in all directions. The contents of a cutlery drawer are dumped on the counter; the dishwasher is partly emptied; and a stack of mail is halfway sorted. Do you just shake your head, make yourself a cup of tea, and wait it out, or do you back away slowly, glancing around for trace amounts of cocaine on your way to the door?

To explain, I follow the tenet of “do it as the spirit moves you.” A planned three-minute jaunt outside to fil...
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Published on October 12, 2020 17:24

September 9, 2020

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Picture ​I don’t know what all this staying-at-home, pandemic avoidance has done to you, but for me it’s sent my comfort-food cravings into overdrive. I’ve done more baking in the past few months than I have in years. I’ve also experimented with enough new dinner recipes to start my own cooking-through-COVID YouTube channel. Over the past six months the definition of comfort food has expanded way beyond Mom’s tomato soup and cheese sandwiches. The scent of a peach cobbler or cinnamon rolls baking, and/...
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Published on September 09, 2020 16:56

August 9, 2020

BETWEEN THE COVERS - THE GREAT ESCAPE

Picture Do you remember when you first fell in love with reading? Better yet, do you remember the first real book that invited you into a completely different culture, emotional space, or time period? And for the introverts in the group, when was the first time you discovered that having a book in your hand is like hanging a “do not disturb” sign around your neck? Pretty fabulous, right ?! A book is an introvert’s best friend.

Books. Just the word conjures up a lazy afternoon, lounging somewhere comfort...
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Published on August 09, 2020 17:07

July 20, 2020

SOMETHING TO SMILE ABOUT

2020 has turned out to be a challenging year, full of disappointments adjustments. For me, this was supposed to be “the year of the book”.  I had lots of ideas for ways to celebrate the much-awaited (by me anyway) debut of my first novel. But, with the exception of hosting the initial launch party and one public reading, everything from the Tucson Festival of Books, where I had booth space, to several other venues ended up on the chopping block. I’m sure most of you reading this can relate, as m...
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Published on July 20, 2020 19:28

May 26, 2020

CONFESSIONS OF A LIST-MAKER

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​Back in the ‘80s, while interviewing for the position of administrative assistant to the director of R&D of an engineering company, I confessed I was an enthusiastic list-maker. Turned out my preoccupation with creating order via lists was exactly the quality my new boss valued the most in an assistant. Sometimes being an obsessive-compulsive control freak can work in one’s favor. Offering to wash my new boss’s Audi probably didn’t hurt my chances either. 

So, yes, I admit it. I’m one of those ...
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Published on May 26, 2020 11:18

April 30, 2020

domestic diva ??

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Remember when I was whining about the need to clear my calendar and slow down? Well that message was evidently received. April 29 marked the midpoint of my seventh week of COVID19 sheltering in place. I am now officially a slug. Anyone else growing out of their fat jeans? If I visualize receiving motivation to exercise, I wonder what the ethers will toss back? Im guessing a brownie or two.

Im going to share the gist of a Facebook meme with you, Were all  caught in the same storm, but were not...
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Published on April 30, 2020 11:54

March 26, 2020

HITTING THE RESET BUTTON

Picture Half hidden behind the drooping branches of a bottlebrush bush, I watch him doing pushups on the top of the wall. Even in the mild March sunshine, the blocks radiate too much heat to rest his abdomen on their flat surface. This guy is big: fat, in fact. Its been a good spring for lizards. Early bug hatching and lots of tender weeds provide a plentiful food supply. 

I sit quietly and lay my book down. Stilling the movement of the glider, I barely breathe as a hummingbird whirrs toward me. She...
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Published on March 26, 2020 14:01

March 3, 2020

THE NEXT THING?

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I swear, I’m truly trying to be more conscious of living in the moment, but to be honest, I’m failing miserably at it. The carousel is spinning so fast my surroundings blur, and I can’t focus. Not only is it difficult to stop to smell the proverbial roses, I can’t seem to slow down long enough to get the damn rosebush planted. And I mean that literally.

Now, I’m not letting myself off the hook, but I don’t think I’m alone here. Raise your hand if you feel like you’ve become too accustomed to...
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Published on March 03, 2020 15:38