Lydia Howe's Blog, page 16
April 22, 2016
S is for Scenery #atozchallenge
Creativity is a lifestyle for me, not an action. This month I'm exploring twenty-six quirky ways I keep my creativity flowing.
A change of scenery can do wonders to get my creativity flowing. If I have a big day of writing in front of me, I can almost guarantee you that as soon as it's light outside I'll be out walking or jogging. A crazy deadline to meet? I'll be out jogging again. A plot hole that needs fixed? A leisurely walk generally generates the answers I'm looking for. Need to have a brainstorming session? I'm back outside striding around with my phone in hand to take notes on.
I travel a lot and in each new city and landscape ideas plop into my head, inspired by the world around me. I don't need to have a physical change in scenery though, if I'm lacking in creativity when I'm at home, I simply google images from whatever country it is I'm interested in at the moment and ideas flood in.
A change in scenery works wonders for my creativity, and I think that has something to do with the fact that God is creative and He has created the world with so much diversity and then created us in His image. Pretty cool, right?
A change of scenery can do wonders to get my creativity flowing. If I have a big day of writing in front of me, I can almost guarantee you that as soon as it's light outside I'll be out walking or jogging. A crazy deadline to meet? I'll be out jogging again. A plot hole that needs fixed? A leisurely walk generally generates the answers I'm looking for. Need to have a brainstorming session? I'm back outside striding around with my phone in hand to take notes on.
I travel a lot and in each new city and landscape ideas plop into my head, inspired by the world around me. I don't need to have a physical change in scenery though, if I'm lacking in creativity when I'm at home, I simply google images from whatever country it is I'm interested in at the moment and ideas flood in.
A change in scenery works wonders for my creativity, and I think that has something to do with the fact that God is creative and He has created the world with so much diversity and then created us in His image. Pretty cool, right?
April 21, 2016
R is for Reading #atozchallenge
Creativity is a lifestyle for me, not an action. This month I'm exploring twenty-six quirky ways I keep my creativity flowing.
Reading is one of the best ways I've found to expand my creativity. Today I thought I'd share some of my favorite books with y'all.
Over the Divide has been one of my favorite and most read books during the last seven years. The best part of the book is the voice of the story, it's so clear and extremely real. Plus the author hit the perfect balance with what details to include; even now I can picture the setting to a T, although it's been months since I last read it.
The story takes place during a backpack trip over the continental divide, and parallels the internal journey the main character, Jacy, goes through.
Love Does tells the fantastic true account of the author's life and how he lives each day to the fullest to bring glory to God. What I like most about this book is how he doesn't worry about being like everyone else. His life is one big, difference-making adventurous and creativity plays a key part in what he does.
Homer Price is a book my mom read to me when I was a kid and then eventually I began reading it for myself. It's been a couple of years since I last read it, but I remember it being quite funny and really creative in it's delivery.
You can find out about more of the books I read and enjoy over at my Goodreads account, and if you're on Goodreads, I'd be happy for book recommendations.
Reading is one of the best ways I've found to expand my creativity. Today I thought I'd share some of my favorite books with y'all.
Over the Divide has been one of my favorite and most read books during the last seven years. The best part of the book is the voice of the story, it's so clear and extremely real. Plus the author hit the perfect balance with what details to include; even now I can picture the setting to a T, although it's been months since I last read it.
The story takes place during a backpack trip over the continental divide, and parallels the internal journey the main character, Jacy, goes through.
Love Does tells the fantastic true account of the author's life and how he lives each day to the fullest to bring glory to God. What I like most about this book is how he doesn't worry about being like everyone else. His life is one big, difference-making adventurous and creativity plays a key part in what he does.
Homer Price is a book my mom read to me when I was a kid and then eventually I began reading it for myself. It's been a couple of years since I last read it, but I remember it being quite funny and really creative in it's delivery.
You can find out about more of the books I read and enjoy over at my Goodreads account, and if you're on Goodreads, I'd be happy for book recommendations.
April 20, 2016
Q is for Questions #atozchallenge & Writing and Life Update
Creativity is a lifestyle for me, not an action. This month I'm exploring twenty-six quirky ways I keep my creativity flowing.
I really like asking questions. I've even had friends tell me that asking questions is my hobby, which I took as a compliment. Each person has such a unique view of life and has experienced things I'll never get to do first hand, but can live virtually through their stories. There are so many facts and ideas and quirky little facets that escape me unless I purposely seek them out.
If I were to meet you in real life, I'd doubtlessly ask you dozens of questions. The questions may seem inconsequential, but each question asked and answered helps me see life, and the person answering the question, in a bit of a new way.
Here's a list of questions my family said I generally ask when I first meet someone:
"Who's your favorite author?" "Do you like to read?" "Do you like to read fiction or non-fiction?" "What kind of books do you like?"
"What's your middle name?""Do you have any nick-names?" "How many siblings do you have?"
What are questions you generally ask when you first meet someone? If you leave a comment with them, I'll answer them and other readers can, too, if they want. :)
And, of course, since I haven't met most of y'all in person, I'd be delighted if wanted to answer any of those^ questions in the comments.
* * *
The weather has been delightful here. Even though it's been rather hot and we don't have any AC, the breeze from the ocean and the shade from the palm trees has kept our surroundings pleasant. The colors, textures, sights, sounds, and smells have been blending together creating a tranquil atmosphere and renewing my mind.
I finished the draft of WLHYL I was working on at around 4:00 yesterday morning, which was a rather big accomplishment for me and just barely within the time frame of the deadline I had. I was merging what used to be book one and two in the series, making it just one book. During the last couple of months I've done a lot of editing and cutting, taking the two books from a combined 150,000 words to just over 86,000 words.
Today I took a break from most of my writing work, and instead had good family time, caught up on some reading, and took several long walks on the beach. In reality I just walked back and forth in front of our section of the beach, but it didn't feel redundant because the rolling waves changed the scenery each time I went past.
I walked a little over ten miles, which felt like a good workout since I was on the sand and walking on the sand is a good way to invest energy. Plus, it's ties with my longest walking workout since I began training for the marathon, only I spread it out doing half in the morning and half in the afternoon, instead of all at once.
I'm looking forward to the next few weeks and maybe starting another writing project. Or maybe I'll just catch up with my reading...
I really like asking questions. I've even had friends tell me that asking questions is my hobby, which I took as a compliment. Each person has such a unique view of life and has experienced things I'll never get to do first hand, but can live virtually through their stories. There are so many facts and ideas and quirky little facets that escape me unless I purposely seek them out.
If I were to meet you in real life, I'd doubtlessly ask you dozens of questions. The questions may seem inconsequential, but each question asked and answered helps me see life, and the person answering the question, in a bit of a new way.
Here's a list of questions my family said I generally ask when I first meet someone:
"Who's your favorite author?" "Do you like to read?" "Do you like to read fiction or non-fiction?" "What kind of books do you like?"
"What's your middle name?""Do you have any nick-names?" "How many siblings do you have?"
What are questions you generally ask when you first meet someone? If you leave a comment with them, I'll answer them and other readers can, too, if they want. :)
And, of course, since I haven't met most of y'all in person, I'd be delighted if wanted to answer any of those^ questions in the comments.
* * *
The weather has been delightful here. Even though it's been rather hot and we don't have any AC, the breeze from the ocean and the shade from the palm trees has kept our surroundings pleasant. The colors, textures, sights, sounds, and smells have been blending together creating a tranquil atmosphere and renewing my mind.
I finished the draft of WLHYL I was working on at around 4:00 yesterday morning, which was a rather big accomplishment for me and just barely within the time frame of the deadline I had. I was merging what used to be book one and two in the series, making it just one book. During the last couple of months I've done a lot of editing and cutting, taking the two books from a combined 150,000 words to just over 86,000 words.
Today I took a break from most of my writing work, and instead had good family time, caught up on some reading, and took several long walks on the beach. In reality I just walked back and forth in front of our section of the beach, but it didn't feel redundant because the rolling waves changed the scenery each time I went past.
I walked a little over ten miles, which felt like a good workout since I was on the sand and walking on the sand is a good way to invest energy. Plus, it's ties with my longest walking workout since I began training for the marathon, only I spread it out doing half in the morning and half in the afternoon, instead of all at once.
I'm looking forward to the next few weeks and maybe starting another writing project. Or maybe I'll just catch up with my reading...
April 19, 2016
P is for Practice #atozchallenge
Creativity is a lifestyle for me, not an action. This month I'm exploring twenty-six quirky ways I keep my creativity flowing.
Practicing creativity? It sounds almost like an oxymoron, yet it really does work... At least for me. Sometimes I practice being creative by stretching beyond my afore-reached heights and trying something new. Sometimes I make myself sit down and work on a creative outlet that I'm not very good at, like drawing a picture. Sometimes I make a random goal for myself like coming up with a list of 35 words that start with the letter "d" and see how fast I can do it.
The thing is, when practicing creativity, it doesn't matter how the thing your practicing on turns out, because it's just practice. This gives you freedom to have fun and express yourself in ways you're not used to.
So next time you're feeling bored or non-creative, why not take a few minutes and practice being creative? You can tell a story to a child, make a meal using a new recipe, create your own board game, design a greeting card, walk barefoot on gravel and think of ten words to describe how it feels, or learn several words in a new language... The options are nearly endless.
Practicing creativity? It sounds almost like an oxymoron, yet it really does work... At least for me. Sometimes I practice being creative by stretching beyond my afore-reached heights and trying something new. Sometimes I make myself sit down and work on a creative outlet that I'm not very good at, like drawing a picture. Sometimes I make a random goal for myself like coming up with a list of 35 words that start with the letter "d" and see how fast I can do it.The thing is, when practicing creativity, it doesn't matter how the thing your practicing on turns out, because it's just practice. This gives you freedom to have fun and express yourself in ways you're not used to.
So next time you're feeling bored or non-creative, why not take a few minutes and practice being creative? You can tell a story to a child, make a meal using a new recipe, create your own board game, design a greeting card, walk barefoot on gravel and think of ten words to describe how it feels, or learn several words in a new language... The options are nearly endless.
April 18, 2016
O is for Optimistic #atozchallenge + Pictures from Cancun
Creativity is a lifestyle for me, not an action. This month I'm exploring twenty-six quirky ways I keep my creativity flowing.
I was born a rather pessimistic person, but over the years I've trained myself to become an optimist. It's not always easy to find the good in each situation, but it's worth it. Philippians 4:8 tells us "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."
The pessimistic side of me thinks, "Oh wait, I'm becoming good friends with this person. That means I'm going to be hurt some day when they die. I should just cut off our friendship now so it's not as hard."
The optimistic side of me jumps in with, "Wait, wait, wait! This friendship is a beautiful gift. No matter what happens in the future I'll always have the wonderful memories and know that we made a difference in each other's lives. Instead of focusing on me, I'm going to focus on them and wow, God has really blessed me by putting this person in my life. Thank You, God!"
I've been doing this for so long now, that the pessimistic thoughts don't even fully form before I'm chopping away at them, thinking of the good in each situation. There are times when I have to get creative to think on the bright side, but it's worth it. I don't hide from reality, but I choose to focus on the uplifting sides of it whenever possible. And it really does make life better.
* * *
Yesterday we left Cancun, Mexico, for Merida, which is about a four hour trip across the Yucatan Peninsula. Before we left I took some pictures of the lounge where I spent a lot of the week working on editing WLHYL.
There were lots of gorgeous flowers in the hotel. Flowers make pretty much everything better. I'm nearly constantly delighted by the wonderful and diverse flowers God has created and how they look, smell, and feel so beautiful.
There was a coffee/tea bar open all the time and sandwiches and little desserts from 12:00 until 4:00 each afternoon. It was so much fun editing and drinking lots of coffee and iced tea and nibbling on little cakes. The best part was it was all free. (Technically the company we work for and earned the trip with paid for it, but it was a flat fee and so we could take as much or as little as we wanted.)
The view out the one side was bright and lovely, the sun shinning brightly through windows that are bigger than my office.
On the other side, we could see down about four stories to a courtyard. When we were at the same hotel five years ago, there was ivy growing from the top floor all the way to the bottom - that was a sight to behold.
And, above the courtyard was a brilliant dome with lovely stained-glass.
Now we're staying at a very delightful old coconut plantation. I'm looking forward to sharing pictures of it with y'all during the next few weeks.
* * *
It's that time again where we get to choose where Annie goes for this week in our Friday Series, Around the World in Fifty-Two Weeks. And our destination is... Georgia! (The country.)
I was born a rather pessimistic person, but over the years I've trained myself to become an optimist. It's not always easy to find the good in each situation, but it's worth it. Philippians 4:8 tells us "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."
The pessimistic side of me thinks, "Oh wait, I'm becoming good friends with this person. That means I'm going to be hurt some day when they die. I should just cut off our friendship now so it's not as hard."
The optimistic side of me jumps in with, "Wait, wait, wait! This friendship is a beautiful gift. No matter what happens in the future I'll always have the wonderful memories and know that we made a difference in each other's lives. Instead of focusing on me, I'm going to focus on them and wow, God has really blessed me by putting this person in my life. Thank You, God!"
I've been doing this for so long now, that the pessimistic thoughts don't even fully form before I'm chopping away at them, thinking of the good in each situation. There are times when I have to get creative to think on the bright side, but it's worth it. I don't hide from reality, but I choose to focus on the uplifting sides of it whenever possible. And it really does make life better.
* * *
Yesterday we left Cancun, Mexico, for Merida, which is about a four hour trip across the Yucatan Peninsula. Before we left I took some pictures of the lounge where I spent a lot of the week working on editing WLHYL.
There were lots of gorgeous flowers in the hotel. Flowers make pretty much everything better. I'm nearly constantly delighted by the wonderful and diverse flowers God has created and how they look, smell, and feel so beautiful.
There was a coffee/tea bar open all the time and sandwiches and little desserts from 12:00 until 4:00 each afternoon. It was so much fun editing and drinking lots of coffee and iced tea and nibbling on little cakes. The best part was it was all free. (Technically the company we work for and earned the trip with paid for it, but it was a flat fee and so we could take as much or as little as we wanted.)
The view out the one side was bright and lovely, the sun shinning brightly through windows that are bigger than my office.
On the other side, we could see down about four stories to a courtyard. When we were at the same hotel five years ago, there was ivy growing from the top floor all the way to the bottom - that was a sight to behold.
And, above the courtyard was a brilliant dome with lovely stained-glass.
Now we're staying at a very delightful old coconut plantation. I'm looking forward to sharing pictures of it with y'all during the next few weeks.
* * *
It's that time again where we get to choose where Annie goes for this week in our Friday Series, Around the World in Fifty-Two Weeks. And our destination is... Georgia! (The country.)
April 16, 2016
N is for Names #atozchallenge
Creativity is a lifestyle for me, not an action. This month I'm exploring twenty-six quirky ways I keep my creativity flowing.
Names. See, I have this thing about names. I find them to be extremely intriguing and during my growing up years I spent hours thinking about names. I even created what I called "The Name Game." The game only had a few rules and was so much fun and pretty much consisted of pouring over baby name books and coming up with patterns and themes and names that sounded good together.
One of the great parts about becoming a writer was actually having an outlet for all the names I constantly came up with. Only, I found out quite soon that it was difficult choosing the perfect name for even a minor character and have even written entire books referring to the main character as "MC" while trying to find the name that fit the character perfectly.
In real life I have a delightful time coming up with creative nick-names for some of my friends and family members. Some of them have elaborate backstories and others are made up at random. Some of the nick-names I've come up with and use often are: Papa and Mama Skunk, Cute Little Human of Happiness, Justice, Sargent, Little Cupcake, Great Aunt, and the list could go on but I'll spare you...
* * * Do you go by any nicknames? If so, what are they?
Names. See, I have this thing about names. I find them to be extremely intriguing and during my growing up years I spent hours thinking about names. I even created what I called "The Name Game." The game only had a few rules and was so much fun and pretty much consisted of pouring over baby name books and coming up with patterns and themes and names that sounded good together.
One of the great parts about becoming a writer was actually having an outlet for all the names I constantly came up with. Only, I found out quite soon that it was difficult choosing the perfect name for even a minor character and have even written entire books referring to the main character as "MC" while trying to find the name that fit the character perfectly.
In real life I have a delightful time coming up with creative nick-names for some of my friends and family members. Some of them have elaborate backstories and others are made up at random. Some of the nick-names I've come up with and use often are: Papa and Mama Skunk, Cute Little Human of Happiness, Justice, Sargent, Little Cupcake, Great Aunt, and the list could go on but I'll spare you...
* * * Do you go by any nicknames? If so, what are they?
April 15, 2016
Around the World in Fifty-Two Weeks Week Fifteen: The Grand Cayman Island
Hey folks! Happy Friday. This morning I had posted for the A to Z Challenge, and now this evening we get our weekly segment of the fictional story, Around the World in Fifty-Two Weeks. I might or might not be currently hosting quite the sunburn from my own snorkeling experience...
Around the World in Fifty-Two Weeks Week Fifteen: The Grand Cayman Island
The salt water crashed into my face, filling my mouth, nose, ears, and eyes. I blinked rapidly and coughed, feeling a stinging sensation as my sinuses filled with the saline liquid. I gasped for a moment, treading the small waves and feeling a bit overwhelmed, then a peaceful sensation calmed me as the water settled into placid ripples. I tightened my messy bun on the nape of my neck and then rinsed out my goggles and slipped them over my head. I made sure to only breath out of my mouth as I fit my snorkel into place so I wouldn’t fog up the goggles. Dipping my face under water it felt like I had entered a whole new world. It was gorgeous. The captain of the boat we’d been on had told us that if a shark showed up we should punch it in the face. I’d been hoping he was joking, but decided to keep the advice handy in case I did see one of the scary creatures approaching me.
Christopher Columbus discovered Little Cayman in 1503 when his ships were blown off course by a strong wind. (I’d be pretty pumped if that happened to me when I got lost!) The islands were so full of turtles that he originally named the islands “Las Tortugas” which “The Turtles” in Spanish. The name “Cayman” (which is what the islands are now called) is from the Carib word for crocodile, and has been used since before 1586. The Cayman Islands are a British overseas territory and the capital of the Cayman Islands is named George Town after King George III of England. In total there are three islands, Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac. The trio of islands are about 200 miles away from Jamaica and are outcroppings of the Cayman Ridge, which is formed mostly of limestone and goes from Cuba to Belize.
I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going and nearly ran (or I should say swam) into the flippers of the person in front of me. I turned to the side and lifted my face out of the water for a minute. I took my mouth piece out and breathed deeply, then closed my mouth and dove downward, gliding through the water and past a school of fish who darted to make way for me. I stretched out my fingers and followed the now divided school. They were little fish, probably no more than an inch long, but there were literally thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of them. After around thirty seconds I went back to the surface and filled my lungs with air. Seafood is quite common on the island which made total sense. It felt slightly strange though, snorkeling and following the fish around, marveling at their beauty and knowing I was going to eat their relatives (so to speak) within a few hours. I’d been offered the traditional national dish when I first arrived, which was sea turtle. That was a bit hard to swallow because I’ve always loved watching turtles swim around. They are so graceful and beautiful. I even have swimming sea turtles as the screen savor on my laptop. I only took one little nibble of turtle so I wouldn’t offend the chef at the restaurant where they were treating me like royalty (in exchange for a review on my blog, but still…). The food I was most looking forward to was key lime pie, conch fritters, and heavy cake which is a dessert made with starchy vegetables such as yams. I’d heard people talking about how delicious the food ways and so far I had to agree. Oh, and of course I couldn’t wait to try fresh coconuts. I was going to throughly enjoy the leisurely island experience for a week.
I continued snorkeling, enjoying all the breathtaking sights. My eyes widened as a sea turtle swam past me, close enough to touch. If I hadn’t been underwater with my mouth full of the snorkel, I’m pretty sure I would have gasped. It moved past me with languid movements and I marveled that the creature had no clue how beautiful it was. I was suddenly glad I’d only eaten one bite of turtle.
My goggles were fogging up so I surfaced again and cleared them out. After putting them back on though, I unfortunately didn’t have them adjusted correctly and so water began leaking in. In my confusion I dipped my head to far down and the top of my snorkel went under water so I received a mouthful of water. To top it all off my foot began to cramp from the flipper. I quickly lifted my head off and yanked off my headgear. I held the goggle strap in my teeth as I pulled the top of my foot toward me, trying to release the foot cramp. It wasn’t an easy feat, but after a minute I succeeded. It took several moments to calm my rapid breathing and clear my nose and mouth from the salt water. My eyes still stung, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it. The amazingness I was experiencing was more than worth it, though.
Eventually I’d used up all my energy and swam over to the boat and climbed up the ladder onto the slippery deck (climbing with flippers is a challenge, by the way). The crew offered me and the other returning snorkelers cold water which I thankfully gulped down. I was planning on taking in all the varying hues of blue and green as the water and sky met as we traveled back to the dock, but the comforting motion of the boat rocking gently in the waves was too much for me to stay awake with. It wasn’t long until I found a relatively quiet place near the bow of the boat and curled up with my sunglasses on and fell asleep. I was excited that I had six more days to enjoy the island and the nature surrounding it, because I was already looking forward to my next snorkeling adventure.
Around the World in Fifty-Two Weeks Week Fifteen: The Grand Cayman Island
The salt water crashed into my face, filling my mouth, nose, ears, and eyes. I blinked rapidly and coughed, feeling a stinging sensation as my sinuses filled with the saline liquid. I gasped for a moment, treading the small waves and feeling a bit overwhelmed, then a peaceful sensation calmed me as the water settled into placid ripples. I tightened my messy bun on the nape of my neck and then rinsed out my goggles and slipped them over my head. I made sure to only breath out of my mouth as I fit my snorkel into place so I wouldn’t fog up the goggles. Dipping my face under water it felt like I had entered a whole new world. It was gorgeous. The captain of the boat we’d been on had told us that if a shark showed up we should punch it in the face. I’d been hoping he was joking, but decided to keep the advice handy in case I did see one of the scary creatures approaching me.
Christopher Columbus discovered Little Cayman in 1503 when his ships were blown off course by a strong wind. (I’d be pretty pumped if that happened to me when I got lost!) The islands were so full of turtles that he originally named the islands “Las Tortugas” which “The Turtles” in Spanish. The name “Cayman” (which is what the islands are now called) is from the Carib word for crocodile, and has been used since before 1586. The Cayman Islands are a British overseas territory and the capital of the Cayman Islands is named George Town after King George III of England. In total there are three islands, Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac. The trio of islands are about 200 miles away from Jamaica and are outcroppings of the Cayman Ridge, which is formed mostly of limestone and goes from Cuba to Belize.
I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going and nearly ran (or I should say swam) into the flippers of the person in front of me. I turned to the side and lifted my face out of the water for a minute. I took my mouth piece out and breathed deeply, then closed my mouth and dove downward, gliding through the water and past a school of fish who darted to make way for me. I stretched out my fingers and followed the now divided school. They were little fish, probably no more than an inch long, but there were literally thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of them. After around thirty seconds I went back to the surface and filled my lungs with air. Seafood is quite common on the island which made total sense. It felt slightly strange though, snorkeling and following the fish around, marveling at their beauty and knowing I was going to eat their relatives (so to speak) within a few hours. I’d been offered the traditional national dish when I first arrived, which was sea turtle. That was a bit hard to swallow because I’ve always loved watching turtles swim around. They are so graceful and beautiful. I even have swimming sea turtles as the screen savor on my laptop. I only took one little nibble of turtle so I wouldn’t offend the chef at the restaurant where they were treating me like royalty (in exchange for a review on my blog, but still…). The food I was most looking forward to was key lime pie, conch fritters, and heavy cake which is a dessert made with starchy vegetables such as yams. I’d heard people talking about how delicious the food ways and so far I had to agree. Oh, and of course I couldn’t wait to try fresh coconuts. I was going to throughly enjoy the leisurely island experience for a week.
I continued snorkeling, enjoying all the breathtaking sights. My eyes widened as a sea turtle swam past me, close enough to touch. If I hadn’t been underwater with my mouth full of the snorkel, I’m pretty sure I would have gasped. It moved past me with languid movements and I marveled that the creature had no clue how beautiful it was. I was suddenly glad I’d only eaten one bite of turtle.
My goggles were fogging up so I surfaced again and cleared them out. After putting them back on though, I unfortunately didn’t have them adjusted correctly and so water began leaking in. In my confusion I dipped my head to far down and the top of my snorkel went under water so I received a mouthful of water. To top it all off my foot began to cramp from the flipper. I quickly lifted my head off and yanked off my headgear. I held the goggle strap in my teeth as I pulled the top of my foot toward me, trying to release the foot cramp. It wasn’t an easy feat, but after a minute I succeeded. It took several moments to calm my rapid breathing and clear my nose and mouth from the salt water. My eyes still stung, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it. The amazingness I was experiencing was more than worth it, though.
Eventually I’d used up all my energy and swam over to the boat and climbed up the ladder onto the slippery deck (climbing with flippers is a challenge, by the way). The crew offered me and the other returning snorkelers cold water which I thankfully gulped down. I was planning on taking in all the varying hues of blue and green as the water and sky met as we traveled back to the dock, but the comforting motion of the boat rocking gently in the waves was too much for me to stay awake with. It wasn’t long until I found a relatively quiet place near the bow of the boat and curled up with my sunglasses on and fell asleep. I was excited that I had six more days to enjoy the island and the nature surrounding it, because I was already looking forward to my next snorkeling adventure.
M is for Make #atozchallenge
Creativity is a lifestyle for me, not an action. This month I'm exploring twenty-six quirky ways I keep my creativity flowing.
Choose something and then make it. There are literally millions of things that can be physically made: A meal, a bed, a wig, a piece of art, a tree house, Etc... There are also nearly innumerable concepts you can make: memories, decisions, challenges, goals, attitude adjustments, and the list goes on...
On any given day I have the honor to make and create and use my imagination to turn the common into the uncommon. Sometimes I make memories by stopping what I'm doing and challenging my little brother to a round of dominoes. Sometimes I choose to step outside of my comfort zone and make a step in my personal development by doing something that freaks me out. Sometimes I decide to make a special meal for my family. Other times I want to make a difference in someone's life.
In March I spent a lot of time making art with my hands, instead of with just words. I worked on a mosaic, colored pictures, painted, created things out of clay, and stretched my art-challenged (other than words) self. I did all of this because I'd been feeling uncreative and I wanted to revamp that part of my life. And guess what? It worked.
* * *
What are some things you enjoy making?
Choose something and then make it. There are literally millions of things that can be physically made: A meal, a bed, a wig, a piece of art, a tree house, Etc... There are also nearly innumerable concepts you can make: memories, decisions, challenges, goals, attitude adjustments, and the list goes on...
On any given day I have the honor to make and create and use my imagination to turn the common into the uncommon. Sometimes I make memories by stopping what I'm doing and challenging my little brother to a round of dominoes. Sometimes I choose to step outside of my comfort zone and make a step in my personal development by doing something that freaks me out. Sometimes I decide to make a special meal for my family. Other times I want to make a difference in someone's life.
In March I spent a lot of time making art with my hands, instead of with just words. I worked on a mosaic, colored pictures, painted, created things out of clay, and stretched my art-challenged (other than words) self. I did all of this because I'd been feeling uncreative and I wanted to revamp that part of my life. And guess what? It worked.
* * *
What are some things you enjoy making?
April 14, 2016
L is for Life-Long Learner #atozchallenge
Creativity is a lifestyle for me, not an action. This month I'm exploring twenty-six quirky ways I keep my creativity flowing.
Being a life-long learner is something my family has always been big on - in fact it's one of company's core values. As an author I've found learning to be incredibly inspiring. Studying different cultures, time periods, ways of life, thought processes, and breakthroughs fill my brain with more creativity than I know how to properly harness at this time.
This year I've been doing a weekly series on my blog where I "visit" a different country (chosen at random) each week. I've learned an amazing amount of cool facts and interesting cultural history. It's crazy how my knowledge of the world has expanded and how much I've discovered by simply investing five or so hours each week into studying the people groups and countries around me. The series has been so much fun, but also a challenge.
For several years now I've had a goal to spend at least five hours a week learning (that's generally a low number - except for weeks like this one when I'm focused on editing and visiting people). I enjoy listening to podcasts, reading non-fiction, studying various subjects, watching documentaries, and researching the writing craft and various subjects I need to know about to write authentically. I also attend conferences, carry on conversations with people far wiser than me, learn from my own mistakes, and strive to continually grow. It's not always easy, but it's nearly always worth-while.
* * *What are some ways you enjoy being a life-long learner?
Being a life-long learner is something my family has always been big on - in fact it's one of company's core values. As an author I've found learning to be incredibly inspiring. Studying different cultures, time periods, ways of life, thought processes, and breakthroughs fill my brain with more creativity than I know how to properly harness at this time.
This year I've been doing a weekly series on my blog where I "visit" a different country (chosen at random) each week. I've learned an amazing amount of cool facts and interesting cultural history. It's crazy how my knowledge of the world has expanded and how much I've discovered by simply investing five or so hours each week into studying the people groups and countries around me. The series has been so much fun, but also a challenge.
For several years now I've had a goal to spend at least five hours a week learning (that's generally a low number - except for weeks like this one when I'm focused on editing and visiting people). I enjoy listening to podcasts, reading non-fiction, studying various subjects, watching documentaries, and researching the writing craft and various subjects I need to know about to write authentically. I also attend conferences, carry on conversations with people far wiser than me, learn from my own mistakes, and strive to continually grow. It's not always easy, but it's nearly always worth-while.
* * *What are some ways you enjoy being a life-long learner?
Editing Musings
This morning I got up at 5:30 so I could go out on the beach and edit for a while before going to a business meeting at 8:00. The world was soft, peaceful, and muggy although a steady wind was blowing and made my light jacket a tad bit inadequate.
The sky and ocean brightened little by little, the pounding waves keeping time with my fingers typing on my keyboard. Unnecessary scenes disappeared and wordy sentences were chopped down as the waves rolled in and out, smoothing the sand. Descriptive words replaced every-day-ones as the sun shone through the clouds, creating new pictures in the sky.
As the morning progressed I wrote out the plot-line again, the physical feeling of the words being formed on real paper helping my mind open new ideas. I pondered the different elements in the story, wondering how they should mesh together and which points where most powerful. I folded paper and drew straight lines. I fiddled with the pen, clicking it and twirling it back and forth.
I mused over the hours, days, weeks, months, even years I've spent on the story. There have been so many changes. So many breakthroughs. So many mountains to climb and oceans to swim through and jungles to explore. Each day brings me twenty-four hours closer to when I'll be able to share When Life Hands You Lymes with the public, and yet I can't even imagine when that day will come. This book has changed so much since the original draft and so have I.
The sky and ocean brightened little by little, the pounding waves keeping time with my fingers typing on my keyboard. Unnecessary scenes disappeared and wordy sentences were chopped down as the waves rolled in and out, smoothing the sand. Descriptive words replaced every-day-ones as the sun shone through the clouds, creating new pictures in the sky.
As the morning progressed I wrote out the plot-line again, the physical feeling of the words being formed on real paper helping my mind open new ideas. I pondered the different elements in the story, wondering how they should mesh together and which points where most powerful. I folded paper and drew straight lines. I fiddled with the pen, clicking it and twirling it back and forth.
I mused over the hours, days, weeks, months, even years I've spent on the story. There have been so many changes. So many breakthroughs. So many mountains to climb and oceans to swim through and jungles to explore. Each day brings me twenty-four hours closer to when I'll be able to share When Life Hands You Lymes with the public, and yet I can't even imagine when that day will come. This book has changed so much since the original draft and so have I.
