H.A. Larson's Blog, page 69

Friends

In life, there are few things more frustrating or rewarding as our relationships with other people. Whether it be with our parents, siblings, extended family, co-workers, children, or friends, our relationships with these people can have a big impact on our lives. Some relationships are more important than others, but without a doubt, friends rank up there as some of the most important.

Friends give us a life and a perspective outside of our family units. When we weathering storms on the home front, friends can be a lifeboat ready to take us to safety. Even if it's just for a short period of time, that safety can reground us, and help us significantly reevaluate, relax, and remove stress. In short, they're on our team and sometimes we need cheerleaders.

I know that all-too-often, I can get wrapped up in my work- and my family-life that I sequester myself for long periods. During these times I don't see my friends when I really need to. My life has been a bit of storm this year, for several reasons, and I should have sought the refuge of my friends more than I have.

As I've started to come out from the eye of the storm, I've realized that I really do need my friends, and to that end, I have started actively spending more time in their company. Last month I made a point of getting out more, and it did wonders for my mood and well-being.

 This last weekend was an absolutely fun and wonderful time hanging out with my friends. I can't believe I waited so long to do it. I got to really relax, remove myself from my sequestering, have some much-needed, long-awaited, conversations, and I got to gain some good perspectives from different viewpoints. I got to visit with some acquaintances and catch some live music as well.

Tonight, I am going to see another friend who had a baby a few months back and doesn't get out much. We're going to make homemade pizzas with the kids, relax, and have a good talk over wine. It's overdue, and I'm looking forward to it.

I had a quick chat with a dear friend this morning who remarked that after our night out this weekend, that she was in a great mood the next day. I agreed that I certainly was too. It put a big smile on my face and lifted me back up all over again. Don't underestimate the importance of good friends. They are someone to walk with on a difficult path...you don't have to go alone.

Yours,

H.A.

Six Words

I've been seeing this around the internet frequently over the last few days, and it got me thinking. What would my six words be if I could go back in time and dispense wise words to my younger self? I think I would say something like, "Don't be hasty, you have time" or "Make important decisions with utmost care". Both choices imply that I put a definite emphasis on decision-making, and that is definitely the truth.
I always told myself, when my children were small, that I would feel like a success at parenting if I raised children who could make good decisions. Why? If you can make careful, well-thought-out decisions, you're going to do fine in life. In fact, you'll probably do more than fine, you'll do great. I know I won't have to worry so much when my children go out into their world on their own if I know they are good decision makers.
Decision-making can be one of our hardest skills to master, yet it's one of the most important. I know from experience. I wish I could go back in time and re-do a lot of the stupid decisions I made. It sure would have made my life easier and more fruitful. It also would have spared me from all the grief that comes from making poor decisions.
Many positive things naturally flow from making good decisions. Sitting on decisions about major purchases can stop ourselves from spending money we don't have, thereby saving us from financial problems in other areas. We find ourselves making more sound financial decisions after that and thinking more about our financial futures. If we protect ourselves in passionate moments, we can spare ourselves from unwanted pregnancies, or worse, STDs. Deciding not to take that hike out in a treacherous area without letting someone know where you're going or when you expect to be back can sometimes be the difference between life and death.
Those are just a couple of examples, but I think you know what I'm trying to convey. The importance of a good decision can be life-changing, enlightening, and lead to good habits. It's also a cornerstone to building a good future and keeping your whits about you when the going gets tough, or when times are lean. Although I wish I could go back and tell my younger self that, I have tried hard over the last several years to make better decisions. I don't always succeed, but when I do, I take pride in that. It's a journey, not a race.
Be well my friends.
-H.A.

Snowy Monday

Snow is finally here. I'm watching the big, soft flakes come down outside the window as I type this. I used to love the snow when I was younger. Even into my 30s I appreciated the Winter as a time when I could wear sweaters and jeans (two of my favorites) and curl up after work with slippers and a blanket. Somewhere in my mid-30s I started to grow weary of the cold and began to favor the temperate climate and beauty of Spring and Fall. 
The last several years, this year being no exception, Fall has lasted longer than usual making me a happy camper. I was dreading Winter and the snow, like I have for the last several years, but now that's it's here I'm filled with a sense of calm. Everything is awash in brilliant white, and it's almost as if nature is erasing the old to make way for the new (which is kind of what happens). 
Instead of my usual melancholy of not being able to get out and enjoy a good hike in nature for several months, I am admiring the beauty outside and thinking of all the great writing I can get done. There is a lot of inspiration to be had in the chill of the season. I'm also looking forward to herbal tea, puffy blankets, silly movies with my kids, and some good Winter reading as well.
Maybe this will not be the Winter of my discontent. 
-H.A.

Old Photos

Happy Sunday! I hope you've all 'recovered' nicely from the past several days of food & family. I had two good meals, one with my little family on Thursday, and the other with friends on Friday, both vegan. Yesterday, I was mostly lazy but managed to give the house a good cleaning and spent time with the kids. Today has been more relaxing as I have to go back to work tonight. 
Of course, in and amongst all of that, I kept up with my writer's duties. A writer's work is never done after all! I started on Chapter 3 of my new book, and I'm excited daily to see how well "The Station" is holding up in the book ranks. It's encouraging to feel validation for all of my hard work and dedication.
I have still been going through old pictures on my computer once in awhile to see if there's anything I want to get rid of, keep, or maybe even print off. I came across some old hiking photos from 2011, which is only about a year after I decided to get back into hiking after a long, long dry spell from my youth when my dad would take me out on weekend, fall afternoons. This particular day, we also spent a gorgeous, early fall afternoon up in the Loess Hills (which is incidentally one of my dad's and mine's old hiking haunts from way back in the day). It was nice to stroll down memory lane and I've chosen a few of my favorite photos from that day.


A nice shot from inside the forest. You can see the forest at it's in-between stage of summer and fall as the leaves are both green and brown. Some remain on the trees while others have already descended to the ground.

This panaramic view of the Loess Hills showcases the nice scenery we have here in the Midwest.



 A view from along the ridge line of the hills. The pines will stay green while the grasses turn from various shades of green to various shades of brown and gold.


A gorgeous view as we came down from the hills and into the forest of the valley. A man-made lake borders the forest near the parking area, and you could see the sun shining off it like a mirror from the canopied darkness of the forest interior.


Thanks for taking a brief walk down memory lane with me! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!  -H.A.

Giving Thanks

Well, it's that time of year again when we sit together around a table enjoying a huge feast while giving thanks. This feast can take on many forms whether it's done at your home, some else's home, or at a restaurant. It can be traditional, modern, or something completely different. It can be an excuse to get all the people you care about together, or an excuse to have your little family to yourself. It might go smoothly, it might go badly, or it might be somewhere in-between. It might be done for tradition, to honor the first Americans, or because you want to show that you can, indeed, make a large meal without burning down the house.
We're talking about Thanksgiving, of course, and there are many different ways, kinds, and reasons to celebrate. Traditionally, Thanksgiving was a way of giving thanks for the year's Harvest and for the bounty of the year in general. A big feast would be made using the fruits of everyone's labor as a way of indulging in what otherwise would have been just another year of being thankful that there would be enough food to tide everyone over for the Winter and into the Spring.
Plenty of people do try in earnest to be thankful in today's world during this time of the year, even if we don't have to rely on a good Harvest to survive the harsh winters. Now, we live in our comfy homes and run to the store when we need to restock our supplies. We are truly a lucky bunch, and there is still much to be thankful for.
It's been a simultaneously great and rough year for me. For all the good that came my way, there was still plenty of strife, much of which I documented right here on my website. As the year winds down and we head into the last month of the year, I look back in reflection as I so often do many times throughout the year. Through it all, I am very thankful.
I am thankful that I know who I am and what I want from my life. I'm thankful for finally being able to make peace with the bad and move forward. I'm thankful that I have a good job and can still do what I love in my free time. I'm thankful that I've made steps in the right direction as far as my health is concerned, and that I'm healthier now than I have been in a very long time. I'm thankful that I can finally see the future I envision just off in the distance. I'm thankful that I followed my dreams and that my latest book is doing well. Finally, and most importantly, I'm thankful for the people in my life who give it so much meaning. 
That last one can't be stressed enough. The family and friends I have cannot be beat, and I'm grateful for their presence every day. I'm most thankful in the whole world though for my children and their love. All the times in my life I wanted to give up, run away, or hide have been numerous, but the love for my children has given me the strength to always pull myself up from the bottom of the pit and discover the light again. 
Lastly, I am very thankful that I have a roof over my head, food to eat, and a quality of life that eludes so many of my peers the world over. It's easy to forget how fortunate we are sometimes when we perceive only the things in our life that cause us grief. Perception then, is one of the biggest enlighteners and barriers to being thankful, and, in turn, happy. Happiness in life can often be found the littlest of things.
I hope on this holiday that you find a reason to be thankful, no matter how rough things might be. If your life seems great, then be in the moment, and if things seems dark, remember that sometimes it's our perception of things that makes all the difference.
Happy Thanksgiving my friends: I am thankful for you and your support. Keep on being you.
-H.A. 

Tuesday's Musings

Happy Tuesday! It's my first day of my work week, but it will go quickly. Thanksgiving will be here Thursday, and it will be the first time I've made a full vegan Thanksgiving (a Vegansgiving)! I've found recipes for some of the old favorites that are vegan, and I'm hoping my non-vegan kids will still enjoy the meal. The day after Thanksgiving I'm going to a friend's house for another vegan Thanksgiving meal, and I'm pretty excited about that one as well. 
As you all know, I live in the Midwest which has always been famous for it's wildly fluctuating weather. I took the kids out hiking the previous weekend thinking it might one of the last nice days before the winter snow hit. Well, even though the temperature has dropped, we never did get the snow that hit North and West of here. Yesterday, the temperature hovered just under 60 and, since it was my day off, I took the kids out for a nature walk.



I love this shot. The best thing about having kids is having them run at you excitedly in greeting. My daughter is always excited to see me, and the feeling is quite mutual. The teen, not so much. He still loves me though. :)



This time of the year, the sun begins to set after 5 p.m. and as we were finishing our walk, the moon was out, close, and nearly full.



The creek on our walk was scattered with brown leaves but some green ones as well. It was a gorgeous contrast.



Fields of wild grasses are a cross between white and brown. They will retire to the earth before Spring comes.

Observations at Work

Hello there. This is me at work. Shocker I know, as I'm sure you've probably assumed that I make a lavish penny off my writing skills which allows me to stay home and write all day. Oh, how I wish! ;) No, I work a real job. I work a semi-graveyard shift for 10-hour shifts, four days out of the week, in a call center, and it's a good job. I dig it, I dig the people who work there, the benefits are great, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a company that treats their employees better.
This shift definitely has advantages and disadvantages. It's not quite a busy late at night so it gives me time here and there to work out plot lines in my head for books; I love the solitary drive home in the wee morning hours; the people I work with at night are interesting; and the house is quiet when I get home. The drawbacks are never seeming to get enough sleep; not being around in the evening with my kids; and wishing I had more time to get things done.
The people I get to interact with are an interesting bunch, and it makes my job enjoyable. However, whomever has programmed Adele's "Hello" to play every hour through the music system needs to be stopped. lol
What's your job like?
Have a fantastic day!  -H.A.

Progress Report

Good afternoon, and Happy Sunday! For most of you, Sunday is the last day of the weekend before Monday arrives, bringing the new week with it. For me, it's a day back to work after a two-day off stretch that is followed by another day off. There are advantages to working 4-10 hour shifts! 
Anyway, I worked overtime on Friday, so yesterday was my only real day off and I tried to be as unproductive as possible. I find myself keeping busy every day (it's the life of an Indie author) and sometimes I just need to say, "Okay, today's a real, complete day off." It was needed, even if I kinda feel guilty for not accomplishing anything. lol
"The Station" is still doing fairly well on Amazon. It's gotten three reviews already, and it's pretty encouraging:
"...when the scary stuff got going, it did not let up! H.A. Larson really knows how to spin a skillful, suspenseful tail! The story was deliciously spooky, and how all the characters’ encounters with ghostly entities finally came together was well done! I had my suspicions early on about who the, shall I say, bad guys could be, but I hoped I was wrong. Alas, I wasn’t.
Overall, though, I thought the story was well done! It was a great paranormal thriller, and the author does a great job presenting the material in such a way as to send a wonderful thrill up the readers’ spines!"


It's exciting for me, as an author, to see my work slowly but surely getting recognition for being good pieces of fiction. I know how much I've grown, learned, and improved from "Cold" to "The Melody" to, now, "The Station". 
As I mentioned briefly before, I've already begun working on my fourth book. I am already pumped for it as I have a really, really good vibe from it already. 
Have a great Sunday my friends, and grab a copy of one or all of my books (only $2.99 each!). It's the perfect kind of day for curling up with a good book.
-H.A.

I Long for a Place...

-The shores of the Atlantic on the Burren in Ireland-

I have some serious wanderlust. When I was about 10 years old, I happened across a travel brochure for guided tour-vacations to Europe, and ever since then, I've wanted nothing more than to travel to Europe. I finally realized that dream last year when I made a fateful trip to Ireland. It was everything I'd ever dreamed it would be, and I came back home with a new perspective on life. More than that, it filled me with a stronger drive to work harder, be healthier, do more...be better.
It also instilled in me a burning desire to see more of the world than what I have seen. Earlier this year I wrote down an actual bucket list, and at least half of it are trips I'd like to take. After starting that list, I also decided that if nothing else, when my youngest child moves out, I will fill up a backpack and travel around the world. Will I be too old? Of course not. Is there ever really an expiration on your dreams?
Where would you like to travel? 

A Day in the Life...

I'm sitting here on this blessedly quiet Monday morning enjoying the solitude of an empty house. I have a nice, hot cup of coffee sitting here next to me, and Faun is playing in the background. Combine that with an overcast sky and a touch of remaining Fall on the landscape outside, and I'm feeling pretty creative. 
"The Station" is doing fairly well, relatively speaking, and that really puts a smile on my face. It's a tough life being an indie author, and building your readership takes time and effort. It's only $2.99 so make sure and get a copy for yourself, I'm pretty sure you're going to love it! 
Today, then, I am gathering up all my notes that I made during the time I was writing "The Station". It's been a bit of a walk down memory lane as I peruse my words and see where I started and where I was heading. It's a glimpse into a writer's mind to see the progression of their stories through their notes, and I can almost look at mine as if they belonged to someone else.
I'm filing away my notes because I've started a new page. Yes, that means what it sounds like: I've started a new book. Usually I wait a few weeks after writing a book to start a new one, but I felt the new story playing out and had to put it down. I won't mention any more about it right now as I don't want to take anything away from "The Station". I am solid in my conviction of how good it is and don't want anything to detract from it.
I have other writing work to do as well. The magazine I write for sent me an urgent email late last week. They changed up the topic of my editorial and doubled the length, so I have my work cut out for me as I wade through that. I also have an editing job to do, and I'm starting a new peer review group. 
A writer's job is never done, not really. 
Have a great day, a great week, and may you be happy.
-H.A.