quick lit – next page, please {august 2018}

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Quick Lit {August 2018}

I feel like my reading life has been weird this month.  I have felt the urge to plan my reading for the rest of the year: looking at the three books that I need to finish the Modern Mrs. Darcy’s (MMD) 2018 Reading Challenge, meeting my goal of reading 38 books this year, and reading books for my work.  However, random books have appeared in my life that just had to be read right now, throwing off my carefully-laid plans.  Well, at least I am only six books away from my yearly goal and it’s only September.

Currently Reading

  • Journal of a Solitude by May Sarton. “I have time to think.  That is the great, the greatest luxury.  I have time to be. Therefore my responsibility is huge.”
  • Transformational Speaking by Gail Larsen. Just beginning this one and while I have no desire to a transformational speaker, I am working to be a transformational writer. Hoping this will help.

Read

  • The Girl Who Takes and Eye for and Eye by David Lagercrantz. This one wasn’t as good as the others. As I write this, I am having a hard time remembering the storyline. That tells me something.
  • Write Happy, Write Smart by Cheryl St. John. The kick-in-the-rear I needed to get my writing life together. And the catalyst for prompting that reading plan I talked about earlier. Written for writers, St. John shares some interesting truths about conquering fear, releasing perfectionism, and others that are applicable for everyone.
  • Still Lives by Maria Hummel. A dark and twisty novel that was August’s Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club pick. Boy, does Maria Hummel have a way with words: “Most days pass in a pleasurable blur of words and pictures” – that’s a good line. But the book paced a little slower than I prefer.
  • The Mind-Gut Connection: How the Astonishing Dialogue Taking Place in Our Bodies Impacts Health, Weight, and Mood by Dr. Emeran Mayer. Very interesting scientific facts regarding probiotics and your digestive system. The most fascinating thing that I learned was that your digestive system has its own nervous system, known as ENS, that is practically independent of the brain. And is often referred to as the “second brain”.  Thus the accuracy of such statements like, “I feel it in my gut.” WOW!
  • How to Walk Away: A Novel by Katherine Center. One that entered my life quite suddenly and that I just had to read. Which I did. In two days – I absolutely loved this novel. Center takes a difficult and depressing event in her character’s life but somehow makes it an enjoyable read with lessons to boot.  She is also majorly gifted in writing from a character’s point-of-view.  I was inside Maggie’s head and was thoroughly impressed.
  • I’d Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life by Anne Bogel, of Modern Mrs. Darcy fame. This sweet little volume of Anne’s reflections of her reading life inspired me to do my own reflection of my love of books and reading which led to some pleasant and even tearful experiences. Coming soon.

 Abandoned Reading (Temporarily)

  • The Odyssey by Homer. Translated by Emily Wilson. I have been reading a lot (6 books this month alone) and I want to slow down and savor this one when I don’t have as much of a reading agenda.

What have you been reading this month? And I really could use your help with the MMD category: Book nominated for an award in 2018. Thanks.

enjoy life…

now i get it {summer 2018}

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Emily P. Freeman’s quarterly habit of recording what she learns during the season is something that I strongly recommend every one, especially one who is seeking to lead a life well-lived, should do. Writing my lessons down (you can record it in some other way) cements them into my consciousness and sharing it with you keeps me cognizant of those lessons.

This summer has provided one major thing that I get now.

To live the life I’ve imagined, I have to do the scary thing, the uncomfortable thing.

I don’t know who said it first but I heard it attributed to a fitness trainer who was responsible for getting Brad Pitt in shape for his portrayal of the Greek hero, Achilles, in the 2004 epic, Troy. He told Pitt, “To get to where you want to be, you are going to have to put yourself in a place of discomfort every single day!”

There’s a wide range to this level of discomfort. Some is absolutely terrifying.  Others are just slightly disconcerting. This summer, I intentionally made myself uncomfortable, furthering a lesson learned from last spring.

Here’s a rundown of a precious few of my experiences, from the mild to the “OMG! I’d never thought I’d do that!”

  • I ate at some interesting spots while on vacay.
  • I interviewed a ceramic artist in another state. I traveled to her home, sat in her kitchen, played with clay in her studio, and recorded over two hours of footage, transcribed that footage (listening to myself is like nails on a chalkboard) and began to write up the story of her journey to awesomeness. It’s coming to the blog soon.
  • I joined a writing group. At my first meeting in July, I knew no one. And then, after about three hours of writing, we had to pass our words to someone else for them to read out loud to EVERYONE! Gulp. But, I’m glad I did it. And I went back and did it again in August.
  • I wrote a piece and submitted it for publication on a very popular web site. Pushing the send button of that email elicited a bit of throw-up in my mouth. I was so on-edge, I promptly went outside for a run to relieve the angst. The run did help.
  • My Hubby has a new hobby – photography. And while on vacay in Miami, we had photo shoots in various locations, including the hotel room. I have never really liked taking pics.  When I was a teenager, I practiced for hours to get my smile to something that I could live with and now I can smile on-cue.  Only people who know me can tell the difference between my “fake” smile and my genuine smile.  Let’s just say, the hotel room shoot involved more than my smile.  It was scary, but incredibly freeing and empowering.  And no, those will NOT be coming to the blog any time soon.

What about you? Have you done anything that scared you a little recently?  I’ve learned it’s the only way you’ll be able to fully…

enjoy life

what i’m into – keeping me sane {august 2018}

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We say that we want more time.  What we really want is more memories.

 – Lila Davachi

I was concerned about running myself ragged this month due to our trip to Miami – don’t you always need a vacay after your vacation?  But I am very proud to say that based upon a revelation from Laura Vanderkam’s new book, Off the Clock, I focused on having new experiences which created lasting memories:

  • We ate at some new spots even though I typically like to eat at national food chains for consistency. But in the spirit of trying new things, we tried out several local spots. One day was a disappointment but the best was The Daily Creative Food Co. in South Beach. It was ranked number four of The 15 Best Places for Breakfast Food in Miami and I would really like to know how on earth the top three could be any better. There were omelets the size of your head and the home fries, AKA breakfast potatoes, were beyond delicious. Everything was seasoned to perfection. No salt needed. There was also fresh squeezed oj. It was easily one of the best breakfasts I have ever eaten in a restaurant. Yum! And they serve breakfast all day. It doesn’t get any better than that.

We also ate at a soul food place: Lil Greenhouse Grill in Overtown near downtown Miami. Delicious, albeit service was a bit slow due to the restaurant being full, but the food was worth the wait.

If you’re in the Miami area check out these spots. I don’t think that you’ll regret it.

  • I visited Books & Books, an indie bookstore with a few locations in the Miami area. I had the pleasure of visiting two of them. I love bookstores.
  • When we returned home, I watched The Guersney Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a Netflix Original. Set right after WWII, the movies involves a writer. There’s a book club. And there is a bit of romance.  What’s not to love? And it was delightful. You should check it out (It was originally a book, of course. May have to read it to find out the whole story one day).
  • The fall issue of Joanna and Chip’s Magnolia Journal contained an article about Joanna’s foray into the world of watercolor. I have always wanted to learn how to watercolor but, like Joanna, I was afraid of the medium.  Everyone said that watercolor is the most difficult of the painting arts.  But inspired and motived by Joanna and wanting to make memories with the Buddy Man, I purchased two sets of Crayola watercolor – one for him and one for me.  We have been painting consistently since.  And yes, it is challenging. The color moves with the water and can be hard to control without proper techniques.  But watercolor is also versatile; where else can you paint with salt and cotton balls?  And thanks to all the artists on YouTube, I’ve learned that there is no right or wrong way to watercolor.    Go with the flow, something that I need to learn to do daily anyway.
  • I have participated in the Liz Hurley Ribbon Run for cancer awareness and prevention, occurring annually in October for a number of years and those races are definitely in the highlight reel of my life. I’ve signed up for this year’s race, scheduled for October 20th, and if you are in the Huntsville area I would love to see you out there – either running or cheering us on. Let me know if there’s a chance to meetup.
  • And, not to end on a sour note, we had a negative experience this month: Our dog, Bimmer, some of his reflections were featured on this blog, got loose from the home where he was staying while we were on vacay in Miami. He did not come back when called.

What about you? What have been some of your best memories this month?

Linking up with Leigh Kramer, per usual.  It’s fun reading what everyone is up to. Does that make me nosey?