Like a lot of writers, I fell in love with writing at a young age. I wrote and illustrated my first story at the age of 7 and showed it off to anyone who would look. A few weeks later, our tiny local newspaper interviewed my family, and the journalist must have found me relatable […]
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Ingredient no.2: Affirmations (12 Months of Happy)
This winter has been hard, emotionally and physically. We’ve had someone sick in our house almost constantly since the middle of December, including another round of COVID-19 in mid-January. Not surprisingly, my focus on my 12 Months of Happy project definitely, uh, took a hit during this season. As I’m pulling myself back into that […]
Continue ReadingA Pleasing Chime (IWSG)
January is (blessedly) in the rearview mirror, though February is charging in with baggage: we are expecting one to two feet of snow in Central Illinois over the next 48 hours. There hasn’t been that much snow around here for many years. I’m equal parts appalled and delighted. The beginning of a new month also […]
Continue Reading2021 5-Star Reads
Last year, I read 42 books. (My goal was 52, but I’m satisfied with where I landed.) Of those 42, I only gave 6 books 5-out-of-5 stars. These are those books, as taken from my 2021 Reading Log (if you’re curious what else I read, what else I recommend, and what I DON’T, you can […]
Continue ReadingRegrets (IWSG)
Do you believe in regrets? So we’re on the same page, let’s define what we mean by “regret.” Merriam-Webster has a surprisingly poignant definition of the word: “sorrow aroused by circumstances beyond one’s control or power to repair.” In other words, mourning a choice; a wish that you had done something different at a fork […]
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