sign on the highway:
“Spread love thick like Nutella”
—true words to live by
Author: Andi Page 11 of 25
I recently started taking a yoga class* and I’m finding it fascinating. There is the immediate attention grabbers, like noticing one hip is significantly tighter than the other or that my flexibility isn’t quite what I thought. And then there are the deeper attention grabbers that work on a more profound level.
Slow down.
Breathe.
There is nothing/no one to compete with.
The instructor is different from the yoga video instructors I’m used to. While she has a similar mellow, relaxing tone of voice, and she is encouraging (“Beautiful!” as we assume a widely diverse execution of downward dog poses), she is not that flexible.
I’m used to Rodney Yee and Barbara Benagh who can tie themselves in knots, with the most serene expressions on their faces as they look off into the Grand Canyon or the beaches of Antigua.
My instructor does what she can in a conference room and says, “Well, it looks like my Tree pose will be down here today,” as she places the sole of her foot against her lower calf.**
The matter-of-fact way that she accepts where her body is in that moment is refreshing, and inspiring.
We move slowly through the few poses. There is no rush, no pressure to perform a perfect or idealized form. I only notice the other students when I check to make sure that my outstretched leg won’t hit theirs.
But the true gift of the class is coming out of it calm. I’m not a zombie or in any way unconscious. I’m just relaxed. My legs aren’t in a hurry to get me to the next place, my mind isn’t racing furiously about from topic to topic.
I’m just doing the next thing.
Calm.***
Which feels really good.
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*As in going to a live class. This is different from videos and books, oddly enough.
**Yee and Benagh would have their heels up in their crotches for Tree pose.
***Today’s Daily Stoic reading is “Calm is contagious”, and is an excellent reminder.
soaring overhead
the falcon rides the thermals
lazy summer day
-with the extreme heat we’re seeing, the thermals must have been amazing
Here are three things I’m loving right now*:
- What I’m reading: Kindle Paperwhite—The only reason I got a Kindle was to read War and Peace. Seriously. There was no way I was going to be able to read the paper version, by which I mean ‘hold up as I lay in bed without the tome smashing into my face’. The Kindle performed admirably**, and then proved itself again on trips where its built-in light was so very handy late at night when I couldn’t sleep and didn’t want to wake my husband by turning on a lamp. And now it’s been great for downloading library books.
- What I’m wearing: Fitbit Alta—I got it to help track my sleep, but its been far more useful as a pedometer. Took it on our recent trip to New York City/Washington, DC***, and I’m pretty sure it lied to me because I KNOW we walked way more than it was stating. Still, it’s been good to me. Besides, I like to swap out the wristband with the seasons.****
- What I’m drinking: Tension Tamer Tea—Did I mention some stress lately? As much as a strong drink would be awesome, I can’t exactly imbibe during the workday*****, so I turn to this Blessed Tea Relief from Celestial Seasonings. They must put some sort of mood-altering herbal in it because it definitely smooths the stress out. Lovely.
Now back to the writing…
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*Because I’m in need to looking at the bright side, since the weight of looming deadlines has things looking just a wee bit dark lately.
**Especially with the built-in dictionary, so I could look up all sorts of ancient cannon terms with the touch of a finger.
***More to come about that trip.
****Currently rocking a fuchsia band. The black was too gloomy for summer.
*****Whatever happened to the corporate wet bar?
Thought friend was joking:
“You gotta beat back nature”
-ah, the blackberries
I grew up with historical romance novels*, and then read a ton of Harlequin Silhouette romance novels in college**. After graduating and becoming “an adult,” I started reading “real” books***, and saw no need to ever read a romance novel again. They were mindless brain candy, and I was more mature than that.
Apparently I’ve regressed.
I can’t remember why, or how, I started reading romances again—too many YA dystopian novels? too much violence against women in Game of Thrones****?—but I found an escape that felt good and hadn’t realized that I had missed.
Still, I felt embarrassed to be seen reading romance novels, regardless of how well-written they were (or even if their covers did NOT scream romance) because, well, they’re romances. Chick lit. Silly fantasies. Definitely not something that an educated, intelligent person should read*****.
Then I came across this post by fellow author Alex Kourvo, and I began to rethink some things:
Maybe it’s okay to read something that makes you hopeful, that makes the world seem a little brighter, and that brings a smile to your face. And what’s wrong with a happy ending? After all, Much Ado About Nothing is a classic, and as Nora Roberts points out, everybody ends up happy.
If you haven’t read a romance novel, give one a try. I recommend Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen for those who want a “real” book (it’s a classic for a reason), but who also want to dip their toes in the romance genre******.
Looking for more suggestions? I’ll give my romance recommendations in an upcoming post.
Are you a romance reader, or a romance avoider? Let me know in the comments.
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*Like Kathleen Woodiwiss (A Rose in Winter was my favorite book in high school and Ashes in the Wind formed my understanding of the American Civil War.)
**Instead of the gigantic chocolate chip cookies they sold at the campus store, I would reward myself with “just a chapter” from a Harelequin Silhouette romance novel. Which usually turned into two chapters, then three (they were so short!), until I had finished the novel and found myself having to finish my term paper at 1 am.
***Like Sophie’s World (amazing) and Outlander (stayed up all night with that one).
****FWIW, I loved the first novel, and I enjoyed the first season of the TV series, but after awhile the violence against women just depressed me, as much as I adored Tyrion and Arya.
*****To be fair, I have read a considerable number of classics in recent years, including War and Peace and Moby Dick (both of which I enjoyed).
******For more of a paranormal mystery, give Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte a shot. But at all costs skip Wuthering Heights by a disturbed Emily Bronte (unless you’re into abusive relationships, and that’s not romance).
kernels on the branch
monster rhododendron blooms
like fuchsia popcorn
You would think that publishing a book (let alone, a novel; let alone, your FIRST NOVEL) would have you immediately shouting it out to the rooftops.
Alas, no.
Especially when you’re a bit of an introvert. And busy with Life and its assorted bummers and delights. And slightly forgetful (didn’t I already tell everyone?).
So here it is: Spring Comes Twice. A novel about a guy* who just wants to bring his dead fiancée back to life. But he never imagines the Chaos That Shall Ensue.
This one was a lot of fun to write, and at the same time really nerve-wracking.
For National Novel Writing Month last year, I challenged myself to write a novel completely “into the dark”—no outling or dreaming ahead of the start date (i.e. November 1), and only using a title** and a first line prompt to get going.
When I started writing it, I had no idea what the story was about, where it was heading, or what was up with the talking dog***. No. Freaking. Idea. So I kept writing to find out for myself.
And boy, this was a story I never could have imagined writing. Which in hindsight seems a little silly, since a lot of it is stuff I love: Astoria, bacon, German luxury cars, Asian mythology, and tiki. The other stuff that pops up? Hell if I know.
Spring Comes Twice is available in ebook and paperback in the usual places (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple and other places).
For a look behind the writing curtain on this book, take a look at the posts I wrote during 2018 Nanowrimo.
For a sense of the “Relics of a Future Past” series, sign up for the newsletter (over there on the right side) and I will send you**** a free short story set in that universe. It’s a time travel tale with WWII, romance, and tacos*****.
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*Well, a tech billionaire, to be precise.
**A shout out to my amazing husband for the title.
***SPOILER ALERT: There is a talking dog. He’s awesome.
****In the next month. Because, you know. Life.
*****Who doesn’t love tacos?
sunny clear blue skies
I sit in my writing room
the standing lamps lit
-to be fair, it was overcast earlier
It was a long time in coming this season, but my camellia has finally produced a bloom. Well, there were exactly two blooms (when there should have been a gazillion), but I’ll take it.
<doing a happy flower dance>