This is my first official update! I was excited to start on my book, and I decided to try something new. I wrote the conclusion, and the chapter right before the conclusion, first. I usually get stuck on how to start the book, but here’s what I realize: if I spend too much time overthinking the first chapter, I’ll lose precious time where I could be getting the climax and resolution in writing. So, I started the book with what I knew for sure: how I wanted it to end.
The writing went quickly. In a single day, I got 3,000 words. For NaNoWriMo, doing those sort of numbers daily will certainly guarantee my 50,000 word count goal. However, I don’t know that I’ll be able to sustain that level of verbosity daily; as a matter of fact, a last-minute surge of tasks resulted in me having far less time to write than I originally anticipated. For this first week, I’m pleased with my output and sticking to my original plan: I’m not editing, I’m simply writing and letting the ideas flow.
I love being back in touch with this part of me. I feel like part of me is healing, and another part of me is getting bolder and energized. I love it! I can’t wait to see how much more I write over the next week!
Well, it’s Sunday, and I am so proud of the fact that I’ve been blogging every day for a week – no days missed! It’s wild that I used to do this regularly: that seems like it was a lifetime ago. But here I am, returning to what I love and leaning into it. This feels incredible!
I thought I’d share a simple practice that I’m doing today, that I feel will set the tone for a great week ahead. I know that my week will be a bit demanding: there is a holiday (Veteran’s Day) so I have one day off, but I still need to make up the sick day that I took last week. For those that don’t know, I go into my office once a week, strictly for the amusement of management (there is quite literally nothing that I do that requires in-person presence, but it makes the executive team feel better to see people in the building, so I go). No worries: this is probably my last stop on the federal employment train. I have enough years under my belt to start planning an early retirement, even though I’m still fairly young. It’s never too early to plan a glorious and happy exit.
All that being said, I will go in, and I want to make sure I have a positive mindset when I do. Additionally, I need my energy high for the remainder of the week: I have a number of tasks to complete and the last thing I need is to be unenthused. Having the right mindset is crucial to viewing my responsibilities as excellent learning opportunities versus viewing them as drudgery.
In my book I published, Dream Life Visualizer, there are chapters that cover each of the major areas of your life. Even as the author, I’m working through the visualizer, ensuring that I’m getting crystal clear on what my dream life looks like, too. The second focus area mentioned in the book is Your Business, but since I’m not fully self employed, I’m interpreting this section as Your Career. I will reword the prompt, “How do you feel about your business at the moment?” to, “How do you feel about your career at the moment?” Here is my response to that:
I feel that my career is good but missing something. I think some of the creativity that I thrive off of is lacking in my current role. That doesn’t mean I don’t love it and do it well: I do, and I do. But I need to incorporate more creativity and joy into my daily work. That’s it: I need more intentional creativity and joy while working. Actually, I could stand to use that in everything. So that’s what I’ll do. I’ll make my career, and each of my days, more creative and joyful. Maybe I’ll walk a different route to the office that I usually do. I may explore a part of the building that I’ve never been to, or order lunch from a new restaurant. Or, I could use my 15-minute breaks to do a quick exercise routine, or have a dance session: my office has a door, so why not? Yes, I can incorporate those same joyful and creative approaches to every day, not just my in-office days. This is going to be great! I can’t wait to see how much more fun my week will be! I’m claiming it now: this week is going to be amazing!
It’s just that simple. The prompt guided me to a fresh idea for the week, and now I’ve set the tone for the kind of experiences I desire to attract to my world. If you want to learn more about the Dream Life Visualizer, you can check it out here. But, also, I’ll share more excerpts over the upcoming weeks, so you can see more of how it works. Thank you so much for stopping by, and have a great rest of your Sunday!
As I write this, I recently kicked off a 3 week vacation from my day job. I love the work I do, but I’ve been feeling burned out and uninspired. I’ve always been clear on the fact that my occupation is not the source of my fulfillment, but I realize that work has an indirect connection to many of the enjoyable experiences that I’ve shared on this blog for years. The exhibitions I’ve discussed, food I’ve tried, travel and other adventures I enjoyed, books I’ve read, classes I’ve taken, and people I’ve met and loved have mostly all been in some way connected to work. My career began with commuting to a major city for 3+ hours every day, and the adventures I had during that time were numerous, life-changing and priceless. I love that I’ve created a life where there is a lot of pleasure alongside my work.
But recently, I’ve felt particularly disconnected when it comes to the things I enjoy. I traveled extensively over the past few years, and while I loved those times away, I still felt like something was missing. Something just wasn’t . . . clicking. I felt like I was going through the motions instead of really LIVING. During some meditation and reflection time, I saw exactly what I needed to do, to bring back the joy that I no longer possessed.
I need to return to myself.
The question of “Who am I?” has come up a number of times this year, particularly in sessions with my therapist. The question forced me to examine who I’d allow myself to become, in order to have the things I wanted. I adore the person that I am, but my current life doesn’t have the depth that I desire. I reflected back on the times when I felt most joyful and vibrant, and I noticed a recurring theme. Always, I felt my most alive when I was deeply engaging my senses. My senses of sight (artwork and natural wonders), hearing (live musical performances and listening to rainfall), smell (perfume, candles, and other home scent), taste (chocolate, international foods, whisky, wine), and touch (luxurious fabrics and exquisitely textured items) were all front and center when it came to sensory engagement. I even wrote a book on how our five senses help us to manifest our dream lives (Come To Your Senses)! My senses are crucial to how I enjoy my life. I’d even venture to say, that my senses are how I LIVE my life.
So I’m returning back to that. I’m making my five senses the focus on my writing and vlogging experience. I need to get back to the beauty of pleasure that I can measure with my body. And that’s what I intend to do. I don’t know how long I can keep up this focus, but I know that I will be closer to my ideal existence if I start centering my senses again. I hope you plan to stick around for this phase of my journey.
It’s been a while since I shared the books that I’ve read recently. One of my goals in 2025, that I’ve carried over to 2026, is reading daily. I read more books last year than I have since I was in school, and I’m on track for reading even more books this year. Now seems like as good a time as any to share the books I recently read, as well as what I’ll be reading until mid-June.
Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell – a speculative fiction gem that asks the question, “What would the United States be if there were no White Americans left?” It centers on the redemption arc of a man wrongfully accused of rape, and the daughter that never knew he existed until after losing all of her family to the tragic tragic event that left the US without White citizens. I enjoyed the story a lot, and it re-invigorated my love of fiction. The story left me with a lot of questions, primarily, what does redemption look like? How can I create “heaven” now, without requiring the intervention of a cataclysmic event? What does it mean to be truly self-sufficient and secure? And what happens when the status quo changes? Campbell did a great job of balancing the sensitivity of the subject of loss and grief, with the optimism and hope that remains after. I loved this one, and would happily read it again in the future.
Hellenismos by Tony Mierzwicki – I have friends who are exploring traditional forms of worship, including paganism and ancestor veneration. One of them recommended learning about the Greek pantheon, and I was intrigued, so I picked up this book. I LOVED it! Thoroughly researched, practicable, and easy to read, I enjoyed how the author took time to introduce not just the gods and goddesses of ancient Greece, but the lives of the devotees. Mierzwicki eloquently explains how worship of these deities was so intricately woven into the lives of the Greeks, and the line between religion, business, love, family and leisure were consistently blurred. While I’m not interested in following Hellenism, I feel like I’ve grown tremendously just by learning about it through this book. The daily practices that were outlined for the entire calendar year was particularly useful, as it was a great reminder to me that faith is a daily practices.
Your Faith Is Your Fortune by Neville Goddard – This is one of several books I’ve recently read by Goddard. I am a believer in mental discipline and focus, so I spent a considerable amount of time studying thought leaders and their works. I’ve read some of Goddard’s books before, but I recently got the Neville Goddard Complete Reader, and I’ve been methodically making my way through the entire thing (I’m anticipating being done with it before the end of June). Your Faith is Your Fortune is unlike any other book I’ve read: Goddard takes a number of specific Bible verses, and interprets through the lens of (as he describes it) a “psychological drama”. These “dramas” have traditionally been interpreted in a literal way, and Goddard encourages us to see the dramas as creative expressions that correspond to much more personally significant behaviors and choices. For people who have grown up in Christian (Bible-centered) households, this is an enlightening read that pushes the boundaries of how biblical instruction can be interpreted and applied in our lives.
The Power of Awareness by Neville Goddard – This book is a full explanation of the power of the law of assumption: how to use it, how to overcome challenges when using it, as well as case studies (success stories) of those that have used it. The heart of the book is the understanding of the power of “I AM”, and how these words form the world we live in. According to Goddard, “If man’s concept of himself were different, everything in his world would be different. His concept of himself being what it is, everything in his world must be as it is.” Goddard takes the time to explain what consciousness is, how important it is to control the imagination and sustain attention, and how crucial it is to “renounce evil” (concentrate your attention on what you’d prefer to experience). This was a fantastic book that deepened my understanding of the law of assumption and helped me become more effective in my usage of it.
Out of This World by Neville Goddard – This book by Goddard also deals with the law of assumption, and how our assumptions precede the experience. It has one of the most concise explanations of the law of assumption that I’ve seen in all of his works. It states, “Define your ideal and concentrate your attention upon the idea of identifying yourself with your ideal. Assume the feeling of being it, the feeling that would be yours were you already the embodiment of your ideal. Then live and act upon this conviction. This assumption, though denied by the senses, if persisted in, will become fact. You will know when you have succeeded in fixing the desired state in consciousness by simply looking mentally at the people you know.” This paragraph perfectly sums up how Law of Assumption works, and how persistence is the key to realizing the reality we desire. This book is shorter than some of the other Goddard books I’ve read, but I found it very easy to follow and instantly applicable.
Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler – I’m currently reading this book, and WHEW. This is a heavy one, for sure. It’s not surprising to anyone that’s familiar with Butler’s work that this is a story that changes you as you read it. Personally, I’m a fan of Octavia Butler, and I’ve read several of her books (Wild Seed is a favorite) but I had not read Parable until a couple of days ago. Butler was nothing if she was not a seer, with a number of her stories ending up as the lived reality in America more than 30 years after she first wrote them down. It’s uncomfortable reading where she thought the US would go, and it’s even more disturbing how accurate she was. I love it, and it’s breaking my heart with every subsequent chapter. I’m roughly halfway through the book, and it’s painful, but I’m determined to complete it. If you want to read a book that will haunt you long after you put it down, this is worth checking out.
These are my springtime reads! What are you currently reading, or have you read any of the books I mentioned? I’d love to hear your thoughts below!
In the last post, I shared about my time in Inverness and Montrose (which were difficult stops for me, since I had a bad cold during that time). Thankfully, I was starting to feel better by the time we got to Edinburgh, and not a moment too soon: Edinburgh is one of my favorite cities of all time!
Before we got to Edinburgh, however, we had a full day of activity ahead. After eating breakfast and checking out of The Links Hotel, we journeyed to our first stop, Scone Palace. Located in Perthshire, this stunning castle is the place where Scottish kings were crowned for hundreds of years. Before entering the palace, you can see the Stone of Destiny, the symbolic stone where these newly crowned kings would sit, in recognition of their reign. One such king is MacBeth (yes, that one), who was crowned in 1040. The stone is surrounded in mystery, as the original disappeared years ago and has never been located. That being said, there is great lore about both the Stone, as well as the rest of the palace.
Outside of Scone Palace
Entrance to Scone Palace
Palace window surrounded by lush ivy
The Stone of Destiny
Macbeth memorial plate
Scone Palace banner
Closeup of family crests: the Graham crest is depicted here
Scone Palace is full of incredible artifacts, none of which I could photograph, sadly. But, if you’re interested in the history of Dido Elizabeth Belle, then Scone Palace is a must-visit: the original painting of Belle hangs in one of their galleries. If you want a photograph the painting, you’ll either have to pay for it in the palace gift shop, or you can go to Kenwood House in London (which is probably a little easier to get to, if we’re being honest) and photograph the excellent recreation that they have on display.
Posing with a brochure that features the painting of Dido Elizabeth Belle
This site was great for photographs on the outside, as the grounds were absolutely beautiful. Also, there are wild peafowl on site, so you can see those beautiful birds as you enjoy your visit. If you’re in Perthshire, Scone Palace is a must see!
Bell hanging from a tree at Scone Palace
This statue blends the highland coo with peacock feather coloring
Details of PeaCOOck statue
Peacock decor at Scone Palace
We stopped for lunch in downtown Perth, and ended up being treated to a parade! I wish I had taken more pictures: at this point, I was hungry to the point of distraction, so I didn’t feel like photographing the parade participants. However, what we saw was the Perth Salute, a local festival that celebrated the military, complete with a parade that features military and civilian bands, as well as local performers of all backgrounds (we saw quite a few South American countries represented in the parade). It was a fantastic parade and brought out a lot of the community.
We decided to eat at The Bulldog Frog, and that was a fantastic choice. I ordered the avocado and tomato toastie, which had fries and homemade slaw on the side. The food was so delicious, and I could finally think clearly after feeling ravenous for the previous hour. Once our lunch break was done, we were off to our next stop, Innerpeffray Library.
Inside of The Bulldog Frog
My tasty lunch
After riding about 30 minutes, we arrived at the pastoral community where Innerpeffray Library is located. This stop was one of my absolute favorites. As a bibliophile, I don’t just love to read books: I also love learning the history of the guardians of books, as well as how books and literacy were promoted through the ages. This was the first lending library in Scotland, starting more than 300 years ago. Innerpeffray’s collection includes an extensive amount of books, including the personal Bible of James Graham, 1st Marquis of Montrose, and the first head of Clan Graham.
Books at Innerpeffray Library
Inspirational words – Visualizing the known world and the New World
The library also has an interesting history that includes one of the earliest examples of gender equity in literacy and education. The on-site school house taught both boys and girls (in a time where formal education for girls was considered unnecessary in many cultures), and one of the fascinating entries in the Borrower’s Register (the logbook of people who borrowed books) includes an entry for a girl who worked for a landowner who borrowed a book on his behalf, but also borrowed a book for herself to read. I was touched to hear how, even at a time where social and gender perspectives were firmly favoring male members of the upper class, resources such as books were still made available to those that were disadvantaged. A bit of fun trivia is that this library has the smallest book in the world, measuring just 5 mm x 5 mm.
Details about the smallest book in the world
A number of historical texts at Innerpeffray
Old logbooks of book borrowers
More incredible books at Innerpeffray
We chatted extensively with the current Keeper of the Books (a role that has been continually staffed for hundreds of years), whose enthusiasm and knowledge were unmatched. We then toured the chapel and were blown away by the beautiful remains of the original decor.
Inside the chapel
Stunning beams overhead
Details overhead
Peeking from the overhead space
Outside, I took photos of the rural setting: it was a beautiful, sunny, picturesque day. I vowed right then to return to Innerpeffray Library to tour again, and hopefully to spend some more time in nearby downtown Perth. This was a perfect stop on a perfect day, and I can’t say enough good things about it.
Innerpeffray heritage trail
Viewing the grounds
Closeup of a beautiful flower
Exterior of Innerpeffray Library
Once we left the library, we journeyed on to Edinburgh, and checked into the Radisson Blu Hotel. Edinburgh is a lively, incredible city, and we just so happened to be there during Fringe. There’s so much more to share, so I’ll have to continue in another post! Stay tuned for the next installment, and thanks for reading!
Instead of making lengthy posts about every single thing I did in 2023, I decided I should just give you a high level overview of each month, and save the long posts for some of the highlights. Without further ado, here’s my 2023:
January – I went to see “Wicked” for the first time, and I started tinkering with generative AI. My prompts are so much better than they used to be. I made time for self care, and enjoyed the beginning of the year.
March – I did First Friday at the Library of Virginia, and I volunteered behind the scenes with a local aerial arts company. My daughter performed in the aerial production of Alice in Wonderland.
April – I turned my attention to my yard: spring had sprung, and I needed to identify what was growing wild outside. I started experimenting with cashew cheese recipes, and we officially celebrated the end of “Alice in Wonderland” season with a cast party. At the end of the month, we did a quick getaway to Tysons Corner VA, where my daughter enjoyed a day at American Girl Place.
May – I continued to improve my generative AI prompting, and planned for my end-of-the month trip. I spent a week in St Lucia, sunning and getting eaten alive by the sand mites. The trip to St Lucia will be its own post, because the location was heavenly and the accommodations were perfection.
June – My jasmine bush bloomed, and all was right with the world. I attended a gala event for a local nonprofit, and had a fantastic time. The rest of my flowers started to bloom, and I was on cloud 9! This was the first year that my hydrangea bush had blooms, so it was an especially exciting season!
July – I tried some new (to me) perfumes, and spent a fun day with friends in DC. And, I went to London and Edinburgh! These cities deserve their own set of posts, so look out for those soon.
August – My birthday month! No travel, but I did have a great dinner with someone special. I also visited the Mansion at O Street museum in Washington DC with one of my friends.
September – Besame Cosmetics launched the Ella Fitzgerald collection, and I was too excited to try it. I ended the month in New York City, tooling around at the Museum of Modern Art, The Brandy Library, and Patent Pending (this too will be its own post).
October – A trip to Atlanta was just what I needed as the weather started to turn from warm to cool. I went to the Highland Games, which included a whisky tasting and the Tartan Ball. FWIW I did not wear a tartan, but I did have a splendid time.
November – I did the highland games in central Virginia, because Scottish events in my backyard cannot be missed! I returned to London for a week, and had an amazing time.
December – A quiet month: the perfect way to end a busy year.
And that’s my 2023 in a nutshell! Look out for some longer posts in the near future, with LOTS more pictures and some fun ideas for how to best experience some of the places I went. Take care, and I’ll talk to you all soon!
It’s been a long time since I did one of these posts: it feels great to be back! I love my writing practice, but there have been two things going on. Firstly, I haven’t written consistently (mainly because there have been so much happening offline); and secondly, I have to retool my entire writing practice (what I used to do doesn’t fit my lifestyle and my writing style anymore).
I published a planner last year, but it isn’t what I’d consider a “writing” project. It’s one of those low-content publications, so it didn’t contain much writing in it. I tried participating in NaNoWriMo but I went off schedule within the first week and I never recovered LOL! So I’ve been focused on getting back into the habit, and part of that will be supported by returning to regular blogging.
I was debating whether I would do Monday through Friday schedule on this blog again: it’s such a big commitment. But I think I need to “throw myself” back into writing again and just let the words flow. So, for the time being, I’ll be committing to 3 posts a week at minimum. Making a public commitment to doing so will (hopefully) keep me on track and create a sense of responsibility to you all, my friends. I look forward to chatting with you all and keeping those writing updates coming!
Hey everyone! Happy October to you all. It’s time for a writing update, because I haven’t been posting regularly on Wednesdays during this period of increased editing activities.
I’m happy to share that I’m still on target to reach my November publishing goal (as I explained in this post). I’ve finished all of my major edits, and I’m letting the book “sit” undisturbed while I tool around with making a cover and as I consider adding images within the body of the book. This is probably my favorite part of publishing, because it gives me a break from searching for the right word, and it causes me to turn my attention to the aesthetics of the book.
In a couple of weeks, I’ll give my book another once over, probably reading it aloud to see if the words flow easily, as well as add any additional thoughts that I think will help best convey my ideas. Until I resume editing, I’ll be considering my book marketing approach and seeing if I want to promote the book through traditional means, or opt for a more passive, organic approach. I’m not sure yet, but I’ll see where inspiration leads me and make my decision based on that. Following inspiration may seem like a silly way to go about determining how I want to sell this book, but I’ve found that TRUE inspiration has always led me to the right path. So I’ll go with that and let things unfold as they will.
That’s it for the September update: short and somewhat sweet. I’ll talk to you all soon!
Happy Writers Wednesday! I’m happy that I’m finally entering the period of my Four Months, Four Goals challenge (if you didn’t read that post, it’s linked here). To briefly recap, I’ll be spending the next four months hitting a single major writing goal for each month, then coming back to share my accomplishments as they are achieved. My focus is publishing the book that I’ve been working on for the past couple of years (I can’t believe it’s been that long!) But, in order to make that happen, I had to get clear on what my next steps are, so I can move definitively in the direction of my goals.
That being said, my August writing accomplishments were great, and I’m pleased with what I got done during the month. I found some information I needed to redo two portions of my book: I had written two examples to illustrate points that I made, but I wanted better suited examples. I easily found better examples to use, and these incorporated seamlessly into the outline. I’ve also been editing other portions of the book: rereading various sections and ironing out the kinks in the verbiage and clarifying anything that didn’t flow well.I love the progress I’m making, and I’m excited to see how much more progress I’ll make in September!
That’s it for today. I’ll talk to you all soon: take care!
Happy Writers Wednesday! Today’s topic is was a question that I posed to myself recently, after feeling frustrated about the timelines for my works in progress (you can see my writing goals from now to December in this post). I find myself with a great idea, which I develop – sometimes to the point of completion – then there is this extraordinary “dead period” that happens once the work is done.
I had to ask myself, “Why does it take me forever to publish a book?” This isn’t referring to my children’s books, which are fairly simple and can be completed once I have enough photos that aren’t protected by copyrights. This is talking about my original works, which I’ve already finished writing and that seem to take FOREVER to get to the point of publishing. These should be ready to publish quickly, but they always appear to be stuck in the queue for longer than I think they should be.
As I asked myself about why it takes so long, it hit me: I’m stuck in analysis paralysis when it comes to publishing. I am constantly running various scenarios in my mind, and, as a result, very little tangible progress is made. I often find it much easier to blog, since these are short little glimpses into my daily life and passing thoughts. But book writing and publishing? I overanalyze to the point of ineffectiveness.
I would normally put forth a challenge to myself at this point, but, realistically, I’ll likely feel paralyzed every time I publish, regardless of how illogical it is to feel that. All I will vow to do is to try and remember to come back to this post the next time the analysis paralysis hits me. Maybe if I remember this post, I’ll be able to summon enough courage and reasonableness to move past my overthinking and to just leap into publishing. Only time will tell if I take my own advice, right?
