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Zen and the Art of Getting Real
The Zen of a Writer’s Time Management
New Year’s…Intentions
Chicken Soup
Christmas Lights
My father loved Christmas – the music, the food, the family and above all, the lights. Our decorations were the talk of the neighborhood. Every window and door, every bush and tree was outlined in brilliant green lights. Three of the neighbors got into the spirit and outlined their houses in red, blue and white respectively. My dad added wooden figures of candles, a choirmaster and choirboys, and then piped out Christmas music that floated through the bare trees and across the Toronto snow....
Coffee in the Morning
Recharging
So, it’s been a week. You know the kind – you charge from one urgent task to another, hit every damn stoplight, and everything else goes wrong too. To top it off, I was one of three people in charge of a big event for our writers cooperative – a three-day display and sales opportunity at a home show that typically draws about 10,000 people...
Writing with my Grandsons
Tomato Aspic
Conquering the Nasties
We’re feet first into the age of noise. Cacophony that hurts our ears and hardens our hearts. Bullying that pierces our souls and splinters society. Despite the urge to point fingers at the big name targets from political candidates to trashy TV, it’s worth considering the small-time perpetrators…like me and you...
The Dark Side of Social Media
I love social media. To me, it’s like a visit to the village well. I hear about new babies, marriages, the rude clerk at the grocery store, the discouraging job, crazy cats and devoted dogs…You get the picture (the pics and funny memes are a chuckle-worthy treat too).
Harmless. Fun. A connection to people I enjoy.
But there is a dark side...
Push Back
Three years ago an auto accident left me with some permanent, occasionally painful injuries. At the time I was irritated because I knew it was going to hurt, be a time-sucking hassle, and the guy who caused it was a young man in a pickup truck (don’t get me started on young men in pickup trucks!). Four cars were smashed up, so it was kind of a big deal, though not catastrophic.
The Klutz Olympics
Selling Books
One of the less attractive parts of being a writer is that you need to actually get your books into the hands of readers, who will in turn put money into your hands. You know, that whole trying to make a living thing that gets us all. The theory is sound. The execution for me as a writer is…well…faulty.
Woofin’ and Waggin’
Heroes
I am lousy at picking heroes.
When I was a kid, “Write about your Hero” was the perennial classroom topic of choice. And I would sit there, and chew my pencil, and stare at the wall, and in despair, watch every other kid writing furiously. I already knew their topics…My Uncle Dan…Joe Dimaggio…My Mother…Neil Armstrong…
Jeannie
If I had a wish for the world, it is that each and every person would have a Jeannie.
My Jeannie died from cancer three and a half years ago and the hole she left is like “Dear Eliza” filling the bucket. No matter what I do, the hole is still there. Her daughters are busy mothers and teachers, but when someone mentions their mom, they get that flickering look of soul-deep loss...
