When I was young, I remember reading every book I could get my hands on. Every Saturday after piano lessons, my mother would drop me off at the library to search through the aisles and aisles of books. Fantasies were my particular favorite. Anything with magic, mystical powers or a fairy godmother were of special interest to me.
As an adult, there are times when I wish those magical stories were true. There is something intriguing and inviting about using magic to make all your problems and worries go away. If I were granted one wish, any wish at all, I would wish for a magic wand that would grant any wish I wanted. (Did you follow that?)
Don't you sometimes wish you had something like a magic wand? Financial problems? POOF! You suddenly win $1Million in the lottery. Hate your job? POOF! A new one with a 6-figure income is simply handed to you. Your kids are horrible and driving you crazy? POOF! Your children suddenly behave better than ever before. You put on 20 pounds after you quit smoking? POOF! Jenny Craig is calling you personally to do one of her commercials...and will pay you to be a spokeswoman and lose weight on her dime on national television! (Don't judge me...I can dream...)
But, let's be real. Magic wands are only found in story books and magic shows. If you want to achieve something, or change it, you have to be assertive and do it yourself. Yesterday, I found out that Neil Armstrong was 38 years old when he walked on the moon...one year older than I am now. He worked hard to become an astronaut and look at what he accomplished! He set out to do something amazing and he did it.
There are times...many, many times...that I feel I haven't accomplished a dang thing. But whose fault is that? Neil Armstrong's? I wish I could blame him for all my problems, but I only have myself to blame. I've had many opportunities to improve myself and each time I have sabotaged it thinking I wasn't good enough. I am going to have to change that perception of myself if I am going to get anywhere in life.
I'm not Neil Armstrong...I'm me...and I'm pretty fabulous if I do say so myself. I'm the mother of 4 great kids. I am very intelligent. I have a loving, wonderful husband who loves me more than anything. The few friends I have are amazing human beings. I'm currently writing a children's novel for my kids. I may not have as much as some, but I have more than most.
I am the luckiest woman in the world...once you put things in perspective.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
I want to be a writer...
For those of you who don't know, I am currently writing a children's novel. Primarily, I am writing it for my 2 oldest daughters, Sky (14) and Remi (11). Neither of them are avid readers, so I figured if I wrote a book just for them, they just might actually sit down and enjoy a good "read". Then again, because their mother wrote it, they might find it lame - but a girl can dream.
I can't give away too many of the details...I don't want to spoil anything for anyone. However, I can say the lead character is mirrored after Sky: strong, independent, athletic, smart and likeable. Another lead character is currently mirrored after Remi: also strong & independent, but is a nature lover, artistic and very much a girl.
I've had numerous people asking me if my ultimate goal is to get it published. While that would be a lifelong dream come true, first and foremost, I am writing it for my kids and their enjoyment.
Anyone who has known me my entire life knows I've been writing since I was very young. I wrote mini-books all through elementary school and was an avid poetry writer all the way through high school. Then, somewhere along the way, I lost the time and desire to continue on with my dream of writing.
When I lost my job, I initially thought of it as the worst luck ever. But, now I see it was a blessing in disguise since it has allowed me to write every day. When God shuts one door, he ultimately opens another...or so I've been told. Now, I may not necessarily be able to make a living with my writing, and it currently isn't putting food on my table, but I am excited at the prospect of completing it and giving it to my girls. I just hope they appreciate the effort.
I can't give away too many of the details...I don't want to spoil anything for anyone. However, I can say the lead character is mirrored after Sky: strong, independent, athletic, smart and likeable. Another lead character is currently mirrored after Remi: also strong & independent, but is a nature lover, artistic and very much a girl.
I've had numerous people asking me if my ultimate goal is to get it published. While that would be a lifelong dream come true, first and foremost, I am writing it for my kids and their enjoyment.
Anyone who has known me my entire life knows I've been writing since I was very young. I wrote mini-books all through elementary school and was an avid poetry writer all the way through high school. Then, somewhere along the way, I lost the time and desire to continue on with my dream of writing.
When I lost my job, I initially thought of it as the worst luck ever. But, now I see it was a blessing in disguise since it has allowed me to write every day. When God shuts one door, he ultimately opens another...or so I've been told. Now, I may not necessarily be able to make a living with my writing, and it currently isn't putting food on my table, but I am excited at the prospect of completing it and giving it to my girls. I just hope they appreciate the effort.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Remember when?
With the deaths of two icons from my youth, I began to remember things I used to be obsessed with when I was young.
1) I would have killed for a pair of leg warmers. All the girls in my class were wearing them, but my parents refused to buy them for me. As I look back, I'm thankful that they didn't. My kids already find enough things to make fun of while looking through my old photo albums of me without adding leg warmers to the mix!
2) Farrah hair was H U G E!! But no matter how hard I tried, I could not get my hair to feather back. Instead, every attempt to make my hair "cool" ended in a bad version of the female, permed mullet.
3) I wanted to be Daisy Duke when I grew up. Enough said...
4) I wanted to be a stunt woman when I grew up. I blame Lee Majors and The Fall Guy. I pretty much gave up the dream when I tried to do a flip off the cattle ramp into a pile of sand and landed on my back and then realized I was afraid of heights.
5) I was in love with the tall blonde guy from Hall & Oates. I can't remember which one he was. Hall or Oates.
6) Every Saturday, I just HAD to watch that awesome show with those really cool dinosaurs, slow green aliens and the blonde girl with the braided pig-tails. What's the name of that show again?
7) I was the first kid in my class to master the moonwalk.
8) I wanted to be an architect when I grew up...just like the dad on the Brady Bunch.
9) I wanted to become a marine biologist after a few episodes of Flipper.
10) I wanted to be the girlfriend of Mackenzie Astin, Cory Haim, Cory Feldman, Michael J. Fox, Kirk Cameron and that hot young actor from 21 Jump Street. You've probably never heard of him. I think his name was Johnny something.
11) Who didn't want a pair of rainbow suspenders back in the day?!
12) Everyone I knew had a pair of Nike tennis shoes.
13) I begged my mother for a year to buy me a neon-green bowling shirt. Don't ask.
14) One word - ALF
15) I think I watched The Last Dragon about 30 times, Hoosiers about 40 times and Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures about 50.
16) I loved The Pointer Sisters, Michael Jackson, Ah-Ha, The Bee-Gees, The Go-Go's, and Kenny Rogers. That's right....I said Kenny Rogers!!
17) It was ALL about Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Knight Rider and The Greatest American Hero.
18) Hey Hey We're the Monkees!!!
19) I would have loved to have had My Two Dads!
20) I was obsessed with Henry Thomas from the movie E.T. For a while, I collected everything I could with his face on it. The funny thing is, I didn't see the movie until I was 30 years old.
1) I would have killed for a pair of leg warmers. All the girls in my class were wearing them, but my parents refused to buy them for me. As I look back, I'm thankful that they didn't. My kids already find enough things to make fun of while looking through my old photo albums of me without adding leg warmers to the mix!
2) Farrah hair was H U G E!! But no matter how hard I tried, I could not get my hair to feather back. Instead, every attempt to make my hair "cool" ended in a bad version of the female, permed mullet.
3) I wanted to be Daisy Duke when I grew up. Enough said...
4) I wanted to be a stunt woman when I grew up. I blame Lee Majors and The Fall Guy. I pretty much gave up the dream when I tried to do a flip off the cattle ramp into a pile of sand and landed on my back and then realized I was afraid of heights.
5) I was in love with the tall blonde guy from Hall & Oates. I can't remember which one he was. Hall or Oates.
6) Every Saturday, I just HAD to watch that awesome show with those really cool dinosaurs, slow green aliens and the blonde girl with the braided pig-tails. What's the name of that show again?
7) I was the first kid in my class to master the moonwalk.
8) I wanted to be an architect when I grew up...just like the dad on the Brady Bunch.
9) I wanted to become a marine biologist after a few episodes of Flipper.
10) I wanted to be the girlfriend of Mackenzie Astin, Cory Haim, Cory Feldman, Michael J. Fox, Kirk Cameron and that hot young actor from 21 Jump Street. You've probably never heard of him. I think his name was Johnny something.
11) Who didn't want a pair of rainbow suspenders back in the day?!
12) Everyone I knew had a pair of Nike tennis shoes.
13) I begged my mother for a year to buy me a neon-green bowling shirt. Don't ask.
14) One word - ALF
15) I think I watched The Last Dragon about 30 times, Hoosiers about 40 times and Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures about 50.
16) I loved The Pointer Sisters, Michael Jackson, Ah-Ha, The Bee-Gees, The Go-Go's, and Kenny Rogers. That's right....I said Kenny Rogers!!
17) It was ALL about Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Knight Rider and The Greatest American Hero.
18) Hey Hey We're the Monkees!!!
19) I would have loved to have had My Two Dads!
20) I was obsessed with Henry Thomas from the movie E.T. For a while, I collected everything I could with his face on it. The funny thing is, I didn't see the movie until I was 30 years old.
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