Delete, delete and…delete

I’ve pretty much had it with my inbox. Maybe you feel the same? I believe it’s time to purge again.

It all started before Black Friday —I began to feel beaten down by the extreme number of emails screaming at me from their subject line to take advantage of this or that deal…

Booker will help delete emails
whether I want him to or not!

24 hours only! Delete

Last call! Delete

Deals made just for you! Delete

Save big NOW! Delete

Only a few hours left! Delete

And I’ll end with the one that said “I need to apologize…” in the subject line, but the body of the email informed me that the apology was because I’d have a difficult time making a decision on which deal to choose from. This one upset me because I usually read this blogger’s emails and she roped me in to a Black Friday sales pitch. Delete

There were more. Many more. I’m sure you likely received your fair share.

I enjoy the bloggers, authors and business entrepreneurs I follow who may have used a freebie to gain my email address but who share more of themselves and their experiences while limiting their requests to buy their products or services. Sadly, they have become fewer and far between, with many gaining email addresses only to dump multiple emails daily or weekly with sales pitches and special offers. If you make a purchase, you’re still buried in sales pitches; or worse, some send emails to ask why you’re not taking them up on such a great offer.

I was so tired of seeing multiple emails and requests to buy that I decided not to take part in Black Friday or Cyber Monday in an attempt to make additional sales for my own books. Did I cut off my nose to spite my face? Maybe. But it’s also possible that if I had taken part, my sales offers would have just been lost in the large shuffle of offers already out there. I made the decision to save additional sales pitches or offers until after the holidays. And I feel good about it.

I think that’s enough time spent on my rant, and rather than end this post on a negative tone, I thought I’d share with you a few of the women who I still enjoy seeing pop up in my inbox:

Susannah Conway @ https://www.susannahconway.com – Susannah is an “author, photographer and teacher who’s been sharing her heart online for over a decade.” I’ve been following Susannah for a couple of years and I enjoy receiving her newsletters, which she calls love letters. She is full of heart and soul, is extremely honest with some of the ups and downs in life, shares classes you can take part in with her and also shares free journaling and photography challenges. My favorite freebie from Susannah is the Unravel Your Year workbook she sends out at the end of each year, which I recently received and can’t wait to work on so that I can compare it to the workbook I completed last year.

Naomi Bulger @ https://www.naomiloves.com - Naomi is a “writer, illustrator…on a path to live a life with more simplicity, greater creativity and deliberate kindness.” She shares thoughts about letter-writing, parenting, creative work and life, and slow living and her mission is to help busy women explore their creativity, share their stories and find their tribe. Her newsletters are thoughtful and sincere and include fun mail art templates you can color if you’re so inclined to use them for snail mail. Or have fun with them just because you like to color. J

Allie @ https://www.thejourneyjunkie.com – Allie is a “body-mind-soul advocate and personal home yoga teacher.” She offers classes, challenges, journal prompts, yoga videos and more. I’ve been learning about and practicing yoga for over two years and it is a constant WIP, as with any exercise routine, and there are high and low points with feelings of success, setbacks and self-doubt. I appreciate and am inspired by Allie’s honesty and no-BS-attitude when it comes to how she deals with her own highs and lows while keeping up with her own practice and running her business.

Beth Kempton @ https://bethkempton.com/about and who is also the Founder of Do What You Love @ https://dowhatyouloveforlife.com/blog. Beth is an author, speaker, traveler and entrepreneur and her mission is to show you how to direct your own life, choose your path and manifest happiness. I enjoy her newsletters complete with her thoughts, updates and inspirational and helpful life and business tips. For the past two years I’ve enjoyed receiving the Do What You Love New Year’s Revolution kit, which is a calendar and workbook to help with accountability and commitments. I’m hopeful this kit will be offered again for 2019 because it’s visually appealing and I’ve been using it in my project binder to help me stay on task with my monthly goals.

These women have something to share, and something to sell, but they continue to hold my trust by continuously holding a conversation rather than expecting constant commerce between parties. Their emails and newsletters are an example of what I look forward to spying in my inbox between all the emails I delete. They have done what others have not; made me feel as if I’m receiving an email from a friend.

And that’s a job well done.

How about you? Do you receive newsletters from someone who inspires you or offers helpful information? If so, I’d love to hear about them.

Christmas in July, and other distractions

The weather we’ve been enjoying in the Pacific Northwest has made this an enjoyable summer, so far. Other than the 97 degree heat I was treated to my first day back from Florida last month, our weather here has been pretty outstanding. The burn bans are starting and soon there will be talk about the lack of rain, but we’ll be subject to wet weather soon enough. I’m in no hurry to see it just yet.

We’re hosting a family get-together the end of this month and about the end of June and beginning of July, I figured I better stock up on some items I thought might be good to have on hand for some summer kid-friendly fun. I also needed a new umbrella for one I had accidentally broken. When I went shopping, I was shocked to see that the summer items were either completely gone, or were down to a limited quantity tucked away in a clearance corner. In place of where they had been were school supplies.  Kids hadn’t even been out of school a month yet! I visited a couple of different stores looking for items on my list and also discovered the appearance of fall and Thanksgiving items. Good grief. By the time parents finally decide they should shop for school items (those who don’t know better), they’ll probably be shocked to find Christmas items instead.

I eventually found an umbrella, which I discovered was broken when I got it home. Ugh. I had to take it back, only to learn that the color I had chosen was no longer available. I was left with the choice of a bright lime green, light brown and dark brown. I settled with the light brown and called it good - and it had been marked down even lower since I purchased it so that I also received some cash back in return. J Finding the other summer items I was looking for was a challenge, but I finally crossed off all but one item from my list.

I’ve also noticed that there have been quite a few Christmas movies on t.v. lately. I happened to notice them one day when I was scrolling through the guide to see what was on. Eventually, when I saw more Christmas movies on the guide another day, I realized they have been playing more often than not this month on some channels. I guess people really do enjoy watching movies with a Christmas theme in July. 

We’re technically only, what, a month into summer? I don’t want to think about the holidays yet, or the change in the weather we’ll be heading towards, or the thought of having to wear coats or sweaters to keep warm, or worrying about driving to work in the snow. 

Do you ever frequent the magazine racks at the bookstore?  Do you notice a new trend that has been receiving wider audiences?  It’s the art and practice of mindfulness. However, in order to achieve that required mental state, part of it includes focusing on the present moment. That’s a difficult task when stores constantly pull us from the moment by thoughts of what’s to happen months and months away from today. For some it may be easy to ignore that pull, but for others, like those with children still in school, they are forced to focus on that future moment or risk missing out on the items they’ll need and which won’t be available when they finally go out in search of them. Unfortunately, the offering of seasonable items a season or two in advance is a tactic the stores will likely never change since it appears to be a competition of who can get their items on display first.

So I bought my umbrella and other items I needed for the gathering, I ignored the school supplies, and I quickly perused the fall and Thanksgiving items, before shaking my head and telling myself I did not need anything from those shelves at that moment.

Then I drove home, took off my shoes, and walked barefoot in the yard out to my gardens to check on my veggies and herbs while listening to the sound of the birds around me. The sun is warm and inviting, the smell of the herbs is invigorating, and beyond the birds and a slight breeze, the quiet of the woods around me is relaxing. Grounding myself in this way reminds me to keep focusing on the present, to enjoy these moments, for soon enough the clouds will constantly cover us, the gardens will be gone and going barefoot will not be an option if I want to keep warm.

I’ll enjoy fall and the upcoming holidays when it’s their time, but for now, I’m going to thoroughly enjoy these beautiful summer days. I hope you do too!

 

  

Which gadgets bring enjoyment to your day?

There’s much to be said these days about taking time away from the computer, the cell phone, the television…anything that tends to keep you inactive for too long, or which limits your ability to really be aware of your surroundings, or live in the moment of what’s actually going on around you.

Courtesy of Death to Stock photo

I’ve written before about the need to unplug in order to recharge – a funny sort of contradictory statement, but I think many these days would have to agree it’s a good thing to do every now and then.

But lately I’ve been having some fun, not with the normal sort of electronics that might cause an increase in pounds and therefore, tighter jeans, but instead other sorts of gadgets which should help do the opposite.

First, music has always been part of my day. I listen to it on my way to my day job, I listen to it while at the office and again on the drive home. I have specific tastes when it comes to music, but any playlist I put together will tend to have more upbeat songs and I generally care more about the beat than who is doing the singing. If I don’t find myself rocking back and forth, drumming my fingers or tapping my foot, I’m on to the next song. However, I don’t really enjoy upbeat songs where the artist is basically repeating themselves, with a few other words thrown in for good measure. And unless I’m in a particularly bad mood and just want the company of sadness, I tend to skip, or tune out, slow or sad songs; although they will win my favor if they actually have a good beat. In fact, I’m listening to a good one right now…The Other Side by David Gray.

I’ve been using a music app on my phone and I enjoy the large number of songs and types of music at my fingertips. My favorite gadget lately has not only been my cell phone and the music app, but also my new JBL portable speaker. It was a gift for Christmas and it’s one of my favorites. Although I’m still not able to listen to music while I work on my novels, I’ve found that I am able to blog, journal and free write while listening to music. I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to listen to music while working on a novel. It might sound odd, but I’m a bit tentative about using music when I write, as I don’t want the music to have any influence on any emotions on the page. What if a sad song comes on when I’m trying to write about something funny, or what if an upbeat song plays while I’m trying to write something serious? I also don’t want to be distracted by having to skip a song to find a song that might put me in the right “mood.” 

While the cell phone is often the enemy when you’re told to unplug, I’ve used it to focus less on negative social media and more on what helps keep me focused on my intentions. When I made my New Year’s intentions, I wanted to focus on writing, health, self-care, rest/relaxation and family/fun.  Music is fun, it can be relaxing, it can make you happy and it can make you move. 

Not so long ago, I almost gave up on the idea of using a smart phone. I thought I’d just stick with a basic phone and leave it at calls and texting. Now…I don’t think I’d ever want to give up my Android. I found another fun use for it, and that’s to keep tabs on another new gadget I’ve decided to try out: a Fitbit. While the Fitbit seems a bit bulky for my wrist, I’m enjoying this latest purchase a lot. When my New Year’s intentions included walking/moving more, drinking more water, sleeping better, being more mindful of what I eat, and making time for regular meditation/breathing exercises, this little gadget helps me keep tabs on all those intentions, plus some. When I’m writing, I can sit at my computer for hours…without realizing how much time has gone by and without realizing that the only part of my body that’s moved much are my fingers while I type and my eyelids when I blink (and my arm when I take a sip of my coffee). I enjoy the fact that my Fitbit reminds me every hour to get up and move so that I can reach my step count. It shows me how well, or how awful, I’ve been sleeping so that I can possibly begin to make some adjustments. I can easily keep track of my water intake. I like being able to see a comparison day to day on how active I’ve been, what goals I’ve reached and I’ve never been more aware of my heart rate in my whole life. It really is quite a fun little gadget.

I’m getting no kickbacks for talking about these devices I’m using. I just wanted to share because for me, the gadgets that bring enjoyment to my day also give me in return something that makes me happy (music) and which focuses on something important (my health). Regardless of the fact that these items might need to use an outlet at some point, I can’t take away the benefits they provide to me. 

Now, if I only I can find a gadget that will help me write faster!

    

Learning to cut through the Noise and Listen

There’s been a lot going on lately, no question.  The past few months have been a whirlwind of events with my oldest son’s graduation from college, his graduation party, my husband’s surgery, Lakefair, a family vacation and my stepmom’s surprise 60th birthday party (yup, we pulled it off…even after surprising her on her 50th!).  Whether the event lasted one day or a week, each required preparation, planning and organizing before and during the event with a short time to catch our breath before the next.   

I already knew July was basically shot and that August would be the month to get back on track with writing but what I hadn’t realized until the other day was that I also have to get back on track with relaxing. 

What the heck is relaxing?

Relaxing:  to spend time at ease; to spend time resting; to make or become less strict; to make or become less tense.

Yeah, sometimes I forget the meaning of the word because it’s just not an act I’m prone to exhibit.  Oh, I relax but my form of relaxation keeps my hands moving, my brain spinning and my thoughts processing.  I just can’t sit still and be.  I can sit still and read, write, cross stitch or scrapbook but the thought of doing nothing…well, who has time for that?

This definition of relaxing is more my style:  to spend time doing things for pleasure, especially as a relief from the effort and stress of everyday life.

That’s what I’m talking about.  Whether I read, write, scrapbook, garden or play horseshoes, this is my form of resting and it makes my life feel less strict and it causes me to feel less tense.

However, the other day I decided to take a break from writing because my office was just getting too stuffy and warm (we’re having a real summer here in the Pacific Northwest!).  Rather than hassle with finding a fan, I decided to get some fresh air and take a walk around my gardens.  That’s not always a good idea because I tend to see things I need to do…a little weeding here, some watering there, or other chores I’ve been too busy to take care of.  I think I did pull a weed or two and I also decided to dig up some potatoes before deadheading a dahlia.  But eventually, I got the urge to sit in the canopy I have set up nearby the gardens.  Not for any particular reason; I just thought I’d take a seat in one of the comfortable camping chairs and take a rest.

Once I sat down, I felt that I needed something else to do.  I couldn’t just sit there.  I saw myself heading back into the house to grab a book, a magazine or my journal but my body didn’t respond to that idea.

So I sat there.

And I enjoyed the comfort of a chair under the canopy while the day turned to dusk. 

Piper, my dog, sniffed every inch of the yard before she finally lay down on the grass just outside the canopy, and my cats, Hershey and Misty, joined in by hanging out with us.

And we all sat there.

Eventually, I heard a small bird chirping in a bush nearby.  He’d been playing peek-a-boo with me earlier when he got frustrated at me for continuously walking by the bird feeder.  Now that I was staying in one place, he was happily singing me a song.  Then a frog chimed in with a chorus of croaks.  Not quite the sing-song voice of a bird but a melody of its own, just the same. 

And we continued to sit there and listen.

Soon another visitor approached; one I have had mixed feelings about the past week.  A doe and her two very young fawns have been tempted daily by the plums on our tree, the rose petals in the garden and the blackberries behind the canopy.  They are beautiful creatures but they can wreck havoc with just one visit, much less many. 



You can correctly guess that at this point, Piper didn’t just sit by and let the deer enter our yard.  She gave a few quick barks of warning and it was enough to warn the deer that they should head in another direction for the evening (or until we went to bed).  Good girl.

The only visitors missing were the owls.  They are definitely my favorite.  Every year, they come back and I enjoy hearing them talk back and forth.  Once, while I was sitting out by the fire pit, one of the owls flew into the yard and landed in the tree right above me.  Another evening, one landed right on top of the outbuilding nearby.  It was an awesome sight and not one that happens often.  Usually, I only get to listen to them screech and hoot as they talk back and forth (like tonight…I can hear them from the window now as I write).

So this is what it’s like to cut through the noise and listen…to just sit, relax and be. 

It’s a chance to let the mind, body and spirit unwind as recharging also occurs. 

It’s a necessary reprieve from this hectic, loud, busy world of ours. 

And it’s a habit I should learn to enjoy more often.

Busy week, forgetful mind

I’ve had one of those weeks again.  You know the kind; they tend to keep you so busy you can forget yourself when it comes to routine things.

I forgot yesterday was Wednesday...which is why I also forgot to update my Blog.  Or maybe I didn’t forget it was Wednesday, but updating my Blog was really the last thing on my mind. 

 

Not only has this been a busy week at work, as I try to prepare myself for the days I’ll be taking off for the Capital Lakefair event next week, it’s also been busy because I’ve been preparing for Lakefair.  On top of that, my week was cut short because I spent the day with my husband as he underwent surgery today.  So…last night my mind was no longer on work and no longer on writing but instead was entirely focused on what needed to be done to prepare for today. 

I’m now winding down from a long day spent in the waiting room, in the recovery room, and then running around town to pick up items needed for the next few days before I was finally able to get my husband home for some much needed rest.  As he sleeps off his exhaustion and lets his body begin to heal, I’m forcing myself to focus on writing so I don’t completely pass out and become useless when he wakes and might need me.   

Although, I’ll admit when I take even a fraction of a moment to think about what I want to say, I find myself drifting off into la-la land. 

Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z

Yes, I do feel as if I could fall asleep right on top of my keyboard.

I’ll be back again this weekend…I think it’s time to admit defeat and take that nap after all. 

 

Why “America’s Got Talent” makes me Cry

Yeah, I’ll admit it…this show will sometimes bring tears to my eyes.  Why?  I guess it’s because I get choked up when I see someone take a chance, expose their soul and do their best not to fall apart as the judgment about how good or bad they are is about to be rendered.  It’s all about achieving the good ole’ American Dream.

That’s everyone’s wish, right?

The opportunity for prosperity and success?  A happy and successful life?  The ability to finally live out our dreams? 

Sure.  It’s what we all strive for...the question is when, or if, we’re ever able to muster up the guts to finally live out our dreams.

 

I think Susan Boyle is one such example.  Remember her?  She stepped out on the stage for her first audition on Britain’s Got Talent and the judges immediately judged a book by its cover, showing her smirks and disbelief that she’d even step out on stage believing she had any talent.  Then when she began to sing I Dreamed a Dream, their eyes widened, their jaws dropped and eventually, everyone had nothing but a smile on their face and adoration in their eyes.  They did not expect even the slightest what Susan had in store for them.  

When Susan stepped out onto that stage she was asked by Simon, ‘what’s the dream?’  Susan said she wanted to become a professional singer and the reason it hadn’t happened yet was because she hadn’t been given the chance before.  Even though the judges’ eyes and body posture showed their apparent disbelief that she’d provide them anything worthwhile, she did not back down as she belted out what is still certainly one of the most memorable first auditions in talent show history.  Even now, Susan’s first audition can bring tears to my eyes.  The reason is that I appreciate her because she took a chance, faced ridicule and rejection and exposed her soul as she finally reached out for the dream she had desired for so long.   

It is shows like America’s Got Talent, or Britain’s Got Talent, when we watch others put themselves out there and we think to ourselves…maybe I should reach for my dream.  Maybe I should take a chance and see what happens.  Maybe it’s not too late.  Maybe I should stop making excuses and not wait any longer. 

There are many who have a dream and are never given the chance to prove themselves.  But that’s the wrong way to think about it.  Too many of us wait to be “given” the chance when we really should be “taking” a chance.  Once you are given the opportunity, it is up to you to take a chance on yourself and show others what you’re made of and what you can do.  It is that kind of fearless attitude, that kind of belief in themselves even if they’re about to pee their pants in fear of exposing themselves, that makes me hope the best for those who try to live out their dreams.  And when they make others believe in them, it will likely bring a tear to my eye.  Dreams are not meant to be dreamt but are meant to be lived and fulfilled and any dream, if only you believe in yourself first, is very much a possibility.

    

Taking a Break for the Weekend

Happy Sunday. 

I hope everyone has enjoyed their weekend and possibly tackled a few things on their to-do lists or spent extra time with family or friends.

For me, today was a day to catch up because of getting behind on one very important task, other than my writing, that is.  What could be more important?  Taxes, of course.  I should have had them done already but with so much else going on I kind of put that task off until literally the last minute.

So I’m taking a break from blogging this weekend, except to say hello.  Enjoy the start of your week and I’ll be back on Wednesday where I will hope to be sharing some sort of update with regard to the writing contest.  The question will be whether it is semi-good news or extremely good news. 

Until then…I will follow this rule:  create, inspire, dream.

New Chapter in Life

I had the pleasure of attending a wedding yesterday.  Now that I think about it, this is the first wedding I’ve been to in quite some time.  This was a family wedding for a cousin of mine and I am extremely happy for him.  He is a very sweet and extremely smart individual who deserves only the best.  Having found someone special he can spend his life with, he is now moving on to a new chapter in his life. 

The scene for the wedding was Snoqualmie and if you’ve ever been in that area, you know how beautiful it can be.  We arrived early so we took some time to walk around town to see the sights, which did not take long because the town itself is small but it is very quaint and includes a charming train station and museum. 

The wedding was as I like them, short and sweet, and from there we moved on to the reception where we could spend time visiting as we enjoyed good food and cake, or in this case, cup cakes.  I was informed cup cakes at weddings are a new way of doing things.  They were all very cute and I was thrilled when one of the flavors was red velvet, my favorite.

June in the Pacific Northwest is no guarantee when it comes to the weather so it was no surprise when we were greeted with rain later in the afternoon.  Other than the dilemma of nice hairdo’s getting ruined or new clothes getting dirty, rain only dampens the ground, not the festivities.  Umbrellas are usually only in use by those who are not from around this area or, in this case, by a ladder apparently concerned about keeping the top rungs dry.

I never did find out why this ladder was standing out in the middle of the lawn with an umbrella on top.

After spending time with the bride and groom and catching up with family, eventually it was time to hit the road.  As we said our goodbyes to the happy couple, I thought about the fact that they are now moving on to a new chapter in their lives, this time in a story they will write together.  It is an exciting time for them with many promises for a wonderful future together and I wish them all the best as they work towards their own happy ending.

You Only Live Once

It’s that time again…the end of a school year.  High school and college graduations; families celebrating the accomplishments and future goals of their high school or college graduates; and students, like my youngest, preparing to move up from middle school to high school. 

Honestly, it’s really hard to comprehend the fact that it has already been a year since my oldest graduated from high school.  Even more so that he will soon complete his first year in college.  As my youngest moves on to high school, I know I better not blink because the next four years will completely fly by.

Yesterday I attended the graduation ceremony at the high school where my oldest graduated last year and where my youngest will be attending next year.  The graduating class included one of my own family members as well as sons and daughters of some of my friends.  It was also what I would view as a historical event for my small town because it was the 100th class to graduate from this school.  I graduated from this high school a number of years ago and it was a special treat to see that three of the graduating students were the sons and daughter of three of my own high school classmates. 

At the graduation ceremony, our high school principal brought up the catchy cliché, “You only live once.”  While this phrase may be overused or lost its meaning to some, our principal advised the students to keep the phrase in mind.  We do, in fact, have only one life to live.  We can only hope that as our children graduate high school, move on to college, join the work force or join the military, they have gained some insight as to what they would like to do with their futures.  Everyone makes mistakes and it is from those mistakes our children will hopefully learn, change and grow to eventually form the life they truly desire.  However, since what you do for a living should not define you, I’m sure all parents will agree the best result is that our children grow up to be good people who are happy with themselves and with their lives.

What goes through the minds of the graduating students as they throw their caps in the air?  Most adults remember this feeling, even if it is a bit fuzzy after many years.  At that moment it is pure excitement and the feeling of freedom from the binds of adolescence and high school rules.  Eventually, the thrill of feeling like an adult as they look towards the new adventures ahead is combined with the anxiety of what the future actually holds for them.  Some take it much better than others.  It’s hard for me to remember exactly how I felt but I do recall looking forward to college while I also felt some anxiety at leaving behind what was so familiar.  It was a sad day to think I would no longer have regular contact with many friends I had known since grade school.  High school classmates, especially in small schools, are much like a family.  You might not see them for a long while but when you do finally hook up, there is a familiarity which makes overdue visits effortless.    

The high school students who graduate will receive many words of wisdom and advice from those who care and hope to make life decisions easier for them.  These newest members of adulthood will listen to who they trust and heed the words that make sense to them at that time but they still have to trudge forward in their own way.  Some will immediately excel, others will falter, and mistakes will almost certainly be made.   Most importantly, from my perspective, I hope each student will live their life to the best of their ability, find what makes them happy, and treat others with the respect each of us deserves. 

While advice and wisdom will run rampant during each stepping stone in our lives, there is no denying we only live once.  Based on that fact, we should always do our best to make it count.

Fun Facts For You

Whenever something interests me or tickles my funny bone, I’ll print it, save it or tag it for later.  This is something I have been doing for many, many years. 

I’m sure you already noticed my interest in quotes, as I have so often shared them with you during past posts. Whenever I find a quote that touches me in some way, I’m always quick to write it down so that I can add it to my notebook, where I have stored many over the years.

Quotes aren’t all I collect.  Another favorite of mine are any tidbits where I can learn about fun facts.  This may be useless information to some but I am always interested to learn new facts, especially when they are about day-to-day activities or items I never have a second thought about. 

So I thought I’d share some of the fun facts I have accumulated over the years.  Since my blog is about writing, I thought I’d start by providing fun facts that have to do with words:

·         Dreamt is the only English word that ends in the letters “mt”

·         Maine is the only state whose name is just one syllable

·         No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver or purple

·         “Stewardesses” is the longest word typed with only the left hand and “lollipop” with your right

·         The sentence: “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog” uses every letter of the alphabet

·         The words “racecar,” kayak” and “level” are the same whether they are read left to right or right to left (they are called palindromes and these are just a few)

·         There are only four words in the English language which ends in “dous”:  tremendous, horrendous, stupendous and hazardous

·         There are two words in the English language that have all five vowels in order:  “abstemious” and “facetious”

·         “Typewriter” is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of the keyboard

So how’s that for some fun facts?  Do you enjoy learning something new about what you thought you already knew? 

Here’s a question for you: 

Do you know the name of the first novel ever written on a typewriter?  It was The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.  Mark Twain used a Remington typewriter in 1875 to write his book.  Wow…that’s only 137 years ago! 

Don’t know what a Remington is?  Here’s a photo of mine.

I don’t type on it, of course.  It’s a keepsake.  It’s what my grandfather used to type on all the time even into this century.

Okay.  How about this one…if you were to spell out numbers beginning with the number one (“one” “two” “three” “four” and so on), how far would you have to go until you would find the letter “a”?

Give up?  Believe it or not, that answer is One Thousand! 

That one made me scratch my head because it seemed unlikely it would take that long before the letter “a” would appear. 

You tell me if I’m wrong…I’m still running the words through my head just to make sure…

Leap Year or a Year to Take a Leap?

I’m fairly certain a high number of blog posts today will refer to leap year or the fact that it’s a leap day in some form or another.  It’s difficult not to comment on something when it comes up only once nearly every four years.

If I were ever asked, I’d have to admit I have never taken much notice to leap year, or the fact that it’s a leap day.  It’s always just been another day to me.  I know of no one with a leap year birthday, a leap year anniversary or any other reason to think about the date except to recognize that it’s an extra day of the year.

An extra day…

Now, if I were given an extra day in a week or even in a month, I might take more notice.  But who ever notices an extra day in a year?  After doing some research, I understand why the extra day each leap year is important.  If we did not have leap years, we would soon notice a shortage of days.  Without leap years, we would actually lose almost 6 hours every year and after 100 years our calendar would be off by approximately 24 days. 

It’s bad enough losing an hour when we have to set our clocks forward, even if we do get the hour back later in the year.

So what do you do with an extra day every four years?  Do you treat it any differently than any other day?  Maybe not; unless you are able to claim you have a leap year birthday or even an anniversary.  Did you know that in the past, leap day was actually viewed differently than any other day?  And that the reason for this discrimination was largely based on the opinion that the day just did not count?

Here are a few fun facts I found while researching about leap year:

·         Years divisible by 100 but not by 400 will not be considered a leap year.  According to that logic, 2100 and 2300 will not be leap years.  The longest time between two leap years is 8 years and the last time this happened was between 1896 and 1904.  The next time it will occur will be between 2096 and 2104.

·         February 29 used to have no recognition in English Law so it was “leapt over” and ignored because it had been decided that the day had no legal status.  Because the day had no legal status, a break in tradition was acceptable and women would be allowed to propose to the man of their choice.

·         In Scotland, if a woman proposed to a man and he had the audacity to refuse her proposal, he would be punished and required to pay a heavy fine with either money or a fine dress.

·         In England, because February 29 had no legal status, any crime committed on that day was considered no crime at all.

Imagine having only one day every four years when a woman could take charge of her life.  Or a day that could result in a financial obligation against a man for NOT accepting a proposal (rather than after he marries and later divorces).  Or, inconceivably, a day when anyone could commit any crime and essentially get away with it just because the day did not legally exist. 

I’m sure many would love to leap over even one day a year if they could but instead of treating the day as if it does not exist, it might be better to treat the day as if it counts for something.

As fun as it is to research the reason and history surrounding leap year, the whole concept of leap year made me think about how important this year has been to me and how I happened to take a “leap” of faith during a leap year.  In taking a leap of faith, I managed to:

·         Make writing a book possible and continue to work towards becoming published

·         Make public to my family and friends the fact that I wrote a book

·         Put myself out there by creating and maintaining this Blog to share my journey

·         Make the decision to change things up by going back to work at a full-time office job

The results of all the chances I have taken and the changes I have made will not be known for some time but I move forward with great enthusiasm.  Some of the leaps I have taken were after first testing my toe in the water while others were taken feet first but in taking a leap of faith, it is necessary to hurl yourself into the unknown with the belief that the leap will take you somewhere, even if you don’t know what’s in store for you on the other side. 

Taking a leap of faith also requires taking action to make something happen even if you cannot predict the results.  Faith is the continued belief that the results from the decisions we make or the leaps we take are going to be rewarding and worth the wait. 

It is, therefore, poetic that the year I decide to take a leap of faith happened to be a leap year.

It is a coincidence and that’s all but think about it if you have an inclination to leap into something new or make a change in some way.  You have an extra day this year.  What will you do with it?  What about taking some time to think about your life, tally what you have, what you desire, what you hope to do and who you hope to be, and use the days that follow to make some changes to work towards your ultimate goals in life?

It really doesn’t sound like a bad way to spend the day.