A Time For Everything

Eating out at Mesquite Pit Steaks and BBQ.

My writer peeps and I enjoyed a new venue this year for the annual writers retreat. For the last decade or so, we've decamped to Lake Conroe either in June or July. Sadly the house was sold (I've mentioned this before) and so the times...they are a changin'.

This year, we rented a VRBO in the town of Granbury, about an hour's drive from my place. Also, this year, I took over as cruise director--basically the person who thinks up, plans, and coordinates the theme of the weekend.

I was inspired to go with a Bingo theme: you get to sticker a square when you write during a sprint, but I included other things on the bingo card such as "did ten squats" and "ate fruits and veggies" and "made my bed." Surprisingly, they were all game to do squats and they made their beds every day. :0)

Everyone had a goal for the weekend and then we broke them down per day...

Everyone made great progress and completed not only daily goals but the weekend goal as well.

So my job was done. :0)

I was also able to spend an extended amount of time with one dear friend, one on one. We used to travel the four-hour trip to the lake house together...well we didn't get to do that, but everyone else was gone by Sunday evening and so she and I had the rest of Sunday evening and all of Monday morning before check-out to talk writing and other things we have in common.

For the most part, I enjoyed my time off work and in a beautiful neighborhood just a stone's throw from Lake Granbury. But there have been so many amazing things going on in my normal every day world that I'm glad to return and take life off pause...

Hope you have a great weekend!!

On a recommendation from my unbeknownst-to-her life guru, Becca Syme, I read the book Joyful by Ingrid Fetell Lee. I felt joyful and excited from the first page because, just as I had when I first learned about Personality Strengths (via Becca), I felt seen. Everything the author said in the first chapter fit me to a T. But here's the Amazon book blurb, judge for yourself:

"Have you ever wondered why we stop to watch the orange glow that arrives before sunset, or why we flock to see cherry blossoms bloom in spring? Is there a reason that people—regardless of gender, age, culture, or ethnicity—are mesmerized by baby animals, and can't help but smile when they see a burst of confetti or a cluster of colorful balloons?

We are often made to feel that the physical world has little or no impact on our inner joy. Increasingly, experts urge us to find balance and calm by looking inward—through mindfulness or meditation—and muting the outside world. But what if the natural vibrancy of our surroundings is actually our most renewable and easily accessible source of joy?

In "Joyful," designer Ingrid Fetell Lee explores how the seemingly mundane spaces and objects we interact with every day have surprising and powerful effects on our mood. Drawing on insights from neuroscience and psychology, she explains why one setting makes us feel anxious or competitive, while another fosters acceptance and delight—and, most importantly, she reveals how we can harness the power of our surroundings to live fuller, healthier, and truly joyful lives.”

As I read through chapter after chapter, I was inspired to not only find and create joy for myself, but also for the people I come into contact with. My first foray as an Ambassador of Joy was to buy confetti and sprinkle it on the tables at the restaurant where we meet for my writers group meeting. It went well. I have other ideas and plans as well, and I'll keep you updated as we go along.

Brother Bear

My dearest littlest brother --he just turned 36, lol!!--James joined the Army Reserves. He recently graduated boot camp and is on his way to Virginia where he'll get his actual job training. I'm so proud of him for going after this thing he's always wanted to do. I can't wait to see him in September when I head north for a visit.

An apple a day not only keeps the doctor away, but apparently it’ll kep the dentist away too. Now, I didn't read up on the doctor part, but I was curious about the dentist part, and here's what my research and came up with:

• Apples have a high water content, and their crisp texture stimulates saliva production which helps cleanse the teeth while you are biting and chewing.
• Apples contain dietary fiber and the fibrous texture helps scrub your teeth while that extra saliva helps wash / rinse you teeth.
• Apples contain vitamin C which keeps your gums healthy.
• Apples are low in acidic content relative to other fruits and that means there is little to no erosion of tooth enamel.

It just seemed providential when DD mentioned this to me just last week. You know why...? Because, I've been eating apples three or four times a week for a good three / four weeks now. And my trip to the dentist last week went well. I saw the actual dentist--he visually checks my teeth every other visit--and he said everything looked good. :0)

And mostly because it was like a thumbs up from the universe; like God was saying "I'm glad you're eating those apples again." I've eschewed eating too much fruit for years now because of the natural sugar and my low carb mindset. But these days I'm trying for a little more balance and a little more enjoyment in what I eat. I feel like God’s on board with too.

One last thing--big shout out to my followers on Goodreads. If you're reading this--thank you for following me. I really appreciate it.

Okay friends, that’s all I’ve got. Have a super week. Catch you on Thursday!

The myth is that the forbidden fruit was an apple...

The Bible merely says fruit, but for hundreds of years, it seems that society at large has just accepted that the forbidden fruit was a bright shiny apple.

But how and when did that happen? Why did it happen?

I recently listened to a pod cast (are you surprised?) that tackled that very subject. Here's the link and I strongly encourage you to listen for yourself... The pod cast guest, Professor Azzan Yadin-Isreal, shares his journey of finding the answer, which is super interesting. So, as I said, you should go listen for yourself.

But the answers are as follows...

Professor Yadin-Israel posits that the forbidden fruit became an apple by the morphing of vernacular. Much as we see today, meanings of words morph and change over time. So sometime back in the 16th century, the general French word for fruit became the French word for apple and wha-la.

Interestingly, it took a bit longer for Italy to catch on. They still referenced figs in their art for a time.

And there you have it. The Professor makes a compelling argument, I think. I guess we'll never know what type of fruit was really the forbidden fruit. And maybe that's for the best.

Have a great weekend!

What is a Barbapapa, you might be asking... 

Well, I wasn't quite sure myself, although I recognized the name and have harbored vague memories of these creatures from childhood. Specifically from my visit/s to Denmark as a young child.

I've been reading a book about joy / joyfulness and the author happened to mention Barbapapas, and I was like -- Wait a minute! These things sound familiar.

So after a quick Google search, I was transported back in time a bit. Turns out, they're blobby-like creatures that can change shape. They began life in a French children's book and then came to fame as a TV show. Really, my memories are of the toys that I remember playing with:

I had a set, and my memories say that I built houses for them out of Legos--because...of course I had Legos while visiting my grandparents in Denmark. :0)

Have a great week!

I have finally, finally finished this book. Well, I finished it a few weeks ago. And promptly put thoughts of it in my rear view mirror.

It was a tough read for me because it was filled with chit-chatty anecdotal examples of the correct and incorrect usage of various punctuation marks.

I understand it would have been a very short book if it had just been the lists of how and when to use the apostrophe, the comma, the exclamation point, etc.

On the other hand, learning the do's and don't's of punctuation, especially commas, was super helpful.

One caveat is that this book was originally written and published in the mid-aughts and some of the do's, especially about commas, has morphed.

My philosophy on commas has been that if you need one for clarity, put it in; if the sentence makes sense without it--leave it out. Of course, sometimes, having or not having a certain punctuation mark changes the meaning of a phrase / sentence, so even if it makes sense either way, it might not mean what the author wants it to mean.

But then...I was reading a passage of one of my own books for some reason, and I realized that just because the sentence makes perfect sense without the comma, doesn't mean there shouldn't be one. If someone is reading aloud--say a narrator reading a book into an audio book--they need to know when it's okay to take a breath.

Read this book at your own peril. You might get more enjoyment out of the anecdotes and the writing style than I did, but, again, the actual rules are helpful to know. Of course, you could read an up-to-date style guide too...

Have a great weekend.