My Year of Less (week 2)
Two small but interesting situations arose last week that raised questions about my goals to purchase only necessities and gifts and to not shop at any big box stores.First, I remembered that I still had Christmas money — a gift from a relative — that I had not yet...
My Year of Less (week 1)
1 week down, 51 to go.Shopping— in the traditional sense of driving to stores, going in, and purchasing something — is not something I typically enjoy, so as I contemplated this challenge in late 2021 I didn’t think refraining from that type of spending would be a...
When a Friend or Loved One is Hurting
In the last 18 months, several friends and family members have faced very difficult life circumstances, from devastating health diagnoses to the death of a child, grandchild, or spouse. I’ve given significant thought to how I can best serve those family and...
My Year of Less (pre-week 1)
Inspired by (what else?) a couple of books I read in 2021, I’ve committed to a 2-part, 52 week challenge. In 2022, I will: 1. Purchase only necessities and gifts 2. Refrain from shopping in big-box storesI’ll share an update every Monday, and I hope that you’ll...
A Year of . . . ????
Last January I read The Year of Living Biblically, an interesting book by a man who decided to spend an entire year obeying all the commands in the Bible. When I shared with a friend that I’d enjoyed that book, she suggested I read Shonda Rhime’s Year of Yes, which...
NaNoWriMo 2021, Here I Come!
In six days, NaNoWriMo 2021 will kick off. For those who aren’t familiar with NaNoWriMo, it is a yearly, November challenge in which people around the globe attempt to write a 50,000-word-minimum rough draft of a novel. As the founder and current...
No Facebook or Instagram or WhatsApp — Oh My!
Facebook was down for six hours last Monday and again for a couple of hours several days later. Unsurprisingly, reactions to the outages were mixed.There were the inevitable conspiracy claims; more than a few skeptics claimed that the outages Monday were linked to...
Why I Write
Last week, an author shared on social media that they received an email from a new fan. It wasn’t an “Oh, I discovered your book and loved it; I am going to buy every one you have ever written or will write in my lifetime” missive. Instead, it was an “I bought your...
Let’s Get Real About Fictional Characters
This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, events, and incidents in this book are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.Unless...
Fact or Fiction?
Other than short stories and a novel written in 5th grade that has long since disappeared, the writing I’ve done throughout my life has been nonfiction. In grade school and high school, it was summaries, reports and essays; in college and grad school, my writing...
