Motivation Monday: Have Fun!

“Life is meant to be fun, and joyous, and fulfilling.” – Jim Henson

This last week has been all about fun! We took our kids to the Wisconsin Dells. None of us had ever been there. We did one of those “stay and play” deals where it was a hotel/water park/amusement park all in one place. I realized that I had sorta forgotten how to have fun! Just good, old-fashioned, don’t-think-too-hard, slide-down-a-water-slide-and-come-up-spluttering-at-the-end-while-your-kids-laugh-at-you kind of fun. I’m not saying that my life is devoid of fun. But there are different kinds of fun and I definitely hadn’t taken part in this kind of fun for years and years. I highly recommend it! If nothing else, go to your local park and take a turn on the swing set.

In other “fun” news (but definitely a different sort of fun), I attended a workshop on Saturday hosted by the Minnesota Chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators called “Crafting the YA Novel: Word Choice and Voice.” It was awesome to be in the same room with all those like-minded and creative people. I learned so much just by simply being there. If you ever get a chance to attend a workshop such as this, don’t hesitate.

Have a great week everyone!

Motivation Monday

“A happy life consists in tranquility of mind.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero

I’ve been unplugged quite a bit lately – trying to find a little tranquility. Easier said than done. You would think that would mean that I’ve done lots of writing lately, too. But, sadly, no. I have some time off this week and hope to balance family time with a little “me” time for writing. (One can always hope!)

Have a great week, everyone!

Motivation Monday

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” - Albert Einstein

I’ve spent a lot of time this weekend thinking about the murders in Aurora, Colo. and the fragility of life. I’m sure I’m not alone in that. It causes me to really stop to think: am I living as if everything is a miracle? It’s hard to do that day in and day out. But there are people whose lives have been cut short – in the Colorado shooting and elsewhere across the whole planet every single day – and if I’m not at least trying to make every second count then, shame on me.

The above photo was a miracle of sorts – I happened upon this beautiful cardinal while I had my camera in hand with the zoom lens attached. I only got a couple clicks in before he took off.

Have a great week everyone!

Motivation Monday

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” – Theodore Roosevelt

This wonderful quote is right along the lines of the more colloquial – “Bloom where you are planted.” I don’t know who said that. Hallmark, maybe. Just this week, I had a conversation with a good friend about whether or not pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing would appeal to me. And when I think about it, it kinda does appeal to me. But my gut reaction is that the timing (and the finances) are just not right at the moment. It’s a nice little pipe dream to have, though, while in the meantime, I “do what I can, with what I have, where I am.”

Have a great week, everyone. Go out there and do what you can, with what you have, where ever you are!

(The above photo was taken at a relative’s house. From this angle, it kind of looks like a wall in a secret garden, doesn’t it? It’s really more of a trellis. But, let’s pretend it’s a secret garden.)