Chicken Soup for the Soul: Dreams and the Unexplainable

I’ve worked my whole life in service to others. I’ve been in support roles in banks, in a worldwide distribution center, and in a mental health center. And I work with private clients in various capacities, helping them with child care, elder care, home organization, and office management, among other things.

I thrive on helping individuals, organizations, and companies succeed, find their purpose, and realize their dreams.

All the while, my own dreams have had to sit on the back burner for a while.

My dream has been to have my words matter, to have my writings help and encourage people. I’ve written as long as I can remember being in this world, and if something I wrote brings joy to someone, or validates them, takes their breath away, or makes them feel something so deep that they’re moved to tears, it would mean so much to me.

A few years ago, in an effort to try to push ahead with my dream, I submitted a story to a publishing company. And after a while, I had totally forgotten about it.

But this Tuesday, August 1st, I was reminded about that submission. I got an email that changed everything:

“Congratulations! Your story “Reaching Out” has been selected to appear in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Dreams and the Unexplainable. The book is now on its way to the printer! Thank you for helping us share happiness, inspiration, and wellness in this book by allowing us to publish your story.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Dreams and the Unexplainable is scheduled to be available in bookstores September 26, 2017.”

That’s a pretty good way to start the day, isn’t it?!?

And I’m especially honored that, out of thousands of submissions, my story about my dad made it into the finals. I lost my dad in 1991. And this is an amazing, sweet story about how my dad reached out to me from the other side, guiding me…

It’s a new day. I’m a published author. And life is good!

 

 

Life is like a game of solitaire…

I decided to launch this blog, today, on February 17, 2014.

Why this? Why now? And why me?
The better question is – Why not?

As long as I can remember, I’ve written poetry. My first toy must have been an ink pen, because I don’t remember a time when I didn’t write.

Through the years I’ve even dabbled in songwriting, and had several of my songs recorded by several different artists.

I’ve spent my life behind the scenes, supporting others in various capacities, in the music business, in the corporate world as office manager, as virtual assistant for some in myriad businesses, and as hospice caregiver. I have enjoyed helping others, and still do.

My personal goal for 2014 was to get my thoughts out there to the universe, for the world to see. And with a little gentle prodding from a longtime friend and colleague, I picked a date, and I started gathering my thoughts for this blog.

Ironically, I had already been writing for weeks before that. This year I had also promised myself more time for me, especially in the mornings. I’ve always loved the game of solitaire, and with a warm cup of coffee in hand, I try to start every day with several games. It clears my head, and frees up the thoughts and ideas to come floating out. And those are what will be posted in this blog.

Join me on this journey, as I contemplate life’s questions, musings, and wonders…

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Today I slept late, allowing myself the rest I needed. We often don’t think WE deserve to take life a little slower, to catch our breath. But sometimes we just need to push the “reset” button. With a smooth cup of coffee in hand, I started to play…

Sitting in the quiet, behind closed blinds, the first game of solitaire was uneventful, with only an average score. Sometimes the score isn’t as important as playing the game, and today’s no different.

As I play, I can think of something, or nothing at all, and ideas, solutions, and new perspectives come to me. Today I’m thinking of how many times I opened the solitaire app in the morning, and seeing that I had left off in the middle of a game, somehow my first reaction is to clear that game and start a new one.

Giving up on a game isn’t failure, Sometimes it’s more important to make the best use of our time, and to move forward instead of getting stuck in the past. Maybe we don’t need to get caught up in the rhythm of the last game, but we need to start fresh and set a new pace. We can start anew every day…

I play in the dark, before I open the blinds to let the world in. The world waits as I do something for me, as I take care of myself. And there’s nothing selfish about that.

No matter our place in life, we can’t take care of others if we don’t take care of ourselves first. We need rest, and nourishment for our bodies, but we also need to feed our souls, so that we can go out and fulfill our purpose on this planet.

What’s your purpose?

And how do you feed your soul?

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