Little Things

February brings with it so many conflicting emotions for me.

My mom's birthday falls in this month, but she no longer remembers that fact. The winter wind and chilly temperatures seem to burrow right through me, but Punxsutawny Phil taunts me with the idea that we still have more winter in store than I care for.

And while the days are getting longer—I no longer drive home from chauffeuring the children in the dark—summer seems just too far off to even adequately picture sunny skies and sandy, Michigan beaches (yes, Walloon Lake is already calling to me).

On days when the conflict gets to be too much, I look for the little things to get me through. Little things like:

A cup of hot tea

       Chocolate-covered pretzels

A new story idea

       Smiles from my kids

A kind word from a colleague

       A friend's triumph

The realization that it is, indeed a Friday.

I hope your Friday is going well and that you find what you need to make it through the next few weeks of winter.

Happy Writing!

~Christina

Gratefulness

Thanksgiving is a great time to think about all that we're thankful for. But as one of my daughters' said, "Aren't we supposed to be thankful every day of our lives?"

My daughter, who will turn sixteen in January, uttered that statement in a somewhat snarky, only-as-a-teenager-can way. But she's right. We're supposed to be grateful for what we've been given every day, not just one day every year. And over the last several years, I've started my day with this mantra: "Every day that I wake up is a good day."

With the focus on the positive right from the moment I wake up, I've found that my days have changed. I no longer count the number of hours I have until I make it home from work or rue the number of minutes I have to spend in the car on Tuesdays driving my kids all over the city. My mind leans toward spreading the contentment I feel to others, and hope that with my cheerful countenance and can-do attitude, I might be able to turn someone else onto the thought that they, too, are grateful to be awake. Every. Single. Day.

That gratefulness spreads to my writing life as well. It's not the number of words I manage to get onto paper, or whether or not I've submitted enough in a week. Each story, blog post, or chapter is sufficient enough for me to say, "Thank goodness I could do that." Of course I have days where I'd like to get more accomplished, but I'm grateful for what I get done.

As we go into the thick of holiday season and the New Year, consider how starting your day with being thankful can change your life. You might just surprise yourself.

Happy Writing!

~Christina