Monday Musings...

Balance...

       How much do we allow our lives to be unbalanced? How much control do we even have? There are many wise and wonderful people who speak of balance and finding that state. Just Google 'finding balance and quotes.' You will be given almost 300,000 answers to choose your favorite quote from. So with the internet at your fingertips I won't spend the entire blog entry giving you quotes except for one. 

          John Mellencamp's song, 'Between a Laugh and a Tear,' I know there's a Balance, I see it when I swing past.

          Seriously, when I'm stressed and overwhelmed, I hear this lyric in my head and I have this image of me hugging a huge pendulum, swinging back and forth in the vastness of a blue sky. Sometimes I'm quite stressed in the image, squeezing the gold pendulum with all my might and other times I'm shouting into the empty, trying to find my sanity. 

          We are all busy people. Mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, friends, lovers...people. Our lives move so quickly, darting away from us before we can catch up to the moment. We struggle to make a living, feed the children, walk the dog, clean the house, send a birthday card, make a phone call. Our thoughts are whirlwinds, like hurricanes in our head of past memories, lost loves, and future hopes. Yet, we forget to balance. We forget to stay in the moment. 

          Balance. It's finding your breath in the stillness and wonder of your child's first step, their toothy grins, and giggles over new crushes. It's forcing the worries and stresses from our minds for just an hour so we focus completely on being with the one we chose to go through this crazy life together. 

       It's choosing to write either a blog entry or teach your child something special. 

       Balance isn't easy to find. It's elusive, slipping through our fingers with each tick of the clock. We lose it under the pile of bills and the loads of laundry. But it's important. 

       Without balance you lose time with your children or your friends. You don't have time to accomplish your dreams. You eat way too much ice cream. 

       Next time your balance is swinging like a taunt in front of you, close your eyes, breathe slowly through the nose and out through the mouth, and then reach out and grab the ornery thing. 

       Balance is up to you. So breathe.

Writing Tip Wednesday

     I'm going to assume that most writers already follow this writing tip without much prompting. But in case you don't, then the writing tip for today is to read. 

     

     Read a lot. Read often. And read different things. 

     

     Your library card should be your best friend. (Not literally, real friends are good, but I couldn't get along very well without my library card.) 

     Reading is so-oo important. You're immersing yourself in words, surrounding your brain with rhythms and cadences. Structure and form. It's a superfood for your mind. 

     Read books of the genre you enjoy. Read books of New York Times Bestseller authors. Read books, not just cliff notes, from classic authors. 

     And don't just stay in the creative world of make believe and pretend. Venture into the world of information and facts. Find a subject, such as dancing, and read a book about it. There's no quiz after the book, I assure you so don't stress about all the facts and terminology. 

     Just enjoy and who knows maybe one of your characters will benefit from your 'dance lessons'. 

     Read. Pick your favorite author. Right now, for historical romance, I'm partial to Hannah Howell. I love to slowly read the lines she wrote. Just to enjoy her skill and obvious love of telling the story. 

    I study when she pauses in a scene to build up tension, the way she uses tense or funny dialogue to both move the scene and make you fall in love with the characters. I really enjoy her stories. 

     Now, pick some books to read and make yourself a cup of tea. (Of course, being a busy parent I understand if finding time to read is difficult. Heck, finding time to write is nearly impossible but I find time to read if I turn off the television. Just an idea.)  :) 

     And just a side note- as a writer we want children to appreciate reading but with a constant onslaught of media it can hard to encourage their love of books. So help them. If you have children buy them books from the time they're born. As they get older take them to the library and the bookstore. 

     For Christmas buy them a gift card to a bookstore and then let them browse and pick their own selections. 

     If you don't have kids, contact an elementary school and see if you can donate books. Teachers and schools love books as much as writers do.

In conclusion, 'Happy Reading.'