Every opportunity in life has a unique season in which it flourishes, but the timeline of that season of maturity can vary greatly from one thing to the next. Sometimes we reap the rewards of a fruitful business or relationship for decades, but in other cases, the glory is short-lived. Try as we might, it…
Tag: Improve
Book Review: The Complete Fairy Stories of Oscar Wilde
The Complete Fairy Stories of Oscar Wilde is a lovely collection of nine children’s stories which were originally published in two volumes. This version, enhanced with intricate illustrations by Philippe Jullian, stood out on a shelf the Winding Stair Bookstore, in Dublin (where I also picked up Virginia Woolf’s “How One Should Read a Book”)….
A Novel Idea
Story time… it’s a long one I am nearing the end of the writing process for my first book manuscript. It is a historical fiction novel aimed at middle readers (typically defined ages 9-12, although I’ll admit that the vocabulary is rather more advanced than most 9-10-year-old children). The novel is the first in what…
Off line – Pt. 2
What do you do when you stand in line? Can you wait patiently? Can you maintain focus on the back of your predecessor’s head? Can you keep your mind engaged without a glance at technology? What about in the nonlinear lines in which we spend our time— the doctor’s office, the DMV, the pew of…
A Year in Review
There’s nothing quite so humbling as revisiting the goals/resolutions/lists set for oneself 360-odd days ago. This year, I fairly often referenced the goals I set out to do back in January. I actually did a decent job at producing what I set out to accomplish regarding writing, giving generously, making new recipes (72 to date…
Book Review: Greater Than Grief
In Greater Than Grief, Christena Estby documents her family’s journey through the trials, triumphs, pains and joys of raising four kids, two of whom have a terminal diagnosis of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. It is an amazing story of embracing life as it comes and along the way, finding positive coping mechanisms to manage when things…
Just be
In general, I have a very hard time not multi-tasking and an even more difficult time fully relaxing to enjoy a moment. My body and my brain move extremely fast. I unintentionally leave most people in my dust on “leisurely” walks because my legs move swiftly. I like to squeeze a workout in to 10…
Book Review: Persuasion
When the trailer for the new film Persuasion came out, I watched it eagerly with the anticipation of seeing familiar characters and plot lines. Feeling confident that I had read all of the published novels of Jane Austen, I was thoroughly confused when not one scene or theme jogged my memory. Of course, when I…
Waste not, want not
I was in the shower recently when I had a revelation. It came a moment after I quieted my spinning mind after having spent at least five minutes trying to feel how I was feeling. Was I anxious or did I have COVID or did the secondhand smoke from the previous night’s Elton John concert…
Book Review: The Woman Who Smashed Codes
I’m not entirely sure how I first knew about The Woman Who Smashed Codes, by Jason Fagone, but it’s been on a list of “books to read” on my phone for a few years. I know I received my copy after putting it on a Christmas wish list one year and was pleased to open…
L.M.Beatty 