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With life being what it is, the craziest at times, consumed with fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, where hatred and violence strive to consume, it’s no wonder some of us just want to crawl back into our imagination and stay there…

Stay where we can create our own world, one that is safe from harm, one that is full of love and laughter.

And then we woke up.

On December 8th, 1980.

The day John Lennon died.

Thirty-seven years ago today.

In writing this, the thought did come to mind that lots of you weren’t even born yet. However, I don’t think that matters because if you’ve listened to a Beatle song or a solo by Mr. Lennon, then you know that you were in the company of a master.

Yes, we were still in recovery from the Vietnam war. Yes, we were still in recovery from Civil unrest. (And sadly still are.)

Nevertheless, it is music that has had the ability to transcend above it all.

And that is what John Lennon tried to achieve.
 

So in commemoration, here are a few of his most famous quotes.

See if they don’t give you a little inspiration.
 

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”

“Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted.”

“A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.”

“Love is the flower you’ve got to let grow.”

“Reality leaves a lot to the imagination.”

“If someone thinks that love and peace is a cliche…, that’s his problem. Love and peace are eternal.”
 

Let your imagination soar!

“All we are saying is give peace a chance.”

Imagine…
 

So what do you think? Where were you when John Lennon died? What has his loss meant to you? How does his music make you feel? How do you think he would feel if he were alive today?

Cheers everyone! I hope that life is treating you well. And as always, thank you so much for all your support and wonderful comments!
Karen

“Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.”

Well, as you can see, my light has not been shining much around here lately.

My light, it seems, has diminished. However, it has not gone out completely.

At least not yet.

I’ve still been writing. Just not blogging.

Truth be told, I teeter between the blogging and not blogging.

I mean, am I really a blogger?

Does what I think or say really matter?

Does my light shine from within?

When I say “shine from within,” I’m not speaking about an inner glow or an outer radiance that may illuminate my eyes and facial expressions.

What I’m referring to is confidence.

Confidence in my own abilities. Confidence in the talent of others. A confidence so strong, it will not only inspire myself, but others—invoking strength from within.

Because, quite frankly, I don’t know if I’m all that inspiring.

Yet, isn’t it inspiration that lights us up from within?

It is said “our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate…It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.” ~Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles.”

Interesting. So does this mean we are frightened of our own success?

That would make sense, because if we’re frightened of success, that would only play havoc with our confidence.

Maybe we should ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant? Who am I to be gorgeous, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who am I not to be?”

When “we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

That my friend is inspiration!!

You inspire me, I inspire you.

That’s the beauty of letting our light shine from within.

And nothing can dim that light…If we don’t let it.

But we must share it!

Because if we don’t, our light will fade, just like mine.

No blogging, no light. At least not here.

So remember…

“Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.”

Keep shining your light my friends and I’ll shine mine!!
 

So what do you think? What are some things that keep you inspired and motivated? How do you keep your light shining from within? How have y’all been? And please share your latest endeavors!

(Graphics by jennetliaw.com)
 
You may recognize this title from a song by Duran, Duran. After all, it was one of their popular hits from, gasp!…the nineteen-nineties.

Ordinary, you say?

I think not.

What is ordinary anyway?

When we think of ordinary, we might cringe at the thought with a sense of commonness, of something unremarkable, average, dull, boring or even predictable.

Ordinary? Who me?

Never!

Who of us wants to be predictable?

I mean, don’t we all like to think of ourselves as extraordinary?

You know, strange, odd, unusual, bizarre, or weird.

Oh wait, that’s the wrong definition! Ha, ha, ha!

No. We want to be exceptional, amazing, astonishing—

Special!

But what makes us so special that we don’t want to be ordinary?

It’s when we start to think of ordinary as a bad thing.

Because it really isn’t.

We all start out being ordinary.

However, what makes us feel as though being ordinary means that we’re not good enough?

Is it the fear of not being special?

Perhaps. But more than likely it’s the world that we live in. It’s the influence from society to always do better, be better, to never ever settle.

But there are holes in that ideology. For one, the recognition we seek could lead to discontentment if we put too much emphasis on fame, which has lead many to feel unhappy with what they’ve accomplished.

This of course has had a negative affect. For some, belief in the ordinary has instilled a fear of limitation and weakness. And it’s simply not true. It only feels true because we’re taught not to settle, like it’s a disease, as if we’ve been caught standing in a quagmire of mediocrity.

Except, I don’t think so.

Sometimes we need to catch our breathe. Sometimes we just need to be.

To be ordinary.

And what’s wrong with that?

What’s wrong with being satisfied? What’s wrong with being content and grateful for everything we’ve achieved?

We could be happier. Our days could be calm, filled with an inner peace instead of a crippling, unquenchable desire to be extraordinarily special.

(Photo by blissfulanddomestic.com)
 
Remember what Duran Duran said:

“But I won’t cry for yesterday
There’s an ordinary world
Somehow I have to find.

And as I try to make my way
To the ordinary world
I will learn to survive.”

Yes, we will survive.

We will survive whether we are ordinary or extraordinary.

It doesn’t really matter.

What matters is that we’re happy. Happy with ourselves. Happy with our family. Happy with our friends, our faith, our work.

Happy.

Because we’re all ordinary people.

Doing extraordinary things.

In a not so ordinary world.
 

So what do you think? How do you feel about being ordinary? Do you feel pressured to be more than you are? Do you feel it’s possible to reach a level of satisfaction from what you’ve achieved? If not, what do you think it will take in order to feel content and happy? And what is your favorite Duran Duran song?
 
Cheers everyone! I hope that life is treating you well. And as always, thank you so much for all your support and wonderful comments!
Karen

For many of us, school has started. And even though we may not have school aged children, we hear the bus pull up reminding us that summer is over.

But didn’t it just start?

This is what I go through every year and yet I still seem to ask the question.

For those of you who have faithfully supported my writing venture and wondered what became of me over the last couple of months, I decided to take them off. Yes, I know I had made a new goal to be consistent, but it was summer. And besides, most everyone’s been busy with kids, summer vacations, travel and the like.

So why not take a break?

While away from the blog I took the time to catch up on things. I made great strides with my current WIP and am now two-thirds through the first draft.

I did some reading too. I love how it helps to fill up the creative well as I write.

You know, writing a novel and presenting it to the world is like playing in an Olympic size pool. There’s an awful lot of marketable competition out there.

Yes, it’s a big pool with lots of room to swim. Some may study the water first and then take the plunge, while others dive right in practically drowning from lack of experience.

(Credit: microgen E+ Getty Images)

That would be me. *waves hand* I dove right smack into the water, head first, now forced to do the backstroke. Still, I am determined to succeed and learn from others.

Thus the reading. Although, I find that just as in life, I need to be aware of those who may have the wrong influence on my stroke. The pool is filled with plenty of bad swimmers who could have a negative impact on my technique. Just because they’re published doesn’t mean they’re the best of swimmers.

Swimmers who can bring home the gold at the Olympics.

However, there are many who through much practice and skill are capable of this feat.

And one of them is Kristin Hannah.

I cannot claim to have read all of Ms. Hannah’s books. Perhaps a few to say the least. But I just finished reading her latest endeavor and oh my goodness what a story.

It’s called “The Nightingale.”

 
Wow, I mean wow. This book without a doubt will make history, setting a new world record in Olympic swimming, I mean writing. And it already has with worldwide distribution and a movie option.

First, I must say, that for a summer read, the story was a little heavy. And that’s okay. This was a story that obviously had to be told. But it was a fresh stroke of genius, a monumental undertaking told from a different point-of-view, proving that Kristin Hannah without question belongs in that Olympic size pool.

And may I just say how much I learned from this well-seasoned professional swimmer!
 

Here’s the first two sentences:

“In love we find out who we want to be. In war we find out who we are.”

Not too shabby, eh?

Here’s the abbreviated premise:

France 1939.

“With courage, grace and powerful insight, bestselling author Kristin Hannah captures the epic panorama of WWII and illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the women’s war. The Nightingale tells the stories of two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path toward survival, love, and freedom in German-occupied, war-torn France–a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the durability of women. It is a novel for everyone, a novel for a lifetime.”

That it is.

If you haven’t had the chance to read it, go now to your favorite book provider and buy it. I happen to follow Ms. Hannah on Facebook, when to my surprise, she shared a link to purchase The Nightingale for a wampum $2.99.

I know! What a deal! Score!

But I would purchase it for the full price, it is that good.

So what’s the moral of this story?

If I want to swim with the professionals, I need to remain diligent, disciplined, confident, with my eyes focused on the end goal at the other side of the Olympic size pool. Because apparently, there are no slackers swimming in the water.

Which means it’s time for me to go practice my swimming writing. ☺

So what do you think? How was your summer vacation? Did you take a break? Read an interesting book you’d like to share? Go somewhere with your family or spouse? Regroup, recover, or revive from the heat? Make any progress on your current endeavor?