Tag Archives: Karen McFarland

The Long and Winding Road

Long and Winding Road

(Photo provided by Ireland of the Welcomes)
 

Ah, Ireland. Look how green you are. The clear blue sky brightens the spring-green grass after a recent rain. Makes me want to jump right into one of those puddles. How about you?

Yet, while I allow my eyes to peruse over the picture, I wonder where that long and winding road will take me. It may be clear and sunny now, however if you’re familiar with the Emerald Isle, you’re aware of the reason why it’s so green. It could very well rain by the time I reach my destination.

The good news is I see a measure of shelter in the background. It’s always a good thing to have an alternative option should something divert our plans. Yet, in order for me to get there, it looks like I will have to dodge the many potholes and bumps on the road along the way.

That sounds like too much of a hassle, doesn’t it?

I mean, who of us wants to walk through a bunch of puddles and pebbles?

I know. Maybe I should take a short cut. Yes, that’s it. If I leap over the stone wall and cut off some time, I’d alleviate a lot of aggravation that comes with a long walk on a bumpy, winding road. After all, it would get me to the same destination in quicker fashion, right?

Well yes. And no.

By taking the short cut, I might arrive at my destination faster than taking the long road. Sure, that might work. I could hop over the fence, run like the wind and get there in record time. I’ll admit there could be a few hills and valleys. Then again, I may just be ahead of the curve. It could be a whole lot easier. At least it looks that way.

But looks can be deceiving.

What if I missed something along the way? Indeed, from the appearance of things, the scenery may look the same. Yet, by taking the short route, I very well may rob myself of vital knowledge and experience that would help me during the course of my journey. And by doing so, I could miss an important step that would have a bearing on my progress as I strive to reach my ultimate goal, which is at the end of the long and winding road.

Do you see the dilemma?

Life is like that. There are so many peaks and valleys, bumps and potholes; our path may not always be straight. And the longer we live, the worse it can get. Unless we take a more positive approach, that would require we learn from past experience, which may or may not include any short cuts during our journey.

This is also true with writing. In my case, I have chosen not to leap over the fence and take the shorter route. And not unlike that road above, my path has included every bump, pebble and pothole you can imagine. There are times when all I want to do is give up and cry. I feel like I’m in a foreign country and do not yet fully understand the language of its people. I, like Ireland, am an island, yet the only green we have in common exists behind my two ears.

Yes, it’s a long and winding road.

Nevertheless, I am determined not to give up, not to cave in when I hit the proverbial stone wall. I am going to stay on that long, winding road, keep jumping into puddles, and make a splash no matter how big or small. Because it’s the end goal that matters, not the bumps in my way while still on the road.
 

So what do you think? What has been your experience while on the Long and Winding Road? Does it ever get better? Or do you still struggle? What has helped you to keep your enthusiasm during your personal path to publication? Have any sage advice you’d like to bestow upon a newbie novelist? I’m all eyes and ears!
 

Cheers everyone! Thank you so much for all your support and wonderful comments!
Karen

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Advice From the Ocean

Advice from the Ocean
(Picture by Shadow Text.net)

A couple of weeks ago, I found this on my Facebook feed. Personally, I think Murphy had something to do with it. I never know what that Pelican is up to.

When at first glance, I thought it was a nice play on words. After all, it involves the beach. And let’s face it, who of us doesn’t like to change our focus to a place we would normally go on vacation.

But, as I looked closer, I noticed this was more than just a mere clever attempt in making a statement. These were words of advice, a real life savor, an ocean full of guidance and counsel to give real meaning to our lives.

So, I began to meditate on what was said. I placed my blanket down on the beach, settled my belongings, dug my feet into the cool damp sand, then took a deep cleansing breath and peered out at the refreshing blue body of water.

Ah yes. I felt the stress roll off my entire body.

Yet, what did this all really mean?

For each one of us, it might mean something totally different. But since this is my post, I thought I’d jump in and take a stab at it. I hope you’ll share your viewpoint in the comment section below. 🙂

Be Shore of Yourself. Okay, I’ll be the first to admit that I struggle with this one a lot. I think it goes with the territory of being a writer. I try to appreciate my own strengths and abilities, but it’s hard to be confident on a daily basis when I think that what I just wrote is a piece of rubbish. I definitely have to work on this one.

Come out of Your Shell. This one’s a biggie too. And I’m not sure if this has anything to do with being an extrovert or introvert. I guess it could. But for me, it’s a matter of trust. If I’m the one that’s sticking my neck out, I want to make ‘shore’ that someone’s not going to bite my head off. So far, so good! But that doesn’t mean it won’t happen. I’ve been known to put my foot in my mouth. I know. Shocking!

Take Time to Coast. Well, since I’m sitting on the beach, breathing in the fresh salt-infused air, meditating, I’m putting this one into practice. But who of us doesn’t struggle with this? It’s not going to happen unless we schedule it in. We all have so much to do, in any given day. But there are times when we just need to coast. We need time to relax and recharge our minds and bodies or our ability to create will suffer. To be honest, it really affects every aspect of our life. So this is a must do. Somehow, SOMEHOW, we must find the time and give ourselves permission to coast. Even it it’s just for a little while. Yes, Relax and breathe! 

Avoid Pier Pressure. Let’s face it, we all like to be accepted and appreciated by our friends. But even as adults, we sometimes struggle with feelings of inadequacy—that we just don’t quite fit in—that we may not meet the standards or requirements that others may expect of us. As you can see, the pier is connected to the shore. And we can find ourselves in deep water if we don’t stop comparing ourselves to others and come to appreciate our own strengths and capabilities. We all ROCK in our own way, you know?

See Life’s Beauty.
Appreciate Life

The cool thing about this is, no matter where we live, there’s beauty. It can be in the smallest of things that will fill our hearts with joy and laughter. Yet, for us to truly gain appreciation, we must make the time to coast!

Don’t Get Tide Down. I think this is related how we spend our energy. As I sit here and watch the tide, I have to admit, it has a very strong pull. It can be high or it can be low. If we’re tide down too much, it can be a waste of our energy. And who of us has extra energy these days? So, balance seems to be the key. It’s what keeps a surfer on his board, right? If we keep balanced, we will not allow ourselves to be tided down with all the negativity and we’ll be able to perform at our best!

Make Waves! Yes, yes, yes! Don’t just stick your toe in it. Jump in and make a big splash and enjoy the ripple effect in everything that you do! I’m still working on this one. How about you?
 

So what do you think? Do you like to stand at the shore or jump in and make waves? Do you like to take a walk on the pier or would you rather stay in your shell? What kind of beauty has life thrown in your direction lately?
 
 
Cheers everyone! Thank you so much for all your support and wonderful comments!
Karen

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Birds of a Feather…Really?

First of all, I want to thank everyone for the wonderful support you gave me in my reentrance into the Blogosphere. My last post had the largest participation of any post that’s appeared on my blog, ever.
 

Why did that happen?
 

I prefer to think of it as the old Birds of a Feather adage.

birds_in-_flight

(Image Credit: AlicePopkorn/Flickr.com)

You know. We flock together.
 

No, I’m not talking about the Pelican, although we’ll get to him in a moment.
 

See, I think this goes far beyond people who are drawn to others who have similar interests.
 

If you’ve ever watched a flock of birds in the sky, there’s no doubt you’ve noticed they usually fly in some kind of formation. Rare is the bird that flies alone.
 

It’s interesting that flocks of birds may differ in size, occur in different species and seasons, yet it is customary that flocks have special names such as a raft of ducks, a charm of finches or a horde of ravens.
 

It seems that birds flock together for many reasons. They congregate to forage, to protect, for camaraderie, to produce and raise a family, for warmth and aerodynamics.
 

Wouldn’t you say that as writers, we can relate to all of the above?
 

We forage together for craft and publishing information. We protect and look out for one another. We form a close alliance with other writers. We nurture our creativity when we produce our books. And we would never consider leaving one of our fellow writers out in the cold.
 

Yet, we are also aerodynamic. We assemble in groups and organizations that allow us to sense a change in wind patterns that enable us to make changes in our life or in the publishing world. We flock together, thus we gain the support to weather any change within current conditions.
 

When we gather together, we use our energy in a more efficient way. It becomes an act of survival, thus none of us are left flailing, floating aimlessly alone. Perhaps if we adopt the custom of naming our own specie of flock, we could call ourselves a gaggle of wanas!
 

I kind of like that, don’t you?
 

So again, thank you for all your support. Y’all gave me a huge lift and an immense feeling that I am not flying solo. I’m truly a member soaring in formation along with the flock.
 

Because Birds of a Feather. You know. We flock together!
 

Really.
 

Now about the Pelican.
 

Jennette Marie Powell related the short version of a rhyme that her grandfather used to say that I thought was apropos. “A strange old bird is the pelican. His beak can hold more than his bellycan.”
 

Well, I sure received a belly full of suggestions. Some were rather inventive. Who knew a Pelican could be so popular. Although, I have to say there were a few of you that were leery of him. While some thought it would be a good idea to wear a hat, others found him to be professorial. And that of course had an influence on your recommendation for his name.
 

Yet, in taking into consideration everyone’s suggestions, be it here on my blog or on Facebook, the name that was submitted most was, believe it or not, “Murphy.”
 

It looks like I now have an Irish Pelican named Murphy!
 

And you know what? I think it’s a good fit. I like it!
 

Oh, by the way. Let me reassure you that Murphy and I had a chat. And he has promised to be on his best behavior and has agreed to act like a perfect gentleman. Since he and I just met, I have no choice but to take his word on this. But if you should notice him getting out of line, please let me know. What can I say? I now share this blog with a bird! Who would’ve thought?
 

So what do you think? Has your life, like my blog, gone to the birds? Do you prefer to fly alone or would you rather soar with the flock? If you were to compare yourself to a bird, what kind of bird would you most likely be? What is your latest project that you are trying to gain liftoff?
 

I want you to know, you guys really Rock!
 

Cheers everyone! Thank you so much for all your support and wonderful comments!
Karen

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Boot Scootin’ Re-Launch Party!

Howdy!

Welcome to the party everyone!
 
Y’all might want to grab a glass of the bubbly before we take a look around.


(I only bring this picture out on special occations!)

Yes, I thought we were due for a blog party around here. It’s been six long months since a post on this site has hit the Blogosphere. And we’ve got a lot to celebrate!
 
Well, what do you think? Do you like what you see? It’s a big change, isn’t it?
 
As you know, change doesn’t always come easy. In my case, or should I say in the case of my old theme, it was dying a slow death. Plugins refused to play nice with widgets who refused to play nice with the theme. It would send your comments to spam, yet spammers were allowed to leave a comment. You have no idea how many times I’ve saved all of you from the trash.

Time for a fresh start and a new beginning!

So I called the illustrious Wana Web Techie Guru, Laird Sapir.

But I had to wait. Yes, it seems Laird is a pretty popular web techie gal. Yet, just in time for spring, she became available. And as I found out, if you’re willing to wait, you may even be serenaded by her three year old daughter. “I love you, you love me.” Yep, she’s that precious!
It always pays to be patient. And as you can see, Laird was so worth the wait!

Let’s scoot to the top of the page shall we and take a look at the new header. You may have noticed that my tagline “Life Happens” went missing. I wasn’t quite sure where to put it. So it is my hope that these pictures will say more than words. They are the backdrop of my life and the stomping ground for the main characters of my future books.

Yes, life will still be happening around here! :)

You’ll notice as you scroll down the left sidebar, there’s the usual About and Contact page. And right below is my picture. Now we, as in Amber West and Lynn Kelley, graciously tried to play with a new picture in Photoshop. Thank you Amber and Lynn! Well…my picture looked quite frankly…Photoshoped. Lol! So I opted to leave the old picture in place because it’s the same little ol’ me. Besides, a new picture gives us all something to look forward to in the future.

Now directly underneath is my “Follow” information. If you haven’t already subscribed to my blog, you are more than welcome to join us at any time. As you can see, I am not a blog maniac. I do not blog five thousand times a week.

Then of course, you may also Follow Me on Twitter, Facebook or LinkIn. How cool is that?

Scootin’ right along, next you’ll find my Facebook Author “Like” and Twitter feeds, archived posts and then if you scroll down just a little bit further, you’ll notice something kind of special at the end of the sidebar. Do you see it?

Yep, it’s the Pelican. He’s a pretty handsome dude, don’t you think? I thought he’d make a great mascot. But there’s only one problem. He has no name. I had thought of naming him Alfred. Don’t ask me why. There is no rhyme or reason to my madness. But hubby hated it. “No, don’t name that poor bird Alfred!” I know, he needs to get his own blog. Lol. Then I thought, why not ask all of you what you think might be a good name for him. He can’t just not have a name. After all, he deserves some recognition since he plans on staying for a while.

So what do you think? How do you like my new Digs? Please do that poor bird handsome Pelican a favor and suggest a name for him in the comments section before you Boot Scoot your way out of here. And of course, you know I’d love to hear how y’all are doing!

Cheers everyone! It’s great to be back. Thank you as always for all your support and wonderful comments! See you next week!
Karen

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Sing O Bla Di Bla Da!

(Picture courtesy of Kristin Nador)

I know, I know, I love to use song titles.

You caught me.

What can I say? Life goes on…

A couple of weeks ago, 400 students were piled into an auditorium at Frank Sinatra High School for the performing arts in New York City and got the biggest surprise of their life. The kids had no idea why they were gathered until Paul McCartney walked out on stage.
 

Can you image?
 

The whole auditorium went crazy. There was a 50 year gap in age, yet the students screamed just like they did when the Beatles first appeared on stage at Shea Stadium and the Ed Sullivan Show. And they knew all the words. Paul still rocked it and brought down the house.
 

Maybe I’m amazed.
 

What is it about Paul McCartney that makes him so special? What makes it possible for him to appeal to generations of people from all over the world?
 

Okay, he’s a Beatle. I love you, yeah, yeah, yeah. I get that. But really, what, besides being a “Beatle” causes gazillions of people to flock to his concerts? Think about it. When Paul McCartney first became popular in the 1960s, those students in attendance weren’t even born.
 

While watching this event, hubby and I remembered when we too had the privilege of attending a Paul McCartney concert. We sat behind a young couple who had brought their three month old baby. Yes, a three month old baby. Who does that? *shakes head* At least they had the good sense to bring earplugs for that little sweetie. And then to our right, sat an older woman in a wheelchair. The vast spectrum of age, the fact that everyone knew the words and sang along, left us awestruck.
 

Now I ask you, who else has the ability to evoke such excitement and participation?
 

During the concert, some of the students were allowed to ask questions. One student asked why McCartney continues to make music. He said that when people ask him if he’ll retire, he responds with, “Thank you very much. No.”
 

He also said, “You have to follow your own instincts. It’s very easy to get caught up in this idea that you must please everyone. You have to remind yourself that you’ve got to love it – then there’s a chance they will love it as well.”
 

Way to go Paul!
 

And isn’t that what creating art is all about? It’s subjective and once released into the world, we hope our work will appeal to others and perhaps bring some pleasure into their world. Granted, none of us can be Paul McCartney. He’s one of a kind. But aren’t we? I say, let’s use Paul’s example for a little inspiration. Let’s follow our own instincts. And when we reach the point of doubt and frustration in our creative work, let’s to continue to remind ourselves that honey, honey, life goes on.
 

And so does Paul McCartney.
 

Sing O Bla Di Bla Da!
 

I feel better already!
 

So what do you think? Were you able to watch Paul McCartney on the Yahoo broadcast? Have you ever had the opportunity to see the Beatles, or one of the Beatles perform? What’s the last concert you attended? Do you find that music inspires you?

Thanks everyone for stopping by and for all your encouraging comments!
Karen

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